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  • FAA expected to list airports getting reduced flights during government shutdown

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    Travelers through some of the busiest U.S. airports can expect to learn Thursday whether they’ll see fewer flights as the government shutdown drags into a second month.The Federal Aviation Administration will announce the “high-volume markets” where it is reducing flights by 10% before the cuts go into effect Friday, said agency administrator Bryan Bedford. The move is intended to keep the air space safe during the shutdown, the agency said.Experts predict hundreds, if not thousands, of flights could be canceled.“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said Wednesday at a news conference.“We can’t ignore it,” he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn’t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined during the news conference to name the cities and airports where they will slow air traffic, saying they wanted to first meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions.Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.Duffy warned on Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.Duffy said some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.During weekends from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.___Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    Travelers through some of the busiest U.S. airports can expect to learn Thursday whether they’ll see fewer flights as the government shutdown drags into a second month.

    The Federal Aviation Administration will announce the “high-volume markets” where it is reducing flights by 10% before the cuts go into effect Friday, said agency administrator Bryan Bedford. The move is intended to keep the air space safe during the shutdown, the agency said.

    Experts predict hundreds, if not thousands, of flights could be canceled.

    “I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

    Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.

    Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said Wednesday at a news conference.

    “We can’t ignore it,” he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn’t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.

    Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined during the news conference to name the cities and airports where they will slow air traffic, saying they wanted to first meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions.

    Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.

    The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.

    Duffy warned on Tuesday that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.

    Duffy said some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more. And he has said some controllers are even struggling to pay for transportation to work.

    Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.

    But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.

    From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.

    During weekends from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, the average number of airport towers, regional control centers and facilities monitoring traffic at higher altitudes that announced potential staffing issues was 8.3, according to the AP analysis. But during the five weekend periods since the shutdown began, the average more than tripled to 26.2 facilities.

    ___

    Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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  • FAA readies to list airports getting reduced flights during the government shutdown

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    Travelers through some of the busiest U.S. airports can expect to learn Thursday whether they’ll see fewer flights as the government shutdown drags into a second month.

    The Federal Aviation Administration will announce the “high-volume markets” where it is reducing flights by 10% before the cuts go into effect Friday, said agency administrator Bryan Bedford. The move is intended to keep the air space safe during the shutdown, the agency said.

    Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled.

    “I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”

    Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.

    Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said Wednesday at a news conference.

    “We can’t ignore it,” he said, adding that even if the shutdown ends before Friday, the FAA wouldn’t automatically resume normal operations until staffing improves and stabilizes.

    Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declined during the news conference to name the cities and airports where they will slow air traffic, saying they wanted to first meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions.

    Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.

    The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.

    Yamat writes for the Associated Press

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    RIO YAMAT

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  • Trump once again nominates tech space traveler Jared Isaacman to serve as NASA administrator

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    President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he has decided to nominate Jared Isaacman to serve as his NASA administrator, months after withdrawing the tech billionaire’s nomination because of concerns about his political leanings.Trump announced in late May that he had decided to withdraw Isaacman after a “thorough review” of his “prior associations.” Weeks after the withdrawal, Trump went further in expressing his concerns about Isaacman’s Republican credentials.At the time, Trump acknowledged that he thought Isaacman “was very good,” but had become “surprised to learn” that Isaacman was a “ blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before.”Isaacman had the endorsement of Trump’s former DOGE adviser and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. The president and Musk had a very public falling out earlier this year but are now on better terms.Last week, Trump told reporters he and Musk have spoken “on and off” since sitting together at conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral last month in Arizona and that their relationship is “good.”Trump made no mention of his previous decision to nominate and then withdraw Isaacman in his Tuesday evening announcement of the re-nomination on his Truth Social platform. And the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s decision to reverse course.“This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump posted. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as interim NASA administrator. The president on Tuesday praised Duffy for doing an “incredible job.”Isaacman, CEO and founder of credit card-processing company Shift4, has been a close collaborator with Musk ever since buying his first chartered flight with SpaceX.He also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk. SpaceX has extensive contracts with NASA.The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved Isaacman’s nomination in late April and a vote by the full Senate had been expected when Trump announced he was yanking the nomination.In his own social media post Tuesday, Isaacman thanked Trump for the nomination and the “space-loving community.” He made no mention of the earlier turmoil.

    WASHINGTON —

    President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he has decided to nominate Jared Isaacman to serve as his NASA administrator, months after withdrawing the tech billionaire’s nomination because of concerns about his political leanings.

    Trump announced in late May that he had decided to withdraw Isaacman after a “thorough review” of his “prior associations.” Weeks after the withdrawal, Trump went further in expressing his concerns about Isaacman’s Republican credentials.

    At the time, Trump acknowledged that he thought Isaacman “was very good,” but had become “surprised to learn” that Isaacman was a “ blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before.”

    Isaacman had the endorsement of Trump’s former DOGE adviser and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. The president and Musk had a very public falling out earlier this year but are now on better terms.

    Last week, Trump told reporters he and Musk have spoken “on and off” since sitting together at conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s funeral last month in Arizona and that their relationship is “good.”

    Trump made no mention of his previous decision to nominate and then withdraw Isaacman in his Tuesday evening announcement of the re-nomination on his Truth Social platform. And the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s decision to reverse course.

    “This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA,” Trump posted. “Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era.”

    Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been serving as interim NASA administrator. The president on Tuesday praised Duffy for doing an “incredible job.”

    Isaacman, CEO and founder of credit card-processing company Shift4, has been a close collaborator with Musk ever since buying his first chartered flight with SpaceX.

    He also bought a series of spaceflights from SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk. SpaceX has extensive contracts with NASA.

    The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved Isaacman’s nomination in late April and a vote by the full Senate had been expected when Trump announced he was yanking the nomination.

    In his own social media post Tuesday, Isaacman thanked Trump for the nomination and the “space-loving community.” He made no mention of the earlier turmoil.

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  • As SNAP benefits lapse, thousands show up to Southern California food banks

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    On Saturday morning, Genaro Alfonzo pulled up to the Kia Forum in Inglewood wearing his Dodgers hat and jersey, with a flag for his Boys in Blue flapping from a Toyota pickup truck.

    But the morning after his beloved Dodgers won Game 6 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Alfonzo was not happy. It was nearly 11 a.m., and the 70-year-old had not yet eaten.

    “Just this,” he said, tearing up as he held up a blue plastic coffee cup, half empty. “I’m not working. My wife’s not working — there’s no work. The market is expensive.”

    Alfonzo was among thousands of people who showed up to a drive-through food distribution event Saturday at the Kia Forum put on by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank on the first day of a lapse in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

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    It was the first day of the month — the first day of a pause in federal food assistance for millions of low-income Americans, including 5.5 million Californians, because of the government shutdown that began Oct. 1.

    On Friday, two federal judges, in separate rulings, ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin using more than $5 billion in contingency funds for SNAP during the government shutdown. But they gave the agency until Monday to figure out how to do so.

    Although the orders were a win for people who rely on SNAP, they did not mean that recipients would be spared a lapse in food aid. Over the weekend, state and local food banks scrambled to prepare for a deluge of need.

    People pick up food distributed by Noel Community Organization

    People pick up food distributed by Noel Community Organization at the Lily of the Valley Church of God In Christ Saturday in Long Beach.

    (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

    California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta — whose office helped bring about a lawsuit by a coalition of Democrat-led states against the Trump administration over the food aid cutoff — said Thursday that a ruling in the states’ favor would not mean SNAP funds would immediately be loaded onto CalFresh and other benefit cards.

    “Our best estimates are that [SNAP benefit] cards could be loaded and used in about a week,” he said, adding that “there could be about a week where people are hungry and need food.” For new program applicants, he said, the delay could be even longer.

    On Saturday, amid gray skies and fog, scores of volunteers for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank gathered outside the Forum to serve Angelenos looking to stock their shelves and refrigerators for what could become the longest shutdown since 2018, when the government was shut down for 35 days.

    Volunteers disbursed food containers for about 5,000 vehicles, according to the food bank. Each offering had items for about 40 meals, with whole grains, fresh produce, tortillas, canned tuna, yogurt and frozen chicken.

    “This is what large-scale disaster relief looks like,” said Michael Flood, chief executive of the food bank. “It’s about getting as much as possible out to as many people as possible — safely and in a short time.”

    Fueled by bins of snacks — chips, oranges and bottled water — many volunteers expressed enthusiasm for the long day ahead.

    “I’m just happy to be here — it’s a great opportunity to help people,” said Jordan Diaz, 35.

    Ron Del Rio, 54, said he was happy to help but angry about the circumstances.

    “It’s frustrating and heartbreaking to see people who are hungry,” he said. “It’s just so unsettling that it has to be this way. Why are there 5,000 cars coming through here in a country that is so rich?”

    Norma White gives Dario Medina a free haircut

    Norma White gives Dario Medina a free haircut as people wait to pick up food distributed by Noel Community Organization at the Lily of the Valley Church of God In Christ Saturday in Long Beach.

    (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

    About 600,000 SNAP recipients live in Los Angeles, according to Mayor Karen Bass, who said in a statement Friday that “no one in Los Angeles should have to worry about putting food on the table because of circumstances beyond their control.”

