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Performer John Di Domenico Shares Stories From Las Vegas After the Shooting

October 02, 2017
Staff

WRITER

John Di Domenico, a performer known for his spot-on impersonations of President Donald Trump, was part of the entertainment community in Las Vegas when he lived there for six years. He shared his thoughts and emotions after the tragic shooting late Sunday night.

Several of his friends were attending the Jason Aldean concert where a gunman fired across the crowd to kill dozens of people and wound more than 500. At least 58 people have died in the biggest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Despite the fear and shock, his friends shared stories of self-sacrifice that they witnessed in front of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

“People really dig down and figure out how to focus and help others,” Di Domenico said.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

DOC: It's Doc Thompson in for Glenn Beck. I'm regularly heard on TheBlaze Radio Network. TheBlazeRadio.com. You want to find out more, follow me on Twitter. It's @DocThompsonShow. My buddy and cohort from The Morning Blaze, Kris Cruz, as well as Kal is spinning the dials radio-style for us as well.

Last night, just hours ago, on the strip in Las Vegas, a gunman on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Hotel fired countless rounds into the crowd below, including a concert across the street. As it stands, 50 people confirmed dead. That number is likely to grow. Over 400 injured.

Just to give you the quick update. One suspect killed himself as police broke into his room. 64-year-old Stephen Paddock is his name. (cuts out)

DOC: When a man blew up the school there. Just to put it all into perspective. Prior to today, the deadliest mass shooting in America was the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando. Prior to that, it was Sandy Hook.

Our friend John Di Domenico is a Trump supporter and entertainer who lives in Las Vegas. We've had him on this program and our program on the past, and has a little perspective living just, ten, 15 minutes from the Mandalay Bay.

Hey, John, how are you?

JOHN: Hey, Doc, how are you doing, man?

DOC: This is so bad, John. This is so horrible.

JOHN: This is a very small town. I moved here six years ago and was very lucky to be part of the entertainment community here. I had multiple friends at the festival. And two women, particularly. One is a singer. One is a country singer. She -- I saw that she was there. I was checking Instagram, Facebook. They were having a great time. Posting photos.

And then right before I went to bed, I checked again, and they said they were being shot at.

DOC: Wow.

JOHN: And the one woman -- I don't want to give any names for privacy. But the one -- (cuts out) was great. They're just shattered. They're horrified. This is their hometown. They went there to have a great time. And they were almost killed. So it -- it's just a horrible, horrible situation.

DOC: Well, John, let's look at a different perspective there. You're right. This is horrible. And obviously, we never want this to happen. We certainly don't want it to happen again. But let's look at some of the, albeit, small by comparison, but positive stories. The stories of self-sacrifice like that, people pushing others out of the way.

JOHN: Yeah.

DOC: Sacrificing themselves. Covering people. And ended up taking a bullet and dying themselves.

JOHN: Right.

And I just want to read you the line, what she wrote. A man that we did not know laid on top of us and covered Amy's head. He was shot from behind. The lady right next to us was grazed in the neck. So, yeah, there was a lot of heroism. We have amazing first responders here, incredible police. I also had -- you know, like I said, I had multiple friends there. And beyond the fact that it's hard to believe, yeah, a lot of people rose to the occasion. Were able to kind of be clear, move people out, get people behind the stage, get people to safety. So, yeah, there's -- in these -- in these moments, in these tragedies, people really speak out and figure out a way to focus and help others.

DOC: John, tell me about this venue. When I lived in Vegas, it was in the early '90s. The Mandalay Bay wasn't even there. It was the Hacienda back in the day. And then the strip ended up developing quite a bit after I left.

Tell me about this outdoor venue. It's diagonally across the street?

JOHN: Yeah. So Mandalay Bay is at the southern end of the Las Vegas (cuts out).

DOC: That space, it's many acres.

KRIS: Yeah, it's huge.

JOHN: It's huge.

KRIS: Like John said, you can fit the iHeartRadio concert. A lot of people do different concerts. And I actually didn't know that, that the American ninja warrior was filmed. There. That makes sense.

DOC: That makes sense.

JOHN: They fill tons of stages. And you can move around. And they have a lot of festivals. And card games. And this -- this man obviously knew this was coming to town. And he obviously asked for a room on the high floor. And then did what -- he did the unthinkable. And has shattered many, many people's lives. Killed many people.

