This January, the institute that Redford founded over 40 years ago, plans to honor his career and impact with and a screening of his first truly independent film, the 1969 sports drama “Downhill Racer,” and a series of legacy screenings of restored Sundance gems from “Little Miss Sunshine” to “House Party,” festival organizers said Tuesday.
“As we were thinking about how best to honor Mr. Redford’s legacy, it’s not only carrying forward this notion of ‘everyone has a story’ but it’s also getting together in a movie theater and watching a film that really embodies that independent spirit,” festival director Eugene Hernandez told The Associated Press. “We’ve had some incredible artists reach out to us, even in the past few weeks since Mr. Redford’s passing, who just want to be part of this year’s festival.”
Archival screenings will include “Saw,” “Mysterious Skin,” “House Party,” and “Humpday” as well as the 35th anniversary of Barbara Kopple’s documentary “American Dream,” and 20th anniversaries of “Half Nelson” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” with some of the filmmakers expected to attend as well.
“Over the almost 30 years of Sundance Institute’s collaboration with our partner, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, we’ve not only worked to ensure that the Festival’s legacy endures through film preservation, but we’ve seen that output feed an astonishing resurgence of repertory cinema programming across the country,” said festival programmer John Nein. “The films we’ve preserved and the newly restored films screening at this year’s festival, including some big anniversaries, are an important way to keep the independent stories from years past alive in our culture today.”
Tickets for the 2026 festival, which runs from Jan. 22 through Feb. 1, go on sale Wednesday at noon Eastern, with online and in person options. Some planning is also already underway for the festival’s new home in Boulder, Colorado, in 2027, but programmers are heads down figuring out the slate of world premieres for January. Those will be revealed in December.
“There’s a lot more to come and a lot more to announce,” Hernandez said. “This is just laying a foundation.”
Redford’s death has added a poignancy to everything.
“Seeing and hearing the remembrances took me back to why I felt compelled to go to the festival in the first place,” Hernandez said. “It’s been very grounding and clarifying and for us as a team it’s been very emotional and moving. But it’s also been an opportunity to remind ourselves what Mr. Redford has given to us, to our lives, to our industry, to Utah.”
A Rhode Island man who appeared to fake his death and flee the United States to avoid rape charges was sentenced to prison Monday on one of two rape convictions in Utah.
The sentence is the first of two scheduled for Rossi after he was convicted separately in August and September of raping two women in northern Utah in 2008. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 4 for the second conviction, also for five years to life in prison.
In August, jurors found Rossi guilty of rape after a three-day trial in which his accuser and her parents each took the stand. Rossi did not testify on his own behalf.
It took more than a decade from the time of the rapes to his convictions. Utah authorities began searching for Rossi, whose legal name is Nicholas Alahverdian, when he was identified in 2018 through a decade-old DNA rape kit tied to the other case. He was among thousands of rape suspects identified and later charged when Utah made a push to clear its rape kit backlog.
Months after he was charged in that case, an online obituary claimed Rossi died on Feb. 29, 2020, of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But police in his home state of Rhode Island, along with his former lawyer and a former foster family, cast doubt on whether he was dead.
He was arrested in Scotland the following year while receiving treatment for COVID-19. Hospital staff recognized his distinctive tattoos — including the crest of Brown University inked on his shoulder, although he never attended — from an Interpol notice.
He was extradited to Utah in January 2024 after a protracted court battle. At the time, Rossi insisted he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight who was being framed. Investigators say they identified at least a dozen aliases Rossi used over the years to evade capture.
In his first Utah trial, Rossi’s public defender denied the rape claim and urged jurors not to read too much into his move overseas.
The victim had been living with her parents and recovering from a traumatic brain injury in 2008 when she responded to a personal ad Rossi posted on Craigslist. They began dating and were engaged within a couple weeks.
She testified that Rossi asked her to pay for dates and car repairs, lend him $1,000 so he wouldn’t be evicted, and take on debt to buy their engagement rings. He grew hostile soon after their engagement and raped her in his bedroom one night after she drove him home, she said.
She went to police years later after hearing Rossi was accused of raping another woman in Utah around the same time.
The victim in that case went to police soon after Rossi attacked her at his apartment in Orem. The woman had gone there to collect money she said he stole from her to buy a computer.
Rossi grew up in foster homes in Rhode Island and returned there before he appeared to fake his death and flee the country. He was previously wanted in the state for failing to register as a sex offender. The FBI says he also faces fraud charges in Ohio, where he was convicted of sex-related charges in 2008.
The stakes are high on Saturday night as the No. 23 Utah Utes (5-1) visit the unbeaten and 15th-ranked BYU Cougars (6-0) in the latest edition of the Holy War set for LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo.
BYU escaped from Arizona last week with a 33-27 victory when Bear Bachmeier ran for a seven-yard touchdown in the second overtime as the Cougars improved to 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference and ran its winning streak to eight games. A two-yard Bachmeier run with 19 seconds left in regulation forced the extra session, capping a comeback from a 24-14 fourth-quarter deficit. Bachmeier finished with 172 passing yards and a touchdown to go with 89 yards and two scores on the ground, while LJ Martin put up 162 yards and a TD on 25 carries. Bachmeier was intercepted twice but connected with Parker Kingston for five receptions, 117 yards, and a touchdown.
Utah won its second in a row since a Big 12-opening loss to then No. 17-Texas Tech, blasting then-No. 21 Arizona State at home 42-10 last week. Devon Dampier ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns while adding 104 yards through the air, and Naquari Rogers scored twice on the ground. The defense sacked Sun Devils quarterback Jeff Sims five times in the victory.
BYU has won the last two meetings in the rivalry, including a 22-21 win at Utah last season as the teams resumed their status as conference rivals.
This is a great college football matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.
Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
In 2011, then–Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker made national headlines by signing Act 10 into law, dramatically curbing public sector unions collective bargaining power. Seven years later, the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME cemented right-to-work protections for public sector employees nationwide. Now, another seven years on, Utah has joined the fight with a sweeping new reform.
Earlier this year, the Utah legislature passed House Bill 267, which bans public sector collective bargaining—the process that allows unions to negotiate on behalf of all workers in a unit, including nonmembers. The law also ended the practice of “release time” (where public employees could do union business on the taxpayer’s dime), tightened reporting requirements to give workers more transparency on union spending, and offered a nonunion option for professional liability insurance.
The legislation didn’t appear overnight. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jordan Teuscher (R–South Jordan), spent years pushing smaller union reforms before concluding there was room for a broader deal that both union and non-union interests could support.
But after unions, in Teuscher’s telling, continually reneged on agreements, lawmakers advanced a comprehensive package without their support. (Union leaders deny they broke any promises.)
The unions may have lost in the legislature, but they’re taking the fight to the ballot box. The Utah Education Association’s “Protect Utah Workers” campaign collected more than 320,000 signatures—the most signatures of any ballot petition in state history—to place a repeal measure on the November 2026 ballot.
Adding to the confusion, Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, who signed the bill into law, has since distanced himself from it, saying, “I sign lots of bills I don’t like for lots of different reasons.” Now, defenders of the bill are scrambling to defend the reform without the governor’s help.
Much of the fight may hinge on clarifying what the law actually does: It doesn’t ban unions, it just strips them of collective bargaining power.
Utah’s reforms are a step in the right direction, and Cox’s timidity in defending the law, which gives workers more choice by ending union monopolies over representation is misguided. As the Mackinac Center for Public Policy put it: “The difference now is that public sector unions will no longer have a monopoly in representing government employees, including those who might not want the representation in the first place.”
Utah’s approach stands out at a moment when some populist conservatives are cozying up to organized labor—seen most prominently in Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) coming out against right-to-work, and Teamsters Union President Sean O’Brien speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention.
For those on the policy right, the task isn’t just defending H.B. 267; it’s making a clear case for being pro-worker without being pro-union. There are numerous worker-friendly policies that market-oriented supporters can get behind, such as protecting independent contracting in the gig economy, defending tipped wage occupations from progressive attacks, and supporting portable benefits that allow workers to move more freely from job to job. All these policies prioritize worker flexibility and autonomy and are exactly the sort of labor policies that free marketers should be championing.
H.B. 267 is an important piece of that agenda. But it shouldn’t be the last.
Big crowds of protesters are expected Saturday in thousands of places around the U.S. in opposition to what some are characterizing as increasingly authoritarian practices by President Donald Trump.
Some conservative politicians have condemned the protests as “Hate America” rallies, while others say that it represents a “patriotic” fight for First Amendment rights.
Here is what to expect on Saturday.
Organizers aim to boost political engagement
Ezra Levin, a leading organizer of Saturday’s protests, said the demonstrations are a response to what he called Trump’s “crackdown on First Amendment rights.”
He said those steps cumulatively represented a direct threat to constitutionally protected rights.
Protests are planned for more than 2,500 locations nationwide — from the country’s largest city, New York, to small unincorporated, rural communities like East Glacier Ridge, Montana, with roughly 300 residents.
Organizers will consider the day a success, Levin said, if people are galvanized to become more politically involved on an ongoing basis.
