A WordPress Blog-THE CHURCH MILITANT Ephesians 5:11-"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them". This Christian News Blog maintains a one stop resource of current news and reports of its own related to church, moral, spiritual, and related political issues, plus articles, and postings from other online discernment ministries, and media which share the aims to obey the biblical commands to shed light on and refute error, heresy, apostasy, cults, and spiritual abuse. ALL CONTENT FROM HTTPS://RATHEREXPOSETHEM.BLOGSPOT.COM MOVED TO THIS NEW BLOG, MAY 2020
(L) Rescue boats are seen in Hoboken, New Jersey, after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images) / (R) A New York Fire Department rescue boat is seen in Hoboken, New Jersey, after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on April 10, 2025. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff James Meyers 2:23 PM – Thursday, April 10, 2025
At least six people have been killed after a helicopter carrying a family, two adults and three children, who were reportedly from Spain, crashed into the Hudson river on Thursday afternoon — according to the Associated Press.
The sixth death was that of the helicopter pilot.
BREAKING VIDEO: Moment of deadly helicopter crash in the Hudson river; 4 people were reportedly on-board
Officials with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed that a helicopter was in the river as of 3:40 p.m. local time.
“Due to a helicopter crash in the Hudson River in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and Spring Street, expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas,” according to a statement from the NYPD.
In addition to the Spanish family of five, the pilot’s body was also found inside.
Witnesses informed the press that they observed the helicopter “split in half” before it crashed near Pier 40. Additionally, the aircraft was reportedly emitting a distinct “thudding” noise prior to its descent.
“I heard a loud snap … I looked over … and I could see the helicopter falling on its side and splashing into the water,” an unnamed witness told ABC7. “I didn’t see anyone come out.”
Currently, it remains uncertain whether the helicopter was operated for tourism purposes or privately owned. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined, as investigations are still in their early stages.
Rescue and recovery operations are still ongoing.
Online videos showed the helicopter sinking into the river as emergency teams rushed to the scene.
The chopper appeared to be a “N216MH – a Bell 206L-4,” according to Flight Radar.
More than 32 people have been killed in helicopter crashes in New York City since 1977.
BREAKING: A helicopter has crashed into the Hudson River in NYC near Pier 40, according to FDNY Marine Unit reports.
Emergency services are on the scene responding to the incident.
OAN Staff Abril Elfi 10:30 AM – Saturday, January 18, 2025
Over 30 migrants, most of them Chinese, have been found inside a U-Haul truck in Florida following a report of an alleged abduction.
Coral Gables Police Chief Edward James Hudak Jr. stated that the group of migrants were discovered after a security guard for a homeowners association in Coral Gables reported seeing an abduction around 9:35 a.m.
According to Hudak, the guard had reported seeing a U-Haul and a Toyota involved in the incident and immediately reported it to a patrol officer who then issued a be on the lookout alert for the vehicles.
Police stated that officers stopped the vehicle and the woman who had been allegedly abducted was taken from the Toyota. When they began investigating the U-Haul truck, they found 16 Chinese females, 15 Chinese males, one Cuban male and one Ecuadorian female.
“Officers opened the back of the truck, which revealed 21 predominantly Chinese nationals,” Hudak said.
In addition to the migrants in the U-Haul truck, authorities found a Cuban man, a Brazilian woman and a man from Ecuador in the Toyota.
“We do believe these individuals were brought here by the water,” the chief said. “They were probably dropped off, we’re assuming somewhere around the southern end of Coral Gables and approached on foot to the van where they were loaded into.”
According to authorities, the migrants were “tired” but in good health when the Coral Gables Fire Department arrived to provide medical attention.
BREAKING: Cops in Coral Gables, Florida, busted a large smuggling operation consisting of over two dozen Chinese migrants in a single U-Haul.
A local security guard alerted law enforcement after witnessing a suspicious amount of people getting into the U-Haul. Officers came… pic.twitter.com/W2WBzTB0MI
“Today’s event is a prime example of why FDLE is supportive of the governor’s proposed special session to tackle illegal immigration immediately,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said. “The actions of law enforcement are an integral part of preventing these smuggling ventures that happen too frequently on our southern border.”
The migrants were then handed over to the U.S. Border Patrol, and four others were taken into police custody in relation to the incident.
“This started off as a crime,” Hudak said. “The police department responded to that alleged crime by a very alert citizen. By that, I mean I think we’ve saved some lives.”
Authorities stated they have not identified the boat on which the migrants were transported, although they have intercepted a number of boats while patrolling the waterways close to the city.
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Members of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team are drawing up a list of military officers to be fired, potentially to include the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two sources said, in what would be an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon.
