4 new and upcoming restaurants coming to Orange County

• October 6, 2026

A handful of new dining options and one caffeine oasis are poised to open in Orange County this and next year. One comes with a Noma co-founder’s culinary pedigree, while another promises a honky-tonk vibe with your latte.

Wade’s Coffee House (San Juan Capistrano)

A new honky tonk-themed coffee house will open on Del Obispo Street, as first reported in the Capistrano Dispatch. Christened Wade’s Coffee House, the spot comes from Colin Dubel and Chelsea McCrea, who call it California’s “first and only honky tonk coffee shop.”

Still in its build-out phase, Wade promises country music, “strong coffee,” leather seats, an outdoor patio and “Nashville vibes,” according to its Instagram page.

“We just had an idea that we could not stop thinking about, so we decided to go all in and build it,” said Colin Dubel in an Instagram announcement. He will open the space alongside his girlfriend, Chelsea McCrea.

Children and dogs will also be welcome at the Vermeulen Ranch Center cafe. Also of note, in an increasingly rare San Juan Capistrano feat, free and ample parking is available.

Wade’s Coffee House is slated to open in winter 2027.

Reminisce (Orange)

Noma co-founder Mads Refslund will have a hand in the menu at Reminisce, a restaurant, bakery and coffee roastery slated to open in Old Towne Orange in early 2027. The chef, who also opened the recently shuttered Ilis in New York City, has signed on as culinary director for the upcoming spot from husband-and-wife owners Art and Olea Zelaya.

Plans call for a wood-fire kitchen and roughly 200 seats with cars, artwork and vintage lighting from the couple’s personal collections rounding out the space. Dinner service will come first, with breakfast and lunch soon to follow, according to Art Zelaya.

While the official location has yet to be revealed, planning records suggest Reminisce will be located somewhere on Almond Avenue near The Circle.

Sushi Blissba (Cypress)

From the group behind Sushi Nigiriba in Huntington Beach and Culver City comes Sushi Blissba, which opened in Cypress on Oct. 1. Offering both omakase and a la carte menus, highlights here include Funamori, sushi and sashimi on a boat-shaped platter; anago, conger eel torched tableside; and tamagoyaki, a Japanese rolled omelet.

Guests can also look forward to a litany of sashimi, nigiri, rolls, and skewers, alongside a bar program of spirits and sake. The 118-seat space includes a 10-seat sushi bar and an outdoor patio.

Find it: 5253 Katella Ave., Suite 120, Cypress, instagram.com/sushiblissba

Oceans & Earth (Costa Mesa)

With his inaugural location in Yorba Linda, chef-owner Adam Navidi plans to open a second Oceans & Earth at The Met in Costa Mesa. The upcoming eatery, according to the office campus’ website, is slated to arrive in 2027, with Pacific Pearl Cafe and Haus 575, a biergarten, as its gastronomic neighbors.

Take heed, those living with celiac disease or gluten intolerance: The Yorba Linda original is noted for operating an entirely gluten-free kitchen.

While the menu for the upcoming spot has yet to be revealed, menu highlights are the Yorba Linda space include clam chowder with rosemary-garlic croutons, jumbo lump crab bombs with chili sauce and avocado chimichurri, and a five-cheese macaroni.

​ Orange County Register 

Lawyers for Chicago woman shot by Border Patrol agent call for criminal charges

• October 6, 2026

Attorneys for Marimar Martinez, shot by a Border Patrol agent during Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago last October, called on authorities Monday to file criminal charges against the agent after a new bullet trajectory analysis showed her car was moving away from the agent when he opened fire.

“This in our opinion is not a political issue,” attorney Christopher Parente said at a news conference to announce the filing of a federal lawsuit. “We are asking the Department of Justice to do something. It’s the Department of Justice. It’s not the Department of Republicans. It’s not the Department of Democrats. They have a civil rights division specifically there to investigate things like this.”

Parente said if federal authorities refused to act, he’s hopeful that an ongoing Chicago police investigation will lead to charges being filed by Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen Burke, who has promised to have a specialized unit of prosecutors look at the evidence that’s been gathered.

