MILWAUKEE— Speaker of the House Mike Johnson shared Wednesday that he is setting up a special task force to investigate the attempted assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. In an interview with The Daily Signal, Johnson said he’s spoken with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, and the leadership of the FBI (though he specified that he has not spoken with Director Christopher Wray directly). “The answers that they are providing to us thus far are not satisfactory,” he said. “So I announced this morning that we are gonna set up a special task force, a precision strike on this, it will be a bipartisan investigatory group and they will have subpoena authority. We’re going to get down to the bottom of this quickly.” .@SpeakerJohnson announces a Special Task Force to investigate "serious security lapses" that allowed the assassination attempt on Trump: "a bipartisan investigatory group and they will have subpoena authority. We're going to get down to the bottom of this quickly." pic.twitter.com/Cro9ZLruDs— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) July 17, 2024 He also called for the director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, to resign. “I think she needs to resign,” he said of Cheatle. “What happened there does not require a thorough investigation, we can all see just by what we’ve observed that there were serious security lapses. And her initial explanation that the roof was too slanted to provide security there, it just doesn’t wash.” He emphasized that while the FBI’s investigation focuses on the shooter himself, it is the Secret Service itself that is in charge of the overall security, under the masthead of the Department of Homeland Security. “Mayorkas has now taken the reigns of that. We are hearing this morning that he is going to instruct Director Cheatle not to appear on Capitol Hill to answer the first round of questions. I hope that is not true. Our Oversight Committee and our Homeland Security committees appropriately acted quickly and issued notices for these hearings that would begin next Monday, but so far, they look to be unresponsive for that.” Critics across the board have described the security breach at Trump’s Pennsylvania campaign rally as a “catastrophic failure” of the Secret Service. Counter snipers fatally shot the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, after one of his shots grazed the former president’s right ear, bloodying him. Trump announced Monday that Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, was his vice presidential running mate. The former president made an appearance on Monday evening at the Republican National Convention, where he appeared serious and emotional as he greeted his sons as well as Tucker Carlson, Vance, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. The post EXCLUSIVE: Speaker Johnson Sets Up ‘Special Task Force’ To Investigate Trump Assassination Attempt, ‘Serious Security Lapses’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—U.S. authorities reportedly received intelligence ahead of an assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump over the weekend that Iran was reportedly plotting to kill him, CNN reported on Tuesday. The intelligence, provided to U.S. authorities by a human source, prompted the Secret Service to ramp up protections for the former president in the weeks leading up to the shooting, several people briefed on the matter told CNN. White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told The New York Times that there is no known connection between the alleged Iranian plot and the assassination attempt against Trump by Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who was killed by U.S. forces swiftly after he began opening fire on Trump and the crowd on Saturday. Trump was shot and injured by a gunman at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday in an assassination attempt that has been decried by critics as a failure by the Secret Service to ensure security at the event. “Once again, we lack an effective policy to deter Iran’s regime from these attacks,” Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran and scholar at the Middle East Institute, said in a statement on Tuesday. “A strongly-worded press statement, beefed up security, and perhaps sanctions and an indictment will not suffice.” It isn’t clear whether details about the intelligence received by U.S. authorities were subsequently made known to the Trump campaign, which told CNN on Tuesday that it does “not comment on President Trump’s security detail. All questions should be directed to The United States Secret Service.” The Secret Service had strongly advised the Trump campaign to not hold rallies outside ahead of the presidential election in November, although such warnings were made in a general sense, people briefed on the matter told CNN. The Trump campaign stopped holding spontaneous events at one point during the election season because of security concerns, a source familiar told CNN. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle told ABC News on Monday that it was “unacceptable” that the shooter was able to fire on Trump and accepted responsibility for the agency’s failure to ensure security. She does not plan to resign from her role. Iran has been vocal that it seeks revenge against Trump and members of his former administration for the death of Qasem Soleimani, a popular figure in Iran and the former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, who was killed in a drone strike in 2020. Former national security adviser John Bolton was previously a target, likely in “retaliation” for Soleimani’s death, the Department of Justice previously found; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was also a target at one point, according to a federal law enforcement official familiar with investigations and a source in Pompeo’s orbit who spoke to CNN. “The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources, as needed,” Secret Service Chief of Communication Anthony Guglielmi told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We cannot comment on any specific threat stream other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly.” The FBI referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the Secret Service. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation The post US Reportedly Received Intel of Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Schiff to Biden: Get Out

We Really Need To Talk About Joe Biden's Speeches in Las Vegas Tuesday

The chopped-up carcass of a giant armadillo shows that humans were in South America much earlier than previously realized. Dating to around 21,000 years old, the butchered remains also show some of the earliest archaeological evidence of people in the southern stretches of the continent.The fossilized bones were discovered along the banks of the Reconquista River, northeast of the Pampean region in modern-day Argentina. They belonged to a species of glyptodont, an extinct giant relative of armadillos, called Neosclerocalyptus that could grow up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length – and could apparently make for a generous meal.Archaeologists at the National University of La Plata found distinctive cut marks around the pelvis, tail, and body armor made by the slicing and chopping of stone tools.The Americas were once rich in megafauna (aka very large animals) that have since fallen into extinction, including giant ground sloths and a humongous form of llama. Plenty of evidence suggests that prehistoric humans hunted these giant beasts, raising the idea that overhunting was responsible for their extinction (typical humans, eh?). Drawing of a Neosclerocalyptus skeleton highlighting cut-marked skeletal elements in light blue found on the specimen.Image credit: Del Papa et al., 2024, PLOS ONE (CC-BY 4.0)The dating of the new Neosclerocalyptus remains – between 21,090 and 20,811 years old – is especially significant. Recent decades have seen a huge amount of debate about when humans achieved the mammoth task of migrating from Eurasia into the Americas. Conservative estimates suggest the first human peopling in the Americas began at least 16,000 years ago. However, a long reel of recent studies has pushed back this timeframe. One of the most incredible pieces of evidence comes in the form of human footprints in New Mexico that were imprinted sometime between 23,000 and 21,000 years ago. Some archaeologists contest this claim, but it was later reaffirmed by another study.The recent discovery of the butchered armadillo affirms that the first humans arrived in the Americas well before 16,000 years ago. Furthermore, the evidence shows that human people had arrived in southern South America long before this too. The current consensus says that humans first set foot in the Americas after migrating from Siberia to present-day Alaska across Beringia, a land bridge that existed during the last Ice Age when sea levels were significantly lower. Numerous waves of migration likely occurred and, over the millennia, some of these groups started to trek further south, eventually settling as far as southern South America thousands upon thousands of kilometers away from Beringia.Archaeologists and anthropologists are still trying to piece together this epic story, and the latest discovery of butchering along the Reconquista River will certainly add to the debate. "The study's evidence puts into question the time frame for the first human peopling of the Americas 16,000 years ago,” Miguel Delgado, the corresponding author, said in a statement.The new study is published in the journal PLOS ONE.

