Cops did Hayden Panettiere welfare check week before she died: report

• October 2, 2026

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reportedly performed a welfare check on Hayden Panettiere a week before she was found dead in South Carolina.

Police received a 10 p.m. call from a Panettiere acquaintance concerned that the 36-year-old actor wasn’t returning phone calls to her West Hollywood apartment. The “Heroes” star wasn’t mentioned by name, but US Weekly confirmed she was the person sheriff’s deputies went to visit.

When police arrived, a man believed to have been her boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, reportedly told them that Panettiere “did not feel good” and had been sick all day.

US Weekly’s source also claims that Panettiere had been hospitalized the week before her death and was being cared for by Hickerson upon her return. He’s said to have been managing her phone.

There was no follow-up to the visit from Los Angeles police, who’d reportedly responded to the actor’s California home for two incidents in 2025.

Panettiere died in a South Carolina apartment on Aug. 16. Investigators said she was discovered by Hickerson’s brother. Hickerson was asleep in a bedroom in that unit at the time. A coroner’s report determined that Panettiere’s, who struggled with addiction, died from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl.

Former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has petitioned a California court for legal guardianship over the 11-year-old daughter the couple had together. He reportedly expressed concern that items from Panettiere’s estate that should become Kaya Klitschko’s inheritance could go missing during the course of the investigation.

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FBI gives employees a classified ‘Patel Report’ about times when it ‘fell short’

• October 2, 2026

By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has released a classified report to its workforce examining what it says are chapters from the bureau’s history “where this institution fell short,” according to an internal message obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

It was unclear what episodes from the FBI’s past are chronicled in the new “Patel Report.” But the document’s existence is in keeping with Director Kash Patel’s frequent criticism of the leaders who preceded him as well as with his determination to rid the FBI of agents and other employees he contends have politicized the bureau in the past. Patel’s critics, however, accuse him of politicizing the FBI.

Though Patel pledged at his confirmation hearing last year that he would not look “backward,” he has encouraged investigation of former senior officials and has presided over waves of terminations, including of employees who participated in years-old investigations of President Donald Trump, were photographed taking a knee during a 2020 racial justice protest and contributed to a disputed analytical memo about Catholic extremism.

“The Patel Report looks backward because accountability demands it,” says a memo to the workforce signed by the FBI’s co-deputy directors, Christopher Raia and Andrew Bailey, that describes the document as marking the “closing of one chapter in our history and the beginning of another complete with a brighter future ahead.”

Bailey announced his resignation earlier this week, and his last day is Friday. The FBI declined to comment on the report.

The message also says: “We cannot change what happened before we arrived. But we can confront it honestly. We can recognize failures instead of protecting them. We can hold people accountable. We can fix what was broken. And we can build safeguards strong enough to ensure the mistakes of the past are never allowed to define this institution again. These steps are consistent with any institution of excellence that is constantly striving for improvement.”

It was unclear if the report made recommendations or demanded any action to address past shortcomings.

The FBI message says the report is meant to “promote fierce organizational accountability” and rebuild “public trust.”

But Patel’s critics say the politically charged investigations into perceived adversaries of Trump that the FBI has started under his watch, as well as the punishment of agents who participated in investigations into the Republican president to which they were assigned, have eroded faith in the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the FBI at https://apnews.com/hub/us-federal-bureau-of-investigation.

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Proposition 3 would make California’s tax hike permanent. Voters should ask where the money goes

• October 2, 2026

While much attention has focused on the Proposition 40 “Billionaire Tax Act,” Californians will vote this November on another consequential tax measure. Proposition 3 would make permanent the state’s higher income tax rates on high earners.

Voters approved those rates in 2012 as a temporary measure that raised marginal tax rates by one to three percentage points. When combined with the state’s additional one percent surcharge on millionaire incomes, the result was a top income tax rate of 13.3 percent.

