National and international media news & headlines compiled by CLG

Correction: On July 14, 2024, a CLG newsletter included a summary and link from UKNIP (UK News in Pictures). This summary included the following sentences: “The Butler Police Department has confirmed the arrest and identification of the shooter at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. The suspect has been identified as Mark Violets, an alleged member of Antifa.” CLG News was reposting UKNIP’s summary. Shortly after this edition was sent, CLG News – and nearly every person on line – learned of a different identity of the shooter – and he was not Mr. Violets and is not connected to Antifa. The link and summary to the “Violets” article was immediately removed from the CLG website, but of course the newsletter on the 14th reflected this incorrect information. We regret the error. —LRP

Trump counter-snipers’ chilling text messages before assassination attempt reveal shocking truth: ‘He knows you guys are up there’ –Text from counter-sniper: Crooks was “sitting to the direct right on a picnic table about 50 yards from the exit” | 28 July 2024 | A series of bombshell text messages from counter-snipers who were supposed to protect Donald Trump at the Pennsylvania rally where an assassin’s bullet nearly killed the president showed them a step behind the gunman. An inquiry has started in the wake of the attempt, which Trump miraculously survived. It appears a group chat of those meant to protect Trump were aware that gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was in their midst over 90 minutes before Trump was shot at, rather than an hour as the FBI had previously claimed. When one of the three counter-snipers was about to call off at the end of their shift at around 4:26pm, they noticed a man who they later confirmed to be Crooks sitting on a picnic table. “Guys I am out. Be safe,” he wrote. “Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know. I’m just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there,” he wrote. He added that Crooks was “sitting to the direct right on a picnic table about 50 yards from the exit” in a message sent at 4:27pm, a little over 90 minutes before the gunman fired.

Newly surfaced texts show Trump rally gunman was on authorities’ radar more than 90 minutes before shooting – report | 29 July 2024 | Would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks landed on authorities’ radar more than 90 minutes before he opened fire at the former president’s Pennsylvania campaign rally — roughly a half hour more than what officials previously claimed — according to newly released text messages. Text messages between members of the Beaver County Emergency Service Unit obtained by the New York Times revealed a more concrete — and earlier — timeline leading up to the shooting that grazed the former president’s ear, injured two rally-goers and killed one. The messages also revealed that Crooks, 20, was aware of the law enforcement presence as he prepared his assassination attempt on the GOP nominee. “Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know,” a counter-sniper texted a colleague as he headed out around 4:26 p.m.

Second man injured during Trump rally shooting released from hospital | 28 July 2024 | The second man injured during the attempted assassination against former President Trump has been discharged from a hospital in Pittsburgh, a spokesperson for the hospital group confirmed to The Hill. James Copenhaver, 74, was discharged from Allegheny General Hospital last Friday, a spokesperson for Highmark Health told The Hill. He was one of two spectators injured during the shooting at Trump’s campaign rally on July 13 in Butler, Pa. The other injured attendee, David “Jake” Dutch, 57, was released from Allegheny General Hospital last week, ABC News reported.  

Man shot, injured at Pennsylvania Trump rally released from hospital –One spectator was killed and two were hurt in the shooting on July 13. | 25 July 2024 | One of the two men shot and injured in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has been released from the hospital, officials said. David Dutch, 57, was discharged on Wednesday, Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh said. Dutch was shot in the chest and liver and was initially in a medically induced coma after the shooting, according to the Marine Corps League of Pennsylvania. Dutch is a former Marine who serves as commandant of his Marine Corps League detachment, the organization said.  

Google omits Trump assassination attempt from a key feature as Don Jr. claims ‘Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election’ | 28 July 2024 | A key Google feature is failing to show results for the attempted assassination of Donald Trump — drawing claims from the former president’s son that Big Tech companies are trying to influence the election. It has also sparked a Senate investigation. Google users were surprised to discover that the search engine’s “autocomplete” was omitting suggested results related to the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. The anomaly quickly caught the attention of social media users, including a Texas congressman and Donald Trump Jr., who began sharing screenshots of their own examples showing Google search suggestions coming up empty for queries about the deadly Pennsylvania rally shooting. There’s no mention of Trump even when the entire search term “the assassination attempt of” is typed into the Google homepage search bar.

