DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a violent attack on a&nbsp;25-year-old babysitter at a park in Lawrence on Tuesday.

Just after 12:30p.m. the woman was attacked at Centennial Park, 2124 W 9th Street in Lawrence, while she was holding a 4-year-old child. 

Witnesses told police that a woman, who is believed to be living in the park, angrily approached a small group of people supervising children on the playground. 

The victim, worried for the safety of the child, picked her up and attempted to get away from the 33-year-old suspect, but the suspect allegedly struck the victim in the back with a dumbbell multiple times. 

The victim was able to run away from the suspect, get into her vehicle with the child, and leave the area while calling police. 

The suspect was located in the park and arrested on a requested charge of aggravated battery and child endangerment. 

The victim declined medical treatment at the scene and will be physically ok, but was clearly shaken. Officers were unable to determine a motive for the attack but said the suspect's behavior with them was very erratic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726654684422.png" alt="Centennial Park, 2124 W 9th Street in Lawrence-Google image" />
 <figcaption>Centennial Park, 2124 W 9th Street in Lawrence-Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a violent attack on a&nbsp;25-year-old babysitter at a park in Lawrence on Tuesday.Just after 12:30p.m. the woman was attacked at Centennial Park, 2124 W 9th Street in Lawrence, while she was holding a 4-year-old child. Witnesses told police that a woman, who is believed to be living in the park, angrily approached a small group of people supervising children on the playground. The victim, worried for the safety of the child, picked her up and attempted to get away from the 33-year-old suspect, but the suspect allegedly struck the victim in the back with a dumbbell multiple times. The victim was able to run away from the suspect, get into her vehicle with the child, and leave the area while calling police. The suspect was located in the park and arrested on a requested charge of aggravated battery and child endangerment. The victim declined medical treatment at the scene and will be physically ok, but was clearly shaken. Officers were unable to determine a motive for the attack but said the suspect's behavior with them was very erratic.

Babysitter attacked with dumbbell while caring for child at Kan. park

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue.

The Senate vote was Democrats’ latest attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women’s health issues and highlight policy differences between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, especially as Trump has called himself a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ivf-fertility-trump-republicans-election-harris-2f831b0a37dad02d9d5b9affb1f0a8de">leader on IVF</a>.”

The 51-44 vote was short of the 60 votes needed to move forward on the bill, with only two Republicans&nbsp;Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting in favor. Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.&nbsp;

 Democrats say Republicans who insist they support IVF are being hypocritical because they won't support legislation guaranteeing a right to it.

“They say they support IVF — here you go, vote on this,” said Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the bill's lead sponsor and a military veteran who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ivf-access-abortion-alabama-bill-ruling-7f68248f36900d4583d9b181f3b4e380">used the fertility treatment</a>&nbsp;to have her two children.

The Democratic push started earlier this year after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-treatments-embryos-law-7f706015308a5dfbc06abce511834d49">Alabama Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Several clinics in the state suspended IVF treatments until the GOP-led legislature rushed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-clinic-lawsuit-immunity-things-know-0d16d3be139f42c96bc3ab35c4467f55">enact a law</a>&nbsp;to provide legal protections for the clinics.

Democrats quickly capitalized, holding a vote in June on Duckworth's bill and warning that the U.S. Supreme Court could go after the procedure next after it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned the right to an abortion in 2022</a>.

The bill would establish a nationwide right for patients to access IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies and a right for doctors and insurance companies to provide it, an effort to pre-empt state efforts to limit the services. It would also require more health insurers to cover it and expand coverage for military service members and veterans.

In a statement after the vote, Vice President Harris said Republicans in Congress “have once again made clear that they will not protect access to the fertility treatments many couples need to fulfill their dream of having a child.”

Republicans argued that the federal government shouldn’t tell states what to do and that the bill was an unserious effort. Only Republican&nbsp; Collins and Murkowski voted with Democrats to move forward on the bill both times.

Meanwhile, Republicans have scrambled to counter Democrats on the issue, with many making clear that they support IVF treatments. Trump last month announced plans, without additional details, to require health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for the fertility treatment.

In his debate with Harris earlier this month, Trump said he was a “leader” on the issue and talked about the “very negative” decision by the Alabama court that was later reversed by the legislature.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said that Democrats are trying to create a political issue “where there isn't one.”

“Let me remind everybody that Republicans support IVF, full stop,” Thune said just before the vote.

The issue has threatened to become a vulnerability for Republicans as some state laws passed by their party grant&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-government-and-politics-constitutions-93c27f3132ecc78e913120fe4d6c0977">legal personhood</a>&nbsp;not only to fetuses but to any embryos that are destroyed in the IVF process. Ahead of its convention this summer, the Republican Party adopted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-abortion-party-platform-trump-rnc-5561e857c5501df9864ab8ca666d8bc5">policy platform</a>&nbsp;that supports states establishing fetal personhood through the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which grants equal protection under the law to all American citizens. The platform also encourages supporting IVF but does not explain how the party plans to do so.

Republicans have tried to push alternatives on the issue, including legislation that would discourage states from enacting explicit bans on the treatment, but those bills have been blocked by Democrats who say they are not enough.

Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, said in a floor speech then that his daughter was currently receiving IVF treatment and proposed to expand the flexibility of health savings accounts. Republican Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas have tried to pass a bill that would threaten to withhold Medicaid funding for states where IVF is banned.

Cruz, who is running for reelection in Texas, said Democrats were holding the vote to “stoke baseless fears about IVF and push their broader political agenda.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726604617334.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (center in the red tie) casting his no vote on Tuesday- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (center in the red tie) casting his no vote on Tuesday- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have blocked for a second time this year legislation to establish a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization, arguing that the vote is an election-year stunt after Democrats forced a vote on the issue.The Senate vote was Democrats’ latest attempt to force Republicans into a defensive stance on women’s health issues and highlight policy differences between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in the presidential race, especially as Trump has called himself a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ivf-fertility-trump-republicans-election-harris-2f831b0a37dad02d9d5b9affb1f0a8de">leader on IVF</a>.”The 51-44 vote was short of the 60 votes needed to move forward on the bill, with only two Republicans&nbsp;Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting in favor. Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.&nbsp; Democrats say Republicans who insist they support IVF are being hypocritical because they won't support legislation guaranteeing a right to it.“They say they support IVF — here you go, vote on this,” said Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, the bill's lead sponsor and a military veteran who has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ivf-access-abortion-alabama-bill-ruling-7f68248f36900d4583d9b181f3b4e380">used the fertility treatment</a>&nbsp;to have her two children.The Democratic push started earlier this year after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-treatments-embryos-law-7f706015308a5dfbc06abce511834d49">Alabama Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law. Several clinics in the state suspended IVF treatments until the GOP-led legislature rushed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-ivf-clinic-lawsuit-immunity-things-know-0d16d3be139f42c96bc3ab35c4467f55">enact a law</a>&nbsp;to provide legal protections for the clinics.Democrats quickly capitalized, holding a vote in June on Duckworth's bill and warning that the U.S. Supreme Court could go after the procedure next after it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned the right to an abortion in 2022</a>.The bill would establish a nationwide right for patients to access IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies and a right for doctors and insurance companies to provide it, an effort to pre-empt state efforts to limit the services. It would also require more health insurers to cover it and expand coverage for military service members and veterans.In a statement after the vote, Vice President Harris said Republicans in Congress “have once again made clear that they will not protect access to the fertility treatments many couples need to fulfill their dream of having a child.”Republicans argued that the federal government shouldn’t tell states what to do and that the bill was an unserious effort. Only Republican&nbsp; Collins and Murkowski voted with Democrats to move forward on the bill both times.Meanwhile, Republicans have scrambled to counter Democrats on the issue, with many making clear that they support IVF treatments. Trump last month announced plans, without additional details, to require health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for the fertility treatment.In his debate with Harris earlier this month, Trump said he was a “leader” on the issue and talked about the “very negative” decision by the Alabama court that was later reversed by the legislature.South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said that Democrats are trying to create a political issue “where there isn't one.”“Let me remind everybody that Republicans support IVF, full stop,” Thune said just before the vote.The issue has threatened to become a vulnerability for Republicans as some state laws passed by their party grant&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-government-and-politics-constitutions-93c27f3132ecc78e913120fe4d6c0977">legal personhood</a>&nbsp;not only to fetuses but to any embryos that are destroyed in the IVF process. Ahead of its convention this summer, the Republican Party adopted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-abortion-party-platform-trump-rnc-5561e857c5501df9864ab8ca666d8bc5">policy platform</a>&nbsp;that supports states establishing fetal personhood through the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which grants equal protection under the law to all American citizens. The platform also encourages supporting IVF but does not explain how the party plans to do so.Republicans have tried to push alternatives on the issue, including legislation that would discourage states from enacting explicit bans on the treatment, but those bills have been blocked by Democrats who say they are not enough.Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, said in a floor speech then that his daughter was currently receiving IVF treatment and proposed to expand the flexibility of health savings accounts. Republican Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas have tried to pass a bill that would threaten to withhold Medicaid funding for states where IVF is banned.Cruz, who is running for reelection in Texas, said Democrats were holding the vote to “stoke baseless fears about IVF and push their broader political agenda.

