WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said former President Donald Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet during an assassination attempt on July 13, as the agency moved Friday to clarify what happened after nearly two weeks of confusion and conflicting accounts.

In a statement issued Friday evening, the FBI said “what struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle.”

The statement came two days after FBI Director Christopher Wray said during congressional testimony that it was not clear whether Trump’s injuries were caused by a bullet or shrapnel.

The Associated Press

Lansing (AP) — Federal judges gave final approval to a new map of Michigan state Legislature boundaries, concluding a case in which the court previously found that several Detroit-area districts’ maps were illegally influenced by race.

In December, the court ordered a redistricting commission responsible for redrawing the state’s legislative and congressional maps in 2021 to redraw 13 state districts. In a Friday opinion, the panel of three judges approved a redrawn map of the Senate seats bringing the proceedings to a close.

The court approved new boundaries for seven state House seats in March, which had to be finalized before the 2024 election. The new Senate seats will not bear weight until the chamber is up for election in 2026.

The original lawsuit filed by Black residents argued that the map diluted their voting power. Although nearly 80% of Detroit residents are Black, the panel said the population of Black voting-age residents in the old districts was significantly lower, ranging from 35% to 45% with one as low as 19%.

Democrats currently hold a slim majority in both chambers after flipping them in 2022. The party’s success was attributed, in part, to legislative maps that were redrawn in 2021 by the state’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

According to the five-page opinion, the residents do not object to the new map. The judges said the final Senate map was drawn “race-blind.”

“The Secretary of State may proceed to implement the Commission’s remedial Senate plan for the next election cycle,” the opinion said.

Isabella Volmert, The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas man has been charged with threatening to injure and kill government officials in three states and the District of Columbia, including the New York judge and prosecutor who handled former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, according to federal officials and court records.

Spencer Gear, 32, was being held Friday in federal custody in Nevada following his arrest and not guilty plea Tuesday to 22 felony charges of threatening a federal official and transmitting a communication containing a threat to injure. Gear’s indictment had been filed under seal July 16.

Rebecca Levy, a federal public defender representing Gear in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, did not respond Friday to messages seeking comment.

The indictment lists 11 alleged victims by initials, including two in a phone call from Nevada to New York that “threatened to kill A.B. and J.M.,” referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Judge Juan M. Merchan.

Bragg’s office declined to comment. A message was left for a spokesperson for New York’s state court system.

In her order remanding Gear to federal custody ahead of trial, U.S. Magistrate Judge Brenda Weksler cited “the number of calls at play in this case,” with victims also in New Jersey and Montana.

The judge focused on a recording of a June 3 telephone message “which was directed at a judge and a district attorney” and called the language Gear allegedly used “of great concern to the court.”

That date was the Monday after a jury found Trump guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. Trump’s lawyers have since asked Merchan to overturn the verdict, citing the Supreme Court’s recent immunity decision. The judge said he’ll rule in September.

Weksler noted that Gear had little prior criminal history, noting two driving-related offenses, but had been charged by federal authorities with resisting arrest last week.

“The defendant does not seem to have respect for the judicial system and for judges,” the magistrate judge said. Trial is scheduled Sept. 24.

Bragg’s office, which prosecuted Trump’s hush money criminal case, reported at least 56 “actionable threats” directed against Bragg, his family and staff, and nearly 500 threatening emails and phone calls since April.

They included bomb threats at the homes of two people involved in the case on the first day of the Trump trial, April 15; a photo showing sniper sights aimed on people involved in the case, according to police; and threatening messages such as: “we will kill you all” and “Your life is done.”

In 2023, police recorded 89 threats to Bragg, his family or staff, up from one threat in 2022, his first year in office.

The wave of threats this year started March 18, according to an affidavit by the head of Bragg’s police detail, the day Trump falsely posted online that he was about to be arrested and encouraged supporters to protest and “take our nation back!”

A few days later, Bragg’s office received a letter containing a small amount of white powder and a note stating, “Alvin: I’m going to kill you.”

Court officials have said Merchan has also received dozens of death threats.

Following Trump’s April 2023 arraignment, a state court spokesperson said Merchan’s chambers had been “getting the predictable harassing and defamatory calls and emails.”

In April, a 26-year-old New York man was charged with sending text messages threatening New York state Attorney General Letitia James and the judge in Trump’s civil fraud case, Arthur Engoron, with “death and physical harm” if they did not “cease action” in the Trump matter.

In August 2023, FBI agents killed an armed Utah man who was suspected of making threats against Bragg, Garland, James and President Joe Biden. Family members of Craig Deleeuw Robertson, who was killed by agents as they tried to serve a warrant at his home in Provo, Utah, described him as a gun enthusiast who was worried about “a corrupt and overreaching government.”

