Springfield flashpoint: How one Ohio town’s experience with immigration has captivated the nation’s attention
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – An Ohio town has been thrust into the national spotlight over the last week after separate but similar claims made by vice presidential nominee and Ohio Sen. JD Vance and former President Donald Trump, making the town an unexpected flashpoint ahead of November’s election. Springfield, Ohio, located roughly 50 miles east of Columbus, bears many of the trademarks of a typical Midwestern town, with a strong history of manufacturing followed by a period of decline that has become a familiar story for many cities just like it. But Springfield has become one of the most unique towns in the country in recent years, with a flood of migrants from Haiti resettling in the city and suddenly reversing decades of population decline. Estimates vary on just how many Haitian migrants have moved to Springfield over the last few years, but most settle somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000, a huge population boom for a town that the 2020 census showed had under 60,000 residents. Many of those migrants have come to the U.S. with temporary protected status, allowing them the ability to live and work in the U.S. for a limited amount of time. HAITIAN REFUGEES ‘DON’T UNDERSTAND THE LAWS,’ FORMER LAWMAKER SAYS AMID FATAL WRECK, CULTURAL CLASHES However, as more and more refugees came to the city, tensions between the local population and the sudden burst of newcomers started to bubble to the surface. Those tensions flared most after an October incident last year, which saw a school bus carrying dozens of children collide with a minivan, injuring many of the students on the bus and killing one, 11-year-old Aiden Clark. Longtime locals have since continued to voice their frustrations, appearing at city council meetings with complaints about unsafe road conditions they claim is due to the influx of drivers unfamiliar with local laws and norms. The attention on Springfield then became amplified more this week, first when Vance took to X to claim that people in the city have had their “pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.” A day later while giving an answer on immigration and border security, Trump similarly claimed that Haitian refugees in Springfield are “eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats.” “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame,” Trump said in the response. SPRINGFIELD PASTORS SPEAK OUT ON HAITIAN REFUGEE CHALLENGES: ‘THE SUFFERING IS REAL’ To date, such claims have not been verified and local officials in Springfield have forcefully denied such incidents have taken place. Nevertheless, the claims have shined an even brighter light on the Ohio town. Still, struggles remain as the town continues to adapt to its new reality. Former Ohio State Rep. Kyle Koehler, a Republican who represented Springfield and is now seeking a seat in the State Senate to represent the same area, acknowledged that the influx of newcomers has come as a bit of a shock to the city. “We’ve got an influx of folks that have come in, and I think we were a little bit shocked that it was close to 20,000 people in a community of 60,000, and that’s caused some issues between the folks that live here and the folks that are coming in,” Koehler told Fox News Digital. Koehler chalked up the disconnect to a difference of cultures, arguing the sudden collision between longtime locals and refugees from another country has “caused some issues.” “They don’t understand the laws, they don’t understand some of our customs, we don’t understand some of their customs, and that clash and the overwhelming amount of people that have come at one point has really caused some issues,” Koehler said. But Koehler also stressed how hospitable Springfield’s residents are and argued that the town has much to offer. “We have a wonderful town,” Koehler said.
