Wednesday, June 29 top stories
It is Wednesday, June 29. Here are today’s top stories.
Secret Service disputes Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony
The U.S. Secret Service said it would respond to the allegations that former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson made about how Donald Trump tried to grab the steering wheel of a presidential limo to demand that he be taken to the Capitol to join election protesters.
News reports said the Secret Service agent in the limo, Robert Engel, and the driver of the limo, are prepared to testify under oath that Trump never touched either man and that Trump never tried to grab the steering wheel. CBS News said the Secret Service officials do not dispute that Trump was irate or that he demanded to be taken to the Capitol, just that they dispute the idea that he was physically violent.
We’ll see what the Jan 6. Committee plans to do and whether they’ll call upon Engel and the limo driver to testify. CBS News said Engel has already spoken with the committee behind closed doors during recorded testimony but that their words were not shown in the hearing yesterday.
Amazon worker arrested over mass shooting threat
A 29-year-old Amazon worker and gun owner was arrested over several statements he made to a co-worker about conducting a mass shooting in the workplace and at a school.
The man’s name is Rodolfo V. Aceves. A local news report said when a fire alarm went off at an Amazon warehouse in the San Antonio area and as people were exiting, Aceves told the co-worker that he thought it’d be a good idea to pull a fire alarm and then commit a mass shooting. He said he would do it in the future.
The co-worker said she didn’t tell her superiors out of a fear of retaliation. On another day, when the co-worker told Aceves which school her kids went to, he said he would shoot up the school and considered the Uvalde shooting incident to be an “idol.”
The co-worker reported the threats to law enforcement. Investigators talked with Aceves’ father and found out that he purchased an AR platform rifle, had a history of mental illness, and had stopped taking his prescribed medication. The father said the family was scared of him.
With all this information, law enforcement arrested Aceves and charged him with making a terroristic threat. He is jailed on a $50,000 bond.
Florida law against loud music from cars
In Florida, there is a law that allows police to ticket motorists who play loud music that is audible at a minimum 25-foot distance. Drivers can be fined up to $114.
Cars are usually about 15 feet long, so if a police cruiser was behind a vehicle blasting music and the cop can hear it, then they can issue the ticket.
NBC 6 News said the regulations are stricter when the loud music is being played at close proximity to churches, schools, and hospitals.
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Biden announces stronger U.S. military presence in Europe
President Biden announced that a new, permanent headquarters for U.S. forces would be stationed in Poland. This would be the first permanent U.S. base on NATO’s eastern flank.
There are currently about 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe and 10,500 troops specifically in Poland. These numbers are likely to rise in the future.
Americans died in Bahamas resort due to carbon monoxide
On May 6, three Americans were found dead at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas. Local authorities announced yesterday that the deaths were due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
A married couple in their 60’s and a man who was 65 were those who died. The man’s wife was hospitalized but survived. The couples were staying in separate villas and had eaten at different locations, but they had similar scenarios of being discovered unresponsive by staff on the same morning. Local authorities said none of the four had signs of trauma and that there were no signs of foul play.
CNN said “police would not comment beyond the cause of death for all three US citizens.” That means we do not know how the carbon monoxide got into the villas.
Over 100 animals found in luggage at Thai airport
Two women were arrested at an airport in Bangkok, Thailand after airport security found over 100 live animals in their luggage. The animals consisted of 50 lizards, 35 turtles, two porcupines, and other animals.
The two women were from India and were charged with violating Thai laws on customs and wildlife. The women are facing a maximum sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of $28,500.
The Washington Post said wildlife trafficking is “an illicit trade worth as much as $150 billion a year globally…”
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/29/biden-troops-nato-poland-russia-ukraine