Mostly peaceful protest in June
The last “No Kings” protest took place on June 14 in thousands of cities and towns across the country, in large part to protest a military parade in Washington that marked the Army’s 250th anniversary and coincided with Trump’s birthday. “No Kings” organizers at the time called the parade “coronation” that was symbolic of what they characterized as Trump’s growing authoritarian overreach.
Confrontations were isolated and the protests were largely peaceful.
Police in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration enforcement raids erupted the week prior and sparked demonstrations across the country, used tear gas and crowd-control munitions to clear out protesters after the formal event ended. Officers in Portland also fired tear gas and projectiles to disperse a crowd that protested in front of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building well into the evening.
Four months later, no one has been charged. Experts have said state gun laws may shield both the shooter and the man who brandished a rifle but didn’t fire shots.
Jamie Carter, an organizer of Saturday’s rally, said Utah activists considered not participating in this round of “No Kings” demonstrations, but “we also felt that we really had to get back out there.”
Organizers are not affiliated with the groups who put on the June demonstration that turned deadly. Safety volunteers will be present but unarmed, and all have received de-escalation training, said Carter, of Salt Lake Indivisible. Attendees have been asked not to bring weapons.
“We really want this to be a very uplifting, happy event of people coming together in a community to kind of try to erase and replace some of the bad memories,” she said.
Trump’s crackdown against protests, especially in Democratic cities, has intensified since the June marches. He has since sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tenn. His efforts to deploy troops to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, have stalled in federal court.
Organizers in Chicago are expecting tens of thousands of demonstrators at a popular Lake Michigan park, followed by a downtown march.
Federal immigration agents have arrested more than 1,000 people in Chicago, the nation’s third largest city, with increasingly aggressive tactics since September. Protests have been frequent and well attended in recent weeks, and have boiled over in intense clashes outside a suburban federal immigration processing center.
“People are angrier. It feels so much more immediate,” said Denise Poloyac with Indivisible Chicago. “They’re very concerned about what’s happening in Chicago and around the country.”
The “No Kings” organizers have led numerous virtual safety trainings leading up to the protests with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, which is listed as an official partner on the “No Kings” website.
The trainings informed viewers about their rights during protests — such as whether you are required to carry ID or if wearing a mask is allowed (both vary according to each state) — and emphasized de-escalation techniques for encounters with law enforcement.
Each official protest has a safety plan, which includes designated medics and emergency meeting spots.
Mixed response from elected officials
The protests have already drawn swift condemnation from some of the country’s top politicians, with House Speaker Mike Johnson dubbing the event the “Hate America rally” at a news conference on Wednesday.
Some state leaders, like Texas‘ Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, have decided to activate the National Guard ahead of the protests.
“Texas will deter criminal mischief and work with local law enforcement to arrest anyone engaging in acts of violence or damaging property,” Abbott said in a statement.
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom struck a more optimistic tone, saying he hopes Californians turn out in large numbers and remain peaceful. He said Trump “hopes there is disruption, there’s some violence” that he can exploit.
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Juan A. Lozano in Houston, Texas; Terry Chea in San Francisco; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal officials rejected a company’s bid to acquire 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for less than a penny per ton, in what would have been the biggest U.S. government coal sale in more than a decade.
The failed sale underscores a continued low appetite for coal among utilities that are turning to cheaper natural gas and renewables such as wind and solar to generate electricity. Emissions from burning coal are a leading driver of climate change, which scientists say is raising sea levels and making weather more extreme.
President Donald Trump has made reviving the coal industry a centerpiece of his agenda to increase U.S. energy production. But economists say Trump’s attempts to boost coal are unlikely to reverse its yearslong decline.
The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver).
The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver).
The Department of Interior said in a Tuesday statement that last week’s $186,000 bid from the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) did not meet the requirements of the Mineral Leasing Act.
Agency representatives did not provide further details, and it’s unclear if they will attempt to hold the sale again.
The leasing act requires bids to be at or above fair market value. At the last successful government lease sale in the region, a subsidiary of Peabody Energy paid $793 million, or $1.10 per ton, for 721 million tons of coal in Wyoming.
President Joe Biden’s administration sought to end coal sales in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming, citing climate change.
A second proposed lease sale under Trump — 440 million tons of coal near an NTEC mine in central Wyoming — was postponed last week following the low bid received in the Montana sale. Interior Department officials have not said when the Wyoming sale will be rescheduled.
NTEC is owned by the Navajo Nation of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
A mechanized shovel loads coal into a haul truck at the Spring Creek mine, in this Nov. 15, 2016 photo, near Decker, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)
A mechanized shovel loads coal into a haul truck at the Spring Creek mine, in this Nov. 15, 2016 photo, near Decker, Mont. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)
In documents submitted in the run-up to the Montana sale, NTEC indicated the coal had little value because of declining demand for the fuel. The Associated Press emailed a company representative regarding the rejected bid.
Most power plants using fuel from NTEC’s Spring Creek mine in Montana and Antelope mine in Wyoming are scheduled to stop burning coal in the next decade, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.
Spring Creek also ships coal overseas to customers in Asia. Increasing those shipments could help it offset lessening domestic demand, but a shortage of port capacity has hobbled prior industry aspirations to boost coal exports.
The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)
The coal-fired generation unit at Rawhide Energy Station in northern Colorado is seen Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)
On a recent Sunday morning in Provo, Utah, a small congregation of about two dozen people gathered in a church hall for ward services. At the front of the room stood the bishop, who blessed the bread and water in Spanish before passing the trays around for the congregation. The melodic sounds of the piano reverberated across the room as members sang “Welcome Home” — a new hymn for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Ward services like this have brought a consistent comfort and sense of community for Izzy, who came to Provo to study at Brigham Young University a few years ago. But lately, the increased possibility of ICE raids across the country has made him nervous.
“I just couldn’t focus. Just instant anxiety and fear. I worried about my family, and how I was gonna get through this year or the next four or three,” Izzy said. The prospect of an ICE recruitment fair nearby also disturbed him.
When he was just a toddler, Izzy and his parents came from Venezuela to the United States in search of a better life. Then one Christmas, Mormon missionaries brought gifts to their home in West Valley. He and his family were sealed in Utah. He was accepted into the DACA program, Deferred Action for Child Arrivals, years ago.
For many Latino members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is an ambivalent sense of the Church’s stance on immigrants. There is discontent about how explicit the Church has been in condemning ongoing ICE raids, compared to Catholic leaders for example, while others have focused on providing individual help to those in need.
The church has previously issued statements regarding immigration in 2011 and 2018 about the separation of families at the U.S.-Mexico border. But its most recent statement published in January listed three points in order. While it reads similarly to past statements on loving thy neighbor and concern about keeping families together, the first point this time notably focused on “obeying the law.”
When The Times reached out to ask about why the new statement was numbered and in this order, the Church declined to comment.
The Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Isaac Hale / For The Times)
Dr. David-James Gonzales, a ward leader and history professor at BYU who studies Latino civil rights and migration, notes that the political climate has shifted on immigration in 2025.
“This issue is one of the most polarizing issues nationally and it has split the Church,” he said, adding that it’s fair to question the way the statement is written. “If I’m analyzing it as a historian, it’s speaking to this moment that the Church needs to make clear to this administration that it’s not a sanctuary church.”
The Church does not release publicly any demographic data, but according to a 2009 Pew Research Center report, 86% of the Church’s membership is white. Latinos are some of the fastest growing members worldwide, thanks to missionary work in countries like Mexico, Brazil and Peru.
Yet despite the growth in Spanish-speaking wards and a more diverse Mormon community, many interviewed for this story still feel they face challenges of racism and belonging.
This January, Brigham Young University shut down its “Dreamers” resource hub for undocumented students, after facing backlash from state leaders who complained that their tithings — or 10% obligated donations to the Church — were being used for illegal immigrants. Nori Gomez, the founding member of the Dreamer resource center, said the program’s offices started receiving threatening phone calls. The university eventually removed the resource page.
“It was the highlight of my BYU experience,” she said. “But with how much universities are being attacked right now, I don’t agree with it, but I see why.”
Students like Izzy had found a sense of community among other DACA recipients through these online resources. Shutting the center down added another chilling effect for church members.
For former LDS leaders like Dr. Ignacio Garcia, a retired Latino studies professor and former bishop at a local Spanish-speaking ward, the Church’s silence has been disappointing.
“The Church’s struggle has a lot to do with some of its members, some of its very conservative white members,” Garcia said. “[These congregants] will love you as an individual member in your ward, but then go out and condemn all immigrants.”
In July, following hours of public comment from more than 100 community members opposing ICE’s presence in Utah, the Utah County Commission voted unanimously to enter a cooperative agreement with ICE to share data and work on a joint task force with local police. The county sheriff argued that a collaboration would allow more leeway for local officials to inject “Utah County values” into enforcement and public safety rather than allowing complete federal oversight.
Evelyn R. has worked as a trainer in Provo for young Mormons who are about to embark on their 18 to 24-month missions domestically and abroad. As a DACA recipient herself who previously served a Spanish-speaking mission in Georgia, she has overheard mixed feelings from attendees at the center about how undocumented people can even be baptized.
