condition

CHICAGO — A judge heard testimony Tuesday about overflowing toilets, crowded cells, no beds and water that “tasted like sewer” at a Chicago-area building that serves as a key detention spot for people rounded up in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Three people who were held at the building in Broadview, just outside Chicago, offered rare public accounts about the conditions there as U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman considers ordering changes at a site that has become a flashpoint for protests and confrontations with federal agents.

“I don’t want anyone else to live what I lived through,” said Felipe Agustin Zamacona, 47, an Amazon driver and Mexican immigrant who has lived in the U.S. for decades.

Zamacona said there were 150 people in a holding cell. Desperate to lie down to sleep, he said he once took the spot of another man who got up to use the toilet.

And the water? Zamacona said he tried to drink from a sink but it “tasted like sewer.”

A lawsuit filed last week accuses the government of denying proper access to food, water and medical care, and coercing people to sign documents they don’t understand. Without that knowledge, and without private communication with lawyers, they have unknowingly relinquished their rights and faced deportation, the lawsuit alleges.

“This is not an issue of not getting a toilet or a Fiji water bottle,” attorney Alexa Van Brunt of the MacArthur Justice Center told the judge. “These are a set of dire conditions that when taken together paint a harrowing picture.”

Before testimony began, U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman said the allegations were “disgusting.”

“To have to sleep on a floor next to an overflowing toilet — that’s obviously unconstitutional,” he said.

Attorney Jana Brady of the Justice Department acknowledged there are no beds at the Broadview building, just outside Chicago, because it was not intended to be a long-term detention site.

Authorities have “improved the operations” over the past few months, she said, adding there has been a “learning curve.”

“The conditions are not sufficiently serious,” Brady told the judge.

The building has been managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for decades. But amid the Chicago-area crackdown, it has been used to process people for detention or deportation.

Greg Bovino, the Border Patrol commander who has led the Chicago immigration operation, said criticism was unfounded.

“I think they’re doing a great job out there,” he told the Associated Press during an interview this week.

Testifying with the help of a translator, Pablo Moreno Gonzalez, 56, said he was arrested last week while waiting to start work. Like Zamacona, he said he was placed in a cell with 150 other people, with no beds, blankets, toothbrush or toothpaste.

“It was just really bad. … It was just too much,” Moreno Gonzalez, crying, told the judge.

A third person, Claudia Carolina Pereira Guevara, testified from Honduras, separated from two children who remain in the U.S. She said she was held at Broadview for five days in October and recalled using a garbage bag to clear a clogged toilet.

“They gave us nothing that had to do with cleaning. Absolutely nothing,” Guevara said.

For months advocates have raised concerns about conditions at Broadview, which has drawn scrutiny from members of Congress, political candidates and activist groups. Lawyers and relatives of people held there have called it a de facto detention center, saying up to 200 people have been held at a time without access to legal counsel.

The Broadview center has also drawn demonstrations, leading to the arrests of numerous protesters. The demonstrations are at the center of a separate lawsuit from a coalition of news outlets and protesters who claim federal agents violated their First Amendment rights by repeatedly using tear gas and other weapons on them.

Fernando writes for the Associated Press. AP reporters Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.

Nadia Sawalha explains her swollen appearance as she details her painful health condition after a discussion with Dr Zoe which has left her face feeling ‘bruised’

Loose Women star Nadia Sawalha is suffering from a painful health condition as she opens up about her appearance and her experience chatting to Dr Zoe Williams.

During the show on Thursday, 30 October, Jane Moore asked Nadia the reason she had her glasses on and opted for a no-makeup look. Nadia joked that in the past, if she wore her glasses, then people would think she was hungover, before she explained that her face felt ‘bruised’ due to her stress levels.

She discussed how she thought it was an allergy at first before explaining: “It just feels a bit bruised, but lovely doctor Zoe came and saw me, I had my own session with her in my dressing room, and I said to her ‘honestly Zoe I think it’s stress’ and she agreed.”

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Nadia explained how Zoe suggested taking deep breaths and taking a bit of ‘time out’. Nadia went on to say that she hadn’t cried properly in about ‘two or three years’, saying: “I cry a little bit and then I stop. I honestly think it is that. When we get stressed, why do we think it doesn’t impact our body?” She went on to thank Zoe and said she was a ‘special woman’.

The Loose Women panellist also shared a video on her Instagram page where she revealed her sister couldn’t believe she was going on live TV ‘looking like that’. Nadia revealed her sister said she looked like she ‘had three bottles of sauvignon blanc’ and had ‘fallen asleep in a hedge’.

Fans rushed to send their well wishes as one person wrote: “Bless you Nadia I hope it clears up soon it looks uncomfortable”, while another added: “Ohhh Nadia I love how strong and humble you are. You’re beautiful inside out even with puffy eyes. Hope they get better”.

It follows after Nadia recently opened up on her 23-year marriage, revealing that it nearly ended over her husband’s intense jealousy. The 60-year-old married husband Mark Adderley in 2002 and has previously opened up about hurdles in their relationship.

Nadia spoke in the past about her husband achieving sobriety after struggling with alcohol for many years and being diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder and depression back in 2021. Now, the TV personality has revealed that after quitting alcohol, Mark began to suffer with jealousy.

Nadia told the ITV show: “My kids hate it what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger but I think that it probably has with Mark and I. I think about when things have been really tough in our marriage and we’ve thought, ‘God we’re not going to get through this’ but then we do.

“For him, it definitely would have been points through my menopause when I was a screaming banshee nutter. I was very difficult, I was awful.”

As for his behaviour that she struggled him, Nadia said: “He’s been brilliant with his sobriety and then after the sobriety, after he got sober, he cross-addicted a lot to jealousy and the jealousy was just awful. It was so bad.

“When we went to couples’ counselling, I said that unless you do some work on this, we’re not going to survive it. It’s something that’s made me love him even more that he’s done work on that.”

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The return of winter has already claimed a life on the tallest mountain in the continental United States, with the death of a hiker on slippery Mt. Whitney, according to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department.

Over the weekend, the hiker fell in the notorious “99 Switchbacks” section of the main trail, said Lindsey Stine, Community Outreach Coordinator for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Department. The switchbacks begin just above Trail Camp at almost 12,000 feet, where many hikers spend the night before making an early morning start for the 14,500-foot summit.

In the summer, when the trail is dry, the switchbacks section is a long slog, winding back and forth up two miles, and nearly 2,000 vertical feet.

When it gets a big snow, as it did earlier this month, the trail becomes buried and the whole slope becomes perilously steep.

Wes Ostgaard, who said he has climbed Mt. Whitney four times, posted on Facebook that conditions on Saturday were so treacherous he and his climbing partners decided to turn around.

“Winds were extremely intense, and with the recent snowfall, the wind was blasting snow in our faces,” Ostgaard wrote. The snow covered the trail and, in many places, rendered it “invisible,” he wrote.

When Ostgaard and his companions were descending the switchbacks they encountered the body of another hiker who had apparently fallen above a section of steel safety cables and then slid another 70 ft, or so.

“I believe it is highly unlikely he survived,” Ostgaard wrote of the hiker. “There was a fair amount of blood from [colliding with] the cables, and a lot of blood around a rock he made contact with.”

Ostgaard used Starlink to contact his father around 12:30 p.m., who then contacted emergency services. A helicopter arrived about four hours later, Ostgaard wrote.

