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    NJ governor seeks restrictions on nonessential helicopter flights after chopper crash

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    Tony Ramos
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    NJ governor seeks restrictions on nonessential helicopter flights after chopper crash

    TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey’s governor is asking federal officials to impose restrictions on nonessential helicopter flights in his state after a New York City sightseeing helicopter broke apart in midair in April, killing six people.

    Gov. Phil Murphy, in an Aug. 18 letter, requested the Federal Aviation Administration use its authority to “prohibit or sharply reduce” the number of the aircrafts operating in the state.

    The Democrat noted that the helicopter involved in the April 10 crash was based at a heliport in Kearny, New Jersey and plummeted into the Hudson River just 75 feet (22 meters) from the Jersey City waterfront.

    He argued that future crashes could be more devastating if they occurred on land as he called on the FAA to impose more stringent regulations, akin to the cap on tourist helicopter flights over Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park that the agency adopted in 2023.

    “We must not wait for such a tragedy to occur being taking decisive action,” Murphy wrote.

    The governor suggested flights from Kearny could be routed over Newark Bay rather than directly over densely populated Jersey City and Hoboken, reducing impacts on residential neighborhoods and enhancing safety by having helicopters fly more over water than land.

    He also asked the FAA to consider limiting the operating hours for non-essential flights from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    The FAA, in a statement Thursday, said it would reach out directly to Murphy.

    The agency also noted helicopters are not subject to the same minimum altitude restrictions as airplanes, which must fly at least 1,000 feet (300 meters) above the nearest obstacle when over densely populated areas. But, under federal regulations, they must not pose a hazard to people or property on land when operating.

    Industry trade groups didn’t immediately comment.

    The aircraft operated by New York Helicopter had been giving a typical tour of the Manhattan skyline when it broke apart about 18 minutes into the flight.

    The crash killed the helicopter pilot and a prominent family from Barcelona. It also revived concerns about the safety of the popular and costly aerial tours over New York City.

    The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on the doomed flight in May, but is still investigating what caused the helicopter to break apart.


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    Trump suggests more cities need National Guard but crime stats tell a different story

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    Tony Ramos
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    Trump suggests more cities need National Guard but crime stats tell a different story

    President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, to fight what he says is runaway crime. Yet data shows most violent crime in those places and around the country has declined in recent years.

    Homicides through the first six months of 2025 were down significantly compared to the same period in 2024, continuing a post-pandemic trend across the U.S.

    Trump, who has already taken federal control of police in Washington, D.C., has maligned the six Democratic-run cities that all are in states that opposed him in 2024. But he hasn’t threatened sending in the Guard to any major cities in Republican-leaning states.

    John Roman, a data expert who directs the Center on Public Safety & Justice at the University of Chicago, acknowledged violence in some urban neighborhoods has persisted for generations. But he said there’s no U.S. city where there “is really a crisis.”

    “We’re at a remarkable moment in crime in the United States,” he said.

    Trump might be tapping somewhat into public perception when he describes cities such as Chicago as a “killing field.” The vast majority of Americans, 81%, see crime as a “major problem” in large cities, according to a survey released this week by The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, though there is much less support, 32%, for federal control of police.

    The public was reminded this week that shootings remain a frequent event in the U.S. In Minneapolis, which has seen homicides and most other crime fall, a shooter killed two children attending a Catholic school Mass Wednesday and wounded 17 a day after three people died in separate shootings elsewhere in the city.

    Still, over time, the picture is encouraging, according to numbers from AH Datalytics, which tracks crimes across the country using law enforcement data for its Real-Time Crime Index.

    Aggravated assaults — which includes nonfatal shootings — through June were down in Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Baltimore and San Francisco and were virtually unchanged in New York. Reports of rape were up in New York and Chicago during the first half of the year, but down in the other cities, including a 51% drop in San Francisco.

    The crime index also showed that property crimes, such as theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft, were mostly down in those six cities in the first six months of 2025. Theft crimes rose from 2020 to 2024 in four of the six cities analyzed by AP.

    Trump exaggerated and misstated facts about crime in Washington when his administration took over the D.C. police department and flooded the capital with federal agents and the National Guard. He referred to Baltimore, 40 miles (64.3 kilometers) away, as a “hellhole” during a Cabinet meeting and has said he might “send in the ‘troops.’”

    “I’m not walking in Baltimore right now,” Trump said.

    Yet Baltimore has shown drops in major crime, according to the crime index. Homicides and rapes were down 25% or more in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Homicides were down for three consecutive years through 2024 and were 35% lower when compared to 2018.

    “Deploying the National Guard for municipal policing purposes is not sustainable, scalable, constitutional, or respectful,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said on social media site X.

    Baltimore has found ways to reduce violence by offering mentorship, social services and job opportunities to young people likely to commit crimes, said Michael Scott, director of the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing at Arizona State University and a former police chief in Florida.

    “That approach has resulted in more significant reductions in shootings and homicides than any other strategy I’ve seen in the over 50 years I’ve been in the field,” Scott said.

    Trump doesn’t seem to disparage big cities in states that favor Republicans. Charlotte, North Carolina, had 105 homicides in 2024 compared to 88 in 2023. The rate of vehicle thefts per 100,000 people more than doubled there from 2020 through 2024. Indianapolis had a homicide rate of 19 per every 100,000 residents in 2024 — more than four times higher than New York’s.

    Amy Holt, 48, who recently moved to Charlotte from a gated community in northern Virginia, said someone tried to steal her husband’s car in their new city. She also found bullets on the ground while walking with dogs.

    There’s no discussion about sending the National Guard to Charlotte. Holt believes most cities should be trusted to be in charge of public safety, adding that troops in uniforms would be “alarming” and “scary.”

    Democratic elected officials in cities targeted by Trump have publicly rejected suggestions that their residents need the National Guard. “Crime is at its lowest point in decades, visitors are coming back, and San Francisco is on the rise,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said.

    Experts question just how effective the National Guard would be and where troops would be deployed in cities.

    “It’s going to make residents think: Things must be much worse than I realize to have the military in my neighborhood. What’s going on?” Scott said. “It’s more likely to generate undue fear and apprehension than it will lead to perceptions of reassurance and safety.”

    ___

    White reported from Detroit and Keller reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico. AP video journalist Erik Verduzco in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.


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    Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO has inspired followers, prosecutors say

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    Tony Ramos
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    Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO has inspired followers, prosecutors say

    NEW YORK — Prosecutors say Luigi Mangione, accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare on a Manhattan sidewalk, has inspired others to embrace violence over reasoned debate.

    As evidence of Mangione’s growing influence, prosecutors cited the last month’s deadly mass shooting at the National Football League headquarters.

    The prosecution outlined the threat in a filing late Wednesday on a procedural matter in federal court in Manhattan, where they plan to try to convince a jury that Mangione deserves death. No federal trial date has been set.

    Mangione, who pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges, was arrested five days after the Dec. 4 killing of CEO Brian Thompson. He is being held without bail in a federal jail in Brooklyn.

    U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in April that she was directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for “an act of political violence” and a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

    In their filing Wednesday, prosecutors wrote that Mangione poses a continuing danger in part because he seeks to influence others.

    “Simply put, the defendant hoped to normalize the use of violence to achieve ideological or political objectives,” they said. “Since the murder, certain quarters of the public — who openly identify as acolytes of the defendant — have increasingly begun to view violence as an acceptable, or even necessary, substitute for reasoned political disagreement.”

    In a footnote, prosecutors referenced the gunman who went into an office building not far from where Thompson was shot in midtown Manhattan, then killed four people including an off-duty police officer, a financial services firm executive and a security guard, and wounded others, including an NFL employee.

    Mangione is accused of leaving behind evidence showing disdain for the insurance industry. Similarly, the NFL headquarters gunman identified as Shane Tamura left behind a handwritten note blaming the league and football for causing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known at CTE, prosecutors noted.

    Tamura, who took his own life, accused the league of hiding the dangers of brain injuries linked to contact sports.

    “Almost immediately, members of the public sympathetic to the defendant touted Tamura’s actions as a laudable continuation of the defendant’s philosophy,” prosecutors said.

    Prosecutors said Mangione has “openly cultivated supporters” by setting up a website and directly addressing them. They said Mangione also has catalogued all of the supportive letters he has received on his website.

    ___

    Associated Press Writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.


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    Mass layoffs, resignations and major vaccine policy changes: Timeline of turmoil at CDC

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    Tony Ramos
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    Mass layoffs, resignations and major vaccine policy changes: Timeline of turmoil at CDC

    The attempted ousting of the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and resignations of four high-profile officials on Wednesday were the latest developments in turmoil that has been plaguing the federal health agency.

    Over the past few months, the CDC has seen several resignations, mass layoffs, shakeups of key committees and major changes in vaccine policy.

    At the center is Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has claimed he wants to restore trust in the CDC and weed out alleged corruption.

    Here is a timeline of changes that have occurred at CDC.

    Bullet holes are seen in windows at the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) Global Headquarters following a shooting that left two dead, on August 9, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.

    Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

    Nov. 22, 2024

    Then-President-elect Donald Trump nominates Dr. Dave Weldon to lead the CDC.

    Jan. 23, 2025

    Trump selects Susan Monarez to be acting CDC director.

    Susan Monarez, nominee to be the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, June 25, 2025 in Washington.

    Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

    Feb. 18, 2025

    Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director of the CDC, resigns, saying he made the decision to leave independently, according to local reports. Shah led the CDC’s bird flu response.

    March 13, 2025

    The White House pulls the nomination of Weldon for CDC director ahead of his appearance before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee because he didn’t have the votes to be confirmed.