Moran, Marshall vote to block bill on women's rights to IVF

NEOSHO COUNTY —Law enforcement and school districts across Kansas are investigating school threats and several individuals have been taken into custody.

On Tuesday, the Neosho County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a social media post that mentions St. Paul school along with a couple of other schools outside of Neosho County as being on an alleged list, according to a media release.&nbsp; Law Enforcement in those jurisdictions have been notified and Neosho County investigators are currently following&nbsp; leads as the post is being treated as a criminal threat.

On Tuesday,&nbsp;The Dodge City Police Department reported they were aware of two circulating Snapchat messages that contain threats to Comanche Middle School and Dodge City Middle School, according to a media release. "We are actively working to identify the individuals responsible, and officers are increasing patrols around the schools to ensure student safety."

The Liberal Police Department reported they were also aware of a recent threat regarding a potential school shooting. After following several leads, the police department determined that the threat is non-credible.

Law enforcement are investigating a surge of reports of a vague school shooting threat circulating online about the USD 230 Spring Hill school district, according to a statement from the Johnson County Sheriff's office.&nbsp;&nbsp;To be proactive, the sheriff's office has increased their presence at schools in Spring Hill and adjacent districts in Johnson and Miami counties.

Junction City Police and Geary USD 475 investigated school&nbsp;threats made on TikTok against Junction City Middle School.

On Friday, September 13th, officers in Junction City were alerted to additional social media activity, which included a list of names of students and staff from USD 475 posted on Snapchat. On Tuesday, the Junction City Police Department identified a juvenile believed to be responsible for the post. Police arrested the juvenile, charged them with Aggravated Criminal Threat, a Level 5-person felony, and later released them to their parents.

In Hays, police&nbsp;received a report of a written threat of a bomb inside Hays Middle School, 201 W 29th Street, Hays,  according to a statement from Police Chief Don Scheibler.

The Hays Police Department worked with members of the USD 489 staff to fully investigate the reported threat. The school and the grounds were searched by members of the Hays Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol Emergency Service Unit (canines), Scheibler said.

During the investigation, the Hays Police Department also identified and located the person who made all the threats against Hays Middle School, Scheibler said.

A 37-year-old Salina man was arrested September 13, after he allegedly made alarming statements about plans to "shoot up a school" while standing in line at a local Casey's convenience store.

Police recommend that parents talk with their children about the consequences of making threats. We would also ask that parents educate children not to re-share social media posts but rather contact law enforcement immediately.

NEOSHO COUNTY —Law enforcement and school districts across Kansas are investigating school threats and several individuals have been taken into custody.On Tuesday, the Neosho County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a social media post that mentions St. Paul school along with a couple of other schools outside of Neosho County as being on an alleged list, according to a media release.&nbsp; Law Enforcement in those jurisdictions have been notified and Neosho County investigators are currently following&nbsp; leads as the post is being treated as a criminal threat.On Tuesday,&nbsp;The Dodge City Police Department reported they were aware of two circulating Snapchat messages that contain threats to Comanche Middle School and Dodge City Middle School, according to a media release. "We are actively working to identify the individuals responsible, and officers are increasing patrols around the schools to ensure student safety."The Liberal Police Department reported they were also aware of a recent threat regarding a potential school shooting. After following several leads, the police department determined that the threat is non-credible.Law enforcement are investigating a surge of reports of a vague school shooting threat circulating online about the USD 230 Spring Hill school district, according to a statement from the Johnson County Sheriff's office.&nbsp;&nbsp;To be proactive, the sheriff's office has increased their presence at schools in Spring Hill and adjacent districts in Johnson and Miami counties.Junction City Police and Geary USD 475 investigated school&nbsp;threats made on TikTok against Junction City Middle School.On Friday, September 13th, officers in Junction City were alerted to additional social media activity, which included a list of names of students and staff from USD 475 posted on Snapchat. On Tuesday, the Junction City Police Department identified a juvenile believed to be responsible for the post. Police arrested the juvenile, charged them with Aggravated Criminal Threat, a Level 5-person felony, and later released them to their parents.In Hays, police&nbsp;received a report of a written threat of a bomb inside Hays Middle School, 201 W 29th Street, Hays, according to a statement from Police Chief Don Scheibler.The Hays Police Department worked with members of the USD 489 staff to fully investigate the reported threat. The school and the grounds were searched by members of the Hays Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol Emergency Service Unit (canines), Scheibler said.The school was determined to be safe.During the investigation, the Hays Police Department also identified and located the person who made all the threats against Hays Middle School, Scheibler said.A 37-year-old Salina man was arrested September 13, after he allegedly made alarming statements about plans to "shoot up a school" while standing in line at a local Casey's convenience store.Police recommend that parents talk with their children about the consequences of making threats. We would also ask that parents educate children not to re-share social media posts but rather contact law enforcement immediately.

Police, school districts across Kansas investigating threats

KANSAS CITY— A Kansas City Fire Department firefighter-paramedic&nbsp; died Tuesday during a training exercise, according to the city.

Just before noon,&nbsp;KCFD crews conducted a training exercise when a member of the fire department experienced a medical emergency.

He was taken to North Kansas City Hospital and was pronounced dead at 1 p.m.&nbsp; &nbsp;He was a ten year veteran with KCFD with the Rescue Division at Station 35, according to the city.

The firefighter's name has not been released.

