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  • Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns

    Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns

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    Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned after the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at his rally in Pennsylvania last week.

    What You Need To Know

    • Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned after the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump

    • In an email to staff on Tuesday announcing her resignation, Cheatle admitted that the agency “fell short” on its mission to protect the country’s leaders

    • The announcement comes hours after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic Leader announced a bipartisan task force to investigate the attack, and one day after congressional lawmakers grilled Cheatle over security lapses at a contentious hearing
    • President Joe Biden said in a statement that he “will plan to appoint a new Director soon”; Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Tuesday that Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe will take over as the head of the agency in an acting capacity



    On July 13, a 20-year-old man perched on a nearby warehouse rooftop fired several shots at Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, striking the former president in the right ear. One rallygoer was killed, and two others were wounded. The gunman was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.

    Several investigations have been launched into the attack. In addition to congressional inquiries, the FBI is conducting a criminal probe and the Secret Service is performing an internal investigation, Cheatle told Congress on Monday.

    In the days that followed, Cheatle faced numerous calls for clarity about how such an attack could have happened, including a dramatic hallway confrontation with Republican U.S. Senators at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last week.

    In an email to staff on Tuesday announcing her resignation, Cheatle admitted that the agency “fell short” on its mission to protect the country’s leaders.

    “The scrutiny over the last week has been intense and will continue to remain as our operational tempo increases,” Cheatle wrote. “As your Director, I take full responsibility for the security lapse.”

    The embattled Secret Service chief faced bipartisan calls for her resignation. The announcement comes hours after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic Leader announced a bipartisan task force to investigate the attack, and one day after congressional lawmakers grilled Cheatle over security lapses at a contentious hearing.

    “I’m glad she did the right thing,” Johnson said at a press conference on Tuesday. “The immediate reaction to her resignation is that it is overdue. She should have done this at least a week ago. I’m happy to see that. I’m happy to to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats.”

    “Now we have to pick up the pieces,” he continued. “We have to rebuild the American people’s faith and trust in the Secret Service. As an agency, it has an incredibly important responsibility in protecting presidents, former presidents and other officials in the executive branch, and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

    The message of “overdue” appeared to be one echoed by lawmakers in Washington, particularly among House Republicans, who were planning legislative efforts to force Cheatle’s ouster.

    “The resignation of USSS Director Cheatle is long overdue,” New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House GOP conference chair, wrote on social media. “The failure to answer basic questions over the last ten days and at yesterday’s Congressional hearing was a disgrace. House Republicans will not rest until we have 100% transparency and accountability.”

    “This is 10 days overdue,” wrote New York Rep. Mike Lawler on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This was a colossal failure on the part of the agency and requires transparency and accountability. Director Cheatle provided neither in her testimony yesterday.”

    “Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation is welcome but overdue,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy. “This is only the beginning of accountability for an incredible failure to protect a former president and leading candidate for that office.”

    In a post on social media after the news broke, Trump did not specificaly address Cheatle’s resignation, but accused the Biden administration of failing to “properly protect” him.

    “I was forced to take a bullet for Democracy,” he wrote on Truth Social. “IT WAS MY GREAT HONOR TO DO SO!”

    In a statement, President Joe Biden, who immediately ordered an independent security review into the shooting after it took place, expressed gratitude for Cheatle’s “decades of public service” and said it “takes honor, courage, and incredible integrity to take full responsibility for an organization tasked with one of the most challenging jobs in public service.”

    “The independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues, and I look forward to assessing its conclusions,” the president said. “We all know what happened that day can never happen again. As we move forward, I wish Kim all the best, and I will plan to appoint a new Director soon.”

    Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Tuesday that Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe will take over as the head of the agency in an acting capacity.

    In a House Oversight Committee hearing Monday, members of both parties called for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. 

    “Today, you failed to provide answers to basic questions regarding that stunning operational failure and to reassure the American people that the Secret Service has learned its lessons and begun to correct its systemic blunders and failures,” committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said in a statement following Monday’s hearing. 

    “In the middle of a presidential election, the Committee and the American people demand serious institutional accountability and transparency that you are not providing,” they continued. “We call on you to resign as Director as a first step to allowing new leadership to swiftly address this crisis and rebuild the trust of a truly concerned Congress and the American people.”

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    Ryan Chatelain

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  • Poll: Majority of Democrats think Kamala Harris would make a good president

    Poll: Majority of Democrats think Kamala Harris would make a good president

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    As President Joe Biden faces a growing drumbeat of pressure to drop his reelection bid, a majority of Democrats think his vice president would make a good president herself.

    What You Need To Know

    • As President Joe Biden faces a growing drumbeat of pressure to drop his reelection bid, most Democrats think his vice president would make a good president herself

    • The new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Kamala Harris would do a good job in the top slot

    • About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say

    • Since Biden’s massive debate debacle on June 27, many Democrats have privately and even openly looked to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee

    A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Kamala Harris would do a good job in the top slot. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.

    Since Biden’s debate debacle on June 27, many Democrats have privately and even openly looked to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, believing she has a better chance against GOP nominee Donald Trump. For her part, Harris has remained completely loyal to Biden, being one of his toughest defenders in the aftermath of the disastrous debate performance.

    Oakley Graham, a Democrat in Greenwood, Missouri, said while he is “pretty happy” with Biden’s accomplishments in office, he felt that he would be more excited to support Harris at the top of the ticket and that it was “about time” a woman becomes president.

    “I know he’s got unfinished business,” Graham, 30, said of Biden. “But it would be nice to see a person of color, a woman, somebody younger to step up and to lead that charge. I would hope that that would inspire a younger generation to be more engaged.”

    Black adults –- a key contingent of the Democrats’ coalition and a group that remains relatively more favorable to Biden than others — are more likely than Americans overall to say that Harris would do well.

    As for Americans more broadly, they are more skeptical of how Harris would perform in the Oval Office. Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults overall say Harris would do well as president. About half say Harris would not do a good job in the role, and 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.

    Harris’ favorability rating is similar to Biden’s, but the share of Americans who have an unfavorable opinion of her is somewhat lower. The poll showed that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of Harris, while about half have an unfavorable opinion. There are more Americans with a negative view of Biden: approximately 6 in 10. About 1 in 10 Americans say they don’t know enough to have an opinion of Harris, whereas nearly everyone has an opinion on Biden.

    About three-quarters of Democrats have a positive view of Harris, which is in line with how Democrats view Biden. Seven in 10 have a favorable view of him.

    Shannon Bailey, a Democrat who lives in Tampa, praised Biden’s accomplishments as president –- particularly with his infrastructure law and efforts to tame inflation — and said he’ll be “remembered fondly.” But she had a more favorable view of Harris than she does the incumbent president because, in Bailey’s view, the vice president appears more “capable of handling the taxing nature of the job.”

    “It’s not just the physical stamina part, but also the cognitive reasoning part right now,” said Bailey, 34. “It’s important to be able to concisely and persuasively get the message across that is the Democratic platform right now.”

    Bailey said the Democratic Party needs Harris and a running mate “who can really motivate people to go out to the polls” — a task that she’s skeptical Biden can do as effectively.

    Harris’s position as the administration’s lead messenger on abortion also has endeared her to many Democrats.

    “I think she would be a very strong advocate for abortion, has been and would continue to be,” said Thomas Mattman, a Democrat from Chico, California. “The Republicans have gone with white men as their ticket, and both of them have said some pretty specific things about being opposed to abortion so I think that would be a very strong argument.”

    Mattman, 59, said he believes Biden will not be able to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump — a prospect that leaves Mattman “very distraught.” Harris would be a much more effective candidate because Biden is unable to “put pressure” on his opponent and exploit his weaknesses, Mattman said.

    Harris is more popular among Black Americans than she is among white or Hispanic adults. She is more disliked by men than she is by women.

    Other prominent Democrats who have been floated as potential replacements are less known than Harris is. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults don’t have an opinion of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and half are unfamiliar with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Newsom is seen, overall, slightly more negatively than positively. Americans are divided about evenly on Whitmer: 24% have a favorable view and 22% have an unfavorable view.

    More Democrats see Harris rather than Newsom or Whitmer as someone who would make a good president, though that’s partly because they’re relative unknowns. About one-third of Democrats say Newsom would make a good president, and half don’t know enough to say. About one-quarter of Democrats say Whitmer would do well, and about two-thirds don’t know enough to say.

    Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, is unknown to most Americans. In the AP-NORC poll, which was conducted before Trump made Vance his vice presidential choice, 6 in 10 Americans don’t know enough about him to form an opinion. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable view of Vance, and about 2 in 10 view him negatively. Among Republicans, 61% don’t know enough to have an opinion of Vance. About one-quarter have a positive view of him, and roughly 1 in 10 have a negative view.

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    Associated Press

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  • Widespread Microsoft outage disrupts flights, banks, and companies worldwide

    Widespread Microsoft outage disrupts flights, banks, and companies worldwide

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    A global technology outage grounded flights, knocked banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off air on Friday in a massive disruption that affected companies and services around the world and highlighted dependence on software from a handful of providers.

    What You Need To Know

    • Escalating disruptions continued hours after Microsoft said it was gradually fixing an issue

    • The website DownDectector, which tracks user-reported internet outages, recorded growing outages in services at Visa, ADT security and Amazon, and airlines including American Airlines and Delta

    • Meanwhile, major disruptions reported by airlines and airports grew; the FAA said the airlines United, American, Delta and Allegiant had all been grounded

    Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike said that the issue believed to be behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack — and that a fix was on the way. The company said the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows.

    But hours after the problem was first detected, the disarray continued — and escalated.

    Long lines formed at airports in the U.S., Europe and Asia as airlines lost access to check-in and booking services at a time when many travelers are heading away on summer vacations. News outlets in Australia — where telecommunications were severely affected — were pushed off air for hours. Hospitals and doctor’s offices had problems with their appointment systems, while banks in South Africa and New Zealand reported outages to their payment system or websites and apps.

    President Joe Biden has been briefed on the outage and members of his administration have been in touch with CrowdStrike and other impacted entities.

    Biden’s team “is engaged across the interagency to get sector by sector updates throughout the day and is standing by to provide assistance as needed, per the White House.

    “We’re continuing to address effects on transportation systems from today’s widespread tech outage,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote on social media. “Many flights are impacted as systems recover—passengers should check with their airline for updates and visit our website for more on passenger protections.”

    Some athletes and spectators descending on Paris ahead of the Olympics were delayed as was the arrival of their uniforms and accreditations, but Games organizers said disruptions were limited and didn’t affect ticketing or the torch relay.

