News of the World
07-21-2024, 10:42 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-22-2024, 01:19 AM by DerVVulfman.)
Breaking News
Let us remember what might have been one of the excuses,
I mean, 
reasons why Biden dropped out on Sunday.
Other News
What I find laughable about this report is that they mentioned some human source there. I don't think any animal like a
will ever tell us what somebody has commented on any conspiracy of sorts. 
Secret Service Agents spotted 10 minutes before Trump took the stage
So we had a warning of someone suspicious at a Presidential Rally twenty minutes before the shooting, but it was neither a red flag and was a “very short” window, too short to do anything? And what's with the sloped window excuse given Crooks was on the roof? Its standard SOP... Don't let the client into the open under any condition if there's any possible threat. And there were plenty of people on video screaming there's a guy on a roof.
INTERNATIONAL
Biden Chickens Out!
Quote:President Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday with a letter. You can read the full letter below:
My Fellow Americans,
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation. Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We've made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We've provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today.
I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We've protected and preserved our Democracy. And we've revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision. For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me
reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can't do - when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.
More on Biden and Harris
Quote:President Biden sent a shock wave through the American political system on Sunday when he announced he was withdrawing from the 2024 race for the White House, leaving delegates he earned during the primary election scrambling for an alternative.
Biden, who faced mounting pressure to step aside in the election and "pass the torch" to another candidate, made the announcement in a post to X. Shortly after, he offered his "full support and endorsement" for Vice President Kamala Harris to serve as the party's presidential nominee.
It is unclear at this point, however, whether delegates will be moved in unison to support Harris to lead the ticket at next month's Democratic National Convention.
Two delegates who spoke to Fox News Digital said they are supportive of Harris, with a third expressing eagerness to learn more about her "plans."
At the convention, a candidate must win support from the majority of the party's nearly 4,000 delegates, the party officials who formally select the nominee. Delegates are distributed to candidates based on the results of primary elections in each state.
For the Democratic Party, there are "pledged" and "unpledged" delegates. Pledged delegates have to vote for the candidate who wins the primary or caucus in their respective state, while unpledged delegates may choose to vote for any candidate. In the Democratic Party, unpledged delegates are known as "superdelegates," current elected officials and party leaders who can support any candidate.
A total of 1,976 delegates are needed to clinch the Democratic nomination for president. Biden won roughly 3,900 this year in primary elections throughout the U.S. in recent months. Those delegates, prior to Biden's decision to withdraw, had "pledged" to support Biden's candidacy, according to DNC rules.
"We have said from day one when these rumors started that unless and until President Biden gave us guidance in any direction, any other direction, we were with President Biden. He, this morning, gave us that guidance," said Samantha Hope Herring, a Democratic delegate and elected member of the DNC from Florida.
"Trusting his judgment and understanding that we want to see the most amazing work continue with the most qualified person that could possibly take the job right now, we are 100% supporting Kamala Harris," Herring added. "I can tell you that the delegation in Florida that I'm speaking with... people are 100% on board following President Biden's endorsement of Kamala Harris."
The support for Harris, Herring said, is leading delegates to feel "very strong" and supportive of seeing the Biden administration's agenda continue.
Quote:Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison promised to have a “transparent and orderly process” to select President Biden’s replacement as the presumptive nominee for president after his unprecedented decision to step down from the ticket on Sunday.
Without delving into how the process would unfold, Harrison promised that the party would adhere to its rules now that Biden has announced he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
“The work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear,” Harrison said. “In the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”
“This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the Party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people,” he added.
Harrison had been Biden’s pick to helm the DNC and had publicly stood by the president amid the mutiny by his own party.
Just after releasing his letter to the public announcing his political earthquake decision to withdraw, Biden formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place.
