BY JENNIFER CABRERA
Before the afternoon General Public Comment session, Mayor Harvey Ward said the city had received 18 voice recordings through a program created during the COVID-19 pandemic but never previously used. The recordings were intended to be played during public comment, so Ward asked commissioners to “make a motion to waive the rules as they pertain to pre-recorded General Comment to play at the end of the meeting.”
Commissioner Bryan Eastman moved to play the recordings at the end of the meeting and extend the regular General Public Comment period beyond 30 minutes. Commissioners approved the motion unanimously.
Click here to read about the 19 people who spoke during General Public Comment in support of ending a Gainesville Police Department policy concerning contact with “suspected unauthorized aliens.”
Mayor Harvey Ward: “GRACE Marketplace is one of the few places in North Florida where someone can register an address if they don’t actually have an address… Just because someone uses GRACE as their mailing address does not mean that they live at GRACE Marketplace.”
One man used the in-person comment period to raise public safety concerns near campus. Ward responded that the issue appeared to involve the statewide criminal justice and court systems, which, he said, do not operate for the city or GRACE Marketplace. “GRACE Marketplace is one of the few places in North Florida where someone can register an address if they don’t actually have an address,” Ward said. “Just because someone uses GRACE as their mailing address does not mean that they live at GRACE Marketplace.”
81 people were enrolled at GRACE from state prisons between Sept. 2025 and Sept. 2026
Mark Bonner, GRACE Marketplace’s interim CEO, addressed concerns that the organization has become a magnet for people released from Florida state prisons. He said nearly 25,000 people were released from state prisons between September 2025 and September 2026, and GRACE identified 81 who were later enrolled in its services. “That is 0.33%, or one in every 306 people,” Bonner said.
Mark Bonner, Interim CEO at GRACE Marketplace: “If GRACE disappeared, the people who need shelter would not disappear with it; they would remain in Gainesville without the help that they need to change their current circumstances.”
Bonner said GRACE welcomes questions about its work and asked that the organization’s responses be considered alongside the concerns. “If GRACE disappeared, the people who need shelter would not disappear with it; they would remain in Gainesville without the help that they need to change their current circumstances,” he said.
After public comment, Ward pointed to changes in downtown homelessness since GRACE opened. He said that before GRACE, more than 100 people slept nightly on Bo Diddley Plaza and more than 1,500 people were identified as unsheltered in the community. In 2026, he said, that number is closer to 500 or 600. “GRACE has had a tremendous positive impact on this community,” Ward said.
Commissioner Ed Book asked Bonner how GRACE assists people who come to North Central Florida and whether the organization works to help them return to places where they can overcome their challenges.
58% of people receiving services at GRACE Marketplace are from Alachua County
Bonner said monthly reports to the city show that most people receiving services at GRACE are from Alachua County, with the latest figure at 58%. Those arriving from elsewhere, he said, generally come from counties included in the Continuum of Care. “We’re not going to turn people away, right?” Bonner said.
Alachua County residents receive priority when there is a waiting list for a bed, Bonner said. He added that GRACE tries to prevent people from entering the homeless response system when they have an opportunity to be housed elsewhere. That can include helping them return to communities with housing support and closer connections to family.
Interim City Manager Andrew Persons referenced a press release announcing that the Gainesville Police Department and University of Florida Police Department were expanding patrols in Midtown.
Commissioner Casey Willits: “I bristle at listening to people who don’t live close to prisons and are upset that maybe someone who’s released from a prison, on their way home, ends up in our community at some point.”
Commissioner Casey Willits noted that many state and federal prisons are located north and west of Gainesville. Only a small number of people leaving the Florida Department of Corrections, he said, end up in the local community with an address registered through GRACE. “I bristle at listening to people who don’t live close to prisons and are upset that maybe someone who’s released from a prison, on their way home, ends up in our community at some point,” Willits said. “Homelessness is a statewide problem.”
Ward called homelessness an international issue and said Florida’s failure to take mental health and substance abuse treatment seriously would allow the problems seen in Gainesville to continue.
Commissioners vote to eliminate voice recordings for comments
At the end of the evening’s business, Ward referred to the 19 voice recordings that had been submitted by callers concerned about the safety of UF students and said the rule about voice recordings was implemented during COVID, “and it has not been used since then… But we do spend staff time, every single meeting, to comb through it and make sure that there are no comments.”
