John Eastman, former Chapman law dean turned Trump adviser, disbarred

• April 16, 2026

John Eastman, the former Chapman University law dean who became the legal architect of President Donald Trump’s push to hold office despite losing the 2020 election, is no longer allowed to practice law in California.

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday, April 15, declined to hear Eastman’s appeal of a lower court ruling recommending his disbarment, essentially certifying that recommendation.

Eastman, 65, an outspoken conservative legal scholar, became a national figure five years ago after advising Trump on how the vice president might reject electoral votes from states that Joe Biden won. Though Eastman’s legal theories were dismissed as far-fetched or illegal by lawyers for Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s moves between the November 2020 vote and the January 2021 transition of power largely reflected Eastman’s strategy.

Eastman also joined Trump as a speaker at the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol building. After hearing from Trump and Eastman and other speakers, thousands of enflamed Trump supporters marched to the Capitol building to try to prevent Congress from certifying an election that Biden won by about 7 million votes.

In 2023, Trump and six alleged co-conspirators, including Eastman, were indicted for their efforts to overturn the election. Trump pleaded not guilty, and the indictment against him was withdrawn after he was elected to a second term in 2024. The special prosecutor in that case, Jack Smith, said he dismissed the charges because of long-standing federal policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

For Eastman, the effects of that indictment included a move by the California State Bar to revoke his license to practice law. Eastman has fought that effort, saying the pushback against him is political, not legal. He has described the move to disbar him as “extraordinary lawfare abuse” by “hardcore leftist activists.”

In an April 2 fundraising email, he said: “My legal team is already preparing for the next phase. Because if California rules against me, we will take this fight as far as necessary — even to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

What happened in California, he continued, is based on his political views. “My case was built around my public statements — defending President Trump and raising concerns about the 2020 election. That is core political speech. It is protected by the Constitution. Yet it was treated as misconduct.”

Randall A. Miller, one of Eastman’s attorneys, promised to fight.

“The California Supreme Court has allowed to stand a State Bar Court recommendation that we contend departs from long-standing United States Supreme Court precedent protecting First Amendment rights, especially in the attorney discipline context,” Miller said by email.

“We disagree with that outcome and believe it raises pivotal constitutional concerns regarding the limits of state regulation of attorney speech. We will seek review in the U.S. Supreme Court to repudiate this threat to the rule of law and our nation’s adversarial system of justice.”

Eastman, who left Chapman in 2021, has worked with the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank in Claremont. He has said that his legal bills are expected to run between $2 million and $3 million and has been actively fundraising to pay them.

​ Orange County Register 

Arizona utility agrees not to cut off power for nonpayment when it’s 95 degrees Fahrenheit or above

• April 16, 2026

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona’s largest utility has agreed not to cut off electrical service to customers for nonpayment while high temperatures are 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius) or above as part of a $7 million settlement of a lawsuit prompted in part by the 2024 death of an 82-year-old woman whose power was disconnected, Attorney General Kris Mayes said Wednesday.

The state’s settlement with Arizona Public Service, which previously prohibited shutoffs because of nonpayment between June 1 and Oct. 15, also called for the utility to pay $2.7 million that will be deposited into a state consumer protection fund and another $3.4 million to improve a program that lets customers designate family members or friends as emergency contacts who can receive notices in a bid to help prevent shutoffs, including sending text messages to inform customers of delinquent bills and disconnection notices.

Mayes’ office said the lawsuit grew out of concerns about disconnection practices during extreme heat, including the death of Katherine Korman at her Sun City West home.

Her service was cut off in mid-May 2024 because of nonpayment on a day when the daily high temperature in her area reached about 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). She was found dead six days after her power was disconnected.

APS said it made 10 attempts to contact Korman by phone, email, door hanger and monthly bills to let her know the status of her bill and offer help. The utility said regulators who examined the case determined APS had followed the rules on customer outreach and disconnection.

“No Arizonan should be at risk because they cannot afford their electric bill,” Mayes said in a statement. “This settlement ensures that APS will no longer disconnect power based on the date on the calendar alone – if temperatures are dangerous, the power stays on.”