Quote:Former President Barack Obama didn’t endorse Kamala Harris — saying Democrats would pick an unnamed “outstanding nominee” in his first statement on President Biden stepping aside from the party’s ticket.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” said Obama, 62. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
Some Democrats fear that Harris, the 59-year-old vice president, could further diminish the party’s chances against former President Donald Trump, 78, in the Nov. 5 election.
“I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond,” Obama said.
...
Biden dropped out after Obama and other leading Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) privately expressed concerns that the sitting president would lead down-ballot Democrats to a wipeout defeat.
One Democrat who did not immediately endorse Harris was Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker — a possible presidential contender — who tweeted that “I will work every day to ensure that [Trump] does not win in November” without explicitly backing Harris.
Let us remember what might have been one of the excuses,
I mean, reasons why Biden dropped out on Sunday.Quote:U.S. President Joe Biden, under pressure from fellow Democrats to drop his re-election campaign, tested positive for COVID-19 while visiting Las Vegas on Wednesday and is self-isolating after experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the positive test for the 81-year-old Democrat after Biden cancelled a speech due to the diagnosis.
"He is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms, Jean-Pierre said.
As he boarded Air Force One to depart Las Vegas to recuperate in Delaware, Biden told reporters: "Good, I feel good." But he climbed the stairs slowly, holding the railing tightly and pausing a few steps in and again towards the top.
The illness comes at a crucial time for Biden, who has been losing ground in battleground states against Republican Donald Trump, who is headlining a triumphant convention this week after he survived an assassination attempt on Saturday. The White House said Biden planned to spend a long weekend at his Delaware beach house. It was unclear how long the sickness would keep him for the campaign trail.
Minutes after the announcement, the president's motorcade was on the move to the Las Vegas airport after taping a radio interview in the city.
Biden had greeted a couple of dozen people at a Mexican restaurant prior to going into the radio interview. He was running late to deliver a speech to Latino civil rights group UnidosUS when the organizer, Janet Murguia, announced he had tested positive for COVID.
There were groans in the conference room at the news.
"He said to tell my folks that we're not going to get rid of him that quickly, we're going to have a chance to hear from him in the future directly," Murguia said.
Biden, who had spent two nights in Vegas on the campaign trail, is locked in a battle with some fellow Democrats who worry he is too old to seek re-election and want him to step aside in favor of another candidate.
Other News
The Assassination Attempt
Quote:The United States received intelligence in recent weeks about an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump, CNN said on Tuesday, and a U.S. official said the Secret Service shared details of an increased threat with the Trump campaign.
The White House declined to comment, but said there were no indications that the suspected shooter in Saturday's attempted assassination of Trump had any foreign or domestic accomplices.
Iran said the accusations against it were "unsubstantiated and malicious."
U.S. officials have for years worried that Tehran would retaliate against Trump for his ordering of the January 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration," said Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council.
"These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority," she said.
CNN reported that the intelligence about the Iranian plot was passed on by a human source.
A U.S. official said that on learning of the increased threat, the National Security Council contacted the Secret Service, which added resources and assets for Trump's protection.
The Trump campaign was also made aware of an evolving threat, the official said.
In a statement to Reuters, Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York said "these accusations are unsubstantiated and malicious."
"From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani. Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice," Iran's statement said.
The Secret Service has been sharply criticized since the 20-year-old gunman who shot at Trump on Saturday was able to access a roof overlooking the rally and open fire, grazing Trump's ear, killing a rallygoer and wounding two other attendees.
President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of how the gunman could have come so close to killing Trump, and the Secret Service also faces probes from Congress.
What I find laughable about this report is that they mentioned some human source there. I don't think any animal like a
will ever tell us what somebody has commented on any conspiracy of sorts. Secret Service Agents spotted 10 minutes before Trump took the stage
NBCNews's Julie Tsirkin, Julia Ainsley, Tim Stelloh and Chloe Atkins Wrote:The gunman who opened fire at former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally was reported as a suspicious person — and photographed — one hour before he began shooting, according to three sources familiar with a briefing for senators Wednesday.
