At just 20 years old, Miss Kentucky Ariana Rodriguez made history at this year's Miss America pageant, becoming the first former foster youth to earn a spot in the top 11.

"I left everything out there on the stage, and I was really proud of myself for even making it that far, honestly," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez grew up in the foster care system and was homeless by age 16, living out of her car. Despite these hardships, she found her voice and purpose during her senior year of high school when she founded the Lucky Ones Foundation, dedicated to amplifying the voices of youth who have experienced the foster care system and educating the public about the challenges they face.

"So I was really thankful to have represented foster youth in the state of Kentucky in that way, because I just truly never thought that it would be possible," Rodriguez said.

Her favorite memory from the competition came right after her name was called for the top 11.

"I remember going up to Miss Mississippi, who was also in the foster care system, and just hugging her after we won. We'd both been in foster care, and so it was really interesting to see that two girls who statistically were not supposed to be in the room, were in the room together," Rodriguez said.

Between the intense competition schedule, Rodriguez recalls the much-needed rest breaks.

"So, we really napped as much as we could, got in that sleep whenever we could, but I remember a whole bunch of the girls were like under our big vanity mirrors, getting ready, like just napping," she said.

Rodriguez also formed lasting friendships during the competition.

"I met two other girls who have experience within the foster care system. So, overall, even though I didn't walk away with a crown, it was an incredible experience, and I walked away with truly the best friends that a girl could ask for," she said.

Rodriguez plans to continue her reign as Miss Kentucky and will also serve as a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture. She hopes to continue inspiring anyone who wants to accomplish their dreams.

"I just kept telling myself, you know, you will not be another statistic. Just take it one day at a time, and eventually you'll look back on your life and be so happy that you took that chance," Rodriguez said.

This story was originally published by Lauren Minor with the Scripps News Group in Lexington, Kentucky.

At just 20 years old, Miss Kentucky Ariana Rodriguez made history at this year's Miss America pageant, becoming the first former foster youth to earn a spot in the top 11.

"I left everything out there on the stage, and I was really proud of myself for even making it that far, honestly," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez grew up in the foster care system and was homeless by age 16, living out of her car. Despite these hardships, she found her voice and purpose during her senior year of high school when she founded the Lucky Ones Foundation, dedicated to amplifying the voices of youth who have experienced the foster care system and educating the public about the challenges they face.

"So I was really thankful to have represented foster youth in the state of Kentucky in that way, because I just truly never thought that it would be possible," Rodriguez said.

Her favorite memory from the competition came right after her name was called for the top 11.

"I remember going up to Miss Mississippi, who was also in the foster care system, and just hugging her after we won. We'd both been in foster care, and so it was really interesting to see that two girls who statistically were not supposed to be in the room, were in the room together," Rodriguez said.

Between the intense competition schedule, Rodriguez recalls the much-needed rest breaks.

"So, we really napped as much as we could, got in that sleep whenever we could, but I remember a whole bunch of the girls were like under our big vanity mirrors, getting ready, like just napping," she said.

Rodriguez also formed lasting friendships during the competition.

"I met two other girls who have experience within the foster care system. So, overall, even though I didn't walk away with a crown, it was an incredible experience, and I walked away with truly the best friends that a girl could ask for," she said.

Rodriguez plans to continue her reign as Miss Kentucky and will also serve as a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture. She hopes to continue inspiring anyone who wants to accomplish their dreams.

"I just kept telling myself, you know, you will not be another statistic. Just take it one day at a time, and eventually you'll look back on your life and be so happy that you took that chance," Rodriguez said.

This story was originally published by Lauren Minor with the Scripps News Group in Lexington, Kentucky.

Bad Bunny fans in the U.S. will have to travel if they want to see the musician live in his upcoming tour.

The Puerto Rican performer said in a recent interview that he didn't include cities in the United States for tour stops out of fear that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could target the venues.

People from the U.S. could come here to see the show. Latinos and Puerto Ricans of the United States could also travel here, or to any part of the world, he told i-D magazine. But there was the issue that ICE could be outside [my concert venue]. And its something that we were talking about and very concerned about.

Bad Bunny has been critical of ICE operations that have intensified under the Trump administration.

The concert tour kicked off with a two-month residency in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Titled "I Don't Want to Leave Here," the residency includes 30 international concerts, ending on Sept.14.

His world tour will start in November in the Dominican Republic, touring Latin America, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and ending in Brussels.

The performer had urged fans in the U.S. to come to Puerto Rico during his residency.

As an "unincorporated territory" of the United States, ICE can and does operate in Puerto Rico. Citizens of Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens and have U.S. passports, but cannot vote in presidential elections.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A professor at Texas A&M University was fired and others were removed from their positions after a video surfaced in which a student confronted the instructor over her teaching of issues related to gender identity in a class on children's literature.

The firing of Melissa McCoul, a senior lecturer in the English department with over a decade of teaching experience, came after political pressure from Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who had called for her termination.

