Por Betsy Klein, CNN

La fiscal federal del Distrito de Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, dijo este domingo que el agente del Servicio Secreto herido durante la Cena de Corresponsales de la Casa Blanca el fin de semana pasado fue alcanzado por una descarga de escopeta disparada por el sospechoso acusado de intentar matar a Donald Trump.

“Ahora podemos establecer que un perdigón proveniente de la munición disparada por la escopeta Mossberg de acción de bombeo del acusado estaba entrelazado con las fibras del chaleco del agente del Servicio Secreto”, dijo Pirro a Jake Tapper de CNN en el programa “State of the Union”.

La oficina de Pirro en Washington presentó varios cargos contra Cole Tomas Allen tras el ataque.

“Definitivamente fue su bala”, agregó.

Un análisis de CNN de videos de vigilancia del hotel publicados por la oficina de Pirro la semana pasada, junto con el audio grabado dentro del salón durante el tiroteo, no concluye de forma definitiva cuándo o si Allen disparó. Sin embargo, el análisis de audio sí indica que se realizaron seis disparos en total durante el incidente, lo que coincide con las declaraciones iniciales de las autoridades que señalaron que Allen disparó una vez y que un agente respondió con otros cinco disparos.

Pirro dijo que se publicarán más videos de vigilancia del incidente. También ofreció nuevos detalles sobre los movimientos de Allen en los momentos previos a que atravesara el punto de control de seguridad y pasara junto a agentes.

En el video, un perro K-9 de las fuerzas del orden y su guía inspeccionan una puerta por la que ingresó Allen. El perro entra brevemente, aunque no está claro qué detectó exactamente.

“Entró a esa habitación para quitarse un abrigo largo que llevaba puesto”, dijo Pirro a Tapper, reiterando: “Llevaba un abrigo largo y oscuro porque tenía que ocultar la escopeta Mossberg de acción de bombeo”.

Pirro dijo que el K-9 era “un perro detector de bombas”.

Jonathan Wackrow, exagente del Servicio Secreto y colaborador de CNN, explicó que el perro habría sido entrenado para detectar “explosivos de alta potencia”, pero probablemente no para detectar el olor de la pólvora de un cartucho de escopeta.

“Estos perros son desplegados para misiones específicas. La misión aquí era encontrar explosivos de alta potencia o artefactos explosivos que pudieran dañar al público general o al presidente, no encontrar munición”, dijo.

Aunque Allen enfrenta inicialmente un cargo por disparar un arma de fuego durante un delito violento, los cargos podrían ampliarse o modificarse a medida que avance la investigación de un jurado investigador hacia una posible acusación formal.

“Hay cargos iniciales y hay una investigación. Y en la medida en que el Gobierno descubra más cosas —y les aseguro que las descubrirá—, se convertirán en cargos”, dijo este domingo el secretario de Justicia interino Todd Blanche en el programa “Meet the Press” de NBC.

Pirro dijo que el viernes habrá una audiencia preliminar ante el jurado investigador.

Aunque un supuesto manifiesto escrito por Allen no menciona a Trump como objetivo, Pirro afirmó que su oficina tiene suficientes pruebas para establecer que el presidente era el “objetivo muy claro”.

“Tenemos muchas pruebas que indican su intención y el hecho de que todo lo que hizo después… seguir lo que hacía el presidente, adónde iba el día del evento en el hotel, preguntar en su teléfono: ‘¿El presidente ya está en el salón? ¿El presidente ya se sentó? ¿A qué hora servirán la cena?’”, dijo.

Y añadió: “Claramente, el presidente era el objetivo. Y que no haya dudas: no es solo el manifiesto, son sus acciones”.

Pirro minimizó cualquier argumento de insanidad y afirmó que Allen está “lejos de estar loco; es brillante. … Este es un hombre que no sufrió ningún episodio psicótico”.

También descartó la idea de apartarse del

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By Chris Boyette, CNN

(CNN) — A man who was shot by ICE agents during a traffic stop, then arrested by the FBI after his release from the hospital, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in California, according to court documents.

Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez faces two counts of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon and one count of destruction of government property, following a traffic stop last month in which federal agents fired at him as he allegedly tried to flee.

An arraignment and status hearing is scheduled for Monday at 9:30 a.m. before US District Judge Dale A. Drozd, according to court records.

ICE identified Mendoza Hernandez as an undocumented immigrant whom the department described as an “18th Street Gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection to a murder.”

But “from everything we can find, he was not” a gang member, his attorney, Patrick Kolasinski, said in a news conference the day after the shooting.

“Specifically, Mendoza Hernandez refused to comply with lawful orders from federal officers, operated his vehicle in a manner that damaged a federal vehicle, and drove his vehicle toward officers in a manner that would have caused serious bodily injury or death had the officers not taken evasive action,” the criminal complaint said.

