President Trump secures a massive trade deal with the E.U. and brokers a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia. A possible motive emerges for the New York City mass shooting that left four dead. A decline in the U.S. birthrate spells trouble for the country and the economy. 
It’s Wednesday, July 30, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Trump Touts Trade and Peace Deal Triumphs</h2>
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Topline: President Trump returned to the White House on Tuesday night following a successful trip to the United Kingdom, where he finalized a massive trade deal with the European Union and brokered a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. 
The White House is calling the trip a “winning streak” for the president. Under the terms of the trade agreement, the European Union will remove significant tariffs on American goods and purchase $750 billion of United States energy exports during the president’s term in office. The E.U. will also invest $600 billion in the U.S. over the same period. The deal is expected to provide American farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers with unprecedented market access to Europe. 
President Trump also announced on Monday that Thailand and Cambodia had reached a ceasefire after he warned them that continued conflict would jeopardize any potential trade deals with the U.S. The president has now brokered approximately one peace deal or ceasefire per month since taking office. 
Meanwhile, a third round of trade negotiations between the U.S. and China concluded in Sweden without a specific agreement. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the talks as &#8220;constructive,&#8221; suggesting that Trump’s recent deals with Japan and the E.U. have given the U.S. leverage, putting China in &#8220;more of a mood for a wide ranging discussion.&#8221; 
<h2>Motive Emerges In Midtown Manhattan Mass Shooting</h2>
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Topline: Four people are dead, including an NYPD officer, after a gunman opened fire in a midtown Manhattan office building on Monday in New York&#8217;s deadliest mass shooting in 25 years.
The 27-year-old shooter stormed the lobby of the skyscraper at 345 Park Avenue, killing four people before taking his own life. According to New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a suicide note found on the gunman suggests he was targeting the NFL headquarters located in the building. The shooter, who had a history of mental health problems, claimed in the note that he was suffering from CTE, a brain disease linked to head trauma, from playing football. However, he only played in high school.
The shooter was armed with an M-4 rifle, a style of weapon that is banned under New York’s strict gun laws. Following the attack, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) called for a nationwide ban on semi-automatic rifles.
The shooting came as officials in Cincinnati gave an update on a separate, brutal street brawl that went viral over the weekend. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge blamed social media and journalists for misrepresenting the incident and making the investigation more difficult. The city&#8217;s Democratic mayor, Aftab Pureval, accused the Trump administration&#8217;s Department of Justice of politicizing the attack by investigating it for potential hate crime charges. 
<h2>U.S. Faces a ‘Birth Dearth’</h2>
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Topline: The U.S. birthrate fell to an all-time low in 2024, according to a new CDC report, prompting concerns about the future of the nation&#8217;s culture and economy. 
The CDC’s annual report revealed that the U.S. fertility rate dropped to 1.59 children per woman last year, a 19% decline in the last 20 years. This is significantly below the 2.1 rate needed for a generation to replace itself, and it means fewer babies were born in America in 2024 than in 1964, when the population was nearly half its current size. 
The decline is attributed to several factors. Socially, women are waiting longer to have children, with the average age of a first-time mother now at 27.5, up from 22 in 1980. Biologically, fertility rates have also fallen. The average man&#8217;s sperm count has dropped 62% since 1970, a decline linked to rising obesity rates and exposure to &#8220;forever chemicals&#8221; like PFAs. 
The Trump administration views the trend as a crisis. Vice President JD Vance has called the low birthrate an &#8220;existential threat to America.&#8221; The administration has responded with executive actions to reduce the cost of in-vitro fertilization, expand the Child Tax Credit, and has proposed a &#8220;Baby Bonus&#8221; that would provide a $5,000 cash payment to parents for each new child.

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Morning Brief: Trade Tour De Force, Midtown Tower Attack, U.S. Birth Rates Hit Record Low

