The "Building Chips in America Act of 2023" has passed in the House and Senate and will go to President Joe Biden for signing, The Center Square reported. If passed, it would streamline the process of approving American manufacturers to build semiconductors.
The bill passed the House of Representatives on Monday by a 257-125 vote. It has already received a unanimous nod in the Senate and just needs Biden's signature to become law.
The legislation was a bipartisan effort initiated by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly. Both lawmakers see it as necessary to make the U.S. less dependent on China for the important technology.
The new bill builds on the CHIPS and Science Act of 2021. "Today’s announcement that the Department of Commerce has finalized the first commercial CHIPS Incentives award with Polar Semiconductor marks the next phase of the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and demonstrates how we continue to deliver on the Investing in American agenda," Biden said in a statement.
Moving semiconductor manufacturing stateside is a boon for national security and sovereignty. Most lawmakers seemed to understand this when voting for the bill.
The bill's co-sponsors focused on independence from China as a key benefit. "I’m proud to have led this effort with Senator Mark Kelly to streamline environmental permitting for semiconductor factories, a crucial step in onshoring jobs and making our country less dependent on China for semiconductors critical to national defense," Cruz said in a statement.
Much of the manufacturing of these chips also happens in Tawain, an island nation with its own sovereignty under threat from China. The Building Chips in America Act of 2023 is also being touted for creating jobs.
Texas GOP Rep. Michael McCaul, who was one of the lawmakers who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, championed the manifold benefits of the bill. "I introduced the CHIPS for America Act because — as President Trump’s national security team told me — there’s no time to waste in boosting domestic semiconductor chip production," McCaul said.
"The Building Chips in America Act will cement the intention of the CHIPS Act by ensuring timely production of these critical national security assets, creating thousands of American manufacturing jobs in the process. I am proud the House passed this crucial bill, which will solidify the United States’ global leadership in the semiconductor industry," the lawmaker added.
Despite the enthusiasm for the bill on Capitol Hill, environmental groups have hammered Biden, Politico reported. The Building Chips in America Act has eliminated many environmental requirements that would slow down the construction of these semiconductor manufacturing facilities.
Environmental groups believe that's a mistake. On Monday, the Sierra Club and more than two dozen environmental protection organizations sent a letter to Biden warning that if he signed the legislation, it would be bad for his legacy and the environment.
"President Biden should veto this. I expect he will veto it," Harry Manin, deputy deputy legislative director of industrial policy at the Sierra Club, told Politico. Labor groups are also concerned about new manufacturing facilities that could be unsafe for workers.
“It’s a missed opportunity. We don’t want to see the legacy of the CHIPS and Science Act being workers getting sick because of toxic chemicals on the job, or children in nearby schools and communities getting sick because of air pollution, or residents with poisoned wells and aquifers," warned Judith Barish, who coordinates a coalition of labor and environmental groups under CHIPS Communities United.
A federal jury in Texas cleared five of the six defendants in the 2020 "Trump Train" highway incident, Axios reported. They were accused of violating the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan Act after several supporters of former President Donald Trump surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign while in motion.
The incident occurred on a portion of I-35 between San Antonio and Austin, Texas, on Oct. 30, 2020. The caravan of Trump supporters used their vehicles to block the lanes of the highway, surround the Democrat campaign bus, and slowed it down.
The defendants claimed they were conducting a "peaceful protest" allowed under the First Amendment and "never intended to intimidate or threaten" anyone from the campaign. The nonprofit group Protect Democracy was one of several plaintiffs who sued the drivers in civil court for violating the law prohibiting voter intimidation.
However, the only person to be convicted was the Trump Train leader Eliazar Cisneros. He has been ordered to pay $10,000 in compensatory damages and $30,000 in punitive damages to the plaintiffs, including Biden's then-campaign staffer David Gins, former state Sen. Wendy Davis, and bus driver Timothy Holloway.
According to the Associated Press, the incident occurred on the last day of early voting in Texas. The bus was headed to a planned stop at Texas State University when the caravan surrounded the bus and blocked the road as everyone slowed to about 15 miles per hour.
