Israel, Lebanon Peace Talks in DC; Iran Will Never Have Nuclear Weapon | NTD Good Morning (April 14)

Welcome back. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into clothing brand Lululemon over the potential presence of forever chemicals in its active wear. The probe will determine whether the brand's athletic apparel contains substances known as PFAs, which have also been called forever chemicals because they do not break down easily in nature. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, PFAs are associated with harmful health effects in humans and animals. Paxton saying, quote, if Lululemon has violated Texas law, it will be held accountable. And in a statement, a company spokesperson said Lululemon does not use PFAs in its products and phased out the chemicals in 2023 after limited use. Meanwhile, a rare comet that comes around once every 170,000 years is currently speeding past our planet. Starting today, stargazers will have an opportunity to catch a glimpse of this cosmic phenomenon. The comet will appear around an hour and a half before sunrise. The glowing space rock viewers should look low toward the eastern horizon. New moon on Friday will offer darker skies in the beginning of a window when the comet will be at its brightest for stargazers on Earth. Wow. Only every couple hundred thousand years. No big deal, right? Yeah. We're inside, but I do feel it sometimes. Part of the larger cosmic movements. There you go. If you can look out the window though, go ahead. All right. We do have to wrap up our show here, but if you have any feedback on the show, maybe you want more comets stories. We won't know unless you shoot us an email, and you can do that at goodmorning at ntd.com. And for on the clock original news coverage, watch us live at ntd.com slash live or download our entity app. I'm Stefania Cox. I'm Cary Dunst. We'll see you soon. Welcome to NTD Good Morning. Here are today's top stories. Fresh talks with Iran could begin this week as the US continues a blockade of Iranian ports in the Hormuz Strait. What vice president Vance is saying about the state of a potential diplomatic solution. And a significant gap exists in current oil prices and the futures market. We're going to speak with an economist to explain what you can expect to pay at the pump. Two congressmen, one Republican and one Democrat, announcing they're leaving Congress. It comes after separate sexual misconduct allegations and the threat of a full vote to expel them both. And a Texas man is charged with attempted murder after allegedly attacking the home of Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI. What authorities are now saying about the suspect and the case? This is NTD Good Morning. Live from our global headquarters in New York City, here are Stefania Cox and Cary Dunst. Good morning. Thank you for joining us. Today's Tuesday, April 14th. You're watching NTD Good Morning. In today's top news, the US and Iran could reportedly begin a fresh round of peace talks as soon as this week. Comes as the US is implementing its Navy blockade against Iran. And after talks last weekend failed to reach a deal, joining us now live in studio is NTD's White House correspondent, Iris Tao. Good morning, Iris. What's the latest? Good morning to both of you as well. So oil prices are falling today as investors see more optimism about continued talks between the US and Iran. US officials told the Associated Press that the second round of in-person talks could start as early as this Thursday. And the goal, of course, is to get a deal to end the six-week war before the ceasefire expires on April 21st. And Vice President J.D. Vance last night talking to Fox News as saying that, yes, there's still room for a deal, but the ball is really in Iran's court. And also adding that the US really wants to get enriched uranium out of Iran and must have their conclusive commitment to not develop a nuclear weapon. Vance saying that if that could be agreed to by Iran, then he believes that there could be a good deal between the two countries. President Trump yesterday also confirming that Iranian side has reached out and wants a deal badly. Let's take a look. I can tell you that we've been called by the other side. They'd like to make a deal very badly, very badly. If they don't agree, there's no deal. There'll never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon and we're going to get the dust back. And of course, this all comes as a US Navy blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz continues. It just went into effect yesterday morning. And on the first full day of that blockade, little traffic has been passing through, leaving Iranian ports in the region. Meanwhile, a lot to watch for, of course, to see how this blockade will continue to play out and how Iran could respond. Meanwhile, today in Washington, D.C., Lebanese officials will meet with Israeli officials for their talks, and it's actually going to be their first high-level talks in 40 years. Thank you for that update, Iris. Good to see you in the studio. And to discuss the Iran war's short and long-term impact on oil and other commodity prices, I spoke with Michael Bussler. He's an economist and a professor of finance at Stockton University. I asked him his take on the situation at the Strait of Hormuz. Have a look at that. Well, he's right. This is a very severe economic challenge. What happened was, once the conflict started, President Trump said it would be over fairly quickly. It's taking a little longer than he thought. But, you know, the US and Israel ended up taking out a lot of Iran's facilities to produce missiles and drones. What we didn't count on was that Iran would start bombing some of their apparent allies in the Middle East. The