Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn into office Saturday as Virginias first female governor, amid a cold drizzle outside the state Capitol after centuries of men holding the states top office.

Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican. It marks a new chapter in Virginia as Democrats pull the levers of power in state government while Republican President Donald Trump sits in the White House in neighboring Washington.

The history and the gravity of this moment are not lost on me," Spanberger said in her address. "I maintain an abiding sense of gratitude to those who work, generation after generation, to ensure women could be among those casting ballots, but who could only dream of a day like today.

RELATED STORY | Virginia voters to make history electing state's first female governor

Spanberger quoted Patrick Henry, Virginias first governor, saying, Let us not split into factions, which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs. That was the charge Governor Henry put to Virginia at the close of the 18th century, and it is the charge we must answer again today.

Two other Democrats were also sworn in. Ghazala F. Hashmi, the first Muslim woman to serve in statewide office in the U.S., is the new lieutenant governor. Jay Jones is Virginias first Black attorney general. He was sworn into his post, notably, in the former capital of the Confederacy.

Spanberger's inauguration as the states 75th governor is a historic first: only men have held the post since Virginia first became a commonwealth in 1776. And no woman served as a colonial governor before then.

She will be referred to with traditional formality: Madam Governor or, as some officials phrase it, her excellency.

According to A Guide to Virginia Protocol and Traditions, males in the official party wear morning coats and women wear dark suits for the inauguration and many, including the new governors husband, kept to that tradition on Saturday.

But as the first woman to serve as governor, Spanberger wore all white on Saturday, a possible tribute to the womens suffrage movement. She wore a gold pin on her long, white coat.

Spanberger ran on a vow to protect Virginias economy from the aggressive tactics of Trumps administration. On the trail, she spoke of the White Houses gutting the civil service, rising costs of goods and changes impacting the states already fragile health care system.

The state Democrats picked up 13 seats in the House of Delegates a year after the partys stunning losses nationwide in the 2024 presidential election.

Democrats in the statehouse have vowed to work with Spanberger to push through their bullish agenda, which includes redrawing the states congressional district map ahead of the midterm elections this year.

Law enforcement officials say Kianna Underwood, a former Nickelodeon child star, was killed Friday in a hit-and-run in New York. She was 33.

According to the New York Police Department, Underwood was crossing an intersection in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn when a black Ford Explorer SUV hit her in the morning.

While lying in the street, she was then subsequently struck by a black and gray sedan, NYPD said in a statement. Underwood was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say both drivers left the scene and have not been identified. The investigation remains ongoing.

RELATED STORY | Dilbert creator Scott Adams dies after battle with prostate cancer

Underwood starred in Nickelodeons popular children's sketch comedy show, All That, over seven episodes in 2005. Between 1999 and 2004, Underwood voiced the character Fuschia Glover in the Nick Jr. show, Little Bill."

She also spent a year on the first national tour of Hairspray as Little Inez.

All That was Underwoods last credited role. The program helped launch multiple careers over its decade-long run, ranging from Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson and Amanda Bynes.

Tens of thousands of Cubans demonstrated Friday outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana to decry the killing of 32 Cuban officers in Venezuela and demand that the U.S. government release former Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro.

They crowded into the open-air Jos Mart Anti-Imperialist plaza across from the embassy in a rally organized by the Cuban government as tensions between Cuba and the U.S. spike following the U.S. attack Jan. 3 on Venezuela.

The 32 Cuban officers were part of Maduros security detail killed during the raid on his residence in Caracas to seize the former leader and bring him to the U.S. to face drug trafficking charges.

RELATED STORY | CIA director met with Venezuela's interim president while opposition leader was in US

Humanity is experiencing something very complex, and (the U.S.) is governed by a president who considers himself an emperor, said Ren Gonzlez, 64, one of the protesters.

We must show him that ideas are worth more than weapons," he said. "This march is a message of our unity. Independence is sacred, and we will defend it tooth and nail if necessary.

Cubas national anthem rang out at Fridays demonstration as large Cuban flags waved in the chilly wind and big waves broke nearby along Havanas famed sea wall. Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel shook hands with members of the crowd clad in jackets and scarves before speaking to them.

The current U.S. administration has opened the door to an era of barbarism, plunder and neo-fascism, he said.

The demonstration was a show of popular strength after U.S. President Donald Trump recently demanded that Cuba make a deal with him before it is too late. He did not explain what kind of deal.

Trump also has said that Cuba will no longer live off Venezuelas oil and money. Experts say the move could have catastrophic consequences since Cuba is already struggling with severe blackouts.

No one here surrenders," Daz-Canel said. The current emperor of the White House and his infamous secretary of state havent stopped threatening me.

RELATED STORY | Venezuela's Mara Corina Machado says she presented Trump with her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal

Washington has maintained a policy of sanctions against Cuba since the 1960s to pressure the island's government to improve its human rights record, end its one-party communist system and allow democracy. The sanctions have been further tightened during Trumps presidency, suffocating the islands economy.

Cuba does not have to make any political concessions, and that will never be on the table for negotiations aimed at reaching an understanding between Cuba and the United States, Daz-Canel said. It is important that they understand this. We will always be open to dialogue and improving relations between our two countries, but only on equal terms and based on mutual respect.

After the president's speech, the demonstration transitioned into a parade that Cubans call a combatant march, a custom that originated during the time of the late leader Fidel Castro. The crowd was led by a line of people holding pictures of the 32 officers killed.

Down with imperialism! the crowd yelled. Cuba will prevail!"

The demonstration was organized a day after tens of thousands of Cubans gathered at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces to pay their respects to the 32 officers slain.

Their remains arrived home on Thursday morning, and they are scheduled to be laid to rest on Friday afternoon in various cemeteries following memorial ceremonies in all of Cubas provincial capitals.

Work starts around sunrise for many of the federal officers carrying out the immigration crackdown in and around the Twin Cities, with hundreds of people in tactical gear emerging from a bland office building near the main airport.

Within minutes, hulking SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans begin leaving, forming the unmarked convoys that have quickly become feared and common sights in the streets of Minneapolis, St. Paul and their suburbs.

Protesters also arrive early, braving the cold to stand across the street from the fenced-in federal compound, which houses an immigration court and government offices. Go home! they shout as convoys roar past. "ICE out!

Things often turn uglier after nightfall, when the convoys return and the protesters sometimes grow angrier, shaking fences and occasionally smacking passing cars. Eventually, the federal officers march toward them, firing tear gas and flash grenades before hauling away at least a few people.

Were not going anywhere! a woman shouted on a recent morning. Were here until you leave.

