Ramaswamy Open to JD Vance’s Senate Seat: Firehouse Honors Colleague Killed at Trump Rally – Jul. 17

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to NTD Tonight. I'm David Zhang. Here are today's top stories. Vivek Ramaswamy is eyeing J.D. Vance's US Senate seat if the Trump ticket wins in November. J.D. Vance was a bitter critic of Donald Trump. We'll take a closer look at how Vance's opinion changed over time. One California school district is suing three state officials over the new state law on gender identity. First up, a former Republican presidential candidate is eyeing a potential Senate seat. This comes after Trump chose J.D. Vance to be his running mate. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is eyeing J.D. Vance's US Senate seat if the Trump ticket wins in November. The biotech mogul says if he were asked to serve, he would absolutely consider it, speaking to Fox Digital yesterday. Trump named Vance as his vice presidential pick at the convention in Milwaukee on Monday. Should Trump win, Vance would have to vacate the Ohio Senate seat he won in 2022. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a moderate Republican, would pick a temporary replacement. A special election would take place in 2026 to fill the final two years of the term. Ramaswamy says he hasn't talked to Governor DeWine about the possibility of serving yet. But the biotech billionaire says he has talked with Trump about the possibility of serving in his future White House cabinet if Trump becomes president again. More updates coming in about the assassination attempt on former President Trump. The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general is opening an investigation. It will review the handling of security at the Trump rally. In a brief notice on its website, the agency said the probe will evaluate the Secret Service's process for securing Trump's campaign event. President Biden has already directed a separate, independent review. Secret Service Director Kimberly Chito recently answered more questions about security at the event. She said the roof of the building used by the shooter has a slope, so it was too dangerous for Secret Service agents to secure. She said the decision was made to secure the building from inside. Eyewitness video filmed moments before the attack shows rally goers noticing the shooter on the roof. DNC approves the 2024 Democratic Party platform. President Biden is set to secure his party's presidential nomination through a virtual vote before the end of July, ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August. Biden's deputy campaign manager has confirmed that the Democratic National Committee will proceed with a virtual roll call. The change to the roll call came in response to an Ohio law saying candidates have to be certified by August 7th. With the DNC convention not starting until August 19th, President Biden would have been kept off the November ballot in that state. Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee approved its 2024 party platform in a virtual vote on Tuesday. The DNC calls it a bold, progressive agenda for a potential second Biden administration. Key platform points include a growing the economy, lowering family costs, tackling climate concerns and a restoring Roe v. Wade. Now, in an update on Minnesota gun laws, a federal appeals court has ruled the state's ban on 18 to 20 year olds getting a permit to carry a handgun is unconstitutional. A three judge panel ruled the 2003 state law violates both the Second Amendment and the 14th Amendment. The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision agreed with a lower federal court ruling that the Minnesota law is unconstitutional. It is now a legal precedent covering six other states near Minnesota and could be used to challenge similar age restrictions. Those states are North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. Eight years ago, in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election, J.D. Vance was a bitter critic of Donald Trump. NTV's Daniel Monaghan has more on that and how the vice presidential candidate's opinion changed over time. In 2017, then author J.D. Vance discussed the election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. I didn't vote for Trump. I am hopeful, like I think most Americans, that he'll be successful because his success is now the country's success. But I didn't vote for Hillary either. Vance took issue with how Trump communicated. And my worry with Trump and one of the complaints that I raised during the campaign is that political rhetoric actually really matters. Right. The way that politicians talk about things actually manipulate the conversation. But by the time the former president tapped Vance to be his running mate, the Ohio native had become one of Trump's most ardent defenders. Vance has stood by his side even when other high profile Republicans declined to do so. In media interviews, Vance has said there was no eureka moment that changed his views on Trump. Rather, he gradually realized that his opposition to the former president was rooted in style rather than substance. For instance, he agreed with Trump's contentions that free trade had hollowed out Middle America, that it had done so by crushing domestic manufacturing, and that the nation's leaders were too quick to get involved in foreign wars. In Vance's hometown of Middletown, Ohio, residents voiced their support. I think he'll be a good vice president. I think he's young. He's going to be around for a while. I do believe that his rise to power, God gave it to him. So I wish him well. Former Middletown police chief Rodney Mutterspaugh says it's truly historic for the town that someone who grew up on their streets could be vice president. J.D. did not grow up as anybody. I mean, he was just one of he was just a normal kid around here. He didn't grow up with money. He wasn't wasn't put in positions to win, as some say, as a young person. Everything he's done, he built on his own. He says Vance will destroy anyone in a debate. As for Vance's past criticism of Trump, that's