Another hiker that day, Kirill Novitskiy, encountered the same conditions on the switchbacks on Saturday but made the “wrong decision” to keep climbing.

He made it up with just microspikes — little metal cleats that attach to the bottom of shoes and provide winter traction on flat ground — or on gentle slopes where falling would be no big deal.

But microspikes are notoriously inadequate for winter mountaineering, when a fall could be fatal.

As so often happens in the mountains, when Novitskiy returned to the steep switchbacks after a few hours traveling on relatively flat ground to and from the summit, he discovered conditions had deteriorated so much that he was in real danger and seriously under-equipped.

“I had a couple of dangerous places where the trail became a slope full of powdery snow, and it was very easy to slip off,” Novitskiy wrote on Facebook. “The worst part on the way back were the switchbacks. Almost all the trail was covered with powdery snow brought up with the wind, it was very hard to go with just microspikes.”

Near the cables he saw a pair of trekking poles with nobody around, and then encountered a group of five hikers at the bottom of the switchbacks who told him about the accident.

Anyone attempting to climb Mt. Whitney from this point on in the winter season should bring crampons — much larger spikes that attach firmly to mountaineering boots and dig deep into snow and ice to prevent falls – and an ice axe.

Experts also advise traveling in groups, and bringing a satellite communication device to contact help if anything goes wrong.

So far, the Inyo Sheriff’s Department has not released the identity of the hiker who died.

In January this year, a hiker from Texas died after attempting to climb Mt. Whitney in bad weather. His body was found at an elevation of 12,000 feet near North Fork Lone Pine Creek Trail.

In June, a 14-year-old hiker became delirious on Mt. Whitney and fell off of a 12,000-foot cliff. He survived.

Moto3 rider Noah Dettwiler remains in a “stable but still critical” condition after being involved in a serious crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Dettwiler, 20, collided with Moto3 world champion Jose Antonio Rueda during a sighting lap before their race.

Moto3 is the entry-level class below Moto2 and MotoGP.

“Noah has undergone several surgeries in the last few hours, which went well,” the rider’s CIP Green Power team and his family said in a statement.

“According to the doctors in charge, his condition is stable but still critical.

“We appreciate your understanding and ask that Noah and his family’s privacy be respected at this time.

“Thank you for all your incredible support and messages.”

Louisiana State fired coach Brian Kelly during the fourth season of a 10-year contract worth about $100 million, athletic director Scott Woodward announced Sunday night.

The move comes on the heels of Saturday night’s 49-25 loss to No. 3 Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium — a second straight loss, and third in four games for LSU (5-3, 2-3 Southeastern Conference).

“When Coach Kelly arrived at LSU four years ago, we had high hopes that he would lead us to multiple SEC and national championships during his time in Baton Rouge,” Woodward said. “Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU demands simply did not materialize.”

Associate head coach Frank Wilson, who also serves as a running backs coach, has been tapped as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2025 season.

Kelly was hired away from Notre Dame when his predecessor, Ed Orgeron, stepped down following the 2021 regular season.

He has gone 34-14 with the Tigers, even taking LSU to the 2022 SEC title game. But LSU did not qualify for the College Football Playoff in his first three seasons, and was virtually eliminated from contention with its loss to the Aggies.

The playoff was expanded from four to 12 teams for the 2024 season.

“I will not compromise in our pursuit of excellence and we will not lower our standards,” said Woodward, an LSU graduate who was hired to his current post in 2019, the same year the Tigers won their last national title under Orgeron.

Orgeron left after not posting a winning record during his final two seasons.

While Kelly did not coach LSU to a playoff berth, he oversaw quarterback Jayden Daniels’ development into a Heisman Trophy winner in 2023.

“I am confident in our ability to bring to Baton Rouge an outstanding leader, teacher and coach, who fits our culture and community and who embraces the excellence that we demand,” Woodward said.

LSU could have to pay Kelly tens of millions not to coach, but the precise figure was unclear on Sunday night.

“We will continue to negotiate his separation and will work toward a path that is better for both parties,” Woodward said.

More than a month after he was arrested on suspicion of felony assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury, UCLA backup quarterback Pierce Clarkson has taken a major step toward being able to resolve his case while avoiding charges altogether.

After the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office referred the case to the L.A. City Attorney for possible misdemeanor consideration, the latter agency has decided to handle the matter via a city attorney hearing, according to Ivor Pine, deputy director of communications for the City Attorney.

A city attorney hearing is an informal proceeding that allows individuals who face certain misdemeanors to resolve their situation with a hearing officer without a criminal filing.

The resolution of such hearings, including conditions imposed to remediate and rehabilitate, are fact-dependent and vary matter to matter, according to Pine. If the participant successfully complies with the conditions, the case is diverted and no charges are filed. If the participant fails to comply, then criminal charges may be filed.

A UCLA athletic department spokesperson said Tuesday evening that there was no update on Clarkson’s status with the team. He had been suspended from all team activities pending the resolution of legal proceedings after his Sept. 5 arrest.

Before his suspension, Clarkson had been one of the top backups to quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The son of quarterback guru Steve Clarkson, Pierce Clarkson had transferred to UCLA this offseason after having spent last spring at Mississippi. The former St. John Bosco High standout spent his first two college seasons at Louisville, where he played sparingly.

Luke Duncan has been UCLA’s top backup in Clarkson’s absence, playing briefly at the end of the Bruins’ victory over Michigan State.

WASHINGTON — The United States took survivors into custody after its military struck a suspected drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean — the first attack that anyone escaped alive since President Trump began launching assaults in the region last month, a defense official and another person familiar with the matter said Friday.

The strike Thursday brought the death toll from the Trump administration’s military action against vessels in the region to at least 28.

It is believed to be at least the sixth strike in the waters off Venezuela since early September, and the first to result in survivors who were picked up by the U.S. military. It was not immediately clear what would be done with the survivors, who the people said were being held on a U.S. Navy vessel.

They confirmed the strike on condition of anonymity because it had not yet been publicly acknowledged by Trump’s administration.

Trump has justified the strikes by asserting that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, relying on the same legal authority used by President George W. Bush‘s administration when it declared a war on terror after the 9/11 attacks. That includes the ability to capture and detain combatants and to use lethal force against their leadership.

Some legal experts have questioned the legality of the approach. The president’s use of overwhelming military force to combat the cartels, along with his authorization of covert action inside Venezuela, possibly to oust President Nicolás Maduro, stretches the bounds of international law, legal scholars said this week.

Meanwhile, the Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the region will retire in December, he and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday.

Adm. Alvin Holsey became the leader of U.S. Southern Command only in November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. These types of postings typically last between three and four years.

Holsey said in a statement posted on the command’s Facebook page that it had “been an honor to serve our nation, the American people and support and defend our Constitution for over 37 years.”

“The SOUTHCOM team has made lasting contributions to the defense of our nation and will continue to do so,” he said. “I am confident that you will forge ahead, focused on your mission that strengthens our nation and ensures its longevity as a beacon of freedom around the globe.”

U.S. Southern Command did not provide any further information beyond the admiral’s statement.

For the survivors of Thursday’s strike, the saga is hardly over. They now face an unclear future and legal landscape, including questions about whether they are now considered to be prisoners of war or defendants in a criminal case. The White House did not comment on the strike.

Reuters was first to report news of the strike late Thursday.

