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  • It’s prime time again for pumpkin spice

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    It all started with Starbucks.

    First introduced in the fall of 2003, the pumpkin spice latte, or PSL, is now the company’s most popular seasonal drink, but that beverage was just the beginning.

    What You Need To Know

    • First introduced in the fall of 2003, the pumpkin spice latte, or PSL, is now Starbucks’ most popular seasonal drink, but that beverage was just the beginning

    • Dunkin’ introduced pumpkin spice drinks in 2007; and not to be outdone, McDonald’s released its own pumpkin spice latte in 2013

    • According to Nielsen, Americans spend more than half a billion dollars on pumpkin spice products each year

    • Colleen Harmeling, a marketing professor at Florida State University, said the products “evoke deeply rooted, nostalgic memorie” through their taste and smell

    Dunkin’ introduced pumpkin spice drinks in 2007. And not to be outdone, McDonald’s released its own pumpkin spice latte in 2013.

    “What I think pumpkin spice has done is it has evoked storytelling through the senses,” said Colleen Harmeling, a marketing professor at Florida State University.” … Taste and smell are some of our most powerful senses to evoke deeply rooted, nostalgic memories.”

    And consumers are willing to pay big time to feel that nostalgia.

    “It just gives you all the warm and cozy vibes, and you want to go home and bake something,” said Anna Vold, who looks forward to it every year.

    “They’re really good, and it makes the time of year feel like fall, especially because we live by the beach,” said Elise Mori, who was walking in Manhattan Beach, California.

    According to Nielsen, Americans spend more than half a billion dollars on pumpkin spice products each year.

    “My girlfriend gets it. I don’t,” said Eli Spence, who lives in Malibu, California. “In the fall? She’s all into it, a lot a lot of pumpkin spice stuff.”

    And experts say part of the draw is that it’s for a limited time.

    “This builds on some of our evolutionary psychology,” Harmeling said. “So when something is seasonal, we tend to try to get as much of it as possible during that seasonal season before that is lost to us again.”

    So what is pumpkin spice exactly? Some ingredients can vary, but it’s mainly a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice, but not everyone is into the fall flavors.

    “I hate them. I think they’re way too sweet,” said Olivia Threthewey, who was visiting California from Australia.

    “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that I would just rather have, you know, regular coffee,” Spence said.

    Pumpkin spice become such a cultural icon that Miriam-Webster added the term to its dictionary in 2022. One company even tracked a 34% increase in the number of pumpkin spice mentions on U.S. menus in the last 10 years.

    The classic pumpkin spice latte has transformed into a trend that now includes dishwashing soap, body wash and even dog treats.

    Shoppers can also purchases pumpkin spice-scented flushable wipes, deodorant, avocado oil, and for those looking for that added luxury, a pumpkin spice latte-themed diamond ring.

    “I keep it relatively constricted into my drinks and my food,” Mori said. “I don’t really use pumpkin spice other stuff.”

    “If some people love it, then that’s fine,” Trethewey said.

    A quick online search also reveals a variety of memes, PSL tatoos and a private Facebook group known as the “Leaf Rakers Society,” which Starbucks launched in 2018 to celebrate all things fall. No haters allowed.

    With regards to marketing, Harmeling said, “The more permanent the product, the more risky it is to me, and also the less sensory the products, the more risky it is.”

    However, she said the biggest threat to the pumpkin spice trend may be releasing it too early.

    “The storytelling starts to break down,” Harmeling said. “I mean, pumpkin spice in July? It sounds kind of icky.”

    But no matter how consumers feel about it, “this is like one constant thing that, you know, we can rely on — like the fall is coming, there’ll be pumpkin spice,” Vold said.

    And there’s no doubting this little latte has done a whole lot to bring a taste of fall to millions of Americans.

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    Ariel Wesler

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  • Fired CDC director testifies about ultimatum over vaccine recommendations

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    WASHINGTON –– Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez has begun her testimony before a congressional committee Wednesday morning — three weeks after she was fired by the Trump administration.

    What You Need To Know

    • Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez has begun her testimony before a congressional committee Wednesday morning — three weeks after she was fired by the Trump administration

    • Monarez told lawmakers that she was given an ultimatum by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign or be terminated after she refused to “preapprove” vaccine recommendations of an advisory panel

    • That panel — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — is expected to vote on new vaccine recommendations this week

    • Former Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who later resigned after Monarez was fired, joined the former CDC director on Capitol Hill for the hearing

    Monarez told lawmakers on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions that she was given an ultimatum by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. if she refused to “commit in advance to approving” vaccine recommendations and “dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause.”

    “On the morning of Aug. 25, Secretary Kennedy demanded two things of me that were inconsistent with my oath of office and the ethics required of a public official,” she told the committee.

    Her remarks Wednesday echoed a chain of events she described in a Wall Street Journal op-ed — that she “was told to preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric.”

    That panel — the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices –– is expected to vote on new vaccine recommendations this week.

    In the wake of Monarez’s ouster, several other agency leaders resigned in protest, and President Donald Trump picked Jim O’Neill, who had been serving as Kennedy’s deputy, to step in as interim CDC director. 

    Former CDC Chief Medical Officer Debra Houry, who quit after Monarez was fired, joined the former CDC director on Capitol Hill for the hearing, which was given the title “Reviewing Recent Events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Implications for Children’s Health.”

    “I resigned because CDC leaders were reduced to rubber stamps, supporting policies not based in science and putting American lives at risk,” Houry told the committee.

    In a hearing earlier this month, Kennedy acknowledged that he had told Monarez to fire scientists at the agency. During his testimony, Kennedy had also addressed what he called “the recent shakeup” at the CDC.

    “We are the sickest country in the world,” Kennedy told lawmakers.
”That’s why we have to fire people at CDC. They did not do their job. This was their job to keep us healthy.”

    When asked about Monarez, Kennedy said, “I told her that she had to resign because I asked her, ‘Are you a trustworthy person?’ And she said, ‘No.’” 

    Monarez refuted Kennedy’s comments calling her “untrustworthy” during her opening statement Wednesday.

    Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who represents Louisiana and chairs the powerful Senate health committee, said during his opening remarks Wednesday that lawmakers were looking to find “all the facts, not a version of the facts that fits a certain narrative agenda.”

    “It may be impossible to learn who’s telling the truth, but this hearing is an initial step in trying to answer why the top leadership of the CDC was fired or resigned before they could be fired,” he said, adding, “Turmoil at the top of the nation’s top public health agency is not good for the health of the American people.”

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    Christina Santucci

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  • Costco recalls Prosecco because bottles could shatter without warning

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    Costco is recalling bottles of store brand Prosecco because they could shatter without warning.

    In a notice on the company’s website Tuesday, Costco said the recall affects Kirkland Signature Prosecco Valdobbiadene purchased between April 25 and August 26. The affected bottles were sold in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

    Costco said unopened bottles can shatter even when they’re not being handled or in use. The company said customers should wrap any unopened bottles in paper towels and place them in a plastic bag before disposing of them to avoid any risk from shattered glass.

    Costco didn’t respond Tuesday when The Associated Press asked if there were any reported injuries due to the issue. The company also didn’t say how many affected bottles were sold or how the company discovered the problem.

    The Associated Press also left a message seeking comment with Ethica Wines, the Miami-based company that imported the affected wines from Italy.

    Costco is sending letters to impacted customers. The company said customers will be given a full refund if they bring those letters to their nearest store.

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    Spectrum News Staff, Associated Press

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  • U.S. and China reach framework deal for ownership of TikTok

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    MADRID — A framework deal has been reached between China and the U.S. for the ownership of popular social video platform TikTok, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after weekend trade talks in Spain.

    What You Need To Know

    • A framework deal has been reached between China and the U.S. for the ownership of TikTok
    • U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday after trade talks in Madrid that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would speak Friday to possibly finalize the deal
    • Bessent said the objective was to switch to U.S. ownership from China’s ByteDance
    • China’s international trade representative told reporters that the sides have reached “basic framework consensus”
    • During Joe Biden’s presidency, Congress and the White House used national security grounds to approve a U.S. ban on TikTok unless its Chinese parent company sold its controlling stake

    Bessent said in a press conference after the latest round of trade talks between the world’s two largest economies concluded in Madrid that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would speak Friday to possibly finalize the deal. He said the objective was to switch to U.S. ownership from China’s ByteDance.

    “We are not going to talk about the commercial terms of the deal,” Bessent said. “It’s between two private parties. But the commercial terms have been agreed upon.”

    Li Chenggang, China’s international trade representative, told reporters the sides have reached “basic framework consensus” to resolve TikTok-related issues in a cooperative way, reduce investment barriers and promote related economic and trade cooperation.

    The meeting in Madrid is the fourth round of trade talks between U.S. and Chinese officials since Trump launched a tariff war on Chinese goods in April. A fifth round of negotiations is likely to happen “in the coming weeks,” Bessent said, with both governments planning for a possible summit between Trump and Xi later this year or early next year to solidify a trade agreement.

    However, nothing has been confirmed, and analysts say possible trade bumps could delay the visit.

    Why a TikTok deal is needed

    In Madrid, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the team was “very focused on TikTok and making sure that it was a deal that is fair for the Chinese” but also “completely respects U.S. national security concerns.”

    Wang Jingtao, deputy director of China’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, told reporters in Madrid there was consensus on authorization of “the use of intellectual property rights such as (TikTok’s) algorithm” — a main sticking point in the deal.

    The sides also agreed on entrusting a partner with handling U.S. user data and content security, he said.