APS, which didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, said in a statement that it already met or exceeded state laws and regulations in its disconnection policies and customer communications. “Our entire team at APS prioritizes customer safety and cares deeply about the well-being of our customers and community,” the utility said. The agreement specifies the payments from the settlement must come APS shareholder funds and that they can’t be recovered through future rate cases or surcharges.

“If APS wants to spend additional shareholder funds, it is free to do so,” Douglas Clark, executive director of the Arizona Corporation Commission, said in a statement. “The consent agreement makes it clear that this payment is outside the regulatory framework and will not be passed on to ratepayers.”

Maricopa County, which includes the city of Phoenix, confirmed 430 heat-related deaths last year, a decrease from 608 in 2024 and 645 in 2023. The county’s first confirmed heat-related death in 2026 was announced last week.

​ Orange County Register 

Judge extends pause on work to turn Maryland warehouse into immigrant detention

• April 16, 2026

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH

A federal judge extended a pause Wednesday on transforming a massive Maryland warehouse into a processing facility for immigrants in a development that comes as federal immigration officials review a plan to house tens of thousands in converted industrial buildings.

The Department of Homeland Security purchased the 825,000-square-foot building near the Washington County town of Hagerstown in January for $102.4 million. Among the 11 warehouses purchased nationwide, the Maryland facility was supposed to be one of the first to open, capable of housing 500 to 1,500 detainees.

But the federal government has faced such fierce opposition nationwide that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is reviewing the warehouse plan. And while officials in Washington County approved a proclamation declaring their “unwavering support” for DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the state sued.

The Maryland lawsuit alleged that the federal government didn’t conduct the required environmental reviews. It said the building is in a flood plain and the federal government didn’t seek public comment on its plans until more than a month after the building was purchased.

Several groups raised concerns before the public comment period closed on March 5. But the suit said Immigration and Customs Enforcement, flush with cash from a massive congressional appropriation, issued a contract the very next day worth $113 million to renovate the building, with that work expected to wrap up by May 4.

Ultimately, a federal judge issued a short-term temporary restraining order soon afterward that halted work to retrofit the building. After a hearing Wednesday, the judge agreed to a longer-term preliminary injunction that will allow only limited work, like the installation of a fence and heating and cooling work, until the case is decided.

DHS said in a statement that it strongly disagrees with the ruling.

“Let’s be honest about what is happening,” the statement said. “This isn’t about the environment. It’s about trying to stop President Trump from making America safe.”

In an earlier court filing, the federal government had said “ICE is reconsidering the plans and scope of the warehouse.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called the preliminary injunction a “major and welcome step forward.” And Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said it proves that “no one, not even the federal government, is above the law.”

Matthew Schindler, a Maryland state delegate who also has opposed the warehouse, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the plan immigration officials were pursuing was “outpacing accountability.”

He added: “We don’t want to see our community compromised because corners were cut.”

The Maryland lawsuit is one of three pending in federal court, and officials elsewhere have tried to block warehouse conversions by arguing that water and sewage infrastructure is inadequate.

“Washington County has become basically ground zero for all these warehouse fights,” said Kyle McCarthy, of Hagerstown Rapid Response, which is fighting the project. “We’ve helped show a blueprint for how other communities can fight and stop these from happening. We’ve been throwing sand in the gears at every possible moment.”

AP reporter Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

From dropping bombs to pressuring banks: US pivots to economic warfare on Iran

• April 16, 2026

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, AAMER MADHANI, WILL WEISSERT and SEUNG MIN KIM

WASHINGTON (AP) — If the U.S. and Iran aren’t able to soon come to a deal to end the war or extend the ceasefire that expires next week, the Trump administration is setting the stage to shift its war campaign toward a more economic-focused effort aimed at choking Tehran into submission rather than relying on bombs alone.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters at a White House briefing Wednesday that the U.S. plans to ramp up economic pain on Iran, and said the new moves will be the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign.

The threat of secondary economic sanctions on countries doing business with people, firms, and ships under Iranian control — including allies like the United Arab Emirates and competitors like China — represents an escalation of sanctions that the U.S. is already employing.