    Weldon was expected to be grilled on his past comments questioning vaccine safety, such as falsely suggesting vaccines are linked to autism.

    Former Congressman Dr. David Weldon speaks in The Villages, Fla., on May 31, 2012.

    Brendan Farrington/AP

    March 24, 2025

    Monarez is nominated by Trump to be CDC director. The president writes on Truth Social that she brings “decades of experience championing Innovation, Transparency, and strong Public Health Systems.”

    March 25, 2025

    Five high-level CDC officials depart from the agency, in a move described as “retirements,” according to the Associated Press.

    The departures included:

    • Leslie Ann Dauphin, founding director of the National Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce.
    • Karen Remley, director of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.
    • Sam Posner, head of the Office of Science.
    • Debra Lubar, chief operating officer.
    • Leandris Liburd, acting director for the Office of Health Equity.

    April 1, 2025

    Mass layoffs begin at HHS, affecting more than 10,000 people. This includes about 2,400 CDC employees, which is about one-fifth of the workforce.

    April 3, 2025

    Kennedy announces that some programs and employees would be reinstated because they were mistakenly cut. This includes the division at the CDC that handles lead surveillance.

    It’s later revealed the HHS hired back more than 450 CDC employees who had been fired.

    May 27, 2025

    Kennedy announced the CDC will no longer be recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for “healthy children and pregnant women.”

    The CDC later updates the guidance to a “shared clinical decision making” model — leaving the decision to vaccinate between patients or parents and a doctor.

    June 5, 2025

    Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, who oversaw the CDC’s recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines, resigns after mixed messages over who would be eligible for vaccines.

    June 9, 2025

    Kennedy removes all 17 members of CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), which makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy and clinical need of vaccines.

    Kennedy says replacing the sitting committee members would help restore public trust and claims they were plagued by conflicts of interest.

    Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, August 26, 2025.

    Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

    June 11, 2025

    Kennedy appoints eight hand-selected members to sit on the ACIP, including some who have expressed vaccine-skeptic views.

    June 16, 2025

    Dr. Fiona Havers, who led the CDC’s tracking of hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, resigns, citing concerns over how the data could be used to shape national vaccine policy, according to Reuters.

    June 25, 2025

    In ACIP’s first meeting since Kennedy replaced all the members, the committee says it will be reviewing the current childhood immunization schedule.

    June 26, 2025

    ACIP recommends an RSV monoclonal antibody shot for babies but recommends against flu vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal.

    Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative, which is used to prevent microbial contamination of vaccines. Most flu vaccines currently used in the U.S. contain little to no thimerosal, but both the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC say there is no evidence low doses of thimerosal in vaccines cause harm other than minor reactions at the injection site, such as redness or swelling. 

    July 29, 2025

    The Senate confirms Monarez as CDC director by a vote of 51-47 along party lines.

    She is the first CDC director nominee who required Senate confirmation after Congress passed a law requiring it in 2022. 

    Aug. 8, 2025

    A gunman opens fire at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, resulting in the death of a police officer. Investigators and sources close to the gunman later said he was harboring a years-long grievance against the COVID-19 vaccine.

    Aug. 12, 2025

    Monarez sends a note to the company’s more than 10,000 employees, linking misinformation to the deadly shooting at CDC.

    Aug. 27, 2025

    HHS sends out a post on X stating that Monarez is “no longer director” of the CDC.

    Sources tell ABC News that Kennedy and Stefanie Spear, his principal deputy chief of staff, called on Monarez to support changes to COVID vaccine policy and the firings of high-level staff, a source familiar with the conversations told ABC News, which Monarez would not commit to.

    Lawyers for Monarez state she will not leave her post and that, because she was appointed by Congress, Trump has to personally dismiss her.

    The White House, which has the authority to dismiss Monarez, followed up late Wednesday night with a statement saying Monarez was indeed “terminated.”

    Following HHS’s statement about Monarez’s departure, four other senior career officials at the CDC also resign:

    • Dr. Deb Houry, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science.
    • Dr. Dan Jernigan, Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.
    • Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
    • Dr. Jennifer Layden, Director for the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology.

    In a departure email to colleagues, Daskalakis writes that he will no longer serve in his role “because of the ongoing weaponizing of public health.”

    Turmoil at CDC

    CDC.gov, HHS.gov, WhiteHouse.gov

    Aug. 28, 2025

    Monarez’s attorneys say she has still not heard directly from the president on the matter and has not had any further communications with the White House since the previous evening.

    The White House named Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill as the interim director Thursday evening.

    ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Sony Salzman and Dr. Jade Cobern contributed to this report.


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    Nancy Giles: Receipts have gotten too long

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    Tony Ramos
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    Nancy Giles: Receipts have gotten too long


    The “Sunday Morning” contributor comments on the prevalence of very, very, very long cash register receipts.


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    Microsoft fires 4 employees after protest, break-in at president’s office

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    Tony Ramos
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    Microsoft fires 4 employees after protest, break-in at president’s office

    Microsoft on Thursday fired two additional employees after firing two others a day prior, following a break-in at the office of its vice chair and company president, Brad Smith, earlier this week, as part of a protest of the technology company’s purported links to Israel. 

    “Two additional employees were terminated due to serious violations of established company policies and our code of conduct, including participating in recent on-site demonstrations that created significant safety concerns for our employees,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News.

    The terminations came after a group of seven people broke into executive offices at Microsoft’s global headquarters in Redmond, Washington, on Tuesday to hold a sit-in. No Azure for Apartheid, an advocacy group organized by Microsoft employees, said in an Instagram post that current and former workers from Microsoft, Google and Oracle were part of the group that occupied Smith’s office. 

    The protesters, who were arrested by police on Tuesday, were demanding that Microsoft cut ties with Israel after The Guardian reported earlier this month that a unit of the Israeli military is using Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform to surveil Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. 

    “Two employees were terminated today following serious breaches of company policies and our code of conduct,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News on Wednesday. “The first violated the Business Conduct Policy, participated in the unlawful break-in at the executive offices, and other demonstrations on campus, and was arrested by authorities on our premises on two occasions. The second was involved in the break-in at the executive offices and was subsequently arrested.”

    A Microsoft spokesperson said in the statement Thursday that the company is “continuing to investigate the conduct on our campus and work with law enforcement to help ensure the safety of all our employees. We wish to emphasize, again, as we did in a statement yesterday, that such conduct is entirely unacceptable and stands in direct opposition to our company values and policies.”

    In an Instagram post, No Azure for Apartheid identified two of the employees as Anna Hattle and Riki Fameli.

    During a press conference on Wednesday, Smith said Microsoft has launched a formal investigation into Israel’s reported use of Azure. “We are committed to ensuring that our human rights principles and our contractual terms of service are upheld in the Middle East,” he said.

    Protests against Microsoft over the Israeli military’s use of the company’s technology have been going on for months. Police last week arrested 18 people after a similar protest at the company’s Redmond headquarters.

    Israel launched its war against Hamas in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-orchestrated terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The war has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian enclave’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. 

    The Hamas-led attack almost two years ago killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw 251 others taken as hostages into Gaza.

    The Associated Press

    contributed to this report.

    Mary Cunningham

    Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at “60 Minutes,” CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.




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    8/28: The Takeout with Major Garrett

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    Tony Ramos
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    8/28: The Takeout with Major Garrett



    8/28: The Takeout with Major Garrett – CBS News










































    Watch CBS News



    FBI investigating Minneapolis school shooting as domestic terrorism; Memo from think tank “Third Way” suggests words Democrats should avoid using.


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    Families of 2 children killed in Minneapolis school shooting share statements: “Give your kids an extra hug”

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    Tony Ramos
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    Families of 2 children killed in Minneapolis school shooting share statements: “Give your kids an extra hug”

    The families of the two children who were shot and killed early Wednesday morning at Annunciation Catholic Church in southwest Minneapolis spoke out for the first time Thursday afternoon. 

    The father of one of the two children killed in the massacre identified the victim as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. The family of the other victim identified her as 10-year-old Harper Moyski.

    img-1350.jpg

    Photos show 10-year-old Harper Moyski (left) and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. Both were killed in Wednesday morning’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in southwest Minneapolis.

    WCCO


    Both families issued statements and asked the public to respect their privacy.

    Here is the full transcript of the Merkel family’s statement, as delivered by Jesse Merkel:

    “Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us. Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming.

    “Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play. While the hole in our hearts and lives will never be filled, I hope that in time, our family can find healing. I pray that the other victim’s family can find some semblance of the same.

    “I’m hopeful that all the wounded are able to make a full recovery and return home to their families, and finally, all the people — and especially the children impacted by this horrific event — are able to recover mentally and find strength to live loving, happy and full lives.

    “Over the past day, I’ve heard many stories accounting the swift and heroic actions of children and adults alike from inside the church. Without these people and their selfless actions, this could have been a tragedy of many magnitudes more for these people. I’m thankful.

    “Moving forward, we ask not for your sympathy, but your empathy as our family and the Annunciation community grieve and try to make sense of such a senseless act of violence. Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life. Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you. Fletcher, you’ll always be with us.”



    Father of 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel, killed in Annunciation shootings, speaks out

    02:51

    The Merkel family plans to establish a scholarship in Fletcher Merkel’s name at a later time.

    The joint statement from Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin read, in full:

    “We are devastated to share that our beloved daughter, Harper Moyski, was tragically killed in the recent school shooting. Harper was a bright, joyful, and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness, and spirit touched everyone who knew her.

    “Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.

    “We also grieve for our fellow Annunciation family in mourning and for those hurt yesterday. We are grateful for the staff and first responders who did so much for so many yesterday.