The incident prompted Glenn Hegar, the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, to order an audit of courses at all 12 schools in the system.

"It is unacceptable for A&M System faculty to push a personal political agenda," Hegar said in a statement on Monday. "We have been tasked with training the next generation of teachers and childcare professionals. That responsibility should prioritize protecting children not engaging in indoctrination."

In an email, McCoul referred all questions to her attorney, Amanda Reichek. Reichek said in a statement that McCoul has appealed her termination and "is exploring further legal action."

"Dr. McCoul was fired in derogation of her constitutional rights and the academic freedom that was once the hallmark of higher education in Texas," Reichek said.

Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III said in a statement Tuesday he directed the campus provost to fire McCoul after learning the instructor had continued teaching content in a children's literature course "that did not align with any reasonable expectation of standard curriculum for the course."

Welsh said the issue had been raised earlier this summer and he had "made it clear to our academic leadership that course content must match catalog descriptions for each and every one of our course sections." Welsh said he learned on Monday that this was not taking place.

"This isn't about academic freedom; it's about academic responsibility," Welsh said.

In her statement, Reichek pushed back on Welsh's claims that McCoul's teaching did not match the course description.

"Professor McCoul's course content was entirely consistent with the catalog and course description, and she was never instructed to change her course content in any way, shape, or form," Reichek said. "In fact, Dr. McCoul taught this course and others like it for many years, successfully and without challenge."

Welsh also ordered the removal of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the head of the English Department from their administrative positions.

The actions by Texas A&M were criticized by faculty and writers' groups.

"We are witnessing the death of academic freedom in Texas, the remaking of universities as tools of authoritarianism that suppress free thought," Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms Managing Director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, said in a statement.

The Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors said what happened at Texas A&M University should concern every Texan.

"Not only has the integrity of academic freedom come under fire, but the due process rights of a faculty member have been trampled at the urging of state politicians + the governor himself," the group said in a statement.

The controversy began on Monday after Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison posted a video, audio recordings and other materials on a thread on the social media site X. Harrison called for the professor and Welsh to be fired for "DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination."

In one video, a female student and the professor can be heard arguing over gender identity being taught in a children's literature class. The student and professor are not shown and it's unclear when the video was taken.

"This also very much goes against not only myself but a lot of people's religious beliefs. And so I am not going to participate in this because it's not legal and I don't want to promote something that is against our president's laws as well as against my religious beliefs," the student could be heard saying in the video.

"If you are uncomfortable in this class you do have the right to leave. What we are doing is not illegal," the professor said.

In her back-and-forth with the professor, the student mentioned an executive order that President Donald Trump signed earlier this year in which he said "it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female."

A Texas law took effect on Sept. 1 that forbids Texas K-12 schools from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. The law does not apply to universities and other institutions of higher education.

Texas A&M is located in College Station, about 95 miles (153 kilometers) northwest of Houston.

Black lawmakers are calling for an investigation into a series of threats made against historically Black colleges and universities across the country.

The Congressional Black Caucus asked the Department of Justice and FBI to "swiftly" investigate the threats that disrupted campuses nationwide.

At least six HBCUs, including Alabama State University, Hampton University and Virginia State University, canceled classes and locked down campuses after receiving threats Thursday.

Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, chair of the caucus, called the threats "vile" and a "chilling reminder" of racism and extremism that continues to target Black communities.

The FBI called the threats "hoaxes" but added that it takes the threats "very seriously."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

President Donald Trump said Friday he'll send the National Guard to address crime concerns in Memphis with support from the mayor and Tennessee's governor, making it his latest expansion of military forces into American cities that has tested the limits of presidential power and drawn sharp criticism from local leaders.

Speaking on Fox News, Trump said "the mayor is happy" and "the governor is happy" about the pending deployment. The city is "deeply troubled," he said, adding, "we're going to fix that just like we did Washington," where he's sent the National Guard and surged federal law enforcement.

Memphis is a majority-Black city and has a Democratic mayor, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Republican Gov. Bill Lee confirmed Friday that he was working with the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops to Memphis as part of a new crime-fighting mission.

The governor said he planned to speak with the president on Friday to work out details of the mission and was working with Trump's team to determine the most effective roles for the Tennessee National Guard, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Memphis Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.

Trump on Friday said he decided to send troops into Memphis after Union Pacific's CEO Jim Vena, who used to regularly visit the city when he served on the board of FedEx, urged him earlier this week to address crime in the city.

Since sending the National Guard to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., Trump has openly mused about sending troops to some of the nation's most Democratic cities including Chicago and Baltimore even as data shows most violent crime in those places and around the country has declined in recent years.

Trump has also suggested he could send troops to New Orleans, another Democratic-run city in a Republican-leaning state.

Crime is down, but troops may be coming

The president's announcement came just days after Memphis police reported decreases across all major crime categories in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in previous years. Overall crime hit a 25-year low, while murder hit a six-year low, police said.