Voters in 2016 then extended these temporary rates through 2030. Proposition 3 would remove the expiration date. If it fails, the rates would remain scheduled to revert in 2031 to 10.3% for millionaire incomes and 9.3% for everyone else.

A central selling point of these higher tax rates was education: the original measure promised that the new tax revenue would help fund California’s public schools and community colleges.

There are three reasons voters should oppose Proposition 3.

First, the high bracket income tax rates at this point are actually money losers for California.

The LAO estimates that Proposition 3 would raise between $5 billion and $15 billion a year, but that number does not account for how high earners actually respond to the tax. Factor in behavioral effects and the picture looks very different. Our team’s research on the 2012 Prop 30 rate increases finds that a substantial share of the projected revenue gains were eroded through outmigration of top earners, and even more through reduced generated or reported income among those who stayed.

That erosion accelerated after 2017, when the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act capped the federal deduction for state and local taxes at $10,000. Before the cap, high-income Californians could write off much of their state tax bill against federal taxes, softening the effective burden of the top marginal rate. Once the SALT cap took effect, California’s top earners began bearing close to the full weight of the state’s top rates for the first time, sharply raising the true marginal tax rate they face and, with it, the incentive to relocate or restructure income. Based on our estimates, the state since 2018 is now losing more in departed or eroded tax base than it collects from what remains.

Second, while the tax rates may feel remote to many voters, they are much closer than many might think.

Supporters of Proposition 3 emphasize that the higher rates are paid by the wealthiest 2% of Californians. The Legislative Analyst’s Office backs up the number: about 2% of California taxpayers pay these rates in any given year. But an annual snapshot doesn’t tell us how many Californians will encounter them at some point in their lives.

The higher rates currently begin at about $371,000 in taxable income for single filers and $742,000 for married couples filing jointly. These figures include more than salaries and business income. They also include capital gains, including one-time taxable gains from the sale of a home or a small business.

Many longtime California homeowners may find sales of their homes in which they invested their lifetime savings taxed at the higher rates. California follows federal law in generally allowing a homeowner to exclude up to $250,000 of gain on the sale of a primary residence, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Those limits were set in 1997 and have never been adjusted for inflation. Gains above the exclusion become taxable income and, combined with a homeowner’s other income, can push a seller into the brackets Proposition 3 would make permanent.

A 2025 analysis by Redfin shows that 62% of homes sold in California had gains of more than $250,000 and 33% gains of more than $500,000 — equivalent to 9.34 million and 4.95 million homes, respectively, based on California’s current housing stock. This means that significant shares of voters will have capital gains that will increase their taxable income.

Third, higher revenues do not necessarily translate into additional classroom resources. California has directed the progressive tax brackets’ revenue to school districts, while at the same time requiring those districts to devote increasing resources to pension costs. By our calculations, total annual pension contributions associated with California’s K-12 school districts (excluding teachers’ own contributions) rose by roughly $8.5 billion between 2015 and 2023, reaching approximately $13 billion. This increase in pension costs has consumed most of the annual revenues generated by the higher tax rates.

Over the past two decades, retirement spending for school employees has significantly outpaced overall education spending. Our dashboard of school district budgets reveals that in California, the share of total school employee spending swallowed by pension contributions nearly doubled, from 7 percent to over 13 percent by 2023.

To put that shifting composition into perspective: had local school districts maintained their 2015 shares, it would have freed up nearly $6 billion for actual education priorities last year alone. The tax rates that are up for consideration under Prop 3 are to a large extent tax rates that fund increased retirement benefits for teachers and school employees.

Even substantial new revenue cannot meaningfully improve classroom resources if pension obligations continue to absorb an ever-growing share of education spending. Taxpayers have a say in whether they want to just go along with ever-increasing resources being devoted to teachers’ retirement or whether they prefer for the state to focus on ensuring that existing resources reach students.

Before California makes these higher tax rates permanent, voters should demand that Sacramento explain how their money will translate into better outcomes for students and taxpayers.

