Trump Assassination Attempt Stuns Nation, Disrupts Pa. Rally

Ben Sellers
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Trump Assassination Attempt Stuns Nation, Disrupts Pa. Rally

Update: Shortly after the publication of this article, an eyewitness reported two shooters. See that witness’s account here.

(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) An apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump cut short a rally in Butler, Pa., and shocked the nation, throwing another curveball into a tumultuous race just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Trump was escorted off the stage pumping his fist to signal to the crowd that he was OK but with blood visibly over his right ear, which he had grabbed before dropping to the ground as a series of percussive noises like shots sounded and smoke was reported as well.

Many in the crowd looked toward the direction that would have been Trump’s right as he faced the audience.

Trump stayed down for a few harrowing seconds as Secret Service rushed the stage but got up and said “Let me get my shoes on,” then walked off fully conscious.

There was no immediate confirmation that the incident was a shooting, and initial statements from the White House and Secret Service both pointedly referred to it as an “incident.”

The Trump campaign issued a statement saying “President Trump thanks law enforcement and first responders for their quick response. He is fine.”

It went on to say Trump was being checked out at a local facility.

The situation is now an active Secret Service investigation, although there was no initial report of a suspect or suspects. In one video, however, the Secret Service appeared to say “Shooter’s down.”

Pennsylvania senatorial candidate David McCormick told Fox News that there was “definitely someone injured” behind him in the bleachers who was carried out. He said it looked like a larger man. He had shirts wrapped around him to stem the bleeding.

“Some police officers came in and carried him out of the stands,” he said. “… Whether there were other people wounded or not, I couldn’t tell. Of course it was an enormous crowd.”

McCormick said it sounded like a small-caliber weapon of some sort, although he couldn’t tell if it was one or two.

He said he thought Trump was lucky to be alive based on the circumstances.

Many people, including conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, have sounded the alarm that with the rhetoric coming from the Left an attack on Trump seemed all but imminent.

Headline USA suggested in April that an assassination could be one of several “game-changing” events that would disrupt the trajectory of the campaign cycle.

President Joe Biden and other Democrats who have tacitly endorsed political violence against conservatives are likely to come under intense focus, including Biden’s recent remarks that it was “time to put Trump in a bullseye”

Ben Sellers is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/realbensellers.

House Committee Subpoenas Mayorkas over Terrorist Data, National Security Threats

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House Committee Subpoenas Mayorkas over Terrorist Data, National Security Threats

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) – U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn. subpoenaed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday seeking information he and other House Republicans have requested for over a year about the record number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) illegally entering the U.S.

The subpoena follows several unanswered requests previously made by Green and the Republican chairs of the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. They and others have expressed concerns about the skyrocketing number of KSTs who’ve been apprehended after attempting to evade capture between the ports of entry at the Southwest border under the Biden administration.

If they hadn’t been apprehended, they’d be among the more than two million gotaways who illegally entered the U.S. since the president’s been in office. Gotaways is the official CBP term that refers to foreign nationals who evade capture after illegally entering the U.S. The number is a “best guess,” law enforcement officials have explained to The Center Square, and is underreported by between 10% and 20%. DHS and other officials have no idea who the gotaways are or how many or where they are, The Center Square has reported.

Since fiscal 2021, more than 370 KSTs have been apprehended after illegally entering between ports of entry at the southwest border compared to 14 between fiscal years 2017 and 2020, according to CBP data.

Overall, more than 1,700 KSTs have been apprehended illegally entering the U.S. since fiscal 2021 as of July 12, with the majority apprehended at the northern border (1,054), according to CBP data.

The subpoena was issued after more than a year of DHS “stonewalling and failure to satisfy the Committee’s document and information requests related to the record number of inadmissible aliens on the Terrorist Screening Data Set who are crossing the Southwest border between ports of entry,” Green said in a statement on Friday.

