It’s once again Music’s Biggest Night, where heavy hitters vie for the most esteemed qualifiers to stick onto album packaging. There’s a lot for five-time host Trevor Noah to get into after this weekend in Los Angeles saw huge ICE Out demonstrations and <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/do… More »
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At the first local press conference following the shooting, Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey recounted watching the video of masked federal agents “pummeling one of our citizens” before shooting and killing him, then asked, “How many more residents, how many more Americans need to die or get badly hurt for this operation to end?”
An another press conference later Saturday, Frey highlighted how two of the three homicides recorded so far this year in the city have involved federal agents.
Governor Tim Walz said the video footage he’s seen of the shooting is “sickening” and alleged that DHS officials have lied about what happened:
“Thank God we have video,” Walz said. “Because according to DHS, these seven heroic guys took an onslaught of a battalion against them, or something.”
“It’s nonsense, and it’s lies,” Walz said. “This needs to be the event that says, ‘enough.’”
He once again called for President Trump to “Remove this force from Minnesota. They are sowing chaos and violence.
“We can’t live like this,” Walz said:
He also called for state authorities to lead the investigation into the shooting, said that the state was “creating a log of evidence” to eventually prosecute federal agents, and that “Minnesota’s justice system will have the last word on this.”
Numerous other state and local officials, including Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, repeated their demands for the Trump’s administration’s siege to end.
Minnesota congressman and House GOP whip Tom Emmer said in an X post that Walz and Minneapolis leaders have “put federal law enforcement’s lives at risk”:
The governor and local leaders’ rhetoric has empowered criminals and put federal law enforcement’s lives at risk. It’s dangerous and has made the situation in Minneapolis much worse. Unlike my Democrat colleagues, I’m going to let law enforcement conduct their investigation and not jump to asinine conclusions. We are grateful no Border Patrol officers were harmed.
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How many awards will One Battle After Another win?
As the season’s overwhelming Oscar favorite, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film looks likely to take Best Picture – Musical or Comedy as well as Best Director. But will it sweep categories like Screenplay and Supporting Actress, or can other contenders get a boost?
Can Sinners hold up its end of the ballot?
Sinners and OBAA are both Warner Bros. films, and — totally coincidentally — they’re slotted on opposite sides of the Globes’ ballot. With its biggest rival competing as a comedy, can Sinners dominate the Drama categories?
Which international contender will pull ahead?
The Globes went hard for global cinema, handing nearly two-dozen nominations to Neon’s international slate. Pundits tend to assume the Iranian Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident is leading the pack, but watch out for the Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value or the Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent to make a leap.
Will the Globes shed some light on the Supporting Actress race?
Nobody knows what’s going on over in Supporting Actress, which means the Globes can wield a ton of influence. Weapons’ Amy Madigan has the momentum right now, and another televised victory would secure her place as the season’s most unlikely front-runner. But there’s space for OBAA’s Teyana Taylor, or a dark-horse candidate like Sentimental Value’s Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas to eke out a win.
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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent opened fire on a car in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, killing the unarmed driver, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good. Federal officials are alleging that the shooting, which was captured in multiple videos, was in self-defense, while local officials are disputing that and calling for ICE to leave the city. The incident comes amidst a controversial surge of as many as 2,000 federal officers to Minneapolis as the Trump administration seeks to ramp up immigration enforcement there and across the state. Here’s what we know so far.
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Another round of wet weather and wind could lead to potential severe thunderstorms Saturday and snow-related travel delays in the Sierra through Monday. The KCRA 3 weather team is calling Saturday an “Alert Day” because conditions could risk public safety. Steady overnight rain Friday into Saturday in the Valley will taper off to scattered showers Saturday, with an increase in thunderstorm potential into the afternoon, according to Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn. Sunday is an Alert Day for the Sierra and an Impact Day for the Valley, as the weather could affect travel and outdoor activities. Monday is an Alert Day for the Sierra. See the full weekend forecast here.Track Doppler radar and traffic maps here for rain and snow.Share your weather videos at kcra.com/upload.See the latest road conditions from Caltrans here. Follow live updates of weather impacts below:Saturday: 9:35 a.m.: Here’s another update on Sierra roadways. I-80: Chain controls eastbound from Kingvale to Truckee. Chain controls westbound from the Donner Lake Interchange to 4.7 miles west of Kingvale. Highway 50: One way controlled traffic at 3.8 miles east of Riverton until 8 p.m. due to slide removal. Highway 88: From 6.5 mi east of Peddler Hill to 1 mi west of Woodfords. 9:30 a.m.: Here are impacts to expect today. 7:14 a.m.: The Midtown Farmers Market, a Saturday mainstay in Sacramento, announced it would cancel the market this Saturday due to the anticipated weather forecast.Organizers said the anticipated wind conditions “meet and exceed our established safety threshold.” The market noted that the decision was made in the interest of the vendor, staff and public’s safety.The Jan. 3 event was set to launch a new “circular retail” expansion, aiming to uplift sustainability efforts and upcycling practices.6 a.m. : Sierra chain controls are in effect for portions of Interstate 80 and Highway 50. I-80: Eastbound from Kingvale to Truckee. Westbound from the Donner Lake Interchange to 2.5 miles east of the Highway 20 junction.Highway 88: From 6.5 mi east of Peddler Hill to 1 mi west of Woodfords.Chain controls means that cars without four-wheel drive and snow tires equipped will need chains installed on their tires.The speed limit on Sierra highways is also reduced during chain controls, with Interstate 80 set at 30 mph and Highway 50 at 25 mph.Friday:10 p.m.: With the rain coming through, typical flood-prone areas will see more water, and while creeks and streams are expected to fill, they should not flood. The primary concern is street flooding, which is often caused by blocked drains.”What happens is we get these winds that come in and start to knock down the leaves off the trees,” Matt Robinson, a Sacramento County public information manager, said. “From time to time, people may toss trash onto the street. Those things compile and end up blocking our drainage system, causing street flooding. This is what we want to avoid.”To mitigate the risk, the county is urging residents in unincorporated areas to clean the drains and culverts near their properties. Additionally, officials advise against driving through flooded waters.9 p.m.: Dirk Verdoorn times out the forecast:REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAPClick here to see our interactive traffic map.TRACK INTERACTIVE, DOPPLER RADARClick here to see our interactive radar.DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATESTHere is where you can download our app.Follow our KCRA weather team on social mediaMeteorologist Tamara Berg on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn on FacebookMeteorologist/Climate Reporter Heather Waldman on Facebook and X.Meteorologist Kelly Curran on X.Meteorologist Ophelia Young on Facebook and X.Watch our forecasts on TV or onlineHere’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.–KCRA 3’s Daniel Macht contributed to this story.
