Pres. Trump Leaves for China; Calif. Mayor Admits Being CCP Agent | NTD Good Morning (May 12)

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:03]Welcome to NTD. Good morning.

[00:00:05]>> Here are today's top stories. President Trump saying he'll reduce the federal gasoline tax to provide relief at the pump. The president also condemning Iran's latest proposal to end the conflict, calling it garbage that puts the ceasefire on life support.

[00:00:22]>> Over a dozen individuals exposed to the Hanta virus are now being monitored at a medical facility in Nebraska. What health officials are saying about the risk to the general public.

[00:00:32]>> A mayor in California agrees to plead guilty to acting as a CCP agent.

[00:00:38]Prosecutors say she spread Chinese regime propaganda denying human rights abuses in Shinjang and more.

[00:00:46]>> And the Senate moves one step closer to confirming Kevin Walsh as the next Federal Reserve chair. Two Democrats breaking ranks in support of his nomination.

[00:00:55]The White House announces a new rule aimed at expanding access to fertility benefits in the workplace and what the new plan means for employers.

[00:01:05]And it's National Police Week and President Trump is highlighting his support for law enforcement. President's comments at the White House.

[00:01:23]This is MTV. Good morning live from our global headquarters in New York City.

[00:01:28]Here are Stephanie Aox and Carrie Dun.

[00:01:31]>> Good morning. Thanks for joining us.

[00:01:33]>> Today is Tuesday, May 12th. This is NTD Good Morning. In today's top news, President Trump condemning Iran's latest proposal to end the conflict, saying the ceasefire is now very weak.

[00:01:43]>> He also says he'll suspend the gas tax to ease some of the pain at the pump.

[00:01:48]And Washington correspondent Jack Bradley has the details. After reading the piece of garbage they sent us, I didn't even finish reading it.

[00:01:55]>> President Trump says the weeksl long ceasefire with Iran is on life support, calling Tyrron's response to the most recent US peace proposal, >> it was just unacceptable. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft.

[00:02:07]They have no radar. And frankly, their leaders have been killed at the first level, second level, and half at the third level. And uh then they come back and they want to negotiate and they give us a stupid it's a stupid proposal and nobody would take it. But the plan is that they cannot have a nuclear weapon and they didn't say that in their letter.

[00:02:28]>> The ceasefire between the US and Iran went into effect last month ending weeks of US and Israeli strikes on the country that started over two months ago. Now President Trump says the ceasefire may not hold out for long. I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support where the doctor walks in and says, "Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living."

[00:02:53]>> Trump has demanded that Iran's nuclear material be removed completely from Iran. And if not, the US and Israel could respond with military force.

[00:03:01]>> To do it with non-military means, fine.

[00:03:03]If it can be accomplished, why not? Uh but if not uh both the United States and Israel, we both agree, President Trump and I, that if necessary, you can re-engage them militarily if it's necessary.

[00:03:14]>> The US military has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, blocking over 60 commercial ships. The straight of Hormuz has effectively remained closed in the meantime and has sent oil prices surging. Trump said that he would suspend the federal gas tax to bring prices down, which have reached over $4.50 a gallon. According to AAA, the federal gas tax is 18 cents a gallon, while the tax on diesel is 24 cents.

[00:03:39]>> Mr. President, are you going to suspend the federal gas tax?

[00:03:42]>> Uh, yeah. I'm going to uh reduce until the Let me tell you, as soon as this is over with Iran, as soon as it's over, you're going to see uh gasoline and oil drop like a rock.

[00:03:56]>> How long are you gonna suspend that tax for?

[00:03:59]>> Uh till it's appropriate. Yeah. Till >> Mr. It's a it's a you know it's a small percentage but it's a you know it's still money.

[00:04:06]>> Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News.

[00:04:10]>> And joining us now to discuss the latest in Iran is retired Colonel Darren Gobb.

[00:04:14]He's an NTD senior geopolitical analyst as well as a retired battalion commander and Blackhawk pilot in the US Army.

[00:04:20]Darren, thank you for joining us this morning. I know it's early in Montana.

[00:04:24]What do you think the Trump administration will now do next in response to the regime's counter proposal that clearly fell very short of US demands?

[00:04:34]>> Yeah, Gary. Unfortunately, of course, they came back with what we what you would consider to be reinforced maximum positions on things that we're just not going to let go forward, especially with nuclear ambitions, the desire to control the strait. All of these are unfortunate because they knew going into this that this this was not going to be acceptable. Unfortunately, it is likely to lead toward toward a resumption of hostilities in some form, whatever that may look like. Uh and uh in also unfortunate is the fact that the dictators in Iran and the people running the IRGC at at the highest levels. Um frankly they're okay with that kind of a chaos because this is a little bit of what they believe when it comes to their apocalyptic view of their their relationship with the rest of the world.

