NTD Good Morning

Health and Human Services now says it is freezing all federal child care funding to Minnesota following an investigative video by independent journalist Nick Shirley on alleged fraud at child and health care center. HHS provides Minnesota with $185 million in child care funding every year. Federal agents have also surged into the state for massive investigation into the child care operations.

For the first time in 20 years, rain is expected to shower the thousands of spectators at the Rose Parade in Southern California. At Times Square for the New Year’s Eve Celebration, attendees will be experiencing the coldest ball drop in 10 years, as well as light to moderate snowfall. Out in the Midwest, a powerful winter storm is beginning to sweep across the U.S. bringing strong winds and heavy snow.

Thieves broke into a German bank vault over the Christmas holiday weekend and made off with millions of dollars worth of valuables. Police say the suspects drilled their way through a concrete wall before breaking into the bank’s safe deposit boxes. The perpetrators used the quiet Christmas period to escape detection, with police only discovering the hole after a fire alarm went off on Monday.

Harsh winter weather is expected across the Great Lakes and the Northeast on Tuesday after a bomb cyclone traversed the Midwest at the start of the week, bringing snow, frigid temperatures, and leaving tens of thousands without power. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for northern New York state until New Year’s Eve, with 1 to 2 feet of snow and winds of up to 50 miles per hour expected.

President Donald Trump sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday. The two discussed advancing the Gaza cease-fire plan, disarming Hamas, and resolving the status of the last deceased hostage still in Gaza, Ran Gvili. Israel's Minister of Education also formally announced that Trump will be receiving the Israel Prize, the country's highest civilian honor.

Trump said the United States struck a loading facility in Venezuela linked to drug boat traffic sometime before Dec. 26. The president said the measure was part of an ongoing campaign against narcotics shipments to the United States. U.S. Southern Command also reported that the U.S. military struck another suspected drug boat on Monday.

President Zelenskyy said on Monday that the U.S. is offering Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee as part of a proposed peace plan, after a meeting with President Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Sunday. Zelenskyy has said though, he would prefer a commitment of up to 50 years to deter Russia from further attempts to seize land. Details of the security guarantee have not been made public.

Post-holiday travelers are facing delays and dangers on Monday, as winter storms spawn along a cold front along much of the northeast. In the midwest, forecasters warn of blizzards, with winds predicted to go up to 60 miles per hour in some areas. The FAA says Chicago O’Hare Airport had a ground stop on Sunday.

China's military launched air, navy and rocket troops to conduct military drills around Taiwan on Monday. The live-fire drills will take place in five maritime and airspace zones around Taiwan, according to China's Eastern Theater Command. Taiwan's government condemned the drills, accusing China of 'military intimidation', while deploying its own forced in a 'rapid response exercise.' The drills follow what could become one of the largest arms sales between the U.S. and Taiwan from earlier this month.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, will once again be tracking Santa Claus this year, as he travels around the world, bringing gifts to kids across the globe. What started 70 years ago as a mistaken phone call from a child to the former Continental Air Defense Command, is now a beloved holiday tradition for families everywhere. More than a thousand volunteers will be staffing NORAD's Santa Operations Center, to answer the hundreds of thousands of phone calls that come in from around the world.

In Southern California, powerful winter storms are threatening holiday plans. Millions in California are expected to hit the road for Christmas, but are likely to meet hazardous travel conditions. Officials are warning residents about potentially deadly flash flooding and mudslides, and to reconsider their holiday travel plans. Local and state officials are gearing up to respond to emergencies through the week. The state has also deployed resources and first responders to a number of counties along the coast and in Southern California, with the California National Guard on standby to assist.

A fire and explosion erupted in the Bristol Health and Rehab Center near Philadelphia on Tuesday afternoon. At least two are dead and 20 are inured. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says firefighters, rescue crews and bystanders were helping to get the nursing home residents to safety. Authorities are investigating a possible gas leak as the cause.

Severe weather from the Pacific Ocean is causing havoc in California. An atmospheric river is bringing more downpours throughout the state this week. Evacuation warnings are in effect Tuesdays for area with burn scars from recent wildfires. State and local officials are reminding residents to be extra cautious behind the wheel, with the National Weather Service expecting up to five inches of rain across the northern Sierra by mid-week.

The Department of Education says it’s reviewing safety at Brown University following the shooting on campus that killed two students. The department says officials are investigating whether school officials violated federal campus safety and security requirements. In addition, Brown University’s president placed the campus police chief on leave. A former chief of the Providence Police Department will replace him. Brown's president said the University is “deeply committed” to campus safety and security.

