NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

NTD Plus

News

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

DOJ Announces Superseding Indictment Against SPLC

New York Democrats Move to Redraw Congressional Maps

ICE Detention Center 'Isn't Going Anywhere': Tom Homan

Solomon Islands to Review China Security Pact

Frontier Flight Diverted After Passenger Attack

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

Southampton Protests Escalate After Vigil for Murdered Student Henry Nowak

David Lam is a national correspondent based in California and a part-time anchor for "NTD Tonight." Before joining NTD he was a financial analyst.

David Lam

Election Watch Party: Reactions in SF Bay Area

Rachel Acenas is an experienced journalist and TV news reporter and anchor covering breaking stories and contributing original news content for NTD's digital team.

Rachel Acenas

US News

Politics

Trump: Vance, Rubio Ticket Would Be ‘Hard to Beat’ in 2028

Iris Tao is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. Prior to her work at the White House, Iris reported on U.S. politics and U.S.–China relations from NTD’s New York headquarters. She holds degrees in journalism and economics from Boston University.

Iris Tao

World News

Middle East

Iran

Trump Wants to Meet Iran's Leader If 'All Works Out' in Peace Talks

Senators Address ICE Protests With DHS Secretary Mullin

Kevin Hogan is an NTD News data reporter and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Kevin covers breaking news, as well as U.S. and global current events. He conveys the news through data visualizations and investigates pressing issues.

Kevin Hogan

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (June 4)

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (June 3)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (June 2)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (June 1)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 29)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 28)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 27)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 26)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 25)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 22)

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

40,000 Ordered to Evacuate as Chemical Tank Leaks, Threatens Explosion in California

Video of US Fighter Jet Shooting Down UFO Over Lake Huron Emerges in New Pentagon Files

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

Haika Mrema

Medical Plane Crash in New Mexico Mountains Kills 4, Sparks Wildfire

Mary Man is a writer for NTD. She has traveled around the world covering China, international news, and arts and culture.

Mary Man

China News

Epoch Times Obtains Over 2,000 Unseen Tiananmen Square Photos on 37th Anniversary of the June 4th Massacre

California Mayor Resigns, Will Plead Guilty to Acting as Chinese Agent

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Trump Calls Iran's Response to Latest US Ceasefire Proposal 'Totally Unacceptable'

Andrew Moran has been writing about business, economics, and finance for more than a decade. He is the author of "The War on Cash."

Andrew Moran

Retail sales fell sharply in May, driven by falling gasoline sales and economic uncertainty, the Department of Commerce <a href="https://www.census.gov/retail/sales.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">reported</a> on June 17.

Last month, non-inflation-adjusted retail sales tumbled by 0.9 percent, down from the 0.1 percent dip in April.

This came in below the consensus forecast of a 0.7 percent decline and was the biggest drop since January.

According to the Commerce Department, sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers led the decline in May, sliding by 3.5 percent. This was followed by building material and garden equipment suppliers (negative 2.7 percent) and gasoline stations (negative 2 percent).

But receipts at furniture stores surged by 1.2 percent. Apparel retail and online sales climbed by 0.9 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively.

Retail sales rose by 3.3 percent year over year, down from the 5 percent year-over-year increase in April.

Core retail sales, which strip out automobiles and gas, fell at a worse-than-expected pace of 0.1 percent.

Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate, attributes the consumer pullback largely to shoppers front-running U.S. tariffs.

"Americans stocked up on things like cars and furniture that they feared would soon become more expensive," Rossman said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

"We didn't see as much stocking up in May, in part because many tariffs were delayed or rolled back, and also because some demand that otherwise would have appeared in May was accelerated by a month or two."

However, a measure factored into gross domestic product (GDP) calculations—the retail sales control group—surged by 0.4 percent, slightly higher than the market estimate of 0.3 percent. This gauge omits transactions at places such as building materials suppliers and gas stations.

The new consumer figures could be the start of weakness appearing in the economic data, said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management.

"Weak consumer spending [on June 17] finally shows a connection between soft data and hard data, as the negative consumer sentiment surveys we’ve been seeing are now showing in the month-over-month Retail Sales numbers," Zaccarelli said in a note emailed to The Epoch Times.