“[One girl said] you’re not really going to get anywhere with these people because they can’t get baptized. Because in order to be a member of the Church, you need to be abiding by the laws of the land, which is Article 12 of the faith,” Evelyn said.
Article 12 refers to a revelation written by Joseph Smith, stating, “we believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” The article has guided members to be good citizens in their communities.
Evelyn said she had to ask her mission president if this was true. He reassured her that being undocumented did not gatekeep someone from belonging. It’s a stance that the First Presidency, the Church’s highest officials, also affirmed, saying that being undocumented should not itself prevent “an otherwise worthy Church member” from entering the temple or being ordained to priesthood, and calling upon congregation members to avoid being judgmental. As a convert to the Church and someone who comes from a diverse background, she said mixed responses like this were really hard to hear.
“God doesn’t care about our status or who we are, where we came from in order to be a member of the Church,” she said. Some days, she feels that she can identify as a member of the Church, but not necessarily as part of larger “Mormon culture” — one that might be predominantly white and more conservative on politics in Utah.
“We’re teaching principles and the doctrine of Christ,” she said. “I don’t think we’re necessarily learning how to apply those things.”
People pass portraits of previous members of the First Presidency before the 195th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 4.
(Isaac Hale / Associated Press)
Luna Alvarez-Sproul, 25, works as a school teacher in Draper, Utah, where she often translates documents into Spanish for parents. She spent 18 months serving a Spanish-speaking mission in Salmon, Idaho, where many ranch hands were seasonal employees from Latin America.
“As a missionary, we didn’t have to receive special permission from somebody in order to baptize an undocumented individual,” she recalled. “But there [are] so many members of our church that don’t believe that they should be here with their families, which I feel is contradictory in and of itself.”
When guidance can vary so much, some church leaders have taken a more locally-focused ward approach — such as delivering food aid to members, helping out with rent or even sharing personal contacts with immigration lawyers. But addressing topics like the ICE raids during a service is likely taboo.
“Leaders are trained and asked to be very careful about how they address it. And I think that puts them in a really hard situation, especially when they have members of their congregation that are affected by this,” Izzy said.
The frustration may also have to do with reconciling religious principles with the views that are held by many people in the Church.
Other members disagree about an institution-wide response. Julia, who asked to use a pseudonym due to her undocumented status, has seen firsthand the ways that individual actions have been kind to her.
“I don’t think the Mormon Church should be responsible for us. The gospel teaches us to be independent,” she said.
Utah also has infrastructure for many undocumented people to succeed in their daily life, she noted; it was the first state in 2005 to implement the “driver’s privilege card,” a driver’s license specifically for those who were undocumented, allowing them to commute to work and obtain insurance.
People wear “We Are Charlie” shirts at a vigil for political activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 12 in Provo, Utah.
(Michael Ciaglo / Getty Images)
Just a few miles away in Orem, conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University during a debate less than a week before I conducted these interviews. Hundreds of students and local community members attended vigils, laying bouquets of fresh flowers and American flags alongside crosses and the Book of Mormon on university lawns. “If you want unity, say his name UV,” one poster said. Others were adorned with Bible verses as the air echoed with different Mormon hymns.
The LDS Church released a statement condemning the violence and lawless behavior.
Isa Benjamin Garcia spent some time reflecting on the week’s tragic events after the Sunday ward service. As a daughter of a Mexican immigrant, she became more worried when President Trump rescinded a Biden-era policy that excluded churches and schools from immigration raids.
“There’s a lot of rhetoric around violence, but it’s not acknowledged all the other violence that has been and is,” she said, referring to ICE raids, including an incident where a day laborer died after running away from ICE in California.
Other members echoed this sentiment. “Something I’ve been wrestling with over the last few months is why the Church doesn’t say, ‘This is wrong.’ Like this isn’t what Christ would have us do,” said Benjamin Garcia.
People visit a memorial honoring Charlie Kirk at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 11.
(Laura Seitz / Associated Press)
In August, BYU’s Office of Belonging launched an immigration-focused eight-week course to help people gain a “basic understanding of complex immigration policies.” The goal is to equip more nonprofit workers to become partially accredited to represent clients in front of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Gonzales, the ward leader and professor at BYU, believes this step speaks volumes about the Church’s efforts, despite challenges earlier this year with the takedown of its Dreamer center.
“My heart was warmed seeing that,” he said. “BYU is a part of the Church and is a university that stands to help promote the Church’s ecclesiastical mission. I think that’s a form of messaging through one of its institutions.”
Ultimately, when facing these hurdles and different interpretations of what the Book of Mormon or the Church says, members focus on their relationship to the gospel.
“We also believe that we are the Church, and we believe that it is our responsibility to make it better. And that is what God is asking of us, and that’s what Christ is asking of us,” Benjamin Garcia said. She then paused.
“Despite feelings of frustration or questions, what keeps a lot of us here, despite any of that, is that we have a conviction.”
Southern California could see some unseasonable rain and thunderstorms this week thanks to a hurricane moving north along the Mexican coast, according to the National Weather Service.
However, local forecasts don’t yet expect rainfall will be as dramatic this week. Widespread flood alerts were issued for Southern California as Mario moved north; that hasn’t yet occurred this week.
But there is a chance that much of the Southland sees some precipitation, though the most concerning rainfall is expected further east into Arizona, Utah and Colorado. There, weather service officials have issued a hazardous weather outlook, warning of the potential for flash flooding, particularly in parts of Colorado and Utah.
In Southern California, it’s the San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego county mountains that have the highest chance to see heavy rainfall, mostly from thunderstorms that could develop over the area, said Sebastian Westerink, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego. Depending on the strength of the storms, certain areas could get 1 to 2 inches of rainfall, he said, and there could be some flash flooding.
“It’s really going to hit or miss in the mountains,” Westerink said. The rest of Southern California, especially urban, coastal areas, will notice a shift in weather, but rainfall will be minimal, he said. Temperatures are expected to rise slightly across the region by Friday, but not too dramatically.
“It will mainly be cloudy region-wide; it will mainly be muggier,” Westerink said. “We’re forecasting generally less than a tenth of an inch of rain for the coastal basin.”
South and east Los Angeles County are mostly likely to see rainfall, according to forecasts. Most of that moisture will move out of the Southland by the weekend, but some areas could still catch rain Saturday, Westerink said.
“Definitely by Sunday we should be done,” he said.
But further east, heavy rains could continue through Tuesday, though the strongest storms are forecast Thursday through Saturday, according to the weather service.
Parts of Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico are preparing for the potential for flash floods beginning Thursday, with 2 to 4 inches of rain likely, and up to 6 inches possible, according to the National Hurricane Center.
On Wednesday morning, Hurricane Priscilla was about 200 miles off the southern tip of Baja California, clocking winds around 75 mph, according to the latest update from the hurricane center. The storm is forecast to continue weakening over the next two days. Still, a tropical storm watch remained in effect for Baja California Sur, where effects from the storm were expected to begin Wednesday.
Lots of them, actually. If we’ve learned anything about CU recruiting in the Deion Sanders Era, it’s that if Coach Prime wants someone — like, really, really, really wants them — he gets them.
Meanwhile, Coach Prime’s health concerns are mounting. And the Buffs have played three QBs in six games because, as the old adage goes, they don’t really have one. Not one who can sling it consistently at a Big 12 level, at any rate.
After Kaidon Salter just tossed three interceptions at TCU, Ju Ju is the people’s choice again.
Build for the future!
The season’s already lost!
What’s the difference between 4-8 and 2-10?
If we don’t play Ju Ju this fall, we’ll lose him to the transfer portal! And that would be a tragedy!
Recruiting, at its core, is about salesmanship. Nobody sells — themselves, their school, a product, the future — the way Coach Prime sells. Charmers are charmers for life.
Ask yourself this, too: If Lewis is that hot, why hasn’t he beaten out the two guys who’ve been driving you crazy?
You’ve watched Salter for five games. You’ve watched backup Ryan Staub for two.
As Coach Prime points out, he sees what you saw.
Yet when asked about Ju Ju’s progress on Tuesday, Sanders said this, and bluntly:
We kid, we kid. But the hesitation, given precedent, is more than curious, isn’t it?
After all, Coach Prime has made a point of playing freshmen who earned his trust early. Seaton. Micah Welch. Omarion Miller. Dre’Lon Miller.
Lewis, though?
Not so much. Not yet, anyway.
“I mean, he’s young, and you can’t throw everything at him,” Sanders explained after playing Lewis for two rocky series vs. Delaware last month. “So you don’t want to do that. You don’t want him to feel like he failed.
“So you’ve got to proceed with — some guys want you to just throw him in there, and I’m too protective. I mean, I love the kid and I want the kid to be successful, so we’re very protective on what we do with him and what we can do with him and really how we call things with him. We want him to be in a situation to excel.”
Again, he sees what you see. He sees a young man who only turned 18 two-and-a-half weeks ago. And it doesn’t take much reading between the lines to see a QB who isn’t quite ready yet.
Although …
“I’ve never sat on the bench and said, ‘Whoa, I learned a lot today.’”
