CA DMV Puts 42M Car Titles on Blockchain to Fight Fraud; 5 Rescued as Boat Burns – Jul. 31

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to NTD Tonight. I'm David Zhang. Here are today's top stories. Soon in California, millions of car titles will be getting digitized using blockchain technology. Find out why and more details on the move. The father of a Monterey Park teen has been charged with falsely reporting her missing and was involved in hiding her. We have the latest Another retailer closing some California stores. More on the cause and how one frequent customer is reacting. In California, millions of car titles are getting digitized using blockchain technology. It's part of an effort to combat fraud. Here's more. California's Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV, has digitized 42 million car titles using blockchain technology in a bid to detect fraud and smooth out the title transfer process. The agency's technology partners exclusively told Reuters on Tuesday. The project, in collaboration with tech company Oxhead Alpha on Avalanche Blockchain, will allow California's more than 39 million residents to claim their vehicle titles through a mobile app, the first such move in the U.S. Digitizing car titles will reduce the need for in-person DMV visits, and the blockchain technology will also function as a deterrent against lien fraud. Blockchain technology can help detect lien fraud by creating a transparent and unalterable record of property ownership, making it difficult for fraudulent activity to go unnoticed. California residents will be able to access their digital car titles starting early next year as the DMV builds out the app and infrastructure for consumer access. The father of a 15-year-old girl who went missing for a week in Monterey Park has now been charged with a felony after being arrested by police last Friday. NTD's Christina Corona has more on the story. Jeffrey Chow 40 was charged by prosecutors on Tuesday with one count of felony child stealing concealment and one misdemeanor count of false report of an emergency after his daughter Allison Chow disappeared while traveling from her father's home to her aunt's house. Prosecutors state that Allison Chow was not truly missing to her father, who they say stole concealed his 15-year-old daughter and falsely reported her as missing to law enforcement, when in actuality he had told her about a secret location. A location that was found by her father and a family friend indicating that this is somewhere where she could hide out until things got better, until things got better. Jeffrey Chow made a brief court appearance Tuesday to plead not guilty. Bail was set at $500,000 and he is expected to be released upon posting bond. If convicted, he'll be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Allison Chow is currently placed with the Department of Children and Family Services. Jose Romero, the attorney for Jeffrey Chow, gave an update on Allison. It's my understanding she's in good spirits, healthy. Of course she wants to be with her dad, which I think that's the key here. Allison's mother said in a statement last Friday that she and Jeffrey had been separated for more than a year, during which time Jeffrey had been driving a wedge between her and her daughter. Allison's parents started a divorce lawsuit last year to fight custody of their child. The lawsuit is still ongoing, but the mother temporarily has custody of Allison. Christina Corona, NTD News. Five people were rescued from a burning boat that eventually sank off the coast of Catalina. NTD's Christina Corona tells us more. Baywatch Avalon, Baywatch Isthmus, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 55 responded to a report of a 51-foot power vessel on fire around 7 a.m. on Monday. Good Samaritans had already rescued the five individuals before emergency crews arrived to find the boat engulfed in flames. Baywatch Isthmus lifeguards transported the rescued boaters to a local hospital where their conditions remain unknown. The Los Angeles County lifeguards posted on Instagram Baywatch Avalon initiated fire attack and exposure protection to prevent spread to the island cliff face nearby. Despite firefighting efforts, the boat sank after about 45 minutes. Officials said the boat would be salvaged for pollution mitigation. The cause of the fire remains unknown. Christina Corona, NTD News. With the rising cost of doing business this year, we've seen stores such as 99 Cents Only and Rubio's Fish Grills shut down operations in California. The retailer Big Lots, which operates nearly 1,400 stores throughout the United States, is now the latest to shutter some California locations, citing economic challenges. NTD's Helen Billings reports. Discount retail chain Big Lots is set to close 54 of its California stores following a reported net loss of 205 million dollars in the first fiscal quarter of this year. Additionally, the store locator on the retailer's website shows that 89 more locations in 27 other states are set to close. In its June SEC filing, the Columbus, Ohio headquartered company stated that the macroeconomic challenges in the U.S. economy, such as elevated inflation, has adversely impacted the buying power of its customers. The filing also said that net losses started in 2022 and they've been using cash for operations since then, which raised doubts about their ability to continue. NTD talked to Elizabeth Conley from Concord, California, a frequent shopper of Big Lots and the 99 Cent store that recently closed. She gave her take on the situation. Because there are so many basic, simple things that we need, you know, that just cost a few dollars. We don't need to go all the to Walmart, which is quite a distance away, or Target and bring a long list and all that. We need to be able to come close to our home and have a 99 Cent store, have a Big Lots store, pick up some towels or some bowls at a reasonable price. This driving around thing, I feel like someone needs to start some new businesses because they're going out. In a press release, Big Lots CEO Bruce Thorne said that the company had missed its sales target, largely due to continued pullback in consumer spending, particularly on high ticket items. He added that their current financial performance does not reflect their stronger business model and has plans to turn things around by later this year. I do wonder about why this is happening and I think it's very unfortunate in California because California is the wealthiest state. What's going on? Why can't we hold ourselves together and have these decent stores? I visited the Concord, California location to confirm the closure, where I saw a large closing sign across the front entrance, along with signs offering discounts up to 20% off. In California, Helen Billings, NTD News. Update on the economy. The Federal Reserve kept interest rates consistent in a Wednesday announcement. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said June had the highest unemployment rates this year at 4.1%. NTD's David Lam spoke to a data consultant for more insight. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve steadied the interest rates in the 5.25 to 5.5% range, and there's talks about a potential rate cut in September. I'm pretty confident we're going to see something definitely before the end of the year. Chris Mottola, consultant with National Business Capital, says it's a tough time for people. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in June the unemployment rate was the highest this year at 4.1%. We are seeing some improvements in inflation. The rate of inflation is coming down, but costs are still very high for a lot of families, a lot of workers, and at the same time, we're starting to see an uptick in unemployment, which is going to add additional stress to families. Mottola said the state that was the most hard off was California overall, followed by New York. But it's not just a blue state problem. Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina also in the top 10. New York and California, we're mainly seeing just high costs, really high costs. Florida, Texas, and Georgia, not as high costs, but their ability to absorb those costs doesn't seem to be quite as good. The reports of ghost jobs is a big thing. Ghost jobs are fake job listings that don't have actual intent to hire. A 2022 survey found that 40% of employers don't expect to fill active job posts for two to three months, and that one in 10 managers had openings posted for over six months. And this is for various reasons, such as always being open to new people, give the impression that the company is growing, and to keep employees motivated. Mottola says for cost of living to improve, we might see prices come down or wages go up, but those can indicate a recession or risk more inflation. We could see the economy start to move towards recession. 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. Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris step up messaging efforts to define their candidacies. Arizona Republican Carrie Lake won her Senate primary yesterday. That and other results from the Arizona contest. A father and a son graduated from the Cal Fire Academy together, but as they battled to save their local community, their own home burned to the ground. Those stories and more coming up on NTD Tonight. Welcome back to NTD Tonight. I'm your host, David Zhang. The leader of Project 2025 is now stepping down amid criticism from former President Trump's campaign. It comes as both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris step up messaging efforts to define their candidacies. NTD's White House correspondent Iris Tao has the details. The Heritage Foundation-led Project 2025 is a book of policy proposals that lays out a sweeping governing agenda for a potential second Trump term. Democrats have made it central to their attacks on the Trump campaign, labeling it as extreme. Former President Trump himself has also tried to distance himself from it. Today, the director of Project 2025 says he's stepping down and that the project will end its policy work. The Trump campaign welcomed that, saying in a statement that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign and that its demise would be greatly welcomed. But Harris's campaign is insisting that Project 2025, quote, is Donald Trump's policy agenda. And here's a clip of how the Hoppin issue has come up in just recent days. Watch. So Project 2025 is a plan to return America to a dark past. And they come up with this. I don't know what the hell it is. It's Project 25. And they keep saying he's a threat to democracy. I'm saying what the hell did I do for democracy? Last week, I took a bullet for democracy. It's not clear if Project 2025 would stop appearing the two campaigns back and forth arguments. But both campaigns are ramping up their messaging efforts. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump both launching dueling ad campaigns in battleground states today with Harris's highlighting her experience as a prosecutor, while Trump highlighting Harris's record on the border. Watch. As a prosecutor, she put murderers and abusers behind bars. As California's attorney general, she went after the big banks. Harris, over 10 million illegally here. A quarter of a million Americans dead from fentanyl. Brutal migrant crimes. And tonight, Harris is holding a campaign rally in Atlanta. Former President Trump also announced that he's holding another rally with J.D. Vance, his VP pick at the same exact spot, Georgia State University, this weekend. Meanwhile, more news regarding Harris's potential VP pick. Harris told reporters today that she has not yet made her selection. And last night, President Biden said he's talking with Harris about it. And the pool for Harris's VP pick is narrowing. As Michigan Governor Gretchen Wimmer said she's not part of the vetting. And as North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he had taken himself out of consideration. Harris is expected to make her announcement sometime next week. Reporting from the White House, Iris Tao, NTD News. Arizona Republican Carrie Lake won her Senate primary yesterday. NTD's Daniel Monahan has more on that and other results from the Arizona contests. The former news anchor will face off in November against Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego for the seat