Reporter Who Covered Biden From Beginning of His Career Says President ‘Should Never Have Sought’ Reelection

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A retired journalist who covered President Joe Biden when he won his first U.S. Senate campaign in 1972 said Biden “should never have sought a second term” in an op-ed published Wednesday.

Biden has faced a growing number of calls to step aside as the Democratic nominee after he froze at times and made several verbal gaffes during a June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump. Retired journalist Curtis Wilkie said in the op-ed published by Mississippi Today that the president should not have sought a second term due to his noticeable mental decline.

“President Biden should never have sought a second term,” Wilkie wrote. “I have an unusual perspective on this discussion dominating American politics considering I’ve known Joe Biden longer than any reporter who ever covered him. I’ve witnessed over the years how the relentless demands of the presidency have ravaged other occupants of the White House. And I share with Biden the frailties of old age that grip us both and have begun to diminish our physical and cognitive powers.”

“This is not a new concern of mine, produced by the president’s poor performance at last month’s debate,” Wilkie continued. “I reached this conclusion during a long conversation in March 2023 with two old friends who had closer political connections to Biden than my own.”

Wilkie, who is two years older than Biden, said that he has experienced similar issues that the president has displayed during public appearances. (Read more from “Reporter Who Covered Biden From Beginning of His Career Says President ‘Should Never Have Sought’ Reelection” HERE)

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Joe Biden Would Reevaluate Campaign if Doctors Flagged Medical Issue

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President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would reevaluate his candidacy for president if his doctors told him he had a medical issue.

Biden’s comment is the first time he “opened the door to a theoretical medical condition forcing him from the presidential race,” according to Politico. Biden previously said that only the “Lord Almighty” could force him from the race.

“If I had some medical condition that emerged,” Biden told BET News’s Ed Gordon upon being asked if he would reconsider his decision to stay in the race. “If doctors came to me and said, ‘You got this problem, that problem.’”

Biden, whom many are trying to remove from the ticket, added that he is not a transitional candidate, as he once promised the party.

“I said I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I’d be able to move on from this, pass it on to someone else,” he said. “But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. Quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings [is] a little bit of wisdom, and I think I’ve demonstrated that I know how to get things done for the country.” (Read more from “Joe Biden Would Reevaluate Campaign if Doctors Flagged Medical Issue” HERE)

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‘Shouldn’t You Hate Trump?’: Former Classmate Recounts Being Called ‘Stupid’ for Backing Trump by Would-Be Assassin

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A former classmate of the man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump recounted a heated political discussion with the shooter, according to Fox News.

Vincent Taormina told Fox News Digital in an interview posted Wednesday that the shooter, Thomas Michael Crooks, considered him “stupid” for supporting Trump. Trump was slightly wounded Saturday during the attempted assassination at a Butler County, Pennsylvania, rally, which left former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore dead and two other attendees wounded.

“I brought up the fact that I’m Hispanic and, you know, I’m for Trump. And he said, ‘Well, you’re Hispanic, so shouldn’t you hate Trump?,’” Taormina recounted. “No. He’s great. He was a great president. He called me stupid – or insinuated that I was stupid.”

“He said, ‘Well, that’s kind of stupid.’ He was a know-it-all,” Taormina continued. “So, like, once again, if he was passionate about something, he would just talk, talk, talk and acted like he knew everything, especially politics-related. He would say it in a tone that was, like, ‘I’m better than you,’ in a type of way, and meanwhile, it’s like, dude, we’re in the same classes.” . . .

“His friend group, they were known for being, like, just out there, little bit more recluse, some of them didn’t even show up to school, some of them went home school, some of them — I think one of them went to, like, private school,” Taormina said. “They were definitely the type and they did make threats to shoot up our school. And that year, I believe it was our freshman year because I had left our freshman year. Before I left, you know, everyone’s going through Snapchat, everybody’s texting everybody, you know, saying this, that and the third, everybody was saying it was Thomas who made a threat and it was that friend group.” (Read more from “‘Shouldn’t You Hate Trump?’: Former Classmate Recounts Being Called ‘Stupid’ for Backing Trump by Would-Be Assassin” HERE)

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Another Unbelievable Development in the Trump Assassination Attempt Just Dropped

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It keeps getting worse. As the Secret Service stonewalls the media and elected lawmakers regarding the glaring security breaches at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Fox News is reporting that federal agents knew there was a threat to the former president’s life ten minutes before he took the stage. They still allowed him to proceed with the rally and had identified the shooter an hour before the attack because he was spotted with a rangefinder by authorities. Former President Donald Trump barely escaped an assassination attempt on July 13, where a bullet grazed his right ear, missing a fatal headshot by millimeters.

