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Happening Today: Jury Selection Begins In Trump Assassination Attempt Case

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Fort Pierce, Fla. โ€” Jury selection begins Monday in the federal trial of Ryan Routh, who prosecutors say plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club in September 2024. The process is expected to conclude by Wednesday.

Prospective jurors are being questioned under oath in Fort Pierce to determine whether they can serve impartially. Routh, who is representing himself, will directly question jurors alongside federal prosecutors โ€” an unusual dynamic in the courtroom.

The case is being heard by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who denied a motion from Routhโ€™s defense team seeking her recusal. A Trump appointee, Cannon was randomly assigned to the case.

Federal prosecutors allege Routh camped near Trumpโ€™s golf course for 12 hours with a rifle and aimed at a Secret Service agent before being forced to drop the weapon. Investigators later discovered a letter in which Routh expressed regret that he failed to kill Trump, as well as evidence he sought anti-aircraft weapons and surveillance of Trumpโ€™s flights weeks before his arrest.

Routh faces charges of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple gun violations โ€” crimes carrying potential life sentences. He has pleaded not guilty to both federal and related state charges.

A 12-member jury, plus alternates, will ultimately decide the case. Federal law requires a unanimous verdict for conviction.

Pennsylvania Man Charged For Allegedly Threatening To Kill Trump

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President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al Saud at the Royal Court Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

A 22-year-old Pennsylvania man is facing federal charges after allegedly making violent threats against President-elect Donald Trump just days before he was set to take office.

According to the U.S. Attorneyโ€™s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Jacob Buckley of Port Matilda posted several alarming threats on TikTok under the username โ€œJacob_buckleyโ€ on January 16. His posts included, โ€œIโ€™m going to kill Trumpโ€ and other comments targeting MAGA supporters.

He also wrote on the TikTok account,ย “Iโ€™m going to kill Trump,” and, “Bro we going into a literal oligarchy in 4 days and im going to kill Trump,” according to prosecutors.ย 

Federal prosecutors confirmed that Buckley was charged by criminal information for threatening Trump as the incoming President. The investigation was led by the U.S. Secret Service.

“The maximum penalty upon conviction on the Information is 5 yearsโ€™ imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, a fine, and the imposition of a special assessment,” the office added.ย 

If convicted, Buckley could face up to five years in prison, along with fines and supervised release.

This case comes just weeks after another manโ€”37-year-old Carl Montague of Rhode Islandโ€”was charged for allegedly threatening to kill Trump and members of his incoming administration on Truth Social. Montagueโ€™s posts included violent threats aimed at Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

Attorney General Charges Three In Tesla Attacks

More to come…

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday announced three individuals are facing federal charges for allegedly attacking Tesla properties as protests and vandalism hitย Elon Muskโ€™sย electric vehicle company across the country.

Calling the charges a โ€œwarning,โ€ Bondi said the three individuals are accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at Tesla dealerships in three different states in recent weeks.

โ€œThe days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,โ€ Bondi said in a Thursday statement. โ€œLet this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.โ€

The charges come amid a wave of violent demonstrations taking place across the nation in protest of Muskโ€™s efforts to slash the federal government and budget underย President Trumpโ€™sย direction.

Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, on Jan. 20, threw approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership located in Salem, Oregon, federal prosecutors said. One vehicle was completely destroyed, and several others were damaged.

Lansky also threw a “large heavy object through the dealership window,” they said. At the time of the attack, he was armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle.

Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, was arrested in Loveland, Colorado on Jan. 29 after attempting to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails, prosecutors said. 

A former high-level FBI special agent said he expects political violence in the United States to continue escalating amid the nationwide destruction of Tesla vehicles and dealerships aimed at intimidating Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk. 

Michael Tabman is the former special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office, and he said there is no doubt that recent violent attacks faced by Tesla owners and dealerships are clear cases of domestic terrorism. 

“I do fear that more violence is on its way,” Tabman told Fox News Digital. “Maybe not directly Teslas or DOGE, but just general political violence. I think it’s already here. But I think there’s more around the corner.”

