South Florida Local News

By JOSH DUBOW

Four former Miami Dolphins are are among the players who advanced to the next stage in the Seniors category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Hall released a list of 60 players Thursday who remained from the original list of 183 nominees made last month by a newly created Seniors Screening Committee, and among those advancing were three Dolphins championship-era stalwarts, versatile offensive lineman Bob Kuechenberg, defensive end Bill Stanfill and safety Dick Anderson, and one of the Dan Marino-era Marks Brothers, Mark Clayton.

A nine-person Senior Blue Ribbon Committee will now begin the process of reducing that list to the three finalists to be considered by the full selection committee in early 2025. The three seniors will be grouped with one coach and contributor with at least one and no more than three of those finalists getting in based on voting.

Also making the initial cut were ex-Miami Hurricanes running backs Chuck Foreman and Ottis Anderson. Foreman played in three Super Bowls with the 1970s Minnesota Vikings, and Anderson was the MVP of the 1991 Super Bowl between his New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills, won by the Giants 20-19 in Tampa.

Kuechenberg, a versatile offensive lineman who died in 2019, spanned the Dolphins title era and the high-flying Marino days, playing from 1970-83. He started 50 of the Dolphins’ 51 games in their three-consecutive-Super Bowl run from 1971-73, and then finished his career in Marino’s rookie season of 1983 with 16 starts.

Stanfill was a Pro Bowl pick as a rookie in 1969, the year before coach Don Shula’s arrival, and then made it four more times from 1971-74, earning first-team All-Pro honors in The Perfect Season of 1972. In 1973, he piled up 18.5 sacks, though the stat wasn’t officially kept until 1982. Jason Taylor tied that club record in 2002. Stanfill died in 2016.

Anderson, who played from 1968-1977, was the NFL’s defensive player of the year in 1973, one of the three seasons where he hauled in eight interceptions. Amazingly in each of those seasons, he averaged more than 20 yards per interception return. In 1968, he averaged 28.8 yards per return (230 yards), in 1970, that average was (191) in 1968, and in 1973, he had an average of 20.4 per pickoff return (163). Anderson, 78, also had a postseason average length of interception return above 20, with a 21.4-yard average on five picks (107) in his 11 career playoff outings.

Clayton, who was an eighth-round selection in the same 1983 draft that brought the Dolphins Dan Marino, scored a then-record 18 touchdowns in 1984 (since broken by Raheem Mostert in 2023 when the running back piled up 21 scores). Clayton, with co-Marks Brother Mark Duper, were key cogs as Marino set every significant Dolphins passing record and many NFL marks. Clayton, 63, played from 1983-92 with Miami, piling up five 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He closed his career in 1993 in Green Bay.

Among the most decorated of the 60 are versatile San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig, former Cincinnati Bengals MVP Ken Anderson and key member of Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain defense L.C. Greenwood

Craig and Ken Anderson are among the 10 players on this year’s list of nominees who made it to the seminal stage of 12 candidates last year when Steve McMichael and Randy Gradishar were voted in as seniors.

The other returning semifinalists are Maxie Baughan, Joe Jacoby, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor and Al Wistert. Powell made it to the final cut but didn’t get the 80% threshold needed for induction.

Players eligible for the Seniors category must have finished their playing career by the end of the 1999 season.

Craig was a key part of San Francisco’s dynasty in the 1980s with his ability as a physical runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. Craig was the first player ever to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season in 1985, and led the NFL with 2,036 yards from scrimmage in 1988 when he helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl.

Craig was also part of the title-winning teams in San Francisco in the 1984 and 1989 seasons. His 410 yards from scrimmage in those Super Bowl wins are the third-most ever behind only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Franco Harris.

Ken Anderson was a four-time Pro Bowler for Cincinnati and won the MVP in 1981 when he helped the Bengals reach their first Super Bowl before losing to San Francisco. When Anderson retired after the 1986 season he ranked sixth all time with 32,838 yards passing and 13th with 197 TD passes.

Greenwood is the most prominent member of the Steelers dominant defense that helped the franchise win four Super Bowl titles in a span of six seasons from 1974-79 who is not in the Hall. Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Donnie Shell and Mel Blount have already been inducted.

Greenwood was a member of the all-decade team for the 1970s, was a two-time All-Pro and made six Pro Bowls in a 13-year career. He retired a year before sacks became an official stat but research from Pro Football Reference credits him with 78 over his career as a defensive end on those teams, including four in the Steelers’ two Super Bowl wins over the Dallas Cowboys.

Powell was one of the most prolific receivers in the pass-happy AFL. His 81 touchdowns rank second best in AFL history behind Don Maynard, and his 8,015 yards receiving were third behind only Maynard and Hall of Famer Lance Alworth.

The players who remain eligible for election with the Class of 2025 are:

QUARTERBACKS (5): Ken Anderson, Charlie Conerly, Roman Gabriel, Jack Kemp, Jim Plunkett.

RUNNING BACKS (7): Alan Ameche, Ottis Anderson, Larry Brown, Roger Craig, Chuck Foreman, Cecil Isbell, Paul “Tank” Younger.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS (10): Mark Clayton, Isaac Curtis, Boyd Dowler, Henry Ellard, Harold Jackson, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Stanley Morgan, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (12): Ed Budde, Ox Emerson, Bill Fralic, Chris Hinton, Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Ralph Neely, Dick Schafrath, Jim Tyrer, Al Wistert.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6): L.C. Greenwood, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Jim Marshall, Harvey Martin, Leslie O’Neal, Bill Stanfill.

LINEBACKERS (11): Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Bill Bergey, Joe Fortunato, Larry Grantham, Lee Roy Jordan, Clay Matthews Jr., Tommy Nobis, Andy Russell, Pat Swilling, Phil Villapiano.

DEFENSIVE BACKS (8): Dick Anderson, Deron Cherry, Pat Fischer, Lester Hayes, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Lemar Parrish, Everson Walls.

SPECIAL TEAMS (1): Steve Tasker.

Assistant Sports Editor Steve Svekis contributed to this report.

By TOM KRISHER

DETROIT (AP) — The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports has reached a deal to suspend a three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract.

The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is to resume working immediately. The temporary end to the strike came after the union and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies, reached a tentative agreement on wages, the union and ports said in a joint statement Thursday night.

A person briefed on the agreement said the ports sweetened their wage offer from about 50% over six years to 62%. The person didn’t want to be identified because the agreement is tentative. Any wage increase would have to be approved by union members as part of the ratification of a final contract.

The union went on strike early Tuesday after its contract expired in a dispute over pay and the automation of tasks at 36 ports stretching from Maine to Texas. The strike came at the peak of the holiday shopping season at the ports, which handle about half the cargo from ships coming into and out of the United States.

The walkout raised the risk of shortages of goods on store shelves if it lasted more than a few weeks. Most retailers, though, had stocked up or shipped items early in anticipation of the dockworkers’ strike.

“With the grace of God, and the goodwill of neighbors, it’s gonna hold,” President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday night of the agreement.

In a statement later, Biden applauded both sides “for acting patriotically to reopen our ports and ensure the availability of critical supplies for Hurricane Helene recovery and rebuilding.”

Biden said that collective bargaining is “critical to building a stronger economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”

The union’s membership won’t need to vote on the temporary suspension of the strike. Until Jan. 15, the workers will be covered under the old contract, which expired on Sept. 30.

The union has been demanding a complete ban on the use of automation at the ports, which they see as a threat to their jobs. Both sides also have been apart on the issues of pension contributions and the distribution of royalties paid on containers that are moved by workers.

Just before the strike had begun, the Maritime Alliance said both sides had moved off their original wage offers, a tentative sign of progress.

____

AP Writers Darlene Superville in Washington and and Annie Mulligan in Houston contributed to this report.

Florida should reverse course on its “harmful” abstinence-only requirements for public school health classes and allow schools to teach a comprehensive sex education curriculum, according to a letter sent to state leaders Thursday from seven Democrats serving in Congress.

“Abstinence-only programs have been consistently proven ineffective, damaging to students’ health, and discriminatory against the LGBTQ+ community,” read the letter from the Florida congressional members. “This directive is another extremist attack on evidence-based, data-driven policies.”

The letter was sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz from U.S. Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Hollywood, Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Ft. Lauderdale, Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando, Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee and Frederica Wilson, D- Miami.

When asked for comment, the Florida Department of Education pointed to a post by Diaz on social media. On X, Diaz did not respond directly to the letter but criticized the representatives for not contacting his department after Hurricane Helene struck Florida last week.

“While Florida is recovering from Hurricane Helene, Congressional Democrats are focused on pushing their sexual ideology on children,” Diaz wrote Thursday, adding, “The message is clear: Democrats only care about your kids being in school if they can indoctrinate them.”

David Damron, a spokesperson for Wasserman Shultz, called Diaz’s response “another damning non-answer from MAGA extremist Republicans” and said the Republican stance on sex education was “indefensible.”

He also defended congressional Democrats’ response to Hurricane Helene.