Ward said Commissioners could amend the rules to omit the “artifact of COVID planning that we just never took out of the rules, and I would like us to direct the Attorney via a motion to amend our Rules Resolution at the next meeting to take that out because it is costing us resources… and has been used exactly once.”
Eastman made a motion to direct the City Attorney to remove the voicemail option for public comment. There was no public comment, and the motion passed unanimously.
Willits: “I do want to encourage people… to keep emailing us and reaching out, having personal conversations and meeting with us, because it does work.”
Willits said, “For people watching at home, we really do read emails… I do want to encourage people… to keep emailing us and reaching out, having personal conversations and meeting with us, because it does work.”
The motion passed 6-1, with Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker in dissent.
Eastman: “One thing I can say is that we, as a City, you can see clearly, have been committed to public safety and continue to be committed to public safety. We’re putting our money where our mouth is.”
Eastman said he wanted to “make a point before we start listening to a lot of these calls… You’re about to hear about 20-30 minutes of parents who are concerned about the safety of their kids. They have different hypotheses as to why they think that is; part of it relates to our homeless shelter, part of it relates to funding for our police. One thing I can say is that we, as a City, you can see clearly, have been committed to public safety and continue to be committed to public safety. We’re putting our money where our mouth is.” He said public safety funding has increased by 25% since 2023, while “everything else has been cut by 3%.”
Ward: “I am very, very proud of the work that our law enforcement does, and I am proud of the way that we fund law enforcement in our community. And it’s important to… tell that story before we go into a few minutes of being told that we don’t, by people who generally don’t live in our community.”
Ward said he wanted to note that there are three police departments operating inside the city limits of Gainesville: the Gainesville Police Department (GPD), the University of Florida Police Department (UFPD), and the Santa Fe College Police Department. He said the combined “360-ish sworn officers [are] a lot for a city of 151,000 people.” He also reiterated the City’s commitment to public safety: “It does not mean we do not have crime,… but I am very, very proud of the work that our law enforcement does, and I am proud of the way that we fund law enforcement in our community. And it’s important to… tell that story before we go into a few minutes of being told that we don’t, by people who generally don’t live in our community.”
Ward told Commissioners that they did not need a quorum, so “I’m not going to pay attention to anybody, you know, easing out the door.”
Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut left during the first comment, but the other Commissioners stayed to hear the comments.
Parent: “These are not rumors. These are first-hand experiences.”
In the 18 recordings (one was blank, according to the Clerk), parents of UF students spoke about various incidents experienced by or witnessed by their students:
- One student “watches drug deals happen all the time” outside her apartment building. This parent called out Campus Walk, a condominium complex that she said was “a halfway house that’s basically on campus.”
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Ward: “[Gainesville is] higher than the standard of officers that FDLE recommends.”
After the recordings were finished, Ward said, “I do not want anyone to think that we don’t take this seriously. Obviously, we do. That’s why we spend more than half our budget on public safety.” He repeated his earlier statement that GPD is not the only agency that serves the community: “It’s also Santa Fe Police and University of Florida Police. That puts us higher than the standard of officers that FDLE recommends.”
Ward: Campus Walk “is not a halfway house; it is not GRACE Marketplace; it is a place where people live, and sometimes those people are not very savory.”
Ward said Campus Walk is a condominium development, “so there is not one manager, and they are a set of private apartments. We are not in the business, here in Florida, of regulating who can live in an apartment, and that is something you might want to take up with people at a higher pay grade than ours.” He added that Campus Walk “is not a halfway house; it is not GRACE Marketplace; it is a place where people live, and sometimes those people are not very savory.”
Ward said his daughter, a senior at UF, walks from campus to downtown for work, “and I am not saying that there are not dangers to be watched out for, but this is a city, it is an urban environment,… and it is important to be aware of your surroundings.”
Ward also said another daughter just moved into the University of Central Florida in Orlando: “There were homeless people around the outside of campus. I saw them. I have not called the Mayor of Orlando.” He committed to “have those conversations” with the owners of Campus Walk units.
Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker: “No one on this dais… wants to see any of the students in any unsafe conditions… We’re committed to everyone’s safety here.”