    A disturbing reminder of vulnerability

    “This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world’s core internet infrastructure,” said Ciaran Martin, a professor at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and former Head of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre.

    DownDectector, which tracks user-reported disruptions to internet services, recorded that airlines, payment platforms and online shopping websites across the world were affected — although the disruption appeared piecemeal and was apparently related to whether the companies used Microsoft cloud-based services.

    Cyber expert James Bore said real harm would be caused by the outage because systems we’ve come to rely on at critical times are not going to be available. Hospitals, for example, will struggle to sort out appointments and those who need care may not get it.

    “There are going to be deaths because of this. It’s inevitable,’’ Bore said. “We’ve got so many systems tied up with this.”

    Microsoft 365 posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the company was “working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact” and that they were “observing a positive trend in service availability.”

    The company did not respond to a request for comment.

    CrowdStrike said in an emailed statement that the company “is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts.”

    It said: “This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

    The Austin, Texas-based company’s Nasdaq-traded shares were down nearly 15% in premarket trading early Friday.

    A recording playing on its customer service line said, “CrowdStrike is aware of the reports of crashes on Microsoft ports related to the Falcon sensor,” referring to one of its products used to block online attacks.

    Broadcasters go dark, surgeries delayed, ‘blue screens of death’

    Meanwhile, governments, officials and companies across the world scrambled to respond.

    New Zealand’s acting prime minister, David Seymour, said on X that officials in the country were “moving at pace to understand the potential impacts,” adding that he had no information indicating it was a cybersecurity threat.

    The issue was causing “inconvenience” for the public and businesses, he added.

    On the Milan stock exchange, the FTSE MIB index of blue-chip Italian stocks could not be compiled for an hour, though trading continued.

    Major delays reported at airports grew on Friday morning, with most attributing the problems in booking systems of individual airlines.

    In the U.S., the FAA said the airlines United, American, Delta and Allegiant had all been grounded.

    Airlines and railways in the U.K. were also affected, with longer than usual waiting times.

    In Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport halted flights for several hours due to difficulties in checking in passengers, while landings at Zurich airport were suspended and flights in Hungary, Italy and Turkey disrupted.

    The Dutch carrier KLM said it had been “forced to suspend most” of its operations.

    Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport warned that the outage was having a “major impact on flights” to and from the busy European hub. The chaotic morning coincided with one of the busiest days of the year for Schiphol.

    Widespread problems were reported at Australian airports, where lines grew and some passengers were stranded as online check-in services and self-service booths were disabled — although flights were still operating.

    In India, Hong Kong and Thailand, many airlines were forced to manually check in passengers. An airline in Kenya was also reporting disruption.

    Australia bears brunt of outages in Asia

    While the outages were being experienced worldwide, Australia appeared to be severely affected by the issue. Disruption reported on the site DownDetector included the banks NAB, Commonwealth and Bendigo, and the airlines Virgin Australia and Qantas, as well as internet and phone providers such as Telstra.

    National news outlets — including public broadcaster ABC and Sky News Australia — were unable to broadcast on their TV and radio channels for hours. Some news anchors went on air online from dark offices, in front of computers showing “blue screens of death.”

    Hospitals in several countries also reported problems.

    Britain’s National Health Service said the outage caused problems at most doctors’ offices across England. NHS England said in a statement said the glitch was affecting the appointment and patient record system used across the public health system.

    Some hospitals in northern Germany canceled all elective surgery scheduled for Friday, but emergency care was unaffected.

    Israel said its hospitals and post office operations were disrupted.

    In South Africa, at least one major bank said it was experiencing nationwide service disruptions as customers reported they were unable to make payments using their bank cards in stores. The New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank said their services were down as well.

    Shipping was disrupted too: A major container hub in the Baltic port of Gdansk, Poland, the Baltic Hub, said it was battling problems resulting from the global system outage.

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    Associated Press

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  • Widespread Microsoft outage disrupts flights, banks, and companies worldwide

    Widespread Microsoft outage disrupts flights, banks, and companies worldwide

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    NATIONWIDE — A widespread Microsoft outage was disrupting flights, banks, media outlets and companies around the world on Friday.

    What You Need To Know

    • Escalating disruptions continued hours after Microsoft said it was gradually fixing an issue
    • The website DownDectector, which tracks user-reported internet outages, recorded growing outages in services at Visa, ADT security and Amazon, and airlines including American Airlines and Delta

    • Meanwhile, major disruptions reported by airlines and airports grew; the FAA said the airlines United, American, Delta and Allegiant had all been grounded

    Escalating disruptions continued hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services.

    The website DownDectector, which tracks user-reported internet outages, recorded growing outages in services at Visa, ADT security and Amazon, and airlines including American Airlines and Delta.

    News outlets in Australia reported that airlines, telecommunications providers and banks, and media broadcasters were disrupted as they lost access to computer systems. Some New Zealand banks said they were also offline.

    Microsoft 365 posted on X that the company was “working on rerouting the impacted traffic to alternate systems to alleviate impact in a more expedient fashion” and that they were “observing a positive trend in service availability.”

    The company did not respond to a request for comment. It did not explain the cause of the outage further.

    Meanwhile, major disruptions reported by airlines and airports grew.

    In the U.S., the FAA said the airlines United, American, Delta and Allegiant had all been grounded.

    Airlines, railways and television stations in the United Kingdom were being disrupted by the computer issues. The budget airline Ryanair, train operators TransPennine Express and Govia Thameslink Railway, as well as broadcaster Sky News are among those affected.

    “We’re currently experiencing disruption across the network due to a global third party IT outage which is out of our control,’’ Ryanair said. “We advise all passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure time.”

    Widespread problems were reported at Australian airports, where lines grew and some passengers were stranded as online check-in services and self-service booths were disabled. Passengers in Melbourne queued for more than an hour to check in.

    Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport said on its website that the outage was having a “major impact on flights” to and from the busy European hub. The outage came on one of the busiest days of the year for the airport, at the start of many people’s summer vacations.

    In Germany, Berlin Airport said Friday morning that “due to a technical fault, there will be delays in check-in.” It said that flights were suspended until 10 a.m. (0800GMT), without giving details, German news agency dpa reported.

    At Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport, some US-bound flights had posted delays, while others were unaffected.

    Australian outages reported on the site included the banks NAB, Commonwealth and Bendigo, and the airlines Virgin Australia and Qantas, as well as internet and phone providers such as Telstra.

    News outlets in Australia — including the ABC and Sky News — were unable to broadcast on their TV and radio channels, and reported sudden shutdowns of Windows-based computers. Some news anchors broadcast live online from dark offices, in front of computers showing “blue screens of death.”

    Shoppers were unable to pay at some supermarkets and stores due to payment system outages.

    The New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank said their services were down.

    An X user posted a screenshot of an alert from the company Crowdstrike that said the company was aware of “reports of crashes on Windows hosts” related to its Falcon Sensor platform. The alert was posted on a password-protected Crowdstrike site and could not be verified. Crowdstrike did not respond to a request for comment.

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    Associated Press

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  • Conflicting conspiracy theories emerge from Trump rally shooting

    Conflicting conspiracy theories emerge from Trump rally shooting

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    A former president is wounded in a shooting, the gunman quickly neutralized, and all of it is caught on camera. But for those who don’t believe their eyes, that’s just the start of the story.

    What You Need To Know

    • Two very different conspiracy theories are spreading in the days following former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally

    • For some Trump supporters, the failure of the Secret Service to stop the shooter before he fired at the Republican ex-president suggests a conspiracy orchestrated by Democratic President Joe Biden

    • But for some Trump critics the same video footage is being used to suggest Trump staged the shooting

    • There’s no evidence to support either claim

    For some supporters of Donald Trump, the failure of the Secret Service to prevent the attempted assassination of the Republican former president points to a conspiracy orchestrated by Democratic President Joe Biden. For some of Trump’s critics, however, the details of the shooting don’t add up. They wonder if Trump staged the whole thing.

    Two dueling conspiracy theories are taking root online following Trump’s attempted assassination, one for each end of America’s polarized political spectrum. In this split-screen republic, Americans are increasingly choosing their own reality, at the expense of a shared understanding of the facts.

    “One screen, two movies,” is how Ron Bassilian describes the online reaction to Saturday’s shooting at a Pennsylvania rally. Bassilian is a prolific user of social media and has used X to broadcast his conjecture about the shooting. “People have their beliefs, and they’re going to come up with theories that fit their beliefs.”

    Bassilian is one of many Republicans now questioning how the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to climb to the roof of a building providing a clear shot at Trump and whether law enforcement looked the other way to allow the attempt. Bassilian acknowledged that he doesn’t have proof to back up his conjecture. But the Culver City, California, resident said many people will be distrustful of explanations until an independent review of the facts is completed.

    “It seems highly suspicious,” Bassilian said of the attack on Trump and the law enforcement response. “Something was going on that was more than a slip-up.”

    Authorities have released no information about Crooks’ possible motive, though they have said they believe he acted alone. But a lack of details from law enforcement and mounting questions about the Secret Service’s performance have led online sleuths to speculate — often in ways that reveal their own ideological leanings.

    Some of the claims about the shooting have already been debunked. Despite claims that the Secret Service refused to give Trump extra security before the rally, the agency says it actually increased staffing. A post from someone claiming to be a law enforcement sniper at the rally — who said they were ordered not to fire on the shooter — was discredited after it turned out no sharpshooter by his name was working on Saturday. And a photo that supposedly showed an uninjured Trump after the rally turned out to be a picture from 2022.

    Humans have an inherent drive to share information and conjecture following big events like disasters, political assassinations or seemingly inexplicable events — a process experts call “collective sensemaking.” Often, experts say, we look for information that makes us feel safe or in control of uncertainty. Trump’s attempted assassination is only the most recent example on a list that also includes the JFK assassination, the moon landing, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Sandy Hook school shooting, COVID-19 and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

    Many of the claims about the Trump assassination attempt emerged first on fringe social media platforms like 4chan before migrating to larger sites like X or TikTok, where they were seen by far more people.

    “Rumoring under these conditions is a normal thing that humans do,” said Kate Starbird, a University of Washington professor who studies misinformation and how people use the internet following crises. Attempts to put the shooting in a political context began within minutes of the shooting, Starbird said: “People tried almost from the beginning to frame the event in a way that benefits their political goals.”

    Many of those rumors may contain exaggerations, missing context or outright falsehoods that generate conspiracy theories. The misleading information is then amplified by online trolls, politicians, internet influencers and online merchants trying to hawk merchandise tied to the assassination attempt. With few guardrails in place to combat bad information online, such claims can quickly spread, impacting the election in 2024 and potentially persisting for years to come.

