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Tag: woman

  • Body recovered at California beach identified by family as possible shark attack victim

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    A body recovered on a remote beach in California has been identified by the family as Erica Fox, a swimmer who went missing after a suspected shark attack on Dec. 21.Fox, 55, was the co-founder of Kelp Krawlers, a swim group that traditionally swims at Lovers Point, a state marine reserve in Pacific Grove, every Sunday. She went missing during the group’s weekly swim with about a dozen other swimmers. The group returned to shore, but Fox was missing.Fox’s father, James Fox, confirmed to sister station KSBW that the woman recovered on a “remote pocket beach” was his daughter. He said she was identified by the clothing she was wearing. The Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office, which handles official identification, has not released her identity.Witnesses reported seeing a large splash and a possible shark encounter near Lovers Point around noon on Dec. 21. One witness told the U.S. Coast Guard they saw a shark breach with what appeared to be a human body, then disappear underwater. Another swimmer in the group later also confirmed Fox was unaccounted for.The search for Fox was formally suspended Monday evening after crews were unable to find any signs of her. Around 12:35 p.m. local time Saturday, CAL FIRE CZU said it assisted in recovering a woman’s body from the water at a beach about 45 miles north of Pacific Grove.James Fox said several members of the Kelp Krawlers swim club gathered at Lovers Point on Sunday for an impromptu memorial to honor Erica.

    SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. —

    A body recovered on a remote beach in California has been identified by the family as Erica Fox, a swimmer who went missing after a suspected shark attack on Dec. 21.

    Fox, 55, was the co-founder of Kelp Krawlers, a swim group that traditionally swims at Lovers Point, a state marine reserve in Pacific Grove, every Sunday.

    She went missing during the group’s weekly swim with about a dozen other swimmers. The group returned to shore, but Fox was missing.

    Fox’s father, James Fox, confirmed to sister station KSBW that the woman recovered on a “remote pocket beach” was his daughter. He said she was identified by the clothing she was wearing.

    The Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office, which handles official identification, has not released her identity.

    Witnesses reported seeing a large splash and a possible shark encounter near Lovers Point around noon on Dec. 21.

    One witness told the U.S. Coast Guard they saw a shark breach with what appeared to be a human body, then disappear underwater. Another swimmer in the group later also confirmed Fox was unaccounted for.

    The search for Fox was formally suspended Monday evening after crews were unable to find any signs of her.

    Around 12:35 p.m. local time Saturday, CAL FIRE CZU said it assisted in recovering a woman’s body from the water at a beach about 45 miles north of Pacific Grove.

    James Fox said several members of the Kelp Krawlers swim club gathered at Lovers Point on Sunday for an impromptu memorial to honor Erica.

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  • Edgewater police looking for woman accused of abducting two children

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    Woman accused of abducting 2 children arrested in Seminole County

    BREAKING NEWS. THAT BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT. EDGEWATER POLICE NEED YOUR HELP FINDING A MOTHER ACCUSED OF ABDUCTING HER TWO CHILDREN. INVESTIGATORS SAY SHE TOOK THE KIDS FROM THEIR FATHER. THE CHILDREN WERE TAKEN FROM A GAS STATION ON INDIAN RIVER BOULEVARD, JUST WEST OF ROUTE ONE. AND THAT’S WHERE WESH 2’S JAVON JONES IS TONIGHT. SO, DAVID, POLICE SAY THIS WOMAN SHOULDN’T HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH HER CHILDREN. NANCY. THAT’S RIGHT. WE’RE AT THE 600 BLOCK IN THE AREA OF THE 600 BLOCK OF WEST INDIAN RIVER BOULEVARD. AGAIN, JUST AS YOU SAID, A LITTLE BIT DOWN FROM US ONE. THIS IS WHERE THEY SAY THAT MOM, WHO APPARENTLY HAD AN ACTIVE WARRANT AND WAS ORDERED NOT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH HER CHILDREN, FOLLOWED THE CHILDREN’S FATHER TO A GAS STATION, WAITED UNTIL HE WENT INSIDE. AND THAT’S WHEN OFFICERS SAY SHE TOOK HER SEVEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND FIVE YEAR OLD SON FROM THE CAR. THEY RELEASED THIS PHOTO OF EMILY SAINT CLAIR ASKING ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC WHO SEES HER TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE EDGEWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT. POLICE SAY SHE HAS AN ACTIVE WARRANT FOR DRUG POSSESSION, AND THAT DCF HAD PROHIBITED CONTACT WITH HER CHILDREN. SHE’S EXPECTED TO BE TRAVELING WITH HER DAUGHTER AND SON, ABEL. EDGEWATER POLICE ALSO RELEASING THESE IMAGES OF THE TWO, SAYING EASLEY IS FOUR FOOT TALL, 40 TO 50 POUNDS, WITH BLOND HAIR, LAST SEEN WEARING A NIGHTGOWN, AND ABEL IS THREE FOOT SIX, 35 TO 40 POUNDS WITH BLOND HAIR AND BLUE EYES. THEY SAY SAINT CLAIR IS EXPECTED TO BE TRAVELING SOUTH ON OR NEAR U.S. ONE. IN A NEWER BLUE MODEL CHEVY SUV. THEY’RE ADVISING PEOPLE, IF YOU SEE SAINT CLAIR NOT TO APPROACH HER, BUT INSTEAD TO CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. COVERING VOLUSIA COUNTY LI

    Woman accused of abducting 2 children arrested in Seminole County

    Updated: 2:59 AM EST Dec 22, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    UPDATE: Emily St. Clair has been located and taken into custody in Seminole County.The children were unharmed and reunited with their father. ORIGINAL STORY: The Edgewater Police Department is looking for a woman accused of abducting two children she has been court-ordered to have no contact with.According to police, Emily St. Clair took 7-year-old Eislee Kraus and 5-year-old Abel Kraus from their father’s vehicle at a gas station in the 600 block of West Indian River Boulevard Sunday evening. St. Clair allegedly followed them and took the children after their father went inside the gas station.Police said St. Clair has an active felony warrant for drug possession and a DCF court order prohibiting her from being in contact with the children.She was last seen as a passenger in a newer-model Chevrolet SUV traveling southbound on U.S. 1 from West Indian River Boulevard.Police are asking anyone who sees St. Clair or the children not to approach them but to call 911 instead. Anyone with information about St. Clair or the children’s whereabouts is asked to call the Edgewater Police Department’s non-emergency phone number at 386-424-2000 and press option 3 or to email tips@cityofedgewater.org.Child descriptionsEislee Kraus (DOB: 3/28/2018)White femaleBlonde hairApproximately 4′ tall, 40–50 poundsLast seen wearing a one-piece nightgown (possibly purple)Abel Kraus (DOB: 8/24/2020)White maleBlonde hair, blue eyesApproximately 3’6″, 35–40 poundsClothing unknown

    EDGEWATER, Fla. —

    UPDATE: Emily St. Clair has been located and taken into custody in Seminole County.

    The children were unharmed and reunited with their father.

    ORIGINAL STORY: The Edgewater Police Department is looking for a woman accused of abducting two children she has been court-ordered to have no contact with.

    According to police, Emily St. Clair took 7-year-old Eislee Kraus and 5-year-old Abel Kraus from their father’s vehicle at a gas station in the 600 block of West Indian River Boulevard Sunday evening. St. Clair allegedly followed them and took the children after their father went inside the gas station.

    Police said St. Clair has an active felony warrant for drug possession and a DCF court order prohibiting her from being in contact with the children.

    She was last seen as a passenger in a newer-model Chevrolet SUV traveling southbound on U.S. 1 from West Indian River Boulevard.

    emily st clair

    Edgewater Police Department

    Police are asking anyone who sees St. Clair or the children not to approach them but to call 911 instead. Anyone with information about St. Clair or the children’s whereabouts is asked to call the Edgewater Police Department’s non-emergency phone number at 386-424-2000 and press option 3 or to email tips@cityofedgewater.org.

