Connect with us

Northeast

Trump shooter had multiple encrypted accounts overseas, including Germany: Rep. Waltz

Published

on

Trump shooter had multiple encrypted accounts overseas, including Germany: Rep. Waltz

The gunman who nearly killed former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month used encrypted messaging accounts on multiple platforms based in Belgium, New Zealand and Germany, according to a House representative appointed to a congressional task force investigating the assassination attempt.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Green Beret appointed to the 13-member House bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Trump, told reporters about the accounts while at the Trump Hotel Chicago Wednesday.

One reporter asked Waltz what he and other members of the task force had learned during the investigation and about the encrypted messages on the shooter’s cellphone.

TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT

A House member on a committee investigating the attempted assassination of Trump said the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had encrypted accounts on messaging apps based in Germany, Belgium and New Zealand.

Advertisement

“We still haven’t learned a lot. We haven’t learned that much about those overseas accounts,” he said, referring to accounts held by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks. “We do know that they were in, if I get this correctly, Belgium, New Zealand and Germany. 

“Why does a 19-year-old kid who is a health care aide need encrypted platforms not even based in the United States, but based abroad, where most terrorist organizations know it is harder for our law enforcement to get into? That’s a question I’ve had since day one.”

The representative then turned his attention to the FBI and Secret Service, bashing them for not saying a thing until they complete their investigations months from now.

“They need to be releasing information as they come across it, because this wasn’t an isolated incident,” Waltz said. “The threats are continually Iran’s threats.”

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT FORMED FROM ‘CAREFUL PLANNING,’ SCOPING OUT RALLY SITE, FBI SAYS

Advertisement

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., said he has learned Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be Trump assassin, held encrypted accounts overseas.  (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Waltz then cited an alleged plot that was foiled regarding a Pakistani national who paid off hitmen to kill Trump and other U.S. officials.

The New York Post reported that the FBI is scheduled to brief members of the task force on Wednesday, which Waltz said he hopes will provide insight into the “ridiculously flawed” security detail at the Trump campaign in Butler July 13, 2024.

Both the FBI and Secret Service are conducting their own investigations into the assassination attempt, as is the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.

Advertisement

On the evening of the rally, Crooks opened fire on the main stage, grazing Trump’s ear with a bullet. Crooks also killed rally attendee Corey Comperatore, 50, and wounded 57-year-old David Dutch and 54-year-old James Copenhaver.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Boston, MA

Timeline: Looking back on Jaylen Brown’s Celtics career – The Boston Globe

Published

on

Timeline: Looking back on Jaylen Brown’s Celtics career – The Boston Globe


June 23, 2016 — The beginning: The Celtics took Brown out of California with the third pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, a selection that wasn’t entirely popular at the time.

When then-owner Wyc Grousbeck announced the pick at an event for season-ticket holders, he was booed by fans that either wanted Providence’s Kris Dunn or for the team to package the pick in a trade for a star.

“Fourteen years, that’s probably the worst [reception] that I’ve gotten,” Grousbeck said. “We’re a bunch of fans who bought this team, and being a fan means you’re emotional, you’re emotionally invested in this team, and no problem. I actually believe [if] they knew what I knew, and we’re in the room, I think most of them might have done the same thing [in drafting Brown].”

Jaylen Brown was drafted by the Celtics in 2016.John Tlumacki

Oct. 26, 2016 — Debut in green: Brown played his first game for the Celtics in the 2016-17 opener, scoring 9 points on 3 of 4 shooting in a win over the Nets. He’d go on to make his first start on Nov. 3, scoring 19 points in a loss to the Cavaliers.

Brown made 20 starts in his rookie year, helping Boston to a 53-29 record and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals. He was named to the All-Rookie second team.

Oct. 17, 2017 — The Jays Era begins: The Celtics made another big pick at No. 3 in 2017, drafting Jayson Tatum to begin a partnership that lasted nearly a decade.

The two made their regular-season debut together (and started together) in the 2017-18 opener, a game remembered more for Gordon Hayward’s devastating leg injury in his own Celtics debut.