The agency has been subjected to extreme scrutiny over the glaring security lapses during the attack, specifically how a rooftop with a clear vantage point to the stage, less than 200 yards away, wasn’t secure. There were reportedly sniper teams inside the building when shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire. To add to the incompetence, Secret Service sniper teams had spotted Crooks two minutes before he fired the first shot at the former president.

(Read more from “Another Unbelievable Development in the Trump Assassination Attempt Just Dropped” HERE)

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Security Failures and Conflicting Accounts Surround Assassination Attempt on Trump

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Emerging details from the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally on Saturday reveal significant security failures and conflicting accounts between the U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement. These discrepancies are raising serious concerns about the effectiveness of the security measures in place to protect the former president.

In a Monday interview with ABC News, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle acknowledged that local police were inside the building from which the shooter fired but admitted no personnel were stationed on the rooftop. Cheatle justified this decision by citing the “sloped” nature of the roof, which she claimed made it unsafe for officers. However, security experts and former Secret Service agents have criticized this explanation as inadequate and indicative of a major oversight.

“Let’s just say the local law enforcement officers [and] the Secret Service agree that it’s just not safe to keep someone up there for a couple of hours,” former Secret Service agent Anthony Cangelosi told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF). “Then the question is, well, how do we maintain its integrity otherwise? It’s not like you just throw your hands up and say ‘can’t do that.’”

Cangelosi emphasized that there was no “justifiable reason” for failing to secure the roof, suggesting alternative solutions such as using another platform or placing an officer on a lift. Similarly, Peter Yachmetz, a retired FBI agent and security consultant, pointed out that the shooter had been moving around on the supposedly unsafe roof prior to the incident, highlighting the inconsistency in the security measures.

Law enforcement reportedly spotted the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, on the roof 30 minutes before he fired shots, according to WPXI. Despite this, no action was taken to secure the area. A witness described seeing Crooks climbing onto the roof and attempting to warn a police officer, only to be met with confusion.

Former Secret Service agent Tim Miller expressed his frustration, stating, “The reality is, regardless of the spin, that particular roof should have been under constant surveillance and or posted.”

Cheatle stated that the Secret Service was responsible for the inner perimeter of the rally site, while local law enforcement was tasked with securing the outer perimeter. However, conflicting accounts have emerged regarding the positioning of local forces. A local law enforcement official told The New York Times that officers were in an adjacent building, not the one Crooks fired from.

CBS News reported that three snipers were stationed inside the building from which Crooks fired. One sniper reportedly saw Crooks using a rangefinder shortly before he fired and radioed the command post. However, the Butler Township Police Department has declined to confirm this report, citing an ongoing FBI investigation.

Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe has refrained from offering additional comments, stating that there are too many questions and too many fingers being pointed. He confirmed that his deputies performed their duties and went above and beyond in assisting after the shooting began.

Slupe previously told CNN that an armed Butler Township officer had encountered Crooks before he fired at Trump but retreated down a ladder when Crooks pointed his gun at him. Slupe acknowledged a security failure but stressed that “there is not just one entity responsible.”

Pennsylvania State Police confirmed they had no members inside the building or staging in it. Lieutenant Adam Reed stated that approximately 30 to 40 troopers assisted with securing the inside perimeter but were not responsible for securing the building from which the shooter fired.

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via flickr

Insane: Sniper Took Picture of Trump Rally Shooter, Saw Him Use Rangefinder Before Assassination Attempt, Source Says

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A sniper from a local tactical team deployed to assist the U.S. Secret Service at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday took a picture of the gunman and saw him looking through a rangefinder minutes before he tried to assassinate the former president, a local law enforcement officer with direct knowledge of the events told CBS News.

The sniper was one of three snipers, members of local tactical teams, who were stationed inside the building that the shooter used in the attack, the officer said. The operations plan had them stationed inside, looking out windows toward the rally, scanning the crowd. The details about the three snipers were first reported by the local news outlet BeaverCountian.com.

One sniper inside spotted the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, outside and looking up at the roof, observing the building and disappearing, according to the officer who spoke to CBS News. The sniper observed Crooks as he returned to the building, sat down and looked at his phone. At that point, one of the local snipers took a picture of Crooks.

Next, the local sniper observed Crooks looking through a rangefinder, an instrument routinely used by marksmen to determine the distance of a target, and he immediately radioed to the command post, according to the local law enforcement officer. The local sniper also attempted to send the photo of the gunman up the chain of command.

