The FBI on Sunday said it is investigating a second assassination attempt on former President Trump.

Trump’s campaign said the GOP nominee for president is safe, and the FBI said it is responding to the situation.

Authorities at a Sunday press conference said a Secret Service agent opened fire on a man with a gun near Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The agent did so after spotting a man with a rifle who pushed the firearm’s muzzle through the perimeter of the course, authorities said.

“He was able to spot this rifle barrel sticking out of the fence and immediately engage that individual at which time the individual took off,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during the press conference.

Bradshaw said local law enforcement has a man in custody after a person was apprehended while traveling from Palm Beach County into Martin County on I-95 after a witness captured a photograph of the individual’s vehicle.

According to Bradshaw, an AK-47-style rifle with a scope, two backpacks and a GoPro were found in bushes where the suspect had been spotted.

Shots were fired by a Secret Service agent after the agent spotted the weapon, Bradshaw said.

“The Secret Service agent that was on the course did a fantastic job,” Bradshaw said. He said the Secret Service has a process of having an agent jump one hole ahead when the former president is playing golf to offer him protection.

FBI Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri, who is in charge of the FBI’s Miami field office, said the FBI is taking the lead on the investigation. The agency has deployed investigative, evidence and crisis response team members and bomb technicians to aid in the investigation, he said.

“What we need right now is for the public to avoid the area around the golf course,” Veltri said.

State prosecutors were working to secure a warrant and a motion for a pretrial detention for the potential suspect in custody, Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg said during the briefing.

Aronberg noted the filing of state warrants and charges “does not preclude federal charges that could be coming.”

GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) said on the social platform X he spoke with Trump shortly after the incident.

“I’m glad President Trump is safe. I spoke to him before the news was public and he was, amazingly, in good spirits,” Vance wrote. “Still much we don’t know, but I’ll be hugging my kids extra tight tonight and saying a prayer of gratitude.”

Both President Biden and Vice President Harris were briefed Sunday about the attempt on Trump’s life, according to a White House pool report.

“They are relieved to know that he is safe. They will be kept regularly updated by their team,” the pool report stated.

Harris, in a post on X, said she is “glad” Trump is safe, writing, “Violence has no place in America.”

The incident comes nearly two months after Trump was shot in an attempted assassination on his life at a campaign rally in July.

Trump was speaking in Butler, Pa., on July 13 when the alleged shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired bullets from a nearby roof, striking the former president’s ear and killing one spectator. Two other attendees who were injured have since been released from the hospital.

Crooks, 20, was fatally shot by the Secret Service moments after the shooting.

The attempted assassination raised concerns about the Secret Service’s lack of preparedness to protect the former president.

Sunday’s briefing from Secret Service and local law enforcement took place around 5 p.m. Sunday, about three hours after shots were reported. The timing is notable given the agency did not hold a media briefing immediately following the July shooting.

The fallout from the Secret Service’s preparation and response to the shooting prompted Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign in July following a disastrous appearance before Congress to review the incident.

The Justice Department, through the FBI, is investigating the July shooting.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday said he spoke with Trump following the reported gunshots.

“He [Trump] is one of the strongest people I’ve ever known,” Graham wrote on X. “He’s in good spirits and he is more resolved than ever to save our country.”

A man who allegedly pointed an AK-47-style rifle through the fence at Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach on Sunday, while the former president was golfing nearby, has been taken into custody, authorities say.

The man, identified to NewsNation by a law enforcement source as Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, is described as a white male. He is believed to be the suspect who was crouched in bushes near the golf club perimeter, armed with a weapon equipped with a scope. Two backpacks and a Go-Pro camera were also found with the firearm near the perimeter from which the suspect had fled.

Local authorities said the gunman was about 400 yards to 500 yards away from Trump.

Routh was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to online North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records.

Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg told NewsNation that the suspect was not previously on local law enforcement’s radar. Routh, who reportedly has ties to North Carolina and Hawaii, had made “bizarre” social media posts about Ukraine before the incident.

Federal authorities have taken over the case, with Aronberg’s office standing down. The state attorney anticipates Routh will face charges related to domestic terrorism and weapons offenses, though specific charges have not been announced.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. local time, authorities received a call reporting shots fired at the golf course where Trump was playing a round of golf.

A witness told police the suspect fled the scene in a black Nissan and provided investigators with photos of the suspect’s license plate. Using that photo, authorities say they put out a “a very urgent BOLO (Be On the Lookout) for the suspect’s vehicle and plates.

Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said his deputies “immediately flooded” northbound I-95, deploying to every exit between the Palm Beach County line to the south and St. Lucie County line to the north.

“One of my road patrol units saw the vehicle, matched the tag and we set up on the vehicle,” Snyder said, “We pinched in on the car, got it safely stopped and got the driver in custody.”

Snyder told WPTV that the suspect “was not armed when we took him out of the car.”

The man had a calm, flat demeanor and showed little emotion when he was stopped by police, Snyder said, saying the suspect did not question why he was being pulled over.

“He never asked, ‘What is this about?’ Obviously, law enforcement with long rifles, blue lights, a lot going on. He never questioned it,” Snyder said.

The post by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office indicated the suspect was apprehended near Palm City, Florida, about a 45-mile drive north of Trump’s golf course. Northbound lanes of I-95 were shut down, the sheriff’s office said.

Routh’s social media posts

Social media posts allegedly belonging to Routh indicate he was a believer in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and he had posted that he had voted for Trump in 2016 but was disappointed with him after the fact, expressing support for Tulsi Gabbard in various posts.

Records show Routh moved in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii, where he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.

In June 2020, he made a post on X directed at then-President Trump to say he would win reelection if he issued an executive order for the Justice Department to prosecute police misconduct.

However, in recent years, his posts suggest he soured on Trump, and he expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

In July, following the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Routh urged Biden and Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting at the hospital and to attend the funeral of a former fire chief killed at the rally.

Voter records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, most recently voting in person during the state’s Democratic Party primary in March 2024.