Birth Rates

Communist China

Donald Trump

Economy

European Union

Free Trade

Manhattan

Mass Shooting

World

As news broke that a mass shooter with a high-powered rifle had opened fire on people in a skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, CNN anchor Erin Burnett and CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller both speculated that the gunman was “possibly white,” catalyzing anger on social media.
Surveillance images quickly surfaced after the mass shooting, showing the dark-complexioned, mustachioed gunman walking into the building at 345 Park Avenue with a rifle, wearing sunglasses and dark clothes. The Daily Wire is not publishing the gunman’s name due to a company policy against contributing to the unintentional glorification of mass shooters.
“People don&#8217;t walk around with guns like that. But was his face visible? I mean, do they — they have any idea at this point who he is?” Burnett asked Miller.
“They do not know who he is,” Miller stated. “They know he is a male, possibly white. He&#8217;s wearing sunglasses. He appears to have a mustache. And that picture has been distributed to every police officer in New York City particularly, has been sent to the phones of the search teams inside that building because whenever they encounter a group of people, the first thing they have to figure out is, is that individual among these people hiding among victims or pretending to be an office worker, because one thing you don&#8217;t want to have happen is to have this kind of cordon where you&#8217;re trying to evacuate people in groups as you can get them to a safe corridor and have this person slip out with them.&#8221;
“Male, possibly white, mustache, sunglasses in that building,” Burnett repeated. Later. She repeated, “There were a few things that really stood out there among them that they did get. They do know what he looks like. Sunglasses, mustache, male, possibly white &#8230;”
Ironically, later in the broadcast Miller stated, “One of the cautions here, as you know, from having done so many of these, Erin, unfortunately, is that we always have to be mindful of the idea that between people who are watching, listening information that&#8217;s being sent over social media, that we have to be a little bit guarded on specifics.”
“You share what you can from your sources. Some of it obviously, you must protect,” Burnett stated.
Social media slammed Burnett. One post stated, “CNN anchor Erin Burnett stated live on the air that the obviously not white man, quote, was ‘possibly white.’ Embarrassing attempt to politicize this tragedy.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A devastating shooting occurred in New York City, leaving 4 dead, including a police officer.
CNN anchor Erin Burnett stated live on the air that the obviously not white man, quote, was “possibly white.” Embarrassing attempt to politicize this tragedy. <a href="https://t.co/3T2dGA08ud">pic.twitter.com/3T2dGA08ud</a>
&mdash; Armstrong Williams 🇺🇸 (@Arightside) <a href="https://twitter.com/Arightside/status/1950138865412411758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Another post stated, “@ErinBurnett  knows exactly what she’s doing here. Incredible misinformation and irresponsible, purposeful race-baiting. If you don’t know for sure, you don’t say it. Unless, of course your job is to mislead, stir-up confusion, obfuscation and to bury facts.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/ErinBurnett?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ErinBurnett</a> knows exactly what she’s doing here. Incredible misinformation and irresponsible, purposeful race-baiting. If you don’t know for sure, you don’t say it. Unless, of course your job is to mislead, stir-up confusion, obfuscation and to bury facts. <a href="https://t.co/JMRDxTg7qJ">pic.twitter.com/JMRDxTg7qJ</a>
&mdash; Ross Dyer (@RossDyerTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/RossDyerTV/status/1949984927706931566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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One month before the 2024 election, Burnett remained silent when her guest Democratic strategist guest, Aisha Mills, bridled, “As a black lesbian who Donald Trump doesn’t believe has genes as good as his, is he going to attempt to exterminate me?” and railed to CNN senior political commentator David Urban, “I’m not going to be lectured by some white man who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Urban responded, “Shame on you, Aisha,” prompting Burnett to state, “Let me just say I appreciate — OK, I appreciate both of you, I know it&#8217;s obviously getting heated. I think — I think what people appreciate about both of you is you mean what you say and you say what you mean. You&#8217;re both very genuine people.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
CNN guest: “I’m not going to be lectured by some white man…”
The blatant racism isn’t the most noteworthy part, it’s Erin Burnett refusing to condemn it on her own show. 
 <a href="https://t.co/lQmsYxdB2P">pic.twitter.com/lQmsYxdB2P</a>
&mdash; Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) <a href="https://twitter.com/cabot_phillips/status/1844188406181777895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2024</a></blockquote>
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2014 Concordia Summit – Day 1

‘Purposeful Race-Baiting’: CNN’s Burnett Slammed For Saying NYC Mass Shooter Was ‘Possibly White’