    During Joe Biden’s Democratic presidency, Congress and the White House used national security grounds to approve a U.S. ban on TikTok unless its Chinese parent company sold its controlling stake.

    U.S. officials were concerned about ByteDance’s roots and ownership, pointing to laws in China that require Chinese companies to hand over data requested by the government. Another concern became the proprietary algorithm that populates what users see on the app.

    Trump, a Republican, has repeatedly extended the deadline for shutting down TikTok. The current extension expires Wednesday, two days before Trump and Xi are scheduled to discuss the final details of the framework deal.

    Although Trump hasn’t addressed the forthcoming deadline directly, he has claimed that he can delay the ban indefinitely.

    Wendy Cutler, senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said it appears that “both sides have found a way forward to transfer ownership to a U.S. company.”

    “If accurate, this would represent an important step forward in resolving a lingering bilateral dispute,” she said.

    Fentanyl and other issues are still unresolved

    Other long-running issues like export controls, Chinese investments in the U.S. and restrictions on chemicals used to make fentanyl also came up. Bessent indicated that money laundering, related to drug trafficking, “was an area of extreme agreement.”

    Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who led the Chinese delegation, said the sides held “candid, in-depth and constructive” communications, according to China’s official news agency Xinhua.

    But Li, China’s international trade representative, said Beijing opposes the “politicization” and “weaponization” of technology, trade and economic issues, adding that China would “never seek any agreement at the expense of principle, the interests of the companies, and international fairness and justice.”

    He criticized the U.S. for overstretching the concept of national security and imposing sanctions on more Chinese companies. Calling it “a typical, unilateral, bullying practice,” Li said China demanded restrictive measures be removed.

    “The U.S. side should not on one hand ask China to accommodate its concerns, whilst at the same time continue to suppress Chinese companies,” Li said.

    As the weekend talks were underway, Trump said the war in Ukraine would end if all NATO countries stopped buying Russian oil and placed tariffs on China of 50% to 100% for doing so. The Chinese Commerce Ministry on Monday called the demand “a classic example of unilateral bullying and economic coercion.”

    A leaders’ summit may be in sight

    China’s foreign ministry on Monday did not say if Beijing has invited Trump for a state visit.

    Analysts have suggested that the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries in South Korea at the end of October could provide an opportunity.

    The plan for another round of trade talks is “encouraging but seems to be cutting things close,” Cutler said, adding that more work is needed at lower levels for a Trump-Xi meeting to take place and that there are other opportunities for them to meet next year.

    For now, “there is little time to hammer out a meaningful trade agreement,” she said. “What we are more likely to see is a series of ad-hoc deliverables, possibly a Chinese commitment to buy more U.S. soybeans and other products, a U.S. agreement to hold back on announcing certain further U.S. high-tech export controls, and another 90-day rollover of the tariff pause.”

    A previous version of this Associated Press story misstated Chinese President Xi Jinping’s title.

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    Associated Press

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  • Patel: DNA evidence found near scene of Charlie Kirk’s shooting matches suspect

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    OREM, Utah — DNA on a towel wrapped around a rifle found near where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated matched that of the 22-year-old accused in the killing, FBI Director Kash Patel said on Monday.

    What You Need To Know

    • FBI Director Kash Patel says DNA on a towel wrapped around a rifle found near where conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated matches that of the 22-year-old accused in the killing

    • Patel told Fox News Channel on Monday investigators also have used DNA to link suspect Tyler Robinson with a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired

    • Authorities in Utah are preparing to file capital murder charges against Robinson as early as Tuesday in the killing of Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics

    • Patel says Robinson wrote in a note before the shooting that he had an opportunity to take out Kirk

    Investigators also have used DNA evidence to link the suspect, Tyler Robinson, with a screwdriver recovered from the rooftop where the fatal shot was fired, Patel told Fox News Channel on Monday.

    Authorities in Utah are preparing to file capital murder charges against Robinson as early as Tuesday in the killing of Kirk, a dominant figure in conservative politics who became a confidant of President Donald Trump after founding Arizona-based Turning Point USA, one of the nation’s largest political organizations.

    Kirk, who brought young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics, was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University during one of his many campus stops. The shooting raised fears about increasing political violence in a deeply polarized United States.

    Officials have said Robinson carried a hatred for Kirk and ascribed to a “leftist ideology” that had grown in recent years. Robinson’s family and friends said he spent large amounts of time scrolling the “dark corners of the internet,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday.

    Patel told Fox News that Robinson had written in a note before the shooting that he had an opportunity to take out Kirk and was going to do it. Investigators were able to recover the note’s contents after it had been destroyed, the FBI director said, paraphrasing from the note without revealing more details.

    Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk speaks at a Turning Point event on Sept. 4, 2024, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

    Authorities said Robinson has not been cooperating with law enforcement. They say that he may have been “radicalized” online and that ammunition found in the gun used to kill Kirk included anti-fascist and meme-culture language engravings. Court records show that one bullet casing had the message, “Hey, fascist! Catch!”

    Robinson was arrested late Thursday near where he grew up around St. George, in the southwestern corner of Utah between Las Vegas and Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

    Tributes to Kirk continue across the country. A line of mourners wrapped around the Kennedy Center in Washington for a vigil on Sunday, and there were moments of silence at several professional sporting events.

    Vice President JD Vance, who counted Kirk as a close friend, planned to serve as a substitute host on Monday for Kirk’s talk show on Rumble, a streaming platform.

    “Please join me as I pay tribute to my friend,” Vance wrote on social media.

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    Associated Press

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  • Authorities piece together more information about Kirk assassination suspect

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    OREM, Utah — Family and friends of the 22-year-old accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk described his politics as veering left in recent years as he spent large amounts of time scrolling the “dark corners of the internet,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Sunday.

    What You Need To Know

    • Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says investigators are not yet ready to discuss a motive in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk but the 22-year-old who was arrested leaned to the left
    • Cox said that information comes from interviews with suspect Tyler Robinson’s family and friends
    • Cox is a Republican who’s called for partisans on both sides to tone down their rhetoric after the assassination
    • Cox also confirmed reports that Robinson was in a romantic relationship with his roommate, who is transgender
    • Cox stressed the roommate knew nothing of the attack and has been cooperating with law enforcement

    Investigators were still piecing together information about the suspect, Tyler Robinson, and not yet ready to discuss a potential motive. But Cox noted that Robinson, who is not cooperating with law enforcement, disliked Kirk and may have been “radicalized” online.

    Kirk founded Turning Point USA to bring more young, conservative evangelical Christians into politics as effective activists, and he was a confidant of President Donald Trump, leading to a flood of tributes that included a vigil Sunday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two, became prominent in part through his speaking tours, and he was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University.

    “There clearly was a leftist ideology,” Cox said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” citing interviews with Robinson’s relatives and acquaintances. “Friends have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep.”

    Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

    He pointed to references found engraved on the ammunition used to kill Kirk, which included anti-fascist and meme-culture language. Court records show that one bullet casing had the message, “Hey, fascist! Catch!”

    A Republican who has called on all partisans to tone down their rhetoric following the attack, the governor added: “I really don’t have a dog in this fight. If this was a radicalized MAGA person, I’d be saying that as well.”

    Utah’s governor says a motive still isn’t pinned down

    Cox stressed on several Sunday morning news shows that investigators are still trying to pin down a motive for the attack on Kirk. The governor said more information may come out once Robinson appears in court Tuesday.

    Cox said the suspect’s partner was transgender, which some politicians have pointed to as a sign Robinson was targeting Kirk for his anti-transgender views. But authorities have not said whether it is relevant as they investigate Robinson’s motive.

    “The roommate was a romantic partner, a male transitioning to female,” Cox said. “I can say that he has been incredibly cooperative, this partner has been very cooperative, had no idea that this was happening.”

    Investigators have spoken to Robinson’s relatives and carried out a search warrant at his family’s home in Washington, Utah, about 240 miles (390 kilometers) southwest of Utah Valley University.

    State records show Robinson is registered to vote but not affiliated with a political party and is listed as inactive, meaning he did not vote in the two most recent general elections. His parents are registered Republicans.

    The suspect grew up in southwestern Utah

    Robinson grew up around St. George, in the southwestern corner of Utah between Las Vegas and natural landmarks including Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.

    He became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, at a young age, church spokesperson Doug Andersen said.

    Online activity by Robinson’s mother reflects an active family that traveled widely. In one photo, a young Robinson can be seen smiling as he grips the handles of a .50-caliber heavy machine gun outside a military facility.

    A high school honor roll student who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests, he was admitted to Utah State University in 2021 on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter that was posted to a family member’s social media account.

    But he attended for only one semester, according to the university. He is currently enrolled as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.

    Tributes emphasize Kirk’s religious faith

    The vigil at the Kennedy Center was among numerous tributes to Kirk that also included moments of silence at professional sporting events. The line of mourners in Washington wrapped around the center. Some people wore suits or summer dresses, while others were dressed in jeans and wore “Make America Great Again” caps.

    Seventeen-year-old Domiano Maceri and his mother drove about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Purceville, Virginia, to attend the Kennedy Center event. He said Kirk helped him find a way to better talk with friends who hold different opinions.

    “I definitely feel like I was inspired in different ways,” Maceri said as he waited to get inside. “It definitely gave me confidence to speak to my friends about my beliefs more.”

    Speakers included White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, two House members whose remembrances of Kirk were briefly stalled when they teared up, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

    “Father, help us remember the principles of your word that Charlie worked every day — to advance that we not return evil for evil but we overcome evil with good,” Johnson prayed.