    “While our immediate focus is on Harper and our family’s healing, we also believe it is important that her memory fuels action. No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain. We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country. Change is possible, and it is necessary—so that Harper’s story does not become yet another in a long line of tragedies.

    “We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love, prayers, and support. Harper’s light will always shine through us, and we hope her memory inspires others to work toward a safer, more compassionate world.

    “At this time, we kindly ask the media and community to respect our privacy as we mourn and honor Harper’s life together. We need space to grieve, to support Harper’s sister, and to hold tightly to one another.”

    Another 18 people were hurt, including 15 fellow Annunciation students between the ages of 6 and 15. Three adults, all in their 80s, were also shot. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says all of the children are expected to survive; however, at least seven victims were in critical condition when they arrived at a hospital on Wednesday. 

    Hennepin Healthcare CEO Thomas Klemond described a child who remained in critical condition as “touch and go” on Thursday morning. 

    Wednesday’s shooting prompted responses from lawmakers, advocacy groups and religious leaders across the state, country and world. President Trump and Gov. Tim Walz have ordered all U.S. and Minnesota state flags to fly at half-mast for at least through the end of the month to honor the shooting victims. 

    Vigils were held across the Twin Cities metro for the victims, and a moment of silence was held ahead of the game between the Minnesota Twins and the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada on Wednesday night. Efforts and events are underway to help those affected by the shooting. 


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    GPT AI Corporation, Inc. Launches EdGPT AI Platform for Educational Institutions

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    Tony Ramos
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    GPT AI Corporation, Inc. Launches EdGPT AI Platform for Educational Institutions

    BUENA PARK, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Educational institutions from preschools to universities adopt AI-powered communication platform that eliminates traditional website barriers, GPT AI Corporation, Inc. today announced the launch of EdGPT.ai, an advanced conversational AI platform specifically designed for educational institutions, while declaring that “websites are a thing of the past” based on comprehensive research showing widespread website accessibility failures.

    GPT AI Corporation, Inc. Launches EdGPT AI Platform for Educational Institutions
    The announcement comes as the 2025 WebAIM Million study reveals that 94.8% of the top one million websites contain accessibility barriers, with educational institutions particularly affected by communication challenges that traditional websites fail to address.

    RESEARCH VALIDATES WEBSITE COMMUNICATION CRISIS

    “The data clearly shows that traditional websites systematically fail users,” said Aftab Jiwani, Founder of GPT AI Corporation, Inc. “When 94.8% of websites contain accessibility barriers and users encounter errors on 1 in every 24 website elements, it’s evident that websites are a thing of the past.”

    EDUCATIONAL SECTOR FACES UNIQUE COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

    Educational institutions experience particular communication difficulties, with administrative staff spending 15-20 hours weekly answering repetitive questions about schedules, policies, and procedures that should be accessible through digital channels. Research indicates that 73% of parents will not return to a school website after experiencing poor usability.

    The communication gap becomes more pronounced during non-business hours, with 68% of school information requests going unanswered for over 24 hours, leaving families frustrated and disconnected from essential school information.

    EDGPT.AI PLATFORM ADDRESSES EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATION NEEDS

    The EdGPT.ai platform serves educational institutions across all levels, from preschools through higher education, including both public and private sectors.

    The platform replaces traditional website navigation with conversational AI that provides instant, accessible responses to common inquiries.

    Early implementation results demonstrate measurable improvements in educational communication efficiency. Initial school users report a 65% reduction in administrative phone calls and a 75% improvement in prospective family engagement. The platform provides 24/7 accessibility, addressing the communication gaps that occur when school offices are closed.

    COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATIONAL SPECTRUM COVERAGE

    The platform addresses specific communication needs across different educational levels:

    Preschool and early childhood centers utilize the technology to handle parent inquiries about daily schedules, pickup procedures, meal programs, and developmental policies without requiring staff intervention for routine questions.

    Elementary schools implement the platform to address homework policies, lunch menus, after-school programs, and classroom procedures, reducing the administrative burden on school staff while improving parent access to information.

    Middle schools leverage the technology for complex scheduling questions, extracurricular activities, and academic policies as students transition to more independent learning environments.

    High schools utilize the platform for graduation requirements, college preparation information, athletic eligibility, and career planning guidance, reducing pressure on guidance counselors while providing immediate student and parent support.

    Higher education institutions, including community colleges, universities, and graduate schools, implement the technology to address admissions requirements, financial aid information, course catalogs, campus services, and academic policies for prospective students, current students, parents, and faculty.

    TECHNOLOGY ADDRESSES WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY FAILURES

    The EdGPT.ai platform utilizes Generative Pre-trained Transformer technology specifically configured for educational communication. Unlike traditional websites that present static information through complex navigation structures, the conversational AI system understands educational context and provides personalized responses based on user needs.

    The technology directly addresses the accessibility failures identified in the WebAIM Million 2025 study by providing 100% accessible interfaces that eliminate navigation requirements and offer unlimited personalization capabilities. This approach removes the barriers that affect 94.8% of traditional websites.

    IMPLEMENTATION RESULTS DEMONSTRATE EFFECTIVENESS

    Educational institutions implementing the EdGPT.ai platform report significant operational improvements:

    Administrative efficiency increases through an 80% reduction in repetitive staff inquiries, allowing educational professionals to focus on direct student support rather than answering routine questions.

    Parent engagement improves with 24/7 instant support capabilities, enabling families to access information about schedules, policies, events, and procedures regardless of office hours.

    Communication accessibility reaches 100% compliance, eliminating the barriers that affect nearly 95% of traditional websites according to the WebAIM research.

    Response time improvements provide immediate answers to replace the 24-48 hour email response delays common in educational settings.

    PRIVACY AND SECURITY COMPLIANCE

    The EdGPT.ai platform maintains educational privacy standards by utilizing only publicly available information from school websites and approved materials. The system complies with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requirements while providing comprehensive communication capabilities without compromising student privacy.

    IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS DESIGNED FOR EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

    Educational institutions can implement the platform through a streamlined process that recognizes the unique operational requirements of schools. The setup involves entering the current school website URL, allowing EdGPT.ai to automatically gather necessary information. Additional school data, including handbooks, calendars, policies, and staff directories, can be uploaded to the knowledge base, enabling the school’s conversational AI site to become operational within minutes.

    RISK-FREE EVALUATION FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

    GPT AI Corporation, Inc. offers educational institutions free trial periods specifically designed for school evaluation cycles. This approach allows administrators to assess the platform’s effectiveness before making financial commitments, reducing barriers to adoption while demonstrating the advantages of conversational AI over traditional website communication.

    MARKET IMPACT ON EDUCATIONAL COMMUNICATION

    The EdGPT.ai launch represents a comprehensive approach to addressing educational website communication failures. By targeting the specific needs of educational institutions across all levels and sectors, the platform demonstrates that website accessibility and usability problems span the entire educational spectrum.

    The platform’s focus on educational communication recognizes that schools have unique requirements that generic website solutions cannot adequately address. Each educational level faces distinct communication challenges that require specialized approaches while maintaining the conversational intelligence that eliminates traditional website barriers.

    ABOUT GPT AI CORPORATION, INC.

    GPT AI Corporation, Inc. specializes in developing conversational AI platforms designed for specific industry sectors. The company operates multiple vertical-specific solutions including EdGPT.ai for educational institutions, LawFirmGPT.ai for legal services, CPAFirm.ai for accounting practices, TaxPrepGPT.ai for tax preparation services, BusinessBrokerGPT.ai for business transaction facilitation, and GPTsites.ai for general business applications. Each platform addresses unique communication challenges faced by its respective industry while providing the conversational intelligence that makes traditional websites obsolete across all sectors.

    AVAILABILITY AND ACCESS

    Educational institutions interested in moving beyond traditional website limitations can access the EdGPT.ai platform at https://EdGPT.ai. The platform demonstrates how conversational AI technology eliminates communication barriers while building stronger educational communities.

    Learn more at: https://EdGPT.ai

    Learn More: https://gptsites.ai

    This version of news story was published on and is Copr. © 2025 California Newswire® (CaliforniaNewswire.com) – part of the Neotrope® News Network, USA – all rights reserved.

    Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.


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    Energuy and Finturf Launch Incentive Program for Contractors, for Every Financed Project Using Energuy Services

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    Tony Ramos
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    Energuy and Finturf Launch Incentive Program for Contractors, for Every Financed Project Using Energuy Services

    GLENDALE, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Finturf, a leading provider of point-of-sale financing solutions, and Energuy, the #1 contractor solution for permits and rebates, have partnered to introduce a powerful new incentive program aimed at supporting contractor success and promoting energy-efficient home improvements.

    Effective immediately, contractors will receive a $75 reward for every home improvement project they finance through Finturf while utilizing Energuy’s trusted permit processing, rebate administration, or energy verification services.

    Energuy and Finturf Launch Incentive Program for Contractors, for Every Financed Project Using Energuy Services

    This collaboration is designed to reward contractors who are committed to offering homeowners flexible and accessible financing solutions, ensuring the highest standards of code compliance and energy efficiency, enhancing project quality through verified third-party services, and streamlining complex administrative tasks with Energuy’s industry-leading support.

    By combining Finturf’s robust financing technology with Energuy’s proven contractor solutions, contractors can deliver greater value to their clients-and now get rewarded for doing so.

    How the program works:

    1. Finance a home improvement project through Finturf’s platform

    2. Use Energuy’s services for permit facilitation, rebate processing, or HERS inspections

    3. Earn a $75 rebate for each eligible project

    Start earning more on the work you’re already doing.

