What To Watch For
Upham’s and Eckert’s charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. Trial dates have not been set for the cases, though Williams had his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court in Knoxville on Friday.
Read more Taco Bell: ‘Affected’ Lettuce Now Removed—Customers Can Order ‘Safely’
Tangent
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters this week he was the target of an assassination attempt earlier this year. The man involved in the plot pleaded guilty to his charges in March and will be sentenced in August.
Key Background
Federal prosecutors have increasingly used statutes prohibiting the sending of threats against the president to pursue posts made on social media. In Upham’s case, the Marine Corps publicly condemned his videos as “disturbing,” saying his statements violated “the oath he swore to uphold.” ‘
Read more Trump Approval Rating: Hits All-Time Low On The Economy In Latest Poll
Political Threats On The Rise
Trump was targeted in two assassination attempts in 2024, with one of the incidents striking the president in the ear by a bullet, and killing a bystander. The gunman from that assassination attempt was killed by the Secret Service, while the man who tried to assassinate Trump on a Florida golf course was sentenced to life in prison in February. The attempts on Trump’s life are part of a rise in political violence in recent years. Paul Pelosi, the husband of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was attacked by a man with a hammer in his home in 2022, suffering a fractured skull and injuries to his right arm. Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in their home in 2025, just months before right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during a public event in Utah.
Read more Trump Doubles Down On Reflecting Pool Vandalism Claim—Despite Photos Showing No Evidence Of Gash