[00:05:20]This is this is the part of how how much of a challenges it causes when you've got folks dealing with something from a fundamentalist religious view uh versus what we might call a a more rational actor idea where they're actually trying to preserve their nation. They may be willing to destroy their own country in order to keep going and and to not surrender to the United States and Israel. Um, so I foresee this going unfortunately into kinetic warfare once again and uh that's that is uh sad to see.

[00:05:53]>> And Darren, what are the best options uh when it comes to kinetic u options for President Trump and his and his administration?

[00:06:05]Well, there will be residual targets that are left over uh when it comes to things like drone manufacturing and missiles, maybe launchers uh and some IRGC headquarters and military parks, that kind of thing is always out there.

[00:06:19]Uh plus of course the uh the desire to specifically target any kind of chain of command that may be left and verified and we verify where they're at. when it comes to the targeting as has been mentioned in the past about uh electrical grids, bridges and things like that um in mass you know that's a broad statement but I would say that there are certainly going to be those type of targets left that uh have a military function to them that justifies them as military targets for sure and I would say when you narrow that down you're going to look at some things that directly feed into the military complex there that feed into providing the ability to move oil and other things across borders into other countries or from other countries back into Iran that would let them rearm in some small way.

[00:07:04]Uh so I think all those things could be on the table as well as the continued destruction of what's left of like the fast boats uh in the Iranian Navy.

[00:07:13]>> And when you look at the pressure that President Trump is under, it predominantly stems just from the rise at the pump when it comes to the American people. I think most people can agree that this regime uh you know seeks to you know kill innocent people. Um so in that regard with the options you described to um take down the regime and and bring them into a more subservient position to get to a next phase. How does that then play into opening up the straight and what military or kinetic options um would help us to get get the oil prices down?

[00:07:53]>> Well, ultimately it comes down to the fact that anything that can reach the state is going to have to be eradicated most likely. And that's fine with Iran.

[00:08:01]They they seem to want us to continue to do that because they know what is going on domestically in our politics is is going to harm the president and they're certainly fine with that. But at a point they're going to uh they're going to reach a tipping point economically where they can no longer pay anybody because they're not getting the oil money. They don't have much else to do other than sell oil as a nation anymore. Uh they could be a whole lot more, but that's the the route they've chosen over the last nearly 50 years. U so it's anything that can influence the straight whether it be uh sea mines, drones, missiles, direct attack missiles that can reach into the straight to attack to sink ships or attempt to sink ships. All of those things are on the table and they have to be because the the delicate balance is if you attack inside Iran on electrical grids and things like that, you could be harming the people of Iran more than you are the dictators and their and the real objective. So opening the straight's not going to be easy because you basically have to be able to advertise that there's nothing Iran can do to reach anything in the straight. Iran only has to demonstrate that they can do it once and that will make the risk decision for these companies harder to make and they may just choose to wait longer and and we're going to be right back where we started.

[00:09:25]>> And you mentioned the people of Iran, the goal of course to liberate them under the heels of that the regime. What are some of the options to embolden the people? because it seems like with Venezuela and from all of President Trump's past speeches, he he's not interested in nation building, but he does want to of course remove the threat.

[00:09:49]>> Yeah. And he's mentioned that his goal is not necessarily to completely free the people of Iran because that may not be realistic. Uh they're going to end up having to free themselves if they choose to do so and that's not going to be easy. I think that's uh understood that this is that's a difficult mission to accomplish due to the fact that they're just not armed. Um and so there are going to be those who are going to talk about how uh we should be arming the Iranian people in order to be able to do this. And if that is happening then that's not something that can be advertised in the first place. But uh there could also be those who are at the lower ranks within the IRGC who aren't just fundamentally tied to the uh I guess the religious zealatry of their the their highest levels of command who may walk away from all this especially as they're not getting paid. If they do that uh they could take things with them outside from the IRGC to the population and re and arm themselves from within.

[00:10:49]uh and and that certainly may be possible and probably the better option because uh I'm also against going into nation building and um and putting troops on the ground basically.

[00:11:00]>> Indeed. Well, a lot to look out for. It seems like we're very close to some kind of sea change or or new um new chapter in in this book. Appreciate your analysis always, Colonel Darren G.

[00:11:12]Thanks for joining so early.

[00:11:14]>> Thank you. Good morning.

[00:11:17]and the Treasury Department announcing sanctions on 12 new targets accused of helping transport Iranian oil to China.