The 33-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Monday afternoon landed a year and a day after Martinez, a Montessori school teacher’s aide, was seriously wounded in the Oct. 4, 2025, shooting in Brighton Park as she was heading to a local church to donate clothes.

The suit named only the United States as a defendant, since federal agents are generally barred from being sued for on-duty actions. It included seven total counts of negligence, battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution, and false arrest and imprisonment.

While much of the evidence presented in the lawsuit was already known, it included the results of a newly completed reconstruction of the shooting done by a nationally renowned expert hired by Martinez’s attorneys.

The expert, Jeremy Bauer, cross-referenced police body camera and surveillance footage and analyzed the bullet holes in Martinez’s vehicle and the wounds in her body to trace Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum’s position when the shots were fired, according to Martinez’s attorneys.

None of it matched Exum’s statements to the FBI that he was standing in front of her car when the shots were fired, or that he stopped firing once the vehicle had passed him and he was no longer in danger, they said.

Instead, the analysis showed Exum was standing beside Martinez’s vehicle when he fired the first three shots through the passenger side of the windshield, according to the lawsuit. As Martinez drove away from Exum, the fourth shot was fired directly through the front passenger side window, according to the analysis. The final shot broke out her rear passenger window when she was past him, hunched over the steering wheel and trying to drive away.

“We did the analysis so we had objective proof that this was a bad shoot, that everything Exum said was a lie, and most importantly Marimar is telling the truth,” said attorney Michael Gallagher, who also represents Martinez.

Though she survived the shooting, Martinez was hit with federal assault charges while still in the hospital, a case that drew national scrutiny and became a defining moment of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s controversial immigration enforcement campaign last fall.

Prosecutors later dropped all charges after it was revealed Exum had bragged about his marksmanship to fellow agents and was allowed to drive his vehicle back to his home district in Maine before Martinez’s lawyers could have it inspected.

Seated next to her attorneys at Monday’s news conference, Martinez said she’s recovered physically from the shooting but still sees herself as a voice for others who did not survive violence by immigration officers, including Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were both killed in Minnesota in January.

“I’m just glad to see another year, be with my family,” Martinez said. “I don’t want to be in the camera, but if I don’t then who else? Look what happened to Renee (Good) and all these victims … we shouldn’t sit here and normalize what’s happening.”

Exum was placed on administrative leave last year pending the results of an internal investigation, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS did not respond last week to questions about Exum’s status or the investigation, referring a reporter to the Department of Justice. A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to messages seeking comment Monday.

In breaking down the bullet trajectory analysis, Parente said he was most disturbed by the fourth and fifth shots fired by Exum, which depicted what Exum would have seen from his own viewpoint as he fired directly through the front passenger side window and then from behind as Martinez’s car pulled away.

“In what world can a U.S. law enforcement officer stand behind a car and fire his Glock service weapon through the rear passenger window at a young woman who is crouched over the steering wheel?” Parente asked. “In what world can you justify that? You can’t. Which is why he lied about it, and why they continue to lie about it.”

Martinez’s lawyers say they are not interested in settling the lawsuit and will demand a bench trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Edmond Chang, a former federal prosecutor who years ago presided over a trial in a controversial Chicago police shooting case, records show.

Among the most crucial evidence in Martinez’s case was body-camera footage from one of the agents in the car with Exum that day showing the tense moments just before their unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe, which was outfitted with an Uber sign, collided with her SUV.

“It’s time to get aggressive and get the (expletive) out,” one agent said as horns blared. Seconds later, Exum, who was driving with his Glock pistol in his right hand, appeared to jerk the steering wheel to the left, in the direction of Martínez’s vehicle alongside them.

“Be advised we have been struck!” one of the agents in the vehicle yells to a dispatcher. Exum then gets out of the vehicle and moves off-camera and five rapid-succession gunshots are heard. Martinez was struck by gunfire in the legs, arm and chest, but managed to drive off before calling 911.