“Who learns sitting on the bench?” Coach Prime continued. “Who does that?”
Meanwhile, in BoCo, Lewis is … sitting on the bench.
Ju Ju sure as heck didn’t come here for that. He didn’t blow off his senior year of high school to watch the Buffs fold in the second half, week after week.
“Ju Ju was in there with a lot of rookies and freshmen, so to speak,” offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said after the Delaware game. “And we believe in playing freshmen.”
Just not this one, apparently.
Still, the Buffs have a bye week coming up after the Cyclones visit. If there’s ever a time to change horses, that’s probably it.
Utah lawmakers push through new congressional maps favoring GOP – CBS News
Watch CBS News
Utah lawmakers have pushed through a new congressional map giving Republicans an advantage in all four of the state’s districts. CBS News correspondent Ian Lee has more.
Tyler Robinson’s motive for why he allegedly assassinated TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk may be more important during the sentencing phase as prosecutors will try to “dirty up” the suspect in hopes that jurors return a death sentence, according to a former assistant U.S. attorney.
Robinson is accused of assassinating Kirk during a TPUSA event on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley Univerisity in Orem, Utah, officials said. He’s been charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Officials claim Robinson allegedly said he killed Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” adding that “some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Court documents indicate that Robinson texted his roommate, Lance Twiggs, asking him to “look under my keyboard.”
A crowd watches as Charlie Kirk appears at Utah Valley University on Sept.10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Booking photos for Tyler Robinson, 22, the suspect in the Utah assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images and Washington Co. Sheriff’s Office)
“I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it,” read a note photographed by Robinson’s roommate, according to authorities.
“I am, I’m sorry,” Robinson said, according to the court documents.
“It’s going to dirty up Robinson. The jurors are not going to like him because not only is there no legal justification for what he did, but there’s really no moral one whatsoever.”
Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who led Turning Point USA.(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
While prosecutors are still piecing together a motive, Utah Gov. Spencer said Kirk’s death was a “political assassination.” He said that one of the bullets allegedly used by Robinson had an engraving that read “Hey fascist, catch.”
“I think that speaks for itself,” Cox said during a news conference.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital that prosecutors are going to rely on this evidence more during the penalty phase in order to convince jurors to hand down a death sentence for Robinson.
Charlie Kirk speaks at Utah Valley University on Sept.10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his “American Comeback Tour” when he was shot in the neck and killed.(Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)
“The Utah County prosecutor is going to try to put Robinson to death and the motive for the killing is going to be something that is key evidence in the case. It’s going to dirty up Robinson,” Rahmani said.
Robinson will only face the death sentence if 12 out of 12 jurors agree he should be killed for his alleged crimes, which only makes it more important for prosecutors to outline a clear, detailed motive, Rahmani said.
“To the extent that the prosecution has to get 12 out of 12 jurors to return that death sentence. The motive for the crime will be an important reason why the prosecution may get there,” he said. “So when jurors are weighing the death penalty, the reason why someone killed another human being, if it was for political reasons, that’s certainly an aggravated factor.”
“Even one or two jurors could save Tyler Robinson’s life. And just from a pure numbers perspective, there are some people that have a difficult time looking another human being in the eye and giving them lethal injection or the firing squad,” Rahmani added. “The other possibility, of course, is they try to defend the case in the guilt phase. It’s going to be very hard to defend, but they’ll have to argue some sort of radicalization.”
Law enforcement officials work near the crime scene where political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 11, 2025. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
While Robinson’s attorney, Kathryn Nester, hasn’t yet responded to prosecutors’ claims on why their client killed Kirk, she said during a Monday court hearing that the defense is reserving the right to call for a preliminary hearing, where prosecutors would be forced to disclose evidence and allow for cross-examination before the case proceeds.
Robinson is due back in court on Oct. 30.
Adam Sabes is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. officials in the coming days are set to hold the government’s biggest coal sales in more than a decade, offering 600 million tons from publicly owned reserves next to strip mines in Montana and Wyoming.
The sales are a signature piece of President Donald Trump’s ambitions for companies to dig more coal from federal lands and burn it for electricity. Yet most power plants served by those mines plan to quit burning coal altogether within 10 years, an Associated Press data analysis shows.
Three other mines poised for expansions or new leases under Trump also face declining demand as power plants use less of their coal and in some cases shut down, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the nonprofit Global Energy Monitor.
Those market realities raise a fundamental question about the Republican administration’s push to revive a heavily polluting industry that long has been in decline: Who’s going to buy all that coal?
The question looms over the administration’s enthusiastic embrace of coal, a leading contributor to climate change. It also shows the uncertainty inherent in inserting those policies into markets where energy-producing customers make long-term decisions with massive implications, not just for their own viability but for the future of the planet, in an ever-shifting political landscape.
Rushing to approve projects
The upcoming lease sales in Montana and Wyoming are in the Powder River Basin, home to the most productive U.S. coal fields.
Officials say they will go forward beginning Monday despite the government shutdown. The administration exempted from furlough those workers who process fossil fuel permits and leases.
Democratic President Joe Biden last year acted to block future coal leases in the region, citing their potential to make climate change worse. Burning the coal from the two leases being sold in coming days would generate more than 1 billion tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide, according to a Department of Energy formula.
Trump rejected climate change as a “con job” during a Sept. 23 speech to the U.N. General Assembly, an assessment that puts him at odds with scientists. He praised coal as “beautiful” and boasted about the abundance of U.S. supplies while deriding solar and wind power. Administration officials said Wednesday that they were canceling $8 billion in grants for clean energy projects in 16 states won by Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
In response to an order from Trump on his first day in office in January, coal lease sales that had been shelved or stalled were revived and rushed to approval, with considerations of greenhouse gas emissions dismissed. Administration officials have advanced coal mine expansions and lease sales in Utah, North Dakota, Tennessee and Alabama, in addition to Montana and Wyoming.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Monday that the administration is opening more than 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers) of federal lands to mining. That is an area bigger than New Hampshire and Vermont combined.
The administration also sharply reduced royalty rates for coal from federal lands, ordered a coal-fired power plant in Michiganto stay open past planned retirement dates and pledged $625 million to recommission or modernize coal plants amid growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centers.
“We’re putting American miners back to work,” Burgum said, flanked by coal miners and Republican politicians. “We’ve got a demand curve coming at us in terms of the demand for electricity that is literally going through the roof.”
The AP’s finding that power plants served by mines on public lands are burning less coal reflects an industrywide decline that began in 2007.
Energy experts and economists were not surprised. They expressed doubt that coal would ever reclaim dominance in the power sector. Interior Department officials did not respond to questions about future demand for coal from public lands.
But it will take time for more electricity from planned natural gas and solar projects to come online. That means Trump’s actions could give a short-term bump to coal, said Umed Paliwal, an expert in electricity markets at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
“Eventually coal will get pushed out of the market,” Paliwal said. “The economics will just eat the coal generation over time.”
The coal sales in Montana and Wyoming were requested by Navajo Nation-owned company. The Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) has been one of the largest industry players since buying several major mines in the Powder River Basin during a 2019 bankruptcy auction. Those mines supply 34 power plants in 19 states.
Twenty-one of the plants are scheduled to stop burning coal in the next decade. They include all five plants using coal from NTEC’s Spring Creek mine in Montana.
In filings with federal officials, the company said the fair market value of 167 million tons of federal coal next to the Spring Creek mine was just over $126,000.
That is less than one-tenth of a penny per ton, a fraction of what coal brought in its heyday. By comparison, the last large-scale lease sale in the Powder River Basin, also for 167 million tons of coal, drew a bid of $35 million in 2013. Federal officials rejected that as too low.
NTEC said the low value was supported by prior government reviews predicting fewer buyers for coal. The company said taxpayers would benefit in future years from royalties on any coal mined.
“The market for coal will decline significantly over the next two decades. There are fewer coal mines expanding their reserves, there are fewer buyers of thermal coal and there are more regulatory constraints,” the company said.
In central Wyoming on Wednesday, the government will sell 440 million tons of coal next to NTEC’s Antelope Mine. Just over half of the 29 power plants served by the mine are scheduled to stop burning coal by 2035.
Among them is the Rawhide plant in northern Colorado. It is due to quit coal in 2029 but will keep making electricity with natural gas and 30 megawatts of solar panels.
Aging plants and optimism
The largest U.S. coal company has offered a more optimistic take on coal’s future. Because new nuclear and gas plants are years away, Peabody Energy suggested in September that demand for coal in the U.S. could increase 250 million tons annually — up almost 50% from current volumes.
Peabody’s projection was based on the premise that existing power plants can burn more coal. That amount, known as plant capacity, dropped by about half in recent years.
“U.S. coal is clearly in comeback mode,” Peabody’s president, James Grech, said in a recent conference call with analysts. “The U.S. has more energy in its coal reserves than any nation has in any one energy source.”
No large coal power plants have come online in the U.S. since 2013. Most existing plants are 40 years old or older. Money pledged by the administration to refurbish older plants will not go very far given that a single boiler component at a plant can cost $25 million to replace, said Nikhil Kumar with GridLab, an energy consulting group.
That leads back to the question of who will buy the coal.