    At Dream City Church in Phoenix, where Kirk hosted one of his “Freedom Night in America” gatherings, attendees viewed clips of the conservative activist discussing his desire to be “remembered for courage for my faith.”

    During a question-and-answer session, a church pastor, Angel Barnett, called on the crowd to honor Kirk by carrying on his message.

    “The left is nervous,” Barnett said. “And they’re concerned because they’ve lost control. Charlie started that, and we will continue it.”

    Added church panelist Brandon Tatum: “These cowards thought that they could end or eliminate the movement.”

    “They just made it bigger. They just made it stronger.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Colorado school shooting suspect posted about mass shootings and neo-Nazi views

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    DENVER — A teenager suspected in a shooting attack at a suburban Denver high school that left two students in critical condition appeared fascinated with previous mass shootings including Columbine and expressed neo-Nazi views online, according to experts.

    What You Need To Know

    • Experts say a teenager suspected in a shooting attack at a suburban Denver high school that left two students in critical condition appeared fascinated with previous mass shootings including Columbine and expressed neo-Nazi views online
    • The Anti-Defamation League says Desmond Holly had been active on an online forum where users watch videos of killings and violence, mixed in with content on white supremacism and antisemitism
    • It says Holly’s TikTok accounts contained white supremacist symbols and the name of his most recent account included a reference to a popular white supremacist slogan
    • TikTok says accounts associated with Holly have been banned

    Since December, Desmond Holly, 16, had been active on an online forum where users watch videos of killings and violence, mixed in with content on white supremacism and antisemitism, the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism said in a report.

    Holly shot himself following Wednesday’s shooting at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County. He died of his injuries. It is still unclear how he selected his victims. The county was also the scene of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre that killed 14 people.

    Holly’s TikTok accounts contained white supremacist symbols, the ADL said, and the name of his most recent account included a reference to a popular white supremacist slogan. The account was unavailable Friday. TikTok said accounts associated with Holly had been banned.

    Holly’s family could not be reached. The Associated Press left a message at a telephone number associated with the house that police searched after the shooting.

    A spokesperson for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Mark Techmeyer, declined to comment on the ADL’s findings or discuss its investigation into the shooting. The office previously said Holly was radicalized by an unspecified “extremist network” but released no details.

    Two recent suspects in school shootings were active on the so-called “gore forum” that Holly used called Watch People Die, according to the ADL. Holly appears to have opened his account in the month in between shootings in Madison, Wisconsin, and Nashville, Tennessee, the ADL said.

    A few days before Wednesday’s shooting, Holly posted a TikTok video posing in a similar way to how the Wisconsin shooter posed before killing two people during in December. He included a photo of the Wisconsin shooter in a post in which Holly wore black T-shirt with “WRATH” written on the front.

    He also posted videos showing how he made the shirt that was like the one worn by a gunman in the Columbine shooting, the ADL said.

    “There is a through-line between those attacks,” said Oren Segal, the ADL’s senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence. ”They’re telling us there is a through line because they are referencing each other.”

    Watch People Die administrators said in an email that Holly lied about his age in order to access the site and was a not a very active user of it, with only seven comments. The email said the site is “adamantly pro-Israel” but does not silence opposing viewpoints. It referred to Holly and the shooters in Wisconsin and Tennessee as “unhinged losers.”

    Holly was also active on TikTok’s “True Crime Community,” where it says users have a fascination with mass murderers and serial killers, the ADL said.

    Some TikTok posts shared by the ADL show one user encouraging Holly to be a “hero,” a term it says white supremacists use to refer to successfully ideologically motivated attackers.

    The person also told Holly to get a patch with a Nazi-era symbol that was worn by the men who carried out the 2019 attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the 2022 attack on a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

    Holly posted a photo of two patches that he had but said the Velcro on the back had fallen off.

    “I’m gonna use stronger glue when I fix it,” he said.

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    Associated Press

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  • What to know about the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination

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    Authorities are still trying to learn more about what motivated the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at a college in Utah, as memorials for the conservative activist were held Sunday for his life and legacy.

    Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder and other felony offenses. Prosecutors are drawing up formal charges that could be filed early next week, when he will make his first court appearance.

    What You Need To Know

    • Authorities are investigating the motive behind the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah college
    • Tyler James Robinson has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder. Prosecutors are preparing formal charges
    • Investigators have spoken to the 22-year-old’s relatives and searched his home. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says investigators aren’t ready to discuss a motive yet, but that Tyler Robinson leaned to the left
    • The shooting has sparked calls for greater civility in political discourse. Some individuals have faced consequences for their comments on the incident
    • Memorials for Kirk were held in Washington, D.C, in Arizona and elsewhere

    Investigators have spoken to Robinson’s relatives and carried out a search warrant at his family’s home in Washington, about 240 miles southwest of Utah Valley University, where the shooting took place.

    Here are things to know about the killing:

    What do we know about motive?

    Authorities have not provided many details about why they think Robinson carried out the attack on Kirk.

    “There clearly was a leftist ideology,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” noting that family and friends described Robinson’s politics as veering left in recent years. They recounted to authorities a dinner table conversation in which he mentioned Kirk’s upcoming visit to Utah Valley University.

    Cox said Robinson is “not cooperating” and that friends paint a picture of someone radicalized in the dark corners of the internet. Cox stressed on several Sunday morning news shows that investigators are still trying to pin down a motive for the attack on the father of two and confidant of President Donald Trump.

    State records show Robinson is registered to vote but is not affiliated with a political party and is listed as inactive, meaning he did not vote in the two most recent general elections. His parents are registered Republicans.

    Ammunition found with the weapon used to kill Kirk was engraved with taunting messages.

    What do we know about Robinson?

    He grew up around St. George, in the southwestern corner of Utah, between Las Vegas and natural landmarks including Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.

    Robinson became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon church, at a young age, church spokesperson Doug Andersen said.

    Robinson has two younger brothers, and his parents have been married for about 25 years, according to social media posts. Online activity by Robinson’s mother reflects an active family that took vacations to Disneyland, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Alaska.

    Like many in that part of Utah, they frequently spent time outdoors — boating, fishing, riding ATVs, zip-lining and target shooting. A 2017 post shows the family visiting a military facility and posing with assault rifles. A young Robinson is seen smiling as he grips the handles of a .50-caliber heavy machine gun.

    A high school honor roll student who scored in the 99th percentile nationally on standardized tests, he was admitted to Utah State University in 2021 on a prestigious academic scholarship, according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter that was posted to a family member’s social media account.

    But he attended for only one semester, according to a university spokesperson. He is currently enrolled as a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College in St. George.

    Robinson’s partner is transgender, Cox said. Some politicians have pointed to that as a sign Robinson was targeting Kirk for his anti-transgender views, but authorities have not said whether it is relevant to the investigation. Cox said the partner has been “incredibly cooperative,” and “had no idea that this was happening.”

    What has the fallout from the assassination been?

    It prompted calls for greater civility in the country’s political discourse, especially on social media. But many people have made comments about Kirk and the shooting that brought consequences. Numerous workers have been fired for their comments on Kirk’s death, among them MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd.

    It’s not the first time people have lost jobs over things they say publicly, but the speed of the firings has raised questions about free speech rights.

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education commissioner warned teachers in the state that making “disgusting” statements about Kirk’s assassination could draw sanctions, including the suspension or revocation of their teaching licenses.

    A conservative internet personality who is embedded with immigration agents in Chicago filmed a video outside Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s private home in which he urged viewers to “take action” after Kirk’s assassination. Pritzker’s office said his security has been increased in recent days.

    Partisans have been fighting over who’s to blame for Kirk’s death, but experts on political violence say many of those who commit such crimes seem to act on beliefs that don’t map clearly onto partisan lines. They say the broader political environment is more important: The more heated the atmosphere, the more likely it is to lead unstable people to commit acts of violence.

    Memorials are held in Washington, Arizona and elsewhere

    A vigil at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., was among numerous tributes to Kirk on Sunday. The line of mourners in Washington wrapped around the center.

    Kirk also was memorialized at Dream City Church in Phoenix, where he hosted one of his “Freedom Night in America” gatherings. Attendees viewed clips of Kirk discussing his desire to be “remembered for courage for my faith.” Angel Barnett, a church pastor, called on the crowd to honor Kirk by carrying on his message.

    Flowers, U.S. flags and handwritten messages were left at a makeshift memorial at Utah Valley University’s main entrance. The school has said there will be increased security when classes resume Wednesday.

    Turning Point USA, Kirk’s conservative organization, will hold a memorial for him Sept. 21 at State Farm Stadium outside Phoenix, where the Arizona Cardinals play. Kirk’s casket arrived Thursday in his home state aboard Air Force Two, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance.

    His widow, Erika Kirk, vowed to continue his campus tour and his radio and podcast shows.

    “To everyone listening tonight across America, the movement my husband built will not die,” she said Friday in a livestreamed video. “It won’t. I refuse to let that happen.”

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  • Patel faces congressional hearings after missteps in Kirk probe

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    WASHINGTON — Hours after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, FBI Director Kash Patel declared online that “the subject” in the killing was in custody. The shooter was not. The two men who had been detained were quickly released, and Utah officials acknowledged that the gunman remained at large.

    The false assurance was more than a slip. It spotlighted the high-stakes uncertainty surrounding Patel’s leadership of the bureau when its credibility — and his own — are under extraordinary pressure.

    Patel now approaches congressional oversight hearings this coming week facing not just questions about that investigation but broader doubts about whether he can stabilize a federal law enforcement agency fragmented by political fights and internal upheaval.