Duncan-Walker said that recent conversations between the new UF leadership and Commissioners could “present a tremendous opportunity,” and she suggested meeting with UF leadership “as a body, sitting with them and having these conversations about the areas of opportunity, but also the areas of capacity, because… no one on this dais… wants to see any of the students in any unsafe conditions… We’re committed to everyone’s safety here.”
Eastman said, “This is personal for us here in this community… We want to ensure that we have a safe city. We want to ensure that we have a city that cares for people… I think [public safety] is a very important task, and we need to continue to figure out ways we can improve that, as it relates to GRACE Marketplace.”
Eastman on GRACE Marketplace: “It’s not that there are no rules or that people that are dangerous are allowed in; it’s just — there’s no blanket rules… They absolutely screen for people that are dangerous to people in there, because we want people to feel safe.”
Eastman said that in 2014, City officials had no answers for the tent encampments downtown and “all the way down Hawthorne Trail… What we did is, we created a low-barrier shelter, where anyone can come in there. It’s not that there are no rules or that people that are dangerous are allowed in; it’s just — there’s no blanket rules… They absolutely screen for people that are dangerous to people in there, because we want people to feel safe.” He said GRACE is designed for people to stay 30 days at a time, “so that we can get you onto Social Security, we can get you on disability, we can help you find a job so you can get back on your feet.” He said the Point-in-Time count was at 1,516 on the street in 2014, and now it’s 536.
Eastman continued, “I heard someone say that [the number of homeless people] keeps going up every year, and it feels that way at times, [when] you’re walking around, but that’s not the reality. The reality is that homelessness was cut by 28%, just this past year.” He said there “are no silver bullets” or easy answers, but “in this community, we figure out ways to solve problems. We come together.” He encouraged parents of UF students to “come meet with us and talk with us and figure out ways that we can solve the problem.”
Commissioner Ed Book: “Money is really not the issue. The question is, are we doing the right initiatives?”
Commissioner Ed Book said, “I, personally, am never satisfied with the level of crime… For the callers that think we’re not funding — we are funding all of our public safety, and we’re doing it well… Money is really not the issue. The question is, are we doing the right initiatives?… We’ve had a little setback recently, in my opinion, related to some surveillance mechanisms… We’ve had a three-year decrease in crime overall,… and it’s still too high. The last few months… have not been good, and that’s why we’ve just initiated some additional efforts with Gainesville Police and UF.”
Willits said, “We see a lot of data, so it’s always good… to hear [your concerns]… The recent uptick in some of the crime statistics is concerning… I want all your students to keep on coming to a world-class institution. We are trying and are committed to having a world-class city to go along with it, but… it’s going to take some cooperation between UF and the City to make that happen, as it always has.”
Ward said there were a few more things he needed to address: “We have never passed any sanctuary city policy… I want to be very, very clear: you will not find, in any of our records, that we have ever claimed to be a sanctuary city. That said, if you want to live in this community, if you want to be a part of Gainesville, I want you to be a part of Gainesville… If you are a student at the University of Florida who lives in the city limits of Gainesville,… we’re glad you’re here… You are our neighbor, as we say in Gainesville.”
Ward: “This isn’t the issue [students] bring up… The people who live here are the ones I really want to talk to the most.”
Ward continued, “When I say ‘you,’ I mean students — you’re the ones we’re really talking about in this. I would love to meet you. I’m on campus, probably at least once a week, talking to classes and in a variety of groups. This isn’t the issue they bring up.” He said he knows that parents are frustrated by his focus on residents of Gainesville, “but the people who live here are the ones I really want to talk to the most.” He advised students against responding to “folks asking for money on the street corner… It’s dangerous to be out there.”
Ward said again that he would “be in touch with all of the owners of the Campus Walk condo apartments” and adjourned the meeting.
Father Faces Nightmare After Wife Allegedly Stabs Their Three Children
A father who thought his wife had taken their three young children on a picnic was hit by devastating news at work: his five-year-old son had died, while the rest of his family was critically injured.
Police allege the 42-year-old mother attacked all three children, aged five and under, with a knife on a quiet Blue Mountains street on Sunday afternoon before injuring herself.
The five-year-old boy died in the incident, while his two younger siblings suffered critical injuries.