    Child descriptions

    Eislee Kraus (DOB: 3/28/2018)

    • White female
    • Blonde hair
    • Approximately 4′ tall, 40–50 pounds
    • Last seen wearing a one-piece nightgown (possibly purple)

    Abel Kraus (DOB: 8/24/2020)

    • White male
    • Blonde hair, blue eyes
    • Approximately 3’6″, 35–40 pounds
    • Clothing unknown

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  • Woman arrested after holding child underwater at Kissimmee hotel pool, deputies say

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    A woman is facing charges after allegedly pushing a child underwater during an altercation at a pool at the Gaylord Palms resort in Kissimmee on Friday, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.Deputies responded to the resort’s pool rea around 4:30 p.m. on Friday for a reported battery involving a child. Witnesses told the sheriff’s office that three children were playing in the pool when the splashing became aggressive. The suspect, Tiffany Griffith, 36, of Fort Myers, then allegedly entered the pool and yelled at a 6-year-old boy after he dunked her 6-year-old son underwater.The sheriff’s office said Griffith then put her hands on the other child’s shoulders and forcibly dunked him underwater for several seconds. The boy exited the pool visibly upset and suffering from a nosebleed and told his parents about the incident, according to deputies.Griffith then allegedly began yelling at the victim’s mother before leaving the area. She was arrested and transported to the Osceola County jail where she is being held without bond on one count of aggravated child abuse.The Gaylord Palms has been contacted for comment, but no response has been received yet.

    OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. —

    A woman is facing charges after allegedly pushing a child underwater during an altercation at a pool at the Gaylord Palms resort in Kissimmee on Friday, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.

    Deputies responded to the resort’s pool rea around 4:30 p.m. on Friday for a reported battery involving a child. Witnesses told the sheriff’s office that three children were playing in the pool when the splashing became aggressive. The suspect, Tiffany Griffith, 36, of Fort Myers, then allegedly entered the pool and yelled at a 6-year-old boy after he dunked her 6-year-old son underwater.

    The sheriff’s office said Griffith then put her hands on the other child’s shoulders and forcibly dunked him underwater for several seconds. The boy exited the pool visibly upset and suffering from a nosebleed and told his parents about the incident, according to deputies.

    Griffith then allegedly began yelling at the victim’s mother before leaving the area. She was arrested and transported to the Osceola County jail where she is being held without bond on one count of aggravated child abuse.

    The Gaylord Palms has been contacted for comment, but no response has been received yet.

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  • Father reunites with daughter in Marion County after searching for 40 years

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    Debra Newton was arrested by Marion County sheriff’s deputies after a tip led to a father and daughter reuniting for the first time in more than 40 years. Body camera video captured the moment deputies approached a woman they knew as Sharon Neely.”How are you doing, Ms. Sharon?” said one deputy.She was known in her Marion County community, but according to deputies, her real identity is Debra Newton.Newton was arrested by Marion County deputies for a warrant out of Kentucky after authorities said she abducted her own child.”When the tip came in, it says they recognized this lady from the social media post as being a person who was wanted out of Kentucky,” said Valerie Strong, public information officer for the MCSO.That tip was the last piece that ended a cold case from more than four decades ago.Joe Newton and his wife, Debra, were preparing to move to Georgia in 1983, but when Joe came home, Debra had taken off with their 3-year-old daughter, Michelle.After the pair disappeared, Joe searched for the two. For years, the family didn’t know if Michelle was alive.After Debra’s arrest, Michelle reunited with her father.”She’s always been in our hearts. I cannot explain that moment of that woman walking in and getting to put my arms back around my daughter,” Joe said.The news also meant Michelle had to learn her identity. She said she came home from work to find police at her door.”You are not who you think you are. You are a missing person. You are Michelle Marie Newton,” she was told.Michelle learned she had a family who never stopped searching for her and a father who never stopped loving her.”I wouldn’t trade that moment,” Joe said. “It was just like seeing her when she was first born. It was like an angel.”Despite life turning upside down, Michelle showed no anger toward her mother. She said she wants to heal and move forward.”My intention is to support them both through this and trying to navigate and help them both just wrap it up so that we can all heal and hopefully, you know, there’s just apologies and start healing,” she said.Debra was sent back to Jefferson County in Louisville, Kentucky, where she appeared in court Monday. She has been arraigned on a felony charge of custodial interference, according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Jefferson County. Felony custodial-kidnapping charges carry no statute of limitations in Kentucky. She is due back in court in January.

    MARION COUNTY, Fla. —

    Debra Newton was arrested by Marion County sheriff’s deputies after a tip led to a father and daughter reuniting for the first time in more than 40 years.

    Body camera video captured the moment deputies approached a woman they knew as Sharon Neely.

    “How are you doing, Ms. Sharon?” said one deputy.

    She was known in her Marion County community, but according to deputies, her real identity is Debra Newton.

    Newton was arrested by Marion County deputies for a warrant out of Kentucky after authorities said she abducted her own child.

    “When the tip came in, it says they recognized this lady from the social media post as being a person who was wanted out of Kentucky,” said Valerie Strong, public information officer for the MCSO.

    That tip was the last piece that ended a cold case from more than four decades ago.

    Joe Newton and his wife, Debra, were preparing to move to Georgia in 1983, but when Joe came home, Debra had taken off with their 3-year-old daughter, Michelle.

    After the pair disappeared, Joe searched for the two. For years, the family didn’t know if Michelle was alive.

    After Debra’s arrest, Michelle reunited with her father.

    “She’s always been in our hearts. I cannot explain that moment of that woman walking in and getting to put my arms back around my daughter,” Joe said.

    The news also meant Michelle had to learn her identity. She said she came home from work to find police at her door.

    “You are not who you think you are. You are a missing person. You are Michelle Marie Newton,” she was told.

    Michelle learned she had a family who never stopped searching for her and a father who never stopped loving her.

    “I wouldn’t trade that moment,” Joe said. “It was just like seeing her when she was first born. It was like an angel.”

    Despite life turning upside down, Michelle showed no anger toward her mother. She said she wants to heal and move forward.

    “My intention is to support them both through this and trying to navigate and help them both just wrap it up so that we can all heal and hopefully, you know, there’s just apologies and start healing,” she said.

    Debra was sent back to Jefferson County in Louisville, Kentucky, where she appeared in court Monday. She has been arraigned on a felony charge of custodial interference, according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Jefferson County. Felony custodial-kidnapping charges carry no statute of limitations in Kentucky. She is due back in court in January.

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  • Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in Los Angeles home

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    Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were the two people found dead Sunday at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Investigators believe they suffered stab wounds and a family member is being questioned by investigators, the official said.The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman dead inside. Reiner turned 78 in March.Detectives with the Robbery Homicide Division were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department.Los Angeles authorities have not confirmed the identities of the people found dead at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood on the city’s west side that’s home to many celebrities.Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.”His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic “All in the Family,” alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.Relatives of Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, said they were bereft by the news.“Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” said a Lear family statement. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”Messages to Reiner’s representatives were not immediately returned Sunday night.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Reiner’s death a devastating loss for the city.“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Bass said in a statement. “An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally” and have three children together.Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.Killings are rare in the Brentwood neighborhood. The scene is about a mile from the home where O.J. Simpson’s wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994.Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed.

    LOS ANGELES —

    Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were the two people found dead Sunday at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

    The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

    Investigators believe they suffered stab wounds and a family member is being questioned by investigators, the official said.

    The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman dead inside. Reiner turned 78 in March.

    Detectives with the Robbery Homicide Division were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department.

    Los Angeles authorities have not confirmed the identities of the people found dead at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood on the city’s west side that’s home to many celebrities.

    Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.”

    His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic “All in the Family,” alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.

    Relatives of Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, said they were bereft by the news.

    “Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” said a Lear family statement. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”

    Messages to Reiner’s representatives were not immediately returned Sunday night.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Reiner’s death a devastating loss for the city.

    “Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Bass said in a statement. “An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”

    The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally” and have three children together.

    Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.

    Killings are rare in the Brentwood neighborhood. The scene is about a mile from the home where O.J. Simpson’s wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994.

    Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed.

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  • Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in Los Angeles home

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    Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were the two people found dead Sunday at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Investigators believe they suffered stab wounds and a family member is being questioned by investigators, the official said.The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman dead inside. Reiner turned 78 in March.Detectives with the Robbery Homicide Division were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department.Los Angeles authorities have not confirmed the identities of the people found dead at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood on the city’s west side that’s home to many celebrities.Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.”His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic “All in the Family,” alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.Relatives of Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, said they were bereft by the news.“Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” said a Lear family statement. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”Messages to Reiner’s representatives were not immediately returned Sunday night.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Reiner’s death a devastating loss for the city.“Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Bass said in a statement. “An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally” and have three children together.Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.Killings are rare in the Brentwood neighborhood. The scene is about a mile from the home where O.J. Simpson’s wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994.Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed.

    LOS ANGELES —

    Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were the two people found dead Sunday at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

    The official could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

    Investigators believe they suffered stab wounds and a family member is being questioned by investigators, the official said.

    The Los Angeles Fire Department said it responded to a medical aid request shortly after 3:30 p.m. and found a 78-year-old man and 68-year-old woman dead inside. Reiner turned 78 in March.

    Detectives with the Robbery Homicide Division were investigating an “apparent homicide” at Reiner’s home, said Capt. Mike Bland with the Los Angeles Police Department.