Another round of wet weather and wind could lead to potential severe thunderstorms Saturday and snow-related travel delays in the Sierra through Monday.
The KCRA 3 weather team is calling Saturday an “Alert Day” because conditions could risk public safety.
Steady overnight rain Friday into Saturday in the Valley will taper off to scattered showers Saturday, with an increase in thunderstorm potential into the afternoon, according to Meteorologist Dirk Verdoorn.
Sunday is an Alert Day for the Sierra and an Impact Day for the Valley, as the weather could affect travel and outdoor activities. Monday is an Alert Day for the Sierra.
9:35 a.m.: Here’s another update on Sierra roadways.
9:30 a.m.: Here are impacts to expect today.
[twitter align=’center’ id=’2007496937013121468′ username=”KCRAKelly”]https://twitter.com/KCRAKelly/status/2007496937013121468[/twitter]
7:14 a.m.: The Midtown Farmers Market, a Saturday mainstay in Sacramento, announced it would cancel the market this Saturday due to the anticipated weather forecast.
Organizers said the anticipated wind conditions “meet and exceed our established safety threshold.” The market noted that the decision was made in the interest of the vendor, staff and public’s safety.
The Jan. 3 event was set to launch a new “circular retail” expansion, aiming to uplift sustainability efforts and upcycling practices.
6 a.m. : Sierra chain controls are in effect for portions of Interstate 80 and Highway 50.
Chain controls means that cars without four-wheel drive and snow tires equipped will need chains installed on their tires.
The speed limit on Sierra highways is also reduced during chain controls, with Interstate 80 set at 30 mph and Highway 50 at 25 mph.
10 p.m.: With the rain coming through, typical flood-prone areas will see more water, and while creeks and streams are expected to fill, they should not flood. The primary concern is street flooding, which is often caused by blocked drains.
[mediaosvideo align=” embedId=’511a4561-b61b-4695-942f-60f99ce87a58′ mediaId=’644022eb-011d-4b2c-be9b-0197701159b6′ size=””][/mediaosvideo]
“What happens is we get these winds that come in and start to knock down the leaves off the trees,” Matt Robinson, a Sacramento County public information manager, said. “From time to time, people may toss trash onto the street. Those things compile and end up blocking our drainage system, causing street flooding. This is what we want to avoid.”
To mitigate the risk, the county is urging residents in unincorporated areas to clean the drains and culverts near their properties. Additionally, officials advise against driving through flooded waters.
9 p.m.: Dirk Verdoorn times out the forecast:
[image id=’687c8f77-1f8e-4ff8-82bb-4893f7316212′ mediaId=’7bbc51ca-72a4-4381-9230-df19bf5a27d6′ align=’center’ size=”medium” share=”true” caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image][image id=’ee2bccc7-6f35-4715-b80f-ce710b6dd69c’ mediaId=’95194365-a0c3-45f4-a074-ff75095fe632′ align=’center’ size=”medium” share=”true” caption=” expand=” crop=’original’][/image]
REAL-TIME TRAFFIC MAP
Click here to see our interactive traffic map.
TRACK INTERACTIVE, DOPPLER RADAR
Click here to see our interactive radar.
DOWNLOAD OUR APP FOR THE LATEST
Here is where you can download our app.
Follow our KCRA weather team on social media
Watch our forecasts on TV or online
Here’s where to find our latest video forecast. You can also watch a livestream of our latest newscast here. The banner on our website turns red when we’re live.
We’re also streaming on the Very Local app for Roku, Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at kcra.com/upload.
–KCRA 3’s Daniel Macht contributed to this story.
A woman mourns at a makeshift memorial on Sunday outside the Barus & Holley engineering building on the campus of Brown University.
Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
On Saturday, a gunman opened fire in a lecture hall at Brown University in Rhode Island, killing two people and injuring nine others during the height of exam season at the Ivy League institution. Though authorities announced they had taken a person of interest into custody, the individual was later released, the suspect in the incident remains at large, and the manhunt continues as the quiet community is still reeling from the violent incident. Here’s what we know so far.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez shared newly-obtained video footage and photos of the alleged suspect, saying that they’re following a new lead in the days-long investigation.
