Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — The Secret Service has acknowledged it denied some requests by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign for increased security at his events in the years before the assassination attempt on him at a recent rally.

In the immediate aftermath of the July 13 attack, the law enforcement agency had denied rejecting such requests. But the Secret Service acknowledged late Saturday, a week after the attempt on Trump’s life, that it had turned back some requests to increase security around the former president.

The reversal is likely to be a key focus of a congressional hearing Monday where Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is expected to appear before lawmakers who have been expressing anger over security lapses that allowed a 20-year-old gunman to climb atop the roof of a nearby building at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and fire his weapon.

Trump was wounded in the right ear, one rallygoer was killed and two others were injured. Secret Service gunmen killed the shooter.

The attack on Trump was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It was the latest in a series of security lapses by the agency that has drawn investigations and public scrutiny over the years.

“The Secret Service has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission. Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments,” the agency’s chief spokesperson, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement released late Saturday to The Washington Post. The newspaper was first to report on the agency’s reversal, which it said was based on detailed questions submitted to the agency.

“We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs,” Guglielmi said.

He said the agency will rely on state and local law enforcement departments in some cases where specialized Secret Service units are unavailable.

“In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protectee,” Gugliemi said. “This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.”

After the assassination attempt, as reports began to circulate that the agency had denied the Trump campaign’s requests, Guglielmi issued a denial.

There is “an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,” Gugliemi said in a social media post. “This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has called what happened a “failure” while several lawmakers have called on Cheatle to resign or for President Joe Biden to fire her. The Secret Service has said Cheatle does not intend to step down. So far, she retains the support of Biden, a Democrat, and Mayorkas.

But the agency’s acknowledgement that it had denied some of the campaign’s requests sparked fresh condemnation on Sunday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNN’s “State of the Union, that the reversal “is just beyond the pale” and that Cheatle’s “got a lot to answer for.”

Johnson said lawmakers on Monday would release details about a bipartisan congressional task force that will investigate the Secret Service.

Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which has subpoenaed Cheatle to appear at a hearing on Monday, said the Secret Service has a more than $3 billion annual budget that “is more than enough” to provide adequate protection.

“We want to know who’s at fault for what happened,” the Kentucky Republican said.

Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said Cheatle should resign in “absolute disgrace.”

“The fact that she is still in her job is beyond,” he said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,”

Biden has ordered an independent investigation. The Homeland Security Department and congressional committee are also investigating.

Trump says he was given no indication that law enforcement had identified a suspicious person when the former president took the stage in Pennsylvania. Some rallygoers said in interviews after the attempted assassination that they saw the gunman on the roof before Trump walked out onto the stage and had alerted law enforcement authorities on site.

In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters set to air Monday, Trump said, “No, nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem” before he took the stage and a gunman opened fire. “They could’ve said, ‘Let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something.’ Nobody said. I think that was a mistake.”

Trump also questioned the security lapses and how the gunman was able to access the roof of the building.

“How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported? Because people saw that he was on the roof,” Trump said. “So you would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it.”

Local law enforcement officers had seen the man and deemed him suspicious enough to circulate his photo and witnesses reported seeing him scaling the building.

Trump’s campaign and the White House did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

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Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that Jesse Watters last name is Watters, not Waters

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan speaks to employees in Washington, Thursday, June 27, 2024. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $4.3 billion in grants to fund projects in 30 states to reduce climate pollution. The money will go to 25 projects targeting greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, electric power, commercial and residential buildings, industry, agriculture and waste and materials management.

The grants are paid for by the 2022 climate law approved by congressional Democrats. The law, officially known as the Inflation Reduction Act, includes nearly $400 billion in spending and tax credits to accelerate the expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar power, speeding the nation’s transition away from the oil, coal and natural gas that largely cause climate change.

The latest round of grants includes $396 million to Pennsylvania to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions from cement, asphalt and other material. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will join Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in Pittsburgh on Monday to announce grant recipients in his state, a political battleground in the 2024 election, and across the nation.

Senior EPA leaders also will join Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California on Monday to announce nearly $500 million for transportation and freight decarbonization at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The grants will provide incentives for electric charging equipment, zero-emission freight vehicles and conversion of cargo handling equipment to lower emissions.

“President Biden understands that America needs a strong EPA,” Regan told reporters Friday, noting the Democratic administration “has made the largest climate investment in history, providing billions of dollars to state, local and tribal governments to tackle climate change with the urgency it demands.”

The funds, to be delivered this fall, “will help implement community-driven solutions that reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice and help accelerate America’s clean energy transition,” Regan said.

Shapiro, a Democrat who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick now that Biden has stepped down from the presidential race, said his administration has taken action to address climate change while continuing to create energy jobs and expand the economy.

