Bits n' pieces from east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:
Business is booming: American Rounds is installing ammunition vending machines at market locations across the nation, and demand for the machines is growing, Newsweek has reported.
New data from Oxfam, reported in Axios, shows there are now fewer low-wage workers in the U.S. At this time 13% of workers earn less than $15 an hour, as compared to 31.9% two years ago.
The following is from a spectrum of media sources: A would-be assassin’s bullet from an AR-15 assault rifle grazed Donald Trump’s ear July 13 at a political rally in Butler, Pa. One rally attendee died; two others were critically injured. Trump was initially covered by Secret Service agents, but raised his fist and said “fight, fight” before being taken to a hospital. He was discharged four hours later.
The gunman was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shared a home with his parents in an affluent suburb an hour from the rally site. He was quickly killed by agents at the site, where he’d gained a vantage point on a roof less than 500 feet away from Trump. Crooks was described as being a staunch conservative who loved history, was bullied in school and mostly wore hunting garb. He had no criminal record and was a registered Republican.
Several rally-goers had noticed Crooks’ suspicious behavior, as had some in law enforcement. Full investigations have been promised by the Justice Department and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
President Joe Biden spoke to Trump after the shooting. He said he was grateful Trump was “safe and doing well” and that the rally “should have been able to be conducted peacefully.”
Before there was info on the shooter, numerous Republican politicians quickly blamed Biden, who has pointed out Trump’s authoritarian fascist leanings -- leanings now more noticeable with the release of Project 2025. A Guardian columnist’s opinion piece characterized the initial Republican response as a rush to benefit from the violence as much as possible. Politicians on both sides, and worldwide, have condemned Saturday’s shooting.
Blast from the past: Prior to his first presidential run, Trump wrote that he supported the ban on assault weapons, as well as “a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun.” As president he and fellow Republicans did not reinstate the nationwide ban on the use of certain automatic weapons. Earlier this year Trump told the NRA that “no one will lay a finger on your firearms” if he’s re-elected.
And another blast: A recent Guardian opinion piece noted Trump’s own supporters have frequently attacked protestors and members of the media, including the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack where five people died. At that event a gallows and noose for Vice President Mike Pence was erected, with a crowd chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”