A few hours after the shooting, then-Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino sent an email directly to Exum and others in the department commending him for his work, the evidence released earlier this year showed. “I would like to extend an offer to you to extend your retirement beyond age 57…. In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much left to do!!” it read.

That day, Homeland Security officials released statements branding Martinez, a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, as an armed “domestic terrorist” who was part of a convoy attempting to box in agents that day. Exum and the two other agents with him that day later told the FBI that Martinez had rammed their vehicle and was driving toward Exum when he fired through her front windshield.

Exum, meanwhile, exchanged a series of texts with his wife as well as a group of fellow agents under the name “Posse Chat.” In one of them, someone Exum identified as “the guy from Vermont” wrote, “Good job brother, glad you are unharmed and get to live to tell the story.”

“You are a legend among agents you better (expletive) know that. Beers on me when I see you at training,” the agent texted Exum, the records show.

Martinez’s attorneys alleged the shooting was part of a broader push by the administration of President Donald Trump to use the guise of public safety to conceal a racially discriminatory agenda that targeted people of Hispanic descent with arrest and deportation — with little regard to their immigration status or criminal history.

“The promise to target dangerous undocumented criminals supplied a pretext for treating skin color and perceived foreignness as grounds for suspicion and coercion,” the lawsuit stated.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

​ Orange County Register 

Cold War memories stir Rubio in Iceland as he champions diplomacy and downplays differences

• October 6, 2026

By MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic Writer

REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday sought to reassure NATO ally Iceland that President Donald Trump’s administration has no designs on the island but shares its deep concerns about Arctic security as tensions between the United States and Russia rise in the high north and elsewhere.

Rubio hailed the role of diplomacy in resolving conflicts as he began a three-nation tour of NATO allies in the capital of Iceland, where concerns over the Republican administration’s often brusque and sometimes rude approach to traditional friends and partners have stirred unease.

Rubio, whose tour of NATO members will include Greece and Portugal, met Tuesday with Icelandic Foreign Secretary Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir at Reykjavik’s Hofdi House, the site of the 1986 summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that is widely regarded as the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

“The house symbolizes diplomacy’s role in ending the Cold War and defeating communism,” Rubio posted on social media after the talks that took place just days before the 40th anniversary of the landmark meeting.

However, both Rubio and Gunnarsdóttir downplayed differences between the allies and said both countries were committed to deepening and expanding military and commercial ties. Rubio made clear that the United States would not do anything in Iceland without Iceland’s consent.

“We would be open to having those conversations to see what we can do together,” he said, noting that the U.S. had a decades-long permanent military presence in Iceland until 2006, when shifting priorities caused it to close its Keflavik base outside of Reykjavik. He noted that priorities have shifted again.

And, he went out of his way to praise Iceland: “We have tremendous respect for the people. We have respect for the country in the role it plays, and it has for a very long time,” he said.

Iceland’s foreign secretary says she’s ‘focused on the future’

Iceland has been uneasy about Trump’s intentions toward it after the posting of a map showing the colors of the U.S. flag sprawling across all of North America and extending to Iceland and Greenland. The unease has persisted despite an agreement reached last month to increase the U.S. presence in the neighboring Danish territory of Greenland that appears to have ended Trump’s earlier demand for the U.S. to take full control.

But on Tuesday, after Rubio’s talks with Gunnarsdóttir and Iceland’s Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, those tensions appeared to be on the wane.

Gunnarsdóttir said the matter had been largely, if not entirely, resolved. “We remain focused on the future,” she said. Rubio, meanwhile, said he was not in Iceland to talk about social media posts. “Everything is very positive,” he said.

Rubio talks up ‘shared priorities’

Before leaving Washington on Monday, Rubio said the visit is intended to “advance our shared priorities: a secure Arctic, stronger commercial and energy ties, and closer defense cooperation.” He offered no hint of tensions with the island that, while a NATO member, has no standing army.

The map incident, however, alarmed Icelanders, and in response, Gunnarsdóttir summoned U.S. Ambassador Billy Long to a meeting at which she made it clear the post was unacceptable.