Federal campaign finance records show Routh made 19 small political donations totaling $140 since 2019 using his Hawaii address to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates.

Routh’s Ukrainian ties

The New York Times said it interviewed him for a feature on pro-Ukrainian foreign fighters last year. The Times said Routh traveled to Ukraine in 2022 to recruit ex-Afghan soldiers who fled the Taliban to fight for the embattled nation.

Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion.

Routh had criminal history in North Carolina

Routh previously lived in the Greensboro area before moving to Hawaii sometime this year. Neighbors say he and his family moved to Hawaii in May.

Voter records indicate that he was an unaffiliated voter but did vote in the Democratic primary in Guilford County.

The North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections has records for Routh going back to 2002. That year, he barricaded himself inside a business with a gun in Greensboro, per the News & Record.

In 2003, he was sentenced for driving without a license, carrying a concealed weapon and hit and run. In 2010 he was convicted of possessing stolen goods.

He was given probation for all of these charges, according to the DAC website.

North Carolina’s eCourts system has records going back to 1997 for charges such as no operator’s license.

Law enforcement has not released any more information in the case.

Greensboro neighbor describes Routh

A woman who lived next door to Routh in Greensboro spoke to NewsNation affiliate WGHP on the condition of anonymity. She said she has known Routh for nearly two decades.

The neighbor described Routh as unusual but said she could have never expected him to be involved in something like this.

“Him, I mean, trying to shoot Trump. That’s a lot. I would have never guessed, and I would have swore up and down, no, that’s not him,” she said. “… I just can’t believe it. I mean, if I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I mean the pictures and stuff and all, then I wouldn’t be able to believe that.”

The neighbor said she wasn’t surprised to hear about guns being involved. She claims to have seen guns in Routh’s home over the years.

“I’ve seen the guns myself and all, and, yeah, they had a lot of guns and stuff over there, and, yeah, a lot of people were afraid of him back in the day,” she said.

She said she last spoke to him in May, just before he moved to Hawaii. At the time, she remembers that everything seemed normal.

“He told me it was the last day he was here and he hugged me goodbye, and, yeah, he actually hugged me,” she said.

The neighbor says that Routh gave her a shirt from Hawaii as a gift on that last day and hired her son to help with his move.

“I thought he was just living the life in Hawaii with the girlfriend and all, so for him to be assassinating the president, that’s just crazy,” she said.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) said Sunday he’s “glad” former President Trump is safe after an apparent second assassination attempt on him, at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Vance said on X that he spoke to his running mate before news of the incident became public. Trump “was, amazingly, in good spirits,” he wrote.

Politicians in both parties reacted to news of the shooting incident. The FBI said it’s investigating “what appears to be an assassination attempt” on the former president.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) revealed on X that he was departing Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort “a few hours” with the former president, whom he described as “strong and resilient” and “unstoppable.”

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz expressed relief Sunday that Trump is safe.

“Violence has no place in our country. It’s not who we are as a nation,” Walz said on X.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), also described Trump as “in good spirits” and called him “one of the strongest people I’ve ever known” in a post on X.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that acting U.S. Secret Service director Ronald Rowe had briefed him on the shooting as he praised the USSS on X for its quick response in ensuring Trump’s safety.

“There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind,” Schumer added. “The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wrote on X that there is “no place for political violence in our country, and those responsible for it must be held to account,” adding: “I hope and expect USSS and the FBI will conduct a thorough, swift, and transparent investigation.”

Trump had to be escorted off stage by U.S. Secret Service agents after his ear was grazed by a bullet during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July.

One person died and two were injured during the July incident, which led to Kimberly Cheatle resigning as USSS director after the Secret Service came under intense scrutiny for its response to the shooting. The suspected shooter died on the scene.

Four people were wounded at a Brooklyn subway station Sunday when police officers shot a man threatening them with a knife, and inadvertently sprayed bullets that hit passengers, authorities said.

The people struck by gunfire included two innocent bystanders, one of the officers and the man with the blade, who the police initially confronted because he hadn’t paid his fare, officials said.

One of the passengers, a 49-year-old man, was hospitalized in critical condition after a bullet passed into an adjoining subway car and struck his head.

A video posted by a passenger showed upset passengers fleeing, police running to help the injured and the wounded officer suddenly realizing he had also been struck by a bullet.

Interim Police Commissioner Thomas Donlan, who was only appointed to his position Friday, promised a thorough investigation, but cast blame for the incident on the man accused of brandishing the knife.

“We will be working through the timeline of today, but make no mistake, the events that occurred on the Sutter Avenue station platform are the results of an armed perpetrator who was confronted by our officers doing the job we asked them to do,” Donlon said.

The shooting happened a little after 3 p.m. when two officers followed a man up the station steps to an elevated platform after seeing him enter without paying, Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said.

The officers told the man to stop, but he refused, muttering “I’m going to kill you if you don’t stop following me,” Maddrey said. In the course of the encounter, the officers noticed the man had a knife, Maddrey said.

They followed him onto a train that had pulled into the station and fired two Tasers, but neither incapacitated the man, Maddrey said.

Maddrey said the man was advancing on the officers with the knife when both officers fired multiple rounds.

The 37-year-old man was hit several times. He was hospitalized in stable condition. The video taken by a passenger shows the officers rendering first aid, before one of them realized that he, too, had been hit by a bullet.

“While they’re working on the male, they’re become aware that other people are hit by fire, by gunfire as well,” Maddrey said.

Besides the passenger struck in the head, a 26-year-old woman suffered a graze wound.

The wounded police officer had a bullet enter his torso under his armpit and lodge in his back but was expected to make a full recovery.

Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, visited the wounded officer in the hospital Sunday.

Adams described the man who evaded the subway fare as a “career criminal,” saying he had over 20 arrests. Maddrey said the man had a history of mental illness.

Video footage of the shooting was not immediately released Sunday. The NYPD did release a cropped image they said was of the man holding the knife, a blade about the width of the person’s palm.

