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Farmer Strangled His 82-Year-Old Churchwarden Father After Row

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A farmer strangled his churchwarden father and buried his body on the family farm after becoming afraid that the property would be handed to someone else, an inquest heard.

Charles Wright, 52, had a “blazing row” with his 82-year-old father, Brian, about the future of Hall Farm near Newark, Nottinghamshire. He later described seeing a “flash of red” before dragging his father from a car and strangling him.

In a voice note recorded on his mobile phone, Wright said his father—who was a churchwarden at St Bartholomew’s Church in Langford and had served on Winthorpe with Langford Parish Council—was “thinking of replacing him” and giving “the lion’s share of the farm to another family member”.

In the recording, he said: “I just had a flash of red and after 25 years and everything I have given him, he was just cutting me out like that.

“I just saw red, dragged him out of the car and throttled him.”

Wright also said in the recording that he planned to take his own life.

The voice note was sent to police on November 22 last year, two days after Brian Wright had been reported missing.

That same day, Wright drove towards his brother James as he ran with a friend, “causing injury”. Brian’s body was later discovered in an outbuilding on the farm.

Churchwarden Brian Wright, 82, was strangled by his son after 'blazing row', inquest heard

Churchwarden Brian Wright, 82, was strangled by his son after ‘blazing row’, inquest heard 

An inquest into the double tragedy at Nottingham Coroner’s Court concluded this afternoon, with Senior Coroner Mairin Casey finding that Brian Wright had been unlawfully killed and his son had died by suicide.

Addressing family members attending in person and by video link, she said: “The horror of this, I’m clear in my mind, will have affected all of those who have survived in a very deep and painful way.”

The inquest heard that Brian Wright had called his son “useless”, “not capable of farming” and said it was a “mistake to let him farm that land” during an “enormous blazing row”.

Detective Chief Inspector Ruby Burrow, of Nottinghamshire Police, described the voice note to the inquest. She said: “Charles stated that he had killed his father and intended to kill himself.

“He described that his father Brian had criticised him and there had been a disagreement about finances.

“He stated he had buried his father Brian on the family farm.”

Brian Wright was reported missing to police shortly before midnight on November 20 after he failed to take his wife to a hospital appointment, the inquest heard.

The next day, Wright, his brother James and a mechanic who worked on the family farm spoke to police.

Charles Wright, 52, feared he was being 'cut out' of future of family farm in Nottinghamshire

Charles Wright, 52, feared he was being ‘cut out’ of future of family farm in Nottinghamshire

DCI Burrow told the inquest that Wright, who was interviewed the day before taking his own life, was able to describe “difficult family dynamics and difficulties in relationships over the years”, including disputes over finances and working arrangements on the farm.

“He described an argument he had had with his father. He described his father had been critical towards him and he, himself, had taken some time to calm down,” she said.

Wright told police his father had ‘left in the opposite direction’ after what he described as a ‘small argument’, the court heard.

Later on November 21, Brian Wright’s vehicle was reported as being seen ‘out of place’ where it had been left overnight, and his body was found buried on the farm in a shallow grave four days later.

His cause of death was found to be pressure applied to the neck, the inquest heard.

DCI Burrow also said there had been a report on November 22 of ‘a collision between a vehicle and two gentlemen’, where the vehicle was driven at them ‘apparently deliberately’.

She said Charles Wright had driven at his brother James Wright, who was running with his friend, ‘causing injury’.

Charles Wright took his own life later that day and his body was found in an outbuilding area on Hall Farm, with his father found three days later.

The court heard there had been prior tensions at the farm which resulted in a firearms licence being withdrawn from an unnamed family member for a period of time because of concerns firearms ‘could be used inappropriately because of tensions within the family’. 

DCI Burrow said: ‘The evidence shows that Charles Wright murdered his father, and that there was no third-party involvement in the death.

‘The evidence showed [Charles] took his own life, and that there was no third-party involvement in that either.’

Ms Casey described it as ‘a truly tragic case’, and offered her condolences to the family.

‘Whatever tensions there may have been leading to this tragedy, we have here the loss of two men, who were fathers to surviving children, and a grandfather,’ she added.

For confidential support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123.

Homeless Man With 45 Convictions Arrested Over Alleged $300 Theft of Steaks, Snow Crab, Ribs and Beer

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Bruce Keith Wilmer, 67, was arrested after authorities said he allegedly stole approximately $300 worth of ribeye steaks, snow crab, ribs and beer from a Walmart store.

