U.S. lawmakers and politicians voiced their concern for Donald Trump’s well-being after shots were reportedly heard Saturday at the former president’s Pennsylvania rally.

The former president was evacuated from the rally stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, after reported gunfire. Secret Service agents appeared to yell at Trump to get down, which he did, before they escorted him off the stage.

“Praying for President Donald Trump,” Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) wrote on X. “There is never any place for political violence.”

Scalise himself is a survivor of gun violence, as he was one of four people injured in 2017 when a gunman opened fire on the Republican congressional baseball team when it was practicing in Alexandria, Virginia.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also said he is “praying for President Trump.”

Numerous other lawmakers have also written their own statements, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who claimed “the Democrats and the media are to blame for every drop of blood spilled today.”

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Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement that the former president is OK and is “being checked out at a local medical facility.” Cheung also said Trump gives his regards to law enforcement and first responders on the scene.

The Secret Service revealed that the event is “an active Secret Service investigation,” and that more information will be released when available.

Kyle Rittenhouse has unveiled the first annual clay shoot a gun rights nonprofit group is hosting, inviting users on social media to attend.

The event is being hosted by the Texas Gun Rights organization, a state affiliate of the National Association for Gun Rights. Rittenhouse, who serves as an outreach director for Texas Gun Rights, is advertised as one of the event’s VIP shooters, with the event scheduled to be held on Sept. 12 in Fort Worth, Texas.

“Come out here and shoot clays with me and a bunch of other VIP shooters,” Rittenhouse said in a video posted to X. “You’re not gonna want to miss this one!”

Other VIP shooters attending the event include Dudley Brown, the president of the National Association for Gun Rights, and commentator and comedian Chad Prather. Tickets for shooters at the event start at $175, while spectator passes are currently going for $50.

Rittenhouse is known for shooting three people in 2020 during a Black Lives Matter riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, killing two of them and injuring the third. He was found not guilty of two counts of homicide, one count of attempted homicide, and two counts of reckless endangerment on Nov. 19, 2021.

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Since the ruling, Rittenhouse has released his own book, Acquitted, which he argued is his side of the story regarding the 2020 shooting. Rittenhouse has stressed the book is not intended to make money.

Rittenhouse has also rejected how some conservatives have labeled him a hero for his actions during the Kenosha riot, arguing he only did “what he had to do.” He has also stated that defending oneself does not make one a hero or a villain but rather one doing “the right thing to stay alive.”

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy argued the division within the Democratic Party over President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign is turning into the party’s “Watergate,” a reference to the event that upended former President Richard Nixon’s presidency.

A growing number of Democrats have asked Biden to bow out of the presidential race over concerns on his age and mental acuity, though McCarthy argued that replacing him with a different candidate would only worsen the party’s polling. He also predicted that this issue will continue to haunt the party through the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22.

“But the real concern here is this is becoming the Democrats’ Watergate,” McCarthy said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom. “Who knew it, when did they know it, and what did they do? So you’re going to see damage going forward, and they’re inflicting it themselves. I think President Trump has played it smart; the Republicans have played it smart. Be quiet and let the Democrats hemorrhage upon themselves, have their own Watergate that continues onward to go into Chicago.”

McCarthy also analyzed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) assessment on Biden staying in the race when she claimed in an interview that it is “up to the president” whether he will run. McCarthy argued that Pelosi’s statement was a message to Biden that his decision is not what she wants.

Additionally, McCarthy claimed that Pelosi’s statement was a show of force that she, not House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), is leading the Democrats. She was also stating that Jeffries is “being weak” by not taking a side on the debate with Biden, McCarthy contended.

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Jeffries has dismissed concerns that Biden could drag down House Democrats in their bid to retake the House this November. He argued that his party will succeed in winning back the majority “as long as we are able to clearly communicate our agenda.”