Per Perez, the images are from Saturday around 2 p.m., a few hours before the shooting. In the footage, the suspect can be seen walking in a residential area. For the first time, the images include the suspect’s face which appears to be covered by a black face mask.
“We’re asking the public for assistance to be able to identify this individual,” he said.
A reporter asked Providence Mayor Brett Smiley about an alarm installed by Brown University that reportedly did not send off a warning to the school community about the active shooter and why that was the case, noting that no representatives were at today’s press conference.
Smiley said they would have to direct that question to Brown officials. “This is not a decision that the city of Providence or any of the other law enforcement partners that you see behind me can trigger that alarm. I don’t know the answer to that,” he said.
But the mayor defended the university and said it has been a “close collaborator” in this investigation and that there’s nothing to read into their absence at the briefing.
The FBI’s flyer describes the suspect as “male, approximately 5’8” with a stocky build.”
Ted Docks, the FBI agent-in-charge of the Boston field office, announced that the agency is now offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator whom he said is considered “armed and dangerous.”
Docks said the FBI is still continuing its work in the Providence area, noting that its evidence response teams are still on campus and agents from Quantico’s lab are “documenting the trajectories of the bullets to reconstruct the scene.”
“We are asking the public to be patient as we continue to run down every lead so we can get victims, survivors and their families and all of you the answers you deserve,” he said.
Our Cut colleague Andrea González-Ramírez notes how far-right conspiracy theories focused on one of the victims of the Brown University shooting have been emerging:
Far-right figures have fixated on Cook’s death in particular to claim that the shooter sought to harm conservatives, even though investigators have not identified a suspect. “I’m told she was allegedly targeted for her conservative beliefs, hunted, and killed in cold blood,” William Donahue, president of the College Republicans of America, said on X, offering no evidence supporting his allegation. Far-right podcast host Benny Johnson also claimed without proof in an X post that the shooting appeared to be a targeted attack, saying, “The left’s violent rhetoric has turned into nationwide violence. If we don’t crush this threat now, we lose everything. It’s only escalating.” Chaya Raichik, who runs the far-right social media account LibsofTikTok, quote-tweeted an unconfirmed report on X claiming the attack was planned against Cook and added that her death meant it was “open season on Conservatives now.” Conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, New York City Councilwoman Vicky Paladino, and podcast host CJ Pearson amplified these allegations, too.
Read the rest here.
Speaking from the Oval Office Monday, President Trump said the investigation into the Brown University shooting was “moving along,” but that the shooter’s motive was still unknown. “Hopefully they’re going to capture this animal,” he said.
But when a reporter asked why the FBI has had struggled to identify the shooter, the president seemed to point the finger at Brown itself. “You’ll really have to ask the school a little bit more about because this was a school problem. They had their own guards, they had their own police, they had their own everything,” Trump said.
He continued, “The FBI will do a good job, but they came in after the fact.”
There have been several recent instances of long manhunts following high-profile shootings around the country.
A little over a year ago, it took five days to apprehend Luigi Mangione, who allegedly shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan on December 4, 2024. Images of Mangione were widely circulated amid a national manhunt, but he wasn’t caught until someone saw him at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, thought he resembled the suspected gunman, and alerted a McDonald’s employee who then contacted police.
In June, it took nearly two days to catch Vance Boelter after he allegedly impersonated a police officer and assassinated Minnesota House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband and attempted to murder State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.
In August, it took a seven-day manhunt to apprehend Michael Paul Brown, who allegedly shot and killed four people at a bar in the small town of Anaconda, Montana, then fled and evaded police by hiding in forests in the sparsely populated outskirts of the town.
In September, the 22-year-old man who allegedly assassinated Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, was able to evade law enforcement for 33 hours following the shooting and was only apprehended after his parents convinced him to turn himself in. Hours after the shooting, after authorities detained a person of interest, FBI director Kash Patel announced that the manhunt was over, but the person of interest was released soon after.
Rhode Island attorney general Peter Neronha told ABC News that the person of interest who was initially detained and then released has been “effectively cleared.”
“The evidence that we have, the scientific evidence that we have available to us, after it was analyzed, made clear that this was not someone who should be detained in connection with this case,” he said. “So we released him and then moved on, looking at other evidence and pursuing other leads pointing at additional potential individuals.”
Following the release of the sole person of interest, the Providence Police Department reiterated its request for the public to share any pertinent information about the shooting with law enforcement:
In a subsequent post, the department said officers are reaching out to local businesses and residences, seeking any available camera footage. WPRI 12 has video of law enforcement going door-to-door in Providence:
The Providence Police Department has released new video of a person of interest in the Brown University shooting. In the clip, a figure dressed in black can be seen walking down a city sidewalk:
The Washington Post reports that Saturday’s shooting has prompted conversation about the safety of Brown University’s open campus:
Brown, unlike some other urban universities, is not sealed off by fences or other barriers; it’s accessible to anyone who wants to walk onto the Providence campus. While some schools, such as Harvard and Columbia, locked their gates and restricted access to campus after contentious protests over the Israel-Gaza war, Brown remained open.
Rob Kilfoyle, president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and director of public safety and emergency management at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto, said that while best practices suggest sending a first alert five to 10 minutes after learning of an emergency, university officials have been more careful to verify reports after a series of shooter hoaxes, or swatting incidents, earlier this fall. And the first priority is to alert law enforcement so they can get to the scene, he said, before officials issue a public warning.