Advertisement

Brown had a career-high 25 points in the loss on the road to Cleveland. Tatum had 14.

April 17, 2018 — Playoff breakout: After the Celtics went 55-27 and finished second in the East, Boston beat Milwaukee in seven games in the first round, winning Game 2 behind 30 points from Brown. He became the youngest Celtic ever to score 30 in a playoff game in the process.

The Celtics lost to the Cavaliers in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals.

Jaylen Brown and the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference finals in 2018.Jim Davis

Oct. 21, 2019 — A big contract and a big breakthrough — The Celtics signed Brown to a four-year, $115 million extension before the 2019-20 season, a move that was widely considered an overpay after Brown struggled during the previous season.

Brown responded with a breakout year, averaging career-highs in points (20.3), rebounds (6.4), and assists (2.1) as he and Tatum took the reins after Kyrie Irving’s departure.

Brown narrowly missed out an on All-Star appearance that year, but earned those honors in five of the next six seasons.

Advertisement

Feb. 24, 2021 — First All-Star Game: A few weeks after crossing the 40-point threshold for the first time with 42 against the Grizzlies, Brown made his first All-Star team. He finished that season averaging 24.7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists.

Boston struggled through that season, going just 36-36 in a pandemic-shortened year. The Celtics lost to the Nets in five games in the first round of the playoffs without Brown, who tore a ligament in his wrist with just a few games left in the year.

Jan. 2, 2022 — First 50-point game: Brown had two career outings in the first eight days of 2022, pouring in a career-high 50 points in a win over the Magic before notching his first career triple-double in a Jan. 8 win over the Knicks.

Jan. 31, 2022 — An energy shift: The Celtics’ first few months under Ime Udoka were underwhelming, with Boston mired in the doldrums of .500 basketball. In the hours before the Celtics took on the Heat at TD Garden, Brown authored a brief but now-iconic tweet: “The energy is about to shift.”

He was right. The Celtics went 25-6 over the rest of the season to finish second in the East.

Advertisement

June 2, 2022 — First Finals appearance: After helping lead the Celtics through the Eastern Conference playoffs, taking out the Nets (sweep), Bucks (seven games), and Heat (seven games), Brown and Boston took on the Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Brown was one of the stars of a stunning road comeback in Game 1 with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists as the Celtics rallied from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to steal the opener.

Brown played pretty well in the six-game series, averaging 23.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, but it wasn’t enough to keep Boston from falling to Golden State in six games.

The Celtics fell just short of an NBA title in 2022.Jim Davis/Globe Staff

May 10, 2023 — All-NBA honors: Brown was named All-NBA for the first time after the 2022-23 season, earning second team honors after averaging a career-best 26.6 points along with 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

He had at least 30 points in more than half of Boston’s games as the Celtics went 57-25 in their first season under Joe Mazzulla.

That season ended in playoff disappointment, though, as Boston fell into an 0-3 hole against Miami in the Eastern Conference finals, rallied to force a Game 7, then fell flat in the decider at TD Garden.

Advertisement

Brown struggled in that series against the Heat, averaging just 19 points and shooting a ghastly 7 of 43 (16.3 percent) from 3-point range. He was particularly bad in that Game 7, going 8 of 23 from the field and turning it over eight times.

July 25, 2023 — A record contract: Following a few weeks of silence after he became eligible for a super-max extension, Brown inked a five-year, $304 million deal that was, at the time, the richest in NBA history.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Brown said. “So, let’s get started.”

May 21, 2024 — A clutch shot: After the star-studded Celtics — who added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the offseason — romped to a 64-18 record and the East’s No. 1 seed in 2023-24, they brushed aside the Heat and Cavaliers, each in five games, to reach the Eastern Conference finals.

Game 1 of that series against the Pacers looked to be spinning away from Boston, which trailed by 3 points with 8 seconds to go.

Advertisement

Then Brown delivered the biggest clutch moment of his Celtics career to date, burying a tough, heavily-contested 3-pointer from the corner to send the game to overtime.