Biden himself has said he does not intend to drop out of his reelection bid, offering Democrats concerned about his candidacy to challenge him at the DNC next month. The Republican National Convention is set for next week, where former President Donald Trump is expected to become the party’s presidential nominee.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) continued his ardent support for President Joe Biden and his reelection campaign on Wednesday, questioning why there is division and panic within his own party.

Requests for Biden to drop out of his 2024 reelection bid have increased significantly since the first presidential debate last month, with several Democratic lawmakers and even celebrities like George Clooney making these calls. Fetterman, one of several lawmakers who have backed Biden in the wake of the debate, contended that Biden allies making these calls are entitled to their own opinion, but questioned how these calls are helpful to the president or the party as a whole.

“Joe Biden is committed to stay in this race, and that’s our guy,” Fetterman said on ABC’s The View. “And I don’t understand why Republicans, after the trial or after conviction and all of the other terrible things that is part of his record, Republicans circle up and stand with him. And with Democrats, we all panic, and I have never — remember, if you’re in a foxhole that panicking has never made that situation any better.”

The Pennsylvania senator also wanted Democrats to remember that Biden is the only Democrat who has beaten former President Donald Trump in an election, encouraging the party not to split after a bad night at the debate. Fetterman has already criticized former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for suggesting Biden has not decided on staying in the race, stating that Pelosi has “never run for the president.”

Regarding last month’s debate, Fetterman argued that people need to remember that debates do not determine the presidency, as then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton “smoked” Trump in all three 2016 debates before losing the election. He encouraged people to “get outside the bubble” to see how “real Democrats” feel about Biden and argued they are enthusiastic about supporting him this November.

Despite a growing number of people suggesting Biden bow out of his reelection bid, others have stood by the president, even criticizing those against Biden seeking a second term. Clooney’s op-ed calling for Biden to drop out, for example, has been criticized by several celebrities, including comedian D.L. Hughley.

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Amid the division over Biden’s reelection bid, some have suggested the president take a cognitive test to quell concerns over his mental fitness to serve as president. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) stated she does not think it would hurt for both Biden and Trump to take this test.

The former president is set to become the nominee for the Republican Party next week when the party hosts its Republican National Convention. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a former rival of Trump in the presidential primary, will be among the speakers at the event.

Florida has released brand-new roadway signs welcoming tourists to the “Free State of Florida.”

The new signage references a phrase Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) coined in governing the state, even mentioning the “Free State of Florida” in his second inaugural address in 2023. The state as a whole has seen an influx of people in recent years, landing second in the most moved-to states in both 2022 and 2023.

“We continue to stand by ‘the Free State of Florida,’” Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez, a Republican, said on Wednesday. “We believe that we provide freedom, freedom to right to life, of course for those babies. We continue to stand by freedom of opportunity. That’s something that the governor has prided himself on, and I think the proof is in the pudding when we see how many people are moving to Florida vis-a-vis other states.”

Nunez also contended Florida residents love the signs and predicted there will be an uptick in tourists taking photos in front of them.

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The update to these roadway signs also includes a “hurry back” statement to encourage tourists to return to the state, a reference to Florida’s welcome centers that included “hurry back to Florida” on its buildings.

In 2023, Florida had over 140 million tourists visit the state, with about 129 million of these being domestic travelers. The remaining tourists were either from overseas, 8.3 million, or were visiting from Canada, 3.2 million.

The Washington Examiner’s Sarah Bedford argued that ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos is far from alone in thinking President Joe Biden is unable to serve out another presidential term.

Stephanopoulos told TMZ he does not think Biden can serve another four years as president. Stephanopoulos has since stated he should not have answered the question, with Bedford acknowledging his retraction was likely due to his need to remain objective as a journalist.

“But most voters agree that Joe Biden is not fit to be currently serving as president, let alone serve as president for four more years. That’s pretty apparent,” Bedford said on Newsmax’s The National Report. “Much of the Democratic Party is now starting to echo those concerns as well.”

