Paris Opening Ceremony Sparks Controversy; California Park Fire 12% Contained – Jul. 29

Good evening everyone. Welcome to NTD Tonight. I'm David Lam setting in for David Zhang. Here are today's top stories. The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris has sparked some controversy. A historian weighs in on the performance. A fire in northern California doubled over the weekend and is only 12% contained. More on the blaze. Young voters and political organizers gathered over the weekend to discuss Gen Z's potential impact on the 2024 presidential election. The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris has sparked some controversy. Segments of the show featured drag queen performances mocking Christianity. This drew criticism from Christian groups and the Catholic Church. Organizers of the opening ceremony apologized yesterday. NTD's international correspondent David Vives spoke to a historian who says the ceremony desecrates French history. Despite featuring stunning moments and beautiful scenes, the Games opening ceremony on Friday's segments sparked outrage among some viewers. One of them resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostle sharing a last meal before crucifixion and featured drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer made up as a Greek god of wine Dionysus. For French historian Marion Sego, this was a desecration of France's history. They tried to make people believe that France was that and I think that the French will feel violated. It's a violation of our history, of our integrity, of our feelings, of our most elementary feelings, which are humanity, which are the search for beauty and goodness. The scene has notably been censored and not broadcasted in Morocco and Algeria. In the U.S., NBC channel broadcasted commercials and images of the U.S. Olympic teams instead of the scene. It also drew dismay among the Catholic Church and the religious right in America. Donald Trump Jr., Elon Musk and House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced have spoken out about the scene. Paris 2024 organizers apologized on Sunday to Catholics and other Christian groups in a press conference. And clearly there was never an intention to to show disrespect to any religious group. If people have taken any offense we are of course really really sorry. It was just the message supporting the French Republican values in France. We're allowed to love who we want and how we want. France, while proud of its rich Catholic heritage, also has a long tradition of secularism and anti-clericalism. Another scene in the opening ceremony involved a beheaded Queen Marie Antoinette singing revolutionary songs in the place she was executed. Sego says this also added to the consternation. We act as if France had never been Christian, as if France had been liberated from Christianity. Christianity was martyred in France. It has been tyrannized. It has not suddenly disappeared. It has been slandered. The French cultural heritage is more than in danger. It's under attack from all sides. But I don't get the impression that people are buying it. The International Olympic Committee welcomed the clarification from the opening ceremony organizers. David Gives, NTD News, Paris. Wildfires across the western United States and Canada have put millions of people under air quality alerts as thousands of firefighters battled the flames, including the largest wildfire in California this year. Thousands of firefighters are still battling the ever-growing Park Fire in northern California after the blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour span over the weekend. According to Cal Fire, the blaze had burned more than 360,000 acres about 90 miles north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Monday morning. Firefighters could be seen lighting backfires Sunday afternoon as cooler temperatures and more humid air are potentially helping efforts to slow the spread of the fire. The fire has destroyed 134 structures and is 12% contained as of Monday morning. Evacuation orders and warnings were issued for multiple communities in several counties, including a warning for Paradise, the town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the state's history. A man was arrested on July 25th on suspicion that he started the Park Fire by pushing a flaming car into a gully the day before. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the fire is the largest of dozens of active wildfires across the country that have burned more than As of early Sunday, the popular interstate highway on the western U.S. reopened. Drivers were stuck for hours after a truck containing lithium batteries tipped over in southern California. A stretch of the major highway between California and Las Vegas was closed for 48 hours after a tractor trailer carrying batteries overturned and caught on fire. The highway patrol in Barstow, California says all interstate 15 lanes are open as of Sunday morning after an unexpected weekend. CHP said a freight truck lost control Friday morning. Its container carrying six industrial-grade lithium batteries then became detached and rolled off to the side and caught fire. CHP said due to the inherent danger of the fire and potential inhalation hazard, a one-third of a mile safety zone was set to ensure public safety. Travelers and families became stuck in traffic in their cars for hours in the desert, with some cars reportedly running out of gas and pulling over. State agencies said they helped deliver more than eight pallets of water, 60 gallons of fuel, 100 gallons of diesel, assisted with helicopter transport for medical evacs and help to stranded drivers. Crews worked non-stop through the night to carefully move the hazardous materials container a safe distance away from the roadway. One driver told CNN that a typical four-hour drive home instead took 11 hours. Some said there were times when traffic didn't move for 45 minutes or more. The incident was cleared at approximately 3 a.m. on Sunday. Young voters and political organizers gathered over the weekend to discuss Gen Z's potential impact on the 2024 presidential election. The meeting aimed to galvanize support for Vice President Kamala Harris following President Biden's withdrawal from the race earlier this month. Entities Andrew Thomas has more on their efforts to leverage social media to keep the vice president in the White