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Trump says he’d be willing to release reports on assassination attempts against him: ‘Could be suspicious’

Trump says he’d be willing to release reports on assassination attempts against him: ‘Could be suspicious’

President Donald Trump said he still wants answers seven months after an assassination attempt on his life during a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.  “I want to find the answers,” the president said during an executive order signing in the White House Thursday. “I’ve told them. … We can no longer blame [former President Joe] Biden for that one. He should have released that a long time ago.” Gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore and critically wounded two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, in his attempt to kill Trump, who was grazed in the ear by a bullet. SECRET SERVICE KNEW AIRSPACE PROTECTION WOULD END WITH FORMER PRESIDENT ONSTAGE The investigation summary concluded the rally was a “failure for the Secret Service” that warranted “several operational, policy, and organizational changes.” Two months later, Trump survived a second assassination attempt while golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where Ryan Routh allegedly tried to assassinate Trump and remains in federal custody.  During a Q&A session with the media Thursday in the Oval Office, Trump told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy he would be receiving a report about both incidents sometime next week. “I want to release it,” Trump noted. SECRET SERVICE TURNED DOWN LOCAL DRONE ‘REPEATEDLY’ AHEAD OF TRUMP JULY 13 RALLY: WHISTLEBLOWER “[Crooks] had three [cellphone] apps, two of which were foreign, supposedly, and who has the biggest white-shoe law firm in Pennsylvania, even though they don’t live in necessarily a white-shoe area,” Trump speculated. “What’s that all about?” SECRET SERVICE, FBI RESPOND TO TRUMP RALLY VIDEO SHOWING FIGURE ON ROOF MINUTES BEFORE GUNFIRE He added that Routh, 58, allegedly had numerous cellphones. “The other one had seven or six cellphones, and I don’t have six cellphones,” Trump said. “Why would somebody have six cellphones. So, we’re going to be releasing a report on that soon. … It’s a lot of cellphones, and a couple of them had some strange markings on them.” Pointing to a lack of information about the incidents, the president said “it makes me think a little bit.” “I say when you have three apps and two of them are foreign, and you had an FBI that wouldn’t report on it — they didn’t want to say why — I would say that could be suspicious,” Trump said.  He also took the time to highlight the Secret Service’s efforts to intercept Routh, who was spotted allegedly aiming a rifle at one of Trump’s security details in bushes. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I want to find out, and I would be willing to release it,” Trump said. “I mean, maybe there’s a reason that we shouldn’t. So, I don’t want to get too far ahead of my skis. But, yeah, I would be very willing to release that. … I want to see that one myself.” Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.