RELATED STORY | Judge rules feds in Minneapolis immigration operation cant detain or tear gas peaceful protesters

This is the daily rhythm of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration's latest and biggest crackdown yet, with more than 2,000 officers taking part. The surge has pitted city and state officials against the federal government, sparked daily clashes between activists and immigration officers in the deeply liberal cities, and left a mother of three dead.

The crackdown is barely noticeable in some areas, particularly in whiter, wealthier neighborhoods and suburbs, where convoys and tear gas are rare. And even in neighborhoods where masked immigration officers are common, they often move with ghostlike quickness, making arrests and disappearing before protesters can gather in force.

Still, the surge can be felt across broad swaths of the Twin Cities area, which is home to more than 3 million people.

We dont use the word invasion lightly, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, told reporters this week, noting that his police force has just 600 officers. What we are seeing is thousands plural, thousands of federal agents coming into our city.

Those agents have an outsized presence in a small city.

It can take hours to drive across Los Angeles and Chicago, both targets of Trump administration crackdowns. It can take 15 minutes to cross Minneapolis.

So as worry ripples through the region, children are skipping school or learning remotely, families are avoiding religious services and many businesses, especially in immigrant neighborhoods, have closed temporarily.

Drive down Lake Street, an immigrant hub since the days when newcomers came to Minneapolis from Norway and Sweden, and the sidewalks now seem crowded only with activists standing watch, ready to blow warning whistles at the first sign of a convoy.

At La Michoacana Purepecha, where customers can order ice cream, chocolate covered bananas and pork rinds, the door is locked and staff let in people one at a time. Nearby, at Taqueria Los Ocampo, a sign in English and Spanish says the restaurant is temporarily closed because of current conditions.

A dozen blocks away at the Karmel Mall, where the citys large Somali community goes for everything from food and coffee to tax preparation, signs on the doors warn, No ICE enter without court order.

The shadow of George Floyd

Its been nearly six years since George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, but the scars from that killing remain raw.

Floyd was killed just blocks from where an Immigration and Citizenship Enforcement officer shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen, during a Jan. 7 confrontation after she stopped to help neighbors during an enforcement operation. Federal officials say the officer fired in self-defense after Good weaponized her vehicle. City and state officials dismiss those explanations and point to multiple bystander videos of the confrontation.

For Twin Cities residents, the crackdown can feel overwhelming.

Enough is enough, said Johan Baumeister, who came to the scene of Goods death soon after the shooting to lay flowers.

He said he didnt want to see the violent protests that shook Minneapolis after Floyds death, causing billions of dollars in damage. But this city has a long history of activism and protests, and he had no doubt there would be more.

I think theyll see Minneapolis show our rage again, he predicted.

He was right.

RELATED STORY | Anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis set to continue into the weekend as arrests mount

In the days since, there have been repeated confrontations between activists and immigration officers. Most amounted to little more than shouted insults and taunting, with destruction mostly limited to broken windows, graffiti and some badly damaged federal vehicles.

But angry clashes now flare regularly across the Twin Cities. Some protesters clearly want to provoke the federal officers, throwing snowballs at them or screaming obscenities through bullhorns from just a couple feet away. The serious force, though, comes from immigration officers, who have broken car windows, pepper-sprayed protesters and warned observers not to follow them through the streets. Immigrants and citizens have been yanked from cars and homes and detained, sometimes for days. And most clashes end in tear gas.

Drivers in Minneapolis or St. Paul can now stumble across intersections blocked by men in body armor and gas masks, with helicopters clattering overhead and the air filled with the shriek of protesters' whistles.

Shovel your neighbors walk

In a state that prides itself on its decency, theres something particularly Minnesotan about the protests,

Soon after Good was shot, Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat and regular Trump target, repeatedly said he was angry but also urged people to find ways to help their communities.

It might be shoveling your neighbors walk, he said. It might mean being at a food bank. It might be pausing to talk to someone you havent talked to before.

He and other leaders have pleaded with protesters to remain peaceful, warning that the White House was looking for a chance to crack down harder.

And when protests do become clashes, residents will often spill from their homes, handing out bottled water so people can flush tear gas from their eyes.

Residents stand watch at schools to warn immigrant parents if convoys approach while they're picking up their children. They take care packages to people too afraid to go out, and arrange rides for them to work and doctor's visits.

On Thursday, in the basement of a Lutheran church in St. Paul, the group Open Market MN assembled food packs for more than a hundred families staying home. Colin Anderson, the groups outreach director, said the group has seen a surge in requests.

Sometimes, people dont even understand what has happened to them.

RELATED STORY | Justice Department investigating whether Minnesota's Walz and Frey impeded immigration enforcement

Like Christian Molina from suburban Coon Rapids, who was driving through a Minneapolis neighborhood on a recent day, taking his car to a mechanic, when immigration officers began following him. He wonders if it's because he looks Hispanic.

They turned on their siren, but Molina kept driving, unsure who they were.

Eventually, the officers sped up, hit his rear bumper and both cars stopped. Two emerged and asked Molina for his papers. He refused, saying hed wait for the police. Crowds began to gather, and a clash soon broke out, ending with tear gas.

So the officers left.

They left behind an angry, worried man who suddenly owned a sedan with a mangled rear fender.

Long after the officers were gone he had one final question.

Whos going to pay for my car?

Emmy Award-winning actor Timothy Busfield's attorneys told a court Friday he should be released while he awaits the outcome of child sex abuse charges against him because an independent investigation undermined the state's allegations, the parents of his accusers have a history of fraud and dishonesty, and he passed a polygraph test.

Busfield was ordered held without bond at his first court appearance Wednesday, a day after he turned himself in to face charges stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched a minor on the set of a TV series he was directing in New Mexico.

A judge will hold a detention hearing on Tuesday to determine whether Busfield will remain in jail.

Albuquerque police issued a warrant for his arrest last week on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of the series The Cleaning Lady, which was filmed in the city.

In a video shared before turning himself in, Busfield called the allegations lies. Busfield, who is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, is known for appearances in The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething.

RELATED STORY | Director Timothy Busfield turns himself in to face child sex abuse charges in New Mexico

According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the police department says the child reported Busfield touched him on private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was 7 years old and another time when he was 8.

The boys twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but did not specify where. He said he didnt say anything because he didnt want to get in trouble.

Busfield's attorneys said in court filings that the allegations against him emerged only after the boys lost their role in the TV show, creating a financial and retaliatory motive. The filings detailed what the attorneys said was a history of fraud by both the father and mother.

They cited an investigation by Warner Bros. into the allegations, which they said prosecutors didn't include in their criminal complaint, found the allegations unfounded. Independent witnesses supported the report's conclusions, the court filings said.