    Contractors can now turn every financed home improvement project into an additional $75-just by using Energuy’s permit, rebate, or HERS services.

    Sign up today at: https://finturf.com/Energuy-rebate/.

    “We’re excited to partner with Energuy to create a program that not only supports contractors’ business growth but also promotes energy-efficient home improvements,” said Ed Torosyan, Chief Revenue Officer of Finturf. “This incentive is a way to thank contractors for helping homeowners access better financing and quality service.”

    “By combining our expertise in permits, rebates, and energy compliance with Finturf’s best-in-class financing solutions, we are making it easier for contractors to complete projects efficiently, affordably, and with greater customer satisfaction,” said Stephanie Gorton, President of Energuy.

    About Finturf:

    Finturf is a premier sales tool for the financing industry, providing contractors and service providers with access to a diverse network of lenders. Offering real-time approvals and an intuitive interface, Finturf enhances the customer and sales rep experience while driving business growth for its contractors.

    Learn more at: https://finturf.com/contractor/.

    About Energuy:

    Energuy is the #1 contractor solution for permits, rebates, and HERS verifications, partnering with HVAC, plumbing, electrical, solar, and home improvement professionals to simplify complex compliance work and help contractors complete jobs faster. We proudly support builders, contractors, and homeowners across the United States with permit processing, rebate administration, energy inspections, and Title 24 verifications-ensuring code compliance, energy savings, and project success.

    Learn more at: https://www.energuy.com/.

    Learn More: https://www.energuy.com/us/company/

    This version of news story was published on and is Copr. © 2025 California Newswire® (CaliforniaNewswire.com) – part of the Neotrope® News Network, USA – all rights reserved.

    Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.


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    Aztec Link Vodka Launches to Support SDSU Student-Athletes, Help Fund NIL Opportunities

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    Tony Ramos
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    Aztec Link Vodka Launches to Support SDSU Student-Athletes, Help Fund NIL Opportunities

    SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Craft & Cause today announced the launch of Aztec Link Vodka, a premium spirit developed in collaboration with Aztec Link to provide support for San Diego State University Student-Athletes. With every bottle sold, $3 will be contributed to Aztec Link, helping fund Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities that benefit SDSU student-athletes.

    “Aztec Link Vodka represents a unique opportunity for alumni, fans, and the broader San Diego community to make a meaningful impact,” said SDSU alum Tanner Briggs, Partner/Head of Production. “By choosing this product, consumers are directly contributing to the success and development of Aztec student-athletes, both in competition and in their future endeavors.”

    Aztec Link Vodka Launches to Support SDSU Student-Athletes, Help Fund NIL Opportunities

    “We are thrilled to work with Craft & Cause on this innovative initiative. We can’t wait for Aztec fans to try this premium product and to be able to support Aztec Link and the Aztec athletics in a new way,” said SDSU alum Mike Colman, Aztec Link Director of Operations.

    The initiative will be supported through regional retail and hospitality partnerships, alumni athlete promotions, and community events throughout San Diego. By combining a high-quality product with a purpose-driven mission, Aztec Link Vodka provides an alternative path for supporters to engage with and invest in the university’s athletic programs.

    Aztec Link Vodka is now available at select retailers, restaurants, and bars across the San Diego area. Please check our website https://www.azteclink.vodka/ for the latest locations that sell or serve Aztec Link Vodka.

    About Aztec Link:

    Aztec Link is an NIL Organization that supports San Diego State Athletics. Its mission is to create and fund opportunities that empower athletes to maximize their potential, build their personal brands, and positively impact the community. https://www.azteclink.com/.

    About Craft & Cause:

    Craft & Cause is a California based producer with the ability to supply clients with private label opportunities and specialty spirits. Our products are distilled from Napa Valley, CA grown grapes using only the finest ingredients. Our focus is to bring authentic and quality driven products to our customers at an affordable cost.

    DISCLAIMERS:

    This product is independently produced and distributed by Craft and Cause. San Diego State University is not affiliated with the production, ownership, or sale of this item. Proceeds from sales benefit SDSU Student-Athletes through Aztec Link.

    Must be 21 years or older to purchase. Please drink responsibly. All alcohol sales will comply with the regulations of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. This promotion does not incentivize or reference the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

    Learn More: https://azteclink.com/

    This version of news story was published on and is Copr. © 2025 California Newswire® (CaliforniaNewswire.com) – part of the Neotrope® News Network, USA – all rights reserved.

    Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.


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    OC pushing toward 50 commitments from Class of 2026 – Orange County Register

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    Tony Ramos
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    OC pushing toward 50 commitments from Class of 2026 – Orange County Register


    Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

    Orange County’s top committed football recruits from the Class of 2026, as of Aug. 28, 2025:

    Name, School, Position, Height, Weight, College

    Devyn Blake, Edison, DL, 6-3, 280, Sacramento State

    Dillon Booth, Crean Lutheran, WR, 5-9, 180, Hawaii

    Mark Bowman, Mater Dei, ATH, 6-5, 225, USC

    James Carrington, Crean Lutheran, DL, 6-2, 257, Oklahoma

    Bryce Coleman, Crean Lutheran, WR, 6-4, 195, Columbia

    Jayden Crowder, Santa Margarita, CB, 5-11, 170, Cal

    Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Mater Dei, WR, 6-2, 180, Ohio State

    Charlie Eckl, Dana Hills, DE/TE, 6-4, 215, Cal Poly SLO

    Luke Fahey, Mission Viejo, QB, 6-1, 185, Ohio State

    Manoah Faupusa, Santa Margarita, DL/OL, 6-3, 350, Arizona

    Dash Fifita, Santa Margarita, LB, 5-10, 185, Arizona

    Troy Foster, Huntington Beach, WR, 6-2, 205, Colorado State

    Kodi Greene, Mater Dei, OT, 6-6, 310, Washington

    Josh Haney, JSerra, OL, 6-5, 290, Fresno State

    Chris Henry Jr., Mater Dei, WR, 6-5, 205, Ohio State

    JD Hill, Mission Viejo, DL, 6-2, 270, Northern Arizona

    Logan Hirou, Santa Margarita, S, 6-1, 185, UCLA

    Beckham Hofland, Los Alamitos, TE, 6-4, 230, Boise State

    Leki Holani, Santa Margarita, LB, 6-0, 223, Sacramento State

    Ryan Hopkins, Mater Dei, QB, 6-3, 195, Wisconsin

    Lenny Ibarra, Los Alamitos, RB, 5-10, 185, Army

    Cooper Javorsky, San Juan Hills, OL, 6-4, 285, UCLA

    Trace Johnson, Santa Margarita, QB, 6-1, 191, Tulane

    Anthony Jones, Crean Lutheran, DL, 6-4, 285, UCLA

    Jeron Jones, Mission Viejo, CB, 6-0, 175, Washington

    Simote Katoanga, Santa Margarita, DL, 6-5, 250, USC

    Markus Kier, Orange Lutheran, WR, 6-2, 200, Princeton

    Steel Kurtz, Huntington Beach, WR/DB, 6-2, 195, Idaho State

    CJ Lavender, Mater Dei, DB, 5-11, 175, Washington

    Skylar Lendsey, Western, RB, 5-10, 200, UNLV

    Justin Lewis, Mater Dei, RB, 5-11, 195, Massachusetts

    Sean Morris II, Orange Lutheran, RB, 5-10, 205, Northwestern

    Trent Mosley, Santa Margarita, WR, 5-11, 175, USC

    Javari Nash, Crean Lutheran, S, 6-1, 200, San Diego State

    Niniva Nicholson, Santa Margarita, OL, 6-3, 285, Arizona State

    Ernest Nunley, Western, CB, 6-0, 180, Cal

    Jackson Renger, Los Alamitos, DE/OLB, 6-3, 215, Cornell

    Shaun Scott, Mater Dei, LB, 6-3, 230, USC

    Jarod Sersansie, JSerra, WR, 6-3 205, Columbia

    Jonah Smith, Santa Margarita, WR, 6-0, 175, UCLA

    Luke Sorensen, Servite, TE, 6-4 250, Nebraska

    Vance Spafford, Mission Viejo, WR, 5-11, 185, Miami

    Tomuhini Topui, Mater Dei, DT, 6-3, 320, USC

    Sam Utu, Orange Lutheran, OL, 6-4, 320, Alabama

    Jackson Venator, Orange Lutheran, OL, 6-7, 285, Northern Arizona

    Gavin Wilkins, Servite, OL, 6-5, 260, Montana State

    Maxwell “Bunchie” Young, WR, 6-0, 170, Fresno State

    Send football recruiting news to Dan Albano at dalbano@scng.com or @ocvarsityguy on X and Instagram


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    322 Valley fever infections reported in Riverside County so far in 2025, prompting health warning – Press Enterprise

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    322 Valley fever infections reported in Riverside County so far in 2025, prompting health warning – Press Enterprise


    An elevated number of Valley fever infections across Riverside County prompted health officials Thursday to urge residents to take precautions and pay attention to signs of illness so they can obtain treatment whenever necessary.

    “It’s important to know about the risk of Valley fever if you work or spend time in dusty environments and have respiratory symptoms that are not getting better after seven to 10 days,” county Public Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Chevinsky said. “Symptoms can look very similar to the flu and other respiratory illnesses.”

    Infections are concentrated in the lungs, generally stemming from inhalation of fungal spores while working or engaging in other activity outdoors, particularly in dry, windy environments, according to officials.

    “Spores can be carried in the air when soil is disturbed, putting outdoor workers, construction crews, farm workers, wildland firefighters and people spending time in dusty environments at risk,” according to a Riverside University Health System statement.

