Report finds many security deficiencies at Utah university where Charlie Kirk was killed

• September 25, 2026

OREM, Utah (AP) — A new report on Charlie Kirk’s assassination last year says his Turning Point USA organization insisted he speak outdoors despite security concerns, while the university where he was killed didn’t properly assess dangers like the possibility of a rooftop shooter.

Those were among the key findings in an after-action report released Friday by Utah Valley University. The external, independent review assessed security procedures for the conservative firebrand’s Sept. 10, 2025, talk on the Orem campus, the university said. Investigators examined planning conversations between Turning Point and university officials, and the university’s response to the shooting.

The university did not conduct a formal security assessment, did not create a written event action plan and deferred critical decision making to Turning Point USA, the report said.

Kirk was killed by a sniper perched on a rooftop more than 400 feet away, authorities said. Kirk, 31, had been debating students in an outdoor courtyard surrounded by tall buildings and with several thousand people in attendance.

Earlier this month, Kirk’s family sent a wrongful death notice — a precursor to a lawsuit — to Utah officials claiming Utah Valley University officials had made a string of “reckless” decisions that resulted in Kirk’s death by leaving him vulnerable to the rooftop sniper.

According to the report released Friday, a Turning Point representative insisted at an August 2025 planning meeting that Kirk speak at a courtyard on campus because he had been there previously and the organization was familiar with the location. Some university officials expressed reservations about holding the event in an outdoor space with tall buildings around, but ultimately allowed the event to proceed.

“In our assessment, those decisions were consequential,” the report said.

The outdoor location “created significant protective operations considerations,” the report said, but the planning process failed to include a documented line-of-sight assessment, pre-event briefing or walk-through with security stakeholders. Nor was there clear coordination with the speaker’s private security team and external law enforcement partners, the report said.

Utah resident Tyler Robinson turned himself in to authorities a day after the shooting. Prosecutors say he told his romantic partner that he “had enough of his (Kirk’s) hatred.” Robinson has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, a charge that could make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. A judge on Sept. 1 ordered the case to proceed toward trial. A date has not yet been set.

An Associated Press review showed the campus in Orem did not use several public safety practices that have become standard at events around the country. Campus police staffing was far below recommended levels for a school of that size. They also did not fly a drone to monitor rooftops or coordinate with local law enforcement to secure the event attended by about 3,000 people. There were no bag checks or metal detectors.

​ Orange County Register 

Appeals court appears divided in case over Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador prison

• September 25, 2026

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — A panel of appeals court judges appeared to be divided Friday on whether to block or uphold an order for the Trump administration to facilitate the return of dozens of Venezuelan migrants who were deported from the U.S. to a notorious prison in El Salvador last year.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit didn’t indicate how soon they would rule after hearing arguments from attorneys for the government and the migrants who were flown to El Salvador without any notice or opportunity to challenge their removals from the U.S.

The Justice Department appealed after District Court Chief Judge James Boasberg in February ordered the Trump administration to make arrangements for some of the deported Venezuelan migrants to return to the U.S. at the government’s expense. Boasberg said the administration responded by essentially telling him to “pound sand.”

Two panel members — Judges A. Raymond Randolph and Neomi Rao — appeared to be skeptical that the migrants have a right to return to the U.S. to challenge their March 2025 deportations.

A key question for the panel is whether the U.S. courts have jurisdiction over the migrants’ claims because the U.S. government maintained “constructive custody” of them even after they arrived in El Salvador. Rao questioned whether the migrants can meet that legal burden through their “habeas corpus” petitions.

“There needs to be some showing that the U.S. had that type of control — the control that they could produce a detainee on command — and I don’t see that evidence from petitioners,” said Rao, who was nominated by Republican President Donald Trump.

Circuit Judge Harry Edwards, who was nominated by Democratic President Jimmy Carter, said Boasberg cited plenty of evidence that the Trump administration “retained co-control” over the deported migrants and was “fully engaged and kept itself in a position of control throughout.”

Edwards also said that Supreme Court precedent holds that the plaintiffs have a right to pursue their due process claims.

“Judge Boasberg was merely attempting to facilitate the exercise of their rights. That’s all,” Edwards said.

Justice Department attorney Tiberius Davis argued that Boasberg didn’t have the jurisdiction to issue the order under appeal. Boasberg’s “freewheeling” decision would “open the floodgates to claims that the United States has constructive custody over prisons across the globe,” Davis said.

“This court is not supposed to second-guess sensitive matters of foreign affairs or undermine the United States’ ability to speak with one voice on the international stage. That is exactly what the district court is doing here,” Davis added.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney Lee Gelernt, who represents the deported migrants, said the Trump administration has conceded that it violated the plaintiffs’ constitutional rights, denying them due process, but isn’t trying to rectify the problem.

