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1 Biden Administration Asks Congress For Additional Secret Service Funding
Discussion around the Secret Service and its protection of presidential candidates continues after the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on Sunday. That discussion didn’t just begin, though, as the Biden administration submitted a request to congressional committees last month to increase spending on the Secret Service. When asked about the request Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told reporters “If the Secret Service substantiates the need, I cannot imagine Congress not meeting that request.” During a press conference yesterday to give more information about the attempted assassination of Trump over the weekend, acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Rowe Jr. said he had “ordered a new paradigm” within the agency, saying they “need to get out of a reactive model, and get to a readiness model.” The Secret Service is understaffed, with current staffing almost 10-percent less than ten years ago, while the agency’s budget almost doubled.
2 Sean "Diddy" Combs Arrested On Unspecified Charges
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been the subject of a federal investigation since March, and yesterday one of the results was announced. Last night, US Attorney Damian Williams issued a statement confirming that federal agents had arrested Combs based on a sealed federal indictment. Federal agents searched Diddy’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March after a wave of lawsuits were filed against the hip-hop star in the last year, with the most recent coming last week from a former member of Danity Kane, the group formed by Combs on the MTV reality competition “Making the Band.” A course told NBC News in March that investigators interviewed several people in relation to allegations of sex trafficking, sexual assault, and the solicitation and distribution of illegal narcotics and firearms. No details from the indictment were released last night, but Williams said they’ll be moving to unseal the indictment this morning.
3 Tropical Disturbance Impacting The Carolinas
A storm with no name can cause just as many problems as one that’s reached the level of becoming an official tropical system. Heavy winds and rains battered parts of North and South Carolina last night as Potential Tropical Cyclone No. 8 moved slowly toward the shore. The storm might be potential, but the rains and winds weren’t; over a foot of rain fell south of Wilmington, North Carolina, prompting school closings. A wind gust of 65 mph was recorded at Wrightsville Beach. Gov. Roy Cooper’s office confirmed that building and road damage was reported in Brunswick and New Hanover County. The storm is expected to continue impacting the Carolinas until it likely dissipates tomorrow afternoon.