Asked Friday if city and state officials had requested a National Guard deployment -- or had formally signed off on it -- the White House didn't answer. It also didn't offer a possible timeline or say whether federal law enforcement would be surged in connection with a guard deployment to Memphis, as happened when troops were deployed to Washington.

Trump said Friday that he "would have preferred going to Chicago," where local politicians have fiercely resisted his plans, but suggested the city was too "hostile" with "professional agitators."

Officials in Tennessee appear divided

Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor, who backs the Memphis troop deployment, said Friday the National Guard could provide "administrative and logistical support" to law enforcement and allow local officers to focus on policework. Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn also voiced her approval.

The Democratic mayor of Shelby County, which includes the city of Memphis, criticized Trump's proposal. "Mr. President, no one here is 'happy,'" said Mayor Lee Harris. "Not happy at all with occupation, armored vehicles, semi-automatic weapons, and military personnel in fatigues."

Republican Gov. Bill Lee said Wednesday that an ongoing FBI operation alongside state and local law enforcement had already made "hundreds of arrests targeting the most violent offenders." He also said there are record levels of Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers in Shelby County, including a newly announced additional 50 troopers.

"We are actively discussing the next phase of our strategy to accelerate the positive momentum that's already underway, and nothing is off the table," Lee said in the statement.

On Thursday, Memphis Mayor Paul Young said he learned earlier this week that the governor and Trump were considering the deployment in Memphis.

"I am committed to working to ensure any efforts strengthen our community and build on our progress," Young's statement said. What the city needs most, he said, is money for intervention and crime prevention, as well as more officers on patrol and support for bolstering the police department's investigations.

Some Republicans, including Taylor, the state senator, have asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to audit the Memphis Police Department's crime reporting.

Trump's broader National Guard strategy

Trump first deployed troops to Los Angeles in early June over Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections by putting the California National Guard under federal jurisdiction, known as Title 10, to protect federal property from protests over immigration raids. The guard later helped protect officers during immigration arrests.

Alongside 4,000 guard members, 700 active duty Marines were also sent, and California sued over the intervention.

In Washington, D.C., where the president directly commands the National Guard, Trump has used troops for everything from armed patrols to trash cleanup without any legal issues.

RELATED STORY | Trump renews National Guard threat to Chicago, citing weekend killings

Chicago is on edge

Trump's comments underscored his shift away from threats to send troops into Chicago. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, vowed legal action to block any such move.

Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, has said a federal intervention is not justified or wanted in Chicago. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi this week accused state leaders of being uncooperative.

"We want Chicago to ask us for the help and they're not going to do that," she told reporters after an unrelated event near Chicago where federal agents seized vaping products.

Even without National Guard troops, residents in Chicago are expecting more federal immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security launched a new operation this week, with federal officials confirming 13 people with prior criminal arrests had been detained. However, it's still unclear what role that operation would play more broadly.

Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk, was arrested late Thursday night, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed at a news conference on Friday ending a 33-hour manhunt. Robinson was arrested in St George, Utah, which is about 250 miles from Utah Valley University, the site of Wednesday's assassination.

Cox's announcement came hours after President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that a suspect was placed in custody.

Later on Friday, Robinson was initially charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, and obstruction of justice. Final charges could come in the coming days.

According to a statement from Utah State University, Tyler James Robinson attended the school for one semester in 2021.

State records said Robinson was a registered voter but was not affiliated with a political party.

The family of Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah man, told officials that he has become "more political in recent years," Cox said. Cox said that Robinson opposed Kirk's political views.

"A family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to Sept. 10 and, in the conversation with another family member, mentioned that Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU," Cox said. "They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had."

In that same conversation, the other family member reportedly said that they believed Kirk was "full of hate" and "spreading hate," according to Cox.

RELATED STORY | Who was Charlie Kirk? What we know about the conservative political influencer

Cox said that ammunition casings found at the crime scene included messages engraved that said, "Hey Fascist! Catch!" and "If you read this, you are Gay, LMAO."

Cox said Robinson's roommate showed investigators messages that he had reportedly sent on the Discord app discussing the need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point.

Officials said that a member of Robinson's family reached out to a family friend, who then contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office and said that Robinson had confessed or implied he had killed Kirk.

Law enforcement found surveillance video from the day of the shooting that they said showed Robinson arriving at the Utah Valley University campus in a gray Dodge Challenger around 8:20 a.m., wearing a plain maroon shirt, light-colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo and light-colored shoes.

When investigators encountered Robinson in person in Washington County in the early morning hours of Sept. 12, he was wearing similar clothing to that of the surveillance images from the morning of the shooting.

Cox said he does not anticipate anyone else will be charged, and law enforcement believed that Robinson acted alone.

President Trump said he hopes the shooter gets the death penalty. He indicated in the interview that there was help from a minister who works with law enforcement, who knows a U.S. Marshall, and they took it from there.

"Somebody very close to him said, 'That's him,'" President Trump said. "And essentially went to the father, who went to a U.S. Marshal, who is fantastic and the person was involved with law enforcement, but was a person of faith, a minister. And brought him to a U.S. Marshal, who is fantastic, and the father convinced the son that this is it."

