4 things to know for July 14: Secret Service, Abortion, Synagogue shooter, Target

1 Secret Service

The US Secret Service has concluded its investigation into the small bag of cocaine found at the White House earlier this month and has beenunable to identify a suspect, the agency said in a statement. FBI lab results from the packaging found “insufficient DNA” and could not retrieve any fingerprints, according to the statement. The investigation was closed after Secret Service officials combed through “security systems” and indexed “several hundred individuals” who entered the West Wing before the discovery.

Investigators were also unable to find surveillance footage to identify the particular moment or day when the baggie wasleft inside the West Wing. A source familiar with the investigation told CNN that the leading theory remains that it was left by one of the hundreds of visitors who entered the area that weekend for tours.

‘Not surprised’: Ex-Secret Service agent speaks out after no suspect identified in WH cocaine investigation

2 Abortion

The House voted Thursday to adopt several controversial amendments pushed by conservative hardliners to acritical national defense billas the fate of the must-pass legislation hangs in the balance. Passage of the amendments — which touch onhot-button issues like abortion policy— is expected to cost Democratic votes and could prevent the final passage ofthe legislationunless House Republicans are able to largely unite behind the measure. One of the most high-profile amendments would prohibit the secretary of defense from paying for or reimbursing expenses relating to abortion services. Many Democrats made it clear ahead of the vote that if the amendment was included as part of the defense bill, they would be unlikely to support it. Meanwhile, as Republican lawmakers have pushed restrictions on abortions in recent months, Democratic-led states have responded by passingso-called shield lawsto protect people who undergo the procedure against the possibility they could one day face prosecution.

3 Synagogue shooter

A jury has found that the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooter is eligible to face the death penalty. The 50-year-old gunman was found guilty on June 16 of all63 charges against himfor killing 11 worshippers and wounding six others atPittsburgh’s Tree of Lifesynagogue in 2018, the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the US. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses. This week, the shooter’s defense team said his mental illnesses and delusions “took over his thinking.” The prosecution called in their own doctors who disputed thegunman’s diagnoses. In the next phase of the trial, the jury will hear from survivors and loved ones of the victims, who will speak to the lasting impact of the shooting. Then, next week, the jury will move into the final phase to decide whether to recommend death for the capital offenses.

Gunman convicted in mass shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue

4 Target

Republicans areescalating their legal threatsagainst retailer Target, pressuring the company to remove merchandise for transgender customers and backtrack on its diversity initiatives. Last week, Republican attorneys general in seven stateswrote to Targetwarning that merchandise in its Pride month product collection could violate their states’ child protection laws.

The letter followed ananti-LGBTQ campaignagainst Target that wentviral on social media. A separate letter was sent to Target last week by Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, who said the company’s diversity pledge in 2020 to increase Black employees by 20% and invest more than $2 billion in Black-owned businesses was racially discriminatory. Target did not respond to comment on Sen. Cotton or the attorneys general letter.