“I don’t see where you get all this coal consumed at remaining facilities,” Kumar said.
Gruver reported from Wellington, Colorado. Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Utah taxpayers are on the hook for Charlie Kirk‘s alleged assassin’s defense team, which has the potential to reach eight figures, criminal defense attorneys told Fox News Digital.
After the shooting on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Kirk was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he died, officials said. Tyler Robinson was charged with aggravated murder, two counts of obstruction of justice and felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, two counts of witness tampering and commission of a violent offense in the presence of a child.
Kathryn Nester, a former federal public defender with more than 30 years of experience, was appointed to be Robinson’s attorney on Wednesday, according to a Utah County spokesperson. While the Utah County Commission approved $1 million in initial staffing additions to go towards the prosecution and defense team in Robinson’s case, local attorneys told Fox News Digital that they expect the total amount spent defending the murder suspect to be much higher.
Tyler Robinson is accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.(Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP; Utah Gov. Spencer Cox)
“This action fulfills the commission’s constitutional responsibility to ensure that individuals accused of a crime — who cannot afford legal representation — are provided with a qualified defense,” the Utah County Commission said in a news release.
Utah defense attorney Greg Skordas appeared on behalf of Utah County on Sept. 16 and was helping the county find a lawyer for Robinson. He told Fox News Digital there are specific requirements for an attorney appointed to Robinson since it’s a death penalty case.
“They have to be what’s called death qualified. I know that’s weird, but we have a rule in Utah called Rule 8, which says in order to be court-appointed on a death penalty case, you have to accomplish certain things. In other words, you’ve done so many criminal cases. You’ve gone to trial on murder cases. You’ve taken classes in death penalty representation,” Skordas said.
While there’s a contract in place that touches finances, Skordas said there’s “no ceiling” on it.
Criminal defense attorney Neama Rahmani told Fox News Digital that if Robinson is handed the death penalty by a Utah jury, the potential amount spent on his defense could be “north of $10 million” because of the appeals process.
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is assassinated during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025.(Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
“I think when we’re all said and done, this will cost the state much more than $500,000. We’re talking about seven or even eight figures,” Rahmani said. “But if Tyler Robinson is sentenced to death, and he has to go through the mandatory Utah state and federal appeals, we’re talking about millions of dollars, potentially even north of $10 million.”
Rahmani said the number spent by Utah taxpayers will be less if jurors don’t return a death sentence, but would still be in the millions.
Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist who led Turning Point USA.(Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
Skye Lazaro, a Utah-based criminal defense attorney, told Fox News Digital the case will cost Utah taxpayers “at least a couple million dollars” to pay for Robinson’s defense, but that’s if a jury doesn’t hand down a death sentence. That number would be much higher if a death sentence is given to Robinson because of the appeals process, Lazaro said.
“I don’t even know how you’d put a dollar amount on that,” Lazaro said, adding that the $10 million figure given by Rahmani isn’t “off base.”
Adam Sabes is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Adam.Sabes@fox.com and on Twitter @asabes10.
The man who opened fire in a Michigan church and killed four people while setting it ablaze long harbored hatred toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to longtime friends, and told a stranger who showed up at his door days before that attack that Mormons were the “Antichrist.” The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, began making those sentiments known years ago following his return from Utah, where he dated but later broke up with a girlfriend who was a member of the Mormon faith, two childhood friends said Tuesday. Sanford had moved to Utah after leaving the Marines and told his friends he had become addicted to methamphetamines.No longer the happy-go-lucky kid who was voted class clown of their graduating class, Sanford routinely spouted off about his grievances against the church, his friends said. The first time they heard it was at a wedding 13 years ago.”We were like, ‘Come on, we don’t want to hear this,'” said Bobby Kalush, who grew up down the road from Sanford. “When he came back from Utah, he was a completely different person.”Just six days before Sunday’s attack, those grudges were still boiling at the surface, said Kris Johns, a city council candidate who described a bizarre brush with Sanford while door-knocking for his campaign.The two were speaking at Sanford’s home in Burton about gun rights when Sanford physically leaned in, Johns said, and asked, “What do you know about Mormons?”For close to 15 minutes, Sanford spoke in controlled and calm tones about the Mormon faith, saying he was concerned about their beliefs while expressing that he was a Christian. Sanford then said he believed that Mormons are the “Antichrist,” according to Johns.”That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said.Police have released very few details about Sanford, who died after being shot by officers, and have refused to discuss what might have motivated the attack at the church, which was reduced to rubble in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles north of Detroit.On Tuesday, Sanford’s family released a statement through a lawyer, expressing condolences. “No words can adequately convey our sorrow for the victims and their families,” they said. Sanford served four years in the Marine Corps after enlisting in 2004 and deployed once to Iraq for seven months, according to military records. His commander during the deployment, David Hochheimer, said the unit never saw combat or incoming fire. “It was a relatively quiet time,” he said on Tuesday.Sanford moved to Utah shortly after leaving the military. His friends said they noticed a change after he moved back home, thinking his battle with addiction was to blame. Kalush said his friend was no longer the “short, stocky ball of energy” who once bought dozens of flowers to give out to girls before the homecoming dance.Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, said Frances Tersigni, who along with his twin brother was among Sanford’s best friends.”It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?'” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.” But there were no signs that he was a threat to anyone, Tersigni said. An avid hunter, Sanford was married now and raising a child at home.”He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,'” he said. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.” Federal investigators remained at the church Tuesday as heavy machinery began moving debris from the church.Authorities have not yet released the names of the four people who died or the eight people — ages 6 to 78 — who were wounded and expected to survive. Among the wounded were a father and his young son, according to a GoFundMe post.One of those who died was being remembered as a grandfather who adored spending time with his family. John Bond, a Navy veteran, was well-known in the community and loved golfing and trains, according to friends organizing fundraising for the family.Another victim was identified online by family as Pat Howard.”Uncle Pat was so many things. … In my mind I see him mid conversation, his eyebrows raised, his eyes bright and a smile just starting to show,” niece Maureen Seliger said on Facebook. Jeffrey Schaub, bishop of the Grand Blanc church, said in a video posted Monday that the attack has left the community reeling.”As you can expect, our members are quite shaken in spirit and in body,” he said. “And it hurts.”There has been an outpouring of support from different faith communities, he said. “It was very humbling to see how much good there is in the world today and that, above all, we are all children of the same Father in heaven,” he said, with a tremor in his voice.Sanford drove his truck into the church’s brick wall while members were gathered inside Sunday morning. He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices, said James Dier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.Flames and smoke poured from the church for hours after the attack.Jerry Eaton, 78, who lives across the street, sheltered seven people who fled the church, including a mother with her four young children. He was watching television when he heard the shooting.”I’ve done a lot of hunting, so I know the sound of gunfire,” he said. “As much as I didn’t want to believe it, that’s exactly what it sounded like.” White reported from Detroit. Associated Press reporter John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.
GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. —
The man who opened fire in a Michigan church and killed four people while setting it ablaze long harbored hatred toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to longtime friends, and told a stranger who showed up at his door days before that attack that Mormons were the “Antichrist.”
The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, began making those sentiments known years ago following his return from Utah, where he dated but later broke up with a girlfriend who was a member of the Mormon faith, two childhood friends said Tuesday. Sanford had moved to Utah after leaving the Marines and told his friends he had become addicted to methamphetamines.
No longer the happy-go-lucky kid who was voted class clown of their graduating class, Sanford routinely spouted off about his grievances against the church, his friends said. The first time they heard it was at a wedding 13 years ago.
“We were like, ‘Come on, we don’t want to hear this,'” said Bobby Kalush, who grew up down the road from Sanford. “When he came back from Utah, he was a completely different person.”
Just six days before Sunday’s attack, those grudges were still boiling at the surface, said Kris Johns, a city council candidate who described a bizarre brush with Sanford while door-knocking for his campaign.
The two were speaking at Sanford’s home in Burton about gun rights when Sanford physically leaned in, Johns said, and asked, “What do you know about Mormons?”
For close to 15 minutes, Sanford spoke in controlled and calm tones about the Mormon faith, saying he was concerned about their beliefs while expressing that he was a Christian. Sanford then said he believed that Mormons are the “Antichrist,” according to Johns.
“That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said.
Police have released very few details about Sanford, who died after being shot by officers, and have refused to discuss what might have motivated the attack at the church, which was reduced to rubble in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles north of Detroit.
On Tuesday, Sanford’s family released a statement through a lawyer, expressing condolences. “No words can adequately convey our sorrow for the victims and their families,” they said.
Sanford served four years in the Marine Corps after enlisting in 2004 and deployed once to Iraq for seven months, according to military records. His commander during the deployment, David Hochheimer, said the unit never saw combat or incoming fire. “It was a relatively quiet time,” he said on Tuesday.
Sanford moved to Utah shortly after leaving the military. His friends said they noticed a change after he moved back home, thinking his battle with addiction was to blame. Kalush said his friend was no longer the “short, stocky ball of energy” who once bought dozens of flowers to give out to girls before the homecoming dance.
Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, said Frances Tersigni, who along with his twin brother was among Sanford’s best friends.