    The flood of false or misleading information about the shooting will only make it harder for voters to find trustworthy information ahead of the 2024 election, according to Imran Ahmed, the CEO and founder of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that tracks online misinformation and hate speech. Ahmed blames social media platforms for not enforcing basic content moderation policies and for making the spread of misinformation and hate speech into a lucrative business model.

    Social media platforms have recently pulled back from content moderation efforts designed to prevent the spread of misinformation. While some sites like Facebook and Instagram still prohibit information that could interfere with the operations of an election, others like X rely on other users to correct falsehoods.

    Ahmed’s group analyzed 100 posts about the shooting that were recommended to users on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and found that many contained conspiracy theories. Only about 1 in 20 false posts had been flagged for inaccuracies or missing context using X’s “community note” feature to add needed information. In two days, the posts had been seen more than 215 million times. Some of the viral posts also contained hate speech, such as those suggesting Saturday’s shooting was a plot by Jewish people.

    “The algorithms take the most outlandish content and amplify it exponentially until the entire digital world is flooded with conspiracism, disinformation and hate,” Ahmed said. As a result, he said, “People seem to feel that they can only fight lies with more lies.”

    Russian state media and some pro-Kremlin influencers are already seizing on the shooting with content blaming Democrats for what happened or questioning authorities’ explanations, based on recent posts from users with ties to Russia.

    “Almost makes you think they let it happen and then got rid of the guy because dead men tell no tales,” wrote John Mark Dougan, a former Florida sheriff’s deputy turned online influencer who now writes pro-Kremlin content.

    Russia, as well as China and Iran, have used social media disinformation in the past in efforts to undermine Americans’ trust in government and democracy and increase polarization ahead of elections. The goal is to exploit the understandable confusion, anger and concern that many Americans feel following the attempted assassination. Federal officials say they expect Russia and other adversaries to expand their disinformation campaigns targeting the U.S. as November nears.

    Conspiracy theories have played an outsize role in recent American politics, and much of the attention has focused on right-leaning theories like QAnon, a movement that claims without evidence that Democrats are involved in a global ring of Satanic, child molesting cannibals. But the onslaught of misinformation and conspiracy theories following the attempted assassination show conspiracy theories know no party.

    “They target the left and right, and the same goes for homegrown domestic sources of misinformation,” said David Salvo, a senior fellow and managing director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a Washington-based group that tracks foreign disinformation. He has this advice for anyone interested in finding reliable, trustworthy information about the shooting: “Check your sources, and check the agenda behind those sources.”

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    Associated Press

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  • More Americans apply for jobless benefits as layoffs

    More Americans apply for jobless benefits as layoffs

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    U.S. filings for unemployment benefits rose again last week and appear to be settling consistently at a slightly higher though still healthy level.

    What You Need To Know

    • U.S. filings for unemployment benefits rose again last week and appear to be settling consistently at a slightly higher though still healthy level

    • The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending July 13 rose by 20,000 to 243,000 from 223,000 the previous week

    • The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose after declining last week for the first time in 10 weeks

    • About 1.87 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits for the week of July 6, around 20,000 more than the previous week

    More Americans apply for jobless benefits as layoffs settle at higher levels in recent weeks

    Jobless claims for the week ending July 13 rose by 20,000 to 243,000 from 223,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

    The total number of Americans collecting unemployment benefits rose after declining last week for the first time in 10 weeks. About 1.87 million Americans were collecting jobless benefits for the week of July 6, around 20,000 more than the previous week. That’s the most since November of 2021.

    Weekly unemployment claims are widely considered as representative of layoffs.

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    Associated Press

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  • 988 suicide line has answered more than 10 million calls, texts, chats

    988 suicide line has answered more than 10 million calls, texts, chats

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    The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has answered more than 10 million calls, texts or chats in its first two years, Biden administration officials said Tuesday.

    What You Need To Know

    • The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has answered more than 10 million calls, texts or chats in its first two years, Biden administration officials said Tuesday

    • Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the launch of the hotline and affiliated website, which provide confidential support all hours of the day to people in distress

    • Launching the crisis line was included in President Joe Biden’s strategy to address the nation’s mental health crisis, unveiled in March 2022

    • Over its two years, 988 has expanded to broaden its reach
    • If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or live chat at 988lifeline.org. 

    Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the launch of the hotline and affiliated website, which provide confidential support all hours of the day to people in distress. Previously, those seeking help had to dial a harder-to-remember 10-digit number.

    “Make no mistake, 988 saves lives,” Neera Tanden, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, told reporters.

    Launching the crisis line was included in President Joe Biden’s strategy to address the nation’s mental health crisis, unveiled in March 2022. 

    Over its two years, 988 has expanded to broaden its reach.

    The Department of Health and Human Services has invested $1.5 billion in 988, paid for though the 2021 American Rescue Plan and 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Much of that funding has gone to states, territories and tribes to hire crisis counselors and improve local responses. 

    Federal funding has also been used to bolster the national backup system, which ensures callers speak to a counselor even when their local centers have reached capacity. Some states have contributed their own funding. 

    More than 200 contact centers across the country provide support for 988.

    “Behavioral health crisis is a crisis, something we need to face together,” Tanden said. “As a country, we have a moral obligation to be there for each other, to reach out to offer help or just a listening ear.”

    Meanwhile, 988 has added tailored lines to help groups including Spanish speakers, military veterans and active service members, and LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Those lines can be reached by calling 988 and then entering a number when prompted. The Spanish phone number has existed since 2006, but not the text and chat options.

    A videoline also has been added to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

    “In the two years since we launched 988, it’s become one of the most effective first-line responses that we have to help individuals who feel alone and without options,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. 

    If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or live chat at 988lifeline.org. 

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    Ryan Chatelain

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  • 988 suicide line has answered more than 10 million calls, texts, chats

    988 suicide line has answered more than 10 million calls, texts, chats

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    The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has answered more than 10 million calls, texts or chats in its first two years, Biden administration officials said Tuesday.

    What You Need To Know

    • The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has answered more than 10 million calls, texts or chats in its first two years, Biden administration officials said Tuesday

    • Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the launch of the hotline and affiliated website, which provide confidential support all hours of the day to people in distress

    • Launching the crisis line was included in President Joe Biden’s strategy to address the nation’s mental health crisis, unveiled in March 2022

    • Over its two years, 988 has expanded to broaden its reach
    • If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or live chat at 988lifeline.org. 

    Tuesday marks the second anniversary of the launch of the hotline and affiliated website, which provide confidential support all hours of the day to people in distress. Previously, those seeking help had to dial a harder-to-remember 10-digit number.

    “Make no mistake, 988 saves lives,” Neera Tanden, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, told reporters.

    Launching the crisis line was included in President Joe Biden’s strategy to address the nation’s mental health crisis, unveiled in March 2022. 

    Over its two years, 988 has expanded to broaden its reach.

    The Department of Health and Human Services has invested $1.5 billion in 988, paid for though the 2021 American Rescue Plan and 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Much of that funding has gone to states, territories and tribes to hire crisis counselors and improve local responses. 

    Federal funding has also been used to bolster the national backup system, which ensures callers speak to a counselor even when their local centers have reached capacity. Some states have contributed their own funding. 

    More than 200 contact centers across the country provide support for 988.

    “Behavioral health crisis is a crisis, something we need to face together,” Tanden said. “As a country, we have a moral obligation to be there for each other, to reach out to offer help or just a listening ear.”

    Meanwhile, 988 has added tailored lines to help groups including Spanish speakers, military veterans and active service members, and LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. Those lines can be reached by calling 988 and then entering a number when prompted. The Spanish phone number has existed since 2006, but not the text and chat options.

    A videoline also has been added to help people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

    “In the two years since we launched 988, it’s become one of the most effective first-line responses that we have to help individuals who feel alone and without options,” said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. 

    If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or live chat at 988lifeline.org. 

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    Ryan Chatelain

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  • Vance is a relative political unknown, asked to help Trump avenge 2020 loss

    Vance is a relative political unknown, asked to help Trump avenge 2020 loss

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    JD Vance is supposed to help Donald Trump win the Midwest this fall.

    But almost immediately after the Ohio senator was announced as Trump’s vice presidential pick on Monday, one thing became clear: Vance, a 39-year-old Republican with less than two years in Congress, is not well-known among many in his party, even in the swing states Trump hopes he’ll deliver.

    What You Need To Know

    • Ohio Sen. JD Vance is supposed to help Donald Trump win the Midwest this fall, but almost immediately after he was announced as Trump’s vice presidential pick on Monday, one thing became clear: The 39-year-old Republican with less than two years in Congress is barely known among many Republicans

    • That’s the case even in the swing states Trump hopes he’ll deliver

    • Trump’s team has less than four months to strengthen Vance’s profile

    • Already, a collection of political foes is working to fill the information void with a series of attacks seizing on Vance’s inexperience in government, his nationalist views and his history of condemning Trump himself

    Michigan Republican Party Chairman Pete Hoekstra offered a blunt response when asked about Trump’s pick minutes after it was announced: “We don’t know him.”

    “If he’s from Ohio, he understands our state and the other northern battlegrounds,” Hoekstra said, standing on the floor of the Republican National Convention. “But we haven’t had a chance to take his measure yet.”

    Trump’s team now has less than four months to strengthen Vance’s profile in the states that matter most this fall in his 2020 rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden. Already, a collection of political foes — Democrats and Republicans — is working to fill the void by seizing on Vance’s inexperience in government, his nationalist views and his critical comments about Trump himself.

    “I’m not sure he helps him in the campaign,” said veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse, suggesting Vance may be better positioned to help Trump enact his agenda on Capitol Hill if given the chance. “He’s not that well-known even in Ohio. … This isn’t a campaign pick. It’s a policy pick, a governing pick.”

    Republican strategist Kellyanne Conway, who served as Trump’s chief counselor while in the White House, had encouraged Trump to pick a different running mate in the weeks leading up to his announcement. Privately, she believed that Florida Sen. Marco Rubio or Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin would do more to help Trump win.

    Vance, who quickly developed a reputation as a MAGA firebrand in his short time on Capitol Hill, earned modest applause when he entered the packed convention hall for the first time Monday as Trump’s running mate. The Republican senator posed for selfies, shook hands and signed posters. Later in the night, the crowd was more excited as he greeted Trump — who entered the room with a bandage covering his right ear, injured in Saturday’s assassination attempt — for the ticket’s first public appearance.


    Recent polling confirms the notion that most voters don’t know Vance.

    Just 13% of registered voters said they had a favorable opinion of Vance with 20% an unfavorable one, according to a CNN poll conducted in late June. The majority said they had never heard of him or had no opinion.