    The agency said a total of 465 infections were documented in 2024. To date in 2025, there have been 322 confirmed infections. That is almost two-thirds above the level recorded by this time last year, RUHS stated.

    Officials pointed out that among the 309 patients with Valley Fever who agreed to interviews, 59% acknowledged suffering from other conditions that made them particularly vulnerable, including diabetes. One-third of those surveyed worked outdoors.

    RUHS advised taking the following precautions to prevent infection:

    — Stay indoors on dusty days, using air filtration systems wherever possible

    — Avoid dusty environments, such as construction sites

    — Use face coverings if required to work in dust-laden environments

    — If gardening, dampen the soil ahead of time to lessen the possibility of stirring particulate matter


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    Trump’s D.C. death penalty threat is a dangerous assault on civil rights

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    Tony Ramos
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    Trump’s D.C. death penalty threat is a dangerous assault on civil rights

    President Trump declared Tuesday that federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., should seek the death penalty for murders committed in the capital, claiming without explanation that “we have no choice.”

    “That’s a very strong preventative,” he said of his decision. “I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but we have it.”

    Trump’s pronouncement is about much more than deterring killings, though. With speed and brazenness, Trump seems intent on creating a new, federal arrest and detention system outside of existing norms, aimed at everyday citizens and controlled by his whims. The death penalty is part of it, but stomping on civil rights is at the heart of it — ruthlessly exploiting anxiety about crime to aim repression at whatever displeases him, from immigration protesters to murderers.

    This administration “is using the words of crime and criminals to get themselves a permission structure to erode civil rights and due processes across our criminal, legal and immigration systems in ways that I think should have everyone alarmed,” Rena Karefa-Johnson told me. She’s a former public defender who now works with Fwd.us, a bipartisan criminal justice advocacy group.

    Authoritarians love the death penalty, and have long used it to repress not crime, but dissent. It is, after all, both the ultimate power and the ultimate fear, that the ruler of the state holds the lives of his people in his hands.

    Though we are far from such atrocities, Spain’s purge of “communists” and other dissenters under Francisco Franco, Rodrigo Duterte’s extrajudicial killings of alleged drug dealers in the Philippines (though the death penalty remains illegal there) and the routine executions, even of journalists, under the repressive rulers in Saudi Arabia are chilling examples.

    What each of those regimes shares in common with this moment in America is the rhetoric of making a better society — often by purging perceived threats to order — even if that requires force, or the loss of rights.

    Suddenly, violent criminals become no different than petty criminals, and petty criminals become no different than immigrants or protesters. They are all a threat to a nostalgic lost glory of the homeland that must be restored at any cost, animals that only understand force.

    “We have no choice.”

    The result is that the people become, if not accustomed to masked agents and the military on our streets, too scared to protest it, fearful they will become the criminal target, the hunted animal.

    Already, the National Guard in D.C. is carrying live weapons. With great respect to the women and men who serve in the Guard, and who no doubt individually serve with honor, they are not trained for domestic law enforcement. Forget the legalities, the Constitution and the Posse Comitatus Act, which should prevent troops from policing American citizens, and does prevent them from making arrests.

    Who do we want these soldiers to shoot? Who have they been told to shoot? A kid with a can of spray paint? A pickpocket? A drug dealer? A flag burner? A sandwich thrower?

    We don’t even know what their orders are. What choices they will have to make.

    But we do know that police do not walk around openly holding their guns, and certainly do not stroll with rifles. For civilian law enforcement, their guns are defensive weapons, and they are trained to use them as such.

    Few walking by these troops, even the most law abiding, can fail to feel the power of those weapons at the ready. It is a visceral knowledge that to provoke them could mean death. That is a powerful form of repression, meant to stop dissent through fear of repercussion.

    It is a power that Trump is building on multiple fronts. After declaring his “crime emergency” in D.C., Trump mandated a serious change in the mission of the National Guard.

    President Trump with members of law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington on Aug. 21, 2025.

    (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

    He ordered every state to train soldiers on “quelling civil disturbances,” and to have soldiers ready to rapidly mobilize in case of protests. That same executive order also creates a National Guard force ready to deploy nationwide at the president’s command — presumably taking away states’ rights to decide when to utilize their troops, as happened in California.

    Trump has already announced his intention to send them to Chicago, called Baltimore a “hellhole” that also may be in need and falsely claimed that, “in California, you would’ve not had the Olympics had I not sent in the troops” because “there wouldn’t be anything left” without their intervention.

    Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, a former acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, told ABC that “the administration is trying to desensitize the American people to get used to American armed soldiers in combat vehicles patrolling the streets of America. “

    Manner called the move “extremely disturbing.”

    Add to that Trump’s desire to imprison opponents. In recent days, the FBI raided the home of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, a Republican who has criticized Trump, especially on his policy toward Ukraine. Then Trump attempted to fire Lisa D. Cook, a Biden appointee to the Federal Reserve board, after accusing her of mortgage fraud in another apparent attempt to bend that independent agency to his will on the economy.

    On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that progressive billionaire George Soros and his son Alex should be charged under federal racketeering laws for “their support of Violent Protests.”

    “We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to “BREATHE,” and be FREE,” Trump wrote. “Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we’re watching you!”

    Consider yourselves threatened, West Coast friends.

    But of course, we are already living under that thunder. Dozens of average citizens are facing serious charges in places including Los Angeles for their participation in immigration protests.

    Whether they are found guilty or not, their lives are upended by the anxiety and expense of facing such prosecutions. And thousands are being rounded up and deported, at times seemingly grabbed solely for the color of their skin, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguably the most Trump-loyal law enforcement agency, sees its budget balloon to $45 billion, enough to keep 100,000 people detained at a time.

    Despite Trump’s maelstrom of dread-inducing moves, resistance is alive, well and far from futile.

    A new Quinnipiac University national poll found that 56% of voters disapprove of the National Guard being deployed in D.C.

    This week, the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. for a second time failed to convince a grand jury to indict a man who threw a submarine sandwich at federal officers — proof that average citizens not only are sane, but willing to stand up for what is right.

    That comes after a grand jury three times rejected the same kind of charge against a woman who was arrested after being shoved against a wall by an immigration agent.

    Californians will decide this in November whether to redraw their electoral maps to put more Democrats in Congress. Latino leaders in Chicago are protesting possible troops there. People are refusing to allow fear to define their actions.

    Turns out, we do have a choice.


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    Hiltzik: Trump takes aim at cash bail

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    Tony Ramos
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    Hiltzik: Trump takes aim at cash bail

    Earlier this week, Donald Trump identified another threat to “Americans’ safety and well-being,” along the same lines as the threat that prompted him to send military vehicles and armed soldiers onto the streets of Washington, D.C.

    According to Trump’s executive order on the topic, the purported threat comes from cashless bail policies, such as those implemented by Illinois and a few other states. Trump said he would institute a policy that government “resources should not be used to support jurisdictions with cashless bail policies.”

    He ordered Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi to give him within 30 days a list of states and localities that have eliminated cash bail not only for “violent, sexual, or indecent acts,” but “burglary, looting, or vandalism.”

    There is no reason to believe that bail reform has led to increased crime.

    — Brennan Center for Justice

    As has been the case with many of Trump’s other assertions about public safety, this one was delivered with a sizable helping of received fantasy but not a smidgen of evidence.

    Individuals released without bail, Trump asserted, “are permitted — even encouraged — to further endanger law-abiding, hard-working Americans because they know our laws will not be enforced.” Police are “forced to arrest the same individuals, sometimes for the same crimes, while they await trial on the previous charges.”

    Is that so? Not according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which reported in 2009 that the vast majority of defendants, whether out on bail or released on their own recognizance, show up for court dates. Nor do they go on crime rampages once they’re out on the street. The DOJ calculated that 83% of all felony defendants released before trial appeared for all court dates, and of the remainder, almost all returned to court within a year. Only 3% remained fugitives after that time.

    Nor were most released felony defendants rearrested before trial. The largest ratio of recidivism belonged to robbers and burglars, 24% and 22% of whom were rearrested, mostly for misdemeanors.

    Trump is advancing widespread myths about the bail system, however. The most pervasive misconception is that cash bail helps to suppress crime. There’s no evidence for that. In truth, there’s no evidence that supplanting a cash bail system with alternatives such as giving judges more leeway to assess the likelihood that defendants will skip out on their court dates contributes to crime rates. The evidence is almost all in the other direction.

    A state court analysis in New Jersey found that “concerns about a possible spike in crime and failures to appear did not materialize” after the state reformed its pretrial release system in 2017. The Brennan Center for Justice of New York University, which compiled statistics from 33 cities — 22 that had reformed their bail systems and 11 that had not — found that “there is no reason to believe that bail reform has led to increased crime.”

    Those results, the Brennan researchers noted, “suggest that policymakers’ recent focus on weakening bail reforms as a response to crime has been misguided — and a distraction from smarter and more promising ways to enhance public safety.”

    Nevertheless, opponents of bail reform never fail to raise the specter of widespread mayhem if cash bail is eliminated. That was the case in 2020, when the bail industry mounted a multimillion-dollar campaign to overturn a California law ending cash bail for all but the most serious and violent crimes. The referendum asked voters to uphold SB 10, a bail reform law enacted in 2018 and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The anti-reform camp succeeded by a wide margin, 56.4% to 43.6%. (Those who wished to rescind the law had to vote “no” on the ballot measure.)

    The anti-reform campaign played on the popular impression, fostered by courtroom procedurals on television (“Law & Order,” I’m looking at you), that fear of losing a bail bond is virtually the only thing guaranteeing that defendants will meet their court dates.

