Latest news with #Routh
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How has Iowa shaped Brandon Routh's career? See what he says ahead of Des Moines Con
Iowa's favorite superhero is making his way back home. Actor Brandon Routh, best known for playing Superman, is coming to Des Moines Con 2025. Routh, who grew up playing fantasy video games and reading fantasy novels in Iowa, first took on the role for "Superman Returns" in 2006. He's been part of several "geekdoms" throughout his life and is looking forward to connecting with fans in his home state. As he's gotten older, Routh said he's realizing he has a "unique energy" that he attributes to his Midwest background. Routh brings that energy to a lot of his characters, saying that it comes from "who I am, but also from Iowa, and it comes from small town," Routh said. "It comes from the sense of community that I had growing up in Norwalk and in larger Des Moines." Norwalk has been home to two superheroes. Fellow actor Jason Momoa attended high school in Norwalk at the same time as Routh. Aside from Superman, Routh has also played The Atom on several TV shows including "Arrow," "The Flash" and "Supergirl." The actor said while Iowa may not have everything right — and never has necessarily — it's a wonderful place with live. He said exploring the world has helped him see how different people are, but how similar they are, too. He said Iowa taught him those qualities and he tries to reflect that back to Iowans in his work. Aside from being able to see Routh, attend his session and possibly even get an autograph or picture , he said fans attending the convention can also expect to find a safe space. "The convention is about creating community, and I think letting people be free to like the things that they like and not feel like they're silly or weird for liking a niche [thing]," Routh said. "I think that's one of the beautiful things I've noticed about cons. They can be more of a safe place than other places in the world can be." Routh said he looks forward to the wonderful energy that he knows will be at Des Moines Con. While he may not always be as visible as an appearance at Des Moines Con, Routh said he tries to get back to Iowa regularly. The Iowa State Fair is a favorite stop for his family and they try to attend every year. Routh also said he's probably gone to Adventureland more as an adult than he did growing up in Norwalk. During the winter, the family likes to visit the hills at Sleepy Hollow. As a Hawkeye fan, he also likes trips to Iowa City. Routh will host a Q&A on Superman and the Arrowverse at 12 p.m. Sunday, June 1, according to the event's schedule. The event kicks off Friday, May 30, at 12 p.m. and continues through Sunday evening. Des Moines Con hours are: Friday, May 30: Exhibit hall hours are 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Programming hours are 1 p.m. to 12 a.m. Saturday, May 31: Exhibit hall hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Programming hours are 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday, June 1: Exhibit hall hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Programming hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@ or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Want to see Brandon Routh at Des Moines Con? Here's a sneak preview
Arab Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Man accused of Trump assassination attempt in Florida seeks dismissal of some gun charges
FORT PIERCE, Fla, May 15, (AP): Attorneys for a man awaiting trial on federal charges of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course asked a judge on Wednesday to dismiss the gun-related charges against him and bar a witness identification as 'unreliable.' Ryan Routh appeared in a Fort Pierce courtroom as Sowmya Bharathi, an assistant federal public defender, went before a judge. Bharathi said two charges Routh faces — possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number — should be dropped under his 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010, according to court records cited previously by the Department of Justice in a statement announcing his indictment. Bharathi, however, cited a 'deep split' in circuit courts over whether 'felons could be wholesale disenfranchised from their 2nd Amendment rights. Bharathi continued that even without a serial number on a gun, that does not take away the ability to possess a Shipley, an assistant US attorney, countered by saying the law clearly shows an 'absolute consensus' that a firearm with an obliterated serial number is 'not a weapon with any lawful purpose.' 'The law is clear with that,' Shipley said. 'I don't think there's any precedent at all for the position they are asking you to take.' Routh is also facing charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer. Routh's trial is set for September. If convicted, he could face a sentence of life in prison, federal officials have said.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Man accused of Trump assassination attempt in Florida seeks dismissal of some gun charges