President Trump unveiled plans on Monday to build a new class of battleships as part of his vision to strengthen the military. The so-called 'Trump-class' ships will be part of the administration's vision for a 'golden fleet,’ aimed at deterring U-S adversaries like communist China. He says the new warships will be the largest, with one hundred times the force. President Trump made the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. The U.S. hasn't built any battleships since World War II, with the last American battleship retiring in 1992.

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela. A U.S. official told The Epoch Times on Sunday that the vessel part is of Venezuela’s "illegal sanctions evasion." It comes as tensions are increasing in the Caribbean, with the United States building up a naval presence in the region, and striking alleged drug boats.

Utility crews in San Francisco are working to restore power to thousands of residents and businesses after a widespread outage on Saturday. A fire at an electrical substation knocked out power for about 130,000 customers. Farther north, residents in Redding, California experienced flash flooding, leaving at least one dead. The heavy rains flooded highways and roads, leaving several vehicles stranded.

A Russian general was killed in an apparent car bombing in Moscow. Russian officials are blaming Ukraine for the latest assassination of a senior military officer. Officials said Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov died on Monday morning. Russian officials say investigators are considering various motives for the attack, including a theory it was organized by Ukrainian special forces.

Rhode Island's attorney general said law enforcement late Thursday tracked Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, the man suspected of killing two students at Brown University, to Salem, New Hampshire. They found him inside a storage unit after he took his own life with a gun. Investigators are also accusing him of killing MIT professor Nuno Loureiro two days after his rampage at Brown.

Social media giant TikTok is selling just over 80 percent of its U.S. assets to avoid a looming ban in the country. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance said Thursday it had signed agreements with three major investors: Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX. The deal would create a new U.S. company called TikTok USDS Joint Venture. ByteDance will retain a stake of just under 20 percent.

Seven people have died, including former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, after a business jet went down on Thursday at Statesville Regional Airport, just north of Charlotte, North Carolina. Flight tracking data show the aircraft attempted to return shortly after takeoff amid severe weather. Federal investigators are now working to determine what caused the deadly crash.

The U.S. government is admitting responsibility in the deadly midair collision near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. Federal filings cite air traffic control errors and a faulty altimeter aboard an army helicopter. The Senate has now passed the ROTOR Act, strengthening helicopter tracking requirements and closing military loopholes.

President Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday night, pointing to what he called economic gains since returning to office. Trump also teased what he described as aggressive housing reforms and announced a $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” for U.S. service members. Separately, Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for U.S/ personnel killed in Syria.

Lawmakers in the House just passed a Republican plan to bring down the cost of health care, without extending subsidies for Obamacare. The bill would lower premiums and provide subsidies for low income families for out of pocket health expenses. It now goes to the Senate where it’s expected to fail without democratic support. In a separate vote, 4 republicans joined Democrats to force another vote on a 3 year clean extension of the COVID-era Obamacare subsidies.

President Donald Trump has ordered a naval blockade targeting sanctioned oil shipments off the Venezuelan coast, in an escalation of tensions with regime leader Nicolás Maduro. Trump said the pressure would increase until what he described as stolen U.S. oil, land, and assets were returned. The Maduro regime previously described the United States' recent seizure of a tanker filled with Venezuelan crude oil as “international piracy.”

The manhunt is intensifying for the Brown University shooter. Investigators are trawling the neighborhood for any new evidence that might help identify the suspect. They’re also focusing on what might have motivated the attack. Rhode Island officials have released video footage and a new, enhanced image of the suspect. The FBI has also released an updated timeline, showing the assailant’s known movements.

Australian authorities have charged the surviving suspect in the Bondi Beach terrorist attack with fifteen counts of murder and dozens of other charges. Funerals began on Wednesday for the fifteen people killed in the anti-Semitic attack. Jewish leaders also vowed that the Hanukkah celebration would return despite last weekend's violence.

Australian authorities say the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney may have been inspired by ISIS, citing evidence including homemade ISIS flags and explosives found in the suspects' vehicle. Police also say the father-son duo travelled to the Philippines last month. The purpose of that visit is under investigation. The Bondi beach attack is Australia's worst shooting in nearly 30 years.

The Justice Department announced on Monday that the FBI foiled a bomb plot planned for New Year's Eve in the Los Angeles area. Officials say 4 individuals were arrested, ranging from ages 24 to 41.They are members of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, which the DOJ describes as a pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group. Authorities say the suspects were plotting to use backpacks filled with improvised explosive devices that would detonate at least 5 different sites in Orange and Los Angeles Counties.

President Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion. He is accusing the broadcaster of defamation over a documentary aired just one week before the 2024 election. The lawsuit argues the BBC misleadingly edited Trump’s January 6th speech, splicing together separate remarks to falsely suggest a call for violence. Court filings include a letter from the BBC chair acknowledging the edit created a misleading impression.