Human remains at Notre-Dame Cathedral may have been identified after more than 450 years

Since the devastating fire that broke out at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France on April 15, 2019, an enormous restoration project has been underway. 

In addition to rebuilding, archaeologists have explored the site, unearthing thousands of ancient findings. 

When artifacts are discovered, answers aren't always uncovered with them. It often takes more research and investigation in order to grasp a better understanding of the story behind the find.

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Back in 2022, archaeologists discovered two lead sarcophagi under the transept crossing of the cathedral. Sarcophagi were containers used to hold a coffin. They were reserved for the burying of wealthy individuals and leaders. 

One of the deceased was quickly identified as Antoine de La Porte, a canon of the cathedral who died in 1710. 

The other remained unknown, but has recently been hypothesized to be the famous French poet, Joachim du Bellay, who died in 1560, according to a September 17, 2024, news release from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP).

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Du Bellay was believed to have been buried in the cathedral beside his uncle at the request of his family, but his grave was never found.

Éric Crubézy, professor of biological anthropology at Toulouse 3 University and research director and his team put forth the hypothesis based on evidence such as the fact that an autopsy revealed that the individual suffered from bone tuberculosis and chronic meningitis, which was rare at the time, and parallels the medical history of du Bellay. 

Additionally, the femur structure of the man was in line with someone who spent a lot of time riding horses, according to Euronews. This detail, again, is in line with the life of du Bellay. 

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"He matches all the criteria of the portrait: he is an accomplished horseman, suffers from both conditions mentioned in some of his poems, like in ‘The Complaint of the Despairing,’ where he describes 'this storm that blurs (his) mind,' and his family belonged to the royal court and the pope's close entourage," Crubézy said, per La Croix International. 

Even though there is evidence to support the hypothesis, there are still researchers who have their doubts. 

"Certain elements do not support this hypothesis: isotope analysis of the teeth indicates that the individual lived in the Paris region or Rhône-Alpes until he was 10 years old. However, we know that Joachim du Bellay grew up in Anjou," Christophe Besnier, an INRAP archaeologist and excavation leader, told the outlet. "Additionally, just because his grave wasn't found during the 1758 excavations of the Saint-Crépin chapel, doesn't mean his remains weren't there."

Since the fire of 2019, there have been more than 100 burials identified, and 80 excavated in the cathedral, according to INRAP. 

More than 50 archaeologists have been on site, working on the 14 operations that have taken place, the source notes. 

As of now, reopening of the cathedral is planned for December 2024. 

Secret Service protection bill passes House unanimously after Trump assassination attempts

The House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill increasing U.S. Secret Service (USSS) protections for major presidential and vice presidential candidates after two foiled assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump.

It passed with an overwhelming unanimous 405 to 0 vote, a rare show of bipartisanship in Congress.

The legislation was introduced by Reps. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., in response to the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A 20-year-old gunman was able to open fire on the rally from a rooftop just outside the rally perimeter, killing one attendee and injuring Trump and two others.

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Weeks later, USSS agents arrested a man near Trump's West Palm Beach golf course who had been waiting for the ex-president during a game on Sunday with an SKS rifle.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Biden, the bill would mandate a comprehensive review of USSS protective standards and impose uniform standards for the security of presidents, vice presidents and major White House candidates.

"Regardless of how every American feels, regardless of how every American intends to vote, it is the right of the American people to determine the outcome of this election. The idea that our election could be decided by an assassin's bullet should shake the conscience of our nation, and it requires swift action by the federal government," Lawler said during debate on the bill Thursday.

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"It is shocking that it took a second assassination attempt for Donald Trump to get the same level of protective detail from the Secret Service as the president of the United States."

Progressive Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said he is backing the bill but argued it would be meaningless without stronger firearm laws.

"I support this legislation because the Secret Service must be able to protect our highest elected officials and candidates. But this legislation will do nothing to make the rest of us any safer, or change the fact that gun violence continues to take the lives of more than 100 Americans every single day," Nadler said.

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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, pushed back on Nadler's comments and accused him of painting the assassination attempts as "Republicans' fault."

"Next thing they're going to say is, oh, some crazy guy on the left tries to assassinate President Trump, and it's President Trump's fault. Oh, wait a minute. They said that too. This is ridiculous," Jordan said.

It is not immediately clear how the bill would classify "major" candidates.

Following the first attempt against Trump, Biden extended heightened USSS protection to the ex-president, who he was still running against at the time before dropping out of the race.

He also granted a request by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then running as a third-party candidate, for USSS protection.

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