🔵 Arsonist Arrested in Shapiro Attack

Author

Citizen Frank
April 14, 2025

Good evening. It’s Sunday, April 13.

 

Pennsylvania State Police have arrested a Harrisburg man for the arson attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family that sent them fleeing from the governor’s residence on the first night of Passover.

Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, is expected to face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person, authorities said.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, became visibly emotional as he spoke about the 2 a.m. attack on his home as he and his family slept inside.

President Trump said Sunday he’ll announce tariffs on semiconductor chips “over the next week,” though he indicated he could offer flexibility to some companies.

The White House indicated on Friday that smartphones and computers would be exempted from the 125% import levies Trump imposed on China, where Apple assembles most of its iPhones.

The White House on Friday listed semiconductors as “excepted products” from China import levies in a memorandum titled “Clarification of Exceptions Under Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as Amended.”

Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio said on Sunday that he is worried that the turmoil resulting from President Donald Trump’s tariff and economic policies will threaten the global economy.

“Right now we are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession,” Dalio said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “And I’m worried about something worse than a recession if this isn’t handled well.”

The hedge fund billionaire said he’s more concerned about trade disruptions, mounting U.S. debt and emerging world powers bringing down the international economic and geopolitical structure that has been in place since the end of World War II.

Fox News remained the top cable news network, and enjoyed its highest-rated quarter in cable news history. In addition to topping its cable rivals, FNC also surpassed ABC and NBC during weekday primetime.

Fox News also secured its highest quarter cable news share ever with 65% of the audience in total day and 66% in primetime. It was the only one of the three cable outlets to see its performance improve versus the same quarter in 2024 across the board.

There were also programming changes made during this quarter amongst all the outlets. Fox News introduced The Will Cain Show at 4 p.m. ET and rejigged its weekend primetime lineup. MSNBC revamped most of its its weekday and weekend lineup, which led to the depature of Joy Reid at 7 p.m. ET. Finally CNN reworked its weekday lineup resulting in a new 4 p.m. show from Kasie Hunt, as well as Jake Tapper bordering primetime and Wolf Blitzer moving to the midmorning timeslot of 10 a.m. ET.

Gunmen in South Africa have abducted a U.S. missionary from his church as he was delivering a sermon, police and a colleague said Friday.

Pastor Josh Sullivan was abducted late Thursday at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell outside the coastal city of Gqeberha in what appeared to be a kidnapping for ransom, a colleague told AFP.

Kidnappings, including by criminal gangs that target people for whom large ransoms can be demanded, have been increasing in South Africa in recent years.

Following the March phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which lasted over two hours, the Kremlin has this weekend hinted strongly that the two leaders could soon meet in person.

Such an in-person meeting “will take place,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed, but then vaguely said it would be “at the appropriate time.”

“The presidents expressed their political will that [the meeting] should take place, including publicly. But it will take place at the appropriate time, we need to prepare for it,” he added.

China has halted exports of seven critical rare earth elements to the United States, a move that threatens to disrupt supply chains across key American industries, including automotive, semiconductor, and aerospace sectors.

China’s Ministry of Commerce recently added seven rare earth elements—including dysprosium, terbium, and lutetium—to its restricted export list.

These elements are essential for manufacturing high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles, advanced weaponry, and consumer electronics.

Rory McIlroy’s long, painful wait for the career Grand Slam is finally over.

And the greatest achievement of his career was as nerve-racking and dramatic as the near misses that came before it.

The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland overcame a shaky start — and even more perilous finish — in the final round of the 89th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday to defeat Justin Rose in the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win a green jacket and become only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam.

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