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James Copenhaver, man shot at Trump Butler rally, dies of complications from injuries

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James Copenhaver, of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, who was wounded in a failed assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in 2024, has died, according to several reports.

Copenhaver, in his mid-70s, was one of several people who attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at the Butler Farm Show complex outside Butler, Pennsylvania, after Crooks scaled the roof of a nearby glass manufacturing building and took aim at the then-presidential candidate.

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A statement from the Copenhaver family provided to Digital confirmed his death Thursday afternoon, and noted the veteran’s «dedication to this great country.»

«It is with profound sadness that the Copenhaver family confirms that James Copenhaver passed away on September 23, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones,» the statement said.

«Above all else, James was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. James shared a lifetime of commitment to his wife, instilled the values of hard work, integrity, and the service of others in his children, and found some of his greatest joy in life in his grandchildren. His family was the center of his world, and he was the center of theirs.

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«James’s dedication to this great country was a defining part of his life. As a veteran, he proudly served our nation in the armed forces, and his love of country never wavered. James was a true American patriot who believed deeply in the freedoms and ideals upon which this nation was founded, and he embodied the very best traits of our great nation. 

 «James and the Copenhaver family have been deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support they have received over the past two years, since James was gravely wounded while in attendance at President Trump’s rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. Throughout that difficult time, James faced every challenge with the same strength and resolve that defined his life, and the kindness shown by so many brought great comfort to him and to those who love him.

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 «As the Copenhaver family begins the difficult journey forward without James by their side, they welcome your continued thoughts, prayers, and support. The family respectfully asks that their privacy be honored as they mourn his loss and celebrate his life. James will be deeply missed, and his memory will live on in all who knew and loved him.»

The House Republican Conference posted an obituary for Copenhaver on social media, saying he had died Thursday and that lawmakers were «deeply saddened.»

«Jim endured unimaginable hardship with strength and perseverance. We join his family and loved ones in mourning his loss and praying for them during this difficult time. May he rest in peace,» the caucus said in a statement.

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Ken Silva, a journalist who wrote a book about the assassination attempt, wrote on his website that a person close to Copenhaver’s family also confirmed Copenhaver had died and had been dealing with permanent injuries, including bullet fragments still lodged in his body.

David Dutch was also wounded in the shooting but survived. Butler County firefighter Corey Comperatore was shot and killed in the bleachers behind Trump’s dais that day.

Speaking to Pittsburgh’s KDKA in 2025, Copenhaver said he stood to look at the jumbotron behind him as Trump spoke.

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TRUMP SUPPORTER AT PENNSYLVANIA RALLY RECOUNTS HARROWING ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION MOMENTS

«Next thing I know, my sleeve has been yanked,» he said. «I could see a portion of it going by pretty fast, and I heard ‘pew.’ I heard it, and I didn’t realize at the time that I had gotten shot.»

He said he was then shot a second time but that the bullets both «went into soft material.»

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«It was like a jolt. It didn’t knock me over, but I didn’t want to stand anymore,» he told the station.

A lawsuit Copenhaver filed against the United States earlier this year alleged he was also required to undergo multiple surgeries.

Mayor Jondavid Longo of nearby Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania — who spoke at the Butler rally — mourned Copenhaver’s reported death Thursday.

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Secret Service missed ‘multiple opportunities’ to prevent Trump assassination attempt: watchdog

SECRET SERVICE MISSED ‘MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES’ TO PREVENT TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: WATCHDOG

«[Copenhaver] survived that day, but he never fully recovered from the wounds. For two years he lived with surgeries, remaining fragments, and pain that never left him. Those of us who were there that day have never forgotten Corey Comperatore, David Dutch, or Jim,» Longo said in a statement on X.

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«Butler County still carries that afternoon. May he rest in peace. Prayers for Marianne and the Copenhaver family.»

The attack triggered intense scrutiny of the Secret Service after investigations uncovered breakdowns in planning, communication and security around the rally site. Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned less than two weeks later, taking responsibility for the security lapse. A subsequent bipartisan House task force concluded the Butler attack was preventable and identified failures in planning, execution and leadership.

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One of the Republican lawmakers on that task force, Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, climbed onto the roof Crooks used to take aim at Trump and later told Digital he was incredulous at how easy it was to scale after Cheatle had cited the roof’s slope in explaining why it was not secured.

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Six Secret Service agents were later suspended without pay in connection with the failures.

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Trump returned to Butler in October 2024, less than three months after the assassination attempt, to hold another rally at the same site and honor Comperatore.