The children were still secured in their car seats when the alleged attack occurred in Valley Heights.
Two cyclists and a passing driver came across the family on Waratah Road and stopped to provide urgent assistance.
The mother and her two surviving children were taken for surgery at Westmead Hospital and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. All three remained in critical condition on Monday.
Investigators intend to question the mother if she survives her injuries, and police are expected to consider a homicide charge.
The children’s father went straight to hospital on Sunday after learning what had happened, seeking to be with his surviving children.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna described the scene officers encountered as “barbaric”.
“When you’re using knives, or edged weapons … it’s actually quite barbaric,” McKenna said.
“People cut people, it’s actually very confronting.”
He added: “Whenever there are children, it doesn’t get worse than that.”
Members of Sydney’s Kenyan community are supporting the father, and the Kenyan consulate has confirmed it is assisting the family.
Julie Sukkar, who lives nearby, initially assumed the commotion outside her home was linked to a traffic crash.
When she stepped outside, however, she saw a white four-wheel drive parked on a vacant block with its doors open. The three children were inside, while their mother was lying injured in nearby bushes.
Ms Sukkar told Daily Mail Australia that one of the children, a baby girl, was wearing a distinctive pink-and-white floral dress as rescuers lifted her from the car seat.
She said she initially saw only two children, then realised there were three inside the vehicle.
The injured woman, Ms Sukkar recalled, was shouting and thrashing on the ground, although it was unclear what she was saying or whether she was attempting to communicate.
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“She was covered in blood and had some really bad injuries,” Ms Sukkar said.
Amid the rush of neighbours and emergency responders around the vehicle, Ms Sukkar said the children’s silence was the part she found hardest to witness.
‘The children were quiet. They were not screaming or crying. They were not moving.
‘That was hard to see. The police and the ambulance were here fast, and they did such a good job.’
Ms Sukkar said police initially handcuffed the mother before later removing the restraints as she was stretchered into an ambulance.
‘They took them off pretty quickly, once they realised she was no danger to anybody,’ she said.
Police said the family has no links to the Blue Mountains and were not previously known to officers.
Police will allege the wounds sustained by the mother were self-inflicted.
Ms Sukkar also praised the quick actions of the three strangers who stopped and raised the alarm, saying their decision to help may have saved the lives of the two surviving children.
‘There were two cyclists and one woman who I think was driving past and stopped,’ she said.
‘She was very distraught and got in the back to help the baby.
‘I think those kids probably wouldn’t have survived if they hadn’t stopped.’
Despite witnessing the bloody aftermath and later learning that police suspect the mother was responsible, Ms Sukkar said she could not bring herself to condemn her.
‘I felt really sad for her and for the kids as well,’ she said.
‘To be in that state of mind, I couldn’t even imagine it.
‘I have read Facebook posts with people calling her a monster. I think people can point the finger a little too early before they know what’s happened.
‘If you haven’t been through mental illness, you wouldn’t understand it.’
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Trump Meets NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani as Leaders Wait
NEW YORK – President Donald Trump made an unexpected stop at Gracie Mansion on Monday before delivering a speech at the United Nations, spending about an hour with Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a conversation that also revisited New York’s political history.
Standing alongside Mamdani after the meeting, Trump reflected on his past visits to the official residence of New York’s mayors. He recalled the city leaders he considered “great ones and some not so great ones.”
“Hopefully you’re going to be a great one,” Trump told Mamdani, patting him on the back. “And you’re off to a start.”
The visit marked the latest friendly interaction between the Republican president and the democratic socialist mayor. Despite their stark political differences, Trump and Mamdani have developed an unexpectedly cordial relationship while seeking areas where they can work together for the city they both call home.
As leaders from around the world arrived in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, Trump and Mamdani appeared together on the lawn of the custard-yellow mansion in Manhattan.
“I have a lot of meetings right now, very important meetings with heads of different countries, but this is like a little bit of old home week for me,” Trump said. He added that “we’ve done so many things from the beautiful home or house or building standing right behind me.”
The two leaders said they discussed a possible housing development in Queens and explored ways to make New York more affordable for working-class residents.
Trump and Mamdani have met at least two times before and appear to remain in contact, although Mamdani has offered few details about his continuing conversations with the president.