RELATED STORY | Charlie Kirk's casket flown home to Arizona aboard Air Force Two

On Thursday, officials released photos of a "person of interest," depicting a young adult male wearing a hat, sunglasses and a T-shirt with an American Flag and an eagle on it.

Later that night, the FBI released video footage showing what they believed to be the suspect running across the top of a building at the school before jumping to the ground.

As of Thursday evening, the FBI had received over 7,000 tips related to the case. Officials said the volume of tips outnumbered those involving the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.

Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist closely aligned with President Trump, was killed on Wednesday during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and two young children.

Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a right-wing political nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses across the U.S. making him a major figure and voice within the young conservative movement, with millions of followers across his various social media platforms.

He was at the university on Wednesday to kick off his "The American Comeback Tour," where he engaged students through political debates under tents branded with phrases like "Prove Me Wrong."

Kirk was about 20 minutes into his speaking event when a single shot hit him in the neck, according to officials. FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were on the scene within 16 minutes.

The United States Naval Academy in Maryland was on lockdown Thursday as law enforcement responded to reports of threats made to the military school, officials said.

The academy in Annapolis was working with local law enforcement to respond to the reports of threats, Lt. Naweed Lemar, the spokesperson for the base that hosts the academy, said in a statement.

The base is on lockdown out of an abundance of caution, he said. "This is a developing situation and we will provide updates as they become available.

Police were near Bancroft Hall, which houses midshipmen in its more than 1,600 dorm rooms. It is considered the biggest single college dormitory in the world, according to the school's website.

Senate Republicans took the first steps to change the chambers rules on Thursday, moving to make it easier to confirm groups of President Donald Trumps nominees after last-minute negotiations with Democrats fell apart.

Senate Majority Leader John Thunes move is the latest salvo after a dozen years of gradual changes by both parties to weaken the filibuster and make the nominations process more partisan. He has said the Democrats obstruction is unsustainable as they have drawn out the confirmation process and infuriated Trump as many positions in his administration have remained unfilled.

The Senate on Thursday evening moved forward on the proposed rule change with a 45-53 party line vote. The new rules would allow the Senate to move some of Trumps nominees in groups of 48 at a time.

Republicans had delayed the votes for almost five hours on Thursday afternoon as a bipartisan group of senators tried to work out a deal that could be beneficial to both parties. But they cut those talks short amid an impasse as Democrats asked for more time to negotiate.

How much time is enough? Thune, R-S.D., angrily asked Democrats as he moved to resume votes. He said that the deal was based on a Democratic proposal when President Joe Biden was in office and that the two parties had already been negotiating for weeks.

Weve got to fix this, Thune said. Its time to vote.

RELATED STORY | Senate GOP eyes rule change to fast-track Trump nominee confirmations

Having abandoned the bipartisan talks, Republicans advanced their original plan to hold several procedural votes that allow them to change the Senate rules for confirming presidential nominees. As part of the vote series, they will ask to appeal the chair, or change the rules, which takes a simple majority vote.

Republicans will have to go through additional procedural steps next week for the process to be complete. And if all goes according to their plan, the first tranche of Trump's nominees undersecretaries and staff positions for various agencies across the government as well as several ambassadors could be confirmed as soon as next Thursday.

The rules change effort comes as both parties have obstructed the others nominees for years, and as both Republicans and Democrats have advocated speeding the process when they are in the majority. The Republican rules change stops short of speeding up votes on high-level Cabinet officials and lifetime judicial appointments.

Republicans have been pushing the rules change since early August, when the Senate left for a monthlong recess after a breakdown in bipartisan negotiations over the confirmation process and Trump told Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to GO TO HELL! on social media.

Democrats have blocked more nominees than ever before as they have struggled to find ways to oppose Trump and the GOP-dominated Congress, and as their voters have pushed them to fight Republicans at every turn. Its the first time in recent history that the minority party hasnt allowed at least some quick confirmations.

Schumer has said Democrats are delaying the nominations because Trumps nominees are historically bad.

If you dont debate nominees, if you dont vote on individual nominees, if theres not some degree of sunlight, what will stop Donald Trump from nominating even worse individuals than weve seen to date, knowing this chamber will rubber stamp anything he wishes? Schumer said Monday.

Still, Democrats continued talks with Republicans into Thursday afternoon as Republicans delayed their votes. The two sides discussed a compromise that would have limited the groups of nominees to 15 and shortened the length of debate.

But in the end, they were not able to agree. Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii said they were achingly close to a deal.

But I am afraid my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have run out of patience, he added.

The Senate is stuck, said Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, a Republican who led the negotiations. The challenge is this body has just broken down trust.

Schumer has told Republicans that they will come to regret their action echoing a similar warning from GOP Leader Mitch McConnell to then-Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in 2013, when Democrats changed Senate rules for executive branch and lower court judicial nominees to remove the 60-vote threshold for confirmations. At the time, Republicans were blocking President Barack Obamas picks.