UAE has taken on more missiles than Israel. And then Iran started to attack some of the oil-producing facilities in some of these countries, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait. And what's going to happen is it's going to take a little time to fix those. So President Trump has said, once this war is over, energy prices will come tumbling down because there's so many ships waiting to pass through the Straits of Hormuz, that once the war is over, they'll be able to pass, greatly increase the supply of oil and bring the prices back down. However, to keep the prices down, there has to be that steady flow of oil. And I believe about 30 percent of the oil-producing facilities in the Middle East have been damaged. Now, we don't know what the extent of the damage is necessarily, nor how long it will take to repair. So after a dip in prices and the market reaches an equilibrium, if there's a reduction in supply due to the Middle East facilities being damaged, that would tend to push energy prices back up again until those facilities can be repaired. Since we don't know the exact extent of the damages at this point, it's difficult to predict how long it will take for energy prices to normalize. So to wrap it up, what we're going to see once the conflict is over, and I hope it gets over soon, the longer it takes to get over, the more the negative impact on the economy. But once it's over, oil prices will come back down. We're just not sure six, eight, ten months after that if they're likely to go up again. And as we talk about sort of what U.S. consumers can expect at the pump, right now it feels kind of like before Trump had gotten into office. When I fill up, it doesn't even feel like the peak, actually, during the Biden administration. It's starting to shock me a little bit. But it's not like at the worst it had been for me, at least, when I filled up over the weekend during the peak of prices during the Biden administration. But there's this unusual gap between the current price and the futures market, which I understand to be much lower than the actual price, at least if you look at it by the barrel. So what's happening in the current price versus the futures market, Michael? So you're right. The energy prices, gasoline is up over $4 a gallon practically everywhere. It's not as bad as the $5 a gallon price we saw back in 2021 and 2022. So we feel it, but it's not as bad. The futures markets believe this conflict will get over relatively soon. Oil supplies will then increase. Remember, there's over 100 ships filled with oil that can't move because they're afraid to go through the strait. Now, President Trump has put up this blockade, so maybe more will come through. But the futures market is betting that this conflict will end, energy prices will go down. And they believe that even with the damage caused to these production facilities, the U.S. has been able to expand their production. Saudi Arabia has said that they're willing to expand their production. We still have a lot of oil coming out of Venezuela that the U.S. has great influence over. So the futures market is betting that the conflict will end relatively soon. Oil prices will come down. And they don't believe the oil prices are going to go up like the International Monetary Fund believes. Yeah, that is an interesting gap. And it's pretty extreme. I think it's 130 versus 100 between those two, current price and futures market. Now, Michael, I want to look at the ripple effect, though, of energy prices, because it's not just what we pay at the pump. Of course, it's food deliveries, it's airline tickets, it's everything where oil and gas feed in the supply chain. Of course, we're fortunate in that we're sort of in that donut between the heat of summer and the dead of winter. So at least our home needs are not quite as large. But what are you seeing as it relates to inflation as a result of those oil prices affecting everything from food delivery, you know, and consumer goods? So energy prices directly affect 7 percent of the consumer price index and indirectly affect almost 30 percent. Indirectly means we're not we're not paying more necessarily for gas and oil. We are. But the indirect effect is when energy prices go up. As you mentioned, it costs more to manufacture, costs more to transport. So it drives all the inflation numbers higher. And we saw just last month we had inflation the month before. In February, we had inflation down to two point four percent on an annualized basis. The March number, the inflation rate went up to three point three percent. So those high energy prices and a reduction in supply have a great impact not just on energy, but on the overall economy. The bottom line is we have to get this conflict over as soon as possible. The longer it takes, the more these inflationary pressures will build and the longer we're going to have an energy problem. From the Republican standpoint, you know, the midterms are coming up. Traditionally, the party not in power, not the presidential party, tends to do very well in midterms. And if all of these inflation problems linger into the summer, that's going to have a very negative impact for the Republicans, at least in the midterms in November. We have to get this Iran situation resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, we could see a period of prolonged inflation. Well, certainly a lot to watch out for. It would seem like just getting that straight flowing, even if there's a linger effect on fully ending the conflict, would have an immediate impact. But it looks like the futures market is betting on that. So we'll have to wait and see. Michael Bussler, thank you for joining us. Always my pleasure. Coming up, two congressmen, one Republican and one