Pope Francis tells US Catholics to choose ‘lesser evil’ in coming election
Without naming the two main US presidential candidates, the pontiff decried abortion and restrictions on immigration. Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics in the United States to vote in the November elections, saying they should “choose the lesser evil” while criticising both of the leading candidates. In remarks on Friday while flying to Rome from Singapore, the pope named neither the Republican nor Democratic presidential nominees: former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, respectively. But he offered pointed criticisms of their platforms, saying refusing to welcome immigrants is a “grave” sin and abortion is akin to an “assassination”. “Not voting is ugly,” Francis said. “It is not good. You must vote.” “You must choose the lesser evil,” he added. “Who is the lesser evil? That lady or that gentleman? I don’t know. Everyone, in conscience, [has to] think and do this.” The 87-year-old pontiff made the comments as the US presidential election is entering its final weeks, with voting scheduled for November 5. While conservative on social issues like abortion, Francis has been one of the foremost critics of rich countries embracing increasingly restrictive immigration policies. “Whether it is the one who is chasing away migrants or the one who kills children,” the pope said, “both are against life.” The US is home to about 52 million Catholics, a conservative-leaning constituency that is well-represented in several key swing states, such as Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Polling by the Pew Research Center indicated that about 52 percent of US Catholics identify with or lean towards the Republican Party, compared with about 44 percent for the Democratic Party. But the centre noted that the Catholics, in the past, have been “closely divided”. In his comments on Friday, which came after a 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Francis also lamented the lack of progress towards a peace deal to bring Israel’s war in Gaza to a close. “Forgive me for saying so, but I don’t see any progress being made towards peace,” he told reporters on board the papal plane, adding that an Israeli strike on a school this week that killed Palestinian children was “ugly”. Adblock test (Why?)
The Hague to ban fossil fuel ads from January
City council in third largest city in Netherlands approves the new rules, which will apply from January. The Hague will ban street advertising for fossil fuels, according to a notice published on the Dutch city’s website, as a number of cities worldwide crack down on publicity for fossil fuels and high-emissions sectors. The Municipal Council in the third largest city in the Netherlands voted on Thursday to approve the new rules for outdoor advertising, which will apply from January to billboards and freestanding advertising screens. “The city council of The Hague adopted two proposals to ban fossil advertising in outdoor spaces,” council spokesman Jordy Kruse told the AFP news agency on Friday. The first proposal informs advertising agencies that fossil fuel advertising is not permitted while the second bans all fossil fuel advertising in public spaces, Kruse said. “We believe that adopting binding laws to ban fossil fuel advertising through local legislation is a world first,” Leonie Gerritsen, a Hague council member for the Party for Animals. “We hope that this law will also give a signal to other cities to do the same to fight climate change,” Gerritsen, one of the main drivers of the legislation, told AFP. Other cities in the world have moved against fossil fuel advertising, but The Hague is the first to enact binding legislation. In June, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged every country to enact bans on ads for fossil fuel companies, which he called “the godfathers of climate chaos”. Oil, gas and coal are the biggest contributors to climate change, accounting for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, the Dutch city of Haarlem agreed to outlaw ads for intensively farmed meat on public places like buses, shelters and screens. Many countries have banned advertising for products that have proven harmful to human health, such as tobacco. The Hague, the country’s administrative centre and the hub of international law, is seeking to be climate neutral by 2030 Adblock test (Why?)
US accuses RT of ‘covert’ intelligence activities, issues fresh sanctions
The US State Department says Russia’s RT network has ‘moved beyond being a media outlet’ and has cyber-capabilities. The United States has issued new sanctions against Russia’s state media outlet RT, accusing the television network of taking part in covert “influence and intelligence operations” around the world and weapons procurement for the Russian military. In a statement on Friday, the US State Department said RT — previously known as Russia Today — had “moved beyond being simply a media outlet and has been an entity with cyber capabilities”. “It is also engaged in information operations, covert influence, and military procurement. These operations are targeting countries around the world, including in Europe, Africa, and North and South America.” Washington also alleged that an online crowdfunding platform operating within RT and on social media provided “material support and weaponry” to Russian military units in Ukraine. The arms include sniper rifles, body armour, drones and other equipment, the State Department said. Friday’s announcement comes amid years of strained relations between the US and Russia over the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. The administration of US President Joe Biden — a staunch critic of his Russia counterpart, Vladimir Putin — has issued waves of sanctions against Russian individuals and companies since the war began in 2022. American officials also have accused Russia of interfering in elections. Last week, the US Justice Department announced a range of actions to counter Russian efforts to meddle in November’s vote, including criminal charges against two RT employees it accused of taking part in a Moscow-directed influence operation. Speaking to reporters about Friday’s sanctions, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Russian state media outlet “wants its new covert intelligence capabilities, like its longstanding propaganda disinformation efforts, to remain hidden”. “Our most powerful antidote to Russia’s lies is the truth,” Blinken said. “It’s shining a bright light on what the Kremlin is trying to do under the cover of darkness.” RT has created websites posing as legitimate news sites to spread disinformation and propaganda in Europe, Africa, South America and elsewhere, officials said. They alleged the outlet also expanded its use of cyber-operations with a new unit with ties to Russian intelligence created last year. Russia’s embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency. Asked for comment by CNN, the US news outlet said RT “responded with a mocking email that read in part: ‘We’ve been broadcasting straight out of the KGB headquarters all this time.’” Adblock test (Why?)