DOC: We figured this morning, we speculated, and it made a lot of sense that he likely did this to time it when the concert was there, because he's going to have thousands and thousands of people that are a target. And that's how it seems this morning.

JOHN: Yeah.

DOC: It's interesting, John. We're looking at the pictures coming out of the Mandalay Bay this morning. And there are two windows, on the hotel, that are broken out. But it's interesting because those windows are dozens of those little squares. I don't know if that represents --

CALLER: They're full-sized windows. They're full-sized windows.

DOC: So would one of those be a room?

JOHN: Three of them would probably be a room.

DOC: So we're seeing them at kind of a point.

KRIS: It's like an X.

DOC: Yeah, it's like -- yeah, it's like that. Is on kind of like one of the points. And then eight to ten windows, kind of down the side, is another broken out window. We don't know why yet. Interesting.

JOHN: Uh-huh. Yeah, I have -- I have no idea about -- about that. I -- and this is, you know -- it would seem to me that there were -- there was another shooter. I don't want to --

DOC: Yeah, the police have not confirmed that. It could have been him. It could have been somebody else breaking out the window. It could have been anything.

JOHN: Also there's echo there. Terrible. But he was very calculating on how he did this and timed it and his angle and all those things.

DOC: So, John, I was thinking about it this morning and talking about priorities and about how some reason we don't prioritize what's important. And a lot of us don't in our own lives. It's easy to get pissed off at somebody in front of you in traffic or whatever. And you go, you know what, at least I wasn't shot up in Vegas, right? That's how it was. (cuts out)

DOC: -- melting down. I mean, this is ridiculous.

JOHN: It is. And, you know, we're -- you know, we love this -- we've all loved this country. And we're smart people. And a lot of us are from -- a lot of people who are at each other are from a lot of the same places. That have the same -- actually the same core values. When stuff like this -- you make a great point. When stuff like this happens, those other things are so trivial and actually would be so easy to come to an agreement on or get around in some way. You know what I mean? Let's work this out.

We love this country. It's an amazing place. We're living in -- you know, all -- this wonderful time as far as technology, all these things that are happening.

But to see something like this and then we're -- like you just said, a few days ago --

DOC: So stupid. You know.

JOHN: Yeah. Our lives are so short and so precious, and we're wasting time.

DOC: Screwing around with that stuff.

JOHN: Yeah.

DOC: See, John, there's no bringing back the 50 people that were killed. But still, we could come to some reasonable conversation -- or, reasonable understanding about statues, right? There's nobody dead there, right? Columbus Day being offensive to some people. Okay. We can have that discussion because nobody is dead.

JOHN: Right. Yeah. We're getting -- we're getting tied up in wasting our lives, actually.

DOC: All right.

JOHN: It's time to refocus and get back to things that are important, like human life.

DOC: Exactly. Right. That may matter, okay.

JOHN: Yeah.

DOC: John Di Domenico, buddy. Thanks so much for joining us. Okay?

JOHN: Thank you, guys. And thanks for all your prayers for Las Vegas. This is a great town. And we're going to come back. This is a great place to come and have a great time. And the police are amazing. And the first responders, like I said.

DOC: All right, John. Thanks, buddy. What I'll do is I'll tweet out a link to John's account as well so you can find him. He's a good guy.

Top THREE reasons we NEED the Panama Canal

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Is Trump seriously planning a military conquest of the Panama Canal?

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration, Donald Trump launched the Panama Canal into the national spotlight. The canal is one of the most important passages in the world, and its continued operation has been critical for both the U.S. military and economy since its construction.

Since America relinquished sovereignty of the canal, China has asserted its authority in the region. The Chinese Communist Party has been growing its influence in Panama and neighboring Latin American countries, convincing them to join their "Belt and Road Initiative," an effort to poise China as the main economic power in developing nations across the world. Panama in particular is quickly becoming a Chinese puppet state. There are currently over 200,000 Chinese living in Panama, a Chinese company runs two of the canal's five major ports, and another Chinese company provides telecommunication service for a large portion of the canal. The government of Panama has even gone as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

It's clear that the Panama Canal is under serious threat of falling into Chinese hands, but President Trump doesn't intend to let them move in. Here are the top three reasons we need the Panama Canal:

1. The canal was built by the U.S.

Hulton Archive / Stringer | Getty Images

Without the United States, neither Panama nor the Panama Canal would exist. In 1903, after Colombia refused to allow the U.S. to build a canal across the isthmus of Panama, President Teddy Roosevelt devised a controversial plan. He supported a Panamanian independence movement, which swiftly overthrew the local Colombian government. Meanwhile, he stationed a U.S. warship off the coast, preventing Colombia from sending military forces to retake Panama.