KANSAS CITY— A Kansas City Fire Department firefighter-paramedic&nbsp; died Tuesday during a training exercise, according to the city.Just before noon,&nbsp;KCFD crews conducted a training exercise when a member of the fire department experienced a medical emergency.He was taken to North Kansas City Hospital and was pronounced dead at 1 p.m.&nbsp; &nbsp;He was a ten year veteran with KCFD with the Rescue Division at Station 35, according to the city.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Mayor Lucas issued the following statement on the passing of a Kansas City Fire Department firefighter-paramedic: <a href="https://t.co/mNZfcjtg9O">pic.twitter.com/mNZfcjtg9O</a>&mdash; Mayor Quinton Lucas (@MayorLucasKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MayorLucasKC/status/1836136269187027239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The firefighter's name has not been released.

Kansas City firefighter-paramedic dies after training exercise

JOHNSONC OUNTY —A man from Arkansas has admitted his role in a violent knife attack.

Last week, 35-year-old&nbsp;Amanjit Singh pleased no contest to attempted First Degree Murder, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

In June of 2023, police responded to Stonebridge Liquors at W. 67th Street and Nieman Road in the city of Shawnee.&nbsp;&nbsp;The victim told investigators a man walked into the liquor store as she worked and attacked her with a knife.

Court documents say Singh is accused of stabbing the victim multiple times. He is scheduled for sentenceing on October 3.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726179537432.png" alt="Singh-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Singh-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSONC OUNTY —A man from Arkansas has admitted his role in a violent knife attack.Last week, 35-year-old&nbsp;Amanjit Singh pleased no contest to attempted First Degree Murder, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.In June of 2023, police responded to Stonebridge Liquors at W. 67th Street and Nieman Road in the city of Shawnee.&nbsp;&nbsp;The victim told investigators a man walked into the liquor store as she worked and attacked her with a knife.Court documents say Singh is accused of stabbing the victim multiple times. He is scheduled for sentenceing on October 3.

Man admits to violent knife attack on Kan. liquor store employee

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.

A Harley Davidson “Fat Boy” Motorcycle was northbound on Interstate 435, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

At Blue Parkway, the driver failed to negotiate the curvature in the roadway. The motorcycle traveled off the roadway to the left and&nbsp; down the grassy median that separates the northbound lanes of Interstate 435 from the southbound lanes. 

The motorcycle struck the inside portion of the southbound Interstate 435 guardrail and the driver was ejected.

 The operator of the motorcycle who was not wearing a helmet, was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to DiMartino. Debris from the motorcycle struck a Toyota Camry and a Subaru BRZ that were both traveling southbound on Interstate 435. 

The driver of the Toyota and the driver of the Subaru were not injured in the collision. Multiple lanes of southbound I-435 were closed to traffic for approximately three hours. This is fatality #68 compared to fatality #65 at this time last year, according to DiMartino.&nbsp; The name of the victim has not been released.

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 5p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.A Harley Davidson “Fat Boy” Motorcycle was northbound on Interstate 435, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.At Blue Parkway, the driver failed to negotiate the curvature in the roadway. The motorcycle traveled off the roadway to the left and&nbsp; down the grassy median that separates the northbound lanes of Interstate 435 from the southbound lanes. The motorcycle struck the inside portion of the southbound Interstate 435 guardrail and the driver was ejected. The operator of the motorcycle who was not wearing a helmet, was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to DiMartino. Debris from the motorcycle struck a Toyota Camry and a Subaru BRZ that were both traveling southbound on Interstate 435. The driver of the Toyota and the driver of the Subaru were not injured in the collision. Multiple lanes of southbound I-435 were closed to traffic for approximately three hours. This is fatality #68 compared to fatality #65 at this time last year, according to DiMartino.&nbsp; The name of the victim has not been released.

Motorcyclist dies after violent Kansas City crash

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating&nbsp; a Kansas man on multiple allegations after an incident on a Kansas highway.

Just before 4 p.m. Sept. 12, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a traffic complaint of a gray passenger vehicle unable to maintain the driving lane, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies discovered a Kaleb Liam Johnson, 25, of Topeka, allegedly drove reckless swerving in front of another vehicle causing it to almost leave the roadway, engaging in reckless driving, swerving across multiple lanes of traffic. The vehicle was occupied with two children inside.

Johnson was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated child endangerment, reckless driving and driving with an expired registration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726257133879.png" alt="Johnson-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Johnson-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating&nbsp; a Kansas man on multiple allegations after an incident on a Kansas highway.Just before 4 p.m. Sept. 12, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a traffic complaint of a gray passenger vehicle unable to maintain the driving lane, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Deputies discovered a Kaleb Liam Johnson, 25, of Topeka, allegedly drove reckless swerving in front of another vehicle causing it to almost leave the roadway, engaging in reckless driving, swerving across multiple lanes of traffic. The vehicle was occupied with two children inside.Johnson was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated child endangerment, reckless driving and driving with an expired registration.

Kan. man jailed after wild drive with two children in the vehicle

PALM BEACH, FL (AP) —The FBI said former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was the target of “what appears to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-gunshots-florida-f62f8378d3a8ce7b2e99d6a8fb40aba9">an attempted assassination</a>&nbsp;” at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-what-to-know-564c56e167c3cdc6c50f6a2e91db9a6c">his golf club in West Palm Beach</a>, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vp-vance-rubio-7c7ba6b99b5f38d2d840ed95b2fdc3e5">another attempt on his life</a>.

U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire on Sunday after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while he was golfing. No injuries were reported. Officials say the person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended by local law enforcement.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-assassination-attempt-fee81d8bcf737bfcde2ee8e5cea88465">suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was charged Monday with federal gun crimes</a>. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury.

On Tuesday, Donald Trump met with the Martin County Sheriff’s Deputies.&nbsp;who activated the traffic stop on I-95 and took would-be assassin Ryan Routh into custody.

Trump says the apparent attempt on his life was a “much better result” than when he was shot in July because no others were wounded or killed.

“That was some crazy day, and yesterday you had another one with a different result, actually much better result,” Trump said.

The host noted that some of Trump’s sons were in the room for the interview.

Trump recounts the apparent assassination attempt

He and his friends playing golf “heard shots, being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five.”

Trump said they got into carts “and we moved along pretty good.”

“I would have loved to have sank that last putt,” Trump said, of not being able to finish the round of golf.

Trump said an agent had seen a gun barrel “and started shooting in the bushes ... and ran toward the target.”

Trump also noted that a civilian woman in the area drove her vehicle to the back of Routh’s vehicle and took pictures of the license plate, which she then gave to authorities, who were able to track the suspect down.

Trump addresses apparent assassination attempt on X

Trump on Monday night participated in his first speaking appearance since the apparent assassination attempt on Sunday.

The former president is taking part in an X Space about the launch of World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform controlled by his sons Donald Jr. and Eric.

From his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Trump commended the Secret Service for doing an “excellent job.”

Farokh, the event’s host, began by applauding Trump for not canceling his appearance.

Trump also talked about his conversation with Biden, with whom he spoke earlier Monday about the apparent assassination attempt.

“He was very nice, that he called up to make sure that I was OK,” Trump said of his conversation with the president, adding that Biden also sought his input on whether “we need more people on my detail.”

Biden told reporters that the Secret Service “needs more help,” adding, “Thank God the president’s OK.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said this second apparent assassination attempt on Trump ought to be “a moment of soul-searching for all Americans.”