“I’m especially concerned with bystanders, people who are just trying to get where they’re going being the victims—harmed in this situation,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority Janno Lieber said.

The subway station serves the L line in the neighborhood of Brownsville. Lieber said that there are cameras inside the the train, on the platform and at the entrance.

In 2019, NYPD officers accidentally shot and killed two fellow officers while confronting crime suspects in separate on-duty incidents.

Days after Taylor Swift endorsed his opponent, former President Trump took aim at the pop superstar on social media Sunday.

Swift’s much-anticipated endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris (which Trump did not directly mention in his post) directly drove about 338,000 visits in 15 hours to Vote.gov, the federal voter registration site the singer linked to on an Instagram Story post.

It’s unknown how many of the Swift-directed site visitors registered to vote.

“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” the former president wrote in a Sunday post to Truth Social, providing no other context for the declaration of his loathing.

On Wednesday, Trump responded to Swift’s endorsement, saying during a “Fox & Friends” interview she’ll “probably pay a price … in the marketplace.”

He said he wasn’t a fan, adding, “I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better,” referencing Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Swift, identifying as a “childless cat lady,” threw her support behind Harris just minutes after the debate between the vice president and the GOP nominee ended.

“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift said of Harris in an Instagram post.

The “Shake it Off” singer endorsed Biden in the 2020 race but had yet to publicly endorse a presidential candidate in November’s election.

“Donald Trump’s week of whining and spouting conspiracy theories has voters on both sides of the aisle ready to Forget That He Existed,” Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement shared with Axios that contained references to the titles of several of Swift’s songs.

Earlier this year, Trump stirred the “Bad Blood,” by sharing a series of images on Truth Social that appeared to be AI-generated showing Swift and her fans supporting him.

Swift referenced the images in her endorsement, writing, “Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site.”

She continued: “It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation.”

Asked Sunday about the former president’s post and Swift’s endorsement, the Trump campaign pointed to recent ABC-Ipsos polling among all adults that showed Swift’s backing had little impact in a tight race: 6% say her endorsement of Harris makes them more likely to vote for her.

13% said it makes them less likely to support her, while 81% said it makes no difference.

The poll found that those responding negatively were “overwhelmingly Trump supporters,” ABC reported.

The Oregon DMV admitted on Friday to wrongfully registering at least 306 non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections.

The DMV says the wrongful registrations have occurred since 2021 and were the result of a program that automatically registered anyone who obtained a driver’s license or state ID. State officials say they expect to find more wrongful registrations ahead of Election Day.

Oregon has allowed non-citizens to obtain diver’s licenses since 2019. Of the 306 people identified, just two have cast ballots in an election since 2021.

Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade says the 306 people “will be notified by mail that they will not receive a ballot unless they demonstrate that they are eligible to vote.”

Griffin-Valade defended the state’s automatic voter registration program despite the lapse. Gov. Tina Kotek also argued the discovery will “not impact” the 2024 election.

“While this error is regrettable, the secretary and the Elections Division stand by automatic voter registration and its many benefits,” Griffin-Valade said.

“The error in data entry which may have affected the voter eligibility of some Oregonian’s voter registration was discovered because the Oregon DMV and the secretary of state were doing their due diligence ahead of the 2024 election,” Kotek said in another statement. “My office will continue to closely monitor the situation. This situation will not impact the 2024 election in any way.”

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has led a purge of illegal voter registration in Ohio throughout the year, told Fox News Digital that so-called automatic voter registration is a problem across the country.

“This is why we have resisted so-called automatic voter registration in Ohio. We have multiple really convenient ways to register in Ohio, but there are people who should not be registered, like non-citizens, and there are people who simply don’t want to be registered,” LaRose said.

He also highlighted the obstacles state offices face when trying to verify voter rolls. LaRose says Ohio first checks against DMV data, but it often can’t determine a registrant’s status.

The second check is the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, a list of non-citizen data maintained by the Department of Homeland Security. States have to pay $1.50 for each query of the database, however, and finding the information required to properly search the data is cumbersome, LaRose says.

LaRose added that he and other election officials are seeking access to more DHS data that would allow for a more accurate audit of voter rolls, but his requests have so far been refused.

“I don’t usually assume people’s intentions, but it would seem they don’t want us to use that information to identify non-citizens,” LaRose told Fox.

A Dominican Republic national in the US illegally has been charged with the brutal murders of a family of four in Irondequoit, New York. The deaths were discovered after the home was torched and the bodies of the four victims were found inside.

34-year-old Julio Cesar Pimentel-Soriano is accused of fatally stabbing Fraime Ubaldo, 30, Marangely Moreno-Santiago, 26, and their two children, Evangeline Ubaldo-Moreno, 4, and Sebastian Ubaldo-Moreno, 2, in their home on August 31.

“Obviously, the allegations are troubling,” Assistant District Attorney Perry Duckles told WHAM. “They are difficult to deal with. They are difficult to see.”

“It seems like this family was very well-liked and very active in their community, so obviously my condolences go out to their family, friends, and neighbors who had to suffer through this,” he added.

The horrific scene was discovered when firefighters responded to multiple fires near the family’s home on August 31. Authorities said it was “readily apparent” the deaths were homicides. Irondequoit Police Chief Scott Peters described it as a “horrific scene,” saying that in his 32 years of doing his job, he had “never seen anything like it.”

Pimentel-Soriano was arrested one week after the killings took place. According to police, he had entered Puerto Rico illegally and obtained a fake New York ID which he used to travel to the mainland US. He is also wanted for a 2019 homicide in the Dominican Republic, and an arrest warrant for him was issued by Dominican authorities just last week.

“Our condolences go out to the family, their friends and neighbors,” Irondequoit Town Supervisor Andrae Evans said in a statement to Spectrum News.

“I’m so sorry this has happened, but I want you to know that the Town Board and I will authorize anything that’s needed to our police department to collaborate and to use any and all resources to bring these people to justice.”

The suspect faces charges of second-degree murder, with the case now moved to a grand jury.