Erin Burnett

Media

New York

New York City

Politics

Racism

Shooting

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that law enforcement believed that the gunman who shot and killed four people and injured another on Monday at a New York City office building might have been targeting the National Football League. 
Adams <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07/29/nyregion/nyc-shooting-manhattan">said</a> that investigators “have reason to believe” that the gunman who attacked the 345 Park Avenue office tower in Manhattan was “focused on the NFL.” The NFL is headquartered in the building, and one of its employees was wounded during the incident. 
Adams said that the shooter had attempted to go to the floor where the NFL was located, but instead went to the 33rd floor, where Rudin, a property management company, is based. 
A three-page note was found in the wallet of the gunman, who died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, claiming that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a degenerative brain condition often associated with football players caused by frequent head trauma. 
The Daily Wire is not publishing the gunman&#8217;s name due to a company policy against contributing to the unintentional glorification of mass shooters.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a Monday press conference that the shooter, who played high school football, had a history of mental health issues. 
“Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” the gunman wrote in a note, <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/29/us-news/nyc-gunman-shane-tamura-reportedly-found-with-note-hinting-at-possible-motive-for-park-ave-skyscraper-shooting-sources/">according</a> to the New York Post. Long was a former player for the Pittsburgh Steelers <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2307003">who</a> committed suicide by drinking antifreeze after a history of brain injuries. 
“You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you,” the gunman  reportedly wrote, adding, “Study my brain please I’m sorry Tell Rick I’m sorry for everything.”
Alluding to the note, Adams said that “it appears as though he was going after the employees of the NFL.”
“We’re still going through the suicide note to zero in on the exact reason but at this time it appears as if it’s something attached to his belief he experienced CTE from the NFL,” he added. 
The NFL employee who was injured during the attack is currently in the hospital, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45848952/nfl-employee-seriously-injured-deadly-shooting-tower-housing-league-hq">said</a>. 
&#8220;As has been widely reported, a gunman committed an unspeakable act of violence in our building at 345 Park Avenue. One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack,&#8221; Goodell said. &#8220;He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family.
Two other victims killed in the attack have been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nypd-officer-among-two-victims-identified-in-deadly-nyc-mass-shooting">identified</a> as 36-year-old NYPD officer Didarul Islam and Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had been briefed on the shooting and offered his condolences. 
“I have been briefed on the tragic shooting that took place in Manhattan, a place that I know and love,” he posted on Truth Social. “I trust our Law Enforcement Agencies to get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence. My heart is with the families of the four people who were killed, including the NYPD Officer, who made the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless the New York Police Department, and God Bless New York!”

US-NEWS-NYC-SHOOTING-19-NY

Investigators ‘Have Reason To Believe’ NYC Mass Shooter Intended To Target NFL, Mayor Says

Cop-Killer

Crime

Eric Adams

Roger Goodell

U.S.

The police officer killed on Monday night in a mass shooting at a New York City office building has been identified as a 36-year-old immigrant with two children and a pregnant wife. 
The officer, Didarul Islam, and three others were fatally shot when a gunman opened fire at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan. Another man was seriously injured. Islam was an immigrant from Bangladesh and had been with the NYPD for more than three years. 
“He was doing what he does best, and all members of the police department carry out, he was saving lives, he was protecting New Yorkers. He’s an immigrant from Bangladesh and he loved this city,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. “He embodies what this city is all about, he’s a true blue New Yorker not only in the uniform he wore but in the spirit and energy of loving this city.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Police Officer Didarul Islam represented the very best of our department.
He was protecting New Yorkers from danger when his life was tragically cut short today.
We join in prayer during this time of incomprehensible pain. We will forever honor his legacy.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FidelisAdMortem?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FidelisAdMortem</a> <a href="https://t.co/vkBZetsz2N">pic.twitter.com/vkBZetsz2N</a>
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/1950029976520052804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The shooter, identified as a 27-year-old man from Las Vegas, was found dead on the 33rd floor of the building from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Daily Wire is not publishing his name due to a company policy against contributing to the unintentional glorification of mass shooters.
Wesley LePatner, the CEO of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, was also identified as one of the deceased, the company confirmed. Blackstone is an investment management company with several offices in the building. 
“Wesley was a beloved member of the Blackstone family and will be sorely missed,” the company said in a statement. “She was brilliant, passionate, warm, generous, and deeply respected within our firm and beyond. She embodied the best of Blackstone. Our prayers are with her husband, children and family. We are also saddened by the loss of the other innocent victims as well, including brave security personnel and NYPD.”
An employee of the NFL, which was also headquartered in the building, was seriously injured in the attack. 
&#8220;One of our employees was seriously injured in this attack. He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition,&#8221; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/45848952/nfl-employee-seriously-injured-deadly-shooting-tower-housing-league-hq">wrote</a> in a memo obtained by ESPN. &#8220;NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family. We believe that all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for, and the building has nearly been cleared.&#8221;
Multiple <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/29/us-news/nyc-gunman-shane-tamura-reportedly-found-with-note-hinting-at-possible-motive-for-park-ave-skyscraper-shooting-sources/">reports</a> indicate that the gunman left a note expressing grievances against the NFL, citing Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease often associated with repeated head injuries. Adams <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07/29/nyregion/nyc-shooting-manhattan">said</a> in an interview on Tuesday morning that the shooter, who played football in high school, had intended to target the NFL offices, but mistakenly went to the wrong floor, which Rudin Management occupied. 
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that the shooter arrived in Manhattan on Monday after spending multiple days driving across the country from Nevada. He then entered the office building armed with a rifle and opened fire on Officer Islam before shooting a woman hiding behind a pillar in the lobby. He then went to the elevator bank and shot a security guard before spraying gunfire throughout the entire lobby. He went to the elevators and allowed one woman to go past him before he went up to the 33rd floor, where he shot one other person before killing himself. 
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday that the FBI was aiding in the investigation.

