Is Italy Safe for Women?: The Latest Case from Mantua

Mantua (Mantova), Lombardy, northern Italy

On July 16, a 55-year-old woman from Mantua (Mantova in Italian) was riding her bike home after attending a summer festival. Around 2 am, she was allegedly attacked by a 24-year-old Pakistani man and sexually assaulted. She was rescued by a private security patrol, and the man was arrested after fleeing and hiding in a bush.

The below article in Il Giornale by Francesca Galici points out that women in Italy do not feel safe at anytime day or night, and that Italy is suffering a plague of rapes at the hands of people "for whom the body of the woman is nothing more than an instrument at their service to satisfy their own appetites."

And she is not referring to Italian men.

The below article is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/nazionale/lassalto-bicicletta-e-stupro-cos-pakistano-ha-aggredito-2349268.html

The assault on a bicycle and rape: This is how a Pakistani attacked a 55-year-old woman from Mantua.

The woman was returning home from a summer festival when the 24-year-old foreigner chased her, dragged her into a secluded area, and forced her to submit to non-consensual sexual acts.

Francesca Galici, 21 July 2024-13:53

Yet another sexual attack in Italy, a country already where women fear to go out at any time of day. let alone at night. The latest victim is a 55-year-old, who on July 16 around 2 o'clock in the morning, was returning home after an evening spent at the ritual summer festival of Campitello di Marcaria in Mantua province. According to police reconstruction, a 24-year-old Pakistani, now in custody, reportedly followed her and then chased her, blocking her along State Road 420.

The unidentified man reportedly immobilized her and then dragged her into a secluded place where nobody would be able to hear the cries of the woman. He then reportedly grabbed her by the throat and pinned her to the ground where the woman was forced to undergo sexual acts. A private security police patrol realized that something was wrong, (and their) presence distracted the man who let her go. Only at that point, the victim managed to get loose and escape, finding aid with the two guards. It was they who immediately alerted emergency services, and Carabinieri cars and an ambulance rushed to the scene and transported the woman to the nearby hospital in Mantua, where she was treated. The doctors found injuries to the woman compatible with the violence she suffered.

The search by the Carabinieri did not last long because after fleeing, the Pakistani thought he had found a safe refuge in the middle of a bush at a nearby residence. It was there that the Carabinieri found him, then picked him up and took him to the (station). The 24-year-old, who is a resident of Ferrara, is now in custody in the jail on via Poma in Mantua after the judge of preliminary investigation validated the arrest, ordering him into preventive custody in jail. Fortunately, the woman, on the physical level, did not suffer serious physical consequences from the violence, but she is still in a state of shock after all she suffered.

A carefree summer evening, as spent for centuries in the Lower Po Valley, between village festivals and religious festivals, has suddenly been transformed into a nightmare. 

The plague of sexual attacks, which has already assumed the shape of a social emergency, risks radically changing the habits and traditions of our country. Women are troubled by the danger of being assaulted at any moment by subjects, for whom the body of the woman is nothing more than an instrument at their service to satisfy their own appetites.

Could There Be a Comeback for Hillary Clinton?

Here we go again

With all the noise about President Biden and whether he will withdraw from the presidential race or not (the rumors seem to change every day.), the news is leaking out that the Clintons are fully supporting Biden staying in the race. At the same time, we now have this op-ed in The Hill by someone named Pablo O'Hana. He says there is a perfect solution to the dilemma facing the Democrats.

Hillary Clinton, the  Empress Dowager, herself.

O'Hana goes on to extoll Clinton's experience and great achievements as a senator and secretary of State. To be frank, his op-ed is downright hagiographic in its fulsome praise of Mrs. Clinton. O'Hana is a Brit, but at the end of the article he says this:

 "In her candidacy, we might just find our best chance to retain the White House and transcend the gladiatorial spectacle of politics." 

(I would infer that O'Hana is a naturalized US citizen, which would be irrelevant except for the above sentence.)