The top legal adviser to New York City Mayor Eric Adams resigned abruptly over the weekend, the latest sign of instability in the Democrat’s administration as it deals with multiple federal investigations.

City Hall announced Lisa Zornberg’s departure late Saturday night. She had advised Adams and other city officials on legal strategy for over a year and often parried legal questions from the press on his behalf. She was not his personal lawyer.

“It has been a great honor to serve the City. I am tendering my resignation, effective today, as I have concluded that I can no longer effectively serve in my position. I wish you nothing but the best,” Zornberg wrote in a three-sentence resignation letter to Adams.

The resignation comes after the phones of multiple members of Mayor Eric Adams’ inner circle were seized by federal investigators, including the head of New York City’s police department, who resigned Thursday.

Zornberg, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office now leading some of the investigations into the Adams administration, wasn’t one of the officials who had their phones seized.

The police commissioner, Edward Caban resigned citing the “distraction” created by news of the the investigations.

Federal authorities haven’t disclosed the subjects of the investigations. Besides the police commissioner, phones were taken from the head of the public schools system, a top deputy mayor, and two top advisers to Adams on public safety issues.

Investigators seized devices from Caban’s twin brother, James Caban, a former NYPD sergeant who runs a nightclub security business. They also conducted searches related to Terence Banks, who is the brother of Adams’ top deputy on public safety, Phil Banks, and Education Chancellor David Banks.

In separate investigations, federal authorities have previously seized phones from Adams, searched the home of one of his top campaign fundraisers, and searched two homes linked to his director of Asian affairs.

Adams has denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.

Adams said an interim replacement for Zornberg would be announced in the coming days.

“We appreciate all the work Lisa has done for our administration and, more importantly, the city over the past 13 months,” Adams said in a statement.

“These are hard jobs and we don’t expect anyone to stay in them forever. We wish Lisa all the best in her future endeavors.”

A U.S. service member has been detained in Venezuela, the U.S. State Department said.

On Saturday, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech had been detained as they were accused of trying to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and overthrow the Venezuelan government, Reuters reported.

In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, the State Department denied the allegations with spokesman Matt Miller saying “any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false.”

Miller confirmed the detention of the service member and said the State Department was aware of “unconfirmed reports” that Venezuelan authorities detained two additional Americans.

The Associated Press identified the American service member as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez, a member of the Navy.

The detentions come amid an international dispute over Venezuela’s recent presidential election, which was marred by allegations of fraud.

While Maduro was declared the winner in July by Venezuelan officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month there was “overwhelming evidence” Maduro’s opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez secured the most votes.

During a press conference on Saturday, Cabello said the detainees were allegedly linked to plans to assassinate Maduro and other officials.

“These groups seek to seize the country’s wealth, and we as a government will respond firmly to any destabilization attempt,” Cabello said, adding that officials seized about 400 rifles originating in the U.S.

The U.S. State Department denied the allegations.

The U.S. “continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” Miller said.

Cabello said the Spanish nationals were detained as they were taking photographs in the town of Puerto Ayacucho.

“These citizens have links — we know they will say no, that it is a lie — they have links with the center,” Cabello said, referring to Spain’s intelligence agency.

Spain’s government similarly denied any involvement, Spanish media reported.

A Spanish foreign ministry source told Reuters it requested additional information from Venezuelan officials.

“The Spanish embassy has sent a verbal note to the Venezuelan government asking for access to the detained citizens in order to verify their identities and their nationality and in order to know what they are accused of exactly,” the source said.

Diplomatic tensions between Venezuela and Spain remain strained following Venezuela’s disputed July 28 presidential election.

A Spanish minister has accused Maduro of running a “dictatorship.”

Venezuela was also upset by the decision by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to meet with Gonzalez, who went into exile in Spain last week after being threatened with arrest by Maduro’s regime following the election.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would inflict a “heavy price” on the Iran-aligned Houthis who control northern Yemen, after they reached central Israel with a missile on Sunday for the first time.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group struck with a new hypersonic ballistic missile that travelled 2,040 km (1270 miles) in just 11 1/2 minutes.

After initially saying the missile had fallen in an open area, Israel’s military later said it had probably fragmented in the air, and that pieces of interceptors had landed in fields and near a railway station. Nobody was reported hurt.

Air raid sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel moments before the impact at around 6:35 a.m. local time (0335 GMT), sending residents running for shelter. Loud booms were heard.

Reuters saw smoke billowing in an open field in central Israel.

At a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said the Houthis should have known that Israel would exact a “heavy price” for attacks on Israel.

“Whoever needs a reminder of that is invited to visit the Hodeida port,” Netanyahu said, referring to an Israeli retaliatory air strike against Yemen in July for a Houthi drone that hit Tel Aviv.

The Houthis have fired missiles and drones at Israel repeatedly in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians, since the Gaza war began with a Hamas attack on Israel in October.

The drone that hit Tel Aviv for the first time in July killed a man and wounded four people. Israeli air strikes in response on Houthi military targets near the port of Hodeidah killed six and wounded 80.

Previously, Houthi missiles have not penetrated deep into Israeli air space, with the only one reported to have hit Israeli territory falling in an open area near the Red Sea port of Eilat in March.

Israel should expect more strikes in the future “as we approach the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 operation, including responding to its aggression on the city of Hodeidah,” Sarea said.

The deputy head of the Houthi’s media office, Nasruddin Amer, said in a post on X on Sunday that the missile had reached Israel after “20 missiles failed to intercept” it, describing it as the “beginning”.

The Israeli military also said that 40 projectiles were fired towards Israel from Lebanon on Sunday and were either intercepted or landed in open areas.

“No injuries were reported,” the military said.

Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, may turn more voters away than it attracts.

A new post-debate poll from YouGov released Saturday found that 8% of voters said the pop superstar’s nod is either “somewhat” or “much more likely” to convince them to cast their ballot for the Democrat.

But a whopping 20% said they are “somewhat” or “much less likely” to vote for former President Donald Trump’s opponent now that Swift has spoken.