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys for a man awaiting trial on federal charges of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump last year at his Florida golf course asked a judge on Wednesday to dismiss the gun-related charges against him and bar a witness identification as 'unreliable.' Ryan Routh appeared in a Fort Pierce courtroom as Sowmya Bharathi, an assistant federal public defender, went before a judge. Bharathi said two charges Routh faces — possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number — should be dropped under his 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Routh was convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010, according to court records cited previously by the Department of Justice in a statement announcing his indictment. Bharathi, however, cited a 'deep split' in circuit courts over whether 'felons could be wholesale disenfranchised from their 2nd Amendment rights.' 'The government has not shown that this prior conviction would allow Congress to permanently disarm him,' Bharathi told U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon. Bharathi continued that even without a serial number on a gun, that does not take away the ability to possess a firearm. John Shipley, an assistant U.S. attorney, countered by saying the law clearly shows an 'absolute consensus' that a firearm with an obliterated serial number is 'not a weapon with any lawful purpose.' 'The law is clear with that,' Shipley said. 'I don't think there's any precedent at all for the position they are asking you to take.' Routh is also facing charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer. Routh's trial is set for September. If convicted, he could face a sentence of life in prison, federal officials have said. Prosecutors have said Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club. Before Trump came into view, Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent. Routh allegedly aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot. Law enforcement obtained help from a witness who prosecutors said informed officers that he saw a person fleeing. The witness was then flown in a police helicopter to a nearby interstate where Routh was arrested and the witnesses confirmed it was the person he saw, prosecutors have said. But Renee Sihvola, a Routh defender, argued that the witness identification is 'not reliable' to be used by the government in a jury trial. Sihvola told the judge that the witness did not have a clear view of the fleeing person and initially told officers the suspect was a man in his 20s. Routh is 59 years old. Sihvola said there's no information on what conversations officers had with the witness, and said the mounting pressure to find the suspect led to the witness being flown to a closed-off turnpike where Routh was arrested. Sihvola noted that the witness was asked to identify Routh at the time of arrest, two hours afterward and again with an FBI agent showing the witness a photograph six hours later. 'Those two identification procedures are both suggestive,' Sihvola said. 'This should not be presented to the jury at all because it's unreliable.' Christopher Browne, an assistant U.S. attorney, said the witness was no mere 'passerby' and had clearly seen a fleeing person and even sought a closer look at the person and the vehicle they were driving. 'There is zero potential for misidentification in this case,' Browne added.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
DOJ drops Trump assassin bombshell after defense lawyers frantically tried blocking shock text messages
Trump assassination suspect Ryan Routh spoke with a human trafficker about smuggling a family of Afghans into the US last year, according to bombshell court documents his lawyers tried to have blocked. The Justice Department released a trove of text messages showing that Routh, 58, had allegedly communicated with a Mexican people smuggler known only as 'Ramiro.' The DOJ included the text messages in a Monday filing in direct response to a motion by Routh's lawyers to block evidence of his alleged human smuggling. The Justice Department said that it was evidence that the would-be assassin had been trying to plan to flee the country if he would have succeeded in killing Trump. In one of the texts, Routh messaged Ramiro in February of 2024, referencing his former roofing company and saying he was now living in Hawaii. 'I need to get a family from Amecameca city south of Mexico City to Eagle Pass, Texas. Can you take them from me. I will pay you.' Ramiro responded that he needed to know if they had permission to enter the US and their nationalities. Routh followed up by saying the family was from Afghanistan and that they had traveled from Brazil to Mexico. Routh noted that they had Brazilian visas. Prosecutors say Routh plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as he played golf at his West Palm Beach country club He added: 'The border at Eagle Pass, Texas, is all I want. They can apply for asylum there.' 