No. 21 UCLA football takes on ‘disruptive and physical’ No. 13 Oregon

• October 9, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The lights dimmed and 60,000 fans fell silent, as the revving of a Harley Davidson echoed throughout Autzen Stadium. Roars simmered in response, growing louder as an illuminated Oregon Duck mascot mounted the back of the motorcycle. As he paraded around Rich Brooks Field, Oregon’s players ran out of the tunnel behind him.

Derrick Barksdale hadn’t seen anything like it.

“It’s definitely a college environment that you want to experience,” the UCLA defensive back said, recalling James Madison’s trip to Eugene for the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff.

Most Saturdays, that environment is sandwiched among college football’s slate. Felt exclusively by fans attending the game. Now, consider households across the nation tuning in for a standalone CFP matchup, placed in the West Coast primetime slot, and add that pressure to playing on a winter night in the Pacific Northwest.

“There were a lot of eyes on that,” UCLA head coach Bob Chesney said. “It was dark. It was cold. It was loud. … Their fans were extremely involved. They have a chance to impact the game.”

When No. 21 UCLA faces No. 13 Oregon at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, the consequences might pale in comparison to a postseason game, in which the Ducks defeated the Dukes 51-34 on Dec. 20, but the stakes remain high. Oregon’s trying to run the table throughout its Big Ten schedule after an early-season loss to No. 18 Oklahoma State put its CFP hopes in jeopardy. UCLA’s attempting to remain perfect in Chesney’s first season as head coach, and make a postseason push itself.

When asked what significance defeating the Ducks would hold for the Bruins, Chesney said, “it would mean we’re continuing on a path that we felt like we could be on.”

In reflecting on his final game before heading to Westwood – JMU’s loss to Oregon last season – Chesney felt the atmosphere at Autzen Stadium was the greatest obstacle. JMU brought an aggressive approach to the game. The Dukes moved the ball on offense but struggled to get stops on defense. The Ducks found matchups they liked, put the ball on the perimeter and exposed downfield coverages, Chesney explained.

“It was going to have to be a really uncommon effort that was going to have to be on display for us to win that game,” Chesney said. “Obviously we came up short, so it wasn’t enough.”

Chesney said he learned the Ducks have “no weaknesses,” and “if you leave them something to expose, they will expose it.”

But 10 months later, “an uncommon effort” won’t be required for UCLA (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) to upset Oregon (3-1, 1-0).

Apart from its 11 JMU transfers, many of whom are key contributors, UCLA is a much different and improved team from those Dukes, and much more equipped to deal with these Ducks.

Barksdale believes the Bruins have the speed across the defense to prevent Oregon from simply putting the ball on the perimeter and outpacing them. Wayne Knight, Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas pace a three-headed running attack that has produced 281.5 yards per game, fourth in the FBS behind West Virginia (294.0), Air Force (297.2) and top-ranking Army West Point (334.2).

“We have a different caliber of athletes now in the Big Ten,” Barksdale said.

The Bruins have proven that, defeating each of their first two Big Ten opponents as well as San Diego State and Cal, each with a different game script.

Still, an “uncommon effort” would certainly be welcomed against Oregon. UCLA  hasn’t beaten the Ducks since 2017 and hasn’t tasted victory in Eugene since 2004

The Ducks feature a sturdy defensive line of soon-to-be-Sunday-players: Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei, a St. John Bosco alum, are on the edge, and Amari Washington and Bear Alexander, a USC transfer, man the interior.

“They’re disruptive and they’re physical,” said Chesney, who is on the cusp of becoming the first coach in UCLA history to start his tenure with a 5-0 record. “What stands out in their play is that they have a plan.”

On the back end, defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. had a defining pass break-up when USC attempted to convert a fourth-and-7 in the fourth quarter on Sept. 26. Safety Koi Perich had the game-sealing interception. That secondary will be dealing with a banged-up UCLA receiving core as slot receiver Mikey Matthews is out for the season and Landon Ellis has been in and out of the lineup but will be available.