    Trump’s vice-presidential pick is arguably the most important decision of his 2024 campaign. Vance, who is literally half the 78-year-old Trump’s age, and has the least political experience on a short list that included Rubio and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

    Sensing an opportunity, Trump’s critics in both parties quickly went after him.

    “Almost any other choice might have expanded the map for them, but Trump needed a candidate who looked like him, talked like him, and thought like him. He needed a candidate who would grovel,” former New Hampshire Republican Party chair Jennifer Horn wrote on X. “JD Vance was the least experienced, least qualified, most obsequious, psychopathic, servile candidate on the list.”

    But Trump made up his own mind based on a different set of criteria.

    Trump especially liked Vance’s performance on television, where he has become a fixture on conservative media. The former president also likes Vance’s looks, saying he reminded him of “a young Abraham Lincoln.”

    Trump is also hopeful Vance can draw from his life story growing up in Appalachia to help appeal to Midwestern voters. Vance has experienced poverty and addiction up close in a way that is uncommon among leading Republican officials.

    Vance also had another advantage: his chemistry with Trump. The first-term senator has developed a strong rapport with Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and leading MAGA figures during his recent rise in Republican politics.

    Vance is an Ivy League-educated author, former Marine and businessman. He is known for his aggressive questioning of Biden administration officials.

    Biden’s campaign hosted a conference call Monday denouncing the pick, focusing especially on his limited record on abortion and the economy and his support for Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

    Vance previously said he would support a national abortion ban at 15 weeks of pregnancy. He also said he would not have voted to certify the 2020 election results, as former Vice President Mike Pence did over Trump’s objections.

    “I will certainly take that matchup any day of the week and twice on Sunday,” said Jen O’Malley Dillon, the Biden campaign chairwoman. “Because while Trump and Vance have an agenda focused on themselves and their wealthy donor friends, President Biden and Vice President Harris are fighting for the American people.”

    One of Biden’s greatest assets in his campaign against Vance might be what Vance previously said about Trump.

    During the early stages of Trump’s political career, Vance cast Trump as “a total fraud,” “a moral disaster” and “America’s Hitler.”

    “If you go back and listen to the things that JD Vance said about Trump … he said some things about me, but see what he said about Trump,” Biden told NBC’s Lester Holt in an interview Monday.

    Vivek Ramaswamy, once considered a potential Trump running mate as well, described Vance as “a major asset” on the ticket whose evolution on Trump would ultimately help him connect with swing voters.

    “He’s also somebody who can say, ‘You know what, in 2016, I may not have voted for Donald Trump either, but here’s why I am with him to the fullest today,’” Ramaswamy said.

    But for now, Vance joins the Trump presidential ticket as a mystery to many voters and elected officials alike.

    Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Vance was one of the few vice-presidential prospects that he “really haven’t crossed paths with.”

    “I don’t know that much about him,” Kemp said.

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  • Takeaways from Day 1 of the Republican National Convention

    Takeaways from Day 1 of the Republican National Convention

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    The first day of the Republican National Convention was, perhaps, one of the most dizzying days in recent memory — coming on the heels of an already tumultuous weekend after the attack on former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally.

    One shockwave came before the convention even formally started, when U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against Trump, calling the appointment of Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith — who also brought the federal election subversion case against Trump — unlawful. Despite the Justice Department vowing to appeal the decision, which could result in it being overturned, the judge’s order is a massive victory for Trump.

    Hours later, Trump named Ohio Sen. JD Vance — a fierce critic-turned-convert and staunch ally — as his running mate, ending months of speculation as to which Republican loyalist would join his ticket as he looks to win back the White House from President Joe Biden.

    And both Trump and Vance were formally nominated as the Republican candidates for president and vice president, setting up a showdown with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris with 113 days to go until Election Day.

    Trump made an appearance toward the end of the night, with rally attendees seeing him for the first time with a bandage on his right ear after it was grazed by a would-be-assassin’s bullet.

    Serenaded by Lee Greenwood singing his seminal patriotic hit “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Trump stood with Vance, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other top Republican officials, as well as family members like Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and allies like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

    The crowd showered him with cheers of “USA! USA!” and “fight, fight, fight,” echoing comments he made after the shooting on Saturday.

    Despite outward calls for unity from Trump and other officials, including Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley, in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt, that courtesy did not extend to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, with numerous speakers using incendiary rhetoric to attack the Democratic administration.

    As Republicans gathered in Milwaukee, Biden, meanwhile, sat for a wide-ranging interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt at the White House, which included questions about his “bullseye” comment about Trump from earlier this month, which Republicans criticized in the wake of Trump’s shooting.

    Here are some takeaways from the first day of the Republican National Convention:

    Classified documents case dismissed

     

    This image, contained in the indictment against former President Donald Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. (Justice Department via AP)

    While not a part of the RNC per se, the ruling in the classified documents case no doubt helped lead to the jubilant mood in Milwaukee on Monday.

    The decision by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, is a massive victory for the former president, who faced dozens of felony charges accusing him of mishandling classified documents after leaving office and hampering the federal government’s efforts to retrieve them. Trump pleaded not guilty last year and has denied any wrongdoing.

    “The Framers gave Congress a pivotal role in the appointment of principal and inferior officers,” Cannon wrote in her ruling. “That role cannot be usurped by the Executive Branch or diffused elsewhere — whether in this case or in another case, whether in times of heightened national need or not.”

    “Upon careful study of the foundational challenges raised in the Motion, the Court is convinced that Special Counsel’s Smith’s prosecution of this action breaches two structural cornerstones of our constitutional scheme–the role of Congress in the appointment of constitutional officers, and the role of Congress in authorizing expenditures by law,” she added.

    Cannon faced widespread scrutiny for delays in bringing the case against Trump. The case was set to go to trial in May, but it was indefinitely delayed as she reviewed motion after motion put forth by Trump’s attorneys.

    “Both the Appointments and Appropriations challenges as framed in the Motion raise the following threshold question: is there a statute in the United States Code that authorizes the appointment of Special Counsel Smith to conduct this prosecution?” Cannon wrote. “After careful study of this seminal issue, the answer is no.”

    “In the end, it seems the Executive’s growing comfort in appointing ‘regulatory’ special counsels in the more recent era has followed an ad hoc pattern with little judicial scrutiny,” she added.

    In a statement, Peter Carr, a spokesperson for the special counsel, confirmed the Justice Department authorized an appeal, which could result in Cannon’s decision being overruled by a higher court.

    “The dismissal of the case deviates from the uniform conclusion of all previous courts to have considered the issue that the Attorney General is statutorily authorized to appoint a special counsel,” Carr said.

    In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the ” dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step” in moving to dismiss all the cases against him, which he baselessly called “Witch Hunts.”

    “The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME,” Trump charged. “Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!”

    Read more about the ruling here

    The pick is in: Ohio Sen. JD Vance

    Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, nominates Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, during the Republican National Convention Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

    Former President Donald Trump selected Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a Trump critic-turned-convert, to be his running mate in November’s election, succeeding former Vice President Mike Pence as Trump’s No. 2.

    “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday afternoon. “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 and Farmers in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and far beyond.”

    Trump called Vance about 20 minutes before he made his social media post to let him know his selection, sources confirmed to Spectrum News.

    Shortly after Trump announced his pick, Vance was officially selected by delegates at the Republican National Convention to be the party’s nominee for vice president. He was approved by a voice vote without opposition.

    Moments earlier, Vance entered the convention floor at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum to cheers, hugs and handshakes alongside his wife, Usha Vance, an attorney who he met while both attending Yale Law School.

    He was nominated by Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who described Vance as “a man who loves America and will represent our people with moral courage, strength and honor.”

    “JD is a living embodiment of the American Dream,” Husted said. “He came from humble beginnings and even as his life took him to places he might never have imagined, he never forgot where he came from. Ohio values are in his blood.”

    In an interview with Fox News’ “Hannity” on Monday night, his first since becoming Trump’s running mate, Vance said the call from Trump was “a moment I’ll never forget.”

    The Biden campaign immediately slammed the pick, labeling Vance as the favored choice of billionaires and corporations and as a Trump loyalist who will “bend over backwards to enable Trump and his extreme MAGA agenda, even if it means breaking the law and no matter the harm to the American people,” as Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said on a press call on Monday afternoon.

    “A clone of Trump on the issues,” President Joe Biden said at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One for a campaign trip to Las Vegas. “I don’t see any difference.”

    On the press call, Reproductive Freedom for All president Mini Timmaraju called Vance an “extreme anti-abortion politician” and O’Malley Dillon warned that Vance’s addition to the Republican ticket makes it “more clear than ever that our rights, our freedoms and our democracy are on the line.”

    Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, appear during the Republican National Convention Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

    Vance, a Trump critic-turned-convert, has emerged as a leader on the Republican Party’s rightmost reaches and a favorite among some of the more radical figures in Trump’s world. Prior to winning his Senate race in 2022, Vance was a Marine and venture capitalist who wrote a bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” that garnered bipartisan praise for its depiction of his tumultuous upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, and path to Yale University Law School.

    “I was a convert in 2019 to the cause of Trump’s America First agenda,” Vance said in a speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington last week. “I was cognizant of the fact that, because I was a convert, Trump had not yet taken over the Republican Party, even in Washington, D.C., even in 2019 even though he was the president of the United States.”

    “There were people who were aggressively pushing back against his influence, who were already planning a return to basically reimplementing the Wall Street Journal editorial page’s preferred positions in 2019. I think that’s over now.”

    In 2016, Vance notably called Trump an “idiot,” “noxious” and “reprehensible,” labeling himself as “a Never Trump guy” and telling a friend that Trump could be “America’s Hitler” as the then-businessman made his first run for president. Now, as Trump is just days away from receiving the Republican nomination for the first time, he has chosen the man who has become one of his most loyal supporters in Washington as his running mate.

    “I always wish his memory was as bad as Joe Biden’s, because he would forget about what I said about him in 2016,” Vance said in his speech last week.

    Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, right, points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

    Republicans were quick to praise Trump’s pick, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying in a statement that Vance “possesses a profound understanding of the anxieties of working families and has both the lived experience and the policy expertise to help President Trump deliver a government worthy of the people it is supposed to serve.” New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of House leadership and a vice presidential contender herself, said Trump “made a strong VP choice” and called Vance “a strong America First leader and proven conservative.”

    If elected, Vance would be the youngest vice president since Richard Nixon, who was just a few months younger when he took office in 1953 as part of the Eisenhower administration. Vance has three children with his wife, Usha Vance. She previously clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and for now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he served on a lower court.

