Trump on the stump: Extreme lines, vague threats

• October 9, 2026

By John T. Bennett, CQ-Roll Call

The remark from President Donald Trump came out of nowhere as he was speaking at a defense manufacturing facility under a beaming sun in Baltimore on Tuesday.

“Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought, who is fantastic, he’s done a job,” Trump said, delivering shout-outs while standing in front of a naval combat ship. “We have some big surprises coming up in another few weeks, right, Russ?”

The commander in chief was at Charm City’s Sparrows Point industrial area to announce a $6.6 billion investment in Navy submarine manufacturing, a project that could boost Maryland GOP Rep. Andy Harris’ reelection bid. His nearby 1st District could benefit from the jobs a new defense production factory will deliver.

“He’s going to be one of the very important people in the history of our country, in my opinion,” Trump added of Vought, who also was an architect of Project 2025, conservatives’ hardline playbook for his second term. “He’s got some great things happening.”

It was the latest example of how Trump’s midterms barnstorming tour has featured sometimes extreme and often vague statements.

Top congressional and other Democrats were outraged by Trump saying during a Monday rally for Nebraska Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts in Grand Island that Iran could go ahead and target two major West Coast U.S. cities.

“They can take out a city. Let them take, let it, let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego,” Trump said of Iranian leaders. “This is a very small price to pay. And it’s going to be over very soon.”

Democrats focused on the outlandish statement from a sitting U.S. president.

“It’s sickening to hear the President of the United States dismiss American lives so callously,” House Democratic Whip Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts wrote on X. “Every Republican candidate should be called on to denounce this.”

Democrats in California’s congressional delegation issued a joint statement calling on Trump to apologize: “Upon taking office, the President swears to uphold the Constitution and to protect us from our enemies. … As members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, we call on President Trump to apologize to the over 16 million Americans who live in the Los Angeles and San Diego metropolitan areas and all Americans who expect more out of our President.”

House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said in a statement that the comment shows the president was “so deranged.”

“It is truly revolting how much ill will he has for the Citizens he is supposed to protect,” Thompson said. “It is clear Trump is completely panicked about the midterm elections and his Iran War disaster and wants to escalate tensions to sow election chaos. The silence from Republicans is deafening.”

Trump twice on Tuesday waved off reporters’ questions about what exactly he meant. He added what seemed to be a clean-up line Wednesday night, repeating the ominous scenario, but then adding: “We’re not going to let that happen. We protect our cities.”

‘Not-so-nice way’

Another potentially ominous statement came during the Baltimore event.

Iran was “the bully of the Middle East and not so much the bully anymore, but we have to finish up. And it’s only a question of which way. Do we want to do it the nice way or the not-so-nice way?” Trump said. “And pretty soon you’ll find out.”

Trump has floated “annihilating” the Islamic Republic as a way to end the conflict. The White House on Thursday responded to a query about whether the president’s threats are narrowly aimed at Iranian leaders or also the country’s population of 89.2 million by referring a reporter back to the same presidential comments.

At every stop, Trump receives usually tepid applause from crowds of loyalists when he contends that prices — from the cost of a gallon of gasoline to groceries to most everyday and leisure items — are swiftly falling.

At a rally Wednesday in San Antonio for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate bid, Trump said: “You watch those oil prices come down like a rock and watch everything — everything else is coming down. Oil is coming down.”

The independent fact-checking organization PolitiFact calls Trump’s prices claim “mostly false.”

“Through August, overall, prices increased by about 4.7 percent since Trump began his second term, and groceries have risen by about 3.4%. By mid-September, gasoline was up 41% from January 2025, when Trump began his second term, a spike driven by the Iran war. Fuel oil and natural gas have risen as well. Electricity was up by more than 8%,” PolitiFact wrote in a recent analysis. “Coffee, ground beef and chicken breast were also up during this period. Car prices, eggs, bacon and bread prices were down.”

‘Daydreaming’

Trump also has used campaign stops to claim he will send out $5,000 payments to millions of Americans if Republicans retain their House and Senate majorities.

