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Venezuelan Opposition Calls On US To Cancel Oil Company Licenses To Pressure Maduro
Trump Assassination Attempt Suspect Ryan Wesley Routh Urged Iran To Kill Former President In Book He Wrote About World War III
The individual accused of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at his golf course on Sunday had previously urged the Iranian government to eliminate the former president in a book he co-authored with his wife, Kathleen Shaffer.
Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, expressed remorse to the Iranian people, claiming responsibility for his 2016 vote for Trump in his self-published book, Ukraine’s Unwinnable War. The book is a disorganized reflection on his views regarding global politics.
“I must take part of the blame for the retarded child that we elected for our next president that ended up being brainless, but I am man enough to say that I misjudged and made a terrible mistake and Iran I apologize,” Routh states in the book, which was released last year.
“You are free to assassinate Trump as well as me for that error in judgment and the dismantling of the [nuclear] deal. No one here in the US seems to have the balls to put natural selection to work or even unnatural selection,” Routh added.
In 2018, two years after taking office, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a nuclear deal with Iran and reinstated sanctions that had previously been eased as part of the 2015 agreement.
In addition to his call for Trump’s assassination, Routh also advocated for the killing of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the same book. The book, edited by Shaffer, 61, who works as a manager at Old Navy in Hawaii, is still available on Amazon.
“We all ponder as to why our great minds did not simply kill Hitler early on, and now why have we not taken steps to kill Putin at all costs to end this war,” Routh writes.
According to reports, Secret Service agents encountered Routh on Sunday near the fifth and sixth holes of Trump’s golf course, located close to the Mar-a-Lago resort.
Agents reportedly spotted Routh’s firearm sticking out of nearby bushes, prompting one agent to fire a shot, causing him to flee his position where he had allegedly been stationed for nearly 12 hours.
Routh escaped to his car and drove away, but a witness managed to take a photo of his vehicle, including the license plate. He was subsequently arrested while traveling on I-95.
Routh appeared in federal court on Monday morning, facing charges for possessing a firearm despite a prior felony conviction, as well as having a gun with an obliterated serial number.
In his lengthy book, Routh recounts a five-month effort to join the war in Ukraine, comparing his situation to that of British author George Orwell, who went to Spain in 1936 to fight against fascism during the Spanish Civil War.
“I, just like every other good human with a moral compass, knew that the right thing to do was to go to Ukraine and fight for freedom and human rights, and that is what I did,” Routh claims, noting that it took him a month to pack his belongings, store them, and acquire unspecified “military gear” for the journey.
Routh describes traveling to Poland with the hope of enlisting but says he was rejected due to his age and lack of military background.
His attempts to participate in the Ukrainian conflict in 2022 by volunteering in any capacity were unsuccessful. He set up a temporary tent for international volunteers in Kyiv’s Independence Square, but it was dismantled by police a few weeks later.
When Routh tried to set up camp in another public square, he again faced resistance from both Ukrainian authorities and citizens.
“I had hoped that I could bend Ukraine towards democracy and freedom and human rights and be a representative of the USA,” Routh writes. “I lost the fight. It was a childish, idealistic endeavor that was unwinnable.”
Throughout his book, Routh frequently complains about the costs he personally incurred for food and shelter, claiming he received no support from the Ukrainians, despite his intentions to help defend them against Russian aggression.
“Far more saddening than the difference in mindset is the lack of appreciation for those that pay to travel to Ukraine and risk death to fight for their freedom,” he said. “There seems to be a total disregard for the sacrifice.”
The book also contains graphic images depicting violence from Iran, Afghanistan, and other global conflict zones.
{Matzav.com}
American Pastor Detained In China For Nearly 20 Years Has Been Released
Secret Service Slammed Day After Second Attempt on Trump’s Life
The Secret Service is facing new scrutiny after a gunman came within range of former president Trump for the second time in less than 10 weeks on Sunday, raising concerns about whether the elite protective agency is stretched too thin in a politically polarized nation where many people have ready access to guns.
“Thank God the president’s OK,” President Joe Biden said Monday to reporters. “One thing I want to make clear: The service needs more help.”
Biden declined to provide additional details about the agency’s needs but urged Congress to consider increasing the agency’s funding and allowing it to hire more staff.
Secret Service agents’ quick actions likely prevented Sunday’s incident in Florida from escalating, law-enforcement officials said. Authorities quickly detained Ryan Wesley Routh and charged him Monday with two gun-related crimes at a federal courthouse in West Palm Beach, Fla.