    The Ohio senator, who turns 40 in August, will now be pitted against Vice President Kamala Harris as both junior partners will attempt to make the case to the American people that they are fit to assume the presidency if the 78-year-old Trump or the 81-year-old Biden can no longer serve. Both campaigns have agreed to a CBS News debate later this summer.

    Trump officially becomes GOP nominee

    While not a surprise in the slightest, Trump received enough delegates on Monday to formally become the Republican presidential nominee.

    The delegation from Florida, led by his son, Eric Trump, gave him enough votes to put him over the top.

    Speakers invoke Trump’s shooting…

    Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, speaking during the first day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    The assassination attempt on Donald Trump was top of mind for many of the speakers at Monday night’s event.

    Few of the speeches Monday electrified the crowd as much as the one delivered by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — a former 2024 presidential hopeful-turned-staunch Trump backer — got the crowd on their feet by invoking shooting at Trump’s rally on Saturday.

    “If you didn’t believe in miracles before Saturday, you better be believing right now!” he told the crowd in an exchange heavily laden with his Christian faith. “And our God still saves, he still delivers, and he still sets free. Because on Saturday the devil came to Pennsylvania holding a rifle, but an American lion got back up on his feet and he roared!”

    “Oh yeah, he roared!” Scott said to cheers from the crowd of “fight, fight, fight,” echoing Trump’s comments — a cheer that RNC attendees used throughout the day.

    Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right firebrand and staunch ally of Trump, opened her speech at the RNC by calling it a “somber moment” for the country in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

    “Evil came for the man that we love and admire so much,” Greene said, adding: “I thank God that his hand was on President Trump.

    She also paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the ex-fire chief and Trump supporter who was killed in the attack, saying he “embodied the spirit of America First” and said Republicans should “honor Corey’s memory by building the country he wanted.”

    …but unity was hard to come by for Biden and Democrats

    Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA., speaking on the first day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    As he kicked off the evening session of the first day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley called for unity in the aftermath of the “horrifying assassination attempt” against former President Donald Trump.

    “We are praying for President Trump. We are praying for the injured. We are praying for the family of Corey Comperatore,” he said. “We must unite as a party and we must unite as a nation. We must show the same strength and resilience as President Trump and lead this nation to a greater future world.”

    But that courtesy did not extend to Biden and the Democrats, clearly.

    The very next speaker, the next speaker, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, did not appear to have gotten the memo on the greater “unity” message of the convention, quickly calling Democratic policies a “clear and present danger to America,” accusing his opposition party of having a “fringe agenda” that includes “biological males competing against girls and the sexualization and indoctrination of our children.”

    “Democrats have forgotten American families, they have abandoned the working-class,” Johnson charged, adding that under Trump, those forgotten Americans are forgotten no more.”

    (Speaking to PBS News later Monday, Johnson later blamed the teleprompter loading a previous version of his speech.)

    Johnson wasn’t the only Republican to invoke anti-trans rhetoric for cheers from the crowd. Greene shifted gears after her comments about Trump’s shooting to condemn the “establishment in Washington,” which she said has “sold us out.”

    “They promised unity and delivered division,” Greene said. They promised peace and delivered war. They promised normalcy, and they gave us Transgender Visibility Day on Easter Sunday.” (President Joe Biden’s proclamation marking Transgender Day of Visibility on Easter Sunday was not intentional; the holiday is marked on March 31 every year, and Easter Sunday falls on different days each year, it just happened to fall on the same day in 2024.)

    “And let me state this clearly: There are only two genders,” she said to cheers.

    Sen. Katie Britt, R-AL., speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

    Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, who delivered the Republican rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech earlier this year, charged that the Democratic incumbent is “in decline” and “Donald Trump is the change we need.”

    “We see how Biden and Harris keep making things worse,” she said. “And we know the current president is not capable of turning things around.”

    “His weakness is costing us. Our opportunity, our prosperity, our security, our safety — each diminished, all in decline,” Britt said. “Just like the man in the Oval Office.”

    Scott said that President Joe Biden is “asleep at the wheel and we’re heading over a cliff,” blaming him for a number of issues, including “weakness” that “has invited world wars all around our world.”

    “America is not a racist country,” Scott later said to cheers, adding: “But if you are looking for racism today, you’d find it in cities run by Democrats.”

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    Joseph Konig

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  • In interview, RNC chair distances party from Project 2025

    In interview, RNC chair distances party from Project 2025

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    Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley distanced his party from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 — an administration-in-waiting crafted by the right-wing think tank — telling Spectrum News in Milwaukee on Monday that “we have absolutely nothing to do with Project 2025.”

    What You Need To Know

    • In an interview with Spectrum News in Milwaukee on Monday, Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley distanced his party from the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025

    • Whatley’s comments come as Trump, in a separate interview taped last week and released Monday, named one of the report’s authors, Tom Homan, as someone he would appoint in a second term to help oversee his immigration policies

    • According to a CNN analysis, at least 140 veterans of the Trump administration, including six former Cabinet secretaries, helped craft Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership” report

    • Whatley also discussed the impact the assassination attempt on Trump over the weekend will have on the convention



    “That project is a complete standalone entity. It has nothing to do with the RNC. It has nothing to do with the Trump campaign,” Whatley said. “There may or may not be some good ideas in there, but right now, we’re focused on our platform, which we adopted at the RNC and is going to be taken up by the convention.”

    The RNC’s platform committee approved a 16-page policy document last week, far shorter than previous iterations of the party’s platform and a fraction of the size of Project 2025’s 922-page planning document — which was authored by dozens of Trump allies and former administration and campaign officials. Trump has also distanced himself from the project and some of the hard-right policies it proposes that have become a focal point of the Biden campaign.

    But in an interview taped last week and that aired on Monday morning, Trump named one of the report’s authors, Tom Homan, as someone he would appoint in a second term to help oversee his immigration policies. Homan is a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration, when he was a key figure behind the policy of separating migrant children from their parents.

    “I have Tom Homan lined up, we have the greatest people,” Trump told Fox News host Harris Faulkner when discussing Vice President Kamala Harris and border policy. Trump also said “we’re bringing back Tom Homan” at a Florida rally last week.

    According to a CNN analysis, at least 140 veterans of the Trump administration, including six former Cabinet secretaries, helped craft Project 2025’s “Mandate for Leadership” report.

    In his interview with Spectrum News, Whatley also discussed the impact the assassination attempt on Trump over the weekend will have on the convention.

    “I think obviously the president has said that he intends to write a new speech and have a different conversation with the voters, but our conversation with all American families really doesn’t change, because this entire convention is about speaking directly to the American people about the issues that they’re worried about, right?” Whatley said. “This is about jobs and the economy. It’s about safety. It’s about security. And certainly safety takes on a whole other connotation in light of an event like this.”

    When asked if Americans would hear from Trump each of the four nights of the convention, which runs through Thursday, Whatley said “stay tuned.”

    Whatley, who was handpicked by Trump to run the party after the former president successfully beat back his primary rivals, spoke of the importance of his home state North Carolina, whose state Republican Party he ran. 

    “We’re very proud of the role that North Carolina is playing in this convention. Both [RNC vice chair] Lara Trump and I, coming from North Carolina, obviously, have a very soft spot in our heart for it,” Whatley said. “North Carolina is a very, very critical, important battleground state and the state party down there, led by Jason Simmons, is doing a fantastic job of making sure that we’re in a position to be able to carry it for the third time in a row for Donald Trump.”

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    Joseph Konig

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  • Man killed at Trump rally hailed by friends and loved ones

    Man killed at Trump rally hailed by friends and loved ones

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    Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was shot and killed at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, spent his final moments protecting his family from gunfire in the attempted assassination of the former president.

    According to those that knew him, that’s just the kind of person Comperatore was; someone who lived and died helping others.

    What You Need To Know

    • Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief, was shot and killed at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday in an effort to protect his wife and daughter from gunfire

    • His friends, coworkers and loved ones remembered him as a hero and a man of conviction

    • Both President Joe Biden and Trump honored Comperatore and expressed their condolences to his loved ones

    • A GoFundMe for his family has received nearly $1 million in donations as of Monday afternoon



    “He’s a literal hero. He shoved his family out of the way, and he got killed for them,” said neighbor Mike Morehouse, who lived next to Comperatore for eight years. “He’s a hero that I was happy to have as a neighbor.”

    Comperatore, 50, was a proud Trump supporter. His quick thinking in putting his body between his wife and daughter and the bullets attempting to reach the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee rings true to those that knew him. 

    “In his last moments, he was shielding his family from the gunfire,” said Craig Cirrincione, Lieutenant at the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, where Comperatore was previously a fire chief. “Even if that was just a random civilian beside him, he would have done the same thing. He was a man that just wanted to protect and serve and love. He was truly a man of love.”

    Firefighters placed black bunting outside the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company to honor Comperatore.

    “Corey was a lifetime volunteer firefighter within our company and will be greatly missed by all who knew him,” the fire department wrote in a post on Facebook. “Corey, rest easy brother and we will take it from here. Please pray and send good thoughts to Corey’s family and everyone that knew him.”

    In the front yard of the family’s Pennsylvania home, a memorial of flowers and an American flag was erected.

    Comperatore was remembered as a father to two daughters, a husband and a churchgoing member of the community.

    “Corey was a girl dad,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in his memory. “Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community. Most especially, Corey loved his family.”

    “This is the last thing that this man ever deserved,” Cirrincione said.

    Assistant Chief Ricky Heasley, who knew Comperatore for more than a decade, remembered him as someone who “never had a bad word.”

    Both President Joe Biden and Trump honored Comperatore and expressed their condolences to his loved ones.

    “He was a father,” Biden said. “He was protecting his family from the bullets being fired when he lost his life. God love him.”

    A GoFundMe for his family has received nearly $1 million in donations as of Monday afternoon.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Justin Tasolides

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  • Argentina wins record 16th Copa America title, beats Colombia 1-0

    Argentina wins record 16th Copa America title, beats Colombia 1-0

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    Lionel Messi pumped his arms. The trophy bounced up and down in his grasp. Tears of frustration from an hour or so earlier had turned to laughs and hugs for the two-time Copa America champion and World Cup winner.

    What You Need To Know

    • Argentina won its second straight Copa America championship, overcoming Lionel Messi’s second-half leg injury to beat Colombia 1-0 on Lautaro Martínez’s 112th-minute goal

    • Messi appeared to sustain a non-contact injury while running and falling in the 64th minute and covered his face with his hands when he sat on the bench
    • Martínez later ran to that bench to hug his captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to its record 16th Copa title

    • In a match that started 1 hour, 22 minutes late because of crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won its third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup

    Messi was forced to watch much of the second half and extra time because of a leg injury. Still, Argentina won its second straight Copa America championship, beating Colombia 1-0 Sunday night on Lautaro Martínez’s 112th-minute goal.