Colleges must balance the need for security with the educational mission, Kilfoyle said. “That’s probably one of the toughest things that we have to do in campus public safety, is find that equilibrium between not wanting it to seem oppressive and too restrictive, but also providing sufficient security.”
Vice-President J.D. Vance weighed in on the Brown University shooting, offering condolences for the two students who were killed. Vance noted Ella Cook’s role in her local chapter of the College Republicans, writing on social media, “It takes special courage to lead an organization of conservatives on a left wing campus, and I am very sorry our country has lost one of its bright young stars. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.”
The vice-president also acknowledged the loss of MuhammadAziz Umurzakov, calling him “a brilliant young man who dreamed of being a surgeon.”
“Say a prayer for everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, right before Christmas,” Vance wrote.
So far, FBI director Patel has yet to comment publicly on the release of the investigation’s sole person of interest after publicizing his detention.
On Monday, Patel’s social media has largely been focused on the agency’s newly revealed work foiling an alleged New Year’s Day terror plot.
Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin and incoming governor Abigail Spanberger offered their condolences for the victims in Saturday’s shooting, noting that MuhammadAziz Umurzakov recently graduated from a local high school in the state:
Providence mayor Brett Smiley said that there’s an “enhanced police presence” on Brown’s campus and throughout the city of Providence, but said there have been no additional credible threats made to the community.
“Ever since the initial shooting occurred, that first call that came in at 4:05 p.m. a day and a half ago, we have not received a single credible call for threat of violence or any sort of information to believe that there is an ongoing threat in any specific, credible way,” he said on ABC News.
The Brown University shooting is not the first time that FBI director Patel’s handling of an investigation has come under fire.
Within hours of the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Patel took to social media to declare that the shooter was in custody. But Patel would later have to walk his statement back, writing that the person of interest was “released after an interrogation by law enforcement.” The alleged shooter, Tyler James Robinson, would later surrender himself to police one day after the shooting.
Rhode Island representative Seth Magaziner, who is an alum of Brown University, criticized the FBI’s handling of the investigation and hoped Patel and others would “take a lesson” from the example set by local officials.
“I give a lot of credit to our Rhode Island elected officials in not jumping the gun. They were careful to always call this person a person of interest, not a suspect,” Magaziner said, per the Providence Journal. “And that does stand in contrast to the president and the FBI director, who, similar to in the hours that followed the Charlie Kirk assassination, seemed to be very eager to break news before they’re confident whether it’s true or not.”
In an interview with ABC News, Smiley was asked if officials were “absolutely convinced” that the person of interest had nothing to do with the shooting.
“We’re not saying that definitively. What we’re saying is that after a review of the evidence that was gathered, it was determined that the person of interest needed to be released,” he said.
Smiley said that the authorities believe the person seen in the short video released by law enforcement is the suspect they’re seeking and that there currently isn’t any evidence that suggests that anyone else is involved.
Brown University remains open in the wake of the recent shooting, but the school provost informed the community Sunday that in-person fall exams as well as all remaining classes and projects for the semester have been cancelled. “In the immediate aftermath of these devastating events, we recognize that learning and assessment are significantly hindered in the short term and that many students and others will wish to depart campus,” Francis Doyle said in a statement. “Students are free to leave if they are able. Students who remain will have access to on-campus services and support.”
In an interview with ABC News, teaching assistant Joseph Oduro recounted the moment the unknown gunman burst into the room where he was holding a study session and opened fire:
“I immediately, when I saw him, I saw a gun,” Oduro told ABC News correspondent Whit Johnson in an interview on Sunday. “The gun was so big and long that I genuinely thought, like, okay, this is the end of the road for me.”
…
Oduro said the gunman was dressed in dark clothing from head to toe and appeared to be wearing something that was bulging from his chest, saying it could have been ammunition or a bulletproof vest. He said the gunman was completely covered except for his eyes and part of a hand.
“We made eye contact,” Oduro said. “I know he mumbled something, screamed something, I don’t know exactly what was said, but he entered the room and you could just see the panic in all the students’ eyes,” Oduro said. “I was standing in the front so as soon as he walked in, he immediately saw me and I immediately saw him.”
He said that as the gunfire erupted, he saw some students running out the door and others diving to the ground, “just whatever it takes to stay alive.”
Mia Tretta, 21, was shot in the 2019 mass shooting at Saugus High School, about 40 miles north of Los Angeles. A 16-year-old boy carried out that attack, killing two, including Tretta’s best friend, and injuring three before fatally shooting himself.
Zoe Weissman, 20, attended Westglades Middle School, adjacent to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student opened fire, killing 17, in 2018.
Neither Tretta nor Weissman expected to experience a mass shooting again.
“No one in this country even assumes it’s going to happen to them,” Tretta said. “Once it happens to you, you assume or are told it will never happen again, and obviously that is not the case.”
Both of the people killed in the attack were young undergrads at Brown.
MuhammadAziz Umurzakov, 18, a freshman, reportedly graduated from Midlothian High in Chesterfield County, Virginia, in May. According to a GoFundMe created to support his family, the Uzbek American student “was incredibly kind, funny, and smart” and “had big dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon and helping people.”