The caravan successfully slowed down traffic, but Cisneros was the only vehicle to make contact with another. Passengers on the bus for then-candidate Joe Biden repeatedly called 911 requesting police escort.
They were forced to cancel the campaign event when those calls went unheeded. Because of the timing of the protest, attorneys for the plaintiffs charged that it amounted to voter intimidation.
The judge disagreed with that charge for five of the defendants. Attorney Francisco Canseco, who represents Cisneros, vowed that "it’s not over yet" in the fight to clear his client's name after the conviction.
Although none of the defendants were criminally charged, the ordeal was clearly unnerving to those on the bus. "I feel like they were enjoying making us afraid. It’s traumatic for all of us to revisit that day," Davis shared.
Despite one conviction, both sides called the decision Monday a victory. "We’re just ready to feel like normal people again," defendant Joeylynn Mesaros said following the verdict.
Mesaros was relieved after spending years being harassed online for her role in the incident that the case was now closed. "It’s been a thousand something days to have our day in court," she added.
Bus driver Holloway was satisfied with the resolution as well. "When I came to this case it was never about politics that day. I’m grateful, I’m proud of my team."
Knowing that nobody was hurt that day makes this seem like some harmless stunt. However, it could have been so much worse with so many vehicles involved, including a full-sized bus.
It's great that Trump has the most loyal followers who will stop at nothing to see their favorite president in the White House. However, using these sorts of unsafe intimidation tactics is counterproductive to that mission.
In response to a direct question during an interview following the second assassination attempt on his life in two months, former President Donald Trump said he worries about his family's safety, even if he doesn't talk about it much.
No attempts have been made against any of Trump's family members so far. They have Secret Service protection, but so did he when both of the assasination attempts went down.
A man planned to kill him on his own golf course last weekend, but a Secret Service agent saw the rifle poking through the trees and scared him away by shooting at him.
On July 13 at a Butler, Pennslyvania rally, another shooter tried to take out Trump but also failed; although he killed another rallygoer and wounded two more.
After addressing his worries about his family, he then generalized his worry to the entire American public.
“I worry about everybody because look, we’re under siege, and no country has ever suffered like we have the last three and a half, almost four years,” Trump said on Fox News’s One Nation with Brian Kilmeade. “When they allow millions of people to come into our country, from prisons, right? From prisons, and terrorists, and people from mental institutions, and they take over our parks. Look at New York; you can’t play Little League baseball anymore. That doesn’t sound serious, but it is serious.”
He said that he is disturbed by the way illegal immigrants are being treated better than the country's veterans, who fought for the country and served it unselfishly.
Some illegal immigrants are being put up in fancy hotels, while disabled veterans generally get basic housing and health care.
“When you have that happening in this city and this country, I do, I want to protect everybody,” Trump said.
A big reason why Trump is running for president again after losing in 2020 is his desire to make the country better and to prevent it from being utterly ruined under continued Democrat rule.
Let's face it: Trump doesn't need the money he'd make from running for president.
Lots of candidates write a book that makes them millions or go on the speaking circuit and make six or seven figures per speech, but that would be fun money to the billionaire Trump.
Trump may have a lot of flaws as a candidate, but his motivation to do what he thinks will improve the country is pretty clear.
The left wants you to think he wants to be a dictator and that he's a threat to the country, but in reality, they need to destroy him because of his perspective as an outsider and knowledge of what needs to be done to save us.
A well-known personality from the world of cable news is mourning the profound loss of a beloved family member, prompting an outpouring of condolences from friends and colleagues alike.
CNN's Alisyn Camerota announced last week that her husband, Timothy Lewis, passed away earlier this summer following a battle with pancreatic cancer, as US Weekly reports.
It was on Friday that Camerota's Instagram account featured an image taken on her wedding day and an accompanying caption that let the world know about her family's tragedy.
“Some very sad personal news to share: my beloved and extraordinary husband Tim passed away on July 27th, two years after being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” she wrote.
Paying heartfelt tribute to her late spouse, Camerota added, “I cannot imagine any human being soldiering through a devastating diagnosis with more humor, humility and bravery than Tim.”
She went on to describe Lewis as “a phenomenal father, husband, friend and role model,” noting that “the rest of us are left trying to follow in his footsteps.”