According to a Gainesville Police Department report, the incident occurred around 9:27 a.m. on October 28. Wilmer allegedly placed 25 items into plastic Walmart bags he had brought with him, then walked past the checkout areas without paying. A Walmart loss prevention officer stopped him near the exit. The merchandise was valued at $300.97.

During the encounter, Wilmer reportedly volunteered that he is an alcoholic. When an officer asked how long he had been out of prison, Wilmer allegedly said he had been released about a month earlier. He also reportedly told the officer that he had spent time in state custody at a facility intended to help him address his alcohol use.

Wilmer’s listed address is GRACE Marketplace. He faces a felony petit theft charge, identified as his third or subsequent offense. Court records show 19 nonviolent felony convictions and 26 nonviolent misdemeanor convictions in Florida, along with eight state prison sentences. His latest release was recorded on September 14, 2026. Authorities also noted an unspecified criminal history in Maryland dating from 1986 to 1990. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $20,000.

Reality Star, 63, Stuns as Kylie Jenner for Halloween

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Lisa Rinna, 63, sent fans rushing to do a double-take on Friday after once again stepping into the role of Kylie Jenner, 29.

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star appeared almost unrecognizable in a plunging orange cut-out dress and long brunette wig. Earlier this year, Rinna and her husband, Harry Hamlin, parodied Jenner and her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet’s viral holiday photos.

Her latest costume recreated the daring gown Jenner wore to the December 2025 premiere of Chalamet’s film Marty Supreme, held as his ultimately unsuccessful Oscars campaign was getting underway.

Rinna completed the transformation with Jenner’s signature doe-eyed makeup, dramatically lined lips and a youthful styling. She shared the Halloween look under the caption “King Lisa.”

Fans flooded the comments with praise, calling her “hotter than the original” and insisting, “That’s Kylie’s twin.”

Other reactions included, “Wow, my brain short-circuited. I thought this was Kylie,” “Couldn’t tell if it was Lisa as Kylie or Kylie as Lisa—DANG,” and “The way my jaw dropped.”

Jenner herself has yet to publicly respond to Rinna’s latest imitation.

The new Halloween transformation follows an April spoof, when Rinna and Hamlin recreated the couple’s provocative vacation snapshots.

Lisa Rinna, 63, had fans doing a double-take on Friday as she transformed into Kylie Jenner, 29, once again

Lisa Rinna, 63, sparked a double-take on Friday after transforming into Kylie Jenner, 29, once again

The revealing look was a recreation of the busty gown Jenner wore to a December 2025 premiere of Chalamet's film Marty Supreme, at the start of his ultimately futile Oscars campaign - pictured

Rinna recreated the revealing gown Jenner wore to the December 2025 premiere of Chalamet’s film Marty Supreme, at the beginning of his ultimately unsuccessful Oscars campaign

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star appeared to be enjoying the joke as she posed in a bikini, while a shirtless Hamlin, 75, delivered his own beachside thirst trap.

‘Having the time of our lives,’ Rinna captioned her Instagram post.

Rinna, the mother of “nepo babies” Delilah Belle and Amelia Gray, leaned into the makeup mogul’s signature style. She posed with a dreamy expression and her short dark hair slicked back from her face.

At the same time, Hamlin showed off his biceps in a pair of black swimming trunks.

The parody came after Jenner and Chalamet, 30, sent social media into a frenzy last month by separately posting images from a tropical beach getaway.

Although the pair did not appear in the same frame, eagle-eyed followers noticed matching details in the backgrounds, including white sand, blue-green water and distinctive rock formations.

Rinna’s earlier spoof attracted enthusiastic reactions from celebrities including Jenna Dewan, Lindsay Lohan and Carmen Electra.

Her Traitors co-stars Maura Higgins, Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski also applauded the inventive photos shared by Rinna and Hamlin.