Busfield also submitted letters vouching for his character. His passing of the polygraph test aligns with the other information submitted, his attorneys said.

Legal experts say New Mexico is among a few states that allow polygraph evidence in criminal cases, but a judge has final say over whether one can be used. There are strict requirements for admission.

IN OTHER NEWS | Inspired by Erika Kirk, Tim Allen offers forgiveness for fathers death

Federal officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in its largest recent U.S. immigration enforcement operation cant detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren't obstructing authorities, including when these people are observing the agents, a judge in Minnesota ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez's ruling addresses a case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists. The six are among the thousands who have been observing the activities of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officers enforcing the Trump administrations immigration crackdown in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area since last month.

Federal agents and demonstrators have repeatedly clashed since the crackdown began. The confrontations escalated after an immigration agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head on Jan. 7 as she drove away from a scene in Minneapolis, an incident that was captured on video from several angles. Agents have arrested or briefly detained many people in the Twin Cities.

RELATED NEWS | Anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis set to continue into the weekend as arrests mount

The activists in the case are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, which says government officers are violating the constitutional rights of Twin Cities residents.

Government attorneys argued that the officers have been acting within their legal authority to enforce immigration laws and protect themselves. They said Homeland Security officers have been subject to violence across the country and in Minnesota, and that they have responded lawfully and appropriately.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the ACLU didn't immediately respond to requests for comment Friday night.

The ruling prohibits the officers from detaining drivers and passengers in vehicles when there is no reasonable suspicion they are obstructing or interfering with the officers.

Safely following agents at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop, the ruling said.

Menendez said the agents would not be allowed to arrest people without probable cause or reasonable suspicion the person has committed a crime or was obstructing or interfering with the activities of officers.

Menendez is also presiding over a lawsuit filed Monday by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seeking to suspend the enforcement crackdown, and some of the legal issues are similar. She declined at a hearing Wednesday to grant the states request for an immediate temporary restraining order in that case.

What we need most of all right now is a pause. The temperature needs to be lowered, state Assistant Attorney General Brian Carter told her.

Menendez said the issues raised by the state and cities in that case are enormously important. But she said it raises high-level constitutional and other legal issues, and for some of those issues there are few on-point precedents. So she ordered both sides to file more briefs next week.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act amid Minnesota ICE tensions

The Justice Department is investigating whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have impeded federal immigration enforcement through public statements they have made, two people familiar with the matter said Friday.

The investigation, which both Walz and Frey said was a bullying tactic meant to threaten political opposition, focused on potential violation of a conspiracy statute, the people said.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a pending investigation by name.

CBS News first reported the investigation.

The investigation comes during a weekslong immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul that the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest recent immigration enforcement operation, resulting in more than 2,500 arrests.

The operation has become more confrontational since the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7, with agents pulling people from cars and homes and frequently being confronted by angry bystanders demanding they leave. State and local officials have repeatedly told protesters to remain peaceful.

In response to reports of the investigation, Walz said in a statement: Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system and threatening political opponents is a dangerous, authoritarian tactic.

U.S. senators Kelly, from Arizona, and Slotkin, from Michigan, are under investigation from the President Donald Trump administration after appearing with other Democratic lawmakers in a video urging members of the military to resist illegal orders." The administration has also launched a criminal investigation of Powell, a first for a sitting federal reserve chair.

Walzs office said it has not received any notice of an investigation.

Frey described the investigation as an attempt to intimidate him for standing up for Minneapolis, our local law enforcement, and our residents against the chaos and danger this Administration has brought to our streets.

The U.S. attorneys office in Minneapolis did not immediately comment.

In a post on the social media platform X following reports of the investigation, Attorney General Pam Bondi said: A reminder to all those in Minnesota: No one is above the law. She did not specifically mention the investigation.

RELATED NEWS | 'Organized brutality:' Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz condemns ICE's immigration crackdown

State calls for peaceful protests

State authorities, meanwhile, had a message for any weekend protests against the Trump administrations immigration sweep in the Twin Cities: avoid confrontation.

While peaceful expression is protected, any actions that harm people, destroy property or jeopardize public safety will not be tolerated, said Commissioner Bob Jacobson of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

His comments came after Trump backed off a bit from his threat a day earlier to invoke an 1807 law, the Insurrection Act, to send troops to suppress demonstrations.

I dont think theres any reason right now to use it, but if I needed it, Id use it, Trump told reporters outside the White House.

Judge rules on ACLU lawsuit

Federal officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in the enforcement operation cant detain or tear gas peaceful protesters, who arent obstructing authorities, including when these people are observing the agents, a U.S. judge in Minnesota ruled Friday.

U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez ruled in the case filed in December on behalf of six Minnesota activists, which were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota.

Government attorneys argued that the officers have been acting within their legal authority to enforce immigration laws and protect themselves. But the ACLU has said government officers are violating the constitutional rights of Twin Cities residents.

Detention whiplash

A Liberian man who has been shuttled in and out of custody since immigration agents broke down his door with a battering ram was released again Friday, hours after a routine check-in with authorities led to his second arrest.

The dramatic initial arrest of Garrison Gibson last weekend was captured on video. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan ruled the arrest unlawful Thursday and freed him, but Gibson was detained again Friday when he appeared at an immigration office.

A few hours later, Gibson was free again, attorney Marc Prokosch said.

In the words of my client, he said that somebody at ICE said they bleeped up and so they re-released him this afternoon and so hes out of custody, Prokosch said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Gibson, 37, who fled the civil war in his West African home country as a child, had been ordered removed from the U.S., apparently because of a 2008 drug conviction that was later dismissed. He has remained in the country legally under whats known as an order of supervision, Prokosch said, and complied with the requirement that he meet regularly with immigration authorities.

In his Thursday order, the judge agreed that officials violated regulations by not giving Gibson enough notice that his supervision status had been revoked. Prokosch said he was told by ICE that they are now going through their proper channels" to revoke the order.

MORE FROM MINNEAPOLIS | Anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis set to continue into the weekend as arrests mount

911 caller: Good was shot point blank

Minneapolis authorities released police and fire dispatch logs and transcripts of 911 calls, all related to the fatal shooting of Good. Firefighters found what appeared to be two gunshot wounds in her right chest, one in her left forearm and a possible gunshot wound on the left side of her head, records show.

They shot her, like, cause she wouldnt open her car door, a caller said. Point blank range in her car.

Good, 37, was at the wheel of her Honda Pilot, which was partially blocking a street. Video showed an officer approached the SUV, demanded that she open the door and grabbed the handle.

