1. Ryan Routh’s bounty on Trump
Monday morning, eight days after former President Donald Trump was targeted in a second assassination attempt at his golf club in Florida, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a harrowing letter from the would-be assassin, Ryan Routh, promising a large sum of money to “whomever can complete the job.”
“This was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I failed you,” Routh wrote. “I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster. It is up to you now to finish the job,” he continued, offering $150,000 to anyone who kills the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
“Everyone across the globe from the youngest to the oldest know that Trump is unfit to be anything, much less a U.S. president,” the 58-year-old gunman continued. “U.S. presidents must at bare minimum embody the moral fabric that is America and be kind, caring and selfless and always stand for humanity.”
The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., bashed the DOJ for publicly sharing the letter, which he believes could inspire further violent action against his father.
“For the life of me, I do not understand why the Kamala-Biden DOJ is publicly releasing a letter from Ryan Wesley Routh announcing a $150,000 bounty on my dad’s head,” the eldest Trump son worried. “They’re putting his life even more at risk with this reckless decision.”
2. Edith Wilson has returned
Before Friday, the White House had not held a cabinet meeting in nearly a year. A lot has changed since then. During his administration’s last meeting, Biden was still running for reelection. Now, he’s not.
After dropping out of the race earlier in the summer, Biden has mostly been AWOL, overshadowed by his Vice-President-turned-Democratic-Presidential-Nominee, Kamala Harris. By the time he finally got around to hosting a cabinet meeting again, well, he wasn’t even in charge anymore.
Edith Wilson… ahem… Dr. Jill Biden was.
“It’s all yours, kid,” the president said as he handed control of the meeting over to his wife, the unelected First Lady.
First Lady joins President Biden in cabinet meeting.https://t.co/oOTC2OOFrP pic.twitter.com/0HheluUx3K
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 20, 2024
“She’s officially Edith Wilson,” former White House speechwriter Marc Thiessen blasted, referring to President Woodrow Wilson’s wife, who ran the Executive Branch after her husband suffered a stroke. “She is not elected, has no official position, is not even a government employee.”
Others criticized Kamala Harris for not using the 25th Amendment against Biden, concluding that the 81-year-old president is no longer fit for office.
3. Second debate between Harris and Trump appears unlikely
Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to confront Trump in a second presidential debate hosted by CNN on October 23. However, her opponent, who skipped his party’s primary debates, is unlikely to accept the invitation.
“THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“The problem with another debate is that it’s just too late,” he clarified at a rally over the weekend. “Voting is already started.”
Trump also criticized the moderators at the last debate for repeatedly fact-checking him but not Harris.
“I was very unfairly treated by the anchor,” Trump complained. “I’m not fans of those guys anymore.”
Meanwhile, the vice president’s campaign manager, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, protested Trump’s refusal to confront Harris in person again.
“The American people deserve another opportunity to see Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump debate before they cast their ballots,” she said. “Donald Trump should have no problem agreeing to this debate.”
4. Hamas field commander dead
Israel isn’t messing around.
Hamas field commander Mahmoud al Nader was reportedly killed on Monday during Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, which is largely controlled by the terrorist group Hezbollah. Although hundreds were killed and thousands more were wounded in the attacks, Lebanon and Israel have both confirmed that the Israelis repeatedly warned Lebanese civilians to flee the area.
“If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, move away from the village until further notice,” Israel urged residents via phone calls and text messages.
Also on Monday, Israel targeted Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki on Monday. Although his fate was initially unclear, Hezbollah claims that Karaki survived.
This week’s attack followed several days of escalating tensions between the Jewish nation-state and the Iranian-backed terrorist group. Last week, Mossad, Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, wounded thousands in Lebanon in an unprecedented, targeted campaign, simultaneously exploding hundreds of compromised pagers provided to Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to retaliate.
“Challenging days are ahead,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned his nation. “We continue to be focused on defense and attack on all fronts.”