    What You Need To Know

    • FBI Director Kash Patel is bracing for scrutiny over his leadership of the Charlie Kirk investigation and other areas when he appears before Congress this coming week

    • He raised eyebrows hours after Kirk’s killing when he posted on X that “the subject” in the killing was in custody when he in fact remained on the loose

    • That confusion was an early misstep in an investigation that has become the most consequential test of Patel’s young career as director

    • The hearings are expected to give a glimpse into the sustained tumult at the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency


    Democrats are poised to press Patel on a purge of senior executives that has prompted a lawsuit, his pursuit of President Donald Trump’s grievances long after the Russia investigation ended, and a realignment of resources that has prioritized the fight against illegal immigration and street crime even though the agency has for decades been defined by its work on complicated threats like counterintelligence and public corruption.

    That’s in addition to questions about the handling of files from the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, the addition of a co-deputy director to serve alongside Dan Bongino, and the use of polygraphs on some agents in recent months to identify sources of leaks. Republicans, meanwhile, are likely to rally to his defense or redirect the spotlight toward the bureau’s critics.

    The hearings will offer Patel his most consequential stage yet, and perhaps the clearest test of whether he can convince the country that the FBI, under his watch, can avoid compounding its mistakes in a time of political violence and deepening distrust.

    “Because of the skepticism that some members of the Senate have had and still have, it’s extremely important that he perform very well at these oversight hearings” on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Gregory Brower, a former FBI executive who served as its top congressional affairs official.

    The FBI declined to comment about Patel’s coming testimony to the committee.

    He claimed the subject was ‘in custody’

    Kirk’s killing was always going to be a closely scrutinized investigation, not only because it was the latest burst of political violence inside the United States but also because of Kirk’s friendships with Trump, Patel and other administration figures and allies.

    While agents from Salt Lake City investigated, Patel’s account on the social media platform X posted that “the subject for the horrific shooting today that took the life of Charlie Kirk is now in custody.” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said at a near-contemporaneous news conference that “Whoever did this, we will find you,” suggesting authorities were still searching. Patel soon after posted that the person in custody had been released.

    “That does not deliver the message that you want the public to hear,” said Chris O’Leary, a retired FBI counterterrorism executive. “It had the opposite effect. People start to wonder what is going on. This looks like the Keystone Cops and it continues to get worse.”

    The next day, a scheduled afternoon news conference was canceled for “rapid developments” as Patel and Bongino flew to Utah. It was held instead in the evening. Patel appeared but did not speak.

    As the search stretched on, Patel angrily vented to FBI personnel Thursday about what he perceived as a failure to keep him informed, including that he was not quickly shown a photograph of the suspected shooter. That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss it by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. The New York Times earlier reported details of the call.

    Asked about the scrutiny of his performance, the FBI issued a statement saying that it had worked with local law enforcement to bring the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, to justice and “will continue to be transparent with the American people.”

    Patel’s overall response did not go unnoticed in conservative circles. One prominent strategist, Christopher Rufo, posted on X that it was “time for Republicans to assess whether Kash Patel is the right man to run the FBI.”

    Patel, at a news conference Friday and again on social media Saturday, touted his oversight of the investigation, highlighting his decision to publicize photographs of Robinson as a key break in the investigation. Robinson’s father recognized him from the photos, setting off a chain of events that resulted in the son turning himself in.

    Patel received support Saturday from Trump. He reposted on X a post from a Fox News Channel journalist who said she had spoken with Trump and that the president had said that Patel and the FBI “have done a great job.”

    Then there’s the personnel purge

    On the same day Kirk was killed, Patel faced a separate problem: a lawsuit from three FBI senior executives fired in an August purge that wiped away decades of institutional experience and that they characterized as a Trump administration retribution campaign.

    Among them was Brian Driscoll, who as acting FBI director in the early days of the Trump administration resisted Justice Department demands for names of agents who investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Driscoll alleged in the lawsuit that he was let go after he challenged the leadership’s desire to terminate an FBI pilot who had been wrongly identified on social media as having been part of the FBI search for classified at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.

    The lawsuit quotes Patel as having told Driscoll his job depended on firing people the White House wanted gone. The FBI has declined to comment on the lawsuit.

    The other plaintiffs are Spencer Evans, a former top agent in Las Vegas whose termination letter cited a “lack of reasonableness and overzealousness” in implementing COVID-19 policies while serving as a human resources official — a claim his lawyers call false — and Steve Jensen, who helped oversee FBI investigations into the Jan. 6. Capitol riot.

    The upheaval continues a trend that began even before Patel took over, when more than a half-dozen of the bureau’s most senior executives were forced out under a Justice Department rationale that they could not be “trusted” to implement Trump’s agenda.

    There’s since been significant turnover in leadership at the FBI’s 55 field offices. Some left because of promotions and planned retirements, but others because of ultimatums to accept new assignments or resign. The head of the Salt Lake City office, an experienced counterterrorism investigator, was pushed out of her position weeks before Kirk was killed at a Utah college, said people familiar with the move.

    In July, an agent based in Norfolk, Virginia, Michael Feinberg, authored a first-person account saying he was told to brace for a demotion and a polygraph exam because of his friendship with Peter Strzok, a lead FBI agent in the investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign fired over derogatory text messages sent about Trump. Feinberg resigned instead.

    FBI’s priorities shift under Patel

    Patel arrived at the FBI having been a sharp critic of its leadership, including for investigations into Trump that he says politicized the institution. Under Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the FBI and Justice Department have become entangled in their own politically fraught inquiries, such as one into New York Attorney General Letitia James.

    He’s moved quickly to remake the bureau, with the FBI and Justice Department working to investigate one of the Republican president’s chief grievances — the years-old Trump-Russia investigation. Trump has routinely called that probe, which did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump’s campaign, a “hoax” and “witch hunt.”

    The Justice Department appeared to confirm in an unusual statement that it was investigating former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, pivotal players in the Russia saga listed by Patel in a book he authored as “members of the Executive Branch Deep State,” but did not say for what. Bondi has directed that evidence be presented to a grand jury, and agents and prosecutors have begun requesting information and interviews from former officials related to the investigation, according to multiple people familiar with the outreach.

    Critics of the fresh Russia inquiry consider it a transparent attempt to turn the page from the fierce backlash the FBI and Justice Department endured from elements of Trump’s base following their July announcement that they would not be releasing any additional documents from the Epstein investigation.

    Patel has meanwhile elevated the fight against street crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration to the top of the FBI’s agenda, in alignment with Trump’s agenda.

    The FBI has been key to the federal government’s takeover of the Washington police department, participating with partner agencies in arrests for crimes, like drunken driving, not historically thought of as central FBI priorities.

    The bureau makes no apologies for aggressive policing in American cities the Trump administration contends have been consumed by crime. Patel and Bongino have been promoting the number of arrests involving federal law enforcement in an initiative they dub Operation Summer Heat. Patel says the thousands of cumulative arrests, many of them immigration-related, are “what happens when you let good cops be good cops.”

    But some are concerned the street crime focus could draw attention from the sophisticated public corruption and national security threats for which the bureau has long been primarily, if not solely, responsible for investigating. In one example, a federal corruption squad in Washington was disbanded this past spring.

    “One of the big problems that I see is that the investigative programs that have been hurt the most this year are the ones that really only the FBI does, or the FBI does better than anybody else,” said Matt DeSarno, who retired in 2022 as head of the Dallas field office.

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  • Fed governor claimed 2nd residence as ‘vacation home,’ undercutting Trump claims

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    WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud.

    What You Need To Know

    • Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate

    • That characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud

    • President Donald Trump has sought to fire Cook “for cause,” relying on claims that Cook claimed both the condo and another property as her primary residence simultaneously

    • Trump is trying to reshape the central bank, in part to orchestrate a steep cut to interest rates

    President Donald Trump has sought to fire Cook “for cause,” relying on allegations that Cook claimed both the condo and another property as her primary residence simultaneously, as he looks to reshape the central bank to orchestrate a steep cut to interest rates. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”

    Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing, the first time a president has sought to remove a member of the seven-person board of governors. Cook secured an injunction Tuesday that allows her to remain as a Fed governor.

    The administration has appealed the ruling and asked for an emergency ruling by Monday, just before the Fed is set to meet and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.

    Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.

    Claiming a home as a “primary residence” can result in better down payment and mortgage terms than if one of the homes is classified as a vacation home.

    The descriptions of Cook’s properties were first reported by Reuters.

    Fulton County tax records show Cook has never claimed a homestead exemption on the condo, which allows someone who uses a property as their primary residence to reduce their property taxes, since buying it in 2021.

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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  • EPA wants to end requirement that polluters report greenhouse gas emissions

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    WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed doing away with a program that has required large, mostly industrial polluters to report their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to the government.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed doing away with a program that has required large, mostly industrial polluters to report their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to the government

    • The program requires refineries, power plants, oil wells and landfills to report their emissions without risk of penalty as officials seek to identify high-polluting facilities and develop policies to lower carbon dioxide emissions

    • EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the program “burdensome” and unhelpful to improving human health and the environment

    • He said removing the rule would save American businesses up to $2.4 billion in regulatory costs while maintaining EPA’s statutory obligations under the Clean Air Act

    The program requires refineries, power plants, oil wells and landfills to report their emissions without risk of penalty as officials seek to identify high-polluting facilities and develop policies to lower emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Experts say the reporting held the companies publicly accountable for their emissions.

    Since the program began in 2009, U.S. industry has collectively reported a 20% drop in carbon emissions, mostly driven by the closure of coal-fired power plants.

    EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program “burdensome” and unhelpful to improving human health and the environment.

    Removing the rule would save American businesses up to $2.4 billion in regulatory costs over 10 years while maintaining the agency’s statutory obligations under the Clean Air Act, Zeldin said. If finalized, the proposal would remove reporting obligations for most large industrial facilities in the United States, as well as fuel and industrial gas suppliers and carbon dioxide injection sites.

    “The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is nothing more than bureaucratic red tape that does nothing to improve air quality,” Zeldin said in a statement.

    “It costs American businesses and manufacturing billions of dollars, driving up the cost of living, jeopardizing our nation’s prosperity and hurting American communities,” he said. “With this proposal, we show once again that fulfilling EPA’s statutory obligations and Powering the Great American Comeback is not a binary choice.”

    But experts say dropping the requirement — as Zeldin promised in March when he unleashed what he called the greatest day of deregulation in U.S. history — risks a big increase in emissions, since companies would no longer be publicly accountable for what they discharge into the air. And they say losing the data — at the same time the EPA is cutting air quality monitoring elsewhere — would make it tougher to fight climate change.

    Joseph Goffman, who led EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation under President Joe Biden, said eliminating the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program “blinds Americans to the facts about climate pollution. Without it, policymakers, businesses and communities cannot make sound decisions about how to cut emissions and protect public health.”

    By hiding pollution information from the public, “Administrator Zeldin is denying Americans the ability to see the damaging results of his actions on climate pollution, air quality and public health,” Goffman said, calling the plan “yet another example of the Trump administration putting polluters before people’s health.”

    David Doniger, a senior strategist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group, called the proposal “a cynical effort to keep the American public in the dark, because if they don’t know who the polluters are, they can’t do anything to hold them responsible.”

    Big polluters may want to keep their climate pollution secret, he added, but the public, states and local policymakers “have depended on this data” for more than 15 years. Public accountability and pushback from investors have led many companies to reduce their climate pollution even before EPA sets stricter standards, Doniger said.

    But Zeldin said reducing the overall regulatory burden on U.S. industry will allow companies to “focus compliance expenditures on actual, tangible environmental benefits.”

    The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program covers 47 source categories and requires more than 8,000 facilities and suppliers in the U.S. to calculate their greenhouse gas emissions annually, Zeldin said.

    “Following a careful review, EPA proposed that there is no requirement under (the Clean Air Act) to collect GHG emission information from businesses, nor is continuing the ongoing costly data collection useful to fulfill any of the agency’s statutory obligations,” he said.

    The EPA will accept public comments on the proposal for more than six weeks after the plan is published in the Federal Register, expected in coming days.

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  • Prince Harry makes surprise visit to Ukraine in support of wounded troops

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    LONDON — Britain’s Prince Harry has arrived in Ukraine for a surprise visit in support of wounded service members.

    What You Need To Know

    • Britain’s Prince Harry arrived in Ukraine on Friday for a surprise visit in support of wounded service members

    • Harry’s representatives confirmed they were in the capital, Kyiv, on Friday, though they declined to discuss the prince’s schedule for security reasons

    • This is the second time Harry has visited Ukraine in support of his Invictus Games

    • Harry founded the games in 2014 as a Paralympic-style event designed to inspire military veterans around the world as they work to overcome battlefield injuries

    Harry’s representatives confirmed they were in the capital, Kyiv, on Friday, though they declined to discuss the prince’s schedule for security reasons.

    This is the second time Harry has visited Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full scale invasion in 2022. He made a trip to the western city of Lviv in April.

    “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process,” Harry told the Guardian newspaper while on an overnight train to Kyiv.

    Harry, a British Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, is the founder of the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style event designed to inspire military veterans around the world as they work to overcome battlefield injuries. Ukraine is bidding to host the games in 2029.

    The Archewell foundation set up by Harry and his wife Meghan announced this week that it had donated $500,000 to projects supporting injured children from Gaza and Ukraine. The money will be used to help the World Health Organization with medical evacuations and to fund work developing prosthetics for seriously injured young people.

    The Guardian said that Harry will visit the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, spend time with 200 veterans and meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

    His visit coincided with a trip to Ukraine by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who announced a new set of U.K. sanctions targeting Russia’s oil revenues and military supplies.

    Cooper said the visit is a show of solidarity with Ukrainians facing intensified assault from Russia – including 6,500 drones and missiles in July, 10 times the level of a year ago.

    Harry’s appearance in Ukraine follows a four-day trip to the U.K., where he met his father, King Charles III, for the first time in 19 months. The meeting was seen as a first step in repairing frigid relations between Harry and other members of the royal family, which deteriorated after he and his wife, the former Meghan Markle, gave up royal duties and moved to California in 2020.

    Harry and his father last met in February 2024, when the prince flew to London after receiving news that Charles had been diagnosed with cancer. Harry spent about 45 minutes with Charles before the king flew to his Sandringham country estate to recuperate from his treatment.

    Prince Harry’s last trip to Ukraine included a visit to the Superhumans Center, an orthopedic clinic in Lviv that treats wounded military personnel and civilians. The center provides prosthetic limbs, reconstructive surgery and psychological help free of charge.

    Harry’s visit Friday come as Russia escalates its war against Ukraine.

    It is less than a week after Russia’s largest aerial attack on Ukraine since its all-out invasion began more than three years ago — an attack in which the main Ukrainian government building was hit. It also comes just days after numerous Russian drones entered the airspace of NATO member Poland — the country Harry traveled through to reach Ukraine.

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  • Trump’s emergency order for DC is set to expire

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    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s emergency order over the nation’s capital, which federalized its police force and launched a surge of law enforcement into the city, is set to expire overnight Wednesday after Congress failed to extend it.

    What You Need To Know

    • President Donald Trump’s emergency order that federalized Washington’s police force is set to expire

    • Congress has not moved to extend it, so control will return to local authorities

    • However, a House committee is debating 13 bills that could further limit the city’s autonomy

    • The National Guard and some federal agencies will remain deployed, with no clear end date

    But the clash between Republicans and the heavily Democratic district over its autonomy was only set to intensify, with a House committee beginning to debate 13 bills that would wrest away even more of the city’s control if approved.

    Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office said the order expires at midnight. The National Guard and some other federal agencies will continue their deployment and it’s not clear when that might end.

    Trump’s takeover of Washington’s policing and Wednesday’s discussions in the House underscore how interlinked the capital is with the federal government and how much the city’s capacity to govern is beholden to federal decisions.

    Trump’s order federalized the local police force

    For the last 30 days, the city’s local Metropolitan Police Department has been under the control of the president for use in what he described as a crimefighting initiative.

    Local police joined hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and agents on sweeps and roundups and other police operations. About 2,000 members of the National Guard from D.C. as well as seven states were also part of the surge of law enforcement.

    Crime has dropped during the surge, according to figures from the White House and the local police department, but data also showed crime was falling in the lead up to the federal takeover.

    Congress, satisfied by steps that Bowser has taken to ensure that the cooperation with the city will continue, decided not to extend the emergency, returning the police to district control.

    But Bowser, who has walked a tightrope in collaborating with Trump in an effort to protect the city’s home rule, must now pivot to a Congress that has jurisdiction over the city. The next order of business is a series of proposals that will be debated Wednesday by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

    Some of the House bills focus on law enforcement

    Thirteen of the bills call for repealing or changing D.C. laws. Some provisions in play would remove the district’s elected attorney general, who recently asked a judge to intervene in the takeover. Others would allow the president to appoint someone to the position.

    There is also a move to lower the age of trying juveniles to 14 from 16 for certain crimes, and one to change the bail system and remove methods the council can use to extend emergency bills.

    Even if the bills pass the committee and House, the question is whether they can get through the filibuster-proof Senate. D.C. activists have already begun lobbying Senate Democrats.

    Bowser urged the leaders of the House Oversight Committee to reject those proposals.

    She argued that a bill sponsored by Rep. Paul Gosar, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, would “make the District less efficient, competitive, and responsive.” She said she looks forward to working with the committee to build a “productive partnership” that “respects the will of D.C. residents and honors the principles of home rule.”

    Republican Rep. Ron Estes and several Republican colleagues said they want their constituents to feel safe visiting the capital, and noted the recent murder of an intern who worked in Estes’ office. “We want to make sure that we have a capital that Americans are proud of,” Estes said.

    Members of the Republican Study Committee in the House held a news conference Sept. 2 praising Trump’s intervention and supporting codifying his executive order.

    “Congress has a clear constitutional authority over D.C., and we will use it without hesitation to continue making D.C. safe and great again,” said Rep. August Pfluger, chairman of that committee.

    D.C. mayor says the bills challenge the city’s autonomy

    Bowser said the bills are an affront to the city’s autonomy and said “laws affecting the district should be made by the district.”

    The district is granted autonomy through a limited home rule agreement passed in 1973 but federal political leaders retain significant control over local affairs, including the approval of the budget and laws passed by the D.C council.

    Bowser has said repeatedly that statehood, a nonstarter for Republicans in Congress, is the only solution.

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  • NATO scrambles jets to shoot down Russian drones in Poland

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    WOHYN, Poland — Multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland in what European officials described Wednesday as an deliberate provocation, causing NATO to send fighter jets to shoot them down. A NATO spokesman said it was the first time the alliance confronted a potential threat in its airspace.