    For volunteer Diane Jackson, 72, loading up cars with boxes of fresh produce hit close to home. Her son had been in line to receive food earlier that morning.

    “He has 7 children!” she said. “He made sure to come out here. I’m so glad they’re here — it feels good.”

    Volunteers were greeted with fist bumps, air kisses and shouted thank yous.

    As she waited in line, Maxx Bush, 79, who lives near the Forum, said she was angry because people’s incomes are not increasing, even as groceries, housing, insurance, medication, gasoline and other necessities are becoming more expensive.

    “Our elected officials are letting us down because we vote and put these people in office, and they tend to get a personal vendetta going with each other and forget about the main thing, which is the people.”

    In their opposition to states’ request for a temporary restraining order requiring the disbursement of contingency funds, attorneys for the USDA argued that the $5.25 billion is reserved “in the event of natural disasters and other uncontrollable catastrophes” and could cause more disruptions later. The emergency funds will not cover the roughly $9 billion required for all November benefits, according to the USDA.

    Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom activated the National Guard to help package food and directed $80 million to food banks to stock up. More than 63% of SNAP recipients in California are children or elderly people, Newsom’s office said.

    “I have instructed our lawyers to ask the Court to clarify how we can legally fund SNAP as soon as possible,” President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday. “It is already delayed enough due to the Democrats keeping the Government closed … it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding.”

    On Saturday, Bonta snapped back.

    “The Trump Admin CHOSE to withhold food assistance from people in need. They CHOSE to let people go hungry and now are only changing their tune thanks to lawsuits,” Bonta said on X. “It should have never gotten this far in the first place.”

    Two people leave a food distribution site Saturday in Long Beach.

    Two people leave a food distribution site Saturday in Long Beach.

    (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)

    Around noon on Saturday, the parking lot at the Forum was a cacophony of sound: car engines rumbling, car stereos blasting music, fire engines blaring in the distance, children shrieking, airplanes roaring en route to nearby LAX.

    Rayvone Douthard, 51, picked up food in a white Nissan truck with his windows down and stereo blaring a cover by the band Tierra of the 1967 song “Together.” Douthard, a DJ who wore a brightly colored tie-dye T-shirt, said he received federal food aid and was concerned about the delay in funding.

    “It’s not right,” he said. “Donald Trump needs to stop what he’s doing. Everyone needs food.”

    Then he turned his music up again.

    “But I feel positive about this,” he said, gesturing at the bustling parking lot. “Everybody working together. Like the song says!”

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    Deborah Vankin, Jasmine Mendez

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  • Tropical Storm Melissa expected to slam Caribbean islands; up to 25 inches of rain possible

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    WESH 2’s award-winning First Warning Weather team is monitoring Tropical Storm Melissa, which is nearly stationary over the Caribbean Sea on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.The NHC said Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft data show Melissa is getting stronger with maximum sustained winds now at 65 mph and a minimum central pressure of 993 mb. Melissa is about 180 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, according to the NHC. A turn to the west is forecast on Saturday followed by a turn to the north and northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the forecast track, the center of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica early next week and could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week.The NHC advised that residents in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Cuba should closely monitor the development of this system. These locations are at risk of heavy rain, flooding, strong winds and hazardous surf conditions. Watches and warnings in effect: Hurricane Warning in effect for JamaicaHurricane Watch in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-PrinceRainMelissa is expected to bring total rainfall of 15 to 25 inches to portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through Tuesday, with local maxima of 35 inches possible across the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti. Potentially catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are possible across portions of Jamaica and the southern Dominican Republic, while catastrophic flash flooding is anticipated in southern Haiti.For southeast Cuba, total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts up to 12 inches, are possible into Tuesday. Jamaica braces for impactsHurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2

    WESH 2’s award-winning First Warning Weather team is monitoring Tropical Storm Melissa, which is nearly stationary over the Caribbean Sea on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

    The NHC said Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft data show Melissa is getting stronger with maximum sustained winds now at 65 mph and a minimum central pressure of 993 mb.

    Melissa is about 180 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, according to the NHC.

    A turn to the west is forecast on Saturday followed by a turn to the north and northeast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    On the forecast track, the center of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica early next week and could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week.

    The NHC advised that residents in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Cuba should closely monitor the development of this system.

    These locations are at risk of heavy rain, flooding, strong winds and hazardous surf conditions.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Watches and warnings in effect:

    • Hurricane Warning in effect for Jamaica
    • Hurricane Watch in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince

    Rain

    Melissa is expected to bring total rainfall of 15 to 25 inches to portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through Tuesday, with local maxima of 35 inches possible across the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti.

    Potentially catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are possible across portions of Jamaica and the southern Dominican Republic, while catastrophic flash flooding is anticipated in southern Haiti.

    For southeast Cuba, total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches, with local amounts up to 12 inches, are possible into Tuesday.

    Jamaica braces for impacts

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    This content is imported from Twitter.
    You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

    Hurricane season 2025

    The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.

    >> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival Guide

    The First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.

    >> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast

    >> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2

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  • LAX to shut down Terminal 5 for renovation ahead of Olympics

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    Los Angeles International Airport will shut down Terminal 5 for a “complete demolition” and overhaul project, it announced Monday.

    The closure, slated for Oct. 28, comes as part of a $30-billion overhaul ahead of the 2028 Olympics and Paralympics in L.A. The major renovation will “deliver a brand new terminal and airport experience,” according to an airport news release. It is only the latest of a series of expansion and overhaul projects that have kept LAX in a state of what feels like perpetual construction.

    Doug Webster, chief airport operations and maintenance officer at Los Angeles World Airports, said the planned renovation “marks a pivotal moment” for the airport.

    Passengers makes their way through Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    “Our goal is to minimize disruption during this transition, and we are working closely with our airline partners to ensure continued operations and smooth travel for our passengers,” Webster said.

    In 2017, the airport launched a massive reshuffling of terminals so that Delta Airlines could move its LAX operations from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3, forcing 19 other carriers to relocate. The move also connected Terminals 2 and 3 to each other and to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The project cleared the way for Delta’s $1.9-billion renovation project that was completed in 2022.

    As part of the latest construction project, airlines housed in Terminal 5 have begun to be relocated to other parts of the airport.

    Beginning this week, JetBlue will operate out of Terminal 1, and Spirit Airlines will operate out of Terminal 2. American Airlines will operate out of Terminal 4 beginning Oct. 28.

    Passengers wait for their flights at Midfield Satellite Concourse South (MSC South) at LAX.

    Passengers wait for their flights at Midfield Satellite Concourse South (MSC South) at LAX. While the closure of Terminal 5 is underway, the airport’s new MSC South will be used, as well.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    The airport’s new Midfield Satellite Concourse South will help keep operations running as well, according to airport officials. The concourse, open to the public as of this week, is an extension of the West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal and adds more than 150,000 square feet and eight gates to LAX.

    In February, the L.A. City Council approved $5 billion worth of contracts as part of a broader $30-billion overhaul. The 51 agreements approved between the airport and several local businesses involved the rebuilding of Terminal 5, updates at Tom Bradley International Terminal and improvements for how travelers will navigate the airport’s horseshoe loop on 1 World Way, where traffic typically delays motorists.

    Terminal 5 is expected to reopen just before the 2028 Olympics.

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    Suhauna Hussain

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  • UF Gators head coach Billy Napier fired

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    Editor’s Note: UF athletic director, interim head football coach to hold news conference at noon on Monday. Watch live in the player above. Original story: Billy Napier preached patience when he was hired in Gainesville. Less than four full seasons later, with a record of 22-23, he’s out of a job. Napier managed just one winning season in four tries at Florida, an 8-5 campaign in 2024. After a 3-4 start to 2025, he has been shown the door.Napier’s tenure marks the worst stretch of football at Florida since the 1940s.Florida is off this week before the Gators head to Jacksonville to meet Georgia in a rivalry showdown on Nov. 1. It will be the fifth top-10 foe they’ve faced this season. UF said Billy Gonzalez, longtime Florida offensive coach, will serve as the interim head coach.UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said in a statement, “As Coach Napier has often said, this is a results-driven business, and while his influence was positive, it ultimately did not translate into the level of success we expect on the field.”Despite the team’s lack of success on the field, the players still have nothing but respect for their former head coach.”I’m extremely grateful for Coach Napier and everything he’s done for me and my family,” said sophomore quarterback D.J. Lagway. “I’m thankful, you know, to be able to play for him.”Since Steve Spurrier’s legendary run in the 1990s, only Urban Meyer has made it through four full seasons as Florida’s head football coach. Meyer retired after six seasons at Florida, citing health issues. UF will have to pay Napier roughly $21 million for his buyout agreement with half of the amount due in the next 30 days. “Never going to make everybody happy,” Napier said. “You get these leadership positions and you’re in charge, these are the things that come with it.”

    GAINESVILLE, Fla. —

    Editor’s Note: UF athletic director, interim head football coach to hold news conference at noon on Monday. Watch live in the player above.

    Original story:

    Billy Napier preached patience when he was hired in Gainesville. Less than four full seasons later, with a record of 22-23, he’s out of a job.