But so far the president and his staff have brushed off questions about how to get such an expensive package through Congress, nor explained how his pledge to ensure each dollar is spent at home would be enforced.

“Congress would have to approve. And even if Republicans controlled the 120th Congress, the only way would be to pass legislation, I assume through reconciliation,” G. William Hoagland, a former senior GOP Senate leadership aide now with the Bipartisan Policy Center, said in a Wednesday email. “But adding another $2-plus trillion to the deficit, given growing concerns over the national debt, I would chalk up as ‘daydreaming’ and out of touch with reality.”

Going long

Trump has delivered his three-longest speeches of his second term this year.

Trump debuted his $5,000 pledge on Sept. 9 with primetime remarks at a GOP convention in Dallas, when he spoke for 1 hour, 44 minutes and 49 seconds. That was his second-longest speech of the year, surpassed only by his State of the Union address on Feb. 24, which ran for 1 hour, 47 minutes, 49 seconds.

Meanwhile, Trump’s San Antonio rally lasted 1 hour, 44 minutes and 13 seconds, the third longest of his second term, according to Roll Call’s Factba.se.

And there are more rallies planned before Election Day.

©2026 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. Visit at rollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

31-year-old man fatally stabbed in San Juan Capistrano

• October 9, 2026

A 31-year-old man was stabbed to death in San Juan Capistrano on Wednesday night, Oct. 7, authorities said.

Deputies responded to the area of Calle Santa Barbara and Los Rios Street around 8:10 p.m. after witnesses reported seeing a man on the ground suffering from multiple stab wounds, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The man, identified as Valentin Onofre Martinez, 31, of San Juan Capistrano, was pronounced dead later at a hospital.

Several people were detained at the scene Wednesday night, authorities said, but no arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon. No further information about potential suspects or what led to the stabbing was immediately available.

The Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide and Gang Enforcement teams are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information was asked to contact sheriff’s dispatch at 714-647-7000. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS or through the Sheriff’s Department’s website.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump administration accuses Pasadena’s Caltech of visa fraud, in probe of universities

• October 9, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration on Thursday, Oct. 8, accused Caltech and eight other universities of suspected visa fraud, alleging they were abusing a program that allows international students to come to the United States to study.

Vice President JD Vance said that the private Pasadena research university known for its engineering and science programs was exploiting the J-1 special visa that allows international scholars and students to do research and work in the U.S.

“Something weird is going on at these universities,” Vance said at a news conference. “They’re using these visas way too much. They’re using them to undercut the wages of American grad students and American researchers, and it simply has to stop.”

A message from City News Service seeking comment from Caltech was not immediately answered.

Along with Caltech, Vance singled out Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, the University of Pittsburgh, UC Davis, Arizona State, and MIT.

Vance said the potential abuse of the J-1 and H-1B programs constituted a “fundamental insult to the American worker.”

The Trump administration contends that 61% of post-doctoral researchers and federally funded workers at the nine schools are foreign nationals, a rate far larger than the national average of 38%.

Federal officials said a probe of the schools was underway.

Labor Department Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito said subpoenas have been served and “Nobody will be getting a free pass because their name is carved into an expensive building.”

Vance also called out Microsoft for allegedly abusing the H-1B special visa program for foreign workers.

“There’s been no company, unfortunately, in the United States that has abused this system more than Microsoft,” Vance told reporters at the White House news conference.

​ Orange County Register 

400+ Orange County workers set to strike Tuesday if new contract not reached

• October 9, 2026

More than 465 Orange County employees who maintain roads, run landfills and staff the regional parks and animal shelter say they will go on strike Tuesday, Oct. 13, if the county does not reach a deal on a new labor agreement, Teamsters Local 952 announced Thursday.

The local represents employees across OC Public Works, OC Waste & Recycling and OC Community Resources, including heavy equipment operators, mechanics, waste workers, custodial staff and animal care workers.

“The county has shown that its priorities are not with the workers who keep Orange County running or the more than 3 million residents who depend on the services our members provide,” Eric Jimenez, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 952 said in a statement. “We are giving the county every opportunity to come to the table and reach an agreement before Tuesday.”