The politically polarizing pair first met in the Oval Office shortly after Mamdani won the election last year. Their unexpectedly amicable discussion focused on ways to assist their shared hometown, following months of public criticism and verbal sparring.
In February, Mamdani made another brief trip to Washington, where he gave Trump a mock New York Daily News front page bearing the headline, “Trump to City: Let’s Build.” The presentation accompanied his appeal for new housing investment in New York.
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As they had following their first Oval Office meeting, Trump and Mamdani stood together while acknowledging their differences on politics and policy.
Mamdani was also questioned about Trump’s decision to exclude certain news organizations from the White House. The mayor said those networks, along with other outlets, should have been allowed to attend the Gracie Mansion event. Trump defended the restrictions, arguing that the organizations’ coverage was biased.
“It’s interesting because they said they were gonna boycott me. But they never boycott me,” Trump said. He added, “I think that these outlets have an obligation to be fair.”
Trump’s earlier visits to Gracie Mansion included attending former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s wedding in 2003 and a 2007 book party for former Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel.
After Trump departed, Mamdani returned to the lawn to take additional questions. He acknowledged that he and the president remain sharply divided on many issues but said their working relationship has continued.
“I will continue to have conversations with the president, and frankly, anyone who can deliver relief to the people of this city,” Mamdani said.
___
Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi contributed to this report from Providence, Rhode Island.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Experts: Trump Government Could Take Unprecedented Midterm Role
CHICAGO (WLS) — With the midterm elections approaching, concerns are growing that eligible voters could face significant obstacles when they try to cast their ballots.
For decades, the U.S. Department of Justice has sent election monitors to communities nationwide on Election Day.
The goal, according to Jason Mazzone, a University of Illinois College of Law professor, has been to protect access to the ballot and prevent violations of voting rights.
Mazzone told the I-Team that the Trump administration’s plans to deploy monitors during this year’s midterm election could carry serious consequences.
“I think the suggestion is that the monitors are there to make sure that people who are not supposed to be voting are not voting,” Mazzone said. He warned that the situation could escalate if federal officers conclude that misconduct is taking place. “You can imagine some really drastic scenarios in which, for example, federal officers think that there’s some funny business going on, and they decide to seize ballots or make arrests. That would be tremendously disruptive of the midterm elections.”
President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the integrity of U.S. elections, despite a lack of evidence showing widespread voter fraud.
ABC7 chief legal analyst Gil Soffer has firsthand experience with the process. He previously served as an election monitor while working as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Justice Department.
Federal monitors may investigate potential violations of election law, Soffer said, but they cannot disrupt the voting process. “They could try to see if there’s a problem from any federal law perspective. What they certainly can’t do is interfere with the administration of the election,” he said. “The question is: What does that mean? Can they go up to people, interrogate them? Can they stand in the way of people? Almost certainly not. But there’s some gray there.”
This month, the Department of Justice sent letters to at least 30 states, including Illinois, directing officials to preserve materials connected to the 2024 election. The department has also requested voter rolls from several states. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has joined investigations into alleged voter fraud. A DHS whistleblower told Senate Democrats that investigators are accessing sensitive personal data as part of what the whistleblower described as a baseless pursuit.
“There’s no evidence to support that we are having large numbers of migrants, undocumented migrants, voting in our nation’s elections,” said John Cohen, a former DHS undersecretary for intelligence and an ABC News contributor. “If the evidence isn’t there, why are we spending our limited law enforcement resources looking for it?”
Election experts told the I-Team that the president could be amplifying concerns in a way that discourages people from voting in the midterms. They pointed to reports of federal election monitors interviewing voters during Wyoming’s primary.
DHS said it will investigate election fraud wherever it finds evidence of it.
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Yellowstone Creator Hosts Lavish Party for Wife at Iconic Ranch
Taylor Sheridan celebrated his 13th wedding anniversary with an extravagant party at Four Sixes Ranch, the legendary Texas property featured prominently in his hit Western series Yellowstone.
On Saturday, the 56-year-old creator surprised his wife, 43-year-old model Nicole Muirbrook, with the lavish gathering at their $330 million, 266,000-acre ranch in Guthrie, Texas.