    Napier managed just one winning season in four tries at Florida, an 8-5 campaign in 2024. After a 3-4 start to 2025, he has been shown the door.

    Napier’s tenure marks the worst stretch of football at Florida since the 1940s.

    Florida is off this week before the Gators head to Jacksonville to meet Georgia in a rivalry showdown on Nov. 1. It will be the fifth top-10 foe they’ve faced this season.

    UF said Billy Gonzalez, longtime Florida offensive coach, will serve as the interim head coach.

    UF Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said in a statement, “As Coach Napier has often said, this is a results-driven business, and while his influence was positive, it ultimately did not translate into the level of success we expect on the field.”

    Despite the team’s lack of success on the field, the players still have nothing but respect for their former head coach.

    “I’m extremely grateful for Coach Napier and everything he’s done for me and my family,” said sophomore quarterback D.J. Lagway. “I’m thankful, you know, to be able to play for him.”

    Since Steve Spurrier’s legendary run in the 1990s, only Urban Meyer has made it through four full seasons as Florida’s head football coach. Meyer retired after six seasons at Florida, citing health issues.

    UF will have to pay Napier roughly $21 million for his buyout agreement with half of the amount due in the next 30 days.

    “Never going to make everybody happy,” Napier said. “You get these leadership positions and you’re in charge, these are the things that come with it.”

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  • Friday Night Hits: Week 9 Scoreboard and Highlights

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    Week 9 of Central Florida high school football is in the books. Here’s a look at how the teams performed during another edition of Friday Night Hits. Game of the Week Edgewater 35, Dr. Phillips 6 You Pick 2 Poll Game Winter Park 39, Ocoee 28 Scores across Central Florida West Oaks 40, The Geneva School 7 Jones 56, Wekiva 0 Boone 58, Colonial 0 Lake Brantley 50, Orlando University 0 Orangewood Christian 45, Bishop McLaughlin 7 Trinity Prep 42, Cedar Creek Christian 0 Evans 40, Lake Mary 14 West Orange 48, Olympia 0Osceola 50, Apopka 7 Oviedo 55, Orange City University 7Harmony 28, Celebration 16Innovation 35, Lake Buena Vista 8Horizon 59, Lake Minneola 8 Lake Nona 84, Timber Creek 8 Melbourne Central 34, Orlando Christian Prep 14 Umatilla 42, Taylor Pierson 0 Windermere 55, McLaughlin 0 New Smyrna Beach 26, Deltona 7 Saint Cloud 44, Tohopekaliga 21Mainland 33, Heritage 6Eau Gallie 56, Palm Bay 6 Viera 41, Seabreeze 14 Cocoa 27, The Villages Charter 6Have a football score that you want to report? Email it to us over at News@WESH.com.

    Week 9 of Central Florida high school football is in the books.

    Here’s a look at how the teams performed during another edition of Friday Night Hits.

    Game of the Week

    Edgewater 35, Dr. Phillips 6

    You Pick 2 Poll Game

    Winter Park 39, Ocoee 28

    Scores across Central Florida

    West Oaks 40, The Geneva School 7

    Jones 56, Wekiva 0

    Boone 58, Colonial 0

    Lake Brantley 50, Orlando University 0

    Orangewood Christian 45, Bishop McLaughlin 7

    Trinity Prep 42, Cedar Creek Christian 0

    Evans 40, Lake Mary 14

    West Orange 48, Olympia 0

    Osceola 50, Apopka 7

    Oviedo 55, Orange City University 7

    Harmony 28, Celebration 16

    Innovation 35, Lake Buena Vista 8

    Horizon 59, Lake Minneola 8

    Lake Nona 84, Timber Creek 8

    Melbourne Central 34, Orlando Christian Prep 14

    Umatilla 42, Taylor Pierson 0

    Windermere 55, McLaughlin 0

    New Smyrna Beach 26, Deltona 7

    Saint Cloud 44, Tohopekaliga 21

    Mainland 33, Heritage 6

    Eau Gallie 56, Palm Bay 6

    Viera 41, Seabreeze 14

    Cocoa 27, The Villages Charter 6

    Have a football score that you want to report? Email it to us over at News@WESH.com.

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  • Commentary: ICE ads are playing on a streamer near you. Can they survive the online rebellion?

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    There you are, sitting in traffic in your car, listening to Taylor Swift on Spotify because it’s easier than subjecting yourself to a new, more challenging artist. An ad pops up in your stream. It’s serious stuff, evidenced by the dystopian tone of the narrator: “Join the mission to protect America,” the serious man’s voice commands, “with bonuses up to $50,000 and generous benefits. Apply now … and fulfill your mission.”

    It’s an Immigration and Customs Enforcement recruitment ad, part of the Trump administration’s investment of $30 billion to add more than 10,000 deportation officers to its ranks by the end of the year. You would have been spared the outrage if only you had paid for Spotify’s ad-free tier of service, but there’s no way the audio streamer is getting your money now. You’ll be switching to, say, Apple Music. Maybe Tidal?

    The experience of being subjected to recruitment ads for a domestic military force, assembled by a power-hungry president, has generated intense backlash that’s culminated this week in calls for boycotts of streaming services and platforms that have featured ICE spots. They include Pandora, ESPN, YouTube, Hulu and Fubo TV. Multiple HBO Max subscribers bemoaned on X that they were subjected to ICE recruitment videos while watching All Elite Wrestling: “Time to be force-fed ICE commercials against my will for two hours again #WWENXT,” @YKWrestling wrote.

    Recruitment ads — Uncle Sam’s “I Want You” poster comes to mind — are an American staple, especially in times of war. But the current recruitment effort is aimed at sending forces into American cities, predicated on exaggerated claims that U.S. metro areas are under siege and in peril due to dangerous illegal immigrants, leftist protesters and out-of-control crime rates. The data, however, does not support those claims. The American Immigration Council found that from 1980 to 2022, while the immigrant share of the U.S. population more than doubled (from 6.2% to 13.9%), the total crime rate declined by over 60%.

    Yet there’s a far scarier doomscape on the horizon if ICE’s recruitment efforts are successful: a mercenary army loyal only to Trump, weaponized to keep him on the throne. If that sounds more dystopian than the aforementioned Spotify ad, consider that the administration has spent more than $6.5 million over the past month on a slew of 30-second commercials aimed at luring in police officers.

    The ads aired on TVs in more than a dozen cities including Chicago, Seattle and Atlanta and opened with images of each specific metro area’s skyline. Then came the commanding narration: “Attention, Miami law enforcement!” It’s followed by the same messaging that is used in ICE ads across the country: “You took an oath to protect and serve, to keep your family, your city, safe. But in sanctuary cities you’re ordered to stand down while dangerous illegals walk free — Join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst. Drug traffickers. Gang members. Predators.”

    But are the ads working? It’s hard to say since transparency isn’t a hallmark of the MAGA White House. For what it’s worth, a Sept. 16 press release from the DHS claimed that it had received more than 150,000 applications in response to its campaign and had extended 18,000 tentative job offers.

    As for the power of consumer-led boycotts, there’s hope. More than 1.7 million Disney, Hulu and ESPN subscriptions were reportedly canceled between Sept. 17 and Sept. 23 during Jimmy Kimmel’s temporary suspension by ABC (Disney is ABC’s parent company). The network pulled the show after the host’s comments related to Charlie Kirk’s assassination angered MAGA supporters and the Trump-appointed FCC chair appeared to threaten the network. But after a week with a significant increase in cancellations — a 436% jump compared to a normal week — Kimmel was back on the air.

    As of today, Spotify appears unmoved by the pressure to pull those intrusive ICE ads. “This advertisement is part of a broad campaign the US government is running across television, streaming, and online channels,” a Spotify spokesperson said in a statement this week. “The content does not violate our advertising policies. However, users can mark any ad with a thumbs up or thumbs down to help manage their ads preferences.”

    Thumbs down. Frowny emoji. Cue the dystopian narrator for a counter ad: “Join the mission to protect America: Cancel Spotify.”