Ella Cook, 19, was a sophomore who grew up in Mountain Brook, Alabama. She was the vice-president of the school’s College Republicans chapter.
Investigators appear to be back to square one, though they seem confident that the gunman acted alone, and that the video footage they have of a man dressed in black following the attack is of the shooter. Authorities also continue to stress that that Brown community members and Providence residents aren’t in any danger.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement issued a thin description of the suspected shooter, describing them as a man dressed in black. The FBI urged the public to send in any information about the possible, publicizing surveillance footage showing a person of interest in dark clothing walking in the area of the shooting.
On Sunday, FBI director Kash Patel took to social media, detailing the agency’s efforts assisting the Brown University investigation and search for the gunman. Patel revealed that law enforcement had located a person of interest and taken them into custody at a hotel room in nearby Coventry, Rhode Island.
While officials did not publicly identify the man in question and he clearly wasn’t the confirmed suspect, law enforcement sources leaked information about the man’s identity to news outlets. Their subsequent news reports revealed his name and background.
But by late Sunday evening, the Providence Police Department announced that it would be releasing the person of interest with no charges.
During a press conference, Providence police chief Oscar Perez said the initial tip came through the department, but that the FBI ultimately followed it up.
“There was a tip that came in, just like we would take in any other tips and that one came in specifically identifying a person of interest which was this individual. And so our detectives, just like the others, got on it. But this specific one, it was actually picked up by the FBI and they followed through with it, and they ended up coming and locating this individual of interest,” Perez said.
State attorney general Peter Neronha said that such shifts in an investigation are not uncommon. “This is what these investigations look like. I’ve been around long enough to know that sometimes you head in one direction and then you have to regroup and go in another. That’s exactly what has happened,” he said.
But Neronha acknowledged that it was “really unfortunate” that the person of interest’s identity was made public.
“It’s hard to put that back in the bottle. So we’re going to proceed very carefully here,” he said
According to officials, Brown University received a report of an active shooter at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday at the school’s engineering building.
Joseph Oduro, a teaching assistant and 21-year-old senior, told the New York Times that he was leading an economics study session that ended at 4 p.m. But as the students prepared to leave, there was a commotion from the hallway outside. “All of a sudden, we heard gunshots and people screaming,” Oduro told the Times. It was then that a masked gunman rushed into the room and opened fire.
The campus and the surrounding neighborhoods were placed on lockdown for hours after the incident as authorities responded and sought the gunman who fled the scene. Two people were killed and nine others wounded in the shooting.
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In a development almost certainly motivated by the election of Zohran Mamdani, and perhaps even timed to coincide with Mamdani’s White House meeting with Donald Trump, the U.S. House for the second time passed a non-binding resolution condemning the “horrors of socialism.” As with an earlier resolution passed in 2023, the resolution cites atrocities committed by communist regimes over the decades, adds in the post-communist Maduro regime in Venezeula, and then in a huge bait-and-switch identifies all these bad actors with “socialism” writ large.
The New York Post quoted Staten Island Republican congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis as saying: “Let me educate our colleagues on the other side of the aisle: socialism is communism-light.” That is, to put it bluntly, a historically illiterate lie. The battle against 20th-century communism featured vast numbers of democratic socialists, beginning with the last non-communist leader of Russia, Alexander Kerensky; the bulk of European social democrats between the October Revolution and World War II; the democratic-socialist parties that governed Western Europe on-and-off throughout the Cold War; and the democratic-socialist international labor movement that rigorously opposed communism in all its manifestations.
It’s disgraceful that 86 House Democrats voted for this resolution, which gives a stamp of approval to the ongoing MAGA practice of labeling the self-same Democratic Party’s leaders as “communists” (a label Donald Trump repeatedly applied to the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris). It also promotes ignorant or malicious misinformation at a time when understanding of history is more important than ever.
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In a statement, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said he would take immediate action on the Epstein legislation once it’s approved by the House.
“Once the House passes the bill to release the Epstein files today, I will move for the Senate to immediately take it up and pass it—period,” he said.
Schumer continued, “Republicans have spent months trying to protect Donald Trump and hide what’s in the files. Americans are tired of waiting and are demanding to see the truth. If Leader Thune tries to bury the bill, I’ll stop him.”
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It was supposed to be Kandi Burruss’s big night at The Bravos, the semi-annual ridiculous awards shows filmed live at BravoCon, when she received her Wifetime Achievement Award. But it was Victoria Denise Gunvalson Junior who life altered drastically when Andy Cohen presented her with an orange for the 20th season of Real Housewives of Orange County. Yes, that orange comes with a full-time berth on the show when it returns next year. When Vicki was awarded the inaugural Wifetime Achievement at BravoCon in 2023, she pulled our her own orange and told Andy she had an extra in case he wanted to give it back. That cringey moment came full circle when Andy pulled some fruit out of his back pocket (not the first time) and welcomed Vicki back into the fold.
Other highlights of the night included Andy’s opening song-and-dance number, a genius In Memoriam reel, Dorit Kemsley lighting a cigarette on stage, and a Golden Globes-worthy monologue roasting the Bravolebs. Of Southern Charm’s Craig Conover, Andy said, “Craig is single! He’s hot! He’s a business owner. He’s on a successful podcast. Oh wait — those are words to describe Paige,” a reference to Craig’s ex-girlfriend Paige DeSorbo, formerly of Summer House. The crowd winced for him, but in the best way possible.