The union’s previous three-year contract expired June 25. Bargaining team members said they approached the county in December to begin negotiations, but argue the county made no meaningful movement toward a deal until August.

On Aug. 20, members voted down the county’s one-year offer of a 3% raise with no retroactive pay, an offer workers said fell short of recognizing the value of their work. The union said it also filed an unfair labor practice complaint alleging the county has failed to bargain in good faith.

“We respect the rights of our dedicated employees to engage in lawful strike activity under California law. Our priority remains ensuring the continuity of essential public services for our residents,” county spokesperson Molly Nicholson said Thursday. “We have contingency plans in place to minimize service disruptions.”

Details on the contingency plan were not immediately made available and the county did not provide additional information.

The union held a press conference before the OC Board of Supervisors’ last meeting in September to warn about the potential for a strike.

​ Orange County Register 

Rams’ Byron Young done with ‘second-hand credit’ after 2.5-sack game

• October 8, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Byron Young is a Pro Bowler. A former Day 2 pick. Thirty-one career sacks. Poised to make some serious money as a free agent this coming spring.

But throughout his NFL career, the Rams’ outside linebacker has always had a “yeah, but” come up after any analysis of his game. Something like, “Yeah, but the offensive line is paying attention to Aaron Donald, of course he got a pressure.”

So when asked if, given that outside perception, he felt any extra satisfaction having a career-high 2.5 sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles on a day in which the Rams (2-2) were missing Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, Young waits a moment before responding.

“I’m not gonna lie to you, I’m glad you actually said that,” Young said. “It’s been something I’ve been wanting to say without saying it and the fact that you brought it up is great because just the past few years, every time I was playing it was always kind of like a second-hand credit to Byron.”

Young’s first year, the narrative went, teams were so focused on Donald that players like Young got easy one-on-one opportunities. After Donald’s retirement, it was first-round pick Jared Verse that received credit for Young’s opportunities.

Young and Verse were inseparable friends before the latter was traded in the spring for Garrett. Young never let the talk from outside the Rams’ practice facility impact how he acted with his teammates, or how he approached his role within the game plan each week.

But of course he noticed how he was talked about.

“[A sack would] be credited to me, but it’d be like, well because so-and-so takes a lot of attention, because of this, and it’s just like I never really got the credit I felt like I deserved just because, again, other guys being great too,” Young said. “But at the same time, it’s just like it’s always been: a second-hand congratulations.”

But against the Eagles, without Donald and Garrett, it was Young’s turn to shine and be the closer that the Rams’ defense needed to pull out the 24-20 win in Philadelphia.

After the Rams cut their deficit to three, Young opened the ensuing Philadelphia drive with a run stuff of Tank Bigsby. The one-yard gain stalled the Eagles, who went three-and-out.

Then when the Rams retook the lead, Young wanted to redeem himself. For missed plays earlier in the game, and for a missed opportunity the week before against the Denver Broncos.

“At the end of the game, I feel like I’d never closed out a game or never really went out there,” Young said. “Like we played Denver and didn’t close it out and that was a chance. And this game, I feel like it was the same type of vibe, the same type of situation where the team got the ball and they needed a score after our offense just scored. So my mindset was do it for the brother beside me.”

Young sacked Jalen Hurts for a seven-yard loss on first down. Then he sacked Hurts again on third, this time stripping the ball away. The Eagles recovered, but all out of timeouts the fumble helped waste a few precious seconds.

“He made his impact felt all over the field. We talk about competitive greatness, being at your best when your best is required,” Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner said. “He’s a guy that always flies around with his hair on fire.”

“And after I got that done and just feeling the love from everybody, from my family, my teammates, it felt great,” Young added. “Finally getting that congratulations and good job, and you worked so hard for it. That’s something I definitely worked so hard for. It made me a little emotional just because I know how much I put into it, I know how much I went through just to get to where I know I could play at. So just being able to step up and be there for my teammates while some of the guys are down right now, I’m thankful for that.”