    As I reported in 2019, as the debate over SB 10 heated up, that’s untrue. Studies showed that a large proportion of failures to appear are due to defendants’ confusion over court dates, difficulty getting time off from work or securing child care so they can make it to court, or other such factors unrelated to a desire to evade justice.

    Those factors point to another feature of cash bail: It’s biased against racial minorities and the economically disadvantaged. A 2017 report by a blue-ribbon panel to then-California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye — the impetus for SB 10 — found that the bail system “exacerbates socioeconomic disparities and racial bias.”

    How cash bail keeps unsentenced people in jail: This year, some 80% of the average daily population of inmates in county jails have not been sentenced, up from 67.3% in 2006.

    (California Board of State and Community Corrections)

    The system allows wealthy defendants to purchase their freedom by making bail; poor defendants are stuck in jail even on lesser charges because they couldn’t make bail that judges may deliberately set beyond their means.

    This system magnifies their disadvantages. Beyond being stuck in insalubrious quarters, jailed suspects have less opportunity to assist in their defense than released defendants. They can lose their jobs or income while they’re incarcerated, and consequently face greater pressure to plead guilty even if they’re innocent.

    Due to these and related inequities, as of the first quarter of this year, four out of five individuals in county jails in California have not been sentenced for their crimes. The ratio has been getting worse: In 2006, only 67.3% of county inmates hadn’t been sentenced and in 2019 it was 72.9%.

    If public safety isn’t served by the cash bail system, who does benefit? The answer is Big Business.

    The cash bail lobby loves to portray itself as sort of a cottage industry of mom ‘n’ pop operations devoted to serving the public weal, but that’s false. The business is dominated by insurance companies and others with a national footprint. Among the biggest contributors to the anti-SB 10 campaign were insurance carriers Bankers Insurance Co., AIA Holdings, Lexington National Insurance and American Surety Co.

    Bail USA, a unit of the Crum & Forster insurance conglomerate, posted a web page during the 2020 fight labeled “Help Fight Bail Reform in California” and offering to match bail agents’ contributions to the campaign up to $500,000.

    There’s no mystery about why big insurers like the bail bond industry. It’s incredibly profitable. Bail agents collect and upfront premiums typically of about 10% of the bail — $10,000 on a $100,000 bail. It’s nonrefundable, even if the charges are ultimately dropped or the defendant meets his court date.

    Although bail is supposed to be forfeited if the defendant fails to show up, California laws have made it hard for courts to collect forfeited bonds from bond agents. In 2014, the California Department of Insurance reported that one bond insurer had collected $51.9 million in bail premiums in 2012-13, but paid out only about $588,000 for a loss ratio of 1.13% of premiums, and another had collected $51.2 million in that period and forfeited only $282,484, a loss rate of 0.55%.

    Average loss ratios on auto insurance lines tend to run at about 60%-70% of premiums and about the same on homeowner coverage.

    So there’s the bottom line. Trump’s ally against cashless bail would do nothing to improve public safety, but it would do wonders for big insurance companies’ business prospects.


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    Where are Southern California’s apartment bargains? – Press Enterprise

    By
    Tony Ramos
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    Where are Southern California’s apartment bargains? – Press Enterprise


    Seeking a Southern California rental bargain typically means a residence with no coastal breezes.

    My trusty spreadsheet reviewed apartment data from RentCafe, tracking the average rent and apartment size in complexes with 50 or more units. The study looked at 200 big U.S. cities as of March and included 28 markets in Southern California.

    To measure value, the cost to rent per square foot was calculated for each local spot. That math clearly tells you that apartment shopping is mainly about location.

    Contemplate that the average apartment in Southern California’s 10 bargain cities costs $2.48 per square foot. In the 10 most expensive spots, however, it’s $3.30. That’s a 25% savings.

    That gap does not include renters making any concessions on the size of their rental. Apartments in the cheapest cities average 850 square feet. The priciest places? 852.

    The big gap shows up in the rent itself: $2,114 in the region’s bargain cities and $2,817 where rent is highest.

    While hidden gems might be found in any location, the math strongly suggests bargain-hunting tenants should focus inland.

    Consider that the 10 cheapest cities, per square foot, had average geographic coordinates in Upland, not far from Ontario Airport.

    The 10 costliest? Near South Coast Plaza and Orange County’s John Wayne Airport.

    Elsewhere

    How do Southern California prices compare?

    Well, apartments in the 28 local cities average a cost of $2.90 per square foot. That’s an average rent of $2,486 for 858 square feet of living space.

    To the north, there’s a coastal vs. inland split, too.

    The eight Bay Area cities tracked had an average $6.45 per square-foot cost, with an average $2,780 rent for only 451 square feet.

    The eight inland California cities averaged $2.54 per 1,821 square foot for a tenant to rent 737 square feet.

    And here’s no surprise: Renting is cheaper nationally. The typical American apartment dweller pays $1.93 per square foot –  $1,754 rent for 907 square feet.

    Local bargains

    Southern California’s most significant value for tenants, per square foot, resides in the High Desert.

    Palmdale has the lowest rent at $2.12 per square foot. That’s a $1,792 average rent (second lowest of the 28 cities) for the average 846-square-feet apartment (No. 17 largest of the 28).

    And in Lancaster, the typical tenant pays $2.20 per square foot – $1,775 rent (lowest in Southern California) for 808 square feet (No. 26).

    The rest of the Top 10 bargains – minus two – are in the Inland Empire, below the Cajon Pass.

    San Bernardino:  $2.22 per square foot – the $1,809 average rent (No. 26 of 28) for an 814-square-foot unit (No. 23).

    Moreno Valley: $2.36 per square foot – $2,153 rent (No. 24) for 914 square feet (No. 4).

    Fontana: $2.50 per square foot – $2,012 rent (No. 25) for 804 square feet (No. 27).

    Riverside: $2.62 per square foot – $2,220 rent (No. 22) for 847 square feet (No. 16).

    Corona: $2.69 per square foot – $2,351 rent (No. 20) for 875 square feet (No. 8).

    Pomona: $2.70 per square foot – $2,211 rent (No. 23) for 818 square feet (No. 21).

    Ontario: $2.71 per square foot – $2,448 rent (No. 18) for 904 square feet (No. 5).

    Garden Grove: $2.73 per square foot – $2,368 rent (No. 19) for 867 square feet (No. 12).

    Locally high-end

    The priciest apartments, by this math, are far more coastal – and closer to the region’s job hubs.

    The three costliest rent markets are in and around the January wildfire zones, though these cities were never “affordable” places to live.

    Pasadena is the costliest – $3.54 per square foot – where the average $3,068 rent (No. 2 of 28) gets a renter a 866-square-foot average unit (No. 13).

    Los Angeles costs $3.52 per square foot – $2,782 rent (No. 5) and 791 square feet (Southern California’s smallest). And Glendale is at $3.49 per square foot – $3,012 rent (No. 3) and 862 square feet (No. 15).

    The rest of the priciest places, per square foot, are to the south and at or near the ocean.

    Irvine: $3.44 per square foot – $3,191 rent (Southern California’s highest) and 927 square feet (also No. 1).

    San Diego: $3.41 per square foot – $2,984 rent (No. 4) and 874 square feet (No. 9).

    Long Beach: $3.21 per square foot – $2,608 rent (No. 10) and 812 square feet (No. 24).

    Huntington Beach: $3.19 per square foot – $2,768 rent (No. 6) and 869 square feet (No. 11).

    Santa Ana: $3.09 per square foot – $2,671 rent (No. 8) and 865 square feet (No. 14).

    Oceanside: $3.08 per square foot – $2,576 rent (No. 13) and 837 square feet (No. 20).

    Fullerton: $3.07 per square foot – $2,508 rent (No. 15) and 816 square feet (No. 22).

    Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com


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    Stocks hold steady on Wall Street as earnings roll in

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    Tony Ramos
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    Stocks hold steady on Wall Street as earnings roll in


    By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Business Writer

    Stocks on Wall Street were down slightly in early trading Thursday, following new economic data and a mixed batch of earnings reports from big U.S. companies.

    The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% a day after climbing to a new high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 52 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:02 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was down less than 0.1%.


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    Guests can visit historic Riverside, San Bernardino buildings – Press Enterprise

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    Tony Ramos
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    Guests can visit historic Riverside, San Bernardino buildings – Press Enterprise

    A San Bernardino building and a Riverside house are among the historic structures that the public can get a peek at next month.

    The Enterprise Building in downtown San Bernardino and the Weber House in Riverside are part of the fourth Annual Doors Open California event.

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    The historic Enterprise Building is seen Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in downtown San Bernardino as reflected in a window. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

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    The statewide program presented by the California Preservation Foundation offers “behind-the-scenes access to historic and culturally significant sites,” a news release states. More than 70 sites will be featured across California in September.

    People can get a guided tour of the 1927 San Bernardino building — dubbed “the Inland Empire’s First Skyscraper” – on Saturday, Sept. 13, from 11:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. It’s at Third and E streets.

    They can check out the Peter J. Weber House, constructed in the 1930s mostly of from discarded materials, in downtown Riverside on Saturday, Sept. 13, and Sunday, Sept. 14., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    The program also features other structures in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

    Visitors can see any sites that are available on a given weekend for a $20 ticket.


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    Online age checks proliferating, but so are concerns they curtail internet freedom

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    Tony Ramos
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    Online age checks proliferating, but so are concerns they curtail internet freedom

    Online age checks are on the rise in the U.S. and elsewhere, asking people for IDs or face scans to prove they are over 18 or 21 or even 13. To proponents, they’re a tool to keep children away from adult websites and other material that might be harmful to them.