“They concede we rushed them out, gave them no due process,” Gelernt said. “It can’t be the end of the game. That would be such an untenable rule for this court to adopt.”

Randolph noted that the plaintiffs already have been released from custody in El Salvador and taken to Venezuela. He suggested that they already have received the only legal remedy to which they are entitled.

“We’re talking about habeas corpus. And (with) habeas corpus, the remedy is release from confinement. They’re already released,” said Randolph, who was nominated by Republican President George H. W. Bush.

“The remedy for this is not release in a country from which they fled. It’s to come back,” Gelernt said.

Randolph also questioned whether the plaintiffs’ underlying case is moot since the migrants are no longer in custody.

ACLU attorneys have been in contact with roughly two-thirds of 137 migrants since their release from the El Salvador mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT.

Boasberg, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, has repeatedly clashed with the administration since Trump invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport planeloads of Venezuelan migrants accused of being gang members.

Boasberg gave a verbal order for the aircraft to turn around. The administration denied violating it. Boasberg subsequently started a contempt investigation, leading to a separate appeal for which the full D.C. Circuit will hear arguments next Tuesday.

​ Orange County Register 

Rams WR Puka Nacua doubtful to play vs. Broncos

• September 25, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is doubtful to play against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night, head coach Sean McVay said before practice on Friday.

Nacua, who is dealing with a groin injury he suffered in practice before the Rams’ Week 2 win over the Giants, did not practice at all this week. On Wednesday, McVay described the All-Pro receiver’s symptoms as being similar to something someone would have before the injury developed into a hernia, though McVay did clarify that Nacua does not in fact have a hernia.

The hope is that after missing two games Nacua will be able to return to play for the Rams (1-1) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, McVay said Friday, adding that injured reserve is not a consideration.

“If he doesn’t go this week, the expectations are unless there’s a setback then he’ll be good for next week,” McVay said. “There’s a lot of guys that I have confidence in to be able to step up in his absence. It’s a great challenge, he’s obviously a good football player for us, but there’s a lot of good football players that we have.”

Davante Adams sucked up much of the target share in Nacua’s absence against the Giants. No other Rams receiver was targeted more than twice or made more than one catch against New York.

Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase said he did feel the group’s impact in the run game, highlighting blocks from Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith.

“Those things from those guys, when you can lean on them in those moments, it allows you to do more,” Scheelhaase said.

The Rams will get some additional help against the Broncos (1-1), however, with receiver Jordan Whittington (quad) expected to return after a one-game absence.

“Which is big,” McVay added.

Tight end Colby Parkinson (knee) was scheduled to participate in Friday’s jog-through after not practicing the first two days of the week, with the hope that he’ll be good to go against the Broncos.

“He’s trending in the right direction,” McVay said.

Safety Kam Kinchens (hamstring) will be listed as doubtful against the Broncos and looks poised to miss his second straight game.

Rising tide

With Ronnie Rivers on injured reserve, the Rams will elevate rookie running back Dean Connors from the practice squad for Sunday’s game, McVay said.

Connors impressed during the preseason with 149 scrimmage yards and three receiving touchdowns after going undrafted out of Houston. But his role against the Broncos will be limited strictly to special teams and emergency third running back, with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum still poised to get all the carries barring an injury.

“He’s done a good job. It’s a [special teams] thing that really put it over the top,” McVay said. “I feel really good about both of those guys [Connors and Jordan Waters] if that’s what we were asked.”

​ Orange County Register 

Pope warns a ‘paradise of machines’ could undermine humanity as he opens France trip

• September 25, 2026

By NICOLE WINFIELD, SYLVIE CORBET and JOHN LEICESTER

PARIS (AP) — Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that a “paradise of machines” risked undermining humanity as he opened a trip to France by posing fundamental questions about what it means to be human in the age of artificial intelligence, a nuclear arms race and other threats to life itself.

Leo raised existential concerns about scientific progress, life and human rights during his opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and authorities at the Élysée Palace and then to diplomats and United Nations employees at the headquarters of UNESCO, the U.N. culture and education organization.

With wars plaguing Europe and the Middle East, he reaffirmed the Vatican’s opposition to nuclear weapons and said the nuclear deterrence doctrine was “mistaken” since it was just fueling a new arms race.

“Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice,” he said.

Leo has an intense four days in France, where the Catholic Church has lost ground on influencing ethical issues given the strict approach to secularism that is enshrined in the French Constitution.