And it’s not something the Rams have taken for granted the last three-plus years.

“I think the people that know know,” head coach Sean McVay said. “He certainly delivered in crunch time at the most important moments. … This season, he’s made a tremendous impact. I certainly know that his teammates don’t feel that way and his coaches. He was outstanding for us. I think when you talk to the people that really know, they know what ‘0’ is about.”

Injury report

Donald (back), CB Jaylen Watson (shoulder) and TE Colby Parkinson (shoulder) were all limited participants in practice Thursday, laying the groundwork for them to play Monday against the Buffalo Bills (3-1).

“That’s what the hope is, yes,” McVay said. “The expectation is that as long as they progress accordingly, then they’ll be ready to go. Want to see how Jaylen feels. We’ll get a little shoulder harness out there.”

​ Orange County Register 

Fryer: San Juan Hills football has an electric connection on offense

• October 8, 2026

The spring and summer 7-on-7 football passing tournaments and leagues were created to help quarterbacks and receivers become more in tune with each other.

For San Juan Hills senior quarterback Eiler King and senior receiver Luke Frith, a strong connection wasn’t really established until real football was played in August.

“It was a little bit of a battle at first,” Frith said. “It was hard to connect with him. Then when the season started, when the pads came on, everything changed and the real connection started to happen.”

That connection was electric last week. King completed 24 of 29 passes for 473 yards and seven touchdowns — both school records — in a 61-10 win over Los Alamitos in the Alpha League.

Frith caught eight passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns as the Stallions improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in league.

King played at San Clemente High last season. He was the starting quarterback there for some early-season games and shared time at the position with Preston Beck before Beck became the full-time starter in the second half of the season.

King’s transfer after the season to San Juan Hills was an amicable one. San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz said the King family communicated their plan with Ortiz openly, which Ortiz appreciated.

Ortiz said he is happy for King’s success … well, until Oct. 23. That’s when San Clemente and San Juan Hills meet in an Alpha League game at San Juan Hills High.

King had to battle for playing time at San Juan Hills, too. For a few springtime weeks his competition included Nash McElree, a transfer from Texas who also spent some time in the summer playing for Mission Viejo. McElree was in Visalia the last time we looked.

San Juan Hills coach Robert Frith, who is Luke’s father, said King was able to mesh with his new teammates immediately.

“He earned the respect of his teammates from Day 1,” Frith said. “Eiler at first was sharing reps with four or five other quarterbacks here. As camp progressed things worked out for him, and he earned it.”

King said it took some time for him to get familiar with the San Juan Hills receivers.

“The 7-on-7 stuff is always good to get that rhythm going,” King said. “But when the pads came on, that’s when everything started rolling.”

King is third in Orange County for passing yards with 1,459. He has completed 96 of 126 passes (76 percent) with 22 touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Luke Frith, who is committed to Texas State, is the team’s leading receiver with 39 receptions for 640 yards (fifth-most in the county) and 11 touchdowns.

Luke Frith described King as “a big gunslinger.”

“He can really throw it deep,” Luke Frith said. “He’s gotten very good at anticipating where us receivers are going to be. He throws it out there and he trusts us to be there.”

Transferring from one school to another is not always rewarding. Sometimes, it does not work out. Very often it does.

A few years ago, Parker Awad transferred from Mater Dei, where he was not going to supplant Elijah Brown at quarterback. Awad transferred to Edison, where he became an All-Sunset League player.

King said he had great relationships with players and coaches at San Clemente but is happy he made the move to San Juan Hills.

“I’m so beyond thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given here,” King said. “The coaching staff is amazing and I’m so thankful for the way they’ve embraced me. It’s been such a comfortable and welcoming experience.”