McConnell said the country’s political process “has been infected by reprehensible violence.”

“In America, our democracy flows from the ballot box. Not from the barrel of a gun. Period,” McConnell said in a Senate speech.

He said the president should receive “every appropriate measure of security.”

JD Vance says political rhetoric too heated — but mostly blames Democrats

Vance called for a reduction in heated political rhetoric a day after the former president was apparently targeted for assassination for the second time in as many months.

Vance said he would “do my part” to tone down the rhetoric. He also said Democrats cannot call Trump a “threat to democracy” and “a fascist” and expect that violence would not follow, because “some crazy person” decides “to take matters into their own hands.”

Trump has in recent weeks regularly called Democratic nominee Kamala Harris a “communist” and a “fascist” — ideologies at the opposite ends of the left-right political spectrum. He’s also said Harris and Democrats are threats to democracy.

Vance allowed that conservatives do not “always get things exactly right” in their rhetoric. But he argued that two apparent assassination attempts against Trump prove that Democrats are worse. “No one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months,” Vance said.

JD Vance tells evangelical activists that Trump is the ‘pro-life’ president

JD Vance told evangelical activists in a presidential battleground state that the former president and GOP nominee is the clear choice for anti-abortion voters this November.

Vance’s pitch at the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition gala in Georgia comes after some evangelicals, including Trump’s previous vice president, Mike Pence, expressed disappointment in the GOP removing from its 2024 platform a call for a national ban on abortion.

Trump has argued that the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning a woman’s federal right to terminate a pregnancy is enough because it steered abortion regulation back to state governments.

Vance did not explicitly acknowledge the platform language but praised Trump for nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down abortion rights at the federal level. Vance promised a second Trump administration would pursue policies that help would-be mothers and new mothers, such as investments in job training, education and child care.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, once a Trump critic, offers clear support

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp put his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-governor-kemp-graham-04ebe25ef4780f5a192db6ad10237ced">newfound detente</a>&nbsp;with Donald Trump on display Monday with a clear endorsement of the former president’s comeback bid and an aggressive takedown of Vice President Harris.

Kemp told the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition’s Georgia Victory Dinner crowd that Trump must be returned to the Oval Office to spare the nation a Harris administration.

As Trump often does, Kemp offered a sweeping, dark view of what the Democratic nominee would do in office. He said Harris is deceiving voters by taking more moderate positions on a range of issues than she did as a California senator and candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

“Kamala Harris of 2020 wouldn’t even recognize the Kamala Harris of today,” Kemp said, suggesting a President Harris would ban fracking and end private health insurance. Harris has not proposed those ideas in her current campaign.

Kemp and Trump had previously been at odds since the 2020 presidential election when the Georgia governor refused to help Trump overturn his defeat at the hands of now-President Biden.

Evangelical political leader blames ‘toxic political environment’ for violence against Trump

Ralph Reed, a longtime evangelical political powerhouse, is blaming Vice President Harris, other Democrats and the media for a “toxic political environment” that he says has paved the way for the apparent attempt on former President Trump’s life.

The co-founder of the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition, Reed used his group’s gala in Georgia on Monday night to say that criticism of Trump as a “would-be dictator” and threat to democracy is part of a pattern of “lies and smears and slurs” that have effectively given permission to “anyone with a screw loose” to think “they were doing a public service by trying to end his life.”

Reed said separately in an interview with The Associated Press that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters still does not justify calling Trump a threat to democracy. Reed argued that the nation “still had a peaceful transfer of power” because Congress was able that day to certify Biden’s Electoral College victory and the now-president was inaugurated two weeks later.

Political violence has become ‘desensitized’

Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, said the evidence thus far suggests that the alleged gunman seems to have shown interest in a mix of ideologies.

That’s a common quality in many who end up committing political violence and may have spent time “cherry-picking” for a way to justify those acts, Lewis said.

Lewis said Americans on both sides of the political spectrum have become “desensitized” to political violence and need to reckon with the fact that it’s now become a mainstream issue.

“The acceptance of political violence, calling for political violence, regardless of your affiliation, has no place in this country,” he said. “Full stop.”

Hawaii nonprofit details history with Routh

HomeAid Hawai’i, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless people find housing, said Ryan Routh offered his company’s services to help with roofing and flooring for the construction of tiny homes from 2018 to 2020.

“He was not compensated, and no complaints were recorded during his time with us under HomeAid Hawai’I’s previous leadership," Kimo Carvalho, the organization’s executive director, said Monday in a press release.

The organization has not used Routh’s services since 2020, Carvalho said.

Authorities are still working to confirm whether Routh acted alone

Authorities have no information so far to suggest that the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt was acting with anyone else, an FBI official said.

Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, cautioned that the investigation is still underway and that authorities are working to confirm whether Routh acted alone.

Secret Service acting director says agency’s protective measures are ‘working’

U.S. Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe said that protective measures are working after the latest apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump.

Rowe said he spoke with the former president and that Trump is “aware that he has the highest levels of protection” from the agency. He also said agents did their jobs to the letter when they noticed a man poking a rifle through the bushes at Trump’s golf course on Sunday.

Rowe said the golf trip wasn’t on Trump’s schedule, so they put together a security plan.

“And that security plan worked out," he said.

Routh ‘did not have a line of sight to the former president,’ Secret Service’s acting director says

Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. of the U.S. Secret Service says Routh “did not have a line of sight to the former president” and did not fire at Secret Service agents before he fled the scene.

Routh’s family members and former colleagues are being interviewed by FBI, agent says

Authorities are pursuing and executing search warrants for cell phones, a vehicle and electronics of the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, an FBI official said.

Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, said authorities are interviewing witnesses on the scene as well as family members and former colleagues of Ryan Routh.

Routh had numerous felony charges between 1997 and 2010, FBI agent says

Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri says Routh has numerous felony charges for stolen goods between 1997 and 2010.

Routh was the subject of a closed investigation in 2019 when someone reported he was in possession of a firearm despite a prior felony conviction, but Veltri says the tipster would not confirm making the report.

FBI requested search warrants for video recording device, cell phones and more at Routh’s previous addresses

The top FBI official in the Miami field office says authorities requested search warrants seeking access to a video recording device, cell phones, a vehicle and electronics at Routh’s previous addresses.

Investigators also collected DNA that was sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia, said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri. Agents in the FBI’s Charlotte and Honolulu field offices are conducting interviews.

The FBI’s analysis of cell phone data showed Routh was around the golf course in West Palm Beach for about 12 hours before the Secret Service encountered him.

‘There’s no quick fix,’ retired agent says of adding more personnel to the Secret Service

Retired supervisory Secret Service agent Bobby McDonald, now a criminal justice lecturer at the University of New Haven, said Monday that he hopes the agency will analyze the Sunday’s events and take ownership of what went right and what went wrong — and use it to improve as it moves into the home stretch of election season.

He noted that it’s a “very busy time” for the Secret Service with the election going on, more candidates now needing protection and with preparations underway for the United Nations General Assembly. The Secret Service currently has 40 people it’s responsible for protecting fulltime. In addition to Trump and Biden, that list also includes Harris, vice presidential candidates, other former presidents and their families and others.

McDonald cautioned that it can take nine to 18 months to bring on a Secret Service staffer. The service may want to transfer more personnel from the investigative work the agency does to its protective side, McDonald said.