The moment Panama declared its independence, the U.S. recognized it and struck a deal with the new government: the U.S. would control the Canal Zone, while Panama would receive $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000. Construction of the canal took over a decade, cost $375 million, and resulted in thousands of American casualties, making it the most expensive U.S. construction project of its time.

Fast forward to 1964 when tensions between the U.S. and Panama over the canal erupted into a riot. President Lyndon B. Johnson decided it was time to transfer control of the canal to Panama. However, this proved more complicated than expected. In 1968, General Omar Torrijos, a known ally of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, seized control of Panama in a coup. Negotiations over the Canal stalled, as many Americans opposed giving such an important asset to a controversial figure. It wasn’t until 1999, following the deployment of 27,000 U.S. troops to facilitate yet another change in power, that the Canal was officially handed over to Panama.

2. The canal is vital for the U.S. economy

IVAN PISARENKO / Contributor | Getty Images

The U.S. relies heavily on the Panama Canal for commercial shipping. Between 13 and 14 thousand ships use the Panama Canal every year, which is roughly 40 percent of the global cargo ship traffic. Additionally, 72 percent of ships traversing the canal are either heading toward or leaving a U.S. port.

The time ships save using the Panama Canal reduces shipping costs massively. For example, when the canal first opened in 1922, it was estimated that a ship’s journey from Oregon to the UK, was shortened by 42 percent, reducing costs by 31 percent. If the Panama Canal was blocked or destroyed, or if American merchant vessels were denied passage, the effects on the U.S. economy would be tremendous.

3. The canal is a key defense point for the U.S. military

Historical / Contributor | Getty Images

Similarly, the canal is key to the U.S. military and national security. The canal shaves off approximately 8,000 miles of the voyage between the Pacific and the Atlantic. If U.S. Navy ships were denied access in a time of crisis, the extra time required to bypass the canal would be disastrous. Conversely, if the U.S. can keep the Panama Canal from being used by foreign aggressors, it would provide a massive advantage in future conflicts.

A foreign enemy could easily exploit the canal's current vulnerability. This was proven in 2021 when a cargo ship accidentally blocked the Suez Canal for a week, paralyzing global trade. Imagine China intentionally sabotaging the Panama Canal, considering it controls ports on both ends, owns a bridge that spans the Canal, provides its telecom services, and has the second-largest fleet of ships using the route.

TOP 5 takeaways from JD Vance's 'Face the Nation' interview

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

After an eventful first week in office, JD Vance wrapped the week up with a bang of an interview on "Face the Nation."

Last weekend, Vice President Vance joined "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan, who drilled Vance on everything from the economy to immigration. Vance clapped back with polite yet cutting responses, and he defended Trump against some of her more accusatory queries.

If there was any lingering doubt that JD Vance wasn't vice presidential (or presidential) material, they have just been blown away. Here are the major takeaways from his electricinterview on Sunday:

1. J.D. Vance defends Trump's cabinet picks

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Brennan opened the interview with a barrage of questions that brought up concerns surrounding some of Trump's cabinet picks, specifically Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard.

Brennan began by questioning how effective Pete Hegseth could be as Secretary of Defence, given that he was confirmed with a tie in the Senate that VP Vance broke. Vance responded with a quick breakdown of all of the issues the military is currently facing. Vance argued that Hegseth's unpopularity in the Senate results from his being a disruptor.

Brennan also attacked Tulsi Gabbard, calling her unfit for the title of "Director of National Intelligence." Vance defended Gabbard, citing her formidable resume and strong character. Vance also discussed the corruption of our intelligence services, which out-of-control bureaucrats have weaponized against the interests of the American people. He expressed his belief that Gabbard would be the right person to reign in the corruption and return the National Intelligence Service to its intended purpose.