Kolasinski said his client attempted to flee the traffic stop only after he’d been shot at and “was just scared that he was going to die.”

The case has been marked by uncertainty and conflicting narratives.

The federal complaint says agents surveilled Mendoza Hernandez’s home, followed him as he left, then pulled him over on the morning of April 7 as part of an operation to “locate and arrest Mendoza Hernandez because he is an illegal alien with no status in the U.S.”

During the stop, Mendoza Hernandez identified himself but refused to exit the vehicle despite repeated commands, the complaint said. After agents broke the front passenger window to extract him, Mendoza Hernandez drove forward, striking an agent, then rapidly reversed into a federal vehicle parked behind him, causing significant damage, according to the complaint.

Mendoza Hernandez then accelerated forward toward two agents, one of whom was directly in his path and had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit, the complaint said. He then jumped the center median and drove the wrong way against traffic before colliding with another vehicle, striking a guardrail and coming to rest about 500 feet from the traffic stop, according to the DOJ.

Dashcam video of the incident reviewed by CNN doesn’t clarify exactly what happened.

During the incident, two agents discharged their firearms at Mendoza Hernandez, the complaint said. Agents rendered medical aid at the scene, and Mendoza Hernandez was transported to a hospital, where he underwent three surgeries after being shot about six times, including in the face, according to Kolasinski.

After receiving medical treatment, Mendoza Hernandez was taken into FBI custody on April 13, the DOJ said. A judge initially granted a $50,000 bond, but on April 20, the court ordered him detained as a flight risk, according to court records.

Mendoza Hernandez, 36, is the father of a toddler and is engaged to a US citizen. He was on his way to work

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By Lily Hautau, CNN

(CNN) — How’s the weather up there?

Standing at nearly 5 feet 2 inches tall, I’ve rarely been able to reach the highest shelves at the library or in my kitchen without a step stool, if at all. Standing in a crowd at a concert, I quickly learned that the standing room only section was not for me, since all I could see when I looked straight ahead were people’s backs.

I’ve always wondered how my perspective and confidence would change if I were as tall as my dad, who stands at 6 feet 4 inches. Or if I were even just a few inches taller than I am without having my feet ache wearing heels that only give me a few inches, if that.

Then came the same height party: an event built around a simple, slightly crazy idea that everyone in the room, no matter their actual height, could meet at eye level.

The idea traces back to the late German artist Hans Hemmert’s creation of “Level” in 1997.

His participatory art installation is best known for using custom platform footwear to equalize participants’ heights, turning a physical difference into something you can step in and out of.

Decades later, Lucian Novosel hosted his own same-height party in a warehouse-style artist space in Oakland with about 15 people. Novosel has a reputation among his friends for projects that may sound crazy until you see them. One project was a human-size gerbil feeder and another a life-size origami horse. With a new goal, he set out to recreate that “leveling” effect as a wearable social experiment. This is one project that I wish I got to experience myself, however, I did talk with Novosel and a few of his guests about their experiences at the party.

It wasn’t just the idea “make tall shoes” to make people taller. He wanted to see how he could get his shortest friend — around 4 feet 11 inches — standing eye to eye with the tallest — about 6 feet 5 inches. Novosel used his tallest friend, Spencer, who did not want his last name published for privacy reasons, as the anchor height: “I know the tallest guy coming, and now everyone else will have to have shoes made for them,” he said.

So he made his version using a 3D printer.

How to make everyone the same height

Novosel started months before the party because the leveling effect only worked if the math and the materials held up under practical use. He said he needed time to create prototypes first and enough time to convince himself he could build platforms people could walk on safely before he felt comfortable inviting friends.

Roughly three months out, the event started to come together. He locked down the guest list, gathered measurements and secured a venue designed for stability. “It was hard,” he said — partly because a shifting guest list can mean rebuilding shoes from scratch — so he finalized the guest list about three months ahead.

Then it was time to gather data. Guests were asked for their barefoot height, shoe size and the lift of their everyday shoes. Next came the task of building those shoes, which involved nearly four weeks of cutting, stacking and reinforcing. Novosel used 1-inch foam in large sheets to build up platforms that widened progressively toward the ground.

The pyramid shape wasn’t designed for aesthetics but instead for balance to prevent “teeter-tottering.” “Imagine an elephant walking on a very small area,” Novosel said. “It’s not going to work.”

He used custom, 3D-printed brackets and zip ties in the assembly and kept the pattern adaptable enough to cover a wide range of shoe sizes.

He recommended the “Pink Panther” brand of rigid 1-inch foam insulation for anyone trying to recreate the build, as well as a hot blade and respirators for cutting the foam.

The tallest shoes? 18 inches.

Even w