“There is no quick fix,” he said, noting that temporarily bringing in people from outside the agency to help can come with its own challenges because they don’t regularly do protective work.

Former Secret Service agent says there’s an obvious need for more protection for Trump

Anthony Cangelosi, a former Secret Service agent, said the events Sunday show that there’s an obvious need for more personnel assigned to protect former President Trump.

“They could have been utilized to secure the perimeter,” he said.

He said it’s understandable that former presidents like Trump do not have the same level of protection as a sitting president. But, he said, Trump also isn’t like former presidents Obama or Clinton for example. He’s both a former president and a current nominee hoping to return to the White House.

“He’s not your typical former president,” he said.

Cangelosi, who’s currently a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, questioned whether a request had been made by anyone in the Secret Service for more personnel and if so what happened to that request? And if no requests have been made for more personnel, why not?

Without the resources to secure the entire perimeter, Cangelosi said the Secret Service did the next best thing, which was to have agents going ahead of the president to scout the next locations. He commended the work they did to spot the muzzle of the gun and open fire, saying they were vigilant. But he said there’s always a chance that they could have missed the muzzle. Extra coverage could include roving uniformed personnel outside the perimeter, for example, he said. The goal is to create a presence that serves as a deterrence.

He said the Secret Service doesn’t have the extra personnel but they can be pulled from other agencies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726602433344.png" alt="Photo from Trump campaign video by Margo Martin" />
 <figcaption>Photo from Trump campaign video by Margo Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>PALM BEACH, FL (AP) —The FBI said former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was the target of “what appears to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-gunshots-florida-f62f8378d3a8ce7b2e99d6a8fb40aba9">an attempted assassination</a>&nbsp;” at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-what-to-know-564c56e167c3cdc6c50f6a2e91db9a6c">his golf club in West Palm Beach</a>, Florida, on Sunday, just nine weeks after the Republican presidential nominee survived&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vp-vance-rubio-7c7ba6b99b5f38d2d840ed95b2fdc3e5">another attempt on his life</a>.U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire on Sunday after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while he was golfing. No injuries were reported. Officials say the person fled in an SUV and was later apprehended by local law enforcement.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-assassination-attempt-fee81d8bcf737bfcde2ee8e5cea88465">suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was charged Monday with federal gun crimes</a>. Additional and more serious charges are possible as the investigation continues and prosecutors seek an indictment from a grand jury.Here is the Latest:On Tuesday, Donald Trump met with the Martin County Sheriff’s Deputies.&nbsp;who activated the traffic stop on I-95 and took would-be assassin Ryan Routh into custody.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> meets with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Deputies who activated the traffic stop on I-95 and took Ryan Routh into custody <a href="https://t.co/XEZRR9anBQ">pic.twitter.com/XEZRR9anBQ</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@margommartin) <a href="https://twitter.com/margommartin/status/1836090888763719951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>A ‘much better result’</h2>Trump says the apparent attempt on his life was a “much better result” than when he was shot in July because no others were wounded or killed.“That was some crazy day, and yesterday you had another one with a different result, actually much better result,” Trump said.The host noted that some of Trump’s sons were in the room for the interview.<h2>Trump recounts the apparent assassination attempt</h2>He and his friends playing golf “heard shots, being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five.”Trump said they got into carts “and we moved along pretty good.”“I would have loved to have sank that last putt,” Trump said, of not being able to finish the round of golf.Trump said an agent had seen a gun barrel “and started shooting in the bushes ... and ran toward the target.”Trump also noted that a civilian woman in the area drove her vehicle to the back of Routh’s vehicle and took pictures of the license plate, which she then gave to authorities, who were able to track the suspect down.<h2>Trump addresses apparent assassination attempt on X</h2>Trump on Monday night participated in his first speaking appearance since the apparent assassination attempt on Sunday.The former president is taking part in an X Space about the launch of World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform controlled by his sons Donald Jr. and Eric.From his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, Trump commended the Secret Service for doing an “excellent job.”Farokh, the event’s host, began by applauding Trump for not canceling his appearance.<h2>Trump recounts conversation with Biden</h2>Trump also talked about his conversation with Biden, with whom he spoke earlier Monday about the apparent assassination attempt.“He was very nice, that he called up to make sure that I was OK,” Trump said of his conversation with the president, adding that Biden also sought his input on whether “we need more people on my detail.”Biden told reporters that the Secret Service “needs more help,” adding, “Thank God the president’s OK.”<h2>McConnell calls for soul-searching</h2>Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said this second apparent assassination attempt on Trump ought to be “a moment of soul-searching for all Americans.”McConnell said the country’s political process “has been infected by reprehensible violence.”“In America, our democracy flows from the ballot box. Not from the barrel of a gun. Period,” McConnell said in a Senate speech.He said the president should receive “every appropriate measure of security.”<h2>JD Vance says political rhetoric too heated — but mostly blames Democrats</h2>Vance called for a reduction in heated political rhetoric a day after the former president was apparently targeted for assassination for the second time in as many months.Vance said he would “do my part” to tone down the rhetoric. He also said Democrats cannot call Trump a “threat to democracy” and “a fascist” and expect that violence would not follow, because “some crazy person” decides “to take matters into their own hands.”Trump has in recent weeks regularly called Democratic nominee Kamala Harris a “communist” and a “fascist” — ideologies at the opposite ends of the left-right political spectrum. He’s also said Harris and Democrats are threats to democracy.Vance allowed that conservatives do not “always get things exactly right” in their rhetoric. But he argued that two apparent assassination attempts against Trump prove that Democrats are worse. “No one has tried to kill Kamala Harris in the last couple of months,” Vance said.<h2>JD Vance tells evangelical activists that Trump is the ‘pro-life’ president</h2>JD Vance told evangelical activists in a presidential battleground state that the former president and GOP nominee is the clear choice for anti-abortion voters this November.Vance’s pitch at the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition gala in Georgia comes after some evangelicals, including Trump’s previous vice president, Mike Pence, expressed disappointment in the GOP removing from its 2024 platform a call for a national ban on abortion.Trump has argued that the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning a woman’s federal right to terminate a pregnancy is enough because it steered abortion regulation back to state governments.Vance did not explicitly acknowledge the platform language but praised Trump for nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down abortion rights at the federal level. Vance promised a second Trump administration would pursue policies that help would-be mothers and new mothers, such as investments in job training, education and child care.<h2>Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, once a Trump critic, offers clear support</h2>Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp put his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-governor-kemp-graham-04ebe25ef4780f5a192db6ad10237ced">newfound detente</a>&nbsp;with Donald Trump on display Monday with a clear endorsement of the former president’s comeback bid and an aggressive takedown of Vice President Harris.Kemp told the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition’s Georgia Victory Dinner crowd that Trump must be returned to the Oval Office to spare the nation a Harris administration.As Trump often does, Kemp offered a sweeping, dark view of what the Democratic nominee would do in office. He said Harris is deceiving voters by taking more moderate positions on a range of issues than she did as a California senator and candidate for the 2020 Democratic nomination.“Kamala Harris of 2020 wouldn’t even recognize the Kamala Harris of today,” Kemp said, suggesting a President Harris would ban fracking and end private health insurance. Harris has not proposed those ideas in her current campaign.Kemp and Trump had previously been at odds since the 2020 presidential election when the Georgia governor refused to help Trump overturn his defeat at the hands of now-President Biden.