Joshua Rauh is the George P. Shultz senior fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution and a finance professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Gregory Kearney is a research associate at the Hoover Institution.

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Washington at No. 18 USC football: Who has the edge?

• October 2, 2026

Washington (3-1 overall, 0-1 Big Ten) at No. 14 USC (4-1, 1-1)

When: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Where: Coliseum

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

Line: USC by 9 1/2 points

NOTABLE INJURIES

USC: OUT: WR Corey Simms (undisclosed), C Kilian O’Connor (knee), S Kendarius Reddick (undisclosed); QUESTIONABLE: DT Jahkeem Stewart (foot), WR Trent Mosley (knee), S Alex Graham (undisclosed), TE Mark Bowman (undisclosed), LB Taylor “Taybo” Johnson (undisclosed), OL Hayden Treter (undisclosed), DT Alex VanSumeren (lower body)

Washington: OUT: RB Jordan Washington (neck), WR Christian Moss (quad), RB Jayden Limar (elbow), RB Quaid Carr (hand), S CJ Christian (Achilles); QUESTIONABLE: C Landen Hatchett (wrist); PROBABLE: CB Emmanuel Karnley (soft tissue)

What’s at stake? Both of these teams are coming off of their first loss of the season — USC fell to Oregon last week and Washington lost to Minnesota. Both head coaches are on a hot seat, but at very different temperatures.

Lincoln Riley’s job is highly insecure after failing to capture a signature win against the Ducks and struggling to establish a defense, even with the help of defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. The Trojans have given up 26 points or more in every game this season except for a shutout of Fresno State in Week 1. Jedd Fisch is facing early pressure due to an offense that hasn’t scored more than 24 points in a game aside from its 48-16 win over Eastern Washington, an FCS team.

Who’s better? USC far and away has the superior offense in this matchup, but its defense could be a liability. The Trojans have struggled both in coverage and against the run, making the Huskies’ dual-threat quarterback, Demond Williams, a potential challenge.

Matchup to watch: Demond Williams vs. USC’s pass rush. This is a quarterback who can do a lot, and the Trojans defense will have to communicate effectively and play as one if they want to contain him. USC has given up 47 passing plays over 10 yards this season, and Williams is averaging 8.2 yards per pass.

USC wins if: The Trojans’ defense needs a breakthrough, and fast. Washington’s offensive line has allowed 10 sacks this season, so the game could be under control early if USC can get to the quarterback.

Prediction: USC 28, Washington 21. The Trojans get the bounce-back win, but not without a few scares.

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Jury acquits fired Florida sheriff’s deputy in killing of Black US Airforce Airman Roger Fortson

• October 2, 2026

By COREY WILLIAMS

A former Florida sheriff’s deputy has been found not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the killing of a Black U.S. Air Force airman fatally shot at his apartment during a domestic disturbance call.

An Okaloosa County jury acquitted Eddie Duran, 38, on Thursday. Duran had faced up to 30 years in prison.

Duran, who is Hispanic, worked for the Okaloosa County sheriff’s department in May 2024 when he responded to Roger Fortson’s Fort Walton Beach apartment near Hurlburt Field, where the airman was stationed.

The sheriff’s office had said the deputy “reacted in self-defense after he encountered a 23-year-old man armed with a gun.” The shooting was captured on the deputy’s body camera.

The video shows the deputy banging on the door and stepping aside, seemingly out of view of the door. Twice he shouted: “Sheriff’s office! Open the door!”

Fortson opened the door and could be seen holding what appeared to be a handgun pointed down toward the floor. The deputy shouted, “Step back!” and fired off shots. He then shouted, “Drop the gun! Drop the gun!”

“It’s over there,” Fortson said.

“Drop the gun!” the deputy yelled back.

“I don’t have it,” Fortson said, lying on the ground.

The deputy then called paramedics on his radio.

Fortson later died at a hospital. The domestic disturbance report that led Duran to Fortson’s apartment turned out to be false.