At any rate, I would beg to differ since I considered her a flop as senator and secretary of State, not to mention her controversies as First Lady. That is not my thesis here, however. Hillary Clinton's faults and scandals have been thrashed out for years, and the public is well aware of them. I would also note that Hillary Clinton is no stranger to "gladiatorial" politics.

Instead, I prefer to speculate as to why the Clintons have come out in support of Biden. This is just a guess from someone who, obviously, has no insider information.

Some observers are speculating that this is just a way for the Clintons to get back at former-President Obama. If you recall, he's the one who "stole" the 2008 nomination from Hillary. That may well be, but if Hillary is really waiting in the wings to run again, the smart move would not to be one of those pulling the rug out from under Biden and the 14 million or so Democrats who chose him to be the nominee. Thus, if Hillary really thinks Biden's days are numbered, better to be the loyal supporter who, after Biden drops out, can be persuaded by the Democrats to save the nation from the evil Trump.  (No doubt it will require a lot of cajoling on the part of the Democrat leadership, right?)

In this respect, California Governor Gavin Newsom also comes to mind. He is "steadfastly supporting" Biden. Few doubt his ambition to one day be in the White House.

But getting back to Hillary, there's a problem. Aside from the obvious dilemma of dragging out another old white dinosaur and passing over Kamala Harris (a minority), I doubt that the younger generation of Democrat voters would warm up to Mrs. Clinton. She would simply represent more of the same old gerontocracy of the party when most people on both sides prefer younger leadership after watching Biden struggle the last 3-1/2 years.

Moreover, there is the never-ending issue of Clinton scandals she would have to deal with. Perhaps, the email issue has been beaten to death (unsuccessfully), but questions about the Clinton relationship to Jeffrey Epstein would surely arise. On the other hand, a Trump vs. Clinton campaign would just be one accusation after another against each other. 

More than that, I just feel that Hillary's moment has passed even among the liberals. She is not likable, she is not charismatic, and listening to her speeches is an ordeal. She has her following, but I don't think she would excite the younger Democrat voters. In fact, I think she will turn them off. That's just my opinion. Far be it from me to get inside the heads of today's Democrats.

At any rate, assuming Biden drops out, I doubt the nomination will go to anyone who is trying to oust him. That means that whoever among the Democrats wants the nomination, the last thing they would do is submarine Biden.

Germany: Follow-up on Police Shooting Near Nuremberg

Lauf-an-der-Pegnitz, (Bavaria), Germany

On June 30, an Iranian asylum-seeker, armed with a knife, went on a rampage outside a train station in the Bavarian town of Lauf-an-der-Pegnitz, near Nuremberg. He was shot and killed by police when he reportedly attacked the police with the knife.

This week, the Nuernberger Nachrichten ran a story in which his family and friends questioned why the man, identified only as Mohammad, had to die. The article is translated by Fousesquawk.

One comment: According to the article, Mohammad was a good guy and was well thought of. He aspired to be a doctor, but his application for asylum was denied, and we don't know why. It may very well be that this is a case of one who just cracked for one reason or another. Maybe he was committing what we call in the US call, "suicide by cop". However, at the end of the day, if you attack people with a knife, particularly a cop, you are most likely to get shot-in most any country.

 https://www.nordbayern.de/polizeiberichte/warum-musste-mohammad-sterben-familie-hinterfragt-handeln-der-polizei-nach-todlichem-schuss-in-lauf-1.14348341

Funeral in Iran

Why did Mohammad have to die? Family questions police action after deadly shot in Lauf

By  Azeglio Elia Hupfer    July 17, 2024 05:00

Caption: Friends and family mourn Mohammad at the bus stop (at the train station) in Lauf an-der-Pegnitz. Flowers were laid and candles lit.

Lauf an-der-Pegnitz- Following the deadly stomach shot at the train station left of the Pegnitz (river), family, friends, and acquaintances are stunned and ask themselves why Mohammad had to die. The Iranian embassy is also involved.