“Democrats across our state and country continue to help Floridians and other families still reeling from Helene,” Damron said in an emailed statement. “And those recovery efforts certainly won’t stop, even as we continue to fight for lower prices, defend women’s reproductive freedoms and protect our children in school.”

 Castor, who’s district includes Tampa Bay neighborhoods impacted by the storm, posted on X Thursday about a town hall event she was hosting for hurricane relief.

In recent months, state officials told school districts to “emphasize abstinence” and not to teach teenagers about contraception, show pictures of human reproductive anatomy, or discuss topics such as sexual consent or domestic violence, the Orlando Sentinel reported in September.

The Congressional Democrats argued that while Florida law directs schools to promote sexual abstinence, it does not prohibit districts from also teaching a more comprehensive program.

Because of the state’s directive, Orange County Public schools scrapped its own sex education curriculum for teenagers. The now-defunct 600-page plan stressed abstinence but also provided instruction on birth control, how pregnancy occurs and what consent means. Now, the district plans to use a state-approved textbook focused on abstinence.

The state’s education department told school districts about the required changes during phone calls in recent months. Those came almost a year after school districts submitted their reproductive health lessons to the state for approval, as required by a new state law.

Last September, the education department told school districts they had to send in their plans for review or use state-approved textbooks for those lessons. Previously, local school boards oversaw approval of their own sex education materials.

The letter from the congressional members called the year-long delay an “intentional attempt to sabotage” healthy sex education.

“School districts deserve timely, formal guidance on constructing their curriculum and your actions have created major disruptions to our institutions and the students they serve,” the letter read.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and FARNOUSH AMIRI

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump “laid the groundwork for his crimes” well before Election Day in 2020. He said “the details don’t matter” when told his election fraud claims would fail in court. And his response to learning that then-Vice President Mike Pence was taken to a secure location as rioters stormed the Capitol?

“So what?”

That’s according to a 165-page court filing from special counsel Jack Smith’s team that paints a portrait of a president so desperate to cling to power that he “resorted to crimes” after losing the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden.

The filing unsealed Wednesday provides a glimpse into the evidence and testimony prosecutors plan to present if the case accusing Trump of an illegal scheme to overturn the 2020 election ever reaches trial.

The Republican presidential nominee has maintained that he did nothing illegal and has characterized the case as an attempt to hurt his bid to reclaim the White House in November. Trump’s lawyers who have pushed to dismiss the case will now get a chance to respond in court to prosecutors’ claims.

Here are some of the key passages from the filing:

Trump laid the groundwork for his scheme early, prosecutors say

Prosecutors allege Trump started laying the foundation for his illegal scheme well before election day, refusing to say in the months leading up to it whether he would accept the results and suggesting he could only lose if there was fraud.

Three days before the election, a Trump political adviser told a group of supporters that the then-president was “going to declare himself the winner” no matter the outcome,” according to prosecutors.

Related Articles

• National Politics | What’s next in Trump’s 2020 election interference case
• National Politics | Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
• National Politics | Trump said, ‘So what?’ when told of Pence’s peril during Jan. 6 Capitol riot, US says
• National Politics | Polls show tight presidential race even as Harris takes slight swing-state lead
• National Politics | Missiles, a hurricane and a strike: How 3 crises are shaping the presidential race

“That doesn’t mean he’s the winner, he’s just going to say he’s the winner,” the adviser said.

Trump “did exactly that” immediately following the election, prosecutors said. Then, in the days following the election, Trump’s allies “sought to create chaos” at polling places where votes were still being counted, Smith’s team alleges.

When a campaign employee was told about a batch of votes in Detroit that appeared to be heavily in favor of President Joe Biden, the employee told a colleague to “find a reason” that wasn’t right and “give me options to file litigation.”

When the colleague suggested there would be unrest, the campaign employee responded: “Make them riot” and “Do it!!!” according to the filing.

‘The details don’t matter,’ Trump told an adviser

Prosecutors are trying to show that Trump knew his election fraud claims were bogus because many in his circle told him that there was no fraud and that he actually lost the election. Prosecutors say Trump disregarded those assurances just like he disregarded “dozens of court decisions that unanimously rejected his and his allies’ legal claims.”

In one key moment detailed in the filing, prosecutors say a lawyer who represented Trump during his first impeachment trial told Trump that his election fraud claims wouldn’t survive in court. Trump responded: “The details don’t matter,” according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say they will introduce evidence that shows Trump and his allies “made up figures from whole cloth” about election fraud, detailing how they repeatedly changed their baseless claims on the numbers of noncitizens voting in Arizona.

Details of Trump’s relentless pressure on Pence

One of the most illuminating sections of the filing details the relentless pressure campaign that Trump and his allies enlisted against Pence, beginning well before Election Day and running up to the final minutes of the Jan. 6, 2021, certification of President Joe Biden’s win.

Even as most of the details of the former president’s futile attempts to get his running mate to reject Biden’s electoral votes have been well documented, Smith’s latest brief gives an even more granular look at the breakdown between the two men as prosecutors say one sought desperately to cling on to power and the other fought to maintain his unwavering fidelity to the Constitution.

FILE – Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

When news organizations, including The Associated Press, called the election for Biden on Nov. 7, Pence saw it as an opportunity to “encourage” Trump “as a friend,” reminding him that he “took a dying political party and gave it a new lease on life,” prosecutors wrote. A few days later, when Trump and his allies were still strategizing ways to overcome the defeat, Pence again reiterated that the next presidential election in 2024 was “not so far off.”

When Pence refused on Dec. 28 to support the various legal cases being pursued by Trump and his close allies in Congress, the filing states that Trump told his vice president that “hundreds of thousands” of people “are gonna hate your guts” and “people are gonna think you’re stupid.” He added, “You’re too honest.”

This went on for days, until the two men met in person one last time before Jan. 6. The meeting in the Oval Office on the eve of the certification is seen by prosecutors as one of Trump’s last efforts to encourage Pence privately to keep him in power, telling him once again that he had “the power to decertify,” the results. “When Pence was unmoved, the defendant threatened to criticize him publicly,” the filing states. “I’m gonna have to say you did a great disservice,” Trump said. Pence relayed this comment to a member of his team who saw it as a direct threat “to the point that he alerted Pence’s Secret Service detail.

‘So what?’ Trump said when told Pence was rushed to safety

As Trump’s supporters began attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop the counting of the electoral votes, an aide rushed in to tell Trump that Pence had been taken to a secure location. The aide was hoping Trump would “take action to ensure Pence’s safety,” prosecutors wrote. Instead, Trump’s only response was, “So what?” prosecutors allege.

Prosecutors say they will present “forensic evidence” from Trump’s cellphone and testimony from witnesses to show how Trump spent the afternoon of Jan. 6 on Twitter and watching TV coverage of the riot while his aides pressed him to make a public statement to quell the violence.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, at Discovery World in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andy Manis)

“Instead, the defendant refused repeatedly until his advisors gave up and left him alone in the dining room,” prosecutors wrote.

Alone in the dining room, Trump then sent a Tweet attacking Pence for not having the “courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify.”

A rioter with a bullhorn read Trump’s Tweet about Pence to the crowd that was trying to enter the Capitol, prosecutors said. It was only after advisers again urged Trump to do something about the riot that he sent a Tweet encouraging his supporters to support law enforcement and “stay peaceful,” prosecutors wrote.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith has provided a road map for how prosecutors hope to prove their case charging former President Donald Trump with an illegal scheme to overturn his 2020 election loss — if it ever gets to trial.

In court papers unsealed Wednesday, Smith’s team details new evidence of Trump’s “increasingly desperate” efforts to cling to power even as those close to him sought to convince him that he had lost the presidency.

It comes just over a month before the presidential election that could determine the future of the case.

The Republican presidential nominee, who has railed against the case as politically motivated, slammed the filing in a NewsNation interview, calling it “pure election interference” and “weaponization of the government.”

Here’s a look at what the filing means and what’s next:

Trump committed ‘private crimes,’ prosecutors say

The purpose of the filing is to convince U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington that allegations against Trump can move forward to trial even after the Supreme Court in July ruled that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.

While the Supreme Court said former presidents have at least presumptive immunity for actions taken in their official role as president, the justices said they are not shielded from prosecution for things they do in their private capacity.

Related Articles

• National Politics | Key passages from latest filing in federal election case against Trump
• National Politics | Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
• National Politics | Trump said, ‘So what?’ when told of Pence’s peril during Jan. 6 Capitol riot, US says
• National Politics | Polls show tight presidential race even as Harris takes slight swing-state lead
• National Politics | Missiles, a hurricane and a strike: How 3 crises are shaping the presidential race

Smith’s team is trying to make the case that Trump’s prosecution is not off limits because he was acting as a private candidate for office — not a commander in chief — when he schemed to overturn the will of voters. Prosecutors say Trump “must stand trial for his private crimes as would any other citizen.”

“Although the defendant was the incumbent President during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one,” prosecutors wrote.

“Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role.”

How did we get here? The case’s long and winding road

The case was supposed to go to trial in March in Washington’s federal court but was put on hold last December so Trump could appeal his sweeping claims of presidential immunity. Trump had asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the case entirely, saying it the “Presidency itself cannot retain its vital independence, if the President faces criminal prosecution for official acts once he leaves office.”

While the Supreme Court didn’t dismiss the case, it effectively stripped from the indictment allegations involving Trump’s dealings with the Justice Department. And it sent the case back to Chutkan to determine which of the remaining allegations in the indictment involve official actions for which Trump may be immune from prosecution and which allegations, if any, can move forward to trial.

In August, Smith’s team filed a new indictment that kept the same criminal charges but narrowed the allegations in an attempt to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.

So what happens now?

Trump’s lawyers had objected to the filing, accusing prosecutors of wanting to publicize their “politically motivated manifesto” to hurt Trump’s campaign in the final weeks before the election.

The defense will now get a chance to respond to the arguments from Smith’s team. Trump’s response was due later this month, but Chutkan agreed to give the defense until Nov. 7 after they asked for an extension.

Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers are continuing their efforts to have the case dismissed. The defense on Thursday filed court papers challenging the case on legal grounds, saying prosecutors stretched the laws “beyond their breaking point based on false claims that President Trump is somehow responsible for events at the Capitol.”

Trump’s lawyers have argued that the allegations in the indictment — including conversations with his vice president and pressing state officials on the administration of elections — cut to the core of Trump’s responsibilities as commander in chief. Trump attorney John Lauro told the judge during a hearing last month that the Supreme Court’s opinion required the outright dismissal of the case — a position the judge made clear she did not accept.

Even if the judge agrees with prosecutors, the case isn’t heading to trial anytime soon. Her rulings are expected to be appealed — likely all the way to the Supreme Court.

And if Trump defeats Vice President Kamala Harris, he could appoint an attorney general who would seek the dismissal of this case and the other federal prosecutions he faces. Or Trump could potentially order a pardon for himself.

New material for Democrats, but the political impact is uncertain

The filing gives Democrats new material to use as they campaign against Trump and offers voters a reminder of the allegations just a month out from Election Day, even as voting has already begun in some states.

Trump, too, has seized on the report, casting it as yet another effort by his rivals to try to hobble his campaign — complaints that have proven a powerful motivator for his base and a boon for his fundraising.

It’s unclear, though, what impact it will have on voters, given the wealth of detail about the 2020 campaign that has already been released as well as Trump’s multiple indictments. In polling, concerns about protecting democracy have typically lagged behind concerns about issues like the economy and inflation.

That includes a recent CNN poll that found 4 in 10 likely voters said the economy was their most important issue when deciding how to vote, versus about 2 in 10 who said it was protecting democracy.

The issue of protecting democracy appears to be more important for Democrats and voters already backing Harris. Roughly 4 in 10 voters who support Harris say it is their top issue. For Republicans and Trump supporters, about 6 in 10 name the economy as their top voting issue, followed by immigration. Just 5% of Trump supporters said protecting democracy was their top issue.

Associated Press reporters Jill Colvin in New York and Linley Sanders contributed to this report.

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER and JAIMIE DING

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Prosecutors in Los Angeles are reviewing new evidence in the case of Erik and Lyle Menendez to determine whether they should be serving life sentences for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion more than 35 years ago, the city’s district attorney said Thursday.

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said during a news conference that attorneys for Erik Menendez, 53, and his 56-year-old brother, Lyle Menendez, have asked a court to vacate their conviction.

Gascón said there is no question the brothers committed the murders, but that his office will be reviewing new evidence and will make a decision on whether it warrants a resentencing. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 29.

“We have not decided on an outcome. We are reviewing information,” Gascón said.

The new evidence presented in a petition includes a letter written by Erik Menendez that his attorneys say corroborates the allegations that he was sexually abused by his father. Gascón said he believes that the topic of sexual assault would have been treated with more sensitivity if the case had happened today.

Gascón said his office did not know the “validity” of what was presented at the trial.

“We will evaluate all of it,” said Gascón, who is seeking reelection and noted that more than 300 people have been resentenced during his term, and only four have gone on to commit a crime again.

Cliff Gardner, an attorney for the brothers, said they are pleased by the district attorney’s decision.

“Given today’s very different understanding of how sexual and physical abuse impacts children — both boys and girls — and the remarkable new evidence, we think resentencing is the appropriate result,” Gardner said in an email Thursday to The Associated Press. “The brothers have served more than 30 years in prison. That is enough.”

The case has gained new attention in recent weeks after Netflix began streaming the true-crime drama “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”

In a statement on X posted by his wife, Erik Menendez called the show a “dishonest portrayal” of what happened that has taken them back to a time when prosecutors “built a narrative on a belief system that males were not sexually abused, and that males experience rape trauma differently from women.”

The brothers were given life sentences for fatally shooting their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in 1989.

Lyle, who was then 21, and Erik, then 18, admitted they fatally shot-gunned their entertainment executive father and their mother, but said they feared their parents were about to kill them to prevent the disclosure of the father’s long-term sexual molestation of Erik.

Prosecutors contended there was no evidence of any molestation. They said the sons were after their parents’ multimillion-dollar estate.

Jurors rejected a death sentence in favor of life without parole.

___

This story has been updated to correct the name of the Netflix true-crime drama on the Menendez brothers to “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” not “The Menendez Brothers.”

By COLLIN BINKLEY

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s latest attempt at student loan cancellation is free to move ahead — at least temporarily — after a judge in Georgia decided that a legal challenge should be handled by a court in Missouri.

Biden’s plan has been on hold since September after seven Republican-led states challenged it in federal court in Georgia. But on Wednesday, a federal judge decided not to extend the pause and instead dismissed Georgia from the lawsuit, finding that it lacked the legal right, or standing, to sue.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall opted to send the suit to Missouri, one of the remaining states in the case. On Thursday, those states filed a request asking the Missouri court to block the plan.

Without a new obstacle, the Biden administration could push the proposal toward the finish line as soon as Friday. The Education Department would be free to finalize a rule paving the way for cancellation, though it would likely take days or weeks to carry out.

Biden’s plan would cancel at least some student loan debt for an estimated 30 million borrowers.

Related Articles

• National News | Today in History: October 4, Janis Joplin found dead
• National News | Dockworkers’ union to suspend strike until Jan. 15 to allow time to negotiate new contract
• National News | Los Angeles prosecutors to review new evidence in Menendez brothers’ 1996 murder conviction
• National News | Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
• National News | The US could see shortages and higher retail prices if a dockworkers strike drags on

It would erase up to $20,000 in interest for those who have seen their original balances increase because of runaway interest. It would also provide relief to those who have been repaying their loans for 20 or 25 years, and those who went to college programs that leave graduates with high debt compared to their incomes.

Biden told the Education Department to pursue cancellation through a federal rulemaking process after the Supreme Court rejected an earlier plan using a different legal justification. That plan would have eliminated up to $20,000 for 43 million Americans.

The Supreme Court rejected Biden’s first proposal in a case brought by Republican states including Missouri, which now takes the lead in the latest lawsuit.

In his order Wednesday, Hall said Georgia failed to prove it was significantly harmed by Biden’s new plan. He rejected an argument that the policy would hurt the state’s income tax revenue, but he found that Missouri has “clear standing” to sue.

Missouri is suing on behalf of MOHELA, a student loan servicer that was created by the state and is hired by the federal government to help collect student loans. In the suit, Missouri argues that cancellation would hurt MOHELA’s revenue because it’s paid based on the number of borrowers it serves.

In their lawsuit, the Republican states argue that the Education Department had quietly been telling loan servicers to prepare for loan cancellation as early as Sept. 9, bypassing a typical 60-day waiting period for new federal rules to take effect.

The courts are now asking the Missouri court to act quickly saying the Education Department could “unlawfully mass cancel up to hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans as soon as Monday.”

Also joining the suit are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, North Dakota and Ohio.

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

Today is Thursday, Oct. 3, the 277th day of 2024. There are 89 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 3, 1995, the jury in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles found the former football star not guilty of the 1994 slayings of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman.

Also on this date:

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. Army troops cracked the Siegfried Line north of Aachen, Germany.

In 1951, the New York Giants captured the National League pennant by a score of 5-4 as Bobby Thomson hit a three-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers, which became known as the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”

In 1974, Frank Robinson was named the American League’s first Black manager after he was hired by the Cleveland Indians.

In 1990, West Germany and East Germany ended 45 years of postwar division, declaring the creation of a reunified country.

In 1993, 18 U.S. service members and hundreds of Somalis were killed in the Battle of Mogadishu — the deadliest battle for U.S. troops since the Vietnam War, and inspired the film “Black Hawk Down.”

In 2008, O.J. Simpson was found guilty of robbing two sports-memorabilia dealers at gunpoint in a Las Vegas hotel room. (Simpson was later sentenced to nine to 33 years in prison; he was granted parole in July 2017 and released from prison in October of that year.)

