https://www.newsmax.com/newsfr...dkt_nbr=010102rbm7em

6 Secret Service Agents Suspended Over Trump Butler Shooting

Six Secret Service agents were suspended for failures involving the assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump last July in Butler, Pennsylvania, it was reported.

A Department of Homeland Security review of the shooting found that a series of law enforcement breakdowns created an environment that left Trump exposed to a would-be assassin, ABC News reported Wednesday night.

"The Secret Service does not perform at the elite levels needed to discharge its critical mission," the independent report found, according to ABC News.

"The Secret Service has become bureaucratic, complacent, and static even though risks have multiplied and technology has evolved."

The disciplined agents — each suspended between 10 to 42 days — ranged from supervisory level to line agent level, a source told the news outlet. They were allowed to appeal the penalties, which were handed down in recent months.

"We aren't going to fire our way out of this," said U.S. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn, who told CBS News that the suspended members, upon their return to work, were put on restricted duty or given posts with less operational responsibility.

"We're going to focus on the root cause and fix the deficiencies that put us in that situation."

Quinn told CBS News that since the Butler assassination attempt, the USSS has introduced a new military grade drones and mobile command posts, which allow agents to communicate directly with local law enforcement.

Trump was shot in the ear, one supporter was killed and two others were wounded during the rally in Butler. The alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by law enforcement.

Less than two months before he was elected to a second presidential term, Trump in September was victim to another assassination attempt, this time when a man allegedly aimed a rifle at the then-candidate in West Palm Beach, Florida, before being scared off by a USSS agent.

In March, Sean Curran, one of the Secret Service agents who protected Trump in Butler, was sworn in as the new director of the USSS. He replaced Ronald Rowe Jr., who had been acting director since July after then-Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid the backlash to the agency's breakdowns at the Trump rally.

Two weeks following the Butler shooting, Rowe testified before two Senate committees and said he had traveled to the Pennsylvania site.

"What I saw made me ashamed," he told lawmakers.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:.

"We aren't going to fire our way out of this," said U.S. Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn...

That's only because you lack the will to do so, coward.

I'd fire people at a rate that would make dismantling USAID look sloth like.

quote:

Originally posted by bettysnephew:
<<snip>>
If there are others that need to be punished, they will be dealt with in due time.

And I strongly disagree with this part of what you stated! True, there are more important issues at the moment, but I can practically guarantee you that the "others" will likely never be punished, especially those of great political or financial importance! It will be left to slowly fade away just like always.

Absolutely we can fire out way out of it. What a stupid thing to say.

You get rid of the dead weight and those whose personal political beliefs pose a danger to USSS protectees, both directly and indirectly, and those whose jobs are intact can see where the boundaries are and what will happen when those boundaries are violated.

HHS bans illegal immigrants from accessing benefits

“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said

https://justthenews.com/govern..._campaign=newsletter

Apparently a Supreme Court ruling can be ignored. A class action suit? Really?

"Judge blocks Trump birthright citizenship order after Supreme Court ruling"

https://thehill.com/regulation...thright-citizenship/

It was my understanding that the Supreme Court had not yet gotten to birthright citizenship. Perhaps they were waiting for a case to make it up there. This might be the one.

quote:

Originally posted by 6guns:

Six Secret Service agents were suspended for failures involving the assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump last July in Butler, Pennsylvania, it was reported....

....The disciplined agents — each suspended between 10 to 42 days — ranged from supervisory level to line agent level, a source told the news outlet. They were allowed to appeal the penalties, which were handed down in recent months....

So they are not fired or even given a demotion, they just get anywhere from 1 1/2 to 6 weeks vacation?

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
It was my understanding that the Supreme Court had not yet gotten to birthright citizenship. Perhaps they were waiting for a case to make it up there. This might be the one.

Trump and his staff are smart, keep writing EO's and let the left try and stop them in the courts, and, if necessary force it to SCOTUS for an ultimate ruling, so far all in the administrations favor.