UCLA will also have to prepare for a different quarterback than it expected to face at the start of the season. After leading Oregon past JMU in the CFP, Dante Moore was ruled out Wednesday with a concussion dating to the hit he sustained from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II. Dylan Raiola will receive his first start, but he isn’t any other backup.

Raiola carries two years of starting experience from Nebraska, where he threw for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He proved he was ready when he filled in for Moore and threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns in leading Oregon to a 41-27 victory in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

“It was no drop off,” Chesney said.

To prepare for Raiola, UCLA watched his Nebraska film and performance against USC. Barskdale believes Raiola and Moore are similarly poised, and because Oregon ruled Moore out early in the week, Barksdale said it won’t “change our game plan much.”

After beginning the Chesney era with an exciting, undefeated start, UCLA faces its toughest test. A measuring stick of sorts. A matchup and atmosphere its staff, and a solid portion of players, are familiar with. The Bruins are confident they don’t need the Herculean effort JMU needed to beat Oregon last year, but it will take more than an uptick in talent to erase that fateful 17-point deficit from December.

No. 21 UCLA (4-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at No. 13 Oregon (3-1, 1-0)

When: 12:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon

TV/Radio: CBS (Ch. 2)/790 AM KABC

​ Orange County Register 

California lieutenant governor candidates talk college affordability and workforce development

• October 9, 2026

Aside from standing in for the governor when that person is out of state and being next in line to become California’s chief executive should that office become vacant, most voters have only a vague idea of what the lieutenant governor does on a day-to-day basis.

And yet, as the second-in-command in California, the lieutenant governor serves on boards and commissions dealing with higher education, public land use, coastal issues and economic development.

In practical terms, the person elected to this office can help shape California’s higher education and housing landscapes, its economy and climate goals.

And as president of the state Senate, the lieutenant governor gets to cast the tie-breaking vote in that chamber on the rare occasion that the need arises. (That hasn’t happened since 1996, according to California State Library communications manager Alex Vassar, when then-Lt. Gov. Gray Davis was summoned to vote on a controversial bill concerning same-sex marriage.)

All this to say that while most voters may not be all that familiar with the role of the lieutenant governor, the position can significantly impact Californians.

And both candidates running for this position believe they would be the one to make the most meaningful impact if elected.

California Treasurer Fiona Ma, a Democrat, and former state Sen. Gloria Romero, who left the Democratic Party and registered as a Republican in 2024, are vying to succeed termed-out Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. (Kounalakis, a Democrat, is running for state treasurer against Republican Jennifer Hawks, a retired businesswoman, this year.)

We asked Ma and Romero to answer a set of questions about their plans to keep higher education affordable and bolster California’s workforce. Here’s what they had to say, based on their written responses and follow-ups with their campaigns.

College affordability

The lieutenant governor sits on the governing boards for the University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges systems.

To provide financial relief for students and families, Ma said she’d advocate for UC and CSU tuition freezes, more affordable student housing and an expansion of paid internships.

And she wants to explore potential partnerships with financial institutions or other private-sector organizations to increase grant funding to cover gaps between what students receive in financial aid and what they need to pay for living expenses.

“California should expand Cal Grants to cover the full cost of attendance — not only tuition, but also housing, food, books, transportation and childcare. These expenses often force students to work excessive hours, incur debt or leave school before earning a degree,” Ma said.

She said she would advocate for a “total cost of attendance” grant supplement for low- and middle-income students, prioritizing first-generation students, students who are parents and those experiencing housing or food insecurity.

“As state treasurer, I have helped finance student housing and supported programs that help families save for college,” Ma said. “I understand that affordability involves more than tuition. Students should not have to sleep in their cars, work multiple jobs or travel long distances simply to earn a degree.”

