International
Elon Musk, JD Vance, others to appear at Trump’s return rally in Butler, PA, on Saturday

From LifeSiteNews
By Stephen Kokx
Donald Trump is holding a rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, at the same location where he was nearly assassinated three months ago, with allies including Elon Musk set to join him.
Saturday afternoon at 5 pm (EST), Donald Trump will hold a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, at the same location he nearly lost his life at just three short months ago.
“I’m going back to Butler because I feel I have an obligation to go back to Butler. We never finished what we were supposed to do,” Trump told NewsNation earlier this week.
Trump will be joined by a literal army of his closest political allies, including running mate JD Vance, son Eric and daughter-in-law Lara Trump — co-chair of the Republican National Committee — and Elon Musk, who shared news of his planned attendance on X.
I will be there to support! https://t.co/nokR0g3dn1
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
Also scheduled to appear is the family of slain firefighter Corey Comperatore, a dozen Pennsylvania sheriffs, multiple congressmen, and many persons who also attended Trump’s last rally at the Butler Farm Show Inc. location on July 13.
Although the Secret Service urged Trump to not hold events outside following the assassination attempt, the former president announced on TRUTH Social just days later that he would not be doing so and that he would be returning to Butler. Some commentators accused the agency’s request of being a form of election interference intended to suppress enthusiasm for Trump.
Security is expected to be extremely tight at the rally. The monumental breakdown in coordination between local police and federal agents that allowed a 20-year-old shooter to fire multiple rounds at Trump’s head while he was on stage has still not been fully clarified, prompting speculation that the effort was an “inside job” carried out by intelligence agencies to replace Trump as the GOP’s nominee with a more pro-war candidate.
After the July shooting, scores of political commentators and religious figures attributed Trump’s survival to God’s protection. Trump himself said as much in his GOP nominee acceptance speech just five days later. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight … I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of Almighty God,” he said.
Trump’s wife Melania, who recently came out in support of a women’s right to an abortion, also described his surviving two assassination attempts as “miracles.” She has also blamed Democrats and liberal media outlets that have labeled him as a “threat to democracy” for why the shootings took place.
On August 8, the state of Pennsylvania published several X posts informing residents that it is likely there won’t be a clear winner on election night.
“Pennsylvanians won’t always know the final results of all races on election night. Any changes in results that occur as counties continue to count ballots are not evidence that an election is ‘rigged’,” said the state, which has faced criticism over election irregularities in recent years.
Without Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral College votes, Trump would have to win Republican-leaning states like North Carolina and Georgia and pick up Arizona and Nevada, both of which he lost to Joe Biden in 2020. And even then, he would only be at 268. He would still have to win a typically Democratic state like New Hampshire (4 Electoral College votes), Wisconsin (10), or Michigan (15), to surpass the 270 threshold. But with Pennsylvania in his column, all Trump has to do is retain North Carolina and Georgia and he will receive the necessary 270 votes.
Daily Caller
Amazon Rainforest Razed To Build Highway For UN Climate Summit

From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By
Ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, developers are carving a four-lane highway through protected tracts of the Amazon rainforest to ease travel for attendees.
The highway, one of several infrastructure projects fast-tracked for the summit, is meant to ease congestion for the more than 50,000 attendees expected in November. The state government insists the road is a “sustainable” development with wildlife crossings, bike lanes and solar lighting, but local critics argue it contradicts the very mission of the climate conference, according to the BBC.
“Everything was destroyed,” Claudio Verequete, a local resident whose family depended on the açaí trees that once stood where the road now cuts through the forest, told the BBC. “Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family.”
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The highway, known as Avenida Liberdade, had been shelved multiple times in the past due to environmental concerns but was revived as part of a broader push to modernize Belém ahead of COP30, according to the outlet. State officials say the city’s transformation will leave a lasting legacy, including an expanded airport, new hotels and an ungraded port to accommodate cruise ships.
Adler Silveira, the Brazilian state of Pará’s infrastructure secretary, defended the highway project in a statement to the BBC, calling it an “important mobility intervention” that will benefit the local population long after the summit ends.
Satellite images of the area appear to show miles of cleared land where dense rainforest once stood. Conservationists warn that beyond immediate deforestation, the road could enable further illegal logging and land speculation, fragmenting ecosystems critical to carbon absorption, the BBC reported.
“From the moment of deforestation, there is a loss,” Silvia Sardinha, a wildlife veterinarian at a university near the site of the new highway, told the BBC. “Land animals will no longer be able to cross to the other side, reducing the areas where they can live and breed.”
The annual UN Climate Change Conference gathers world leaders, lawmakers, scientists and industry representatives to negotiate global climate policy. Discussions typically center around greenhouse gas emissions, phasing out fossil fuel, adapting industries to climate benchmarks and enforcing international agreements like the Paris Accord, as well as topics like deforestation. At previous summits, speakers have advocated for policies such as taxing meat products and naming extreme heat events to create greater awareness of temperature changes. Taliban officials from Afghanistan also attended the COP29 in 2024, as UN agencies reportedly considered unlocking funds for the nation to combat climate crises. The COP28 the year prior included a discussion on sustainable yachting.
The Amazon rainforest, previously called the “lungs of the Earth,” now reportedly emits more carbon dioxide than it absorbs due to rampant deforestation, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Attendees of the 2025 climate summit are expected to include representatives from nearly every UN member state, as well as corporate leaders in the renewable energy industry such as Siemens Gamesa.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, remarked that “it’s a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon,” adding the conference will be “historic and a landmark” in a February press release. The COP30 summit is scheduled for Nov. 10 through Nov. 21.
Business
USAID reportedly burning, shredding classified documents

From The Center Square
By Casey Harper
The U.S. Agency for International Development is facing criticism after news broke that federal employees were reportedly told to burn or shred classified documents.
USAID has been the center of controversy since President Donald Trump took office, and billionaire Elon Musk directed the Department of Government Efficiency to expose a slew of spending items widely mocked and criticized, from transgender operas to propaganda overseas and more.
A senior USAID official reportedly sent a memo to employees directing them to destroy the documents, raising questions about legality and transparency at the embattled agency.
“Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” reads the email obtained by Politico.
Hans von Spakovsky, a legal expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, wrote on X that “these employees are committing felonies under 18 USC 1519 in destroying Gov documents,” arguing that they “should all be criminally prosecuted especially acting director of USAID.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that 83% of of USAID contracts were terminated, though a federal judge has limited the federal government’s ability to stop paying out at least some contracts. Where this lands legally remains unclear as it works its way through the courts.
“In consultation with Congress, we intend for the remaining 18% of programs we are keeping (approximately 1000) to now be administered more effectively under the State Department,” Rubio said.
Casey Harper
D.C. Bureau Reporter
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