The strikes in the Caribbean have caused unease among both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, with some Republicans saying they have not received sufficient information on how the strikes are being conducted. A classified briefing for members of the Senate Armed Services Committee this month did not include representatives from intelligence agencies or the military command structure for South and Central America.

However, most Senate Republicans stood behind the administration last week when a vote on a War Powers Resolution was brought up, which would have required the administration to gain approval from Congress before conducting more strikes.

Their willingness to back the administration will be tested again. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, along with Sens. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, and Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, is bringing another resolution that would prevent Trump from outright attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization.

Toropin and Mascaro write for the Associated Press.

TV presenter and author Richard Osman has said he was asked to do the celebrity edition of the BBC gameshow The Traitors.

TV star Richard Osman has revealed that he declined an invitation to star in the celebrity edition of BBC show The Traitors.

The creator of Thursday Murder Club, 54, said he would have only agreed to participate in the inaugural celebrity series of Celebrity Traitors if he was assured of playing the role of a Traitor, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Richard was on ITV’s Good Morning Britain when he was asked if he’d been invited to do the show and replied: “I was, everyone who’s been on Celebrity Traitors won’t tell you anything.”

He added: “Normally people will say if they’ve been on Celebrity Catchphrase, they go, ‘I’d watch that I think I did quite well’, Celebrity Traitors, nobody is saying a single word.

“I’ve been working with Celia Imrie, and she won’t say anything about what happened, none of them will say. I love Celebrity Traitors, but I said I would only do it if I could be a Traitor.”

He went on: “Only because I couldn’t bear if I was a Faithful – that thing where you go back to your room at night and you’re just lying there, and you know that there’s three people up in that tower filming, having a load of fun wearing cloaks and filming something.

“I’d be lying there just going, ‘Well, I mean, I could be murdered any second’, I wouldn’t have that control, and obviously they can’t say, ‘Yes, you can be a Traitor’, so yeah, I’m just going to watch.”

Richard was later warned that he could never participate in the show as everyone would suspect him of being the Traitor, to which he cheekily responded: “Am I double bluffing?”

The star-studded line-up of the hit telly show includes Thursday Murder Club’s Celia Imrie, Olympic diving legend Tom Daley, and acting heavyweight Sir Stephen Fry. They’ll be battling it out in the Scottish Highlands for a chance to bag up to £100,000 for their chosen charity.

Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the show sees contestants trying to sniff out the Traitors among them while completing challenges to add funds to the prize pot. If a Traitor makes it to the final round, the loyal contestants lose the money and the Traitor walks away with the full prize.

Richard was promoting his latest book in the Thursday Murder Club series, The Impossible Fortune, which hit the shelves on September 25. So far, the TV presenter has penned four books in the series – The Thursday Murder Club (2020), The Man Who Died Twice (2021), The Bullet That Missed (2022), and The Last Devil To Die (2023).

Celebrity Traitors starts on BBC One on October 8.

NASHVILLE — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongfully deported from the United States to his native El Salvador and whose case became an intensely watched focus of President Trump’s immigration crackdown, has been moved from a Virginia detention center to a facility in Pennsylvania.

Court records show Immigration and Customs Enforcement notified Abrego Garcia’s lawyers Friday that he was transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg. It said the location would make it easier for the attorneys to access him.

But his attorneys raised concerns about conditions at Moshannon, saying there have been recent reports of “assaults, inadequate medical care, and insufficient food,” according to a federal court filing.

The Trump administration has claimed that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an allegation that he denies and for which he was not charged.

The administration returned Abrego Garcia to the U.S. in June, but only to face human smuggling charges. His lawyers have called the case preposterous and vindictive.

Rebecca Legon was born with a rare condition called PFFD, which stopped her leg from forming correctly during early fetal development. She has spoken about the issues she has encountered while travelling

A star of Britain’s Missing Next Top Model is ‘treated like a security risk’ at airports because she has a limb difference.

Rebecca Legon was born with a rare condition called PFFD, which stopped her leg from forming correctly during early foetal development. She had it partly amputated at the age of six, so she could wear a prosthesis and lead a more active life.

The East Sussex woman can’t run, but is pretty mobile with a walking stick and leads a full, happy life. “Because I was born like that, I grew up and adapted. In daily life, I kind of do pretty well,” she told the Mirror.

As is the case for many people with disabilities, travelling can be a huge source of anxiety and problems for Rebecca. Issues that may seem small to some people, such as a broken escalator, can become serious obstacles for her.

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“It’s the invisible barriers that make life extra tough. A few weeks back, I was coming home from my family holiday. The flight was delayed. I had my 10 and 7-year-olds with me. I had to make it to the connecting flight, with the kids in tow and hand luggage. I was worried we weren’t going to make it.

“As we exited the aircraft, an escalator was out of order. I made it up, but it was really difficult in an already challenging moment. As I sat on the flight, I thought, ‘It’s crazy this keeps happening.'”

Over the years, Rebecca has encountered many hurdles while travelling, including hotel bathrooms without accessible showers. “You have to crawl in,” the mum-of-two, who starred on the BBC Three show Britain’s Missing Top Model, explained.

Airport security is also a problem. “During the security checks, you get yourself worked up and anxious. It makes you feel like you’re guilty. You’re extra manhandled. The problem is that the laws vary. There is no one rule that fits all,” Rebecca said.

“On two occasions, I have had to take my prosthesis off completely. You have crazy thoughts at that point. You are quite vulnerable. Is anyone going to mess with it? They’re taking part of your body and putting it through a security scanner. Sometimes they make you take your trousers down. It is very invasive and not very comfortable.”

Most of the issues arise in countries where airport technology is less advanced. Rebecca believes if all airports had full-body scanners, then she would encounter far fewer difficulties when travelling.

“The second incident, which really shocked me, was at Dubai airport in 2023. Despite Dubai being known for such fantastic accessibility, I was pulled aside by the head of security who demanded a search in a private room and insisted I remove my prosthesis to be put through the security scanner,” she said.

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“It was a frightening experience, and I felt extremely vulnerable and disrespected. Thankfully, I was travelling with close friends, so I felt safer that I wasn’t alone. There seemed to be no legitimate reason for her request – it has left me a little anxious about returning to visit my best friend who lives there.”

Rebecca proudly represented England’s Lionesses amputee football team at the inaugural Women’s World Cup in Colombia in 2024 and is passionate about supporting the global rise of inclusive sport.

She is also a keen hiker and lover of physical challenges. She believes the mind is often stronger than the body. Through her advocacy, she inspires others to embrace resilience. With determination and a positive mindset, she believes that almost anything is possible.

Sadly, her experience is not unusual; recent research from MMGY, of more than 3,473 adults, revealed that 84% of individuals with accessibility needs have had a negative experience while travelling.

The top five issues included:

• Challenges with accessible transportation
• Difficulty boarding or disembarking
• Inaccessible or unclear travel information
• Costs associated with accessible travel
• Lack of staff training on how to assist passengers with mobility needs

Rebecca is a supporter of Ottobock’s Invisible Class campaign, which aims to raise awareness of issues and demonstrate the potential that arises from sharing knowledge, challenging established structures and making experiences visible. Ottobock has created a A Guide To Accessible Travel for individuals seeking to support the community and join the journey to make every journey possible.

Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, a shocking act of political violence that brought widespread condemnation.