Democrat, announcing they're leaving Congress. It comes after separate sexual misconduct allegations and the threat of a full vote to expel them both. And a Texas man is charged with attempted murder after allegedly attacking the home of Sam Altman, he's CEO of OpenAI. What authorities are now saying about the suspect as well as the case? Two congressmen, one Republican and one Democrat, announcing they're leaving Congress after the House launched separate ethics probes into both of them. NTD's Melina Weiskopf joins us live with more. Good morning, Melina. So there are two people involved here, but let's start with Congressman Eric Swalwell of California. Tell us what you know. Right. So Democrat Congressman Eric Swalwell announced last night that he will resign immediately from his congressional seat. His announcement just comes one day after he announced that he'd leave the race for California governor. In a statement yesterday, he publicly apologized for what he described as mistakes in judgment that he's made in the past. But he went on to say that the allegations against him are false and he will continue to fight against those allegations. This is over sexual assault allegations. A former staffer of his came forward saying that he assaulted her after she had been drinking. There were also other staffers which accused him of sending them unsolicited explicit photos. Now, his resignation comes after a domino effect of consequences after those allegations came to light. Lawmakers immediately called for him to step down from that governor's race, including top Democrats like the House Democrat leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi. Then, of course, we saw this week an ethics probe was announced from the House Ethics Committee. This would be an additional investigation on top of the criminal investigation that's already underway. And then on Sunday, of course, we saw more than 50 former staffers of signing a letter calling on him to resign from Congress altogether. And then adding to that, you also now have, well, before he decided to resign, there were lawmakers who were leading an effort to expel him from Congress. Congresswoman Ana Paulino Luna was launching that effort. They would have an expulsion vote under this process. It's the same process that led to the ousting of former Congressman George Santos. All right. So now there's a separate ethics investigation and possible expulsion vote targeting Congressman Tony Gonzalez. He's also leaving Congress. What can you tell us about his case? So Congressman Gonzalez, of course, a Republican from Texas, said that he's going to file for retirement today. But remember, he already said that he wouldn't seek re-election back in March when the news of his affair with his staffer and then since then we've seen allegations of sexual misconduct come to light. His situation is over a consensual relationship with a former staffer who later committed suicide. But house rules prohibit that type of romantic relationship between members and staffers. So the ethics committee had already launched an investigation into his situation. Gonzalez already admitted to that affair and apologized publicly. But now what you see staff is there's another former Gonzalez staffer who said that he asked her for explicit photos and sent her explicit photos without her asking for them. The ethics investigation has been underway for the past month and top Republicans have called on Gonzalez to directly address the allegations with his constituents and his colleagues. So what comes next for the seats of Gonzalez and Swalwell? Well, since both of their terms end next January in Swalwell's case, he's leaving immediately. So Governor Gavin Newsom could call a special election to fill his seat or just leave it until the midterms come around. In Gonzalez's case, it's unclear when he plans to leave Congress since he said he'd file for retirement rather than a resignation. But a Democrat who's leading an expulsion vote against him gave him until 2 p.m. today to make the resignation effective immediately. Otherwise, she says Gonzalez will still face that expulsion vote in the House. But we should know more about whether he intends to make that resignation effective immediately or if they'll serve out the rest of his term once he does file that retirement later today, Seth. All right, thanks for the update. And Congress is back in Washington after a two-week spring recess. That's right. At the top of that list is a push for a budget package that will fund immigration enforcement and expected moves to force a vote on U.S. military action in Iran. NTD's Chris Bobb has more. The Senate is back in session Monday and set to gavel in later Tuesday. Open hearings begin Wednesday as President Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget request takes center stage. A slate of top administration officials is set to testify, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are advancing a narrow budget plan that would fund the Department of Homeland Security for three years through reconciliation. That effort is being led by Senator Lindsey Graham, with leadership aiming to send a bill to the president's desk by June 1st. On the Senate floor, debate will resume for the Save America Act. Some conservatives, including Senator Mike Lee, are pushing leadership to keep debate open longer, resisting efforts to move quickly to a final vote. That tension is also feeding into a broader fight over the filibuster. Senator Rick Scott posting on X, quote, The filibuster was never meant to be a permanent veto. It's time to blow up the filibuster. And Senator Tommy Tuberville responding to Scott, quote, Let's get rid of the filibuster now and finally deliver for the American people before