Bessent said the administration has “told companies, we have told countries that if you are buying Iranian oil, that if Iranian money is sitting in your banks, we are now willing to apply secondary sanctions, which is a very stern measure. And the Iranians should know that this is going to be the financial equivalent of what we saw in the kinetic activities.”

The Treasury Department warns China, Hong Kong, the UAE and Oman

The warning comes the day after the Treasury Department sent a letter to financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Oman, threatening to levy secondary sanctions for doing business with Iran, and accusing those countries of allowing Iranian illicit activities to flow through their financial institutions.

It’s part of an economic playbook that President Donald Trump still can use to pressure Iran to accept U.S. proposals to limit its nuclear ambitions, a person familiar with the administration’s thinking told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private discussions on the record.

Privately, the argument being made to Trump is that the Iranians think they can weather the storm — but if they cannot pay their loyalists, that could pressure Iran to the table.

And some in the administration believe there are still more economic targets that can be hit that would put the economic hurt on Iran, including bonyads, the charitable trusts that account for a significant percentage of the Iranian economy.

Bessent told reporters that two Chinese banks have received warnings about handling Iranian money. Trump is preparing to visit Beijing next month for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Bessent also said that Iran’s Gulf neighbors are now willing to look at freezing Iranian money in their banks because of Iran’s aggression during the war.

More sanctions could be ineffective or risk blowback, say experts and lawmakers

Still, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, argued that any new economic sanctions would be effectively offset by the financial windfall that Iran was seeing in the aftermath of the war.

“Instead of circumstances where we can keep sanctions on Iran and constrict their economy, the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz — combined with the sharply rising price of oil — has helped Iran’s economy,” Warren said, adding, “What Secretary Bessent is trying to do is mop up the mess that Donald Trump has created by initiating this war.”

Daniel Pickard, a sanctions attorney, said imposing secondary sanctions could result in “diplomatic and economic blowback” from allies that could hurt efforts to build coalitions against Tehran.

“A lot of our trading partners have been outspoken in regard to their opposition to the conflict in Iran,” Pickard said. “Most economic sanctions professionals would agree that when you get more people on the team, the chances of your economic sanctions being effective or greater.”

On Wednesday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on an oil smuggling network connected to the deceased senior Iranian security official Ali Shamkhani, who was a close adviser to the former Supreme Leader of Iran. Sanctions include dozens of individuals, companies, and vessels involved in secretly transporting and selling Iranian and Russian oil through front companies, many of which are in the UAE.

“Treasury will continue to cut off Iran’s illicit smuggling and terror proxy networks,” Bessent said in a statement. “Financial institutions should be on notice that Treasury will leverage all tools and authorities, including secondary sanctions, against those that continue to support Tehran’s terrorist activities.

The administration believes the momentum has shifted

Trump administration officials have also signaled growing confidence that the ceasefire and a blockade of shipments from Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz have shifted momentum in Trump’s favor.

Iran has endured tens of billions of dollars in damage during the bombardment to the country’s infrastructure — including setbacks to its oil industry, the heart of its fragile and long-isolated economy — that could take years to repair.

Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday said Trump “doesn’t want to make, like, a small deal. He wants to make the grand bargain.”

“That’s the trade that he’s offering,” Vance said. “If you guys commit to not having a nuclear weapon, we are going to make Iran thrive.”

The president’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, offered a more caustic assessment of the moment, suggesting that Trump had “played the checkmate move” on Iran by implementing the blockage in the strait.

“If Iran chooses the path of a deal that’s great for the world, that’s great for everybody. If Iran chooses the path of economic strangulation by blockade, then the world will pass Iran by,” Miller said in a Fox News appearance Tuesday evening. “New energy routes will be established. New supply chains will be established. Other nations throughout the region — throughout the world, and especially America — will power the world and Iran will become a footnote.”

Some Republicans are skeptical that more sanctions will work

Some Republicans believe that any tactic to exert more pressure on Tehran is worth trying.

“I would support anything,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “If the administration came up with the ideas, I would support all of the above. More pressure, the better.”

Others were skeptical, noting that Tehran was already facing a litany of economic penalties that had little impact on its behavior.

“I’m not sure if it’s sanctions that’ll do it. I think we’re putting some pretty heavy sanctions on right now,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Banking and Armed Services Committees. “I personally am just not optimistic that we actually can fix this thing without a regime change.”