Hours after the shooting, the suspected gunman was taken into custody, FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X.

“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” President Trump said on Truth Social. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”

Videos shared on social media show Kirk sitting under a white canopy, speaking to hundreds of people through a microphone, when a loud pop is heard; he suddenly falls back, blood gushing from his neck.

Before he was shot in the neck, he was asked about mass shootings.

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“Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?” an audience member asks.

“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk responds.

Almost immediately, Kirk is shot in the neck. One video shows blood pouring from the wound. As the crowd realizes what has taken place, people are heard screaming and running away.

A source familiar with the investigation told The Times that a bullet struck Kirk’s carotid artery.

Charlie Kirk speaks before his fatal shooting Wednesday at Utah Valley University.

(Tess Crowley / Deseret News / AP)

Utah Valley University police said in an alert that “a single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker” and that it was investigating the shooting.

Law enforcement sources said Kirk was fatally wounded from a considerable distance, perhaps 200 yards away, by a sniper-style shot.

Videos shared on X, show an older man in handcuffs on the ground whom witnesses claimed was the gunman. The man is heard saying, “I have the right to remain silent.” In another video, police escort the man while the crowd jeers him. One woman is heard screaming, “How dare you!”

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Trump posted a message about the incident on Truth Social.

“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot. A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!” he said.

Mike Lee, a Utah senator, posted on X shortly after videos circulated online that he was “tracking the situation at Utah Valley University closely.”

“Please join me in praying for Charlie Kirk and the students gathered there,” he said.

The shooting drew immediate words of support and calls for prayers for Kirk from leading conservative politicians.

“Say a prayer for Charlie Kirk, a genuinely good guy and a young father,” Vice President JD Vance posted on X.

Crowd members react after Charlie Kirk’s shooting at Utah Valley University.

(Tess Crowley / Deseret News / AP)

Leading Democrats also moved swiftly to condemn the attack.

“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on X. “In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.”

Gabrielle Giffords, a former Arizona congresswoman who survived a political assassination attempt in 2011 and is a gun violence prevention advocate, said on X that she was horrified to hear that Kirk was shot.

“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence,” she wrote.

Kirk, a conservative political activist, was in Utah for his American Comeback Tour, which held its first stop at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

The tour, as with many of his events, had drawn both supporters and protesters. Kirk’s wife and children were at the university when he was shot, Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted on X.

Kirk, 31, was one of the Republican Party’s most influential power brokers.

The founder of the influential conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, Kirk had a vast online reach: 1.6 million followers on Rumble, 3.8 million subscribers on YouTube, 5.2 million followers on X and 7.3 million followers on TikTok.

During the 2024 election, he rallied his online followers to support Trump, prompting conservative podcast host Megyn Kelly to say: “It’s not an understatement to say that this man is responsible for helping the Republicans win back the White House and the U.S. Senate.”

Just after Trump was elected for a second time to the presidency last November, Kirk frequently posted to social media from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he had first-hand influence over which MAGA loyalists Trump named to his Cabinet.

Kirk was known for melding his conservative politics, nationalism and evangelical faith, casting the current political climate as a state of spiritual warfare between a righteous right wing and so-called “godless” liberals.

He declared that God was on the side of American conservatives and that there was “no separation of church and state.” And in a speech to Trump supporters in Georgia last year, he said that “the Democrat Party supports everything that God hates” and that “there is a spiritual battle happening all around us.”

Kirk was also known for his memes and college campus speaking tours meant to “own the libs.” Videos of his debates with liberal college students have racked up tens of millions of views.

Matthew Boedy, a professor of rhetoric and composition at the University of North Georgia, has written a forthcoming book about Christian nationalism that prominently features Kirk and his influence. The book, “The Seven Mountains Mandate,” comes out Sept. 30.

“Today is a tragedy,” Boedy said in an interview with The Times on Wednesday. “It is a red flag for our nation.”

Boedy said the shooting — following the two assassination attempts against Trump on the campaign trail last year — was a tragic reminder of “just how divisive we have become.”

In June, a shooter posing as a police officer fatally shot Minnesota state House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, at their home in an incident that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called “a politically motivated assassination.”

Another Democratic lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, were also injured at their residence less than 10 miles away.

In April, a shooter set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, forcing Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family to flee during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

In July 2024, Trump himself survived a hail of bullets, one of which grazed his ear, at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. Two months later, a man with a rifle was arrested by Secret Service agents after he was spotted amid shrubs near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago golf resort.

Kirk’s presence at the Utah campus was preceded by petitions and protests. But, Boedy noted, that was typical with his appearances.

“Charlie Kirk is, I would say, the most influential person who doesn’t work in the White House,” he said.

Boedy said Kirk reached a vast array of demographics through his radio show and social media accounts and was “in conversation with President Trump a lot.”

Kirk had said his melding in recent years of faith and politics was influenced by Rob McCoy, the pastor of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Newbury Park in Ventura County. Kirk called McCoy, who often spoke at his events, his personal pastor.

Boedy said McCoy turned Kirk toward Christian nationalism, specifically the Seven Mountains Mandate — the idea that Christians should try to influence the seven pillars of cultural influence: arts and religion, business, education, family, government, media and religion.

Boedy said Kirk “turned Turning Point USA into an arm of Christian nationalism. There’s a strategy called the Seven Mountains Mandate, and he has put his TPUSA money into each of those.”

Boedy said Kirk was a vocal 2nd Amendment supporter and that the shooting likely would further the desire among his conservative followers who tout the idea of having good guys with guns “to have more guns everywhere, which is sad.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was closely monitoring reports of the shooting.

“Our thoughts are with Charlie, his loved ones, and everyone affected,” he said on X. “Agents will be on the scene quickly and the FBI stands in full support of the ongoing response and investigation.”

Meanwhile, 345 miles to the east, at least three students were in critical condition following a shooting at a high school in Colorado.

The shooting happened earlier in the afternoon at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County. A fourth person may have been hurt as well. Among those injured was the shooter, who was described by authorities only as a juvenile. No other details were provided on the shooting.

Times staff writer Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary legal protections that have granted more than 1 million people from Haiti and Venezuela the right to live and work in the United States.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco for the plaintiffs means 600,000 Venezuelans whose temporary protections expired in April or whose protections were about to expire Sept. 10 have status to stay and work in the United States. It also keeps protections for about 500,000 Haitians.

Chen scolded Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for revoking protections for Venezuelans and Haitians that the judge said would send them “back to conditions that are so dangerous that even the State Department advises against travel to their home countries.”

He said Noem’s actions were arbitrary and capricious, and she exceeded her authority in ending protections that were extended three times by the Biden administration.

Presidential administrations have executed the law for 35 years based on the best available information and in consultation with other agencies, “a process that involves careful study and analysis. Until now,” Chen wrote.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Temporary Protected Status is a designation that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people in the United States, if conditions in their homelands are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangerous conditions.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled political unrest, mass unemployment and hunger. The country is mired in a prolonged crisis brought on by years of hyperinflation, political corruption, economic mismanagement and an ineffectual government.

Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010 after a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake killed and wounded hundreds of thousands of people, and left more than 1 million homeless. Haitians face widespread hunger and gang violence.

Their designations were to expire in September but later extended until February, due to a separate court order out of New York.

Noem said that conditions in both Haiti and Venezuela had improved and that it was not in the national interest to allow migrants from the countries to stay on for what is a temporary program. Attorneys for the government have said the secretary’s clear and broad authority to make determinations related to the TPS program are not subject to judicial review.