Congress as usual, can't do jack without screwing it up.

There's a really excellent article in the NY Post by Miranda Devine about Susie Wiles, the chief of staff Trump has always needed but never had until now. She believes in him to the bottom of her soul.

quote:

She usually doesn’t finish until late at night, when younger staff members have gone home to their young families, and she has barely had a day off since she started.

But when people ask Wiles what the hardest thing is about her job, she replies: “Here’s what’s not hard about my job: Donald Trump. He is predictable and open and approachable and honest and honorable and committed and all of those things, which does not mean he can’t be irritated or frustrated, but I view my job as trying to keep as much of that away from him so that he can think clearly about the big picture. We’ll take care of the back office.”

That’s high praise from someone who is with Trump for hours every day, and has been with him off and on since 2015 through some of his darkest hours, including his near-death in an attempted assassination in Butler, Pa., one year ago this Sunday.

They know each other so well now that if he does get irritable when something goes wrong, she has worked out the simplest way to mollify him.

Link: NY Post

So, how did Harris Faulkner keep a straight face when Kennedy quoted LBJ, "They're so arrogant they can strut sitting down." I lost it there!

I think I'm going to just leave this here.

quote:

Obamas sign on to produce new history HBO comedy sketch series with Larry David for America 250
“I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems," Barack Obama said in a statement. "Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”

HBO's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday announced that former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama agreed to help produce an American history comedy sketch series with comedy icon Larry David.

David, who is known for his hit shows "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Seinfeld," will be starring in the half-hour, six-episode limited series. David will also executive produce the show, along with the Obamas' media company Higher Ground and Jeff Schaffer, and be one of the writers of the program along with Schaffer.

The parent company claimed the unnamed program is expected to help honor the United States' 250th anniversary.

"President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion ...But then Larry David called," the press release states.

“I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems," Barack Obama said in a statement. "Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”

The series is also expected to bring some actors from "Curb Your Enthusiasm" back, which David worked on alongside Schaffer.

“It’s hard to remember a time before ‘Curb,’ or without Larry David’s perspective on modern life," HBO's head of Comedy Programming Amy Gravitt said. "We’re thrilled that Larry is coming back to HBO, this time with Higher Ground, to give us a glimpse at our shared history as we celebrate our Semiquincentennial.”

Larry David's hostility towards President Trump is well known, such as in his New York Times commentary titled "My Dinner With Adolf," blasting Bill Maher for his dinner with Trump by comparing Trump to Hitler, though he denies that was his intent.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

Link

Trumps “Drill baby drill” and tariffs are contributing to a global rise in oil supply and hopefully a decrease in prices.


https://www.wsj.com/business/e...opwebshare_permalink

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
There's a really excellent article in the NY Post by Miranda Devine about Susie Wiles, the chief of staff Trump has always needed but never had until now. She believes in him to the bottom of her soul.


Link: NY Post

Interesting article. Thanks for the link.

“The State Department has advised staffers it will begin issuing thousands of layoff notices from today as part of Donald Trump's war against the 'Deep State'.

The sweeping reorganization comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the 'bloated' bureaucracy and 'radical political ideology' had to be eliminated.

The layoffs come only days after the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump's executive order allowing mass layoffs across the federal government to proceed, despite ongoing legal challenges.

The ruling, which Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson denounced as ‘releasing the president's 'wrecking ball,' sent shockwaves through Washington and set the stage for what may become the largest government downsizing in modern US history. …”

DailyMail article:
https://mol.im/a/14895823

Last weekend Trump sent out a video seemingly to support the shut down of Canadian use of the Chesapeake for fishing. Then I haven't heard anything, does anyone see any news on this.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/...OXljwpCWhDGe8c1sc%3D

Tariff Windfall Drives Surprise $27 Billion US Budget Surplus in June

A record-high tariff haul in June fueled a rare budget surplus—and set the stage for even bigger collections ahead.