Censure resolutions: When to double down, and when to turn the page

Censure resolutions: When to double down, and when to turn the page

Could the cover-up be bigger than the crime? So it’s of little surprise that few people even realized that Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, appeared in the well of the House chamber and was formally admonished by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., with a resolution of censure Thursday morning. The House voted 224-198 with two members voting present to censure Green for his antics during President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress Tuesday night. Per the resolution, Green had to present himself in the well as Johnson read the resolution before the House for his infractions and officially castigated him, with a rap of the gavel. TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS But you wouldn’t be alone if you missed it. That’s because a host of Democrats joined Green near the dais. Johnson banged the gavel, imploring Green’s colleagues to stop. They sang “We Shall Overcome,” drowning out Johnson. But the deed was done. Green was censured – even if few really saw it. That’s because there’s a trend in Congress for colleagues to join the censured individual in the well of the House and make a ruckus, almost diluting the discipline. This is why Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., argued that the House should now try to expel Green. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., is prepping a resolution to strip the dozens of Democrats who joined Green in the well from their committees. There’s also a move to relieve Green of his committee assignments. It didn’t used to be this way. There’s an issue of debate about “who fired first.” But discipline in the House over censure has disintegrated markedly in recent years. And so has bipartisan comportment of lawmakers when the president of the other party speaks to a joint session of Congress. Green became the 29th member of the House censured in the institution’s history. But he’s the fourth Democrat censured by the House since 2023. The fifth overall member to be censured if you include the censure of Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., in 2021. You have to go back to 2010 with former Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., to find a member who was censured. Before that? Try 1983. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOOK: SORTING IT OUT The Rangel censure over abuse of office is significant. Rangel was a towering figure in Congress. A Korean War hero who was left to die on the battlefield. Rangel rose from humble roots in Harlem to become Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. The House voted to censure Rangel in late 2010 after a lengthy investigation. After the vote, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., asked the New York Democrat to “present himself in the well.” With the entire House present, Rangel, ambled to the front of the chamber, his head hung low, hands folded in front as though he were about to pray. No one said a word. Members from both sides sat in rapt silence as Pelosi read the text of the censure resolution in an uncharacteristically meek tone. Pelosi herself seemed stricken, having to censure her friend and such a vaunted colleague. Pelosi tapped the gavel so lightly at the conclusion of the censure exercise that it almost seemed accidental. The deed was done. That’s not how censures roll in the House anymore. Contrast the censure of Rangel to the 2023 censures of former Rep. and now Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and you’ll find raucous affairs. Yelling. Shouting. Anything to cover up what the Speaker is reading from the dais. In the case of the 2023 censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., the resolution just declared her to be censured but did not require her to appear in the well of the chamber before the full House and the Speaker. TRUMP BLASTS REP AL GREEN AS ‘AN EMBARRASSMENT’ TO DEMOCRATS, SAYS HE ‘SHOULD BE FORCED TO TAKE AN IQ TEST’ The rate of censures is increasing dramatically. Republicans will argue that Democrats “started it.” The House censured Gosar in 2021 for posting an anime video which showed him using a sword to kill Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and harming former President Biden. The measure also stripped Gosar of his committee assignments. In 2021, Democrats and 11 Republicans voted to remove Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from her committees. They argued she trafficked in conspiracy theories and racism which encouraged violence. But in the case of Al Green, his conduct on the floor reflects a trend of hectoring the president in the House chamber. Taylor Greene and Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., certainly jeered and taunted former President Biden during his speeches to Congress. The former president even briefly engaged them on one occasion. This unfolded under three House Speakers: Pelosi, Johnson and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Yet there was never any effort by the Speaker to have anyone removed on those occasions. That changed when Johnson ordered Green removed on Tuesday. But when did this all start? It goes back to September 2009. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., shouted “you lie” at President Barack Obama as he delivered a speech to a joint session of Congress about health care reform. Wilson specifically accused the president of lying when he declared it was “false” that persons in the country illegally would qualify for health benefits. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE SENATE TRYING TO ADVANCE TRUMP’S AGENDA Bipartisan lawmakers condemned the outburst immediately. Wilson apologized to then-White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. In a statement, Wilson said he “let my emotions get the best of me.” He characterized the episode as a “town hall moment.” By the weekend, Wilson was fundraising off the incident. Pelosi didn’t want to go any further with a punishment. But her members pushed against the Speaker – and prevailed. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., who at the time served as the House Majority Whip, thought Wilson’s off-stage apology wasn’t enough. Clyburn, and fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus, believed the House needed to do something to