it's too late. Lawmakers may also be forced to weigh in on U.S. military action abroad. Democrats are preparing to force a war powers vote that could limit the administration's ability to carry out military operations against Iran without explicit approval from Congress. Some Republicans are already warning against any concessions. Senator Graham writing, quote, The only difference between al Qaeda and the Iranian regime is that one is a Sunni terrorist organization and the other is a Shia terrorist state. No enrichment means no enrichment. Chris Bobb, NTD News. The White House pushing for an extension to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Officials say the tool is critical to national security, especially amid rising tensions with Iran. The authority is set to expire April 20th without congressional action. But the move is facing resistance on Capitol Hill from lawmakers in both parties, including conservatives who want stricter limits or new warrant requirements. In 2024, President Trump urged lawmakers to kill FISA during the last renewal fight. But he's since reversed course, a shift that has helped bring some previously skeptical Republicans on board. House GOP leaders are now eyeing a possible vote as early as tomorrow. A shake in western Nevada last night. A magnitude 5.7 earthquake striking east of Carson City, Nevada. The quake hitting just before 6.30 p.m. near the town of Silver Springs. Video showing damage inside stores with shattered glass and items scattered across the floor. Residents reporting strong shaking with some describing homes rattling for nearly a minute. Officials say some areas saw light to moderate damage following the quake. The Texas man is facing multiple charges after an attack on the home of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. Yeah, here's what authorities have said on that. Federal and state authorities are detailing charges in an alleged attempt on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's life. They're saying the suspect, Daniel Moreno-Gama of Texas, threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman's San Francisco home early Friday morning. San Francisco's district attorney has filed attempted murder and attempted arson charges in the case. We interpret this behavior for just what it is, an attempt on Mr. Altman's life and an extreme danger to those around him and those who work for his company. The suspect also faces federal charges of destruction of property by means of explosives and possession of an unregistered firearm. The FBI say he had prepared for the attack in advance. This was not spontaneous. This was planned, targeted, and extremely serious. Prosecutors allege the 20-year-old traveled across state lines with the intent to kill Altman. I want to be clear. Attacks like these will never be tolerated in San Francisco and anyone who seeks to do harm in our city will be swiftly arrested and held accountable for their crimes. Investigators say after the attack on the home, the suspect went to the company's headquarters attempting to force entry. Authorities say he tried to break the building's glass door using a chair and said he had come to burn down the building and kill anyone inside. Police say that Moreno-Gama was arrested with incendiary devices fueled in a written manifesto titled, Your Last Warning. That document allegedly outlining anti-AI views and calling for violence against tech leaders. If the evidence shows that Mr. Moreno-Gama executed these attacks to change public policy or to coerce government or other officials, we will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism. If convicted, Moreno-Gama could be looking at decades in prison. The Supreme Court recently weighed in on a Colorado law involving counseling for minors. The justices ruled that the state can't enforce its 2019 ban on talk therapy that discusses changing sexual orientation or gender identity. NDD's Daniel Monahan spoke with co-executive director of the Changed Movement, which was found to fight similar bans. Here's more on that. In an eight-to-one decision, the justices said the law likely violates the First Amendment by allowing some viewpoints, such as affirming a minor's gender identity or sexual orientation, while restricting others. The case was brought by licensed therapist Kelly Childs, who argued her counseling sessions are protected speech. Colorado officials argued those conversations amount to professional conduct subject to regulation. Co-executive director of the Changed Movement, Elizabeth Wanning, attended the hearing. Increasingly, secular culture is far away from the religious moral values that many hold. So then when you go into a counseling space, if your counselor won't or can't kind of protect your moral values, then you're at an impasse because your mental and emotional distress is key. Recovery is key in your faith. We lean into our faith to become whole. And so then if your is not allowed to affirm that in a private setting, then that can be very, very hard. The Changed Movement was founded in response to a 2018 California bill that sought to classify paid efforts to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity as fraudulent business practices. Wanning says the decision of the high court was a win for both those who are religious and the LGBT culture as well. I mean, this ensures that the government can't ever instill an ideology into that space. Wanning, who says she identified as a lesbian in her early 20s, describes her personal journey as shaped by her faith. She says she is now married to her husband of 20 years and no longer experiences same-sex attraction. I had an experience in my faith that led me to start questioning the doctrine that I had believed. And when I