New data from the Treasury Department show that surging tariff revenues in June helped the U.S. government post an unexpected budget surplus of $27 billion, offering a rare fiscal bright spot amid persistently high federal deficits and suggesting that President Donald Trump’s tariff policies are becoming a significant source of government revenue.

After running a $316 billion deficit in May, the government recorded a surplus of just over $27 billion last month, according to data released on July 11 by the Treasury Department. The tariff windfall helped narrow the fiscal year-to-date deficit to $1.34 trillion—a slight 1 percent improvement from the same period last year. By contrast, June 2024 saw a $71 billion deficit.
A key driver of the improved balance was a record-breaking surge in customs duties. The Treasury data released on Friday show that tariff collections soared to $27 billion in June alone, pushing total tariff revenues since October to $108 billion—the highest ever recorded for the first nine months of a fiscal year. June’s haul marked a significant jump from May’s prior record of $22 billion and was about 93 percent higher than the $56 billion collected during the same nine-month span of the previous year.

So far in July, customs duties have added another $2.4 billion to federal coffers, according to daily Treasury figures.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has predicted even higher tariff revenues in the months ahead. Speaking at a July 8 White House Cabinet meeting, he said the United States is on track to collect $300 billion by the end of calendar year 2025, noting that the “major” tariffs imposed under the Trump administration did not start until the second quarter.
Since returning to the White House for a second term, Trump has imposed 10 percent universal tariffs on trading partners, along with reciprocal tariffs announced in April on a number of nations, depending on the trade barriers they have with the United States. Trump initially applied a 90-day pause to most of the reciprocal tariffs, and later signed an executive order that extended the reprieve to Aug. 1.

In recent days, the president sent letters to several countries—including Japan, South Korea, and Thailand—informing them that reciprocal tariffs ranging from 25 to 40 percent will be imposed after Aug. 1 unless they agree to reduce trade barriers and negotiate bilateral deals.
Trump has said the higher duties will substantially boost government revenue.

“The big money will start coming in on Aug. 1st. I think it was made clear today by the letters that were sent out yesterday and today,” he said during the Cabinet meeting.

Bessent also cited a June 4 report from the Congressional Budget Office projecting that tariff revenues could total $2.8 trillion over the next decade—a figure he said the administration believes is understated.
Trump said he won’t extend the Aug. 1 deadline for countries to start paying reciprocal tariffs, signaling a firm stance after earlier suggesting flexibility for nations offering trade concessions.
In one recent round of letters, Trump announced new tariffs as follows: 25 percent on Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Tunisia; 30 percent on Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Africa; 32 percent on Indonesia; 35 percent on Bangladesh and Serbia; 36 percent on Cambodia and Thailand; and 40 percent on Burma (also known as Myanmar) and Laos.

In each letter, Trump noted that the tariffs might be lowered if countries open their markets and reduce non-tariff barriers, emphasizing that persistent trade deficits pose “a major threat” to U.S. economic and national security.

More recently, Trump sent another round of letters, noting that Algeria, Iraq, Libya, and Sri Lanka will each be charged a 30 percent tariff, Brunei and Moldova will face a 25 percent tariff, and the Philippines will face a 20 percent tariff.
The president has also announced that Canada will face 35 percent tariffs starting on Aug. 1.

Bongino not happy with Blondie...

Speculation is mounting that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is furious over the Department of Justice’s explosive memo concerning Jeffrey Epstein, with anonymous sources claiming he has issued a stark ultimatum to the White House: dismiss Attorney General Pam Bondi or he will resign from his position.

https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/s...memo-fallout-reports




Axios, citing four sources familiar with the matter, reported Friday morning that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino was absent from work following a heated confrontation with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Washington insider outlet noted that Bongino’s absence sparked speculation about whether he had resigned, though a White House source quickly clarified that he remains in his role at the FBI.

https://www.zerohedge.com/poli...memo-fallout-reports

^^^ I must have missed where "anonymous sources" are OK now.