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star wowed in a busty orange cut-out dress and long brunette wig

The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star turned heads in a plunging orange cut-out dress and long brunette wig

Fans were left stunned in the comment section as they proclaimed 'hotter than the original' and 'that's Kylie's twin'

Jenner wowed in the bright number as she cuddled CChalamet

Fans were stunned by the resemblance, describing Rinna as “hotter than the original” and “Kylie’s twin”

Rinna was joined by Michael Gelman as Chalamet

Rinna was joined by Michael Gelman, who portrayed Chalamet

Fans gushed over Rinna's 'iconic' look in the comment section

Fans gushed over Rinna’s ‘iconic’ look in the comment section

Rinna risked the ire of Jenner and Chalamet in April as she and husband Harry Hamlin recreated the couple's racy viral vacation snaps

Rinna risked the ire of Jenner and Chalamet in April as she and husband Harry Hamlin recreated the couple’s racy viral vacation snaps 

Rinna’s model daughters couldn’t resist getting their two cents in with Delilah Belle writing, ‘Oh my God,’ and Amelia Gray posting, ‘LMAS,’ short for ‘laughing my a** off.’

Fellow Housewives star Dorit Kemsley commented, ‘You two,’ alongside a pair of fire emojis.

Rinna and Hamlin have long been considered a popular power couple in Hollywood since their marriage in 1997 with their good looks and family life.

When they met, he was the big star known for LA Law and Clash of the Titans and Rinna was admittedly awed by his fame.

‘I was kind of freaked out, to be honest, because he was such a big star at the time,’ she said in a conversation at 92NY on February 26 for her book You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About it, per People. ‘He was on LA Law. He’d been married to Nicolette [Sheridan] and it was overwhelming. So I didn’t see myself in that league.’

The revealing beach photos posted by Jenner from a tropical vacation last month went viral

The revealing beach photos posted by Jenner from a tropical vacation last month went viral

Within hours, Chalamet shared photos from the same remote beach getaway

Within hours, Chalamet shared photos from the same remote beach getaway 

The LA Law alum and the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star (pictured on March 15) have long been considered a popular Hollywood power couple

The LA Law alum and the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star (pictured on March 15) have long been considered a popular Hollywood power couple

In her new memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Rinna confirmed that their 'sex is still great' and that the foundation of their relationship is built on a deep mutual trust (pictured on March 30)

In her new memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It, Rinna confirmed that their ‘sex is still great’ and that the foundation of their relationship is built on a deep mutual trust (pictured on March 30)

Rinna must be a fan or at least entertained by the spectacle created by Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet’s global romance (the couple is pictured on March 15)

In her new memoir, Rinna confirmed that their ‘sex is still great’ and that the foundation of their relationship is built on a deep mutual trust.

‘I don’t ever worry about Harry. I am not jealous. He’s not jealous. I always thought the affair rumors were so strange because that was certainly not something I ever even contemplated. I would be shocked if I found out he was having an affair.’

Earlier this year, she acknowledged that marriage takes ‘a lot of work.’

Speaking on the Dinner’s on Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson podcast, Rinna shared: ‘We’re human, and I think it’s super important to show your humanity. 

‘Where I am in my life right now, I think it’s really important for people to hear that it’s not easy to be married for all these years. It’s not easy to raise a family anywhere, let alone Hollywood, California.’

Bride-to-Be Stabbed in Neck by Fiancé Weeks Before Wedding

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An Arizona woman says her fiancé stabbed her in the neck just weeks before their wedding, and that her life was saved when her “very, very brave” 11-year-old daughter called 911.

Emily Byles, a 30-year-old mother of two, had recently moved to Glendale to live with her fiancé, Zachary Velasquez. She told Fox10 Phoenix that he attacked her with scissors on Oct. 5, roughly one month before the couple’s scheduled wedding.

“He wasn’t trying to just hurt me. He was trying to end my life,” Byles said. Photos show her recovering in a hospital with two black eyes, a neck brace and multiple cuts across her face and neck.

“I was stabbed multiple times, my artery was cut, and I was severely beaten. I was not supposed to survive, but by God’s grace I did,” Byles wrote in an online fundraiser.

According to People magazine, Byles told police that Velasquez had been using methamphetamine. She said he threatened her while claiming he was a prophet and that killing her was necessary to save her.

Byles said she was struck in the head dozens of times and did not realize right away that she had also been stabbed.

“I felt like maybe I died because it was like an out-of-body experience of going past Earth and past heaven,” she told Fox10. Byles said she was “completely mortified that someone that says he loves me and would protect me would just literally try to murder me.”

Her two daughters were also threatened during the violent attack, which ended only after her eldest child, 11, called 911.

“She’s very, very brave, and I couldn’t imagine what she’s going through,” Byles told the station.