House. The third annual Voters of Tomorrow Summit took place this past weekend in Atlanta. One session focused on memes and other internet tools to gather support for Kamala Harris. The vice president is the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee following President Biden's exit from the race. You can't win if you don't engage and the greatest way to engage is through social media and the Kamala Harris team has reached new heights. Things that she was getting criticized for two years ago are things that make her personal now. It makes her look human. Since then the internet has adopted a coconut emoji as her unofficial campaign symbol. The image turns out to be a reference to a story Harris told about her mother during a speech in 2023. Political organizers say social media is a critical tool to drive turnout. So yes, political disengagement does scare me. I mean, I have several friends that are like, I'm not going to have the polls, it doesn't matter. What I do doesn't matter but it's, there's layers to this and if even if they participate in local elections and not engage in the presidential, it will make a huge difference. Ashley Uold is the director of the Georgia Voters of Tomorrow. The 21-year-old says Gen Z voters are watching the presidential candidate's social media strategy. Young people are amplified using TikTok, memeing it up, the coconut memes and all that, like it's harnessing that power and Gen Z have woken up. The sleeping giant has woken up and it has caused Gen Z to regain that hope and ignite it to actually want to turn out. Jaden Williams is the student and city planning commissioner at Clark Atlanta University. Also 21, he believes Harris supporters have to catch up to the Trump campaign. I think right now Trump is in the lead when it comes down to social media because one thing he has not stopped doing, he has not stopped tweeting, he has not stopped posting, sending out press releases. Whether it's him or his team, he's leading in the social media stats because he's always on the platform. Andrew Thomas, NTD News. Fears of a broader regional war in the Middle East are growing after a terrorist attack over the weekend. The White House condemned the Hezbollah terror attack in a statement, calling it horrific. Meanwhile, Israel has ordered more evacuations in central Gaza ahead of planned operations and strikes. NTD's Jeremy Sandberg has the latest on the conflicts in the Middle East. Israel's army ordered evacuations in central Gaza yesterday for planned operations against Hamas terrorists. Find a solution for us. Enough. Where do we go? They destroyed our homes. The IDF told civilians from two cities to go to a designated southwestern humanitarian zone. The military says Israeli troops were fighting groups of terrorists around Han Yunis on Sunday. Meanwhile, Israel's defense minister, vowed to hit back hard against Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. This after a rocket attack in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights hit a soccer field, leaving at least 12 people, mostly children, dead. Israel's foreign minister said in a TV interview on Saturday, the moment of all-out war against Hezbollah is approaching. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned Hezbollah when speaking in Japan. The top diplomat is in Tokyo on a six-country tour of Asia. There is no justification for terrorism, period. And every indication is that, indeed, the rockets were from, or the rocket was from Hezbollah. We stand by Israel's right to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks. Blinken says the U.S. is determined to bring the Israel-Hamas war to a close, so displaced Lebanese, Palestinians, and Israelis can return to their homes. But we also don't want to see the conflict escalate. We don't want to see it spread. He says the best way to avoid all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah is to get a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Former President Trump reacted Saturday at a campaign rally in Minnesota. He says the terror attack in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights can't be forgotten. Our hearts go out to the families of these innocent children. No parent should have to suffer the terrible loss of a child at the hands of terrorists or anybody else. Israel wants to remove the Hezbollah threat entirely from its northern border, in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701. The resolution calls for a demilitarized zone between the blue line separating Israel from Lebanon and the Latani River. Israel's defense minister warned in December, if the world doesn't get Hezbollah away from the border, Israel will. The U.N. Secretary General is calling for maximum restraint. Jeremy Sandberg, NTD News. We'll take a short break now, everybody, but here's a look at what we have for you when we In the case of the recently found 15-year-old Alison Chao, her father will appear in court following his arrest on charges related to her July 16th disappearance. Over 3 million hidden containers all over the world. We'll take a closer look at the world's largest treasure hunt, called geocaching. Deadpool and Wolverine has already started breaking box office records, surpassing $200 million on opening weekend. Those stories and more coming up on NTD Tonight. Welcome back to NTD Tonight, everyone. I'm your host, David Lam. The father of a missing 15-year-old girl who was found, whose case gained national attention, has been arrested. He may face several charges. NTD's Christina Corona provides the latest details on the story. Jeffrey Chao was arrested just three days after he and other family members expressed relief at a press conference that Alison had been found safe. We've been really worried about where she's been, and, you know, we really appreciate what everybody's done and helped out with. I just want what's in the best interest of Alison at this point. Chao is facing multiple charges, including child abduction, conspiracy, and falsifying a police report related to the July 16th disappearance of his 15-year-old daughter. The Monterey Park Police Department announced on Friday that Jeffrey Chao was arrested after an extensive investigation. However, on Friday afternoon, an attorney for Jeffrey Chao released a statement denying his client's involvement in his daughter's alleged disappearance. Chao's daughter, Alison, was reported