“It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?'” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.”
But there were no signs that he was a threat to anyone, Tersigni said. An avid hunter, Sanford was married now and raising a child at home.
“He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,'” he said. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.”
Federal investigators remained at the church Tuesday as heavy machinery began moving debris from the church.
Authorities have not yet released the names of the four people who died or the eight people — ages 6 to 78 — who were wounded and expected to survive. Among the wounded were a father and his young son, according to a GoFundMe post.
One of those who died was being remembered as a grandfather who adored spending time with his family. John Bond, a Navy veteran, was well-known in the community and loved golfing and trains, according to friends organizing fundraising for the family.
“Uncle Pat was so many things. … In my mind I see him mid conversation, his eyebrows raised, his eyes bright and a smile just starting to show,” niece Maureen Seliger said on Facebook.
Jeffrey Schaub, bishop of the Grand Blanc church, said in a video posted Monday that the attack has left the community reeling.
“As you can expect, our members are quite shaken in spirit and in body,” he said. “And it hurts.”
There has been an outpouring of support from different faith communities, he said. “It was very humbling to see how much good there is in the world today and that, above all, we are all children of the same Father in heaven,” he said, with a tremor in his voice.
Sanford drove his truck into the church’s brick wall while members were gathered inside Sunday morning. He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices, said James Dier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Flames and smoke poured from the church for hours after the attack.
Jerry Eaton, 78, who lives across the street, sheltered seven people who fled the church, including a mother with her four young children. He was watching television when he heard the shooting.
“I’ve done a lot of hunting, so I know the sound of gunfire,” he said. “As much as I didn’t want to believe it, that’s exactly what it sounded like.”
White reported from Detroit. Associated Press reporter John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed to this report.
A woman who was inside a Michigan church when her father and three other people were killed says she and the gunman locked eyes during the chaos and she was able to look into his soul, seeing his pain and a feeling of being lost. She said she instantly forgave him “with my heart.”
“He let me live,” Lisa Louis, 45, wrote.
A photo of a handwritten statement that Louis wrote was posted on Facebook. She described how she encountered the shooter and she also made a plea to the public for peace.
“Fear breeds anger, anger breeds hate, hate breeds suffering,” Louis wrote. “If we can stop the hate we can stop the suffering. But stopping the hate takes all of us.”
Thomas “Jake” Sanford, 40, rammed his pickup truck into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Grand Blanc Township, near Flint, on Sunday, shot at the congregation and destroyed the building with fire, police said. Police killed him at the scene.
Friends said Sanford had expressed hatred toward the Mormon church, as it is commonly known, after living in Utah and returning to Michigan years ago. Utah is the home state of the church.
Louis said she was kneeling next to her mortally wounded father, Craig Hayden, 72, when Sanford approached and asked a question.
“I never took my eyes off his eyes, something happened, I saw pain, he felt lost,” Louis wrote. “I deeply felt it with every fiber of my being. I forgave him, I forgave him right there, not in words, but with my heart.”
She also wrote: “I saw into his soul and he saw into mine. He let me live.”
Louis declined to be interviewed by The Associated Press. Her brother-in-law, Terry Green, wrote on Facebook that he believes her interactions with the gunman “bought precious time for others to escape.”
Besides Hayden, William “Pat” Howard and John Bond also were killed. The shooter’s fourth victim has not been publicly identified. Eight people were wounded.
Meanwhile, a different church said Wednesday that Sanford tried to have his 10-year-old son baptized there on Sept. 21 and was upset when he was turned down.
Sanford did not threaten staff at The River Church in Goodrich, but he was “frustrated,” Caleb Combs, an elder, told the AP. “You could see his agitation. … He wanted it done.”
Church staff tried to get a grasp of the boy’s belief in Jesus Christ but “came to the conclusion their son was unable to understand what he was doing,” Combs said.
Sanford and his wife did not regularly attend the church, Combs said, but had held an event there 10 years ago to raise money for the boy’s medical care. He was born with a health condition that produced abnormally high levels of insulin.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LOGAN, Utah – Turning Point USA returned to Utah Tuesday night for its first event in the Beehive State since the conservative campus organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated at a college speaking event earlier this month.
Kirk was scheduled to appear on campus at Utah State University in Logan as part of his speaking tour, but a revamped cast of speakers includes Gov. Spencer Cox, Rep. Andy Biggs and former Rep. Jason Chaffetz.
Kirk was shot and killed in the courtyard at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
People raise placards reading “This is our Turning Point” during a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Arizona, U.S., September 21, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
A suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, faces charges including aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, witness tampering and obstruction. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Supporters showed up hours early from all around Utah for the event, which saw greatly enhanced security measures, including drones, security at every door, uniformed police officers and teams in tactical gear, including counter-snipers.
Turning Point USA’s college tour will return to Utah on Tuesday for its first event in the state since its founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated on a college campus earlier this month.The stop, at Utah State University in Logan, is about two hours north of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed Sept. 10 by a gunman who fired a single shot through the crowd while Kirk was speaking.The assassination of a top ally of President Donald Trump and one of the most significant figures in his Make America Great Again movement has galvanized conservatives, who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of encouraging young voters to embrace conservatism and moving American politics further right. Kirk himself has been celebrated as a “martyr” by many on the right, and Turning Point USA, the youth organization he founded, has seen a surge of interest across the nation, with tens of thousands of requests to launch new chapters in high schools and on college campuses.Tuesday’s event, which was scheduled before Kirk’s death, will showcase how Turning Point is finding its path forward without its charismatic leader, who headlined many of its events and was instrumental in drawing crowds and attention.The college tour is now being headlined by some of the biggest conservative names, including Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Glenn Beck. Tuesday’s event will feature conservative podcast host Alex Clark and a panel with Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Andy Biggs, former Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Gov. Spencer Cox.And it will further a pledge his widow, Erika Kirk, made to continue the campus tour and the work of the organization he founded. She now oversees Turning Point along with a stable of her late husband’s former aides and friends.‘Nothing is changing’Erika Kirk has sought to assure her husband’s followers that she intends to continue to run the operation as her late husband intended, closely following plans he laid out to her and to staff.“We’re not going anywhere. We have the blueprints. We have our marching orders,” she said during an appearance on his podcast last week.That will include, she said, continuing to tape the daily podcast.“My husband’s voice will live on. The show will go on,” she said, announcing plans for a rotating cast of hosts. She said they intended to lean heavily on old clips of her husband, including answering callers’ questions.“We have decades’ worth of my husband’s voice. We have unused material from speeches that he’s had that no one has heard yet,” she said.Erika Kirk, however, made clear that she does not intend to appear on the podcast often, and so far seems to be assuming a more behind-the-scenes role than her husband.Mikey McCoy, Kirk’s former chief of staff, said Erika Kirk is in daily contact with members of the Trump administration, and has described her as “very strategic” and different from her husband.The events have served as tributes to KirkThe events so far have served as tributes to the late Kirk, with a focus on prayer, as well as the question-and-answer sessions that he was known for.At Virginia Tech last week, the state’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, urged the crowd to carry Kirk’s legacy forward.“The question that has been asked over and over again is: Who will be the next Charlie? And as I look out in this room and I see thousands of you, I want to repeat the best answer that I have heard: You will be the next Charlie,” he said. “All of you.”He also praised Erika Kirk as an “extraordinary” leader.“Over the course of the last two weeks, Erika Kirk has demonstrated that she not only has the courage of a lion, but she has the heart of a saint. We have grieved with her and her family. We have prayed for her and her family,” he said. “Is there anyone better to lead Turning Point going forward than Erika Kirk?”He then turned the stage over to Kelly, who said Charlie Kirk had asked her to join the tour several months ago. She said she knew appearing onstage carried risk, but felt it was important to be there “to send a message that we will not be silenced by an assassin’s bullet, by a heckler’s veto, by a left-wing, woke professor or anyone who tries to silence us from saying what we really believe,” she said to loud cheers.At another event at the University of Minnesota last week, conservative commentator Michael Knowles gave a solo speech in lieu of the two-man conversation with Kirk that was originally planned. Then he continued Kirk’s tradition of responding to questions from the audience, which ranged from one man quibbling about Catholic doctrine to another arguing that the root of societal problems stems from letting women vote. (To the latter, he responded that women aren’t to blame because “men need to lead women.”)As Knowles spoke, a spotlight shined on a chair left empty for Kirk.Knowles said Kirk was instrumental in keeping together disparate conservative factions, and he worries about the MAGA movement fracturing without Kirk doing the day-to-day work to build bridges between warring groups.“Charlie was the unifying figure for the movement. It’s simply a fact,” he said. “There is no replacing him in that regard.”“The biggest threat right now is that without that single figure that we were all friends with, who could really hold it together, things could spin off in different directions,” Knowles said. “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The stop, at Utah State University in Logan, is about two hours north of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was killed Sept. 10 by a gunman who fired a single shot through the crowd while Kirk was speaking.