[00:11:24]>> The move is part of the Trump administration's economic fury campaign, which is aimed at cutting off the funding for Tran's military and nuclear programs.

[00:11:32]>> Treasury officials say the sanctions target a network tied to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, including several companies based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates. Officials say the network used front companies and shell corporations to disguise Iranian oil shipments and move money through the global financial system. The action comes as a new report accuses Hong Kong of becoming a major hub for Iranian sanctions evasion, including oil sales, money transfers, and the supply of drone components. The sanctions come just days before, of course, President Trump is expected to meet with Chinese Communist leader Xi Jinping. With Iran likely to be high on the agenda >> and the president set to depart for Beijing today for that two-day summit with the Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping. Talks will focus on trade, technology, and security.

[00:12:23]>> The president will attend a welcome ceremony on Thursday and hold a bilateral with she in the morning. In the afternoon, they'll tour the Temple of Heaven and attend a state banquet that evening. On Friday, the president will meet with the Chinese leader for a bilateral tea and working lunch before departing China.

[00:12:43]>> White House officials say the president is expected to pursue major new agreements while traveling with a delegation of top US tech and business leaders. That includes Elon Musk and other executives from major industries.

[00:12:56]President Trump also plans to raise several sensitive issues, including Taiwan, Iran, and Russia. He also says he'll bring up the cases of imprisoned Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lie and Chinese pastor Ezar Jen during discussions with Shei. And >> after this trip, the president plans to welcome Shei and his wife for a reciprocal visit to Washington later this year.

[00:13:19]US and Chinese officials are meeting in South Korea this week for trade talks ahead of President Trump's summit with Xi Jinping. The discussions include a meeting tomorrow between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and Chinese Vice Premier Holy Fang.

[00:13:34]>> Bessant is stopping in Japan before he makes his way over to Seoul, South Korea. The secretary says he will meet with Japan's Prime Minister San Takayichi in Tokyo today.

[00:13:46]And as the US naval blockade continues, Iran has increased its railway shipments with China in an effort to mitigate the blockade's devastating effects on its economy. Joining us now is political analyst Rod D. Martin, founder and CEO of Martin Capital to discuss. Rod, how effective could rail be to na to mitigate the US naval blockade, which has been very effective?

[00:14:10]>> Well, it can't be very effective. That that's exactly the point. Uh there is a rail line from Shian to Iran uh traversing Turk Menistan and Kazakhstan.

[00:14:22]Uh it is not meaningless by any means and the Chinese built it as part of the belt and road initiative in 2014 with significant upgrades last year but at best we're talking about handling about 6% of Iran's exports. This is not a huge number and you know an oil tanker can carry uh a couple million barrels. Uh a specialized tanker train would only carry about 70,000. So so this is a far cry from solving their problem.

[00:14:58]Incrementally, of course, it helps, but even there it doesn't help as much as it sounds like because the cost to transport by rail is about 40% higher than to do so by sea. It's a little bit quicker, but it's a whole lot more expensive. And you may rest assured that the Chinese are going to pass along those costs to Iran.

[00:15:18]Now, it seems like Iran's regime is playing the waiting game against the US, knowing that the longer it takes, the more political pressure that the president feels. So, even though it's only 6% of the volume via rail, is it enough for the US to say it's just elongating the regime's um survival and we need to do something about this rail evasion? Because the these are sanctioned um goods. We see them taking action on the sea against sanctioned goods from China that have dual use.

[00:15:52]Should they also take action against rail?

[00:15:56]>> Well, we probably will. I mean, it really depends on if the ceasefire survives and you know, the president was saying that it is on extreme life support yesterday. I I think that may be being generous that the ceasefire exists in part to buy time on and reset on the War Powers Act. It exists in part to give the appearance of negotiating with people we know can't be trusted and we know won't keep any deal they do make.

[00:16:27]And they haven't even offered a deal that is something we could consider. And further, it's time to get more naval assets into the region to finish this.

[00:16:38]So, if hostilities commence again, and I'm pretty sure they will, if that should happen, these rail facilities are the easiest thing in the world to attack. And you you can say well I it's absolutely true that that during World War II even with much lower technology uh various various powers attacked each other's rail lines and those rail lines were back in service pretty quickly and that's absolutely true but they didn't have our level of technology. They certainly didn't have our capacity to just really mess with someone's day. So, if we keep hitting the terminals in question or or key rail lines at key points, we can pretty much eliminate this as a meaningful source of of funding for the regime. And and I think that's exactly where we're headed in much the same way as the blockade has almost completely cut off the ability not just for Iran to ship oil out of its ports, but for Iran to move tankers into its ports to increase storage capacity.

