A local police officer retreated after the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump pointed his rifle at him, the Associated Press reported Sunday afternoon. An anonymous source told AP that the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, pointed a gun at the police officer who was climbing up a ladder to confront him. After the police officer climbed back down, Crooks quickly fired at Trump and was then killed by a Secret Service sniper. Bomb-making materials were also discovered in Crooks’ vehicle and home in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The AR-15-style rifle Crooks used was purchased by his father about six months ago, law enforcement officials told the AP.  Crooks, who was not carrying an ID, was identified through DNA, according to the FBI. “We do not currently have an identified motive,” said FBI Pittsburgh special agent Kevin Rojek in a briefing on Saturday night. The FBI and local law enforcement told reporters that questions about the security lapses should be directed to the Secret Service, which failed to show up to the briefing. “They conduct the initial site survey,” Rojek said. “They do the initial security assessments and determine where the different security locations should be. And they’re the ones who are in charge of securing the scene. We, along with other state and local assets are there to support the Secret Service and their mission.” Crooks’ father told CNN that he was trying to understand “what the hell is going on” and would wait to speak to law enforcement before commenting. A blockade was in place near Crooks’ home, preventing traffic and the media from entering the area as the warrant was executed. Though Crooks is a registered Republican, campaign finance reports show he donated $15 to a progressive PAC on the day President Joe Biden was inaugurated in 2021.

'May God bless and unite our nation'

Our 10 Most Underrated Heart Songs list presents a showcase of Heart songs that we think deserve a little more love. Heart stands as one of our favorite bands here at Classic Rock History. From the first time we heard “Magic Man” in 1976 up to the most recent recordings, the band has always been one of our most often written about musical groups. The musicians in the band have changed many times over the years. Initially, it was a group effort, but inevitably there were personnel changes and a radical reformation and transformation of Ann and Nancy’s music in The post 10 Most Underrated Heart Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Two dogs have been trained to sniff out post-traumatic stress by smelling survivors’ breath—with an accuracy success rate following initial training of 90 percent. Scientists say the breakthrough will make post-traumatic stress disorder support dogs more effective. PTSD is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event such as a car crash or […] The post Dogs Trained to Sniff Out Post-Traumatic Stress – by Smelling Patients’ Breath – With 90% Accuracy appeared first on Good News Network.

Twenty-four hours before the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s would-be in Butler, Pennsylvania, the 2024 presidential election was in full swing. Here’s some of what President Joe Biden was posting on X in the hours before Trump was shot. Biden seemingly likened Trump to a dictator in a post on his personal account less than 24 hours before the shots rang out at the former president’s campaign rally: Americans want a president, not a dictator.— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 13, 2024 Biden continued his barrage against Project 2025, an initiative launched by The Heritage Foundation to provide the next conservative president with policy and personnel recommendations. (Trump posted a statement recently. saying, “I have not seen [Project 2025], have no idea who is in charge of it, and, unlike our very well received Republican Platform, had nothing to do with it.”) Biden’s reelection team even created a website touting some false claims about the project. Project 2025 is run and paid for by Trump people.It was a project built for Trump, and it’s the biggest attack on our freedoms in history.— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 12, 2024 Biden also posted “We must stop him,” earlier in the day on Friday. This post included a list of policies Trump will purportedly implement on day one of his administration, if he is elected. (Project 2025 has fact checked many of the claims the left has made about policies being advocated by the project.) We must stop him. pic.twitter.com/AwV4wTRypo— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 12, 2024 Biden again called Trump a “dictator.” Trump has said that if he wins, he’ll be a dictator on day one.And folks, he means it. Just look at this right-wing Project 2025—the blueprint for the second Trump term.I will not let that happen.— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 12, 2024 Biden also called Trump a “convicted felon,” who should have “no more free passes.” No more free passes for Donald Trump.We’re going to say who he is, and what he intends to do.He’s a convicted criminal.— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 12, 2024 Biden did eventually make a statement about the shooting, from his private residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, saying, “The idea that there’s political violence, or violence in America like this, is just unheard of … Everybody must condemn it.” The post What Biden Posted on X Hours Before Trump Shooting appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, filed a bill to revoke Secret Service protection from convicted felons sentenced to prison as former President Donald Trump faced numerous felony prosecutions. Although Thompson condemned the assassination attempt Saturday evening on Trump, he didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on whether he still supports the bill to deny Secret Service protection to Trump if, in a pending court appearance, the former president is sentenced to prison for his felony convictions in Manhattan Criminal Court. On April 19, Thompson filed HR 8081, what he calls the “Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated Toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable Former Protectees Act.” Thompson’s legislation would “automatically” terminate Secret Service protection for those who have been sentenced to prison following conviction for a federal or state felony. The bill’s text and Thompson’s public statement upon filing it suggest he had Trump specifically in mind. “Unfortunately, current law doesn’t anticipate how Secret Service protection would impact the felony prison sentence of a protectee—even a former president,” Thompson said in a press release about the legislation. “It is regrettable that it has come to this, but this previously unthought-of scenario could become our reality,” the Mississippi Democrat added. “Therefore, it is necessary for us to be prepared and update the law so the American people can be assured that protective status does not translate into special treatment—and that those who are sentenced to prison will indeed serve the time required of them.” On May 30, a Manhattan jury convicted Trump of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records with intent to conceal another crime. Judge Juan Merchan initially set a sentencing date for July 11, but delayed sentencing and then the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States further complicated the issue. HR 8081 has yet to make it out of the House Judiciary Committee. Even if it had, Thompson’s bill would not yet have stripped Trump of Secret Service protection since it has yet to pass both chambers of Congress and been signed by President Joe Biden. Even so, the bill has drawn more scrutiny after a gunman shot and wounded the former president and killed at least one rallygoer about 6:15 p.m. Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thompson responded to the shooting with an unequivocal condemnation. “There is no room in American democracy for political violence,” he said on X. “I am grateful for law enforcement’s fast response to this incident.” “I am glad the former president is safe, and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved,” Thompson added. There is no room in American democracy for political violence. I am grateful for law enforcement’s fast response to this incident. I am glad the former President is safe, and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved.— Bennie G. Thompson (@BennieGThompson) July 13, 2024 However, it seems one of Thompson’s employees didn’t share the congressman’s relief that Trump survived. “I don’t condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time ooops that wasn’t me talking,” Jacqueline Marsaw, Thompson’s field director for Mississippi, posted on Facebook. Thompson publicly stated that Marsaw is no longer employed. “I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment,” he said. NEW: Staffer for Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) no longer employed after social media post insinuating that Trump’s shooter shouldn’t have missed. @BennieGThompson statement: “I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment.” pic.twitter.com/3JhmZYYjCb— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 14, 2024 Nine House Democrats co-sponsored HR 8081. They are Troy A. Carter Sr. of Lousiana, Barbara Lee of California, Frederica Wilson (Fla.), Yvette Clarke (N.Y.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), Jasmine Crockett (Texas), Joyce Beatty (Ohio), and Steve Cohen (Tenn.). None of their offices responded to The Daily Signal’s request for comment by publication time. The post House Dem Who Moved to Revoke Trump’s Secret Service Protection Silent on Bill After Assassination Attempt appeared first on The Daily Signal.