Over the past few months, consumer surveys have indicated deteriorating confidence and sentiment regarding the broader economy. However, as trade policy stabilizes and the White House reaches new agreements, sentiment has improved.

Last week, the University of Michigan's preliminary June Index of Consumer Sentiment <a href="https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">rebounded</a> firmly above market expectations, climbing to its highest level since February.

The RealClearMarkets/TIPP Economic Optimism Index also advanced on renewed optimism surrounding the economy and personal finances.

Zaccarelli said May was the first negative reading for core sales, "and it could be a one-off."

"We would need to see one or two more months of negative numbers before calling it a trend," he said.
<h2>Optimism or Caution Ahead</h2>
U.S. households are taking a more cautious approach to spending than they have in recent years.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the household savings rate rose to <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/PSAVERT">4.9 percent</a> from 4.3 percent in March.

A May 9 <a href="https://institute.bankofamerica.com/content/dam/economic-insights/consumer-checkpoint-may-2025.pdf">report</a> by the Bank of America Institute found that seasonally adjusted spending per household was flat in April.

"The gradual easing in consumer spending momentum is not just due to lower inflation—the growth in the number of transactions has also cooled," the report states. "Consumers appear to be pulling back particularly on bigger ticket discretionary services like airline tickets and lodging."

Total U.S. consumer credit, meanwhile, surged by nearly $18 billion in April, up from a $10.17 billion increase in March, Federal Reserve <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/default.htm">data</a> show. The surge was also higher than economists' expectations of a $10.85 billion jump.

Revolving credit, such as credit cards, soared by 7 percent year over year. Nonrevolving credit, such as auto and student loans, rose at an annual rate of 3.3 percent.

Mixed soft and hard data reflect uncertainty among businesses and consumers. However, economic conditions remain largely intact, even as President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs have upended international commerce.

On the labor front, the economy created a better-than-expected 139,000 new jobs in May, and the demand for labor remains strong, with 7.4 million job openings.

Price pressures have also yet to materialize in the government's numbers.

The consumer price index and the Fed's preferred personal consumption expenditures price index hovered <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/us-annual-inflation-ticks-up-to-2-4-percent-below-market-estimate-5870769">slightly above</a> the U.S. central bank's 2 percent target.

Additionally, the <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/may-producer-prices-show-little-evidence-of-tariff-driven-inflation-5871860">producer price index</a>—a gauge of prices paid for goods and services by businesses that serves as a possible precursor to consumer inflation—was little changed in May.

Import prices remained unchanged at zero percent in May, while export prices declined by 0.9 percent, according to the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/mxp/">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>.

As for the broader economy, the Atlanta Fed's widely watched GDPNow <a href="https://www.atlantafed.org/cqer/research/gdpnow">model</a>—a running estimate of economic growth—suggests that the economy will rebound in the second quarter, rising by 3.8 percent. In the first three months of 2025, the GDP contracted by 0.2 percent for the first time since early 2022.

Still, the United States is not out of the woods just yet, Rossman said.

"Will we see a flood of trade agreements?" he said. "Another extension? The implementation of higher tariffs? Some combination of the three? Relative optimism has reigned on Wall Street in recent weeks, although there's a lot we don't know about the path forward."

The president's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs is set to expire on July 9.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/business/retail-sales-register-largest-drop-in-4-months-as-consumers-pull-back-5874303">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Paywall Related

Videos

Business News

04_Top Stories

Latest Clips

Free for Subscribers

Management

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.

Retail Sales Register Largest Drop in 4 Months as Consumers Pull Back

Air India Dreamliner Returns to Hong Kong After Technical Issue

Taiwan Seals Deal for Drone Technology Used in Ukraine, Hopes It Will Deter China

Andrew Thomas is a reporter for NTD News primarily covering business, the economy, and technology. 

Andrew Thomas

Trump Seeking 'Real End' to Israel–Iran Conflict

Chris Beers is an NTD News anchor and political correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Chris co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Chris Beers

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (June 17)

Matthew Vadum is an award-winning investigative journalist.

Matthew Vadum

Supreme Court to Hear New Jersey Pro-Life Network’s Appeal

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.