"Cops kill! Say his name," is spray-painted at the bus stop at the  Lauf train station on the left side of the Pegnitz. His name was Mohammad. In the afternoon of June 30, he was killed by a shot from a federal policewoman. First, according to the police, there was reportedly a knife attack by Mohammad on a patrol. The investigation by the Schwabach Criminal Police, in cooperation with the State Prosecutor's Office is on-going as of July 16.  

While the authorities are releasing little information about the incident, referring to on-going investigations, more is known about the killed 34-year-old from an investigation by the Nuremberg Press Publishers- (parent company) of the Nuernberger Nachrichten and the Pegnitz Zeitung (Newspaper). Accordingly, Mohammad fled Iran to Germany in 2015 and lived the last nine years in community housing for refugees in Roethenbach in the Nuremberg area.

Big plans, no asylum

"He came here with a lot of hope and goals," Mohammad's brother-in-law tells the Nuernberger Nachrichten. Mohammad wanted to become a doctor, completed an advanced language course in Erlangen, and ultimately, became fluent in German. Mohammad's asylum application was denied, however. An appeal was unsuccessful three years ago. In the end, he was merely tolerated in Germany. 

Mohammad used his knowledge of German to help other residents of the housing facility with translating, (and) many called him "Professor", friends and social workers say. Mohammad was well-loved in the residence (and) always had a smile, residents recall. "He never had a knife on him, was always ready to help, and was a calm guy," says one acquaintance.

The question of why

Family and friends are still stunned and wonder why Mohammad had to die. In Nordrhein-Westfalen live Mohammad's sister and brother-in-law. The family wonders: "Why couldn't three well-trained police officers control the situation differently?" Why did they immediately shoot Mohammad?"

Mohammad's brother-in-law suspects a possible connection with the knife attack at the Mannheim Market  Square at the end of May. "Maybe the police were afraid and shot." On May 31 a 25-year-old wounded five participants of a demonstration by the anti-Islam movement, Pax Europa, and a 29-year-old policeman with a knife. The policeman died two days later from his injuries. In the case of Mohammad, there is no indication of an extremist background at this stage of the investigation.

The Iranian embassy in Germany is also involved in the death of Mohammad, also asking how the 34-year-old could die. The Bavarian Refugee Council also expects a complete explanation. "We are demanding a comprehensive and critical investigation of the incident in Lauf-an-der-Pegnitz, to prevent future tragedies," says Johanna Boehm, of the Bavarian Refugee Council. 

Buried in Iran

Mohammad's body is now in Iran. He was buried there last week. "Here in Germany, he only had his sister and me. His family in Iran wanted to have the possibility to mourn at his grave," says the brother-in-law.

Netherlands: Nine Eritreans Sentenced for February Riot in the Hague

-Irish Sun

In February, the Hague, Netherlands was rocked by groups of Eritrean nationals fighting each other in the streets. This week, nine of the suspects have been sentenced to varying lengths of jail time for their role. There is no information available as to any deportation orders.

The below article from yesterday's RTL Nieuws is translated by Fousesquawk,.

 https://www.rtl.nl/nieuws/binnenland/artikel/5461442/groep-eritreeers-de-cel-om-rellen-den-haag-zalencentrum-opera

Dozens of officers wounded

Nine Eritreans get jail sentences for their role in riots of "unprecedented intensity" in the Hague.

By RTL News/ANP- 6 hours ago-Updated 6 hours ago

In the Opera Central Hall, on Fruitweg (street) on February 17, there was a meeting of the Eritrean community. A group made up of  Eritreans opposed to the regime went inside and exchanged blows with those present.

"Unprecedented intensity"

According to the judge, the camera images show that most of the suspects threw paving stones at the police. The judge also holds the group responsible for the acts of other rioters. "It was a continuing process in which the group dynamic caused the violence to escalate to unprecedented intensity."