water under the bridge, according to Mutterspaugh. He said some things he regretted it. He changed. I've heard him side with some of the liberals and Democrats when it comes to political things. So the guy can see both sides. And I think that's what I want in a candidate. Texas delegate Yvonne Clauser says Vance is an excellent choice. She appreciates his military background. The abuse that he went through as a child, what he witnessed growing up and the travels in different places that he went to, all that experience adds up. And he was man enough to own it and say he was wrong. The president accepted his apology. I think that's a great way to start a working relationship. I think that J.D., when he got to know Donald Trump past all of the hype, he realized that he was a good man. And I think it's a growing experience. As the Republican National Convention continues, voters and pundits are now watching to see how Vance's selection will impact the campaign and resonate with people across the country. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. Not all Americans are on board with the former president Trump's a VP pick. Here's what some New Yorkers had to say. Take a listen. I think it's surprising. I thought he would pick someone more, more moderate. So it's definitely interesting to see, especially that I've just heard a lot of things that he doesn't really like Trump in the past. So interesting to see. I think it's unfortunate that J.D. Vance is leveraging his position as an author to take advantage of the American public. I think he's positioned himself as a person of the working class when he's actually not. He's a person who comes from means and similar to Trump. He is making policy choices and advocating for policies that will be deeply harmful to working class people. So it makes a lot of sense to me that he was chosen. Do you think it's a winning ticket for Trump? It's hard to say. I think it'll be close. It really depends on it really depends on how much Biden is actually competitive or if the Democratic Party is going to run somebody else. I think at the end of the day, Trump understands his base very well. So although they do try occasionally to gesture at representation, I don't think it's a priority for them. I don't know how Trump is doing. I don't I don't expect he's doing well with women. I'm not sure why he didn't pick a woman or a minority, maybe a Latino or something like that. One California school district is suing three state officials, including the governor, over a new gender identification law. The question is, who has the rights over children's activities in school? NTV's David Lam reports. The school district, located about 35 miles from Los Angeles, and parents have been in conflict with the state over parental and student rights and how public schools play into it. A new law would ban parental notification policies across the state if their child wants to change gender identity. On Tuesday, the Chino Valley Unified School District and parents sued California Governor Gavin Newsom, the attorney general, Rob Bonta, and state superintendent Tony Thurman. Newsom signed the first in the nation law AB 1955 on Monday. It bans districts from requiring school staff to disclose a student's gender identity or sexual orientation to any other person without the child's permission, with some exceptions. The school district's lawyer said school officials do not have the right to keep secrets from parents, but parents do have a constitutional right to know what their minor children are doing at school. LGBTQ advocacy groups supported the new California law, while opponents said the law makes it harder for schools to be transparent with parents. Billionaire Elon Musk said he would move the headquarters of SpaceX and social media platform X to Texas from California, partly because of the new law. The law would take effect in January 2025. David Lam, NTD News. We'll take a short break now, everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we come back. One former firefighter is being honored and remembered by his community after he was killed at former President Donald Trump's rally. Following her viral performance of the U.S. national anthem, country singer Ingrid Andress issues an apology. It's Amazon Prime Day, but experts are warning about scammers will have some tips to avoid falling victim. Those stories and more coming up on NTD Tonight. Welcome back to NTD Tonight. I'm your host, David Zhang. A local community honors a former fire chief who was tragically killed. He used his body shielding his family during the shooting at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania. NTD's Christina Corona has the story. Corey Comparator, 50, former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, was tragically shot and killed during an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13th. On Sunday, Governor Josh Shapiro ordered state flags to be flown at half mass to honor the fallen hero. Corey was a girl that Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community, and most especially, Corey loved his family. He shared that Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was excited to attend the rally on Saturday with the community. I asked Corey's wife if it would be OK for me to share that we spoke. 