Designations are granted for terms of six, twelve or 18 months, and extensions can be granted so long as conditions remain dire. The status prevents holders from being deported and allows them to work.

The secretary’s action in revoking TPS was not only unprecedented in the manner and speed in which it was taken but also violated the law, Chen wrote.

The case has had numerous legal twists, including an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. In March, Chen temporarily paused the administration’s plans to end TPS for people from Venezuela. An estimated 350,000 Venezuelans were set to lose protections the following month.

The U.S. Supreme Court in May reversed his order while the lawsuit played out. The justices provided no rationale, which is common in emergency appeals, and did not rule on the merits of the case.

Venezuelans with expired protections were fired from jobs, separated from children, detained by officers and even deported, lawyers for TPS holders said.

The Supreme Court’s reversal does not apply to Friday’s ruling. The government is expected to seek a stay of Chen’s order as it appeals.

Last week, a three-judge appeals panel also sided with plaintiffs, saying the Republican administration did not have the authority to vacate protection extensions granted by the previous administration.

Har writes for the Associated Press.

WASHINGTON — Mattresses on the floor, next to bunk beds, in meeting rooms and gymnasiums. No access to a bathroom or drinking water. Hourlong lines to buy food at the commissary or to make a phone call.

These are some of the conditions described by lawyers and the people held at immigrant detention facilities around the country over the last few months. The number of detained immigrants surpassed a record 60,000 this month. A Los Angeles Times analysis of public data shows that more than a third of ICE detainees have spent time in an overcapacity dedicated detention center this year.

In the first half of the year, at least 19 out of 49 dedicated detention facilities exceeded their rated bed capacity and many more holding facilities and local jails exceeded their agreed-upon immigrant detainee capacity. During the height of arrest activity in June, facilities that were used to operating with plenty of available beds suddenly found themselves responsible for the meals, medical attention, safety and sleeping space for four times as many detainees as they had the previous year.

“There are so many things we’ve seen before — poor food quality, abuse by guards, not having clean clothes or underwear, not getting hygiene products,” said Silky Shah, executive director of Detention Watch Network, a coalition that aims to abolish immigrant detention. “But the scale at which it’s happening feels greater, because it’s happening everywhere and people are sleeping on floors.”

Shah said there’s no semblance of dignity now. “I’ve been doing this for many years; I don’t think I even had the imagination of it getting this bad,” she added.

Shah said conditions have deteriorated in part because of how quickly this administration scaled up arrests. It took the first Trump administration more than two years to reach its peak of about 55,0000 detainees in 2019.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the allegations about inhumane detention conditions false and a “hoax.” She said the agency has significantly expanded detention space in places such as Indiana and Nebraska and is working to rapidly remove detainees from those facilities to their countries of origin.

McLaughlin emphasized that the department provides comprehensive medical care, but did not respond to questions about other conditions.

Detainees do stretches outdoors as a helicopter flies overhead at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Krome detention center in Miami on July 4, 2025.

(Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press)

At the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami, the maximum number of detainees in a day in 2024 was 615, four more than the rated bed capacity of 611. In late June of this year, the detainee population reached 1,961, more than three times the capacity. The facility, which is near the Everglades, spent 161 days in the beginning of the year with more people to house than beds.

Miami attorney Katie Blankenship of the legal aid organization Sanctuary of the South represents people detained at Krome. Last month, she saw nine Black men piled into a visitation room, surrounded with glass windows, that holds a small table and four chairs. They had pushed the table against the wall and spread a cardboard box flat across the floor, where they were taking turns sleeping.

The men had no access to a bathroom or drinking water. They stood because there was no room to sit.

Blankenship said three of the men put their documents up to the window so she could better understand their cases. All had overstayed their visas and were detained as part of an immigration enforcement action, not criminal proceedings.

Another time, Blankenship said, she saw an elderly man cramped up in pain, unable to move, on the floor of a bigger room. Other men put chairs together and lifted him so he could rest more comfortably while guards looked on, she said.

Blankenship visits often enough that people held in the visitation and holding rooms recognize her as a lawyer whenever she walks by. They bang on the glass, yell out their identification numbers and plead for help, she said.

“These are images that won’t leave me,” Blankenship said. “It’s dystopian.”

Krome is unique in the dramatic fluctuation of its detainee population. On Feb. 18, the facility saw its biggest single-day increase. A total of 521 individuals were booked in, most transferred from hold rooms across the state, including Orlando and Tampa. Hold rooms are temporary spaces for detainees to await further processing for transfers, medical treatment or other movement into or out of a facility. They are to be used to hold individuals for no more than 12 hours.

On the day after its huge influx, Krome received a waiver exempting the facility from the requirement to log hold room activity. But it never resumed the logs. Homeland Security did not respond to a request for an explanation of the exception.

After reaching their first peak of 1,764 on March 16, the trend reversed.

Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) visited Krome on April 24. In the weeks before the visit, hundreds of detainees were transferred out. Most were moved to other facilities in Florida, some to Texas and Louisiana.

“When those lawmakers came around, they got rid of a whole bunch of detainees,” said Blankenship’s client Mopvens Louisdor.

The 30-year-old man from Haiti said conditions started to deteriorate around March as hundreds of extra people were packed into the facility.

Staffers are so overwhelmed that for detainees who can’t leave their cells for meals, he said, “by the time food gets to us, it’s cold.”

Also during this time, from April 29 through May 1, the facility underwent a compliance inspection conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Detention Oversight. Despite the dramatic reduction in the population, the inspection found several issues with crowding and meals. Some rooms exceeded the 25-person capacity for each and some hold times were nearly double the 12-hour limit. Inspectors observed detainees sleeping on the hold room floors without pillows or blankets. Staffers had not recorded offering a meal to the detainees in the hold rooms for more than six hours.

Hold rooms are not designed for long waits

ICE detention standards require just 7 square feet of unencumbered space for each detainee. Seating must provide 18 inches of space per detainee.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Sanitary and medical attention were also areas of concern noted in the inspection. In most units, there were too many detainees for the number of toilets, showers and sinks. Some medical records showed that staffers failed to complete required mental and medical health screenings for new arrivals, and failed to complete tuberculosis screenings.

Detainees have tested positive for tuberculosis at facilities such as the Anchorage Correctional Complex in Alaska and the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. McLaughlin, the Homeland Security assistant secretary, said that detainees are screened for tuberculosis within 12 hours of arrival and that anyone who refuses a test is isolated as a precaution.

“It is a long-standing practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody,” she said. “This includes medical, dental, and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”

Facility administrators built a tented area outside the main building to process arriving detainees, but it wasn’t enough to alleviate the overcrowding, Louisdor said. Earlier this month, areas with space for around 65 detainees were holding more than 100, with cots spread across the floor between bunk beds.

Over-capacity facilities can feel extremely cramped

Bed capacity ratings are based on facility design. Guidelines require 50 square feet of space for each individual. When buildings designed to those specifications go over their rated capacity, there is not enough room to house additional detainees safely and comfortably.

American Correctional Association and Immigration and Customs Enforcement

LOS ANGELES TIMES

Louisdor said a young man who uses a wheelchair had resorted to relieving himself in a water bottle because staffers weren’t available to escort him to the restroom.