Meanwhile, Romero said that before asking UC families to pay more, she would push “to cut administrative bloat, scrutinize excessive executive compensation, protect classroom instruction, expand affordable student housing, accelerate graduation, and confront academic under-preparation that can increase the time and cost of earning a degree.”

The former Los Angeles Community College District trustee and former state Senate Education Committee chair, who has also taught college-level courses, said she would encourage the use of remote, online, artificial intelligence and round-the-clock course offerings so students have more chances to enroll in classes they need to graduate. Right now, students sometimes get shut out of courses they need because the classes are already fully enrolled. That forces them to wait at least until the following term to enroll, potentially delaying graduation.

Romero also proposed a degree guarantee concept where colleges and universities would be required to offer courses a student needs to complete their degree program within the traditional timeframe or offer an alternative solution, such as allowing them to take the course at another campus, substitute an alternative course or waive the course requirement if academically appropriate.

If a student who otherwise is making satisfactory academic progress is forced to delay graduation and enroll in another term because the course they needed wasn’t available, the college or university would cover the tuition and mandatory fees for that course.

Like Ma, Romero acknowledged that aside from tuition, issues like housing, food and transportation can be factors in whether a student graduates.

“I would prioritize existing financial aid dollars toward students with the greatest demonstrated need and demand greater transparency and accountability for how colleges control the cost of attendance,” Romero said.

Workforce development and the economy

Another key area the lieutenant governor focuses on is economic development.

Romero said she’d bring together housing developers and advocates, small business owners, employers, workers, educators and regional leaders “to identify the regulations, costs and workforce shortages that are holding back hiring — and push the governor and legislature for solutions.”

She also said she would promote trade, port modernization, infrastructure investment and “responsible development” that results in good-paying jobs through her roles on the California State Lands Commission and California Commission for Economic Development.

“As lieutenant governor, I will use the office as a statewide advocate for job creation, economic opportunity and slashing housing regulations, which is key to making California affordable again,” Romero said.

Both Romero and Ma spoke of strengthening partnerships between employers and colleges and universities, including apprenticeship programs, to develop future workforces.

Ma, a certified public accountant, noted her past work helping women- and minority-owned small businesses compete for contracts and said she’d continue advocating for more access to capital, streamlined permitting and fewer barriers for businesses as lieutenant governor.

“I will use my financial expertise to continue to expand affordable housing and homeownership, improve access to capital for small, women- and minority-owned businesses, and connect workforce training with good-paying jobs in healthcare, agriculture, technology, advanced manufacturing, clean energy and the creative economy,” Ma said.

Ma and Romero were the No. 1 and 2 vote-getters, respectively, in the June primary election, out of a field of six leading candidates.

To read more about the candidates’ positions on these and other issues, check out their full responses to our questionnaire in our online voter guide.

Voters have through Nov. 3 to cast their ballot for the general election.

​ Orange County Register 

World’s first Double Heart coaster in South Korea takes thrills to new heights

• October 9, 2026

A new visually-striking Double Heart roller coaster with an extremely compact and vertically oriented footprint packs a lot of thrills into a tight space at an Asian theme park.

The new Giant Revolution coaster debuted on Thursday, Oct. 8 at Lotte World Adventure theme park in South Korea is the first compact vertical coaster of its kind built anywhere in the world.

ALSO SEE: Top 10 new theme park attractions in the world for 2026

The Double Heart coaster by Italy-based Zamperla does away with the traditional lift hill and stacks the track vertically rather than let the course meander horizontally like many roller coasters.

The compact footprint allows Lotte World to squeeze a thrilling coaster into a space usually occupied by a smaller ride like a sedate carousel or leisurely Ferris Wheel.

Lotte World’s Double Heart coaster starts with a forward-backward-forward triple launch that catapults riders 68 mph to the top of the 164-foot-tall dual heart-shaped structure.

A twisting vertical first drop takes riders through an Immelmann inversion and a dive loop along with moments of extreme airtime over 1,800 feet of track.