    But opponents see a worrisome trend toward a less secure, less private and less free internet, where people can be denied access not just to pornography but news, health information and the ability to speak openly and anonymously.

    “I think that many of these laws come from a place of good intentions,” said Jennifer Huddleston, a senior technology policy fellow at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. “Certainly we all want to protect young people from harmful content before they’re ready to see it.”

    More than 20 states have passed some kind of age verification law, though many face legal challenges. While no such law exists on the federal level in the United States, the Supreme Court recently allowed a Mississippi age check law for social media to stand. In June, the court upheld a Texas law aimed at preventing minors from watching pornography online, ruling that adults don’t have a First Amendment right to access obscene speech without first proving their age.

    Elsewhere, the United Kingdom now requires users visiting websites that allow pornography to verify their age. Beyond adult sites, platforms like Reddit, X, Telegram and Bluesky have also committed to age checks. France and several other European Union countries also are testing a government sponsored verification app.

    And Australia has banned children under 16 from accessing social media.

    “Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in November. The platforms have a year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced.

    To critics, though, age check laws raise “significant privacy and speech concerns, not only for young people themselves, but also for all users of the internet,” Huddleston said. “Because the only way to make sure that we are age verifying anyone under the age of 18 is to also age verify everyone over the age 18. And that could have significant impacts on the speech and privacy rights of adults.”

    The state laws are a hodgepodge of requirements, but they generally fall into two camps. On one side are laws — as seen in Louisiana and Texas — that require websites comprised of more than 33% of adult content to verify users’ ages or face fines. Then there are laws — enacted in Wyoming or South Dakota — that seek to regulate sites that have any material that is considered obscene or otherwise harmful to minors.

    What’s considered harmful to minors can be subjective, and this is where experts believe such laws run afoul of the First Amendment. It means people may be required to verify their ages to access anything, from Netflix to a neighborhood blog.

    “In places like Australia and the U.K., there is already a split happening between the internet that people who are willing to identify themselves or go through age verification can see and the rest of the internet. And that’s historically a very dangerous place for us to end up,” said Jason Kelley, activism director at the nonprofit digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation.

    What’s behind the gates is determined by a “hundred different decision-makers,” Kelley said, from politicians to tech platforms to judges to individuals who have sued because they believe that a piece of content is dangerous.

    While many companies are complying, verifying users’ ages can prove a burden, especially for smaller platforms. On Friday, Bluesky said it will no longer be available in Mississippi because of its age verification requirements. While the social platform already does age verification in the U.K., it said Mississippi’s approach “would fundamentally change how users access Bluesky.”

    That’s because it requires every user to undergo an age check, not just those who want to access adult content. It would also require Bluesky to identify and track users that are children.

    “We think this law creates challenges that go beyond its child safety goals, and creates significant barriers that limit free speech and disproportionately harm smaller platforms,” the company said in a blog post.

    Some websites and social media companies, such as Instagram’s parent company Meta, have argued that age verification should be done by app store owners, such as Apple and Google, and not individual platforms. This would mean that app stores need to verify their users’ ages before they allow them to download apps. Unsurprisingly, Apple and Google disagree.

    “Billed as ‘simple’ by its backers, including Meta, this proposal fails to cover desktop computers or other devices that are commonly shared within families. It also could be ineffective against pre-installed apps,” Google said in a blog post.

    Nonetheless, a growing number of tech companies are implementing verification systems to comply with regulations or ward off criticism that they are not protecting children. This includes Google, which recently started testing a new age-verification system for YouTube that relies on AI to differentiate between adults and minors based on their watch histories.

    Instagram is testing a similar AI system to determine if kids are lying about their ages. Roblox, which was sued by the Louisiana attorney general on claims it doesn’t do enough to protect children from predators, requires users who want to access certain games rated for those over 17 to submit a photo ID and undergo a face scan for verification. Roblox has also recently begun requiring age verification for teens who want to chat more freely on platform.

    Face scans that promise to estimate a person’s age may address some of the concerns around IDs, but they can be unreliable. Can AI accurately tell, for instance, if someone is 17.5 or just turned 18?

    “Sometimes it’s less accurate for women or it’s less accurate for certain racial or ethnic groups or for certain physical characteristics that then may mean that those people have to go through additional privacy invasive screenings to prove that they are of a certain age,” Huddleston said.

    While IDs are a common way of verifying someone’s age, the method raises security concerns: What happens if companies don’t delete the uploaded files, for instance?

    Case in point: the recent data breaches at Tea, an app for women to anonymously warn each other about the men they date, speak to some of these concerns. The app requires women who sign up to upload an ID or undergo a scan to prove that they are women. Tea wasn’t supposed to keep the files but it did, and stored them in a way that allowed hackers to not only access the images, but also their private messages.


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    Iran’s rial currency falls to near-record lows on Euro ‘snapback’ sanctions threat

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    Tony Ramos
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    Iran’s rial currency falls to near-record lows on Euro ‘snapback’ sanctions threat

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s rial currency fell to near-record lows Thursday as concerns grew in Tehran that European nations will start a process to reimpose United Nations sanctions on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program, further squeezing the country’s ailing economy.

    The move, termed the “snapback” mechanism by the diplomats who negotiated it into Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, was designed to be veto-proof before the world body and would be likely to go into effect after a 30-day window. If implemented, the measure would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalizes any development of its ballistic missile program, among other measures.

    In Tehran on Thursday, the rial traded at over 1 million to $1. At the time of the 2015 accord, it traded at 32,000 to $1, showing the currency’s precipitous collapse in the time since. The rial hit its lowest point ever in April at 1,043,000 rials to $1.

    France, Germany and the United Kingdom warned Aug. 8 that Iran could trigger snapback when it halted inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency after Israeli strikes at the start of the two countries’ 12-day war in June. Israeli attacks then killed Tehran’s top military leaders and saw Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei go into hiding.

    Iran threatened to abandon all cooperation with the IAEA if “snapback” moves forward.

    “We have told them if this happens, the pathway we have opened for working with the IAEA will be completely affected and the process will likely be stopped,” Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister, told state television. “If they opt for snapback, it makes no sense for Iran to continue working with them.”

    That means seeking to use the “snapback” mechanism likely will raise tensions further between Iran and the West in a Mideast still burning over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

    “The U.S. and its European partners see invoking the ‘snapback’ as a means of keeping Iran strategically weak and unable to reconstitute the nuclear program damaged by the U.S. and Israeli strikes,” the New York-based Soufan Center think tank said Thursday.

    “Iranian leaders perceive a sanctions snapback as a Western effort to weaken Iran’s economy indefinitely and perhaps stimulate sufficient popular unrest to unseat Iran’s regime.”

    Iran initially downplayed the threat of renewed sanctions and engaged in little visible diplomacy for weeks after Europe’s warning, but has engaged in a brief diplomatic push in recent days, highlighting the chaos gripping its theocracy.

    Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking last week, signaled Iran’s fatalistic view of its diplomacy with the West, particularly as the Israelis started the war just as a sixth round of negotiations with the United States were due to take place.

    “Weren’t we in the talks when the war happened? So, negotiation alone cannot prevent war,” Araghchi told the state-run IRNA news agency. “Sometimes war is inevitable and diplomacy alone is not able to prevent it.”

    Before the war in June, Iran was enriching uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. It also built a stockpile containing enough highly enriched uranium to build multiple atomic bombs, should it choose to do so.

    Iran long has insisted its program is peaceful, though Western nations and the IAEA assess Tehran had an active nuclear weapons program up until 2003.

    It remains unclear just how much the Israel and U.S. strikes on nuclear sites during the war disrupted Iran’s program.

    Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to allow the IAEA even greater access to its nuclear program than those the agency has in other member nations. That included permanently installing cameras and sensors at nuclear sites. Other devices, known as online enrichment monitors, measured the uranium enrichment level at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.

    The IAEA also regularly sent inspectors into Iranian sites to conduct surveys, sometimes collecting environmental samples with cotton clothes and swabs that would be tested at IAEA labs back in Austria. Others monitor Iranian sites via satellite images.

    But IAEA inspectors, who faced increasing restrictions on their activities since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from Iran’s nuclear deal in 2018, have yet to access those sites. Meanwhile, Iran has said it moved uranium and other equipment out prior to the strikes — possibly to new, undeclared sites that raise the risk that monitors could lose track of the program’s status.

    On Wednesday, IAEA inspectors were on hand to watch a fuel replacement at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor, which is run with Russian technical assistance.

    In their Aug. 8 letter, the three European nations warned Iran they would proceed with “snapback” by the end of August if Tehran didn’t reach a “satisfactory solution” to the nuclear issues. That’s left little time for Iran to likely reach any agreement with the Europeans, who have grown increasingly skeptical of Iran over years of inconclusive negotiations over its nuclear program.

    The deal’s snapback mechanism would expire Oct. 18, which put the three European nations in a situation where they likely feel now is the time to act. Under snapback, any party to the deal can find Iran in noncompliance, triggering renewed sanctions.

    After it expires, any sanctions effort would face a veto from U.N. Security Council members China and Russia, nations that have provided some support to Iran in the past but stayed out of the June war. China as well has remained a major buyer of Iranian crude oil, something that could be affected in “snapback” happens.

    Russia in recent days has floated a proposal to extend the life of the U.N. resolution granting the “snapback” power. Russia also is due to take the presidency of the U.N. Security Council in October, likely putting additional pressure on the Europeans to act.