<h2>Evangelical political leader blames ‘toxic political environment’ for violence against Trump</h2>Ralph Reed, a longtime evangelical political powerhouse, is blaming Vice President Harris, other Democrats and the media for a “toxic political environment” that he says has paved the way for the apparent attempt on former President Trump’s life.The co-founder of the Faith &amp; Freedom Coalition, Reed used his group’s gala in Georgia on Monday night to say that criticism of Trump as a “would-be dictator” and threat to democracy is part of a pattern of “lies and smears and slurs” that have effectively given permission to “anyone with a screw loose” to think “they were doing a public service by trying to end his life.”Reed said separately in an interview with The Associated Press that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters still does not justify calling Trump a threat to democracy. Reed argued that the nation “still had a peaceful transfer of power” because Congress was able that day to certify Biden’s Electoral College victory and the now-president was inaugurated two weeks later.<h2>Political violence has become ‘desensitized’</h2>Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University’s Program on Extremism, said the evidence thus far suggests that the alleged gunman seems to have shown interest in a mix of ideologies.That’s a common quality in many who end up committing political violence and may have spent time “cherry-picking” for a way to justify those acts, Lewis said.Lewis said Americans on both sides of the political spectrum have become “desensitized” to political violence and need to reckon with the fact that it’s now become a mainstream issue.“The acceptance of political violence, calling for political violence, regardless of your affiliation, has no place in this country,” he said. “Full stop.”<h2>Hawaii nonprofit details history with Routh</h2>HomeAid Hawai’i, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless people find housing, said Ryan Routh offered his company’s services to help with roofing and flooring for the construction of tiny homes from 2018 to 2020.“He was not compensated, and no complaints were recorded during his time with us under HomeAid Hawai’I’s previous leadership," Kimo Carvalho, the organization’s executive director, said Monday in a press release.The organization has not used Routh’s services since 2020, Carvalho said.<h2>Authorities are still working to confirm whether Routh acted alone</h2>Authorities have no information so far to suggest that the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt was acting with anyone else, an FBI official said.Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, cautioned that the investigation is still underway and that authorities are working to confirm whether Routh acted alone.<h2>Secret Service acting director says agency’s protective measures are ‘working’</h2>U.S. Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe said that protective measures are working after the latest apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump.Rowe said he spoke with the former president and that Trump is “aware that he has the highest levels of protection” from the agency. He also said agents did their jobs to the letter when they noticed a man poking a rifle through the bushes at Trump’s golf course on Sunday.Rowe said the golf trip wasn’t on Trump’s schedule, so they put together a security plan.“And that security plan worked out," he said.<h2>Routh ‘did not have a line of sight to the former president,’ Secret Service’s acting director says</h2>Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. of the U.S. Secret Service says Routh “did not have a line of sight to the former president” and did not fire at Secret Service agents before he fled the scene.<h2>Routh’s family members and former colleagues are being interviewed by FBI, agent says</h2>Authorities are pursuing and executing search warrants for cell phones, a vehicle and electronics of the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, an FBI official said.Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, said authorities are interviewing witnesses on the scene as well as family members and former colleagues of Ryan Routh.<h2>Routh had numerous felony charges between 1997 and 2010, FBI agent says</h2>Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri says Routh has numerous felony charges for stolen goods between 1997 and 2010.Routh was the subject of a closed investigation in 2019 when someone reported he was in possession of a firearm despite a prior felony conviction, but Veltri says the tipster would not confirm making the report.<h2>FBI requested search warrants for video recording device, cell phones and more at Routh’s previous addresses</h2>The top FBI official in the Miami field office says authorities requested search warrants seeking access to a video recording device, cell phones, a vehicle and electronics at Routh’s previous addresses.Investigators also collected DNA that was sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia, said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri. Agents in the FBI’s Charlotte and Honolulu field offices are conducting interviews.The FBI’s analysis of cell phone data showed Routh was around the golf course in West Palm Beach for about 12 hours before the Secret Service encountered him.<h2>‘There’s no quick fix,’ retired agent says of adding more personnel to the Secret Service</h2>Retired supervisory Secret Service agent Bobby McDonald, now a criminal justice lecturer at the University of New Haven, said Monday that he hopes the agency will analyze the Sunday’s events and take ownership of what went right and what went wrong — and use it to improve as it moves into the home stretch of election season.He noted that it’s a “very busy time” for the Secret Service with the election going on, more candidates now needing protection and with preparations underway for the United Nations General Assembly. The Secret Service currently has 40 people it’s responsible for protecting fulltime. In addition to Trump and Biden, that list also includes Harris, vice presidential candidates, other former presidents and their families and others.McDonald cautioned that it can take nine to 18 months to bring on a Secret Service staffer. The service may want to transfer more personnel from the investigative work the agency does to its protective side, McDonald said.“There is no quick fix,” he said, noting that temporarily bringing in people from outside the agency to help can come with its own challenges because they don’t regularly do protective work.<h2>Former Secret Service agent says there’s an obvious need for more protection for Trump</h2>Anthony Cangelosi, a former Secret Service agent, said the events Sunday show that there’s an obvious need for more personnel assigned to protect former President Trump.“They could have been utilized to secure the perimeter,” he said.He said it’s understandable that former presidents like Trump do not have the same level of protection as a sitting president. But, he said, Trump also isn’t like former presidents Obama or Clinton for example. He’s both a former president and a current nominee hoping to return to the White House.“He’s not your typical former president,” he said.Cangelosi, who’s currently a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, questioned whether a request had been made by anyone in the Secret Service for more personnel and if so what happened to that request? And if no requests have been made for more personnel, why not?Without the resources to secure the entire perimeter, Cangelosi said the Secret Service did the next best thing, which was to have agents going ahead of the president to scout the next locations. He commended the work they did to spot the muzzle of the gun and open fire, saying they were vigilant. But he said there’s always a chance that they could have missed the muzzle. Extra coverage could include roving uniformed personnel outside the perimeter, for example, he said. The goal is to create a presence that serves as a deterrence.He said the Secret Service doesn’t have the extra personnel but they can be pulled from other agencies.

🎥Trump thanks sheriff's deputies who captured would-be assassin

BEIRUT (AP) — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people — including an 8-year-old girl — and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.

Among those wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. The mysterious explosions came amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-lebanon-39f6bdbacb2d4d0743f78a85bd138708">rising tensions</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the war in Gaza</a>.

The pagers that blew up had apparently been acquired by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-iran-us-d3aeb1826cca2cbcda019f4778947e5b">Hezbollah</a>&nbsp;after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using cellphones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.

At about 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, as people shopped for groceries, sat in cafes or drove cars and motorcycles in the afternoon traffic, the pagers in their hands or pockets started heating up and then exploding — leaving blood-splattered scenes and panicking bystanders.

It appeared that many of those hit were members of Hezbollah, but it was not immediately clear if others also carried the pagers.

The blasts were mainly in areas where the group has a strong presence, particularly a southern Beirut suburb and in the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon, as well as in Damascus, according to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.

The Israeli military declined to comment. The explosions came hours after Israel’s internal security agency said it had foiled an attempt by Hezbollah to kill a former senior Israeli security official using a planted explosive device that could be remotely detonated.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States “was not aware of this incident in advance” and was not involved. “At this point, we’re gathering information,” he said.