Camerota and Lewis shared three children, 19-year-old twin girls and a 17-year-old son, and the CNN notable said that “Tim imbued us with a lot of strength and stability, and we're determined to try to emulate those qualities.”
According to the New York Post, Lewis, a Kansas City, Missouri, native, was the proud recipient of degrees from Yale University as well as the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
The outlet noted that Lewis then went on to build an impressive career in private equity and business consulting, working with such enterprises as the Keystone Group, CRG Partners, and Atlantic Street Capital.
Eventually, Lewis moved on to a new role with Southfield Capital, serving as a partner there for roughly a decade.
According to Camerota, Lewis “devoted much of his life to giving back to his community and trying to make life easier for the people around him.
“To that end,” she said, “we've set up a fund in his memory to help other families enduring a similar struggle,” highlighting the creation of the Tim Lewis Foundation to Fight Cancer and suggesting it as an outlet for anyone interested in making a memorial contribution.
In revealing the news of her devastating loss, Camerota noted, “This month would have been our 23rd wedding anniversary” and added, “I feel incredibly lucky to have had such a deep, committed, loving partnership for the time we had.”
Judging from the glowing words of remembrance, gratitude, and love that emerged in the wake of his death, it seems certain that Lewis' personal legacy is one that will endure not just within his own family, but among all those whose lives he touched.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) sent a letter to the Treasury Department Friday demanding records for the Democratic political action committee ActBlue, the New York Post reported. The organization was allegedly reporting "potentially fraudulent" contributions.
Two dozen Republicans signed a letter demanding Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen provide the Suspicious Activity Reports related to ActBlue created since Jan. 1, 2023. The organization is currently collecting donations for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The Republican-led committee seeks evidence of possible "money laundering, counterfeit credit/debit card, credit card or debit card fraud, false statements, wire transfer fraud, or identity theft." Reports claim that the organization was bringing in donations from people unaware they were giving, which suggests malfeasance.
🚨BREAKING: Chairman Comer (@RepJamesComer), Rep. Langworthy (@RepLangworthy), and several Oversight Committee Republican members today are launching an investigation into potential fraud and illicit financial activity linked to ActBlue campaign contributions.
Recent reports… pic.twitter.com/PInapsrwfX
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) September 20, 2024
The letter lays out a case that is disturbing if true. ActBlue is the subject of several investigations for "contributions allegedly made via the platform fraudulently without the reported contributor’s awareness," the letter stated.
"In Virginia, reports of contribution activity facilitated through the ActBlue platform included 'some cases in which single donors made tens of thousands of separate donations worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.'" These so-called dummy accounts are already under investigation by their GOP attorneys general in Texas, Wyoming, and Missouri.
"Federal law prohibits contributions made in the name of another person, and for good reason," Comer said in the letter to Yellen. Not knowing the actual source of these donations presents a problem.
"The Committee is concerned that failure to properly vet contributions made through online platforms may have allowed bad actors to more easily commit fraud to illegally exploit and violate federal campaign finance laws," the letter went on. It may include donations from foreign nationals who are barred from making contributions to candidates.
"They could also include individuals looking to flout the limits of individual contributions by fraudulently using others’ identities to evade those limits, in addition to other criminal activity in violation of campaign finance laws," the letter warned. Comer said the Treasury Department has until October 4, 2024, to comply with the request.
ActBlue may have created this issue by failing to require the Card Verification Value code for online credit and debit transactions. It recently changed that policy, but not before inviting such fraud with the oversight.
The deficiencies in security may also have allowed some foreign nationals to contribute via gift cards and prepaid cards in violation of the law. House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil (R-WI) was already tipped off about this problem with ActBlue.
Whistleblowers disclosed the lack of security, which prompted Steil to write to the Federal Election Commission last month to Chairman Sean Cooksey and Vice Chair Ellen Weintraub last month. Steil wrote that it "is necessary to reassure the American people that ActBlue is taking the necessary steps to protect its donors," Steil wrote.
Steil warned that it was "a serious loophole to the transparency and integrity of the campaign donation process..." This problem is significant as ActBlue raised more than $2.2 billion for Democrats in 2021-2022 alone.