The intensity can be seen in these images.

In total, twenty-six people were arrested for the riot. Today, the case against ten of them was heard, all between the ages of 19-36. Seven of them were convicted for their role in the violence, one for incitement and one, a 23-year-old man, for violence as well as incitement. A couple of days earlier, he called for a riot on TikTok. 

The 23-year-old man got the longest sentence: One year in jail and he was remanded directly into custody. The others may remain free on appeal.

One suspect acquitted

One suspect was acquitted who had filmed the riot, but according to the judge, it cannot be proven that he contributed to the riot. The other nine, according to (Algemeen Dagblad) have been ordered by the judge to pay for damages during the riot to the police and the transport carrier, Arriva, as well as compensation to the dozens of officers, some 750,000 euros in total. According to the newspaper (AD), they will all appeal.

The prosecution had asked for 6-12 months in jail for the ten.

France: One Dead, One Cop Stabbed

The Olympic games are one week away in Paris, and it promises to be a real hum-dinger. And I'm not talking about the sports angle. I am sadly predicting there will be major problems and safety concerns in Paris. Yesterday, a Senegalese chap stabbed a police officer in the neck in Paris, apparently after having stabbed a 16-year-old to death.

The below article from today's France 24 is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.france24.com/fr/info-en-continu/20240719-attaque-au-couteau-%C3%A0-paris-l-agresseur-soup%C3%A7onn%C3%A9-d-un-meurtre-une-heure-plus-t%C3%B4t-%C3%A0-courbevoie

Knife attack in Paris: The suspect may have committed a murder earlier in Courbevoie

The man who seriously injured a police officer Thursday evening near the Champs-Elysees in Paris is suspected of having committed a murder in Courbevoie in Hauts-de-Seine, according to information gathered by Agence France Presse according to the Nanterre Public Prosecutor's Office. The events reportedly played out one hour earlier.

Posted July 19, 2024 at 10:59. Updated July 19, 2024 at 10:57 (sic?)

Caption: Police, Gendarmes, and a soldier secure the zone in front of a Louis Vuitton boutique after a man attacked a police officer with a knife on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 18, 2024.

An investigation had already been opened for the "attempted murder of a police officer". The day after the attack against a police officer near the Champs-Elysees, the Nanterre Public Prosecutor's Office announced to AFP on Friday, July 19, that the suspect is also suspected of having struck two mortal knife blows on a 16-year-old adolescent in a Courbevoie apartment before fleeing on a two-wheeler.

The man, killed by a police shot, had already reportedly showed up at the scene of the homicide, his parents indicated. Their son was squatting in the lodging according to information given to the investigators. He showed psychiatric problems and had already fled from the family residence in  Loiret and from the psychiatric hospital.

A man "known to the police"

Later in the evening, the man wounded a police officer who had been called by a private security guard of a Louis Vuitton boutique in the 8th arrondissement of Paris to report the presence in the store of an individual armed with a knife.

Police prefecture tweet:

"Intervention in progress in the Champs-Elysees sector of Paris. Avoid the sector, let the (police) do their work. The police prefect is at the scene."

The injured police officer, struck "in the neck near the cervical, is in urgent care, but his life is not in danger," the Paris prefect of police, Laurent Nunez, stated Thursday evening.

According to a police source, the attacker was of Senegalese nationality and was "known to the police".

This attack occurred eight days from the opening of the Olympic games, for which an average of 35,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilized each day.

Agence  France Presse

The Return of Trump

 

From the 2019 Carnivale celebration in Viareggio, Italy in 2019.

The Secret Service: Should Director Kimberly Cheatle Resign?

 

Kimberly Cheatle

I'm not a believer in rushing to judgment, and there is still a lot we need to know about the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on Saturday. A couple of days ago, I posted an article, which first appeared on the conservative website, New English Review, and then was cross-posted here. Some of the readers at New English Review have taken me to task for expressing my long-held respect for the Secret Service, but even more for my insistence that there was no deliberate attempt on the part of the agency (especially those on the ground) to facilitate the shooter in killing the former president. The New English Review is no conspiracy site, but you cannot account for all the people who read your postings and choose to comment on them. At least one such reader firmly believes that the agents assigned to protect Trump "set him up" to be killed. I consider that ridiculous.