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    Lorraine Ali

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  • Sac City Unified school board president facing recall amid controversy of removed teachers

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    A Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting on Thursday was marked by tension and heated moments of public comment. At one point, a parent served the board president with a notice of intent to recall him. The tension comes after weeks of controversy and pushback after two teachers were removed from their classrooms at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School. “While this may have started as a personnel matter, that ship sailed weeks ago. Plain and simple, this is a school in crisis, in an absolute leadership failure. President Singh, you are not only board president, you are our representative, and in that capacity, you have failed us,” said Caitlin Beckett, a parent, addressing School Board President Jasjit Singh. “Tonight, we are here to remind you— you work for us.”Another adult then moved forward and placed a notice of intent to recall on the board’s meeting table.”We the parents of Phoebe Hearst, and across the district, are beginning the process of terminating your employment,” the parent said. “We are serving you here tonight with a notice of intent to recall you from office. If you won’t do your job, we will remove you and elect someone .”KCRA 3 spoke with Singh after he was given the notice.“In this situation, it’s justifiable that folks are mad because there’s two teachers: one teacher that has been removed to a different school site, and we have another one who has administrative leave pending an investigation. And I just cannot speak about those investigative matters. And it puts me in a difficult spot for our community,” he said.The controversy began in early September, when the school district moved sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Rupert to another school in the district after she had students help her remove a carpet that could have exposed asbestos in tiles underneath. Rupert had been asking the school district to remove the carpet for several years, an issue brought up by another parent at Thursday’s meeting. “My daughter, when she was a sixth grader two years ago, tripped on that rug. Still there? Then we had the flea infestation, so when they treated it, it got even funkier. So why was her request to have it removed not met?” the parent asked. Testing later found that the carpet’s removal did not cause exposure to asbestos.Rupert’s removal sparked outcry from parents and students, including walkouts and rallies.Tensions were raised even further this month, when another sixth-grade teacher, Mark Henrikson, was placed on administrative leave. The district did not provide any information to KCRA 3 about Henrikson’s removal, calling it a “personnel matter.”However, parents believe the move was retaliation after Henrikson rallied for Rupert’s reinstatement.“Part of the issue is that we have, I won’t say half-truths, but limited information that the community gets. And the district is unable to put out further information on a personnel matter because of the legalities,” Singh said.Singh said he has called for an independent investigation into Henrikson’s case. He also said he plans to meet with the community in the coming weeks to discuss the situation with the families of the 66 students directly affected.Meanwhile, parents are preparing to collect signatures for the recall once the paperwork is certified.Earlier this week, more than a third of students were absent from Phoebe Hearst, as some of them rallied, along with parents, in support of the two removed teachers and protested the denial of a requested meeting between parents and the superintendent, Lisa Allen. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    A Sacramento City Unified School District board meeting on Thursday was marked by tension and heated moments of public comment. At one point, a parent served the board president with a notice of intent to recall him.

    The tension comes after weeks of controversy and pushback after two teachers were removed from their classrooms at Phoebe Hearst Elementary School.

    “While this may have started as a personnel matter, that ship sailed weeks ago. Plain and simple, this is a school in crisis, in an absolute leadership failure. President Singh, you are not only board president, you are our representative, and in that capacity, you have failed us,” said Caitlin Beckett, a parent, addressing School Board President Jasjit Singh. “Tonight, we are here to remind you— you work for us.”

    Another adult then moved forward and placed a notice of intent to recall on the board’s meeting table.

    “We the parents of Phoebe Hearst, and across the district, are beginning the process of terminating your employment,” the parent said. “We are serving you here tonight with a notice of intent to recall you from office. If you won’t do your job, we will remove you and elect someone [who will].”

    KCRA 3 spoke with Singh after he was given the notice.

    “In this situation, it’s justifiable that folks are mad because there’s two teachers: one teacher that has been removed to a different school site, and we have another one who has administrative leave pending an investigation. And I just cannot speak about those investigative matters. And it puts me in a difficult spot for our community,” he said.

    The controversy began in early September, when the school district moved sixth-grade teacher Jeanine Rupert to another school in the district after she had students help her remove a carpet that could have exposed asbestos in tiles underneath. Rupert had been asking the school district to remove the carpet for several years, an issue brought up by another parent at Thursday’s meeting.

    “My daughter, when she was a sixth grader two years ago, tripped on that rug. Still there? Then we had the flea infestation, so when they treated it, it got even funkier. So why was her request to have it removed not met?” the parent asked.

    Testing later found that the carpet’s removal did not cause exposure to asbestos.

    Rupert’s removal sparked outcry from parents and students, including walkouts and rallies.

    Tensions were raised even further this month, when another sixth-grade teacher, Mark Henrikson, was placed on administrative leave. The district did not provide any information to KCRA 3 about Henrikson’s removal, calling it a “personnel matter.”

    However, parents believe the move was retaliation after Henrikson rallied for Rupert’s reinstatement.

    “Part of the issue is that we have, I won’t say half-truths, but limited information that the community gets. And the district is unable to put out further information on a personnel matter because of the legalities,” Singh said.

    Singh said he has called for an independent investigation into Henrikson’s case. He also said he plans to meet with the community in the coming weeks to discuss the situation with the families of the 66 students directly affected.

    Meanwhile, parents are preparing to collect signatures for the recall once the paperwork is certified.

    Earlier this week, more than a third of students were absent from Phoebe Hearst, as some of them rallied, along with parents, in support of the two removed teachers and protested the denial of a requested meeting between parents and the superintendent, Lisa Allen.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Protesters clash with police outside Chicago as court allows National Guard troops to stay

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    As a court battle continued over whether President Trump can legally deploy the National Guard in Illinois, a brawl broke out Saturday night between protesters and state police at an immigration detention facility near Chicago.

    The protest, which had largely been a peaceful gathering of a few hundred people at the facility in Broadview, quickly turned chaotic as protesters jumped a line of concrete barriers, stopping traffic and violating police orders to stay off the street.

    By 8 p.m., 15 people had been arrested, according to Matthew Waldberg, a spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and the unified command for the protests, which includes local and state police. Eight of the arrests occurred during the evening chaos, while seven were made earlier that day.

    The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility has been a flashpoint for weeks as protesters have expressed their anger and frustration at Trump’s immigration crackdown with chants, signs and fist shaking. In the last two weeks, law enforcement officers have responded with tear gas and rubber pellets on several occasions. Last week, officers pelted a pastor in the head with a rubber pepper ball.

    Tensions increased last week as Trump announced his intention to deploy federalized National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas to protect ICE and its facility.

    On Saturday, an appeals court paused a lower court’s ruling that halted any deployment of the National Guard within Illinois for two weeks. The new ruling says the troops — 300 from Illinois and 200 from Texas — can remain under federal control but cannot be deployed.

    White House officials cited “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness,” which they claimed local law enforcement was unable to quell, as a justification for deploying the troops. Twenty troops from California were also sent to Illinois to provide “refresher training.”

    At the ICE facility in Broadview on Saturday night, police pulled out wooden batons and pushed the crowd down the street, threatening to deploy tear gas if people didn’t disperse and go home. The protesters largely retreated, but a few threw objects at the police line, and skirmishes ensued.

    One woman was knocked to the ground by police, her head hitting the cement curb. A man wearing all black and a gas mask was tackled and pushed to the ground by police before he was handcuffed and taken away.

    The conflicts in the Chicago area come as Trump has ramped up immigration enforcement and deployed federal troops in several Democratic-run cities, beginning with Los Angeles this summer. The National Guard was patrolling alongside local police in Memphis last week, while in Portland, troop deployments are on hold after the state of Oregon challenged the move. The administration claims the city has become lawless, while Oregon officials argue Trump is manufacturing a crisis to justify calling in the National Guard.

    Across the Chicago region, more than 1,000 people have been arrested by federal immigration agents since the Trump administration ramped up its “Midway Blitz” to deport immigrants last month. On Friday, a Chicago TV news producer was pushed to the ground and arrested at an ICE raid. Two women were arrested by ICE agents in front of an elementary school. In the weeks before, an ICE-operated Blackhawk helicopter hovered over a Southside apartment building in an operation that resulted in dozens — including children and elderly people — being zip-tied and temporarily detained. Thirty-seven were arrested.

    The mayor of Broadview issued a city-wide order banning protests before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m., which has been enforced.

    “It’s been intense and a lot,” said Dominique Dandridge, who lives across the street from the detention center and has watched as vans arrive and depart at all hours of the night.

    In between the conflicts with law enforcement, there has been plenty of down time, with social media influencers looking to make their mark. Selfie sticks have been as prevalent at the Broadview protests as gas masks, balaclavas, safety goggles and flags.

    Don Lemon, a former CNN journalist and now YouTuber, roamed through the small crowd Friday and Saturday, closely followed by a videographer, two crew members and a security guard.

    Then there was Cam Higby, a conservative social media influencer from Seattle who is on a tour of college campuses, where he invites students to debate with him. His presence has angered some protesters, who chanted “Temu Charlie Kirk,” suggesting that he was a cheap version of the conservative influencer fatally shot in September while speaking at a college campus in Utah.

    Also present was Nick Shirley, a 23-year-old conservative influencer. On Friday, he was escorted into the ICE facility by armed agents. Protesters jeered as he walked by, following him with their phone cameras as he pointed his own camera back at them.