Police responding to the emergency “forced entry into the bedroom” after hearing Byles screaming, according to a probable cause statement obtained by People. Officers found her “laying down on her back covered in blood.”

“The victim advised officers the defendant was trying to kill her,” the statement said.

Velasquez has been charged with aggravated assault.

He acknowledged punching Byles and placing her in a chokehold, but told police he acted in self-defense, People reported. The publication did not provide further details about the threat he said prompted his actions.

In a fundraising post, Byles said she was recovering at a friend’s home while her daughters were staying out of town with her sister. She described the family home as “unlivable” because there was “too much blood to clean up.”

“My fiancé, the person who attacked me, is now in jail, but my children and I are still living with the trauma of what happened,” Byles wrote.

Todd and Julie Chrisley Reveal Their Joint Facelift Surgery

The couple who gets facelifts together apparently stays together.

That certainly appears to be true for Julie and Todd Chrisley.

During an appearance on Friday’s episode of Bunnie Xo’s “Dumb Blonde” podcast, the couple revealed that they underwent matching facelifts at the same time.

The procedures took place in July, more than a year after the Chrisleys were released from prison in May 2025 following full pardons from President Donald Trump.

Julie went first, having a lower facelift, neck lift and CO2 laser treatment.

Todd did not detail the exact procedures listed on his surgeon’s bill. However, he said Julie had been the one to suggest the idea. “Julie was talking [saying], ‘I want to have this done,’ and I said then, ‘I’ll go in with you,’” he recalled.

Julie also opened up about her lip lift, saying it had not fully settled. “It was horrible,” she said, although she added that she liked the final look. The recovery, she explained, was far more painful than the facelift itself: “I was in no pain with the facelift.”

Todd praised his wife’s ability to handle the recovery, saying, “Julie has a high tolerance for pain; she did not complain one time.”

As for Todd, he suggested that years of cosmetic laser treatments had left him less sensitive to the discomfort. “I was the slave to laser,” he said. “I think I’ve been fried so much, I’m kind of numb to it.”

Todd also explained why he insisted on letting Julie go first. “She went in first because if he f—ked her up, I wasn’t doing it,” he told Bunnie. “She’s the one who wanted to go down this road so I agreed to go with her, but I did not agree to go first.”

The couple may also be preparing for another major family celebration. Earlier this week, their daughter Savannah Chrisley revealed that she is expecting her first child and has been engaged to Jason Galanis for nearly a year.

On the podcast, Julie and Todd admitted they were initially uneasy about Savannah’s relationship with Jason, who is 20 years older than their daughter. “It was not something I embraced because, I mean, to the point that I had a choice to make … It was either embrace my daughter’s decision or lose my daughter,” they said of the situation.

They continued, “And nothing is ever coming between me and my daughter … I love Savannah with my heart and soul, but did I advocate for this? No. But I will tell you that he has treated her with the utmost of respect.”

Disney World Mickey Mouse Impersonator Arrested in Florida Sex Sting

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A former Disney World Mickey Mouse performer and 12 coworkers were among nearly 300 people arrested in a Florida sex sting that also involved four Universal employees, a youth football coach and a US Navy sailor, authorities said.

Colin Klaco, 24, was arrested after allegedly arranging to meet a person he believed was a young boy online but who was actually an undercover agent, authorities said Friday. A local sheriff noted that Klaco also used his Mickey Mouse character’s “high spooky voice.” Investigators said he had an interest in diapers and brought two backpacks containing diapers he planned to wear and place on the boy.

Adam Snyder, another suspect, worked at the Roundup Rodeo restaurant in Disney’s Toy Story Land. Police said he was still wearing his work uniform when he was arrested while attempting to have sex with a minor.

Police arrested 281 people in the seven-day sex-crime operation, said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd on Friday. Polk County Sheriff’s Office

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described Rashiod Crayton, a 31-year-old local youth football coach, as the “worst of the worst.” Judd said messages Crayton sent to someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl were so graphic that he would not disclose their full contents.

“The focus here is to go out into the underworld and look for those who want to prey upon our folks,” Judd said of the historic weeklong operation, dubbed “Polk Around and Find Out II.”

Undercover agents arrested 281 people during the operation, including suspected child predators and human traffickers, Judd said at a news conference. Eleven people identified as trafficking victims were rescued, while most of the arrests involved prostitution.