To help him make sense of night two of the Republican National Convention, CBS’s Stephen Colbert welcomed Sen. Elizabeth Warren to a live Tuesday edition of The Late Show, where the duo agreed that true national unity in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump means Republicans dropping their policy preferences and endorsing Democratic priorities, mainly gun control. Colbert declared, “Senator, the RNC theme tonight was Make America Safe Once Again, and one of the things that makes America at any moment not a safe place is the open, ready, ubiquitous availability of guns, including the AR-15-style gun that was used against the former president on Saturday that the Democrats would like to eliminate, they would like those not available for purchase.”     He then wondered, “Were you surprised there was no discussion of gun control of any kind?” One of the reasons people are so cynical about politicians calling for unity is that it tends to end up with them telling people to shut up and get with their program, which is exactly what Warren did, “You know, this should be the moment for it. They're talking about having unity, and everyone is deeply concerned, and rightly so, about the attack on the president. This is the moment when let’s show what unity really means, and that is Republicans and Democrats, I'll issue the open invitation to come together and let's ban assault weapons in this country.” Colbert did not see how anyone could take exception, “We’re on his side, we don't want this to ever happen again.” Warren continued, “This is for Donald Trump, this is for our children, this is for children in schools, this is for people at movie theaters. You know, I come from a state that has really serious gun safety laws, I just want to point out in this, that, just, what we have in Massachusetts, if the rest of the country would have the same kind of gun laws, we could reduce death by gun by about 40 percent in this country. Those are our neighbors, our friends, the people we love, it is time to get serious about gun safety in this country.” If Republicans reacted to an attempted stabbing of a Democratic presidential candidate by claiming that the country needs to unify by realizing that knife violence proves gun control isn’t the answer, would Colbert and Warren call that unity? Certainly not, so why is using an attack on a Republican to push Democratic priorities any different? Here is a transcript for the July 16-17 show: CBS The Late Show with Stephen Colbert 7/17/2024 12:36 AM ET STEPHEN COLBERT: Hey, everybody! Welcome back to The Late Show. You know who that is, we’re talking here with Senator Elizabeth Warren. Senator, the RNC theme tonight was Make America Safe Once Again. ELIZABETH WARREN: Yeah. COLBERT: And one of the things that makes America at any moment not a safe place is the open, ready, ubiquitous availability of guns— WARREN: Yes. COLBERT: Including the AR-15-style gun that was used against the former president on Saturday that the Democrats would like to eliminate, they would like those not available for purchase. Were you surprised there was no discussion of gun control of any kind? WARREN: You know, this should be the moment for it. They're talking about having unity, and everyone is deeply concerned, and rightly so, about the attack on the president. This is the moment when let’s show what unity really means, and that is Republicans and Democrats, I'll issue the open invitation to come together and let's ban assault weapons in this country.  COLBERT: We’re on his side, we don't want this to ever happen again. WARREN: This is for Donald Trump, this is for our children, this is for children in schools, this is for people at movie theaters. You know, I come from a state that has really serious gun safety laws, I just want to point out in this, that, just, what we have in Massachusetts, if the rest of the country would have the same kind of gun laws, we could reduce death by gun by about 40 percent in this country. Those are our neighbors, our friends, the people we love, it is time to get serious about gun safety in this country.

After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, former President Donald Trump wasted no time announcing who his vice president will be: Sen. JD Vance. Of course, the left immediately went into fear mode, painting Vance as a “MAGA extremist.” The official Biden-Harris HQ account on X even shared a fear mongering graphic on Vance to drive this point home. The graphic featured a checklist of Vance’s supposed views, including, “JD Vance supports Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, says Project 2025 is ‘full of good ideas,’ opposes marriage equality, compares abortion to slavery, supports a national abortion ban, opposes Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, opposes ACA, 2020 election denier, and kisses up to Putin and Russia.” Sara Gonzales doesn’t see the problem. “Great, I’m in. I’m like guys, I was already voting for this team, you don’t have to keep selling me,” Gonzales laughs. Of course, much of the list is exaggerated — like his apparent comparison of abortion to slavery. What Vance actually said in a recent podcast interview was that “slavery and abortion have a morally distorting effect on the entire society.” Joy Behar of "The View" has also jumped on the opportunity to spread fear about the vice presidential candidate, accusing Vance of wanting to force children who are raped or victims of incest to give birth. While Vance’s stance on abortion for women is clear, Behar took him completely out of context. “It’s not whether a woman should be forced to bring a child to term, it’s whether a child should be allowed to live. Even though the circumstances of that child’s birth are somehow inconvenient or a problem to the society, the question really to me is about the baby,” Vance said in a recent podcast when asked about abortion in cases where a woman has been raped or a victim of incest. President Biden went completely off the rails as well in a post on X, where he said that Trump and Vance plan to “raise taxes on middle class families while pushing more tax cuts for the rich.” “Isn’t it cute that the Democrats are constantly projecting onto Republicans what they themselves are guilty of?” Gonzales asks. “The truth of the matter is of course, JD Vance told the New York Times he opposed higher taxes for the middle class.” Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

