--:-- Gideon Resnick: Good morning. It's Monday, July 15th. I'm Gideon Resnick in for Shamit Abassu. This is Apple News Today.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: We begin with the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. His campaign says he is safe after a shooter opened fire at his political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday evening.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: President Biden was briefed and connected with Trump personally by phone. And last night, he addressed the nation from the Oval Office. There's no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence ever. Period. No exceptions. We can't allow this violence to be normalized.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Biden also directed the Secret Service to review security at the Republican National Convention, which kicks off today. And for an independent review of the security measures at the rally this past weekend.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Meanwhile, Trump called for unity in a social media post and has arrived in Milwaukee to attend the RNC. He will be officially chosen as the Republican nominee for president later in the week.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So far, here is what we know about what happened on Saturday. A few minutes into Trump's campaign speech, a gunman opened fire. Trump stopped speaking and grabbed his right ear. Then there were more shots. A Secret Service agent yelled for Trump to get down, and other agents surrounded the former president.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Trump had minor injuries, saying on social media that he had been shot in the ear. A photographer with the New York Times captured a remarkable image of a bullet streaking past Trump's head. And in a photo that will surely go down in American history, an AP photographer captured the former president with blood streaking across his face, pumping his fist in the air, mouthing the word "fight" to a thunderous response from the crowd.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: One person at the rally was killed. Corey Comparatore was a firefighter, and his family said that he jumped to shield them as shots were fired. Two other people were critically injured, David Dutch and James Copenhaver.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Republican Congressman Dan Muser was in the front row at the rally and described the moment that shots rang out on NBC.
--:-- Dan Muser: Turned around, we knew where they were coming from, And then my eyes just turned fast to the president, fixated on him. And that's when he was hit. He hit the deck. It didn't look like he went down from the shot, but he hit the deck and put his hand up on his head. And I really was thinking the worst.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The FBI says it's investigating the matter as a possible domestic terrorism attack as well as an assassination attempt. It has identified the suspect as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Pennsylvania. He used an AR-style rifle that was purchased legally by his father.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Officials also found explosive materials in the gunman's car. He was shot and killed by the Secret Service. The FBI says he likely acted alone. It has no reason to believe he was part of a larger plot and hasn't ID'd any ideology that may have motivated him.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The incident has raised serious questions about security. The gunman was on a rooftop less than 500 feet from the stage of Trump's rally. CBS spoke to A.T. Smith, a former Secret Service deputy director, about how someone with a weapon was able to get that close.
--:-- A.T. Smith: I mean, that is just unacceptable. And the FBI's investigation, working hand in hand with the Secret Service, will look at every aspect of this advance. Did they examine the posting in the right way? All of the perimeters that needed to be in place from the inner perimeter to the middle to the outer perimeter.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And that outer perimeter is what the counter sniper team is responsible for. They're responsible for a long gunman or a long-range rifle. So that question has to be answered, particularly looking at it in the context of how close this individual was.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: This is the closest an assassin has come to killing a current or former U.S. president since the shooting of President Reagan in 1981. But political violence is unfortunately all too common in the United States.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In 2022, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband was attacked with a hammer in their home. In 2017, Congressman Steve Scalise was shot at a baseball practice. And in 2011, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot at a constituent event.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Each of them put out statements in the wake of this attack on Trump, calling for an end to political violence in American society.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: There may be calls for calm from the current and former presidents, but there is also the inevitable political aftermath of the assassination attempt. Within hours, even minutes, of the shooting, social media was filled with finger-pointing, disdain for the media, and conspiracy theories.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In fact, even with scant details about the shooting, a handful of Trump's biggest backers laid the blame at Democrats.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Senator J. Vance, who considered to be on Trump's shortlist for vice presidential candidates, suggested that the Biden campaign rhetoric led to the attack. Trump ally Senator Tim Scott said the threat was aided by the left and the media for quote, "incessantly calling Trump a threat to democracy, fascists or worse."
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The assassination attempt on former President Trump has obviously shaken a nation that was already on edge due to politics. That's Molly Ball, a senior political correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
--:-- Molly Ball: It's a sobering moment that reminds everyone that none of this is a game, that the things leaders say are important and that many people are watching and listening and taking this very seriously.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Ball talked to us about how the attempt on Trump's life could further inflame an already highly charged political environment.
--:-- Molly Ball: We're just at a point in this country where people really see a fork in the road with the election. They really see the country as on a path either to a turnaround or to ruin, depending on whether their preferred candidate is elected.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: So as much as this is such a humbling moment for our whole political system, it's really hard to imagine the temperature meaningfully coming down and people agreeing to be more civil.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: As for the RNC, Ball expects the assassination attempt to play a big role in how speeches and events are programmed.
--:-- Molly Ball: What was originally planned to be a sort of freewheeling celebration of a candidate who seemed like he was on a path to victory in the election now looks like a far more somber, almost mournful gathering.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: One that celebrates Trump's survival, his resilience, his strength in the face of adversity, but with a heightened understanding of how close he came and how dangerous it is out there.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: It's impossible to say at this stage how voters will react to that message or what kind of impact the assassination attempt will have on the campaign.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: As Vox points out, Reagan's approval ratings briefly rose after he was shot. Some congressional Republicans told Politico that they believe the shooting will energize Trump's base and help his campaign.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: There may be some historical parallels and lots of speculation and spin. But there's ultimately little to tell us how this shocking event this close to the election will play out.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Let's close today's show with a quick look at some other major stories, starting with more news involving former President Trump.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: A federal judge has dismissed the classified documents case against him. In a new ruling today, the judge said that the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges of mishandling sensitive documents. Prosecutors are now likely to appeal the ruling.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In Alabama, at least seven people are dead after a series of shootings. Birmingham authorities call the killings targeted. They're asking the public for information to help capture whoever may be responsible.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: As of this morning, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in Texas were still without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. That has people struggling to stay cool and punishing heat.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Some hospitals and water treatment plants have had trouble operating. And the federal government has declared a public health emergency in Texas.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Abroad, it was a deadly weekend in Gaza. More than 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks. Most of those deaths were in a strike Saturday on a designated humanitarian zone.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Israel said it was targeting a high-level Hamas commander. Hamas denied that he was killed.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Also in recent days, there have been several notable passings. Shannon Doherty, the star of Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed, died at 53.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Last year, she spoke with People magazine about her cancer treatment. I'm not afraid of death because I know where I'm going.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: I know, you know, the people that I'm going to see. Also, fitness personality Richard Simmons died at 76.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: In a 2007 interview with David Letterman, he basically summed up his whole image in a few words. Look, I'm happy, I'm perky. I'm here to see you and I love you.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: And Dr. Ruth Westheimer died at 96. The therapist and talk show host was a pioneer in getting people to talk more openly about sexuality.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: Anybody here as a partner, tonight a different position. You can read more about their impact in the Apple News app.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: You'll also find sports coverage, including Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krachikova's Wimbledon victories. Plus, in soccer, there's Argentina's Copa America win and Spain's European championship.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: If you're already listening to the News app right now, we have a narrated article that's coming up next from Vanity Fair.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: The magazine spent more than a year following one of the top hostage negotiators at the State Department through his incredibly high-stakes work.
--:-- Gideon Resnick: If you're listening to us in the podcast app, you can follow Apple News Plus Narrative to find that story, and I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