According to the sheriff’s office, 32 of those arrested were in the country illegally and came from nine countries, including Italy, India, Peru, Ecuador and Haiti. Authorities said 22 of them were illegally receiving public assistance totaling more than $100,000 a year.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds a photo of suspected sex criminal

Judd holds a photo of alleged “worst of the worst” sex criminal Rashiod Crayton. WFLA

Judd called Klaco “the nastiest person we’ve ever arrested.”

While discussing Snyder’s arrest, the sheriff showed reporters footage of an ice-cream truck passing by. Judd described the timing as “apropos.”

Judd said Crayton told the person he believed was a 14-year-old girl, among other things, “I can pick you up at school, and then we can have sex in the car.”

“You see, we’ve got to be careful because just these texts will put me in jail,” Crayton allegedly wrote, according to Judd. When he arrived, the sheriff said, Crayton also brought a battery-powered sex toy.

Authorities also arrested US Navy machinist Dang Thai, whom Judd said lied about being 17 even though he was 24. After his arrest on suspicion of attempting to have sex with a minor, Thai reportedly protested that he had “top secret clearance.”

Of the total arrests, 117 people were caught by undercover agents and charged with soliciting prostitution. An Orange County deputy was among those arrested.

Another 122 people were arrested on charges related to committing prostitution.

After screening those arrested, law enforcement determined that 11 were victims of human trafficking, the sheriff’s office said.

All 11 were offered support services.

Judd said the Florida sex sting was the largest operation in Polk County’s history. He also confirmed that all Disney employees arrested during the operation had been fired.

Nine of the people charged were on probation, while 31 had previous prostitution charges.

Thirty-six of those arrested were married.

“At least they were as of the time that they were arrested. I don’t know what their significant other thinks about them today,” Judd quipped.

Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Recalls Waking After Botched Execution

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One month after surviving Tennessee’s attempt to execute her, death row inmate Christa Pike says she remains in constant pain and had never imagined a future beyond the night she expected to die.

Pike, 50, detailed her condition in a statement dictated to her legal team and released Friday.

“One month ago on September 30, I walked into the execution chamber at Riverbend men’s prison prepared to die,” Pike said. “I had made my peace.”

She said she thanked the people who had supported her over the years and told those attending the execution that she was “leaving them in loving kindness.”

A composite image shows a lethal injection gurney and a Tennessee Department of Correction booking photo of Christa Pike, the death row inmate whose attorneys say she remains hospitalized after a failed execution attempt.

An execution gurney is shown alongside a Tennessee Department of Correction booking photo of death row inmate Christa Pike, whose attorneys filed an emergency motion seeking to preserve evidence after the state’s failed execution attempt. (Greg Smith/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images | Tennessee Department of Correction via AP)

“Several days later I woke up alone in a hospital confused and in pain,” Pike said. “There hasn’t been a moment since that night when I haven’t been in pain. My body hurts. My arms hurt. My hands hurt. My throat hurts. I still struggle to speak. And the pain isn’t just physical. There is pain in my mind and in my soul.”

Pike said she had never thought about what her life might look like if she survived the execution attempt.

“I had not contemplated life beyond that night, and I’m deeply hurt by the incompetence that has put so many people in this terrible position,” she said. “I continue to think about my victim’s family and the terrible pain and loss they have endured.”

Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 killing of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, who was participating with her in a federal Job Corps program in Knoxville.

Christa Gail Pike appears remotely during a hearing in Knox County Criminal Court.

Christa Gail Pike appears remotely from Deborah K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center for her hearing in Knox County Criminal Court in Knoxville, Tenn., on Aug. 11, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

Her statement was released two days after Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said Pike remains incarcerated under state law and indicated that her death sentence is unlikely to be altered.

Pike’s attorneys have urged Lee to commute the sentence to life in prison without parole following the failed execution.

Pike said Friday that she is recovering but remains in the infirmary at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center, where she has been largely cut off from other people.

“I am recovering, and I know that I am getting stronger,” Pike said. “But healing is not the same as being okay.”

“Since that night, I have been largely isolated in the prison’s medical ward, away from other people and the human connections that mean so much to me,” she continued. “That isolation brings its own kind of pain. I spent 28 years in solitary confinement and much of what I am experiencing today is a repeat of that condition.”