Kim Jong Un shows off his nuclear facility and calls for ‘exponential’ increase in warheads
North Korea released first-ever photos of a uranium enrichment site on Thursday. Supreme leader Kim Jong Un has been known to show off his nuclear bombs, but this week he revealed the facilities that create the key material that powers them. Kim released photos of himself touring the facility as he called for his military to “exponentially” increase its nuclear arsenal and be ready for combat with the U.S. and its allies. The pictures released by state media KCNA show a glimpse into the country’s secretive nuclear program, which is banned under multiple UN Security Council resolutions. SOUTH KOREA ACCUSES THE NORTH OF SENDING TRASH BALLOONS The images show Kim walking through rows of centrifuge machines that spin uranium at high speeds to produce nuclear warheads. Kim visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and a production base for weapon-grade nuclear materials, KCNA said, and instructed the base to ramp up the number of centrifuges “in order to exponentially increase the number of nuclear weapons.” “He went round the control room of the uranium enrichment base to learn about the overall operation of the production lines,” KCNA said, and was pleased to see the base “dynamically producing nuclear materials.” The world gets little opportunity to glimpse life in the reclusive, nuclear-armed state, but photos also showed Kim visiting an army training base on Wednesday to “guide the drill of combatants,” KCNA said/ NORTH KOREA’S KIM JONG UN REPORTEDLY ORDERED DOZENS OF OFFICIALS EXECUTED AFTER DEADLY FLOODS On Thursday, North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, which landed in the waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan. The distance of the missiles suggests that they were designed to attack South Korea. It was North Korea’s first public weapons firing activity in over two months. Kim said that his pledge to double down on his nuclear efforts was because North Korea faces “a grave threat” because of what he called “the reckless expansion” of a U.S.-led regional military bloc. Last week North Korea flew balloons full of trash toward South Korea for five straight days. Officials in Seoul slammed Pyongyang for its nuclear developments. “Any nuclear threat or provocation by North Korea will be met with an overwhelming and strong response from our government and military, based on the solid extended deterrence of the South Korea-US alliance,” the Ministry of Unification was quoted as saying by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. It’s not clear how many nuclear warheads North Korea possesses. In July, a report by the Federation of American Scientists concluded that the country may have produced enough fissile material to build up to 90 nuclear warheads, but that it has likely assembled closer to 50.