NOTES

• Orange quarterback Star Thomas III is Orange County’s leading passer with 2,227 yards for an average of 371 yards a game. …

• Santa Ana Valley senior running back Fern Dircio is the county’s leading rusher with 1,034 yards. Dircio (5-5, 160) is the county’s first player to surpass 1,000 rushing yards. …

• Savanna junior Issic Alonzo leads Orange County in receiving yards with 1,068. Savanna junior quarterback Nate Eich is second in the county for passing yards with 2,014. …

• No Orange County athletics program has been immune to the fall heat. At San Clemente High, just a couple of miles from the ocean, the football team made schedule changes to lessen the heat’s impact. “We’ve been practicing at night,” said Ortiz, “and last Wednesday morning (Sept. 30) we practiced in pads at 6:15 in the morning.” At JSerra, the cross country program scheduled workouts to avoid the heat as much as possible. “We started working out at 7 a.m.,” said JSerra coach Chase Frazier. “It’s so much better in the morning.” …

• Some important cross country meets are coming up on the schedule ahead of the CIF Southern Section and CIF State competitions, including the Orange County Championships at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado on Oct. 17. There is also the Mt. SAC Invitational on Oct. 24. The CIF Southern Section finals are at Mt. San Antonio College on Nov. 23. …

• Santa Margarita’s girls volleyball team beat then-national No. 1 Mater Dei in four sets in a Trinity League match last week. The most recent rankings from the Massey Ratings System still has Mater Dei (32-1) at No. 1 in the section with Sierra Canyon (26-1) at No. 2. Santa Margarita (17-9), which lost to Sierra Canyon last month, is at No. 6. Los Alamitos (28-6) is No. 4 and Newport Harbor (26-6) is No. 5. The Massey Ratings will be used by the CIF-SS to form the playoff divisions and seedings for the playoffs.

• The JSerra boys water polo team had a 10-9 win over Newport Harbor in a tournament last week that returned the Lions to No. 1 in the Orange Country rankings. Newport Harbor, last week’s top-ranked team, is No. 2 this week. …

• JSerra’s domination in flag football continues. The Lions are No. 1 in the county with a 22-0 record. The flag football playoffs begin Oct. 20.

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita consensus picks for Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

• October 8, 2026

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Eddie Wilson, Kevin Modesti and Mark Ratzky. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Friday, October 9, 2026.

Trouble viewing on mobile device? See consensus picks

Enjoy the consensus horse racing picks online? Subscribe

​ Orange County Register 

What to know about Trump Accounts and automatic enrollment

• October 8, 2026

By ADRIANA MORGA and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

NEW YORK (AP) — Whether you realize it or not, your child may be enrolled in a “Trump Account.”

Rolled out earlier this year, the Trump Accounts program allows parents to claim special investment accounts for children who are 18 years old or younger. And some babies are eligible to receive a one-time $1,000 contribution from the government.

Now, because of automatic enrollment highlighted Wednesday by President Donald Trump, the Treasury Department says every eligible child with a valid Social Security number has a Trump Account. But parents and legal guardians would still need to formally activate the accounts if they haven’t already.

Here’s what we know.

How Trump Accounts work

The accounts are a savings tool that invests money in the stock market on a child’s behalf. The child can’t access the money until they turn 18 and can use it only for specific purposes, such as paying tuition, starting a business or making a down payment on a home. Families can activate an account through the program’s trumpaccounts.gov website or its mobile phone app.

The government will make a $1,000 contribution for some babies after the account is claimed. To qualify for the $1,000 seed money, a baby must be a U.S. citizen, have a Social Security number and be born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028 — covering Trump’s current term.

Any parent — regardless of their immigration status — can open an account for a qualifying child. Parents of older children also are encouraged to open accounts. Even though they aren’t eligible for the government’s $1,000 contribution, some older children are eligible for seed money of $250 drawn from separate investments from wealthy donors.

Otherwise, family contributions will need to come out of pocket. Parents can contribute up to $2,500 annually in pretax income, much like retirement accounts. Employers, relatives, friends, local governments and philanthropic groups can also pitch in. Yearly contributions are capped at $5,000, although contributions from governments and charities don’t count toward that total.

Private banks and brokerages will manage the money. When the accounts were originally conceived, investments were restricted to broader index funds. But with updated rules from the Treasury Department late last month, eligible wealthy investors can now also donate stock from individual companies.