The planning for the firings is at an early stage after Trump's victory over Vice President Kamala Harris and could change as Trump's administration takes shape, said the sources, who are familiar with the Trump transition and requested anonymity to speak candidly about the plans.
One of the sources questioned the feasibility of a mass firing at the Pentagon. It was also unknown if Trump would endorse the plan, although he has railed extensively against defense leaders who have criticized him. Trump also spoke during the campaign of firing "woke" generals and those responsible for the troubled 2021 pullout from Afghanistan.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to request for comment.
A second source said the incoming administration would likely focus on U.S. military officers seen as connected to Mark Milley, Trump's former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley was quoted in the book "War" by Bob Woodward, which was published last month, calling Trump "fascist to the core" and Trump's allies have targeted him for perceived disloyalty to the former president.
"Every single person that was elevated and appointed by Milley will be gone," the second source said. "There's a very detailed list of everybody that was affiliated with Milley. And they will all be gone."
The Joint Chiefs of Staff include the highest-ranking officers in the U.S. military and comprise the heads of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard and Space Force. The disclosure of plans to fire senior leaders of the U.S. armed forces comes a day after Trump picked as his defense secretary Pete Hegseth, a veteran and Fox News commentator who has signaled a willingness to clean house at the Pentagon.
"The next president of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. Lots of people need to be fired," Hegseth said in his 2024 book "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free."
The first source familiar with the transition planning said Milley's successor, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, would be among the many officers to leave.
"The chiefs of the Joint Chiefs and all the vice chiefs will be fired immediately," the source said, before noting that this was still only early planning.
Some current and former U.S. officials have played down the possibility of such a major shakeup, saying it would be unnecessary and disruptive at a time of global turmoil with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The first source said that it would be difficult bureaucratically to fire and replace a large swath of senior U.S. military officials, suggesting the planning could be bluster and posturing by Trump allies. But the second source suggested the Trump camp believed the Joint Chiefs of Staff needed to shrink because of perceived bureaucratic over-reach. Such cuts could be endured in an organization the scale of the U.S. military, the source said.
"These people are not irreplaceable. They are very replaceable. And then the other thing too is there is no shortage of people that will step up," the source said. "In World War II, we were very rapidly appointing people in their 30s or people competent to be generals. And you know what? We won the war."
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump is whisked away by the Secret Service after shots rang out at a campaign rally at Butler Farm Show Inc. on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
OAN Staff Blake Wolf 11:47 AM – Thursday, September 26, 2024
A new Senate report has revealed that the U.S. Secret Service agent in charge of former President Donald Trump’s July 13th Butler, Pennsylvania, rally was aware of “credible intelligence” regarding a dire security threat, yet did not pass the information on to event planners or her supervisor.
The Wednesday report, released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, found that the Secret Service’s lead agent in charge of the Trump rally had stated in a security planning document that there was “no adverse intelligence” regarding Trump’s Butler rally, despite her own “prior knowledge of an unspecified threat.”
Additionally, the advance agent in question reportedly told Senate investigators that she had notified the special agent in charge (SAIC) of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh field office regarding the “credible intelligence” prior to the rally. However, after contacting Pittsburgh’s SAIC and speaking to him directly, he disputed her claims and informed Senate officials that he was not informed and had no knowledge of this.
Pittsburgh SAIC then told investigators that if he had known about the threat, the rally would have most likely moved to an indoor location in order to mitigate the potential risk.
Why were counter snipers there?
A “threat” the USSS Intelligence Advance Agent, the Lead Advance Agent, the Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge all WERE NOT TOLD about
The FBI did not respond to an intel request for Butler before the rally
The 94-page report also cited security failures, which included: a lack of chain of command, poor coordination between state and local law enforcement, insufficient equipment and resources, and a failure to effectively secure the site of the rally.
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, came within millimeters of killing the former president on live television. Crooks climbed on top of a nearby building and, soon after, fired eight gunshots from his AK-47 style firearm in Trump’s direction. Nonetheless, the gunman only hit Trump in the side of his right ear, as the former president had turned and moved his head at the exact timing of the gunshots.
However, 50-year-old rally goer Corey Comperatore and two others were not so lucky. Comperatore passed away that day after being hit by a barrage of bullets, while the other two men were quickly rushed to the hospital.
In terms of the Senate report, it also revealed that counter snipers were on site due to this exact “credible intelligence” of a threat, yet the majority of Secret Service personnel who spoke to the committee still claimed that they had been unaware of the threat.
Secret Service agents said that they “could not identify” who had the final authority to make decisions during the Trump event.
“It was almost like an ‘Abbott and Costello’ farce with ‘who’s on first’ finger pointing by all of the different actors,” stated Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), “It was really truth being stranger than fiction.”