Having said all that, it is obvious to all that serious mistakes were made, first in not securing that building, and second, not responding properly to the initial sightings of the shooter. I just don't see any way those lapses can be explained away or excused. Was it deliberate? Were agents in the protective detail trying to "set Trump up" to be killed? I don't believe that for a second. I also take issue with those attacking at least one of the female agents who were escorting Trump off the stage into the vehicle that took him to the hospital.  How cruel can you be by posting videos and photos of that agent seemingly having difficulty in holstering her weapon? Many of the people crucifying this agent have never been in a shooting incident (I have.) In spite of your training, things move fast from second to second, and yes, you feel the fear. Hopefully, you fall back on your training and do your job. Nobody in that detail that surrounded Trump ran from the scene or hid behind a building.  

Yet, there must be accountability for the breakdown in security. Trump survived, but one man was killed, and two others seriously wounded. I suspect that there are a few agents who were responsible for the advance trip to Butler to set up security or who were negligent on Saturday who will be disciplined, possibly even fired. That brings us to the Director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle. She is taking a great deal of heat and demands for her resignation or firing. 

I suspect there is more to be learned about her role in deciding on the level of manpower and resources devoted to protecting Trump. That also applies to her direct subordinates who may have been more directly involved in implementing the policies. I understand that she was a Secret Service agent herself for many years and was involved in the security detail that protected Biden when he was vice president. She then left the service to take a position with Pepsico. It is said by some that it was Jill Biden who got her hired to become director. That I do not know.

Based on what I have seen to this point, my feeling is that Cheatle should resign or be fired. She is the director and she must take ultimate responsibility for the agency's biggest failure since the Kennedy assassination in 1963. Even if she didn't micro-manage the operation of the Trump detail, that is  irrelevant. I should note at this point that there are claims that the Trump campaign or possibly the Secret Service team protecting him had requested additional manpower or resources which were rejected by the agency and/or DHS (which oversees the Secret Service).  If true, Cheatle and/or any other high-level supervisors who made such a decision should accept the responsibility for that error. (Both the Secret Service and DHS deny the allegations.)

Moreover, Cheatle's public statements in the now infamous interview with ABC's Pierre Thomas have only made her case worse. Whatever failings on the part of the local officers assigned to Saturday's event, they were operating under the umbrella of the Secret Service, and any breakdowns are still the responsibility of the Secret Service. In addition, her claim that no agents were placed on the roof of the building because it was sloped, and therefore, posed a safety risk, is ridiculous. The Secret Service sniper(s) who took out the shooter were also positioned on a roof that was sloped. Cheatle told her interviewer that she accepted responsibility for the failure because she is the director of the agency, yet, she said she would not resign. I think she should reconsider.

As I have previously stated, I take no pleasure in criticizing the Secret Service. I have always considered them a highly professional organization based on my own experiences with them as a DEA agent. I am sure the now-retired agents I knew are shaking their heads at what occurred. Even great agencies can decline if headed by the wrong people. This is not about whether a female can lead a law enforcement agency or even be a field agent-they can. And let's not forget: what we witnessed live on TV Saturday was agents, male and female, running toward the danger to save former President Trump, regardless of whether they were fumbling with their guns or not. 

Finally, Serious mistakes were made, and there should be accountability for those mistakes. But until someone comes forward with proof and people are charged, I refuse to believe that anybody in the Secret Service was conspiring to get Trump assassinated Saturday. There may well be attempts by higher-ups to conceal embarrassing mistakes, but in this case, they will likely fail because millions of Americans have seen with their own eyes that things went wrong. Conspiracy theories thrive when there is a lack of total transparency and accountability. I fully recognize that the current administration is full of skullduggery. Hopefully, come January, we will have an administration that we can trust. But right now, let's deal in facts and not conspiracy theories.