Report: Trump Expected To Fire U.S. Attorney

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence ofย mortgage fraudย against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources.ย 

Federal prosecutors in Virginia had uncovered no clear evidence to prove that James had knowingly committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home in the state in 2023, ABC Newsย first reportedย earlier this week, but Trump officials pushed U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert to nevertheless bring criminal charges against her, according to sources.

Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The president has reportedly been leaning on federal prosecutors to bring charges against James for alleged mortgage fraud. She has beenย accusedย of falsely claiming her house in Virginia as her primary residence despite being legally required to live in New York as an elected official there.

ABC News reported on Wednesday that Siebert, who is the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was having difficulty finding enough evidence to sustain a conviction against James. On Thursday, the outlet said Trump is expected to fire the prosecutor.

โ€œAdministration officials have told Siebert of Trumpโ€™s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said,โ€ ABC News stated. โ€œSiebertโ€™s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.โ€

Trump nominated Siebert for the job in May.

โ€œThe decision to fire Siebert could throw into crisis one of the most prominent U.S. attorneyโ€™s offices, which handles a bulk of the countryโ€™s espionage and terrorism cases, and heighten concerns about Trumpโ€™s alleged use of the DOJ to target his political adversaries,โ€ ABC News stated.

In May, the FBI opened an investigation into the notorious prosecutor. James has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation politically motivated, pointing to her officeโ€™s civil fraud case against Trump. That case ultimately resulted in a $354 million judgment against the president, which also bars his

During her 2018 campaign for attorney general, James publicly stated she intended to pursue legal action against Trump and investigate his business dealings in New York.

While campaigning, James vowed to shine a โ€œbright light into every cornerโ€ of Trumpโ€™s โ€œreal estate dealings.โ€ Her critics โ€” including Trump himself โ€” would later argue that her civil lawsuit against him was a political witch hunt.

In announcing the probe, US Attorney John A. Sarcone III took a swipe at Jamesโ€™s 2018 campaign rhetoric about investigating President Donald Trump.

The US attorney said James โ€œunethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trump,โ€ and essentially accused her of finding a criminal target without an alleged crime.

He added:

We stand prepared to act in the capacity that we need to when and if we are informed thereโ€™s a charge to be made. Unlike Letitia James, who unethically ran around the state campaigning on getting Donald Trumpโ€ฆ my office conducts itself in a manner that is proper and professional.

Cuban Regime Finally Loses a Longtime Fugitive: Joanne โ€œAssataโ€ Shakur Dies in Havana

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Havana, Cuba โ€” On September 25, 2025, Cubaโ€™s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Joanne Deborah Byron โ€” better known by her aliases Joanne Chesimard and Assata Shakur โ€” died in Havana at the age of 78 due to health complications and the rigors of old age.

This news brings to a close a decades-long saga in which a convicted murderer escaped justice, was shielded by a hostile foreign regime, and became a symbol for radical causes.


A Fugitiveโ€™s Origin: From Violent Crime to Escape to Cuba

In 1977, Chesimard was convicted on multiple serious charges including first-degree murder, armed robbery, and other felonies after a 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike that left State Trooper Werner Foerster dead.

She escaped prison in 1979, spent years underground, and resurfaced in 1984 under asylum in Cuba โ€” a regime that refused U.S. extradition requests.

For decades, the United States and New Jersey authorities pushed Cuba to hand her over. She carried the dubious distinction of being the first woman ever placed on the FBIโ€™s Most Wanted Terrorists list, with a $1 million reward for her capture.


A Death Without Accountability

Her passing in Havana presents a bitter irony: after decades of immunity facilitated by a foreign government, she dies free โ€” far from the prison cell where she was supposed to serve life in the U.S.

New Jersey officials immediately expressed outrage. They reiterated that justice was never fully served for Trooper Foersterโ€™s family.

Cubaโ€™s complicity in harboring Chesimard has long been roundly condemned by American leaders. Senator Marco Rubio recently denounced Havana for providing โ€œa safe haven for terrorists and criminals, including fugitives from the United States.โ€

What She Represented โ€” and What the U.S. Must Learn

For defenders of law and order, her story is a cautionary tale of diplomatic failure and ideological double standards.