CBS’s coverage of the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump has been awful throughout, but Chief White Correspondent Nancy Cordes may have just plumbed a new low. Today, there was a brief pause in the media’s ongoing lecture about “tone” and “rhetoric”. Watch as CBS’s Nancy Cordes channeled the Biden campaign’s relief at the shift in campaign focus- away from discussions about Biden’s cognitive decline and questions of his continued viability, either as a candidate or as president:  CBS SPECIAL REPORT 7/14/24 2:10 PM MAURICE DUBOIS: You don't want to overstate it but just 24 hours ago, Nancy, the question was: could he function? Was his mental acuity up to the job? And now we're in a whole different phase right now. He's moved on to Commander-in-Chief and so forth. What are they saying, if anything, behind the scenes? NANCY CORDES: No question that the focus has shifted. And, you know, you're not going to find many campaign officials who are disappointed about that though, of course, they wish that they were not in this situation they are in now where you have at least one individual who has passed away, others still fighting for their lives, and a former president and a current candidate who is wounded himself. So what we're told from the campaign is that they've taken down their ads. They’ve paused campaigning for now. They had plans to roll out a couple different things today, like a new Republicans for Trump operation that is obviously -- Republicans for Biden, rather, operation that has now been put on hold as they try to show their respect in the wake of an assassination attempt.  DUBOIS: OK. Nancy Cordes at The White House, thank you so much. Of course the unnamed campaign officials regret the loss of life and actual, literal attack against our democracy. Or, at least, Cordes makes sure to get that in there. Very strong "But how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?" vibes. In the event that this is an actual off-the-record quote, and not Cordes projecting, why even say that on the air? What value does this add? How does this contribute to the overall “cooling down” we keep being lectured about? It sure doesn’t, but it reminds us that, even in times of national emergency, there are those in the media who must always and at all times Protect the Precious. This, too, has contributed to the current toxic climate. Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned segment as aired on CBS’s special coverage of President Biden’s Roosevelt Room address on Sunday, July 14th, 2024: MAURICE DUBOIS: Let’s bring in Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes right now. Nancy, what are you learning about (President Biden’s) schedule this weekend? I know there are going to be some changes. Obviously, to what has happened, he is now in a whole different role than he was 24 hours ago. NANCY CORDES: Well, most notably, Maurice, we just learned from the president himself that he plans to give an Oval Office address tonight. That is something that is very rare, usually withheld for the most serious situations in this country. So, very notable that he's made that choice to do so tonight. He was planning to head to Texas tomorrow. He was going to be attending an event at the LBJ (Presidential) Library in Austin where he was scheduled to make remarks on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act passage. That has been canceled. Postponed, rather, because he says he’s going to do it 10 days from now. So he'll be here at The White House continuing to get briefings from his national security advisers, some of whom you saw there in the room with him for that speech. Not only the Vice President, but also the Attorney General and the Homeland Security secretary. Maurice? DUBOIS: You don't want to overstate it but just 24 hours ago, Nancy, the question was: could he function? Was his mental acuity up to the job? And now we're in a whole different phase right now. He's moved on to Commander-in-Chief and so forth. What are they saying, if anything, behind the scenes? CORDES: No question that the focus has shifted. And, you know, you're not going to find many campaign officials who are disappointed about that though, of course, they wish that they were not in this situation they are in now where you have at least one individual who has passed away, others still fighting for their lives, and a former president and a current candidate who is wounded himself. So what we're told from the campaign is that they've taken down their ads. They’ve paused campaigning for now. They had plans to roll out a couple different things today, like a new Republicans for Trump operation that is obviously -- Republicans for Biden, rather, operation that has now been put on hold as they try to show their respect in the wake of an assassination attempt.  DUBOIS: OK. Nancy Cordes at The White House, thank you so much.  