    “Leo is the greatest player in history,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter. “He never wants to leave the pitch. He has a swollen ankle and wants to keep playing. I prefer those players. He wants to play not because he is egotistical or selfish. He wants to keep playing because he doesn’t want to leave his teammates. … He was born to be on the pitch.”

    Messi appeared to sustain a non-contact injury while running and falling in the 64th minute. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner covered his face with his hands as he sat on the bench and sobbed.

    Martínez later ran to that bench to hug his 37-year-old captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to its record 16th Copa title.

    Appearing to be limping after the final whistle sounded well past midnight, Messi beckoned for his senior teammates to lift the trophy with him: 36-year-old Nicolás Ottamendi and Ángel Di María, who is retiring from the national team. As white confetti cascaded, the trio hugged.

    “The truth is, it’s hard to describe,” Di Maria said. “It was written like that. I told the guys last night at dinner that I dreamt it. That’s why I said it was my last Copa America. I dreamt we made it to the final and we won it so I could go out this way.

    “I’ll be always grateful to this generation who gave me everything, helped me win what I always wanted and today, I am leaving like this,” Di Maria said. “It could not be better.”

    In a match that started 1 hour, 22 minutes late because of crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won its third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup and matched Spain, which won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships around the 2010 World Cup.

    Argentina also stopped Colombia’s 28-game unbeaten streak dating to a 1-0 loss to Albiceleste in a February 2022 World Cup qualifier, also on a Martínez goal.

    Martínez entered in the 97th minute Sunday and scored from Giovani Lo Celso’s perfect pass after Leandro Paredes stripped the ball from a Colombian with a sliding tackle near the center stripe. Paredes exchanged passes with Martínez, then threaded the ball to Lo Celso, who one-timed a through ball as Martínez sprinted past defender Carlos Cuesta.

    Martínez ran onto the ball, took a touch that sent him into the penalty area and struck a right-foot shot through the upraised arms of sliding goalkeeper Camilo Vargas for his 29th international goal, his tournament-high fifth.

    Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said many Colombia players finished with severe cramping. Temperatures were in the upper 80s with humidity around 73%.

    “It is not easy to play a final. It’s not easy for anyone,” Lorenzo said through an interpreter. “They played six matches in 21 days and started feeling the results. They all left feeling cramps, some of them in both legs. They all left the pitch feeling the wear down and the tiredness.”

    Making his 39th and possibly last Copa America appearance, Messi had one goal in the tournament. He went down in the 36th minute after his left ankle was caught by Santiago Arias but walked back onto the field three minutes later.

    Messi looked to the bench as soon as he fell to the field in the second half, appearing to know his tournament was over. He took off his right boot as he walked off and slammed it in frustration, and his ankle appeared to swell. With his right foot bare, he stood by the bench and raised his arms while teammates ran onto the field when Martínez scored.

    The start was delayed from 8 p.m. EDT to 9:22 p.m. because of crowd control issues outside the stadium, including troves of fans breaching security gates at a venue to be used for the 2026 World Cup.

    Days after Uruguay players were involved in a brawl with Colombia fans following their semifinal match in Charlotte, North Carolina, video showed fans climbing fences and railings to get inside the championship match, with officials unable to keep track of who had purchased tickets and who didn’t.

    Hard Rock Stadium released a statement after the game, saying the venue “takes pride in hosting world-class events year-round in a safe and successful manner.”

    “We understand there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium after the perimeter was closed,” the statement said, “and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns. Ultimately, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of all guests and staff, and that will always remain our priority.”

    Colombia was more aggressive and forced goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to make four saves in the first half, but Argentina began to threaten more in the second.

    Nicolás Tagliafico thought he scored in the 75th minute but was ruled offside. Nicolás González, who replaced Messi. was stopped by Vargas in the 95th minute.

    Numerous players lost their footing during the second half of Sunday’s match. The grass was heavily watered with sprinklers following the halftime performance by Colombian pop star Shakira, which caused an extended halftime break.

    Halftime was increased from the normal 15 minutes to around 25 minutes because of the performance.

    Lorenzo was critical of the extra time before the final match, noting sanctions given to coaches for late second-half returns to the pitch earlier in the tournament. Sunday, he said continuity in halftime rules would be best to “safeguard the fitness and physical aptitude of the players.”

    Colombia’s James Rodríguez was selected best player of the tournament, with six assists.

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    Associated Press

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  • Argentina wins record 16th Copa America title, beats Colombia 1-0

    Argentina wins record 16th Copa America title, beats Colombia 1-0

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    Lionel Messi pumped his arms. The trophy bounced up and down in his grasp. Tears of frustration from an hour or so earlier had turned to laughs and hugs for the two-time Copa America champion and World Cup winner.

    What You Need To Know

    • Argentina won its second straight Copa America championship, overcoming Lionel Messi’s second-half leg injury to beat Colombia 1-0 on Lautaro Martínez’s 112th-minute goal

    • Messi appeared to sustain a non-contact injury while running and falling in the 64th minute and covered his face with his hands when he sat on the bench
    • Martínez later ran to that bench to hug his captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to its record 16th Copa title

    • In a match that started 1 hour, 22 minutes late because of crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won its third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup

    Messi was forced to watch much of the second half and extra time because of a leg injury. Still, Argentina won its second straight Copa America championship, beating Colombia 1-0 Sunday night on Lautaro Martínez’s 112th-minute goal.

    “Leo is the greatest player in history,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said through an interpreter. “He never wants to leave the pitch. He has a swollen ankle and wants to keep playing. I prefer those players. He wants to play not because he is egotistical or selfish. He wants to keep playing because he doesn’t want to leave his teammates. … He was born to be on the pitch.”

    Messi appeared to sustain a non-contact injury while running and falling in the 64th minute. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner covered his face with his hands as he sat on the bench and sobbed.

    Martínez later ran to that bench to hug his 37-year-old captain after the goal that propelled Argentina to its record 16th Copa title.

    Appearing to be limping after the final whistle sounded well past midnight, Messi beckoned for his senior teammates to lift the trophy with him: 36-year-old Nicolás Ottamendi and Ángel Di María, who is retiring from the national team. As white confetti cascaded, the trio hugged.

    “The truth is, it’s hard to describe,” Di Maria said. “It was written like that. I told the guys last night at dinner that I dreamt it. That’s why I said it was my last Copa America. I dreamt we made it to the final and we won it so I could go out this way.

    “I’ll be always grateful to this generation who gave me everything, helped me win what I always wanted and today, I am leaving like this,” Di Maria said. “It could not be better.”

    In a match that started 1 hour, 22 minutes late because of crowd trouble at Hard Rock Stadium, Argentina won its third straight major title following the 2021 Copa America and 2022 World Cup and matched Spain, which won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships around the 2010 World Cup.

    Argentina also stopped Colombia’s 28-game unbeaten streak dating to a 1-0 loss to Albiceleste in a February 2022 World Cup qualifier, also on a Martínez goal.

    Martínez entered in the 97th minute Sunday and scored from Giovani Lo Celso’s perfect pass after Leandro Paredes stripped the ball from a Colombian with a sliding tackle near the center stripe. Paredes exchanged passes with Martínez, then threaded the ball to Lo Celso, who one-timed a through ball as Martínez sprinted past defender Carlos Cuesta.

    Martínez ran onto the ball, took a touch that sent him into the penalty area and struck a right-foot shot through the upraised arms of sliding goalkeeper Camilo Vargas for his 29th international goal, his tournament-high fifth.

    Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo said many Colombia players finished with severe cramping. Temperatures were in the upper 80s with humidity around 73%.

    “It is not easy to play a final. It’s not easy for anyone,” Lorenzo said through an interpreter. “They played six matches in 21 days and started feeling the results. They all left feeling cramps, some of them in both legs. They all left the pitch feeling the wear down and the tiredness.”

    Making his 39th and possibly last Copa America appearance, Messi had one goal in the tournament. He went down in the 36th minute after his left ankle was caught by Santiago Arias but walked back onto the field three minutes later.

    Messi looked to the bench as soon as he fell to the field in the second half, appearing to know his tournament was over. He took off his right boot as he walked off and slammed it in frustration, and his ankle appeared to swell. With his right foot bare, he stood by the bench and raised his arms while teammates ran onto the field when Martínez scored.

    The start was delayed from 8 p.m. EDT to 9:22 p.m. because of crowd control issues outside the stadium, including troves of fans breaching security gates at a venue to be used for the 2026 World Cup.

    Days after Uruguay players were involved in a brawl with Colombia fans following their semifinal match in Charlotte, North Carolina, video showed fans climbing fences and railings to get inside the championship match, with officials unable to keep track of who had purchased tickets and who didn’t.

    Hard Rock Stadium released a statement after the game, saying the venue “takes pride in hosting world-class events year-round in a safe and successful manner.”

    “We understand there are disappointed ticket holders who were not able to enter the stadium after the perimeter was closed,” the statement said, “and we will work in partnership with CONMEBOL to address those individual concerns. Ultimately, there is nothing more important than the health and safety of all guests and staff, and that will always remain our priority.”

    Colombia was more aggressive and forced goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to make four saves in the first half, but Argentina began to threaten more in the second.

    Nicolás Tagliafico thought he scored in the 75th minute but was ruled offside. Nicolás González, who replaced Messi. was stopped by Vargas in the 95th minute.

    Numerous players lost their footing during the second half of Sunday’s match. The grass was heavily watered with sprinklers following the halftime performance by Colombian pop star Shakira, which caused an extended halftime break.

    Halftime was increased from the normal 15 minutes to around 25 minutes because of the performance.

    Lorenzo was critical of the extra time before the final match, noting sanctions given to coaches for late second-half returns to the pitch earlier in the tournament. Sunday, he said continuity in halftime rules would be best to “safeguard the fitness and physical aptitude of the players.”

    Colombia’s James Rodríguez was selected best player of the tournament, with six assists.

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    Associated Press

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  • Alcaraz wins Wimbledon by beating Djokovic and now owns 4 Slam titles at age 21

    Alcaraz wins Wimbledon by beating Djokovic and now owns 4 Slam titles at age 21

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    Carlos Alcaraz was ready from the get-go this time. A year ago in the Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz got off to a slow start, dropped the opening set and needed five to claim his first championship at the All England Club.