Randy Spivey and Luke Ihnen, attorneys for Christa Pike, deliver a news briefing outside the Davidson County courthouse

Randy Spivey, an attorney for Christa Pike, a death row prisoner who survived a botched execution, speaks to the media, flanked by Luke Ihnen, after a Tennessee court was presented a status update on Pike, outside a courtroom in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 7, 2026. (Reuters/Seth Herald)

Pike survived Tennessee’s Sept. 30 lethal injection attempt after receiving two doses of pentobarbital and being rushed to a hospital.

She remained unconscious for several days. At one point, her attorneys believed she was brain-dead and expected doctors to remove her from life support. Pike later regained consciousness and was discharged from the hospital before being returned to prison.

Her attorneys later said Pike was able to walk and speak in complete sentences.

Pike’s survival renewed a decades-long fight over her death sentence and whether Tennessee could attempt to execute her again.

Convicted killer Christa Gail Pike listens to proceedings on April 2008 in Knox County Criminal Court in a bid for a new trial in the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer.

Convicted killer Christa Gail Pike listens to proceedings in April 2008 in Knox County Criminal Court in a bid for a new trial in the 1995 killing of fellow Job Corps student Colleen Slemmer. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)

She was 18 when she, her 17-year-old boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, and 19-year-old Shadolla Peterson were charged in Slemmer’s killing. All four were participating in Job Corps at the time.

The three took Slemmer to a secluded area on the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville campus, where her throat was cut multiple times, she was struck in the head with a large piece of asphalt and a pentagram was carved into her chest.

Christa Pike at her murder trial in 1995, left, and Colleen Slemmer, the young woman she was convicted of torturing and killing, on the right.

A split image shows Christa Pike at her murder trial in 1995, left, and Colleen Slemmer, the young woman she was convicted of torturing and killing, on the right. (Reuters)

Pike later confessed to her role in the killing. She was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996, and the Tennessee Supreme Court later affirmed her convictions and sentence.

Following the failed execution, Lee halted Tennessee’s remaining executions for the year and ordered an independent review of what went wrong.

Pike said Friday that she is still trying to understand why she survived.

“I don’t know why I survived that night. I don’t know what comes next,” she said. “Some days, finding hope is harder than others. For now, I am trying to heal, one day at a time. And I am holding on to the love and kindness of so many people who have reminded me that I am not alone.”

Trump to Rally in Iowa and Kansas After Initially Canceling Weekend Trips Ahead of Midterms

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has rescheduled campaign rallies in two pivotal Midwestern states after previously calling off the weekend events, according to a person familiar with the plans.

Trump is now set to hold back-to-back rallies in Iowa and Kansas on Sunday, the person said. The individual spoke on condition of anonymity because the schedule had not yet been publicly announced.

The abrupt changes reflected the unsettled final stretch of the midterm campaign, as Trump and Republicans work to preserve their congressional majorities. The election has centered largely on affordability and the president’s favorability. Trump began the month promising a marathon of his trademark rallies to support Republican candidates and has headlined 25 events in October.

On Thursday, Trump angrily rejected suggestions that the cancellation of his Kansas rally was related to exhaustion or his health. News of the cancellation emerged as he was returning to Washington from another campaign appearance in South Carolina. He also bristled at a reporter’s question about the event in Kansas, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is seeking reelection.

“I’m not going to Kansas because he’s doing very well,” Trump said, apparently referring to Marshall. The president added, “I feel perfect” and “I don’t feel I have to go to Kansas.”

When the Republican National Committee announced the cancellations, it said Trump would instead conduct telerallies to reach voters. The person familiar with the updated schedule said the Iowa and Kansas appearances were rearranged to make room for additional telerallies added to Trump’s calendar.

Trump’s original itinerary called for a Saturday rally in Salina, Kansas, followed by a Sunday event in Dubuque, Iowa. The revised plan initially replaced those appearances with a “72-hour sprint” of phone rallies designed to let Trump reach voters across the country, according to the RNC.

Republican officials have not disclosed the telerally schedule. Such events cost considerably less than in-person rallies and generally feature Trump speaking for about 10 minutes, often from a script, to hundreds or thousands of people who call in. That format is far shorter than the roughly 90-minute, freewheeling remarks he frequently delivers at live appearances.

Sunday’s Iowa rally will take place in Cedar Rapids rather than Dubuque, according to another person familiar with the plans. That person also spoke anonymously because the information had not yet been made public.