[00:17:51]And that's really the key everybody's got to understand. At a certain point, you run out of storage capacity. And when that happens, you don't just flip a switch on your oil fields. they actually have to stop pumping. And shuttering an oil field is a complicated process, especially when you have older fields, older tech, and some of those fields may never come back online.

[00:18:16]>> Wow. You you said a lot of very um interconnected elements to the situation. Fascinating that you said the ceasefire exists to reset the 60-day clock on the War Powers Act. Of course, President Trump about to get on his plane this evening, I presume, uh, for his meetings on Thursday um, in Beijing.

[00:18:38]So, h, and of course, what we're talking about is getting dual use capabilities from China. So, how does Trump's visit to Beijing play into the calculus of all the things you just described?

[00:18:51]Well, part of this has been to squeeze Beijing and and actually the Epic Times has a wonderful article up yesterday by Terry Woo, who's just a fantastic writer, uh, talking about exactly that.

[00:19:05]This puts a squeeze on she in a way that forces him to really think twice about squeezing us on rare earths. And the truth is, as as strongly as the president has acted to build up our capacity, not just to produce, but to refine rare earths, remember the real bottleneck there isn't Chinese production, it's Chinese refining. They refine about 92% of the world's rare earths. We even ship them rare earths that they refine. Um, we have to actually build that capacity and we are.

[00:19:42]There's a there's a new plant in in Texas that is, you know, online and being expanded and we've got deals with lots of allies including Australia and the Ukrainians and that's part of what Greenland is about. So, we're we're absolutely looking to get weaned off of China here, but that doesn't mean we are weaned off. It's going to be several years, three to five, before we can really do without Chinese supply. And during that time, we have to convince Xihinping that he can't do without us on oil.

[00:20:20]>> Do you think that the fate of the meetings with Xi have any do what will happen with Iran? Does she have that amount of power or are they just sort of friends of convenience, Beijing and Thrron?

[00:20:36]Well, you're right to say that bricks is kind of a joke. And the Indians broke it pretty irreparably uh back in February when they signed a trade deal with us and then three days later started interdicting shadow fleet oil tankers in that case carrying Russian oil. You know, this is this is a pmpkin village in the truest sense. So, is is China going to help Iran meaningfully? Well, they haven't yet. You know what? Have they sent Iran? Where are the ground troops? Where are the fighter jets?

[00:21:12]Where are even the fighter jets sold to the Iranian air force? The Chinese have consistently refused, as have the Russians, to sell the Iranians modern equipment of that sort. Now, they'll sell them air defense capability that we just destroyed with impunity, but fighter jets, their modern stuff, the same stuff they're selling to Pakistan.

[00:21:37]No dice. Absolutely won't do it. And actually, after the 12-day war last year, the the Iranians went to him again and, you know, had in hand, give us some your best fighter jets. And the Chinese just laughed at him and said, the Israelis will have them blown up before they arrive. So there's absolutely nothing China's meaningfully going to do for him except at the margin. They may ship them some missile fuel. They may help them with this uh with this uh uh replacement for oil tankers of maybe 6% of exports. They're going to do some things at the margin, but it's only at the margin. And the prime relationship for Xiinping this week especially is making sure that the trade war doesn't escalate with the United States. We are the dominant and absolutely essential consumer market for a Chinese economy that has doubled down on exports as its future. They have to work with us. The only question is the details and those are going to be sticky and difficult as long as we're dealing with China because you know they're they're good negotiators and they they uh have their own interests in mind but these guys have to work with us. Iran is almost a sideshow.

[00:22:55]>> Always a lively discussion. Very much appreciate your analysis Rodney Martin.

[00:22:58]Thank you.

[00:23:00]>> And you.

[00:23:02]>> And ahead. A mayor in California agrees to plead guilty to acting as a CCP agent. Prosecutors say she spread Chinese regime propaganda, denying human rights abuses in Shinjang and more.

[00:23:15]>> And over a dozen individuals exposed to the hivirus are now being monitored at a medical facility in Nebraska. What health officials say about the risk to people across the US. The director of national intelligence launches a probe into biological labs overseas funded by taxpayer dollars. More than 120 facilities now under review.

[00:23:50]Welcome back. Over a dozen individuals exposed to the antivirus are now being monitored at a medical facility in Nebraska.

[00:23:57]>> Health officials making clear the virus does not pose a risk to the public at this time. ENTD's international correspondent Arian Pazdar has the latest on the hirus outbreak.

[00:24:08]>> The risk of havirus to the general public remains very very low. The Andes variant of this virus does not spread easily and it requires prolonged close contact with someone who is already symptomatic.