    What You Need To Know

    • Multiple Russian drones crossed into Poland in what European officials described as an deliberate provocation, causing NATO to send fighter jets to shoot them down

    • A NATO spokesman said it was the first time the alliance confronted a potential threat in its airspace

    • The incursion happened late Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday during a wave of strikes by the Kremlin on Ukraine
    • The NATO response swiftly raised fears that the war could spill over — a fear that has been growing in Europe as Russia steps up its attacks and peace efforts go nowhere

    The incursion, which occurred during a wave of strikes by the Kremlin on Ukraine, and the NATO response swiftly raised fears that the war could spill over — a fear that has been growing in Europe as Russia steps up its attacks and peace efforts go nowhere.

    Russia’s Defense Ministry said it did not target Poland, while Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, said it tracked some drones that “lost their course” because they were jammed.

    However, several European leaders said they believed the incursion amounted to an intentional expansion of Russia’s assault against Ukraine.

    “Russia’s war is escalating, not ending,” European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters in Brussels. “What (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to do is to test us. What happened in Poland is a game changer,” and it should result in stronger sanctions.

    Polish airspace has been violated many times since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but never on this scale in Poland or anywhere else in NATO territory.

    Poland said some of the drones came from Belarus, where Russian and Belarusian troops have begun gathering for war games scheduled to start Friday.

    It was not immediately clear how many drones were involved. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament 19 violations were recorded over seven hours, but he said information was still being gathered. Polish authorities said nine crash sites were found, with some of them hundreds of kilometers from the border.

    “There are definitely no grounds to suspect that this was a course correction mistake or the like,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told parliament. “These drones were very clearly put on this course deliberately.”

    Dutch fighter jets came to Poland’s aid and intercepted some drones. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski later thanked the Dutch government “for the magnificent performance of Dutch pilots in neutralizing” the drones.

    NATO met to discuss the incident, which came three days after Russia’s largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the war began.

    Poland says some drones came from Belarus

    Tusk told parliament that the first violation came at approximately 11:30 p.m. Tuesday and the last around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. Earlier, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X that more than 10 objects crossed into Polish airspace.

    “What is new, in the worst sense of the word, is the direction from which the drones came. This is the first time in this war that they did not come from Ukraine as a result of errors or minor Russian provocations. For the first time, a significant portion of the drones came directly from Belarus,” Tusk said in parliament.

    The Russian Defense Ministry said its overnight strikes targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial complex in the western regions of the country — which border Poland — with no planned targets on Polish territory.

    In an unusual message of outreach, the ministry said it was ready to hold consultations with Poland’s Defense Ministry.

    Belarusian Maj. Gen. Pavel Muraveiko, the chief of the country’s general staff and first deputy defense minister, appeared to try to put some distance between his country and the incursion.

    In an online statement, he said that as Russia and Ukraine traded drone strikes overnight, Belarusian air defense forces tracked “drones that lost their course” after they were jammed, adding that Belarusian forces warned their Polish and Lithuanian counterparts about “unidentified aircraft” approaching their territory.

    Drones or parts of drones were found in eight locations in Poland, according to Polish officials. At a ninth site, objects of unknown origin were found.

    A house was hit in the village of Wyryki in the Lublin region near the Ukrainian border, Mayor Bernard Blaszczuk told the TVP Info television news channel. The roof was severely damaged, but no one was hurt.

    Rattled NATO members vow support

    NATO air defenses supported Poland in what spokesman Col. Martin O’Donnell called “the first time NATO planes have engaged potential threats in Allied airspace.” That included the Dutch F-35 fighter jets that intercepted drones, according to Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans.

    The alliance “is committed to defending every kilometer of NATO territory, including our airspace,” O’Donnell said.

    Tusk told parliament consultations took place under Article 4 of the NATO treaty — a clause that allows countries to call for urgent discussions with their allies. The consultations happened Wednesday at a previously planned meeting. They do not automatically lead to any action under Article 5, which is NATO’s collective security guarantee.

    Mark Lyall Grant, U.K. national security adviser from 2015 to 2017, said the incursion was obviously an escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine, but there was not yet enough evidence to say it was an attack on a NATO member.

    But many European leaders expressed deep concern, including those in the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia that are the NATO members most nervous about Russian aggression.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it an “extremely dangerous precedent for Europe” and called for Russia to “feel the consequences.”

    “Moscow always tests the limits of what is possible and, if it does not encounter a strong response, remains at a new level of escalation,” he said. “Not just one Shahed (drone), which could be dismissed as an accident, but at least eight attack drones that were aimed in the direction of Poland.”

    By midday in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump’s only public comments about the incursion was a short post on social media: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!”

    Trump was set to speak later Wednesday to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

    Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said the incident underscored the failure of NATO member states to accurately assess the threat posed by Russia and properly prepare for war.

    “NATO states, even front line ones, have clearly not prepared for war of the type that is happening now,” he said in his Substack newsletter.

    Poland has complained about Russian objects entering its airspace during attacks on Ukraine before.

    In August, Poland’s defense minister said that a flying object that crashed and exploded in a cornfield in eastern Poland was identified as a Russian drone, and called it a provocation.

    In March, Poland scrambled jets after a Russian missile briefly passed through Polish airspace on its way to a target in western Ukraine. And in 2022, a missile that was likely fired by Ukraine to intercept a Russian attack landed in Poland, killing two people.

    Russian attacks hit central and western Ukraine

    Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 415 strike and decoy drones, as well as 42 cruise missiles and one ballistic missile overnight.

    Ukrainian air defenses intercepted or jammed 386 drones and 27 cruise missiles, according to the report.

    One person was killed and at least five wounded, while several homes and businesses were damaged, according to local officials.

    The Russian Defense Ministry said in its morning report Wednesday that it had destroyed 122 Ukrainian drones over various Russian regions overnight, including over the illegally annexed Crimea and areas of the Black Sea.

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    Associated Press

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  • The peak of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is here

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    Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean spans June through November, and this year was forecasted to be near to above average.

    What You Need To Know

    • The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season was forecasted to be near to above average

    • Through early Sept. 2025, there have only been six named storms

    • The climatological peak of hurricane season is on Sept. 10


    However, as we approach the climatological peak of the season, we’ve only had six named storms. 

    2025 Atlantic Season predictions

    Both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Colorado State University (CSU) made their seasonal forecasts back in May and updated them in August. The latest outlooks predict an above-average season: 13 to 18 tropical cyclones (down from 13 to 19 named storms) for NOAA and 16 named storms for CSU (down from 17 to 24 named storms).

    The new predictions include the six named storms we’ve already seen. The average number of named storms is around 14 per season.

    How the season began

    Tropical Storm Andrea formed on June 23, 2025. This marked the latest start to a season since 2014. 

    Next, Tropical Storm Barry formed toward the end of June and made landfall in Veracruz, Mexico. 

    After Barry, Tropical Storm Chantal impacted the southeastern U.S. The storm made landfall in South Carolina on July 6, bringing tropical storm force-winds and flooding rainfall to the Carolinas. 

    Flooding from Chantal at Cooper Road at the Haw River canoe access in Graham, North Carolina. (Graham Police Department)

    Tropical Storm Dexter followed, and next, Hurricane Erin. Erin became a large and powerful Category 5 storm. The storm stayed well off the coast of the U.S., but it brought dangerous rip currents to most of the eastern seaboard.

    Tropical Storm Fernand formed in mid-August and stayed offshore. Here’s a look at the 2025 hurricane season so far. 

    Since then, there has been a lull in tropical activity. 

    Still a lot of the season to go

    In September and early October, storms are most likely to form in the central Atlantic and the Caribbean. However, as more frontal boundaries move through the U.S. at this time, it’s possible for tropical cyclones to develop along old fronts in the Gulf of Mexico and off of the southeast coast. 

    “We are just coming up on the halfway mark of the hurricane season, usually the time of peak activity,” says Dr. Frank Marks, a meteorologist in the Hurricane Research Division of NOAA/Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. 

    Don’t let the lull in the Atlantic lull you to sleep. As we approach the peak with quiet conditions, there’s still plenty of time for more storms to develop.

    Notable September and October tropical cyclones

    Even though many may be focused on fall, hurricane season is ongoing! There have been many tropical cyclones that have formed and made landfall in September and October. 

    Just last year, Hurricane Milton formed in October and rapidly intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm in the Gulf of America. This was the strongest tropical cyclone ever recorded over the Gulf since Hurricane Rita in 2005. Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm near Siesta Key, FL.

    While the outlook over the next seven days looks quiet in the Atlantic, make sure you’re focusing on the forecast as conditions in the open waters can change. Tracking the Tropics.

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Meteorologist Britney Hamilton

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  • 250 arrested in France as protesters clash with police

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    PARIS — Protesters blocked roads, lit blazes and were met with volleys of tear gas on Wednesday in Paris and elsewhere in France, heaping pressure on President Emmanuel Macron by attempting to give his new prime minister a baptism of fire.

    What You Need To Know

    • Protesters have blocked roads and set fires in Paris and across France, clashing with police in a bid to pressure President Emmanuel Macron

    • The protests on Wednesday are challenging Macron’s new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu

    • The interior ministry reported 250 arrests during the nationwide demonstrations

    • The “Block Everything” movement, which started online over the summer, aims to disrupt the country
    • It opposes budget cuts and other grievances

    The government’s interior ministry announced 250 arrests in the first hours of what was a planned day of nationwide demonstrations against Macron, budget cuts and other complaints.

    Although falling short of its self-declared intention to “Block Everything,” the protest movement that started online over the summer caused widespread hot spots of disruption, defying an exceptional deployment of 80,000 police who broke up barricades and swiftly made arrests.

    Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said that a bus was set on fire in the western city of Rennes. In the southwest, fire damage to electrical cables stopped train services on one line and disrupted traffic on another, government transport authorities said.