4 Dead In Midtown Manhattan Shooting

NYPD Officer Among Two Victims Identified In Deadly NYC Mass Shooting

NYPD

Authorities in Pontiac, Michigan, likely stopped a mass shooting at a high school graduation ceremony earlier this week, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard revealed on Friday.
On Tuesday, Sheriff&#8217;s deputies were called to break up a fight at the Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac graduation, and after arriving, were told about a shooting threat posted on social media, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/oakland-county/2025/06/06/sheriff-seeks-suspect-in-foiled-mass-shooting-at-pontiac-graduation/84070198007/">reported</a>. Aided by security footage from the United Wholesale Mortgage&#8217;s Sports Complex, where the graduation was taking place, authorities discovered that two men had placed packages underneath vehicles. Both packages contained handguns with 40-round magazines.
&#8220;When you combine that with the post that had been seen, that someone planned to shoot up this graduation, in our business we call that a clue,&#8221; Sheriff Bouchard said. &#8220;These weren’t brought to be simple accessories. &#8230; I believe we probably prevented a mass shooting.&#8221;
&#8220;Just those two weapons, without changing magazines, had 80 rounds of potential firepower,&#8221; Bouchard added. &#8220;Shooting into a graduation, you can only imagine the outcome of that.&#8221;
Deputies arrested a 19-year-old suspect, but are still looking for 20-year-old Jamarion Hardiman, a person of interest in the alleged mass shooting plot, according to The Detroit News. The Snapchat post where the threat was made has been taken down, but <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mass-shooting-thwarted-michigan-high-school-graduation-one-suspect-arr-rcna211473">according</a> to people who saw the post, it mentioned &#8220;going to shoot up the crowd,&#8221; according to Bouchard.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=wisepops&amp;utm_campaign=dad&amp;utm_content=fathersdaygiftpopups" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gift Dad an All Access Membership. Use code DAD40 at checkout to save 40%!</a>
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer <a href="https://x.com/GovWhitmer/status/1931057752744587505">said</a> on Friday that her &#8220;office has been in touch with local officials. I am grateful to first responders for acting fast and saving lives in Pontiac.&#8221;
The graduation ceremony proceeded after only two minutes of disruption, according to Septembra Williams, superintendent of the Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac. Both of the suspects in the alleged shooting threat &#8220;have a history of being involved with weapons and violence,&#8221; and the 20-year-old person of interest is currently on probation for a previous weapons case, according to Sheriff Bouchard.
Authorities do not believe that either of the two suspects attended the Arts and Technology Academy of Pontiac, but they likely had family and friends at the graduation ceremony.
In November of 2021, Oxford High School — less than 20 miles north of Pontiac — was targeted in a mass shooting, where a teenage shooter killed four students and wounded seven other people.

Police

Mass Shooting At Michigan High School Graduation Ceremony Thwarted By Authorities, Sheriff Says