  • Rule of Law Must Be Absolute: A convicted cop killer escaping and living with impunity is a stain on the integrity of the justice system.
  • Foreign Regimes Should Not Shield Criminals: Cubaโ€™s refusal to extradite Chesimard fashioned her into a political symbol, rather than merely a criminal. That sets a dangerous precedent.
  • Consistency in Foreign Policy Matters: If the U.S. does not forcefully demand accountability from regimes that shelter fugitives, it weakens its moral and strategic footing.

Now that she has died abroad, the question of bringing her remains home may arise. But more importantly, the memory of Trooper Foerster โ€” his sacrifice and service โ€” must remain central. And the mission remains: to hold foreign governments accountable when they interfere with American justice.

Campus Chaos Erupts At UC Berkeley Ahead Of Ending Tour by Turning Point USA

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On Monday afternoon in Berkeley, a bloody confrontation broke out near the campus of the University of California, Berkeley as the conservative student-activist group Turning Point USA (TPUSA) held its final stop of the โ€œThis Is The Turning Pointโ€ tour. The event featured noted conservative voices Dr. Frank Turek and actor-activist Rob Schneider, and came just two months after the murder of TPUSAโ€™s founder, Charlie Kirk, at a campus event in Utah on Sept. 10.

According to video from Fox News Digital, the skirmish began around 4:30 p.m. PST. Two men were seen grappling in the altercation, with one suffering a serious facial injury and blood clearly visible. A mob of agitatorsโ€”many wearing keffiyehs and carrying left-wing protest signsโ€”surrounded the fight. The local police, including officers donning shields and batons, appeared challenged to regain control of the crowd.

The Berkeley Police Department reported at least two arrests by 6 p.m.โ€”one individual was arrested for battery. A university spokesperson clarified the brawl occurred off campus grounds and declined further comment.

Turek, in a recent interview ahead of the event, said he urged Kirk to make the Berkeley stop of the tour: โ€œIf I could go to any one event with him, it would be that oneโ€ฆ I wanted to go to UC Berkeley because it is so progressive and liberal in their views, and I wanted to provide evidence that Christianity was indeed true.โ€

As departure began, protesters reportedly surrounded all exits to the venue, heckled attendees, and shouted obscenities as they filtered out. It remains unclear how many individuals were injured in the fight.

Kirk, Trump & the Conservative Youth Movement
Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012, with the mission of mobilizing conservative students on college campuses. His organization became a central pillar of conservative youth activism.

Kirkโ€™s relationship with Donald Trump evolved into a potent alignment:

  • Kirk was considered a key figure in helping Trump make inroads with younger voters, a segment Democrats long dominated.
  • He developed a direct line to the Trump orbit; multiple sources note that his influence extended beyond student activism into campaign strategy.

Kirkโ€™s impact on the GOPโ€™s youthful base, combined with his focus on campus organizing, made him a strategic asset to the Trump-aligned Republican coalition. As one analysis put it: โ€œKirkโ€™s efforts significantly contributed to Trumpโ€™s appeal among younger voters.โ€

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigatingย the protestsย at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, in the wake of several arrests at a Turning Point USA event.

โ€œWe saw all of this at Berkeley back in 2017. @UCBerkeley was sued, and settled the case,โ€ Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon wrote on the social platform X Tuesday, responding to another post claiming that โ€œAntifa has turned Turning Pointโ€™s event at UC Berkeley in California into an absolute WARZONE.โ€

โ€œThe @CivilRights will investigate what happened here, and I see several issues of serious concern regarding campus and local security and Antifaโ€™s ability to operate with impunity in CA,โ€ she added.

Intelligence Director Calls On Justice Department To Prosecute Obama Officials

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is pushing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Obama administration officials linked to the debunked report alleging the 2016 Trump campaign engaged in Russian collusion.

More details are coming out concerning alleged efforts by former President Barack Obama and his teamโ€™s efforts to drum up intelligence to create a narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Sunday. (RELATED: Report: Obama Admin. โ€˜Manufacturedโ€™ Intelligence To Establish Russian Collusion Narrative)

Gabbard appeared on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, where she alleged a massive cover-up by intelligence officials in the Obama administration.