    Spreading protests

    The protests appeared so far to be less intense than previous bouts of unrest that have sporadically rocked Macron in both his first and ongoing second term as president. They included months of nationwide so-called yellow vest demonstrations against economic injustice in 2018-2019.

    After his reelection in 2022, Macron faced firestorms of anger over unpopular pension reforms and nationwide unrest and rioting in 2023 after the deadly police shooting of a teenager on Paris’ outskirts.

    Nevertheless, demonstrations and sporadic clashes with riot police in Paris and elsewhere Wednesday added to a sense of crisis that has again gripped France following its latest government collapse on Monday, when Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a parliamentary confidence vote.

    Macron was installing a new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, on Tuesday, and the protests immediately presented him with a challenge.

    Groups of protesters repeatedly tried to block Paris’ beltway during the morning rush hour and were dispersed by police and tear gas. Elsewhere in the capital, protesters piled up trash cans and hurled objects at police officers. Paris police reported 159 arrests through the morning.

    Around 100 others were taken into police custody elsewhere in France, according to the interior ministry count. Road blockades, traffic slowdowns and other protests were widely spread — from the southern port city of Marseille to Lille and Caen in the north, and Nantes and Rennes in the west to Grenoble and Lyon in the southeast.

    A weary nation

    With France gripped by a prolonged cycle of instability, where minority governments installed by Macron have lurched from crisis to crisis, the movement also had support from people who didn’t protest.

    “There’s a lot of weariness, shared weariness, a lot of frustration that things aren’t moving forward,” said Lila, a Paris office worker who asked that her family name not be published. “That, in part, explains these blockades and this generalized unhappiness.”

    Some criticized the disruptions.

    “It’s a bit excessive,” said Bertrand Rivard, an accounting worker on his way to a meeting in Paris. “We live in a democracy and the people should not block the country because the government doesn’t take the right decisions.”

    The “Bloquons Tout,” or “Block Everything,” movement gathered momentum over the summer on social media and in encrypted chats. Its call for a day of blockades, strikes, boycotts, demonstrations and other acts of protest came as Bayrou was preparing plans to massively slash public spending — by 44 billion euros ($51 billion) — to rein in France’s growing deficit and trillions in debts. He also proposed the elimination of two public holidays from the country’s annual calendar — which proved wildly unpopular.

    Lecornu, the new prime minister who previously served as minister of defense, now inherits the task of addressing France’s budget difficulties, facing the same political instability and widespread hostility to Macron that contributed to Bayrou’s undoing.

    Macron’s governments have been on particularly shaky ground since he dissolved the National Assembly last year, triggering an unscheduled legislative election that stacked the lower house of parliament with opponents of the French president.

    A spontaneous movement

    “Block Everything” grew virally online with no clear identified leadership and a broad array of complaints — many targeting budget cuts, broader inequality and Macron himself.

    Retailleau, a conservative who allied with Macron’s centrist camp to serve as interior minister in Bayrou’s government and is now in a caretaker role until Lecornu puts his Cabinet together, alleged Wednesday that left-wing radicals have hijacked the protest movement, even though it has an apparent broad range of supporters. Appeals for non-violence accompanied its online protest calls.

    Retailleau alleged that elected politicians who have backed the movement are attempting “to create a climate of insurrection in France” and he said some protesters appeared hell-bent on fighting with police.

    “We have, in fact, small groups that are seasoned, mobile, often wearing masks and hoods, dressed in black, which in reality are the recognized signs, the DNA, of … extreme-left and ultra-left movements,” Retailleau said.

    The spontaneity of “Block Everything” is reminiscent of the yellow vests. That movement started with workers camping out at traffic circles to protest a hike in fuel taxes, sporting high-visibility vests. It quickly spread to people across political, regional, social and generational divides angry at economic injustice and Macron’s leadership.

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    Associated Press

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  • Trump asks Supreme Court for emergency order to keep foreign aid frozen

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    WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid frozen.

     

    What You Need To Know

    • The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court for an emergency order to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid frozen

    • The Republican administration filed its appeal Monday

    • The crux of the legal fight is over nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved aid President Donald Trump last month said he would not spend, invoking disputed authority last used by a president roughly 50 years ago

    • Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge last month that another $6.5 billion in aid would be spent before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30

     

    The crux of the legal fight is over nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved aid that President Donald Trump last month said he would not spend, invoking disputed authority that was last used by a president roughly 50 years ago.

    Last week, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled that the Republican administration’s decision to withhold the funding was likely illegal.

    Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a letter on Aug. 28 that he would not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch.

    He used what’s known as a pocket rescission. That’s when a president submits a request to Congress toward the end of a current budget year to not spend the approved money. The late notice means Congress cannot act on the request in the required 45-day window and the money goes unspent.

    Ali said Congress would have to approve the rescission proposal for the Trump administration to withhold the money. The law is “explicit that it is congressional action — not the President’s transmission of a special message — that triggers rescission of the earlier appropriations,” he wrote.

    The Trump administration has made deep reductions to foreign aid one of its hallmark policies, despite the relatively meager savings relative to the deficit and possible damage to America’s reputation abroad as foreign populations lose access to food supplies and development programs. The administration turned to the high court after a panel of federal appellate judges declined to block Ali’s ruling.

    Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the ruling “an unlawful injunction that precipitates an unnecessary emergency and needless interbranch conflict.” He urged the justices to immediately block it.

    But lawyers for the nonprofit organizations that sued the government said it’s the funding freeze that violates federal law, noting that it has shut down funding for even the most urgent lifesaving programs abroad.

    “This marks the third time in this case alone that the Administration has run to the Supreme Court in a supposed emergency posture to seek relief from circumstances of its own making — this time to defend the illegal tactic of a ‘pocket rescission,’” attorney Lauren Bateman of Public Citizen Litigation Group, lead counsel for the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition plaintiffs, said in a statement. “The Administration is effectively asking the Supreme Court to bless its attempt to unlawfully accumulate power.”

    Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge last month that another $6.5 billion in aid that had been subject to the freeze would be spent before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

    The case has been winding its way through the courts for months, and Ali said he understood that his ruling would not be the last word on the matter.

    “This case raises questions of immense legal and practical importance, including whether there is any avenue to test the executive branch’s decision not to spend congressionally appropriated funds,” he wrote.

    In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out an earlier injunction Ali had issued to require that the money be spent. But the three-judge panel did not shut down the lawsuit.

    After Trump issued his rescission notice, the plaintiffs returned to Ali’s court and the judge issued the order that’s now being challenged.

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    Associated Press

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  • Trial set to begin for man accused of trying to assassinate Trump in Florida

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    FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A federal trial is scheduled to begin Monday for a man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida in September 2024.

    What You Need To Know

    • A federal trial begins next week for a man charged with trying to assassinate President Donald Trump as he played golf in Florida

    • Jury selection is expected to start on Monday and take three days, with opening statements planned for Thursday

    • The court has blocked off four weeks for the trial, but attorneys are expecting they’ll need less time

    • U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon agreed in July to let 59-year-old Ryan Routh represent himself, and he will be allowed to use a podium while speaking to the jury or questioning witnesses, but  will not have free rein of the courtroom

    • 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

    Jury selection is expected to take three days, with attorneys questioning three sets of 60 prospective jurors. They’re trying to find 12 jurors and four alternates. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday, and prosecutors will begin their case immediately after that. The court has blocked off four weeks for the trial, but attorneys are expecting they’ll need less time.

    Here’s what to know about the case.

    The judge lets Routh represent himself

    U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off in July on Ryan Routh’s request to represent himself during his trial, but said court-appointed attorneys need to remain as standby counsel.

    The judge told Routh she believes it’s a bad idea for Routh to represent himself, but he wouldn’t be dissuaded. Routh, who has described the extent of his education as two years of college after earning his GED certificate, told Cannon that he understood the potential challenges and would be ready.

    Cannon confirmed during a hearing earlier this week that Routh would be dressed in professional business attire for the trial. She also explained to Routh that he would be allowed to use a podium while speaking to the jury or questioning witnesses, but he would not have free rein of the courtroom.

    “If you make any sudden movements, marshals will take decisive and quick action to respond,” Cannon said.

    Routh is a self-styled mercenary leader

    The 59-year-old Routh was a North Carolina construction worker who in recent years had moved to Hawaii. A self-styled mercenary leader, Routh spoke out to anyone who would listen about his dangerous, sometimes violent plans to insert himself into conflicts around the world, witnesses have told The Associated Press.

    In the early days of the war in Ukraine, Routh tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his native Greensboro, North Carolina, he had a 2002 arrest for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself from officers with a fully automatic machine gun and a “weapon of mass destruction,” which turned out to be an explosive with a 10-inch-long fuse.

    In 2010, police searched a warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, from power tools and building supplies to kayaks and spa tubs. In both felony cases, judges gave Routh either probation or a suspended sentence.

    Routh is charged with attempted assassination

    Authorities said Routh tried to assassinate Trump, the Republican nominee for presidential, while he played golf at his golf club in West Palm Beach.

    Routh is facing five felony counts in federal court in Fort Pierce. They include attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate; possessing a firearm to carry out a violent crime; assaulting a federal officer; felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition; and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

    In addition to the federal charges, Routh also has pleaded not guilty to state charges of terrorism and attempted murder.

    Same judge presided over Trump case

    Cannon is the same judge who presided over another high-profile case involving Trump — the classified documents case.

    Last year, Cannon sided with Trump’s lawyers who said the special counsel who filed the charges was illegally appointed by the U.S. Justice Department. Cannon’s ruling halted a criminal case that at the time it was filed was widely regarded as the most perilous of all the legal threats the president faced before he returned to office last January.