Most of the respondents, 66%, said Swift’s endorsement made no difference on how they will vote in November.

“I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice,” the Grammy-winning artist shared in an Instagram post with her 283 million followers shortly after Tuesday night’s debate.

“Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.”

She called Harris “a steady-handed, gifted leader” who could lead with “calm and not chaos.”

The majority — 32% of the online poll’s respondents — think the move will have a positive effect on Harris’ campaign, while 27% said they don’t think it’ll have an effect either way.

Forty-one percent — nearly 460 people — said the “Shake it Off” singer shouldn’t speak publicly about politics.

Thirty-eight percent said she should make public endorsements.

Sixty-six percent of the poll’s participants said they are not Swifties, while 28% reported being a fan and 6% identified as a big fan.

The majority of “big fans” were women, and registered Democrats.

Swift’s endorsement led to flood of traffic to the voter registration website vote.gov into Wednesday afternoon, according to reports.

A spokesperson said 337,826 visitors visited vote.gov after clicking a custom link Swift shared on Instagram.

Overall, while 46% of people thought Harris won the debate to 19% for Trump, just 6% said it caused them to reconsider their vote, while 76% said it has not, according to YouGov.

Laura Loomer floated suing Bill Maher after the comedian suggested on Real Time that she and former President Donald Trump are are having an affair.

On Friday’s Real Time, Maher noted that Loomer had previously suggested Taylor Swift is in an “arranged relationship” with Travis Kelce to influence the 2024 presidential election before he accused Loomer of the same thing. Swift recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I think maybe Laura Loomer’s in an arranged relationship to influence the election because she’s very close to Trump. She’s 31, looks like his type,” Maher said.

He then referenced an “editorial” he previously did on the show that boils down to “who’s Trump fucking?”

“Because I said, it’s not nobody. He’s been a dog for too long. And it’s not Melania. I think we may have our answer this week,” Maher said. “I think it might be Laura Loomer, I’m just saying.”

So to be a, to be a 911 truther. This is what I mean about Captain Queeg. We’re at that end stage, I really think. Here’s my question because she said, Laura Loomer said Taylor Swift, she believes, is in an arranged relationship with Travis Kelce to influence the 2024 election. I think maybe, Laura Loomer’s in an arranged relationship to affect the election. Because she’s very close to Trump. She’s 31, looks like his type. We did an editorial here a few years ago who – oh you’re remembering it already. It was basically, Who’s Trump Fucking? Because I said, you know, it’s not nobody. He’s been a dog for too long. And and it’s not Melania. I think we may have our, our answer this week. I think it might be Laura Loomer. I’m just saying.

Loomer fired back in an X post, calling Maher’s statements “beyond the pale” and accusing the “mainstream media” of pushing a “coordinated attack” against her by suggesting there is more to her relationship to Trump than professional.

“I should sue Bill Maher for Defamation,” she wrote. “This is beyond the pale and it’s a complete and blatant lie. I have never in my life seen such a coordinated attack by the mainstream Media, the White House and leftist personalities to target a private citizen and investigative journalist simply because I flew on a plane and I support Donald Trump.”

I should sue Bill Maher @billmaher for Defamation.

This is beyond the pale and it’s a complete and blatant lie.

I have never in my life seen such a coordinated attack by the mainstream
Media, the White House and leftist personalities to target a private citizen and… https://t.co/Nis17vPdPu

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 14, 2024

She accused Maher of “maliciously and deliberately defaming” her and disrespecting Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump in her threat to sue.

There is no proof of any kind of intimate relationship between Trump and Loomer, but that has not stopped critics from making light jabs and suggestions. Michael Steele suggested the pair were “too close” after seeing a picture of them together.

“You showed that picture of Loomer sitting, standing up under Donald Trump. First question crossed my mind was, where the hell is Melania?! That’s a little too close for a pic,” he said.

Active U.S. Military members responded to Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris‘ false claim during last week’s debate about the Biden-Harris administration supposedly removing all military personnel from combat zones.

“As of today, there is not one member of the United States Military who is in active duty in a combat zone, in any war zone around the world, for the first time this century,” Harris falsely boasted during the debate.

During the debate, Harris was not fact-checked by ABC moderators, who have been widely ridiculed for their anti-Trump bias. Active military members, however, did chime in.

Video shows military members watching Harris during the debate, with the caption, “full of lies.”

After Harris makes her false claim, one of the military members turns the camera around on himself and other members and says, “So where the f*** are we, right now?”

Watch:

Kamala Harris just got hit with the biggest fact check in human history pic.twitter.com/LDeniMIO88

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) September 13, 2024

As highlighted by those in active duty, tens of thousands of U.S. Military members are indeed serving in hostile areas and recognized combat zones.

For example, there are about 2,500 military personnel in Iraq, and around 900 in Syria, fighting Islamic State militants, according to the Department of Defense.

Moreover, a Reuters report from February points out that there are roughly 30,000 U.S. troops scattered in the Middle East, with thousands of additional troops sent to the region since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, which was sparked during Harris and President Joe Biden’s tenure.

Harris’ response also seems to dismiss the sacrifices of military members who have been killed or injured on her watch, following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In January, for example, three Army Reserve soldiers were killed at a U.S. base in Jordan, during a drone attack from an Iran-backed militia, The New York Times reported. More than 30 other service members were injured.

Since then, eight service members were injured in a drone attack in Syria, and two U.S. Navy SEALS drowned during a mission tied to Iran.

Moreover, families of U.S. troops who have been injured following the withdrawal are harshly criticizing Harris for her lie.

Brad Illerbrunner, whose son was seriously injured in Iraq in December, said Harris’ remarks at the debate “really [hit] below the belt,” the New York Post reported. “She doesn’t even recognize that our own troops are getting hurt.”

“We’re still in war zones,” he said, adding that the VP is “trying to snow the public.”

Authorities in Georgia released on Friday 911 call audio from the day of the Apalachee High School shooting.