Secret Service and FBI officials shared a timeline of events that revealed troubling new details about the assassination attempt and raised questions about why Secret Service officials allowed Trump to take the stage.
Thomas Matthew Crooks — who had a range finder and a backpack with him — was reported as a suspicious person one hour before he began shooting, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said in a statement after the briefing.
“This was a 100% cover-your-ass briefing,” Barrasso said. “He had a range finder and a backpack. The Secret Service lost sight of him.”
Roughly 30 minutes after the initial suspicious person report, Pennsylvania State Police notified the Secret Service of a suspicious person at 5:51 p.m. The Secret Service notified its snipers at 5:53 p.m., the sources said.
At 6:02 p.m., Trump took the stage. At 6:09 p.m., members of the crowd notified police that Crooks, 20, was on a rooftop. Two minutes later, Crooks opened fire on Trump at 6:11 p.m.
Senators were also told that Crooks visited the site of the assassination attempt last week, the sources said.
Barrasso said Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle should be removed.
“No one has taken responsibility,” Barrasso said. “Someone has died. The [former] President was almost killed. The head of the Secret Service needs to go.”
In an interview Tuesday with ABC News, Cheatle said that she did not yet have all the details about the incident but that there was a “very short” period of time between when Crooks was identified as suspicious and when he began shooting.
A local police sniper team was inside the building from which Crooks fired at Trump, Cheatle said, and a decision was made not to deploy officers on the roof because it was sloped.
“That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point,” Cheatle said Tuesday. “And so, you know, there’s a safety factor that would be considered there that we would want to put somebody up on a sloped roof.”
Local law enforcement officials denied that local snipers were in the same building as Crooks. On Wednesday, a Secret Service official told NBC News that the local sniper team was not actually in the building, as Cheatle said. Instead, it was in another building in the same complex.
In a separate statement to NBC News, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, “To be clear, the individual was never identified as a threat. The individual was identified as a suspicious person. Meaning there was no indication at the time that he was a danger. It was an individual that required further investigation.”
He said that it was “not accurate to say we were aware of a threat prior to the time that we identified him as a threat which was when he was neutralized.”
“Snipers were notified that local police were working an issue at the 3 o’clock position. That was what was communicated over police radio,” he added.
During Wednesday’s briefing, FBI Director Christopher Wray said investigators had not established a motive in the shooting, according to the three sources.
Wray told lawmakers that the FBI has interviewed 200 people and reviewed 14,000 images, including photos and livestreamed video of the rally, according to the sources.
Crooks had little to no social media presence, Wray said, and he used encrypted communication.
Wray also said investigators had not found a foreign connection to the attack, the sources said. The Biden administration recently obtained intelligence about an Iranian assassination plot against Trump, but U.S. officials said the threat had no connection to last week’s shooting.
Crooks, who worked as a dietary aide at a nursing home, requested the day off Saturday but told his employer he planned to return to work Sunday, a senior U.S. law enforcement official told NBC News.
After the shooting, Trump said on his social media platform that the bullet pierced the upper part of his ear. During an appearance Monday at the Republican National Convention, he had a bandage covering most of his ear.
Corey Comperatore, a former chief of the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company, was killed in the shooting. Two other people — David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74 — were injured. Their conditions were changed from critical to serious Wednesday, according to the hospital where they are being treated.
The House Oversight Committee on Wednesday subpoenaed Cheatle to appear for a public hearing this month, calling the assassination attempt “a total failure of the agency’s core mission.”
An official with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Secret Service, responded with a letter, which was obtained by NBC News, saying Cheatle is available to testify later this month or early next month.
“The Department and USSS share your concern over the appalling events that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend,” the official wrote, using the initialism for the Secret Service. “And are committed to doing all we can to get to the bottom of what happened.”