This situation points strongly to a scandal of great proportions if these reports are accurate. Harris has not been implicated directly in any way, but it's not a great look for her to be one of the beneficiaries of the possible scheme.
America First Legal filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service, Breitbart reported.
The conservative public interest group alleges that the agencies are purposely withholding information about the first assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
AFL launched several probes days after the July 13 shooting that nicked the former president's ear, barely missing the kill shot to Trump's head. The organization has filed a Freedom of Information Act and requested to gain access to information from the federal agencies in charge of protecting him that day.
The public interest group has requested all communications for July 13 involving DHS officials, including Secretary Alejandro Majorkas and senior officials Jonathan Davidson and Kristie Canegello. AFL has also asked for agendas from the director and deputy director of the Secret Service and other agency top brass.
"To date, AFL has not received any requested records, despite requesting expedited processing and meeting all of the standards in law to receive such expedited proceedings," the organization said in a statement. The FOIA request was necessary as the agencies have not been forthcoming.
The Secret Service informed the AFL in July that it could not readily provide the requested information due to a lack of personnel. It also claimed that there was no further threat to anyone's life, which now rings hollow considering the second attempt on Trump's life.
"Just a few days ago, another assassin attempted to take President Trump’s life in Florida. There is no denying that President Trump currently faces genuine threats, and AFL’s requests would help to ensure that USSS and DHS leadership are sufficiently trained and staffed to ensure the safety of President Trump," AFL continued in its statement.
"The American people need total transparency," it added. Unfortunately, as Senate HSGAC Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Ranking Member Sen. Ron Johnson noted, the Secret Service has been anything but transparent.
"[The] toxicology report; we don’t have any of the trajectory reports. So, where’d the bullets go? We don’t even know how they handled the crime scene," Johnson said to the press about gunman Matthew Thomas Crooks' autopsy and other reports.
The Wisconsin Republican added that to date, he hadn't interviewed the Secret Service sniper who shot and killed Crooks to stop the attack. "There’s just basic information we should have right now, and we don’t have it," Johnson said.
Perhaps the agencies had something to hide after all. As Fox News reported, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe admitted Friday that "communication deficiencies" hindered the response to Crooks, who was spotted climbing up to the roof where he'd take his shots against Trump.
"For example, the Secret Service did not co-locate its security room with local law enforcement. There was an over-reliance on mobile devices, resulting in information being siloed," Rowe told reporters.
Communication failures came after agents used radio and phones to communicate Crooks' whereabouts, leading to a split in how they were informed. "At approximately 1810 local time, by a phone call, the Secret Service security room calls the counter sniper response agent, reporting an individual on the roof of the building," Rowe shared
"That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service Radio network," he added. "The Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Integrity are reviewing the findings," Rowe later promised.
It is unfathomable to think that these organizations failed so miserably at protecting a former president and current GOP presidential candidate. Changes must be made to ensure Trump and all other politicians are safe no matter what.
House Republicans shut down Speaker Mike Johnson's attempt to pass the SAVE Act with a continuing resolution meant to prevent a government shutdown, Breitbart reported. The California Republican's effort failed 202-220 after 14 Republicans voted against it and two voted present.
Congress is fighting to fund the government to avoid an impending shutdown as the presidential election looms. In the midst of this fight, Johnson attached the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, which requires proof of citizenship to register to vote, to the continuing resolution bill.
Some Republicans found that problematic and voted down the legislation on Wednesday. One of the main objections was that the spending bill had no significant cuts but impacted defense spending, while others worried it would backfire.
Others felt that attaching it to a voter security measure was only a cheap enticement. Only three Democrats were willing to pass the bill, but it didn't make a dent, with so many Republicans objecting.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was one of the most outspoken opponents of the attempt. In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Greene called it a "classic bait and switch" on Johnson's part.
"This is classic bait and switch that will enrage the base, only one month before the election, when they find out they have been tricked and let down again. The only way to make the SAVE Act a law would be to refuse to pass a CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and Biden agrees to sign it into law," Green predicted.