2. J.D. Vance explains how Trump's economic policies will lower consumer prices

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan pushed Vance on the economy, specifically questioning when prices for consumer goods would begin to fall. Vance explained that within the plethora of executive orders issued by Trump during his first week in office, many were aimed at bringing more jobs back into America, which will raise wages and lower prices. Other orders will boost energy production, which will reduce energy costs and decrease the costs of goods.

3. J.D. Vance sheds light on needed FEMA reforms

ROBYN BECK / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan drilled Vance on President Trump's proposed FEMA reforms, specifically regarding Trump's suggestion to send states a percentage of federal disaster relief funds so that they can quickly distribute aid rather than wait on federal action. While Brennen argued that FEMA has specialists and resources that states would not have access to, leaving people without aid, Vance argued that recent disasters, like Hurricane Helene, have proven that FEMA's current bureaucratic red tape deprived Americans of immediate aid when they needed it most.

4. J.D. Vance defends Trump's mass deportations

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

Vance defended Trump's decision to allow ICE to conduct raids into churches and schools against Brennen's criticisms, arguing that law enforcement should remove a dangerous criminal from a school or church, regardless of their immigration status. He also advocated for Trump's proposed changes to birthright citizenship to prevent illegal immigrants from abusing the constitutional amendment by having "anchor babies" on U.S. soil.

Vance also took a hard stance supporting Trump suspension of admitting Afghan refugees. Brennan argued that Afghan refugees were going through a thorough vetting process and were now being abandoned by the U.S. However, Vance cited the foiled terrorist attack in Oklahoma City during Trump's 2024 campaign that was orchestrated by an Afghan refugee, who was allegedly vetted by federal agents. The vetting process is clearly flawed, and it was a prudent decision to halt the admission of these refugees until further notice.

5. J.D. Vance insists that Trump will still reign in Big Tech

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

To wrap up the interview, Brennan questioned the Trump administration's stance on Big Tech given the attendance of the industry's biggest names at Trump's inauguration, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Vance assured Brennan that Trump is still resolved to curb the power and influence of Big Tech.

Top THREE reasons the U.S. NEEDS Greenland

EMIL STACH / Contributor | Getty Images

Are Trump's repeated promises to claim Greenland for the U.S. just belligerent imperialism or a deft move to secure the future of America?

During his patriotic inaugural address, President Trump reiterated his campaign promise to expand American territories, including securing U.S. control over Greenland. This is not a new idea despite what the mainstream media may claim.

The idea of buying Greenland was originally introduced by progressive hero Woodrow Wilson in 1917 as an attempt to secure the homeland as America was gearing up to enter the First World War. The second attempt came after World War II when President Truman tried to buy the island from Denmark in another attempt to shore up national security, this time against the Soviets. Since then, Trump floated the idea in 2019, which was met with much the same ridicule as now.

The truth is that the acquisition of Greenland represents far more than just an outlet for repressed imperialist desires. It would be one of America's best investments in a long time, which is why we've been eyeballing it for so long. Here are three reasons the U.S. needs Greenland:

Strategic Military Position

THOMAS TRAASDAHL / Contributor | Getty Images

For the majority of the 20th century, Europe was the region from which a foreign attack on American soil could be launched: the Germans for the first half of the century, and the Russians for the second half. On both occasions, Greenland stood between our foreign enemies and the United States.

After the World War II, America was the official military defender of Greenland, per an agreement with Denmark. Under this agreement, the U.S. built Pituffik Air Force Base, a remote base 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Due to its location, approximately halfway between D.C. and Moscow, the Pentagon still views Pituffik as a vital component of America's nuclear defense.

The U.S. also built a secret base within the ice cap known as Camp Century. Camp Century was part scientific outpost, part nuclear-tipped ballistic missile silo built in the ice to withstand a direct atomic strike. The nearly two miles of icy tunnels were powered by a nuclear reactor and were designed to survive a nuclear first strike, and return fire. Although abandoned in 1967, Camp Century still symbolizes the strategic importance of Greenland for U.S. security.

Untapped Resources

OLIVIER MORIN / Contributor | Getty Images

While Greenland's population is a mere 56,000, the island has a total landmass nearly three times the size of Texas. According to a 2009 geological assessment, a whopping 30 percent of the Earth's undiscovered natural gas, and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil is locked away beneath Greenland's icy ground. There are also untapped deposits of valuable rare earth metals including copper, graphite, and lithium.