In 2011, an Italian appeals court freed Amanda Knox of Seattle after four years in prison, tossing murder convictions against Knox and an ex-boyfriend in the stabbing of their British roommate, Meredith Kercher.

In 2013, a smugglers’ ship packed with African migrants sank off the coast of a southern Italian island, killing more than 365 people.

In 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — the first time in U.S. history a Speaker had been ousted from the position.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Composer Steve Reich is 88.
• Rock and roll star Chubby Checker is 83.
• Musician Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) is 75.
• Blues musician Keb’ Mo’ is 73.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield is 73.
• Baseball Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is 70.
• Golf Hall of Famer Fred Couples is 65.
• Rock drummer Tommy Lee is 62.
• Actor Clive Owen is 60.
• Film director Denis Villeneuve is 57.
• Singer-TV personality Gwen Stefani is 55.
• Pop singer Kevin Richardson (Backstreet Boys) is 53.
• Actor Neve Campbell is 51.
• Actor Lena Headey is 51.
• Singer India.Arie is 49.
• Rapper Talib Kweli is 49.
• Actor Seann William Scott is 48.
• Soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimović is 43.
• Actor Tessa Thompson is 41.
• Actor-singer Ashlee Simpson is 40.
• Actor Alicia Vikander is 36.
• Rapper A$AP Rocky is 36.
• Actor Ayo Edebiri is 29.
• Actor Noah Schnapp (TV: “Stranger Things”) is 20.

General Daily Insight for October 03, 2024

Emotions are running hot. The sensitive Moon squares fiery Mars at 3:00 am EDT, which can take us to a frustrating point, right on the edge of an emotional eruption. Later on, the Moon trines joyful Jupiter, putting a balm of good energy on the metaphorical burns from our earlier blazes of feelings. Finally, when the Moon faces off with wounded healer Chiron, we might feel almost wholly resistant to making amends with others or letting ourselves heal. We can be passionate without burning anyone.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Two people that are close to you may not see eye to eye. The way that they communicate with each other might not be the way that you would communicate with either of them. Due to this mismatch, you could find yourself in the middle of their drama, trying to uncover any common ground. Ultimately, you’re not responsible for helping them to find an agreement — it may not be something that’s even possible for you to do. If so, let it go.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

It’s important to watch your words today. Because of a clash with someone in your life — possibly exacerbated by their treatment of you, intentional or otherwise — it could be difficult to hold your tongue the moment an argument begins. While they might be trying to drag you down to their level, you don’t have to sink down there! In fact, it’s vital that you don’t allow them to pull you out of your character. Know yourself, and stand up for that self accordingly.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

The frustration of any current uncertainty increases the risk that you’ll make an impulsive decision. You might want to jump into this situation rashly because you can’t stand the lack of information you have about it, so you just want to get everything over with. However, this rush to get it finished might leave you with more problems than when you started! Keep in mind that a momentary decision could incite long-lasting consequences. Think things through instead of letting anger rule you.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

You might find yourself at odds with a family member. This person could be a relative or a close friend of yours. Either way, it’s likely that they’re older than you or have another social advantage. This could embolden them to be critical of you or push you in a direction that you dislike. The universe wants you to stand up for yourself, but there’s no need to hurl hurtful insults, especially if they aren’t relevant. You can be firm without being cruel.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

An emotional build-up that you weren’t aware of could explode without warning. You might not have realized that you were suppressing so much! Any little event could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, leading you to unleash the beast on the next person who adds to your stress. This volatile self-expression can be hurtful to others, so make an effort to channel this furious passion into other places. Exercising your mind or body (or both!) should be great catharsis. Tame that wildfire!

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

You might find your present goals are slightly out of reach. Even when you give it your all, there could be obstacles that you can’t yet overcome. It could be something that you wanted to finish quickly, but now you have to wait until things settle down. Whether it’s because of procrastination, the actions of others, or just bad luck causing your goals to slip through your grasp, try not to be discouraged. There will be more time to find your way to success.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

You’re taking the reins! You may be forced into a leadership position, one that demands you make decisions for other people. Being a stern boss may not be a position that you naturally enjoy taking. Delegation can be stressful to navigate, especially when the tasks are not enjoyable for the people that you’re giving them to. You might want to make everyone happy, but sometimes the best you can do is be fair as you divide tasks and work with them.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Information that you’re about to learn may incense you. Perhaps your careful plans must be canceled, or maybe you have to do some tedious task that you weren’t previously warned about. Regardless, it’ll be tough to catch up or update your plans on the fly. Whenever your to-do list gets overwhelming, take it one step at a time and know that you only have to do your best. No one should be disappointed in your efforts to roll with the punches.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

Your dreams may feel stuck in a rut, unable to lift off. Every corner could seem like a dead end, whether an opportunity didn’t pay off or a mistake hampered your progress. This can be discouraging and irritating at the same time, but it’s important for you to get back on the metaphorical horse and start making new plans. Your ambitions shouldn’t be shot down by one difficult day, so keep trying to find better ways to build them in reality.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Someone else’s feelings may explode in a way that you weren’t expecting. They could have been holding everything inside, trying to protect their image or others from their turmoil, but simply weren’t able to stop themselves from boiling over. If this person simply confesses how they’re struggling to you, that’s fine, but you don’t have to tolerate the brunt of an angrier outburst in silence. Once the way that they’re seeking catharsis begins to affect you negatively, make sure to tell them.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

A hidden enemy may make themselves known at any moment. They could have been putting on a friendly act to prevent you from seeing their true colors, since once you see behind the curtain, there will potentially be no way for them to hide how they’re truly feeling about you. Even if you want to make amends or suggest similarities that you can connect on, the other person is unlikely to be interested in that. Don’t chase what isn’t for you.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Reckless actions made in the heat of the moment will have consequences. You may be feeling more impulsive, making it easier to succumb to the influence of others, procrastination, bad habits, or leaping to conclusions in general. You might not even realize how impulsive you are feeling until after you’ve already jumped in with both feet. Do your best to stay aware of how you’re spending your time and how you’re utilizing your patience. There’s no need to rush yourself through the day!

Here’s a look at how the Miami Dolphins (1-3) and New England Patriots (1-3) match up in six key areas ahead of Sunday’s Week 5 game at Gillette Stadium (1 p.m., FOX):

When the Dolphins run: It feels like Miami has been leaving much on the table in the run game, especially when this team could stand to benefit from being effective on the ground while it plays without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins averaged 3.5 yards per carry in Monday night’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, with De’Von Achane getting just 1.5 yards per attempt with 15 yards on 10 carries.

Rookie Jaylen Wright saw a new high in attempts with nine carries for 32 yards, and the Dolphins could get a boost to their 24th-ranked rushing offense if veteran Raheem Mostert returns. As Tyler “Snoop” Huntley gets another start at quarterback, his mobility could bring another dimension to the Dolphins offense while Tagovailoa is out, as he looks to expand on the team-high 40 rushing yards he had Monday.

Like with Mostert, another boost could come in a potential return for left tackle Terron Armstead at left tackle, although rookie Patrick Paul had fine flashes in his first NFL start — with some understandable down moments. The interior of the offensive line still needs to provide more, especially to give confidence in going up the middle in short-yardage situations against a Patriots defense that ranks ninth. New England, though, has surrendered 281 rushing yards over the past two games. The Patriots are also without linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (IR) and defensive tackle Christian Barmore (NFI). Edge: Even

When the Patriots run: New England power runner Rhamondre Stevenson is averaging 4.1 yards per carry, but his best rushing performance was in the Patriots’ lone win in their opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has struggled to get anything going in their two recent losses to the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers. The combination of him and the shiftier Antonio Gibson has New England ranked 12th in rushing, going against Miami’s 16th-ranked run defense, which has given up big plays like the 41-yard scamper to Tennessee’s Tony Pollard on Monday night that set up the Titans’ first touchdown.

If Dolphins linebacker David Long Jr. can return against the Patriots, that helps a lot in run defense, which needs to be more consistent but has strong pieces between him, fellow inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks and defensive tackles Zach Sieler and Calais Campbell. One problem for Miami has been rookie edge defender Chop Robinson setting the edge when he’s in the game, and now the Dolphins know they won’t have Jaelan Phillips the rest of the year due to a partial ACL tear in his right knee.

They go against a Patriots offensive line that has big right tackle Mike Onwenu but remains without guard Cole Strange, who’s on PUP list, and has center David Andrews trying to work back from a shoulder injury. Edge: Even

When the Dolphins pass: Coach Mike McDaniel believes the orchestration of the offense for Huntley will be better in his second start and third week with the team. The hometown kid will have to take it to the road in Gillette Stadium after it was a struggle to run the offense in a home debut with the team. Huntley failed to surpass 100 passing yards, going for 96 on 14-of-22 passing against the Titans, without a touchdown or interception but running for a score.

