It’s Tuesday! Suspect in second Trump assassination attempt charged with gun crimes; TikTok's day in court over legislation to ban app in US; and Diddy is arrested by feds.

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Good morning,

Know anyone with a birthday this week? Us too! It’s because this week has six of the ten most common birthdays!

• What’s in the water? Well, if our 🧮 calculations are correct, the September 9-20 stretch is about 38 weeks after the winter Christmas/New Years season.

• Dr. Whitney Casares says the “more celebratory seasons” + time off paired with research pointing to higher-quality sperm in winter versus summer months may help with conception.

• As for the outlier: July 7, the sixth most common bday, is 38 weeks from mid-October. Our thoughts: 7/7 is a lucky day and the long July 4th weekend may push scheduled deliveries to that day?

Have a good one and happy birthday to many of you!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

And a shoutout to our new Mo News COO Ren, whose birthday is this week.

PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!

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— Mosheh

📌 NEW DETAILS: TRUMP GUNMAN HID OUT FOR NEARLY 12 HOURS OUTSIDE GOLF COURSE

Federal investigators are learning more about suspected gunman Ryan Wesley Routh, who authorities believe planned to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach, Florida golf course on Sunday.

• He appeared in court on Monday and prosecutors charged him with two gun crimes. They say Routh was hiding in the trees outside the golf course for roughly 12 hours—starting before 2amET—-before the Secret Service spotted him.

The acting Secret Service director praised agents’ actions as “textbook” and noted that the increased protection President Biden called for after Trump’s July 13 assassination attempt was in place. Trump and allies are blaming Democratic rhetoric for inspiring violence, while Biden is calling on Congress to better fund the Secret Service to tackle new threats.

THE CHARGES
During an eight-minute hearing in federal court on Monday, Routh was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He could face 15 years in prison for the first charge and five for the second.

• The suspected gunman left behind an AK-style rifle with a serial number that was partially scratched off — making it hard to quickly trace how he procured the weapon.

  • Law enforcement officials said on Monday that they were trying to learn where the rifle had been sold and who had bought it.

• Routh also has a long rap sheet, with more than 100 criminal counts, going back decades.

More charges against Routh are likely on the way, but Monday’s initial charges keep Routh in custody as investigators go through his phone, social media, etc.

THE TIMELINE
Phone data showed the suspect had been “lurking in the vicinity of the area along the tree line” of the golf course from 1:59 a.m. until 1:31 p.m. on Sunday, the FBI reported— so almost 12 hours! One of the lingering questions for investigators: did he have a heads up from an insider that Trump was going to be golfing at the course, or was it a guess?

A Secret Service agent was patrolling a few holes ahead of Trump at about 1:30 pm when the agent spotted a rifle barrel sticking out of a fence. The former president was about 400 yards away at the time, and officials confirmed on Monday that Routh did not have a line of sight on the president. Secret Service fired on Routh, leading him to drop his weapon without firing back, and flee the scene in his vehicle.

• An eyewitness was a big help. Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder said the person snapped a photo of Routh and his vehicle’s license plate— allowing law enforcement to locate and detain him 45 minutes after he dropped the AK-style rifle and fled.

  • The car had a stolen license plate.

  • When Routh was detained, “his facial affect was very bland. He was not emoting any emotions at all. He made no statements,” Snyder added Monday.

SECURITY PROTOCOL
Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt quickly raised new questions about the Secret Service’s ability to protect Trump. But Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. of the Secret Service said Monday at a news briefing that agents’ “hyper-vigilance” and the details’ “swift action was textbook.” He also noted that increased assistance directed by President Biden following the assassination attempt on Trump on July 13 was in place this weekend.

• President Biden told reporters on Monday that “the Service needs more help.”

• Trump thanked his protection after the events on Sunday, but on Monday told Fox News that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are to blame. “Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country — both from the inside and out,” he said.

• The Secret Service has apparently warned Trump for years about the security threat of golfing at his public courses.

Bottom line: Concerning new polling shows that a growing minority of Americans on both sides believe political violence is justified. An April PBS/Marist poll found that 28% of Republicans and 12% of Democrats said they believe Americans may “have to resort to violence to get the country back on track.”