The command post, according to multiple law enforcement officials, served as a central hub to streamline communications between U.S. Secret Service and the local officers from nearby state and county police forces. It is unclear if the command post received the alert. (Read more from “Insane: Sniper Took Picture of Trump Rally Shooter, Saw Him Use Rangefinder Before Assassination Attempt, Source Says” HERE)

RFK Jr Apologizes After Leaked Phone Call in Which Trump Seems to Offer Deal

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The independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr apologized to Donald Trump on Tuesday, after Kennedy’s son posted video and audio of a call between the two men in which Trump made bizarre remarks about vaccines and babies, as well as appearing to offer Kennedy some sort of political deal.

“When President Trump called me I was taping with an in-house videographer,” Kennedy said. “I should have ordered the videographer to stop recording immediately. I am mortified that this was posted. I apologize to the president.”

The call was apparently made before Trump and Kennedy’s later meeting on Monday at the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, reportedly to discuss the possibility of Kennedy endorsing Trump.

The recording was posted online by Kennedy’s son, Bobby Kennedy III, with the message: “I am a firm believer that these sorts of conversations should be had in public. Here’s Trump giving his real opinion to my dad about vaccinating kids – this was the day after the assassination attempt.” . . .

In posting the recording, Bobby Kennedy III also suggested Anthony Fauci, formerly Biden’s chief medical adviser, should be in prison; appeared to suggest his father should have been Trump’s running mate on a “unity ticket” rather than “JD ‘fire all the unvaccinated nurses’ Vance”, the Ohio senator named on Monday; and implied Republicans and Democrats were subordinate to Pfizer, a multinational vaccine producer. (Read more from “RFK Jr Apologizes After Leaked Phone Call in Which Trump Seems to Offer Deal” HERE)

Federal Judge Orders Release of John Strand From Jan. 6 Prison Term

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John Strand, a former model and actor who went to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 to protect Dr. Simone Gold of America’s Frontline Doctors, was ordered released from prison July 15 in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision stymieing use of a 20-year felony obstruction charge.

United States District Judge Christopher Cooper granted Strand’s second motion for release since February — just weeks after a Supreme Court ruling strictly limited the obstruction of an official proceeding charge leveled against Strand and 354 other Jan. 6 defendants.

Gold, Strand’s friend who served a 60-day prison sentence on a misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, praised Strand’s integrity after learning of the release order.

“He was offered a single misdemeanor plea,” Gold said in an interview with Blaze News. “He said, ‘I’m going to walk into the fire.’ He walked into the fire. He never regretted it. I mean, he’s a full-on hero in an age when we need heroes.”

Strand, 41, of Naples, Fla., will have to finish his 12-month sentence on four Jan. 6 misdemeanor charges, which puts his release date on July 24. Strand was originally sentenced to 32 months in prison. (Read more from “Federal Judge Orders Release of John Strand From Jan. 6 Prison Term” HERE)

Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks’ Family Includes ‘Hardworking’ Big Sister Who’s ‘Real Friendly’ — as Feds Still Search for Motive

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Details are beginning to trickle out about the family of would-be Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks — as federal investigators struggle to determine a clear motive for the attack that shocked the nation. . .

A neighbor of Katie Crooks, Thomas’ sister, described her as a “hardworking” woman who juggled two jobs who moved into their apartment building in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with the help of her brother three years ago.

“The person who helped her, I couldn’t tell if it was a male or a female,” the neighbor told the Post of his initial reaction to Thomas, 20.

“A couple of days later I asked if it was one of her siblings and she said it was her brother. The one who shot Trump… He was real scrawny,” he added.

The neighbor noted that Katie’s father, Matthew Brian Crooks, appeared to be too heavy to help her move and instead opted to drive the moving truck while Thomas helped his sister settle in. (Read more from “Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks’ Family Includes ‘Hardworking’ Big Sister Who’s ‘Real Friendly’ — as Feds Still Search for Motive” HERE)

Biden Teases Kamala Harris ‘Could Be President of the United States’ in Trump-Bashing NAACP Speech

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President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris “could be president of the United States” while addressing the NAACP’s annual convention — as fellow Democrats try to convince him to step aside ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

“She’s not only a great vice president, she could be president of the United States,” the 81-year-old president said of Harris, 59, who would be best-positioned to replace him if he decides to retire.

Biden gave no indication, however, that he would do so — telling the crowd that he had a plan for the first 100 days of a second term including signing voting-rights legislation “come hell or high water.”

The incumbent repeatedly attacked Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in his remarks — despite calling on Americans to “lower the temperature” of the campaign in a rare Oval Office address Sunday, after Trump, 78, was wounded Saturday in an assassination attempt.

“Donald Trump’s presidency was hell for black America,” Biden exclaimed at one point. (Read more from “Biden Teases Kamala Harris ‘Could Be President of the United States’ in Trump-Bashing NAACP Speech” HERE)