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Politics

Trump Survives Attempt on His Life

Failed Assassination Attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania

America has been living its longest era without an assassination attempt. Well, until Saturday, atleast. 

Former (and future? More on that in a moment) President Donald Trump was shot in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania Saturday evening. If you haven’t seen any of the many videos yet, you can view how it all went down here. 

After getting nicked by a bullet in the right ear, Trump got down on the floor of the stage, as Secret Service members dogpiled on top of him, to provide a human shield. Once the shooter was neutralized (with one shot to the head from a sniper), security then got Trump back to his feet and whisked him off the stage, into a dark SUV and quickly out of there. However, not before Trump could deliver one of the most iconic moments from a politician… ever? 

This was the first assassination attempt on a (former) president in this country since Ronald Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981 - more than 43 years ago. It was also the first time a presidential candidate had ever been injured in an attack during the campaign. 

There have been, sadly, four presidents assassinated in our country’s history, while in office: Abraham Lincoln (1865), James Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1901) and, of course, John F. Kennedy (1963). Theodore Roosevelt was once shot in 1912 (three years following the conclusion of his presidency), Franklin D. Roosevelt was shot at in 1933 (17 days before his inauguration), there were two attempts on Gerald Ford (both in September of 1975), and then Reagan. 

Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. on his way to his limo after a speaking engagement in Washington D.C. Hinckley’s motive behind the attack was to try and impress actress Jodie Foster, who he became obsessed with after seeing her in “Taxi Driver.” Reagan was seriously wounded by a bullet that ricocheted off his limo and into his midsection: breaking a rib, puncturing a lung, and causing serious internal bleeding. He was reportedly close to death, before emergency exploratory surgery in the emergency room.

That was the last such incident, until the attempt on Trump this past weekend. Following the shooting in 1981, Reagan’s approval rating increased by 22% (he was already president and not campaigning for an election). So what does it mean for Trump and this election? Well the betting odds have already shifted from -180 before Saturday, to now -380 that Trump will win the election. Many believe this has sealed the deal for him.

Trump issued a statement Saturday night, after the event, as did his wife Melania, and then was (reportedly) seen golfing on Sunday. He also still plans to attend the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, which begins today. The Republican National Committee Chairman, Michael Whatley, said on Fox News Sunday that authorities are working to further safeguard the venue, after having already spent months making security preparations for the event.  

President Biden did release a statement on Saturday following the shooting. He also spoke with Trump and, on Sunday, said he directed the Secret Service to provide Trump with every “resource” of protection. Biden also requested a review of how the gunman was able to get so close to Trump.

As for the shooter, he has been identified as 20-year-old Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania - which is about an hour from where the rally took place on Saturday. There have been conflicting reports on Crooks political background. Some have reported that he was a registered Republican, others say he donated to Biden’s campaign.

According to the FBI, Crooks had no mental health issues, worked at a nursing center, and acted alone in his attempt to shoot Trump. He used an “AR-style 5.56 rifle” that was legally purchased by his father, and climbed on top of a roof approximately 150 yards from where Trump was speaking on stage.

The fact that he was able to do this, while going mostly unnoticed by security, has prompted a lot of scrutiny. On Sunday, there was even a report of a police officer encountering Crooks, before retreating once Crooks pointed his rifle at him. 

According to an anonymous report, the Wall Street Journal reported that explosives were located in Crooks car as well. The Associated Press reported that law enforcement found materials to make a bomb at Crooks’ home. 

Crooks' father told CNN that he is still trying to figure out “what the hell is going on.” Crooks was killed by a single shot to the head by a sniper, stopping the attack.

Sadly, there was one victim in this shooting. As 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was struck with a stray bullet and killed. An ER doctor told a story of trying to help Corey afterwards. And Corey’s daughter posted a very emotional tribute to her father on social media, detailing how he covered her and her mother to protect them - getting hit with a bullet himself instead. Corey died a hero, protecting his family. A GoFundMe campaign has already blown by its requested amount of money.

Regardless of your political leanings, we should all be in agreement that there is no place in society for an event like Saturdays. It was one of the most historic days in the country, but for mostly the wrong reasons. It was a sad day. Maybe a scary one too. Let’s hope we go at least another 43+ years before the next attempt.

Business/Tech

Breach!

To get you caught up on the other big stories of the weekend… there was a data breach at AT&T, as nearly all customers had their data downloaded from a third-party platform. 

This breach took place in April and involved data mostly from 2022, affecting cellular customers, wireless customers and even those who used landlines to talk with people on AT&T cell service.

Nearly 109 million people were impacted, but AT&T does not believe that the stolen data is publicly available right now… if that makes you feel any better about it. 

AT&T said that “the data does not contain the content of calls or texts, personal information such as Social Security numbers, dates of birth, or other personally identifiable information.”

Instead, the data could be used to piece things together - such as who is calling who. But not necessarily personal or sensitive information. 

AT&T said the third party platform is “Snowflake” and the data comes from their records of calls and texts between May and November of 2022.

Entertainment

Alec Baldwin Cleared

Alec Baldwin’s court case was dismissed Friday after only three days, due to suppressed evidence.

Baldwin was on trial in New Mexico for involuntary manslaughter, after the killing of Halyna Hutchins on the film set of “Rust” in 2021. 

Baldwin, who broke down in tears while receiving the news in court, released a statement on social media thanking supporters for their kindness.

The evidence issue revolved around the ammunition, as the defense argued that the prosecutors hid evidence from them.

There is still no clear answer on how the live rounds of ammunition actually wound up on set.

Economy

Rate Cuts

To follow up on a story from last week…the new data was released on Thursday that showed consumer prices continued to decline - doing so for the third straight month.

Price increase was measured at a flat 3% in June, down from 3.3% in May. And if you recall, Jerome Powell has continually stated that he is waiting until inflation gets back towards 2% before the Fed decides to cut interest rates.

This was the first monthly decline in overall inflation since May 2020, when this whole mess first began. Inflation was as high as 9% in June of 2022, compared to just 3% now two years later (if you can believe it).

Policymakers have said that they would need to see several months of mild price increases to feel confident enough to cut their key rate, which is currently at a 23-year high. 

This has also been the worst price spike in consumer goods in four decades.

World News

Air Raid

There’s still very much a conflict in the Middle East

90 people are dead, including children, following an Israeli air strike that hit densely-populated Al-Mawasi. The air strike injured nearly 300 others.

This area was previously designated as a safe zone. Israel said they were targeting Mohammad Deif, the head of Hamas’ military. However, Hamas immediately denied that Deif was in the area. Israel believes that Deif (who has not been seen publicly in years) is one of the two ring leaders that spearheaded the October 7th attack, which killed 1,200 people and ignited this whole war.  

Sports

All-Star Break

Livvy will probably be there too.

To provide some levity… the Major League Baseball All-Star Break begins tonight with the home run derby. The All-Star Game will be tomorrow night. Rookie sensation Paul Skenes, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, will start the game for the National League, becoming just the fifth rookie to ever do so. 

Others to have done so: Hideo Nomo (1995), Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Mark Fidrych (1976) and Dave Stenhouse (1962). 

The American League are small favorites in tomorrow’s “Midsummer Classic”, as they have won nine of the last 10 games. 

In a fun moment, Skenes was told he was going to start the game during his interview on The Dan Patrick Show last week. 

Weekly Commute

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