📌 TIKTOK GETS ITS DAY IN COURT AS IT FIGHTS IMMINENT U.S. BAN

TikTok laid out its argument to a federal appeals court on Monday, making the case that the US’s new divest-or-ban law is unconstitutional.

• The legislation quickly passed through Congress and was signed by President Biden earlier this year over national security concerns related to its Chinese parent company. Under the law, TikTok will be banned in the US if its parent company (China-based ByteDance) does not sell it by January 19, 2025 — the day before the presidential inauguration.

The three US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit judges grappled with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects the company’s and its users’ rights. Some legal reporters say it appeared to be a win for the US government, while others say it is difficult to gauge.

ARGUMENTS 
The question is whether the national security risks for the U.S. are high enough to justify speech restrictions.

• TikTok lawyer Andrew Pincus argued a ban would infringe on the First Amendment free speech protections for the app’s 170 million US users.

  • He pushed back against the argument that the video app was controlled by China or had posed a national security threat.

  • Instead of banning, he argued, a remedy like forcing the “disclosure” of any potential propaganda found on TikTok should be explored.

    • This is in line with another one of his arguments: The US government has not exhausted all other ways of dealing with TikTok’s issues before banning.

• The Department of Justice’s Daniel Tenny argued TikTok compiles vast troves of data from the millions of Americans who use it, which is “extremely valuable to a foreign adversary trying to compromise the United States.”

  • Much of the US government’s evidence is classified, meaning it cannot be seen by TikTok, on the basis that sharing it could cause serious harm to national security.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Diddy arrested following human trafficking investigation, multiple sexual assault allegations (FOX NEWS)

📌 Ohio GOP Gov. DeWine says ‘at least 33’ bomb threats prompt Springfield (home to pet eating allegations) to begin daily school sweeps (CNBC)

📌 Harris meets with Teamsters as union nears endorsement decision (POLITICO)

📌 Two retired FDNY chiefs arrested in connection with corruption probe (NBC NEWS)

📌 State of the Race: Early signs of a post-debate bounce for Harris (NY TIMES)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Putin orders Russian army to become second largest after China's at 1.5 million-strong (REUTERS)

📌 France’s European commissioner resigns amid row with its president (GUARDIAN)

📌 Typhoon Bebinca lashes Shanghai in strongest storm to hit city since 1949 (AP)

📌 A Sao Paulo mayoral candidate is treated in hospital after a rival attacks him with a chair (ABC NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Amazon mandates five days a week in office starting next year (REUTERS)

📌 Michael Kors admits it is harder to sell handbags in Tiktok, TSwift era during trial (CNBC)

📌 ‘All good here’ was 1 of the final texts sent from the doomed Titan submersible, hearing reveals (AP)

📌 The U.S. dollar is weakening ahead of Fed rate cut. This will determine what happens next (MARKETWATCH)

📌 Boeing freezes hiring in sweeping cost cuts as it grapples with factory worker strike (CNBC)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 2024 Emmys score 6.9 Million viewers, up 54% from last ceremony (THE WRAP)

📌 Tito Jackson, Jackson 5 singer and guitarist, dies at 70 (PEOPLE)

📌 Jane’s Addiction cancels reunion tour after on-stage band fight (VARIETY)

📌 Rupert Murdoch's 'Succession' court battle begins (BBC)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: SEPTEMBER 17

• 1787: The US Constitution is signed by delegates present at the conclusion of the convention in Philadelphia. It would take several years, and 12 amendments (including the Bill of Rights) before the original 13 states all signed on. It is the oldest, active written constitution in the world.

• 1978: After 12 days of meetings at the US presidential retreat, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords, leading to a peace agreement between the two nations.

• 1983: 20-year-old Vanessa Williams from New York became the first Black woman to win Miss America. Less than a year later, she gave up the crown after nude photos of her surfaced.

• 1996: Daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey launched a television book club; “The Deep End of the Ocean” by Jacquelyn Mitchard was her first selection. Oprah’s Book Club quickly became a hugely influential force in the publishing world.