Jon Tester casts doubt on unfavorable poll in Montana Senate race: ‘Give me a break’
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., expressed skepticism about a recent poll that showed him losing his Senate seat in Montana, which prompted two prominent political handicappers to shift their race ratings to give Republicans an advantage. “If you look at the AARP poll, there’s absolute inconsistency with reality,” he told reporters on Thursday. In particular, Tester took issue with how similar his polling stature was to Vice President Kamala Harris. TOP SENATORS BRIEFED ON ‘MAJOR ERRORS’ LEADING UP TO TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, led Tester in the poll, 49% to 41%. Former President Donald Trump similarly led Harris 56% to 41%. “Give me a break,” the Montana Democrat said of him garnering the same percentage as Harris. “We’re not saying it isn’t a good poll,” he added. DEMS RUN ON BORDER BILL REPUBLICANS SAY ‘WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM’ According to Tester, “It’s a margin-of-error race right now.” The AARP poll was conducted by the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) & David Binder Research (D). Between August 25-29, 1,064 likely voters were interviewed, with an overall sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Tester also told reporters that he didn’t have any thoughts on the Cook Political Report moving his race to “leans Republican.” Asked whether he was concerned about being down in the polls, he responded, “I’m not.” TOP HANDICAPPER GIVES GOP’S TIM SHEEHY EDGE AGAINST DEMOCRAT JON TESTER IN MONTANA RACE SHIFT In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont., for the first time claimed the Republicans would take back the Senate majority in the upcoming election. “We will win the Senate majority,” he said. “Fifty-one is the number that we want to get to. Clearly, there’s an opportunity to get beyond that, but 51 is the number we’ve got to get to,” he explained. On Thursday, Tester also answered why he has yet to endorse Harris, explaining, “Because I want to be about Montana.” TEXAS DEM’S SENATE AD FEATURES BORDER WALL HE ONCE BLASTED AS ‘RACIST’ Despite his refusal to explicitly issue an endorsement of Harris, Tester was reportedly personally responsible for recruiting her to run for the Senate in 2015, when he served as Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) chairman. Even more recently, Tester was supportive of President Biden’s choice of Harris as his running mate in 2020, writing on X, “My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I’m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November.” Tester has been re-elected in Republican Montana twice but has not appeared on a ballot with Trump before. Trump won the state twice, in both 2016 and 2020. Sheehy notably boasts the endorsement of Trump going into the competitive election. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
‘Paisans for Kamala’ event features De Niro, Pelosi blasting Trump on immigration
“Buonasera Tutti,” former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio toasted as he opened a three-hour “Paisans for Kamala” virtual dinner this week in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid headlined by staunch Trump critic Robert De Niro. De Blasio co-hosted the event with Paul Mercurio, a comedian who works on Stephen Colbert’s CBS late-night program. During the livestream event, which featured several high-profile Italian Americans, many dinner guests lauded Harris while criticizing former President Trump’s immigration policies from the viewpoint of children or grandchildren of Italian immigrants. De Blasio noted he had made an intentional visit to the childhood home of one such prominent Italian-American official. “We just did a little pilgrimage… [to] Little Italy in Baltimore — to the home of Nancy D’Alesandro-Pelosi; where she grew up,” he said, as the former mayor also highlighted the visit on X, posing at Pelosi’s former home alongside Maryland State Sen. James Rosapepe, D-Laurel. “A dinner expresses who we are — we want to be a family as Italian-Americans — [and] bring everyone together for these amazing candidates,” de Blasio said. DE NIRO CLAIMS TRUMP COULD ‘DESTROY THE WORLD’ Mercurio went on to tell De Niro that Trump has “tapped into something” within his base that have bonded them to him. De Niro, who once expressed a wish to “punch [Trump] in the face,” replied that he has indeed listened to some of Trump’s supporters. “I could very well see that there is a way, with them, that’s more for them than with Trump, because Trump doesn’t offer anything,” the actor said. “We’ve seen this before in other countries and other societies… they think they can control someone like him… God forbid he becomes ‘the boss,’ all the people who thought they could control him, they’ll find out differently.” Later, former Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who said his maternal side is “fully Italian,” joined the dinner sporting a “White Dudes for Harris” hat and spoke about the values he believes Harris brings to the table. De Blasio soon displayed a slice of pizza and proceeded to eat it with a fork — in an apparent homage to a 2014 controversy that erupted when he dined in the same fashion in Staten Island. De Blasio argued he remains correct that it is the proper way to eat a pie. Former CIA Director Leon Panetta later