“President Biden and his now-impeached DHS secretary’s refusal to secure our borders or comply with our laws is putting our country in rapidly growing peril,” Green said after numerous officials have continued to warn about increased terrorist threats because of the Biden administration’s “open border policies.”

“The Biden administration has utterly failed to safeguard the American people by allowing millions of otherwise inadmissible aliens into the country with limited screening and vetting, including tens of thousands of special interest aliens,” Green said. “Secretary Mayorkas has continued to stonewall congressional oversight and clearly will not comply unless compelled to do so – because he knows this information places the blame squarely at his and President Biden’s feet.”

The subpoena was also issued after 21 Republican U.S. senators demanded answers from Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray about federal agents releasing illegal border crossers into the U.S. who weren’t properly vetted and were later discovered to have alleged terrorist connections. They demanded answers after the U.S. House Intelligence Committee chairman and a retired CIA director warned that potential terrorist attacks could occur on U.S. soil before the end of the year, The Center Square reported.

Wray testified earlier this year about potential terrorist threats connected to the Islamic terrorist organization, ISIS. Not soon after, NBC News reported that DHS had identified more than 400 foreign nationals from countries of foreign concern in Central Asia who were connected to an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network and illegally entered the U.S., The Center Square reported.

The senators also highlighted examples of “multiple recent releases of aliens on the terrorist watchlist into the United States,” including from Afghanistan, Jordan, Somalia, Uzbekistan and others.

The majority of the KSTs who illegally entered through the southwest border and were released into the U.S. were released because CBP said they weren’t on the terrorist watchlist, “according to the three officials, and the agency did not have information raising concerns at the time,” NBC News reported.

The OIG’s report contradicts this argument, noting in a recent audit that DHS’ “ineffective practices and processes for resolving inconclusive matches with the Terrorist Watchlist led to multiple mistakes.” Agency deficiencies have allowed KSTs to illegally enter the U.S. and “potentially threaten national security and public safety,” the OIG warned.

List of Republican National Convention Speakers Released

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List of Republican National Convention Speakers Released

(Headline USA) The Republican party published a list of who is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention.

Former first lady Melania Trump will attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee next week, but she is not expected to address the gathering.

The list has the three top contenders for the vice presidential nomination — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — as well as a mix of Trump allies from inside and outside government.

Those who are slated to speak this year include Trump’s two oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Lee Greenwood, the singer of Trump’s walk-on song, “God Bless the USA,” is also on the program, as is the model and rapper Amber Rose and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.

Other notable names include evangelist Franklin Graham, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien and the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio, who was highly critical of President Joe Biden’s response to a 2023 train derailment that spewed a cloud of hazardous chemicals into the air.

Some senior Trump campaign officials credit the former president’s trip to the town in the aftermath of the derailment as one of the most significant moments of his campaign and key to his transformation from exiled former leader to GOP front-runner.

Also appearing on stage will be Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s fiercest primary rivals.

Nikki Haley was not invited.

The schedule includes former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who is currently in jail on contempt of Congress charges.

Navarro was found guilty in September of contempt of Congress charges for refusing to cooperate with a congressional witch hunt obsessing over January 6th.

The campaign previously announced a list of lesser known citizens who will be featured, including a group of students and fraternity brothers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, parents having trouble making ends meet, and his former golf caddie.

Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press

Poll: 66% of Democrats Would Pick Someone Other than Biden if Given Specific Options

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Poll: 66% of Democrats Would Pick Someone Other than Biden if Given Specific Options

(Brett Rowland, The Center Square) – A new poll shows 30% of Democrats would pick someone other than Joe Biden as their nominee in the 2024 election if other generic options existed. That climbs to 66% if voters were given specific alternatives.

The polling underscores recent concerns about Biden’s leadership and ability to govern. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll, conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights, found 30% of Democrats would pick an unnamed someone else, but more (58%) would stick with Biden even after the disastrous first debate with former President Donald Trump. Another 12% of likely Democratic voters were unsure.