Iceland, which is just 180 miles (290 kilometers) from Greenland, had already been on edge after Trump mistakenly named the country four times while speaking about Greenland.

Iceland hasn’t seen eye to eye with US ambassadors

Long, a colorful former Missouri congressman, IRS commissioner and professional auctioneer, also has made waves in Iceland. Before he took up his post in August, thousands of Icelanders signed a petition urging the prime minister to reject him after he made a crack earlier this year about Iceland becoming the 52nd U.S. state and making him governor. He has since apologized for the quip.

Long is not the first Trump ambassador to Iceland to have raised concerns with the host government. In Trump’s first term, Ambassador Jeffrey Ross Gunter left locals in relatively crime-free Reykjavik aghast over his request to hire armed bodyguards, which prompted complaints.

US ambassador to Greece faces misconduct allegations

At Rubio’s next stop in Athens, he may be dealing with another ambassador controversy. Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat who is the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week that he would investigate allegations of misconduct and impropriety by the U.S. ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle.

In a letter to Rubio, Meeks said that he wanted answers following the allegations reported by The Wall Street Journal last month and that he would call for Guilfoyle’s dismissal if the behavior outlined in the news report was true.

The Journal reported that Guilfoyle told guests at a reception that the U.S. could undermine the Greek government if it chose to, promoted the business interests of one particular Greek construction and energy company, and allowed its lobbyist into private diplomatic meetings.

Some Greek opposition parties have called for an inquiry into the allegations, but it’s unclear if they will proceed.

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News Channel host and California prosecutor who was once engaged to Trump’s son Donald Jr., has denied any wrongdoing, and Rubio has defended her before.

Guilfoyle, Rubio said after the Journal story appeared, “has been an incredible advocate for the president’s agenda in Greece and across Europe.” Rubio said he and Trump greatly value the ambassador’s “pivotal work and leadership,” notably on energy issues.

The Trump administration sees Greece as key to advancing the promotion and export of U.S.-produced liquefied natural gas to Southeastern and Central Europe.

​ Orange County Register 

Locked Out: Should you take ‘free money’ to buy a home?

• October 6, 2026

If you’re stretching toward a home purchase, anything that shrinks the pile of cash you need at closing looks pretty appealing.

Homebuying assistance programs — usually in the form of help with your down payment or closing costs — could mean affording to buy now instead of waiting. Jeffrey Ruben, president of WSFS Home Lending in Greater Philadelphia, estimates about 12% of closings at WSFS Bank rely on some type of homebuying assistance.

“Clearly a minority of the borrowing public is taking advantage of this, or has the ability to take advantage of it,” he says.

Eligible buyers receive an average benefit of $18,000, according to Down Payment Resource, which tracks homebuying assistance programs. But qualifications can be strict, and funds can come with strings.

“Locked Out” is a series about why buying a home feels out of reach, and the solutions that could change the game. This time, I’m looking at who offers down payment assistance, when it pays off and what buyers should know before saying yes.

Not all programs are created equal

When researching your options, start close to home. State and local governments offer more than half of all homebuying assistance programs, according to Down Payment Resource. Nonprofits, like the Neighborhood Assistance Program of America and niche regional programs, run another 22%.

First-time buyers with lower income have the most choices for down payment assistance, but repeat buyers and higher earners shouldn’t count themselves out. About one in 10 programs don’t have income limits, reports Down Payment Resource.

Ruben says government-backed programs are typically the best options because they’re designed with a public goal in mind, such as revitalizing a neighborhood or expanding homeownership. Home builders also offer buyer credits or discounts, but there’s usually something in it for them — like directing buyers to their in-house financing.

“If it’s coming from the guy who’s trying to sell you the house, you know, you have to really kind of be skeptical of that,” Ruben says.

You might have more choices than you think, but look beyond the dollar amount. Consider who’s offering the help and whether the details work for you.

Does the program fit your future plans?

