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NTD spoke with Rep.Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) at a rally in Washington calling to end the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Chabot has been vocal in calling out the crimes of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He told NTD what needs to happen to end the CCP's crimes against humanity. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

NTD spoke with Rep.Mike Johnson (R-La.), vice conference chair of the Republican conference, about the rising costs of energy and skyrocketing food prices. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

NTD spoke with Kelly Sadler, an editor at the Washington Times and a White House aide during the Trump administration. Sadlersays that most Americans have moved on from Jan. 6 to the real kitchen table issues like inflation. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

ADELAIDE, Australia—Australian Member of Parliament Erin Thompson said she learned more about authentic Chinese culture after watching Shen Yun's International company perform at Adelaide’s Festival Theater on May 13. “We’re definitely learning a lot and I think it’s making us want to ask more questions ... and find out more about this particular part of the Chinese culture that we’ve only really just discovered,” Thompson said. “I think there’s plenty of Australians and other people all around the world that aren’t aware of this part of Chinese culture so it’s really important that we know what’s going on and we can provide some support if necessary.” Also in attendance was Tammy Franks, Parliamentary leader of the Greens in South Australia. Franks said China’s authentic culture was much more than what the contemporary Chinese communist regime depicts it to be. “I love to see the Chinese culture. It’s wonderful that this is shared around the world and certainly I appreciate the artistry as well as the real culture.” Ancient China was once known as the “Land of the Divine,” and it was believed that the traditional culture of China was brought down from the heavens. This was reflected in music, medicine, calligraphy, clothing, language, and much more. But this glorious culture was almost lost under communism. “It is a very sad situation when we see that oppressed in various ways and people’s history denied. And I know that there’s been some absolute atrocities, but what a wonderful way to celebrate culture … with the arts today,” Franks added. One particular piece points to modern China where people are persecuted for their faith—namely, the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. “To actually take contemporary events and tell them through the lens of traditional Chinese dance and culture is very powerful,” Damian Wyld, councillor of Tea Tree Gully, South Australia, said after watching Shen Yun in Adelaide on May 14. “It shows very barefaced the facts of this terrible persecution, which is continuing to occur in China, and helping the world to understand what is happening there, and what they can do about it,” Wyld added. NTD news, Adelaide, Australia

Shen Yun continued its Australia tour in Melbourne, performing at the Palais Theater from April 22 to 26. Lawyer Leanne Sinclair said she was blown away by the scope and quality of the dancing—particularly with Shen Yun’s powerful storytelling. “These are stories that have to be told, and I think telling difficult stories through dance is an important way of being able to educate these generations that wouldn’t otherwise hear these stories. So being able to see these really deep messages expressed through dance was just amazing,” Sinclair said after watching the performance on April 26. “The emotion that comes from the stage is just unlike anything you really see at all.” The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts depicts 5,000 years of ancient Chinese culture through story-based vignettes—from ancient dynasties to modern times. “I must admit when I first saw the opening scene, I was pretty impressed by the quality, the colors, the sound, the instrument, and I was blown away actually. It was a very good show,” said Les Kadlof, international business director for Yoohoo media solutions. David Limbrick, lead Senate candidate for the Liberal Democrats in Victoria, said the scenes of the “blue heaven” were wonderful and “really a sublime experience.” However, China’s once-glorious culture was on the brink of extinction under communist rule. Through a series of campaigns such as the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist Party destroyed almost all traditional beliefs and customs. “I think my favorite aspect was the way that [Shen Yun] integrated historical culture with some of the modern-day aspects and some of the struggles that are happening now,” Limbrick said. Audience members were also touched by the performance by Shen Yun’s soprano. “[She’s a] very clear soprano. By clear, I mean it’s very crystal-like, very strong, and a beautiful soprano,” soprano Arena Grainge said. “What got me the most emotional was the song. Actually the song is about having a big heart, big love towards the world, and that got me teary,” said Shallin Chok, vice president of sales and acquisition for Yoohoo media solutions. Grainge added: “It resonated with me very strongly. And I’m really, really hoping that the message will get through around the world and everybody will listen to it.” Shen Yun continues its Australia tour in Bendigo, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast, and Adelaide through to May 15.