During the daily hour that detainees are allowed outside for recreation, 300 people stood shoulder to shoulder, he said, making it difficult to get enough exercise. When fights occasionally broke out, guards could do little to stop them, he said.

The line to buy food or hygiene products at the commissary was so long that sometimes detainees left empty-handed.

Louisdor said he has bipolar disorder, for which he takes medication. The day he had a court hearing, the staff mistakenly gave him double the dosage, leaving him unable to stand.

Since then, Louisdor said, conditions have slightly improved, though dormitories are still substantially overcrowded.

In California, detainees and lawyers similarly reported that medical care has deteriorated.

Tracy Crowley, a staff attorney at Immigrant Defenders Law Center, said clients with serious conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer don’t receive their medication some days.

Cells that house up to eight people are packed with 11. With air conditioning blasting all night, detainees have told her the floor is cold and they have gotten sick. Another common complaint, she said, is that clothes and bedding are so dirty that some clients are getting rashes all over their bodies, making it difficult to sleep.

Luis at Chicano Park in San Diego on Aug. 23, 2025.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

One such client is Luis, a 40-year-old from Colombia who was arrested in May at the immigration court in San Diego after a hearing over his pending asylum petition. Luis asked to be identified by his middle name out of concern over his legal case.

When he first arrived at Otay Mesa Detention Center, Luis said, the facility was already filled to the maximum capacity. By the time he left June 30, it was overcrowded. Rooms that slept six suddenly had 10 people. Mattresses were placed in a mixed-use room and in the gym.

Luis developed a rash, but at the medical clinic he was given allergy medication and sleeping pills. The infection continued until finally he showed it over a video call to his mother, who had worked in public health, and she told him to request an anti-fungal cream.

Luis was held at Otay Mesa Detention Center after his May arrest. It was at capacity when he arrived but by the time he left in June, it was overcrowded, he said.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Other detainees often complained to Luis that their medication doses were incomplete or missing, including two men in his dorm who took anti-psychotic medication.

“They would get stressed out, start to fight — everything irritated them,” he said. “That affected all of us.”

Crowley said the facility doesn’t have the infrastructure or staff to hold as many people as are there now. The legal system also can’t process them in a timely manner, she said, forcing people to wait months for a hearing.

The administration’s push to detain more people is only compounding existing issues, Crowley said.

“They’re self-imposing the limit, and most of the people involved in that decision-making are financially incentivized to house more and more people,” she said. “Where is the limit with this administration?”

Members of the California National Guard load a truck outside the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, Calif., on July 11, 2025.

(Patrick T. Fallon / AFP/Getty Images)

Other facilities in California faced similar challenges. At the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, the number of detainees soared to 1,000 from 300 over a week in June, prompting an outcry over deteriorated conditions.

As of July 29, Adelanto held 1,640 detainees. The Desert View Annex, an adjacent facility also operated by the GEO Group, held 451.

Disability Rights California toured the facility and interviewed staffers and 18 people held there. The advocacy organization released a report last month detailing its findings, including substantial delays in meal distribution, a shortage of drinking water, and laundry washing delays, leading many detainees to remain in soiled clothing for long periods.

In a letter released last month, 85 Adelanto detainees wrote, “They always serve the food cold … sometimes we don’t have water for 2 to 7 hours and they said to us to drink from the sink.”

At the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga., Rodney Taylor, a double amputee, was rendered nearly immobile.

Taylor, who was born in Liberia, uses electronic prosthetic legs that must be charged and can’t get wet. The outlets in his dormitory were inoperable, and because of the overcrowding and short-staffing, guards couldn’t take him to another area to plug them in, said his fiancee, Mildred Pierre.

“When they’re not charged they’re super heavy, like dead weight,” she said. It becomes difficult to balance without falling.

Pierre said the air conditioning in his unit didn’t work for two months, causing water to puddle on the floor. Taylor feared he would slip while walking and fall — which happened once in May — and damage the expensive prosthetics.

Last month, Taylor refused to participate in the daily detainee count, telling guards he wouldn’t leave his cell unless they agreed to leave the cell doors open to let the air circulate.

“They didn’t take him to charge his legs and now they wanted him to walk through water and go in a hot room,” Pierre recalled. “He said no — he stood his ground.”

Several guards surrounded him, yelling, Pierre said. They placed him in solitary confinement for three days as punishment, she said.

Micah Parsons is headed to the Green Bay Packers after a blockbuster trade on Thursday, leaving the Dallas Cowboys following a lengthy contract dispute.

The two-time All-Pro edge rusher confirmed the deal in a text to The Associated Press. The Packers also announced the deal.

A person with knowledge of the details said Parsons and the Packers have agreed on a record-setting $188 million, four-year contract that includes $136 million guaranteed. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade hasn’t been announced.

Parsons becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote in a statement he posted on X. “My heart has always been here, and still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones declined to discuss Parsons’ deal with agent David Mulugheta. Instead, Jones spoke directly to Parsons and insisted they had agreed on the parameters of a new contract.

The Cowboys are receiving two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark for Parsons, a person with knowledge of the details told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams haven’t released the terms.

The 26-year-old Parsons has 52½ sacks, recording at least 12 in each of his four seasons while making the Pro Bowl each year.

Parsons provides a huge boost for a franchise that has reached the playoffs five of the past six years but hasn’t made it to the NFL championship game since Aaron Rodgers led them to their fourth Super Bowl title 15 years ago.

Parsons bolsters a defense that was inconsistent at getting to opposing quarterbacks last season, when the Packers went 11-7 and lost to Philadelphia in the NFC wild-card round. The Packers had 45 sacks last season to tie for eighth place in the NFL, but more than half of those sacks came in just four games.

In seven of their 17 games, the Packers had no more than one sack.

Green Bay ranked 16th in pressure rate, which calculates the number of hurries, knockdowns and sacks for each team divided by an opponent’s drop-back attempts.

Now, the Packers add one of the game’s elite pass rushers while the Cowboys lose their best player because of a power struggle with Jones.

Even with Parsons, who missed four games because of injury last season, Dallas finished 28th in defense and the team went 7-10. The Cowboys have a healthy Dak Prescott returning but this is a devastating blow for the defense.

The Packers haven’t had anyone get 12 sacks in a season since Za’Darius Smith had 12½ in 2020.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst spoke Wednesday about the philosophy of taking a “big swing” to land a superstar.

“I think every opportunity that’s out there to help your football team, we’ve always taken a look at try to see how it affects us right now, how does it affect us in the future and make the best decision we can,” Gutekunst said. “Sometimes we’ve been right, sometimes we’re wrong. Sometimes we’ve taken risks that really worked out for us. Sometimes it didn’t.

“Sometimes we didn’t take risks, and we look back and wish we would have and sometimes, you know, as (former general manager) Ted (Thompson) used to say, you know, God helps those that can’t help themselves a little bit sometimes. So sometimes the best deals you make are the ones you don’t, you know. And so you just kind of, I think you weigh everything, and you weigh what is in the moment and what is in the future as well.”

The Packers, who once signed Reggie White in free agency, just took their biggest swing in decades. White helped a Green Bay team led by Brett Favre win a Super Bowl and reach another on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

EastEnders legend Danniella Westbrook has revealed that she would consider a return to the BBC soap opera if bosses agreed to her very strict condition

An EastEnders icon has shared the single condition that might lure her back to the BBC soap opera – and it’s quite a demand. Danniella Westbrook, 49, who initially arrived on Albert Square in 1990 as Sam Mitchell, has confessed she would only consider returning to Walford if her legendary character was given control of the Queen Vic.