NATO states tell citizens to leave Lebanon –Israel and the Lebanese-based militant group Hezbollah are on the brink of a full-blown war | 29 July 2024 | Several NATO members, including the U.S., have issued travel warnings for Lebanon, urging their citizens to immediately leave the country in the face of a potential full-blown war between Israel and the pro-Palestinian armed group Hezbollah. Tensions rapidly escalated on Saturday when a rocket strike killed 12 children in the Druze city of Majdan Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the projectile was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket fired by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. The militants, however, denied their involvement in the strike. The US Embassy released a travel notice on Saturday, urging Americans to “strongly reconsider travel to Lebanon.”

Jets, drones struck over 35 targets across Gaza in past 24 hours as troops advance in Khan Younis, Rafah – IDF | 29 July 2024 | Israeli fighter jets and drones struck more than 35 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military says. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says the targets include cells of gunmen, buildings used by terror groups, booby-trapped buildings, and other infrastructure. The strikes come as troops continue to advance in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis and Rafah. The IDF says troops with the 162nd Division killed several gunmen in close-quarters combat and by directing airstrikes in Rafah in the previous 24 hours. Many more “terror operatives” were killed in clashes and airstrikes amid operations by the 98th Division in Khan Younis, the IDF adds.

Ministers authorize Netanyahu, Gallant to order retaliation for deadly Golan strike –Hezbollah members said to abandon posts as Lebanon and wider region gird for expected response following rocket strike on Majdal Shams soccer field that killed 12 youths | 29 July 2024 | Israeli ministers authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense chief Sunday to decide on the “manner and timing” of a response to a rocket strike in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teens, and which Israel and the United States blamed on Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. Israel has vowed retaliation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Israeli jets hit targets in southern Lebanon during the day on Sunday and reportedly shelled sites there just after midnight Monday, as Lebanon braced for Israel’s expected reprisal and diplomats scrambled to keep the conflict from snowballing.

Israel slams UN official over Netanyahu-Hitler comparison –Special rapporteur has previously called for sanctions on Israel’s prime minister | 27 July 2024 | Israel has slammed Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, for “anti-Semitism” after she endorsed a social media post comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler. On Thursday, Albanese responded to a post on X showing Hitler surrounded by a cheering crowd, above a photo of Netanyahu being greeted in the US Congress this week. “History is always watching,” Craig Mokhiber, a former UN human rights official, wrote in the post. Mokhiber resigned late last October, accusing the world body of failing to prevent the “genocide” of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. “This is precisely what I was thinking today,” Albanese said in response on Thursday.

Colorado now home to the largest outbreak of human bird flu infections in U.S. history | 26 July 2024 | There are now 10 confirmed human cases of avian flu in Colorado, making it the largest outbreak of the virus in U.S. history, according to state health officials. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is reporting three new confirmed bird flu cases at a second farm in Weld County. This latest update brings Colorado’s total number of confirmed avian flu cases in humans to ten, with six cases coming from another poultry farm and one case found in a dairy farm worker, also in Colorado. Yesterday, CDPHE launched a data table to track cases of human bird flu in the state.

United Airlines flight diverted over ‘biohazard’ as passengers ask for masks: ‘The crew is vomiting’ | 28 July 2024 | A United Airlines flight was diverted after an onboard “biohazard” left crew members vomiting and passengers asking for masks. Flight 2477 was bound for Boston from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport Sunday morning, but was forced to touchdown early in Washington, D.C., so the plane could undergo “a deep clean” after a passenger became ill, United told The Post. The situation was so severe that crew members and others onboard started becoming ill themselves, prompting the pilots to request a diversion, according radio traffic from the pilot. “I talked to the crew and it sounds like it’s quite bad back there. The crew is vomiting, and passengers all around are asking for masks,” a crew member was heard saying in audio from the flight.

Biden to push for constitutional amendment next week to reverse Trump immunity decision – report | 27 July 2024 | Joe Biden is set to propose several changes to the U.S. Constitution on Monday to make good on his promise to reform the Supreme Court, according to a report. …Biden is expected to propose setting term limits for justices on the Supreme Court, which would require a constitutional amendment, and establishing an enforceable code of ethics, which could be enacted by Congress, Politico reported. Biden is also likely to voice support for a constitutional amendment that would limit immunity for presidents and certain other officeholders after the court ruled in July that presidents cannot be prosecuted for “official acts” during their time in office. The court’s ruling stemmed from a case concerning former President Trump.