Yet thousands of people lined his motorcade route, waving French and Holy See flags, with some braving hours of the unseasonable heat to catch a glimpse of him. The turnout underscored the surprising level of interest in Leo’s visit, the first official state visit by a pope to France in 18 years.

Macron said Leo’s visit brings “a source of hope” to many French people.

A capstone visit as Macron’s term ends

For Macron, who is barred from seeking a third term in May elections, hosting the American pope is something of a capstone. Pope Francis had refused repeatedly to make a proper state visit to France during his 12-year pontificate and pointedly refused to join the inauguration of the rebuilt Notre Dame cathedral in 2024.

“For a president of the republic as Macron, who is at the end of his mandate, it can be important to be aside the pope and to capture a part of his popularity,” said Charles Mercier, director of history and sociology of Catholicism studies at Paris EPHE university.

With seven months left in his term, Macron’s approval ratings are near record lows, driven by anger over the rising cost of living and criticism of France’s growing debt and deficit and deteriorating public services.

Smiling broadly as Leo spoke French, Macron thanked the pope for visiting, saying: “You are here with us for an extended visit, giving us your time, and that is moving.”

The Rev. Aristide Ahidote, from Ivory Coast, was among those who planned to attend the pope’s vespers service in Notre Dame later Friday. “God has given us a pope with vigor and strength,” he said.

Leo calls for the French to mull lofty questions about life

Unlike Francis, who liked to travel to small Catholic communities far from Rome, Leo has been keen to emphasize and reawaken Europe’s Christian roots. He is seeking to push the church’s message about the value and dignity of human life in a country where the right to abortion was enshrined in the constitution in 2024, and where lawmakers recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication.

The French Catholic hierarchy strongly opposed the measures, in keeping with Catholic teaching that human life must be protected and defended from conception until natural death.

In his speech to Macron and other government and diplomatic authorities, Leo reminded France of its “deep Christian roots” and called for the French to remember that the right to life is the “indispensable foundation of every other human right.”

His concern about the dignity of human life and humanity as a whole extended to the threats posed by artificial intelligence.

“The paradox has become increasingly evident: while ‘intelligence’ is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded,” he said.

From the very start of his pontificate, Leo has identified AI as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. He dedicated his first encyclical to the topic, “Magnificent Humanity,” calling for robust regulation and for AI developers to work for the common good rather than profit.

Leo also appealed to AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulating them to slow down, an appeal that several top AI companies seem to have taken to heart in recently.

“If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a ‘paradise of machines’ invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good,” he said.

Leo earlier told reporters that he was pleased his message was being heard and said he hoped the dialogue that the Vatican initiated with tech companies would continue.

“And I think from their perspective, many of them, they’re very much open to looking for ways of making sure that AI does not displace or ultimately destroy humanity, but rather than be a tool for human beings,” he said.

A visit to Notre Dame that Francis declined

Later Friday, Leo presided over evening prayers in Paris’ soaring Notre Dame cathedral, the first pope to celebrate there since the devastating 2019 fire that consumed the cathedral’s roof and toppled its spire.

After being mobbed by a crowd of eager nuns outside, Leo walked down the central aisle to the combined thundering of the organ above and cheers from the pews below. As bells tolled, he knelt in silent prayer in the same spot where, in 2019, flames brought down scorched roof beams.

Leo marveled at the brilliance of the stained-glass windows and restored cream columns and praised the artisans who repaired them. He urged the priests and nuns gathered in the pews to be inspired by the combined effort to bring the Gothic masterpiece back to life.

Francis had refused to visit France on a proper state visit, and explicitly refused Macron’s invitation to come for the 2024 reopening of the cathedral that drew dozens of world leaders.

He did make three short trips to French cities, however, including Strasbourg in 2014 and Marseille and Corsica in 2024, a one-day visit that became his last foreign trip.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

​ Orange County Register 

A month after Nepal-China floods, Ukrainian families still desperate for answers

• September 25, 2026

By HUIZHONG WU

BANGKOK (AP) — Olena Kalynychenko was looking forward to sharing the chrysanthemum tea she had bought in China with her partner.

“She said, ‘When I come back home, we will drink the tea made from Chinese flowers,’” said Oles Visich, Kalynychenko’s partner. He has now been waiting for news about her for a month, after she and thousands of others disappeared in catastrophic flooding along the Nepal-China border.

Her last known location was exiting China at a border post at 10:22 a.m. local time, 15 minutes before the flood.

Kalynychenko, 36, was part of a group of 56 people, mostly Ukrainians, who had traveled to Mount Kailash in Tibet for a spiritual retreat.