    What You Need To Know

    • Carlos Alcaraz has defeated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon men’s final for the second year in a row to collect his fourth Grand Slam title at age 21
    • Alcaraz won 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) in front of a Centre Court crowd that included Kate, the Princess of Wales
    • A year ago, Alcaraz beat Djokovic in five sets for the title at the All England Club
    • This one was much easier for the Spaniard and gave him his second major championship in a row after last month’s French Open. He won his first Slam trophy at the 2022 U.S. Open as a teenager
    • Djokovic was denied in his bid for an eighth Wimbledon title and 25th major overall


    Sunday’s rematch began with a game that felt monumental: 20 points across nearly 15 minutes, portending an engrossing, back-and forth contest — and a long one. There were moments of brilliance from both men. Alcaraz, though, was better. Just as he would be for nearly all of the next two hours.

    Alcaraz learned from 2023 and applied those lessons to 2024, adding up to a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory over Djokovic for a second consecutive Wimbledon championship and fourth Grand Slam title in all. And to think: He is still just 21.

    “At the end of my career, I want to sit at the same table as the big guys,” said Alcaraz, who won the French Open last month and, after receiving Wimbledon’s gold trophy from Kate, the Princes of Wales, is now just the sixth man to triumph on the red clay at Roland Garros and the grass at the All England Club in the same season. “That’s my main goal. That’s my dream right now.”

    Alcaraz improved to 4-0 in major finals, including at the 2022 U.S. Open; only Roger Federer got off to a better start to a career among men, going 7-0.

    “He just was better than me in every aspect of the game,” said the 37-year-old Djokovic, who had knee surgery less than 1 1/2 months ago yet was hoping to tie Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam tournaments. “In movement, in the way he was just striking the ball beautifully, serving great. Everything.”

    For Alcaraz, there was one brief blip, a five-point stretch that took him from the verge of victory to close to a collapse. It happened when he was a point from the championship while serving at 5-4, 40-love. But he double-faulted. Then missed a backhand. Then a volley. Then a forehand. And another forehand. Suddenly, it was 5-all. Suddenly, Alcaraz appeared rattled. Suddenly, Djokovic could hope.

    Suddenly, there was intrigue.

    But only briefly. Alcaraz regrouped, got to the tiebreaker, then closed things out.

    Last year, Djokovic recalled, “We went toe to toe.”

    “This year,” he continued, “it was nothing like that. It was all about him. He was the dominant force on the court and deserved to win.”

    Wearing a gray sleeve on his knee, Djokovic was hardly at his best on a cloudy afternoon at Centre Court — and there’s no doubt Alcaraz was a big part of the problem.

    The very first game, it turned out, was the most competitive portion of the proceedings until the third set.

    Not to say there weren’t hints of excitement the rest of the way. It’s more that the outcome never really seemed in dispute.

    “The first game was incredible. One of the longest first games I’ve ever played,” Djokovic said. “That set the tone. He was coming out from the blocks ready to battle and ready to play his best level right away, which wasn’t the case last year.”

    Djokovic double-faulted to hand over a 5-1 lead in the first set. He put a volley into the net to fall behind by a break to begin the second, then double-faulted to end that one. Finally, in the third, Djokovic perked up a bit, registering his only break of serve all day, as spectators chanted his two-syllable nickname — “No-le! No-le!” — while others replied with choruses of “Let’s go, Carlos! Let’s go!”

    Still, this was not the body-contorting, get-to-everything Djokovic everyone is accustomed to seeing, which makes sense considering there were serious questions about whether it would be possible to even participate at Wimbledon.

    Against Alcaraz, Djokovic occasionally hopped awkwardly when he landed after serving or stepped gingerly — as if barefoot on a beach’s hot sand — between points. Missing volleys he usually makes, Djokovic won just 27 of 53 points when he went to the net. After netting a volley to close one early 11-stroke exchange, Djokovic sighed and walked to his sideline seat to grab a purple-and-green towel for dabbing at sweat. His facial expression was saying: “Come on, Carlitos, pick on someone your own age.”

    Alcaraz was outstanding in pretty much every way, from the basic to the sorts of shots no one else would even try. Once, he leaped and wrapped his racket all the way around his back to get the ball over the net, although Djokovic did put an overhead away to get that point. Alcaraz ran wide of the doubles alley for forehand winners. Claimed points via drop shots. Smacked serves at up to 136 mph (219 kph). Accumulated 14 break points, converting five, and faced just three.

    What can’t Alcaraz do?

    Two days before the final, Djokovic paid Alcaraz quite a compliment, saying: “I see a lot of similarities between me and him.”

    So true. And remember: Alcaraz is just getting started.

    “I want,” Alcaraz said, “to keep going.”

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    Associated Press

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  • FBI identifies suspect in Trump assassination attempt

    FBI identifies suspect in Trump assassination attempt

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    Former President Donald Trump was whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night after a shooting that killed at least one rally attendee. The former president said he was “shot with a bullet” that pierced part of his ear.

    The FBI early Sunday identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa. He was killed by the United States Secret Service.

    “The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement, asking for anyone with more information to come forward.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former President Donald Trump was whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night after a shooting that killed at least one rally attendee
    • Trump said in a statement later Saturday night that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear”
    • The FBI identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa. He was killed by the United States Secret Service
    • President Joe Biden condemned the attack on his presumptive rival in November’s election, adding that he is “grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well”



    Law enforcement officials told Spectrum News on Sunday that explosive devices were found inside Crooks’ vehicle. Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press there were also bomb-making materials found at his home.

    Not much is known about the suspect, save for that he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania. He did, however, donate $15 to a progressive political action committee on the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, according Federal Election Commission records.

    Early on in his speech, Trump was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when banging sounds started ringing through the crowd. Someone could be heard saying “get down, get down” and directing Trump to the ground. The ex-president could be seen reaching with his right hand toward his neck. There appeared to be blood on his face.

    He quickly ducked behind the podium as agents from his protective detail rushed the stage and screams rang out from the crowd. The bangs continued as agents tended to him on stage. Trump could be heard on microphones asking about his shoes.

    The crowd cheered as he got back up and pumped his fist. Police began vacating the fairgrounds shortly after Trump left the stage.

    Officials said that one spectator was killed, and two others were critically injured.

    According to a spokesperson for the Secret Service, a suspected shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue.”

    Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that agents “neutralized” the suspected shooter and took protective measures to secure scene and get the former president to safety.

    “The incident is currently under investigation and the Secret Service has formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Guglielmi added. The FBI said later Saturday that assumed the lead in the investigation into the incident.

    A source told The Associated Press that an AR-style rifle was recovered by law enforcement at the scene of the shooting.

    In a statement on his Truth Social platform on Saturday night, Trump thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “rapid response” and expressed his condolences to the family of the person who was killed at the rally, as well as his thoughts for another person who was “badly injured.”

    “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” Trump said. “Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

    “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he added. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

    Trump traveled back to his New Jersey golf club to spend the night. His campaign and the Republican National Committee said in a statement Saturday night that the Republican National Convention will continue as planned in Milwaukee next week.

    “Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday morning. “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed.”

    He went on to write that it was “more important than ever” that Americans “stand United, and show our True Character,” ending his post by saying “I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”

    In remarks to the nation from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, President Joe Biden said he reached out to Trump, but the ex-president is “with his doctors” and said he’s hoping to speak to him soon. Biden expressed gratitude about Trump’s condition and condemned the attack, calling for unity.

    “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said. “It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country.”

    “We cannot allow for this to be happening,” Biden said. “We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”

    Biden hailed the Secret Service and local law enforcement for their efforts to protect Trump and secure the scene.

    “The bottom line is: The Trump rally … he should’ve been able to conduct peacefully without any problem,” the president said. “But the idea, the idea, that there’s political violence or violence in America like this, it’s just unheard of. It’s just not appropriate. And everybody must condemn it. Everybody.”

    “So far it appears that he’s doing well,” Biden said of Trump. The two spoke later Saturday night, per the White House. Biden also spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Butler, Pennsylvania, Mayor Bob Dandoy. The president left Delaware to return to Washington, and will receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials on Sunday morning.

    When asked by reporters if he believes it’s an assassination attempt, Biden declined to weigh in: “I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts.”

    A Biden campaign official said that his reelection effort “is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”

    In a statement earlier Saturday, Biden condemned the attack on his presumptive rival in November’s election, adding that he is “grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well.”

    “I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,” Biden said. “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

    Biden received multiple briefings on the incident, including one with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, the White House said. The president and Vice President Kamala Harris were expected to recieve another briefing from homeland security and law enforcemnet officials on Sunday morning.

    Mayorkas said in a statement Saturday night that the Department of Homeland Security is “engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was also briefed on the incident.

    “Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”

    Amid prayers for Trump and condemnations for political violence from world leaders and politicians on both sides of the aisle, some of his congressional allies called for investigations. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on NBC News’ “Today” on Sunday that Congress would launch a full investigation and that he spoke with Mayorkas on Saturday night and “asked him some pointed questions.”

    “Political violence in all forms is unamerican and unacceptable,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer said in a statement. “There are many questions and Americans demand answers. I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing. The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon.”

    One Republican lawmaker, Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, even went as far as to say that Biden “sent the orders,” referencing comments reportedly made by the Democrat about putting Trump “in a bullseye” in terms of a campaign strategy. 

    Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a possible Trump running mate contender, also condemned rhetoric from Biden and Democrats and directly blamed them for the incident.

    “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance charged. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

    This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • What we know about the suspect in apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump

    What we know about the suspect in apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump

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    The man identified as the shooter in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old from a Pittsburgh suburb not far from the campaign rally where one attendee was killed.

    Investigators were working Sunday to gather more information about Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who they say opened fire at the rally before being killed by Secret Service days before Trump was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time.

    What You Need To Know

    • The man identified as the shooter in the apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump was a 20-year-old from a suburb of Pittsburgh not far from the campaign rally where one attendee was killed
    • Authorities say Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire at the rally on Saturday, days before Trump was to accept the Republican nomination for a third time
    • Relatives of Crooks didn’t immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press
    • His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late Saturday that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but wouldn’t speak about his son until after he talked to law enforcement



    An FBI official said late Saturday that investigators had not yet determined a motive. Two spectators were critically injured, authorities said.

    Relatives of Crooks didn’t immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press. His father, Matthew Crooks, told CNN late Saturday that he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” but wouldn’t speak about his son until after he talked to law enforcement.

    A blockade had been set up Sunday preventing traffic near Crooks’ house, which is in an enclave of modest brick houses nestled in the hills of blue-collar Pittsburgh.

    Crooks’ political leanings were not immediately clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in to office.

    Public Pennsylvania court records show no past criminal cases against Crooks.

    The FBI released his identity early Sunday morning, hours after the shooting. Authorities told reporters that Crooks was not carrying identification so they were using DNA and other methods to confirm his identity.