____

Sisak reported from New York.

Ken Ritter And Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press

WAYLAND, Ky. (AP) — Kitty Holbrook gave Gov. Andy Beshear a hug before celebrating another milestone Friday in eastern Kentucky’s recovery from historic flooding. The retired teacher thought it might be the last time she sees the rising Democratic star for some time if he’s asked to join Vice President Kamala Harris’ ticket.

“Either way, I’m happy with it,” Holbrook said after the governor moved on to greet others in the crowd. “If he gets to stay here, I’m glad. But if he goes on, I’m real glad. If he did as good a job if he were vice president as he’s done for the state of Kentucky, it would be amazing.”

Beshear has proven his small-town political appeal in a region that doesn’t hide its allegiance to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. A rarity in the current divided state of U.S. politics, this corner of Appalachia has demonstrated a willingness to embrace both the state’s Democratic governor and the nation’s Republican former president.

Signs for Trump can be as abundant as homegrown gardens dotting the Appalachian countryside, and the former president would remain an overwhelming favorite to carry the Bluegrass State in November even if Beshear joins the Democratic slate.

Still, in a state also known for its thoroughbreds, the political horse race for the second spot on the Democratic ticket was on the minds of some Kentuckians as they watched Beshear work the friendly eastern Kentucky crowd. They were gathered to watch as several families displaced by raging floodwaters two years ago checked out their new homes built on higher ground.

Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams told Beshear, “We’ve got our fingers crossed” for him as Harris zeroes in on choosing a running mate for her campaign against Trump. Beshear would be a good choice to help deliver Democrats’ message in Middle America, Williams said later.

“These fly-over states, this is the guy that resonates,” Williams said. “He understands the issues that affect us every day. When you’re sitting at the kitchen table with your family, he understands those issues.”

Beshear made several stops on Friday to monitor the ongoing recovery from the massive flood. In winning reelection last year, Beshear carried several Appalachian counties that were inundated by floodwaters in the summer of 2022, a bump many attributed to his handling of the massive recovery. While Beshear narrowly carried those counties, Trump won them in landslide fashion four years ago in losing the White House to President Joe Biden, and the Republican leader remains immensely popular here.

Local resident Rhonda Slone heaped praise on the Kentucky governor for leading the flood recovery but said she still plans to support Trump even if Beshear becomes Harris’ pick for a running mate.

“I’m sorry, Andy, but I can’t do it,” she said in an interview.

Slone said she especially likes Trump’s tough stand on immigration. She blames Biden for higher prices at the grocery store and blames former Democratic President Barack Obama for the steep downturn in the eastern Kentucky coal economy. Both Obama and Biden have pushed policies to move the nation away from carbon fuels and toward clean energy sources in the effort to combat climate change.

“Trump is a fighter and he is for the people,” Slone said while chatting on her front porch.

Beshear’s speech in the tiny Appalachian community included references to Scripture and how flood-ravaged communities rallied around those who lost homes and loved ones. It’s similar to speeches the governor makes in the far western Kentucky communities ravaged by tornadoes in late 2021.

People helping others in need are “living out the Golden Rule that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, and the parable of the Good Samaritan that says everyone is our neighbor,” Beshear said Friday. “In a world that sometimes feels toxic, that we’re supposed to be against each other, you all have come together as one people to truly stand up for each other.”

Beshear pledged that his commitment to Kentucky’s recovery from natural disasters will remain the same “no matter what role I’m in.” He deflected questions about Harris’ decision-making process, keeping the focus on the new homes. Touring one of them as a family was moving in, he asked a child to “show me your room.”

Beshear later downplayed whether status as a red-state governor could hurt his chances of becoming Harris’ choice for a running mate. Other leading contenders are from swing states, but Harris is considering a cross-section of candidates.

“I think just about every successful ticket going back to 2000 did not have someone in a swing state,” Beshear told reporters. “I think in the end, this vice president is going to need to choose who she thinks would be the best running mate, somebody that can communicate to everyone, in swing states and outside.”

Bruce Schreiner, The Associated Press

The day after Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race for the White House, Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee’s Michigan campaign office saw 650 people sign up to volunteer.

The next night in Nevada, Rep. Steven Horsford had another 600 volunteers register in his Las Vegas-area district. Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean’s constituents were “fired up.” New Hampshire Rep. Annie Kuster felt “palpable” enthusiasm. And by week’s end, Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s team had 400 volunteers ready to “get on the bus” to campaign for Democrats in neighboring Michigan and Wisconsin.

“The theory of the case is proving true: There’s a renewed enthusiasm within the Democratic Party for our candidate at the top of the ticket,” said Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota, who had been among Democrats calling for President Joe Biden to step aside.