Republicans took the Senate majority a year later, and McConnell eventually did the same for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 as Democrats tried to block Trumps nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch.

I say to my Republican colleagues, think carefully before taking this step, Schumer said.

Multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were put on lockdown and canceled classes on Thursday due to campus threats.

Alabama State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University, Southern University and A&M College and Bethune-Cookman University all cited potential threats made against their respective campuses.

Some of the lockdowns were later lifted with restrictions put in place as law enforcement investigated the grounds.

"Due to a potential threat, Virginia State University is currently on lockdown," the school said in an email to students and staff around 8:30 a.m. ET, according to the Scripps News Group in Richmond. "All students who are on campus should remain indoors, and those off campus should not come to campus at this time. All classes have been canceled, and all VSU employees are instructed to work remotely."

A seemingly similar threat was made against Hampton University in Virginia around the same time on Thursday. The school decided to cancel classes for the remainder of the day and for Sept. 12.

No injuries were reported as a result of the campus threats.

The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserves board of governors by Monday, before the central banks next vote on interest rates.

Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Feds board. Trump has accused Cook of mortgage fraud because she appeared to claim two properties as primary residences in July 2021, before she joined the board. Such claims can lead to a lower mortgage rate and smaller down payment than if one of them was declared as a rental property or second home. Cook has denied the charges.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb ruled that the administration had not satisfied a requirement that Fed governors can only be fired for cause, which she said was limited to misconduct while in office. Cook did not join the Feds board until 2022.

RELATED STORY | Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook sues Trump administration over attempt to fire her

In their emergency appeal, Trumps lawyers argued that even if the conduct occurred before her time as governor, her alleged actions indisputably calls into question Cooks trustworthiness and whether she can be a responsible steward of the interest rates and economy.

They asked an appeals court to issue an emergency decision reversing the lower court by Monday. The Fed begins its next meeting Tuesday, and will announce a decision on interest rates on Wednesday. The central bank is almost certain to reduce its benchmark rate at that meeting by a quarter-point, to about 4.1%.

The fatal shooting of conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Wednesday is renewing calls to address a rise in political violence across the United States.

Recent years have seen similar high-profile incidents from the assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump to the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker, and the shootings of U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise and Gabby Giffords.

FROM THE ARCHIVES | Scripps News Investigates: A surge of political violence in America

Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, said Wednesday's assassination of Charlie Kirk left his community reeling.

"We all feel deep grief and sorrow for what happened yesterday," he told Scripps News. "The political violence that we witnessed was evil and it is imperative that Americans, regardless of our political backgrounds, that we emphatically denounce violence in all of its forms."

Williams urged Americans to reject division and search for common ground.

"America, we got to rise up and we have to be better than this," he said. "We have to transcend these political divisions because the simple truth is that we have people that we love on all sides of the political conflict."

IN RELATED NEWS | Politicians who've experienced violence directly react to Charlie Kirk shooting

Williams emphasized that overcoming divisions is the essence of American pluralism.

"We have to find a way to transcend," he added. "That's what American pluralism is all about. When it's at its healthiest, we're working through conflicts, we're coming together across divides. But at our worst, we're picking up a gun to resolve those conflicts."

Williams said he has been making personal outreach to people across the political spectrum.

"I've been reaching out to my conservative friends and just extending love to them, compassion, seeing the humanity of each other," he added. "This isn't a moment to take political point, cheap political shots. We need to actually reach out to each other and connect across our humanity if we're ever going to solve these problems."

Watch Scripps News' full interview with Troy Williams, executive director of Equality Utah, in the video player above.

The United States placed last among high-income Western countries in reducing chronic disease death risks, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

In fact, while other countries saw a notable decrease in deaths due to chronic diseases between 2010 and 2019, the number actually increased for Americans between the ages of 20 to 45, the study said.

Researchers called this statistic a "rare phenomenon in high-income Western countries."

RELATED STORY | Childhood obesity tops underweight globally in historic first

While the U.S. performed worst overall, researchers noted in the study that it was not entirely alone in struggling with this health challenge.

Germany ranked closely with the U.S. in the study's findings, indicating similar challenges in addressing chronic disease deaths.

Denmark topped the list with the largest decline in chronic disease deaths among the countries studied, demonstrating the most successful approach to reducing these preventable deaths.

The research highlights a concerning trend for American public health, as chronic diseases typically become more manageable and preventable as countries develop better healthcare systems and preventive care programs.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Authorities identified the gunman who injured two students in a shooting at Evergreen High School near Denver on Wednesday as 16-year-old Desmond Holly, a student at the school.

The shooter died on Wednesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

The two students who were injured in the shooting were in critical condition on Wednesday after being transported to local hospitals, officials said. Their ages have not been released.

One of the victims was identified by his family as 18-year-old Matthew Silverstone. His family issued a statement through the sheriff's office that said, "The family appreciates the communitys concern and support, but as we remain focused on our loved ones recovery, we respectfully request privacy as we continue to heal and navigate the road ahead."