Given specific alternative choices, likely Democrat voters split among several high-profile Democrats. Asked if they could wave a magic wand and pick the Democratic presidential candidate for the November election, likely Democrat voters would pick Biden (34%), Vice President Kamala Harris (15%), former First Lady Michelle Obama (15%), California Gov. Gavin Newsom (7%), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (7%), former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (5%), Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (5%), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (3%), U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (2%) or Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (1%). Another 6% would chose someone else. That’s two-thirds of Democratic voters who would select someone other than Biden.

“It’s a pretty bad number for someone who’s already won a primary,” David Byler of Noble Predictive Insights told The Center Square. “When people are given other named options, two thirds of the Democrats pick somebody else.”

Biden’s poor debate showing against former President Donald Trump renewed concerns about his cognitive abilities and his ability to remain in office for another four-year term.

Biden, 81, has shown visible signs of aging throughout his presidency, which were punctuated by Special Counsel Robert Hur’s final report on his investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents after he left the White House following his term as vice president under Barack Obama.

Hur declined to charge Biden, but his report highlighted Biden’s trouble remembering things, including the year his son died.

“In his interview with our office, Mr. Biden’s memory was worse,” according to the report, as The Center Square previously reported. “He did not remember when he was vice president, forgetting on the first day of the interview when his term ended (‘if it was 2013 – when did I stop being Vice President?’), and forgetting on the second day of the interview when his term began (‘in 2009, am I still Vice President?’)”

The report continued:

“He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him.”

Since the debate, when Biden repeatedly stuttered and faltered, and at times became incoherent and trailed off, some Democrats have called for him to step aside from seeking reelection. Biden has said he plans to continue on as his party’s nominee despite those concerns.

The poll was conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights from July 8-11 and surveyed nearly 2,300 likely voters with a margin of error of 2.1%.

Nearly Half of Small Businesses Say They Won’t Survive 2nd Biden Term

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Nearly Half of Small Businesses Say They Won’t Survive 2nd Biden Term

(Bethany Blankley, The Center Square) Nearly half of 80,000 small businesses surveyed say they won’t survive the current economic climate, ongoing inflation, or another four years of Biden administration policies, according to the survey conducted by RedBalloon and Public Square.

Their May Freedom Economy Index found that small businesses “remain in survival mode,” with 40% delaying paying bills to manage cash flow and 70 percent putting staffing plans on hold, neither hiring nor reducing staff, “the highest reading … over the past year,” the report states.

Among those surveyed, 64% said the U.S. is headed toward stagflation, when inflation continues to climb and the economic rate slows.

Nearly half of the businesses surveyed said they “definitely” (22.4%) or “probably” (26.2%) won’t survive continued inflation or “survive another 4-year term of a Biden presidency.”

An overwhelming majority, 90%, said a top priority for a second Trump administration would be to “control the border,” after more than 12 million foreign nationals have illegally entered the U.S. and violent crime has escalated since President Joe Biden took office, The Center Square has exclusively reported.

The survey queried 80,000 small businesses with fewer than 500 employees nationwide, including those in the retail, hospitality, service, and restaurant industries.

“It’s been a difficult 3 years for America’s small businesses,” PublicSquare’s CEO Michael Seifert said. “While many inside the Beltway may feel like things are good, that isn’t translating to Main Street America – the frontlines of our small business economy.”

“Just like families all across the nation, many small business owners are now in bill-paying triage,” RedBalloon’s CEO Andrew Crapuchettes said. “All of the government reports and happy-talk from Washington, D.C. doesn’t change that Americans continue wrestling with inflation, and a majority of small business owners now predict we’ll slip into stagflation.”

The survey includes “verbatim” written answers from small business owners about the financial struggles they face.

When asked, “What (if any) changes would you consider making to your business plans in preparation for a second Biden term?,” small business owners said they couldn’t make it.

One said, “Actively look at selling out to a larger competitor.” Another said, “Close my businesses.” Still another, “Cross my fingers? I don’t even want to consider that.”