“Every single one of these actions is directly related to a failure in the U.S. Secret Service’s planning, communications, intelligence sharing and law enforcement coordination efforts,” Chairman Gary Peters stated on Tuesday. “Every single one of these failures was preventable, and the consequences of those failures were dire.”
Despite egregious mistakes by the lead agent and other Secret Service members, they still refused to accept any responsibility when questioned by investigators on the security failure findings.
The lead agent’s identity has not been made public, however, during a July hearing with Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) stated “I know their name,” referencing the lead agent.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi also stated that the agency reviewed the report and agreed that the committee’s findings aligned with many of the Secret Service’s “Mission Assurance Review,” revealing multiple communication issues as well as a lack of “due diligence.”
“The weight of our mission is not lost on us and in this hyperdynamic threat environment, the U.S. Secret Service cannot fail,” Guglielmi stated. “Many of the insights gained from the Senate report aligned with the findings from our mission assurance review and are essential to ensuring that what happened on July 13 never happens again.”
The committee has reportedly completed 12 interviews, reviewed roughly 2,800 documents, and conducted a walkthrough inspection at the Butler rally site, with additional interviews expected in the coming weeks.
Committee aides have not confirmed if the probe will expand or continue, looking into the second assassination attempt, which took place earlier this month at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club. However, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced at a recent Justice Department event that the DOJ will “waste no resources” in the agency’s investigation of the second incident.
“We’ve put a lot of meat on the bones here, but we are a long way from getting the information we need,” stated Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a member of the investigation subcommittee.
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) yells at U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe during a hearing about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally convened by the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee in Washington, DC, July 30, 2024. (Photo by ALLISON BAILEY/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff James Meyers 2:15 PM – Monday, September 16, 2024
A new report published on Monday revealed new whistleblower allegations regarding the Secret Service’s security failures and the attempted assassination of 45th President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13th.
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley’s office published a Whistleblower Report revealing the “multiple failures” of the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It also detailed allegations that have so far not been made public.
🚨🚨 NEW – Following the latest assassination attempt on @realDonaldTrump, I’m releasing a comprehensive Whistleblower Report on the multiple failures of Secret Service & DHS – including new allegations & numerous unanswered questions due to USSS stonewalling pic.twitter.com/Rxcim9N05U
A Secret Service spokesperson claimed they are aware of the report and “will continue to work with Congressional Oversight Committees in both the House and the Senate.”
The whistleblowers alleged that the agent in charge of the Butler rally “failed a key examination during their federal law enforcement training to become a Secret Service agent,” according to the report.
Additionally, the document added that the agent was known as “low-caliber,” according to the whistleblowers involved.
The Secret Service’s intelligence units were also allegedly missing from Trump’s rally. These units are considered groups of agents that work “with state and local law enforcement to handle reports of suspicious persons,” according to the report. These units would have helped limit communication failures between law enforcement agencies, the documents stated.
Furthermore, the report noted that neither agency would agree to publicly name the lead site agent for the Butler Trump rally. The report also claimed that the hospital where Trump was being treated after an attempt on his life was also not properly secured.
“The Secret Service site agent responsible for hospital security did not know what was going on and could not answer basic questions about site security,” the report claims.
Additionally, the report accused the Secret Service and DHS of not providing certain information he had requested, which included a copy of the manpower request allegedly sent to OPO-Manpower for the Butler rally.
A whistleblower involved in the report highlighted that “the manpower request did not include extra security resources because agents on the ground were told not to ask for them in the first place.”
Whistleblowers also alleged to Hawley that the DHS “is leaning on Secret Service not to comply with documents requests from Congress,” according to the report.
The document goes on to list multiple questions that have not yet been answered, including the motive behind Thomas Matthew Crooks’s assassination attempt on Trump’s life.
Another report is expected to be released by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations before the election. It will go into further detail regarding the security failures at the Trump rally.
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Law enforcement officials from the FBI, Secret Service and Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office gave an update on an incident that occurred at former President Donald Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. They say a suspect is in custody after being spotted with an assault rifle near where the former president was golfing and Secret Service agents fired shots at the man before he fled the scene.
Jeff Ostroff walks you through an analysis of what happened at the 2nd attempt of the assassination of Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, FL, and the Secret Service shooting at the suspected gunman on Sunday, September 15, 2024. All aspects and details of what occurred, including how the would-be assassin was able to get so close to Donald Trump with an AK47 rifle 2 backpacks and a GoPro camera, hiding in the thick hedges around the perimeter of the golf course.
