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Mar-a-Lago Shooting

Austin Tucker Martin rarely, if ever, talked about politics, seemed afraid of guns, and came from a family of Trump supporters, according to Braeden Fields, a cousin who said the two grew up together.

"I wouldn't believe he would do something like this. It's mind-blowing," Fields said. "He wouldn't even hurt an ant. He doesn't even know how to use a gun."

Martin walked up to the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago early Sunday and went through a gate when it opened for employees to leave, a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said Monday. Martin dropped a gas can and raised a shotgun at two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff's deputy who then opened fire "to neutralize the threat," said Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

Trump, who often spends weekends at the Palm Beach, Florida, resort, was at the White House at the time.

Investigators have not identified a motive. Trump faced twoassassination attemptsduring the 2024 campaign, including one just a few miles (kilometers) from Mar-a-Lago when a man was spottedaiming a riflethrough shrubbery while Trump was golfing.

Following Sunday's incident, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said investigators believe Martin bought his shotgun while driving to Florida. Authorities said his family had recently reported him missing.

Martin was from central North Carolina, where guns and hunting are a part of life, his cousin said. But whenever they'd go hunting or target shooting, Martin would never pick up a gun, Fields told The Associated Press on Sunday.

He lived with his mother in a modest modular house down a rutted sandy road near the town of Cameron. No one answered the door Monday, and the large police presence from the day before was gone.

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Martin's sister was just 21 when she was killed in a car accident in 2023, and he has an older brother who's in the military, Fields said.

For the past three years, Martin worked as a groundskeeper at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club.

"It's tragic. I feel for his family," said Kelly Miller, president of the course in nearby Southern Pines. "It's just unfortunate what transpired. It was totally unexpected."

Martin last year started a business to sell pen drawings he made, according to state records. A website matching the company name features illustrations of golf courses, buildings and ancient Roman architecture.

Politics didn't seem to be among his interests, his cousin said

"We are big Trump supporters, all of us. Everybody," Fields said, but his cousin was "real quiet, never really talked about anything."

This story was corrected to show that the suspect walked through the gate and didn't drive through it.

Associated Press reporters Michelle L. Price in Washington, Ali Swenson in New York, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

The Mexican Army on Sunday said it carried out an operation that killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. U.S. officials have described the cartel as powerful as the Sinaloa organization and a major trafficker of drugs into the United States.

RELATED STORY |Mexican army kills leader of powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel during operation to capture him

In the aftermath, cartel gunmen torched vehicles to block roads across the country, prompting many residents to shelter indoors. According to The Associated Press, more than 1,000 people were trapped at the Guadalajara Zoo, afraid to risk traveling home. The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico has also urged American travelers to shelter in place as roadblocks have impacted airline operations and led to flight cancellations in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta — two popular tourist destinations for Americans.

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Aaron Mason, news director for the Scripps News Group station in Buffalo, New York, was vacationing in Puerto Vallarta when the killing happened. He said he is safe but described tense and unnerving scenes.

"I was walking into the downtown area yesterday morning and you could see smoke pouring from different points of the city," Mason said. "And then I turned one corner to go to the gym, actually, and that's when I saw flames from a car that was just in the middle of the intersection on fire."

"You saw the smoke — at one point it was so heavy that it was just pouring over the downtown area in Zona Romantica and right onto the beach," he said. "I mean, it was just such a surreal sight to see because this is such a beautiful, peaceful place."

US citizens in Mexico urged to shelter in place after killing of cartel leader

It is believed the operation to target Oseguera Cervantes was done with support from U.S. intelligence. The killing comes as President Donald Trump has urged Mexico to take stronger action against cartels and the flow of drugs into the U.S., threatening tariffs or military intervention if results are not seen.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, on Feb. 23 found that any public release of the report would be a "manifest injustice" to Trump and two associates because it would detail allegations of alleged criminal wrongdoing in a case that was dismissed before ever going to trial.