Consider how the assistance itself is structured. It may be a grant, tax credit, forgivable loan or loan you’ll eventually repay. Each one has trade-offs that might not be strictly financial.

“It can turn into, quote-unquote, ‘free money,’” Ruben says. “But there’s a cost.”

For example, some programs structure assistance as a second mortgage. You may or may not owe monthly payments, but the debt can limit your ability to sell, refinance or rent out the home. A forgivable loan might require you to stay in the home for five or 10 years. Move sooner, and you could owe the remaining balance.

Before accepting help, ask what happens if your plans change. The money may still be worth it, but make sure today’s help won’t box you in tomorrow — especially when today’s mortgage rates are high enough that you might want to refinance later.

Spot the trade-offs and hidden costs

Using homebuying assistance might limit your ability to shop around. Government-backed programs can require you to select from a list of participating mortgage lenders. Unsurprisingly, grants given directly through a bank or mortgage company typically require you to get your mortgage there, too.

Some lenders offset the cost of homebuying assistance by charging you a higher interest rate, but the trade-off may be worth it if it helps you buy sooner. To compare total costs, get a Loan Estimate from at least three participating lenders offering assistance — plus a couple “regular” outside offers — to see which mortgage costs less overall.

If lender shopping stresses you out, a mortgage broker can help. Brokers compare rates and fees through a behind-the-scenes network of wholesale lenders — kind of like a travel agent comparing flights on your behalf. I learned an interesting tidbit when talking with a loan officer recently: Some wholesale lenders may offer assistance programs they don’t advertise directly to consumers, but a broker would know where to look.

Choose a lender with a proven track record of navigating down payment assistance. Throughout the homebuying process, your lender will work closely with the program to make sure the funds arrive on time to close.

Finally, ask a tax advisor about any tax implications, too. Depending on the program, you could receive a Form 1099-MISC and need to report the assistance as income.

Can assistance programs fix the affordability crisis?

Homebuying assistance can help buyers clear one hurdle, but it’s a long race. There’s a reason many assistance programs require you to complete a home buyer education course. The costs of homeownership are ongoing, including surprises like home repairs.

“Just throwing money at somebody doesn’t solve the ultimate problem of affordability,” says Cheri Salazar, CEO of NestSTEPS, an employer-sponsored homeownership benefits and education platform.

Salazar, who co-founded NestSTEPS in January 2025, is betting on the next wave of homebuying assistance showing up in your employee benefits, alongside health insurance and retirement planning. Employer-backed homebuying programs are still niche, but some companies — usually large employers — see them as a tool for building worker loyalty and retention.

Earlier this year, financial services company BNY announced that eligible employees making $100,000 per year or less could qualify for $6,500 in down payment assistance toward the cost of their first home.

“This is something that the government has been trying and failing to accomplish for decades,” Salazar says. “And we believe that the real solution needs to come through the private sector.”

Abby Doyle writes for NerdWallet. Email: abadachdoyle@nerdwallet.com.

The article Locked Out: Should You Take ‘Free Money’ to Buy a Home? originally appeared on NerdWallet.

​ Orange County Register 

Niles: Will addictive social media be the end for Disneyland?

• October 6, 2026

A few weeks ago at Disneyland, I saw one of the scariest things that I ever have seen in a theme park.

It was not an injury accident, thank goodness. Nor was it a fight. It wasn’t a planned haunt scare, either. On Pirates of the Caribbean, I sat behind a person who spent the entire ride on her phone’s Instagram app.

Have we reached the point where theme park guests would rather scroll their social media than look up to take in one of the greatest dark ride attractions ever made? Apparently so. While this was the worst example yet for me, it hardly was the first time that I have seen people choose their phones over the sights around them in a park. That should terrify anyone who works in the multibillion-dollar theme park industry.

Theme parks have had to compete with other forms of entertainment media ever since Walt Disney opened his Magic Kingdom in 1955. But no other entertainment medium has seemed to clutch people in such an addictive hold as today’s social media.