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, a think tank that has been critical of Trump’s decision to launch the war, says that Trump had been “politically cornered and strategically constrained” before he announced the ceasefire. But now, Parsi argues, Trump may have altered the difficult dynamic and created a situation where “Iran now appears to need an agreement more than the United States does.”

“The window now open offers Tehran a chance to convert battlefield leverage into lasting strategic gain,” Parsi wrote in a new analysis. “To let it close would mean forfeiting not just incremental progress, but the possibility of reshaping its economic and geopolitical position. By contrast, the United States, having already secured a tenuous exit ramp through the ceasefire, has less at stake in the short term.”

​ Orange County Register 

‘Clothesline Project’ gives sexual assault victims a voice

• April 16, 2026

Just eight T-shirts started the “Clothesline Project” 25 years ago, giving sexual assault survivors a platform to be heard.

So far, 1,500 Orange County voices have spoken without uttering a word. Messages on T-shirts are hung on clotheslines to tell unique stories of abuse, healing and forgiveness.

Wednesday, April 15, about 150 brightly colored shirts fluttered in the breeze at Cal State Fullerton for one day during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

“I was 12. You raped me, but it does not define me” a bright blue shirt reads. “I forgive you.”

Each color denotes the type of crime. Blue represents child sexual abuse.

“When survivors share their experiences, they educate the community,” said Vanessa Reyna of Waymakers, a nonprofit Orange County organization that provides 24/7 rape crisis care.

“One in six women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime,” she said. “And also one in 33 men.”

Reyna is hopeful the statistics will get better. Allowing the sometimes graphic messages to be displayed is a sign of progress, Reyna said.

Brett Goldberg, who’s with advocacy group TitanHEALTH, TitanTHRIVE, said violence against women is normalized through cliches like, “Boys will be boys.”

“We need to spend less time teaching women how not to get raped and more time teaching boys and men not to rape,” he said.

Sexual violence crosses all identity markers, he said, affecting both women and men.

This was illustrated as a student slowly made his way along the clothesline of shirts, stopping and reading each one. He did not want to give his name, but said he was a victim of sexual assault.

“I’ve never told anyone,” he said.

​ Orange County Register 

Injured passenger awarded $300,000 after a Miami federal jury finds Carnival overserved her alcohol

• April 16, 2026

By DAVID FISCHER

MIAMI (AP) — Carnival Cruise Line must pay $300,000 to a former passenger after a federal jury in South Florida found that the company was negligent in serving the woman more than a dozen shots of tequila before she fell down some stairs and suffered a possible traumatic brain injury.

The Miami federal jury decided last Friday in favor of Diana Sanders, a 45-year-old nurse from Vacaville, California.

“Taking on a corporate giant like Carnival is a massive undertaking, and I have enormous respect for my client’s resilience throughout this 18-month litigation,” Sanders’ attorney Spencer Aronfeld said in an email. “This case highlights the inherent dangers of all-inclusive drink packages, which encourage excessive consumption and pressure underpaid servers to prioritize tips over safety.”

A statement from Carnival Corporation said it respectfully disagrees with the verdict and believes there are grounds for a new trial and appeal, which it will pursue.

According to the lawsuit, Sanders was a passenger aboard the Carnival Radiance on Jan. 5, 2024, when was served at least 14 shots between approximately 2:58 p.m. and 11:37 p.m. She experienced a fall some time between 11:45 p.m. and 12:20 a.m. that caused her to suffer a concussion, headaches, a possible traumatic brain injury, back injuries, tailbone injuries, bruising and other injuries, the complaint said.

Aronfeld said jurors were presented with evidence of 30 minutes of missing surveillance video from the time Sanders left the Casino bar until she was found unconscious in a crew only area.

In a separate case that is still ongoing, the fiancée of a man who died on a cruise ship filed a wrongful death lawsuit last year against Royal Caribbean, alleging it negligently served him at least 33 alcoholic drinks and was liable for his death after crew members tackled him to the ground and stood on him with their full body weight.