Others said, “Decrease staff – cut costs;” “Elimination of lower performing business units, decrease staffing by 50%.”

Still others: “I would just shut the doors. We have already reduced cost as much as we possibly can to survive as it is. We would have no choice.”

“There are none to make. Have had to borrow money & with the drop in business, there’s nothing more I can do. My daughter & I work 14 hours a day.”

“I will most likely have to close.”

“I would lay off all workers and transition to a self-employed business.”

“No changes can be made without just closing the doors. We have already cut costs to the bare minimum.”

“There is nothing I can afford to do in addition to what I’m already doing. If things don’t change, I’ll be finished.”

“We want to sell now and not take that chance.”

“Freeze on all new equipment, no new hires, decrease of hours for all employees.”

“I would close approximately half of my locations.”

“I, grievously, will probably have to close my business.”

“Laying off associates to stay afloat or just close the doors.”

“Buckle down and hope he doesn’t run us into the ground.”

“Sadly but probably close my business.”

Nearly half of those surveyed, 49%, have been in business for more than 10 years; nearly 28% have been in business for three to 10 years.

If He Wins, Who Would Serve in Trump’s Cabinet?

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If He Wins, Who Would Serve in Trump’s Cabinet?

(Casey Harper, The Center Square) Former President Donald Trump continues to hold a lead in polling over President Joe Biden as Republicans gather Monday in Milwaukee for their convention, meaning Trump’s potential cabinet nominees could be running the government by January.

That raises the question: who would those appointments be, exactly, if he does win in November?

So far, Trump has remained largely mum on potential appointments, but there are some clues as to who could be put in charge of the nation’s most powerful government agencies.

First in consideration could be Trump’s primary opponents.

After winning in 2016, Trump went on to appoint two of his bested opponents to cabinet positions.

Renowned neurosurgeon Ben Carson became director of Housing and Urban Development. This time around, Carson could be renamed to lead HUD or another agency, assuming he is not named the vice president candidate. His medical background could qualify him for a spot somewhere in the federal health apparatus.

Trump named another primary opponent, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as chair of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission in 2017. Christie has since become an avid opponent of the former president.

President Joe Biden followed a similar pattern after the 2020 election, putting his former primary opponents in power. Then-Senator Kamala Harris became vice president, and Pete Buttigieg became transportation secretary.

For this primary, there are several options. Billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy has refrained from attacking Trump and largely backed the “America First” agenda. Ramaswamy’s loyalty plus his business acumen could send him to the Commerce Department, Treasury Department, Small Business Administration, or elsewhere.

Ramaswamy’s aggressive stance during the primary on cutting federal agencies’ size and power could make him fit for taking on leading the Department of Education or even the IRS, two agencies conservatives have long wanted to gut, if Trump decides to go that direction.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley both soured their relationship with Trump during the primary, but it’s still possible they could be nabbed for the administration.

DeSantis has fought the “woke agenda” hard, particularly in education in his home state.

Haley has boasted of her foreign policy chops. She served as ambassador to the United Nations during the previous Trump administration.

“I think she’s going to be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, the same thoughts,” Trump told News 12 New York in May after Haley publicly said she would vote for Trump. “I appreciated what she said. You know, we had a nasty campaign. It was pretty nasty. But she’s a very capable person, and I’m sure she’s going to be on our team in some form, absolutely.”

It’s unclear if Trump was referring to having Haley help with the campaign, the administration, or both.

Of course, Trump’s other potential vice presidential candidates could also reasonably make for potential cabinet positions. Some of those on the list are from the Republican primary race, while many of the other primary contenders may not have drawn enough attention to make the shortlist.

As The Center Square previously reported, the Trump campaign reportedly sent out formal requests in their VP search asking the following Republican leaders for more information: Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, New York U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, Arkansas U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton as well as former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Carson.

Donalds, Rubio, and Scott face Constitutional issues in pairing up with Trump on the ticket since they are all from Florida.