Bedford added she believes the president has improved his position within the Democratic Party by staying as the 2024 presidential nominee. However, there are still “enormous concerns” over his fitness to serve both through the end of his first term and the end of a possible second term.

Stephanopoulos is not the only major voice to express concern for Biden. Hollywood actor George Clooney argued Biden should step aside from his reelection campaign in an op-ed. Author Stephen King, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump on social media, also asked Biden not to seek reelection.

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The president, however, has no plans to step away from his 2024 aspirations, even offering Democrats concerned about him to “challenge me” at the Democratic National Convention. He has also released a letter to Democratic lawmakers to reiterate his plans to run for reelection. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has suggested Biden “turn off the teleprompter” and instead interact directly with voters to show he is mentally fit to be president. Sanders also contended that Biden needs to have more spontaneous moments to prove to voters that he has the mental capacity to continue his job as president.

Actor Alec Baldwin received a legal win ahead of his trial, as the judge presiding over the case ruled prosecutors could not reference his producing role.

Baldwin is facing an involuntary manslaughter charge after he was involved in the 2021 on-set shooting for the film Rust, which resulted in the death of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and the injury of director Joel Souza. On Monday, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sided with the defense and ruled that evidence of Baldwin’s role as a producer has no relation to his charge of involuntary manslaughter.

“I’m having real difficulty with the state’s position that they want to show that as a producer he didn’t follow guidelines and therefore, as an actor, Mr. Baldwin did all these things wrong,” Sommer said. “The probative value is not substantially outweighed by unfair prejudice and confusion to jurors.”

Prior to this ruling, prosecutors contended Baldwin was “emboldened” by his role as a producer on the film, which placed the cast members, including Hutchins, at risk. They also argued that Baldwin was “keenly aware of his duties to observe set safety rules and orderly conduct on set,” according to court papers.

Baldwin was present in the courtroom during the judge’s ruling, though he did not react to it. He has pleaded not guilty and has maintained that he was unaware that the gun he had been holding had live ammunition or that he pulled the gun’s trigger.

Special prosecutor Kari Morrissey said she was not “particularly concerned” about the judge’s decision.

The actor’s defense team will make the case that a performer is not responsible for checking the bullets of the gun for live rounds, an argument Baldwin’s union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, has supported.

Jury selection will begin Tuesday, with opening statements set for Wednesday. The trial as a whole is projected to conclude on July 19. 

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A court filing from last month claimed that Baldwin “engaged in horseplay with his gun” and “fired a blank round at a crew member” prior to Hutchins’s death. Other claims in the court filing said Baldwin was distracted during firearms training because he was talking to his family on FaceTime.

In April, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 27, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, with the judge stating that she “alone” was responsible for turning “a safe weapon into a lethal weapon.” Prosecutors argued in the case that Gutierrez-Reed had “repeatedly” failed to maintain proper firearm safety, which led to Hutchins’s death.

President Joe Biden’s first post-debate interview earned a sizable audience Friday night as 8.5 million people saw at least part of his 22-minute conversation with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos.

The network won the 8 p.m. time slot. CBS’s Lingo came in second, with 2.1 million viewers, and Fox’s WWE SmackDown was third, with 2 million watching. The interview also scored the best viewership for an ABC News program unrelated to either elections or debates since the network’s 2018 interview with former FBI Director James Comey, which scored 9.8 million viewers on a Sunday night.

Biden’s interview was also the most watched program on Friday among the key groups of people ages 18-49 and 25-54. For the former age group, 0.58 million viewers watched the interview, while the latter age group saw 0.91 million viewers tune in.

ABC News has also uploaded Biden’s interview onto YouTube. As of Monday morning, the stream has more than 2.8 million views, while a separate upload of the interview on Saturday has almost 1.4 million views.

Beforehand, the White House underscored the interview as Biden’s first televised interview since the debate, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stating the president was looking forward to “talking directly to the American people.” The Biden administration has been adamant that the president is fully able to continue his job in the White House in an attempt to quell concerns about Biden after his underperformance at the June 27 debate.