Senator on Harris’s short list for VP started spy balloon company funded, in part, by China –Kelly is a former astronaut and U.S. Navy captain who has represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate since 2020 | 28 July 2024 | Before becoming a senator, Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., was not only an astronaut, but he also co-founded a company that specializes in spy balloons, which was funded, in part, by a venture capitalist in China with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Kelly, 60, who is reportedly on a short list of running mate contenders under consideration by Vice President [sic] Kamala Harris, co-founded Tucson, Arizona-based World View in 2012 with a vision to provide space tourism using stratospheric balloons. While Kelly’s company started out with a focus on space tourism via balloons, the vision evolved with the maturing of the company’s technology.

AMA Rolls Out CPT Codes for H5N8 Bird Flu Vaccines | 19 July 2024 | The American Medical Association (AMA) today announced an editorial update to Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), the leading medical terminology code set for describing health care procedures and services, that includes a newly assigned provisional CPT code for vaccines to protect patients against the H5N8 strain of avian influenza (bird flu). The provisional CPT code is effective for use on the condition the H5N8 Influenza virus vaccine candidates receive emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The AMA is publishing the CPT code update now to ensure electronic systems across the U.S. health care system are prepared in advance for the potential FDA authorization. The new product code assigned to H5N8 influenza virus vaccines is: 90695 – Influenza virus vaccine, H5N8, derived from cell cultures, adjuvanted for intramuscular use. 90471 – Immunization administration (includes percutaneous, intradermal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular injections); 1 vaccine (single or combination vaccine/toxoid). 90472  – Immunization administration (includes percutaneous, intradermal, subcutaneous, or intramuscular injections); each additional vaccine (single or combination vaccine/toxoid).

Israel nearing ‘all-out war’ – foreign minister | 27 July 2024 | Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has vowed to launch a “disproportionate” response after Hezbollah allegedly killed ten [later reports state 12] people in a rocket attack on a football field in the Golan Heights. The incident has brought Israel to the brink of “all-out war” with the group, Katz has warned. Most of the dead were children, and more than a dozen were injured by the strike in the town of Majdal Shams on Saturday, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) blamed the attack on “the Hezbollah terror group.” “There is no doubt that Hezbollah crossed all red lines,” Katz told Israel’s Channel 12 News. “We are facing an all-out war” with the group, he continued, adding that Israel “will respond disproportionately.”  

D.C. official fears all-out war as U.S. condemns ‘horrific’ rocket attack on Majdal Shams –After Hezbollah hit kills 12 people aged 10-20 at a soccer field in Druze village, EU foreign policy chief calls for int’l probe of ‘bloodbath’; Beirut urges end to hostilities | 28 July 2024 | The United States condemned a rocket attack Saturday on a soccer field in the Golan Heights that killed a dozen people, mostly children and teens, calling the strike “horrific.” A Biden administration official expressed concern that the deadly Hezbollah strike could spark an all-out war between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group. “What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months,” the official told Axios. It was the single deadliest Hezbollah attack on northern Israel since fighting there began in October.  

Protesters demanding hostage deal, elections stand in silence for Majdal Shams victims –In Jerusalem, demonstrators march in a hush, say government should should similarly wallow in silence for its failures; protest expected at airport when PM returns from U.S. | 28 July 2024 | Thousands of attendees at weekly rallies demanding the release of Gaza hostages and new elections observed a moment of silence Saturday night to honor the victims of Hezbollah’s deadly rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan that killed 12 people, most of them kids and teens. Speaking at a protest on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street, former prime minister Ehud Barak reiterated his call for “widespread civil revolt, nonviolent civil disobedience – including shutting down the country” to bring down the government. On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Force recovered the bodies of five hostages from Gaza. Two of their relatives spoke at the Hostages Square rally on Saturday.

Secret Service repeatedly turned down police offer of drone help before Trump assassination bid – whistleblower | 25 July 2024 | Local law enforcement proposed to help with drone technology at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally where former President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated earlier this month but was turned down by the Secret Service, a whistleblower claimed, according to Sen. Josh Hawley. Hawley (R-Mo.), 44, penned a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Thursday demanding answers about a whistleblower’s allegations that the Secret Service “repeatedly” rejected the offer. “The night before the rally, U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally,” Hawley wrote to Mayorkas citing the whistleblower. “The whistleblower further alleges that after the shooting took place, USSS changed course and asked the local partner to deploy the drone technology to surveil the site in the aftermath of the attack,” he added.

