Trump Picks Sen. J.D. Vance as Running Mate; Heroic Dad Dies Shielding Daughters – Jul. 15

Republican Senator J. D. Vance from Ohio. Trump said the senator is best suited to be vice president. Vance was first elected to the Senate in 2022. Prior to his run for office, Vance worked as a venture capitalist and for a short time at a corporate law firm. He also served as a U.S. Marine, including on a deployment to Iraq. Trump wrote in a statement on Truth Social, J. D. Has had a very successful business career in technology and finance, and now during the campaign will be strongly focused on the people he fought so brilliantly for the American workers, farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and far beyond. And a major legal victory for former President Trump. A Florida judge tosses out his classified documents case. What she says about the decision. Breaking news about former President Trump's legal cases. A federal judge has dismissed this classified documents case in the court document this morning. U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon, who presides over the case, granted a defense motion to dismiss. She said the appointment of a special counsel, Jack Smith, violated the Constitution and he did not have the authority to bring the case. Lawyers for Trump had argued that Smith was illicitly appointed and his office was improperly funded by the Justice Department. Trump reacted to the judge ruling on Truth Social, writing, quote, As we move forward in uniting our nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the lawless indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of all the witch hunts. Prosecutors are likely to appeal the ruling. The Pennsylvania State Police have identified two other victims from the assassination attempt on former President Trump. 57-year-old David Dutch is from New Kensington, Pennsylvania and is a Marine veteran. 74-year-old James Kolpenhaver is from Moon Township, Pennsylvania and is a member of the Moon Township Military Banner Committee. Founded in 2019, the committee honors the veterans of the community. Both are currently listed in stable condition. State Police Commissioner Colonel Christopher Paris emphasized ongoing efforts in the investigation. The Trump campaign has launched a GoFundMe page to support the victims of the shooting. One rally-goer was killed in the shooting and two others were critically injured. The fundraising campaign has received nearly $4 million as of this morning. That far surpasses the goal to raise $1 million for the supporters and families wounded or killed at the rally. The national finance director and senior advisor to the Trump campaign said, all donations will be directed to those proud Americans as they grieve and recover. More updates on the assassination attempt on former President Trump. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheadle made her first public statement since the event earlier today. She said her agency will participate fully in the investigation and work with Congress on any oversight action. The House Oversight Committee has asked her to testify on July 22nd. Cheadle expressed confidence in the agency's security plan for this week's Republican National Convention. She also said changes have been made to Trump's security details since Saturday. The Secret Service said it did not sweep the building from which the shooter was purged. It instead asked local law enforcement to conduct security at that location. Over the weekend, the Secret Service refuted claims that Trump's security team requested additional security and was denied. President Biden receives updates from Homeland Security and law enforcement officials this morning following this weekend's attempted assassination of former President Trump. We'll show you the footage of that now, and Biden is asking Americans to lower the political temperature. The president addressed the nation from the White House last night. It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that. President Biden from the Oval Office on Sunday said we need to stand together and not allow violence to be normalized. While we may disagree, we are not enemies. We're neighbors. We're friends, co-workers, citizens, and most importantly, we're fellow Americans. Biden says differences should be resolved at the ballot box, not with bullets. He says he's thankful Trump isn't seriously hurt and that investigations are underway. I spoke to him last night, and I'm grateful. He's doing well, and Jill and I keep him and his family in our prayers. We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victims who was killed. Corey was a husband, a father, a volunteer firefighter, a hero, sheltering his family from those bullets. We should all hold his family and all those injured in our prayers. It was Biden's third Oval Office address since he took office. The president says he'll continue to campaign this week to Former First Lady Melania Trump responded on X to the attempt on her husband's life. Mrs. Trump called for America to reunite now and asked people not to forget that differing positions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. She commended and thanked everyone that reached out past the political divide for remembering every politician as a person with a loving family. The former First Lady wrote compassion and empathy are necessities, and it's time to rise above hate, vitriol, and simple-minded ideas that ignite violence. Trump will appear at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin tonight. The former First Lady is expected to be there. Jeremy Sandberg, NTD News. In Pennsylvania, local communities mourning the loss of former Fire Chief Corey Comptor. The father of two was tragically killed while shielding his daughters during the assassination attempt of former President Trump. NTD's Daniel Monaghan has more on Comptor and a memorial held in his honor. Corey Comptor died a hero. Witnesses and family members say the former Fire Chief immediately shielded his daughters once the shots from a would-be assassin began flying. Comptor sacrificed his life to protect those he loved. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro reacts to the tragic death. Corey was a girl dead. Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community, and most especially, Corey loved his family. Shapiro says Comptor couldn't wait to get to the Trump rally at the Butler County Farm Show grounds. Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community. Governor Shapiro says he spoke with the former Fire Chief's wife and asked her if it would be okay for him to share their words. She said yes. She also asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero, that Corey dove on his family to protect them last night at this rally. Corey was the very best of us. May his memory be a blessing. The Democratic governor ordered state flags to be flown at half-mast to honor the fallen hero. In honor of Comptor, the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department held a memorial on Sunday, draping his gear in black. He's a great man that deserves honor and respect in the highest of high. His fellow firefighter says Comptor wouldn't want to be thought of as a hero, even though that is what he was. He's just one of those guys, we don't do it for the thanks or the pat on the back, nothing like that. We do it because we love it and we have a passion for it, and that's what he did saving his family. Tributes have poured in on social media celebrating Corey Comptor as a real-life superhero who made the ultimate sacrifice for his loved ones. A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to support his family as they try to pick up the pieces after the tragic death of a father, husband, and former fire chief. Daniel Monaghan, NTD News. Turning to the attacker of former President Trump's campaign rally, FBI officials say they believe the would-be assassin acted alone. NTD's Daniel Monaghan has more on that and the reactions of the alleged shooter's classmates who said he was bullied. Former President Trump was discussing the crisis of illegal immigration when shots from a would-be assassin rang out. The former president clutched his ear where he was shot. He soon drops down as panicked rally attendees scream in horror and duck for cover. The FBI is investigating the attack as both an attempted assassination and an act of domestic terrorism. The attack was the first major assassination attempt of a president or presidential candidate since former President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. The shooting suspect is Thomas Crooks. He graduated in 2022 from Bethel Park High School. He received a $500 Star Award from the National Math and Science Initiative. A former classmate named Jason Kohler says the alleged shooter was bullied every day in high school. I mean, he would sit alone at lunch. I mean, he was just an outcast and you know how kids are nowadays. So they're going to see someone like that and they're going to target him because they think it's funny or whatever. So I don't want to say this is what provoked it, but you never know. Kohler says the shooting suspect was a loner who he believes was on the high school rifle team. I want to say he was a loner more because he was just, he was quiet, but like he was just bullied. Like he was bullied so much, so much. Kohler says people made fun of his appearance. He'd wear hunting outfits sometimes. He would always wear a mask even after COVID. He wore a mask. Like you could look at him and you would be like, something's a little off. That's how I could describe it. House Speaker Mike Johnson says Congress will probe if there were security lapses at the rally. Speaking on NBC's Today. We need to know how could an individual be at that elevation that was seen by apparently bystanders on the ground. How could that not be noticed by Secret Service? FBI officials say they haven't yet found an ideology linked to the suspect. They say they also haven't discovered any indications of mental health issues or found any threatening language on his social media accounts. Secret Service agents fatally shot the suspect after he allegedly opened fire from the roof of a building about 450 feet from the stage where Trump was speaking. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. Well, take a short break now, everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we come back. Google is reportedly close to making their biggest acquisition of a startup yet. A new world record of jumping jacks has been set, redefining the limits of human endurance and strength. That experimental project is aimed at creating a local gift economy called Buy Nothing Project. Communities around the world share and trade items instead of buying. Those stories and more coming up on NTD Tonight. Welcome back to NTD Tonight. I'm your host, David Zhang. Google is reportedly close to making its biggest acquisition of a startup yet. It's a cloud cybersecurity company. Here are the details. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is in talks of buying a startup company for 23 billion dollars, according to the Wall Street Journal. Reuters reported that the anonymous person disclosing the info said the deal would be mostly funded in cash. It would be the most the tech The startup is cloud cybersecurity company Wiz, founded by former Israeli military officers four years ago. The purchase would be nearly twice what Google spent for Motorola Mobility in 2012. Wiz, headquartered in New York, says it serves more than 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies and partners with cloud providers such as Microsoft and Amazon, and said that by creating a normalizing layer between cloud environments, our platform enables organizations to rapidly identify and remove critical risks. If Alphabet moves ahead with the deal, it would be a rare example of a major tech company attempting a mega deal amid heightened scrutiny under President Biden's administration. In recent years, U.S. regulators showed growing concerns for large tech companies getting bigger through acquisitions. David Lam, NTD News. A new world record has been set in the fitness industry as a massive group of individuals attempted a jumping jack challenge in Southern California. NTD's Christina Corona attended the fitness expo and tells us more about the historic achievement. We're here at the LA