Jen Psaki Needs to Be Reminded Who Got Shot

Jen Psaki

MSNBC talking head and former Biden White House press spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, true to form, has made disgusting comments in the wake of the Trump assassination attempt.  Speaking on Meet the Press, Sunday, the day after the shooting, Psaki demanded that the Republicans-the Republicans- tone down the rhetoric in referring to the Republican convention that was set to begin the following day. This after years of demonization of Trump by her side. Just in the days and weeks leading up to Saturday's shooting, President Biden and his followers referred to Trump as a "Hitler", a dangerous man who would end democracy, an existential threat to America, a man who must be stopped however necessary. Is it any wonder that some deranged, 20-year-old like Thomas Matthew Crooks would decide to take out this "danger to American democracy"?  

Psaki, who burst into prominence as a spokesperson for the Obama  2008 presidential campaign and was rewarded with an appointment as State Department press spokesperson before eventually becoming President Biden's White House spokesperson, has a long history as a partisan mouthpiece. She should know better, you would think. Apparently, however, Psaki needs to be reminded of a few facts.

It was not President Biden who was the target of an assassination attempt. It was not Biden who was shot. It was not a Biden supporter who was killed. The two people critically wounded were not Biden supporters.

It was the other side, Jen, the Republican candidate who was shot and wounded. It was a Trump supporter who was killed. It was two Trump supporters who were wounded.

And no, Jen, the Republicans are not recklessly talking about carrying out revenge against President Biden. They are not advocating assassinating anybody. They are not making reckless statements about putting  Biden in the "bullseye", as Biden recently said about Trump.  It is the Democrats who should lower the tone of their rhetoric.  

But here we have hypocrites like Jen Psaki, who have the gumption to take a tragedy like this and turn it around and upside down on its head by insisting that it is the victims who must lower the tone of their rhetoric. What strange times we are living in.

The Secret Service

This article first appeared in New English Review.

 In thinking about what I could write about the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, I had to ponder what I could add to what is being reported and commented on by millions around the world.  The answer to that question was right there swirling in my head because, among my primary concerns for former President Trump, the deceased spectator, his family, the two wounded individuals, and the country in general, I find that my thoughts also keep going back to the Secret Service and the criticism that is being directed at them.

Being a retired Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent (1973-1995), I had several occasions to come into contact with the Secret Service. On one occasion, I worked an undercover case with a Secret Service agent, and during my tour of duty in Milan, Italy (1982-87), they also had an office down the hall from ours in the US Consulate in Milan. Many people don't realize that aside from their protection duties, the Secret Service is also responsible for investigating counterfeit currency cases. At that time, there was a lot of counterfeit US currency circulating in northern Italy, and so the Secret Service opened an office in Milan. To this day, I have a certificate of appreciation from the Secret Service hanging proudly on my wall, as well as an autographed photo of President Ronald Reagan "to (me) with best wishes". (The latter was actually a gift from one of my Secret Service colleagues in Italy, and the signature is machine-made. I never met Reagan.) All of that is a lead in to saying that I have enormous respect for the Secret Service. I consider them an outstanding, professional organization, and I feel sadness at the apparent black eye they are suffering today.

Make no mistake: The agents who dove on President Trump, shielded him with their bodies, and got him into the vehicle are heroes. They did what they are trained to do, in effect, take a bullet, if necessary for the president-whoever that may be. Yet, the entire world is asking why that building, some 150 yards or so from where Trump was standing, was not secured. How did the shooter get up to the roof of that building in the first place? As I write, there is still speculation and outright Internet rumors going around as to how agents and or police responded to the rooftop alert from witnesses, exactly when the Secret Service snipers zeroed in on the shooter, and were they short on manpower, if so, why? That will all be sorted out in the coming days and weeks.