Trump shooter is seen dead on the roof in chilling new video confirming Secret Service was warned | 24 July 2024 | Dramatic new footage shows law enforcement standing over the dead body of Donald Trump’s attempted assassin moments after he was shot dead. A Secret Service agent and local police are seen discussing how Thomas Matthew Crooks had been identified as a suspicious person before he started shooting. The graphic clip shows a pool of blood trailing out from the 20-year-old’s body, which lies next to the rifle he used during the shooting. “So this is the guy,” the Secret Service agent says to a Beaver County Emergency Service Unit officer, confirming they were aware of the threat and raising questions over their handling of the incident. The bodycam footage was released by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and shows the moments after the shooting, which left Trump injured and killed firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50.

Trump’s doctor says FBI wrong about assassination attempt | 26 July 2024 | The New York Times and Donald Trump’s personal physician have both concluded that the former president was struck by a bullet and not “shrapnel,” as FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested. In testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Wray told lawmakers “there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, hit [Trump’s] ear” when a gunman opened fire on Trump at a campaign rally earlier this month. Wray’s statement appeared to validate theories circulating online since the shooting, which claimed that Trump was stricken by a piece of broken glass from his teleprompter rather than the would-be assassin’s bullet… After venting at Wray on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump shared a letter from his physician, Ronny Jackson, who stated: “There is no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet,” and “Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else.”

FBI confirms Trump hit by would-be assassin’s bullet after bureau director’s ‘shrapnel’ suggestion | 26 July 2024 | The FBI confirmed Friday that a bullet struck Donald Trump’s ear during the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania – two days after the top official at the bureau [the deep-state traitor who likely orchestrated the attack] said there was “some question” about what hit the former president. “What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,” read a statement released by the FBI. The bureau’s acknowledgment that Trump, 78, was indeed hit by one of the rounds fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks comes after the ex-commander in chief fumed over FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. “With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray told lawmakers.

Trump unleashes on FBI as it launches bombshell new probe into assassination attempt after director’s shock claim – as former president insists the assassin’s bullet DID hit his ear | 25 July 2024 | Donald Trump has slammed the FBI as the agency confirmed it is probing whether he was actually hit by a bullet during an assassination attempt. The presidential hopeful blasted the bureau’s director Christopher Wray, after he suggested that it could have been shrapnel which grazed Trump’s ear following the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI has since confirmed it is examining fragments found near the stage to determine what caused the Republican nominee’s injuries, after Wray told a congressional hearing there is “some question” over what really happened. The agency is hoping to interview Trump as part of its investigation, the New York Times Reports. However, the former president has remained defiant in his account of events, stating it was a “bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard.”

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle Resigns | 23 July 2024 | Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, a day after a bruising congressional hearing where she was unable or unwilling to answer many key questions from lawmakers on the failure of the agency to prevent an assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump. “I take full responsibility for the security lapse,” she wrote in an email to staff obtained by The Associated Press. “In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”

Kamala Harris hit with articles of impeachment over border crisis, ‘misleading’ people on Biden –Rep. Andy Ogles introduced two impeachment articles against Harris | 23 July 2024 | A House Republican lawmaker is filing articles of impeachment against Kamala Harris on Wednesday, over both her handling of the border and knowledge, if any, of President [sic] Biden’s alleged cognitive decline. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is accusing Harris of breaching public trust and of willfully refusing to uphold U.S. immigration law in two impeachment articles, obtained by Fox News Digital. The former article on public trust accused Harris of having “knowingly misled the people of the United States and the Congress of the United States, principally to obfuscate the physical and cognitive well-being of the President of the United States, Joe Biden.”