Speaking about a potential return, Danniella said: “I’d only go back if they gave Sam Mitchell the Queen Vic. If they put Sam behind the bar and made her the next Peggy, I’d go back.

“But if they didn’t, I’m not interested. The show needs some great matriarchs again, and they don’t have loads now, do they? I know they’ve got Tish [Letitia Dean, who plays Sharon] and Denise. But yeah, I’d consider it if Sam Mitchell was back running The Queen Vic.”

The performer, who has portrayed Sam intermittently for over thirty years, reckons seizing control of the renowned boozer could restore some desperately needed edge to the BBC drama.

“If Sam were running the Vic, she’d be a lot like Peggy, I think,” she explained to the Daily Star. “But I think she’d have poker nights and all sorts going on.”

Danniella also suggested that, should she make a comeback, her interpretation of Sam would appear vastly different to the depiction audiences have witnessed recently from actress Kim Medcalf, who played the character between 2002 and 2005, before returning in 2022 and leaving in 2024. “I think if she came back, she’d have to come back a bit differently, because the other girl who plays her does it so differently,” Danniella said.

“The way I play Sam and the way she plays Sam, it’s like two completely different characters. Even the writing changes. What they write for her and what they write for me are like two different personalities.”

Drawing comparisons between their interpretations, she continued: “Kim plays her a lot posher, not as East End, not as flirty, she’s more middle-class in her version. Whereas my Sam is more brassy, more cheeky.”

The Mitchell clan have remained central to EastEnders‘ storylines for decades, with Barbara Windsor’s legendary Peggy Mitchell commanding respect from behind the Queen Vic bar for years.

Danniella believes that handing Sam similar authority could recapture some of that iconic drama. But despite the character being recast in 2002, Danniella returned to EastEnders in 2009 as producers wanted to recreate Sam’s chemistry with Patsy Palmer and Sid Owen, who had returned to the show as Ricky and Bianca.

The London-born star was last seen on EastEnders in 2016, having made a string of appearances between 2009 and 2010. Producers cut short her previous returns when her personal battles took their toll on Danniella’s work.

Speaking previously, she said that the bosses on the show had seen her struggle with addiction and despite her character being recast, she saw it as a “blessing.” Speaking on the Soap From The Box podcast, Danniella claimed the producers told her how they had been “dreading” calling her up with the news.

She claimed they told her: “We were dreading making the phone call. We’re not offering you it because you’ve been so ill the last few times you’ve come back. We do want to look after your safety first. How do you feel about it?”

Recalling her response on the podcast, Danniella said: “Do you know what? You’ve just taken the decision out of my hands and I feel I can put that to bed. Maybe one day, if anything ever comes around, I hope we can all sit down and have dinner and have a lovely time about it, and look at the lovely memories.”

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A WOMAN has believed that she suffers with a rare condition that’s so bad, cruel trolls have told her she needs to call an “exorcist.”

Rachel, 20, revealed that her condition is so bad, she barely leaves the house and struggles to even order food at a restaurant.

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The content creator suffers with Tourette’s, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary sounds or movements, known as tics.

Her body often twitches in an uncontrollable manner, and she makes lots of “random” noises such as whistling.

However, the worst part about Rachel’s condition is that she has something called coprolalia, which is a form of Tourette’s that causes sufferers to shout obscene and inappropriate phrases.

Only between 10 and 30% of Tourettes sufferers have coprolalia and it can cause those who have it to become extremely embarrassed and stressed.

“It does become frustrating that I can’t stop my tics or control them”, she told Love Don’t Judge.

Rachel had minor tics throughout her childhood, but they were so small that they were hardly noticeable.

However, when she was 15 her condition suddenly worsened very rapidly.

“It was very scary”, Rachel’s dad said.

“The person we knew was literally gone.”

After receiving an official diagnosis from her doctor, Rachel said the whole world crashed around her.

“I absolutely refused to go anywhere”, she said.

She stopped attending school so had to be homeschooled and hardly ever met up with friends.

“It was incredibly isolating for a very long time”, she said.

“I remember feeling like my entire life was over.”

Thankfully, Rachel’s saviour came when she posted a video to TikTok, showing her ticking, and it quickly blew up.

The post was flooded with people asking comments about her condition, or revealing that they experienced the same thing.

“They were happy to see it in the media”, she said.

“I thought, oh my gosh, I can do something positive.”

Rachel is now a content creator, and makes videos to raise awareness about Tourette’s.

However, she receives a lot of hate comments, from people who don’t believe it’s real.

“When people say I’m faking my Tourette’s Syndrome, I feel invalidated”, she said.

“It’s a core part of who I am.”

Rachel added that she has also had trolls claiming she needs “an exorcist”, and has been “taken over by a parasite.”

Despite finding these comments hurtful, Rachel sees them as all the more reason to raise awareness about her condition.

She said: “All I have to say to those who have judged me because of my condition is I hope that they learn to not judge others so quickly when they see something or someone that they don’t quite understand.

“I believe that we should all embrace our differences. And I think that we should all be committed to being so beautifully and uniquely and truly ourselves.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has been sidelined because of a back issue, will work out for the first time Saturday before the Rams play the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium, coach Sean McVay said Thursday.

Stafford, 37, is dealing with an aggravated disc, and recently received an epidural for the condition, McVay said, confirming what was first reported by NFL Media.

“Part of getting the epidural was part of the plan,” set up by spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins, McVay said, adding that Saturday’s workout was “on par with the schedule that we always had.”

McVay said Stafford would practice next week, though he will not participate in a joint practice with the Chargers.

“And then you’ll just continue to see his workload increase as long as he’s feeling good,” McVay said. “If this was in-season he would be playing right now.”

Etc.

Edge rusher Jared Verse left the field assisted by trainers after what McVay said was an incident in which he bumped knees with lineman Braden Fiske.

Earlier this week, President Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI, after he noted mild swelling in his lower legs. White House physician Dr. Sean P. Barbabella in a memo July 17 said the swelling prompted a full medical evaluation, including ultrasound tests and blood work. Those confirmed CVI, a condition the doctor described as “benign and common — particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” Dr. Barbabella said he found no other signs of more serious cardiovascular issues like blood clots and declared the president to be in “excellent health.”

What is chronic venous insufficiency?

“CVI is when the veins of the body do not work well,” said Dr. Mimmie Kwong, assistant professor of vascular surgery at UC Davis Health, when veins cannot transport blood effectively, causing it to pool, especially in the legs.

CVI is one of the most common vein problems in the U.S. and worldwide, affecting “about one in three adults in the United States,” Kwong said.

That translates to more than 30 million people in the U.S., most often older adults, according to Dr. Ali Azizzadeh, a professor and director of Vascular Surgery at Cedars-Sinai and associate director of the Smidt Heart Institute. He noted the condition is more common in women.

As people age, the veins, such as in their legs, may have a harder time returning blood to the heart, he said.

What causes CVI?

The valves in the veins of the legs are supposed to keep blood moving in one direction: back toward the heart. But when those valves are damaged or weakened, they can stop working properly, leading blood to flow backward and collect in the lower legs.