TikTok star Alice Ardelean will make her surprise debut in the UFC when UFC touches down in Manchester, England, on July 27.The Romanian-born fighter was set to make an appearance on UFC President Dana White's showcase called "Dana White's Contender Series" but was bumped up to the big show after a cancellation. She will fight Irish strawweight Shauna Bannon at UFC 304, much to the dismay of many fans.Ardelean is not only a TikTok influencer with over 3 million followers, but she is also a content creator on the subscription website OnlyFans, known for its sexual and pornographic material.'It's not my fault if your husband was on my OnlyFans or not.'In a recent interview, Ardelean justified her sexual content by saying it was just a job to help her make ends meet in order to train in mixed martial arts."In reality, the only reason why I was doing OnlyFans was to be able to pay for my training, nutritionist, and gym equipment every day," she told TalkSport.The influencer said that when she first started doing the explicit content, she was not received well by fighters or fighters' wives at her gym."I used to train at a gym when I started OnlyFans, and I kept getting dirty looks," she said. "I even had a few messages from wives from guys in the gym saying, 'You are such a whatever' and calling me names and telling their husbands not to subscribe."The 32-year-old said she was getting "hate" and called those who took issue with her "embarrassing.""I was just minding my own business, but the hate was there. Some of the hate was nasty, and women in the gym were complaining about me," Ardelean continued. "It was just embarrassing. It was like, 'Shut up, I am not here to take your man. This is just my job, and I’m not interfering with your job. It's not my fault if your husband was on my OnlyFans or not.'"In response, Shawn Bitter of MMA outlet Cageside said the signing of Ardelean was a "disgrace" to the UFC."The UFC signing Alice Ardelean is a disgrace to the promotion," Bitter wrote. "Probably the worst signing ever and I'm not joking," he went on. "Ardelean isn't a fighter,,she's a TikTok star. Ardelean has a terrible 9-7 record. She's won her last five but against who? Such a shame that the best promotion in the world isn't caring about 'best in the world' talent." — (@) Bitter may have mistyped regarding Ardelean's record, which is actually 9-5, but he was correct in stating that her five-fight win streak was against relative unknowns in lesser-known fight promotions. Her most notable opponent was current UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang in 2016, who was also the last person to beat the Romanian.Her opponent Bannon is 5-1, losing her only UFC fight, but she has undoubtedly fought in more prestigious promotions than the newcomer.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

On Wednesday, Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff of California for the first time called for President Joe Biden to step down from the presidential campaign. Schiff made the comments in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. "Joe Biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history, and his lifetime of service as a senator, a vice president, and now as president has made our country better," wrote Schiff in his statement.“But our nation is at a crossroads,” he continued. “A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the president can defeat Donald Trump in November.”He went on to say that Biden's decision should be his alone but that the president should "pass the torch" to another Democrat who can beat former President Donald Trump in the election. He also said that if Biden decides to stay the course, he would support his campaign regardless. “I will do everything I can to help them succeed,” Schiff said. “There is only one singular goal: defeating Donald Trump. The stakes are just too high.”Schiff is running for a California seat in the U.S. Senate after Dianne Feinstein died in September. Biden spoke at the NAACP conference on Tuesday, and while he took credit for economic improvement in the black community, he also misread the teleprompter several times and was criticized for his fumbles. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Like clockwork, EA Sports is back with the reveal of its next soccer sim. After unveiling some spicy cover art earlier in the week, FC 25’s debut trailer is now out in the wild. Not only does it showcase the usual dramatic montage of players banging home free kicks and making last ditch tackles, but it also gives an early look at a new five-a-side experience that I am incredibly excited to try. It also confirmed that players will be able to jump in in late September. Continue reading FC 25 locks in September launch date and reveals 5-a-side Rush mode MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sports games, Best multiplayer games, Best PC games