Most of the calls released from the deadly Sept. 4 incident are from parents of students at the high school or nearby schools inquiring about the whereabouts and safety of their children.

The Barrow County 911 call center was inundated with calls around 10:20 am. Many callers received the automated message that the center had a “high call volume” instead of hearing from an operator.

One caller couldn’t find the words to describe the school shooting as given by her daughter, saying, “My daughter calling me crying. Somebody go, ‘boom, boom, boom, boom.”

The agreed-upon response given to callers that morning explained that officers were on the scene, but details could not be provided. Apalachee High School was immediately placed on lockdown.

Listen:

Several 911 calls released Friday afternoon, revealed a chaotic Apalachee High School scene as parents, friends and partners called dispatchers for help in the early moments of a deadly shooting on the campus.
Read More: https://t.co/PAyAVBaYrJ pic.twitter.com/HtnxXXhxBk

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) September 14, 2024

All schools in the area, including nearby Yargo Elementary School and Haymon-Morris Middle School, were also locked down.

Most of the emergency calls made that day cannot be released due to Georgia law, as they contain “the speech or cries of a minor,” according to Barrow County Emergency Communications from a letter to FOX 5 Atlanta.

Fourteen-year-old students Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, and teachers Cristina Irimie and Richard Aspinwall, were killed in the attack.

Colt Gray and his 54-year-old father, Colin Gray, are both in custody facing charges for the killings, with 14-year-old Colt being tried as an adult.

Another bomb threat in Springfield, Ohio, forced two hospitals into lockdown Saturday morning as the small city of about 60,000 continues to endure heightened national attention and threats over the influx of an estimated 20,000 Haitian residents.

The bomb threats made to Kettering Health Springfield and Mercy Health-Springfield Regional Medical Center came after two elementary schools and government buildings were targeted on Friday, forcing evacuation and closure.

Mercy Health went into lockdown shortly after 6 a.m. while local authorities conducted a thorough search of the facility, in conjunction with the hospital’s onsite security team, a hospital spokesperson told News Center 7, adding that the threat was determined to be not credible.

“The safety protocols we have in place for these instances allow us to work quickly with local law enforcement to investigate threats thoroughly and ensure the safety of our patients and staff,” Kettering Health said in a statement.

The lockdowns have since been lifted.

Bomb threats on Friday forced two Springfield elementary schools to evacuate for a second consecutive day and a middle school to shutter prior to the start of the school day.

Several city commissioners and a municipal employee also received bomb threats via email, with a second email threatening additional locations, including Springfield City Hall, Cliff Park High School, Perrin Woods Elementary School, Roosevelt Middle School and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Ohio License Bureau Southside.

The origin of these emails is under investigation by local police and FBI agents based in Dayton.

“We recognize that the past few days have been particularly challenging for everyone in our community,” Springfield police said in a statement to The Guardian.

Police added “we remain fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of each and every person.”

The spotlight on Springfield was amplified this week after former President Donald Trump declared during Tuesday’s presidential debate that Haitian migrants in Springfield had been abducting and eating pets.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people that came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating — they’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” the Republican presidential nominee claimed.

When pressed by ABC News’ debate moderator David Muir about denials from local officials, Trump claimed, “the people on television say their dog was eaten by the people that went there.”

Springfield city manager Bryan Heck said there were “no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

The Daily Wire’s “Am I Racist?” starring Matt Walsh was the third-highest-grossing film on Friday, out-earning a major studio release showing in more than 2,500 theaters.

“Am I Racist?” which premiered Friday, outgrossed Lionsgate’s “The Killer’s Game,” and was the second-biggest new release of the day. “Am I Racist?,” one of only 15 documentaries ever to open in over 1,500 theaters, also had the third-highest opening day gross for a documentary in the last decade.

Audiences are raving about the film, in which Walsh goes deep undercover to expose the inner workings of the diversity, equity, and inclusion industry. The film has a 99% Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and earned an “A” rating from CinemaScore, which grades movies based on audience response. No other new release received an A. By the end of its second day in theaters, “Am I Racist?” will already be the biggest documentary of the year.

Off to a very strong start. Top three in the box office on opening day, coming in third and easily beating “The Killer’s Game.” That’s a mainstream Hollywood film that opened in a thousand more theaters. Thank you to everyone who supported the film. Let’s keep the momentum going.

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 14, 2024

Ninety-five percent of audience members said “Am I Racist?” met or exceeded their expectations, according to PostTrak exit polling. Nearly 70% of viewers said the film was “excellent,” and 57% said they would tell their friends to see it in a theater.

Just over 40% of opening day viewers were under 35. And nearly 40% of the opening day audience was non-white, a fact that may come as a shock to anti-racist activist Saira Rao, who has privately slammed “Am I Racist?” as a “Nazi White Supremacy Film.”

Rao is one of several anti-racist activists featured in the film. Another, “White Fragility” author Robin DiAngelo, told followers that she got played by the “Borat-style mockumentary.” In the film, Walsh convinces DiAngelo to pay his black producer $30 out of her purse as reparations for slavery.

DiAngelo says that “Am I Racist?” is “designed to humiliate and discredit anti-racist educators and activists.” Walsh responded to her critique on X, saying, “She couldn’t be more correct in that assessment.”

Robin DiAngelo has issued a statement denouncing our film. She claims that the movie is “designed to humiliate and discredit anti-racist educators and activists.” She couldn’t be more correct in that assessment. Thank you, Robin!https://t.co/xOvMUFnuTk

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 12, 2024

The Daily Wire entered the entertainment space in 2021 with a mission to disrupt Hollywood. The company has since released six films, including the acclaimed “What Is A Woman?” starring Walsh, one of the most-viewed documentaries of all time. “Am I Racist?” is The Daily Wire’s first theatrical release and is already defying industry expectations with its box office performance.

“Am I Racist?” is now playing in over 1,500 theaters.

A wealth of research suggests that the billions of dollars corporate America, academia and government agencies have spent on diversity training have done little to impact people’s behavior.