being vacated by Independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema. I am the proud son of immigrants, and I am running to be the first Latino senator for all of Arizonans, our hardworking Arizonans. Lake defeated two primary opponents to secure the Republican nomination. Arizona, I stand before you today to officially accept your nomination as the Republican candidate for the United States Senate. The former gubernatorial candidate emphasized what she sees as the urgency of the election. We have watched what has happened over the last three and a half years. And frankly, we only have three and a half months to save this country. In other races, Trump-backed Congressman Eli Crane faced off against Kevin McCarthy-backed Jack Smith in District 2. Crane put in a dominant performance to win handily, leading Smith 79% to 21%, with about 94% of the votes counted. In a battle between two Trump-backed candidates in the 8th District, Abraham Hamadeh was leading Blake Masters by about 4.5%, with about 92% of the votes counted. In a contest for Maricopa County Recorder, Justin Heap was leading Stephen Richer by about 2%. Richer is running for a second term as county recorder. The Republican has faced criticism from within his own party for dispelling allegations of election fraud in Arizona. On the Democrat side, three people were battling for the nomination to fill Ruben Gallego's seat in Congress. Former Phoenix City Council member Yasamin Ansari was leading Raquel Teran Tuesday night by about 4%. Teran served in the Arizona Legislature and as chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. Daniel Monahan, NTD News. The alleged Israeli airstrike that took out Hamas's top political leader has escalated tensions in the Middle East. Fears of an all-out regional conflict remain high as Hamas is about to retaliate. The early Wednesday morning attack in Tehran killed Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards. He was in Iran for the inauguration of the country's new president. Following the ceremony, the residence where Haniyeh was staying was hit by a missile, according to an Iranian state official. The Israeli military had no comment about the strike. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacted, saying his agency was not aware of the airstrike. In addition to an all-out regional war, there's concern that Haniyeh's killing will hamper ongoing ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Well, of course, I've seen the reports and all I can tell you right now is, I think nothing takes away from the importance of, as I said a moment ago, getting to the ceasefire, which is manifestly in the interests of the hostages and bringing them home. It's manifestly in the interests of Palestinians who are suffering terribly every single day. I'm not going to speculate on what impact any one event might have on that. I've learned over many years never to really speculate about that because we simply don't know. Israel launched an attack on a Hezbollah stronghold in the Lebanese capital of Beirut the day before, killing a senior Hezbollah commander. The IDF said he was responsible for a weakened rocket attack into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that killed 12 children. After that strike, Israel's defense minister issued a statement saying they do not want a war but, quote, are preparing for all possibilities. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commented on the strike. I don't think war is inevitable. I maintain that. I think there's always room and opportunities for diplomacy, and I'd like to see parties pursue those opportunities. Austin also said the U.S. will defend Israel if they are attacked. After Wednesday's killing of Haniyeh, Iran's Revolutionary Guard is warning Israel they will face a, quote, harsh and painful response from Iran and its allies. Dave and Jonathan Tejal were on a family camping trip on the coast of Northern California. That's when they heard about the Park Fire edging closer to their hometown of Cohasset, six and a half hours away. Father and son graduated from the Cal Fire Academy together. They have battled wildfires alongside one another over the last several years. Once realizing the seriousness of the Park Fire, they jumped into action and headed for the blaze. But as they battled to save their local community, their own home burned to the ground. My granddaughter's car survived, so she's happy. All of our pets are okay. So we have good things. And there was a small amount of stuff that didn't burn in one container, and they're pitchers. So I'm just so happy to have that. Dave lost his firefighting equipment in the blaze. His co-workers at the fire station bought him a new pair of boots. The younger Tejal hasn't had much time to process the loss of his family home. All I could think about was I needed to get my equipment so I could get on the operation and start getting up here to help people. So I actually ran into my house. All I did was close some windows. I ran out and everything I grabbed was my Butte County fire stuff that could have been replaced. It's sad to see my son lose his place. And he's worked so hard. And it's where he grew up as a child. And I sold it to him when he came and said he wanted to buy it and raise his kid there. And he was doing that. Both father and son are focused on rebuilding their community. We have an excellent team up here. We're taking care of people, their houses, what's left up here. There's a lot left when I see it. We lost a lot, but the heart's still here. The heartbeat's still going. They want to make Cohasset safe enough for residents to return and begin rebuilding their lives. Stay tuned for China in Focus with Tiffany Meyer coming up next. The U.S. government is suing a naturalized U.S. citizen for acting as a foreign agent of China. The latest evidence reveals the defendant admitted some critical details that could send him behind bars for up to two decades. NTD was in the courtroom. 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. Our show is coming to a close this Friday, August 2nd. But NTD 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 Zhang. Thanks for watching. See you tomorrow.