The ruling is the latest in a series of decisions by Cannon to protect Trump from having the contents of the case made public.

Jack Smith, the former U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel who brought two now-dropped criminal cases against President Donald Trump, will publicly testify to the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22.

Pictured here, Special Counsel Jack Smith delivered remarks on a recently unsealed indictment against then-former President Trump at the Justice Department on June 9, 2023 in Washington, D.C. At the time, Trump was indicted in the special counsel's classified documents probe.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Smith gave private testimony to the committee in December 2025 where he defended his investigations into Trump, saying that the basis for the prosecutions "rests entirely with President Trump and his actions."

Smith was appointed independent special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to oversee two criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump's alleged role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Smith dropped both cases after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Former Special Counsel Jack Smith (C) leaves for a break while testifying during a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Dec. 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Smith was appointed independent special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to oversee two criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump's alleged role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Smith dropped both cases after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Former Special Counsel Jack Smith leaves after testifying in a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Dec. 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Smith is a long-time prosecutor whose experience ranges from prosecuting a sitting US senator to prosecuting a gang member who was ultimately convicted of murdering New York City police officers. He has also prosecuted war crimes at The Hague.

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Who Is Jack Smith? The special counsel named in historic Trump investigations.

Jack Smith, the former U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel who brought twonow-dropped criminal casesagainstPresident Donald Trump, will publicly testify to the House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22.Pictured here, Special Counsel Jack Smith delivered remarks on a recently unsealed indictment against then-former President Trump at the Justice Department on June 9, 2023 in Washington, D.C. At the time, Trump was indicted in the special counsel's classified documents probe.

In July 2024, Cannon ruled that Smith's appointment as special counsel under the administration of PresidentJoe Bidenwas unconstitutional anddismissed the case.

The Biden Justice Department appealed that decision but ultimately dropped the case and another charging Trump withunlawfully trying to stay in powerafter losing the 2020 presidential election, after Trump was elected to a second term last November. In both, Smith citeda Justice Department policyagainst prosecuting a sitting president.

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More:'I don't regret it': Jan. 6 prosecutor defends Trump investigations

Citing her 2024 dismissal of the case, Cannon said in her current ruling that Smith was acting "without lawful authority" in obtaining the indictment against Trump, valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago employee Carlos de Oliveira.

"As a result, the former defendants in this case, like any other defendant in this situation, still enjoy the presumption of innocence held sacrosanct in our constitutional order," Cannon wrote in her new order.

Cannon's move means the American public may never see the substantial amount of evidence gathered by prosecutors in one of the four criminal cases Trump faced in his years out of office.

Trump was accused of illegally storing documents related to U.S. national security and defense at his Mar-a-Lago estate and social club and then obstructing U.S. government efforts to retrieve the material.

Trump, Nauta and de Oliveira pleaded not guilty to all charges, with Trump arguing he did nothing wrong in deciding to keep the documents. They asked Cannon to bar the release of the report, which detailed justification for the charges.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Judge blocks release of Jack Smith's Trump classified documents report

This year, theNFL's competition committeehasn't heard a peep about a new proposal to ban the play, a quarterback sneak that also involves one or more other players pushing the ball carrier from behind.

"There's no team proposal that I've seen from it," league competition committee co-chair Rich McKay said at the NFL combine. "So, I wouldn't envision it. But you never know."

The 2025 NFL season saw a year-over-year uptick in attempts but a decline in theeffectiveness of the Tush Pushafter its dominance in short yardage situations over the previous three years.

NFL NEWS, TAKES, FANTASY ADVICE:USA TODAY Sports has you covered with our NFL vodcast

Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.

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Best images of the 2025 NFL season

Week 1: Detroit Lions wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa (18)makes a catch for a touchdownagainst the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. The play was originally ruled an incomplete pass, but the call was overturned. Despite TeSlaa's effort, the Packers won the game 27-13.

There were 112 Tush Push attempts in 2025, per ESPN, after a 2024 season that featured 101 attempts to run the play. ThePhiladelphia EaglesandBuffalo Billsled the way with 27 and 17 Tush Push attempts, respectively, in 2025.