What impact diversity trainings do have is often short-lived or purely influences beliefs without impacting actions, according to a review of multiple meta-analyses, a type of research that summarizes the results of hundreds of studies. American businesses alone spend roughly $8 billion a year on the same diversity trainings research suggests are ineffective, according to the Harvard Business Review.

On top of the billions corporations spend on diversity trainings, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of public funds flow to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives through state universities and the federal government.

A 2020 meta-analysis synthesized findings from 492 different studies and found that trainings designed to reduce implicit bias, a term used by academics to refer to discriminatory attitudes people hold but are not consciously aware of, “generally produced trivial changes in behavior.” Per the study, the trainings had “relatively weak” effects on measures of implicit bias, however, it also found that changes in implicit biases didn’t necessarily translate to behavioral changes.

Many nonprofits, like the National Equity Project, provide diversity training services to public and private clients like businesses.

“Nonprofit spending on the left, roughly defined, swamps the center-right by a factor of three or four to one depending on the year … and yet the country hasn’t really moved much,” Capital Research Center Senior Investigative Researcher Ken Braun told the Daily Caller News Foundation, speaking on diversity training spending. “The very fact that DEI was ever created demonstrates the abject failure of decades of spending and messaging on what we used to call ‘affirmative action.’”

Diversity trainings may influence the stated beliefs of participants, but cause little change in day-to-day behavior. A study conducted by a team of University of Pennsylvania researchers in 2019 surveyed 3,000 employees at a multi-national company and found that the impact of anti-sexism training led to employees acknowledging that women face discrimination, but not changing the way they behaved.

The apparent inefficacy of diversity training hasn’t stopped bureaucrats from spending public funds on it, with a number of school districts and public colleges paying Ibram X. Kendi, the academic famous for popularizing the idea of “anti-racism,” tens of thousands of dollars for presentations. Roughly two-thirds of American colleges in 2016 had diversity training for faculty, and 43% of those trainings were mandatory, according to a survey conducted by researchers Frank Dobbin of Harvard University and Alexandra Kalev of Tel-Aviv University.

President Joe Biden signed an executive order in June 2021 ordering federal agencies to increase their diversity programming, asserting that “such training programs should enable federal employees, managers and leaders to have knowledge of systemic and institutional racism and bias.”

Questions surrounding the effectiveness of diversity trainings have existed for some time, with a 2009 analysis of hundreds of studies published in the Annual Review of Psychology failing to find evidence that diversity trainings are effective at reducing prejudice or influencing behavior in the ways intended.

Despite academics struggling to find evidence to support the efficacy of diversity trainings, many corporations leaned into such initiatives after the consulting firm McKinsey and Company published a report in 2015 claiming that companies with more diverse executives saw higher profits, according to the Wall Street Journal. Multiple academics, however, failed to replicate the results of the consulting firm’s study.

Repeating the studies of others is a common practice used in academia to determine if a result is reflective of reality or if it was the product of poor methodology or dumb luck. Econ Journal Watch (EJW), a publication run by economics professors, was among those that attempted to recreate McKinsey’s findings only to discover no statistically significant link between executive diversity and profitability.

“Caution is warranted in relying on McKinsey’s findings to support the view that US publicly traded firms can deliver improved financial performance if they increase the racial/ethnic diversity of their executives,” EJW’s report reads. “We are unable to replicate the same statistically reliable association between firm financial performance and executive race/ethnic diversity as they report.”

A number of corporations are beginning to retreat from their diversity initiatives, with American Airlines, BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase and Lowe’s all editing their DEI policies to be less racially focused following lawsuit threats from conservatives.

Braun called the apparent movement of corporate America away from DEI initiatives “encouraging” but laughed when asked if academia and the federal government might follow suit.

Other studies have found that diversity trainings don’t only fail to alter people’s behavior but sometimes produce backlash effects that make people more prejudiced. Dobbin and Kalev, in a book they co-authored, found that after implementing diversity trainings, firms saw a decrease in women and minorities in leadership positions.

“If diversity training has no impact whatsoever, that would mean that perhaps billions of dollars are being wasted annually in the United States on these efforts,” journalist Jesse Singal wrote in 2023. “But there’s a darker possibility: Some diversity initiatives might actually worsen the DEI climates of the organizations that pay for them.”

Former President Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday that he did not agree with statements made by Laura Loomer, who has come under scrutiny after traveling with the former president and battling with various other Republicans friendly with Trump.

In the post, Trump wrote that he disagreed with the statements Loomer made, though he didn’t specify any particular comments. He otherwise described her as a “private citizen and longtime supporter.”

“I disagree with the statements she made but, like the many millions of people who support me, she is tired of watching the Radical Left Marxists and Fascists violently attack and smear me, even to the point of doing anything to stop their Political Opponent, ME!” Trump wrote.

At an campaign event earlier Friday, Trump shrugged off a question about Loomer as some of his Republican allies sound the alarm about her influence, saying she brings “a spirit” to his campaign.

“Laura’s been a supporter of mine. She speaks positively of the campaign,” Trump said. “Laura is a supporter. I don’t control Laura; she’s a free spirit.”

Trump went on to call Loomer “a strong person” with “strong opinions,” and he said he would go look at some of her comments that have caused controversy.

Loomer is an outspoken Trump supporter who is known for spreading conspiracy theories. She flew on Trump’s plane to Tuesday’s debate in Philadelphia and was part of his entourage as he attended memorial events Wednesday to mark the anniversary of 9/11.

She does not have any official role with Trump’s campaign, multiple sources said. But her association with the former president has attracted attention during a critical stretch of his White House bid.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), another staunch Trump ally, told reporters Wednesday that Loomer did not have the “experience or the right mentality” to advise Trump.

“I do know this, that her rhetoric and her tone does not match the base, it does not match MAGA, it does not match most Republicans I know,” Greene said. “And I’m really denouncing it. I’m over it.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called Loomer’s recent racist comments about Vice President Harris, in which she used crude stereotypes to attack Harris’s Indian heritage, “abhorrent,” and he noted Loomer made “disturbing” comments about Republicans.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Friday called Loomer “a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans.