BREAKING: Trump's SECOND assassination attempt failure | NEW details about Trump Shooting
New images reveal the backpack, GoPro camera and AK-47 style rifle that a gunman left behind while fleeing the scene where he was targeting Donald Trump. Law enforcement held a press conference in West Palm Beach on Sunday after the FBI announced it was investigating a second assassination attempt against Donald Trump in just two months. The former president was rushed to safety on Sunday after multiple shots were fired in his vicinity while he was playing golf at his club in West Palm Beach. A suspected gunman is in custody after a terrifying incident at Trump International Club almost exactly two months after a separate assassination attempt against Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Multiple reports have named the suspect as Ryan Wesley Routh. Officials said U.S. Secret Service agents spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of the bushes two holes ahead of where Trump was golfing on Sunday, prompting the agents to fire at the suspect. The individual ran into his vehicle from the trees, but was spotted by a witness who snapped a picture of his vehicle – a black Nissan – which included the license plate. Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw told reporters at a press conference hours after the incident that the witness was able to share the plate and later identify the suspect as the person he saw fleeing the scene. Read More: FBI says it's probing 'attempted assassination' of Trump after gunman was shot at by a Secret Service article image Trump confirmed in a statement about an hour after the shots were reported that he was 'safe and well' and didn't want rumors to 'start spiralling out of control.' The suspect was able to get within 400-500 yards of Trump. The 2024 Republican nominee's bulked-up Secret Service advance team, however, spotted the shooter in the tree lines just two holes from where Trump was golfing. Special Agent Rafael Barros explained at a press conference on Sunday that the Secret Service moves with Trump and is usually surveying one or two holes ahead of him when he goes for a round of golf. Asked if security has changed around Trump since the first attempt at life earlier this summer, Barros said: 'Yes, the threat is high.' 'We have increased the amount of assets that we've supported,' he continued. 'We're living in dangerous times.' Real estate investor and New York City landlord Steve Witkoff was Trump's golfing buddy on Sunday, sources told DailyMail.com. The FBI released a statement two hours after the incident claiming the attack 'appears to be an attempted assassination of former President Trump.' The armed suspect was posted outside the club around the 5th and 6th holes, which is confirmed to be a more 'vulnerable' area of the course because it is closest to the road. Sheriff Bradshaw detailed that the suspected assassin was wielding an 'AK-47 style weapon with a scope', which was recovered at the scene. So did a backpack and GoPro camera, which Sheriff Bradshaw revealed in images of where the suspect was set-up in the bushes along the fencing of Trump's golf club. The area where the suspect was first spotted by his security detail was two holes ahead of where Trump was golfing at the time of gunshots, causing the individual to flee.
MSNBC slammed for claiming assassination attempt was ‘Trump’s fault’
‘ABSOLUTELY PURPOSEFUL’: Ex-military, police scold another attempt on Trump’s life
More details are emerging about Ryan Wesley Routh's alleged plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course. FOX Business' Maria Bartiromo, former NYPD Lt. Darrin Porcher and retired New Jersey Lt. Steve Rogers with more.
'SERIOUS THREAT': Nothing has improved for Trump's safety, says GOP rep
People wait for a train in a subway station June 18, 2003 in New York City. A new report by the New York Police Department (NYPD) reports that felonies are down 15 percent this year on New York’s subways. The NYPD credits an increase in officers at subway stations for part of the drop in crime on trains and stations. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
OAN Staff Abril Elfi 12:44 PM – Saturday, September 14, 2024
New York Police Department (NYPD) data has shown that murders on New York City subways have surged 60%, nearing a new record.
According to NYPD data, eight people were killed in subway cars or in stations as of September 8, up from five in the same period last year.
The murder rate is on track to match the 25-year high set in 2022, when 10 people were killed.
Jakeba Dockery, 42, whose husband, Richard Henderson, was fatally gunned down in January on a train in Brooklyn, said that “It’s not a safe environment to be waiting for the train.”
“It just feels evil,” she told The New York Post.
The latest subway death occurred on September 5th, shortly after 11 p.m., when a gunman shot grocer Freddie Weston, 47, near the MetroCard booth at the Rockaway Avenue station in Brooklyn, according to police and his family.
Weston’s sister stated that her brother could have been saved if cameras had been installed near the station’s ticketing area.
The increase in murders continues despite a variety of high-profile initiatives that helped stop an early-year surge in crime underground. Heavy-traffic stations were flooded with 750 National Guardsmen, and an additional 1,000 NYPD officers were deployed to monitor the subway system.
“This overall crime reduction is due in large part to thorough investigations by detectives into every major crime within the subway, and the proactive work of officers deployed in the transit system,” a NYPD spokesperson said. “This year alone, those very officers removed 43 guns (compared to 28 last year) and 1,536 knives (compared to 1,004 last year) from the subway system, the highest weapons seizure rates in the last decade.”
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