Michigan

Authorities have charged the father of the 15-year-old shooter who killed two people and injured six others at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, in December, police said on Thursday.
Jeffrey Rupnow, 42, is accused of giving his daughter access to the pistols that she used in her attack, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/father-15-year-killed-2-wisconsin-religious-school-121611692" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The teenage female shooter, who just four months prior had started attending Abundant Life, opened fire in a study hall on December 16, killing teacher Erin Michelle West and 14-year-old student Rubi Bergara. The shooter, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, then turned the gun on herself and was found dead by responding officers.
Rupnow faces two counts of intentionally giving a dangerous weapon to a person under 18, causing death, and contributing to the delinquency of a child, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/09/us-news/father-of-15-year-old-wisconsin-school-shooter-natalie-rupnow-faces-felony-charges/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=nypost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Friday.
The criminal complaint against Rupnow says that his daughter spiraled after her parents divorced, expressing a hatred of humanity, according to ABC News. Court records showed that the shooter was in therapy over her troubled home life and would often bounce back and forth between her mother and father. Her parents divorced in 2014, remarried in 2017, divorced again in 2020, and then remarried for a second time, The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/12/17/madison-wisconsin-school-shooter-natalie-rupnow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. By April 2021, the couple petitioned for a third divorce and were “admonished” by a judge “concerning remarriage.”
The criminal complaint states that Rupnow attempted to bond with his daughter through firearms. According to the complaint, Rupnow bought his daughter a 9mm pistol and a .22-caliber Sig Sauer pistol. Rupnow allegedly bought the Sig Sauer pistol for Christmas in 2023, when she would have been just 14 years old.
The father told investigators that following the divorce, his daughter started cutting herself so badly that he had to lock up all the knives in his home. After taking her shooting with him on a friend&#8217;s property to connect with her, Rupnow told investigators he was stunned at how quickly her interest in guns &#8220;snow balled.&#8221;
Rupnow kept the guns he got for his daughter in a gun safe, but gave her the combination to open it. Just ten days before the deadly attack on the Christian school, Rupnow texted a friend that his daughter would shoot him if he left “the fun safe open right now,&#8221; according to the complaint. The father expressed regret to investigators about teaching his daughter about firearms and urged police to encourage people to change the combination on their gun safes frequently.
Investigators discovered a six-page manifesto in the shooter&#8217;s bedroom in her father&#8217;s house, along with maps of the school and a schedule of how she would carry out the attack. In her manifesto, which was titled &#8220;War Against Humanity,&#8221; the shooter wrote that she hated people who don&#8217;t care and &#8220;smoke their lungs out with weed or drink as much as they can like my own father,&#8221; ABC News reported.
The felony charges against Rupnow continue a new practice of prosecutors going after the parents of mass shooters. Last year, both parents of the Oxford, Michigan, high school shooter were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/parents-of-michigan-school-shooter-sentenced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> of involuntary manslaughter, becoming the first parents convicted of crimes connected to their child carrying out a mass shooting. The father of a 14-year-old boy who opened fire and killed four people at a high school in Georgia last year also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/father-of-suspected-georgia-school-shooter-charged-with-murder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">faces</a> second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter charges.

Abundant Life Christian School

Father Of 15-Year-Old Wisconsin Christian School Shooter Hit With Felony Charges

Christian

School Shooting

Wisconsin

Law enforcement officials say that they stopped a mass casualty attack in Texas this week on a high school in Houston.
&#8220;FBI Houston received information yesterday that two underage teenagers from the Houston area were plotting a mass casualty attack at a local school,&#8221; the local FBI field office said in a statement on Wednesday night.
The two suspects, identified as a 15-year-old and 16-year-old, were quickly located and arrested after the threat was made on social media.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a> FBI Houston received information yesterday that two underage teenagers from the Houston area were plotting a mass casualty attack at a local school. Our Threat Mitigation Team immediately responded to help <a href="https://twitter.com/houstonpolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@houstonpolice</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/MCTXSheriff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MCTXSheriff</a> identify and arrest them. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HouNews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HouNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/FjzPJpGQ0e">pic.twitter.com/FjzPJpGQ0e</a>
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIHouston/status/1892364104280555908?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
Fox News reporter Brooke Taylor said that Chief Baimbridge with Spring Branch ISD indicated that the two suspects were girls.
They allegedly were &#8220;going to place pipe bombs across Memorial High School and shoot up the students,&#8221; Taylor wrote. &#8220;The 16 girl student who attends the school was found at the school about 30 minutes after the threat.&#8221;
The threats were transmitted over social media and were &#8220;extremely detailed,&#8221; Taylor added, &#8220;which is why police believe it to be so credible.&#8221;
Fox 26 Houston <a href="https://www.fox26houston.com/news/montgomery-county-crime-2-students-arrested-plotting-mass-casualty-attack-against-memorial-high-school">reported</a> one of the students was from Willis High School while the other was from Spring Branch ISD.
&#8220;The safety and security of our schools and community remain our highest priority,&#8221; the Montgomery County Sheriff&#8217;s Office said in a statement. &#8220;We understand the concerns this situation may cause for students, parents, and faculty, and we are taking every necessary precaution.&#8221;
&#8220;Additional security measures have been implemented, and we continue to work closely with school officials and our law enforcement partners to ensure a safe environment,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;We encourage the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. If you see something, say something. This investigation is in the early stages, and we are reviewing all available evidence. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
UPDATE: I just spoke to Chief Baimbridge with Spring Branch ISD. He tells me two teenage girls, 15 &amp; 16 years old, were going to place pipe bombs across Memorial High School and shoot up the students. The 16 girl student who attends the school was found at the school about 30…
— Brooke Taylor (@Brooketaylortv) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brooketaylortv/status/1892380805399531671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote>