She worried that the shutdown would happen anyway, and President Joe Biden and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) would use it against the GOP. "This would force a Gov shutdown on Oct 1 because Biden and Schumer both said they will shutdown the government as they are that adamant against the SAVE Act," Greene wrote.
"Johnson will NOT commit to standing up against the Democrats in a shutdown fight and will allow passage of a clean CR in order to fund the government because he believes a gov shutdown will be blamed on Republicans and will hurt their elections. Johnson is leading a fake fight that he has no intention of actually fighting," Greene charged.
This is classic bait and switch that will enrage the base, only one month before the election, when they find out they have been tricked and let down again.
The only way to make the SAVE Act a law would be to refuse to pass a CR until the Senate agrees to pass the SAVE Act and… https://t.co/XAGq59ycvT
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) September 17, 2024
According to Fox News, lawmakers supporting the legislation applauded Johnson's attempt to get the government funded through March with this move. By then, the new administration would have to take up the budget issue in earnest.
Johnson wanted the government funding issue off the table but also wanted the SAVE Act passed. Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy has championed the bill and called out fellow Republicans for backing away.
"I would dare any one of my colleagues who are against this plan, come forward with a better plan that we will actually be able to move, pass, and unite the Republican Party to go beat Democrats. Don’t predict failure and then be the reason why we fail – and that’s what some of my friends are doing, unfortunately," Roy said.
Proponents also believe the SAVE Act presents Republicans with a strong starting point for negotiations as the bill moves into the Senate, which has a Democrat majority. Meanwhile, both parties agree that something must be done to prevent the Oct. 1 government shutdown.
The fight over a government shutdown is a familiar one. The SAVE Act may have its merits, but these political games months before a presidential election are too risky, no matter the potential reward.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has threatened to use his "subpoena power" to get to the bottom of both assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump, the Post Millenial reported. Blumenthal said the Biden-Harris Department of Justice is "stonewalling" the investigation.
Blumenthal is the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations under the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. He promised to use the force of his position to thoroughly investigate the two attempts on Trump's life.
The Connecticut Democrat railed against President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' Justice Department for obstructing that mission. On Monday, he said the agency was "almost derelict in its duty by resisting our requests for documents, evidence, and information that are necessary to investigate" the attempts.
"We may need to require more cooperation from them. And we have the power to do so through the compulsory process. In other words, the subpoena power," Blumenthal said.
The senator has turned on Biden and Harris over this issue. Although Blumenthal has never been a fan of Trump, he is rightly blaming the current administration, if not for its failures to protect the former president, then for its continued obstruction in the probe.
The first assassination attempt occurred on July 13 when Trump was hit in the ear by a bullet. Blumenthal already believes the committee found abysmal failures that can be laid directly at the feet of the Biden-Harris administration.
After all, this happened to Harris' GOP rival under her watch. "I think the American people are going to be shocked, astonished, and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures by the Secret Service in this assassination attempt on the former president," Blumenthal said.
"But I think they also ought to be appalled and astonished by the failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank, as it should be to them in terms of providing information," Blumenthal added. If they are hiding something, it's reasonable to ask why.
The second attempt on Trump's life only adds to the suspicion. On Sunday, the Secret Service spotted would-be gunman Ryan Wesley Routh just one hole ahead of where Trump was playing a round of golf, the New York Post reported. How he knew where to find Trump and got so close to him before being discovered leaves many unsettled.
Even if there is none of the stonewalling Blumenthal is alleging, Biden and Harris still share a portion of the blame for what has happened. ABC News reported that Trump believes Democrats' "highly inflammatory language" is inciting people like Routh to violence against him.
"These are people that want to destroy our country. It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat," Trump said.
Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, was more direct in blaming the president and vice president. "I know it's popular on a lot of corners of the left to say that ... we have a both-sides problem. And I'm not going to say we're always perfect. I'm not going to say that conservatives always get things exactly right," Vance said in Atlanta at the Georgia Fath and Freedom Dinner Monday.
"But you know, the big difference between conservatives and liberals is that we -- no one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months, and two people now have tried to kill Donald Trump in the last couple of months. I'd say that's pretty strong evidence that the left needs to tone down the rhetoric and needs to cut this crap out," Vance added.