But the latest potential attempt on Trump’s life happened before the agency, Congress, and other oversight bodies had completed their assessment of the security breakdowns ahead of the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania. In that incident, a gunman armed with an AR-style weapon climbed atop an unmonitored roof and fired several shots at a campaign rally, killing one attendee and injuring others, including Trump.
Multiple federal investigations are underway into the July 13 attack, including a 60-day “mission assurance” review by the Secret Service, an independent investigation ordered by Biden and the Department of Homeland Security that is expected to conclude in early October, as well as probes by Congress and the DHS Inspector General, the agency’s internal watchdog.
The Secret Service plans to launch another mission assurance review of Sunday’s attack, though it has not yet published the findings of its July 13 internal review, said agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
The Washington Post reported last week that the internal review had confirmed security failures that led to the July assassination attempt, including that the service never directed local police to secure the roof of the building used by the gunman. Agency officials said they increased equipment and personnel for Trump and other protectees – more than 40 officials and their family members – in response to the attack.
In contrast, the Secret Service won praise for its handling of Sunday’s incident.
A sharp-eyed agent scouting ahead as Trump golfed at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach spotted a gun barrel poking through a tree-shaded chain-link fence and opened fire, giving the team accompanying the former president time to rush him to safety.
Rep. Bill Keating, a Democrat from Massachusetts who investigated the government’s failure to prevent the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, said in an interview Monday that Congress and others should increase the Secret Service’s resources and beef up its policies and procedures to allow it to more quickly identify and neutralize threats.
He said officials should consider surging resources to protectees such as Trump based on the threat levels they are facing, and not on whether they are a sitting president or only a candidate for office. He said lawmakers also should consider jettisoning some of the agency’s nonprotective duties, such as investigating some financial crimes.
“The index for increased violence is clearly going up,” Keating said.
He said Congress should urgently examine the agency’s needs and resources, as well as its organizational structure.
“With two instances so close together, we may not be as fortunate in the future,” he said.
The second attack on Trump occurred just as the Secret Service is preparing for one of its most challenging events, the United Nations General Assembly, which draws scores of world leaders to New York, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
And the presidential campaign is in full swing, with under two months to go before the November elections. Trump is expected to meet Monday with the acting director of the Secret Service. On Monday night, Trump is scheduled to unveil a new cryptocurrency business. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to meet with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that has not endorsed a presidential candidate.
Multiple Democratic members of Congress have called for increasing Secret Service funding in the weeks since the July 13 attempt on Trump’s life.
“We have a heightened threat environment … We have a current president, we have a former president running, we have a vice president who’s a presidential candidate, and we have all their families, and that’s not even to mention all the vice-presidential candidates,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), a member of the bipartisan House committee investigating the July 13 assassination attempt, said on Fox News on Monday. “The Secret Service told us very clearly last week that they are redlined. They are working overtime, over time – double overtime. These folks are burning out, they need new resources. We need to get them help so that they can do the job that the Americans, people expect them to do.”
But House Republicans have consistently stymied additional funding for the Secret Service over the past year as a right-wing bloc of the GOP conference has rebelled against funding bills they’ve argued have bent to Democratic priorities.
“President Trump needs the most coverage of anyone,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Monday on Fox & Friends. “We are demanding in the House that he have every asset available, and we will make more available, if necessary.”
“I don’t think it’s a funding issue,” Johnson added.
Instead, the House GOP has focused its criticisms on DHS, slamming the agency for delaying the release of an inspector general report related to its failures ahead of and during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. If the report had been released earlier, Republicans have argued, it could have provided insight into Secret Service deficiencies before the assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pa.
Rep. Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.) is one of the few House Republicans who has publicly suggested that Secret Service might require more funding. Although he did not specify how much money might be required, he co-authored a bill with Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) that calls for the Secret Service to increase the number of agents protecting presidential candidates and allows for the appropriation of money “necessary to carry out” the change.
House Republicans face a key decision on Secret Service funding this month. In recent weeks, the White House Office of Management and Budget urged lawmakers to ensure the protective agency has enough money to secure National Special Security Events such as the presidential inauguration and protect Trump and Harris for the remainder of the election. Congress must approve a government funding bill by Oct. 1 to avert a government shutdown.
(c) 2024, The Washington Post · Maria Sacchetti, Jacqueline Alemany
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Gafni To Hostages’ Families: There Was An Offer For A Unity Gov’t, It’s Off The Table
MK Moshe Gafni of United Torah Judaism, who heads the Knesset’s Finance Committee, addressed recent reports on Monday regarding efforts to expand the current government into a broader “unity” coalition.