Individuals who stand or sit for extended periods, or those with a family history of vein issues, may be at a higher risk of developing the condition.

“When the calf muscles are active, they pump the veins that return blood from the legs to the heart,” Azizzadeh explained. “With prolonged inactivity of those muscles, blood can pool in the legs.”

What does CVI feel like?

While CVI isn’t always painful, it can cause discomfort that worsens as the day goes on.

The mornings may feel the best: “The legs naturally drain while you are lying down and sleeping overnight,” said Azizzadeh, “so they will typically feel lightest in the morning.”

As the day progresses and blood starts to pool, people with CVI may experience swelling, heaviness, aching or a dull pain in their legs. The symptoms tend to worsen after prolonged periods of standing or sitting.

If swelling worsens, thickening, inflammation or dry skin can result, with more severe cases developing wounds that do not heal and can even result in amputation, Kwong said.

FILE – President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves the White House, July 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

(Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)

How is CVI treated?

Ttreatment is more manageable when problematic veins are closer to the surface of the skin, Kwong said. It’s more problematic when deep veins are affected.

The first line of treatment is usually simple lifestyle changes. “We suggest CEE: compression, elevation, and exercise,” Azizzadeh said. Wearing compression stockings can help push blood out of the legs; elevating the legs allows gravity to help drain blood from the legs toward the heart, and regular walking forces calf muscles to pump blood throughout the body.

For people with more serious cases, doctors may recommend a minimally invasive procedure that uses heat to seal off the leaky veins. Common treatments include ablation techniques, surgical removal of veins (phlebectomy), or chemical (sclerosant) injections. “All of these therapies aim to cause the veins to shut down, so they no longer cause the CVI,” Kwong said.

FILE – President Donald Trump, left, reaches to shake hands with Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa speak upon his arrival at the White House, July 16, 2025, in Washington.

(Alex Brandon/AP)

In President Trump’s case, the condition appears to be mild and manageable. His doctors emphasized there was no cause for concern and that he remains in good overall health. But for millions of Americans living with CVI, recognizing the symptoms and knowing how to manage them can make a big difference in day-to-day comfort and long-term well-being.

United States President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) after undergoing evaluation for lower leg swelling and hand bruising, the White House has announced.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that the diagnosis was made after the president experienced mild discomfort in his legs over several weeks.

In a publicly released letter, President Trump’s physician, Dr Sean Barbabella, confirmed there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. All of Trump’s lab results were within normal limits.

“An echocardiogram was also performed, and confirmed normal cardiac structure and function,” the letter added.

But what is chronic venous insufficiency, and how risky is it? Here is what we know:

What is chronic venous insufficiency?

CVI is a type of vein disorder that develops when the veins in the legs become damaged, Cleveland Clinic explains. Veins have valves that help blood move up towards the heart. When these valves are damaged, they don’t close properly, and blood can flow backwards. This is called venous reflux.

This can lead to blood pooling in the lower legs. Along with swelling – most often around the feet and ankles – symptoms may include aching legs, a heavy or tingling sensation, and the appearance of varicose veins.

According to Cleveland Clinic, the disease affects about one in three adults, while CVI affects people over age 50. The risk rises with age.

What are other common symptoms?

According to the American Heart Association, some symptoms include leg swelling, as the president has experienced, but also skin irritation.

The skin issues typically show up as red, itchy or flaky patches on the lower legs, caused by poor blood flow and sometimes leading to ulcers.

Additional symptoms may include pain, itching, bleeding, a heavy or tired feeling in the legs, cramping, throbbing and restlessness.

Trump also had bruising on his hand, according to the White House. Dr Barbabella attributed that to “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regime”, the White House release stated.

How serious is CVI?

The condition is generally mild but can worsen over time.

“Chronic Venous Insufficiency can significantly impact your quality of life, but early detection and treatment can make a substantial difference,” the chair of the American Heart Association’s Vascular Health Advisory Committee and Scientific Council on Peripheral Vascular Disease, Joshua A Beckman, said.

While the condition itself is usually not serious, it can be associated with more dangerous complications, such as deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in a deep vein) or pulmonary embolism (a clot that blocks blood flow to the lungs).

Dr Barbabella, the president’s physician, described Trump’s case as “a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over 70”. He confirmed that Trump, 79, showed no signs of those more serious complications.

What is the treatment for CVI?

Doctors typically begin treatment with compression therapy, which helps reduce leg swelling and discomfort. Compression stockings are often prescribed and may be worn long-term, as they support vein function by promoting blood flow back to the heart.

In addition, doctors may recommend weight loss or resistance exercises to improve circulation.

If symptoms – such as leg pain, skin sores or thickened, hardened skin – persist, more invasive treatments may be necessary. These include thermal therapies like laser treatment, which seal off damaged veins, and sclerotherapy, whereby a chemical is injected to collapse affected veins. After treatment, the body naturally redirects blood flow through healthier veins.

WASHINGTON — President Trump recently had a medical checkup after noticing “mild swelling” in his lower legs and was found to have a condition common in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins, the White House said Thursday.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said tests by the White House medical unit showed that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when little valves inside the veins that normally help move blood against gravity gradually lose the ability to work properly.

Leavitt also addressed bruising on the back of Trump’s hand, seen in recent photos covered by makeup that was not an exact match to his skin tone. She said the bruising was “consistent” with irritation from his “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” Trump takes aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

She said during her briefing that her disclosure of Trump’s medical checkup was meant to dispel recent speculation about the 79-year-old president’s health. Nonetheless, the announcement was notable given that the Republican president has routinely kept secret basic facts about his health.

Trump in April had a comprehensive physical exam with more than a dozen medical specialists. The three-page report released then by the White House did not include a finding of chronic venous insufficiency. At the time, Trump’s doctor, Sean Barbabella, determined that the president’s joints and muscles had a full range of motion, with normal blood flow and no swelling.

Leavitt did not say when Trump first noticed the swelling in his lower legs. As part of the president’s routine medical care and out of an “abundance of caution,” she said he had a “comprehensive exam” that included vascular, lower extremity and ultrasound testing.

She noted that chronic venous insufficiency is a benign condition that is common in people older than 70.

She said the tests revealed no evidence of deep vein thrombosis, a more serious medical condition in which a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, usually in the legs. Nor was there any evidence of arterial disease, she said, reading a letter from Barbabella.

People often are advised to lose weight, walk for exercise and elevate their legs periodically, and some may be advised to wear compression stockings. Severe cases over time can lead to complications including lower leg sores called ulcers. Blood clots are one cause, but was ruled out, Leavitt said.

Leavitt said the condition wasn’t causing the president discomfort. She wouldn’t discuss how he was treating the condition and suggested those details would be in the doctor’s letter, which was released to the public. But the letter was the same as what she read, and it did not include additional details.

Dr. Anahita Dua, a vascular surgeon at Mass General Brigham who has never treated Trump, said there is no cure for chronic venous insufficiency.

“The vast majority of people, probably including our president, have a mild to moderate form of it,” Dua said.

People with the condition can reduce the swelling by wearing medical-grade compression socks or stockings, to help the blood circulate back to the heart, or by walking, she said.

The exam the White House disclosed Thursday included other testing that found no signs of heart failure, renal impairment or systemic illness in Trump, Leavitt said.

“The president remains in excellent health, which I think all of you witness on a daily basis here,” she told reporters.

Superville and Neergaard write for the Associated Press.