[00:24:22]>> Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services on Monday, giving an update on a quarantine unit in Nebraska where suspected Hanta virus patients are stationed. The individuals arrived at the unit on Monday after disembarking from a cruise ship where the virus broke out. Passengers who were less exposed returned to their homes. There's been contact made with all of those passengers who who returned. The state health departments have been monitoring them on a daily basis, including symptoms and temp temperature checks. Uh they have plans in place to make sure that they can isolate effectively in their home should they develop symptoms.

[00:24:57]>> According to the CDC, the virus is not new as it has been known for many decades.

[00:25:02]>> This is not the first time we've had Andes virus in the United States before.

[00:25:05]That transmission that spread between people happens when people are symptomatic. And so I think that gives us when when they have symptoms. And so that gives us um one layer of added protection to know when the risk is going to be greatest.

[00:25:19]>> According to the officials, the 15 individuals currently in quarantine are mostly more vulnerable but are still in good health.

[00:25:26]>> The the age range that we have in the quarantine unit ages ranges from uh late 20s to uh late 70s, early 80s. but all asymptomatic, all very grateful to be here and we're just waiting for them to rest up and then we'll do the further assessment.

[00:25:42]>> Meanwhile, in Spain on Monday, health authorities say they finished evacuation of all remaining passengers from the MV Honda cruise ship.

[00:25:51]Authorities say they sought to strike a balance between protecting public safety and preserving the mental health of the passengers. That's why they evacuated the ship rather than requiring passengers to quarantine on board. Arian Pastar, NTD News.

[00:26:07]>> And thanks to Arian for that report.

[00:26:10]Next, a disturbing story of a US politician doing the bidding of communist China. The Justice Department saying a California mayor has agreed to plead guilty to operating as an agent for the CCP. ND's Daniel Monahan has the details of yet another troubling case of Beijing attempting to influence events here in the US.

[00:26:32]Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wong resigned yesterday from her position after being charged with secretly carrying out the directives of a foreign government. Wong was voted onto the Arcadia city council in November 2022 and was mayor when the charges were brought. The position of mayor rotates among the five member council. Arcadia is about 13 mi northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Wong resigned following the announcement of the charges. Court documents say Wong and her fiance and campaign treasurer Yao Ning Mike Sunoon of Chino Hills worked on behalf of instructions from Chinese regime operatives from late 2020 through 2022.

[00:27:09]The two ran a site called US News Center marketed to the local Chinese American community as a news outlet.

[00:27:16]But prosecutors say in reality it was used to spread CCP propaganda. According to Wong's plea agreement, a Chinese official sent her pre-written content on WeChat in 2021, denying genocide and forced labor allegations in Shinjang and accusing critics of trying to undermine China. Prosecutors say Wong uploaded the article to her website within minutes and sent the link to the official to which he replied, "So fast. Thank you everyone." By August 2021, prosecutors say Wong was editing articles at an official's request and forwarding screenshots showing how many views the articles were receiving. After a post showed over 15,000 views, the official said, "Great." And Wong wrote back, "Thank you, leader." Wong acknowledged in her plea agreement that she never notified the attorney general that she was working as a CCP operative. And she never disclosed on her website that some of its content had been published at the direction of CCP officials. Court filings also show Wong corresponded in November 2021 with John Chen, identified as a senior figure in the CCP's intelligence structure, who attended elite CCP functions and met personally with Chinese leader Xiinping. Chen was sentenced in November 2024 to 20 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to acting as an illegal Chinese agent and conspiracy to bribe a public official. Wong faces up to 10 years in prison. The FBI commented on the case, saying it will continue working to safeguard the integrity of elections and keep hostile actors from undermining the voices of the American people. Daniel Monahan, NTD News.

[00:28:54]>> Thank you, Daniel. And Alabama's attorney general is launching a civil investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center after the group was federally indicted last month.

[00:29:04]>> The probe will focus on the organization's fundraising and payments to informants. The group is headquartered in Alabama.

[00:29:11]>> Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issuing a subpoena seeking records tied to donations and payments made by the SL SPLC.

[00:29:20]>> The investigation follows a federal indictment accusing the organization of wire fraud, false statements, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

[00:29:30]Prosecutors say the organization secretly funded informants tied to extremist groups like the Ku Klux Clan.

[00:29:38]Marshall says investigators are looking into whether the group violated Alabama laws on charitable organizations or deceptive trade practices.

[00:29:46]>> The SPLC has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges and it says informant programs helped gather intelligence on violent extremist groups and that the group says it no longer works with paid informants.

[00:29:59]Next, director of national intelligence Telsey Gabbard is launching an investigation into more than 120 US funded overseas biological laboratories.