Oh, and Teresa Giudice said, “The Oscar goes to…” while presenting an awrd. She totally thought she was on stage at the Dolby Theater.
Elsewhere, Karen Huger returned to a huge round of applause, Teddi Mellencamp got a standing ovation, and Mary Cosby and Angie Katsanevis collected some awards. During her acceptance speech, Mary said, “I wasn’t even gonna to come.” Mary, never change.
Finally, it was Kandi’s big moment, and she gave a rousing speech mostly thanking her fellow RHOA ladies and the fans. I’m not crying, you’re crying. You’ll see it all when The Bravos air on Sunday.
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On Sunday night, the Senate successfully passed a test vote 60-40, clearing the way for a vote to pass a compromise bill which would fund the government at its current levels through January 1. Eight members of the Senate’s Democratic caucus voted with Republicans, including the three senators who negotiated the compromise: New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen and Maine’s Angus King. Senators Tim Kaine, John Fetterman, Dick Durbin, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Jacky Rosen were the other Democrats who voted with the GOP. Here’s what Democrats did and didn’t get as part of the compromise, per NBC News:
The agreement contains a “minibus” — three full-year appropriations bills that will fund certain departments like the Agriculture Department through the end of the fiscal year next fall — and a continuing resolution to fund the rest of the government at existing spending levels through Jan. 30. It would also fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, once known as food stamps, through next September, a major flashpoint in the shutdown. The sources said the deal also reverses Trump’s attempted layoffs of federal workers during the shutdown through RIFs, or “reduction in force” notifications.
But in a major concession from Democrats, it does not include an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Allowing the funds to lapse would raise insurance premiums for millions of Americans unless they are extended. Instead, the Democrats settled for a promise that the Senate will vote on a bill to extend the subsidies by the end of the second week of December, with the outcome uncertain, two of the sources said. Even then, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he won’t promise that the House will vote on extending the subsidies.
It might take several days for Congress to reopen the government, but the end appears to be in sight.
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Given the many excesses of Trump 2.0, and the desperate desire of Democrats for signs of a backlash, the results of off-year elections in New Jersey, Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, and New York City would have inevitably been interpreted as in part a referendum on the turbulent first year of the 47th presidency. But Trump has also gone out of his way to make himself an issue on November 4 in various ways.
He has all but become Andrew Cuomo’s most important backer in New York City, and his threats to punish Gotham for the likely election of Zohran Mamdani is overshadowing the entire campaign.
He has directly campaigned for New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, whose decision to embrace Trump this time around (after keeping his distance four years ago) was a major gamble.
He’s made a lot of noise in opposition California’s Prop 50, which was already being framed by its sponsors as all about retaliating for the president’s gerrymandering power grabs.
And even in a contest where he did not make an endorsement, the Virginia governor’s race, his snub of GOP nominee Winsome Earle-Sears has become a last-minute preoccupation, signaling that Republicans have given up on their candidate.
A Democratic sweep of these races would not just be a setback for Trump’s party; it would also put to rest the claim that 2024 signaled a pro-GOP alignment of the electorate for the foreseeable future.
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We are almost three quarters of the way through, and while there haven’t been any knockout blows, the most striking feature of the debate has been Mamdani’s aggressiveness. He is not running out the clock on his polling lead but taking the fight right to Andrew Cuomo, and has gotten some of the most memorable lines of the night.
Among them, after Cuomo talked up his Zohran’s Law plan to means test rent stabilized apartments, Mamdani said: “What you’ve heard it from Andrew Cuomo is that the number one crisis in this city the housing crisis, and his answer is to evict my wife and I. He thinks you address this crisis by unleashing my landlord’s ability to raise my rent. If you think that the problem in this city is that my rent is too low, vote for him.”
Also, after Cuomo attacked Mamdani on his experience, Mamdani responded, “What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity.
And what Andrew Cuomo lacks in integrity, he could never make up for with experience.”
And finally, noted that his plan to have city-run grocery stores would cost the same as the state paid to represent Cuomo in the various lawsuits against him.
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NOTUS published a vibe check this morning, and it contained a lot of ugh:
“Every day is like a dog year. It’s exhausting,” Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a California Democrat, told NOTUS. “And I’m sure the American people are as exhausted as I am with theater and disingenuousness.”
“I think the level of acrimony and the violence has made people more wary of this work,” she added.
When NOTUS asked dozens of lawmakers returning to Congress on Monday how they were feeling, the most common response was a deep, weary sigh. Multiple senators, including Democrat Amy Klobuchar, laughed at the premise of the question. After all, it’s become almost a given on Capitol Hill that the vast majority of lawmakers are utterly miserable.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, had a single word to describe her mood: “Crappy.”
“I used to say that public service, when I was in the state senate, was a joy most days,” Rep. Emily Randall, a Washington state Democrat, told NOTUS. “I definitely don’t say that anymore. There are highs and lows, and the lows are really low.”
“I’m not 40 yet, but I feel very old,” she added.
The impending government shutdown has been a particularly trying affair. Republicans are attempting to extend current funding levels through Nov. 21. Democrats — seizing on a rare moment of leverage in the minority — are demanding that Republicans attach an extension for expiring Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, as well as language that would restrict Republicans from turning around and rescinding the congressionally approved funding. Neither side has budged for weeks. The conversations on Capitol Hill have turned from whether a government shutdown will happen to how long it might last.