A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investi

Two Teen Girls Arrested For Plotting Mass Casualty Attack On High School: Report

Police said &#8220;around 10 people&#8221; were killed — including the suspected gunman — in a shooting at a school in central <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweden</a>, marking the worst mass shooting in the nation&#8217;s history.
Officers were <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/04/europe/orebro-sweden-school-shooting-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called</a> around 12:30 p.m. local time to a campus in Örebro, where a lone gunman allegedly opened fire on dozens of people and then shot himself before coming into contact with authorities, according to a report by CNN.
&#8220;We think he is a lone perpetrator,&#8221; local police chief Roberto Eid Forest added. &#8220;It&#8217;s a terrible event, it&#8217;s exceptional – a nightmare.&#8221;
Forest was not able to provide an exact death toll due to the extensive damage at the crime scene, although he did note that six people were taken to the hospital, with two being in stable condition.
Sweden&#8217;s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson offered condolences to the victims&#8217; families, stating, &#8220;We&#8217;ve today seen brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people – this is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history.&#8221;
Police said the suspect was not previously known to them and did not appear to have extremist ties or gang affiliation.
Campus Risbergska, the adult education center where the attack occurred, usually sees high pedestrian traffic during the day. However, a teacher at the school noted that on the day of the shooting, many students had finished a national exam and gone home, leaving the building significantly less crowded.
Sweden’s Expressen newspaper interviewed Andreas Sundling, 28, who sheltered in a classroom during the shooting. 
“We heard three bangs and loud screams … now we’re sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school,” Sundling <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sweden-shooting-adult-education-center-6be99a59fa3404ae296589e60c881f6c?taid=67a25450f4a0e500015229dd&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recounted</a>, via The Associated Press. 
The witness, who was sheltering in a classroom, added that students were told to lock down until law enforcement arrived to secure the area. Police later began evacuating schools adjacent to Campus Risbergska, moving faculty and students to safer locations as officers searched the premises. 
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf released a statement expressing that he and his family had received the news “with sadness and dismay,” extending condolences to the families of the victims and praying for a swift recovery of the hospitalized students. 
While details surrounding the shooter’s motives remain under investigation, authorities have said there is no current indication of a wider plot.
In 2023, official data showed Sweden experiencing one of the highest rates of gun violence per capita in Europe, and in 2024, at least 40 people were reportedly fatally shot.

SWEDEN-CRIME-SHOOTING

‘A Nightmare’: At Least 10 Dead In Shooting At Swedish School

Europe

Gun Control

Sweden

Fourteen-year-old student Rubi Vergara and substitute teacher Erin West have been identified as the two people killed by a 15-year-old female shooter who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS) in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday morning.
Both Vergara and West died at the scene of the shooting from &#8220;firearm-related trauma,&#8221; the medical examiner&#8217;s office said on Wednesday, according to the <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/breaking/2024/12/18/first-victim-of-mondays-school-shooting-in-madison-has-been-identified/77076171007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Milwaukee Journal Sentinel</a>. The 15-year-old shooter, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, opened fire with a handgun in a study hall classroom that had students from mixed grades. She killed Vergara and West and wounded six others before turning the gun on herself.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said that police currently don&#8217;t have any indication that the shooter was targeting specific people. Barnes added that he did not know if the shooter was assigned to that particular study hall.
&#8220;The shooter made a decision to walk into that study hall with mixed high school students and open fire,” Barnes told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Everyone in that room had an equal chance of dying that day.”
An <a href="https://gundersonfh.com/obituaries/Rubi-Patricia-Vergara?obId=34144130" target="_blank" rel="noopener">obituary</a> for Vergara posted on Wednesday evening said the high school freshman was &#8220;an avid reader, loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band.&#8221;
“Her gentle, loving, and kind heart was reflected in her smile. Rubi was a blessing to her class and our school. She was not only a good friend, but a great big sister,” ALCS said in a statement, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wisconsin-school-shooting-victims-named-teacher-erin-west-rubi-vergara-rcna184803" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC News</a>.
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“Often seen with a book in hand, she had a gift for art and music. Yet, it was Rubi’s love for Jesus that shined brightest and she shared His love with others by volunteering faithfully,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;She will be missed deeply by her teachers and fellow students.&#8221;
West, 42, of DeForest, Wisconsin, was a substitute teacher for three years before she took the full-time role as the in-house substitute teacher and coordinator for ALCS.
“She served our teachers and students with grace, humor, wisdom, and — most importantly — with the love of Jesus. Her loss is a painful and deep one and she will be greatly missed not just among our staff, but our entire ALCS family,” the school said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The medical examiner in Madison, Wisconsin, has identified the two victims who lost their lives in this week’s shooting at Abundant Life Christian School.
The victims were 14-year-old Rubi P. Vergara, a student from Madison, and 42-year-old Erin M. West, a resident of DeForest,… <a href="https://t.co/1JeXhgnx3f">pic.twitter.com/1JeXhgnx3f</a>
— Crime With Bobby (@CrimeWithBobby) <a href="https://twitter.com/CrimeWithBobby/status/1869603514118471781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
A teacher and five students were wounded in the shooting. The surviving victims have not been identified, and four remain hospitalized, including two in critical condition, according to the most recent update from police. Authorities are still trying to determine a possible motive for the shooting and are looking into <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-looking-into-possible-writings-belonging-to-wisconsin-school-shooter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writings</a> potentially belonging to the female shooter.