Experts said the pager explosions pointed to a long-planned operation, possibly carried out by infiltrating the supply chain and rigging the devices with explosives before they were delivered to Lebanon.

Whatever the means, it targeted an extraordinary breadth of people with hundreds of small explosions — wherever the pager carrier happened to be — that left some maimed.

One online video showed a man picking through produce at a grocery store when the bag he was carrying at his hip explodes, sending him sprawling to the ground and bystanders running.

At overwhelmed hospitals, wounded were rushed in on stretchers, some with missing hands, faces partly blown away or gaping holes at their hips and legs, according to AP photographers. On a main road in central Beirut, a car door was splattered with blood and the windshield cracked.

Lebanon’s health minister, Firas Abiad, told Qatar's Al Jazeera network at least nine people were killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and some 2,750 were wounded — 200 of them critically — by the explosions. Most had injuries in the face, hand, or around the abdomen.

It appeared eight of the dead belonged to Hezbollah. The group issued a statement confirming at least two members were killed in the pager bombings. One of them was the son of a Hezbollah member in parliament, according to the Hezbollah official who spoke anonymously. The group later issued announcements that six other members were killed Tuesday, though it did not specify how.

“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians,” Hezbollah said, adding that Israel will “for sure get its just punishment.”

Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country’s ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.

Previously, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track and target them.

Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordnance disposal expert, said videos of the blasts suggested a small explosive charge — as small as a pencil eraser — had been placed into the devices. They would have had to have been rigged prior to delivery, very likely by Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, he said.

Elijah J. Magnier, a Brussels-based senior political risk analyst, said he spoke with Hezbollah members who had examined pagers that failed to explode. What triggered the blasts, he said, appeared to be an error message sent to all the devices that caused them to vibrate, forcing the user to click on the buttons to stop the vibration. The combination detonated a small amount of explosives hidden inside and ensured that the user was present when the blast went off, he said.

Israel has a long history of carrying out deadly operations well beyond its borders. This year, separate Israeli airstrikes in Beirut killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">Saleh Arouri, a senior Hamas official</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-lebanon-israel-war-gaza-989e915fc0edbabbb4ac09343698623c">a top Hezbollah commander</a>. A mysterious explosion in Iran, also blamed on Israel, killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-hamas-israel-30968a7acb31cd8b259de9650014b779">Ismail Haniyeh</a>, Hamas’ supreme leader.

Israel has killed Hamas militants in the past with booby-trapped cellphones and it’s widely believed to have been behind the Stuxnet computer virus attack on Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.

The pager bombings also likely stoke Hezbollah's worries about vulnerabilities in security and communications, as Israeli officials are threatening to escalate their monthslong conflict. The near daily exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have killed hundreds in Lebanon and several dozen in Israel, and have displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, deplored the attack and warned that it marks “an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context.”

On Tuesday, Israel said that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-lebanon-39f6bdbacb2d4d0743f78a85bd138708">an official war goal</a>. Israeli Defense Minister Gallant said this week the focus of the conflict is shifting from Gaza to Israel’s north and that time is running out for a diplomatic solution with Hezbollah, saying “the trajectory is clear.”

BEIRUT (AP) — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people – including an 8-year-old girl -- and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.

Among those wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. The mysterious incident came amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-lebanon-39f6bdbacb2d4d0743f78a85bd138708">rising tensions</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the war in Gaza</a>.

The pagers that exploded had apparently been acquired by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-iran-us-d3aeb1826cca2cbcda019f4778947e5b">Hezbollah</a>&nbsp;after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using cellphones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.

It appeared that many — if not most — of those hit were members of Hezbollah, but it was not immediately clear if others also carried the pagers. The blasts were mainly in areas where the group has a strong presence, particularly a southern Beirut suburb and in the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon, as well as in Damascus, according to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.

The AP reached out to the Israeli military, which declined to comment. The explosions came hours after Israel’s internal security agency said it had foiled an attempt by Hezbollah to kill a former senior Israeli security official using a planted explosive device that could be remotely detonated.

Experts said the pager explosions pointed to a sophisticated, long-planned operation, possibly carried out by infiltrating the supply chain and rigging the pagers with explosives before they were imported to Lebanon.

Whatever the means, it targeted an extraordinary breadth of people with hundreds of small explosions — all at once, wherever the pager carrier happened to be — that left some maimed.

One video circulating online showed a man picking through produce at a grocery store when the bag he was carrying at his hip explodes, sending him sprawling to the ground and bystanders running.

At overwhelmed hospitals, the wounded were rushed in on stretchers, some with missing hands, faces partly blown away or gaping holes at their hips and legs near the pocket area, according to AP photographers. On a main road in central Beirut, a car door was splattered with blood and the windshield cracked.

Lebanon’s health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least nine people were killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and some 2,750 were wounded — 200 of them critically — by the explosions. Most had injuries in the face, hand, or around the abdomen.

Hezbollah said in a statement that two of its members were among those killed. One of them was Mahdi Ammar, the son of a Hezbollah member in parliament, and two sons of other prominent figures were wounded, said the Hezbollah official who spoke anonymously.

Previously, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track their movements and carry out targeted strikes.

Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordinance disposal expert, said videos of the blasts suggested a small explosive charge – as small as a pencil eraser – had been placed into the devices. They would have had to have been rigged prior to delivery.

“It seems very likely that all of these encrypted pagers were modified prior to Hezbollah purchasing them, which implies a very successful Mossad operation.” he said, referring to Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.

Israel has a long history of carrying out deadly operations well beyond its borders.

In January, Saleh Arouri, a senior Hamas official, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">killed in an airstrike</a>&nbsp;on a Beirut apartment building blamed on Israel. In July, Israel assassinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-lebanon-israel-war-gaza-989e915fc0edbabbb4ac09343698623c">Hezbollah’s top commander</a>&nbsp;in another airstrike. Hours later,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-hamas-israel-30968a7acb31cd8b259de9650014b779">Ismail Haniyeh</a>, Hamas’ supreme leader, died in a mysterious explosion in Iran, also blamed on Israel.