'They would have gotten killed by the Taliban at Afghanistan so they had to leave', he later wrote. After some back-and-forth, the individual informed Routh that he would charge $1,800 to drive them to Eagle Pass personally and drop them at the border. Routh responded: 'That is way to [sic] expensive to just take them to the border. This is a humanitarian mission dude, this family needs help.' After Routh expressed his dissatisfaction with the price, he followed up with another text two days later before the conversation dried up until September of last year. The court documents indicate that Routh texted Ramiro just two days before he allegedly tried to assassinate the president, telling him: 'I may come to visit soon'. 'The point here is that Ramiro is the human smuggler, and that Routh appealed to Ramiro in hatching his escape plan', prosecutors said. Routh's attorneys said that the discussions with 'Ramiro' have nothing to do with the case against him. The DOJ had included the text messages in a Monday filing in direct response to a motion by Routh's lawyers to suppress evidence of his alleged human smuggling Routh fled after dropping his weapon without firing a shot. Prosecutors say he left behind a note describing his intentions. He was arrested a short time later According to the DOJ, the texts would provide context for the jury at the trial, which is set to begin on September 8, 2025. It comes after it emerged last month in court documents that Routh had sought to purchase a rocket launcher from Ukraine the month before he was arrested. In a filing, it was alleged that he had been corresponding on an encrypted messaging app, with someone he believed to be a Ukrainian with access to military weapons. Routh had asked his associate to 'send me an RPG [rocket propelled grenade] or stinger, and I will see what I can do. [Trump] is not good for Ukraine', it added. Prosecutors say it was further proof of his intent to assassinate Trump. The conversation also included discussions over the price and shipment of anti-aircraft weapons. He sent an image to the Ukrainian messenger with an image of Trump's campaign plane and wrote: 'Trump's plane, he gets on and off daily.' Prosecutors say Routh plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach country club last year. Before Trump came into view, Routh was spotted by a Secret Service agent. Routh allegedly aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire.
Russia Today
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Tucker Carlson accuses Ukrainians of trying to kill Trump
Ukraine was involved in a plot to assassinate US President Donald Trump during his 2024 reelection campaign, American journalist Tucker Carlson has claimed. In September 2024, pro-Ukraine activist Ryan Wesley Routh was arrested after setting up a firing position with a rifle near Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was spotted by Secret Service agents before he could open fire and was detained following a brief manhunt. 'It's very obvious that the Ukrainians were involved in the attempted assassination on the golf course in Florida,' Carlson said on The Megyn Kelly Show on Tuesday. 'That guy definitely had some contact with Ukraine, for sure,' Kelly replied. 'He was in Ukraine!' Carlson emphasized. Kelly noted that Routh had been 'asking them' for heavy weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades. Carlson agreed and suggested Kiev may have been involved in additional assassination plots. 'I know for a fact there were others who were a target of assassination attempts by the Ukrainian government,' he said, without providing further details. According to court documents from the Southern District of Florida, Routh – who is a convicted felon – had previously attempted, unsuccessfully, to enlist in Ukraine's armed forces in 2022. Despite this, he allegedly worked to recruit foreign volunteers for the Ukrainian military. Prosecutors allege that Routh attempted to purchase either a rocket-propelled grenade launcher or a Stinger man-portable air-defense missile from a Ukrainian associate. 'I need equipment so that Trump don't [sic] get elected,' he wrote in one of the encrypted messages cited in the case. Both weapons systems have seen extensive use in the Ukraine conflict. 'One missing would not be noticed,' Routh reportedly said in another message. In 2022, Routh took part in a rally in Kiev in support of Ukraine's Azov military unit, whose fighters were under siege by Russian forces in Mariupol at the time. The unit – which includes members with neo-Nazi and ultranationalist backgrounds – later stated that Routh 'has never had any connection to Azov.' In a social media post earlier this month, the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., criticized officials in Kiev for failing to alert U.S. authorities about Routh's attempts to obtain heavy weapons. The Florida incident came after a separate assassination attempt in July 2024, when a gunman opened fire during Trump's campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Trump was escorted from the stage after a bullet grazed his ear. One spectator was killed and several others were wounded. The shooter, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.