Convention Center where thousands of people are in attendance in an attempt to break the world record of the most people performing jumping jacks simultaneously. Known as the Jack LaLanne Jumping Jacks Challenge in honor of Jack LaLanne, known as the godfather of fitness, brought together thousands of fitness professionals and enthusiasts at the Idea World Fitness and Nutrition Expo on Friday, July 12th, as they aimed to break a world record in celebration of Jack LaLanne's legacy. Jack LaLanne was an entrepreneur, bodybuilder, TV host, and chiropractor, and he inspired millions of people all around the world to live healthier lives. Many attendees had the opportunity to join fitness leaders, including Elaine LaLanne, Jack's wife of 51 years, to collectively perform 98 jumping jacks in celebration of Elaine's remarkable 98th birthday. Jack says my wife was in good shape for the condition she's in. I'm on 98, going on 99, and I'm still here because I quit smoking and started eating. One of the group leaders of the event is health and wellness expert Daniella Dayoub Forrest. Forrest is leading the initiative on movement modifications in preparation for and during the event, making it accessible for people of all ages and abilities to participate in the challenge. In the lead-up to the event, Forrest shared modification tips through her social media channels. Many attendees shared why they came out to the fitness expo. The Jack LaLanne challenge, we are just honoring his legacy in fitness and what he's done for our community, as well as looking forward to breaking a world record for most consecutive, simultaneous jumping jacks. I'm here to support my family and to help break this record. The previous Guinness World Record of the most people performing jumping jacks simultaneously is 2,251 and was achieved in Poland in 2018. With the support of thousands participating both in person and online from around the globe, the world record was shattered as 3,737 individuals came together to perform jumping jacks. We asked several people how fitness is incorporated in their daily lives. I mean, it's non-negotiable. It is essential to my mental well-being, if nothing else, you know. I need a workout of some kind every single day. That doesn't mean I'm going to, you know, hit a PR each and every day, of course, but some kind of physical activity. As a family, we stay pretty active, so we're always working out. We go on hikes, runs, and just stay active in general. Fitness to me is all about community, right? This is a great weekend to just learn more and collaborate and network with other fitness professionals within the industry. Well, the world record has been broken with the most people performing jumping jacks simultaneously, showcasing an incredible display of fitness and teamwork. From the idea World Showcase Arena, Christina Corona, NTD News, Los Angeles. With the idea to rethink purchasing habits and reduce items from going to the landfill, in 2013, two friends from Bainbridge Island, Washington, started an experimental local gift economy called the Buy Nothing Project. Since then, it has become a worldwide social movement with 128,000 buy nothing communities in 44 countries around the world. NTD's Helen Billings has more on the story. To reduce waste and save money, people have been turning to local buy nothing Facebook groups to gift and share unused items between neighbors. According to the Buy Nothing Project's website, the way the group works is simple. You can post anything you'd like to give away, lend, or share. You can also ask for anything you'd like to receive for free or borrow. There's no buying or selling, the website says, because it's strictly a group for gifting and building community. NTD talked to Donna Van Straalen, an admin of a buy nothing group in the San Francisco Bay Area, who told us why she likes to participate. I find it so fun to post something that you ask for to see if anybody has it, and so many times somebody has it ready to give to you. It's so, you know, fulfilling to be able to use something else that someone else doesn't need anymore. You know, that's the main thing. And just to meet people. I've met neighbors that I hadn't met before, you know, just make some connections, which has been kind of fun. She shared with NTD some of the items that she was happy to find a new home for. Sewing machine from when I was in high school that I'd sat there forever, and never used, and I finally posted it and gave that away. So that was cool. I had a bathroom wall cabinet, and then cleaning the garage, I had an old hydraulic jack that was my dad's, and someone was able to use that. She also shared some of the things she asked for, and the group came through with what she needed. I was able to borrow a pop-up tent for an event that we had here at the house. Somebody, you know, I didn't want to have to buy one because we don't use it often, and I was able to borrow two of them. So it was, it was wonderful. And cat toys, I foster kittens, and so I posted out there if anybody has any cat toys, you know, post a cute picture of the kittens, and got some attention, and got that. As an admin, Van Straelen said that they check profiles to make sure a valid person is joining the group. To approve any members that come into the group, so they have to answer three questions, be part of the group, like what their cross streets are, and are they of 21, and are they in any other group, because you're only allowed to be in one local neighborhood group at a time. To ensure people feel safe, she said you can report any issues to the admins to investigate, and leaving items outside for pickup is optional. In California, Helen Billings, NTD News. Stay tuned for China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer coming up next. News of attempted assassination against the former President Trump making headlines in China. A look at how the country is reacting from Communist Party head Xi Jinping to online retailers. More on China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 9.30 p.m. Eastern. And that's all we've got for you tonight. We'd like you to join us again on NTD Tonight every weekday at 9 p.m. I'm David Zhang. Have a wonderful evening.