Victims Killed In Wisconsin Christian School Shooting Identified

Christians

Victim

A California man was detained by the FBI on Tuesday night after he communicated with the 15-year-old Wisconsin school shooter and allegedly plotted his own mass shooting at a government building, according to police, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-man-told-wisconsin-shooting-suspect-plan-attack-government-rcna184794" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Authorities seized guns and ammunition from the Carlsbad, California, home of a 20-year-old male on Tuesday night. The seizure was authorized by a San Diego Superior Court judge who approved a &#8220;gun violence restraining order,&#8221; often called a &#8220;red flag&#8221; law, according to <a href="https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/fbi-links-carlsbad-man-to-wisconsin-school-shooting-suspect/3704417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBC 7</a>.
The man was detained “after he was discovered plotting a mass shooting with the Madison Wisconsin shooter,” a Carlsbad police officer wrote in the gun order.
According to the order, the 20-year-old suspect &#8220;admitted to the FBI agents&#8221; that he talked with the teen girl before she killed two people and wounded several others at a Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin, on Monday morning. The man allegedly told her &#8220;that he would arm himself with explosives and a gun and that he would target a government building.&#8221; The Wisconsin school shooter was found at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the hospital. Police say that she used a handgun.
NBC News reported that it was unclear if the California man was arrested or charged after he was detained for questioning. How and why the man was allegedly in communication with the Wisconsin shooter also remains unclear. The Carlsbad Police Department assured the public on Wednesday night that &#8220;there is no threat to the Carlsbad community at this time.&#8221;
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Madison, Wisconsin, authorities are still working to determine a motive for the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School. The 15-year-old girl opened fire in a study hall classroom that had students of mixed grades, killing a classmate and substitute teacher and wounding six others. Police said earlier this week that they are looking into writings possibly authored by the shooter. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told CNN on Tuesday that authorities “have been made aware of a manifesto … or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who alleged to be her friend.”
Court records obtained by <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/12/17/madison-wisconsin-school-shooter-natalie-rupnow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post</a> show that the shooter, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, was in therapy over her troubled home life. The 15-year-old split time between her mom and dad, who divorced in 2014, remarried in 2017, divorced again in 2020, and then remarried for a second time. By April 2021, the couple petitioned for a third divorce and were &#8220;admonished&#8221; by a judge &#8220;concerning remarriage.&#8221;
By July 2022, the shooter was enrolled in therapy to help guide decisions on which parent she would spend weekends with, court records show, according to the Post. Her parents&#8217; custody agreement moved her between her mom and dad every two to three days.
Asked at a Tuesday press conference how the shooter would have been able to obtain a firearm, Chief Barnes replied, &#8220;How does any 15-year-old get ahold of a gun?”