    Los Angeles authorities have not confirmed the identities of the people found dead at the residence in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood on the city’s west side that’s home to many celebrities.

    Reiner was long one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and ’90s, including “This is Spinal Tap,” “A Few Good Men,” “When Harry Met Sally” and “The Princess Bride.”

    His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic “All in the Family,” alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.

    Relatives of Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, said they were bereft by the news.

    “Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” said a Lear family statement. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”

    Messages to Reiner’s representatives were not immediately returned Sunday night.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called Reiner’s death a devastating loss for the city.

    “Rob Reiner’s contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice,” Bass said in a statement. “An acclaimed actor, director, producer, writer, and engaged political activist, he always used his gifts in service of others.”

    The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing “When Harry Met Sally” and have three children together.

    Reiner was previously married to actor-director Penny Marshall from 1971 to 1981. He adopted her daughter, Tracy Reiner. Carl Reiner died in 2020 at age 98 and Marshall died in 2018.

    Killings are rare in the Brentwood neighborhood. The scene is about a mile from the home where O.J. Simpson’s wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994.

    Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed.

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  • Democrats release Epstein estate photos ahead of key Justice Department deadline

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    Democrats serving on the House Oversight Committee released dozens of photos on Friday from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including some of President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. Some of the photos show Trump alongside women whose faces were blacked out. No additional context for the redactions was provided in the initial press release. “These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Democrats are “selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.”Trump told reporters Friday that he had not seen the photos and downplayed their significance.“He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him, so that’s no big deal. I know nothing about it,” Trump said. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s known victims.Garcia didn’t specifically say whether the women whose faces were redacted in the photos were victims of abuse. He told reporters, “Our commitment from day one has been to redact any photo, any information that could lead to any sort of harm to any of the victims.”Garcia said that the photos were released in the interest of transparency. He said the panel is in the process of reviewing the rest of the 95,000 photos received from Epstein’s estate on Thursday evening, and the public should expect more pictures to come out. Republicans on the House Oversight Committee defended Trump and took aim at the Clintons. Rep. James Comer, who chairs the committee, issued a statement warning that they will initiate proceedings to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress if they fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January. Comer said it has been more than four months since they were subpoenaed as part of the committee’s Epstein probe. Friday’s developments are renewing focus on the yearslong controversy ahead of next week’s Dec. 19 deadline for the Justice Department to release another trove of documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation and his death behind bars in 2019. The release of those files was required by Congress in a near-unanimous vote last month. The DOJ has promised maximum transparency, but some fear the documents will be overly redacted.More from the Washington Bureau:

    WASHINGTON —

    Democrats serving on the House Oversight Committee released dozens of photos on Friday from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including some of President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.

    Some of the photos show Trump alongside women whose faces were blacked out. No additional context for the redactions was provided in the initial press release.

    “These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement.

    White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Democrats are “selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative.”

    Trump told reporters Friday that he had not seen the photos and downplayed their significance.

    “He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him, so that’s no big deal. I know nothing about it,” Trump said.

    Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing by Epstein’s known victims.

    Garcia didn’t specifically say whether the women whose faces were redacted in the photos were victims of abuse. He told reporters, “Our commitment from day one has been to redact any photo, any information that could lead to any sort of harm to any of the victims.”

    Garcia said that the photos were released in the interest of transparency. He said the panel is in the process of reviewing the rest of the 95,000 photos received from Epstein’s estate on Thursday evening, and the public should expect more pictures to come out.

    Republicans on the House Oversight Committee defended Trump and took aim at the Clintons.

    Rep. James Comer, who chairs the committee, issued a statement warning that they will initiate proceedings to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress if they fail to appear for their depositions next week or schedule a date for early January. Comer said it has been more than four months since they were subpoenaed as part of the committee’s Epstein probe.

    Friday’s developments are renewing focus on the yearslong controversy ahead of next week’s Dec. 19 deadline for the Justice Department to release another trove of documents related to Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation and his death behind bars in 2019. The release of those files was required by Congress in a near-unanimous vote last month. The DOJ has promised maximum transparency, but some fear the documents will be overly redacted.

    More from the Washington Bureau:


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  • Sheriff employee stabbed while changing her baby in Macy’s bathroom

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    A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department employee vacationing in New York City was stabbed inside a Macy’s bathroom while she was changing her 9-month-old daughter’s diaper on Thursday, police said.

    The woman and her husband were shopping with their baby in Herald Square before stopping in the West 34th Street Macy’s restroom at 3:15 p.m. A homeless woman identified by police as Kerri Aherne, 43, lunged at the mother inside the bathroom, stabbing her in the back several times and slashing her arm, NYPD Sgt. Kevin Sheehan said.

    The woman’s baby was not hurt. The two women did not know each other and there was no prior interaction or dispute, Sheehan said.

    The victim’s husband, who was nearby and heard the disturbance, rushed into the restroom and restrained the assailant until officers arrived, Sheehan said. The victim’s husband is also a LASD employee, according to a statement from the department. Their specific roles were not disclosed.

    Paramedics took the woman to Bellevue Hospital, where she was treated and is expected to survive, according to Sheehan.

    The knife used in the attack was recovered at the scene, police said.

    “My thoughts and prayers are with my employees and their family during this very traumatic event,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna. “I am grateful that they are safe and receiving the care and support they need. I want to thank the NYPD first responders who acted swiftly to bring the suspect into custody.”

    Macy’s confirmed the incident in a statement Friday.

    “We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today, as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority,” a company spokesperson said.

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    Gavin J. Quinton

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  • How AI can fix PD for teachers

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    Key points:

    The PD problem we know too well: A flustered woman bursts into the room, late and disoriented. She’s carrying a shawl and a laptop she doesn’t know how to use. She refers to herself as a literacy expert named Linda, but within minutes she’s asking teachers to “dance for literacy,” assigning “elbow partners,” and insisting the district already has workbooks no one’s ever seen (awalmartparkinglott, 2025). It’s chaotic. It’s exaggerated. And it’s painfully familiar.

    This viral satire, originally posted on Instagram and TikTok, resonates with educators not because it’s absurd but because it mirrors the worst of professional development. Many teachers have experienced PD sessions that are disorganized, disconnected from practice, or delivered by outsiders who misunderstand the local context.

    The implementation gap

    Despite decades of research on what makes professional development effective–including a focus on content, active learning, and sustained support (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Joseph, 2024)–too many sessions remain generic, compliance-driven, or disconnected from day-to-day teaching realities. Instructional coaching is powerful but costly (Kraft et al., 2018), and while collaborative learning communities show promise, they are difficult to maintain over time.

    Often, the challenge is not the quality of the ideas but the systems needed to carry them forward. Leaders struggle to design relevant experiences that sustain momentum, and teachers return to classrooms without clear supports for application or follow-through. For all the time and money invested in PD, the implementation gap remains wide.

    The AI opportunity

    Artificial intelligence is not a replacement for thoughtful design or skilled facilitation, but it can strengthen how we plan, deliver, and sustain professional learning. From customizing agendas and differentiating materials to scaling coaching and mapping long-term growth, AI offers concrete ways to make PD more responsive and effective (Sahota, 2024; Adams & Middleton, 2024; Tan et al., 2025).

    The most promising applications do not attempt one-size-fits-all fixes, but instead address persistent challenges piece by piece, enabling educators to lead smarter and more strategically.

    Reducing clerical load of PD planning

    Before any PD session begins, there is a quiet mountain of invisible work: drafting the description, objectives, and agenda; building slide decks; designing handouts; creating flyers; aligning materials to standards; and managing time, space, and roles. For many school leaders, this clerical load consumes hours, leaving little room for designing rich learning experiences.

    AI-powered platforms can generate foundational materials in minutes. A simple prompt can produce a standards-aligned agenda, transform text into a slide deck, or create a branded flyer. Tools like Gamma and Canva streamline visual design, while bots such as the PD Workshop Planner or CK-12’s PD Session Designer tailor agendas to grade levels or instructional goals.

    By shifting these repetitive tasks to automation, leaders free more time for content design, strategic alignment, and participant engagement. AI does not just save time–it restores it, enabling leaders to focus on thoughtful, human-centered professional learning.

    Scaling coaching and sustained practice

    Instructional coaching is impactful but expensive and time-intensive, limiting access for many teachers. Too often, PD is delivered without meaningful follow-up, and sustained impact is rarely evident.