Good began to pull forward and turned the vehicle's wheel to the right. Another ICE officer, Jonathan Ross, pulled his gun and fired at close range, jumping back as the SUV moved past him. DHS claims the agent shot Good in self-defense.

The Utah man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk returned to court Friday, as his attorneys sought to disqualify prosecutors because the daughter of a deputy county attorney involved in the case attended the rally where Kirk was shot.

Defense attorneys say the relationship represents a conflict of interest after prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty against Tyler Robinson for aggravated murder.

Robinson, 22, has pleaded not guilty in the Sept. 10 shooting of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, just a few miles north of the Provo courthouse.

EARLIER | Suspect charged with shooting Charlie Kirk makes first in-person court appearance

The director of a state council that trains prosecutors said he doubted the disqualification attempt would succeed, and he was unaware of any major case where attorneys had been disqualified for bias.

I would bet against the defense winning this motion, said Utah Prosecution Council Director Robert Church. Theyve got to a show a substantial amount of prejudice and bias.

The prosecutors daughter, 18, who attended the event where Kirk was shot, later texted with her father in the Utah County Attorneys Office to describe the chaotic events around the shooting, according to court filings and testimony.

Robinson's attorneys say the close connection between the prosecution team and a person present for Kirk's killing raises serious concerns about past and future prosecutorial decision-making in this case, according to court documents.

They also argue that the rush to seek the death penalty against Robinson is evidence of strong emotional reactions by the prosecution and merits the disqualification of the entire team.

Defense attorney Richard Novak urged Judge Tony Graf on Friday to bring in the state attorney generals office in place of Utah County prosecutors to address the conflict of interest. Novak said it was problematic for county prosecutors to litigate on behalf of the state while defending their aptness to remain on the case.

Utah County Attorney Richard Gray replied that Novaks last-minute request was aimed at delaying the case against Robinson.

This is ambush and another stalling tactic to delay these proceedings, Gray said.

ABOUT THE SHOOTING | Conservative activist Charlie Kirk dies in shooting at Utah Valley University

Several thousand people attended the outdoor rally where Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point USA who helped mobilize young people to vote for President Donald Trump, was shot as he took questions from the audience. The daughter of the deputy county attorney did not see the shooting, according to an affidavit submitted by prosecutors.

While the second person in line was speaking with Charlie, I was looking around the crowd when I heard a loud sound, like a pop. Someone yelled, hes been shot, she stated in the affidavit.

The child, a student at Utah Valley University, later texted a family group chat to say CHARLIE GOT SHOT. In the aftermath of the shooting, she did not miss classes or other activities, and reported no lasting trauma aside from being scared at the time, the affidavit said.

Prosecutors have asked Judge Graf to deny the disqualification request.

Under these circumstances, there is virtually no risk, let alone a significant risk, that it would arouse such emotions in any father-prosecutor as to render him unable to fairly prosecute the case, county attorney Gray said in a filing.

Gray also said the child was neither a material witness nor a victim in the case and that nearly everything the person knows about the actual homicide is mere hearsay.

If the Utah County prosecutors were disqualified, the case would likely shift to prosecutors in a county with enough resources to handle a big case, such as Salt Lake City, or possibly the state attorney generals office, said prosecution council director Church. Judge Graf would have final say, he said.

Prosecutors have said DNA evidence connects Robinson to the killing. Robinson also reportedly texted his romantic partner that he targeted Kirk because he had enough of his hatred.

At the school where the shooting took place, university president Astrid Tuminez announced Wednesday that she will be stepping down from her role after the semester ends in May.

The state university has been working to expand its police force and add security managers after it was criticized for a lack of key safety measures on the day of the shooting.

Prosecutors are expected to lay out their case against Robinson at a preliminary hearing scheduled to begin May 18.

A top ICE official resigned her job on Thursday in hopes of ousting the longest-serving woman in Congress, Democrat Marcy Kaptur, this fall.

In a video launching her campaign for Ohio's 9th Congressional District, former ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said she had stopped more illegal immigration in her less than a year on the job than Kaptur had in her 43 years in Washington.

"In Washington, hypocrisy, excuses and failure can earn you a lifetime job," she said. "But on my family farm, that would have put us out of business."

RELATED STORY | Do ICE agents truly have absolute immunity?

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump is determined to maintain Republicans' threadbare House majority this fall, so he can avoid a repeat of his first presidency, when Democrats won control of the chamber in midterm elections and went on to impeach him twice. His actions have included candidate recruitment and efforts to pressure states to redraw their congressional lines.

Sheahan, 28, a native of tiny Curtice, Ohio, near the shores of Lake Erie, labeled herself "a Trump conservative." Before Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tapped her for the ICE position in March, Sheahan served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and as Noem's aide when she was governor of South Dakota.

In a resignation letter posted on the social media platform X, Sheahan thanked Noem and Trump for their "steadfast commitment" to the immigration agency and expressed pride in what ICE has accomplished.

In a statement Thursday, the Kaptur campaign said, "Voters are tired of the self-dealing corruption and culture of lawlessness they've seen over the last year. They want a leader focused on affordability and real results, and Marcy Kaptur consistently works across the aisle to deliver both."

The 79-year-old incumbent is accustomed to steep challenges in a Lake Erie-hugging district centered on Toledo, which has been drawn and redrawn to increasingly favor the state's ruling Republicans. A bipartisan map approved last year resulted in boundaries that give Republicans a nearly 11-point advantage over Democrats for her seat, up from a roughly 9.5-point advantage in 2024.

RELATED STORY | Congress weighs ICE reforms as protests over immigration enforcement continue

In that year, Kaptur defeated Republican state Rep. Derek Merrin by such a close margin that The Associated Press did not call the race until official results were entered, more than two weeks after the election. The final result was 48.3% to 47.6%.

The Kaptur campaign's statement hinted at the possibility of another "messy primary" like the one in 2024 shaping up among Republicans seeking the chance to take her on in November.

Sheahan is the seventh Republican to announce a bid for the GOP nomination, a field that also includes Merrin. Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, considered a potentially top contender to defeat Kaptur, was removed as a contender last week when he was named Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's running mate.

David Gedert, a Toledo-area entrepreneur who The Blade of Toledo has reported is better known on stage as drag queen Sugar Vermonte, is running as a Libertarian.

At least 45 people in nearly two dozen states have been sickened with Salmonella food poisoning tied to the Super Greens brand of diet supplement powder, federal health officials said Wednesday.