A look back at the early days of coronavirus spread

A look back at the early days of coronavirus spread

Five years after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, the World Health Organization is still reporting deaths from the virus.  More than 3,000 people died in the last month, adding to the more than 7 million deaths since the pandemic began. In the fall of 2019, many of the top stories for U.S. news outlets had to do with China. “I have a good relationship with China. We’ll see what happens, but I’m very happy right now,” President Donald Trump said on Nov. 19, 2019 amid trade negotiations with Beijing. “If we don’t make a deal with China, I’ll just raise the tariffs even higher.” NEW BAT CORONAVIRUS DISCOVERED IN CHINA SPARKS PANDEMIC CONCERNS On the other side of the globe, protesters in Hong Kong were objecting to China’s interference in the region’s government. Trump signed a bill supporting the pro-democracy demonstrations. Back in Washington, the Smithsonian National Zoo’s beloved panda, Bei Bei, was preparing to move to a new habitat in central China, but in the background, a much bigger story was taking place. Also, in the fall of 2019, scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology were studying how mice responded to SARs and MERs-related coronaviruses. A National Intelligence Director report noted the lab maintains one of the world’s largest repositories of bat samples. It stated, “Teams separately used transgenic mouse models to better understand how the viruses infect humans as well as related vaccine and therapeutics research.” “This laboratory that worked on bat coronaviruses was undertaking work, which on the face of it was quite important for understanding these viruses, but had some risks,” said Stanford microbiology professor David Relman in January 2020. During that time, several researchers at the institute fell ill with cold or flu-like symptoms, but none were severe enough to be hospitalized. “Some of their symptoms were consistent with but not diagnostic of Covid-19,” the intelligence report stated. The intelligence community also noted that it was unclear if those illnesses were linked to the virus that would soon spread around the world. By December, China’s stock market was rising on hopes of a trade deal with the U.S., but the local economy in Wuhan was facing a major threat. Health officials were growing concerned about a new viral pneumonia that was not responding to standard treatments. Twenty-seven cases had been confirmed, seven of which were critical.  Most of the patients had a recent history of exposure to wildlife animals at the Huanan Market, where poultry, snakes, bats and other farm animals were sold. Wuhan health officials claimed the wet market was where the virus originated. However, at least 13 of the first 41 hospitalizations had no link to the marketplace, according to an article by Chinese researchers published in the Lancet.  “That’s a big number, 13, with no link,” Daniel Lucey, an infectious disease specialist at Georgetown University, told Science in January 2020. “The virus came into that marketplace before it came out of that marketplace.” NEW BAT CORONAVIRUS DISCOVERED IN CHINA SPARKS PANDEMIC CONCERNS All U.S. intelligence agencies assess both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible sources of the virus’ origin. The Energy Department, the FBI and the CIA believe a laboratory-associated incident was the most likely cause of the first human infection.  “Laboratory accidents happen everywhere there are humans. Humans are fallible. So, it’s absolutely reasonable to think that some other laboratory also had an accident,” Relman said. In late December, the Wuhan Institute of Virology isolated and identified the virus from patient samples. The information available to U.S. intelligence officials indicates this to be the first time researchers at the institute had access to the virus’ gene sequence. On New Year’s Eve in the U.S., Trump rang in 2020 at his annual Mar-a-Lago party and was optimistic over his negotiations with China. “We’re very excited about trade,” the president said. “I’ll be going, at some point, to Beijing, to be with President Xi.  We have a great relationship.  And we’ll be doing something reciprocal.” Scientists in Wuhan were growing even more concerned about the new virus. Dozens of individuals with suspected cases had been isolated in a designated hospital. The World Health Organization became aware through a media statement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission. It warned of a pneumonia of an unknown cause. During the first days of 2020, life around the world and in most parts of China, seemed normal. However, in Wuhan, the Huanan Market had been shut down, and World Health Organization officials were taking a closer look at the cases. “There are many unreported cases in China. There’s also a number of cases in Hong Kong that haven’t been reported,” Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang told Lou Dobbs in January 2020. “What’s happened in Hong Kong and the protest, people don’t want to go out so it has been quiet over the last week or so. But I think that this is really the fear over the contagion.” TRUMP’S ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ COMMISSION TO TARGET AUTISM, CHRONIC DISEASES What was now called the 2019 Novel Coronavirus had claimed its first victim by the time Trump inked phase one of his trade deal with China. “Right now, our relationship with China is the best it’s ever been,” Trump said at the signing ceremony. Cases from outside of China were now accumulating. Thailand and Japan had confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2. Shortly after, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began screening passengers on direct and connecting flights from Wuhan. “The bottom line is this is a very rare virus. The number of people who have been infected or exposed is very small,” Lenox Hill Hospital emergency room Dr. Robert Glatter said as the flight screenings began. Days later, health officials confirmed the first U.S. case in Washington state but insisted the virus was still a low risk to the public. “We’re very happy to say that he is in satisfactory condition and as of this moment is being, is very helpful in us identifying

State Department revokes first visa of foreign student linked to ‘Hamas-supporting disruptions’

State Department revokes first visa of foreign student linked to ‘Hamas-supporting disruptions’

The State Department has revoked the visa of a student who participated in protesting in favor of Hamas, a move in line with President Donald Trump‘s call for canceling visas of students involved in the anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses. The State Department confirmed the matter with Fox News, without identifying the student or what university they attended due to “legal constraints.” “Yesterday evening, we revoked the first visa of an alien who was previously cited for criminal behavior in connection with Hamas-supporting disruptions,” the State Department said. “This individual was a university student. ICE will proceed with removing this person from the country.” BARNARD STUDENT DEMANDS ACTION AFTER PRO-HAMAS PROTEST TURNS VIOLENT, CALLS OUT SCHOOL’S ‘PATHETIC’ RESPONSE The State Department reviewed over 100,000 student visas and none were revoked during the Biden administration, despite all the anti-Israel protests and disruptions on college campuses.  Trump has repeatedly called for foreign students attending American universities to have their visas revoked for supporting Hamas and other terror groups.  Upon taking office in January, he signed an executive order to combat antisemitism.  COLUMBIA PROFESSOR SLAMS UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AS ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS WREAK HAVOC AT BARNARD “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” Trump is quoted in a fact sheet issued by the White House. “I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.” U.S. college campuses have been a hotbed for anti-Israel protests and disruptions, including vandalism, threats against Jewish students and violence against law enforcement.  “The Biden Administration turned a blind eye to this coordinated assault on public order; it simply refused to protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans, especially students,” the fact sheet states. “According to a December 2024 U.S. House of Representatives Staff Report on anti-Semitism, ‘the failure of our federal government departments and agencies is astounding.’” On Thursday, Axios reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is launching an AI-fueled “Catch and Revoke” effort to cancel the visas of foreign students who appear to support designated terror groups.