    AI can help extend the reach of coaching by aligning supports with district improvement plans, teacher and student data, or staff self-assessments. Subscription-based tools like Edthena’s AI Coach provide asynchronous, video-based feedback, allowing teachers to upload lesson recordings and receive targeted suggestions over time (Edthena, 2025). Project Café (Adams & Middleton, 2024) uses generative AI to analyze classroom videos and offer timely, data-driven feedback on instructional practices.

    AI-driven simulations, virtual classrooms, and annotated student work samples (Annenberg Institute, 2024) offer scalable opportunities for teachers to practice classroom management, refine feedback strategies, and calibrate rubrics. Custom AI-powered chatbots can facilitate virtual PLCs, connecting educators to co-plan and share ideas.

    A recent study introduced Novobo, an AI “mentee” that teachers train together using gestures and voice; by teaching the AI, teachers externalized and reflected on tacit skills, strengthening peer collaboration (Jiang et al., 2025). These innovations do not replace coaches but ensure continuous growth where traditional systems fall short.

    Supporting long-term professional growth

    Most professional development is episodic, lacking continuity, and failing to align with teachers’ evolving goals. Sahota (2024) likens AI to a GPS for professional growth, guiding educators to set long-term goals, identify skill gaps, and access learning opportunities aligned with aspirations.

    AI-powered PD systems can generate individualized learning maps and recommend courses tailored to specific roles or licensure pathways (O’Connell & Baule, 2025). Machine learning algorithms can analyze a teacher’s interests, prior coursework, and broader labor market trends to develop adaptive professional learning plans (Annenberg Institute, 2024).

    Yet goal setting is not enough; as Tan et al. (2025) note, many initiatives fail due to weak implementation. AI can close this gap by offering ongoing insights, personalized recommendations, and formative data that sustain growth well beyond the initial workshop.

    Making virtual PD more flexible and inclusive

    Virtual PD often mirrors traditional formats, forcing all participants into the same live sessions regardless of schedule, learning style, or language access.

    Generative AI tools allow leaders to convert live sessions into asynchronous modules that teachers can revisit anytime. Platforms like Otter.ai can transcribe meetings, generate summaries, and tag key takeaways, enabling absent participants to catch up and multilingual staff to access translated transcripts.

    AI can adapt materials for different reading levels, offer language translations, and customize pacing to fit individual schedules, ensuring PD is rigorous yet accessible.

    Improving feedback and evaluation

    Professional development is too often evaluated based on attendance or satisfaction surveys, with little attention to implementation or student outcomes. Many well-intentioned initiatives fail due to insufficient follow-through and weak support (Carney & Pizzuto, 2024).

    Guskey’s (2000) five levels of evaluation, from initial reaction to student impact, remain a powerful framework. AI enhances this approach by automating assessments, generating surveys, and analyzing responses to surface themes and gaps. In PLCs, AI can support educators with item analysis and student work review, offering insights that guide instructional adjustments and build evidence-informed PD systems.

    Getting started: Practical moves for school leaders

    School leaders can integrate AI by starting small: use PD Workshop Planner, Gamma, or Canva to streamline agenda design; make sessions more inclusive with Otter.ai; pilot AI coaching tools to extend feedback between sessions; and apply Guskey’s framework with AI analysis to strengthen implementation.

    These actions shift focus from clerical work to instructional impact.

    Ethical use, equity, and privacy considerations

    While AI offers promise, risks must be addressed. Financial and infrastructure disparities can widen the digital divide, leaving under-resourced schools unable to access these tools (Center on Reinventing Public Education, 2024).

    Issues of data privacy and ethical use are critical: who owns performance data, how it is stored, and how it is used for decision-making must be clear. Language translation and AI-generated feedback require caution, as cultural nuance and professional judgment cannot be replicated by algorithms.

    Over-reliance on automation risks diminishing teacher agency and relational aspects of growth. Responsible AI integration demands transparency, equitable access, and safeguards that protect educators and communities.

    Conclusion: Smarter PD is within reach

    Teachers deserve professional learning that respects their time, builds on their expertise, and leads to lasting instructional improvement. By addressing design and implementation challenges that have plagued PD for decades, AI provides a pathway to better, not just different, professional learning.

    Leaders need not overhaul systems overnight; piloting small, strategic AI applications can signal a shift toward valuing time, relevance, and real implementation. Smarter, more human-centered PD is within reach if we build it intentionally and ethically.

    References

    Adams, D., & Middleton, A. (2024, May 7). AI tool shows teachers what they do in the classroom—and how to do it better. The 74. https://www.the74million.org/article/opinion-ai-tool-shows-teachers-what-they-do-in-the-classroom-and-how-to-do-it-better

    Annenberg Institute. (2024). AI in professional learning: Navigating opportunities and challenges for educators. Brown University. https://annenberg.brown.edu/sites/default/files/AI%20in%20Professional%20Learning.pdf

    awalmartparkinglott. (2025, August 5). The PD presenter that makes 4x your salary [Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMGrbUsPbnO/

    Carney, S., & Pizzuto, D. (2024). Implement with IMPACT: A framework for making your PD stick. Learning Forward Publishing.

    Center on Reinventing Public Education. (2024, June 12). AI is coming to U.S. classrooms, but who will benefit? https://crpe.org/ai-is-coming-to-u-s-classrooms-but-who-will-benefit/

    Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Effective_Teacher_Professional_Development_REPORT.pdf

    Edthena. (2025). AI Coach for teachers. https://www.edthena.com/ai-coach-for-teachers/

    Guskey, T. R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Corwin Press.

    Jiang, J., Huang, K., Martinez-Maldonado, R., Zeng, H., Gong, D., & An, P. (2025, May 29). Novobo: Supporting teachers’ peer learning of instructional gestures by teaching a mentee AI-agent together [Preprint]. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.17557

    Joseph, B. (2024, October). It takes a village to design the best professional development. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-it-takes-a-village-to-design-the-best-professional-development/2024/10

    Kraft, M. A., Blazar, D., & Hogan, D. (2018). The effect of teacher coaching on instruction and achievement: A meta-analysis of the causal evidence. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 547–588. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318759268

    O’Connell, J., & Baule, S. (2025, January 17). Harnessing generative AI to revolutionize educator growth. eSchool News. https://www.eschoolnews.com/digital-learning/2025/01/17/generative-ai-teacher-professional-development/

    Sahota, N. (2024, July 25). AI energizes your career path & charts your professional growth plan. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilsahota/2024/07/25/ai-energizes-your-career-path–charts-your-professional-growth-plan/

    Tan, X., Cheng, G., & Ling, M. H. (2025). Artificial intelligence in teaching and teacher professional development: A systematic review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 8, 100355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2024.100355

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

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    Andy Szeto, Ed.D, Professor and District Administrator

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  • Man, 2 women survive fall from U.S.-Mexico Border Wall

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    The border wall in Otay Mesa at night. (File photo courtesy OnScene.TV)

     A man and two women suffered non-life-threatening injuries in an apparent fall from the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Otay Mesa Friday.

    The three were conscious and breathing when they were taken to hospitals, authorities said.

    The conditions of the three patients were not released.

    San Diego Fire-Rescue Department personnel were dispatched to the 30- foot-tall wall at 12:12 p.m. Friday to the area between Drucker Lane and La Media Road, department spokeswoman Candace Hadley said.

    “Border Patrol agents from San Diego Sector encountered three individuals who appeared to have fallen from the border barrier west of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry after illegally entering the country,” Border Patrol Agent Eugene Wesley said in a statement.

    –City News Service


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  • Investigators seek help identifying woman found dead on mountainside in San Bernardino

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    Investigators in San Bernardino County are seeking the public’s help in identifying a woman who was found dead on the side of a mountain in Crestline.

    Deputies from the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station responded to a call about a body near the intersection of Highway 138 and Crestline Road on Nov. 18 around 11:42 a.m., according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. They located the woman about 75 feet down a steep embankment.

    The stretch of highway is also referred to as the “Rim of the World Scenic Byway” because of its panoramic views along mountain edges.

    Officials described the woman as 48 to 60 years old, 5-foot-1 tall and weighing 115 pounds. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue pants and white-and-black New Balance shoes. She has bleached blond hair, brown eyes and no tattoos.

    The woman was transported to the county Coroner’s Office where an autopsy found injuries consistent with a fall, the sheriff’s department said.

    They are asking anyone with information about the woman’s identity to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coronor Division at (909) 378-2978 and reference case number 702507482. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact We-Tip at (800) 78-CRIME (27463) or go to wetip.com.