Related Articles

• Miami Dolphins | Tyreek Hill clears up apparent sideline tirade, trade speculation; Dolphins get good news on Odell Beckham Jr.
• Miami Dolphins | Chris Perkins: I talked to Dolphins players off the record. Mike McDaniel hasn’t lost the locker room amid team’s struggles
• Miami Dolphins | Things to watch for: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
• Miami Dolphins | Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel’s message to fans through troubling times of inept offense
• Miami Dolphins | Chris Perkins: Dolphins’ one-dimensional offense has been figured out, and now it’s as useless as the Wildcat
• Miami Dolphins | Dolphins-Patriots predictions: Will reeling Miami end slide at rival New England?

The Dolphins offense has to find ways to get the ball to wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, a duo which only combined for 59 receiving yards against Tennessee. Huntley missed chances to find them, but Hill also dropped a backward pass that resulted in a turnover and Waddle had a costly drop of his own downfield. It’s possible Miami gets the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. off PUP list this week, and tight end Jonnu Smith also needs to get incorporated into the offense. A struggling New England secondary, which ranks 28th against the pass, had safeties Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers missing practice early in the week.

The Patriots no longer have Matthew Judon rushing the passer off the edge. He was traded to the Atlanta Falcons this preseason. Keion White, a 2023 second-round pick, already has four sacks. Under normal circumstances, it’s evident that there are holes in Patriots pass defense to take advantage of, but the Dolphins have to prove they can execute without Tagovailoa. Edge: Patriots

When the Patriots pass: New England has the league’s worst passing offense, and coach Jerod Mayo is sticking with Jacoby Brissett over rookie Drake Maye behind center. Brissett, a Dwyer High product and former Dolphins backup quarterback in 2021, is completing 60.4 percent of passes for 536 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in four games.

Tight end Hunter Henry is the only Patriots pass-catcher to surpass 100 receiving yards total in four games. They simply don’t have many go-to options in a receiving corps of Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, former Miami Hurricane K.J. Osborn and South Florida product Tyquan Thornton. This could be an opportunity for cornerback Jalen Ramsey to roam in the secondary and bait Brissett into a bad decision. Plus, fellow cornerback Kendall Fuller could come back from concussion protocol this week, but Miami may need to turn to Marcus Maye over Jordan Poyer as he deals with a shin injury.

Miami’s fifth-ranked pass defense could have a huge advantage in this category that potentially changes the course of the game. The Dolphins have also led the league in third-down defense. They’re dealt the devastating blow of losing Phillips, but they need Emmanuel Ogbah and Robinson to be among those stepping up in rushing the passer before Bradley Chubb returns off PUP list from last season’s knee injury. It’s a good time for Robinson to earn his first career sack. Edge: Dolphins

Special teams: New England’s special teams unit isn’t as scary without perennial Pro Bowl gunner Matthew Slater. It’s still a decent group, though, with kicker Joey Slye 8 of 9 on field goals and punter Bryce Baringer averaging 45.5 net yards per punt with 13 inside the 20 and only one touchback.

Braxton Berrios has given the Dolphins some big returns in each of the past two outings, and Jake Bailey, a former Patriot, has been strong on his punts. The Dolphins unit, though, has been penalized too much in this phase of the game, and the group was fortunate not to have an ugly turnover Monday night when Duke Riley nearly touched a partially blocked punt that went beyond the line of scrimmage before an opposing player did. Edge: Patriots

Intangibles: The Dolphins are facing as much adversity as they have in the McDaniel era, but the Patriots also haven’t presented much reason to believe they’re going anywhere. Miami has too much talent and too many leaders on its team to fold off a 1-3 start, and this squad enters Gillette Stadium with an urgency to get on track before the bye week. Edge: Dolphins

PREDICTION: Dolphins 13, Patriots 12

Dolphins Deep Dive: Prediction time — how will Miami perform vs. Patriots on Sunday? | VIDEO

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have another trophy, along with home-field advantage throughout the Major League Soccer playoffs.

Messi scored twice in the final minutes of the first half, goalie Drake Callender stopped a penalty kick in the 84th minute and Inter Miami beat the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew 3-2 on Wednesday night, wrapping up the Supporters Shield — given annually to the team with the best regular-season record.

It was Messi’s 46th major trophy won for club or country, extending his record for the most by any men’s soccer player in history. And it becomes the second he has won with Inter Miami, this Supporters Shield being added to the Leagues Cup trophy the Herons claimed shortly after Messi joined the club in 2023.

Luis Suarez also scored for Inter Miami, which will open the playoffs at home in the final weekend of October to start a best-of-three first round series. If the team wins that series, it would have the right to host every match it plays the rest of the season — an Eastern Conference semifinal (scheduled for Nov. 23 or 24), the East final (Nov. 30 or Dec. 1) and the MLS Cup final on Dec. 7.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Bank of America’s mobile applications were apparently knocked offline Wednesday.

Many BofA account holders took to social media platforms to say they either couldn’t access their online accounts or saw zero balances when they did log in.

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank said in a statement that some clients “are experiencing an issue accessing their accounts and balance information today.”

“These issues are being addressed and have largely been resolved,” the statement continued. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”

One X user drolly posted that their money was gone, “but conveniently my debt is still there.” A screenshot of their mobile app showed zero balances for all BofA accounts except one Visa card.

DownDetector, an online tracker of technical outages, reported between 5,000 to 20,000 BofA users reported an outage starting at 9 a.m. and peaking by 11 a.m. The detector said online, mobile and ATM users were affected.

Jasmene Bowdry, a user on Meta’s social platform Threads, said all of her BofA accounts showed $0.

“That’s all the warning I need,” she wrote. “Putting all my ish (sic) under the mattress and a Crisco can.”

Other Thread users chimed in with:

“Did Bank of America hire Bernie Madoff or something?”

“First, (a) Verizon outage … then the ports closing … now Bank of America is having issues…”

“Didn’t have “Die Hard” on my bingo card this year.”

Others reported reaching customer service at the bank, which told them it was a “glitch” they were working on.

Earlier this week, thousands of Verizon users across the U.S. reported little or no cellphone service in major cities, including in Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New York and Phoenix.

 

A quarter-century ago, we were in the midst of a Y2K panic and wondering if the worldwide power grid and economy were about to collapse.

The year was 1999 when the adults were watching sitcoms such as Friends on TV and renting movies from Blockbuster while the kids were listening to the Backstreet Boys and trading Pokemon cards.

In real life, President Bill Clinton tried to convince us that “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” while Tony Soprano was making his debut on HBO and telling us, “I’m not a murderer. I’m a soldier.”

Gators coach Billy Napier has yet to have a winning season and he might not make it out of his third in Gainesville if he loses to UCF this weekend. (Gary McCullough/AP)

A majority of the Americans weren’t on the Internet yet, and those who were used screeching dial-up modems. The bulky, clunky Nokia 3210 was the most popular cell phone of the day.

And, in sports, the Florida Gators were a national power while the UCF Knights were an irrelevant afterthought.

So much has changed since that September night 25 years ago when Florida first played UCF in football and coach Steve Spurrier’s Gators routed coach Mike Kruczek’s Knights 58-27 at the Swamp. Even though the fourth-ranked Gators won their NCAA-high 29th straight home game, Spurrier wasn’t happy that his defense allowed Vic Penn to throw for 379 yards just a week before opening the SEC schedule against third-ranked Tennessee.

“Shoot, you can just throw out these first two games.,” Spurrier said of UF’s two early-season tuneups against Western Michigan and UCF.

Added Gators linebacker Teddy Sims at the time: “It’s good to have this one out of the way. It’s time for the real season to kick off.”

UF’s two-QB attack overcomes another defensive flop: ‘Maybe we need to adjust who plays and who doesn’t play’

In other words, UCF wasn’t even considered a legitimate opponent for UF; a reflection of the gaping chasm between an established SEC power and a neophyte program still searching for relevance.

Now let’s fast forward to Saturday when UCF is coming into the Swamp again as an ascending program with dreams of competing for a Big 12 championship while the Gators find themselves in a state of decline and at yet another coaching crossroads. The narrative isn’t about UF’s supremacy; it’s about whether a Knights victory could be the death knell for embattled coach Billy Napier’s short tenure in Gainesville.

I’ll admit it, I never envisioned 25 years ago that UCF could ever be on equal footing with Florida, Florida State and Miami. I never imagined that the state’s traditional “Big 3” would now be the “Big 4.”

In 1999, Florida, Florida State and Miami were dominant on the national landscape while UCF played in the shadow of these college football behemoths. The Knights were still struggling to make the transition from Division I-AA to Division I-A (now FBS) just three years earlier. They had no conference, no TV revenue and were forced to take their obligatory beatings on the road against teams such as Florida just so they could pay the bills.

But UCF kept investing, building, believing, rising. The Big 3 got fat and happy while assuming their dominance would last forever.  Miami hasn’t won a conference championship since it joined the ACC 20 years ago. Florida hasn’t won an SEC championship in 15 years. Florida State has won just one ACC championship in the last nine seasons.