So we had a warning of someone suspicious at a Presidential Rally twenty minutes before the shooting, but it was neither a red flag and was a “very short” window, too short to do anything? And what's with the sloped window excuse given Crooks was on the roof? Its standard SOP... Don't let the client into the open under any condition if there's any possible threat. And there were plenty of people on video screaming there's a guy on a roof.Quote:BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest money manager, has pulled an ad that briefly featured Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old who shot and wounded former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The company said Crooks was a student at Bethel Park High School and appeared in the 2022 ad with other unpaid teens.
“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks,” the company said in a statement to Reuters Sunday, adding that the ad has been pulled.
The 30-second BlackRock TV ad features an AP and honors economics class that Crooks attended at the time, with the would-be Trump assassin speaking with his teacher.
Crooks graduated the same year the commercial aired from Bethel Park High, where he was one of a dozen students who received National Math & Science Initiative Star Awards, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The company noted that while the ad has been removed from circulation, it is still available for investigators to review and is being circulated on social media.
BlackRock, which is expected to release its second-quarter earnings Monday, condemned Saturday’s shooting involving the former president that left one spectator dead and two others injured.
“The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent,” the company said.
“We’re thankful former President Trump wasn’t seriously injured, and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed.”
Quote:Would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks purportedly wrote a chilling online message that hinted at his sinister plans for the day he shot up the former president’s Butler, Pa. rally over the weekend.
“July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds,” the 20-year-old gunman allegedly wrote on Steam, a popular online platform where gamers communicate, Fox News reported. Investigators are currently working to determine whether the posting is legitimate.
The foreshadowing was revealed to US senators during a briefing by top law enforcement officials Wednesday.
Crooks, 20, also had images of the Republican presidential nominee as well as President Biden on his cellphone, and searched the dates of the Democratic National Convention and Trump’s Pennsylvania rally — where he shot at the 45th president from a nearby rooftop, law enforcement sources told The Post.
Investigators are mining the shooter’s phones and computer in search of answers to the assassination attempt — but have not yet identified a motive.
Their probe into the gunman’s search history did not reveal which side of the political spectrum Crooks, a registered Republican, was on, according to ABC News, which first reported the discovery.
Crooks, who was shot dead seconds after firing at the former president, had two cellphones — a primary device recovered near his body and a secondary one at his home that had just 27 contacts, according to Fox.
Quote:Former President Donald Trump called for unity and resilience Sunday after an attempt on his life added fresh uncertainty to an already tumultuous presidential campaign and raised sharp questions about how a gunman was able to open fire from a rooftop near a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
A full day after the shooting, the gunman’s motive was still a mystery, and investigators said they believe he acted alone. President Joe Biden ordered an independent security review of the attack, which left one bystander dead and two others critically wounded. The FBI was investigating the shooting as a potential act of domestic terrorism.
The attack shook the firmament of the American political system, causing a reassessment and a detente — at least temporarily — of the heated 2024 presidential campaign that has grown increasingly vicious.
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, said the upper part of his right ear was pierced by a bullet. His aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well, and he headed to Milwaukee to the Republican National Convention that begins Monday.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he wrote on his social media site. “Much bleeding took place.”
In a subsequent social post Sunday, Trump said: “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”
The rallygoer who was killed was identified as Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief from the area, according to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who added that Comperatore “died a hero.”
...
The FBI identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting.
The gunman had his father’s AR-style rifle and was perched atop a nearby roof when some rallygoers pointed him out to local law enforcement, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal probe.
A local law enforcement officer climbed to the roof and found Crooks, who pointed the rifle at the officer. The officer then retreated down the ladder, and the gunman quickly fired toward Trump, the officials said. That’s when U.S. Secret Service gunmen shot him, the officials said.
Questions abounded about how the gunman could have gotten so close in the first place. Kevin Rojek, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office, said “it is surprising” that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him.
Bomb-making materials were found inside both Crooks’ vehicle and at his home. FBI described the devices as “rudimentary.”