“Before the inbound I was just talking to myself, if I get this shot, it’s going in,” Brown said. “I was telling myself the whole time, if you get it, it’s going up, and it’s going in. I happened to create some space on that backside and was able to make a big time play.

The Celtics won in overtime, then swept the Pacers to return to the NBA Finals. Brown was named Eastern Conference finals MVP after averaging 29.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in the series.

June 17, 2024: NBA champion and Finals MVP — The Celtics’ dominant run to the title finished in Game 5 against the Mavericks, with Brown scoring 21 points as Boston won its 18th championship.

After averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5 assists in the series, Brown was named NBA Finals MVP, joining a short list of Celtics to win the award with John Havlicek, Jo Jo White, Cedric Maxwell, Larry Bird (twice), and Paul Pierce.

Advertisement

“All of the moments where we came up short, felt like we let the city down, let ourselves down, all of that compiled is how we get to this moment,” Brown said. “And it makes it feel even that much better that we had to go through the journey, the heartbreak, the embarrassment, the loss, to get to the mountaintop.”

Brown and the Celtics won the title in 2024.Erin Clark/Globe Staff

May 12, 2025: A dynamic shift — The Celtics were favorites to return to the NBA Finals in 2025, but blew the first two games of a second-round series to the Knicks at home, then lost superstar Jayson Tatum to an Achilles tear in a devastating Game 4.

For the first time, Brown became Boston’s undisputed first option. He stepped up in a big way two days later despite a torn meniscus, racking up 26 points, 12 assists, and 8 rebounds in a Game 5 win to keep the Celtics alive.

It wasn’t enough, though, as Boston was blown out in Game 6, and the franchise’s core was torn down with the summer exodus of Holiday, Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.

“Losing to the Knicks feels like death, but I was always taught that there’s life after death, so we’ll figure out whatever’s next,” Brown said, “I know, Boston, it looks gloomy right now with JT being out and us at the end of the year, but there’s a lot to look forward to, and I want the city to feel excited about that — that this is not the end. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”

Oct. 22, 2025 — A superstar season begins: With Tatum sidelined, Brown had to shoulder the scoring load for 2025-26. He did just that.

Advertisement

Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists — all career highs — to lead the Celtics to 56 wins. He scored 40-plus points on seven occasions, including a career high-tying 50 against the Clippers in January.

Brown earned second team All-NBA honors for the second time in his career and finished sixth in MVP voting.

May 2, 2026 — One last playoff disappointment: After going up, 3-1, over the 76ers in the first round, the heavily-favored Celtics cratered, blowing that lead for the first time in franchise history and losing Game 7 at home.

Brown started the series hot, but shot just 41.8 percent from the field in the final three games. That Game 7, it turns out, was his last game as a Celtic.

Brown also made some headlines after calling the campaign his “favorite season” despite a first-round exit, a minor controversy that dragged into the summer.

Advertisement

June 23, 2026 — The Giannis trade: Things got uncomfortable as the NBA Draft approached, when it emerged that the Celtics were aggressively pursuing a trade for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Boston’s offer centered around Brown, but it wasn’t enough to land the two-time MVP, who headed to Miami instead.

That left the Celtics to try to repair the relationship with Brown, who knew the team was actively trying to trade him.

“I don’t love the fact, anytime it’s a big public thing,” said president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

July 1, 2026 — Traded to Philadelphia: The Celtics agreed to ship Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for Paul George, two first-round picks, and two second-rounders.


Amin Touri can be reached at amin.touri@globe.com.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Pittsburg, PA

Sinkhole closes portion of road near UPMC Passavant hospital

Published

on

Sinkhole closes portion of road near UPMC Passavant hospital



Crews have blocked off a portion of a road in McCandless, Allegheny County, near UPMC Passavant, after a large sinkhole formed.

A township official confirmed to KDKA-TV on Sunday night that Cumberland Road is closed at Babcock Boulevard in front of the hospital. Barricades have been erected to ensure no pedestrians or vehicles have access to the area while repairs are made.

Crews have blocked off a portion of a road in McCandless, near UPMC Passavant, after a large sinkhole formed.  