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Adams had next to no chance of winning. His languishing independent bid was marred by middling poll numbers, lackluster fundraising, and an often-present air of controversy.
It’s an anti-climactic end to what once seemed to be a promising political story that began in 2021 as the then–Brooklyn borough president Adams defeated his party rivals handily in the mayoral primary, later declaring himself the “the face of the Democratic Party.” When he was sworn in on New Year’s Day in 2022, Adams became only the second Black mayor in the city’s history.
But Adams’s sole term in office was marked by a seemingly endless stream of controversies, including federal raids on some of his top aides and appointees and a revolving door of resignations that saw the mayor name four police commissioners in the span of two years. The turmoil in City Hall reached a fever pitch last year when federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment against Adams, accusing the mayor of intentionally soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations and luxury travel benefits in exchange for favors in a scheme that extended back to Adams’s tenure as Brooklyn borough president in 2014. Adams long denied the allegations against him and resisted calls to resign from his seat.
Adams’s exit from the race helps to thin the general-election field in a likely boon to former governor Andrew Cuomo, who is eyeing a rematch with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, who defeated him in the primary in June. Also in the race is Republican Party nominee and Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who has said he intends to stay in the race, even if offered another role.
The New York Times reported in early September that associates of Adams had been in touch with top Trump advisers, discussing a possible role for the mayor in the administration in lieu of continuing his reelection bid. But Adams had long denied the speculation that he was under consideration for a federal-government position, telling reporters, “I have a job. I’m running for my reelection, and I’m still doing that, and I’m looking forward to getting reelected.”
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Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig weighs in:
Let’s start with the indictment itself, and whatever little can be discerned from it. We’ve got two counts — the grand jury reportedly rejected a third — both based on Comey’s testimony to the Senate in September 2020. Count one alleges that Comey testified falsely and count two charges that, by giving that false testimony, he obstructed a congressional proceeding. According to the indictment, Comey testified that he had not authorized anyone else at the FBI to leak information to the media, when in fact he had done so.
And that … is it. The whole charging document runs less than two full pages, and the core allegations take up just a couple dozen words. The very purpose of an indictment is to notify a defendant of the charges against him, with reasonable specificity. So much for that quaint notion.
While he doesn’t think this payback prosecution has much chance of success, it nonetheless “marks a dark turn”:
Watch for Comey’s team to move quickly to dismiss the indictment based on a claim of selective prosecution. They’ll argue, in essence, that he was singled out for prosecution for political or other improper purposes. Defendants often raise this claim but rarely win. The problem is that it’s typically difficult or impossible to prove that the government had some impermissible motive; conversations about targeting tend to happen in hushed tones behind closed doors, if at all.
But that’s not how Donald Trump operates. For this president, everything is broadcast to the world, live and unfiltered, over social media. Accordingly, Trump already has given Comey exhibit A in his forthcoming motion to dismiss: a September 20 Truth Social post in which the president openly exhorted his attorney general (“Pam;,” the missive opens) to indict Comey and other favorite targets for political retribution. “What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia???” the president wrote. “They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done.” After some stream-of-consciousness rambling, Trump ended his diatribe with an instruction to his Justice Department: “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT.” It’s difficult to imagine a more straightforward case of selective prosecution. Don’t be surprised if a judge throws this mess out before it ever reaches a jury.
This prosecution marks a dark turn. During his first term, Trump was full of public bluster, openly pining for criminal prosecutions of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Kerry, and, yes, Jim Comey. But it was all chatter, back then; DoJ and other leaders mostly ignored the president’s rants and waited for the tempest to pass.
But now the fanciful talk has become action, and Comey — once a revered federal prosecutor who took down international terrorists and New York gangsters — will find himself sitting at a defendant’s table and facing the prospect of his own imprisonment. Unlikely as it seems that Comey gets convicted and sentenced to prison, nobody can afford to be nonchalant about a federal indictment filed by prosecutors representing the United States of America.
Read the rest here.
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Kennedy has frequently been the subject of criticism for his comments on autism, long before his time in the Trump administration.
In April, the secretary held a press conference in which he called autism a “preventable disease,” alleging there was an environmental cause for the disorder, which he referred to as an “epidemic.” Kennedy said his department would assemble top scientists to research a cause, setting a September timeline for answers.
Kennedy was excoriated for his remarks on autistic children when he said autism “destroys families” and painted a bleak picture for the future of children diagnosed with autism. Kennedy ultimately had to walk back his remarks following backlash from the families of autistic children and other advocates.
“These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date,” Kennedy said. “Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted. And we have to recognize we are doing this to our children, and we need to put an end to it.”
Prior to his time as HHS secretary, Kennedy has cast doubt on the efficacy of vaccines and even promoted theories linking autism rates to vaccine usage.
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On Monday, Kimmel opened his show with his typical nightly monologue, commenting on recent events in the news. During his remarks, Kimmel talked about Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Kirk’s murder, criticized how conservatives were addressing the incident.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
Kimmel then aired a clip of Trump who, when asked about Kirk by a reporter, answered briefly and quickly changed subjects to the ongoing work being done to build a White House ballroom.
“He’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,” Kimmel said, following the clip.
He continued, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Conservative ire over Kimmel’s comments grew with FCC Commissioner Carr suggesting on a far-right podcast Wednesday that Kimmel could be suspended. Not long after, Nexstar and Sinclair, two companies that operate numerous ABC affiliates throughout the country, said they would pull Kimmel’s show from the airwaves following his remarks.