โ€œThere was direct intent to cover up the truth about what occurred and who was responsible, and the broad network of how this seditious conspiracy was concocted and who exactly was responsible for carrying it out,โ€ Gabbard claimed.

โ€œSo at the end of the day, we need to look at Pam Bondi?โ€ host Maria Bartiromo asked. โ€œIs that the person who, at the end of the day, is gonna bring us accountability. Pam Bondi?โ€

Gabbard confirmed took the rare step of publicly calling on fellow administration officials to take action.

โ€œAttorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel,โ€ the director responded. โ€œIt is their responsibility to gather all of the evidence, both that we have released, the facts that have already been known previously, the information that will continue to come out, and move forward with this prosecution and these indictments.โ€

Gabbard told Bartiromo that her team released 100 documents on Friday.

They โ€œprovide evidence of how this treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office after President Trump had already gotten elected,โ€ she noted. Gabbard also said they were referring all the records to the Department of Justice and FBI for a criminal referral.

โ€œSo the effect of what President Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against President Trump, who was duly elected by the American people,โ€ Gabbard declared.

Pressed on whether she expects future indictments and prosecutions, Gabbard replied, โ€œIโ€™m not a lawyer. In my view, we have the evidence to be able to move forward and bring about justice, yes, to prosecute and indict those responsible.โ€

In aย threadย posted to X on Friday, Gabbard shared clips of documents and contended that Obama directed his top intelligence officials to โ€œcreateโ€ a new intelligence assessment in December 2016 that contradicted prior analyses, after which they โ€œleaned on their allies in the media to advance their falsehoodsโ€ and push the narrative that Russia โ€œintervened to hack the election in Trumpโ€™s favor.โ€

Watch:

Capitol Police Arrest Democrat House Staffer

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Police image via Pixabay free images

On Monday, capitol police arrested a Congressional staffer for Rep.ย Joe Morelleโ€™sย (D-NY) office.

The staffer was identified in a statement as 38-year oldย Michael Hopkins and he was arrested for allegedly carrying ammunition, including a high-capacity magazine, into the Cannon House Office Building.

Chad Pergram, senior congressional correspondent for Fox News.ย posted a statement from Capitol police to X,ย formally Twitter:

At approximately 8:45 a.m., a House staffer entered the Cannon House Office Building and put his bag through screening. USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen. After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition. The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag. 38-year-old Michael Hopkins was arrested, and he is facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine.

Fox5 Washington reported that Hopkins โ€œhas been a guestโ€ฆseveral times over the years,โ€ as a Democratic strategist on their show The Hill, and posted video of the staffer on-air.

Morelleโ€™s office also released a statement, saying theyโ€™re fully cooperating with the investigation:

This morning, our office was informed that a member of our staff was arrested by Capitol Police. We are currently gathering more information regarding the circumstances of the arrest. Our office is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation. As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is devoted to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all.

Woman Arrested After Traveling To D.C. While Threatening To Assassinate Trump

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

An Indiana woman has been arrested after threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump.

On Monday,ย U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Nathalie Jones, 50, of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in the District of Columbia on Saturday in connection with making a series of threats on social media in which she threatened to kill President Trump.

โ€œHi everyone, itโ€™s Judge Jeanine. I just wanted to let you know here from the United States Attorneyโ€™s Office in D.C. that an individual by the name ofย Nathalie Rose Jonesย is now in custody, charged with two federal crimes for knowingly and willfully threatening to take the life of the President of the United States,โ€ย Pirroย said in a clip she released on social media.

โ€œShe did come from New York to Washington, D.C. and she has been threatening and calling for the removal of the president and even worse as she got to D.C. Her threats were on Facebook and Instagram and she continued to call the president a terrorist and was working to have him eliminated. She is now in custody. She will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Make no mistake about that,โ€ Pirro said with a hint of a smile.