[00:30:09]>> Yeah. She says that the probe is an effort to protect the American people as well as people around the world from dangerous research including gain of function experiments. In a statement to NTD, Gabbard says the probe aims to identify where these labs are, what pathogens they contain, and what research is being conducted. Gabbard says the co pandemic highlighted the global risks posed by research on dangerous pathogens, and that the Trump administration is taking action to protect the American people.

[00:30:40]>> The move follows President Trump's executive order last May, which bans all federal funding for gain of function research around the world. The order focuses specifically on China, Iran, and other nations that lack the proper oversight.

[00:30:55]>> Gabbard's office reports that US funded foreign labs are located in more than 30 countries. Officials say many of these labs have previously worked with hazardous and highly contagious pathogens and that clinical trials now underway are raising serious ethical, financial, and national security concerns.

[00:31:15]Secretary of War Pete Hegsath is set to testify today on the Pentagon's budget request. HGsath will appear alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Kaine and acting Pentagon Controller Jules Hurst.

[00:31:28]>> The hearing will focus on Department of War funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. And hearing is scheduled for 8 a.m.

[00:31:35]>> Ahead, the Senate moving closer to confirming Kevin Worsh as the next Federal Reserve chair. Two Democrats breaking ranks in support of his nomination.

[00:31:46]>> And it is National Police Week and President Trump is highlighting his support for law enforcement. The president's comments at the White House.

[00:32:06]Welcome back. It's National Police Week and President Trump is spotlighting his administration's law and order agenda, praising officers, highlighting crime reduction and border enforcement, and honing honoring those killed in the line of duty. At the White House yesterday, the president calling for stronger support for police nationwide. Here's what he said.

[00:32:30]President Trump welcoming officers and law enforcement leaders to the White House Rose Garden for a police week dinner focused on public safety and support for police. The president praising officers for their role in protecting American communities.

[00:32:43]>> To all of the incredible police officers, sheriffs, sheriffs, deputies, law enforcement officers, all law enforcement, we want to thank you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I respect nobody more than I respect you.

[00:32:57]The White House proclamation for police week also honoring officers killed or injured in the line of duty. FBI director Cash Patel separately noting the dangers officers continue to face nationwide. Last year, 53 law enforcement officers in our country were feloniously killed in the line of duty.

[00:33:15]And another 28 heroes tragically suffered accidental deaths while protecting and serving their communities.

[00:33:21]>> President Trump using Monday's event to spotlight crime reduction efforts in Washington DC. We took it from a really dangerous, horrible uh situation into one of the safest cities anywhere in our country in a period of really a few months. And now it's discontinued and we have crime down by 90% in Washington DC and overall I think we took over 5,000 people career criminals out of DC. The president also connecting public safety to immigration enforcement and border security.

[00:33:55]>> For the past 12 months in a row, think of that. Zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States through our southern border.

[00:34:04]>> The president also highlighting an executive order he signed at the start of his second term. That's why upon taking office, I signed an executive order directing the attorney general that anyone convicted of killing a police officer should face the death penalty 100%.

[00:34:22]>> Federal agencies across Washington also marking the week with tributes and memorial events. At the Justice Department, acting attorney general Todd Blanch hosting a breakfast honoring officers. for for us at the Department of Justice.

[00:34:36]What we tried to say to everybody everywhere we go over and over again is that we love law enforcement.

[00:34:43]We love the men and women that keep us safe every day.

[00:34:46]>> The DEA also honoring officers lost in the line of duty, saying, "Their memory inspires us, guides our mission, and strengthens our resolve to safeguard our communities and the future of all Americans." Meanwhile, labor groups and police survivor organizations are preparing for memorial events later this week in Washington. National Police Week events continue through Friday.

[00:35:11]And joining us for Insight this National Police Week is David Burke, a former US Marine and police officer who's now running for US Congress in the state of Florida. Great to have you with us. Good morning, David.

[00:35:24]>> Good morning, Stefan. Thank you. Uh, thank you for having me on. Certainly.

[00:35:28]Now, as someone who served, what what does this week mean to you?

[00:35:33]>> Yeah, I mean, this is extremely important for the law enforcement community around the country. You know, uh through the previous administrations and increasingly throughout, you know, sort of the uh the American left, what we're seeing is just this uh reputation of uh local uh law enforcement. And it cannot be understated the critical role that they play. You know, many of these officers uh have relationships within the community that they work hard to maintain and and you know, these uh guys and girls, all they want to do is go do the job, do the job the right way, and uh have a little bit of support from, you know, city and state and federal leaders.