Meanwhile, the Knights have taken advantage of the decline of the Big Three by landing recruits who might have once been locks to sign with Florida, Florida State or Miami. Now, with the Knights in the Big 12, some of those prospects look at UCF as a legitimate path to the College Football Playoff and the NFL.

If the Knights could win on Saturday, it would certainly validate their rise, but for the Gators the stakes are even higher. Their self-esteem is at stake. The loss to UCF in the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl could be explained away as the hangover effect of coach Dan Mullen being fired, replaced by interim coach Greg Knox and numerous players opting out of the bowl game.

But a loss to UCF at the Swamp on Saturday would be entirely different. There could be no excuses. It would undoubtedly be a crushing blow to the Gator ego and deepen the chaos and negativity surrounding the program.

For UCF, it’s a chance to finally step out of the once-immense shadow of the state’s flagship university.

For Florida, it’s a moment of truth for a program fighting to regain its relevance.

What a difference 25 years make.

Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on X (formerly Twitter) @BianchiWrites and listen to my Open Mike radio show every weekday from 6 to 9:30 a.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com/listen

By MELISSA GOLDIN

Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have recently claimed that hundreds of thousands of migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border unaccompanied are missing, then criticized the border policies of the Biden administration and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, repeated the claim during Tuesday night’s debate.

“We have 320,000 children that the Department of Homeland Security has effectively lost,” he said as he met Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in what is likely the last debate of the 2024 presidential campaign.

But immigration experts say the claims regarding missing migrant children lack significant context.

Here’s a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: The Biden administration has lost more than 300,000 unaccompanied migrant children.

THE FACTS: This claim misrepresents information in an August report published by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, which faulted Immigration and Customs Enforcement for failing to consistently “monitor the location and status of unaccompanied migrant children” once they are released from federal government custody.

The report noted that more than 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children had not, as of May 2024, received a notice to appear in court. Additionally, more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children got a notice to appear but then failed to show up for immigration court hearings. Those figures came from ICE and covered a period from October 2018 to September 2023. During that period there were a total of 448,820 unaccompanied children released by ICE to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

But experts say it is a stretch to refer to roughly 300,000 children as “lost” or “missing.”

“This is not a ‘missing kids’ problem; it’s a ‘missing paperwork’ problem,” Jonathan Beier, associate director of research and evaluation for the Acacia Center for Justice’s Unaccompanied Children Program, wrote in an email.

Plus, President Joe Biden only entered the White House partway through this period. It includes approximately 15 months when Trump was president and does not specify how many children arrived in the U.S. under each president.

Experts say there are many reasons why the children might not have appeared for hearings or received a notice to appear in the first place. For example, they only get a notice to appear when removal proceedings against them have begun, and if ICE hasn’t started that removal process, they wouldn’t have gotten a notice in the first place.

A lack of communication between government agencies could mean a notice is sent to the wrong address if it has been updated with one agency and not another. A child’s guardian may be unable to take them to court, perhaps because they live on the other side of the state.

The report does not provide any explanations.

“All of these factors can explain some of the deficiencies and a conclusion that the children are missing could be very, very premature,” said Raul Pinto, deputy legal director for transparency at the American Immigration Council.

Related Articles

• National Politics | Cybersecurity head says there’s no chance a foreign adversary can change US election results
• National Politics | Prosecutors lay out new evidence in Trump election case, accuse him of having ‘resorted to crimes’
• National Politics | Senate challenger: ‘Another hurricane, more devastation, and Rick Scott is only making it worse’
• National Politics | Alaska resource projects and landscapes are again in the crosshairs of a presidential election
• National Politics | ‘The white-hot laser of hate’ is trained on Springfield, Ohio. How long will it last?

Carmen Hills, an ICE spokesperson, said the agency agreed with the inspector general’s recommendations to improve information sharing within ICE and externally with HHS, but disagreed with the suggestion that the children are missing.

“We are concerned that the report’s findings are misleading and may be misconstrued because they fail to acknowledge key facts,” she said.

Hills said ICE does not generally issue court notices to unaccompanied children “until after they have been placed with sponsors who have been vetted by HHS” so that they can get settled and seek legal help.

Representatives for HHS and Vance did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

An unaccompanied migrant child is defined by the U.S. government as someone who is under 18, lacks lawful immigration status and has no parent or guardian in the country to take custody of them. When they’re apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security, they’re transferred to the HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement.

They are then placed “in the least restrictive setting that is in the best interests of the child,” according to the resettlement office. That can mean shelters, foster care or residential treatment centers, among other options. If possible, children are released to sponsors, often family members, who can care for them.

Removal proceedings may be initiated by ICE and the Department of Justice. Some children are able to stay in the U.S. legally if they qualify for asylum, special visas for victims of abuse, trafficking and other crimes, or other types of immigration relief. In those cases, removal proceedings may never start.

___

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

By JOE REEDY

Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, could be down to broadcasting only one Major League Baseball team’s games next season.

During a hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston on Wednesday, the operator of the Bally Sports regional sports networks indicated it will cut loose the seven teams it has under contract for the 2025 season.

As part of its reorganization plan, Diamond plans to void the contracts of the Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Rays and to attempt to rework the deals of the five franchises that are partial owners of their regional sports networks — the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers have contracts that expired at the end of the regular season.

That would leave the Atlanta Braves as the only franchise whose contract would be unchanged.

Attorneys for Diamond said during the hearing that the company has delivered proposals to the 11 teams that are out of contract, rejected deals or are joint ventures.

Diamond Sports has been in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the Southern District of Texas since it filed for protection in March 2023. The company said in a financial filing last year that it had debt of $8.67 billion.

“Today marks an important step forward for Diamond with the filing of a baseline plan to enable us to emerge from bankruptcy as a viable, go-forward business before year-end,” Diamond Sports said in a statement. “We firmly believe that through our linear and digital offerings we have created the best economic and fan-friendly engine for all of our team partners.”

Diamond attorney Andrew Goldman said during the 30-minute hearing that talks remain ongoing with all teams.

MLB attorney James Bromley said he was surprised about the reorganization plan and said they were “sandbagged” since they only learned about it less than two hours before the start of the hearing.

“We have no information about what is being done,” Bromley said. “We’ve had no opportunity to review and now we’re in front of the court and being asked to make our comments.”

Over the past two seasons, Major League Baseball has had to take over the broadcasts of the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies after agreements could not be reached.

Goldman also said during the hearing that Diamond is “on a path to getting a new naming rights partner, which is a big development for the company as well as a commercial agreement with one or more streaming partners with respect to the digital rights that the company will possess.”

Diamond also has the rights to 13 NBA and eight NHL teams.

Judge Christopher Lopez has scheduled a follow-up session for Oct. 9 with a final hearing on the reorganization plan scheduled for Nov. 14.

Diamond Sports Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group bought the regional sports networks from The Walt Disney Co. for nearly $10 billion in 2019. Disney was required by the Department of Justice to sell the networks for its acquisition of 21st Century Fox’s film and television assets to be approved.

MIAMI GARDENS — I still have playoff hopes for the 2024 Miami Dolphins.

Honestly.

Obviously, my playoff hopes are slimmer than a few weeks ago.

But my playoff hopes for the 2024 Dolphins (1-3) still exist.

Players still have a good attitude. Players are still playing hard.

I frequently talk to players in the locker room off the record. 

I talked to quite a few players after the game Monday, and then in the locker room Wednesday.

I don’t get the sense coach Mike McDaniel has lost the locker room.

I don’t get the sense this team has quit, or is about to quit.

I do get the sense frustration is simmering here and there.

Related Articles

• Miami Dolphins | Dolphins edge rusher Jaelan Phillips suffered partial tear in ACL, ending his season
• Miami Dolphins | Tyreek Hill clears up apparent sideline tirade, trade speculation; Dolphins get good news on Odell Beckham Jr.
• Miami Dolphins | Things to watch for: Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
• Miami Dolphins | Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel’s message to fans through troubling times of inept offense
• Miami Dolphins | Chris Perkins: Dolphins’ one-dimensional offense has been figured out, and now it’s as useless as the Wildcat
• Miami Dolphins | Dave Hyde: A Miami Dolphins embarrassment that goes right to the top

But that’s normal when losses mount and disappointment builds.

Regardless, I think this team answers the call starting this week at New England Patriots (1-3).

There’s too much talent on this roster for this team to drop to 1-4.

There’s too much talent on this roster for this team to fall out of the playoff picture before December. With or without Tua.

Period.

I’ll say this, too: this is another one of those times that someone needs to pull wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the side and have a chat with him, make sure everything is OK, and that he’s pointed in the right direction.

Hill was clearly frustrated during the game.

Hill’s frustration was apparent when he kicked at the loose ball in the end zone after quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley overthrew him when he was open on a deep route.

“Man, we were close,” Huntley said about nearly making that completion.