ALSO SEE: Top 10 new theme park attractions in the U.S. for 2026

Zamperla’s Double Heart joins a growing catalog of vertical coasters that include the Premier Rides Sky Rocket, Intamin ZacSpin, S&S Free Spin and Maurer SkyLoop.

​ Orange County Register 

Time for term limits? Dems in majority could have familiar faces in key roles

• October 9, 2026

By KEVIN FREKING

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats hope to bring a new agenda to the House next year if they take the majority, but they will most likely do so with many of the same faces that have steered their party’s legislative work for a decade or more.

Potential committee chairs in the next Congress include Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who has served as top Democrat on the House Homeland Security panel since 2005. Then, there’s Adam Smith of Washington, who began serving as top Democrat on Armed Services in 2011, and Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who became the lead Democrat on Financial Services in 2013.

Other longtime committee leaders include Reps. Frank Pallone at Energy and Commerce and Bobby Scott at Education and Workforce, who assumed their leadership posts in 2015. Rep. Richie Neal became the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee in 2017.

None would be able to continue in that position under the rules used by House Republicans, which generally limit lawmakers to three terms as chairman or ranking member.

For Democrats, the question is whether to stick with their current system, which emphasizes seniority, or move closer to the one that Republicans have established. It’s a discussion that some Democrats say they are having behind the scenes.

“I think that the idea of term limits could be appealing to the American people, to the Democratic base. It sounds Democratic,” said Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va. “I’m open to the idea. I’ve spoken to a number of folks who are open to the idea.”

“I personally think it makes for a more vibrant Congress, but I know I’m in the minority in the minority,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa.

Party leaders are playing down the issue for now. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said seniority has always been a factor when it comes to committee leadership, but not the only one.

“The caucus is going to work its will as we move forward,” Jeffries told reporters. “At the end of the day, we can’t put the cart before the horse. We’ve got to still go out and win this thing in November.”

Democrats have been here before

Term limits are not a new discussion for Democrats. When they were weighing whether to return Nancy Pelosi as speaker in 2018, those opposing her bid wanted her to commit to limiting how long lawmakers could serve as House party leaders or committee chairs. She eventually agreed to serve in the post for no more than four more years.

No such restrictions were added for committee chairs. In 2022, Democrats voted overwhelmingly against a six-year term limit for committee leaders.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., who has served as top Democrat on the House Rules Committee since 2018, called term limits an “artificial, random mechanism that doesn’t always serve the best interest of the institution.”

“I want people in chairs who are going to fight to get things over the finish line and make a real difference,” McGovern said. “Some of those people may have been around for a long time and some of them may be relatively new.”

Pallone said he intends to be the next Energy and Commerce chairman or ranking member. He called term limits for chairs “very undemocratic.”

“If people want to vote for somebody they should be allowed to,” Pallone said.

He also said that term limits can lead to short-term thinking from chairs looking at their next opportunity in the private sector.

“People serve for a couple years, then they go work for some lobbying firm,” he said. “What they do when they’re here is very much influenced by what lobbying firm they’re going to work for.”

Thompson also said he would like to serve again as top Democrat on Homeland Security if he wins reelection. He dismissed the way Republicans limit committee leaders to three terms.

“I don’t want to be like Republicans. I’m a Democrat,” Thompson said.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., says term limits have served Republicans well.

“It’s been really good to show younger members that you’re always going to have a path to leadership if you keep working hard, if you do your job really well,” Scalise said. “We definitely lose some good chairmen along the way, but we also get new leaders who otherwise would not have been able to rise up.”

Democrats have broken with seniority on occasion

Democrats don’t always stick with seniority. One recent exception is Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. He challenged Rep. Jerry Nadler for the job in late 2024, prompting Nadler, then 77, to step aside.

Similarly, Democrats selected Rep. Angie Craig to become the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee after she challenged the late Rep. David Scott for the post. Scott had been the panel’s top Democrat for the previous two sessions, but was in poor health.