“A DNC plant couldn’t do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump’s chances of winning re-election,” Tillis added in his social media post. “Enough.”

Christopher Rufo reported:

Donald Trump shocked audiences at this week’s presidential debate with the claim that foreign migrants were eating household pets in Springfield, Ohio, a small town currently reeling under the strain of an unprecedented number of new arrivals, mostly from Haiti. “They’re eating the dogs,” Trump said. “They’re eating the cats.”

Reactions on both sides were spirited. Conservative social media accounts created memes that portrayed Trump, dressed in camouflage, and toting heavy weapons, as the savior of innocent pets. There was even a viral TikTok trend, which chopped up Trump’s speech and set it to dance music. “They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating cats,” the music thumped. “Eat the cat! Eat, eat the cat!”

The establishment media was not amused. During the debate, ABC’s David Muir dismissed Trump’s rhetoric with his version of a fact check, citing the Springfield city manager’s statement that “there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.” Other publications went further, blasting the former president for spreading a “racist smear,” a “century-old stereotype,” and a “cat-eating conspiracy theory.”

So, is there any truth to the charge? We have conducted an exclusive investigation that reveals that, yes, in fact, some migrants in Ohio appear to have been “eating the cats,” though not exactly in the manner that Trump described.

Our investigation begins in a run-down neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, the closest major city to Springfield, about a half-hour’s drive away. We identified a social media post, dated August 25, 2023, with a short video depicting what appear to be two skinned cats on top of a blue barbeque.

“Yoooo the Africans wildn on Parkwood,” reads the text, referring to Parkwood Drive. The video then pans down to two live cats walking across the grass in front of a run-down fence, with a voice on the video warning: “There go a cat right there. His ass better get missin’, man. Look like his homies on the grill!”

EXCLUSIVE: We have discovered that migrants are, in fact, eating cats in Ohio. We have verified, with multiple witnesses and visual cross-references, that African migrants in Dayton, the next city over from Springfield, barbecued these cats last summer.https://t.co/8QveTJy4Vp pic.twitter.com/PxuJQ7fJc9

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) September 14, 2024

We spoke with the author of the video, who asked to remain anonymous but confirmed its time, location, and authenticity. He told us that he was picking up his son last summer, when he noticed the unusual situation. “It was some Africans that stay right next door to my kid’s mother,” he said. “This African dude next door had the damn cat on the grill.”

We then identified the home by matching it to the visuals in the video and cross-referencing them with the eyewitness. When we knocked on the door of the first unit, a family answered, telling us they were from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and that all of the surrounding units were occupied by other African migrants.

One of the residents told us that her former neighbors, also from Africa, had lived in the adjacent unit until last month. They had a blue grill and the father would find meat in the neighborhood. “Her dad was going to find meat,” she said. “Her dad was going, holding a knife.” The current residents also showed us a blue grill of the same make and model as in the video, which the former neighbors had abandoned after they moved out. There were at least ten cats wandering around the complex and another resident complained that they were breeding on the property.

According to the original witness, whose son was friendly with the neighbors, there was no doubt about what happened last summer. “They was barbecuing the damn cat!” he said. His son’s mother had previously witnessed the family butchering a mammal on the street, but the cats on the barbeque put him in such a state of shock, he felt the need to film it.

To be clear: this single incident does not confirm every particularity of Trump’s statement. The town is Dayton, not Springfield; cats alone were on the grill, not cats and dogs. But it does break the general narrative peddled by the establishment media and its “fact checkers,” who insisted that this has never happened, and that any suggestion otherwise is somehow an expression of racism.

Read the full article.

A Springfield, Ohio, woman who sparked rumors about Haitian migrants eating pets says she is filled with regret and insists she never intended to target the Haitian community.

Erika Lee, 35, spoke out after she warned locals in a Facebook group that her ‘neighbor informed me that her daughter’s friend lost her cat’, only to find the pet strung up ‘from a branch’ outside the home of a Haitian family.

But Lee now admits that she had no firsthand knowledge of the claims, and the neighbor referenced in the post, Kimberly Newton, revealed that she also heard the story from an acquaintance and not her daughter.

But before the confusing back-and-forth was resolved – with police also insisting no reports have been filed over pets being eaten – the rumor went viral.

‘It just exploded into something I didn’t mean to happen,’ Erika Lee told NBC News – after the wild conspiracy even found its way into Donald Trump’s presidential debate material.

Lee’s Facebook post sparked panic across social media after screenshots were circulated around X, in which she warned Haitian migrants were hanging cats ‘from a branch like you’d do a deer for butchering, and they were carving it up to eat.’

‘I’ve been told they are doing this to dogs, they have been doing it at Snyder Park with the ducks and geese,’ she continued, claiming to be ‘told that last bit by rangers and police.’

‘Please keep a close eye on these animals,’ she signed off the post.

Lee now says she never expected her post to ‘get past Springfield’, and has since deleted the post as she did not anticipate it sparking a national rumor.

Lee first admitted to Newsguard that she heard the rumor of Haitian migrants eating cats in her town through her neighbor Kimberly Newton, who heard it through a friend, who heard it from the alleged cat owner.

Newton, when asked, said she was ‘not sure I’m the most credible source.’

‘I don’t actually know the person who lost the cat,’ she told NewsGuard, a company that counters misinformation. ‘I don’t have any proof.’

She said the cat’s owner was ‘an acquaintance of a friend’. Newton originally heard it from her friend, who had heard it from a ‘source that she had’ before she told Lee, who then posted about it.

Newton also clarified that her source was not through her daughter, like Lee claimed.

While city officials said they had no evidence that Springfield pets were in danger, locals say it’s a problem online.

‘In response to recent rumors alleging criminal activity by the immigrant population in our city, we wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured, or abused by individuals within the immigrant community,’ Springfield officials said.