A CNN correspondent is being raked over the coals for scolding former President Donald Trump over the first words he uttered seconds after being shot during an assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The would-be assassin fired as many as eight shots toward Trump from his AR-15-style rifle while in a prone position on the roof of a building roughly 400 feet from the rally stage. The spray of bullets killed a firefighter in attendance, critically injured two spectators, and nicked Trump in his ear. After Trump realized he had been shot in the ear, he dropped to the ground, and Secret Service agents rushed to shield the former president. Seconds later, Secret Service agents were notified that the gunman had been neutralized and attempted to rush Trump off the stage. However, Trump instructed them to wait, looked at the crowd with blood on his face, pumped his fist, and yelled: "Fight! Fight! Fight!"Trump was then ushered off the stage as the crowd chanted "U-S-A!" However, CNN special correspondent Jamie Gangel criticized Trump for his reaction that occurred within 80 seconds after being shot in the ear. "I do want to say there was one thing that, when I watched the tape, I found odd because of all of the heated rhetoric, and that is after he was hit, former President Trump got up and said, ‘fight, fight, fight,’" Gangel said.Gangel added, "I think what we’re hearing from people is that’s not the message that we want to be sending right now. We want to tamp it down." The CNN correspondent was lambasted on social media for criticizing a man who had just been a victim of an assassination attempt. Talk show host Megyn Kelly: "The man was bleeding from a bullet wound to his head. WTF is wrong with you @jamiegangel? In any event it was the most inspirational 'FIGHT' many people have ever seen or heard. The fact that you heard it as you did shows how badly you’ve lost the thread."Donald Trump Jr.: "Someone attempted to assassinate my father tonight and this is what CNN is focused on. These people are vile."Gun rights activist Dana Loesch: "Your network and colleagues should do a self-check on rhetoric."Talk radio host Erick Erickson: "This is why there must be media accountability. CNN’s Jamie Gangel is upset that 30 seconds after Trump got shot he wasn’t lecturing his crowd. Unbelievable. Victim shaming."Former Trump speechwriter Darren J. Beattie: "Media is the enemy of the people. It's very unfortunate that they feel comfortable talking like this."Reporter Megan Basham: "Unbelievable. CNN right now criticizing Trump for telling his supporters to fight only seconds after he was shot by a would-be assassin. Tsk tsk’ing that it wasn’t the right tone to take."Author Jim Hanson: "What a foul wretch. CNN is a cancer."Another CNN personality also tried to blame Trump's criticisms of Biden as a cause of the rise in extreme rhetoric that led to an assassination attempt on former President Trump. Scott Jennings – a Republican strategist and contributor to CNN – explained during an appearance on the cable news network that the failed assassination attempt stemmed from the nonstop fearmongering that Trump being elected again would be the end of the United States as we know it. "The rhetoric around him over the last few weeks that if he wins an election, our country will end, our democracy will end, it’s the last election we'll ever have. These things have consequences, okay? I don’t know what the motivations of the shooter are. I don’t know any of the details, but I know the rhetoric around Trump has grown extreme," Jennings began."We have people in this country who are dedicated to telling half the country that if Donald Trump wins an election, the country will end, the Constitution will go away, and so on and so forth," Jennings stated. "What I want to hear from all elected officials is this kind of hyperbolic extremism has consequences, and it must end. Yes, we’re all shocked, and yes, political violence has no place. Where does it come from? It’s got to stop."CNN host Wolf Blitzer attempted to make a "both sides" argument and replied, "But we’re also hearing from Trump very, very strong statements of condemnation of Biden, the worst president, the most dangerous president, and all of that. He’s speaking very, very strongly against President Biden."Jennings fired back, "Who’s in the hospital?"Blitzer maintained, "You say calm things down. I agree both sides should calm things."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!