Trump will now hold both the Iowa and Kansas rallies on Sunday. Each state features a competitive Senate race that could help determine whether Republicans retain control of the chamber after the midterm elections.

Trump has visited both states this month, campaigning for Marshall in Kansas and Ashley Hinson, the Republican Senate candidate in Iowa who currently serves in the House.

Vice President JD Vance visited Kansas earlier this week to campaign with Marshall and traveled to Iowa in September to support the party’s House candidates. Vance’s office had also said he would travel to St. Cloud, Minnesota, on Friday for a news conference about his anti-fraud efforts. However, a person familiar with his plans said that appearance was canceled because of a scheduling change.

During a Friday morning interview with a Kansas City radio station, Trump described Marshall as “fantastic.” He praised the senator for pressing his administration on policies intended to benefit Kansas farmers, including an expansion of tax-free use for red-dyed diesel.

Trump also attacked Marshall’s Democratic opponent, Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton, calling him a “radical” who has “caused turmoil with the church because he’s so liberal.” Hamilton has said that if Jesus were standing before them today, “Roger Marshall would call him ‘woke.’”

Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Trump’s Two Efforts to Reshape DC Face Court Battles Before Midterms

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WASHINGTON – Two lawsuits challenging administration-backed projects were being heard Friday in the same federal courthouse, highlighting President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape parts of the District of Columbia and the broader claims of executive power behind those efforts.

One case concerns the planned closure and redesign of a historic public golf course. The other challenges construction of a monumental arch that would rise 250 feet (75 meters)—100 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty from its base to the top of its torch. The sites are less than three miles (five kilometers) apart.

The golf course hearing followed a pattern seen in several recent proceedings, with U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes pressing Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. on how Trump’s vision of transforming the course near the National Mall into a world-class facility had become an immediate government plan.

During the hearing, Reyes read government lawyers the judicial code of conduct concerning the presentation of inaccurate or false information in court.

The judge ordered Friday’s proceeding after a series of Trump posts on Truth Social said the golf course would be redeveloped, with construction set to start Nov. 15. Trump said the park would close for 15 months while the work was completed.

Trump’s posts trigger confusion

The presidential posts, which began Oct. 18, produced a tense atmosphere in several subsequent hearings. Officials from the Interior Department, Justice Department and National Park Service could not confirm Reyes’ questions about whether the plans existed. She ultimately asked whom she was supposed to believe. The Justice Department filed a notice Wednesday night confirming that the plans were real.

“On Friday, October 30, 2026, the National Park Service will submit to the National Capital Planning Commission for review a rendering designed by Tom Fazio for a World Class, championship-level golf course that is capable of hosting major events,” the notice said.

Reyes repeatedly focused on that filing and Trump’s multiple Truth Social announcements while questioning Woodward.

While discussing plans that Woodward said had only been developed this week, he mentioned tree removal as part of the preparations for closing the course.

“News flash,” Reyes replied. She then gave Woodward an opportunity to clarify that the tree cutting, which took place earlier this month, was not connected to plans to close East Potomac Golf Links.

Reyes said she planned to appoint a special master to examine the administration’s statements to the court.

Arch project also raises questions about presidential power

The golf course case was one of two lawsuits heard Friday involving the Trump administration’s efforts to expand executive authority as it reshapes federal property around the National Mall and along the Potomac River.

Three courtrooms away, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan was scheduled to hear a motion seeking a temporary pause on construction of the memorial arch, which could begin as soon as Nov. 5. A small group of veterans and an architectural historian oppose the project and sued in federal court in Washington, arguing that Congress must authorize it.

“The public interest leans heavily against allowing defendants to blaze ahead,” the plaintiffs said in their request for an injunction. “This court should enter a preliminary injunction blocking defendants from beginning construction on Memorial Circle in the hope that they can render the arch a fait accompli before this Court has made a final determination.”

Legal scholars following the many cases involving the administration say the projects may look like personal or symbolic undertakings, but they also pose fundamental questions about the limits of presidential power.

Previous administrations advanced legal theories that were sometimes defensible and sometimes not, said David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

“But there was always the assumption that you would try to do things that were legal,” he said. “What we’re seeing here now is that if you think the federal courts can’t stop you, you can do things that are indisputably illegal.” He said that approach is “going to do long-term damage to the country.”

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