Their families’ situation is a sign of how complex and time-consuming the process is of rescuing, recovering and identifying victims lost to the disaster. Given the number of missing, the process will likely take months.

They disappeared while heading from China to Nepal on their way home. Some relatives say they have received no information from authorities. The Chinese government has told at least two families that their relatives left Chinese territory before the flood struck, but they haven’t been able to confirm whether they entered Nepal as Nepal’s immigration complex and its records were destroyed in the floods.

Little information is reaching families

The floods killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 6,000 missing, most of them on the Nepali side of the border. Nepal has said that 636 foreign nationals remain missing, including 54 Ukrainians. China has reported 261 foreign nationals among the missing on its side, including one Ukrainian.

Families in Ukraine say most of them have not received any answers since realizing their relatives were among the missing.

“We only have the statistics that are being posted online — how many people have been found, how many are alive, how many are dead, and how many are still missing,” said Stanislav Solohub, whose brother and sister-in-law went missing on Aug. 25.

Nepal says it has recovered 1,451 bodies, but only 112 have been handed over to families so far.

The government said it has collected DNA samples from 2,035 relatives so far, but it has not disclosed how many victims have been identified.

Last messages were sent minutes before the floods began

The group, led by Irina Blonskaya, a spiritual teacher who often organized retreats, was returning from its journey home in China when the flood struck Aug. 26. Their plan was to travel by bus from the Tibet region to Kathmandu, where its members would board flights to their respective countries. The group’s last message was sent at 8:27 a.m. Nepal time, about 10 minutes before the mountain slope collapsed.

Many had not checked in with their loved ones that morning, owing to the time difference.

Authorities have said the floods were triggered when a section of ice and rock broke away from a Himalayan mountain slope, creating a fast-moving torrent of water, ice, mud and debris. It destroyed communities and Gyirong Port, a border crossing used by some pilgrims traveling to or returning from Mount Kailash.

‘Who is looking for them?’

Vladsylava Horlova’s mother, Elena, was traveling in the group as well. She initially found her mother’s name on the list of the missing from the Nepali government, but hasn’t received any further information from the Nepali side. Later, the Chinese embassy confirmed her mother had left the country, and was not counted in China’s list of missing people.

Horlova, a college student who is a refugee in Norway, worries that her mother was not recorded as being in either country, and that neither side is looking for her. There’s a stretch of road between the Nepali immigration building and the Chinese one along the border, videos from travelers show.

“You think about what if someone appeared to be in a no man’s land or that they left China, but not physically, who’s looking for them?” she asked.

Horlova has attempted to contact organizations ranging from the Ukrainian embassy in China, to Norwegian police, and even the Red Cross. She, like the others, has submitted her DNA samples to police to help the search.

On the other side of the border, China has said that when the remains of foreigners are identified, it will notify their respective embassies, but the authorities have not given any details about how many identities have been confirmed so far.

People still have hope

Though it has been a month since the original disaster, some families are still holding on to hope.

Just days before Kalynychenko left for her travels, she organized a retreat for women in Ukraine whose partners were fighting on the front lines of the war, some of whom had not heard from their partners for two years.

Visich, her partner, sees the irony of his situation, but like others in the group, has chosen to stay positive. Visich, also a psychologist, wrote a support guide for others like himself, offering tips on mental health.

“Because for my Olenka, for example, the most important thing in our connection is that each other … needs to be happy,” Visich said.

Associated Press writer Binaj Gurubacharya in Kathmandu, Nepal and senior video producer Volodymr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

UN adds 61 companies to settlements blacklist over alleged Palestinian rights violations

• September 25, 2026

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. human rights office on Friday said it added 61 more companies to a blacklist of firms that it says are involved in violating Palestinian human rights through business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

The vast majority of the total 214 companies, which are based in 11 countries, are Israeli. Five of the 158 companies listed last year were removed in the latest update.

The blacklist, first published in 2020, was born of a vote by the U.N.’s Human Rights Council, which has no ability to force companies to act. Its main goal is to name and shame businesses with ties to the settlements.

It is unclear how the inclusion on the list has affected the companies financially.

“This report is another reminder to companies that they have human rights responsibilities and are expected to conduct due diligence to ensure that they do not become involved in human rights violations or abuses,” said Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights chief, in a statement.

Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva, which has repeatedly criticized the rights council, called the database a “political tool” used by Türk’s office “to advance a smear campaign against business enterprises that committed no wrongdoing.”

The latest report comes as Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas have faced new scrutiny.

Earlier this month, Britain banned trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where it says “settler terrorists” are carrying out “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians. France and Canada announced they would take similar action.

​ Orange County Register 

No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC football: Who has the edge?