Trump’s raised fist and mouthing of the word «fight» became a lasting image of the assassination attempt that he used throughout his successful campaign to become the first president since Grover Cleveland to serve two nonconsecutive terms.

pennsylvania, politics, donald trump, assassinations murders, crime world

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El Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas de Guatemala presenta acciones climáticas en el congreso nacional de Puerto Barrios

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El Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidad participa del VI Congreso Nacional de Cambio Climático y IV Simposio Marino Costero, que se realiza del 13 al 15 de octubre en Puerto Barrios, Izabal, para presentar experiencias de adaptación, restauración y conservación en el Sistema Guatemalteco de Áreas Protegidas, ante los efectos del cambio climático sobre los ecosistemas y las comunidades costeras.

El encuentro, bajo el lema “Cambio climático y sociedades costeras”, reúne a instituciones públicas, académicos, organizaciones de conservación, entidades de cooperación, empresas y comunidades. El Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas busca posicionar a los bosques, manglares, humedales y pastos marinos como herramientas para capturar y almacenar carbono, conservar hábitats y reducir la vulnerabilidad frente a eventos extremos.

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La institución incorporó el cambio climático a su gestión hace 17 años y actualmente ejecuta el Plan Estratégico Institucional para la Reducción de la Vulnerabilidad, Adaptación y Mitigación al Cambio Climático en el SIGAP 2022-2027. La evaluación de medio término de esa planificación será presentada durante el congreso.

Un grupo de funcionarios del Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas posa junto a un estandarte oficial frente a una sede institucional en Guatemala. (CONAP)

Restauración de manglares y protección de especies

El subsecretario ejecutivo del CONAP, Jorge Ruiz, junto con representantes de las oficinas centrales y direcciones regionales, expondrá experiencias sobre restauración de manglares, conservación de tortugas marinas, gestión compartida de áreas protegidas y los cambios en la relación entre comunidades humanas y fauna silvestre.

Las actividades también incluirán herramientas para la planificación climática y la conservación de especies y ecosistemas estratégicos. El programa contempla el foro “Soluciones financieras basadas en la economía azul y el turismo social y sustentable – Nodo Azul”, con la participación del Fondo Nacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza y la Coalición Juyu.

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Ese espacio abordará alternativas financieras que relacionan la conservación de los ecosistemas marino-costeros, el turismo sostenible y el bienestar de las poblaciones locales. El CONAP sostiene que el manejo sostenible de las áreas protegidas permite conservar la diversidad biológica y mantener los servicios que brindan los ecosistemas.

Un grupo de funcionarios del Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas posa junto a un estandarte oficial frente a una sede institucional en Guatemala. (CONAP)

Tres zonas pesqueras con 312 hectáreas protegidas

Una gira de campo llevará a los participantes a las Áreas de Recuperación Pesquera del Refugio de Vida Silvestre Punta de Manabique, en las comunidades de Santa Isabel y La Graciosa. Allí conocerán un modelo de gobernanza costera desarrollado entre el CONAP y las comunidades para proteger pastos marinos, manglares y recursos hidrobiológicos.

La primera iniciativa para crear estas zonas surgió de pescadores de Bahía La Graciosa y Laguna Santa Isabel: La Graciosa, Punta Gruesa, Santa Isabel y el Comité de Trasmalleros y Manjueros de Puerto Barrios. La disminución de la pesca llevó a esas organizaciones a acordar con el CONAP medidas de protección y aprovechamiento sostenible de los recursos.

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El convenio estableció tres polígonos delimitados con boyas: Graciosa, también llamado Mono Rojo, con 86 hectáreas; Bajo La Graciosa, en Punta Gruesa, con 104 hectáreas; y Laguna Santa Isabel, con 122 hectáreas. En conjunto abarcan 312 hectáreas y suman 30.687 metros de manejo pesquero compartido.

La normativa de pesca no reconocía inicialmente esta categoría de manejo. Los Acuerdos Ministeriales 118 y 165-2016 del Ministerio de Agricultura, Ganadería y Alimentación establecieron una veda espacial temporal de cinco años desde el 16 de agosto de 2016, con prohibición total de capturar moluscos, crustáceos y peces en Laguna Santa Isabel y los polígonos de La Graciosa y Punta Gruesa.

El Acuerdo Ministerial 213-2023 extendió la protección legal por otros cinco años, hasta el 3 de diciembre de 2028. Las áreas resguardan al delfín nariz de botella y al manatí, especies indicadoras de la salud de los ecosistemas marinos.

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En Punta de Manabique hay 23 especies de importancia comercial que sustentan la alimentación y los ingresos de siete comunidades costeras y zonas cercanas de Puerto Barrios.

Los pastos marinos y manglares también generan oxígeno, capturan dióxido de carbono en una proporción cuatro veces mayor que un árbol terrestre, funcionan como filtros biológicos y ayudan a proteger la costa, Puerto Barrios y Santo Tomás de Castilla ante tormentas y huracanes.

Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas,Guatemala

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Dem AG’s election crusade against Trump runs into embarrassing dead-felon blunder back home

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President Donald Trump and his election security efforts were a central target in Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones’ rollout of a «Voter Protection» unit, but Republican critics say the announcement overlooked voting- rights controversies unfolding in his own backyard.

Jones formed the Voter Protection Section on Tuesday to enforce state voting-rights laws as Virginia faces scrutiny over restoration letters sent to deceased felons amid Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s restoration of voting rights to more than 66,000 Virginians.

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Jones «launched this section to address the continued erosion of the federal Voting Rights Act, Donald Trump’s relentless attacks on our democracy, and his administration’s efforts to impede access to the ballot,» his office said in a statement.

TRUMP SCORES SUPREME COURT WIN ON MAIL-IN VOTING RESTRICTIONS BEFORE MIDTERMS

Jones’ announcement did not identify specific Trump administration actions, but the president signed a March 2025 order seeking stricter proof-of-citizenship requirements for voter registration and changes to mail-ballot rules and backed the SAVE Act to mandate voter ID.

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«At a time when the Trump administration has sought to push the federal government further into the administration of state elections, we will work closely with the Department of Elections and the Federal Accountability Unit to protect Virginia’s authority, the integrity of our elections, and every eligible voter’s right to be heard,» said Ajay Saini, the OAG official Jones named to lead the division.

However, critics quickly faulted the unit for overlooking controversies within Virginia’s own government after the felon rights-restoration scandal broke earlier this month.

«‘Two Bullets’ Jay Jones is now worried about ‘misinformation’ after just this year telling Virginians that Democrats’ illegal gerrymandering power grab was about ‘fairness’,» the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) said in a statement, referencing Jones’ previous reported text messages envisioning shooting a prior GOP House speaker twice instead of former German Chancellor Adolf Hitler or Cambodian dictator Pol Pot.

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«The top priority for this new division should be finding out how many dead felons have had their rights restored, and how that happened in the first place,» current Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, told Digital.

Several Virginians reported receiving restoration notices addressed to deceased relatives. Fredericksburg resident Howard Lambert confirmed to Digital a letter addressed to his late daughter indicated officials had reviewed her case before restoring her rights.

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34,000 DEAD PEOPLE FOUND ON VOTER ROLLS PROMPTS EXPERT TO SLAM DEMS FOR RESISTING ‘COMMONSENSE’ CLEANUP

Kim Taylor, a former Republican delegate from the Petersburg area, told Digital on Wednesday that Jones’ pledge to protect Virginians’ votes ignores his silence on both the «dead felons» scandal and a Democrat-supported November ballot measure that would take restoration rights away from the governor and automatically empower formerly incarcerated felons to vote.

«Jay Jones can create all the fancy new ‘voter protection’ units he wants to make himself feel better, but it’s nothing more than an empty political gesture when Richmond is mailing voting rights restoration letters to dead felons,» Taylor said.

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«With three critical constitutional amendments on the ballot, including one fundamentally changing felon voting rights, Virginians need real election integrity instead of another taxpayer-funded political stunt.»

The White House also hammered Jones on Wednesday, with spokeswoman Lauren Bis telling Digital that «radical Virginia Democrats, like Jay Jones, love to preach about ‘protecting our elections’ while mailing ballots to dead felons.»

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«This is nothing more than a political stunt, while President Trump is fighting every day to ensure that only American citizens elect American leaders and to enact commonsense measures like voter ID.»

When pressed on those issues and on Republicans’ claims that the SAVE Act provides protections itself, a spokesperson for Jones declined to elaborate beyond an initial statement:

«I was raised by people who understood that the right to vote was never simply given. Generations of Americans had to sacrifice, organize, and show extraordinary courage to claim that right,» Jones said. «That history is personal to me, and it reminds us that the work of civil rights and voting rights is never finished.»

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«That is why we created a dedicated Voter Protection Section within the Office of the Attorney General. This work now has a permanent home, and a team focused every day on defending voting rights and enforcing Virginia law,» he added, calling protection of voting rights a «year-round» responsibility.

Virginia Beach attorney Tim Anderson, who has focused on Richmond’s legal maneuvers regarding both immigration enforcement and voting rights, said Tuesday that Jones’ plan raises a separate question about enforcement against noncitizens who vote illegally amid Virginia’s restricted cooperation with DHS.

Anderson previously discussed the dead-felons case with Digital and noted Tuesday that Gov. Abigail Spanberger previously restricted ICE’s use of public property, including through guidance involving encounters at polls.

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«Now Attorney General Jay Jones says his office will enforce Virginia’s election laws. Then answer this, Attorney General: Does that include prosecuting noncitizens who knowingly vote illegally—with the same enthusiasm you bring to protecting access to the polls? We know this is a big fat ‘No’. Enforce the whole law,» he said.

The Democratic Party of Virginia, however, backed Jones’ new unit, arguing that Trump is «attacking voting rights [and] Virginia is not backing down,» as election security remains a prominent issue heading into the midterms.