His motive remained unclear. Crooks wasn’t on the FBI’s radar, and he was believed to have acted alone. Investigators are combing through his social media feeds and his home, but so far have not found any threatening writing or posts. His family is cooperating.
Crooks’ political leanings were also not clear. Records show Crooks was registered as a Republican voter in Pennsylvania, but federal campaign finance reports also show he gave $15 to a progressive political action committee on Jan. 20, 2021, the day President Joe Biden was sworn in as president.
The absence of a clear ideological motive added to the deepening questions about the shooting, denying the public any swift or tidy conclusions about the shocking crime.
...
The attack was the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It drew new attention to concerns about political violence in a deeply polarized U.S. less than four months before the presidential election.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said agents are seeing increasingly violent rhetoric online since the rally and have seen people posing online as the shooter, who is dead.
Quote:Failed Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ high school further deepened the mystery surrounding the disturbed shooter’s teen years Saturday when officials denied allegations that he tried out for its rifle team, was bullied and threatened to shoot up the school years before carrying out his sinister plot.
Bethel Park High School “has no record” of Crooks, 20, trying out for the school’s rifle team, it said in an updated statement Saturday.
“The coach does not recall meeting him. However, it is possible that Crooks informally attended a practice, took a shot, and never returned,” the statement read.
“We don’t have any record of that happening.”
Two former classmates told The Post this week that Crooks tried out for the rifle squad, but was dismissed due to being a “comically bad” shot and for making concerning comments.
“We noticed a few things Thomas said and how he interacted with other people … He said some things that were kind of concerning,” the classmate claimed.
Officials also went on the record to dispel the “painful misconception” that Crooks was bullied while attending the Bethel Park, Pa.-based high school.
Undated footage that emerged in the days after the shooting appeared to show Crooks being relentlessly taunted by a classroom prankster who refused to stop yanking on his pant leg.
The school, however, claimed it had no record of any bullying incidents involving Crooks.
“According to our records, Mr. Crooks excelled academically, regularly attended school, and had no disciplinary incidents, including those related to bullying or threats,” the statement insisted — noting that the district “maintains detailed records, including academic performance, attendance, disciplinary history, and health records” for students.
Bethel Park slammed allegations that Crooks — who graduated in 2022 — ever threatened violence against the school as was previously reported.
“In 2019, there was an unfortunate incident involving threats made by a different student against specific school administrators. That incident was thoroughly investigated and quickly addressed, and the student involved received appropriate discipline” Bethel Park High School explained.
“It had no connection whatsoever to Thomas Crooks.”
The school’s denials came as rumors continued to swirl about his possible motive for opening fire on the crowd at Trump’s rally in Butler on July 13.
Quote:Thomas Matthew Crooks may have been trying to “diagnose himself” when he researched mental disorders months before he attempted to assassinate Donald Trump — a key step in what one former FBI agent described as the typical route some take to committing mass violence.
In April, Crooks made online searches for major depressive disorder, investigators discovered this week – though there is no evidence he was ever formally diagnosed with the condition.
“One thing may be that he was trying to diagnose himself and could tell that he was having these thoughts or these feelings,” former FBI terrorism task force supervisor Michael McKeown told WTAE of the unearthed searches.
“And then, unfortunately, instead of getting mental health counseling, he took the other route of violence,” McKeown added.
Crooks’ search history could be part of the first step in what the FBI calls the “pathway to violence,” which is known as expressing grievances, he explained.
When investigators examined Crooks’ devices, they also found that he made online searches for Oxford High School shooter Ethan Crumbley and his parents, as well as GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump, President Biden, and other high-profile political figures.
He had also done target shooting at a nearby gun range that he frequented with his father, and appeared to have scouted out the rally location one week ahead of time.
On the morning of the shooting, Crooks returned to the rally grounds with a range finder – seemingly to test how authorities would respond.
Crooks’ movements in the lead-up to the assassination attempt could be viewed as the research and preparation step by the FBI, McKeown explained.
