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AUGUST 8, 2019 | The Jewish Home

Nine Killed in Dayton

Just hours after 22 people were slaughtered in a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, 22-year-old Connor Betts opened fire in a crowded nightclub in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday evening. Betts managed to fire off 41 shots and killed nine people – including his sister – before police took him down, preventing more people from being killed. During the attack, Betts managed to fire off dozens of rounds with his .223 caliber rifle and the high capacity drum magazines he had that carried more than 100 bullets. Twenty-seven people were wounded in the 30-second attack, with injuries ranging from mild to critical. Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl credited his officers for their rapid response, saying that they prevented Betts from entering the locale itself and driving the death toll even higher.  ”The officers immediately advanced toward the gunfire and within approximately 20 seconds, they engaged the suspect, who was actively firing and attempting to enter a crowded liquor establishment,” Biehl said.  The motive for the shooting remains unknown as police struggle to figure out what caused Betts to commence the slaughter. However, those who knew Betts described him as a troubled individual who would frequently threaten fellow students in high school and once compiled a hitlist of people he wanted to harm. Not everyone remembered Betts as a troubled teen. Betts’ friend Brad Howard described the gunman as “a really nice kid” who was quiet and kept to himself. A Twitter account that appears to belong to  Betts retweeted extreme left-wing and anti-police posts, as well as tweets supporting Antifa, or anti-fascist, protesters. Betts was a self-proclaimed leftist who supported Elizabeth Warren for president.

Trump Addresses a Battered Nation

President Donald Trump blamed the pair of mass shootings that rocked the United States over the weekend on mental illness but appeared open to further gun control in his speech to the nation earlier this week. Trump’s address was his first public speech since a gunman killed 21 people in an El Paso Walmart on Saturday followed by another nine people killed in Ohio later in the day. Speaking at the White House, Trump refused to blame the availability of firearms in the United States for the deaths. “Mental illness and hate pull the trigger, not the gun,” said Trump, who went on to call on authorities to “make sure those people, not only get treatment, but when necessary, involuntary confinement.” Trump also condemned white supremacy after the El Paso killer posted an online manifesto decrying “the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” “In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy,” the president said. “These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.” While Trump didn’t blame access to firearms for the spree of mass shootings that have horrified America, he proposed a series of steps he said would reduce the chance of such massacres happening in the future. Included in the steps was a measure allowing police to confiscate weapons from those deemed dangerous, something gun enthusiasts contend violates their due process.  In addition, Trump suggested mandating capital punishment for mass shooters “quickly, decisively and without years of needless delay.” The president also singled out “the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace” for caus-

ing the slew of shootings all across the United States. “It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence,” he said. “We must stop or substantially reduce this, and it has to begin immediately.” Trump had found himself under fire following the shootings. Despite the killer writing in his manifesto that Trump played no role in his actions, Democrats alleged that the president’s anti-immigration rhetoric led to the massacre. Connor Betts, the murderer in the Dayton mass shooting, had described himself as a leftist and had stated his support for presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren.

a Harris County court,” said Harris County attorney Rock Owens. An ExxonMobil spokesperson told CNN that the company is “currently reviewing” the litigation. “We take public health and environmental protection seriously,” said spokeswoman Sarah Nordin. “We will continue to work to identify ways to enhance our environmental performance.”

Huntsman Resigns as Amb. to Russia

Texas County Sues ExxonMobil

Texas’ Harris County filed a massive lawsuit against the ExxonMobil energy behemoth after a fire at its nearby facility injured 66 people. The explosion at the Baytown plant occurred last Wednesday and had sent massive plumes of smoke hovering over Houston. The fire at the chemical plant is the fourth accident at the site since January. In the lawsuit, Harris County accuses ExxonMobil of running afoul of the Texas Clean Air Act for releasing dangerous pollutants into the atmosphere as a result of last week’s fire. The county wants a temporary ban on ExxonMobil’s plant until the energy giant complies with the Clean Air Act, the Texas Water Code, and the Texas Administrative Code. Harris Country alleges in the court filing that the fire “resulted in the emission of multiple air pollutants, including propylene, LPG, propane, and associated products of combustion.” Country officials say that only legal action can force the company to take concrete steps towards preventing similar events from occurring in the future. “We filed this morning even though the fire is out because we need to be sure the case is handled by

On Tuesday, Jon Huntsman, U.S. ambassador to Russia, resigned from his post, possibly to return home to run again for governor of Utah. The news was first reported by The Salt Lake Tribune, which posted a copy of Huntsman’s resignation letter to President Trump. He said his resignation will take effect October 3. “American citizenship is a privilege and I believe the most basic responsibility in return is service to country,” Huntsman said in the letter to Trump. “To that end, I am honored by the trust you have placed in me as the United States ambassador to Russia during this historically difficult period in bilateral relations.” The posting in Russia was Huntsman’s third as ambassador: he also served as ambassador to Singapore from 1992 to 1993 and ambassador to China from 2009 to 2011. In his letter, Huntsman urged Trump to take a firm stance with Russia. “Going forward, we must continue to hold Russia accountable when its behavior threatens us and our allies,” he said. Huntsman, who unsuccessfully ran for president as a Republican in 2012, previously served as governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. The Salt Lake Tribune cited “people close” to Huntsman in saying he is considering another gubernatorial run in Utah.