Automatic enrollments — but not activation of accounts

With automatic enrollment, Trump said 70 million children will now have the accounts, up from 8 million created since their launch in July.

Researchers from the Brown School’s Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis advocated for the automatic enrollment. And Jin Huang, co-director of the center, called the administration’s move “a big step.”

“Automatic enrollment is the most important policy design feature for early wealth building programs, in order to ensure full inclusion of all eligible children,” said Huang, citing research from his team.

Still, he says, more work needs to be done. Parents and legal guardians need to formally claim the accounts to activate them — as well as elect the $1,000 seed money if they’re eligible — and Huang says “each of these steps will lower the participation,” with particular barriers facing low-income families who may not already have access to similar investments.

Wealthy investors can now donate individual stocks

When Trump Accounts were first rolled out, investments were initially restricted to broad index funds — in theory to decrease risk while still yielding incremental growth. But among additional updates to the program, eligible wealthy investors can now also donate stock from individual companies.

“It’s a way to encourage participation in the program,” explained Nathan C. Goldman, a professor of accounting at North Carolina State University. He said many of the world’s wealthiest people don’t have “a whole lot of liquid cash sitting around” and might instead turn to shares.

Still, he notes, individual stocks are more volatile than indexes. And families wouldn’t get a say about which companies might donate to their children’s portfolios.

Once a child turns 18, they can access the money

It’s important to note that the child won’t be able to access the money until they turn 18, except in rare circumstances. So the money can’t help with immediate expenses.

But once a beneficiary of a Trump Account turns 18, they can choose to use the money from it however they want. Trump account beneficiaries can also choose to roll the investment over to a Roth IRA account.

“You’re extending the life of this thing beyond the 18 years; you’re going all the way out into the child’s potential retirement,” said Myranda Fabian, a certified financial planner with Plante Moran Financial Advisors.

Moving the earnings from a Trump Account to a Roth IRA will be subject to taxation. Roth IRA accounts allow earnings to grow and to be withdrawn free of taxation when an adult reaches retirement age.

Comparing Trump Accounts with 529s and custodial brokerages

The 529 accounts are meant to invest for qualified educational expenses, such as college tuition, trade school and student loans, among other expenses. They grow tax-free, while investment earnings from Trump accounts will be taxed when withdrawn, and 529 account funds can be transferred to eligible family members.

Still, they’re specifically limited to spending on education. In contrast, there are more options to park money from Trump Accounts after a child turns 18.

Custodial brokerage accounts, on the other hand, are taxable investments with no contribution or withdrawal limits, unlike Trump Accounts. But similar to Trump Accounts, beneficiaries of custodial brokerage accounts have full control of the account once the child turns 18, and there are no rules on how they can spend the money.

Choosing an investment account that is better suited for a child’s future depends on each parent’s goals, said Kate Ashford, lead wealth writer at NerdWallet.

“The account that you’re using for savings is really going to depend on why you’re saving money,” Ashford said.

If parents are looking to focus on funding the education of their children, she added, 529 accounts continue to be the most beneficial.

Lingering concerns about inequity

Backers of Trump Accounts say they want to introduce more people to the stock market and give even children born into poverty a chance to benefit from it.

But critics say the accounts also fail to offset the cuts the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have made to other programs that benefit young people and the adults in their lives, including food assistance and Medicaid. And even with government contributions, some warn that the Trump Accounts could widen the wealth gap.

Goldman sees Trump Accounts as a tool to diversify — and notes that at the end of the day, they’re another option families can consider when making investments for their children, with solid tax advantages.

Still, affluent families will be more likely to afford the full scope of additional, out-of-pocket investments, Goldman said. A total contribution of $5,000 each year, for instance, would add up to $90,000 for one child over 18 years — and even with starting seed money for some children, or options to make smaller investments, inequities remain.

“It’s designed — especially with this $1,000 seed money — to be ‘an account for everybody,’” Goldman said. “But only some people are gonna be able to take advantage of this. Only some people are going to have that ability to do that.”

AP Writer Moriah Balingit contributed. Grantham-Philips reported from Chicago.

​ Orange County Register