On Facebook between August 6 and August 15,  โ€œNath.Jonesโ€ allegedly continued to post threatening comments about President Trump. In an August 6 post directed at the FBI, Nath.Jones wrote that โ€œI am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present.โ€

            On August 14, in a post directed to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Nath Jones allegedly wrote โ€œplease arrange the arrest and removal ceremony of POTUS Trump as a terrorist on the American People from 10-2pm at the White House on Saturday, August 16th, 2025.โ€

            On August 15, the U.S. Secret Service conducted a voluntary interview with Jones, during which she stated the President was a โ€œterroristโ€ and a โ€œnazi,โ€ that if she had the opportunity, she would take the Presidentโ€™s life and would kill him at โ€œthe compoundโ€ if she had to, that she had a โ€œbladed object,โ€ which she said was the weapon she would use to โ€œcarry out her mission of killingโ€ the president, and that she wanted to โ€œavenge all the lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic,โ€ which she atrributed to President Trumpโ€™s administration and its position on vaccinations.

            On August 16, Jones joined a protest demonstration that started at Dupont Circle, and circumnavigated the White House complex. Following the march, the U.S. Secret Service interviewed Jones for a second time, during which she admitted that she had made threats towards President Trump during her interview the previous day. She denied having any present desire to harm the President of the United States. Law enforcement arrested her and she confirmed that she was the owner of the Facebook user account โ€œNath Jonesโ€ and that she had posted the threatening statements.

Pirro, who was best known in recent years for her hot takes on The Five, is now the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Her office also put out a statement on the arrest, which read, โ€œNathalie Rose Jones, 50, of Lafayette, Indiana, was arrested in the District of Columbia on Saturday, August 16, and charged in connection with making a series of threats on social media in which she threatened to kill President Trump, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.โ€

โ€œJones was charged in a complaint in U.S. District Court with threatening to take the life of, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States, and transmitting in interstate commerce communications containing threats to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another,โ€ added the statement.

AG Bondi Reveals The Grim Reason She’s Carrying Fake Fentanyl

Attorney General Pam Bondi will stop at nothing to eradicate fentanyl from the streets.

On Wednesday, Bondi revealed that she carries around a vial of fake fentanyl to show that just a tiny amount can be deadly.

While appearing on Fox & Friends from the White House lawn, Bondi discussed the importance of recent drug trafficking busts in several states that turned up massive amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and guns.

To illustrate her point, she said she keeps a small bottle of โ€œfake fentanylโ€ to remind herself how just a tiny amount can prove deadly.

โ€œEach pill has the potential to kill a human being. A human life. An American life. Iโ€™ve been carrying around a little vial with fake fentanyl in it, the amount it takes to kill you, and it looks like a couple of grains of salt,โ€ Bondi told Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones.

On Tuesday, Bondi announced that authorities made one of the biggest fentanyl busts in U.S. history with the seizure 409 kilos of fentanyl pills and 11.5 kilos of fentanyl powder.

Bondi said that around 35 kilos of methamphetamine, 35 kilos of meth, 7.5 kilos of cocaine and 4.5 kilos of heroin were also seized along with $5 million in cash and 49 rifles and pistols.

Sixteen people were arrested in the operation. Six of the individuals are in the U.S. illegally, Bondi said. 

Bondi also teased a joint announcement with FBI Director Kash Patel of a major child exploitation ring bust later in the morning, while urging parents to take notice of their childrenโ€™s online habits.

โ€œYour kids have no right to privacy on the internet,โ€ she said, adding, โ€œChildren are getting recruited on the internet from being on games, social media or any social media platform. Parents, youโ€™ve got to monitor what your kids are doing because they think they are talking to other children and they are not. They are talking to monsters often.โ€

โ€œYouโ€™ve gotta be all in your childrenโ€™s business,โ€ Jones added.

Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Attorney General Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday that 205 alleged child sex predators who preyed on children online have been arrested in the last week. 

The arrests are part of a new joint operation by the Justice Department and FBI called “Operation Restore Justice” which saw 115 children across the country rescued in the process, Bondi and Patel said.

Bondi called the operation “historic and “unprecedented.”

“These depraved human beings, if convicted, will face the maximum penalty in prison some life,” Bondi said at a press briefing.

“We will find you. We will arrest you, and we will charge you. If you are online targeting a child, you will not escape us. The FBI and the Department of Justice will come after you. And we will prosecute you.”