Democrats also elected Rep. Robert Garcia last year to succeed Rep. Gerry Connolly on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Connolly died after a battle with esophageal cancer. Garcia defeated veteran Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts for the job.

“He has done, by everybody’s measure here, an incredible job,” said Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas. “We would not have all of the Epstein files that we’ve gotten so far without his leadership on that committee.”

Casar called next steps for Democrats on committee chairs an “internal conversation.”

“I think at a minimum we should go to a system where it’s about who the right person is, and then have discussions about how we make sure that new blood comes in,” Casar said.

Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said he hears less talk about term limits than past years, and he credits some of the changes Democrats already made.

“Last cycle, there was a lot of clamor, and you saw some changes,” Schneider said. “I’m not hearing similar angst this time.”

Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said she favors term limits, but emphasized that her view is no reflection of the current leaders. It’s more about helping Democrats develop a deeper bench.

“I just think it’s really smart policy and it’s really smart strategy to make sure that we keep building people skills, opportunities and leadership,” Jayapal said.

She said she understood when she first served in Congress a decade ago the longstanding concerns voiced by the Congressional Black Caucus about term limits hurting members who had just earned chairmanships, but believes Democrats have done a better job of diversifying the caucus.

“And we need to do more, but we are taking away opportunities from a lot of those newer members,” Jayapal said.

Some Democrats have talked about a hybrid approach that sets some limits, but not at the three-term threshold set by House Republicans.

“I don’t know what the magic number is, but endless is not the magic number,” Houlahan said.

​ Orange County Register 

First suicide memorial by a US archdiocese signals a compassionate shift by the Catholic Church

• October 9, 2026

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Charles Rubey recalls the moment when he realized Catholic priests needed to do a better job supporting families of those who died by suicide.

Two women told Rubey they had asked their parish priest to pray for family members who had killed themselves. At that time, the Catholic Church banned funeral rites and burial on consecrated grounds for those who died by suicide. Rubey says the women told him: “the first thing out of the priest’s mouth was: ‘Well, you know, your loved one is in hell.’”

But Rubey disagreed with the damning judgment. Seeking to ease the pain, he reassured them: “They’re with God!”

It was a turning point for Rubey. He began blessing bridges, railroad tracks and basements where people had taken their lives, and in 1979 founded the LOSS Program (“Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide”), a counseling and support service run by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago. At 86, this ministry remains an important part of his life.

The Chicago archdiocese recognized Rubey’s work this year by dedicating in his honor a memorial to the lives lost to suicide and their surviving families. The archdiocese says the “At Peace” memorial at Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery is the first of its kind by any U.S. archdiocese.

To Rubey, it’s a sign of the church’s shift toward a more compassionate understanding of suicide.

“They’ve made a complete turnaround embracing families who have lost a loved one to suicide,” Rubey said. “They’re no longer condemned or thought to be in hell.”

Catholic teaching still considers suicide a grave sin. But it acknowledges that mental health problems can lead people to suicide and says salvation is possible for those who take their own lives.

Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV has dedicated some of his monthly prayer intentions to people suffering from mental health problems and suicidal thoughts.

He called on the church to become “a safe space where everyone has a place — a community that accompanies and never excludes, that listens without judging and draws near without fear.”

The memorial’s location was carefully planned

Rubey and Bishop Lawrence Sullivan, vicar general of the Chicago archdiocese, designed “At Peace” during the COVID-19 pandemic, when mental health issues came to the forefront, intending the memorial to provide succor for people of all faiths.

“We used to tell people, ‘Buck up, just white-knuckle through it,’” Sullivan said. ″And now we understand, ‘No, there’s serious mental health issues out there.’ It’s not a question of willpower. It’s not a question of right or wrong.”

The memorial, which features sculptures of an angel and bronze doves, is located in a cemetery that is also home to the world’s largest Catholic mausoleum.