After the shooting, authorities said Fortson was alone in the apartment and on the phone with his girlfriend.

Fortson was assigned as a missions operator to the 4th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field. He was a member of the squadron’s AC-130J Ghostrider aircrew, which loads the gunship’s 30 mm and 105 mm cannons during missions.

The State Attorney’s office prosecuted Duran and said in a news release that it accepts the jury’s verdict, which means the state “did not prove the criminal charge beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of every juror.”

“We understand that this verdict will cause pain, anger, or disappointment for many people, particularly some members of the community who view Senior Airman Fortson’s death within a context of encounters nationally involving law enforcement,” the State Attorney’s office said. “Those reactions should not be dismissed.”

Duran was fired after an internal sheriff’s office investigation later determined his life was not in danger when he shot Fortson.

Duran’s attorney, Rod Smith, said the shooting was a police officer safety issue and that Duran went to Fortson’s apartment “to find out what was going on based on a complaint from a neighbor.”

“None of this needed to happen,” Smith told The Associated Press on Friday. “(Fortson) absolutely knew a police officer was at the door. Deputy Duran, himself, was also a victim of a terrible tragedy. He had followed his training. The guy answered the door with a semiautomatic pistol in his hand.”

It is highly unusual for Florida law enforcement officers to be charged for an on-duty killing — it has only happened four times in the last 35 years before Fortson’s killing. Even then, only one of those officers was convicted.

“Deputies perform essential and often dangerous work every day, and are entitled to the same presumption of innocence and fair process as everyone else accused of a crime,” the State Attorney’s office said. “At the same time, the authority to use deadly force must remain subject to independent review. Presenting disputed evidence to a jury is part of that accountability and is essential to public trust.”

Fortson’s killing renewed looks at controversial “Stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and some other states where gun owners can claim self-defense after carrying out shootings. Critics have denounced them as “shoot first” laws that have created a climate of vigilantism in which gun owners operate with impunity in largely killing Black people.

Fortson carried his legally owned handgun to the door of his apartment after hearing banging noises that ended up being a sheriff’s deputy. It was the deputy who opened fire, not Fortson.

A federal civil rights lawsuit was filed last year by Fortson’s family against Duran, Sheriff Eric Aden and others, according to Ben Crump, a prominent attorney who represents the family in the lawsuit.

“This is a painful moment for everyone who loved Roger Fortson, and his family is heartbroken,” Crump said in a statement. “His family has lived with that loss every day for more than two years, and this verdict is incredibly hard for them.”

Williams reported from Detroit.

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‘Cockroach’ protesters demand India’s election chief resign over voter list changes

• October 2, 2026

By SHEIKH SAALIQ

NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of supporters of India’s “Cockroach” youth movement held new protests in the country’s financial hub of Mumbai on Friday to demand the resignation of the chief election commissioner over the revision of voter lists.

The movement, which began as an online campaign and now calls itself the Cockroach Janata Party, organized street protests that forced India’s education minister to resign in July. The Mumbai rally is meant to kick off a new period of demonstrations nationwide.

Separately, police prevented student and civil society groups from gathering Friday at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi, to also demand the commissioner’s resignation. Police detained dozens of protesters and some opposition leaders heading to the site, which had been barricaded off.

The protests add to mounting pressure on India’s Election Commission, which oversees polls across the country. Critics and opposition parties accuse it of altering voter registrations to give an advantage to the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both the commission and the government deny any wrongdoing.

India’s election commission faces internal dissent

The Indian Express newspaper last month reported that two of the three election commissioners had formally objected to several decisions involving voter list revisions, registration procedures and the commission’s digital systems.

According to the report, the two commissioners questioned the legality of some of the decisions, but Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar disregarded their objections. Indian law requires the three-member Election Commission to make decisions by majority vote.

The commission disputed the report, saying it was based on “differing views and deliberations” among the commissioners rather than formal written objections.