I know that this issue is being litigated, but as someone who has been developing websites and apps for decades now, I believe that many social media services are engineered to be addictive for users. It’s working. One example: I’ve lost count of the number of times that I have had wait at stoplights for the driver ahead of me to look up from a phone and notice that the light has turned green. That rarely happened before algorithmic social media’s rise a decade ago.

The way to fight social media addiction is with real-life human connection. Theme parks like Disneyland are uniquely positioned to deliver the immersive, human-driven experiences that can continue to engage fans even in the age of social media. Live theater, character meets, thrill rides, fantastical play areas, visually stunning attractions with quick-witted hosts — those are the experiences that parks can offer fans who want something more than what they can find on a screen.

But what happens when people no longer want anything more than what vertical video shorts offer? That’s the challenge that Disney needs to address. Unfortunately, Disney does not make it easy to leave your phone behind and enjoy a day offline. Magic Key passes are part of the app now, as are Lightning Lanes, dining reservations and mobile ordering at many restaurants.

Disney promotes the fact that its theme parks are the country’s top locations for Instagram posts and encourages its guests to live their Disney experience online. That’s great promotion for the parks — after all, you have to meet potential customers where they are. But if Disneyland’s new main selling point is being a popular setting for social media use, I fear for the future of the parks.

I don’t want to live life through a screen. I hope that someone at Disney is advocating for people like me, who feel the same.  Because the more a space is filled with people glued to their phones, the less I want to spend my time there.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump says his super PAC will pay for taxpayer-funded ads that sparked backlash for glorifying him

• October 6, 2026

By WILL WEISSERT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he will stop using taxpayer funds for television advertisements glorifying himself that sparked a major backlash, and instead tap his super PAC to cover costs going forward.

In a post on his social media site, Trump defended the ads, which cost at least $1.5 million in federal funds and have drawn intense criticism. Trump said they were “positive promotion for our Great U.S.A.”

“This is a rather standard thing to do,” the president wrote, while blaming intense criticism for using taxpayer funds on the ads on the “Radical Left.” But the president added that he’d “decided to do the Patriotic Ads, among others, and pay for them myself, and with money I raised for MAGA, Inc.”

That is Trump’s political war chest, which had amassed more than $400 million by the end of July. Trump has begun to tap it to boost Republican candidates around the country ahead of midterm elections.

Trump provided no details on reimbursing taxpayers for ads that already aired, nor how he would go about having his political organization pay for such future advertising.

The White House — which had fiercely defended using taxpayer money on spots meant to promote the president — said Monday night that MAGA Inc. will pay for such ads going forward. It did not answer questions on how it or Trump might prove that his political funds were being used on such future advertising.

Trump’s abrupt about-face came after leaders from both parties criticized using taxpayer funds for the ads.

Legal experts said the ads might even violate federal statutes, including a law against congressionally appropriated funds being used for “publicity or propaganda” and one limiting the partisan political activities of government employees.

The spots began airing in late September

The first ad featured clips of Trump talking about defeating communism interspersed with onscreen text promoting the “largest tax cuts in history,” “reigniting American manufacturing” and a call to “defend law and order and police.”

Later the same week, a second ad began running. It showed scenic videos of Mount Rushmore with quotes and clips from Trump’s Fourth of July weekend speech there honoring the country’s 250th anniversary.

A third, more recent one was virtually identical to an ad for Trump’s Republican reelection campaign in 2024 and showed him walking down a hallway as his voice can be heard warning of a “final battle” against “globalists” and “warmongers.”

All ended with a message: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”

According to AdImpact, which tracks media spending, the spots had cost at least $1.4 million by the end of September. The actual amount spent could be far more, depending on whether networks classified the ad as a political ad.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan

• October 6, 2026

By JONATHAN J. COOPER

President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.

The U.S. military has not carried out the death penalty since 1961. The Army secretary will decide a time and place for the execution, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote in a post on X.

“Judgement day for Hasan has finally come,” Parnell wrote.

Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, walked into a medical building where soldiers were getting medical checkups, shouted “Allahu akbar” — Arabic for “God is great!” — and opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 injured.

