International
‘Security Lapses’: Comer Hits Secret Service Director With Subpoena Following Trump Assassination Attempt

From the Daily Caller News Foundation
Chairman James Comer of the House Oversight Committee issued U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle a subpoena on Wednesday after a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Comer subpoenaed Cheatle to appear in a House Oversight Committee hearing on July 22 to answer questions regarding the attempted assassination on Trump on July 13 during a Pennsylvania rally. The attempted assassination has since raised many questions about the competence of the U.S. Secret Service and the failures that took place that allowed 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to take aim at a former president from a rooftop positioned just 130 yards away.
“The lack of transparency and failure to cooperate with the Committee on this pressing matter by both DHS and the Secret Service further calls into question your ability to lead the Secret Service and necessitates the attached subpoena compelling your appearance before the Oversight Committee,” the subpoena reads.
🚨BREAKING: Chairman Comer Subpoenas Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle
“Initially, the Secret Service committed to your attendance. Subsequently, however, DHS officials appear to have intervened and your attendance is now in question. In addition, since DHS’s… pic.twitter.com/6OWOaJD84M
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 17, 2024
The former president was wounded in the ear during his rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania. One attendee at the rally was killed and two others were injured.
“The United States Secret Service has a no-fail mission, yet it failed on Saturday when a madman attempted to assassinate President Trump, killed an innocent victim, and harmed others,” Chairman Comer said in a press release announcing the subpoena. “We are grateful to the brave Secret Service agents who acted quickly to protect President Trump after shots were fired and the American patriots who sought to help victims, but questions remain about how a rooftop within proximity to President Trump was left unsecured.”
“Americans demand answers from Director Kimberly Cheatle about these security lapses and how we can prevent this from happening again,” Comer said in the press release. “We look forward to Director Cheatle’s testimony this upcoming Monday, July 22.”
Since the assassination attempt, several prominent lawmakers have called for investigations and hearings into the incident. On Sunday, Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he will launch a “full investigation” into the attempted assassination.
“Our prayers are with him, all the rally attendees, those who were injured, and the family of the individual who lost their life,” Johnson said in a post on X. “Congress will conduct a full investigation of the tragedy to determine where there were lapses in security.”
The Secret Service directed the Daily Caller News Foundation to the Department of Homeland Security, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
International
Germany launches first permanent foreign troop deployment since WW2

MxM News
Quick Hit:
Germany activated a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania — marking its first permanent foreign military deployment since World War II. The move strengthens NATO’s eastern flank amid Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
Key Details:
- The 45th Armored Brigade was formally launched outside Vilnius on Tuesday.
- Germany plans for the brigade to be fully operational by 2027 in Rūdninkai, near the Belarus border.
- The deployment marks a major policy shift for Berlin and a boost for NATO’s deterrence posture.
Diving Deeper:
Germany has officially entered a new era of military engagement, launching its first permanent foreign troop deployment since the end of World War II. The move, announced Tuesday, sees the activation of a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania as part of a broader NATO strategy to counter the perceived threat from Russia.
The newly formed 45th Armored Brigade was ceremonially inaugurated outside the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. German Brigadier General Christoph Huber assumed command, overseeing the establishment of a temporary headquarters and unveiling the unit’s crest. “We have a clear mission: to ensure the protection, freedom and security of our Lithuanian allies on NATO’s eastern flank,” Huber said, adding that the unit’s presence also directly contributes to the defense of Germany and NATO as a whole.
The deployment follows a pledge made by Berlin in 2023 — a decision that broke with decades of postwar defense policy rooted in military restraint. German officials had long avoided permanently stationing combat troops abroad. That posture has changed in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which has turned the Baltic region into one of NATO’s most vulnerable frontlines.
Germany’s commitment includes more than just fighting forces. The brigade will also feature key support elements, such as a medical center, communications specialists, and command support units dispersed across multiple Lithuanian locations. Troops will initially operate out of temporary facilities, with a permanent base under construction in Rūdninkai, located roughly 30 kilometers south of Vilnius.
Currently, 150 German soldiers are already on the ground in Lithuania. That figure is expected to rise to 500 by the end of the year as the new brigade scales up operations.
Censorship Industrial Complex
China announces “improvements” to social credit system

MxM News
Quick Hit:
Beijing released new guidelines Monday to revamp its social credit system, promising stronger information controls while deepening the system’s reach across China’s economy and society. Critics say the move reinforces the Communist Party’s grip under the banner of “market efficiency.”
Key Details:
- The guideline was issued by top Chinese government and Communist Party offices, listing 23 measures to expand and standardize the social credit system.
- It aims to integrate the credit system across all sectors of China’s economy to support what Beijing calls “high-quality development.”
- Officials claim the new framework will respect information security and individual rights—despite growing global concerns over surveillance and state overreach.
Diving Deeper:
China is doubling down on its social credit system with a newly issued guideline meant to “improve” and expand the controversial surveillance-driven program. Released by both the Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council, the document outlines 23 specific measures aimed at building a unified national credit system that will touch nearly every corner of Chinese society.
Framed as a tool for “high-quality development,” the guideline declares that credit assessments will increasingly shape the rules of engagement for businesses, government agencies, and individual citizens. The system, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), has already played a role in shaping China’s financial services, government efficiency, and business environment.
Critics of the social credit system have long warned that it serves as an instrument of authoritarian control—monitoring citizens’ behavior, punishing dissent, and rewarding obedience to the Communist Party. By integrating credit data across all sectors and enforcing a “shared benefits” model, the new guideline appears to entrench, not ease, the Party’s involvement in everyday life.
Still, Beijing is attempting to temper foreign and domestic concerns over privacy. The NDRC emphasized that the system is being built on the “fundamental principle” of protecting personal data. Officials pledged to avoid excessive data collection and crack down on any unlawful use of information.
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