Voter list revisions could remove millions of names

India’s voter list revisions began last year in the eastern state of Bihar ahead of state elections, and have since expanded to most of the country’s states and federally administered territories.

Known as Special Intensive Revision, the revisions have drawn criticism over the documents required to establish voters’ eligibility. Critics say the requirements have been confusing and difficult for many voters to meet, potentially leaving millions off the registration lists and unable to vote.

Election Commission data shows voter lists in some regions could shrink by as much as 30%.

The commission says the objective is to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring eligible voters remain on the lists. Opposition parties and activists say it risks excluding legitimate voters. They also accuse the chief commissioner, Kumar, of political bias and allege the revisions benefit Modi’s party.

The Election Commission and Modi’s party have rejected the allegations.

The ‘Cockroach’ movement is expanding its political focus

The youth movement, which emerged earlier this year out of anger over high unemployment among young people and leaked examination papers, has grown into a political force.

Led by Abhijeet Dipke, it rose to national prominence after organizing mass protests over examination paper leaks. The demonstrations culminated in the resignation of the education minister, a significant political setback for Modi’s government.

The movement has since sought to take up other issues beyond education, including government accountability and democratic institutions.

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Amazon to invest $1B into data center communities amid backlash against data center rollouts

• October 2, 2026

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is investing more than $1 billion over the next five years into communities where it operates data centers for education, job training, water and energy preservation projects and other local priorities as it reacts to a growing backlash from politicians and consumers to the tech industry’s rollout of the massive buildings.

According to a blog post on Friday by Matt Garman, Amazon’s CEO of its cloud computing arm, Amazon has already spent more than $1 billion in communities with a large data center presence over the past three years.

Garman also said that Amazon is no longer using nondisclosure agreements with government agencies it works with on its projects, and it said it hosts open houses in communities where it operates to share information about what it’s doing. He also warned against the spread of what he believes is misinformation about data centers’ impact on the environment and energy rates — and he cited the dangers of over 100 moratoriums against these centers being considered across the country.

“If these measures are enacted, the U.S. could be writing its own losing ticket to this race, and the consequences would last generations,” he wrote. “As a country, we can’t afford to find ourselves in that position. There is urgency to this data center build out because we aren’t the only country that sees the benefits of AI for the economy and national security.”

Garman’s pledge comes as data centers, which power artificial intelligence and cloud computing, have become a hot political issue heading into the midterms as tech giants race to invest more money in expanding these infrastructures.

Small, under-the-radar data centers have been around for decades. But the explosion of artificial intelligence chatbots has resulted in data centers that are bigger than anything just about any town has ever seen. Some of them dwarf football stadiums and factories and consume more energy than small cities.

By 2030, data centers will account for nearly 3% of the world’s projected electricity use, with 935 trillion watt-hours, according to a United Nations University report released in June on these buildings’ environmental footprint.

Amazon said in July that it now expects to spend $220 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, including on data centers and other technology investments. That’s up from its prior estimate of $200 billion.

President Donald Trump has embraced the building of more data centers, but there is growing wariness from voters. About 6 in 10 Americans support limiting the number of new data centers that can be built, including most Democrats and Republicans.

And a majority of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the impact of data centers on electricity prices or the water supply in the communities where they are built.

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Indonesian villagers on Borneo struggle for water as El Niño intensifies peatland fires

• October 2, 2026

By EDNA TARIGAN and VICTORIA MILKO

PENYELADI, Indonesia (AP) — After three months with no rain, Sriwati, a shopkeeper and mother of three children living in Penyeladi village on the tropical island of Borneo, can no longer depend on the river for her needs.

Experts say communities like Sriwati’s are facing a severe water crisis as this year’s super El Niño, combined with decades of degradation of the island’s ecologically vital peatlands — ancient wetlands that are critical for carbon storage, water regulation and pollution control — has created the perfect storm exacerbating human-caused climate change.