Superfoods Inc., which makes Live it Up-brand Super Greens powder, recalled products including its original and wild berry flavors with expiration dates of August 2026 to January 2028. Consumers should not eat, sell or serve the products and should throw them away or return to the place of purchase.

lllnesses tied to the supplement were reported from Aug. 22 to Dec. 30, 2025. At least 12 people were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

RELATED STORY | Sam's Club recalls greens powder supplement after salmonella outbreak sickens 11

The products were distributed nationwide.

Case have been reported in 21 states: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

An FDA investigation is continuing and additional products could be contaminated, the agency said.

Symptoms of Salmonella poisoning usually start within hours or days of eating a contaminated food product. They include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

Most people recover without treatment within a week, but infections can be serious in children younger than 5, adults 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems.

Sheriff's deputies are investigating an alleged break-in and theft last week at the North Carolina home of retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, one of seven people who died in a plane crash last month.

The alleged burglary and forcible entry into the Biffle home in Mooresville was reported Jan. 8, according to an incident report from the Iredell County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff Darren Campbell said Wednesday that investigators believe someone entered a safe in the home. In addition to $30,000 in cash and a backpack identified in the incident report as stolen, Campbell said some guns and memorabilia also are gone.

Campbell said no arrests have been made, and that no one else was in the home at the time of the alleged crimes. The incident report said the home was last known to be secure the afternoon of Jan. 7.

RELATED STORY | Retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and family among 7 killed in NC plane crash

"We're working the case. We are waiting on some digital evidence," Campbell said, adding that interviews also were being conducted.

A business jet carrying Biffle, Biffle's wife and two children and three others crashed Dec. 18 while trying to return to an airport in Statesville located about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Charlotte minutes after taking off from there.

Federal investigators said the Cessna C550 erupted into a large fire when it hit the ground short of the runway. Everyone on board died.

No cause of the crash has been released. Biffle was one of three people on board with a pilot's license. Investigators said during the crash's immediate aftermath that they didn't know who was the lead pilot on the flight.

A public memorial service for Biffle, who won 19 NASCAR Cup Series races over his career, and the six others killed is scheduled for Friday morning at a Charlotte arena.

President Donald Trumps second term has been eventful. You wouldnt know it from his approval numbers.

An AP-NORC poll from January found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trumps performance as president. Thats virtually unchanged from March 2025, shortly after he took office for the second time.

The new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research does show subtle signs of vulnerability for the Republican president. Trump hasnt convinced Americans that the economy is in good shape, and many question whether he has the right priorities when hes increasingly focused on foreign intervention. His approval rating on immigration, one of his signature issues, has also slipped since he took office.

Heres how Americans views of Trump have and havent changed over the past year, according to AP-NORC polling.

About 4 in 10 Americans consistently approved of Trump's performance

Call it a gift or a curse for all his unpredictability, Trump's approval numbers just don't change very much.

This was largely the case during his first term in office, too. Early in his first term, 42% of Americans approved of how he was handling the presidency. There were some ups and downs over the ensuing years, but he left office with almost the same approval.

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That level of consistency on presidential approval numbers could be the new normal for U.S. politics or it could be unique to Trump. Gallup polling since the 1950s shows that presidential approval ratings have grown less variable over time. But President Joe Biden had a slightly different experience. Biden, a Democrat, entered the White House with higher approval numbers than Trump has ever received, but those fell rapidly during his first two years in office, then stayed low for the remainder of his term.

Most Americans have held a critical view of Trump throughout his time in office, and Americans are twice as likely to say he's focused on the wrong priorities than the right ones. About half of U.S. adults say hes mostly focusing on the wrong priorities one year into his second term, and approximately 2 in 10 say hes mostly focused on the right priorities. Another 2 in 10, roughly, say its been about an even mix, and 14% say they don't have an opinion.

Challenges on the economy

The economy has haunted Trump in his first year back in the White House, despite his insistence that the Trump economic boom has officially begun.

Just 37% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy. Thats up slightly from 31% in December which marked a low point for Trump but Trump started out with low approval on this issue, which doesnt give him a lot of room for error.

The economy is a new problem for Trump. His approval rating on this issue in his first term fluctuated, but it was typically higher. Close to half of Americans approved of Trumps economic approach for much of his first White House stint, and hes struggled to adjust to this as a weak point. Americans care a lot more about costs than they did in Trumps first term, and, like Biden, hes persistently asserted that the U.S. economy is not a problem while the vast majority describe it as poor.

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say Trump has done more to hurt the cost of living in his second term, while only about 2 in 10 say hes done more to help. About one-quarter say he hasn't made an impact.

Views of Trumps handling of immigration have declined

When Trump entered office, immigration was among his strongest issues. Its since faded, a troubling sign for Trump, who campaigned on both economic prosperity and crackdowns to illegal immigration.

Just 38% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling immigration, down from 49% in March. The poll was conducted Jan. 8-11, shortly after the death of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

But there are signs that Americans still give Trump some leeway on immigration issues. About half of U.S. adults say Trump has gone too far when it comes to deporting immigrants living in the country illegally, which is unchanged since April, despite an immigration crackdown that spread to cities across the U.S. in the second half of the year.

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Nearly half of Americans, 45%, say Trump has helped immigration and border security a lot or a little in his second term. This is an area where Democrats are more willing to give Trump some credit. About 2 in 10 Democrats say Trump has helped on this issue, higher than the share of Democrats who say he's helped on costs or job creation.

As Trump turns to foreign policy, most Americans disapprove of his approach

Trump has focused his attention more on foreign policy in his second term, and polling shows most Americans disapprove of his approach.

But much like Trump's overall approval, views of his handling of foreign policy have changed little in his second term, despite wide-ranging actions including his push to control Greenland and the recent military capture of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro.

About 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling the issue of foreign policy, and most Americans, 56%, say Trump has gone too far in using the U.S. military to intervene in other countries.

Trumps continued focus on global issues could be a liability given its sharp contrast with the America First platform he ran on and Americans growing concern with costs at home. But it could also be hard to shift views on the issue even if Trump takes more dramatic action in the coming months.

A crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed at least 538 people and even more are feared dead, activists said Sunday, while Tehran warned that the U.S. military and Israel would be legitimate targets if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

Another over 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous rounds of unrest in Iran in recent years. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said of those killed, 490 were protesters and 48 were members of security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll.

The Iranian government has not offered overall casualty figures for the demonstrations.

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Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Irans security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the countrys capital and its second-largest city again Sunday morning.

U.S. President Donald Trump has offered support for the protesters, saying on social media that Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!!

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by either U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has not indicated it has made any decisions. The massive ongoing U.S. military deployment to the Caribbean has created another factor that the Pentagon and Trumps national security planners must consider.