Muirbrook offered her Instagram followers a glimpse of the celebration, posting photos of herself and Sheridan sharing affectionate moments during the soirée.
“Our love story has a pretty damn good supporting cast,” she wrote in the caption.
Her post showcased the elegant surprise party at the ranch, where a planned Yellowstone spinoff was recently set to film before the project was canceled.
The couple married in 2013, four years after meeting. Their relationship began during a difficult chapter for Sheridan, who was once homeless and living in his car as he pursued a career in Hollywood.
Taylor Sheridan hosted an anniversary celebration for his wife, Nicole Muirbrook, at the famed Four Sixes Ranch featured in Yellowstone; the couple is pictured together in June 2018
Muirbrook shared photos from the anniversary celebration on Saturday, including a loved-up image of herself with 56-year-old Sheridan
The anniversary post opened with a group photo taken inside the Four Sixes Ranch’s luxurious main cabin.
Sheridan and Muirbrook leaned toward one another for a kiss as friends and family members gathered around them, smiling and cheering.
Another candid image showed Muirbrook curled up on her husband’s lap while the couple closed their eyes in a tender moment.
She also shared a view of the lengthy dining table, which had been dressed with an elaborate arrangement of flowers and candles.
A separate snapshot revealed part of the multi-course menu served during the celebration.
Last month, Sheridan discussed how he acquired the sprawling 6666 Ranch, which provided the setting for several episodes of the fourth season of Yellowstone.
Before purchasing the ranch, the writer and director owned a 600-acre property in Weatherford, Texas, where he had planned to spend his later years.
The Four Sixes Ranch—nearly twice the size of Chicago—had remained in the same family for more than 150 years before Sheridan bought it.
Sheridan had intended to retire after creating the television phenomenon Yellowstone. Instead, he signed an exclusive agreement with Paramount that helped finance the ranch purchase.
Because he could not cover the full cost himself, Sheridan assembled a group of investors to share the expense. The sale officially closed in January 2022.
“Our love story has a pretty damn good supporting cast,” Muirbrook wrote alongside photos from the lavish surprise party at the ranch where Sheridan had planned to film a Yellowstone spinoff before it was canceled
The celebration featured a long dining table adorned with an elegant display of flowers and candlelight
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Muirbrook included a snapshot of their menu, showing part of their multi-course meal
She also shared an Instagram Story post revealing how Sheridan surprised her, writing: ‘Turns out he still knows how to surprise me’
Sheridan met his future wife in LA in 2009 after Muirbrook hired him as an acting coach; pictured in September 2024
Since signing his deal with Paramount, the company has been getting serious bang for its buck. Sheridan has gone on to create numerous popular shows, including Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness, Landman, Tulsa King and The Madison.
He has also created the Yellowstone spinoffs 1883 and 1923. The now-wealthy writer and director revealed earlier this week that he had previously been cash-strapped and homeless while trying to make it in Hollywood.
‘I was homeless twice,’ he told Town & Country. ‘I lived in my car. Sometimes I’d go to Ojai, just somewhere where I could safely sleep. I did that for six months.’
He continued: ‘I could have decided at any point, “I’m going to go get a full-time job, and I’m going to give up this dream.” And I chose to sleep in my car over that.’
He later met Muirbrook after being cast in Sons of Anarchy, in which he starred in the first two seasons before deciding to step away from acting.
He and his future wife met in Los Angeles in 2009 when Muirbrook hired him as an acting coach.
They met and started dating after Sheridan was cast in Sons of Anarchy, in which he starred in the first two seasons before he decided to stop acting
In 2010, they welcomed their son Gus, and they went on to tie the knot in 2013
Sheridan previously opened up about their decision to leave LA behind and move to a more rural area to raise their young son
He also spoke about his decision to pivot from acting to screenwriting, crediting his wife and their son for his success; pictured in May 2017
At the time, he was starring on Sons of Anarchy and was coaching on the side to make a living.
In 2010, they welcomed their son Gus, and they went on to tie the knot in 2013.
Sheridan previously opened up about their decision to leave Los Angeles behind and move to a more rural area to raise their young son.
‘I didn’t want to raise my son in LA, and I didn’t want to have to look him in the eye and tell him I couldn’t take him to a baseball game because I had an audition for a Windex commercial,’ he told the Austin American-Statesman in August 2017.