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Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut pressed Patel on whether the White House ever gave him direction on who to fire at the agency. Patel said while the FBI will discuss personnel needs with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget during the budgeting process, personnel decisions are entirely his own.
“Any termination at the FBI was a decision that I made based on the evidence that I have as director of the FBI, and that’s my job, and I’m not going to shy away from it,” Patel said.
Blumenthal went on to say that Patel’s testimony confirmed that he did in fact receive direction from the White House, prompting strong pushback from Patel.
“Do not put words in my mouth. We’re on the record. The White House, like any administration, contacts its agencies on the budgeting process where these personnel and where the mission priorities are. That always happens. If they didn’t do that, they would be abdicating the responsibility to law enforcement,” he said.
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According to Nate Bargatze, nobody watched Succession “in the grand scheme of things.” But those who did had to watch him tonight, as the famously milquetoast comedian hosted the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, where the crème de la crème of post-prestige television duked it out for a couple shelves’ worth of trophies. The Studio beat The Bear for the most wins for a comedy series in a single year, while The Pitt reigned supreme in its rivalry with Severance and Britt Lower pulled an upset in Lead Actress in a Drama over Kathy Bates. Catch up with all of Vulture’s real-time reactions to the evening below, then peruse the full list of winners here. —Nicholas Quah
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From Robby Soave’s obit for Kirk at Reason:
Kirk was influential among young people. He launched Turning Point USA in 2012, with financial backing from Tea Party activist Bill Montgomery. The organization’s stated goal was to foster a conservative movement on college campuses, following in the footsteps of past groups such as Young Americans for Freedom. He was adept at creating catchy slogans and useful talking points for conservative students to deploy against leftwing thinkers; he popularized the phrase “Socialism Sucks” and added it to t-shirts, posters, and banners. He took advantage of dramatically increased interest in crazy campus happenings among the broader American public, and he encouraged dissenting kids to challenge their liberal professors, form right-leaning organizations, and invite Republican speakers to campus. Under Kirk’s leadership, the group became the undisputed king of conservative campus activism, helping turn thousands of non-liberal students into fans of the Republican Party and its rising stars: Candace Owen, Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, Matt Walsh, and of course Trump.
Kirk too became a prominent star, known for his debate-me-bro persona. He did not confine himself to the company of the already converted, and he seemed to enjoy venturing into the fray and arguing with liberals and leftists—the more of them at once, the better. Indeed, at the time of his death, Kirk was scheduled to debate the leftist commentator Hasan Piker.
Kirk was also at the forefront of conservative movement’s conquest of independent, alternative media spaces. He hosted his own podcast, racking up millions of views, listeners, and downloads on YouTube, Spotify, and other platforms where conservative media personalities have thrived. While he is far from the only right-wing figure to take advantage of the changing media landscape, it would be hard to overstate his impact on the overall trajectory of the Republican Party, youth activism, and conservative communications. The current crop of MAGA influencers on TikTok, Instagram, and X—some of whom now regularly appear at White House press briefings, displacing more traditional media figures—are the inheritors of the ecosystem he built.
Donald Trump Jr., who was close friends with Kirk, has published a tribute, as well:
Charlie dedicated his life to something bigger than himself. He fought tirelessly for this country, for the values that make America great, and for the next generation. The impact he had on young people — reaching them in masses, giving them courage to stand up, to think for themselves, and to fight for freedom — is immeasurable. There is no question that Charlie’s work and his voice helped my father win the presidency. He changed the direction of this nation.
Charlie was never a threat to anyone. He was civil, he was kind, he listened and responded with respect. The only “threat” he ever posed was that he was incredibly effective. He was a powerful messenger of truth, and people heard that truth.
That’s what made him a target.
This loss is absolutely devastating — not only for Erika and the kids, but for our country. We’ve lost a leader, a fighter, and a man whose character and conviction were rare. Too rare. To think that his life was cut short by a brutal, heinous, evil act is beyond comprehension. It is horrible and it is heartbreaking.
Former GOP strategist T.W. Arrighi wrote on X that Kirk was “doing it the right way”:
Charlie built a movement on campuses across America by engaging students in debate and dialogue. Challenging orthodoxy and winning hearts and minds in the process. Isn’t that what we want from political figures? To try and silence that work through violence is antithetical to everything we stand for as a country.
Semafor’s David Weigel writes that Kirk “created a new paradigm for conservatives”:
The current round of liberal hand-wringing about how conservatives have become far better at driving the political conversation stems in large part from Kirk. He pitched the conservative movement not just as a club for tax cuts and law-and-order politics, but as a lifestyle.
That, Kirk believed, would help win over young people who felt they were being offered miserable choices by the left.
“Younger audiences love this contrarian heterodox approach,” Kirk told me in an interview at the 2024 Republican National Convention. “The mantra is not that, if you’re a man, you’re an oppressor. It’s not that having children is a plague on the planet.
“We’re here to say, actually, no, having children is a gift from God and it’s a wonderful thing,” he added. “We’re saying, getting married is awesome, and you can reject hookup culture.”
Kirk is survived by his wife, two children, and by the sprawling political movement he created on the US right.
His killing will doubtless exacerbate divisions in a country already shaken by political violence. But his influence will live on in the movement he helped shape — where his style of debate and argument, and his unapologetic Christian faith, have created a new paradigm for conservatives.
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