FBI Detains Man Who Plotted With Wisconsin School Shooter, Wanted To Target Government, Police Say

FBI Detained Man Who Plotted Mass Shooting With Wisconsin Shooter, Police Say

California

Madison, Wisconsin, police are looking into a possible manifesto or letter written by the 15-year-old female shooter who killed a classmate and a teacher and wounded several others before turning the gun on herself at Abundant Life Christian School (ALCS) on Monday morning.
Police revealed the identity of the shooter, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, during a Monday night press conference. The teen girl used a handgun that police recovered from the scene and was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/madison-wisconsin-school-shooting-12-17-24#cm4sfhux10005356mw8v2ikhl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> on Tuesday that authorities &#8220;have been made aware of a manifesto &#8230; or some type of letter that’s been posted by someone who alleged to be her friend.&#8221;
&#8220;We haven’t been able to locate that person yet, but that’s something we’re going to work on today,&#8221; Barnes added.
Social media posts have circulated claiming to reveal what the shooter wrote before the fatal shootings, but so far, police have not confirmed the authenticity of any alleged manifesto. The police chief also addressed unsubstantiated claims that have spread on social media claiming that the shooter identified as transgender. Barnes said on Monday night that authorities &#8220;don&#8217;t know&#8221; whether the shooter &#8220;was transgender or not.&#8221;
&#8220;And quite frankly, I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s even important,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s important at all. I don&#8217;t think that whatever happened today has anything to do with how she or he or they may have wanted to identify and I wish people would kind of leave their own personal biases out of this.&#8221;
&#8220;So whether or not she was, he was, they were transgender — it&#8217;s something that may come out later, but for what we&#8217;re doing right now today, literally eight hours after a mass shooting in a school in Madison, it is of no consequence at this time,&#8221; the chief added. &#8220;And so I would encourage people to be responsible with your social media.&#8221;
ALCS was beginning its last week before Christmas break. The school <a href="https://www.alcs.us/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offers</a> education for students from kindergarten through 12th grade.
Police searched the home of the shooter&#8217;s parents with their consent on Monday evening, FOX&#8217;s Madison affiliate WMSN <a href="https://fox47.com/news/local/alcs-shooter-home-searched-shooters-parents-are-cooperating-police-say#" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;We’ll also be looking through her effects – if she had a computer or cell phone – to see if there are any transmissions between her and someone else,&#8221; Barnes added.
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The chief said the parents &#8220;are fully cooperating,&#8221; and there is &#8220;no reason to believe that they have committed a crime at this time.&#8221;
Barnes initially stated that the first 911 call was made by a second-grader, but he clarified on Tuesday that the first call came from a second-grade teacher at the school around 10:57 a.m. after the shooter opened fire in a classroom during study hall, and police responded within minutes. Upon entering the school, officers found that the shooter was already dead and immediately began life-saving efforts on the wounded. Six people, including a teacher, were transported to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening. Two of the victims have been released from the hospital.
A teacher and a teenage student were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting. Authorities have not revealed the identities of the victims as they wait for family members to be informed first. Pastor Chris Dolson, who spoke at a vigil on Monday night, said that one of the dead was a substitute teacher who came to work after another teacher called in sick, CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/madison-wisconsin-school-shooting-what-we-know/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
This story has been updated with additional information.

Police Looking Into Possible Writings Belonging To Wisconsin School Shooter

The father of the 14-year-old boy suspected of killing four people during a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, was arrested Thursday and charged with murder for allegedly allowing his son to have access to a weapon. 
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) announced that the father had been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. 
GBI Director Chris Hosey <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzeVgzXixmU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the charges stemmed from the father “knowingly allowing his son” to “possess a weapon” but did not provide any further details. 
The suspected attacker, who will not be named per Daily Wire policy, has been charged with four felony counts of murder and is expected to be tried as an adult. 
Those killed in the mass shooting were 14-year-old students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo and math teachers Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53. Nine others were injured in the shooting, which was stopped by a school resource officer who confronted the attacker. 
Earlier this year, the parents of a teenager who shot and killed four students at a school in Oxford, Michigan, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/parents-of-michigan-school-shooter-sentenced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">were sentenced</a> to 10 to 15 years in prison, the first time in history parents have been convicted over a mass shooting committed by their child. 
“This is a time for all of us as a community and a state to come together and remain vigilant,” Hosey said at a press conference on Thursday. “Students must be supported and encouraged here in this community and across this state to contact a member of their school faculty with any and all concerns of suspicious activity that they may see.” 
In an update on its investigation into the attack, GBI said that there had been reports of other students making threats against schools throughout the state and that police had made arrests in each instance. 
Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith announced on Thursday that the nine injured during the attack are all expected to fully recover, though several are still hospitalized. 
“A young person brought a gun into a school and committed an evil act and he took lives and he injured many other people — not only physically but mentally,” he said. 
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi">FBI</a> acknowledged on Wednesday night that it had received tips last year about the suspected shooter but did not have probable cause to make an arrest.

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