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virginia, elections disputes, voting, abigail spanberger, politics

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Los líderes de la UE se preparan para un enfrentamiento por el presupuesto del bloque

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Los líderes de la Unión Europea (UE) se preparan este jueves para su mayor enfrentamiento hasta la fecha en relación con el próximo presupuesto a largo plazo del bloque, en su afán por cerrar un acuerdo antes de las elecciones presidenciales francesas del próximo año.

La UE, compuesta por 27 naciones, desea alcanzar un acuerdo antes de Navidad, preocupada de que cualquier negociación futura se vea frustrada por posibles victorias euroescépticas en las elecciones que se celebran en todo el bloque, sobre todo en Francia, una potencia clave.

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Los temores no son infundados. La favorita en las elecciones francesas, la candidata de extrema derecha Marine Le Pen, quiere recortar la contribución del país al presupuesto de la UE para ayudar a ahorrar costes en la segunda economía más grande del bloque.

Presionando a la UE, Le Pen declaró en vísperas de la cumbre que sería un “escándalo democrático” que los líderes aprobaran un presupuesto antes de las votaciones del próximo año.

Lo que está en juego es un presupuesto de casi dos billones de euros, que determinará las principales prioridades de la UE para el período comprendido entre 2028 y 2034, desde la agricultura hasta la defensa, pasando por la competitividad y la migración.

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Los líderes deben ponerse de acuerdo sobre cuánto destinar a los agricultores, cuánto gastar en defensa y cómo hacer que la economía sea más competitiva frente a Estados Unidos y China, y si invertir o no dinero europeo en los “centros de retorno” de migrantes en África.

Los líderes de la UE parecen estar perdiendo la fe en un acuerdo para diciembre, ya que el último borrador de conclusiones, fechado el miércoles, se refería únicamente a un “acuerdo oportuno” en lugar de “para finales de año”, como figuraba en una versión anterior.

Imagen de archivo de banderas de la Unión Europea ondeando frente a la sede de la Comisión Europea en Bruselas, Bélgica. 29 abril 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman

En cualquier caso, llegar a un acuerdo antes de fin de año sería complicado, ya que los líderes siguen tan divididos como siempre, con tres bandos opuestos descontentos con la última propuesta.

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El espectro de Le Pen

La sensación de urgencia es real, con elecciones a la vuelta de la esquina en Italia, Polonia, Grecia, Finlandia y Francia, y la conciencia de que los nuevos gobiernos euroescépticos podrían dificultar mucho más la consecución de un acuerdo para 2027.

Aunque Le Pen sea solo una candidata en esta etapa, un diplomático europeo afirmó que “mañana estará presente en la reunión con los líderes”, ya que su posible victoria planea sobre sus conversaciones.

Si no se llega a un acuerdo antes de que Francia celebre elecciones en abril y mayo, las tensas negociaciones se reanudarán en verano, lo que, según un segundo diplomático de la UE, sería “un ejercicio terrible”.

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Irlanda, que ostenta la presidencia rotatoria de la UE, presentó la última propuesta que servirá de base para las negociaciones, con recortes de unos 140.000 millones de euros al presupuesto total.

La líder de la extrema derecha francesa Marine Le Pen, el 6 de octubre de 2026 (REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier)

Ninguno de los bandos estaba contento.

Por un lado está Alemania, que lidera un grupo conocido como los “frugales” que incluye a los Países Bajos y Suecia, quienes exigen recortes de varios cientos de miles de millones de euros.

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En otro bando se encuentra Francia, que se opone a los recortes masivos del presupuesto y cree que el continente necesita un mayor presupuesto para hacer frente a los crecientes desafíos a los que se enfrenta.

En el tercer bando se encuentran los llamados “Amigos de la Cohesión”, que exigen más financiación específicamente para apoyar la agricultura y el desarrollo regional.

Francia ha dejado claro su descontento con el enfoque en los recortes, y un funcionario francés ha advertido que no puede haber acuerdo sin nuevos impuestos “sustanciales” a nivel de todo el bloque, incluidos los impuestos a las grandes empresas, los impuestos medioambientales y los gravámenes sobre el tabaco.

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París quiere impuestos a nivel de la UE sobre los servicios digitales, los criptoactivos y los juegos de azar en línea, algo que también exige el Parlamento Europeo.

Algunos siguen siendo optimistas de cara a diciembre. El ministro irlandés para Asuntos Europeos, Thomas Byrne, declaró el martes que era posible “si se logra un compromiso”.

Ahora, el presidente del Consejo Europeo, Antonio Costa, liderará las negociaciones, y se ha añadido una reunión extraordinaria a finales de noviembre para ayudar a aprobar el presupuesto.

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(AFP)

Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe,Top Pictures

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