​ Orange County Register 

British lawmakers are in a jam over changes to the definition of marmalade

• April 16, 2026

By JILL LAWLESS

LONDON (AP) — Marmalade is proving to be a sticky subject in Britain as a debate simmers over changes to the definition of the beloved breakfast spread made of citrus fruits.

Lawmakers in the House of Commons on Wednesday expressed concern about marmalade’s future after media reports that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s push for closer ties with the European Union could mean unwanted change for the tangy toast topping.

Along with being a breakfast-table staple, marmalade has achieved a special place in British culture as the favorite food of the fictional character Paddington Bear and a subsequent association with the late Queen Elizabeth II after the two appeared together in a short comedy video during her 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Recent media reports say the preserve — most commonly made from the juice and rind of oranges — will have to be relabeled “citrus marmalade” under a food and drink deal with the European Union.

“What would Paddington think!” fumed the Daily Mail earlier this month. Opposition Conservative foreign affairs spokeswoman Priti Patel accused the government of “attacking the great British marmalade.”

Like many “euromyths” — stories about EU bureaucracy that are ever-popular in the British press — it has an element of truth.

The bloc has relaxed a rule — introduced at Britain’s request when it was a member — that had said only preserves made from citrus fruit could be called marmalade. Other preserves had to be labeled as jam, despite the fact that in some European countries, the name marmalade is applied to all fruit conserves. In German, for example, the word for jam is “marmelade.”

After Britain’s exit, the EU decreed that member states can also use the word marmalade for non-citrus fruit spreads, as long as the type of fruit involved is identified.

With Britain planning to align its food rules with those of the bloc as part of measures to ease post-Brexit trade, hence the conundrum.

Democratic Unionist Party lawmaker Jim Shannon lamented in Parliament that it was a case of “EU labeling interfering with our produce.”

The U.K. government says marmalade sold in Britain is usually labeled “orange marmalade” or “Seville orange marmalade” and is already in compliance with EU rules.

Food Security Minister Angela Eagle said that there would be “a small change to our marmalade description rules,” but “the real-world impact would be minimal and consumers are unlikely to notice any difference.”

Opposition Liberal Democrat lawmaker Tessa Munt, who had called for Wednesday’s marmalade debate, was more concerned about protecting the integrity of this “distinctly British product.”

She urged the government to ensure that “only citrus fruits can precede the world marmalade on labels.”

“I have seen strawberry marmalade and all sorts of pear marmalade” in one upmarket grocer, she exclaimed. “This is rubbish. There’s no such thing.”

​ Orange County Register 

New chicken nuggets and loaded fries at Taco Bell

• April 15, 2026

Taco Bell teased more than 20 new items for 2026 at its annual Live Mas Live fan event in March.

The first of those items, Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets, will drop on Thursday, April 16, according to a news release from the Irvine fast food giant.

The item features chicken nuggets breaded with tortilla chip crumbs and dusted with seasoning made with its own Diablo Sauce, the news release said.

A five-piece serving will go for around $4.99, while 10 pieces will cost $7.49. Combos will cost $9.99 and $10.99. Prices vary by location.

Taco Bell announced the spicy nuggets in a lavish TV special taped at the Hollywood Palladium. It debuted March 10 on NBCUniversal’s Peacock but is no longer streaming.

The nuggets were not the most outrageous item in a lineup that included an edible hot sauce packet and Mountain Dew Baja Blast under-eye pads.

Taco Bell has more limited-time items coming out April 16, according to a separate news release.

Zab’s Chicken Ranch Nacho Fries is a collaboration with Los Angeles-based  Zab’s Hot Sauce.

Zab’s is known for its use of datil peppers, which are considered a Florida specialty. Taco Bell is working with Zab’s St. Augustine Style sauce, which promises a “sweeter heat for fuller flavored foods.”

The fries are made with chicken, nacho sauce, a three-cheese blend and pico de gallo before being topped with a Zab’s ranch sauce.

After eight years of being a popular limited-time item, basic Nacho Fries were declared permanent at the Live Mas event.

Taco Bell is also bringing back its Triple Double Crunchwrap on Thursday. It’s made with seasoned beef, nacho sauce and sour cream.

Information: tacobell.com/

​ Orange County Register