Kamala Harris the ‘soul-destroying bully’: Former staff expose shock details of degrading tirades, decades-long ‘toxic’ behavior that left people in tears – and saw them quit at unprecedented levels | 26 July 2024 | Behind the recent public self-branding of Kamala Harris as a kindly, jovial “Momala,” she has earned a nasty reputation as an alleged “soul-destroying” workplace “bully.” Only four of the initial 71 staffers hired by Harris during her first year in office still remain in a job. The rest either quit or were fired, according to analysis by non-partisan watchdog Open The Books. That translates to a 92 percent staff turnover rate — and, say critics, is a likely sign that the issues on Team Harris have more to do with her than anyone else.

Trump team files FEC complaint over transfer of Biden’s $91M to Harris campaign: ‘Brazen m-ney grab’ | 23 July 2024 | Former President Trump’s campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on Tuesday, accusing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of violating campaign finance laws by transferring his 91 million to her new campaign. Biden bowed out of the presidential race on Sunday following weeks of calls for him to leave following a shaky debate performance. Biden endorsed Harris to run for the Democratic ticket in his place and transferred his millions over to her. The Trump campaign argued in the complaint, first reported by The New York Times and obtained by Fox News Digital, that Harris is “seeking to perpetrate a 91.5 million-d-llar heist of Joe Biden’s leftover campaign c-sh.”

Biden tells nation he will finish term after Dems push him out of race, hints at change to Supreme Court | 24 July 2024 | President Biden addressed the nation for the first time on Wednesday since bowing out of the 2024 election on Sunday, saying he is passing the torch to “a new generation” while again throwing his support behind Kamala Harris in her campaign to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination. The speech lasted roughly 11 minutes, with the president sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office while touting his years in political office and decision to bow out. Members of the president’s family were in attendance for the speech, including first lady Jill Biden, daughter Ashley Biden, son Hunter Biden and others. Biden said he looks forward to the work before him in his final six months in office, including pushing for Supreme Court reforms. Media reports recently surfaced that Biden is considering supporting legislation that would attempt to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices and a new enforceable ethics code.

Biden’s surprise call to old campaign staff is labelled FAKE after viewers spot suspicious detail | 23 July 2024 | Joe Biden’s phone call to former campaign staffers on Monday has sparked new theories on the president’s health after an odd moment between the president [sic] and Kamala Harris. The 81-year-old spoke in a scratchy voice from COVID isolation at his Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, home and told Harris: “I’m watching you, kid.” However, many noted a strange exchange between the vice president and her boss, who has not been seen in five days and since he shocked the world by dropping out of the race via a letter posted to social media on Sunday. The new presumptive Democratic nominee Harris said: “Joe, I know you’re still on the rec…on the call.” With many having wildly suggested Biden is seriously ill because of the way he announced his departure, conservative firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene wondered if the game had been given up by Harris’s slip of the tongue. Greene was referring to Harris clearly starting to say the word “recording” before correcting herself and saying “call” to Biden.

Trump and JD Vance accuse Dems of leading ‘coup’ against Biden, call to ‘invoke the 25th Amendment’ | 22 July 2024 | Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, slammed the Democratic Party for leading a “coup” against President [sic] Biden — with the Ohio senator saying that if Biden isn’t fit to run for president, he shouldn’t be able to serve the rest of his term. The GOP ticket commented on Biden’s seemingly declining condition and the news that he would not be running for re-election in a clip that aired Monday morning on Fox News, telling Primetime host Jesse Watters that Biden shouldn’t get to step down in a way that is only beneficial to his party. When asked if Biden’s dropping out of the election was a “coup against Joe Biden,” Trump quietly replied with “Sort of,” before Vance jumped in. “Yeah, I think it is. I mean, look, there’s a constitutional process, the 25th Amendment. If Joe Biden can’t run for president, he can’t serve as president,” Vance replied.

Apparent drag ‘parody of Last Supper’ at Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony sparks controversy | 26 July 2024 | A crew of drag queens and dancers performed an apparent “parody of the Last Supper” at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony Friday, drawing intense criticism across social media. “This is crazy. Opening your event by replacing Jesus and the disciples at the Last Supper with men in drag,” Clint Russel, the host of the Liberty Lockdown podcast, fumed on X. “There are 2.4 billion Christians on earth and apparently the Olympics wanted to declare loudly to all of them, right out of the gate NOT WELCOME,” said Russel. During the show, a group of 18 performers — including three familiar Drag Race France queens — struck poses behind what looked like a long table with the Seine River and Eiffel Tower poignantly placed in the background.