“We did not want this memorial hidden away and we were intentional in every detail,” Sullivan said when the memorial was announced. “This is not something we are ashamed of.″

Among those who attended the memorial’s dedication in June was Rabbi Marianne Novak, who joined LOSS after her 18-year-old daughter, Batsheva Chaya, died by suicide in 2017.

“It was important to have a place for people so that they could remember their loved ones in a loving way, not to focus on how they died,” Novak said.

Catholic burial for people who died by suicide

Until a 1917 church law was revised in 1983, those who died by suicide were denied Catholic burials on consecrated grounds.

“The church never showed an acceptance of suicide. … They thought that their adamant position would dissuade people from doing it,” said James Keenan, a Boston College theology professor.

He said a shift in attitude began with the reforms of Vatican II, the 1960s meetings that modernized the Catholic Church. It continued with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was approved in 1992.

That document says suicide is contrary to God’s love. But it also says “grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide,” and “we should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives.”

A turning point after a painful experience

In recent decades, a greater understanding of mental illness has helped shift the cultural view on suicide and influenced Catholic teaching.

The Rev. James Martin, editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine America, says the Catholic Church’s approach mirrors that of the broader society with more sympathy for all affected by suicide.

“To be able to extend pastoral care to the family members is extremely important, and to not make them feel any sense of shame or isolation, or judgment on them from the church,” he said.

That was the painful experience of a Michigan family.

The priest officiating the funeral of 18-year-old Maison Hullibarger in 2018 questioned whether the athlete and honors student would get to heaven after he died by suicide. His father, Jeff Hullibarger, told the Detroit Free Press he asked the Rev. Don LaCuesta to stop but the priest continued his critical sermon, calling suicide a “sin against God with dire eternal consequences.”

The Archdiocese of Detroit apologized, saying an “unbearable situation was made even more difficult.”

Maison’s mother Linda Hullibarger sued LaCuesta and the Detroit archdiocese, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress and more, but the courts sided with the priest on First Amendment grounds.

“That was really a turning point in many ways because the Catholic Church got such bad press,” said Mathew Schmalz, a religious studies professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.

“It also shows that the priesthood in the United States, and I’d say throughout the world, needs better training in dealing with complex phenomena like suicide,” he said.

A call to expand mental health ministry

Ed Shoener, whose daughter Katie died by suicide in 2016, co-founded the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers to “educate parish communities to break down the stigma around mental illness and to accompany people in the midst of these struggles.”

The global association advocates for the Catholic Church to do more to improve mental healthcare.

In January, Shoener met with Pope Leo to thank him for his interest in mental health and told the pontiff that he hoped the church could issue an in-depth statement about mental health in the form of an apostolic letter or an encyclical.

This month, he returned to the Vatican for an event coinciding with Leo’s monthly prayer intention and World Mental Health Day on Saturday. Religious leaders and health professionals will gather to examine how parishes respond to mental health issues and how to best answer Leo’s call to establish mental health ministries to overcome stigma and discrimination.

That′s also Shoener’s hope. “I’d love to see this become just a fully integrated ministry into the church — that it’s a common ministry in every parish around the world, just like youth ministry.”

He and Ranana Dine, director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, hope the Chicago memorial will be replicated elsewhere.

“Creating physical spaces, landscapes, things that people can touch, sit in, be in, that tell them they’re not alone, that they don’t need to be ashamed, that give a physical space for grief, is really important,” Dine said.

AP Vatican correspondent Nicole Winfield contributed.

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 

The midterms stakes are high for these 2028 presidential prospects

• October 9, 2026

By STEVE PEOPLES, JILL COLVIN and JOEY CAPPELLETTI

NEW YORK (AP) — As most of the political world focuses on next month’s midterm elections, the shadow primary for the 2028 presidential contest is quietly playing out in public view.

Democratic and Republican presidential prospects have been crisscrossing the country, raising money and tapping their political connections to help boost their parties’ candidates — and their own White House ambitions.

Here’s a closer look at some of the leading prospects and how their political futures may be influenced by what happens Nov. 3.