started pressing against it, I began deconstructing that, kind of what I would believe are wrong or restrictive beliefs. And so in the course of my faith journey, I started experiencing wellness, wholeness through prayer. Wanning says people are often placed into a broad LGBT category with the assumption that questioning those identities is harmful. She says each person's experience is different with unique backgrounds and personal goals. And so really when we're talking about so-called conversion therapy, what we're doing is opening a space of neutrality where an individual can actually question honestly their sexuality and their identity and decide their own path, their own path forward. But these laws like in Colorado, which was the subject of the Supreme Court case, basically says there is one right way, and that's only embrace of LGBTQ identities. And I think that's just as harmful as trying or endeavoring to create this neutral space where a person can walk away. Wanning says it's important young people have access to counseling that allows them to explore those questions. But I mean, even more so in our culture where youth are identifying as transgender and gender ideology is coming into play. Many who have questioned their gender, maybe as a result of the pain or confusion around puberty or some other trauma in their life, when they're questioning their gender, the potential outcomes could be completely life-changing, life-altering, and irreversible procedures. Very different than a counseling conversation, right? On the issue of trauma, Wanning points to research suggesting higher rates of adverse childhood experiences among LGBT-identifying individuals, emphasizing that each case is complex and varies by person. In her dissent, Justice Katanji Brown Jackson warned the Supreme Court decision could weaken states' ability to oversee licensed medical professionals. Similar laws in roughly two dozen states and Washington, D.C. could now face legal challenges. Thank you, Daniel. And Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into clothing brand Lululemon over the potential presence of forever chemicals in its active wear. The probe will determine whether the brand's athletic apparel contains substances known as PFAS, which have also been called forever chemicals because they do not break down easily in nature. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, PFAS are associated with harmful health effects in humans and animals. Paxton says, quote, if Lululemon has violated Texas law, it will be held accountable. In a statement, a company spokesperson said Lululemon does not use PFAS in its product and phased out the chemicals back in 2023 after limited use. Up ahead, the blockade's in effect and President Trump means to enforce it. President warning the U.S. could destroy any Iranian vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz. What's next? And President Trump warns the Chinese Communist Party that if it arms the Iranian regime, it could face a 50 percent tariff. Welcome back. Rising tensions with Iran now colliding with China. President Trump warning Beijing could face major consequences if it's caught arming Iran. And the U.S. turns away Chinese tankers at the Strait of Hormuz. NTD's Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has more. At least two Chinese oil tankers have been turned away from the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. blockade began. That's according to Maritime Traffic, a maritime analytics provider. Both of these ships were Chinese tankers disguising themselves by flying false flags, one flying a Malawi flag and the other Botswana, both landlocked African countries. That's because the U.S. Navy is only blocking ships of countries that receive Iranian oil. China is the largest purchaser, buying over 80 percent of Iranian oil. And the Strait accounts for roughly 40 to 50 percent of China's oil, now shut off. China is really the one that's going to face the brunt of the pain. Now this comes as President Trump is warning that China could get hit with a massive 50 percent tariff if it's caught sending weapons to Iran. Well, if China does that, China is going to have big problems, OK? I hear news reports about China giving the shoulder missiles, what's called the shoulder missile, anti-aircraft missile. I doubt they would do that because I have a relationship and I think they wouldn't do that. But maybe they did a little bit at the beginning, but I don't think they would anymore. No. But if we catch them doing that, they get a 50 percent tariff, which is a staggering, that's a staggering amount. China has sent technology to Iran used in their weapons systems. But the fact that these aren't panning out in Iran's favor may look bad on the CCP. China provided their most advanced air defense capabilities to Iran. We completely destroyed them. They didn't shoot down one American or Israeli plane. So China now has the problem that their military technology is not recognized as being up to par to the United States. That's going to have huge implications with a whole host of other countries. It's a situation that's putting more pressure on the Chinese Communist Party, both economically and militarily, all seeming to give President Trump the upper hand, going into face-to-face talks with CCP leader Xi Jinping in China next month. For NTD News, Washington, I'm Jack Bradley. And welcome back. Joining us for the latest on the U.S. military blockade on Iranian ports is Brent Sadler, Research Fellow for Naval Warfare at the Heritage Foundation and a former U.S. Navy officer. Good to have you with us this morning, Brent. Just walk us through exactly what this U.S. military blockade looks like on the water. Well, thank you for having me, Anya. And