Trump has been too close to mortal danger two times in as many months. If there truly is obstruction on the part of the current administration in finding out how and why, Blumenthal's committee needs to get to the bottom of it before another attempt succeeds.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that controversial language describing the Issue 1 redistricting amendment to the state's constitution may remain on the ballot with few changes, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The Republican-approved language said the amendment requires gerrymandering, while proponents believe it does the opposite.
The high court ruled 4-3 in favor of Republicans' characterization of the amendment as it will appear when Ohioans cast their votes on Nov. 5. The amendment would shift the task of drawing the maps away from state politicians to an appointed commission comprised of 15 citizens.
Citizens Not Politicians, which proposed the amendment, sued over the descriptive language for voters that they believe is the opposite of the measure's intention. The organization asserted that Republicans intentionally politicized the description.
However, prominent state Republicans, like Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, sided with the characterization based on its move away from the will of voters. The state's Supreme Court did as well, except for two sections that need fine-tuning by the Ohio Ballot Board.
Citizens Not Politicians has proposed a system in which a commission would be formed with five Democrats, five Republicans, and five independents. Issue 1 would move district mapping away from a voter-approved method to this new committee.
The chosen panelists would be responsible for drawing the congressional maps rather than elected officials as voters approved in 2015 and 2018. These panelists would be barred from serving as lobbyists, political consultants, elected officials, or any other political activity.
"Ohioans across the political spectrum − Republicans, Independents, Democrats − want to end gerrymandering. That’s why they’re voting yes on Issue 1: to reject the politicians’ lies, to get politicians and lobbyists out of the map-rigging business, and to end gerrymandering," Citizens Not Politicians claimed.
However, opponents believe that this new commission overrides what voters have already approved. They also believe that such a committee of unelected persons would open the door to exactly the practice the amendment is meant to stop.
Publicizing this fact on the ballot in the language describing the amendment is a win for the naysayers. "The ballot language is now clear: Issue 1 will force gerrymandering into the state constitution while destroying the anti-gerrymandering reforms Ohio voters approved by more than 70%," Ohio Auditor Keith Faber said of the measure.
This ballot measure could play an outsized role in national elections because Ohio is considered both a swing and bellwether state. As NPR pointed out, Republicans and Democrats court voters from the Buckeye State each cycle, and 2024 is no different.
Ohio has the longest-running legacy of picking the national winners, from 1964 with Lyndon Johnson through Donald Trump's 2016 victory. Moreover, since the Civil War, Ohio has chosen the winner 21 times and the loser only four times, including Trump's 2020 bid.
Vice President Kamala Harris will have to win over these voters who overwhelmingly chose Trump the last time he was on the national ballot. Moreover, she must convince them to choose her over their homegrown Sen. J.D. Vance, who appears on the GOP ticket as the former president's running mate.
If redistricting continues to favor Republicans through the conventional districting model, that could spell trouble for the Democratic Party, and they know it. If Harris wins the presidency, it will be that much harder for her and the Democratic Party to hold onto it next time around.
It's important that citizens know exactly what they are choosing when voting on these ballot initiatives. Any bill amendment that takes an issue away from elected officials, including Issue 1, should be met with skepticism.
Following a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, both Democrats and Republicans are questioning whether more Secret Service protection is needed to keep him safe in the runup to the presidential election in November.
Trump was reported safe after shots were fired near the sixth hole at the Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump was golfing near the fifth hole at the time, less than 500 yards away.
Police arrested Ryan Wesley Routh after he allegedly fled the scene. Routh didn't actually shoot the AK-47 that was later found in the bushes, the shots were fired by a Secret Service agent who saw the gun poking out of the bushes.
Routh had posted about support for Ukraine and even visited Ukraine in 2022. He also donated to Democrat organizations.
His son Oran Routh said to media sources that his father hated Trump, but Routh also said the two were estranged.
The motive for trying to shoot Trump was unclear, but it would seem that most of these shooters have mental health issues and don't make a lot of sense.
Given that Routh is still alive, maybe his motive will eventually be discovered.
Trump's campaign posted about the assassination attempt, which is now being investigated by the FBI.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 15, 2024