• September 25, 2026

No. 20 Oregon (2-1) at No. 12 USC (3-0)

When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

TV/Radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/ESPN LA 710 AM

Line: Oregon by 3

Injury report

USC: OUT: WR Corey Simms, S Kendarius Riddick, LB Taylor Johnson, OL Kilian O’Connor; DOUBTFUL: WR Trent Mosley; QUESTIONABLE: DL Jahkeem Stewart, RB Deshonne Redeaux, S Alex Graham, LB Jaydn Walker; PROBABLE: LB Elijah Newby.

Oregon: OUT: WR Jeremiah McClellan, RB Simeon Price, LB Brayden Platt, OL Trent Ferguson; DOUBTFUL: WR Jalen Lott; QUESTIONABLE: TE Jamari Johnson, TE Kendre Harrison; PROBABLE: DB Carl Williams IV.

What’s at stake? Essentially, the College Football Playoff. After a Week 2 loss to Oklahoma State, Oregon needs to run the table throughout its Big Ten schedule to ensure a spot in the 12-team field. USC is about to embark on a stretch of six games, including four opponents ranked inside the top 20, bookended with a back-to-back against Ohio State and at Indiana. Assuming the Trojans drop one of those two, they must beat the Ducks to make the CFP. More so, the Trojans haven’t defeated the Ducks since Nov. 5, 2016, when Clay Helton was at the helm. Not only do Oregon and USC compete on the field, but the Ducks have made Southern California a hotbed for their recruiting base, and it’s important USC protects its turf. All of this is to say, the Trojans have to be the hungrier team. Saturday’s game is a perfect spot for Jayden Maiava’s Heisman Trophy case and NFL stock to surge. If he can outperform Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who could have been a top pick had he declared for the 2026 NFL draft, then scouts and voters will have a direct comparison and measuring stick for Maiava. The Trojans senior has displayed raw talent, but if he proves it against Moore, who left UCLA for Eugene after one season, the staying power is stronger.

Who’s better? Oregon and USC are evenly matched, mirroring one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Each team is led by a dynamic quarterback on the fringe of the Heisman conversation who lead with their arm but can make plays with their feet. Maiava and Moore will each play on Sundays in the future, and this Saturday’s matchup will help determine how much those NFL teams value them. With their play this season, the quarterback competition is a wash between Oregon and USC. Additionally, they each have defensive fronts that entered the 2026 season with high promise, but have underwhelmed. USC allowed 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Rutgers, and Oregon couldn’t get any pressure on Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker in a 39-31 loss in Week 2. USC and Oregon each have injuries to their top receivers as Trent Mosley is doubtful because of a knee injury and Jeremiah McClellan is out after breaking his foot in warmups last week.

Prediction: USC 42, Oregon 41. Because of the equalities and stakes laid out above, this game will be tight. The defenses are weaker than expected so points will be scored. As it goes down to the wire, coaching will determine the outcome. Dan Lanning has outsmarted Lincoln Riley before, and with Oregon’s backs against the wall, he could do it again. But the nod goes to USC because of Riley and its coordinators as Oregon’s in-house promotions, offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton, haven’t looked the part.

​ Orange County Register 

Federal court says US government can label Anthropic a supply chain risk

• September 25, 2026

By KAITLYN HUAMANI, AP Technology Writer

In the latest twist in Anthropic’s dispute with the Pentagon, a federal appeals court on Friday rejected the AI lab’s challenge to the government’s labeling of it as a supply chain risk.

The decision allows the Pentagon to continue to remove Anthropic’s Claude models from its systems and bar the use of its products for Defense Department work. Judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 in the Pentagon’s favor.

The dispute between the AI company and the government broke out in February when President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused Anthropic of endangering national security and designated the company a supply chain risk. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused to back down over concerns the company’s products could be used for mass surveillance or autonomous armed drones.

“The Department reasonably feared that Anthropic might manipulate Claude’s design to prevent it from performing national-security functions that the Department deems contractually authorized and necessary,” Judge Gregory G. Katsas wrote in the majority opinion.

The ruling is separate from one a federal judge made this summer in California, where she found the Pentagon acted illegally by punishing the AI company for its criticism of the Pentagon’s views on AI use. This case, which was filed earlier this year in Washington, D.C., focused on a different rule the Pentagon was using to try to declare Anthropic a supply chain risk.

An Anthropic spokesperson said in a statement the company “respectfully disagrees” with the court’s decision. “Another federal court has already held the government’s parallel designation unlawful,” the statement continued. “We remain confident in our position and are considering all options, including further review.”

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

​ Orange County Register