    He told a reporter that he went into the facility for training — he was going to livestream an ICE raid that weekend.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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    Susanne Rust

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  • Friday Night Hits Week 8 | You Pick 2 Game

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    Friday Night Hits Week 8 | You Pick 2 Game

    MASKAVICH WESH TWO SPORTS. WE MIGHT HAVE JUST HEARD ABOUT OUR GAME OF THE WEEK. I’M JUST GUESSING A TEASER. I’M JUST GUESSING. WELL, ANYWAYS, WE PICKED THE GAME OF THE WEEK, BUT YOU GET TO PICK TWO ON FRIDAY NIGHT HITS. IT’S THE BEAUTY OF OUR SHOW THIS WEEK. IT’S A RIVALRY SHOWDOWN. LAKE MARY HOSTING SEMINOLE. NEARLY 70% OF THE VOTE ON WESH.COM. WANTED TO SEE THIS GAME FEATURED. YES, THE RAMS AT SEMINOLE. THE SEMINOLES BACKYARD RIVALS BATTLING FOR FIRST PLACE IN THE DISTRICT, AND THIS WAS A SLUGFEST TO THE VERY END. LAKE MARY UP 1713. IN THE THIRD NOAA GIBBS TRYING TO ADD TO IT, BUT AMARI GRIFFIN STEPS UP AND TAKES IT ALL THE WAY TO THE LAKE. MARY NINE. JALEN CHAPLIN MAKES GOOD ON THE INTERCEPTION HERE. CALLS HIS OWN NUMBER. TOUCHDOWN SEMINOLE LEADS 2117. BACK AND FORTH THEY WENT. GRUBBS AIRING IT OUT TO BARRETT SHOALS. HITS THE OBJ. THAT’S THE ONE HANDED GRAB. PUTS THEM IN THE RED ZONE. AND THEN GRUBBS WANTS IN ON THE TOUCHDOWN PARTY TOO. HE WILL SCAMPER 14 YARDS TO THE HOUSE TO PUT THE RAMS BACK ON TOP. THEY TAKE DOWN SEMINOLE IN A CLOSE. ONE 2421. BACKYARD BRAWL FOR A REASON. IT’S A FUN GAME. IT’S EXCITING. IT’S A RIVALRY GAME, FUN TO BE A PART OF. AND TONIGHT WAS NO EXCEPTION. IT’S PRETTY BIG, BUT IT’S JUST ANOTHER WIN. LIKE I LOVE BEATING THE RIVALS AN

    Lake Mary beats Seminole 24-21

    Lake Mary beats Seminole 24-21

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  • Could LAFD have done more to prevent rekindling of Palisades fire?

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    Federal investigators have determined that the wildfire that leveled much of Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7 was a so-called “holdover” from a smaller fire that was set intentionally on New Year’s Day, about a week earlier.

    After Los Angeles firefighters suppressed the Jan. 1 fire known as the Lachman fire, it continued to smolder and burn underground, “unbeknownst to anyone,” according to federal officials. They said heavy winds six days later caused the underground fire to surface and spread above ground in what became one of the costliest and most destructive disasters in city history.

    The revelations — unveiled in a criminal complaint and attached affidavit Wednesday charging the alleged arsonist, Jonathan Rinderknecht — raise questions about what the Los Angeles Fire Department could have done to prevent the conflagration in the days leading up to the expected windstorm on Jan. 7 and the extraordinary fire risk that would come with it.

    “This affidavit puts the responsibility on the fire department,” said Ed Nordskog, former head of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s arson unit. “There needs to be a commission examining why this rekindled fire was allowed to reignite.”

    He added: “The arsonist set the first fire, but the Fire Department proactively has a duty to do certain things.”

    A Times investigation found that LAFD officials did not pre-deploy any engines to the Palisades ahead of the Jan. 7 fire, despite warnings about extreme weather. In preparing for the winds, the department staffed up only five of more than 40 engines available to supplement the regular firefighting force.

    Those engines could have been pre-positioned in the Palisades and elsewhere, as had been done in the past during similar weather.

    Kenny Cooper, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who was involved in the investigation into the Palisades fire’s origin, said the blame for the fire’s re-ignition lies solely with the person who started it.

    “That fire burned deep within the ground, in roots and in structure, and remained active for several days,” Cooper said. “No matter how good they are, they can’t see that, right?”

    But, he said, wildland firefighters commonly patrol for days or weeks to prevent re-ignitions.

    When he worked at a state forestry agency, he said, “we would have a lightning strike, and it would hit a tree, and it would burn for days, sometimes weeks, and then ignite into a forest fire. We would go suppress that, and then every day, for weeks on end, we would patrol those areas to make sure they didn’t reignite,” he said. “If we saw evidence of smoke or heat, then we would provide resources to that. So that, I know that’s a common practice, and it’s just, it’s a very difficult fire burning underground.”

    The affidavit provides a window into the firefighting timeline on Jan. 1, when just after midnight, the Lachman fire was ignited near a small clearing near the Temescal Ridge Trail.

    12:13 a.m.: An image taken from a UCSD camera, approximately two-tenths of a mile away, shows a bright spot in the upper left — the Lachman fire.

    12:20 a.m.: Rinderknecht drives down Palisades Drive, passing fire engines heading up Palisades Drive, responding to the fire.

    That night, the LAFD, with help from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, used water drops from aircraft and hose lines, as well as handlines dug by L.A. County crews, to attack the fire, according to the complaint. Firefighters continued suppression efforts during the day on Jan. 1, wetting down areas within the fire perimeter. When the suppression efforts were over, the affidavit said, the fire crews left fire hoses on site, in case they needed to be redeployed.

    Jan. 2: LAFD personnel returned to the scene to collect the fire hoses. According to the affidavit, it appeared to them that the fire was fully extinguished.

    But investigators determined that during the Lachman fire, a firebrand became seated within the dense vegetation, continuing to smolder and burn within the roots underground. Strong winds brought the embers to the surface, to grow into a deadly conflagration.

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    Alene Tchekmedyian, Richard Winton

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  • Firefighters team up with Domino’s to deliver fire safety

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    CRIME STOPPERS. WELL, THEY’RE NOT JUST FIGHTING FIRES TODAY. THEY’RE DELIVERING PIZZA. DOMINO’S PIZZA TEAMS UP WITH THE PAPILLION FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PROMOTE FIRE SAFETY. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S PETE CUDDIHY WENT ON THE DELIVERY ROUTE AND FOUND OUT THEY WERE BRINGING MORE THAN JUST YOUR FAVORITE SLICE. WHEN CUSTOMERS IN PAPILLION ORDERED THEIR DOMINO’S TODAY, THEIR DELIVERY CAME WITH A SURPRISE VISIT FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND A CHECK ON THEIR SMOKE DETECTORS TO ENSURE THEIR SAFETY. A NORMAL DAY IN DOMINO’S KITCHEN IS FILLED WITH SPRINKLING GARLIC KNOTS WITH PARMESAN, CUTTING UP PIZZAS INTO SLICES AND FOLDING THEIR FAMOUS BOXES UP READY FOR DELIVERY. BUT SUNDAY WAS NO ORDINARY DAY FOR DOMINO’S PAPILLION STORE. THE PIZZA CHAIN TEAMED UP WITH THE PAPILLION FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR FIRE PREVENTION WEEK, ADDING A NEW VEHICLE TO THEIR DELIVERY TEAM. NOW FOLLOWING BEHIND THEIR FAMOUS DELIVERY CARS MARKED WITH THE RED AND BLUE GAME PIECE WAS A PAPILLION FIRE ENGINE TEAMED UP WITH DOMINO’S PIZZA THIS YEAR. TO CHECK RESIDENTS FOR SMOKE DETECTORS IF THEY HAVE WORKING SMOKE DETECTORS. CREDIT TO THEM, THEY GOT A FREE PIZZA WHILE EMPLOYEES IN THE KITCHEN PRESSED THE DOUGH AND LAID THE TOPPINGS. FIREFIGHTERS BRIAN O’SHEA AND TODD CREWS WAITED FOR THEIR MOMENT TO DELIVER CUSTOMERS ORDERS WITH A SIDE OF SAFETY. GIVE US ABOUT 15 MINUTES. WHEN EVERYTHING WAS BAGGED, IT WAS TIME FOR PAPILLION FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ROLL OUT. HI. HOW ARE YOU DOING TODAY? GOOD. HOW ARE YOU? NOT TOO BAD. IS THAT FOR YOU? THANK YOU. HELLO. HI. HOW ARE YOU? GOOD. JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A WORKING SMOKE DETECTOR. YEAH. FIRE THE DELIVERY. RESULTING IN A WIN WIN SCENARIO. WORKING ALARMS. IT’S GOOD. MEANING? FREE PIZZA FOR THE CUSTOMER. GREAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. A POSITIVE DAY TEAM LEAD AT DOMINO’S JONATHAN GLENN IS HAPPY HE WAS A PART OF. I GREW UP HERE MY WHOLE LIFE, SO BEING ABLE TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY YOU GREW UP IN IS ALWAYS SPECIAL. TO DO AN EVENT, REWARDING THE COMMUNITY FOR TAKING PRECAUTIONS. ONE FREE PIZZA AT A TIME. WE APPLAUD PEOPLE FOR TAKING STEPS TO MAKE SURE TO KEEP THEIR FAMILY AND THEIR HOMES SAFE. THE PAPILLION FIRE DEPARTMENT SAYS THAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE A WORKING SMOKE DETECTOR OR IF YOU NEED ONE REPLACED, YOU CAN CONTACT THE MAYOR’S HOTLINE AND THEY’LL COME OUT AND INSTALL ONE FOR YOU. REPORTING FROM PAPI

    Fire department in Nebraska teams up with Domino’s to deliver fire safety

    Updated: 1:50 AM EDT Oct 8, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    When customers in Papillion, Nebraska, ordered their Domino’s Sunday afternoon, their delivery came with a surprise visit from the Papillion Fire Department and a check on their smoke detectors to ensure their safety.A normal day in a Domino’s kitchen is filled with sprinkling garlic knots with parmesan, cutting up pizzas into slices, and folding their famous boxes up ready for delivery. But Sunday was no ordinary day for the Domino’s store in Papillion, which is a suburb of Omaha.The pizza chain teamed up with the Papillion Fire Department for Fire Prevention Week, adding a new vehicle to their delivery team. Now following behind their famous delivery cars — marked with the red and blue game piece — was a Papillion fire engine.”Teamed up with Domino’s Pizza this year to check residents for smoke detectors. If they have working smoke detectors, credit to them — they got a free pizza,” said Battalion Chief of Papillion Fire Department Brian Oshey.While employees in the kitchen pressed the dough and laid the toppings, firefighters Brian Oshey and Todd Groose waited for their moment to deliver customers’ orders with a side of safety. When orders were bagged, it was time for the Papillion Fire Department to roll out, knocking at the door with pizza in hand, ready to check the customer’s smoke alarms.The delivery resulted in a win-win scenario: working alarms meant free pizza for the customer — a positive day.Team lead at Domino’s, Jonathan Glynn, is happy he was a part of it.”I lived in Papillion my whole life, so doing this is really cool,” said team lead at Papillion Domino’s, Jonathan Glynn.Rewarding the community for taking precautions, Oshey said, “We applaud people for taking steps to make sure they’re keeping their family and their home safe.”