He also spoke about his decision to pivot from acting to screenwriting, crediting his wife and their son for his success.
‘I think the thing that really changed my perspective on my career was getting married and having a child,’ he told Cowboys & Indians in 2020. ‘And then, really thinking about how I am going to raise that child.’
He added: ‘And if that child is going to look up to me, what is he looking up to me for? It made me reflect on my career very deeply.’
49ers Star Christian McCaffrey Grows Tired of Answering the Same Brock Purdy Question Every Season
Brock Purdy’s continued rise comes as no surprise to San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey has grown weary of repeatedly being asked whether Purdy has elevated his game to a new level.
“I feel like I answer that question all the time,” McCaffrey said. “At some point … he’s an incredible, great quarterback. He’s unbelievable. So can he take it to another level? I mean, yeah. But he’s already in the category of somebody who is special.”
McCaffrey continued: “Again, I’ve been answering that question for years now. ‘Are you shocked by how good he is?’ Then the next week, ‘Are you shocked by how good he is?’ And the next year, ‘Are you shocked by how good he is?’ Now, I’m not shocked. He’s special.”
Purdy delivered another highly efficient performance Sunday, accounting for three touchdowns while misfiring only twice. He completed 20 of 22 passes for 287 total yards against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. Entering Monday Night Football, Purdy’s 96.6 overall grade was the highest mark among all NFL players.
Although media expectations have often lagged behind his performance, Purdy has established himself as a potential franchise quarterback after being selected last overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
“He’s special. I think that’d be the word I’d use for it. When he and Kyle get on a roll like that, it’s so fun to watch,” McCaffrey said. “It’s unbelievable to watch how decisive he is, how well he throws on time and how he creates when he has to. When he’s at the helm, we feel good.”
Trump Takes Unusual Step to Bypass Official News Channels
Donald Trump is responding to what he describes as a media blackout by launching a news-style channel of his own after barring several outlets from the White House.
The White House announced the debut of “TRUMP TV: The Essential Station” on YouTube at 7 p.m. ET Monday.
The livestream opened with clips from several classic television series before switching to a speech Trump delivered at Mount Rushmore in July.
“Welcome to TrumpTV. The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans,” Deputy Assistant to the President Kaelan Dorr wrote on social media.
“Trump TV is a 24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered. All on the White House YouTube Channel and Official App. ENJOY!!”
The format resembles the 24-hour YouTube playlists often used by major music artists, featuring a continuous stream of popular clips involving Trump and his administration.
The YouTube description says: “Watch the Trump Administration’s biggest moments all in one place. Top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time. Stay informed and stay up to date!”
Trump is also introducing a text-messaging service that gives his MAGA supporters a direct way to send messages to the president.
The White House promoted the launch of “TRUMP TV: The Essential Station” on YouTube at 7 p.m. ET Monday.
Donald Trump is attempting to bypass what he calls a media blackout by launching a platform of his own after banning several left-leaning news networks.
“This is the official number of President Trump and the White House. We launched this number to stay directly connected with YOU, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. We’ll share important updates and ways you can get involved,” the service said.
Trump banned the outlets on Friday, labeling them “fake news” and criticizing their coverage of his administration.
Vice President JD Vance defended the decision Monday, saying, “It’s about basic fairness.”
“They can still report. They still have the access to free speech. They’re just not going to get an office in the White House anymore,” Vance said.
Reporters from the affected outlets who arrived at the White House to work over the weekend saw some of their press passes revoked.
Major broadcasters rallied behind the banned outlets, issuing a strongly worded statement condemning the president’s decision.
Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, which together make up the television pool, are protesting the White House ban by declining to send cameramen or reporters to cover Trump on Monday.
As a result, Trump’s Monday trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting will not be carried live by the major networks.
Conservative outlet Real America’s Voice will nevertheless be present to stream the event from the UN, while local television operator Hearst will cover the president’s White House events.
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Fox News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton, the television pool chair responsible for coordinating presidential coverage, confirmed in an email Monday morning that no TV news personnel would be sent to the UN.
‘This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,’ Boughton writes.
‘This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place.’
It is unclear when the major broadcasters will resume coverage of the president.