Hill’s frustration was also captured by TV cameras when he was shouting on the sideline, possibly within earshot of McDaniel and wide receivers coach Wes Welker.

Hill tried to play the latter off as motivational speaking.

“I’m in a good spot in my life, and I wouldn’t refer to it as shouting,” he said of the sideline incident. “That’s just me motivating my teammates. I was simply telling 2-5 (rookie running back Jaylen Wright) that we need more of that because he had a great run there towards the end of the game. I was like, ‘I need more of that. I need more of that 2-5.’ ”

That’s not what I saw.

Moving on, you can’t have Hill drop a low pass, which turned out to be a lateral, and not chase after the ball in that situation. The Titans got to the loose ball. It resulted in a turnover.

That’s unacceptable.

McDaniel said turnovers are addressed in a team meeting and that Hill took accountability for this one.

So there’s that.

But back to the team and its playoff hopes …

I’ve always said that I like this team’s fighting spirit. I’ve said that since McDaniel took over, and that’s still true today.

And I’ve said I like this team’s depth, and that depth is what’s allowed this team to make the playoffs each of the past two seasons. If you doubt that, consider the numerous injury problems the Dolphins have had both years.

This team will battle.

I think that happens again.

Yes, I’ve been pointedly critical of McDaniel. It’s not personal. I like and respect McDaniel. He’s fun. He’s creative. He’s an original. He’s unapologetically himself.

My criticism is due to McDaniel’s strategy and philosophy. His teams have underachieved. I wish he’d change. I wish he’d be more flexible.

I’ve also been critical of general manager Chris Grier and the way McDaniel and Grier constructed this roster.

But I remain optimistic about the players, the talent, the depth and this team’s fighting spirit.

This isn’t some desperate attempt to earn favor from the Dolphins (that ship has sailed) or Dolphins fans. And it’s not hypocrisy.

NFL players and coaches always talk about the 24-hour rule, meaning you let go of the game, win or lose, after 24 hours and look ahead.

That’s what I’m doing with last week’s (OK, it was Monday) Tennessee loss.

Appropriately enough, I’m on to New England.

I think the Dolphins are, too. 

I’ll add this …

This Dolphins team has been through a lot.

A few of them were here in 2021 when they started 1-7 and then surged to finish 9-8, barely missing the playoffs.

A few more were here in 2022 when they started 8-3, endured a five-game losing streak and finished 9-8, barely making the playoffs.

Lots were here in 2023 when they started 9-3 and finished by losing four of their last six games, earning the privilege to face Super Bowl champion Kansas City in one of the coldest games in NFL history.

And practically everyone has been here this season for Hill’s pregame police detainment before the opener against Jacksonville, Tua’s concussion the following week against Buffalo, the breakdown of the offense at Seattle, the search for a new starting backup quarterback, and the current three-game losing streak.

This team is always full of drama.

But it fights to the finish.

I expect these players to keep battling, and, quite honestly, I expect the Dolphins to win at New England.

I have no problem with these players.

And, at this point, these players have no major problem with their coach.

By MIKE STOBBE

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates dipped last year and the proportion of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Tuesday.

The share of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 3.3%, up from 3% the year before. Meanwhile, 92.7% of kindergartners got their required shots, which is a little lower than the previous two years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic the vaccination rate was 95%, the coverage level that makes it unlikely that a single infection will spark a disease cluster or outbreak.

The changes may seem slight but are significant, translating to about 80,000 kids not getting vaccinated, health officials say.

The rates help explain a worrisome creep in cases of whooping cough, measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, said Dr. Raynard Washington, chair of the Big Cities Health Coalition, which represents 35 large metropolitan public health departments.

“We all have been challenged with emerging outbreaks … across the country,” said Washington, the director of the health department serving Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that coverage with MMR, DTaP, polio and chickenpox vaccines decreased in more than 30 states among kindergartners for the 2023-2024 school year, Washington noted.

Public health officials focus on vaccination rates for kindergartners because schools can be cauldrons for germs and launching pads for community outbreaks.

For years, those rates were high, thanks largely to school attendance mandates that required key vaccinations. All U.S. states and territories require that children attending child care centers and schools be vaccinated against a number of diseases, including, measles, mumps, polio, tetanus, whooping cough and chickenpox.

All states allow exemptions for children with medical conditions that prevent them from receiving certain vaccines. And most also permit exemptions for religious or other nonmedical reasons.

In the last decade, the percentage of kindergartners with medical exemptions has held steady, at about 0.2%. But the percentage with nonmedical exemptions has inched up, lifting the overall exemption rate from 1.6% in the 2011-2012 school year to more than twice that last year.

The rates can be influenced by state laws or policies that make it harder or easier to obtain exemptions, and by local attitudes among families and doctors about the need to get children vaccinated. For example, according to the CDC data, 14.3% of kindergartners had an exemption to one or more vaccines in Idaho. But fewer than 1% did in Connecticut and Mississippi.

Related Articles

• Health | A few rural towns are bucking the trend and building new hospitals
• Health | Medicare changes for 2025: What you need to know
• Health | Vance-Walz debate highlighted clear health policy differences
• Health | Nursing aides plagued by PTSD after ‘nightmare’ COVID conditions, with little help
• Health | How North Carolina made its hospitals do something about medical debt

Within states, clustering of unvaccinated kids can be even more concentrated in particular communities or schools, said Noel Brewer, a University of North Carolina professor of health behavior.

“People who are skeptical (about vaccinees) tend to live close to one another and create the conditions for a breakthrough of measles and other diseases,” he said.

The slide in vaccination rates was not unexpected. Online misinformation and the political schism that emerged around COVID-19 vaccines have led more parents to question the routine childhood vaccinations that they used to automatically accept, experts say.

A decrease has already been reported in Louisville, Kentucky — a city that has been celebrated as a vaccination success story. And a CDC report last week noted a decline in vaccination rates for 2-year-olds.

Measles and whooping cough cases are at their highest levels since 2019, and there are still three months left in the year. And 200 flu-associated pediatric deaths were reported in the 2023-2024 season, the most since 2009.

Charlotte’s Mecklenburg County this year saw North Carolina’s first measles case since 2018. Mecklenburg also saw 19 whooping cough infections and three people with mumps earlier this year, said Washington, who noted the county usually sees none.

Increases in international travel and people moving to the Charlotte area from other countries raises the risk of introduction of vaccine-preventable diseases, “so it’s concerning when you start to lose coverage of vaccines among your population,” Washington said.

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 2, the 276th day of 2024. There are 90 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 2, 1967, Thurgood Marshall joined the U.S. Supreme Court at its first African American justice; he would serve on the bench for 24 years until his retirement in 1991.

Also on this date:

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson had a serious stroke at the White House that left him paralyzed on his left side.

In 1944, German troops crushed the 2-month-old Warsaw Uprising, during which a quarter of a million people were killed.

In 1970, one of two chartered twin-engine planes flying the Wichita State University football team to Utah crashed into a mountain near Silver Plume, Colorado, killing 31 of the 40 people on board.

In 2006, an armed milk truck driver took a group of girls hostage in an Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, killing five of them and wounding five others before taking his own life.

In 2016, Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Vin Scully signed off for the last time, ending 67 years behind the mic for the Dodgers as he called a 7-1 loss to the Giants in San Francisco.

In 2018, journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by Saudi Arabian officials at the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul, Turkey.

In 2020, stricken by COVID-19, President Donald Trump was injected with an experimental drug combination at the White House before being flown to a military hospital, where he was given Remdesivir, an antiviral drug.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Film critic Rex Reed is 86.
• Singer-songwriter Don McLean is 79.
• Fashion designer Donna Karan (KA’-ruhn) is 76.
• Actor Avery Brooks is 76.
• Photographer Annie Leibovitz is 75.
• Singer-actor Sting is 73.
• Actor Lorraine Bracco is 70.
• R&B singer Freddie Jackson is 68.
• Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa is 61.
• Singer-songwriter Gillian Welch is 57.
• Actor-talk show host Kelly Ripa is 54.
• Actor Efren Ramirez is 51.
• Musician Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes) is 36.

The Associated Press

The vice presidential candidates, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, on Tuesday engaged in a fast-moving, largely civil debate on a wide range of issues. Here’s a look at some false and misleading claims from the debate.

___

Iran has not received $100 billion in unfrozen assets under the Biden-Harris administration

VANCE: “Iran, which launched this attack, has received over $100 billion in unfrozen assets thanks to the Kamala Harris administration. What do they use that money for? They use it to buy weapons that they’re now launching against our allies.”

THE FACTS: The Biden administration agreed last year to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of a deal to free five U.S. citizens being held by Iran. But administration officials say not a dollar of that has yet been given to Iran. It was part of a deal negotiated by the Obama administration, before Biden and Harris took office, that could have allowed Iran to access frozen assets in exchange for accepting limits on its nuclear program.

In 2016, Iran said it had received access to more than $100 billion worth of frozen overseas assets following the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal with world powers. The money had been held in banks in China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey since international sanctions were tightened in 2012 over Tehran’s nuclear program. Then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew told Congress that only about $50 billion of the frozen assets would actually be accessible by Iran.