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    Hayley Smith

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  • Paris prosecutor reports 4 more arrests in connection with Louvre jewel heist

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    Paris prosecutor reports 4 more arrests in connection with Louvre jewel heist

    Paris prosecutor has been giving more details about the latest on the investigation into the heist at the Louvie Museum, confirming many of the details that we had understood already about the two men currently in custody that they are in their 30s, that they were known to police before the heist for things like low level delinquency, petty thefts, and that they had been tracked down thanks to DNA that had been found on one of the helmets they left behind. They are of Algerian nationality. And come from the outskirts of Paris. What the prosecutor said though is that they do believe that there were 4 people involved in the heist on the day itself. 2 others remain at large, and that she wouldn’t give that many details because this was an ongoing investigation. She also pointed out that whilst these other two were at large and they were looking for altogether they had not excluded the possibility that someone else may have been involved, whether to commission the theft or in other ways. She also added that there was no suggestion that anyone on the inside of the Louvre had been complicit in the heist. The latest details then an investigation that continues and no sign yet, she explained of the jewels themselves. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

    Paris prosecutor reports 4 more arrests in connection with Louvre jewel heist

    Updated: 5:56 AM PST Nov 25, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    The Paris prosecutor is reporting four more arrests in connection with the jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in October. Two men and two women from the Paris region were taken into custody on Tuesday morning.The loot, valued at around $102 million, hasn’t been recovered. It includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise, jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara.This is a breaking news story and will be updated.Video below shows Louvre thieves escaping via truck-mounted lift

    PARIS —

    The Paris prosecutor is reporting four more arrests in connection with the jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in October. Two men and two women from the Paris region were taken into custody on Tuesday morning.

    The loot, valued at around $102 million, hasn’t been recovered. It includes a diamond-and-emerald necklace Napoleon gave to Empress Marie-Louise, jewels tied to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, and Empress Eugénie’s pearl-and-diamond tiara.

    This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

    Video below shows Louvre thieves escaping via truck-mounted lift

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  • High surf drags three people off Big Sur beach, the second such incident in a week

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    High surf swept three people off the beach and into the ocean in Big Sur on Saturday, the second such incident at Garrapata State Park in a week.

    Two women and a man were swept off the rocks at Sobrenas Point around 3 p.m., according to a news release from the California State Parks.

    Both women made it back to shore on their own and were taken to a hospital with unknown injuries, but a man who was with them, believed to be about 30 years old, was still missing.

    “At around 4:24 p.m., a US Coast Guard helicopter spotted what appeared to be a body in the ocean but due to the high surf, lost visual,” parks officials said.

    The search was called off around 7 p.m. due to darkness and was scheduled to resume Sunday morning.

    The missing man was wearing a white turban, black shorts, black shirt and a black vest.

    The National Weather Service warned that waves between 13 and 18 feet were expected at Big Sur and Monterey beaches through Monday night, and cautioned beachgoers to stay off rocks and away from the water’s edge.

    “Sneaker waves can unexpectedly run significantly farther up the beach than normal, including over rocks and jetties,” the weather service advised. “Rip currents are typically more frequent and stronger in the vicinity of jetties, inlets, and piers.”

    Last week, a 7-year-old girl was swept into the ocean at the same park. Both she and her 39-year old father died after he jumped in to try to save her.

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    Jack Dolan

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  • Woman decapitated by a garbage truck near elementary school in Orange County

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    A woman was decapitated by a garbage truck when she was crossing the street Wednesday in Orange County, according to authorities.

    Maria Rubalcava de Ruesga, 69, of Santa Ana, was crossing the street around 7:56 a.m. near Shelton and Bishop streets when she was hit by a garbage truck making a right turn on Shelton, according to a Santa Ana Police Department news release.

    Officers from the police department got multiple calls about the traffic collision and along with the Orange County Fire Authority, responded to the scene, according to the release.

    The truck had been going east on Bishop Street and making a turn on the roundabout when it hit the woman as she was crossing the street, authorities said.

    ABC7 reported that the woman had been decapitated in the collision.

    Children and families from the nearby Pio Pico Dual Language Academy were also nearby during the incident, according to the outlet.

    The Santa Ana Unified School District will be providing support for witnesses of the crash.

    The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigation Unit will be investigating the crash, according to the release. Anyone with more information has been asked to contact the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.

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    Summer Lin

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  • Three dead, one wounded in South Gate domestic violence case

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    Two women are dead and a third woman wounded in South Gate after being shot by a male relative who then killed himself, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

    The shooting appears to be a case of domestic violence, officials said.

    According to the Sheriff’s Department, South Gate Police Department officers pulled up to the 8400 block of San Luis Avenue early Saturday after a 911 caller said a man was shooting a firearm in her residence.

    The suspect was leaving the residence when he fired at police, who returned fire, striking the man, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The man went back inside and the officers heard more gunshots.

    Once inside, the officers found a woman in her 70s with gunshot wounds. The woman was taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, according to police.

    The two women who were killed, a 25-year-old and a woman in her early 50s, had also been shot. The man was found dead after with the Sheriff’s Department described as a “self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

    The weapon the man used to shoot at the South Gate officers was found at the scene, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

    The Sheriff’s Department said it is investigating the incident, including the officer-involved shooting.

    Those with information are encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

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    Dakota Smith

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  • ‘Peaceful’ Kai Trump improves in second round of the LPGA Annika event

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    Kai Trump, a high school senior playing in an LPGA Tour event for reasons beyond her ability to hit a golf ball, went from “definitely really nervous” in the first round to “very calm and peaceful” Friday in the second.

    All in all, an impressive improvement.

    Still, Trump, 18, didn’t make the cut, not after finishing last among 108 players with a two-round total of 18-over, 27 shots behind leader Grace Kim and 17 away from the projected cut line. The granddaughter of President Trump improved eight strokes to a 75 in the second round of the tournament hosted by Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.

    How dramatic was the improvement? Trump had nine bogeys, two doubles and one birdie Thursday. A day later she was briefly under par when she birdied the par-3 third hole, but she bogeyed the fourth and triple-bogeyed the par-4 fifth hole.

    Trump rebounded to birdie three of her next six holes. How relaxed was she? She literally laughed off her triple bogey.

    “Things are going to happen,” she said. “Once it happens, you can’t go back in time and fix it. The best thing I could do is move on. Like, I told my caddie, Allan [Kournikova], kind of just started laughing, ‘it is what it is.’

    “We got that out of the way, so let’s just move on. It was pretty easy to move on after that.”

    Especially on the three-par No. 12 where she nearly made the first hole-in-one of her life.

    “I hit like a tight little draw into it,” Trump said. “Tried not to get too high because of the wind. Yeah, it was a great shot.”

    What would she tell her grandfather about the round? “That I hit a great shot on 18 two days in a row.”

    “I did everything I could possibly have done for this tournament, so I think if you prepare right, the nerves can … they’re always going to be there, right?,” she said. “They can be a little softened. So I would just say that.”

    Critics among and beyond her nearly 9 million social media followers were relentless in noting her obvious privilege for securing a sponsor invitation. Dan Doyle Jr., owner of Pelican Golf Club, cheerfully acknowledged that Trump’s inclusion had little to do with ability and a lot to do with public relations.

    “The idea of the exemption, when you go into the history of exemptions, is to bring attention to an event,” Doyle told reporters this week. “You got to see her live, she’s lovely to speak to.

    “And she’s brought a lot of viewers through Instagram, and things like that, who normally don’t watch women’s golf. That was the hope. And we’re seeing that now.”

    Trump attends the Benjamin School in Palm Beach and will attend the University of Miami next year. She is ranked No. 461 by the American Junior Golf Assn.

    Stepping up to the LPGA, complete with a deep gallery of onlookers and a phalanx of Secret Service agents surrounding her, could have been daunting. Trump, though, said the experience was “pretty cool.”

    It was an eventful week for Trump. She played nine holes of a pro-am round Monday with tournament host Sorenstam, who empathized with the difficulty of handling an intense swirl of criticism and support.

    “I just don’t know how she does it, honestly,” Sorenstam said. “To be 18 years old and hear all the comments, she must be super tough on the inside. I’m sure we can all relate what it’s like to get criticism here and there, but she gets it a thousand times.”

    Sorenstam recalled her own exemption for the Bank of America Colonial in 2003 when she became the first woman to play in a men’s PGA Tour event in 58 years. She made a 14-foot putt at the 18th green to give her a 36-hole total of five-over 145. She hurled her golf ball into the grandstand, wiped away tears and was hugged by her husband, David Esch.

    “That was, at the time, maybe a little bit of a controversial invite,” Sorenstam said. “In the end, I certainly appreciated it. It just brings attention to the tournament, to the sport and to women’s sports, which I think is what we want.”

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    Steve Henson

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  • Kai Trump’s first-round score at the LPGA Tour’s Annika tournament? Don’t ask

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    After enduring others teeing off on her for two weeks, Kai Trump was finally able to set a golf ball on a tee and swing away in an LPGA Tour event.