The assassination of a top ally of President Donald Trump and one of the most significant figures in his Make America Great Again movement has galvanized conservatives, who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of encouraging young voters to embrace conservatism and moving American politics further right. Kirk himself has been celebrated as a “martyr” by many on the right, and Turning Point USA, the youth organization he founded, has seen a surge of interest across the nation, with tens of thousands of requests to launch new chapters in high schools and on college campuses.
Tuesday’s event, which was scheduled before Kirk’s death, will showcase how Turning Point is finding its path forward without its charismatic leader, who headlined many of its events and was instrumental in drawing crowds and attention.
The college tour is now being headlined by some of the biggest conservative names, including Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly and Glenn Beck. Tuesday’s event will feature conservative podcast host Alex Clark and a panel with Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Andy Biggs, former Rep. Jason Chaffetz and Gov. Spencer Cox.
And it will further a pledge his widow, Erika Kirk, made to continue the campus tour and the work of the organization he founded. She now oversees Turning Point along with a stable of her late husband’s former aides and friends.
‘Nothing is changing’
Erika Kirk has sought to assure her husband’s followers that she intends to continue to run the operation as her late husband intended, closely following plans he laid out to her and to staff.
“We’re not going anywhere. We have the blueprints. We have our marching orders,” she said during an appearance on his podcast last week.
That will include, she said, continuing to tape the daily podcast.
“My husband’s voice will live on. The show will go on,” she said, announcing plans for a rotating cast of hosts. She said they intended to lean heavily on old clips of her husband, including answering callers’ questions.
“We have decades’ worth of my husband’s voice. We have unused material from speeches that he’s had that no one has heard yet,” she said.
Erika Kirk, however, made clear that she does not intend to appear on the podcast often, and so far seems to be assuming a more behind-the-scenes role than her husband.
Mikey McCoy, Kirk’s former chief of staff, said Erika Kirk is in daily contact with members of the Trump administration, and has described her as “very strategic” and different from her husband.
The events have served as tributes to Kirk
The events so far have served as tributes to the late Kirk, with a focus on prayer, as well as the question-and-answer sessions that he was known for.
At Virginia Tech last week, the state’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, urged the crowd to carry Kirk’s legacy forward.
“The question that has been asked over and over again is: Who will be the next Charlie? And as I look out in this room and I see thousands of you, I want to repeat the best answer that I have heard: You will be the next Charlie,” he said. “All of you.”
He also praised Erika Kirk as an “extraordinary” leader.
“Over the course of the last two weeks, Erika Kirk has demonstrated that she not only has the courage of a lion, but she has the heart of a saint. We have grieved with her and her family. We have prayed for her and her family,” he said. “Is there anyone better to lead Turning Point going forward than Erika Kirk?”
He then turned the stage over to Kelly, who said Charlie Kirk had asked her to join the tour several months ago. She said she knew appearing onstage carried risk, but felt it was important to be there “to send a message that we will not be silenced by an assassin’s bullet, by a heckler’s veto, by a left-wing, woke professor or anyone who tries to silence us from saying what we really believe,” she said to loud cheers.
At another event at the University of Minnesota last week, conservative commentator Michael Knowles gave a solo speech in lieu of the two-man conversation with Kirk that was originally planned. Then he continued Kirk’s tradition of responding to questions from the audience, which ranged from one man quibbling about Catholic doctrine to another arguing that the root of societal problems stems from letting women vote. (To the latter, he responded that women aren’t to blame because “men need to lead women.”)
As Knowles spoke, a spotlight shined on a chair left empty for Kirk.
Knowles said Kirk was instrumental in keeping together disparate conservative factions, and he worries about the MAGA movement fracturing without Kirk doing the day-to-day work to build bridges between warring groups.
“Charlie was the unifying figure for the movement. It’s simply a fact,” he said. “There is no replacing him in that regard.”
“The biggest threat right now is that without that single figure that we were all friends with, who could really hold it together, things could spin off in different directions,” Knowles said. “We have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
A lonely voice rose above the rancor after the murder of Charlie Kirk. Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, may not have been familiar to many, but after the assassination in his state, he asked whether we could all “stop hating our fellow Americans.” We wanted to hear more and we were surprised to learn the 50-year-old Republican has spent years campaigning for reconciliation. Cox is asking Americans to respect our differences, which, at this moment, is not universally admired in his own party.
Gov. Spencer Cox: I get accused on the right all the time of– I just want people to have a “kumbaya” moment. I want people to hold hands and just hug it out. And we’re done with that. We’re done holding hands and hugging it out. I’m not asking anybody to hold hands and hug it out. I’m not asking for that. I’m trying to get people to stop shooting each other. That’s it. And I think what I’m doing and what I’m saying is the best way to do that. Some people will disagree with that and that’s OK. We should have these debates as a society. I’m not always right. I’ve made mistakes. Other politicians, I think, are making mistakes right now in trying to elevate the temperature. But, but I’m going to just keep having these conversations.
Scott Pelley: In this moment, what’s at stake?
Gov. Spencer Cox: Scott, I, I, I– don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the, the future of our country is at stake. This grand experiment that we embarked on 250 years ago, can we hold together?
Scott Pelley: And what if our politics cannot find the path to the brighter light?
Gov. Spencer Cox: That’s the question I always ask. When I hear people say that, that we’re at war. I say, “OK. And and and what? What does that mean? What is next? Who, who am I supposed to shoot now?”
The shot, September 10th, was the kind of attack now happening every couple of months or so. In April, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania and his family escaped after their home was firebombed. In June, in theirhomes, two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses were gunned down. A year earlier, on the campaign, it was Donald Trump himself. When told this time it was Utah, Cox didn’t believe it. But there it was on his phone.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox
60 Minutes
Gov. Spencer Cox: The video was already out. There was no fog of war. There, there was no doubt what had happened. That terrible awful video that I wish I had not seen. I hate, again, social media, that almost every person in this country, including our young people, have seen that video on a loop over and over and over again. And I can’t unsee it. I can’t stop seeing it. Every time I close my eyes, that’s what I see.
The governor sent an aide to the hospital, who reported that Kirk was dead. Cox dialed a number.
Scott Pelley: As you’re calling the White House, what is in your heart?
Gov. Spencer Cox: Just sickness. Nauseous. Disbelief. Anger. At this point, I’m very angry.
Gov. Spencer Cox (during press conference on Sept. 10, 2025): …to whoever did this, we will find you, we will try you and we will hold you accountable to the furthest extent of the law…
His anger was showing.
Gov. Spencer Cox (during press conference on Sept. 10, 2025): I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah.
But when he searched for meaning, he recalled the suffering of both parties.
Gov. Spencer Cox (during press conference on Sept. 10, 2025): Our nation is broken. We’ve had political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania. And we had an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate and former president of the United States and now current president of the United States. Nothing I say can unite us as a country. Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken. We just need every single person in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be.
Gov. Spencer Cox: I’ve been following, I’ve been studying political violence. And so I, I’m keenly aware when these things happen and I’m seeing, I’m seeing people get, get murdered, get attacked who are Democrats and Republicans and that’s where it came from in that moment.
Scott Pelley: In the days after the murder, as you’re trying to bring the country together, Steve Bannon, the philosopher of the MAGA Right, called you a national embarrassment.
Gov. Spencer Cox: Yeah. I love free speech. I would give my life defending his right to say that about me. That’s OK. We can have that debate. There are some people that think I am a national embarrassment. And that’s OK too.
Scott Pelley: Who do you blame for the division?
Gov. Spencer Cox: I do believe that social media is a cancer. And it is taking all of our worst impulses and putting them on steroids. It, it is driving us to division. It is driving us to hate. These algorithms that have captured our, our very souls. They’ve, they’ve captured our free agency. These dopamine hits that get our young people and our old people addicted to outrage and hate that serve us up on a regular basis are absolutely leading us down a, a very dark path.
Scott Pelley and Gov. Spencer Cox
60 Minutes
A path through platforms that look like civil war, powered by algorithms, programs, written to amplify posts of rage.
Gov. Spencer Cox: The algorithms are absolutely destroying us. Once they know what your political leanings are, then it’s like a pack of wolves that just attack. We have this collective problem where- that we can’t solve because we’re all sucked in, and we don’t know how to get out.
We met Spencer Cox in the capitol at the foot of the Wasatch Range in Salt Lake City. He was raised, one of eight, on a farm of modest means. He’s a lawyer, devoutly Mormon, with three years left on his second term. His conservative record includes tax cuts, expansion of gun rights and restrictions on abortion.
Scott Pelley: You are a Republican but not a Trump Republican.
Gov. Spencer Cox: Well, that, that depends. I did vote for him this last time. He…
Scott Pelley: But not in ’16 or 2020.
Gov. Spencer Cox: That is also correct. And he gives me a very hard time about that every time we’re, we’re together. The tent is broad on the right. And I’m trying to show one way to do politics.
His way to do politics surprised many in 2020. Campaigning for governor, he refused to run negative ads.
Spencer Cox (campaign ad from 2020): I think you should vote for me.
Chris Peterson (campaign ad from 2020): Yeah, but, but really, you should vote for me.
Instead, he asked his Democratic opponent to join him on the air.
Spencer Cox (campaign ad from 2020): We can disagree without hating each other.