Defiance in Parliament

The threat to strike the U.S. military and Israel came during a parliamentary speech by Mohammad Baagher Qalibaf, the hard-liner speaker of the body who has run for the presidency in the past.

He directly threatened Israel, calling it the occupied territory."

In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets, Qalibaf said. We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.

Lawmakers rushed the dais in parliament, shouting: Death to America!

It remains unclear how serious Iran is about launching a strike, particularly after its air defenses were destroyed during the 12-day war in June with Israel. Any decision to go to war would rest with Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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The U.S. military has said in the Mideast it is postured with forces that span the full range of combat capability to defend our forces, our partners and allies and U.S. interests. Iran targeted U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June, while the U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet is stationed in the island kingdom of Bahrain.

Israel, meanwhile, is watching closely the situation between the U.S. and Iran, said an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to speak to journalists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio overnight on topics including Iran, the official added.

The people of Israel, the entire world, are in awe of the tremendous heroism of the citizens of Iran, said Netanyahu, a longtime Iran hawk.

At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV mentioned Iran as a place where ongoing tensions continue to claim many lives," adding that I hope and pray that dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society."

Demonstrations were held in some international capitals in support of the protesters. A spokesperson said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was shocked" by reports of violence against protesters resulting in scores of deaths and called on Iranian authorities to use maximum restraint and restore communications.

Protests in Tehran and Mashhad

Online videos sent out of Iran, likely using Starlink satellite transmitters, purportedly showed demonstrators gathering in northern Tehran's Punak neighborhood. There, it appeared authorities shut off streets, with protesters waving their lit mobile phones. Others banged metal while fireworks went off.

The pattern of protests in the capital has largely taken the form of scattered, short-lived, and fluid gatherings, an approach shaped in response to the heavy presence of security forces and increased field pressure, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said. Reports were received of surveillance drones flying overhead and movements by security forces around protest locations, indicating ongoing monitoring and security control.

In Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city some 725 kilometers (450 miles) northeast of Tehran, footage purported to show protesters confronting security forces. Protests also appeared to happen in Kerman, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Tehran.

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Iranian state television on Sunday morning had correspondents appear on the streets in several cities to show calm areas, with a date stamp shown on screen. Tehran and Mashhad were not included.

Government rhetoric ratcheted up. Ali Larijani, a top security official, accused some demonstrators of killing people or burning some people, which is very similar to what ISIS does, referring to the Islamic State group by an acronym.

State TV aired funerals of slain security force members while reporting another six had been killed in Kermanshah. In Fars province, violence killed 13 people, and seven security forces were killed in North Khorasan province, it added. It showed a pickup truck full of bodies in body bags and later a morgue.

Even Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had been trying to ease anger before the demonstrations exploded in recent days, offered a hardening tone in an interview aired Sunday.

People have concerns, we should sit with them and if it is our duty, we should resolve their concerns, Pezeshkian said. But the higher duty is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy the entire society.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the countrys economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Irans theocracy.

The Golden Globes bill themselves as Hollywoods booziest bash. This year, is anyone ready to party?

Political tension and industrywide uncertainty are the prevailing moods heading into Sunday night's 83rd Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.

A celebratory mood might be even more elusive given that the wide majority of the performers and filmmakers congregating at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, oppose the policies of President Donald Trump. Likely to be on the minds of many attendees: the recent U.S. involvement in Venezuela and the fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

But through their ups and downs, the Globes have always tried to put pomp over politics. Host Nikki Glaser has vowed as much.

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Youd be surprised that half the room had no clue why I was saying Venezuela, Glaser told The Associated Press earlier in the week, referring to her comedy-club warm-ups. People arent getting the news like we all are.

Glaser, a comic known for her roast appearances, has promised to go after A-listers in her second time hosting.

Were going to hit Leo, Glaser said. The icebergs are coming.

Heres what to look for at this years Globes:

How to watch and stream the Globes and red carpet

The Golden Globes kick off at 8 p.m. EST on CBS while streaming live for Paramount+ premium subscribers. E!s red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. EST.

The Associated Press will be have a livestream show beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern with a mix of stars' arrivals, fashion shots and celebrity interviews. It will be available on YouTube and APNews.

Could Warner Bros. own the night if not itself?

The overwhelming Oscar favorite One Battle After Another comes in with a leading nine nominations. Its competing in the Globes musical or comedy category, which means the drama side might be more competitive. There, Ryan Cooglers Sinners, Chlo Zhaos Hamnet and Joachim Triers Sentimental Value are all in the mix.

But thus far, One Battle After Another has cleaned up just about everywhere. Much of Paul Thomas Andersons cast is nominated, including DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Benicio Del Toro.

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If it and Sinners take home the two biggest prizes, it will be a banner night for Warner Bros. even as its future hangs in the balance. The studio has agreed to be acquired by Netflix is a deal worth $82.7 billion. Movie theaters have warned such a result would be a direct and irreversible negative impact on movie theaters around the world.

The merger awaits regulatory approval, while Paramount Skydance is still trying to convince Warner shareholders to accept its rival offer.

How might the top acting awards go?

After an audacious promotional tour for Marty Supreme, Timothe Chalamet is poised to win his first Globe in five nominations. In best actor, comedy or musical, hell have to beat DiCaprio, a three-time Globe winner, and Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon).

In best actress, comedy or musical, Rose Byrne is the favorite for her performance in the not especially funny A24 indie If I Had Legs Id Kick You. One prominent nominee in the category, Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good), wont be attending due to her schedule in the West End production Dracula.

Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) is the clear front-runner in best actress, drama. In the star-studded best actor, drama, category, the Brazilian actor Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) may win over Michael B. Jordan (Sinners) and Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams).

In the supporting categories, Teyana Taylor and Stellan Skarsgrd come in the favorites.

Who'll give the most memorable speech?

The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehlys Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.

But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can really boost an Oscar campaign. Last year, that seemed to be the case for Demi Moore, who won for The Substance and gave the night's most emotional speech. Mikey Madison (Anora), however, scored the upset win at the Oscars.

A few potentially good moments this year went instead in a Golden Eve ceremony earlier this week. There, the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett honorees, Helen Mirren and Sarah Jessica Parker, accepted their awards.

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One to watch, if he wins, will be the Iranian director Jafar Panahi. His revenge drama It Was Just an Accident is up for four awards. Panahi has spent most of his career making films clandestinely, without approval of authorities, and was until recently banned from leaving the country. Last month, he was sentenced to a year in prison, which would be only his latest stint behind bars if Panahi returns home to serve it. This week, protests over Irans ailing economy have spread throughout the country in a new test to Iran's leaders.