    President Trump’s eldest granddaughter shot a 13-over 83 Thursday in the first round of the Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. The high school senior and University of Miami commit bogeyed the first five holes before registering a par, totaling 42 on her front nine and 41 on the back.

    Critics among and beyond her nearly nine million social media followers were relentless in noting the 18-year-old’s obvious privilege for securing a sponsor invitation. Dan Doyle Jr., owner of Pelican Golf Club, cheerfully admitted that Trump’s inclusion had little to do with ability and a lot to do with public relations.

    “The idea of the exemption, when you go into the history of exemptions, is to bring attention to an event,” Doyle told reporters this week. “You got to see her live, she’s lovely to speak to.

    “And she’s brought a lot of viewers through Instagram, and things like that, who normally don’t watch women’s golf. That was the hope. And we’re seeing that now.”

    Trump attends the Benjamin School in Palm Beach and is ranked a distant No. 461 by the American Junior Golf Assn. She also competes on the Srixon Medalist Tour on the South Florida PGA. Her top finish was a tie for third in July.

    On the eve of the Annika, Trump got a boost from a chat with Tiger Woods, who is dating her mom, Vanessa Trump. More privilege, sure, but what did he tell her?

    “I mean, he is the best golfer in the entire world. I would say that. And an even better person,” Kai Trump told reporters. “He told me to go out there and have fun and just go with the flow. Whatever happens, happens.”

    What happened was far from flawless. With Allan Kournikova — younger brother of tennis star Anna Kournikova and a lifelong friend — as her caddie, Trump bogeyed the first four holes before registering her first par.

    She will play again Friday and is the longest of shots to make the cut for the final two rounds over the weekend after finishing the first round in 108th — and last — place.

    It’s been an eventful week for Trump. She played nine holes of a pro-am round Monday with tournament host Annika Sorenstam, who empathized with the difficulty of handling an intense swirl of criticism and support.

    “I just don’t know how she does it, honestly,” Sorenstam said. “To be 18 years old and hear all the comments, she must be super tough on the inside. I’m sure we can all relate what it’s like to get criticism here and there, but she gets it a thousand times.”

    Sorenstam recalled her own exemption for the Bank of America Colonial in 2003 when she became the first woman to play in a men’s PGA Tour event in 58 years. She made a 14-foot putt at the 18th green to save par and end her round of 74, giving her a 36-hole total of five-over 145. She hurled her golf ball into the grandstand, wiped away tears and was hugged by her husband, David Esch.

    “That was, at the time, maybe a little bit of a controversial invite,” Sorenstam said. “In the end, I certainly appreciated it. It just brings attention to the tournament, to the sport and to women’s sports, which I think is what we want.”

    Attention was temporarily diverted Wednesday from Trump to WNBA star Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever teammate Sophie Cummingham at the Annika pro-am. Clark, paired with defending tournament champion Nelly Korda, went viral by sinking a long putt from off the green.

    “I actually grew up playing a little bit. I remember for one of my birthdays, I got this cute little set of pink golf clubs,” Clark said. “Then, I kind of stopped playing and then during COVID, I picked it back up.”

    Cunningham’s moment was less majestic. After Clark hit her tee shot on the 10th hole down the middle of the fairway, Cunningham sliced hers into the crowd. She yelled “Happy Gilmore,” drawing laughs from the gallery.

    Trump, for her part, swished a basket from beyond the free-throw line of an outdoor court near the first tee while waiting to begin the pro-am.

    Sponsor invitations have long been used to attract attention to a tournament through a golfer who is from a well-known family or, in recent years, has a strong social media presence. Trump qualifies on both counts.

    Her nine million followers combined on Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube and X include teens, golf fans and members of her grandfather’s administration such as Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

    In addition to posting what she does on and off the course, Trump creates videos of playing golf with her grandpa and chronicled their visit to the Ryder Cup. She also recently launched her own sports apparel and lifestyle brand, KT.

    “Kai’s broad following and reach are helping introduce golf to new audiences, especially among younger fans,” said Ricki Lasky, the LPGA‘s chief tour business and operations officer.

    Beth Ann Nichols, a senior writer a Golfweek, has gone from believing Trump receiving a sponsor into the Annika as a “terrible idea” to a supporter of it. She wrote that her first reaction was that “her game isn’t ready for this kind of spotlight; there’s too much on the line at the season’s penultimate event to have a circus break out.”

    But once the week unfolded she changed her mind, believing the President’s grandaughter is good for women’s golf.

    “Between the presence of Caitlin Clark in the pro-am and President Donald Trump’s granddaughter in the 108-player field, this might become one of the most talked-about LPGA events in the tour’s 75-year history,” Nichols wrote. “For those who understand how painstakingly tough it is for women’s golf to break through the golf world, let alone the sports world and beyond, these opportunities don’t come often.”

    Trump will need to improve her game to become more than a novelty. She finished last among a field of 24 at 52-over par in the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in March. Her performance Thursday illustrated that while she is strong off the tee, her short game needs to develop.

    “I don’t think anybody here is thinking that she will be the one holding the trophy on Sunday,” Sorenstam said. “I spoke to her a little bit yesterday. You know, just make the most out of this week. There will be lessons learned. Take them to the future and learn.”

    The oldest of the president’s 11 grandchildren, Kai became known nationally when she made a speech in support of her grandfather’s campaign at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Her parents, Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump, divorced in 2018, and her mother has been dating Woods for about a year.

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    Steve Henson

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  • FBI urges ICE agents to identify themselves after string of impersonators commit crimes

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    Ever since the Trump immigration raids began in Los Angeles in June, local leaders and community activists have criticized agents for sometimes making it difficult to identify them as federal law enforcement officials or refusing to identify themselves at all.

    Now, an unexpected new group has expressed its own concerns: the FBI.

    Citing a string of incidents in which masked criminals posing as immigration officers robbed and kidnapped victims, the FBI recently issued a memo suggesting agents clearly identify themselves while they’re in the field.

    The FBI explained its reasoning in a three-page document sent to police agencies across the country last month.

    In the memo, the FBI says that criminals impersonating law enforcement “damages trust” between them and the community and that law enforcement has an “opportunity” to better coordinate with their local, state and federal partners. It calls for informational campaigns to educate the public about impostors and for agents to show their identification when asked while out in the field.

    Undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens have been detained by masked people on city streets, in hospitals, courthouses, and outside schools and places of worship over the last several months. California has banned the use of masks among law enforcement agencies, but on Tuesday a cadre of masked agents gathered in an offsite Dodger Stadium parking lot while carrying out more raids.

    A man seeking asylum from Colombia is detained by federal agents as he attends his court hearing in immigration court in New York City.

    (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)

    The FBI’s memo, obtained through a records request by the national security transparency nonprofit Property of the People, was prepared by the New York field office and first reported by Wired magazine. It details several instances where people impersonated immigration agents.

    In Florida, a man pretending to be an ICE agent kidnapped a woman who was in the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. The suspect approached the woman on April 21, claimed he was there to pick her up and showed her his shirt that read ICE, the FBI said. The woman got in the suspect’s car and he drove her to an apartment complex, but she was able to escape.

    In August, three men in black clothing and wearing vests robbed a New York restaurant and stole from their ATM. The suspects also beat the employees and tied them up. One of the employees willingly surrendered to the suspects when they heard them identify themselves as immigration agents, the FBI said.

    The FBI also pointed to an April social media post where a man wearing a black jacket with an ICE patch stood outside a hardware store to intimidate day laborers. An image circulating on social media matching the description of the incident showed the man also wearing a red Trump hat.

    “I don’t know if there is federal law that requires a standard police uniform,” David Levine, a professor of law at UC San Francisco said. “It’s good practice to have a distinguishing uniform. Because when you have federal agents dressing as ruffians, with scarves over their faces and glasses in a paramilitary fashion, then it’s so much easier for people to impersonate them.”

    The FBI’s national press office did not respond to requests for comment, citing the government shutdown in an automated email response.

    U.S. Border Patrol march to the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building

    U.S. Border Patrol march after a show of force outside the Japanese American National Museum where Gov. Gavin Newsom was holding a press conference on Aug. 14 in Los Angeles.

    (Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)

    The FBI’s memo arrives several months after masked agents descended on Los Angeles and other cities across the country at the behest of the Trump White House. Multiple undocumented immigrants have died while trying to flee masked agents during immigration raids, while others have come under gunfire in their vehicles and many more have been beaten by masked agents who did not immediately identify themselves.

    Levine says it’s a person’s constitutional right under the 4th Amendment to ask a masked, federal agent to identify themselves.