so over the weekend, literally as the negotiations were falling apart, the U.S. Navy sent two destroyers and also mine clearance equipment to create what's called a Q route, so safe passage for traffic. And based on what President Trump said yesterday, we had about 34 ships pass through in the first day of that. So something to watch and that trend hopefully should continue and pick up. Not sure if it's enough to get back to levels before the conflict because the other part of this equation is, of course, the blockade on Iranian ports, not a closure of all shipping or scrutiny of all shipping, just that that's going to and coming from Iranian ports. And so having air dominance is the ability to monitor the entire Iranian coastline should threats emerge, but also to direct naval forces to interdict or to stop and board and to ensure compliance with the blockade. It certainly is disrupting Iranian economic activity as desired. But again, something to watch is one or two Chinese flagships may also be heading to Iranian ports will be the first true test of this. So and what kind of military or other maneuvers do you think could actually get the strait open? Right now, it's persistence, keeping that air dominance over the Persian Gulf, making sure that the Iranians don't try to come out and challenge it, having adequate naval forces. It doesn't mean you have to keep the carry strike forces like we've had since the beginning of this always present, but certainly having a very robust naval or maritime presence because you could also be operating from shore. And it's increasingly likely our Gulf country partners, like Saudi Arabia, but also UAE, that's also directly engaged in conflict against Iran already itself, will likely be partners in enforcing this blockade until which time the Iranians come to their senses and concede on the points that the president's put on the table, namely cease and desist from any nuclear enrichment and any nuclear weapons program. And you mentioned this is impacting commercial ships for Iran, but how much do you think it's affecting Iran's leverage in the negotiations? Well, on this one, you have to look at the dark hand behind all this, and this is Beijing. Pakistan is very indebted to Beijing, so no wonder that they're also the ones hosting and trying to ensure that a deal is brokered. There's rumors now that there'll be a part two to the failed negotiations last weekend. It's China that aims to benefit by reopening the shipping to Iranian ports, and so it's in China's interest that Iran concedes or at least comes to an understanding with the United States enough so that its access to cheap Iranian oil is renewed. But it's also important to note that most of that shipping that's delivering that cheap crude oil to Chinese refineries are not flagged by the Chinese nation. They are also, in many cases, dark fleet operating off the grid, so to speak. So what does it take, then, for the U.S. to properly identify them and police that region? Well, the first thing is you've got to put eyes on the target. So having naval forces present is number one, because while it is mandated that all ships greater than 1,000 tons transmit what's called AIS, it's a location and identification signaling, which you can go online and you can track, what we're finding is many of them are being spoofed. This is a tactic of many of the Chinese fishing fleets, as well as even their shipping. But certainly, if they're involved in illicit activities and sanctions avoidance, they do spoofing, false transmitting of name. So you have to put eyes on. But there's another very longstanding customary, but also accepted international law. It's called the flag verification process. This is what was used for many years to go and interdict Iranian arms shipments into Yemen to supply the Houthis. It's also what's being used to go and sink the narcotics boats in the Caribbean. The same can be applied against illicit shipping, but also to verify their state flag registry to make sure they are actually complying with international laws and that they are who they say they are. And so how can viewers, perhaps concerned about potential rising prices, gas or otherwise, grapple with this in the context of seeing how much the communist regime in China needs this oil and will be trying to put its thumb on the scale as well? Yeah, to put most of the people watching, listening to this minds at ease, at least here in the United States, is most of this price shock, at least the first few days where it went up to almost $120 a barrel, that's an indication or a function of speculation. Clearly, the energy flows, the markets, the supply was still able to meet demands, at least in the near term. So the price dropped back down into the 80s. Now it's hovering around $95, $98 a barrel. It could go down further as the market adjusts to this new reality and changes. The Saudis have opened to full capacity a pipeline that bypasses the Persian Gulf completely to the Red Sea. And most of that oil does go to Asia still. So as the market adjusts and supply is meeting demand, you're going to see those prices come down. It may not reach back to into the $50, low $60 range. But again, on top of the pressures of higher gas prices that we see every summer, as people go for vacation, it might have a compounding effect in the near term. But by the fall, I think the markets will adjust, demand will drop seasonally, prices will probably go back down to more historic norms, certainly less than what we saw in the inflationary period in the post-COVID era. And back on the need to rid the world of the Iranian regime's possession of nuclear weapons. Looking also at the other players, friends of the Iranian regime there and the threats they pose, what