Suspect in Trump apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours

New details emerge on the suspect in the second apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump, including how long he went undetected near the former president's golf club. And Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been arrested on federal charges. We have the latest on what's ahead for the hip hop mogul. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.

Suspect in apparent assassination attempt went undetected for 12 hours

Authorities said the suspect in this past weekend’s apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump went undetected near Trump’s golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida for 12 hours before being noticed by a Secret Service agent. The suspect was caught pointing a rifle through the bushes.

The agent fired at the suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh , who fled the scene only to be taken into custody a short time later. A local sheriff’s office released body camera video showing his arrest.

Routh was charged Monday, Sept. 16, with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He did not enter a plea during an appearance in a federal courtroom.

In a Monday afternoon press conference, Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe, Jr. said Routh did not fire any shots at the agent and never had Trump in his line of sight.

Rowe and the FBI agent in charge, Jeffrey Veltri, said so far, there is no evidence showing the suspect knew Trump would be golfing that day. Veltri went into detail about the suspect's criminal past.

“In 2002, as the United States attorney mentioned, the subject was charged and convicted in North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction,” Veltri said. “Law enforcement checks also revealed that from 1997 to 2010, the subject had numerous felony charges for stolen goods. I can also share with you that he was the subject of a previously closed 2019 tip to the FBI where it was alleged he was a felon in possession of a firearm.”

Veltri said the FBI passed along that information to authorities in Hawaii, where Routh lived.  Rowe told reporters Trump’s plans to play golf on Sunday were “off-the-record” – meaning it was not part of the former president’s official schedule.

As new questions emerge about the Secret Service’s effectiveness following the second assassination attempt in just over two months, Rowe defended his agents, saying they were “rising for this moment.”

“Yesterday afternoon, this country was reminded of the heightened and dynamic threat environment that the United States Secret Service and its protectees face on a daily basis,” Rowe said. “Immediately following the assassination attempt of former President Donald J. Trump on July 13th, the Secret Service moved to increase assets to an already enhanced security posture for the former president.”

Rowe said the “highest levels of protection” were in place for the former president – as directed by President Joe Biden – including “counter-sniper team elements.”

Speaking to reporters on his way to an event in Philadelphia Monday, Biden said the Secret Service “needs more help.” A White House official said President Biden spoke to Trump on the phone Monday, conveying his relief that the former president was safe.

During an appearance on the social media site X Monday night, Trump spoke about hearing the gunshots fired by the Secret Service. He said the agent did a “fantastic job” and joked that he “would have liked to have sank that last putt.”

Routh’s next court appearance is set for Sept. 23 for a pre-detention hearing. His arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 30. Routh remains in custody as authorities continue their investigation.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrested on federal charges in New York

Hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested on federal charges on Monday night. Sources close to the matter tell media outlets Diddy was not expecting the arrest.

Homeland Security took him into custody at the Park Hyatt Hotel on 57th Street in Manhattan.

It's not yet clear what federal charges he's facing. The indictment is expected to be unsealed Tuesday, Sept. 17, at his arraignment.

Combs is facing multiple sexual assault lawsuits and has been the subject of a federal human trafficking probe in the last year, which is why Homeland Security is involved. His lawyers said he has been cooperating with investigators.

Former lead engineer felt pressure to get 'Titan' ready

Tuesday is day two of the Coast Guard's hearing into the Titan submersible implosion that killed all five people on board.

Monday, we learned one of the last messages sent from the doomed vessel, indicated there were no concerns. It read "all good here.” That text message was shown during a recreation of the submersible's trip to the Titanic wreckage at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in June 2023.

It came not long before the watercraft imploded, leaving all five people on board dead, including Stockton Rush — the co-founder of OceanGate, the company that owned the Titan.

The lead engineer for the vessel testified at Monday's hearing saying he felt pressured by Rush to get it ready for the trip.

Former OceanGate Engineering Director Tony Nissen testified he stopped the submersible from going to the Titanic in 2019, telling Rush it was “not working like we thought it would.” Nissen was fired that year.

OceanGate's co-founder, former operations director, and former scientific director are also supposed to testify in the hearing, which is expected to last about two weeks.

Meta bans Russian state media over 'foreign interference activity'

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta has banned Russian state media broadcaster RT , along with several other Kremlin-controlled outlets. Meta accuses them of using deceptive tactics to covertly influence operations online.

Before it was banned on Monday, RT had 7.2 followers on Facebook and one million on Instagram.

Meta’s move comes days after the Justice Department announced charges against two RT employees for funneling nearly $10 million into a U.S. company to create and promote content aligning with Russian interests.

Amazon ending remote work starting next year

Almost five years after the COVID-19 pandemic swept and ravaged the nation, as well as the world, and led to many people working from their homes, Amazon is ending remote work. Starting next year, corporate employees will be required to be back in the office five days a week.

This is the latest update to Amazon’s rules regarding remote work. Last year, the company changed its policy to mandate employees come back to the office at least three days a week.

Amazon has supposedly been marred by an inability to get things done with lots of meetings and layers of approval. CEO Andy Jassy called out that culture in a note to workers saying there are “pre-meetings for the pre-meetings for the decision meetings, a longer line of managers feeling like they need to review a topic before it moves forward.”

Jordan Chiles files appeal after being stripped of bronze medal

While the Paris summer Olympics held its closing ceremony weeks ago, it’s not over yet for one Team USA athlete. A merican gymnast Jordan Chiles is appealing a decision that stripped her of a bronze medal.

Chiles’ first individual Olympic medal was rescinded after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that her coach filed an inquiry during the floor exercises, which propelled Chiles to third place.  But it was a few seconds too late.

Chiles has now appealed her case to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee supports Chiles and said they are determined to see she gets the recognition she deserves.

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