Neither Greenland nor Denmark have any real plans to tap into this immense wealth trapped beneath the ice, but it could prove crucial for ending the West's dependency on China. China has the global market cornered on rare earth minerals- including America. We acquire 72 percent of our rare earth mineral imports from China, making us entirely dependent on them for the manufacturing of many essential goods. Tapping Greenland's natural resources would help free America, and the West, from China's yolk.

Polar Silk Road

mark peterson / Contributor | Getty Images

In 2018 China launched an ambitious project that aimed to cut the travel time of cargo vessels between its ports and European markets in half. China, in collaboration with Russia, plans on developing new shipping routes through the Arctic Ocean. This bold new strategy, dubbed the "Polar Silk Road," has been made possible thanks to new tech, including a fleet of Russian, nuclear-powered icebreakers, the latest of which is capable of breaking through nearly 10 feet of ice.

With clear waterways from eastern China and Northern Europe, it won't be long before the first cargo ships brave the frigid sea and China looks to the next leg of the journey: the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage is the area of sea between Canada and the North Pole that would be an optimal shipping route between America's East Coast and Asia if it wasn't frozen over most of the year. But with new technology, we may be able to overcome the challenges of the ice and open the passage to commercial traffic, and Greenland is positioned directly on the passage's easternmost mouth.

Greenland would quickly become a key location along the Northwestern Passage, acting as a sentinel of the east, with the ability to control traffic through the trade route. If China or Russia were to take control of Greenland, they would dominate the Northwestern Passage, along with the rest of the new northern trade routes.

Is Romania squashing its own 'Trump' candidate?

DANIEL MIHAILESCU / Contributor | Getty Images

This week the streets of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, erupted in protest after the Constitutional Courts annulled the recent first round of the presidential election after the "far-right" candidate won.

The government is lying to you. If you have been listening to Glenn for a long time you already know that, and you also know that if you try to call attention to the lies you get labeled a conspiracy theorist or "far-right." This is not only true in America but across the world. Politicians cheat, steal, and grab power, then lie about all of it. This is the root of countless issues across every government on the planet, and recently Romania has become the latest example of this unfortunate phenomenon.

But what is really happening in Romania? Was this an actual attempt to stamp out someone who would shed light on lies and corruption? Or did the Romanian government put a stop to a genuine bad actor?

The Election

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

On December 6th, 2024, the Romanian Constitutional Court canceled the second round of the presidential election amid claims of Russian interference. The second round of the election would have seen right-wing candidate, Calin Georgescu face off against pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi.

The trouble surrounds Georgescu, who stands accused of using Russian aid to run an unprecedented social media campaign that helped him win an election pollsters claimed he stood no chance of winning. Georgescu's rapid rise in popularity on social media does raise some eyebrows, and to add to the suspicion he declared he had zero campaign spending. On the other hand, Georgescu's supporters claim that his quick rise to stardom and underdog victory is due to the growing resentment for the ever-out-of-touch political elite.

Georgescu's Platform

Andrei Pungovschi / Stringer | Getty Images

Georgescu rose to prominence on a platform many of his detractors have labeled "far-right," "pro-Russian," and "populist" (sound familiar?). His positions include supporting Romanian farmers, increasing Romanian self-reliance, and increasing local energy production. Georgescu has been lauded for his message of hope and vision for the future and his dedication to truth, freedom, and sovereignty.

Georgescu is also a vocal Christian and a supporter of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He has questioned the climate change and COVID-19 narrative as well as NATO and the war in Ukraine, which is how he earned his "Pro-Russian" monicker. Georgescu promised to respect and honor its obligations to the EU and NATO, but only to the extent that they respect Romania and its interests.

What Happens Next?

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

After Georgescu's unexpected victory, the Romanian Constitutional Courts annulled the election's first round and scheduled it to restart on May 4th. As of now, it is unclear whether Georgescu will be allowed to participate in the new election. This act by the Constitutional Courts triggered mass protests in the capital, Bucharest, and has caused many Romainians to question the state of democracy within their country.

Many of the protesters are calling what happened a coup and are demanding the election be allowed to continue to the second round. They are also calling for the resignation of current President Klaus Iohannis, who has maintained power thanks to the incomplete elections. Georgescu has officially challenged the court's decision and even made a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, but it is unclear if his appeal will make any difference.