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Trump Tries To Blame Would-Be Assassin On Democrats

Democratic leaders and groups dedicated to preventing gun violence have condemned political violence in the wake of an apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump on Sunday. Trump has instead blamed Democrats for the would-be shooter.

Ryan Wesley Routh has been arrested for pointing an AK-style rifle with a scope on the property of Trump’s West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course, though he did not fire. Trump was not harmed.

“There is no place for political violence or for any violence ever in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that Secret Service has every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure the former President’s continued safety,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Vice President Kamala Harris struck a similar tone in her official statement after the incident.

“I am deeply disturbed by the possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today,” she said. “As we gather the facts, I will be clear: I condemn political violence. We all must do our part to ensure that this incident does not lead to more violence. I am thankful that former President Trump is safe.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said political violence “has no place in a democratic society.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind. The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Groups advocating for gun safety—including Giffords, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action and Brady—echoed the Democrats and noted that Trump was among those at risk from weak gun laws.

Despite the attempts at solidarity and unity, Trump immediately blamed Democrats for what had happened.

“He believed the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it,” Trump baselessly told Fox News while speaking about the would-be assailant. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country—both from the inside and out.”

Trump’s evidence of his claim are continual warnings from the Democrats about the threats Trump poses to democracy. These are warnings that have been issued in the wake of Trump’s attempts to subvert the results of the 2020 election in his favor and his incitement of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, over which he was impeached and criminally charged.

“These are people that want to destroy our country. It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat,” Trump also told the conservative network.

Trump added in a post on his Truth Social account, “Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse.”

In an email to reporters, Trump’s campaign alleged, “This psycho was egged on by the rhetoric and lies that have flowed from Kamala Harris, Democrats, and their Fake News allies for years.”

The accusations from Trump are coming just as schools and government agencies in Springfield, Ohio, have reported multiple bomb threats after Trump and Sen. JD Vance promoted racist conspiracies about Haitian migrants eating domestic pets. Trump has spent much of his time as a political figure embracing divisive and bigoted rhetoric, which has inspired violence.

The incident also highlights a stark contrast between Trump and Democrats on the underlying policy for gun safety. Trump’s current campaign was endorsed by the NRA, who frequently opposes gun safety legislation. Among the initiatives the NRA has opposed is the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first federal gun safety bill in decades. It was signed by Biden and backed by Harris.

The would-be shooter has been charged with federal gun crimes.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

U.S., Canada Air Defenses On Alert After Ottawa Shooting

Washington — U.S. and Canadian air defenses were put on heightened alert Wednesday following a shooting in Canada’s parliament, and the American embassy in Ottawa was placed on lockdown, officials said.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) “is taking appropriate and prudent steps to ensure we are adequately postured to respond quickly to any incidents involving aviation in Canada,” said a U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move came as a precaution after a gunman suspected of killing a Canadian soldier guarding a war memorial in Ottawa stormed the Canadian parliament, before being shot dead by police.

NORAD spokesman Captain Jeff Davis declined to provide details but said steps had been taken to ensure defenses were “adequately postured.”

State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf confirmed the U.S. embassy in the Canadian capital was on lockdown, and staff movements had been restricted.

Just outside the U.S. capital at Arlington National Cemetery, military commanders “authorized additional security to be implemented at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” as a precautionary measure.

President Barack Obama spoke by telephone with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, while Secretary of State John Kerry was also briefed as he flew home from a visit to Germany.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families,” Harf said, adding all U.S. embassy staff had been accounted for.

While the shooting incident in Ottawa raised fears of a potential link to extremists, NORAD’s Davis said there were no signs of possible hijackings or imminent threats to aviation.

“We’re not aware of any current, specific threats against the aviation system,” he told AFP.

U.S. intelligence officials were not immediately available to comment as to whether there were any suspected links to extremists in the shooting in Canada.

NORAD, founded during the Cold War, is a combined U.S. and Canadian military command designed to safeguard the air space over the two countries, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

Since the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, the command regularly scrambles fighter jets to intercept private aircraft that enter prohibited areas over the U.S. capital or elsewhere, escorting them to the nearest runway.

AFP Photo/Peter McCabe

Fathers Of Isla Vista Victim, Shooter Meet In Private

By Eryn Brown, Los Angeles Times

The fathers of Isla Vista rampage shooter Elliot Rodger and victim Christopher Michaels-Martinez met in private on Sunday.

According to CNN, Peter Rodger and Richard Martinez sat down without media or cameras present. Other details about their meeting, including its location, were not disclosed.

Elliot Rodger, 22, a student at Santa Barbara City College, went on a rampage in the town of Isla Vista, an area popular with students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, on May 23.

He allegedly stabbed and killed his three roommates before driving through Isla Vista on a shooting rampage killing another three people and injuring 13 before crashing his car and turning his gun on himself.

Christopher Michaels-Martinez, a 20-year-old UC Santa Barbara sophomore, was the final victim gunned down in the rampage. He was killed in the I.V. Deli Mart convenience store.

Richard Martinez told news organizations last week that he hoped to meet with Peter Rodger. In the days since his son’s shooting, Martinez has spoken out for tougher gun laws on television and at public events, including a memorial at UCSB’s Harder Stadium on Tuesday.

Elliott Rodger, who had been in therapy since he was a child, legally purchased three guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Shortly before the rampage, he posted a video on YouTube in which he said that he was lonely because “girls have never been attracted to me” and vowed “retribution” and “slaughter.”

The young man’s parents said Thursday that it had been “hell on earth” knowing their son’s actions led to tragedy.

“We are crying out in pain for the victims and their families. It breaks our hearts on a level that we didn’t think was possible,” Peter and Chin Rodger said at the time, in a statement. “It is now our responsibility to do everything we can to help avoid this happening to any other family.”

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/MCT

Gunman Wounds Officer At LAPD Station

By Samantha Schaefer and Joel Rubin, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — A gunman walked into a Los Angeles Police Department station lobby Monday night and opened fire, wounding one officer in an exchange of gunfire.

The male suspect, who was not identified, was wounded when two officers returned fire inside the West Bureau Traffic lobby in the Mid-City section, police said.

The officer was hit multiple times, with several of the rounds striking his vest and one bullet passing through his left arm, Cmdr. Dennis Kato said. He was in stable condition, Kato said.

The suspect was also hit multiple times and was in critical condition, undergoing surgery, he said.

The shooting was reported about 8:30 p.m. at the station on Venice Boulevard near South La Brea Avenue. The building also houses the LAPD Wilshire Division.

The wounded officer was being treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where officers descended on the emergency room in a show of support. The name of the officer was not released.

The suspect was believed to have entered the station with a handgun and said something about having a complaint, Kato said. Investigators at the scene had not determined a motive for the shooting.

“We don’t know who he is, where he came from,” Kato said. “We don’t even have a name on him at this point.”

Investigators were also trying to piece together how the violence unfolded, including how the gunman traveled to the station.

Late Monday, several blocks around the station were cordoned off after detectives and officers in patrol cars converged on the scene.

The area where the shooting occurred was much busier Monday night than normal, he said.

In a room directly off the lobby, about 35 people had gathered for a community meeting when the shooting occurred.

The department’s traffic bureau primarily investigates accidents and other vehicle-related incidents.

News footage showed the officer being transported in a Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance.

Los Angeles Fire Department via Flickr

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Smart. Sharp. Funny. Fearless

Trump Tries To Blame Would-Be Assassin On Democrats

U.S., Canada Air Defenses On Alert After Ottawa Shooting

Fathers Of Isla Vista Victim, Shooter Meet In Private

Gunman Wounds Officer At LAPD Station

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