outcomes, militarily, diplomatic or economic, should we be watching for in the coming days and weeks? Well, the big one is armed shipments from China and Russia. The Russians have very little to lose in tariffs from the United States, but China does. And there's a summit that's still on the records to be planned for next month between President Trump and Xi Jinping. So the context for that summit is coming very strong and very favorable for the United States. But if the Chinese are going to move weapons in there, there's a threat of a 50% across the board tariff. If that happens, expected to be one of the issues in the summit. But again, there's not a whole lot of options for the Chinese to prop up their proxy in Iran from the sea without exposing themselves to a lot of risk, which means re-flagging many of their ships to Chinese flag and not have the benefit of sanctions avoidance and trying to work under the table for very cheap access to energy. Great to speak with you, Brent Sadler. Thank you so much. Thank you. The Venezuelan government and Chevron Corporation announced an agreement yesterday, allowing the company to expand its oil operations in the country. The agreement was signed in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, during a meeting between acting President Rodríguez and Chevron representatives. It comes as Venezuela continues its efforts to boost foreign investment in its oil industry. The Trump administration made policy changes to the oil industry after the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro. The reforms give private companies control over the production and sale of oil, ending the state-owned company's monopoly over those activities, as well as pricing. The deal would allow Chevron to gain a stronger footing to expand heavy oil projects in the country amid expected increased competition with foreign companies. The U.S. military says it carried out another strike targeting drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific. The operation hitting a vessel believed to be operating along known trafficking routes. Seven Command says two narco-terrorist traffickers were killed in the strike. The strike is part of Operation Southern Spear, a broader effort to disrupt cartel activity in the region. The military says no U.S. personnel were injured in the operation. And Israelis are marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, honoring the six million Jews killed during World War II. Sirens sounding across the country today as people paused in silence to remember the victims, drivers stopping their cars, and pedestrians standing still in a nationwide moment of reflection. A wreath-laying ceremony at the Yad Vashem Memorial followed, with Israeli leaders in attendance, including President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are in the United States for a three-day working visit. They were in Pennsylvania yesterday alongside Governor Josh Shapiro. Clearly, our ties have proved their worth. Our partnership is close and productive and benefits both you and us. To give just one example, Dutch investments in Pennsylvania and the trade between us support 60,000 jobs in this state. This has a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of many families in Pennsylvania. Dutch royals making stops in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and Florida. The trip focused on strengthening economic ties and cooperation in key sectors. At the White House, President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcomed the King and Queen. The visit highlighting partnerships that the Dutch Embassy in Washington says support more than a million American jobs. Coming up, Shenyan Performing Arts wrapping up six performances in Vancouver over the weekend. A successful end to its Canadian tour this year with a member of Parliament presenting a proclamation to the company. Welcome back. A rare comet that comes around once every 170,000 years is speeding past our planet. Starting today, stargazers will have an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the cosmic phenomenon. The comet will appear around an hour and a half before sunrise. To see the glowing space rock, viewers should look low toward the eastern horizon. And a new moon on Friday will offer darker skies in the beginning of a window when the comet will be at its brightest for stargazers on Earth. Okay, so there's already been some opportunities, but glad to see there's a few more coming. Apparently, this comet will reach closest to the sun on Sunday. Perfect, coinciding with the weekend. So if you want to get out there and set up your tripod and maybe try to get some photos, we have one, we'll call her a fan in the office who loves to do that. That's true. And go out camping and do her best to be able to photograph the cosmic phenomenon. She's got a great show. That's right. The Kodak's Legendary. That's it. But also you can see there are comet trackers online, which is kind of great. So plenty out there to keep you entertained with this comet. Next, Shen Yun Performing Arts wrapping up six performances in Vancouver over the weekend, rounding out its Canadian tour this year. That's right. Mark Dalton, a member of the Canadian Parliament, he presented a proclamation of the company in person and to be, of course, a proud sponsor of Shen Yun and was in Vancouver over the weekend. Have a look at that. I'm delighted to congratulate Shen Yun Performing Arts on the occasion of the 20th anniversary performances for 20 years, which is a schedule, but are taking place right now in Vancouver and elsewhere. It's a cultural treasure that uplifts audiences. And I must admit that I felt uplifted and everybody there in the audience sure felt uplifted with some of the best