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. In honor of Comparator, the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Department has draped his gear in black and displayed it as a memorial. He's a great man that deserves honor and respect in the highest of high. He wants to share the good times and think of them. But he wouldn't want to be thought of as a hero, but that's that's definitely how he should be remembered. He just one of the 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 was because of just the love and the passion he had. The FBI identified 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the suspect in the attempted assassination. State voter records show he was a registered Republican, and at 17, he made a 15 dollar donation to a Democratic Political Action Committee. The FBI and local law enforcement are still gathering information on the motive behind the attack. Christina Corona, NTD News. President Biden is back on the campaign trail where he is repeating calls to cool political rhetoric after the attempt to on former President Trump's life. Biden says politics has gotten too heated. Here's more. President Biden addressed the NAACP convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday, continuing his call to calm the rhetoric on both sides. You got to remember in America, we're not enemies, we're friends, we're neighbors, we're fellow Americans. After the attempted assassination Saturday, Biden's campaign said it was pausing its TV ads. Biden said he spoke to Trump on the phone, but that didn't stop him from laying into Trump over his policies. He said Trump enacted tax cuts as president that overwhelmingly benefited the super wealthy and drove up the federal debt. He left no room for us to do what we should be doing. Invest in things that affect people's lives, like child care, elder care and so much more that grow the economy and help people. Biden's appearance at the NAACP convention is part of his effort to reach out to black voters ahead of November. The NAACP is one of the oldest and largest civil rights groups in America. Black voters overwhelmingly supported Biden in 2020, but support has been decreasing this election cycle. Biden also spoke about what he thinks it should mean to condemn political violence. That includes banning the weapon used Saturday at the Trump rally. An AR-15 was used in the shooting of Donald Trump. Just it was an assault weapon that killed so many others, including children. It's time to outlaw them. Biden's trip comes as some Democrats are expressing doubts about his suitability as presidential candidate following his debate with Trump last month. But Biden has rejected calls to step aside, saying he's all in. Hopefully today I've demonstrated a little bit of wisdom. Here's what I do know. I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job. And I know the good Lord hasn't brought us this far to leave us now. Biden is set to speak to Latino voters in Las Vegas next. A country singer is apologizing for her viral national anthem performance at the Major League's Home Run Derby. The singer admitted she was intoxicated during the event. NTV's Christina Corona has the details. Monday night, four-time Grammy nominee Ingrid Andress delivered an acapella rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. However, clips of her performance quickly went viral. Andress, 32, apologized Tuesday in an Instagram post, saying she was drunk during the performance. I'm checking myself into a facility today to get the help I need. That was not me last night. I apologize to MLB, all the fans, and this country I love so much for that rendition. I'll let y'all know how rehab is. I hear it's super fun. Andress is the daughter of Brad Andress, a former strength and conditioning coach for the Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, and New York Mets. The MLB declined to comment, stated spokesperson Matt Bourne. And a representative for Andress mentioned that there would be no further comments at this time. Christina Corona, NTV News. It's summer Amazon Prime Day event and experts are warning buyers to watch out for scammers. Here are some tips to avoid a falling victim. Amazon Prime Day is here and experts are reminding consumers to be wary of scams. A lot of retailers are having their big July sales at this point. So we know that scammers like to prey on people who are online shopping, if it's an inbox message, if it's a social media message, if it's a website that pops up. This is the time that we do see this type of activity. Deceptions such as phony emails from people impersonating online retailers like Amazon are nothing new. But according to the Better Business Bureau, phishing attempts increase amid the heavy spending seen during significant sales events, whether it's Black Friday or Prime Day. It's your basic phishing scams. People have to be aware of that. This could be happening. And just use caution whenever you're clicking into emails to make sure that you've not clicked into one of these fake websites and giving up your personal information or credit card information. Prime Day, a two day discount event for Amazon Prime members, kicks off on Tuesday and runs through Wednesday in an updated guidance published last week. The Better Business Bureau reminded consumers to watch out for lookalike websites, too good to be true social media ads and unsolicited emails or calls during sales events this month. If you see a bunch of five star reviews that all look like they were written recently or they have the same type of language, those could be fake. Knowing what that product retails for, if it's an item that is sold out everywhere, but all of a sudden here it is, that's a red flag that consumers need to watch out for as well, that the product could be counterfeit. Consumers might need to be more vigilant this year than ever before. In June, the Better Business Bureau published a report that said it received a record number of phishing reports in 2023. Reports are also trending up so far this year. The biggest thing that people can do is report it, report it to us at BBB. Our scam tracker data goes to the Federal Trade Commission, to their consumer sentinel. The more we get reports, the more we can look into things. So even if people don't lose money, it's really important to report that experience. According to data from the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing about 10 billion dollars to fraud in 2023, a 14 percent jump from 2022. Online shopping scams were the second most reported form of fraud, following imposter scams. Stay tuned for China In Focus with Tiffany Meyer coming up next. Former President Trump is saying Taiwan should pay the U.S. for protection against a communist China. How the Taiwanese premier is responding to the comment. 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.