What I do know is that for every event that a Secret Service protectee attends, an advance team goes to the location several days earlier to prepare for the protection operation. They meet with local police, get information as to any possible threats in the area, identify locations of the closest hospitals, scout out the event location, and plan the operation. The question is how did that building figure in the planning and was it actually overlooked? The coming investigation will focus greatly on that advance trip and what kind of operational plan was made up. 

Another point I want to mention is this: As with any law enforcement agency, these tragic events serve as a teaching point for agency training in order to prevent a repetition of any mistakes that might have been made. This is not for the purposes of crucifying individual agents, but for legitimate training purposes. The assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 became a training "manual" for future Secret Service agents, and their protection methods have become much more sophisticated since. Has that stopped attempts on presidents? No, unfortunately, these will continue, but lives can be saved. 

Though DEA does not have protective duties, we do have operations that require planning. We have also had our share of tragedies and agents killed in the line of duty. In our case, these have mostly occurred during undercover operations and raids. To prevent these tragedies, DEA, like any professional law enforcement agency in the US, requires an operational plan be drawn up for instances like the above. (Of course, sometimes, things happen so fast that having an operation plan becomes difficult if not impossible.) 

In terms of training, many of our tragedies in which we have lost agents have become material for training future agents. One term we use is "risk management", that is, certain methods as to how risks can be reduced when working undercover or conducting search or arrest warrants. I myself taught some of those classes while stationed at the DEA Office of Training during my final tour of duty before retiring in 1995.

As I said, there is now and will continue to be intense scrutiny on the Secret Service. We know the questions; we must await the answers and the solutions. I sincerely hope that Congress does not decide that the solution is to scrap the Secret Service and reassign protection duties to another agency, DHS or the FBI. That, in my view, would be a grievous error, but that is a whole different discussion. If the Secret Service erred in Butler, they will correct the error and learn from it. If disciplinary measures are needed, they will be taken. If there is some institutional problem, for example, with current leadership, hopefully, that will be addressed. If criticism of the Secret Service is warranted in this case, so be it. I still believe, however, that these agents are dedicated, courageous, and professional people.

The Trump Shooting

 I happened to be watching the Trump speech on TV when the shots rang out. There is nothing I can add to what the news is reporting. The only thing I would add is that the Internet is running with rumors that the shooter has been identified. There is a name attached and an affiliation mentioned. This is totally unconfirmed, and I don't see any purpose to put it out at this stage.

Our prayers are with the deceased victim and his family. We also need to pray for our country.

( Hat tip Gates of Vienna and Vlad Tepes.)

* Update 7-14-24: The name floating on the Internet has proved to be false. As we all know now, the (deceased) shooter is identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks (20) of Bethel Park, Pa.

Netherlands to Extradite Woman Suspected in Murder Attempt of Spanish Politician

(l-r) Accused shooter, Mehrez Ayari-victim, Alejo Vidal-Quadras

We have been following the story about the attempted murder of a Spanish politician in Madrid and the subsequent arrests of suspects, including in the Netherlands. This week, a Dutch court in Amsterdam approved the extradition of Chahinez K., a woman residing in the Netherlands, to Spain. There are also  suspected connections to Iran and a plan by the same group to murder an Iranian journalist residing in the Netherlands. 

The below article from Omroep Brabant.nl is translated by Fousesquawk. 

https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4504557/aanslag-op-politicus-bossche-vrouw-27-moet-naar-de-spaanse-cel

Attack on politician: Woman from Den Bosch (27) going to Spanish cell

Wednesday at 14:09-Updated Thursday at 15:16

Caption: Image after the attack (photo ANP)

Chahinez K. (27) from Den Bosch, who is suspected of involvement in an (attempted) murder attack upon a Spanish politician, will be turned over to Spain. She has been in custody in the Netherlands since April. K. is suspected of financing and preparation in the attempted murder attack.