Sydney theatergoers were delighted to experience Shen Yun’s depiction of China’s ancient culture, and the message of hope it displayed, at Sydney’s Lyric Theater last week. Peter Kurti, director of the Culture, Prosperity, and Civil Society program at the Australian think tank The Centre for Independent Studies, said the performance was “a tremendous display of artistic virtuosity, in dance, in choreography, in music, and just in the technical standards of the production.” “What I think is really important and impressive was this communication of tradition, and conveying to a contemporary audience … that tradition is important, and that tradition defines who we are,” Kurti said on April 10 after watching the performance at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre. “I thought that Shen Yun expressed that extremely well, and in a very powerful way.” Shen Yun’s mission is to revive China’s 5,000-year-old culture by bringingstories to life, as well as the inner essence of ancient China’s culture through song and dance. According to the company’s website, China’s ancient name was “The Land of the Divine.” It was believed that music, medicine, calligraphy, clothing, language, and much more were passed down through the culture from the heavens. “There is something, someone, or something, some energy, God, whatever you want to believe in, whatever culture you’re from—there is something out there and something looking after us, on our shoulders looking after us and guiding us throughout this life and throughout the afterlife. So it brings us hope, which is fabulous, we need this,” said Rosemarie Jabbour, an award-winning chiropractor and owner of New World Chiro, after watching Shen Yun on April 9. However, the ancient culture of China was almost lost under communism, where traditional culture is seen as a threat to communist rule. Through campaigns such as the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist Party systematically uprooted traditional beliefs and destroyed ancient treasures, bringing 5,000 years of civilization to the brink of extinction. One modern vignette in the show, which depicted the organ harvesting of a practitioner of Falun Dafa, an ancient spiritual practice based on the principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance, was particularly moving to Jabbour. “The death of that lady and then bringing her back to life, that story ... it depicts what’s happening in the world today and how we need to have hope and we need to help each other in order to move forward and be happy in our lives,” Jabbour said. Kurti added: “I thought that the performances helped the audience to understand just how oppressive the communist regime has been for people in traditional China and the impact that the regime is having today on traditional Chinese teachings and values around the world.” Meanwhile, John Booth, managing editor of The Weekly Times, said Shen Yun was a performance people should be proud to see. “I’m not a Buddhist or Tibetan, but I am a Christian and I really enjoy it. I think it’s good values and really something you can just enjoy and tell your folk about. You can tell your family about it and not be ashamed of anything.” Shen Yun continues its tour in Sydney, Melbourne, Bendigo, Toowoomba, the Gold Coast, and Adelaide through to May 15.

The annual 'Rolling to Remember' demonstration took place on Memorial Day weekend. Motorcyclists from across the nationrolled into Washington DCto honor fallen soldiers, andraise awareness on veterans’struggles. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

On Memorial Day, we remember those who died in service to this country. It's also a time to reflect on what exactly their sacrifices mean. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Orson Swindle, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, joins NTD's "The Nation Speaks" to discuss. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

California lawmakers are requesting a hearing regarding the $600 million, no-bid contract for COVID-19 masks two years ago. The CEO of a transparent government spending website explains how the state controller is involved. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

Five states held primary elections Tuesday, and most of the candidates endorsed by Donald Trump won. Butan expert says Madison Cawthorn’s loss had nothing to do with Trump’s endorsement. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

NTD spoke with psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman to get a better picture of the Buffalo shootingsuspect's mental status and potential causes for the shooting. Lieberman argued that this case can be seen as one of the first bedroom terrorists. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

There is a new math framework that may come into effect in California's public schools. Although it has been revised many times, one educator tells NTD's The Nation Speaks that it would still politicize K-12 math in a potentially dangerous way. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

A teacher claims she was fired after discussing her sexual orientation with her middle school-aged class. She also hung up flags drawn by the students expressing their own sexuality. This lead to complaints from some students and parents. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

With critical natural resources becoming harder to get, the issue of where to get them andhow to become more energy independent has been at the forefront of American politics. NTD spoke with Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), who represents the district that is home to the Duluth complex, which houses 95 percent of the United States' nickel reserves and holds an abundance of other natural resources. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

The leading cause of deathin the United States amid the pandemic is not COVID-19. For Americans ages 18 to 45, the leading cause of death is fentanyl overdoses. Fentanyl is flooding into the United States from across the border in record amounts. In 2021, enough fentanyl was seized by Customs and Border Protection to kill every American nearly seven times over. Drug-overdose deaths topped 100,000 last year for the first time. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

In the abortion debate, the focus has almost always been on whether the woman gets to end a pregnancy. But an author who's lost children to abortion says abortions can also be traumatic for men—and in ways that society doesn't recognize. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

Republicans say whistleblowers have come forward with evidence allegedly proving the FBI is usingcounterterrorism tools to investigate "protected First Amendment activity"—specifically by targeting parents who protestedCOVID-19 policies at school board meetings. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

The war in Ukraine has affected the supply chain, leading to problems ranging from the price of wheat increasing dramatically to disruptions to the shipping industry. NTD spoke with Helgi Leja, senior director of Distribution Performance Solutions, who sheds light on how much of an impact the war is having compared to other challenges, and how much the war is impacting U.S. businesses. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

Many major cryptocurrencies are crashing, meaning their value is going down. The most well-known one, bitcoin is worth less than half of what it was sixmonths ago. Besides investors, the mayor of New York City is also very much affected by that. At the start of his term, he announced that he'dreceive his first threesalaries in the cryptocurrencies bitcoin and Ethereum. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

Chair of the House Republican Conference Elise Stefanik held a press conference with over 15 of her colleagues on Capitol Hill. They are highlighting the growing crisis of baby formula shortages throughout the country. NTD spoke with her afterward to find out how this could happen in the United States of America. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

On Friday, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners commemorated the 30th anniversary of the founding of the spiritual practice with a parade in Manhattan. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

May 13 is the 30th anniversary of the public introduction of Falun Dafa, an ancient spiritual practice originating in China. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have sent out certificates to commemorate the day, as the celebration sweeps across the world.

California lawmakers are still pushing for new COVID-19 vaccine laws. State legislators advanced a bill that would allow minors to get any vaccine without parental consent. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

Over the weekend in San Francisco, people gathered to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the introduction of a meditation practice popular all over the world. People paraded through the city afterward. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD

The United Nations chief says there must be no new investment in fossil fuel expansion. What does this mean for Americans? NTD spoke with an expert on energy to find out. Read more articles: https://www.ntd.com Newsletter sign up: https://newsletter.ntd.com Subscribe for more videos: https://ept.ms/NTD