“They want to test that. Can they face law enforcement or an authority figure before they go on the attack? So they may do something small to test that and then see if it works out,” McKeown said.
Authorities are still trying to parse out Crooks’ motive for scaling the roof of a nearby factory and aiming his father’s AR-15 style rifle just 130 yards from the podium where Trump, 78, was addressing the crowds on July 13.
Quote:A Florida man was accused of making “written threats to kill” former President Trump and Sen. JD Vance and their families just days after a Pennsylvania man attempted to assassinate the 45th president.
The Jupiter Police Department announced that 68-year-old Michael M. Wiseman was arrested on Friday for charges for written threats to kill.
Authorities alleged that Wiseman wrote threats against the Republican presidential nominee and vice presidential nominee on his Facebook account and also made to members of the Trump and Vance families.
The police department said it was notified of the threats, including bodily harm, by multiple members of the community.
Jupiter, Florida is about 20 miles, or an approximately 30-minute drive, north of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach.
“JPD coordinated the investigation with the United States Secret Service and the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office,” the department said. “JPD officers took Wiseman into custody without incident.”
The threat came just days after Trump was shot at in a shocking attempt on the president’s life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
INTERNATIONAL
Several Articles
Quote:A large explosion rocked Tel Aviv overnight Thursday amid the war with Hamas.
Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst was at the scene and shared video on X of him standing on broken glass that had shattered off a storefront across the street.
Yingst reported that emergency crews were checking a partially residential area to see if anyone had been injured by the blast.
"I'm being very careful about the details," Yingst said, adding that he hadn't been able to speak with any sources yet because it's the middle of the night there. "We're trying to determine what exactly took place."
A statement from the Israel Defense Forces said "An initial inquiry indicates that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the falling of an aerial target, and no sirens were activated. The incident is under thorough review."
He added in a later post that a photo shop across the street from the U.S. embassy was damaged in the blast, calling the scene a "very fluid situation."
A police spokesperson said: "A short while ago, a report was received by the police hotline about an explosion heard in a building in Tel Aviv. Large forces from the Tel Aviv District Police and police bomb disposal experts have arrived at the scene and are handling the situation."
Israel has been involved in the Gaza war wince Hamas launched an unprovoked attack on the country last October.
Israel strikes Iran-backed Houthis after Tehran proxy attacked Jewish state: 'Significance is clear'
Quote:Israel’s air force on Saturday launched surgical strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran-sponsored Houthi terrorist regime in Yemen.
According to an Israel Defense Forces statement, "A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months."
In a video statement posted on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, "The port we attacked is not an innocent port. It was used for military purposes; it was used as an entry point for deadly weapons supplied to the Houthis by Iran." Netanyahu, who is due to address Congress next week, congratulated the IDF and Air Force for the operation and warned: "I have a message for Israel's enemies: don't misunderstand us. We will protect ourselves in every way, on every front. Anyone who harms us will pay a very heavy price for his aggression."
Netanyahu noted that the port was over 1000 miles away from Israel's borders, saying "It makes it clear to our enemies that there is no place that the long arm of the State of Israel will not reach."
On Friday, the Houthi movement fired a lethal drone into Tel Aviv, resulting in the death of an Israeli and at least 10 injured and severe damage to buildings. The strike took place near the U.S. consulate building in Tel Aviv.
Israel's Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said after the strikes in Yemen: "The fire that is currently burning in Yemen, is seen across the Middle East. The first time that the Houthis harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required."
He added, "I have just left the IAF [Israeli Air Force] Command Center where I met with the Prime Minister, IDF Chief of the General Staff and the Air Force Commander and closely monitored the strike conducted by IAF aircraft on the Hodeidah Port [in Yemen], 2,000 kilometers from the State of Israel." Gallant said "the significance is clear" of the fire in Yemen is important to show Israel’s enemies what they can face.