Several of these senators could reasonably be appointed to cabinet positions. Last time around, Trump pulled then-Sen. Jeff Sessions from the Senate and made him attorney general.

Cotton has military experience in the Army and serves on the Senate Committee on Armed Services and the Intelligence Committee, possibly putting him in the conversation to lead at the CIA, State Department, Veterans Affairs, as well as other military-related roles. Cotton also sits on the Judiciary Committee

Rubio could fill a similar slot given his defense-related chops, considered an area of focus for the lawmaker. Rubio’s committee assignments include the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations. On the latter committee, he serves on the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.

Burgum, who faced off against Trump in the primary, is a wealthy businessman who could qualify for similar cabinet positions as Ramaswamy.

Soros Empire Heir Endorses Biden, Despite Swamp Saying Otherwise

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Soros Empire Heir Endorses Biden, Despite Swamp Saying Otherwise

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Alex Soros, the son of America-hating billionaire George Soros and the heir to his father’s destructive far-left empire, recently endorsed Joe Biden for re-election despite the entire establishment recently saying that the senile old man should leave the White House. 

The Daily Wire reported that George handed over his $25 billion empire to Alex last summer. Last year, Alex met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Brazil’s leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Let’s stop running against ourselves and run against the existential threat that is Donald Trump! Biden-Harris 2024!” Alex Soros wrote on July 10, 2024.

Four days earlier, after the infamous presidential debate in which Biden’s performance catalyzed a drop in the polls, Alex shared the article by Bloomberg News that insisted that Biden narrowed a gap with Trump in swing states, even though he lost the debate.

Even though George became notorious for being a major force in promoting far-left causes to destroy Western civilization, in general, and the United States, in particular, for many decades by financially supporting leftist prosecutors in the U.S., among many other things, Alex previously stated that he is even more political than his father.

“To date, [George] Soros has shelled out more than $40 million on direct campaign spending in the past 10 years to elect rogue prosecutors. Those prosecutors have jurisdiction over 72 million Americans, including 25 of America’s 50 most populous cities and counties,” the Heritage Foundation reported in January 2023.

George Soros spent more than $23 million to help Democrats win the 2004 election. In 2012, he donated $1 million to the super PAC Priorities USA Action, which backed Barack Obama.

It was also previously reported that George gave $500,000 to the Biden Victory Fund while sending millions more to super PACs backing him during the 2020 election season. He also donated $250,000 to the Biden Victory Fund last year.

Democratic Socialists of America Withdraws Endorsement of AOC

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Democratic Socialists of America Withdraws Endorsement of AOC

(Headline USA) The Democratic Socialists of America withdrew its endorsement of “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez, D-N.Y., for not being far left enough on Israel’s military strike in Gaza.

In a memo on Wednesday, the DSA acknowledged Ocasio–Cortez has taken some “courageous positions on Palestine,” but said she has not done enough to oppose Israel.

The memo cited her recent panel with leaders from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, calling it a “deep betrayal to all those who’ve risked their welfare to fight Israeli apartheid and genocide through political and direct action in recent months, and in decades past.”

The DSA also took issue with “[Ocasio-Cortez’s] votes, including a vote in favor of H.Res.888, conflating opposition to Israel’s ‘right to exist’ with antisemitism,” and a press release in April she co-signed that “support[s] strengthening the Iron Dome and other defense systems.”

Because of this, the DSA said it would be revoking its endorsement of Ocasio–Cortez, which it gave to her in June on the condition that she publicly oppose all funding to Israel, participate in the DSA committee, publicly oppose criminalization of all “anti-Zionism,” and publicly support efforts to “end Israel settler-colonialism.”

The group added, “A national DSA endorsement comes with a serious commitment to the movement for Palestine and our collective socialist project. To build a socialist movement that’s capable of defeating capitalism, we must demand more from leaders in our movement.”

In 2018, Ocasio–Cortez became the first female member of the DSA to be elected to Congress, alongside her fellow “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. She is still endorsed by the DSA’s New York chapter.