    PAPILLION, Neb. —

    When customers in Papillion, Nebraska, ordered their Domino’s Sunday afternoon, their delivery came with a surprise visit from the Papillion Fire Department and a check on their smoke detectors to ensure their safety.

    A normal day in a Domino’s kitchen is filled with sprinkling garlic knots with parmesan, cutting up pizzas into slices, and folding their famous boxes up ready for delivery. But Sunday was no ordinary day for the Domino’s store in Papillion, which is a suburb of Omaha.

    The pizza chain teamed up with the Papillion Fire Department for Fire Prevention Week, adding a new vehicle to their delivery team. Now following behind their famous delivery cars — marked with the red and blue game piece — was a Papillion fire engine.

    “Teamed up with Domino’s Pizza this year to check residents for smoke detectors. If they have working smoke detectors, credit to them — they got a free pizza,” said Battalion Chief of Papillion Fire Department Brian Oshey.

    While employees in the kitchen pressed the dough and laid the toppings, firefighters Brian Oshey and Todd Groose waited for their moment to deliver customers’ orders with a side of safety.

    When orders were bagged, it was time for the Papillion Fire Department to roll out, knocking at the door with pizza in hand, ready to check the customer’s smoke alarms.

    The delivery resulted in a win-win scenario: working alarms meant free pizza for the customer — a positive day.

    Team lead at Domino’s, Jonathan Glynn, is happy he was a part of it.

    “I lived in Papillion my whole life, so doing this is really cool,” said team lead at Papillion Domino’s, Jonathan Glynn.

    Rewarding the community for taking precautions, Oshey said, “We applaud people for taking steps to make sure they’re keeping their family and their home safe.”

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  • I Street Bridge set to close for nearly two weeks for maintenance

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    One of the bridges commuters use between Sacramento and West Sacramento will shut down over several days for maintenance.The I Street Bridge, built in 1911, will close beginning at 6 a.m. on Oct. 6 for Union Pacific Railroad to complete repairs to the exterior siding of a building on the bridge. All travel across the bridge will be paused during the repair period, including drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.”I’m wondering, like, how am I going to get to downtown? How am I going to get into that area? Because that’s where everything is. Everything’s popping in that area. So it’s going to be tricky,” said Oskar Castaneda, a West Sacramento resident.The primary alternate route during the closure will be the Tower Bridge. For drivers traveling on I Street from Sacramento to West Sacramento, turn left on 3rd Street and then take a right on Capitol Mall. For drivers traveling from West Sacramento to Sacramento, take 5th or 3rd streets up to Cabaldon Parkway and turn left to get onto the Tower Bridge. Highway 50 is also an alternate route, but there is construction along that stretch that could contribute to slower traffic.Commuters are being encouraged to plan ahead.”That means I gotta wake up 10-20 minutes earlier. That’s not good,” said Michael Wilson, a Sacramento resident expressing his frustrations about the closure. The closure is expected to last through 6 a.m. on Oct. 16.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    One of the bridges commuters use between Sacramento and West Sacramento will shut down over several days for maintenance.

    The I Street Bridge, built in 1911, will close beginning at 6 a.m. on Oct. 6 for Union Pacific Railroad to complete repairs to the exterior siding of a building on the bridge.

    All travel across the bridge will be paused during the repair period, including drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians.

    “I’m wondering, like, how am I going to get to downtown? How am I going to get into that area? Because that’s where everything is. Everything’s popping in that area. So it’s going to be tricky,” said Oskar Castaneda, a West Sacramento resident.

    The primary alternate route during the closure will be the Tower Bridge. For drivers traveling on I Street from Sacramento to West Sacramento, turn left on 3rd Street and then take a right on Capitol Mall. For drivers traveling from West Sacramento to Sacramento, take 5th or 3rd streets up to Cabaldon Parkway and turn left to get onto the Tower Bridge.

    Highway 50 is also an alternate route, but there is construction along that stretch that could contribute to slower traffic.

    Commuters are being encouraged to plan ahead.

    “That means I gotta wake up 10-20 minutes earlier. That’s not good,” said Michael Wilson, a Sacramento resident expressing his frustrations about the closure.

    The closure is expected to last through 6 a.m. on Oct. 16.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • ‘Fight or flight takes over’: Transportation employees save cardiac arrest victim’s life

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    A Vermont man is lucky to be alive after collapsing from cardiac arrest in August. This week, he finally got the chance to thank the people who saved him.Bob Fenoff, 67, was working on a wall in his office when he said he suddenly blacked out and collapsed. Fenoff’s office is connected to the garage, which he leases to the Vermont transportation agency, VTRANS. “I just lost consciousness and that was it. Ended up on the floor,” Fenoff said.Two VTRANS employees, Noah Royer and John McClure, immediately jumped into action. They dialed 911 and began performing CPR — skills they had learned through mandatory workplace training.“Even though it doesn’t train you for moments like that, it gives you the basics,” Royer said. “Fight or flight takes over from there.”First responders arrived minutes later. Paramedics used a defibrillator to restart Fenoff’s heart. He spent two weeks in a coma before waking up and is now expected to make a full recovery.“If it had not been for the brave and immediate actions of Noah Royer and John McClure, I do not think that Mr. Fenoff would be standing in front of us today,” Keith Feddersen, a paramedic with CALEX Ambulance, said.Fenoff and his wife, Kathy, say they can’t express enough gratitude for the lifesaving efforts.“I’d thank you a hundred times — can’t thank you enough,” Kathy said.First responders hope Fenoff’s story will inspire others to learn CPR and AED use.“Getting certified is vitally important,” Capt. Phil Hawthorne of the St. Johnsbury Fire Department said. “This case really proves it.”

    A Vermont man is lucky to be alive after collapsing from cardiac arrest in August. This week, he finally got the chance to thank the people who saved him.

    Bob Fenoff, 67, was working on a wall in his office when he said he suddenly blacked out and collapsed. Fenoff’s office is connected to the garage, which he leases to the Vermont transportation agency, VTRANS.

    “I just lost consciousness and that was it. Ended up on the floor,” Fenoff said.

    Two VTRANS employees, Noah Royer and John McClure, immediately jumped into action. They dialed 911 and began performing CPR — skills they had learned through mandatory workplace training.

    “Even though it doesn’t train you for moments like that, it gives you the basics,” Royer said. “Fight or flight takes over from there.”

    First responders arrived minutes later. Paramedics used a defibrillator to restart Fenoff’s heart. He spent two weeks in a coma before waking up and is now expected to make a full recovery.

    “If it had not been for the brave and immediate actions of Noah Royer and John McClure, I do not think that Mr. Fenoff would be standing in front of us today,” Keith Feddersen, a paramedic with CALEX Ambulance, said.

    Fenoff and his wife, Kathy, say they can’t express enough gratitude for the lifesaving efforts.

    “I’d thank you a hundred times — can’t thank you enough,” Kathy said.

    First responders hope Fenoff’s story will inspire others to learn CPR and AED use.

    “Getting certified is vitally important,” Capt. Phil Hawthorne of the St. Johnsbury Fire Department said. “This case really proves it.”