Advertisement

KDKA-TV


UMPC Passavant remains accessible via the Babcock Boulevard entrance and from the Peebles Road side of Cumberland Road, officials said.

A fire chief responding to the call told KDKA-TV that there are pipes underneath the area where the sinkhole formed, adding that he was unsure when the road would reopen or how long repairs would take.

No injuries have been reported. The area will remain closed while repair work continues.

Advertisement



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Connecticut

CT Cleans Up After Storm, Braces For More Heavy Rain | CT News Junkie

Published

on

CT Cleans Up After Storm, Braces For More Heavy Rain | CT News Junkie


Storm damage in Torrington seen on July 5, 2026. (Courtesy of the Torrington Fire Department).

Town, state and utility crews were scrambling to get roads cleaned up and power restored Sunday after a big thunder and hail storm hit parts of Connecticut, and ahead of more rain and possible flooding expected Monday into Tuesday. 

From Salisbury to Harwinton, the July 4 storm wreaked havoc, uprooting trees and leaving behind golfball-sized hail in some areas. Wind speeds of up to 56 mph were recorded in Burlington, but the storm weakened as it moved southeast across Connecticut. 

Up to 100,000 were without power at one point, with about 55,000 Eversource customers still without power on Sunday evening and just over 400 United Illuminating customers waiting for power to be restored. Canaan, Harwinton, New Fairfield and Salisbury had more than half of its utility customers still without power as of 6 p.m. Sunday.

Gov. Ned Lamont said utility crews immediately began working on restoration, but that repairs may take several days in some areas due to the scale of the damage.

Advertisement

“The utilities have called down additional crews from Canada to help restore power in Connecticut as soon as possible, and our administration will do anything in our ability that can help expedite power restoration,” the governor said in a statement Sunday afternoon. 

“The state’s emergency response team remains in contact with every affected town and stands ready to send additional support the moment a municipality requests it. Connecticut has been through storms like this before, and we get through them by looking out for one another.”

In Torrington and Harwinton, where local states of emergencies were declared, crews worked through the night Saturday into Sunday to make roads passable and keep residents safe. 

Officials are urging everyone to obey closed road signs and stay away from any downed power lines.

“Do not drive around barricades, as roads may be unsafe due to fallen trees, damaged utility poles, or flooding,” the Torrington Fire Department urged.

Advertisement

Several areas of the state are under a flood watch Monday as repeated rounds of heavy rain are expected to bring in 3-5 inches of rain. 

“If showers and thunderstorms concentrate over local areas and deliver repeated rounds of heavy rainfall, towns could see localized amounts in some narrow bands well over 6 inches,” the CT Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said. 

NOAA’s weather prediction center has upgraded Southern Connecticut into a moderate risk category, level 3 out of 4, officials said. 

“Not everyone will see flooding, but any locations that get repeated downpours could experience rapid flooding,” meteorologist Ryan Hanrahan said on his social media page. “The exact placement of the heaviest rain is still uncertain.”

Lamont urged anyone looking for real-time updates on state road closures to visit CTroads.org and to sign up for emergency alerts at portal.ct.gov/ctalert.

Advertisement

“Keep monitoring weather alerts over the coming days, as additional rainfall could bring a risk of flash flooding,” Lamont said. “Never drive through a flooded road.”

RELATED

West Hartford Business Owner Released From ICE Custody

West Hartford Business Owner Released From ICE Custody

Sead (Seyo) Cecunjanin, the West Hartford resident and business owner who was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last week was released Thursday and returned to West Hartford.


Happy 4th!

Happy 4th!

Thanks everyone for reading CTNewsJunkie and supporting independent, fact-based news reporting. We need it more than ever as we head into this July 4th weekend on the 250th anniversary of Independence Day in the United States. This grand experiment in Democracy. Put the politics aside and share some happy moments with your family and friends.…

Advertisement


Old Lyme Sets Ground Rules For New State Housing Law

Old Lyme Sets Ground Rules For New State Housing Law

As Connecticut’s new middle-housing law took effect July 1, the Old Lyme Zoning Commission approved local regulations intended to shape how the measure will be applied in town.


Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending