A Pakistani national was arrested on July 12 for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump and other public officials on American soil. FBI Director Christopher Wray — whose agency otherwise proved unable to prevent a one-time Democratic donor from shooting Trump, murdering a father of two, and injuring others at a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — joined Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland this week in suggesting that the alleged plot was "straight out of the Iranian playbook." Garland intimated that the alleged plotter, 46-year-old Asif Raza Merchant, was seeking to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian terrorist and commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who was snuffed out by an American airstrike at Iraq's Baghdad airport on Jan. 2, 2020. Trump, who authorized the airstrike, insisted at the time that he had taken action "to stop a war," not to start one. Nevertheless, senior Iranian officials and commanders subsequently indicated that "revenge for martyr Soleimani's blood is certain, and the murderers and perpetrators will have no easy sleep." According to the criminal complaint, Merchant — a bigamist who apparently has a wife and children in Iran and a wife and children in Pakistan — traveled from Pakistan to the U.S. in April. Upon arrival, Merchant allegedly attempted to recruit individuals to help him execute his assassination plot. One individual Merchant apparently figured would make for a reliable accomplice promptly reported the scheme to law enforcement officials and became a confidential source. Merchant allegedly met with the confidential source in June and explained that what he had in mind was "not a one-time opportunity and would be ongoing" and further that he had multiple targets in mind. Although the criminal complaint does not name the intended targets, sources familiar with the case told ABC News that Trump was among them. The scheme apparently involved having a woman perform "reconnaissance," having hit men to do the killing, and having roughly 25 people to stage a protest after the murder occurred. The confidential source ultimately introduced Merchant to two undercover law enforcement officers posing as hit men whom the Pakistani national allegedly paid $5,000 for the assassination as well as for orchestrating the protest and theft of certain documents. "Fortunately, the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were undercover FBI Agents," Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis of the FBI New York field office said in a statement. After paying the undercover officers their due and confirming the plan would proceed, Merchant set about leaving the country on July 12, said the complaint. Law enforcement swooped in and arrested Merchant after observing him toss his luggage into the trunk of a vehicle outside his residence. Merchant has been charged with one count of murder for hire. 'The failure of the Secret Service in Butler, Pennsylvania, is even more outrageous in light of suspected Iranian-backed assassins targeting former Trump administration officials, including President Trump himself.' "For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani," said Garland. "The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security," added the attorney general. Despite reports that this foiled plot prompted the U.S. Secret Service to increase security around Trump — having previously denied him adequate security for the two years leading up to the Butler shooting — it's clear from the agency's performance at the president's fateful July 13 rally, just one day after Merchant's July 12 arrest, they weren't in a rush to make meaningful adjustments. Blaze News previously reported, for instance, that the radios provided by local law enforcement to the Secret Service for cross-agency communication were apparently never used; that the Secret Service allegedly "repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally"; and that Trump's security detail that day was not only relatively thin but allegedly composed in part of inexperienced Department of Homeland Security agents. Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement Tuesday, "The failure of the Secret Service in Butler, Pennsylvania, is even more outrageous in light of suspected Iranian-backed assassins targeting former Trump administration officials, including President Trump himself. That day, the threat of sniper attacks was even higher than normal." "I was previously briefed concerning the Iranian threat and the circumstances of Mr. Merchant's arrest and questioned then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on whether she had reviewed the intelligence concerning the Iranian threat," continued Turner. "She confirmed to me that she read the intelligence and was aware of this Iranian murder-for-hire plot." "Director Cheatle acknowledged she knew the threat and still did not provide President Trump the protection he needed, almost costing him his life," added the Ohio congressman. Like Blaze News? 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Now that radical Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 60, has been selected to be border czar Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024, his troubling past continues to make front-page news. Not only has Walz seemingly misrepresented his record with the Army National Guard, but he was also once arrested for driving under the influence and speeding along at nearly 100 mph — and his campaign spokesperson later apparently distorted the details of the incident to minimize his culpability.On September 13, 1995, Walz was a 31-year-old high school teacher living in Alliance, Nebraska, a city of some 8,000 residents located about 150 miles south of Rapid City, South Dakota.'So he sped up to try to get away, fearing that somebody was after him. Lo and behold, it was a state patrolman that was behind him.'Just before midnight that night, Walz was speeding along in a 55-mph zone, reaching a top rate of 96 mph. A state trooper then pulled Walz over, and as he approached Walz's open window, the trooper detected "a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from Mr. Walz[‘s] breath and person," court documents said.After failing a field sobriety test, Walz was subjected to a breathalyzer that indicated his blood-alcohol level was .128, well above the then-limit of .10, which has since been lowered to .08. Walz was then hauled off to Dawes County Jail, where he underwent a blood test, though the results of the test were later "suppressed," Alpha News reported in 2022.Walz was initially charged with driving under the influence and speeding, but those charges were later amended after Walz agreed to plead guilty to one count of reckless driving. As part of his plea, Walz had to admit in court that he "drove a vehicle in a manner as to indicate an indifference or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property."During Walz's hearing in March 1996, his attorney, Russell Harford, acknowledged that the guilty plea was appropriate. Not only had Walz been clocked at driving "90-something" mph, Harford told the court, but he "had been drinking.""I think there’s a sufficient factual basis, judge, to support the plea," Harford reiterated.Despite that admission, Harford also suggested during the proceeding that the trooper who pulled Walz over was at least partially to blame for Walz's lead foot."This is a little bit bizarre, but Mr. Walz thought somebody was chasing him," Harford insisted. "The officer didn’t turn on his red lights and he — somebody came up real fast behind him and he didn’t know what they were doing.""So he sped up to try to get away, fearing that somebody was after him. Lo and behold, it was a state patrolman that was behind him, so the faster he went, the faster the state patrol officer went," Harford added.Ultimately, Walz was fined $200 plus court costs and had a suspended license for 90 days. He also resigned from his extracurricular activities, including coaching, at Alliance High School. He even offered to resign his position as teacher, though the principal there reportedly talked him out of it.More than a decade later, in 2006, Walz first launched a campaign for Congress — just after an abrupt and ostensibly premature resignation from the Army National Guard following word that his unit was about to be deployed to Iraq. Though he may have dodged a tour in Iraq, his campaign could not dodge questions about his previous DUI arrest, and he was forced to account for his behavior. Speaking on his behalf, campaign manager Kerry Greeley told an outlet that Walz actually was "not drunk" the night he was arrested, only hard of hearing, an unfortunate chronic condition supposedly stemming from his time with the National Guard, though Walz never saw combat."He couldn’t understand what the officer was saying to him," Greeley said at the time. Greeley also alleged that Walz's "deafness" contributed to his "balance issues" the night of his arrest.Because of the trooper's apparent insensitivity to Walz's hearing impairment, the judge overseeing Walz's plea upbraided the trooper and dismissed the DUI charges, Greeley claimed. However, as Alpha News noted, the trooper's report made no mention of Walz's hearing problem, nor did the transcript of the plea proceeding. The transcript of the proceeding further showed that the judge never issued any chastisement of the trooper.A 2018 report from MPR News confirmed that Walz underwent a stapedectomy to repair damaged bones in his ear sometime in 2005. Whether the surgery happened before or after his arrest is unclear. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Nvidia App has just had a hefty new update, with the GPU maker integrating several new features into it that used to exist in other Nvidia apps, such as GeForce Experience and the Nvidia Control Panel. These new features include display setting adjustments, such as resolution and refresh rate, as well as a new section that houses Nvidia's video enhancement technologies, such as RTX Video Super Resolution. The new update (version 10.0.2.207)  makes it easier than ever before to get the most from the best graphics card models made by Nvidia. Technically, the app is still in the beta stage, but we've been running it for months, and it offers a vast improvement over Nvidia's previous disparate apps. Continue reading Nvidia App gets an update, and it is a must for GeForce GPU users MORE FROM PCGAMESN: GeForce RTX 4070 Super review, DLSS explained, Best graphics cards

Early purchasers of the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP remaster will get free bonuses, as the president of developer Dragami Games apologizes over a Steam region mistake. Dragami accidentally told the press that the game’s Steam release date would differ between regions, and is offering anyone who purchases it close to launch some freebies after the fact. Continue reading Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP offers freebies after Steam launch snafu MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best zombie games on PC, Best action games on PC

Which Destiny 2 class should you choose? The class system behind Bungie's hit looter shooter has changed a lot in the many years since Destiny 2 players first took on the Red Legion in the fight for the Light. Though Destiny 2 still includes its Warlock, Titan, and Hunter classes - the same ones that first appeared in the original Destiny game - the once-simple Arc, Solar, and Void elemental subclasses have grown to include Aspects, and Fragments. The game also now includes the Darkness-based subclasses Stasis and Strand, as well as the complex Prismatic subclass. Each of the Destiny 2 classes has a unique kit that leverages one of the game’s five elements to allow players to develop builds that suit their specific style of play. The team at Bungie is constantly iterating to keep the game fun and fresh in what many say is one of the best free PC games out there. While this is great for Destiny 2’s most active players, casual players, and newcomers may struggle to keep up with the game’s evolving subclass systems and how they differ from other FPS games, especially with the arrival of the Destiny 2 Strand subclass which has reinvented the style of play. Continue reading Destiny 2 classes and subclasses guide MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Destiny 2 classes, Destiny 2 The Final Shape review, Destiny 2 builds

There are a few characters that are just built different. For me, it's World of Warcraft's Sylvanas Windrunner, or Dragon Age's Morrigan - perhaps even add Uncharted's Nathan Drake to the list. But my roster is relatively obscure, based around the games I played (and was allowed to play) as a child. While I loved all things gory, my mom wasn't as keen, meaning things like Silent Hill and Resident Evil weren't exactly accessible to me. If they had been, though, I know that Capcom's horror series would have quickly become a favorite, and Leon Kennedy would have defined my childhood as much as the Witch of the Wilds or the Banshee Queen. Continue reading Capcom told Leon’s actor to “forget everything” for Resident Evil 4 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Resident Evil 4 Remake review, Resident Evil 4 Remake system requirements, Best Resident Evil 4 remake weapons

A free Balatro DLC is planned for all players, and this “major gameplay update” is coming in 2025. The deckbuilding roguelike swept across Steam earlier this year and stands a very real chance of winning a few GOTY awards. Move over Shadow of the Erdtree, Animal Well, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, because this card game is about to become even bigger, even better, and there’s still even more to come. Continue reading A huge free Balatro DLC is coming, and two more reveals are planned MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best roguelike games, Best card games, Best new PC games

Making games is never easy, but when the rug gets pulled out from under a studio partway through development, it can be challenging to bounce back. This is the story of Dlala Studios and the obstacles it had to overcome to create Disney Illusion Island.

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