    Law enforcement recovered an AR-style rifle at the scene, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

    An AP analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos from the scene of the Trump rally, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get close to the stage where the former president was speaking.

    A video posted to social media and geolocated by the AP shows the body of a person wearing gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a building at AGR International Inc., a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump’s rally was held.

    The roof where the person lay was less than 150 meters (164 yards) from where Trump was speaking, a distance from which a decent marksman could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is a distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a scaled human-sized silhouette to qualify with the M-16 rifle.

    Investigators believe the weapon was bought by the father at least six months ago, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.

    The officials said federal agents were still working to understand when and how Thomas Crooks obtained the gun. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity

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  • Hamas claims military chief survived Israeli strike

    Hamas claims military chief survived Israeli strike

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    Hamas said Sunday that Gaza cease-fire talks continue and the group’s military commander is in good health, a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials said killed at least 90 people, including children.

    What You Need To Know

    • Hamas says Gaza cease-fire talks continue and the group’s military commander is in good health a day after the Israeli military targeted Mohammed Deif with a massive airstrike that local health officials say killed at least 90 people, including children
    • Deif’s condition remains uncertain after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night “there still isn’t absolute certainty” he was killed
    • Hamas representatives have given no evidence to back up their assertion about the health of a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war
    • Israel’s military now says the strike killed another Hamas commander, who was a close associate of Deif


    Deif’s condition remained uncertain after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night “there still isn’t absolute certainty” he was killed. Hamas representatives gave no evidence to back up their assertion about the health of a chief architect of the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.

    The Israeli military on Sunday announced that Rafa Salama, a Hamas commander it described as one of Deif’s closest associates, had been killed in Saturday’s strike. Salama commanded Hamas’ Khan Younis brigade. The statement gave no update on Deif, who has long topped Israel’s most-wanted list and has been in hiding for years.

    Hamas rejected the idea that mediated cease-fire discussions had been suspended after the strike. Spokesperson Jihad Taha said “there is no doubt that the horrific massacres will impact any efforts in the negotiations” but added that “efforts and endeavors of the mediators remain ongoing.”

    The killing of Deif would mark the highest profile assassination of any Hamas leader by Israel since the war began. It would be both a huge victory for Israel and a deep psychological blow for the militant group. Netanyahu said all of Hamas’ leaders are “marked for death” and asserted that killing them would move Hamas closer to accepting a cease-fire deal.

    Hamas political officials insisted that communication channels remained functional between the leadership inside and outside Gaza after the strike in the territory’s south. Witnesses said it occurred in an area that Israel had designated as safe for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians. Israel’s military would not confirm that.

    On Sunday, some survivors were angry that the attack targeting Deif occurred without warning in an area they had been told was safe.

    “Where are we supposed to go?” asked Mahmoud Abu Yaseen, who said he heard two strikes and clutched his children, then woke up in the hospital to find his son had died. The family had already been displaced five times since the war began, he said.

    Another 300 people were wounded in the strike, one of the deadliest in the nine-month war sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 200 hostage.

    More than 38,400 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli ground offensives and bombardments since then, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.

    A United Nations official described utter chaos at Nasser hospital where victims of Saturday’s strike were taken, many of them treated on bloodstained floors with few supplies available.

    “I witnessed some of the most horrific scenes I have seen in my nine months in Gaza,” Scott Anderson said in a statement. “I saw toddlers who are double amputees, children paralyzed and unable to receive treatment and others separated from their parents. I also saw mothers and fathers who were unsure if their children were alive.” He said restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza hamper efforts to provide needed medical and other care.

    Also on Sunday, police said a Palestinian resident of east Jerusalem carried out a car-ramming attack in central Israel that injured four Israelis, two of them seriously. Israeli border police at the scene shot dead the attacker after he hit people waiting at two bus stops along a busy road. Israel Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said the attacks are often “triggered” by events like Saturday’s airstrike in Gaza.

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  • FBI identifies suspect in Trump assassination attempt

    FBI identifies suspect in Trump assassination attempt

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    Former President Donald Trump was whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night after a shooting that killed at least one rally attendee. The former president said he was “shot with a bullet” that pierced part of his ear.

    The FBI early Sunday identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa. He was killed by the United States Secret Service.

    “The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” the FBI said in a statement, asking for anyone with more information to come forward.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former President Donald Trump was whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night after a shooting that killed at least one rally attendee
    • Trump said in a statement later Saturday night that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear”
    • The FBI identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa. He was killed by the United States Secret Service
    • President Joe Biden condemned the attack on his presumptive rival in November’s election, adding that he is “grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well”



    Not much is known about the suspect, save for that he was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania. He did, however, donate $15 to a progressive political action committee on the day of President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, according Federal Election Commission records.

    Early on in his speech, Trump was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when banging sounds started ringing through the crowd. Someone could be heard saying “get down, get down” and directing Trump to the ground. The ex-president could be seen reaching with his right hand toward his neck. There appeared to be blood on his face.

    He quickly ducked behind the podium as agents from his protective detail rushed the stage and screams rang out from the crowd. The bangs continued as agents tended to him on stage. Trump could be heard on microphones asking about his shoes.

    The crowd cheered as he got back up and pumped his fist. Police began vacating the fairgrounds shortly after Trump left the stage.

    Officials said that one spectator was killed, and two others were critically injured.

    According to a spokesperson for the Secret Service, a suspected shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue.”

    Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that agents “neutralized” the suspected shooter and took protective measures to secure scene and get the former president to safety.

    “The incident is currently under investigation and the Secret Service has formally notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” Guglielmi added. The FBI said later Saturday that assumed the lead in the investigation into the incident.

    A source told The Associated Press that an AR-style rifle was recovered by law enforcement at the scene of the shooting.

    In a statement on his Truth Social platform on Saturday night, Trump thanked the Secret Service and law enforcement for their “rapid response” and expressed his condolences to the family of the person who was killed at the rally, as well as his thoughts for another person who was “badly injured.”

    “It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” Trump said. “Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

    “I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he added. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

    Trump traveled back to his New Jersey golf club to spend the night. His campaign and the Republican National Committee said in a statement Saturday night that the Republican National Convention will continue as planned in Milwaukee next week.

    “Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday morning. “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed.”

    He went on to write that it was “more important than ever” that Americans “stand United, and show our True Character,” ending his post by saying “I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”

    In remarks to the nation from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, President Joe Biden said he reached out to Trump, but the ex-president is “with his doctors” and said he’s hoping to speak to him soon. Biden expressed gratitude about Trump’s condition and condemned the attack, calling for unity.

    “There’s no place in America for this kind of violence,” Biden said. “It’s sick. It’s sick. It’s one of the reasons we have to unite this country.”

    “We cannot allow for this to be happening,” Biden said. “We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.”

    Biden hailed the Secret Service and local law enforcement for their efforts to protect Trump and secure the scene.

    “The bottom line is: The Trump rally … he should’ve been able to conduct peacefully without any problem,” the president said. “But the idea, the idea, that there’s political violence or violence in America like this, it’s just unheard of. It’s just not appropriate. And everybody must condemn it. Everybody.”

    “So far it appears that he’s doing well,” Biden said of Trump. The two spoke later Saturday night, per the White House. Biden also spoke with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Butler, Pennsylvania, Mayor Bob Dandoy. The president left Delaware to return to Washington, and will receive an updated briefing from homeland security and law enforcement officials on Sunday morning.

    When asked by reporters if he believes it’s an assassination attempt, Biden declined to weigh in: “I have an opinion, but I don’t have any facts.”

    A Biden campaign official said that his reelection effort “is pausing all outbound communications and working to pull down our television ads as quickly as possible.”

    In a statement earlier Saturday, Biden condemned the attack on his presumptive rival in November’s election, adding that he is “grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well.”

    “I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information,” Biden said. “Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

    Biden received multiple briefings on the incident, including one with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, the White House said. The president and Vice President Kamala Harris were expected to recieve another briefing from homeland security and law enforcemnet officials on Sunday morning.

    Mayorkas said in a statement Saturday night that the Department of Homeland Security is “engaged with President Biden, former President Trump, and their campaigns, and are taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was also briefed on the incident.

    “Violence targeted at any political party or political leader is absolutely unacceptable,” Shapiro wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “It has no place in Pennsylvania or the United States.”

    Amid prayers for Trump and condemnations for political violence from world leaders and politicians on both sides of the aisle, some of his congressional allies called for investigations. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on NBC News’ “Today” on Sunday that Congress would launch a full investigation and that he spoke with Mayorkas on Saturday night and “asked him some pointed questions.”

    “Political violence in all forms is unamerican and unacceptable,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer said in a statement. “There are many questions and Americans demand answers. I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing. The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon.”

    One Republican lawmaker, Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, even went as far as to say that Biden “sent the orders,” referencing comments reportedly made by the Democrat about putting Trump “in a bullseye” in terms of a campaign strategy. 

    Ohio Sen. JD Vance, a possible Trump running mate contender, also condemned rhetoric from Biden and Democrats and directly blamed them for the incident.

    “Today is not just some isolated incident. The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance charged. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

    This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Justin Tasolides

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  • Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump, giving him equal footing with Biden

    Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump, giving him equal footing with Biden

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, placing the former president on an equal footing on the platform with President Joe Biden just days before the Republican National Convention.

    What You Need To Know

    • Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, placing him on equal footing on the platform with President Joe Biden days before the Republican National Convention

    • Meta, Facebook’s parent company reasoned that while they were put in place following the “extreme and extraordinary circumstances” of the Capitol attack, Trump had not done anything to run afoul of them

    • Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs. wrote in a statement posted to the company’s website Friday that both Presient Joe Biden and Trump are still subject to the same “community standards” that apply to all other users of the company’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram

    • Trump has been posting frequently on his own Truth Social site, which he launched after Facebook and others suspended him

    The social media giant had initially banned the former president from using its platforms in 2021 after his supporters stormed the Capitol. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, lifted that ban last year but announced Trump would be subject to “guardrails” such as “heightened suspension penalties” if posts violated its standards.

    Now, the company has removed those restrictions, reasoning that while they were put in place following the “extreme and extraordinary circumstances” of the Capitol attack, Trump had not done anything to run afoul of them.

    “In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs wrote in a statement posted to the company’s website Friday.

    Clegg added that both Biden and Trump are still subject to the same “community standards” that apply to all other users of the company’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

    Facebook, the world’s largest social media site, had been both a publicity tool and a crucial place to tap donations from supporters for both of Trump’s previous campaigns.

    These days, however, he has been posting frequently on his own Truth Social site, which he launched after Facebook and others suspended him.

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    Associated Press

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