The grant being announced Monday “is one of the largest federal grants Pennsylvania has ever received,” Shapiro said in a statement ahead of Monday’s announcement. The state will work with RISE PA, a new initiative aimed at reducing industrial sector emissions in Pennsylvania.

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will receive $307 million to boost “climate-smart” agriculture and reduce agricultural waste from livestock, officials said. The grant also will fund projects to improve energy efficiency in commercial and industrial facilities and low-income households, as well as deploy solar panels and electrify irrigation wells.

Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird of Lincoln, Nebraska, said the grant will enhance energy efficiency of homes and commercial buildings in her city. A city analysis indicates that investing in energy efficiency and electrification could reduce Lincoln’s emissions by 77% by 2050, Baird said on a White House call Friday.

The grant also will ensure Lincoln residents have “equitable access to the clean energy transition” by providing assistance to low-income residents, she said.

Other grants include nearly $250 million to boost electric vehicle infrastructure along Interstate 95 from Maryland to Connecticut. The project will provide charging infrastructure for commercial zero-emission vehicles and provide technical assistance for workforce development along the I-95 corridor, one of the most heavily traveled in the nation.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine will get a total of $450 million to accelerate adoption of cold-climate heat pumps and water heaters.

Michigan will get $129 million to accelerate the siting, zoning and permitting of renewable energy. The grants will help Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, another potential vice presidential choice, achieve a goal of 60% renewable energy by 2035.

PENNSYLVANIA – Today, following President Biden’s decision to stand down his re-election campaign and the President’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Nominee for President, Governor Josh Shapiro spoke to President Biden, subsequently spoke to Vice President Harris, and released the following statement:

“When our founders came together in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to declare our independence and establish our democracy, they did so with the clear understanding that we would only succeed if we were united. In the 248 years since, our country and our people have been tested – but the American spirit has always triumphed.

“Despite our individual differences, when our safety was threatened, when our values and freedoms were attacked, when the stakes were high, Americans have found ways to come together and unite behind common cause and common purpose. That’s the lesson of our founders who gathered in Pennsylvania two-and-a-half centuries ago – and it’s the lesson our Party must learn from now.

“I’ve known Kamala Harris for nearly two decades – we’ve both been prosecutors, we’ve both stood up for the rule of law, we’ve both fought for the people and delivered results. Kamala Harris is a patriot worthy of our support and she will continue the work of generations of Americans who came before us to perfect our union, protect our democracy, and advance real freedom. She has served the country honorably as Vice President and she is ready to be President.

“The best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency. The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began. I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States.”

PITTSBURGH, PA – On July 18, 2024, a former resident of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty in  federal court to drug trafficking charges and was sentenced to nine years in prison, followed by four  years of supervised release, United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today.  

Senior United States District Court Judge David S. Cercone imposed the sentence on Andrew  Brent Steel, 33.  

According to evidence presented during a prior hearing, federal, state, and local law  enforcement operating under the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program in Beaver  County conducted a joint investigation into a drug trafficking organization from Detroit, Michigan,  that was distributing controlled substances in and around Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Several  controlled purchase operations revealed that drug customers would call a cellular telephone to  purchase drugs. After negotiating the sale, the dealer would direct customers to one of several drug runners from apartments in Ambridge or New Brighton, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement identified  the members of the conspiracy through the interception of members transporting controlled  substances from Detroit into Beaver County, in addition to controlled purchase operations. In total,  law enforcement seized 130 grams of acetyl fentanyl, 330 grams of a fentanyl and heroin mixture,  and 200 grams of cocaine base, in the form commonly known as crack. At the time of Steel’s arrest,  he was found in possession of the cellular phone used in all controlled purchase operations.  

Assistant United States Attorney Brendan J. McKenna prosecuted this case on behalf of the  government.  

United States Attorney Olshan commended the Drug Enforcement Administration,  Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation  leading to the successful prosecution of Steel and his conspirators. 

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published July 22, 2024 150 P.M.

(West Aliquippa, Pa) Aliquippa Fire Chief Tim Firich reported on Monday morning that the department was dispatched just before midnight on Sunday morning to an abandoned home in the 500 block of Beaver Avenue for a fire that spread to the neighboring home that was occupied.
Several departments responded within 7 minutes according to the chief and the fire was under control in 90 minutes and they remained on scene until 3:30am. Tankers from Raccoon and Potter Township Pine Run and Economy Borough were called in to provide more water to extinguish the fire.
Other departments called in when a second alarm went out were Center, Crescent and Independence Townships. The county’s strike team was also called in.
The fire is believed to be suspicious and is under investigation, according to the Chief.