    ___

    Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

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    The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

    ___

    Additional AP coverage of the nuclear landscape: https://apnews.com/projects/the-new-nuclear-landscape/


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    Judge orders new trial for Alabama man who has been on death row for 31 years

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    Tony Ramos
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    Judge orders new trial for Alabama man who has been on death row for 31 years

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal judge has ordered a new trial for an Alabama death row inmate after tests showed it was another man’s DNA on the victim’s body.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks last week ruled that Christopher Barbour must get a new trial.

    Barbour, now 56, was convicted of the 1992 stabbing death of Thelma Bishop Roberts in Montgomery. Barbour initially confessed that he killed Roberts after helping another man rape her, but he later recanted and said his confession was coerced by police. He has maintained that he is innocent.

    New DNA testing done in 2021 revealed that semen on the victim’s body didn’t belong to either man. It belonged to Roberts’ neighbor who is now incarcerated for an unrelated murder.

    His attorneys argued in an earlier court filing that “Mr. Barbour’s innocence is patently clear.”

    Marks said that Barbour’s conviction was tainted because prosecutors did not turn over bench notes from the initial forensics report that excluded Barbour, as well as the man he said raped the victim, as the source of the DNA. That information, Marks said, could have used to cast doubt on Barbour’s confession, which was the primary evidence against him at trial.

    “Barbour has shown that the prosecution’s knowing use of false evidence may have had an effect on the outcome of the trial,” Marks wrote.

    The state had argued that the DNA results do not exonerate Barbour. A spokesman for Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the state plans to appeal the decision.

    The ruling came in a civil case that Barbour filed challenging his conviction on the grounds that his rights were violated. Marks gave the state 90 days to begin preparations for a new trial.

    Marks did not rule on Barbour’s innocence claim but wrote that he can now “argue as much to a jury.” Marks wrote in a ruling last year that the new DNA information “is powerful evidence that Barbour’s confession is false, and that Mrs. Roberts’ murder did not occur as the prosecution presented it at trial.”

    Barbour has been on Alabama’s death row since 1994.


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    CDC dramatically scales back program that tracks food poisoning infections

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    Tony Ramos
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    CDC dramatically scales back program that tracks food poisoning infections

    Federal health officials have dramatically scaled back a program that has tracked food poisoning infections in the U.S. for three decades.

    The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, known as FoodNet, has cut required monitoring to just two pathogens that cause infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s down from eight.

    Under the change, which began in July, health departments in 10 states that participate in the joint state and federal program will be required to monitor only foodborne infections caused by salmonella and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria. Those are among the top contributors to foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S., the CDC said.

    Previously, the FoodNet system required surveillance of infections confirmed to be caused by six other germs as well: campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia. That is now optional.

    Narrowing the reporting requirements “will allow FoodNet staff to prioritize core activities,” CDC spokesman Paul Prince said in a statement. The move lets the agency “steward resources effectively,” he added. It’s not clear whether the action is connected to recent funding cuts enacted by the Trump Administration.

    But food safety officials, including those in states that participate in the program, said the change could slow detection of foodborne illness outbreaks and obscure the full picture of food-related infections.

    “Long term, it will affect our ability to use surveillance data to better understand risks in the food supply,” said Carlota Medus, who supervises the Minnesota Department of Health’s foodborne diseases unit.

    Foodborne infections caused by specific germs are required to be reported to the CDC or to state health departments. But relying on passive reports of infections rather than actively seeking out laboratory data, hospital details and other information can mean that some cases are missed, Medus said.

    “FoodNet doesn’t just count cases. The FoodNet sites collect robust data that contribute to the understanding of certain infections,” she said.

    In addition to Minnesota, FoodNet sites include health departments in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, certain counties in California and New York.

    The FoodNet reduction was first reported by NBC News.

    FoodNet was created in 1995 as a partnership between the CDC, the U.S. Agriculture Department, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and several states. It has tracked infections in a surveillance system that captures about 16% of the U.S. population.

    It allowed the U.S. to estimate the number of cases of illness per 100,000 population caused by certain foodborne germs, said Frank Yiannas, a food safety expert and former FDA official.

    “We won’t know as accurately as possible if we’re getting better or worse in respect to certain pathogens,” Yiannas said.

    ___

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.


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    Multiple Minneapolis shooting victims released from hospital, police chief says

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    Tony Ramos
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    Multiple Minneapolis shooting victims released from hospital, police chief says

    All 14 children injured in Wednesday’s mass shooting in Minneapolis are expected to survive, the city’s police chief said at a press conference late Wednesday, with some victims having already been released from hospital.

    An 8-year-old and 10-year-old sitting in pews were killed when a shooter opened fire through the windows of a church at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis at just before 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, police said.

    Seventeen people were injured, police said. Fourteen of the injured victims were children ages 6 to 15, while the three adults who were shot were parishioners in their 80s, O’Hara said.

    The FBI identified the shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who was born Robert Westman. The suspect died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

    Officers recovered three guns — one rifle, one shotgun and one handgun — at the scene, all of which are believed to have been fired in the attack. All were purchased legally by the suspect, officials said.

    People gather at a vigil at Lynnhurst Park after a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School on Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis.

    Bruce Kluckhohn/AP

    O’Hara told reporters on Wednesday night that authorities have four search warrants out for the church and three residences linked to the suspected shooter across the Minneapolis metro area.

    Electronics related to the suspect were recovered by officers, but no other firearms, O’Hara said. Police are now working through dozens of pages from documents with assistance from the FBI in hopes of identifying a motive.

    “It was premeditated, we believe,” O’Hara said, but added that investigators have not yet established a motive. The suspect had no criminal history, police said.

    O’Hara said that additional police patrols will be provided as children return to school across the metro area throughout this week.

    An infographic on the recent shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minn., August 27, 2025.

    Muhammed Ali Yigit/Anadolu via Getty Images

    ABC News’ Mariama Jalloh, Pierre Thomas, Jack Date, Luke Barr, Aaron Katersky, Sasha Pezenik and Michael Pappano contributed to this report.


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    5 costly mistakes to avoid before buying your next car, according to Edmunds

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    Tony Ramos
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    5 costly mistakes to avoid before buying your next car, according to Edmunds

    Buying a new car has never been more financially daunting. A 2025 analysis from Edmunds found that a record 19.3% of consumers who financed a new vehicle in the second quarter of 2025 committed to a monthly payment of $1,000 or more. That’s nearly one in five buyers taking on what was once considered an extreme car payment — driven by high interest rates and rising vehicle prices.

    While it might be tempting to stretch your budget for the car you want, locking yourself into a high-cost loan can be a painful mistake. Before you sign, here are five common car-buying missteps to avoid.

    1. Buying outside your means

    There’s a difference between being able to buy something and being able to afford it wisely. With an average new vehicle transaction price of approximately $49,000, many buyers are truly stretching their budgets. It’s not uncommon to see buyers opt for extended 72-month or 84-month financing terms.

    That shiny SUV might seem within reach thanks to flexible financing, but the long-term hit to your financial health could be considerable. Buying within your means — ideally targeting a loan term of no more than 60 months and keeping your car-related expenses under 15%-20% of your monthly take-home pay — is smart shopping in an era of rising interest rates and ever-increasing car prices.

    2. Getting a dealership loan

    One of the most costly and common mistakes car buyers make is waiting until they’re sitting in the dealership finance office to think about a loan. Dealerships may offer convenience, but their financing may include marked-up interest rates or hidden fees.

    Instead, walk into the dealership with a preapproved loan offer from your bank, credit union or an online lender. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, this move can save buyers hundreds to thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. When you do this, the dealer can still try to beat the rate — and sometimes will. But now you’re negotiating from a position of strength, not desperation.

    3. Trading in a car with negative equity

    If you owe more on your current car than it’s worth — a situation known as negative equity — trading it in for a new vehicle can be a financial landmine. This commonly happens when people take out a six-year loan, trade in the vehicle after just three or four years, and carry the previous balance into the new vehicle. Rolling that deficit into a new loan just worsens the problem, guaranteeing that you’ll be underwater for even longer.

    According to Edmunds, 28.2% of trade-ins in July 2025 involved negative equity, and the average amount buyers owed above the vehicle’s value was $6,902. That sets the stage for a vicious cycle, especially if buyers trade cars frequently or face unexpected job loss or repair costs. If you’re in this situation, consider keeping your car longer or making extra payments. If you can get a better rate, even refinancing can get you back to breakeven.

    4. Not working with internet sales team first

    Most major dealerships now have dedicated internet sales teams that exist to sell you a car quickly and often at better prices than you’ll get face-to-face. If you already know what make, model and trim you want, you can save hours — and hundreds or even thousands of dollars — by working with the internet sales department instead of walking onto the lot.

    Sites such as Edmunds can help you compare pricing between multiple dealers, and many will show you real-time inventory, rebates and incentives. This lets you shop from the comfort of home and make dealers compete for your business. It also gives you a written quote you can bring with you — a powerful tool when negotiating.

    5. Overlooking used car options

    Buying new is tempting — it smells great, it’s under warranty, and no one else has touched it. But it’s not always the smartest financial move. Today’s certified pre-owned vehicles often come with extended factory warranties, undergo rigorous inspections, and cost thousands less than their new counterparts. The rapid depreciation of most new vehicles only worsens the picture. Most lose 20%–30% of their value in the first year alone, according to Edmunds. Avoiding that depreciation hit can save thousands.

    Buying a new car is one of the biggest financial decisions most people make — second only to purchasing a home. Avoiding these five common mistakes won’t just save you money — it has the potential to help ensure your long-term financial security. Take your time and do your homework. The right deal isn’t just about the car — it’s about the life you want to live after you drive it off the lot.

    ____

    This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds. Josh Jacquot is a contributor at Edmunds.


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