Chris Peterson (campaign ad from 2020): And win or lose in Utah, we work together.
Spencer Cox (campaign ad from 2020): So, let’s show the country that there’s a better way.
Chris Peterson (campaign ad from 2020): My name’s Chris Peterson
Spencer Cox (campaign ad from 2020): and I’m Spencer Cox,
Both (campaign ad from 2020): and we approve this message.
Cox took the message beyond Utah when, in 2023, he became chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association. There, he launched a campaign called “Disagree Better,” and went back on the air.
(Disagree Better video from 2023) SPENCER COX: I’m Spencer Cox Republican governor of Utah,
(Disagree Better video from 2023) JARED POLIS: and I’m Jared Polis, Democratic governor of Colorado…
Twenty three governors from both parties joined “Disagree Better.”
(Disagree Better video from 2023) SPENCER COX: Healthy disagreement means not assuming that the other side is deluded, misinformed or actively trying to overthrow America.
This month, Cox took the message to the University of Notre Dame. He’s done more than 20 of these events nationwide, often with Democratic governors, including Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico.
Govs. Spencer Cox and Michelle Lujan Grisham
60 Minutes
Scott Pelley: Does Disagree Better mean that we should drop our differences and everybody meets in the middle?
Gov. Spencer Cox: Absolutely not. In fact, it’s the exact opposite of that. Abortion is an issue on which we disagree passionately. And and yet, even though we have these very strong, it looks like a chasm between us, I think we would both agree that we should be doing more to take care of, of single moms. I think those are the types of things that we can agree on while still being pretty passionate about, about whether we think abortion should be legal or not.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: And when you do that and we listen and we find that we– there is some common ground, it– it–reduces, right, lowers the temperature. It provides opportunity not just for discourse, but doing something.
Scott Pelley: Do governors understand something that Washington does not?
Both: Yes!
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: Yes. We’re completely about results, not about rhetoric.
Gov. Spencer Cox: We like to say that potholes aren’t partisan. And governors do have to deliver actual results. I think there’s, sadly, in in D.C. we’ve seen this performative politics, and, and, and much less substance.
Scott Pelley: There are some people watching this interview who are disgusted that you two are sitting together.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: Well, we need courage over comfort. You know, I don’t work for– a partisan party. I work for every single New Mexican.
Gov. Spencer Cox: Yeah, I see her as an American before I see her as, as a Democrat or anything else. I think we need more of these conversations. I think we need them in our– in our own homes, in our own neighborhoods, in our school boards, in our city councils all across the country.
The day Charlie Kirk was murdered, one of the first calls Spencer Cox received was from Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: We should be condemning at every chance we get political violence. Our democracy falters when we don’t. This is an American. This is a person. This is a person who lost his life in free speech. And there’s real grieving for that family. And it doesn’t end tomorrow. It will last a lifetime.
Scott Pelley: Says the Democrat.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham: Says the Democrat, because it’s true. It’s true.
Gov. Spencer Cox: Please include that.
Gov. Spencer Cox and Scott Pelley on the Utah Valley University campus
60 Minutes
We returned with Spencer Cox to Utah Valley University.
Gov Spencer Cox (to crowd during Utah Valley University visit on Sept. 17, 2025): That flag, that doesn’t represent any single group. It doesn’t represent one part of our country and not another part of our country.
Students gathered where Charlie Kirk was killed. Cox told the crowd they can’t count on politicians. Change, he said, must come from all of you.
Gov. Spencer Cox: I’m desperately looking for more architects and fewer arsonists. Again, it’s so easy to burn down and tear down and– and we’ve got too much of that today. I’m I’m hoping that a positive vision for our country, a positive vision for our party treating everyone with dignity and respect, that’s how we get our country back.
Scott Pelley: Some people watching this interview might be thinking, “He should run for president.” But the fact is you would never survive Republican primaries.
Gov. Spencer Cox: Well, the thought of, of– running for president makes me nauseous. I I, have no interest in that. I’m glad that there are good people who are willing to do that. But– that is not something I’ve ever been interested in. And you’re also correct. The, the, way we select our candidates makes it almost impossible for someone like me to have an opportunity.
Scott Pelley: Is it possible that your message is naïve, that the violence will just continue?
Gov. Spencer Cox: That’s– that’s very possible, that’s very possible. I think the founders were naïve to believe that they could start a new country based on very different principles than virtually any country in the history of the world. I think that it was naïve that– we could rebuild after a civil war had fractured us and we had killed 600,000 of our fellow Americans. So, I believe that naiveté with– some passion can change the world. It’s probably the only thing that ever has.
Produced by Maria Gavrilovic. Associate producer, Madeleine Carlisle. Broadcast associates, Michelle Karim andGeorgia Rosenberg. News associate, Ava Peabody. Edited by Peter M. Berman.
Scott Pelley, one of the most experienced and awarded journalists today, has been reporting stories for 60 Minutes since 2004. The 2024-25 season is his 21st on the broadcast. Scott has won half of all major awards earned by 60 Minutes during his tenure at the venerable CBS newsmagazine.
The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk will have an experienced team of lawyers representing him in the high-profile capital murder case.
Utah County hired three attorneys to represent Tyler James Robinson after 4th District Court Judge Tony Graf found he doesn’t have the financial means to pay a lawyer.
Salt Lake City attorney Kathryn N. Nester is the lead counsel, while Michael N. Burt and Richard G. Novak, both of California, are co-counsel. All have substantial experience in death penalty cases.
Robinson allegedly shot Kirk with a high-powered rifle from a rooftop as the conservative political activist spoke at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. At the urging of his parents and a family friend, Robinson turned himself in to police near his home in Washington County, Utah, the next day. Authorities announced the arrest in a press conference Sept. 12.
Robinson, 22, is charged with aggravated murder and six other crimes in connection with the fatal shooting. Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray is pursuing the death penalty.
The county estimates the taxpayer-funded defense and prosecution of Robinson to exceed $1.3 million — $750,000 for the court-appointed lawyers and $600,000 for additional staff in the county attorney’s office.
Well-qualified attorneys
The Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure requires lawyers assigned to death penalty cases to meet certain criteria, including extensive experience in felony or capital cases, completing approved death penalty education and having sufficient time and resources to provide a rigorous defense. The rule calls for the court to appoint at least two attorneys in capital cases.
Nester, Burt and Novak appear to possess those credentials, according to declarations filed in court this week.
Nester has done criminal defense work for 33 years, appearing as lead or co-counsel in nine aggravated, felony and capital murder cases in state and federal court in Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, California and Utah. Two of them proceeded to a verdict.
Burt has practiced law for 47 years, including as head trial attorney with the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office for 24 years. He has specialized in capital cases the past 18 years and is the editor-in-chief of the California Death Penalty Defense Manual.
According to his court declaration, he has tried over 50 cases before a jury, including eight lengthy capital cases in state or federal courts in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Pennsylvania. He has been appointed “learned counsel” in 27 federal death penalty cases throughout the country, meaning he is an expert in that area of the law.
Novak, according to his declaration, has practiced law since 1990, with an emphasis on criminal defense work, including capital defense for the last 20 years. He has been lead or co-counsel in over 25 death-eligible homicide cases in federal courts in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada and California, and in state court in California. He worked as a federal public defender before going into private practice.
Nester’s office declined to comment about the case.
Robinson’s next court hearing
Robinson is held in the Utah County Jail without bail. A hand-written notation in a Sept. 24 court filing restricting his possession of firearms reads “high risk/suicide watch.”
He made his initial court appearance via video conference from the jail last week wearing a suicide-prevention smock, which court officials said is standard for high-profile prisoners.
Robinson is entitled to a preliminary hearing under Utah law, where the judge decides if the prosecution has enough evidence for a trial. An arraignment then follows in which the defendant enters either a guilty or not guilty plea to the charges.
He is due in court Sept. 29 for a waiving hearing in which he can decide whether to give up his right to a preliminary hearing to move more quickly to the arraignment. Initially scheduled as a virtual hearing, Graf this week changed it to an in-person hearing.
Death penalty cases in Utah
Aggravated murder is the only offense subject to the death penalty in Utah. The law contains a list of circumstances under which prosecutors could charge a person with that offense including, “the murderer knowingly created a great risk of death to a person other than the victim and the murderer,” which what prosecutors cited in the Robinson case.
In addition to the that case, the Utah County attorney is prosecuting one of the other two active death penalty cases in Utah.
Michael Aaron Jayne, 42, of Garrett, Indiana, is accused of intentionally hitting and killing Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser with his semitrailer on I-15, after being pulled over for a stop sign violation last year. Jayne is charged with aggravated murder and several other felonies.
Just last month, Ryan Michael Bate, 30, allegedly shot and killed Tremonton Police Sgt. Lee Sorensen and officer Eric Estrada when they responded to a domestic dispute at his home.
There are currently four men on death row in Utah. The average length of stay on death row is about 34 years. Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in Utah but firing squad is an alternative method. Executions are carried out at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City.
Utah Valley University classes resume one week after deadly Charlie Kirk shooting – CBS News
Watch CBS News
Classes resumed at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, one week after the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA event. CBS News’ Katrina Kaufman has more details.