He said it was an effort to stop them from going to Afghanistan and killing his fellow Muslims and made almost no effort to defend himself at trial. He told jurors that evidence would show he was the shooter and described himself as a soldier who had “switched sides.”

Trump’s approval triggers a series of procedural steps toward carrying out the execution, but Hasan could put them on hold — potentially for years — with a habeas corpus appeal in the civilian federal court system, according to an article published in May in the magazine Army Lawyer.

Death sentences are extremely rare in the military justice system, and executions even rarer. Four men, including Hasan, are currently on the military’s death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. President George W. Bush approved the execution Army Spc. Ronald Gray in 2008 but it was put on hold by a judge and he remains at Leavenworth.

The last man executed in the military system was Pvt. John Bennett, hanged in 1961 for raping an 11-year-old girl.

Trump approved the firing squad execution days after a failed attempt to execute Christa Pike by lethal injection pushed Tennessee’s governor to halt further executions this year and order an independent review.

Trump resumed the federal death penalty after an informal moratorium during previous administrations. The federal government executed 13 people between 2020 and early 2021, contributing to making Trump the most prolific execution president in over 130 years.

Asked whether the botched execution in Tennessee would lead him to seek changes to capital punishment, Trump said it was “an interesting situation.”

“It shouldn’t be very difficult,” Trump said of carrying out lethal injections.

​ Orange County Register 

Wall Street points toward gains, oil prices fall as markets await next week’s earnings ramp-up

• October 6, 2026

By CHAN HO-HIM and MATT OTT, AP Business Writers

Wall Street pointed slightly higher in premarket trading Tuesday after nearing a record close to open the week as oil prices retreat to the lowest level in more than a month.

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.4% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.6%, as did Nasdaq futures.

Surging oil prices and bond yields have added to challenges for the broader stock market and companies in general, but expectations for strong company earnings have helped support stocks’ recent rallies.

With little economic data coming this week, markets will continue to monitor geopolitical news as well as a handful of quarterly financial results from Levi’s, PepsiCo and Delta Air Lines before earnings season kicks into high gear next week.

Oil prices were down about 2% early Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, was down $1.99 to $98.33 per barrel, back to below the $100 mark, but still much higher than the roughly $72 a barrel level of late February.

Benchmark U.S. crude gave up $1.83 to $87.60 per barrel.

Analysts say upward pressures on oil prices have eased as larger volumes of oil have been crossing the Strait of Hormuz and oil flows through Saudi Arabia’s key East-West pipeline have been recovering, although tensions between the U.S. and Iran are still high.

“While there are growing signs of a recovery in oil flows from the Persian Gulf, the market remains nervous about potential supply disruptions from the region. This is keeping prices well-supported for now,” ING commodities strategists Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a commentary on Tuesday.

In the bond market, U.S. Treasury yields were near their multi-decade highs. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield eased to around 5.26%, after it briefly crossed the 5.35% mark, its highest level since 2002.

Investors are looking for higher returns to hold government bonds, as inflationary pressures have been rising, driven in part by the energy shock from the Iran war, while U.S. national debt has surpassed a record $40 trillion.

The Federal Reserve releases minutes from its September meeting Wednesday, which is garnering heavy interest because the central bank decided to raise U.S. benchmark interest rates for the first time in three years.

In midday European trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 gained 0.4%, while France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX each gained 0.6%.

In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.1% to 70,683.98. The benchmark has surged above the 70,000 level this week for the first time since early July.

South Korea’s Kospi lost 0.9% to 6,941.39.

Technology-related stocks in Japan and South Korea were volatile. Japanese chip testing equipment manufacturer Advantest gained 3.9%, while OpenAI investor SoftBank Group fell 3.1% after its CEO Masayoshi Son warned of potential dangers related to the technology.

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics dropped 1.5%, and memory chipmaker SK Hynix slipped 3.7%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng climbed 1% to 24,280.56. Markets in mainland China were closed for a national holiday.

​ Orange County Register