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  • A look at what happened in the US government this week

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    The federal government shut down. Hamas agreed to parts of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the war in Gaza, but it seeks further talks on other elements of the plan. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech in Virginia to top military leaders. The Supreme Court made a ruling in Fed board member Lisa Cook’s case. And protests are intensifying in Oregon and Illinois in response to the arrival of federal agents.Here are the top stories involving the U.S. government this past week.Government shutdownThe federal government began a shutdown on Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill for the fiscal year 2026.On Friday, the Senate voted again on two proposals — a Democratic-backed one and a Republican-backed one, the latter of which passed in the House. Neither bill received the 60 votes needed, guaranteeing the shutdown will continue through the weekend.Health care is at the center of the shutdown. Here’s a look at the arguments being made by both sides and what the data shows us.The White House said that firings of federal employees are “imminent,” with President Donald Trump emphasizing that the shutdown is an “unprecedented opportunity” to cut jobs and programs.Here’s a look at how the shutdown could impact getting a passport, attending national parks, paying off student loans, receiving benefits, buying groceries and using air travel.Here’s how the shutdown could affect the nation’s economy.Get the Facts on whether undocumented immigrants are eligible for federal healthcare.Who could break the deadlock in Congress? Find out here.Video below: Fact-checking if undocumented immigrants are eligible for federal healthcare?Israel-Hamas peace planHamas announced Friday that it has accepted some elements of Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that other elements require further negotiations.In turn, Trump told Israel to stop bombing Gaza while all sides continue talks to reach a peace deal.Israel said it is preparing to implement the “first stage” of Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza.Trump announced the peace plan earlier in the week during a meeting at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Here’s everything you need to know about the peace proposal.Video below: President Trump unveils Gaza ceasefire proposal at White HouseIn other newsTrump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech in Quantico, Virginia, on Tuesday in front of hundreds of the country’s top military leaders.Trump and Hegseth railed against political correctness and pushed for tougher combat rules and fewer safeguards.The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Lisa Cook can remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now.Protests are intensifying in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago in response to Trump sending federal agents to both cities.A judge is weighing whether to temporarily block Trump’s National Guard deployment in Oregon.Hegseth said on Friday that he ordered a fourth strike on a small boat in the waters off Venezuela.Apple removed ICE tracking apps after the Trump administration said they threaten officers.A federal judge ruled that deporting noncitizens for protesting the Gaza war violates the First Amendment.An immigration judge denied Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s bid for asylum, but he has 30 days to appeal.The White House is asking nine major universities to commit to Trump’s political priorities in exchange for more favorable access to federal money.A week after her decisive win in an Arizona special election for the U.S. House, Democrat Adelita Grijalva has yet to be sworn into office, as fellow Democrats in Congress express discontent.Video below: Get the Facts on the makeup of the US military

    The federal government shut down. Hamas agreed to parts of President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the war in Gaza, but it seeks further talks on other elements of the plan. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a speech in Virginia to top military leaders. The Supreme Court made a ruling in Fed board member Lisa Cook’s case. And protests are intensifying in Oregon and Illinois in response to the arrival of federal agents.

    Here are the top stories involving the U.S. government this past week.

    Government shutdown

    Video below: Fact-checking if undocumented immigrants are eligible for federal healthcare?

    Israel-Hamas peace plan

    Video below: President Trump unveils Gaza ceasefire proposal at White House

    In other news

    Video below: Get the Facts on the makeup of the US military

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  • FBI cuts ties with Southern Poverty Law Center after criticism from conservatives

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    FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is cutting ties with the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has tracked domestic extremism and racial and religious bias for decades.It comes after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and increased attention on the group he founded, Turning Point USA. SPLC included it as a “case study in the hard right” in its report titled “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2024.”Video above details the charges against the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death.Patel said on Friday that the FBI would sever its relationship with the SPLC, asserting that the organization had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and criticizing it for its use of a “hate map” that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States. Criticism of the SPLC escalated from some conservatives and prominent allies of President Donald Trump in the weeks after Kirk’s assassination. Prominent figures including Elon Musk condemned the SPLC this week for its descriptions of Kirk and the organization.Many of those political figures were also connected to the group in the Turning Point USA case study.”Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA is a well-funded, hard-right organization with links to Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hard-right extremists and a tremendous amount of influence in conservative politics,” the SPLC case study states. “While the group was previously dismissed by key figures within the Republican National Committee (RNC), Trump attended several TPUSA events across the country throughout 2024, and several of his nominees have ties to the organization.”The case study characterized the organization as “authoritarian, patriarchal Christian supremacy dedicated to eroding the value of inclusive democracy and public institutions.” It stated that Turning Point USA exploited fear and “embraced aggressive state and federal power to enforce a social order rooted in white supremacy.”The August 2025 Intelligence Project Dispatch also named a leader of Turning Point Action, stating that former Arizona Rep. Austin Smith had been charged with election fraud.Video below: Charlie Kirk’s widow vows to continue his mission after his murderA spokesperson for the SPLC, a legal and advocacy group founded in 1971 as a watchdog for minorities and the underprivileged, did not directly address Patel’s comments in a statement Friday but said the organization has for decades shared data with the public and remains “committed to exposing hate and extremism as we work to equip communities with knowledge and defend the rights and safety of marginalized people.”The FBI also cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights antisemitism. It faced criticism on the right for maintaining a “Glossary of Extremism.” The organization announced this week that it was discontinuing that glossary because a number of entries were outdated and some were being “intentionally misrepresented and misused.”What is the SPLC?The Southern Poverty Law Center was created by lawyers Morris Dees and Joe Levin in Montgomery in 1971.Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond was named the first president and people from across the country created the financial base for the organization, according to the SPLC website.”In the decades since its founding, the SPLC shut down some of the nation’s most violent white supremacist groups by winning crushing, multimillion-dollar jury verdicts on behalf of their victims,” the website states about the organization’s history. “It dismantled vestiges of Jim Crow, reformed juvenile justice practices, shattered barriers to equality for women, children, the LGBT community and the disabled, protected low-wage immigrant workers from exploitation, and more.”During the 1980s, the SPLC began monitoring white supremacist activity and what is now known as the Intelligence Project tracks hate and extremist groups across the country. This report is known around the world.

    FBI Director Kash Patel says the bureau is cutting ties with the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which has tracked domestic extremism and racial and religious bias for decades.

    It comes after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and increased attention on the group he founded, Turning Point USA. SPLC included it as a “case study in the hard right” in its report titled “The Year in Hate and Extremism 2024.“

    Video above details the charges against the suspect in Charlie Kirk’s death.

    Patel said on Friday that the FBI would sever its relationship with the SPLC, asserting that the organization had been turned into a “partisan smear machine” and criticizing it for its use of a “hate map” that documents alleged anti-government and hate groups inside the United States.

    Criticism of the SPLC escalated from some conservatives and prominent allies of President Donald Trump in the weeks after Kirk’s assassination. Prominent figures including Elon Musk condemned the SPLC this week for its descriptions of Kirk and the organization.

    Many of those political figures were also connected to the group in the Turning Point USA case study.

    “Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA is a well-funded, hard-right organization with links to Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hard-right extremists and a tremendous amount of influence in conservative politics,” the SPLC case study states. “While the group was previously dismissed by key figures within the Republican National Committee (RNC), Trump attended several TPUSA events across the country throughout 2024, and several of his nominees have ties to the organization.”

    The case study characterized the organization as “authoritarian, patriarchal Christian supremacy dedicated to eroding the value of inclusive democracy and public institutions.” It stated that Turning Point USA exploited fear and “embraced aggressive state and federal power to enforce a social order rooted in white supremacy.”

    The August 2025 Intelligence Project Dispatch also named a leader of Turning Point Action, stating that former Arizona Rep. Austin Smith had been charged with election fraud.

    Video below: Charlie Kirk’s widow vows to continue his mission after his murder

    A spokesperson for the SPLC, a legal and advocacy group founded in 1971 as a watchdog for minorities and the underprivileged, did not directly address Patel’s comments in a statement Friday but said the organization has for decades shared data with the public and remains “committed to exposing hate and extremism as we work to equip communities with knowledge and defend the rights and safety of marginalized people.”

    The FBI also cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization that fights antisemitism. It faced criticism on the right for maintaining a “Glossary of Extremism.” The organization announced this week that it was discontinuing that glossary because a number of entries were outdated and some were being “intentionally misrepresented and misused.”

    What is the SPLC?

    The Southern Poverty Law Center was created by lawyers Morris Dees and Joe Levin in Montgomery in 1971.

    Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond was named the first president and people from across the country created the financial base for the organization, according to the SPLC website.

    “In the decades since its founding, the SPLC shut down some of the nation’s most violent white supremacist groups by winning crushing, multimillion-dollar jury verdicts on behalf of their victims,” the website states about the organization’s history. “It dismantled vestiges of Jim Crow, reformed juvenile justice practices, shattered barriers to equality for women, children, the LGBT community and the disabled, protected low-wage immigrant workers from exploitation, and more.”

    During the 1980s, the SPLC began monitoring white supremacist activity and what is now known as the Intelligence Project tracks hate and extremist groups across the country. This report is known around the world.

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  • Federal government shutdown delays jobs report release, adding economic uncertainty

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    The jobs report, which usually comes out on the first Friday of every month, will not be released today. Two private surveys that came out this week show *** wide range of numbers. The payroll provider ADP issued its monthly employment data, which does not include government agencies, showing the economy lost 32,000 jobs in September, while another survey by FactSet suggests 50,000 jobs were created at an already uncertain time in the economy. This is making things even more unclear. If the official government jobs report is delayed for several weeks, it could create *** Challenge for the Federal Reserve as they decide to change key interest rates which impact mortgages, loans, and credit cards. We’ve seen jobs reports delayed before during other government shutdowns in 2013 and 1995, the release of the jobs report was paused, but during the longest government shutdown in US history from 2018 to 2019, the jobs report was released, and that was during President Trump’s first term in office at the White House. I’m Rachel Herzheimer.

    Federal government shutdown delays jobs report release, adding economic uncertainty

    The ongoing federal government shutdown postponed the release of the monthly jobs report, adding to economic uncertainty.

    Updated: 4:35 AM PDT Oct 3, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The federal government shutdown has reached its third day, with senators preparing to vote again on short-term budget proposals from both parties, which have failed multiple times.Bipartisan talks continue, but Republicans remain firm in their demand that the government reopen before addressing Democratic health care demands, which include extending credits for cheaper private health care and reversing Medicaid cuts. The jobs report, usually released on the first Friday of every month, will not be published today due to the shutdown. Two private surveys released this week show differing data: payroll provider ADP reported a loss of 32,000 jobs in September, while FactSet suggested 50,000 jobs were created.The delayed report adds to the uncertainty in an already unclear economic situation and could pose a challenge to the Federal Reserve in deciding interest rate changes, which impact mortgages, loans, and credit cards.Previous shutdowns in 2013 and 1995 also saw delays in jobs reports, although the report was released during the longest shutdown in U.S. history, under President Donald Trump’s first term.Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    The federal government shutdown has reached its third day, with senators preparing to vote again on short-term budget proposals from both parties, which have failed multiple times.

    Bipartisan talks continue, but Republicans remain firm in their demand that the government reopen before addressing Democratic health care demands, which include extending credits for cheaper private health care and reversing Medicaid cuts.

    The jobs report, usually released on the first Friday of every month, will not be published today due to the shutdown.

    Two private surveys released this week show differing data: payroll provider ADP reported a loss of 32,000 jobs in September, while FactSet suggested 50,000 jobs were created.

    The delayed report adds to the uncertainty in an already unclear economic situation and could pose a challenge to the Federal Reserve in deciding interest rate changes, which impact mortgages, loans, and credit cards.

    Previous shutdowns in 2013 and 1995 also saw delays in jobs reports, although the report was released during the longest shutdown in U.S. history, under President Donald Trump’s first term.

    Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau:


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  • Trump and Hegseth declare an end to ‘politically correct’ leadership in the US military

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    President Donald Trump revealed that he wants to use American cities as training grounds for the armed forces and joined Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday in declaring an end to “woke” culture before an unusual gathering of hundreds of top U.S. military officials who were abruptly summoned to Virginia from around the world.Hegseth announced new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness, while Trump bragged about U.S. nuclear capabilities and warned that “America is under invasion from within.”“After spending trillions of dollars defending the borders of foreign countries, with your help we’re defending the borders of our country,” Trump said.Hegseth had called military leaders to the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington, without publicly revealing the reason until this morning. His address largely focused on his own long-used talking points that painted a picture of a military that has been hamstrung by “woke” policies, and he said military leaders should “do the honorable thing and resign” if they don’t like his new approach.Meetings between top military brass and civilian leaders are nothing new, but the gathering had fueled intense speculation about the summit’s purpose given the haste with which it was called and the mystery surrounding it.Video below: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gives remarks in QuanticoAdmirals and generals from conflict zones in the Middle East and elsewhere were summoned for a lecture on race and gender in the military, underscoring the extent to which the country’s culture wars have emerged as a front-and-center agenda item for Hegseth’s Pentagon, even at a time of broad national security concerns across the globe.‘We will not be politically correct’Trump is used to boisterous crowds of supporters who laugh at his jokes and applaud his boasts during his speeches. But he wasn’t getting that kind of soundtrack from the generals and admirals in attendance.In keeping with the nonpartisan tradition of the armed services, the military leaders sat mostly stone-faced through Trump’s politicized remarks, a contrast from when rank-and-file soldiers cheered during Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg this summer.During his nearly hour-long speech, Hegseth said the U.S. military has promoted too many leaders for the wrong reasons based on race, gender quotas and “historic firsts.”“The era of politically correct, overly sensitive don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now at every level,” Hegseth said.That was echoed by Trump, who said “the purposes of America military is not to protect anyone’s feelings. It’s to protect our republic.″″We will not be politically correct when it comes to defending American freedom,” Trump said. “And we will be a fighting and winning machine.”Loosening disciplinary rulesHegseth said he is loosening disciplinary rules and weakening hazing protections, putting a heavy focus on removing many of the guardrails the military had put in place after numerous scandals and investigationsHe said he was ordering a review of “the department’s definitions of so-called toxic leadership, bullying and hazing to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second guessing.”The defense secretary called for “changes to the retention of adverse information on personnel records that will allow leaders with forgivable, earnest, or minor infractions to not be encumbered by those infractions in perpetuity.”“People make honest mistakes, and our mistakes should not define an entire career,” Hegseth said. “Otherwise, we only try not to make mistakes.”Bullying and toxic leadership has been the suspected and confirmed cause behind numerous military suicides over the past several years, including the very dramatic suicide of Brandon Caserta, a young sailor who was bullied into killing himself in 2018.A Navy investigation found that Caserta’s supervisor’s “noted belligerence, vulgarity and brash leadership was likely a significant contributing factor in (the sailor)’s decision to end his own life.”Gender-neutral physical standardsHegseth used the platform to slam environmental policies and transgender troops while talking up his and Trump’s focus on “the warrior ethos” and “peace through strength.”Hegseth said the department has been told from previous administrations that “our diversity is our strength,” which he called an “insane fallacy.”“They had to put out dizzying DEI and LGBTQE+ statements. They were told females and males are the same thing, or that males who think they’re females is totally normal,” he said, adding the use of electric tanks and the COVID vaccine requirements to the list as mistaken policies.Hegseth said this is not about preventing women from serving.“But when it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender neutral,” he said. “If women can make it excellent, if not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”Hegseth’s speech came as the country faces a potential government shutdown this week and as Hegseth, who has hammered home a focus on lethality, has taken several unusual and unexplained actions, including ordering cuts to the number of general officers and firings of other top military leaders.Hegseth has championed the military’s role in securing the U.S.-Mexico border, deploying to American cities as part of Trump’s law enforcement surges, and carrying out strikes on boats in the Caribbean that the administration says targeted drug traffickers.

    QUANTICO, Va. —

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of U.S. military officials to an in-person meeting Tuesday to declare an end to “woke” culture in the military and announce new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness.

    Hegseth and President Donald Trump had abruptly called military leaders from around the world to convene at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington, without publicly revealing the reason until this morning. Hegseth’s address largely focused on his own long-used talking points that painted a picture of a military that has been hamstrung by “woke” policies, and he said military leaders should “do the honorable thing and resign” if they don’t like his new approach.

    Meetings between top military brass and civilian leaders are nothing new, but the gathering had fueled intense speculation about the summit’s purpose given the haste with which it was called and the mystery surrounding it.

    Admirals and generals from conflict zones in the Middle East and elsewhere were summoned for a lecture on race and gender in the military, underscoring the extent to which the country’s culture wars have emerged as a front-and-center agenda item for Hegseth’s Pentagon, even at a time of broad national security concerns across the globe.

    Video below: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gives remarks in Quantico

    During his nearly hour-long speech, Hegseth said the U.S. military has promoted too many leaders for the wrong reasons based on race, gender quotas and “historic firsts.”

    “The era of politically correct, overly sensitive don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now at every level,” Hegseth said.

    He said he is loosening disciplinary rules and weakening hazing protections, putting a heavy focus on removing many of the guardrails the military had put in place after numerous scandals and investigations

    Hegseth said he was ordering a review of “the department’s definitions of so-called toxic leadership, bullying and hazing to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second guessing.”

    He called for “changes to the retention of adverse information on personnel records that will allow leaders with forgivable, earnest, or minor infractions to not be encumbered by those infractions in perpetuity.”

    “People make honest mistakes, and our mistakes should not define an entire career,” Hegseth said. “Otherwise, we only try not to make mistakes.”

    Bullying and toxic leadership has been the suspected and confirmed cause behind numerous military suicides over the past several years, including the very dramatic suicide of Brandon Caserta, a young sailor who was bullied into killing himself in 2018.

    A Navy investigation found that Caserta’s supervisor’s “noted belligerence, vulgarity and brash leadership was likely a significant contributing factor in (the sailor)’s decision to end his own life.”

    Hegseth used the platform to slam physical fitness and grooming standards, environmental policies and transgender troops while talking up his and Trump’s focus on “the warrior ethos” and “peace through strength.”

    Hegseth said the department has been told from previous administrations that “our diversity is our strength,” which he called an “insane fallacy.”

    “They had to put out dizzying DEI and LGBTQE+ statements. They were told females and males are the same thing, or that males who think they’re females is totally normal,” he said, adding the use of electric tanks and the COVID vaccine requirements to the list as mistaken policies.

    Hegseth said this is is not about preventing women from serving.

    “But when it comes to any job that requires physical power to perform in combat, those physical standards must be high and gender neutral,” he said. “If women can make it excellent, if not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it. That is not the intent, but it could be the result.”

    Hegseth’s speech came as the country faces a potential government shutdown this week and as Hegseth, who has hammered home a focus on lethality, has taken several unusual and unexplained actions, including ordering cuts to the number of general officers and firings of other top military leaders.

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