During a press conference on Thursday, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Jacki Kelley said investigators are working to determine a motive in the shooting.

However, Kelley did say that investigators believe he had been "radicalized by some extremist network."

The gunman reportedly used a revolver handgun that he loaded multiple times. Kelley said "a lot" of rounds were fired inside and outside of the school, making it hard to determine at this time if it was a targeted or random attack.

The incident began around 12:40 p.m. local time, when the sheriff's office first issued an alert warning about an "active assailant" in the area of the school.

Kelley said students roughly 900 of them were in their lunch hour at the time, so they were located around various parts of the school campus. Once the shooting began, students fled in different directions searching for safety through the wooded areas surrounding the school.

One of the students who was shot was found on a roadway behind the school, according to law enforcement.

Deputies responded to the scene within minutes, Kelley said.

The students and the staff at the school were amazing. They did their job," she added. "They did it well. And lives were saved yesterday because of the actions they took during their lockdown drill."

Evergreen High School does have a full-time school resource officer through the sheriff's office, but Kelley said that individual was on medical leave. There are part-time officers who rotate the responsibility, but the deputy assigned on Wednesday had left the school grounds to respond to a nearby crash.

Kelley said she believes the security resource officer being off grounds was coincidental and not part of the shooter's plan.

A residence where the shooter reportedly lived with his parents was searched by law enforcement. It's located in a gated community about 6 miles away from the school.

Kelley said the family has been cooperating with the investigation at this time. She said she could not provide information on the evidence collected from the home, and could not say where the teen got the handgun at this time, as the investigation is ongoing.

For the first time in history, the number of obese children worldwide has surpassed the number who are underweight, according to a new UNICEF report.

The study found that one in 10 children globally are living with obesity, shifting the conversation about what malnourishment looks like. In 2000, just 3% of children worldwide were considered obese.

The United States was among the nations with the highest childhood obesity rates, at 21%.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell cited ultra-processed foods as a major factor, saying such products are replacing fruits, vegetables and proteins in childrens diets.

When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children, said Russell. Obesity is a growing concern that can impact the health and development of children. Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in childrens growth, cognitive development and mental health.

Fast foods and items high in sugar, refined starch and salt not only contribute to obesity but also cause deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals children need for healthy development, the report said.

The report served as a call to action for nations to develop policies aimed at addressing growing obesity rates. UNICEF recommended banning the marketing of ultra-processed foods to children and limiting their use in schools.

In many countries we are seeing the double burden of malnutrition the existence of stunting and obesity. This requires targeted interventions, said Russell. Nutritious and affordable food must be available to every child to support their growth and development. We urgently need policies that support parents and caretakers to access nutritious and healthy foods for their children.

Air travelers must now pack their electric toothbrushes in carry-on luggage under new Transportation Security Administration guidance aimed at preventing lithium battery fires.

This comes as the Federal Aviation Administration also released a new alert emphasizing the importance of keeping lithium batteries in the cabin, where they can be monitored.

Lithium batteries pose a fire risk because they can ignite unexpectedly. The FAA is urging travelers to keep devices with built-in batteries, or the batteries themselves, in easily accessible places within the cabin.

If a lithium battery does ignite during flight, having it in the cabin allows the flight crew or firefighters to address the issue quickly, officials said.

Batteries stored in checked luggage would be inaccessible during the flight, making it impossible to respond to a fire emergency.

The new guidance applies to all devices containing lithium batteries, not just electric toothbrushes.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendezs wife told a judge that her husband was not the man I thought he was before she was sentenced Thursday to 4 years in prison for selling the powerful New Jersey politicians influence in exchange for bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car.

U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein sentenced Nadine Menendez, 58, after she was convicted in April of colluding from 2018 to 2023 with her husband, the former Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a variety of corrupt schemes, some involving assisting the Egyptian government.

Sobbing as she addressed the judge shortly before she was sentenced, Nadine Menendez described her husband as a manipulative liar.

I put my life in his hands and he strung my like a puppet, she said. The blindfold is off. I now know hes not my savior. Hes not the man I thought he was.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Ex-New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez begins serving 11-year bribery sentence

Stein told the defendant that she wasn't the person she was portrayed as during last year's trial of her husband and two New Jersey businessmen, when the judge said she was painted as as manipulative, hungry for money and the true force behind the conspiracies.

But he said she also wasn't the innocent observer of what was happening around you, as she was portrayed by her lawyer at her trial.

You knew what you were doing. Your role was purposeful, he said.

When she spoke, Nadine Menendez partly blamed her husband, saying she was duped by his power and stature and that she felt compelled to do whatever he wanted, such as calling or meeting with certain people.

I would never have imagined someone of his ranking putting me in this position, she said, though she acknowledged that in retrospect, she was a grown woman and should have known better.

Prior to the hearing, Bob Menendez submitted a letter to the judge saying he regretted that he didnt fully preview what his lawyer said about his wife during his trial and in closing arguments.

