International
Senator publishes unpublished video of the moments after the attack on Donald Trump
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley published on Wednesday a video recorded by a camera of a security officer in which the lifeless body of Thomas Crooks, the shooter who shot Donald Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
The senator said on network X that his intention is that the images serve to provide “transparency” and be held accountable for the security flaws that led the 20-year-old to parapetet on a roof of a building near the stage of the Trump rally without being detected and firing several shots, which killed an assistant and injured two others, in addition to the Republican candidate.
The video was recorded by an agent’s body camera on the roof where Crooks was and in it you can see a secret service agent discussing the details with several police officers of what had just happened to inform Washington.
Before being killed by the security forces, Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump (2017-2021), fired eight bullets, whose shells were found on the roof on which he was mounted.
This was reported on Wednesday by the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, in an appearance in a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives in which he offered some details about the attempted assassination of the former president that occurred on Saturday, July 13 at a rally in Butler (Pennsylvania).
Faced with questions from several legislators, Wray assured that the FBI will continue to work “tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened.”
“We are putting all the resources of the FBI at the service of criminal and national security. Now there is a lot of work going on and there is still a lot of work to be done and our understanding – of what happened and why – will continue to evolve, but we are not going to leave stone without moving,” he said.
“The assassination attempt of the former president was an attack on our democracy and our democratic process and we will not tolerate political violence of any kind, especially a despicable account of this magnitude,” Wray said.
Wray revealed that the shooter was flying the drone around the area, not on stage, but about 200 meters away, about two hours before the start of the rally and that helped him determine the best position to aim the weapon outside the security perimeter.
And about the explosive devices, Wray specified that a total of three explosive devices were recovered, two in Crooks’ vehicle and one from his residence. All of them had receivers that could have allowed them to be detonated remotely.
Grassley said today that the video and documents he has revealed after an official request provide more answers than the Secret Service has given to the American public to date.
Legislators of both parties were very disappointed with the evasion of the former director of the Secret Service, in charge of the security of presidents, former presidents and presidential candidates, Kimberly Cheatle, at a hearing on Monday.
Cheatle resigned yesterday due to the security flaws that led to the attack on Trump, who recovered from a bullet that slightly pierced her right ear.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
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