[00:36:08]>> But this week overall is it's extremely important. And let's take a look at some of the issues and experiences that law enforcement officers may have that the broader public just may not be as much aware of. What are the some of the challenges and rewards of that role?

[00:36:27]>> Yeah, I I would say from a reward perspective, starting on the positive note is going out there and making real impact. And I can go down the laundry list of things that I've done um that no one will ever know about and similar officers around the country. Uh and they do it because they they believe in it.

[00:36:44]Um and and they love what they do. And you don't need the fanfare, you don't need the accolades, and and you don't need the the the coverage. You just do it because it's the right thing to do.

[00:36:52]And and these uh men and women, their heart is in the right place. You know, the downside is there's a lot of things uh that go into it on the back end. you know, you'll see more in one shift than most people will see throughout their entire lives. So, there's a lot of uh sort of trauma that comes along with that, right? So whether it's alcohol abuse, whether it's, you know, sort of distance from your spouse, distance from your children, just because it takes uh such a toll on you, uh you know, and then there's obviously sort of the political environment, political culture around it that also makes it sort of difficult to go out and do that job to say if I go out and I make the wrong decision, um while you know the Supreme Court grants officers, they say you don't have the benefit of 2020 hindsight when you're in these uh situations. is this how is this going to impact my family? How is this going to impact me for a decision that I make, you know, in the heat of the moment where I'm just trying to, you know, preserve myself uh and and preserve the citizens around me?

[00:37:49]>> And as someone who is running for Congress, uh what's your hope for, uh folks in this line of work, and what laws or policies do you think could help support them?

[00:38:02]Yeah. I I mean like what uh Governor DeSantis did in Florida with the halo law, uh there needs to be stronger support for law enforcement. What the president has done with making uh with with uh increasing and enhancing the punishment for people who do um you know, murder law enforcement officer in the line of duty. That is huge. Uh there needs to be a strong message broadly communicated to um you know to these bad guys who look, they're bad guys. That's what they do. to say if you go out there and if you harm our law enforcement, there's going to be real punishment to pay. Um before, you know, in some municipalities and jurisdictions, you just did not have that enforcement arm.

[00:38:39]And these criminals need to know that if you go out there and you commit these crimes, there will be real punishment.

[00:38:45]Not cashless bail, um not, you know, state attorney's office that are sort of abdicating their duties. No, there's going to be real uh real punishment to be had. and in the fact that you've um served both as a US Marine and as a law enforcement officer um provides us insight into potentially the distinct differences between the roles. What are some of the um challenges that law enforcement faces uh that an intensely challenging role such as in the Marines may not also face.

[00:39:21]>> Yeah. So in, you know, obviously in a marine in the military capacity, the Marine Corps capacity, what you're dealing with is, you know, you know, your hustle combatants, you know, your mission. Um, whereas in civilian law enforcement, there's a a much uh there's a higher degree of u finesse, I guess you could say, that needs to be used just kind of as you're dealing with the the community. You're not, as a police officer, you're not a war fighter. You know, you cannot you can't look at the community as a whole as sort of this this I guess occup or this enemy force.

[00:39:52]You can't look at yourself as an occupying force. You need to be able to uh have discourse and engage the community in a constructive manner, but you also need to go out to know who the bad guys are. You need to respect the Fourth Amendment when you go out there and you do your job. And you need to be effective at that. You just don't want to arrest people. You want to, you know, arrest the bad guys. And you want to make sure that, you know, the charges that they've been charged with will hold up in court. and can go through the entire process to ultimately get these people off the street. So, it's it's there's there's a high degree of uh um of being conscious behind it when you're working within, you know, in these communities. You want to maintain the trust of those communities so when something happens, the uh the community is more likely to cooperate with you.

[00:40:33]So, it's there's there's a balancing act that happens with local law enforcement and you know, the agencies do that exceedingly well. Um but you know once again that's something that's been that trust is something that's built and that's trust is something that can kind of be broken overnight. So whether it's the you know uh at the sheriff's departments or the police departments that trust that's built needs to be maintained and and continued on and ultimately to let these officers do their job >> and in both directions and that's what this week is really for showing that gratitude. And from all of us here at NTD, thank you for your service. David Burke, >> thank you. Have a great day. and you >> you don't really need to have an excuse to thank a police officer, but if you did need one, National Police Week, what a what a really important um you know, honoring of people who do, as um Officer Burke said, a very difficult job.

[00:41:25]>> Certainly a great point there. Next, the Senate has moved one step closer to confirming Kevin Worsh as the next chair of the Federal Reserve. Worsh is expected to replace Jerome Powell, whose term as Fed chair ends Friday.