To suggest that Nadine was money hungry or in financial need, and therefore would solicit others for help, is simply wrong, he wrote.

In addition to prison time, Stein sentenced Nadine Menendez to three years of supervised release. He said he granted her leniency in part because of the trial she endured, her difficult childhood in Lebanon, her abusive romantic partners, her health conditions and her age.

Stein said a prison term was important for general deterrence purposes: People have to understand there are consequences."

IN RELATED NEWS | DOJ: Menendez connected Qatari royal with NJ businessman for profit

Nadine Menendez wont have to surrender to prison until next summer. Stein set a reporting date of July 10, accommodating a defense request that she be allowed to remain free to complete necessary medical procedures before she heads behind bars. Federal prosecutors did not object to the request.

Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of at least seven years.

Her lawyer, Sarah Krissoff, asked that she serve only a year behind bars, citing her difficult recovery from breast cancer, which was diagnosed just prior to last year's trial, when she was to be tried along with her husband. She ended up being tried separately.

Bob Menendez, 71, is serving an 11-year sentence after his conviction on charges of taking bribes, extortion, and acting as an agent of the Egyptian government.

Prosecutors say Nadine Menendez played a large and crucial role in her husbands crimes, serving as an intermediary between the senator and three New Jersey businessmen who literally lined his coat pockets with tens of thousands of dollars in cash in return for favors he could deliver with his political clout.

During a 2022 FBI raid on the couple's New Jersey home, investigators found $480,000 in cash, gold bars worth an estimated $150,000 and a luxury convertible in the garage.

Prosecutors said that, among his other corrupt acts, the senator met with Egyptian intelligence officials and speeded that country's access to U.S. military aid as part of a complex effort to help his bribe-paying associates, one of whom had business dealings with the Egyptian government.

The NCAA banned three men's college basketball players for sports betting on Wednesday, saying they had bet on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State and were able to share thousands of dollars in payouts.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an enforcement investigation that concluded Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver bet on one another's games and/or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season; two of them manipulated their performances to ensure certain bets were won. The eligibility was permanently revoked.

The NCAA said a sports integrity monitoring service in January notified Fresno State and NCAA enforcement staff that a Nevada sportsbook operator had flagged suspicious prop bets on Robinson. The investigation began a week later. The Associated Press could not immediately locate the former players for comment.

RELATED STORY | NCAA head warns of the dark side of college sports gambling

According to the NCAA, Robinson and Vasquez had been roommates at Fresno State during the 2023-24 season. In January 2025, Robinson and Vasquez, now at San Jose State, discussed over text message that Robinson planned to underperform in several statistical categories during a regular-season game. Robinson also placed multiple bets on Weaver, his teammate at Fresno State in 2024-25, the NCAA found.

The game that drew attention to Robinson was Fresno State's Jan. 7 matchup with Colorado State. The NCAA said he had three bets based on his his performance one was $200 to win $1,450; the second was $800 to win $5,800; and the third was $1,200 to win $8,700.

Investigators found that before that game, Robinson told his mother to transfer money by Apple Pay to Vasquez so Vasquez could coordinate a $200 bet on Robinson's under-line for Robinson. After the game, the NCAA said, Vasquez helped Robinson transfer $1,425 of the winnings to Robinson's mother. On Jan. 10, Vasquez provided $200 to Robinson.

Also last season, Robinson placed 13 daily fantasy sports over-line and under-line prop bets totaling $454 on parlays that included his own performance. He collected $618 on one occasion, the NCAA said.

Robinson placed bets on Weaver before a game in late December 2024 after he and Weaver exchanged information about their respective betting lines, the NCAA said. Weaver also placed a $50 prop bet on a parlay for himself, Robinson and a third athlete, and he won $260.

Vasquez and Robinson failed to cooperate with the enforcement staff's investigation, the NCAA said. Weaver cooperated and agreed to the violation in his case.

All three were released from their respective teams and are no longer enrolled at their previous schools. Neither school was punished.

Fresno State said it cooperated willingly with the NCAA.

"The university proactively shared reported information concerning sports wagering activity with the NCAA and worked collaboratively with the NCAA staff throughout the investigation," the school said in a statement. "While the eligibility consequences for the former student-athletes are significant, the case ultimately resulted in a Level III/Secondary violation and no sanctions for the institution. The university continues to have confidence in the Fresno State Athletics' culture and is grateful to conclude this matter."

San Jose State said in a statement that it is aware of the decision and noted that Vasquez had already been removed from the roster several months ago. He graduated in May 2025.

The latest case comes eight years after a 2017 federal investigation into off-the-books payments to players and their families that, at the time, was against NCAA rules and one of the biggest scandals in the sport's history.

Since then, the growth of legalized gambling across the United States has raised concerns for college sports leaders and there have been allegations against schools involving betting, including some against three other basketball programs earlier this year.

The NCAA in June said that "several sports betting-related violations by staff members at NCAA schools" have been resolved in recent years and noted its enforcement staff was working on issuing notices of allegations in several ongoing gambling cases.