Newsom has a Southern strategy

Gavin Newsom leaves the California governor’s office at the end of the year, and he’s been among the most active Democrats throughout the midterms.

He’s paid particular attention to the South, where he’s campaigned with candidates up and down the ballot in states like Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and, not surprisingly, South Carolina, which hosts the party’s first presidential primary contest in 2028.

The Southern focus aligns with the mission of Newsom’s political action committee, established in 2023 to help his party compete in red states. But it could also help endear him to Black voters, heart of the Democratic base.

Newsom’s star power and extensive email list have strengthened his relationships with Democratic officials in states like Nevada and New Hampshire, where his fundraising emails have generated a surge of donations.

Perhaps Newsom’s biggest midterm contribution was backing Proposition 50, California’s response to the Texas Republican mid-decade gerrymander. The proposition, approved by California voters last year, created a new congressional map that may allow Democrats to pick up as many as five additional U.S. House seats in California this fall.

Vance’s fate is tied to Trump

No potential candidate’s fate is as closely tied to President Donald Trump and Republicans’ performance as Vice President JD Vance.

The 42-year-old has embarked on an aggressive midterm campaign schedule from the Midwest to the South and Alaska, focused on the administration’s anti-fraud efforts.

A key state will be Ohio, which Vance briefly represented in the Senate. Republican Sen. Jon Husted, who was appointed to fill Vance’s seat in 2025, is facing an aggressive challenge from former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Democrat Amy Acton is in a close contest with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy for governor.

The effectiveness of the conservative group Turning Point Action will also be scrutinized. Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk and the organization’s new leader, has already endorsed Vance’s potential presidential bid and leaders have said they intend to use the group to support his campaign.

Vance has said he is not focused on running for president, but “trying to help elect Republicans.”

Shapiro is all about Pennsylvania

Among the Democrats leading the 2028 conversation, none have done less beyond their home state than Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. He hasn’t visited any early primary states or campaigned with any midterm candidates beyond his state.

That’s by design for a 53-year-old Democrat whose selling point as a presidential candidate might be his clout in Pennsylvania, perhaps the most important swing state.

Shapiro is expected to cruise to reelection over his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, which has allowed him to spend his political capital elsewhere.

If Shapiro can demonstrate strength in swing counties like Beaver, Luzerne or Erie, it could help him make a credible claim to winning back some of the working-class voters Democrats lost in the Trump era.

Beshear faces risk and reward

As chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear may have done more than any other potential candidate to boost his national profile during the midterms. He’ll headline a get-out-the-vote tour through key states, beginning with Nevada on Oct. 22.

He’s also been on a national book tour, allowing him to cozy up to influential Democrats in early states.

Still, Beshear’s spending decisions as chief of the governors association in 2026 may present the highest risk and reward for him heading into 2028.

He’s been active in supporting Democratic candidates in traditional swing states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona while pushing into Republican-leaning states like Ohio and Iowa, places he argues could be critical in the next White House campaign.

But Democrats in other states are clamoring for more resources and warning Beshear of blowback if he doesn’t deliver. Under pressure, the governors association sent $1 million this week to help the candidate for Texas governor, Gina Hinojosa.

Cruz hits the road

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has long been one of his party’s most active campaigners and fundraisers, and that’s not changed as he openly weighs another presidential bid.

His PAC has spent more than $2.4 million this year on ads supporting midterm candidates, according to AdImpact, mostly to help Senate candidate Ken Paxton in his home state.

Cruz has traveled three times to Iowa, the first state on Republicans’ nominating calendar and where he won the caucuses during the 2016 primary. He’ll be in Alaska next week, and is also planning trips to South Carolina, North Carolina and most likely Michigan.

Pritzker’s money plays

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is seeking his third term in November, but the Democrat has focused more on helping midterm candidates in other states. Pritzker’s team says the billionaire Democrat has already donated $38 million to the party’s midterm efforts.