What to look for in the TV and podcast categories

For the first time, the Globes are trotting out a new podcast category. The nominees are: Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess and Up First.

In TV, HBO Maxs The White Lotus another potential big winner for Warner Bros. leads with six nominations. Netflixs Adolescence comes in with five nods.

But the most closely watched nominee might be The Studio. The first season of Seth Rogens Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.) The Studio is up for three awards, giving three chances for life to imitate art.

A guard at a construction site near a 2026 Winter Olympic venue in the mountain resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo died during a frigid overnight shift, authorities confirmed on Saturday.

Italys Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini called for a full investigation into the circumstances of the 55-year-old workers death.

Italian media reported that the death occurred on Thursday while the worker was on duty at a construction site near Cortinas ice arena. Temperatures that night plunged to minus 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 6-22.

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The construction site was not one overseen by Simico, the governmental company responsible for Olympic infrastructure, the company said in a statement expressing its condolences.

Cortina city officials said they were deeply saddened and troubled by the death.

Cortina will host curling, sliding and womens Alpine skiing.

Bob Weir, the guitarist and singer who as an essential member of the Grateful Dead helped found the sound of the San Francisco counterculture of the 1960s and kept it alive through decades of endless tours and marathon jams, has died. He was 78.

Weirs death was announced Saturday in a statement on his Instagram page.

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir, a statement on his Instagram posted Saturday said. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues.

The statement did not say where or when Weir died, but he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for most of his life.

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Weir joined the Grateful Dead originally the Warlocks in 1965 in San Francisco at just 17 years old. He would spend the next 30 years playing on endless tours with the Grateful Dead alongside fellow singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995.

Weir wrote or co-wrote and sang lead vocals on Dead classics including Sugar Magnolia, One More Saturday Night and Mexicali Blues.

After Garcias death, he would be the Dead's most recognizable face. In the decades since, he kept playing with other projects that kept alive the band's music and legendary fan base, including Dead & Company.

For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road, the Instagram statement said. "A guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music.

Weirs death leaves drummer Bill Kreutzmann as the only surviving original member. Founding bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024. The band's other drummer, Mickey Hart, practically an original member since joining in 1967, is also alive at 82. The fifth founding member, Ron Pigpen McKernan, died in 1973.

Dead and Company played a series of concerts for the Grateful Deads 60th anniversary in July at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, drawing some 60,000 fans a day for three days.

Born in San Francisco and raised in nearby Atherton, Weir was the Dead's youngest member and looked like a fresh-faced high-schooler in its early years. He was generally less shaggy than the rest of the band, but he had a long beard like Garcias in later years.

The band would survive long past the hippie moment of its birth, with its ultra-devoted fans known as Deadheads often following them on the road in a virtually non-stop tour that persisted despite decades of music and culture shifting around them.

Longevity was never a major concern of ours, Weir said when the Dead got the Grammys MusiCares Person of the Year honor last year. Spreading joy through the music was all we ever really had in mind, and we got plenty of that done.

Ubiquitous bumper stickers and T-shirts showed the band's skull logo, the dancing, colored bears that served as their other symbol, and signature phrases like ain't no time to hate and not all who wander are lost.

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The Dead won few actual Grammys during their career they were always a little too esoteric getting only a lifetime achievement award in 2007 and the best music film award in 2018.

Just as rare were hit pop singles. Touch of Grey, the 1987 song that brought a big surge in the aging band's popularity, was their only Billboard Top 10 hit.

But in 2024, they set a record for all artists with their 59th album in Billboard's Top 40. Forty-one of those came since 2012, thanks to the popularity of the series of archival albums compiled by David Lemieux.

Their music called acid rock at its inception would pull in blues, jazz, country, folk and psychedelia in long improvisational jams at their concerts.

I venture to say they are the great American band, TV personality and devoted Deadhead Andy Cohen said as host of the MusiCares event. What a wonder they are.

Irans parliament speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be legitimate targets if the U.S. strikes the Islamic Republic over the ongoing protests roiling the country, as threatened by President Donald Trump.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the threat after nationwide protests challenging Irans theocracy saw protesters flood the streets in the countrys capital and its second-largest city into Sunday morning, crossing the two-week mark. At least 116 people have died in violence surrounding the demonstrations, activists said.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. But the death toll in the protests has grown, while 2,600 people have been detained, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

Those abroad fear the information blackout will embolden hard-liners within Iran's security services to launch a bloody crackdown, despite warnings from Trump he's willing to strike Iran to protect peaceful demonstrators.

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Trump offered support for the protesters, saying on social media that Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before. The USA stands ready to help!!! The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous U.S. officials, said on Saturday night that Trump had been given military options for a strike on Iran, but hadnt made a final decision.

The State Department separately warned: Do not play games with President Trump. When he says hell do something, he means it.

Parliament rallies

Iranian state television broadcast the parliament session live. Qalibaf, a hard-liner who has run for the presidency in the past, gave a speech applauding police and Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, particularly its all-volunteer Basij, for having stood firm during the protests.

He went on to directly threaten Israel, the occupied territory as he referred to it, and the U.S. military, possibly with a preemptive strike.

In the event of an attack on Iran, both the occupied territory and all American military centers, bases and ships in the region will be our legitimate targets, Qalibaf said. We do not consider ourselves limited to reacting after the action and will act based on any objective signs of a threat.

Lawmakers rushed the dais in the Iranian parliament, shouting: Death to America!

It remains unclear just how serious Iran is about launching a strike, particularly after seeing its air defenses destroyed during the 12-day war in June with Israel. Any decision to go to war would rest with Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The U.S. military has said in the Mideast it is postured with forces that span the full range of combat capability to defend our forces, our partners and allies and U.S. interests. Iran targeted U.S. forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar back in June, while the U.S. Navy's Mideast-based 5th Fleet is stationed in the island kingdom of Bahrain.

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Israel, meanwhile, is watching closely the situation between the U.S. and Iran, said an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to not being authorized to speak to journalists. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio overnight on topics including Iran, the official added.

Protests in Tehran and Mashhad

Online videos sent out of Iran, likely using Starlink satellite transmitters, purportedly showed demonstrators gathering in northern Tehran's Punak neighborhood. There, it appeared authorities shut off streets, with protesters waving their lit mobile phones. Others banged metal while fireworks went off.

Other footage purportedly showed demonstrators peacefully marching down a street and others honking their car horns on the street.

The pattern of protests in the capital has largely taken the form of scattered, short-lived, and fluid gatherings, an approach shaped in response to the heavy presence of security forces and increased field pressure, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said. Reports were received of surveillance drones flying overhead and movements by security forces around protest locations, indicating ongoing monitoring and security control.

In Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city some 725 kilometers (450 miles) northeast of Tehran, footage purported to show protesters confronting security forces. Flaming debris and dumpsters could be seen in the street, blocking the road. Mashhad is home to the Imam Reza shrine, the holiest in Shiite Islam.

Protests also appeared to happen in Kerman, 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of Tehran.

Iranian state television on Sunday morning had their correspondents appear on the streets in several cities to show calm areas with a date stamp shown on screen. Tehran and Mashhad were not included. They also showed pro-government demonstrations in Qom and Qazvin.

Ali Larijani, a top security official, went on state TV to accuse some demonstrators of killing people or burning some people, which is very similar to what ISIS does, referring to the Islamic State group by an acronym.

State TV aired funerals of slain security force members while reporting another six had been killed in Kermanshah. In Fars province, violence killed 13 people, and seven security forces were killed in North Khorasan province, it added. It also showed a pickup truck full of bodies in body bags and later a morgue.

Even Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had been trying to ease anger before the demonstrations exploded in recent days, offered a hardening tone in an interview aired Sunday.

People have concerns, we should sit with them and if it is our duty, we should resolve their concerns, Pezeshkian said. But the higher duty is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy the entire society.

More demonstrations planned Sunday

Irans exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi asked in his latest message for demonstrators to take to the streets Sunday.

Pahlavis support of and from Israel has drawn criticism in the past, particularly after the 12-day war. Demonstrators have shouted in support of the shah in some protests, but it isnt clear whether thats support for Pahlavi himself or a desire to return to a time before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the countrys economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Irans theocracy.

Reviving a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump wants a one-year, 10% cap on credit card interest rates, a move that could save Americans tens of billions of dollars but drew immediate opposition from an industry that has been in his corner.

Trump was not clear in his social media post Friday night whether a cap might take effect through executive action or legislation, though one Republican senator said he had spoken with the president and would work on a bill with his full support. Trump said he hoped it would be in place Jan. 20, one year after he took office.

Strong opposition is certain from Wall Street in addition to the credit card companies, which donated heavily to his 2024 campaign and have supported Trump's second-term agenda. Banks are making the argument that such a plan would most hurt poor people, at a time of economic concern, by curtailing or eliminating credit lines, driving them to high-cost alternatives like payday loans or pawnshops.

We will no longer let the American Public be ripped off by Credit Card Companies that are charging Interest Rates of 20 to 30%, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Researchers who studied Trumps campaign pledge after it was first announced found that Americans would save roughly $100 billion in interest a year if credit card rates were capped at 10%. The same researchers found that while the credit card industry would take a major hit, it would still be profitable, although credit card rewards and other perks might be scaled back.

About 195 million people in the United States had credit cards in 2024 and were assessed $160 billion in interest charges, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says. Americans are now carrying more credit card debt than ever, to the tune of about $1.23 trillion, according to figures from the New York Federal Reserve for the third quarter last year.

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Further, Americans are paying, on average, between 19.65% and 21.5% in interest on credit cards according to the Federal Reserve and other industry tracking sources. That has come down in the past year as the central bank lowered benchmark rates, but is near the highs since federal regulators started tracking credit card rates in the mid-1990s. Thats significantly higher than a decade ago, when the average credit card interest rate was roughly 12%.

The Republican administration has proved particularly friendly until now to the credit card industry.

Capital One got little resistance from the White House when it finalized its purchase and merger with Discover Financial in early 2025, a deal that created the nations largest credit card company. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is largely tasked with going after credit card companies for alleged wrongdoing, has been largely nonfunctional since Trump took office.

In a joint statement, the banking industry was opposed to Trump's proposal.

If enacted, this cap would only drive consumers toward less regulated, more costly alternatives," the American Bankers Association and allied groups said.

Bank lobbyists have long argued that lowering interest rates on their credit card products would require the banks to lend less to high-risk borrowers. When Congress enacted a cap on the fee that stores pay large banks when customers use a debit card, banks responded by removing all rewards and perks from those cards. Debit card rewards only recently have trickled back into consumers' hands. For example, United Airlines now has a debit card that gives miles with purchases.

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The U.S. already places interest rate caps on some financial products and for some demographics. The Military Lending Act makes it illegal to charge active-duty service members more than 36% for any financial product. The national regulator for credit unions has capped interest rates on credit union credit cards at 18%.

Credit card companies earn three streams of revenue from their products: fees charged to merchants, fees charged to customers and the interest charged on balances. The argument from some researchers and left-leaning policymakers is that the banks earn enough revenue from merchants to keep them profitable if interest rates were capped.

"A 10% credit card interest cap would save Americans $100 billion a year without causing massive account closures, as banks claim. Thats because the few large banks that dominate the credit card market are making absolutely massive profits on customers at all income levels," said Brian Shearer, director of competition and regulatory policy at the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, who wrote the research on the industry's impact of Trump's proposal last year.

There are some historic examples that interest rate caps do cut off the less creditworthy to financial products because banks are not able to price risk correctly. Arkansas has a strictly enforced interest rate cap of 17% and evidence points to the poor and less creditworthy being cut out of consumer credit markets in the state. Shearer's research showed that an interest rate cap of 10% would likely result in banks lending less to those with credit scores below 600.

The White House did not respond to questions about how the president seeks to cap the rate or whether he has spoken with credit card companies about the idea.

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who said he talked with Trump on Friday night, said the effort is meant to lower costs for American families and to reign in greedy credit card companies who have been ripping off hardworking Americans for too long."

Legislation in both the House and the Senate would do what Trump is seeking.

Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., released a plan in February that would immediately cap interest rates at 10% for five years, hoping to use Trumps campaign promise to build momentum for their measure.

Hours before Trump's post, Sanders said that the president, rather than working to cap interest rates, had taken steps to deregulate big banks that allowed them to charge much higher credit card fees.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., have proposed similar legislation. Ocasio-Cortez is a frequent political target of Trump, while Luna is a close ally of the president.

Authorities say a person was in custody Saturday after six people were killed in a series of related shootings in eastern Mississippi.

Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said in a Facebook post that multiple innocent lives" were lost "due to violence in the town of West Point, near the Alabama border. The sheriff told WTVA that six people were killed in three locations.

A suspect was in custody and there was no threat to the community, the sheriff wrote on Facebook.

I ask that you lift our victims and their families in your prayers Law Enforcement is busy investigating and will release an update as soon as possible, he wrote.

The sheriff's office did not provide further details early Saturday, but planned a morning news conference.