missing on July 16th after leaving his home on the 200 block of North Inez Avenue. Alison's parents are divorced, which has led to speculation that her alleged disappearance was the product of a custody dispute. According to the family's family law attorney, Alison's mother has sole legal custody due to mental health concerns. As of last week, physical custody was granted to mother on a temporary basis. Attorneys for Alison's mother declined to comment on the arrest. Jeffrey Chao is due in court on Monday. Christina Corona, NTD News. In public spaces, there are over 3 million cleverly hidden containers all over the world just waiting to be found. They're part of the world's largest treasure hunt called geocaching. You can start by looking in your own neighborhood. NTD's Helen Billings has more on the story. If you're looking for a fun way to get outside, there's a treasure hunt happening right outside your door. It's called geocaching. According to the website geocaching.com, to get started, you download the official geocaching app and sign up to see all the locations with hidden caches nearby. Each hidden cache is a small adventure to find the container that is camouflaged to blend into the surrounding area. Each container varies in size and contains a so bring a pen. In some locations, you can find small items to trade along with trackable items meant for you to move to another geocache. NTD talked to Dave Bernard, who geocached with his three daughters. He said it's not about the items you find. It's about the experience. We did it a lot in our neighborhood. And so, you know, by we're in, we're in Walnut Creek, California, right below Mount Diablo. And so we have a lot of open space. We'd go up in the open space and hike the ridge lines. And it's just beautiful. Again, it's a reason to get out either in the early morning or late afternoon with the kids. And you see wildlife, even rattlesnakes. So we'd always bring a stick with us or a hiking pole. And so before you go flipping over rocks or sticking your hand in a hole, you want to poke around a little bit and make sure that there's no nothing in there. The adventure starts by clicking on a location in the app. And with GPS, it will navigate you there. Once on site to find the cache, the website says to look high and low and for something that seems out of place. If you're struggling, you can look at the hints. There's sometimes there's simple hints and then very detailed hints. Turn left at the big rock and look for the tree shaped like a Y and, you know, or something. And so if you struggle, sometimes you can find it. The container might be a fake rock on the ground or a fake pine cone in a tree, while some caches on nature trails are hidden in the brush. In addition, Renard said geocaching can take you to places you might not normally go. We took a road trip around California all the way up to Eureka and back down through Shasta and all of that. And one of the things we did was we when we stopped by the ocean or something, we'd pull up the app and we'd find a cache and we'd go hike, you know, to go find it. Daniela Renard, Dave's wife, mentioned how geocaching was a good activity for her daughters to unplug and just be kids. It got them out in the sunshine, breathing fresh air, seeing butterflies and flowers, getting muddy and chatting about life. It's good, wholesome and thrilling. Thrilling because it's a treasure hunt and wholesome because it doesn't involve a screen with games or shows or websites that are possibly PG-13 or for mature audiences only. It was a refreshingly beautiful, non-competitive activity. Some caches may be hard to find, while others may require a long hike. So check the difficulty and terrain before you go. And remember to place the geocache back where you found it. Helen Billings, NTD News. The new film Deadpool and Wolverine surged past 200 million dollars, setting a record for the highest grossing opening weekend for an R-rated movie. NTD's Christina Corona provides further details on the blockbuster hit. Marvel's Deadpool and Wolverine shattered records with a 205 million dollar opening weekend in North America, marking the highest debut ever for an R-rated film, surpassing the original Deadpool from 2018. It also achieved the biggest domestic opening of the year, outpacing Disney's Inside Out 2, which earned 154 million in June. With Monday's final tally, the film featuring Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine has grossed 444.3 million dollars globally after three days of release. Hugh Jackman said the film gave him a chance to reunite with old Marvel Cinematic Universe cast members. They're all amazing. I think it made me realize it's been 24 years and a big, the biggest part of the foundation of my career and so many incredible memories, but I have to tell you this experience with them and working with Ryan was the best of all of them. Ryan Reynolds stated that his long-standing personal relationship with Jackman, who came out of retirement to reprise his Wolverine role and help Deadpool save his world, was a key factor in his confidence that the film would succeed. Well I mean we've always been so so you kind of know from that perspective but also I knew I think people have to be pushed and I needed to be pushed so you know I'm co-writing this script but you know writing dialogue for Wolverine, thank God he was so generous helping guide me in that direction but he pushed me harder than I think I've ever been pushed. With the sixth biggest three-day opening weekend of all time, The Three Cole becomes only the ninth movie in history to open north of 200 million dollars. Christina Corona, NTD News. Stay tuned for China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer coming up next. Foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the United States meeting in Tokyo, pledging to bolster maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region. These four countries form the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as Quad. More on China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer at 9 30 p.m eastern. 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. Our show is coming to a close this Friday, August 2nd but NTD still has plenty of informative shows and on-the-ground news coverage airing across our network. For more information, please visit NTD.com. I'm David Lam. That's our program. See you tomorrow.