More than other 2028 prospects, Pritzker has been focused on the Texas governor’s race, where he donated $1 million this week, on top of $200,000 he gave earlier. He’s also been active on the speaker circuit, having participated in more than 75 events across the country. He’s expected to visit South Carolina before Election Day.

AOC’s progressive politics face a test

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has been increasingly open about a potential presidential run, where she would be a major player in the Democratic Party’s progressive lane.

But first, she’s trying to prove that brand of politics can succeed in a presidential swing state like Michigan, where she has thrown her weight behind Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. They appeared together this week at a New York City fundraiser, and she cast his campaign as a broader test for the progressive movement.

“If Abdul can win in Michigan, anybody can win anywhere,” Ocasio-Cortez told the audience.

Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats have acknowledged that she’ll face questions about whether she can appeal to voters across the country. Ocasio-Cortez argues an El-Sayed victory could challenge some of those assumptions.

Buttigieg is busy, too

Since leaving his job as transportation secretary under President Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg has had the luxury of free time. He has used it to travel across the country, raising money and campaigning for Democrats on the ballot this year.

Buttigieg has endorsed nearly 100 candidates, from state legislative contests to Senate races, and has appeared on the campaign trail with roughly half of them, according to his team. He has visited 37 states since leaving office.

The range of those appearances also offers a glimpse at Buttigieg’s appeal within the party.

Democrats have welcomed him even in deeply Republican territory, including Nancy Lacore, a U.S. House candidate in South Carolina who campaigned with Buttigieg in August. He also helped bring Democratic candidates together for a Michigan unity event in August after hotly contested primaries.

​ Orange County Register 

ICE officers shot New York man because they believed they were in danger, official says

• October 9, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal immigration officers opened fire on a Dominican man whom they were trying to arrest in New York because they believed their lives were in danger, a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said Friday.

Marcos Charles made the comments alongside U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and other immigration officials during a news conference in Washington meant to “highlight the dangerous consequences of sanctuary city policies.”

The 28-year-old man, whom New York City police identified as Oscar Belgal, was shot in the neck Thursday as he drove his car with a 5-year-old boy inside, officials said.

ICE agents didn’t know the child was in the car, but Belgal “was aware” and chose to evade officers, Mullin said.

Belgal was shot “superficially” in the neck as ICE officers attempted to arrest him, Charles said.

ICE had issued a detainer on Belgal and that he runs with a gang known for thefts using weapons and mopeds, he said. Officers used vehicles to block him in as he attempted to drive off. Instead, Charles said, he accelerated his vehicle toward officers, smashing some of their vehicles.

Protesters and local officials decried the shooting as an example of the dangers of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Much of Mullin’s remarks were reserved for excoriating New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his immigration policy.

“Sanctuary politicians, they create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for the American citizens to be safe,” he said.

Mullin said ICE has requested more than 14,000 detainers in the state of New York for individuals in local custody that they’re seeking to deport.

“Silence. Absolute silence is what we have gotten back,” he said. “Why would they release these individuals back onto the streets?”

“We’re enforcing our nation’s laws. We’re not picking and choosing,” Mullin continued. “Why is that controversial? We should all want law and order on our streets.”

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County School of the Arts students scare up spooky creations

• October 9, 2026

Charlie Brown and Winnie the Pooh were there along with a Minion, space men, and even a couple of banana splits.

Students at the Orange County School of the Arts unveiled their pumpkin creations for the school’s annual Painted Pumpkin Auction.

Each year, students in the school’s visual arts conservatory – open to grades seven through 12 – design and construct pumpkins using a variety of mediums, including paint, clay, cardboard and glitter, for the auction, which is a fundraiser to support the program.

In keeping with the Halloween theme, students drew inspiration from popular horror movies, cartoons and books.

The auction opens online at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9, and closes Oct. 16.

It is open to the public and can be found at ocsarts.net/pumpkinauction.

​ Orange County Register