Tuesday’s explosions came at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, a Hezbollah ally that is also backed by Iran.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713493747235.png" alt="DF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari has made no comment-couresy photo" />
 <figcaption>DF Spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari has made no comment-couresy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BEIRUT (AP) — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people — including an 8-year-old girl — and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.Among those wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. The mysterious explosions came amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-lebanon-39f6bdbacb2d4d0743f78a85bd138708">rising tensions</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the war in Gaza</a>.The pagers that blew up had apparently been acquired by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-iran-us-d3aeb1826cca2cbcda019f4778947e5b">Hezbollah</a>&nbsp;after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using cellphones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.At about 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, as people shopped for groceries, sat in cafes or drove cars and motorcycles in the afternoon traffic, the pagers in their hands or pockets started heating up and then exploding — leaving blood-splattered scenes and panicking bystanders.It appeared that many of those hit were members of Hezbollah, but it was not immediately clear if others also carried the pagers.The blasts were mainly in areas where the group has a strong presence, particularly a southern Beirut suburb and in the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon, as well as in Damascus, according to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.The Israeli military declined to comment. The explosions came hours after Israel’s internal security agency said it had foiled an attempt by Hezbollah to kill a former senior Israeli security official using a planted explosive device that could be remotely detonated.State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States “was not aware of this incident in advance” and was not involved. “At this point, we’re gathering information,” he said.Experts said the pager explosions pointed to a long-planned operation, possibly carried out by infiltrating the supply chain and rigging the devices with explosives before they were delivered to Lebanon.Whatever the means, it targeted an extraordinary breadth of people with hundreds of small explosions — wherever the pager carrier happened to be — that left some maimed.One online video showed a man picking through produce at a grocery store when the bag he was carrying at his hip explodes, sending him sprawling to the ground and bystanders running.At overwhelmed hospitals, wounded were rushed in on stretchers, some with missing hands, faces partly blown away or gaping holes at their hips and legs, according to AP photographers. On a main road in central Beirut, a car door was splattered with blood and the windshield cracked.Lebanon’s health minister, Firas Abiad, told Qatar's Al Jazeera network at least nine people were killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and some 2,750 were wounded — 200 of them critically — by the explosions. Most had injuries in the face, hand, or around the abdomen.It appeared eight of the dead belonged to Hezbollah. The group issued a statement confirming at least two members were killed in the pager bombings. One of them was the son of a Hezbollah member in parliament, according to the Hezbollah official who spoke anonymously. The group later issued announcements that six other members were killed Tuesday, though it did not specify how.“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians,” Hezbollah said, adding that Israel will “for sure get its just punishment.”Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country’s ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.Previously, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track and target them.Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordnance disposal expert, said videos of the blasts suggested a small explosive charge — as small as a pencil eraser — had been placed into the devices. They would have had to have been rigged prior to delivery, very likely by Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, he said.Elijah J. Magnier, a Brussels-based senior political risk analyst, said he spoke with Hezbollah members who had examined pagers that failed to explode. What triggered the blasts, he said, appeared to be an error message sent to all the devices that caused them to vibrate, forcing the user to click on the buttons to stop the vibration. The combination detonated a small amount of explosives hidden inside and ensured that the user was present when the blast went off, he said.Israel has a long history of carrying out deadly operations well beyond its borders. This year, separate Israeli airstrikes in Beirut killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">Saleh Arouri, a senior Hamas official</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-lebanon-israel-war-gaza-989e915fc0edbabbb4ac09343698623c">a top Hezbollah commander</a>. A mysterious explosion in Iran, also blamed on Israel, killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-hamas-israel-30968a7acb31cd8b259de9650014b779">Ismail Haniyeh</a>, Hamas’ supreme leader.Israel has killed Hamas militants in the past with booby-trapped cellphones and it’s widely believed to have been behind the Stuxnet computer virus attack on Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.The pager bombings also likely stoke Hezbollah's worries about vulnerabilities in security and communications, as Israeli officials are threatening to escalate their monthslong conflict. The near daily exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah have killed hundreds in Lebanon and several dozen in Israel, and have displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, deplored the attack and warned that it marks “an extremely concerning escalation in what is an already unacceptably volatile context.”On Tuesday, Israel said that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north to allow residents to return to their homes is now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-lebanon-39f6bdbacb2d4d0743f78a85bd138708">an official war goal</a>. Israeli Defense Minister Gallant said this week the focus of the conflict is shifting from Gaza to Israel’s north and that time is running out for a diplomatic solution with Hezbollah, saying “the trajectory is clear.”BEIRUT (AP) — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people – including an 8-year-old girl -- and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.Among those wounded was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon. The mysterious incident came amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-lebanon-39f6bdbacb2d4d0743f78a85bd138708">rising tensions</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the war in Gaza</a>.The pagers that exploded had apparently been acquired by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-iran-us-d3aeb1826cca2cbcda019f4778947e5b">Hezbollah</a>&nbsp;after the group’s leader ordered members in February to stop using cellphones, warning they could be tracked by Israeli intelligence. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the pagers were a new brand, but declined to say how long they had been in use.At about 3:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, as people shopped for groceries, sat in cafes or drove cars and motorcycles in the afternoon traffic, the pagers in their hands or pockets started heating up and then exploding — leaving blood-splattered scenes and panicking bystanders.It appeared that many — if not most — of those hit were members of Hezbollah, but it was not immediately clear if others also carried the pagers. The blasts were mainly in areas where the group has a strong presence, particularly a southern Beirut suburb and in the Beqaa region of eastern Lebanon, as well as in Damascus, according to Lebanese security officials and a Hezbollah official. The Hezbollah official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press.The AP reached out to the Israeli military, which declined to comment. The explosions came hours after Israel’s internal security agency said it had foiled an attempt by Hezbollah to kill a former senior Israeli security official using a planted explosive device that could be remotely detonated.State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States “was not aware of this incident in advance” and was not involved. “At this point, we’re gathering information,” he said.Experts said the pager explosions pointed to a sophisticated, long-planned operation, possibly carried out by infiltrating the supply chain and rigging the pagers with explosives before they were imported to Lebanon.Whatever the means, it targeted an extraordinary breadth of people with hundreds of small explosions — all at once, wherever the pager carrier happened to be — that left some maimed.One video circulating online showed a man picking through produce at a grocery store when the bag he was carrying at his hip explodes, sending him sprawling to the ground and bystanders running.At overwhelmed hospitals, the wounded were rushed in on stretchers, some with missing hands, faces partly blown away or gaping holes at their hips and legs near the pocket area, according to AP photographers. On a main road in central Beirut, a car door was splattered with blood and the windshield cracked.Lebanon’s health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least nine people were killed, including an 8-year-old girl, and some 2,750 were wounded — 200 of them critically — by the explosions. Most had injuries in the face, hand, or around the abdomen.Hezbollah said in a statement that two of its members were among those killed. One of them was Mahdi Ammar, the son of a Hezbollah member in parliament, and two sons of other prominent figures were wounded, said the Hezbollah official who spoke anonymously.“We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression that also targeted civilians,” Hezbollah said, adding that Israel will “for sure get its just punishment.”Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country’s ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated at a hospital.Previously, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had warned the group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track their movements and carry out targeted strikes.Sean Moorhouse, a former British Army officer and explosive ordinance disposal expert, said videos of the blasts suggested a small explosive charge – as small as a pencil eraser – had been placed into the devices. They would have had to have been rigged prior to delivery.“It seems very likely that all of these encrypted pagers were modified prior to Hezbollah purchasing them, which implies a very successful Mossad operation.” he said, referring to Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.Israel has a long history of carrying out deadly operations well beyond its borders.In January, Saleh Arouri, a senior Hamas official, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">killed in an airstrike</a>&nbsp;on a Beirut apartment building blamed on Israel. In July, Israel assassinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-lebanon-israel-war-gaza-989e915fc0edbabbb4ac09343698623c">Hezbollah’s top commander</a>&nbsp;in another airstrike. Hours later,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-hamas-israel-30968a7acb31cd8b259de9650014b779">Ismail Haniyeh</a>, Hamas’ supreme leader, died in a mysterious explosion in Iran, also blamed on Israel.Israel has killed Hamas militants in the past with booby-trapped cellphones and it’s widely believed to have been behind the Stuxnet computer virus attack on Iran’s nuclear program in 2010.Tuesday’s explosions came at a time of heightened tensions between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been clashing near-daily for more than 11 months against the backdrop of war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, a Hezbollah ally that is also backed by Iran.