CBS News
Trump to resume outdoor rallies with bulletproof glass
The U.S. Secret Service is arranging for former President Donald Trump to resume outdoor campaign rallies a month after a gunman targeted him at a rally in Pennsylvania.
The Secret Service plans to surround Trump’s podium with bulletproof glass, according to two federal law enforcement officials.
While this measure is typically used to protect sitting presidents, the Secret Service is making an exception after the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally on July 13, when the gunman took several shots at Trump, grazing his ear before a Secret Service sniper killed him.
The plan was first set into motion by then-Secret Service director Kim Cheatle in the immediate aftermath of the rally. The Secret Service typically pre-positions personnel around the country in battleground states so they can be within driving distance of campaign rallies, which enables faster transportation of the ballistic glass to events.
The Secret Service declined to comment on its reported plans.
Within weeks after the shooting, Trump vowed to continue appearing at outdoor rallies and said the Secret Service had “agreed to substantially step up” its operation. The Secret Service had already increased its security efforts around Trump — in fact, the Butler rally was the first event of the 2024 campaign where the agency’s highly trained counter snipers were deployed to secure a campaign event for the former president.
But the event was plagued by security lapses, and in the wake of the attempt on Trump’s life, Cheatle resigned. The acting Secret Service Ronald Rowe disclosed that Secret Service counter snipers did not have radio communications with local law enforcement that day. Instead, the agents relied on text messaging, with local Butler County tactical teams sending Secret Service snipers two pictures of Crooks via text message at 5:45 p.m., about 26 minutes before shots were fired.
The Department of Homeland Security is assisting the Secret Service in establishing a committee to explore the permanent creation of a uniform communication channel. This would enable the Secret Service, federal law enforcement officials and state and local law enforcement officials assisting the agency to radio one another with greater ease, allowing communication between law enforcement entities that typically transmit messages on separate frequencies.
The panel is still being assembled, with assistance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and will be led by Heather Fong, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ senior counselor for law enforcement and acting assistant secretary for the Office for State & Local Law Enforcement. Fong is also a former San Francisco chief of police.
Notably, Rowe has conceded that problems with communications among law enforcement agencies on July 13 delayed critical information from being relayed to the Secret Service as local law enforcement pursued the gunman in the minutes leading up to the shooting.
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