Weeks of despair among Democratic lawmakers that Biden would not only lose the White House but take congressional candidates down with him disappeared in a blink. The 2024 campaign’s static inertia was transforming into kinetic political energy after Harris took hold of the party, stunned the establishment and shook up the race against Republican Donald Trump.

Women, young people and voters of color started suddenly flocking to the Democratic campaigns. The congressional campaign committees for the House and Senate Democrats reported record-setting $1 million days for online donations, among the highest in history. Lawmakers said people showed up without prompting, asking what they could do to help.

The turnaround, just over 100 days from the election, revives the party’s hope of winning back the House and fighting to hold its Senate majority. Rather than simply being seen as a last line of defense against Trump and the Project 2025 agenda, the potential for broader Democratic wins is coming into view, despite Republican assertions that the Harris boost is a blip that won’t prove lasting.

Harris’ rise quickly quelled, for now, the painful party revolt that had thrown Democrats into weeks of anguished anxiety.

“We’re sort of right on the cusp of both existential dread and excitement for making history,” said freshman Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico.

The House in particular has been reeling from the chaotic turn of events. The party angst over Biden’s ability to lead the ticket spilled into the open after his disastrous debate performance called into question his age, 81, and his ability to serve another term.

Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the first Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden to withdraw from the race, said, “I think we were on a path to lose this election, and now we have a fighting chance to win it.”

For some, the energy and enthusiasm they are witnessing reminds them of 2008, when a young U.S. senator, Barack Obama, powered his longshot White House bid with a new coalition of Democrats, fueled partly by young millennials.

Horsford, who was among Obama’s earliest backers in Nevada, remembers the throngs of young people who worked as part of a multiracial, multigenerational coalition. And that’s what he sees now “coming out of the woodwork” to help Harris.

“It’s actually more than a campaign now,” Horsford said. “It’s a movement.”

Both the House and Senate are fiercely contested this election year, with razor-tight majorities heading into November, which means just a single seat can determine which party holds power.

In the House, some 40 seats are considered competitive, and any one of them could make or break the outcome, determining whether Republicans keep their slim majority or Democrats wrest control.

The Senate is tougher for Democrats, a candidate-versus-candidate contest less beholden to the top of the ticket. Senate Democrats hold the majority by a single seat, and among the most endangered incumbents, Montana’s Sen. Jon Tester, has yet to back Harris. A 50-50 Senate would give power to the party in the White House because the vice president can cast tie-breaking votes.

Republicans handling the House and Senate races are racing to redefine the presidential matchup with Trump, largely by defining Harris on their own terms.

GOP strategists believe the sudden flurry of support for Harris will fade and the Republicans like the prospect of replacing “Scranton Joe” with a “San Francisco liberal” who will own the Biden administration’s record on border policy and inflation, which are tops on voters’ minds.

“This whole, short-lived Harris honeymoon is over,” said Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

“Age was the issue for Biden. The issue for Kamala Harris will be her far-left policies,” Daines said. “The nation is not going to elect a far-left, San Francisco radical.”

Jack Pandol, the spokesman for the House GOP’s National Republican Congressional Committee, said House Democrats are falling in line with Harris’ “extreme agenda to remake America in the image of San Francisco,” and they risk losing their elections over it.

The dynamic is being put to the test in real time as lawmakers in competitive seats watch the political ground shake beneath them in the presidential race.

“We have seen a night-and-day difference in every aspect of my campaign,” said Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan of New York, who was among some three dozen congressional Democrats who publicly called on Biden to pass the torch.

Fundraising, grassroots support and volunteer energy all soared “through the roof” since the hand-off to Harris, he said. “This is really electrifying our campaign.”

But in another competitive New York district, Republican Rep. Nick LaLota predicted when “the dust settles, my constituents will understand that life would be even worse under a Harris administration.”

To be sure, not all Democrats in Congress wanted to see Biden end his campaign for a second term.

Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said she was disturbed by the calls for Biden to step aside after all she said he has done as president.

In particular, some lawmakers worried that Harris would be thrust into the fray without adequate party support or simply be passed over as Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and other prominent Democrats initially called for an open primary if Biden were to be replaced.

But once Biden decided it was “in the best interest of my party and the country” to end his bid, even some of those most resistant to the change welcomed the outcome.

Waters said there was such an outpouring of interest in Harris from her Los Angeles-area district that she was rushing home Friday to throw an organizing event. “We’re going to be jamming,” she said.

“He endorsed a woman — a woman of color — and it drew everybody into a new kind of possibility that could happen in this country,” she said.

Lisa Mascaro, Kevin Freking And Stephen Groves, The Associated Press