Ocasio–Cortez has been openly critical of the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel and has demanded that President Joe Biden pressure Israel to agree to a permanent ceasefire against Hamas. 

However, other groups that considered themselves central to her political rise, such as the Justice Democrats, have likewise signaled that the former bartender from the Bronx has lost site of their core values on her climb up the political ladder.

She has not commented on the DSA’s withdrawal of support for her campaign.

Biden Has Not Met w/ Full Cabinet Since End of 2023

Dmytro "Henry" Aleksandrov
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Biden Has Not Met w/ Full Cabinet Since End of 2023

(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Joe Biden, who is facing pressure from Democrats to drop out of the 2024 race because he is a senile old man, has not held a full Cabinet meeting since the beginning of October 2023 and left its members in the dark about his both physical and mental conditions.

Biden and his administration have been attempting to reassure supporters that he is capable of leading effectively and running for a second term after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump late last month in which he showed to the entire world once again that he is not supposed to be in the White House.

The Daily Wire reported that the last full Cabinet meeting took place more than half a year ago on Oct. 2, 2023, citing one unnamed secretary who said members of the Cabinet were uncertain of how the 81-year-old was doing because they hardly ever get to see Biden.

Before closed-door Cabinet meetings — when they had been taking place — it was usual for them to submit questions and talking points to White House aides in advance, the anonymous sources said, adding that the gatherings were “not free-wheeling, and pretty well-orchestrated.”

The White House tried to defend its decision by sharing a statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who said that the story described the Cabinet meetings as “standard practice for any administration” because “there should not be a surprise in Cabinet meetings.”

House Republicans previously pressed Kamala Harris to get a majority of the Cabinet to remove the president from office using the 25th Amendment, at least since February, after a special counsel report that spoke about Biden exhibiting memory problems was released.

On July 10, 2024, they cranked up the pressure on the White House when Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-K.Y., subpoenaed three of Biden’s staffers after it was revealed that they were seeking to cover up Biden’s declining cognitive state.

Sacramento Threatens to Fine Target for Reporting Retail Thefts

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Sacramento Threatens to Fine Target for Reporting Retail Thefts

(Headline USA) Sacramento officials threatened to sue Target this week if the corporation continues to report retail theft crimes to local law enforcement.

The Sacramento City Attorney’s Office allegedly warned Target, located in Land Park, that it could face public nuisance charges if it continues to call the cops when its merchandise is stolen, according to the Sacramento Bee.

An official with the Sacramento Police Department confirmed the location to the publication. But the City Attorney’s Office denied that it was aware of any litigation threats.

However, city officials reportedly met with Target during a meeting following the report to come up with a “safety plan” to mitigate future retail theft. During the meeting, city officials allegedly aired their grievances against Target, which agreed to beef up its own security measures—including “alarms, cameras, and security personnel” along with the implementation of “light fixtures, landscaping, wayfinding and space activation measures,” according to the Bee.

In response to the report, state lawmakers also took action and added an amendment to a retail theft bill this week that would outlaw these types of threats toward businesses from authorities.

California Republicans, who have raised concerns about the retail theft bill, blasted Gov. Gavin Newsom and his “pro-criminal policies” for punishing law-abiding businesses and rewarding criminals.

“Newsom keeps insisting that reports of theft are dropping—well, now we know why. Not only are thieves let off without even a slap on the wrist, but now the victims are being threatened for even reporting crimes,” said California Assembly GOP leader James Gallagher.

Even leftists in the state agreed that Sacramento’s alleged behavior toward Target was disconcerting. Blake Randol, a criminal justice professor at California State University, Stanislaus, told the Sacramento Bee that Sacramento’s alleged actions would only deter other businesses from reporting future crimes.

“What’s problematic is that what Target is complaining about is a legitimate crime concern,” Randol said. “The city does have a responsibility to be more responsive to the public and be responsive to crime control demands from the public.”

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