U.S. and world news for Sept. 17

Springfield: Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio has sent members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol to provide security at schools in Springfield, Ohio, which have been targeted with at least 33 bomb threats since Donald Trump and J. D. Vance started making false claims about Haitian immigrants in the city. Vance admitted that the claims about the immigrants were made up. Trump has kept repeating the falsehoods. The City of Springfield has cancelled its annual arts and culture festival scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28.

Security: The Washington Post reported this morning that the Secret Service tried to warn Donald Trump that it was dangerous for him to go golfing on his golf courses that were close to public roads and made him visible from outside of the golf courses. The Post said that Trump was shown a photo taken by a news photographer on a hill outside of his golf club at Sterling, Virginia, that clearly showed Trump. They tried to convince Trump that if a photographer could clearly see him, so too could a would-be assassin. They tried to convince Trump to golf at courses that were more isolated but he has insisted on going to his own courses.

Charges filed: A court document charges Ryan Wesley Routh with illegally possessing a firearm and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Routh is the man who was shot at by the Secret Service when he was discovered hiding outside of fence at the Trump National Golf Club at West Palm Beach with an AK-47-style rifle. According to the court filing, it was the Secret Service that fired shots at the golf course where Donald Trump was golfing on Sunday. Routh did not fire any shots and did not have a direct line of sight view of Trump before being discovered.  

Secret Service: President Biden has called for the Secret Service to be provided with more resources and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he and the Democrats in the Senate are prepared to add more funding for the agency. Schumer says they may do it through a short-term funding bill that’s needed to keep the government open when the current spending authorization expires Sept 30. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he opposes providing addition funding for the Secret Service.

Combs: Music personality and performer Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested by federal authorities in Manhattan. The arrest took place at the Park Hyatt Hotel. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security had been investigating Combs and searched his homes in Miami and Los Angeles. Homeland Security investigates human trafficking, terrorism and narcotics smuggling among other crimes.  

Amazon: Amazon has notified employees that it will be requiring them to work at the office five days a week. Company CEO Andy Jassy sent a message to all employees that the new policy will be in effect as of Jan. 2. He said that Amazon will go back to assigning desks to employees rather than using shared desks as has been common since the Covid pandemic resulted in employees working at home.