appeared and said he supports Harris because Trump appears to support isolationism, remarking that such behavior “didn’t work before World War II.” “[There is] the importance of presidents standing up to tyrants… not appeasing them,” he said. Later, actor Steve Buscemi said Harris struck the right tone as a descendant of immigrants. WATCH: DE BLASIO DEBATES SEAN HANNITY “Most immigrants are just looking for a better life, better opportunities, and they don’t deserve to be punished for pursuing that dream,” Buscemi said. “Kamala Harris is smart, strong, kind and inclusive.” When Pelosi appeared at the dinner, she recounted how her family lived for multiple generations in the Little Italy neighborhood of Baltimore that de Blasio visited. “My grandfather and his contemporaries came here thinking the streets would be paved in gold — little did they know they would pave the streets when they got here,” said Pelosi, whose father and grandfather, both named Thomas D’Alesandro, were mayors of Baltimore. “It is an important race because of [Trump’s attitude toward immigrants] and so many other reasons. We must not take this election for granted,” she said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Pelosi went on to cite a speech by former President Reagan, highlighting the fact she was quoting a Republican, and saying that he understood in the speech that the Statue of Liberty is a “beacon of hope.” She claimed to have recited the quote to Republicans, who did not applaud: “I said, ‘They don’t applaud for Ronald Reagan?’” Near the close of the dinner, one of Trump’s former officials — who notably broke with the president years ago — appeared. Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci quipped, in addressing de Blasio, “Can you imagine me, you and [former Republican Vice President] Dick Cheney getting together to support Vice President Harris?” “Yes, I can imagine it because each of us understands the systemic danger involved with the potential reelection of Donald Trump,” he said, before pledging $5,000 to Paisans for Harris. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
DNA TV Show: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal walks out of Tihar jail after 6 months
Delhi CM and AAP Convenor, Arvind Kejriwal, was released from Tihar jail on Friday evening, hours after the SC granted him bail in a corruption case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
Vulnerable Dem senator touts border wall in new ad despite previously dismissing it: ‘Waste of money’
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is facing criticism from his Republican opponent for images in a campaign ad that show the border wall as his campaign touts his efforts to secure the southern border despite his past opposition to wall construction, which Casey has called “a waste of money.” A recent ad by Casey says he has “voted repeatedly to secure the border” and has voted “25 times to secure the border.” During the spot, the backdrop on the screen shows the border wall and what appears to be Trump-era wall construction. The move is similar to moves by the Harris campaign, which has also shown images of the border wall in its ads despite shutting down most wall construction. TEXAS DEM’S SENATE AD FEATURES BORDER WALL HE ONCE BLASTED AS ‘RACIST’ But the vulnerable Democratic senator has a history of mostly opposition rather than support for the wall. In 2019, he said “building a wall is a waste of money” and that the U.S. should be “investing in border infrastructure and security technology at ports of entry, where most illegal smuggling happens.” “President Trump doesn’t seem to get it. He’s not getting a concrete or steel wall along the width of the border — never, ever, ever, ever,” Casey said on X. “If President Trump is serious about stopping illegal drugs, then he should stop talking about building an ineffective wall and start talking about hiring more people and beginning 24-hour surveillance of vehicle screenings,” Casey said in an interview the same year. Casey also voted against a border security deal that would have combined permanent status for young illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children in exchange for border wall funding. The Biden administration halted border wall construction in early 2021 after entering office. Casey’s votes suggest support for that move. He repeatedly voted against measures introduced by Republicans that blocked the cancellation of wall contracts. He has also voted against the House GOP border security bill, which included border wall funding, and against an amendment in 2022 to replace funding for a chief readiness support officer with $500 million for border wall construction. CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE Fox News Digital has previously reported that Casey supported a border fence in 2006 but later voted against a number of fence-related funding amendments in the years after that. This year, Casey has thrown his support behind a bipartisan border security measure that would have increased funding to the border and would limit asylum entries into the U.S. It has found support with the Biden administration, including Vice President Kamala Harris. The bill includes a limited amount of border wall funding, but only a fraction of the billions that had been requested by former President Trump. Dave McCormick, the Republican challenging Casey for his Senate