    Cannon was a former federal prosecutor who was nominated to the bench by Trump in 2020.

    Trump was not hurt by Routh

    Trump was uninjured, and there’s no evidence that Routh fired his weapon at the golf course. U.S. Secret Service agents stationed a few holes up from where Trump was playing golf noticed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle sticking through the shrubbery that lines the course, roughly 400 yards away. An agent fired, and the gunman dropped the rifle and fled in an SUV, leaving the firearm behind along with two backpacks, a scope used for aiming and a GoPro camera. He was later stopped by law enforcement in a neighboring county.

    Last September’s alleged assassination attempt took place just nine weeks after Trump survived another attempt on his life in Pennsylvania.

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    Associated Press

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  • Employers add 22,000 jobs in August, falling short of forecasts

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    WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market has gone from healthy to lethargic during President Donald Trump’s first seven months back in the White House, as hiring has collapsed and inflation has started to climb once again as his tariffs take hold.

    What You Need To Know

    • The U.S. job market has gone from healthy to lethargic during President Donald Trump’s first seven months back in the White House

    • Friday’s jobs report showed employers added a mere 22,000 jobs in August, as the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%

    • Factories and construction firms shed workers

    • The new data exposed the widening gap between the booming economy Trump promised and the more anemic reality of what he’s managed to deliver so far.

    Friday’s jobs report showed employers added a mere 22,000 jobs in August, as the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%. Factories and construction firms shed workers. Revisions showed the economy lost 13,000 jobs in June, the first monthly losses since December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The new data exposed the widening gap between the booming economy Trump promised and the more anemic reality of what he’s managed to deliver so far. The White House prides itself on operating at a breakneck speed, but it’s now asking the American people for patience, with Trump saying better job numbers might be a year away.

    “We’re going to win like you’ve never seen,” Trump said Friday. “Wait until these factories start to open up that are being built all over the country, you’re going to see things happen in this country that nobody expects.”

    The plea for patience has done little to comfort Americans, as economic issues that had been a strength for Trump for a decade have evolved into a persistent weakness. Approval of Trump’s economic leadership hit 56% in early 2020 during his first term, but that figure was 38% in July of this year, according to polling by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

    The situation has left Trump searching for others to blame, while Democrats say the problem begins and ends with him.

    Trump maintained Friday that the economy would be adding jobs if Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell had slashed benchmark interest rates, even though doing so to the degree that Trump wants could ignite higher inflation. Investors expect a rate cut by the Fed at its next meeting in September, although that’s partially because of weakening job numbers.

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Trump’s tariffs and freewheeling policies were breaking the economy and the jobs report proved it.

    “This is a blaring red light warning to the entire country that Donald Trump is squeezing the life out of our economy,” Schumer said.

    By many measures, Trump has dug himself into a hole on the economy as its performance has yet to come anywhere close to his hype.

    — Trump in 2024 suggested that deporting immigrants in the country illegally would protect “Black jobs.” But the Black unemployment rate has climbed to 7.5%, the highest since October 2021, as the Trump administration has engaged in aggressive crackdowns on immigration.

    — At his April tariffs announcement, Trump said, “Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country and you see it happening already.” Since April, manufacturers have cut 42,000 jobs and builders have downsized by 8,000.

    — Trump said in his inaugural address that the “liquid gold” of oil would make the nation wealthy as he pivoted the economy to fossil fuels. But the logging and mining sectors — which includes oil and natural gas — have shed 12,000 jobs since January. While gasoline prices are lower, the Energy Information Administration in August estimated that crude oil production, the source of the wealth promised by Trump, would fall next year by an average of 100,000 barrels a day.

    — At 2024 rallies, Trump promised to “end” inflation on “day one” and halve electricity prices within 12 months. Consumer prices have climbed from a 2.3% annual increase in April to 2.7% in July. Electricity costs are up 4.6% so far this year.

    The Trump White House maintains that the economy is on the cusp of breakout growth, with its new import taxes poised to raise hundreds of billions of dollars annually if they can withstand court challenges.

    At a Thursday night dinner with executives and founders from companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Meta, Trump said the facilities being built to develop artificial intelligence would deliver “jobs numbers like our country has never seen before” at some point “a year from now.”

    But Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, noted that Trump’s promise that strong job growth is ahead contradicts his unsubstantiated claims that recent jobs data was faked to embarrass him. That accusation prompted him to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics last month after the massive downward revisions in the July jobs report.

    Strain said it’s rational for the administration to say better times are coming, but doing so seems to undermine Trump’s allegations that the numbers are rigged.

    “The president clearly stated that the data were not trustworthy and that the weakness in the data was the product of anti-Trump manipulation,” Strain said. “And if that’s true, what are we being patient about?”

    The White House maintained that Friday’s jobs report was an outlier in an otherwise good economy.

    Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said the Atlanta Federal Reserve is expecting annualized growth of 3% this quarter, which he said would be more consistent with monthly job gains of 100,000.

    Hassett said inflation is low, income growth is “solid” and new investments in assets such as buildings and equipment will ultimately boost hiring.

    But Daniel Hornung, who was deputy director of the National Economic Council in the Biden White House, said he didn’t see evidence of a coming rebound in the August jobs data.

    “Pretty broad based weakening,” Hornung said. “The decline over three months in goods producing sectors like construction and manufacturing is particularly notable. There were already headwinds there and tariffs are likely exacerbating challenges.”

    Stephen Moore, an economics fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation and supporter of the president, said the labor market is “definitely softening,” even as he echoed Trump’s claims that the jobs numbers are not reliable.

    He said the economy was adjusting to the Trumpian shift of higher tariffs and immigration reductions that could lower the pool of available workers.

    “The problem going forward is a shortage or workers, not a shortage of jobs,” Moore said. “In some ways, that’s a good problem to have.”

    But political consultant and pollster Frank Luntz took the contrarian view that the jobs report won’t ultimately matter for the political fortunes of Trump and his movement because voters care more about inflation and affordability.

    “That’s what the public is watching, that’s what the public cares about,” Luntz said. “Everyone who wants a job has a job, for the most part.”

    From the perspective of elections, Trump still has roughly a year to demonstrate progress on improving affordability, Luntz said. Voters will generally lock in their opinions about the economy by Labor Day before the midterm elections next year.

    In other words, Trump still has time.

    “It’s still up for grabs,” he said. “The deciding point will come Labor Day of 2026.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Tracking powerful hurricane Kiko as it heads towards Hawaii

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    Kiko formed off the coast of southern Mexico from a tropical wave. It became a tropical storm on Aug. 31, making it the eleventh named storm of the eastern Pacific hurricane season. Kiko intensified into a hurricane on Sept. 2. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Kiko is the eleventh named storm of the eastern Pacific hurricane season

    • It remains a major, powerful hurricane

    • Models have Hurricane Kiko moving close, but to the north of the Hawaiian Islands next week


    Kiko intensified into a Category 4 hurricane on Sept. 3. It weakened to a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 115 mph during the morning hours on Sept. 5, but by the afternoon it had re-intensified back into a Category 4 hurricane.

    It currently has maximum winds of 140 mph. It is moving west-northwest at 10 mph and is located roughly 1000 miles east-southeast of Hilo, HI.

    It is a much smaller storm than Hurricane Erin. Hurricane-force winds extend only 25 miles out from the center, with tropical storm-force winds extending 70 miles out from the center. 


    Models have Kiko taking a west-northwesterly track over the weekend into next week, coming close to Hawaii. 

    While it’s too soon for impact details, the cooler waters near the Aloha State should weaken Kiko greatly. We’ll continue to monitor the track and provide updates. 


     

    Storms that have come close to Hawaii

    Hurricane Hone passed just to the south of the Big Island of Hawaii in 2024 as a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 85 mph. Here are other cyclones that came close to the islands.

    Eastern North Pacific names

    Central North Pacific differences

    The National Hurricane Center monitors tropical activity in the Atlantic and North Eastern Pacific Ocean. If a storm forms between 140° West longitude and the International Date Line, it is the responsibility of the Central North Pacific Warning Center, located in Honolulu, HI. 

    There is a contrast in the names used in the Central Pacific compared to the Eastern Pacific and Atlantic. One list is composed of twelve names. 

    The names are used one after the other. When the bottom of one list is reached, the next name is at the top of the next list. Below is the current list. 

    It is interesting to note that if a storm forms in the Eastern North Pacific and is named in that basin, it will retain its name even if it moves into the Central North Pacific. For this reason, we are tracking Hurricane Kiko, since it formed east of 140° West longitude.

    Tropical Storm Akoni and Tropical Storm Ema formed in the Central North Pacific in 2019. Hurricane Hone brushed past Hawaii in 2024.

    This list will continue to be used until there is a storm named Wale. Three other lists have been generated by the World Meteorological Organization and are at the ready if needed. Hurricane Iona and Tropical Storm Keli formed in the Central North Pacific in 2025.

    Just like in the Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific, if storms are impactful, they can be retired. Four storms have been retired in the Central North Pacific. 

    • Iwa (1982): Retired after impacting Hawaii.
    • Iniki (1992): Retired after affecting Hawaii.
    • Paka (1997): Retired after affecting various islands in Micronesia.
    • Ioke (2006): Retired after impacting Micronesia.

    You can track the rest of the tropics here. 

    Our team of meteorologists dives deep into the science of weather and breaks down timely weather data and information. To view more weather and climate stories, check out our weather blogs section.

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    Spectrum News Weather Staff

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