During a meeting of the Committee, families of the hostages approached Gafni, urging him to exert maximum pressure on the Israeli government to broker a deal that would exchange prisoners for the release of the hostages.
“I identify with what you are saying,” Gafni assured them. “I am doing what I can.”
The families went a step further, insisting that Gafni take a firm stance by issuing an ultimatum: if a deal isn’t reached, both he and his family should refuse to continue participating in the coalition.
In response, Gafni remarked, “There was an offer for a unity government. But it was taken off the table.”
The representatives from the families pressed on, urging him to pursue further negotiations. “Continue with additional offers. Don’t stop. Ask yourself every day: What can I do to advance something?”
Gafni concluded by reiterating his commitment to the cause, stating, “I speak about this matter all the time, and my opinion is said everywhere. Including in closed rooms.”
{Matzav.com Israel}
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Hamas Chief Sinwar Says Terror Group Ready For ‘Long War Of Attrition’ Against Israel
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has stated that his organization is ready for an extended conflict with Israel. He conveyed this message to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran, as the Gaza war nears its one-year mark.
“We have prepared ourselves to fight a long war of attrition that will break the enemy’s political will,” Sinwar said. He expressed confidence that Hamas, along with Iran-backed groups in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen, would ultimately defeat Israel.
In his communication to Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi, Sinwar added: “I congratulate you on your success in sending your missiles deep into the enemy entity, bypassing all layers and defense and interception systems.”
He emphasized the shared objectives of Hamas and their allies in the region, stating: “Our combined efforts with you” and with groups in Lebanon and Iraq “will break this enemy and inflict defeat on it.”
{Matzav.com}
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Trump Golf Course Shooting May Have Been At Scene 12 Hours, Per Complaint
The man suspected in an assassination attempt against Donald Trump appears to have been in the area around the former president’s golf course for 12 hours before a Secret Service agent spotted his rifle and opened fire, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed in Florida on Monday.
A Secret Service agent protecting Trump, the Republican nominee in the November election, saw a gun poking out of the tree line near where Trump was golfing and fired in that direction.
Law enforcement officials, according to the complaint, suspect the man wielding that weapon was 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. Routh fled the scene and left behind his phone, his loaded SKS-style rifle with a scope and some food, according to the complaint.
Law enforcement officials found Routh’s cellphone number in one of his Facebook posts and were able to quickly track his phone data, which suggested he could have been hiding in the bushes from around 2 a.m. until about 1:30 p.m., when the Secret Service saw him, the complaint said.
Routh appeared before a judge in federal court in Florida on Monday morning as officials charged him with two crimes: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The obliterated serial number makes it harder for authorities to track the weapon and could mean a slower process to determine how Routh obtained it. The FBI agent who wrote the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint said the type of weapon Routh had is not manufactured in Florida, and the agent suspects it was obtained from another state or abroad.
Routh is expected to enter his plea of guilty or not guilty at his arraignment Sept. 30.
Federal law enforcement officials have not released a motive, but they have said they are investigating the incident as a possible assassination attempt.
While the initial charges against Routh do not accuse him of trying to kill Trump, the ongoing investigation could result in additional charges.
If the case is determined to be an attempted assassination, it would be the second one on Trump in about two months. On July 13, a man shot and injured Trump at a Pennsylvania rally. The Secret Service shot and killed the gunman.
Routh is not suspected to have fired a shot on Sunday, and was uninjured by the Secret Service agent who shot at him.
A witness saw Routh fleeing Trump’s golf course, the complaint states. About 45 minutes after that, local law enforcement pulled Routh over as he was speeding north along Interstate 95.
When officers pulled him over, they asked if he understood why he was being stopped, according to the complaint. Routh allegedly responded that he understood.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder told local station WPEC on Monday that when his deputies spotted Routh driving along I-95, “he was smart, he was just driving with the Florida traffic. I think he may have thought he got away with it.”
Synder said the case raises questions that federal authorities will have to answer.
“How does a guy from not here get all the way to Trump International, realize that the former president is golfing and is able to get a rifle in that vicinity?” the sheriff said. “Is this guy part of a conspiracy? Is he a lone gunman? … If he’s part of a conspiracy then this whole thing really takes on a very ominous tone.”
According to the complaint, the license plate affixed to Routh’s Nissan is registered to a “2012 white Ford truck and has been reported stolen.”
(c) 2024, The Washington Post · Perry Stein, Devlin Barrett, Mark Berman
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Report: This Is How Yahya Sinwar Has Avoided Assassination For 11 Months
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has managed to elude targeted assassination attempts for nearly a year by utilizing a basic communication system, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal published on Monday.