During Biden’s interview, the president declined to commit to undertaking an independent cognitive test, arguing that he does “a cognitive test every single day” with his job. While he acknowledged he can no longer “run the 100 in 10 flat,” he contended he is in “good shape” and dared Stephanopoulos to “come keep my schedule.”

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On Sunday, Biden’s campaign denied any possibility of the president stepping aside in the 2024 presidential election, arguing that he is committed to beating former President Donald Trump in a likely rematch. The campaign also just announced a $50 million ad buy, with some of these ads playing during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Washington Examiner has contacted ABC News for comment.

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot scored the second-best opening day for Angel Studios, falling only behind last year’s Sound of Freedom.

The latest film from Angel Studios opened on July 4, earning a total of $3.5 million on its opening day and going on to gross an additional $3.2 million over the Independence Day weekend. The film, which was positively received by film critics, was also greatly praised by audiences, earning an A+ rating from CinemaScore, according to a press release from Angel Studios.

“We are thrilled with how audiences have showed up and responded to SOUND OF HOPE, even during a busy holiday weekend,” said Brandon Purdie, executive vice president and head of theatrical distribution at Angel Studios. “SOUND OF HOPE is more than a movie. This true story of 22 families that changed the course of the lives of 77 vulnerable children has sparked a movement. We are confident that the film will continue to grow and impact audiences, so no child will be without a home.”

The film’s focus is on Donna Martin, played by Nika King, and her husband Bishop W.C. Martin, played by Demetrius Grosse, as they seek to adopt children into their home, prompting the other families in their church to do the same. One of the four children adopted by the Martin family is Terri, played by Diaana Babnicova, a 12-year-old girl who was abused in her original home.

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In addition to starring in the film, King also served as one of the film’s executive producers. Other executive producers of the film include Joe Knittig, the CEO of the Global Orphan Project non-profit organization, and Letitia Wright, best known for her starring role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

The release of Sound of Hope marked the 1-year anniversary of Sound of Freedom, the film that put Angel Studios on the Hollywood map. Like Sound of Hope, the film earned the rare A+ rating from CinemaScore, and went on to gross over $184 million in North America and over $250 million globally.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) got into a contentious disagreement in an interview on Sunday over former President Donald Trump calling for an investigation into President Joe Biden.

Vance criticized the media and Democratic lawmakers for how they have “lost their minds” over Trump saying he would “appoint a real special prosecutor to go after” Biden and his family. The Ohio senator argued that Trump was talking about investigating Biden for “wrongdoing” and that the current president has already been doing this for several years now.

“I think what Donald Trump is simply saying is we ought to investigate the prior administration,” Vance said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “There are obviously many instances of wrongdoing. The House Oversight Committee has identified a number of corrupt business transactions that may or may not be criminal. Of course, you have to investigate to find out. So I think Donald Trump saying, look, let’s do the basic work of investigating wrongdoing, is a totally reasonable thing for him to do.”

“And frankly, the Biden administration has done far worse,” he argued. “So if you think that what Donald Trump is proposing is a threat to democracy, isn’t what President Biden has already done a massive threat to our system of law and government?”

Vance also said that one of the main prosecutors in Trump’s hush money trial had been an official in the U.S. Department of Justice in the Biden administration “who jumped ship to join a local prosecutor’s office to go after Donald Trump.” Welker contended that this happens “all the time,” which Vance pushed back against.

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Trump has argued his hush money conviction, in which he was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying records of a payment he made to porn star Stormy Daniels, “cannot stand” in light of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision. The ruling states that former presidents are entitled to some immunity for official acts but not for unofficial acts.

Prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling, Vance argued that U.S. presidents need immunity if they wish to be able to do their job, citing how police officers, judges, and prosecutors enjoy a level of immunity and that this should apply to the role of president.