"The enforcement staff's sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff including our new sports betting integrity unit has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations," Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement, said then.

The nation's largest college sports organization, overseeing some 500,000 athletes, also said it was considering a proposal that would allow athletes and staff members to bet on professional sports and shift enforcement efforts to college sports betting and "behaviors that directly impact game integrity." The Division I Council introduced the proposal that will be considered this fall and be implemented if Divisions II and III officials also approve.

Current NCAA rules do not allow athletes or institutional staff to engage in sports betting for any sports that have NCAA championships; bets by an athlete on their own team or own sport risks a lifetime ban from college athletics. Those rules would not change under the pending proposal.

They were careful with the explicit imagery as usual. But did it make any difference?

Traditional news organizations were cautious in their midafternoon coverage of Charlie Kirk's assassination Wednesday not to depict the moment he was shot, instead showing video of him tossing a hat to his audience moments before, and panicked onlookers scattering wildly in the moments after.

In practical terms, though, it mattered little. Gory video of the shooting was available almost instantly online, from several angles, in slow-motion and real-time speed. Millions of people watched.

Video was easy to find on X, on Facebook, on TikTok, on Instagram, on YouTube even on Truth Social, where President Donald Trump posted official word of the conservative activist's death. It illustrated how the "gatekeeping" role of news organizations has changed in the era of social media.

Scripps News reached out to leaders at X to ask about their efforts to stop the spread of graphic videos and images, if any, and have not heard back.

Kirk was shot at a public event before hundreds of people at a Utah college campus, many of them holding up phones to record a celebrity in their midst and savvy about how to disseminate video evidence of a news event.

On X, there was a video showing a direct view of Kirk being shot, his body recoiling and blood gushing from a wound. One video was a loop showing the moment of impact in slow-motion, stopping before blood is seen. Another, taken from Kirk's left, included audio that suggested Kirk was talking about gun violence at the moment he was shot.

For more than 150 years, news organizations like newspapers and television networks have long been accustomed to "gatekeeping" when it comes to explicit content making editorial decisions around violent events to decide what images and words appear on their platforms for their readers or viewers. But in the fragmented era of social media, smartphones and instant video uploads, editorial decisions by legacy media are less impactful than ever.

RELATED STORY | Trump to honor Charlie Kirk with posthumous Medal of Freedom after fatal shooting

Images spread across the country

Across the country in Ithaca, New York, college professor Sarah Kreps' teenage sons texted her about Kirk's assassination shortly after school was dismissed and they could access their phones.

No, she told them. He was shot, but there were no reports that he had died. Her son answered: Have you seen the video? There's no way he could have survived that.

The videos were posted and reposted at lightning speed. One person on X urged "stop the violence" but then included a clip of the shooting. Several people took to social media to plead for people not to spread the images. "For the love of God and Charlie's family," read one message, "just stop."

YouTube said it was removing "some graphic content" related to the event if it doesn't provide sufficient context, and restricting videos so they could not be seen by users under age 18 or those who are not signed in, the company said.

"Our hearts are with Charlie Kirk's family following his tragic death," YouTube said. "We are closely monitoring our platform and prominently elevating news content on the homepage, in search and in recommendations to help people stay informed."

Meta's rules don't prohibit posting videos like Kirk's shooting, but warning labels are applied and they are not shown to users who say they are under 18. The parent company of Instagram, Facebook and Threads referred a reporter to the company's policies on violent and graphic content, which they indicated would apply in this case, but had no further comment. An X representative did not immediately return a request for comment.

It's an issue social media companies have dealt with before, in equally gruesome circumstances. Facebook was forced to contend with people wanting to livestream violence with a mass shooting in New Zealand in 2019, said Cornell University's Kreps, author of the forthcoming book, "Harnessing Disruption: Building the Tech Future Without Breaking Society."

RELATED STORY | Who is Charlie Kirk? What we know about the conservative political influencer

Getting to the other side

Some images seeped out into more traditional media. TMZ posted a video of Kirk in which a shot and a voice saying, "Oh, my God," can be heard, but Kirk's upper body was blurred out. A similar video with a blurred image of Kirk was posted on the New York Post's website.

In such an atmosphere, the care shown by most traditional news outlets may seem quaint or old-fashioned. But news industry leaders are acutely aware of protecting people from graphic images when they are not expecting it; happening upon them is a little harder online, where many people have to search for and click on an image if they want to see it if it hasn't already been sent to you or your group chat.

There can also be an important message sent by news outlets being cautious in what they show, Kreps said. "The traditional media can amplify and validate behavior," she said. "It can be a signal for how things should be stigmatized, rather than validated or normalized."

But on the day of the shooting in a politically polarized country, the easy availability of shocking images ran the risk of making society's wound even more painful.

"I don't see how many signs of how we get as a people, as a nation to the other side of this," said CNN's David Chalian. "I think we are broken, and potentially beyond repair."