seat, accused him of lying about his record in the ads. “Bob Casey is yet again lying to the commonwealth. He’s weak and desperate to cover up his extreme record of opposing a wall, supporting open borders and enabling the flood of fentanyl pouring into the country,” McCormick said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Pennsylvanians are sick of the liberal hypocrisy and ready for a strong leader who will fight every day to finish the wall, secure the border and protect our communities.” The Casey campaign defended his record on the border, pointing to his support of a bipartisan 2013 immigration reform bill by the ‘’Gang of Eight” that included adding 700 miles of fencing to the border along with other measures, including a pathway to citizenship for some illegal immigrants. HARRIS DOUBLES DOWN ON SUPPORT FOR LEFT-WING BENEFIT FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: ‘SMART SOLUTIONS’ It also pointed to broader border security votes Casey has made, including voting for electronic verification systems, emergency funding for security and Border Patrol hiring, a 2023 appropriations bill that included $10.7 billion in border security funding and a 2021 amendment to create a deficit-neutral reserve for immigration enforcement. “Sen. Casey has voted more than 25 times to secure our border, working with Republicans to add physical barriers, hire more Border Patrol agents and invest in border security technology to stop the illegal flow of fentanyl and keep Pennsylvanians safe,” spokesperson Kate Smart said. The campaign also noted McCormick’s opposition to the bipartisan bill introduced this year. McCormick called that legislation a “capitulation” and said it would solidify high levels of illegal immigration. “David McCormick opposed the toughest border security bill in modern history that was backed by Border Patrol agents and written by members of his own party because he cares more about playing petty politics than keeping Pennsylvanians safe,” Smart said. The ad is not the only wall-related ad controversy in the Senate race. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, featured the southern border wall in a recent Senate campaign ad despite having previously claimed the wall proposed by former President Trump was “racist.” Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
Top senators briefed on ‘major errors’ leading up to Trump assassination attempt
A handful of leading senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) were briefed Thursday by Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on the investigation into the July assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. “I think the American people are going to be shocked, astonished and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures by the Secret Service in this assassination attempt on the former president,” HSGAC Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) Chairman Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital following the briefing. The senator refused to go into details about what he had heard in the meeting, however. DEMS RUN ON BORDER BILL REPUBLICANS SAY ‘WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM’ Rowe briefed Blumenthal, PSI Ranking Member Ron Johnson, R-Wis., HSGAC Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., and HSGAC Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., before venturing to the House of Representatives to similarly brief the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump. “I do think that the director is attempting to try to make sure this doesn’t happen again. And so I do appreciate that he’s trying,” Paul said after exiting the briefing. TOP HANDICAPPER GIVES GOP’S TIM SHEEHY EDGE AGAINST DEMOCRAT JON TESTER IN MONTANA RACE SHIFT He added that “major errors” had occurred on July 13 when Trump was shot in the ear at an outdoor campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and one attendee was killed, while two others were critically injured. He detailed that the committee’s bipartisan interim report on the assassination attempt would be coming out in a few days. “I think it’s going to identify very specific errors that were made in this,” Paul said. TEXAS DEM’S SENATE AD FEATURES BORDER WALL HE ONCE BLASTED AS ‘RACIST’ Peters emphasized that the forthcoming report will “only be an interim report, because there’s a lot more information that we need to find.” “We hope once this report comes out, and we can get the additional information necessary to have a complete report of what happened, as well as steps of what we need to do in the future to make sure that this never happens,” he told Fox News. ROGERS ADDRESSES ABORTION AMID SLOTKIN ATTACKS: ‘MICHIGAN VOTERS HAVE ALREADY DECIDED’ Paul additionally told reporters that he had not learned any new information about the shooter’s motive or anything else. The Secret Service provided senators with an initial briefing just days after the assassination attempt, which left many senators unsatisfied. At the time, Johnson said “virtually no information” was shared, and the discussion was primarily meant to “check the box.” A Peters aide told Fox News Digital one day after the shooting that the committee would be launching an investigation into the assassination attempt, also revealing that the chairman had been scheduled to speak with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas that weekend.