    “It takes a cool head under a tense moment to ask someone, ‘What’s your name? I can’t see your badge? Can you identify yourself?’” Levine said. “It’s practically impossible to ask all of that when you’re being thrown to the ground. But you do have the right to ask.”

    There are plenty of examples of people impersonating law enforcement in California in recent years.

    In April 2018, Luis Flores-Mendoza of Santa Ana was sentenced to eight months in prison for posing as a federal immigration officer in an attempt to extort $5,000 from a woman, who reported him to the police. The following month, Matthew Ryan Johnston of Fontana was sentenced to two years in federal prison for impersonating an ICE agent. In 2023 and 2024, police in Southern California announced arrests in two separate cases where men were accused of impersonating police to conduct traffic stops.

    State officials have sounded the alarm as well because of the Trump administration’s approach.

    Earlier this year, after federal immigration raids in the Central Valley, two Fresno men were accused of posing as federal immigration agents and recording themselves harassing local businesses. The Fresno Police Department said the pair, who wore wigs and black tactical vests with letters deliberately covered up so they read “Police” and “ICE,” confronted people at nearly a dozen businesses. The department said the men appeared to have done it for social media purposes and declined to release their names.

    a man places a sign on part of a "No Ice" mural

    Raymond Cruz, 56, places a sign on part of a “No Ice” mural in Inglewood on July 1.

    (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

    In March, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta issued a warning to Californians about the rise of ICE impersonators and scammers looking to take “advantage of the fear and uncertainty created by Trump’s mass deportation policies. “

    “Let me be clear: If you seek to scam or otherwise take advantage of California’s immigrant communities, you will be held accountable,” Bonta said.

    In June, two additional local cases popped up that weren’t included on the FBI memo.

    In one, Huntington Park police arrested a man who they suspected of posing as a Border Patrol agent. Police said the man possessed an unlicensed handgun and copies of U.S. Homeland Security removal notices and a list of radio codes for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

    Huntington Park Police Chief Cosme Lozano speaks as he joins officials in a press conference

    Huntington Park Police Chief Cosme Lozano speaks at a press conference after a 23-year-old man from Los Angeles was arrested by Huntington Park Police on suspicion of impersonating a law enforcement officer.

    (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

    In the other, police in Los Angeles County arrested a man driving a decommissioned police cruiser with control lights and a siren. Authorities allege he had cocaine, a forged Homeland Security investigator’s badge and a pellet gun in his car.

    In a statement, Property of the People Executive Director Ryan Shapiro said, “It’s rich the FBI thinks ICE has a PR problem in immigrant communities because of impersonators, while masked and militarized ICE agents are waging a daily campaign of terror against those very communities.”

    “Anyone caught impersonating a federal immigration agent will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” a senior Homeland Security official said.

    “Anyone who comes into immediate contact with an individual whom they believe is impersonating an immigration officer, or any law enforcement officer, should immediately contact their local law enforcement agency,” the official said.

    Kash Patel, President Trump and Pam Bondi stand next to each other

    Kash Patel, director of the FBI, left, President Trump, center, and Pam Bondi, U.S. attorney general, during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 15.

    (Jo Lo Scalzo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

    In a statement to The Times, the office of Mayor Karen Bass said it’s unacceptable for law enforcement officers to operate without properly identifying themselves.

    “The Mayor has been supportive of state legislation that would require immigration officers to identify themselves as well as make it a crime for law enforcement officers to wear a face covering while performing their duties, except for specific circumstances such as protection from hazardous smoke.”

    Los Angeles Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, whose district includes MacArthur Park, Cypress Park and Pico Union, said the FBI’s memo simply confirms what locals have known all along, even as they create “confusion, fear, chaos and real danger.”

    “Now even the FBI, under an administration that has aggressively expanded unconstitutional immigration enforcement, has confirmed that when agents don’t clearly identify themselves, it opens the door for violent impersonators to prey on vulnerable families,” Hernandez said in a statement. “That’s exactly why I co-authored the council motion requiring the LAPD to verify the identity of anyone claiming to be a law enforcement officer, and to strengthen penalties for impersonating an officer. When even Trump’s FBI is warning that unidentified agents put us at risk, it’s a clear sign that this problem can’t be ignored any longer.”

    Still, not everyone thinks agents will heed the FBI’s advice. Even if agents were to begin identifying themselves during sweeps, the distrust stemming from the raids in the summer will stay with community members for some time, advocates say.

    “I don’t expect them to all of a sudden start walking around with no mask or start walking around and identifying themselves,” said Leo Martinez of VC Defensa, a coalition of local groups dedicated to protecting the immigrant and refugee populations of Ventura County. “More than anything, I think it’s a way for the FBI to put a little bit of distance between themselves and the ICE agents in the public relations sphere, but not really on the ground.”

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    Nathan Solis, Ruben Vives

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  • Mexico’s president was groped on the street. Now she’s waging a war against rampant sexual harassment

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    MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was strolling through her city’s capital this week, heading from one government office to another, when she stopped to take selfies with a crowd of admirers.

    A man approached from behind, slipped his arm around Sheinbaum’s shoulder, leaned in to plant a kiss on her neck and briefly grabbed her chest before an aide pushed him away.

    The groping incident, which was captured on video by bystanders Tuesday, sparked outrage nationally and put renewed focus on the rampant sexual harassment faced by women here.

    Sheinbaum, who last year was sworn in as Mexico’s first female leader, has seized the chance to raise awareness about the issue.

    “If they do this to the president,” she asked Wednesday, “what must happen to all the young women in the country?”

    Speaking at her daily news conference, Sheinbaum said that she had filed a criminal complaint against her aggressor, whom authorities reported was drunk at the time of the incident and had been detained.

    Sheinbaum said her government will also review state laws to ensure that street harassment is categorized as a crime throughout Mexico and launch a campaign to combat the phenomenon.

    “I decided to file a complaint because this is something … all women in our country experience,” Sheinbaum said. “I experienced it before I was president. It shouldn’t happen. No one should violate our personal space. No man has the right to violate that space.”

    Sheinbaum leaves a rally in Mexico City in 2023 while campaigning for president.

    (Eduardo Verdugo / Associated Press)

    Like her populist predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum often walks the streets without bodyguards, saying she likes to be close to the people.

    But the practice has come under scrutiny given the dozens of killings each year of Mexican political candidates and elected leaders. Over the weekend, the outspoken mayor of Uruapan, a city in Michoácan state, was gunned down at a public event celebrating the Day of the Dead holiday despite being protected by armed police and members of the National Guard.

    Tuesday’s incident in Mexico City provoked outrage across the country, with many women saying it embodied the street harassment that is commonplace in many parts of the country.

    “If the most powerful woman in Mexico experienced harassment, what can women who travel on public transportation or walk alone every day expect?” Congresswoman Ivonne Ortega wrote on X. “This is the reality that millions of women and girls face daily.”

    Feminist social movements have gained ground in Mexico in recent years, sparked by the #MeToo movement in the United States and Mexico’s high rates of violence against women. Each spring, hundreds of thousands of protesters take to the streets to demand gender parity and policies that protect women’s lives.

    Sheinbaum’s landslide victory in the 2024 presidential election highlighted the vast strides made by women in Mexican politics, a phenomenon aided by a law requiring that at least 50% of all candidates in federal, state and municipal elections are female.

    Sheinbaum has frequently described her win as a victory for all women. “I did not arrive alone,” she says. “We all arrived.”

    Yet violence against women persists, with an average of 10 women or girls slain nationwide each day, according to the government.

    And street harassment is still pervasive. A few years ago, the hashtag #MiPrimerAcoso — “my first harassment” — went viral, with tens of thousands of women sharing stories of the first time they were touched, stared at or verbally harassed in the streets.

    Writer Brenda Lozano said on X that Tuesday’s incident wasn’t due to alcohol or Sheinbaum’s lack of security. “The reasons she was harassed are patriarchy and sexism.”

    Mexican women march.

    Women march in Mexico City in a 2020 protest against gender violence.

    (Pedro Pardo /AFP via Getty Images)

    A United Nations report found that nearly half of Mexican women have been subjected to rape, groping or other forms of sexual violence. A 2014 survey of female transit riders in 16 cities around the world by the Thompson Reuters Foundation found that Mexico City had the biggest problem with sexual harassment, with 64% of respondents reporting having been victimized.

    The Mexico City government has long provided women-only subway cars, and has even sought to combat harassment by arming female commuters with rape whistles. Some feminists oppose those measures, saying it puts the onus on women to protect themselves instead of pushing men to change their behavior.

    Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada said on Wednesday that the man who groped the president would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

    “‘We’ve all arrived’ is not a slogan,” said Brugada, a member of Sheinbaum’s Morena party. “It’s a commitment to not look the other way, to not allow misogyny to remain hidden in custom, to not accept one more humiliation, one more abuse, one more femicide.”

    While there were widespread expressions of support for Sheinbaum, there were also some on social media who criticized her for making too much of the incident. Others slammed Sheinbaum for smiling as she tried to slip away from the man’s grip, and for not pushing him away herself.

    At her news conference, Sheinbaum said she hadn’t realized the extent of the harassment until she saw a video of what had happened.

    She had chosen to walk between meetings rather than take a car for a simple reason. “We were running late,” she said. “It was faster.”

    Also on Wednesday, Sheinbaum voiced support for Mexico’s Miss Universe representative, Fátima Bosch, who made headlines when she walked out of the competition Tuesday after being publicly berated by a male pageant official, who called her “dumb.”

    Sheinbaum referenced a sexist saying that was once common in Mexico: “She’s prettier when she’s quiet.”

    “Women,” Sheinbaum said, “are prettier when we raise our voices.”

    Times staff writer Patrick J. McDonnell and Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in Mexico City contributed to this report.

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    Kate Linthicum

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  • Commentary: MAGA’s ‘big tent’ is burning down amid explosion of antisemitism, racism

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    South Asians have played a prominent role in President Trump’s universe, especially in his second term.

    Second Lady Usha Vance is the daughter of Indian immigrants who came to California to study and never went back. Harmeet Dhillon, born in India and a devout Sikh, is currently his U.S. assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. And the head of the FBI, Kash Patel, is (like potential New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani,) of Indian descent by way of Uganda.

    Some Republicans have taken pride in this kind of diversity, citing it for the gains Trump made in 2024 with Black and Latino voters.

    But these days, the MAGA big tent seems to be collapsing fast.

    Last week, MAGA had a total anti-Indian meltdown on social media, revealing a deep, ugly racism toward South Asians.

    It comes amid the first real rebellion about rampant and increasingly open antisemitism within the MAGAverse, creating a massive rift between traditional conservatives and a younger, rabidly anti-Jewish contingent called groypers whose leader, Nick Fuentes, recently posted that he is “team Hitler.”

    Turns out, when you cultivate a political movement based on hate, at some point the hate is uncontrollable. In fact, that hate needs to be fed to maintain power — even if it means feasting on its own.

    This monster of white-might ugliness is going to dominate policy and politics for the next election, and these now-public fights within the Republican party represent a new dynamic that will either force it to do some sort of soul searching, or purge it of anything but white Christian nationalism. My bet is on the latter. But if conservatives ever truly believed in their inclusive talk, then it’s time for Republicans to stand up and demand the big Trump tent they were hailing just a few months ago.

    Ultra-conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who opposes much of Fuentes’ worldview, summed up this Republican split succinctly.

    Fuentes’ followers “are white supremacists, hate women, Jews, Hindus, many types of Christians, brown people of a wide variety of backgrounds, Blacks, America’s foreign policy and America’s constitution,” Shapiro explained. “They admire Hitler and Stalin and that splinter faction is now being facilitated and normalized within the mainstream Republican Party.”

    MAGA’s anti-Indian sentiment had an explosive moment a few days ago when a South Asian woman asked Vice President JD Vance a series of questions during a Turning Point USA event in Mississippi. The young immigrant wanted to know how Vance could preach for the removal of nearly 18 million immigrants? And how could he claim that the United States was a Christian nation, rather than one that valued pluralism?

    “How can you stop us and tell us we don’t belong here anymore?” the woman asked. “Why do I have to be a Christian?”

    Vance’s answer went viral, in part because he claimed his wife, although from a Hindu family, was “agnostic or atheist,” and that he hoped she would convert to Christianity.

    “Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that,” he said.

    Vance later tried to do some damage control on social media, calling Usha Vance a “blessing” and promising to continue to “support her and talk to her about faith and life and everything else, because she’s my wife.”

    But many South Asians felt Vance was dissing his wife’s heritage and attempting to downplay her non-whiteness. They vented on social media, and got a lot of MAGA feelings back.

    “How can you pretend to be a white nativist politician who will ‘bring america back to it’s golden age’ … when your wife is an indian immigrant?” wrote one poster.

    Dhillon received similar feedback recently for urging calm and fairness after a Sikh truck driver allegedly caused a fatal crash.

    “[N]o ma’am, it is CRYSTAL CLEAR that sihks and hindus need to get the hell out of my country,” one reply stated. “You and your kind are no longer welcome here. Go the [expletive] home.”

    Patel too, got it, after posting a message on Diwali, a religious holiday that celebrates the victory of light over darkness. He was dubbed a demon worshipper, a favorite anti-Indian trope.

    Perhaps you’re thinking, “Duh, of course MAGA is racist.” But here’s the thing. The military has been scrubbed of many Black officers. The federal workforce, long a bastion for middle-class people of color, has been decimated. Minority cabinet members or top officials are few. Aside from another South Asian, Tulsi Gabbard, there’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez‑DeRemer and HUD head Scott Turner.

    South Asians are largely the last visible sign of pluralism in Republican power, an erstwhile proof that the charges of racism from the left are unfair. But now, like Latinos, they are increasingly targets of the base.

    At the same time anti-Indian hate was surfacing last week, a whole load of MAGA antisemitism hit the fan. It started when Tucker Carlson, who in his post-network life has re-created himself as a hugely popular podcaster with more than 16 million followers on X, invited Fuentes on his show.

    In addition to calling for the death of American Jews, Fuentes has also said women want him to rape them and should be burned alive, Black people belong in prison and LGBTQ+ people are an abomination.

    Anyone who is not his kind of Christian “must be absolutely annihilated when we take power,” he said.

    Turns out far-right Charlie Kirk was a bulwark against this straight-up American Nazi. Kirk’s popularity kept Fuentes — who often trolled Kirk — from achieving dominance as the spirit guide of young MAGA. Now, with Kirk slain, nothing appears to be stopping Fuentes from taking up that mantle.

    After the Fuentes interview, sane conservatives (there are some left) were apoplectic that Carlson would support someone who so openly admits to being anti-Israel and seemingly pro-Nazi. They demanded the Heritage Foundation, historical backbone of the conservative movement, creators of Project 2025 and close allies of Tucker, do something. The head of Heritage, Kevin Roberts, offered what many considered a sorry-not-sorry. He condemned Fuentes, saying he was “fomenting Jew hatred, and his incitements are not only immoral and un-Christian, they risk violence.”

    But also counseled that Fuentes shouldn’t be banished from the party.

    “Join us — not to cancel — but to guide, challenge, and strengthen the conversation,” Roberts said.

    Are Nazis really all bad? Discuss!

    The response from ethical conservatives — Jewish and non-Jewish alike — has been that you don’t politely hear Nazis out, and if the Republican Party can’t clearly say that Nazis aren’t welcome, it’s got a problem.

    Yes, the Republican Party has a problem.

    The right rode to power by attacking what it denigrates at “wokeism” on the left. MAGA declared that to confront fascism or racism or misogyny — to tell its purveyors to sit down and shut up — was wrong. That “canceling,” or banishment from common discourse for spewing hate, was somehow an infringement on 1st Amendment rights or even terrorism.

    They screamed loud and clear that speaking out against intolerance was the worst, most unacceptable form of intolerance itself — and would not be tolerated.

    You know who heard them loud and clear? Fuentes. He has checkmated establishment Republicans with their own cowardice and hypocrisy.

    So now his young Christian white supremacists are empowered, and intent on taking over as the leaders of the party. Fuentes is saying what old guard Republicans don’t want to hear, but secretly fear: He already is dangerously close to being the mainstream; just read the comments.

    Roberts, the Heritage president, said it himself: “Diversity will never be our strength. Unity is our strength, and a lack of unity is a sign of weakness.”

    Trying to shut Fuentes up or kick him out will likely anger that vocal and powerful part of the base that enjoys the freedom to be openly hateful, and really wouldn’t mind a male-dominated white Christian autocracy.

    The far right has free-speeched their way into fascism, and Fuentes is loving every minute of it.

    So now this remaining vestige of traditional conservatives — including senators such as Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell — is faced with a painful reckoning. Many mainstream Republicans for years ignored the racism and antisemitism creeping into the party. They can’t anymore. It has grown into a beast ready to consume its maker.

    Will they let this takeover happen, call for conversation over condemnation to the glee of Fuentes and his followers?

    Or will they find the courage to be not just true Republicans, but true Americans, and declare non-negotiable for their party that most basic of American ideals: We do not tolerate hate?

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    Anita Chabria

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