Gallant continued "The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required. The blood of Israeli citizens has a price. This has been made clear in Lebanon, in Gaza, in Yemen, and in other places. If they will dare to attack us, the result will be identical."
The reference to Lebanon is directed at the Hezbollah terrorist regime that is the de facto ruler over Lebanon.
A Houthi spokesperson said via a public Telegram board message that Israeli airstrikes targeted civilian facilities, oil tanks and a power station in al-Hudaydah.
Houthi-linked media reported that several people were killed, according to Iran International. A Houthi official told the pro-Hezbollah news outlet in Lebanon, Al Mayadeen, that the Houthi regime will retaliate against Israel for the IDF strikes in Lebanon. The U.S.-designated terrorist entity, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthi regime and the Islamic Republic of Iran form the anti-American and anti-Israel "axis of resistance."
Iran International noted the IDF strikes on Saturday hit oil refining facilities in the Hodeidah port, according to sources cited by Al-Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by the Houthi movement.
Quote:A Russian court has handed down its sentence for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich after over a year of proceedings.
The court found Gershkovich, 32, guilty of "gathering secret information" while reporting on a trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg.
He has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.
Prosecutors claimed Gershkovich gathered secret information on orders from the CIA about Uralvagonzavod, a plant about 90 miles north of Yekaterinburg that produces and repairs tanks and other military equipment.
The U.S. government classifies Gershkovich as "wrongfully detained," and is seeking his immediate release through diplomatic channels. He has also personally denied all charges, along with The Wall Street Journal.
"Evan’s wrongful detention has been an outrage since his unjust arrest 477 days ago, and it must end now," The Wall Street Journal said Thursday in a statement.
It continued, "Even as Russia orchestrates its shameful sham trial, we continue to do everything we can to push for Evan’s immediate release and to state unequivocally: Evan was doing his job as a journalist, and journalism is not a crime. Bring him home now."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously alluded to swapping the reporter for Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national jailed in 2019 for killing a Georgian citizen living in Berlin who had fought against Russian forces in Chechnya.
Judges said Krasikov had acted on the instructions of Russian authorities.
Quote:Chinese authorities say at least 11 people have died and 30 are missing in the partial collapse of a highway bridge in the northwest of the country following heavy storms and flooding. A similar number are missing in the southwest after dozens of houses were destroyed by storms.
The official Xinhua News Agency said five vehicles that fell off the bridge have been recovered after the structure in Shaanxi province crumbled at around 8:40 p.m. Friday. A photo released by Xinhua showed a section of the bridge snapped and folded down at almost a 90-degree angle into the rushing brown water below.
It said rescue operations were still underway Saturday in the province's Zhashui county, with some 20 cars and 30 people still missing.
In Sichuan province to the southwest, an estimated 30 people were missing and around 40 houses wrecked in flooding and storms, Xinhua reported. It said roads, bridges and communication networks in hardest hit Hanyuan county had been damaged or knocked out and that rescue teams had been working since before dawn to restore communications and transport connections.
As its economy boomed over recent decades, China built a huge network of highways, high-speed railways and airports, most of which have helped fuel further growth.
However, a dramatic decline in that economic expansion, the poor-quality infrastructure, poor safety supervision and a desire to cut corners by industries looking to save money have led to a steady stream of deadly accidents.
China's western and southwestern provinces are particularly prone to flooding and landslides due to their mountainous landscapes and the powerful rivers that run through them. Mining, tourism and rising urbanization have also disturbed a precarious balance with the natural environment that had been sustained over thousands of years.
Shaanxi is best known as one of the fulcrums of Chinese civilization, from which emerged the first emperor, Qinshi Huangdi, who left the famed terracotta army as his legacy outside the capital Xi'an as part of a vast tomb complex that attracts massive numbers of visitors each year.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
![[Image: SP1-PixelArtist.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-PixelArtist.png)
![[Image: SP1-Reporter.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GmxWbHyL/SP1-Reporter.png)
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