The Kapuas, Indonesia’s longest river that over 3 million people rely on, has extremely receded in the area near her home. All that’s left is a shallow stream of muddy water that’s not safe to drink or wash the rice she cooks to feed her children. She now has to buy water, adding to her monthly expenses.

“The water shortage affects us, especially when it comes to drinking water,” Sriwati, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, told The Associated Press from her small, concrete home.

El Niño and peatland degradation create crisis

El Niño is part of a natural climate cycle of warming ocean temperatures, but this year’s is expected to reach new extremes of drought, heat waves, flooding and other climate-related disruptions across the globe.

Meteorologists forecast it could exceed a record El Niño that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.

In Borneo, experts say that because vast peatlands have been destroyed by land conversion, the effects of El Niño are already being more acutely felt.

“In Kalimantan, something like 60% of the peatland areas have been drained to make way for palm oil plantations and for pulp and paper concessions,” said Amanda Hurowitz, a senior director at international environmental organization Mighty Earth, using the name for the Indonesia-controlled part of Borneo.

“That means the water is not where it should be. There are all these canals, and because the canals are blocked, the water table goes low,” she continued. “Because it’s so dry, the water has just disappeared.”

In a written statement to the AP, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry acknowledged the negative impact of drained peatlands, while insisting that specific causes and liabilities must be determined by evidence rather than attributed automatically to El Niño or the presence of businesses.

They added that the government aims to prevent future peatland degradation through ecosystem restoration and strict enforcement of concession holders’ obligations.

“The government’s long-term agenda focuses on preserving and restoring peatland hydrological functions, improving landscape and water management, strengthening fire prevention, and ensuring that all parties managing land fulfill their responsibilities,” they said.

Fires continue to burn across Borneo as water supplies dwindle

Experts say the hot, dry conditions caused by El Niño coupled with peatland degradation have contributed to the enormous fires spreading across Borneo.

Dried peat is highly flammable, allowing fires to easily spread in drained areas. Because the fires often spread underground, they’re difficult to extinguish and can easily reoccur, according to the Borneo Nature Foundation.

The dwindling water supply in the area has slowed down firefighting efforts, while Japan has deployed firefighting assistance to the island.

Toxic thick haze blankets the sky. The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away, and breached Malaysia’s emergency-level threshold for air pollution, forcing authorities to declare an emergency last week in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo.

In a written statement to the AP, Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry said the government is shifting its forest and land fire policy toward prevention by strengthening cross-sectoral coordination, enforcing laws against burning-based land clearing, expanding patrols and early detection systems, promoting risk-based monitoring and peatland restoration, and requiring permit holders and communities to take responsibility for fire control.

“Ultimately, controlling forest and land fires is not the task of a single ministry or institution,” they said. “Prevention requires collaborative effort.”

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) of burned land between January and July, almost three times the size of Singapore.

Communities continue to bear the burden

As the fires continue to burn and water remains scarce, communities continue to suffer.

In Sungai Malaya village in West Kalimantan, fires have burned for over a month, with residents remaining tense around the clock, as fires have sometimes suddenly worsened at night.

Fires have decimated the vacant lots where Rumsiyeh, a 45-year-old mother of five children, and her husband picked ferns to sell at the market.

“Everything’s gone. We can’t make a living anymore,” she said.

Boaters, fishers and others who rely on the river have had their livelihoods impacted, as extremely low water levels mean it’s impossible to fish or travel on the Kapuas. In the areas where there’s enough water for boats to operate, the thick haze hampers visibility, making it dangerous to operate, fisherman Abiansah, 39, said.

And the national economic impact remains unmeasured: Large metal barges that usually carry oil palm tree kernels for processing downriver currently lie aground on the sand, as children swing from their untied mooring lines.

Some relief has come from private and government water donations, but residents still fear what the future holds.

“I’m worried about this prolonged dry spell. It’s reached the point where just going about our daily activities — going anywhere at all — has become difficult. We’re facing water shortages, too,” said Sriwati. “I’m at a loss for words to describe it.”

Milko reported from Islamabad.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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