Walz overstates the cost of insulin before cap

WALZ: “They were charging $800 before this law went into effect.”

THE FACTS: Walz overstated how much Americans were paying for insulin before a new law capped prices at $35 per month for millions of older Americans on Medicare. A December 2022 study found that people who were on Medicare or enrolled in private insurance paid $452 yearly on average before the new law took effect.

Vance links unaffordable housing to immigrants who have come into the country illegally

VANCE: “You’ve got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes.”

THE FACTS: Most economists blame a long-term decline in the housing supply for the steady increase in home prices. The number of new homes under construction plunged from an annual pace of 1.4 million in April 2006 to barely above 400,000 in August 2011, and didn’t recover to 2006 levels until 2021.

Vance said at least one prominent economic analysis from the Federal Reserve supports his claims that immigrants are pushing up housing costs, but he didn’t provide details. He was likely citing a May 2024 blog post by Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Kashkari says immigration’s long-run effect on inflation is “unclear,” but immigrants need a place to live and their arrival has overlapped with higher prices.

There might be upward pressure on home prices in some markets because of immigrants arriving, but most economists say the issue is a lack of supply of homes on the market. Homebuilders say they need the immigrants to build the homes. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a September news conference that high mortgage rates mean people aren’t listing their homes for sale and there has not been enough supply.

Walz wrongly claims Project 2025 creates pregnancy registry

WALZ: “Their Project 2025 is going to have a registry of pregnancies.”

THE FACTS: That’s not true. The conservative initiative calls for the collection of “accurate and reliable statistical data about abortion, abortion survivors, and abortion-related maternal deaths,” but not a record of every pregnancy that occurs.

More specifically, Project 2025 proposes that the Department of Health and Human Services require all states to report detailed information about abortions that are performed within their borders, including the total number of abortions, the age and state of residence of the mother, the gestational age of the fetus, the reason for the abortion and the method used to perform the abortion. It suggests that this data be separated into categories such as spontaneous miscarriages, intentional abortions, stillbirths and other medical treatments that result in the death of the fetus, like chemotherapy.

Vance overstates immigration numbers

VANCE: “We’ve got 20, 25 million illegal aliens who are here in the country.”

THE FACTS: That figure is highly inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports more than 10 million arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico from January 2021 through September 2024.

That’s arrests, not people. Under pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many people crossed more than once until they succeeded because there were no legal consequences for getting turned back to Mexico. So the number of people is lower than the number of arrests.

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s latest available estimate, there were approximately 11 million people living illegally in the U.S. as of January 2022, 79% of whom entered prior to January 2010.

Vance distorts Minnesota abortion law

VANCE: “It says that a doctor who presides over an abortion where the baby survives, the doctor is under no obligation to provide lifesaving care to a baby who survives a botched late-term abortion.”

Related Articles

• National Politics | Some of the most notable quotes from the JD Vance-Tim Walz vice presidential debate
• National Politics | Vance and Walz keep it civil in a policy-heavy discussion: VP debate takeaways
• National Politics | Key swing state election faces ‘daunting’ level of uncertainty after storm ravages multiple counties
• National Politics | Ballots in the mail for presidential election. Floridians can begin voting immediately.
• National Politics | How one preschool uses PAW Patrol to teach democracy

THE FACTS: This claim misrepresents a bill Walz signed into law in 2023, updating language about the care of newborns.

The new language uses the phrase “an infant who is born alive” instead of “a born alive infant as a result of an abortion.” It states that medical personnel are required to “care for the infant who is born alive” rather than “preserve the life and health of the born alive infant.”

Both the current version of the law and the 2015 version that was amended state that “an infant who is born alive shall be fully recognized as a human person, and accorded immediate protection under the law.”

Infanticide is criminalized in every state, including Minnesota, and the bill does not change that.

Vance on Trump and Jan. 6, 2021

VANCE: “Remember he said that on January the 6th, the protesters ought to protest peacefully.”

THE FACTS: It’s true that Trump told the crowd gathered near the White House, “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

But Vance ignored the incendiary language Trump used throughout his speech, during which he urged the crowd to march to the Capitol, where Congress was meeting to certify President Joe Biden’s victory. Trump told the crowd: “If you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” That’s after his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, declared: “Let’s have trial by combat.”

Associated Press writers Melissa Goldin in New York, and Amanda Seitz, David Klepper, Chris Rugaber, Ellen Knickmeyer and Josh Boak in Washington contributed.

By MATT BROWN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first and only vice presidential debate between Ohio Senator JD Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz featured an often orderly, policy-focused and even civil dialogue between the two men seeking to serve as the next president’s second in command.

One of the sharpest comments came from a debate moderator. Here are some of the most notable quotes from the debate:

“Gentlemen, the audience can’t hear you because the mics are cut.”

— CBS News moderator Margaret Brennan, who intervened after a tense back and forth between the candidates over immigration. Vance protested a clarification by a moderator about the legal status of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. “Since you’re fact checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on,” Vance said before both he and Walz’s exchanges were muted.

“I actually agree with that.”

— Walz, agreeing with Vance that some regulations limit the construction of new housing units. Both candidates throughout the debate expressed agreement on some points before driving home their own messages.

“I’m sorry about that. Christ have mercy.”

— Vance, after Walz noted his son had witnessed gun violence. “I appreciate that,” Walz replied.

“I’m a knucklehead at times…I misspoke on this.”

— Walz, when discussing discrepancies in his travel history to Hong Kong in 1989 that have been reported by multiple news organizations.

“Kamala Harris is not running as a newcomer to politics.”

— Vance, arguing Harris could have acted as vice president to make housing more affordable. “If Kamala Harris has such great plans for how to address middle class problems, she ought to do them now,” Vance also said during the debate.

“There’s consequences for this.”

— Walz, when discussing Vance’s unfounded claims about immigrant communities in Springfield, Ohio. Walz said Vance “will create stories to bring attention to this that vilified a large number of people who were here legally in the community of Springfield. The Republican governor said, it’s not true. Don’t do it.”

• Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, greet each other ahead of a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

• US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance (C) and Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (R) participate in the Vice Presidential debate hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on October 1, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

• Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, participate in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

• US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance (L) and Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz participate in the Vice Presidential debate hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

• CBS News anchors Norah O’Donnell (L) and Margaret Brennan moderate the debate between Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. in a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

• US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance speaks during the Vice Presidential debate with Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on October 1, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

• Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz speaks during the Vice Presidential debate with US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on October 1, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

• US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance (L) and Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz participate in the Vice Presidential debate hosted by CBS News at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City on October 1, 2024. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

• People watch as Republican vice presidential candidate U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear together during the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate on October 01, 2024 in Kendall, Florida. The Miami-Dade Hispanic Caucus VP Debate Watch Party was held at the Sports Grill Kendall restaurant. The two candidates are meeting Tuesday for the first and likely only vice presidential debate before the general election. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

• A screen displays the CBS vice presidential debate between US Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance and Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz in Times Square in New York on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Show Caption1 of 10

Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), and Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, greet each other ahead of a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center on October 1, 2024 in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Expand “Sometimes it just is the guns. It’s just the guns.”

— Walz, discussing the high rate of gun violence in the United States compared to other rich nations. Walz cautioned against using mental illness as a “scapegoat” for the country’s high levels of gun violence rather than “find solutions on this that protect the Second Amendment, protect our children, that settlement.”

“My shotgun was in my car so I could pheasant hunt after football practice.”

– Walz, noting that he is a longtime gunowner and the need to address firearm deaths by suicide and violent crime.

“I want us as a Republican Party to be pro-family in the fullest sense of the word.”

— Vance, responding to how Republicans should navigate potentially unpopular and dangerous realities that face women surrounding pregnancy. Vance, who opposes abortion, said Republicans “have got to do so much better of a job at earning the American people’s trust back on this issue, where they, frankly, just don’t trust us.”

“Donald Trump put this all into motion.”

— Walz, criticizing Trump’s record on abortion. Walz said Trump “bragged” about appointing three Supreme Court justices who would go on to join a majority ruling that overturned the abortion protections in Roe v. Wade. “52 years of personal autonomy and then he tells us ‘Oh, send it to the states,’” Walz said of Trump.

“A president’s words matter.”

— Walz, discussing the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Walz said Trump’s rhetoric and refusal to concede defeat in the 2020 presidential election led to the riot at the U.S. Capitol and deep ensuing divisions across politics. “All of us say there’s no place for this,” Walz said.

“My own belief is that we should fight about those issues, debate those issues peacefully in the public square.”

— Vance, when asked whether Trump won the 2020 presidential election and if he would support efforts to contest the election which Trump carried out that have since been deemed illegal or unconstitutional. “First of all, I think that we’re focused on the future,” Vance said. “But what President Trump has said is that there were problems in 2020, and my own belief is that we should fight about those issues, debate those issues peacefully in the public square.”