Written by Ron Vorstermans

The woman denies having anything to do with the attack against politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid. He was shot in the head and barely survived the attack.

The International Legal Assistance Chamber of the Amsterdam court has approved the extradition to Spain, as was decided Wednesday. The Spanish authorities have guaranteed that if K. is convicted, she will be allowed to serve her sentence in the Netherlands.

Fugitive

The ex-(husband) of K. according to her lawyer, is one of the co-suspects. He is still a fugitive. The woman reportedly flew spontaneously to the south of Spain at his request then accompanied him to Madrid. She was seen there with him by investigators.

She also reportedly transferred payments of 200 euros and 50 euros to him upon his request. Three days before the attack, he reportedly transferred 250 euros to an accomplice. "I was just used," K. said earlier regarding the suspected financing.

Another man arrested

A 38-year-old man with Tunisian nationality was arrested in Haarlem on June 9 for the attempted murder. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, he is the suspected shooter. Spain has also requested his extradition.

At the end of last month, the Public Prosecutor's Office announced that this man, together with a 27-year-old Colombian, is also suspected of (plotting) the assassination of an Iranian activist and journalist residing in the Netherlands. Vidal-Quadras has connections with the Iranian opposition, which according to (Quadras), was the motive for the (attempted) murder attack.

Biden's "Big Boy" Press Conference

Yesterday was not a very good day for President Biden. On the same day, he committed two embarrassing name gaffes. First, he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskii to his NATO audience as "President Putin". In the evening, he held his widely-anticipated press conference, dubbed the "big boy" press conference by White House press spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. It came in the evening after Biden wrapped up hosting the NATO summit. Another screwup by his schedulers? I don't know, but in my opinion, Biden's performance was not impressive though certainly not as bad as his performance in the debate against former President Trump. His opening remarks about the NATO summit were read from a teleprompter, but, of course, it could not be used for the Q and A.  Once again, he got names wrong as he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump". There were other gaffes too, but in addition, Biden had trouble reading the names of the reporters he was supposed to call on for questions.

As I normally do, I switched back and forth between Fox, CNN, and MSNBC to compare and contrast the reactions of the various talking heads. To me, the biggest difference (what set Fox off from the other two) was that CNN and MSNBC, while expressing concern about Biden's ability to go forward, were more sympathetic to him as a person, and as a president, while stressing the importance of defeating the evil Trump in November, etc. Fox was less forgiving of Biden, both as a person and as president. As is usually the case, both Fox and CNN had a few commentators from opposing camps; Fox had a few Democrats, while CNN had a few Republicans, but, of course, they were in the minority in each. 

If there was a "consensus" among commentators of all three networks, it was that Biden's performance was just good enough to buy him a little more time, but that the calls for him to drop out would continue. That is faint praise, indeed.

One other difference is that Fox is reporting rumors that former President Barack Obama is quietly supporting efforts by Democrats to get Biden out of the race. Some are speculating that one reason Biden is holding on is that he is angry at Obama, whom he served loyally as vice president, and who is now "stabbing him in the back." The other networks are reporting that Obama has "huddled" with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the issue of whether Biden can go forward.

On Fox, I believe it was Washington Times journalist Charles Hurt, a conservative, who said before the presser that the Democrats' worst nightmare was that Biden's performance would fall in the middle and slow down the effort of getting him to drop out. As of right now, that seems to be the case, but at this point, everything could still change from one day to the next. 

As for Trump, I suspect he is putting off naming his vice president candidate until he has a better idea of what Biden will do. Previously, he stated that he would announce his pick before or during the upcoming Republic convention in Milwaukee next week. Now it appears he will announce the pick during the convention.

My personal opinion is that Biden's days are still numbered. Yesterday, he showed nothing that could convince voters that he can still do the job, let alone for four more years. The Democrats are still in crisis mode, but the Republicans should not get too overconfident. Never underestimate the Democrats' ability to pull the rabbit out of the hat.