universal values shared by Canadians, such as compassion, courage, loyalty, freedom, and respect. Through classical Chinese dance and music, Shen Yun seeks to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. MP Dalton said the performance also highlights the importance of preserving cultural heritage. It's a very professional performance. You can see there is a tremendous amount of work, of effort and thought being put into this. You have a whole troupe of dancers, and then the orchestra is fantastic also. So it's a great cultural experience and reflection upon Chinese thought and Chinese history. So I just, I really valued it. There's a lot of effort that goes into this, and I just want to commend and salute the performers and the whole organization for this wonderful spectacle that they bring on a yearly basis here to Vancouver and across the world. I understand that there are eight performing troupes going throughout the world. Members of the Legislative Assembly, Brad Chapman, also attended the performance and said the production left a deep impression. I'm always so impressed, and I kind of forgot about it when I came back and remembered how well Shen Yun puts the multimedia, so you have the animation and the artwork behind them, and how they interact between it. And I feel like it's almost a bit ahead of its time in a way, or maybe it's timeless. The timing is amazing between the music and the dancing, and then interacting with the multimedia. It's immersive. It brings you into it. Beyond the artistry, Chapman said the performance carried a deeper message, one rooted in tradition and the human spirit. It gives you traditional values that we can embrace, and it makes you feel those things that we have naturally. And so to me, it kind of was a tribute to the human heart and to the human spirit. Stay strong and keep that kindness and that warmth in your heart, because it shows, and people know that they're good people, and they fight hard. They stand up strong for what they believe in, and that's always something we can look towards, and it inspires many people, many more than they may know. Well, I'd like to say congratulations for doing this for the people of the world, because I know this is going around the world, and there's so many that are involved. So I just commend all those that are participants, the dancers, the musicians, the people behind the scenes that are all doing that, the sponsors, for what they do to get this out to the public. NTD News, Vancouver, Canada. I love to see those audience reactions, the Member of Parliament and that other gentleman. He was referring to the patented technology that Shen Yun has developed, which allows on-stage interactions with digital projection and 3D imagery and technology, something that really, if you have never seen it, there's almost no way to describe what that's like on stage. Of course, Shen Yun wrapping up its Lincoln Center, New York City performances, so I was a bit shocked when my son told me that his buddy's whole family is going to Shen Yun, because I thought it was over in the New York area, but actually there are Connecticut and New Jersey shows, and apparently his one friend's grandmother bought tickets for the whole family, and the kids are definitely in for a treat. It is a family affair, yeah. It's always nice to see the kids there, and often they'll dress up, even in some traditional Asian costumes, just for fun, even if they're not Asian, just to go along with the theme. Or like an anchorman, they might dress up like an anchorman. However you like. You can certainly dress up for it. But it is great that that moment of surprise when this technology on stage is revealed, and you hear this gasp from the audience, and it's such great entertainment, but all in service of telling the stories of the past, and bringing those to life, because so much of it is about the unseen, and the mythology, and all of that. So you need that element of otherworldliness, and this technology really helps illustrate that, and helps spark that in people's imagination. And it really brings that fantasy of what ancient China is like. You think about all of the magic, and all of the different things. It comes to life, in a way, through this technology, and of course, the mastery of the dancers. It definitely had moments of tears, and moments of just straight up laugh out loud laughter. At their 20 year anniversary, they're operating at just another level. It's amazing. I don't know. Regardless, I think of what your faith is, and your belief is, it seems like a lot of people are becoming interested in Taoist philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, and the teachings therein. And what's really nice, another thing that's really nice about the show is, you get a real feeling sense for it, because the stories, the history is really built around so many stories. It's not just a set of straight ideas. There's a way that it's illustrated through story, and then it just comes alive, as you said, through the feeling in the dancers' performances, through the technology and the spectacle that's created that really just sparks something much bigger in your imagination. Well, just a few weeks left. The tour is almost over, but there are still a few select shows. There are a couple here in the New York metro area. So, if you haven't seen this year's tour, highly encourage it. And we do have to wrap up the show here, but if you have any feedback, or maybe there's a story you'd like to see us cover, you can send us an email at goodmorning at ntd.com. We would love your feedback. And for around the clock original news coverage, you can watch us live at ntd.com slash live, or download our NTD app. I'm Stefania Cox. I'm Kerry Dunst. Have a great day.