CNN was previously scheduled to serve as the TV pool crew on Monday, but that was before Trump banned that outlet, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
However, the official daily guidance sent out by the White House on Sunday stated that there would be no TV pool on Monday, leaving CNN’s rotation off the list.
Trump has also threatened to take action against the New York Times and the Washington Post.
‘The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government,’ they said in a statement. ‘No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.’
When pressed for comment, the White House responded with a social media post from the president published earlier on Monday morning.
‘The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,’ Trump wrote. ‘It is instituting an assault on the fake news, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.’
‘It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, now!’
While CNN was banned from the White House, its reporters and crew still covered Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he opened the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, showing that the White House ban does not extend to other departments.
The three media outlets Trump targeted, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, announced they would combat the administration in court over the ban.
‘This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,’ they said in a statement released on Monday.
‘Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,’ the statement continued.
‘Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.’
US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who Trump appointed in his first term, is presiding over the case and is on familiar legal ground.
In 2018, he ordered the White House to restore CNN journalist Jim Acosta’s credentials after his press pass was pulled following a heated clash with Trump.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Pushes School Cap on Foreign Students and Burqa, Niqab Ban
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Sept. 20 that her government plans to introduce legislation limiting the number of foreign students in Italian classrooms and prohibiting face-covering garments, including burqas and niqabs, in schools.
The conservative prime minister said the measures are intended to promote integration, protect Italy’s cultural identity and prevent Italian children from feeling marginalized in their own classrooms.
“There’s no way that in an Italian classroom, the ones who feel marginalized are Italian children because they have become a minority,” Meloni said in Rome while addressing Gioventù Nazionale, the youth wing of her conservative Brothers of Italy party, according to reports.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attends her annual press conference in Rome on Jan. 9, 2026. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
The proposal would set limits on non-Italian students in individual classrooms, with the stated goal of avoiding large concentrations of foreign pupils in particular districts.
Although Meloni did not identify a specific limit, she said the plan would require parents of foreign students who have difficulty integrating to attend Italian-language classes.
“For us, anyone who comes to Italy and wants to build their future here must learn our language, understand our culture, and respect our rules,” Meloni said, The Associated Press reported.
“It is the only serious way to welcome them.”
According to figures from Italy’s Education Ministry cited by the ISMU ETS Foundation, students without Italian citizenship represent about 11.6% of school enrollment across the country.
Italian law also does not automatically grant citizenship at birth to children born to foreign parents. Those children must wait until they turn 18 to apply.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a joint statement at the conclusion of Italian-German government consultations in Rome on Jan. 23, 2026. (Remo Casilli/Reuters)
Meloni said classrooms with high numbers of students who do not speak Italian fluently can disrupt the learning process for both those pupils and their classmates.
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“If in a classroom there is only one child who doesn’t understand Italian, it is possible that that child will manage, with the help of his peers and teachers, to learn the language and integrate fast,” she said.
“But if these children are many, or even the majority, that’s not integration anymore, that’s abandonment.”
The package would also address religious clothing by banning burqas and niqabs in educational institutions. Other Islamic attire, including the hijab, would remain permitted.
In a series of posts on X on Monday, the Brothers of Italy party reinforced the prime minister’s message:
“Those who choose to build their future in Italy must learn our language, know our culture, and respect our rules.
“School is attended with one’s face uncovered. No tradition can impose on a young woman the obligation to hide herself.”
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni was seen rolling her eyes after French President Emmanuel Macron whispered in her ear at the G7 summit. (Fox News)
A subsequent post added: “Limit on the number of foreign students in classrooms, obligation for parents of pupils with serious integration difficulties to learn Italian, and ban on burqas and niqabs in educational institutions.
“Integration comes through knowledge of our language, respect for our rules, and protection of our cultural identity.”
France, Belgium and several other European countries have already enacted bans on face coverings in public spaces, although the laws and their enforcement vary from one country to another.
The proposed Italian legislation is expected to be considered by Italy’s Council of Ministers before being sent to Parliament for consideration.
Meloni, who has led Brothers of Italy since 2014 and served as president of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party from 2020 to 2025, has governed Italy since 2022.
Her administration recently surpassed previous records set by Silvio Berlusconi to become the longest-serving uninterrupted government in modern Italian history.