Unraveling the attempted assassination of Donald Trump
MULTIPLE failures, multiple investigations have been launched into the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The investigations include probes into the crime itself and the lapses in law enforcement that allowed it to happen. It is becoming increasingly clear that this was a complex failure involving multiple missteps and at least nine different local, county, and federal law enforcement divisions that were supposed to be working together that day at the campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman had prepared for carnage, as he was found with a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Nearly two-thirds of Democrats want Biden to withdraw
NEARLY two-thirds of Democrats say President Joe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race and allow his party to select a different candidate, according to a new poll. This finding sharply undercuts his post-debate claim that “average Democrats” are still with him even if some “big names” are turning on him. The new survey by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, conducted two weeks after Biden’s debate flop, also found that only about 3 in 10 Democrats are extremely or very confident that Biden has the mental capability to serve as president, down from 40% in an AP-NORC poll from February. These findings highlight the challenges the 81-year-old president faces as he works to silence calls from within his own party to exit the race.
Prominent Democrat Schiff calls for Biden to withdraw
CALIFORNIA Rep. Adam Schiff has become the highest-profile Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, as the party continues with plans to hold a virtual vote to formally make Biden its nominee in the first week of August, before the party’s convention opens in person two weeks later. Following the halting debate performance against Republican former President Donald Trump last month, nearly 20 Democratic members of Congress have called on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. Among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should step aside and let his party nominate a different candidate, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Wednesday.
House Oversight panel subpoenas Secret Service director
THE Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee has issued a subpoena to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, compelling her to appear before the committee on Monday for the first congressional hearing into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is also investigating the Secret Service’s handling of security for Trump the day a gunman tried to assassinate him at a Pennsylvania rally. The agency said its objective is to evaluate the Secret Service’s process for securing Trump’s Saturday event, and it will participate with congressional committees looking into the shooting.
JD Vance to get his political introduction at the RNC
JD Vance is expected to share the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and make the case that the GOP ticket best understands the challenges facing many Americans in his address at the Republican National Convention. This will be Vance’s first big convention speech since being picked as Donald Trump’s running mate earlier this week. Vance, who grew up poor in Kentucky and Ohio, plans to emphasize the need for the former president to be reelected in his headlining address.
Judge’s order dismissing Trump classified docs case won’t be final word
A JUDGE’S decision to dismiss the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump brought the prosecution to a halt but is not the final word. An appeal by special counsel Jack Smith of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s order is expected to lead to a court fight that might reach the U.S. Supreme Court and could result in the reinstatement of the indictment or the reassignment of the case to a different judge. Although a revived prosecution won’t reach trial before the November election, Cannon’s order ensures more months of legal wrangling in a criminal case once seen as a significant threat to Trump. Prosecutors filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday.
US military pier for carrying aid to Gaza will be dismantled
THE U.S. military-built pier to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza will be dismantled and brought home, ending a mission fraught with weather and security problems. As the military steps away from the sea route, questions remain about Israel’s plan to use the port of Ashdod as a substitute and aid groups having enough viable land crossings to get supplies into the territory besieged by the Israel-Hamas war. Critics call the pier a $230 million boondoggle, while the military argues it got close to 20 million pounds of supplies to Gaza. The steel pier segments were shipped to the region from an Army base in Virginia.
Syrian official arrested by US officials
A FORMER Syrian military official who oversaw a prison where human rights officials say torture and abuse took place has been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of immigration fraud. Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, 72, was charged with immigration fraud for denying in his U.S. visa and citizenship applications that he had ordered any political killings or carried out abuse in Syria. He was in charge of Syria’s Adra prison from 2005 to 2008.
Navy exonerates Black sailors unjustly punished in 1944
THE U.S. Navy has exonerated 256 Black sailors found unjustly punished in 1944 following a California port explosion that killed hundreds of service members and exposed racist double standards among the then-segregated ranks. At Port Chicago naval weapons station near San Francisco, 5,000 tons of munitions detonated, killing 320 personnel and injuring 390. Black sailors concerned for their safety refused to return to loading bombs without proper training, leading to their punishment. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has signed paperwork clearing the sailors’ names, acknowledging they were unjustly tried and convicted.
Storms cause devastation in the U.S. and Canada
MUCH of the U.S. and Canada is dealing with a new wave of severe storms that have caused deaths and damage this week from the Plains to New England. Water rescues and evacuations took place in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri after heavy rainfall. A tornado in Rome, New York, caused destruction and injuries, with some buildings destroyed and streets filled with debris. Flooding in Toronto left drivers stranded, while the East Coast is warned of dangerous heat from Maine to the Carolinas.
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