[00:41:39]>> The Senate voted mostly along party lines to advance Worsh's nomination with two Democrats, John Federman of Pennsylvania and Chris Coons of Delaware breaking ranks.

[00:41:49]>> Walsh has faced questions over whether he would resist pressure from President Trump to cut interest rates. He responded saying the Federal Reserve must remain independent, telling senators he made no agreement with President Trump on interest rates before being nominated. Final confirmation vote expected later this week.

[00:42:08]And the Supreme Court clears the way for Alabama to adopt a new congressional map before this year's midterm elections.

[00:42:14]The high court lifted a lower court ruling yesterday which required Alabama to use a congressional map that included two majority black districts. But now with the Supreme Court's order, Alabama is expected to switch to a map that reduces the number of black majority districts to one out of seven total US House seats. This decision follows the high court's ruling in Louisiana last month, which says that race cannot be the predominant factor in drawing district lines. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall praised the new ruling.

[00:42:47]He said it vindicates the state's long-held position that Alabama should not have to draw electoral maps based on race.

[00:42:57]And Texas suing Netflix amid accusations that the streaming giant spies on its customers by collecting their data without their customers consent. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says Netflix has also designed its platform to be addictive. The lawsuit accuses Netflix of misleading consumers about its policies on sharing their data.

[00:43:20]According to the complaint, Netflix tracks user preferences selling the information to commercial data brokers and advertising technology companies.

[00:43:29]Paxton says the result has been billions of dollars in annual revenue for Netflix. The company, excuse me, the Texas AG cited a statement from then Netflix CEO Reed Hastings back in 2020.

[00:43:42]Hastings said at that time, quote, "We don't collect anything. We're really focused on just making our members happy, and we're not tied up with all that controversy around advertising."

[00:43:55]Coming up, the White House announces a new rule aimed at expanding access to fertility benefits in the workplace and what the new plan means for employers.

[00:44:17]Welcome back. The White House announcing an effort to expand access to fertility benefits like IVF. President Trump says the Labor Department is creating a new rule that will make it easier for companies to offer fertility support as a standalone benefit for their workers.

[00:44:33]Entity correspondent Jason Blair has more on that.

[00:44:35]>> The Department of Labor is issuing a new rule to formally create a fertility benefit option for employers.

[00:44:42]>> President Trump announcing a new rule allowing employers to offer a supplemental fertility benefit to workers outside of their regular health insurance plans. This will be supplemental option available to those who need it much like vision or dental insurance. Most health care plans do not cover these benefits. The intent of the new rule is to make fertility treatments, including but not limited to IVF, more affordable and available while making it easier for companies to offer these benefits without changing their current insurance plans.

[00:45:15]>> This will hopefully reduce the number of couples who ultimately need to resort to IVF. The president also formally announced the launch of moms.gov, which went live on Sunday.

[00:45:26]>> I encourage every mom to visit this new page where they will find helpful information about addressing clinical care, pregnancy resources, nutrition tips, Trump RX, and Trump accounts.

[00:45:38]>> HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the website is also a response to what he calls a national fertility crisis. We just found out that we've dropped out of 1.57% 100 years ago. We were at 3.27. We are pro approaching the cataclysmic rates that Japan and China are now experiencing that is threatening their economy.

[00:46:01]>> The new fertility benefit and moms.gov are the latest of the Trump administration's initiatives aimed at helping families, which also include working family tax cuts, expanding rural maternal health care funding, and efforts to lower prescription drug costs. Reporting in Washington DC, Jason Blair, ATD News.

[00:46:19]>> Thank you, Jason. And a record of 45 million Americans are expected to travel for Memorial Day weekend.

[00:46:26]>> That's right. AAA is projecting nearly 40 million people are going to hit the road, making road trips the most popular option again this year.

[00:46:34]>> Despite higher gas prices, travel demand remains strong as many Americans kick off the unofficial start of summer. More than three and a half million travelers are expected to fly. The airfare is down about 6% for people who booked early.

[00:46:48]>> The busiest traffic of the holiday weekend is expected on Thursday and Friday afternoons, while Sunday is projected to be the lightest day on the roads with most people having Monday off. Of course, Monday, Memorial Day, uh holiday weekend, it's expected to be for 5 days. Starts Thursday and it goes all the way through Monday night.

[00:47:09]A nice reprieve to kick off the summer.

[00:47:11]I know after a especially this year with the long winter here on the east coast, people are excited for the blooming of spring and to be able to have a long weekend and get on those barbecues and watch some basketball and hockey.

[00:47:24]>> Yeah, the weather has been getting nice.

[00:47:27]>> All right. Well, that's all the time we have for this first hour, but stay with us. We'll be right back.