The article states that ever since the October 7 attacks, which were carried out under Sinwar’s orders, he has deliberately avoided using phones, text messages, or any form of digital communication to prevent Israeli forces from pinpointing his location.
Instead, Sinwar relies on a network involving handwritten messages, coded language, and couriers to relay his instructions. Notes are passed from one courier to another until they reach their destination, often containing secret codes. This method mirrors one he devised during his incarceration for terrorist activities.
This low-tech system has even been used to convey orders to Arab mediators visiting Gaza or to Hamas members abroad. Sinwar has refused to use electronic communication, even when it causes delays in ceasefire negotiations due to the slow relay of messages between him and other parties.
Following the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas official, in Beirut earlier this year, Sinwar reinforced this approach. He has limited his communication to only a few voice recordings, shared with a very small circle of trusted aides.
{Matzav.com}
Hamas Leader Sinwar Congratulates Houthis for Missile Attack on Israel
Kamala Harris to Sit Down for Cushy Interview with Oprah Winfrey
If Kamala Harris is expecting her upcoming sit-down with Oprah Winfrey to quell critics who say she avoids tough inquiries, she might find herself unsatisfied. However, as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, Harris will certainly have a platform to outline her positions during a “Unite for America” online event scheduled for Thursday, where she will be interviewed by the “Queen of All Media.”
The two-hour conversation will be filmed at a private location in Michigan, according to Harris’s campaign.
It’s no mystery where Oprah’s loyalties lie in the 2024 presidential race; she delivered a speech endorsing Harris at the Democratic National Convention. The event is being coordinated with the support of the Win With Black Women volunteer organization, and around 140 grassroots groups have received invitations to participate.
At the same time, Donald Trump’s team confirms that he will also be in Michigan on Thursday. Now, if Oprah were to interview Trump—that would certainly be a spectacle.
{Matzav.com}
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CAN’T MAKE IT UP: MSNBC Host Asks If Trump Campaign Will Call For ‘Toning Down’ Rhetoric After Assassination Attempt Outside Golf Club
MSNBC host Alex Witt raised the question of whether former President Trump’s campaign might urge a reduction in “rhetoric” following a shooting that occurred outside his golf club on Sunday.
In response to early reports of gunfire near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Witt asked if Trump’s campaign would take the opportunity to encourage supporters to “tone down the violence.”
“Do you expect there to be calls from within the Trump campaign to do that?” Witt inquired. “Because he will reach out to his supporters and say let’s take this down. We do not know the source of any gunshots or gunshots. We do not know who is responsible for this. The whole thing has yet to be 100% confirmed from start to finish how this all played out.”
She went on to ask, “But do you expect to hear anything from the Trump campaign about toning down the rhetoric? Toning down the violence? Or would that be atypical of the former president?”
MSNBC political analyst Elise Jordan chimed in, recalling, “Well, remember back to the assassination attempt from President Trump’s life and how there was talk of a new tone and the Republican convention was, by Trumpian standards, muted, and it did seem like he was trying to take it down a few notches. But then by the end of the convention speech, we were back to where we started.”
Jordan continued, saying, “I don’t know how long this moment of unity for the country where we come together and say ‘I don’t want any political opposition to be under threat of violence. We don’t want that.’ I would love for us to have a unity-type moment, but I think it is probably going to be fleeting, as we have seen in the past.”
She also speculated whether individuals on “both sides of the aisle” would be able to help “lower the temperature.”
“How have we gotten to this point when the demonization of the other side… it is no longer politics. It has gotten bigger than that, the calls for violence, the violent rhetoric and look at what happens. This heated rhetoric can only go so far before, unfortunately, it has led to violence on both sides of the aisle. So I think it is something that Democrats and Republicans have to be very cognizant about. What can we all do to take the temperature down?” Jordan questioned.
Initial reports from the shooting suggested that the gunfire involved two individuals targeting each other and that Trump was not the intended victim. However, as more details emerged, the FBI released a statement indicating that this appeared to be another assassination attempt on the former president.
The suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, was allegedly armed with a rifle when agents engaged him, according to law enforcement sources confirmed by Fox News.
Authorities stated that Routh managed to push the muzzle of his gun through the chainlink fence surrounding the golf club.
Routh was positioned 300 to 500 yards away from Trump when the Secret Service spotted him and returned fire.
Though Routh initially escaped, he was later apprehended by authorities and arrested.
Routh was discovered with two backpacks and a GoPro camera. The rifle he used was later found in the bushes near the golf course.
This incident follows an assassination attempt on Trump that occurred approximately two months earlier during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
{Matzav.com}