Teams converted a first down on 76.8% of Tush Push attempts in 2025, according to ESPN, a notable dip from the 82% conversion rate on the play between 2022 and 2024.

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In September, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that there was "no guarantee" for another attempt to ban the quarterback sneak play. The ESPN insider wrote that the conversation surrounding the Tush Push ban last offseason was heated and emotional, meaning the league's owners might decide to hold off on further discussion for another year.

Last year, theGreen Bay Packers' proposal to ban the Tush Push ultimately fell two votes shy of the requisite 24 votes needed to institute the ban. The proposal would have re-established the NFL rule that existed until 2005, which banned other players from pushing ball carriers regardless of where they were on the field.

TUSH PUSH BAN:NFL fails to ban the Philadelphia Eagles' QB sneak play

At the time, Green Bay and other teams that supported the Tush Push ban cited player safety among primary concerns for keeping the play permissible.

FormerEaglescenter Jason Kelce, who was an advocate for keeping the Tush Push legal, spoke at last year's owners meeting to share his perspective on the safety of the play.

"There was a narrative out there that one of the reasons I retired was because of the play, or that I somehow felt like the play led to more injuries or was injured because of it," Kelce said in an episode of his "New Heights" podcast last May. "So I was really just there to offer my perspective on that stuff not being true and the fact that I think it's a relatively safe play."

The NFL has not publicly shared any data regarding the health of players surrounding the Tush Push.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tush Push ban in 2026? Why NFL rule-changers say it's unlikely

Ohtani's next step in his return to being a two-way player full-time this season doesn't include pitching next month for his home country in the WBC.

"Just coming off the surgery, coming off the year he had, pitching through October, just the quick turnaround at that kind of intensity coming off surgery," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "And then obviously, we have designs of playing through October this year, and Shohei being a big part of that on the mound. That, coupled with the idea that he wants to pitch for the next eight years, we want him to pitch for the next eight years, just trying to be really mindful of all of that.

"And so we sat down, had the conversation with him. He understood it. The competitor in him doesn't love it, but he understood it."

Ohtani said in a half-truth reveal he can't say for certain that competitive fire won't spread in the moment. There was one hypothetical scenario playing in his mind when the question arose about taking the mound for an inning or even one batter.

"Hard to say it," Ohtani said via interpreter Will Ireton, "but if (Mike) Trout shows up, it's tempting."

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Trout, a close friend and former Los Angeles Angels teammate of Ohtani, won't be in uniform for the U.S. team in March.

That means no redux of the 2023 final-out showdown in which Ohtani was on the mound and struck out Trout in a high-leverage moment the Dodgers would like their treasured four-time MVP to avoid this time around.

Ohtani, who missed only four games in 2025 and played all but three in 2024, has worked with the Dodgers to tone down some of his dual-position upramp this spring. He's also played in 33 playoff games in his two seasons with the Dodgers. He did not pitch in 2024 coming off of Tommy John surgery but threw 47 innings in 14 appearances last season.

To get prepared for a bigger role as a pitcher in 2026, Ohtani will throw some live batting practice sessions and simulated games while away from the Dodgers at the WBC.

"I'll do everything in my power to make sure the quality and the volume are in a good place," Ohtani said. "With the limited opportunities I do have, being in a live situation, I just have to do the best I can in those situations."

--Field Level Media

The decision means that Prestianni will miss Wednesday's second leg of the Champions League playoff between Real Madrid and Benfica. Madrid won the first match in Lisbon last Tuesday with Vinícius scoring a second-half winner for a1-0 victory.

The game was halted for nearly 10 minutes after the Brazil forward scored and celebrated by the Benfica corner flag, upsetting local fans and players. After being confronted by Prestianni, Vinícius accused the Argentine player of calling him "monkey."

Prestianni hasdenied racially insultingVinícius.

The anti-racism protocol was activated but no further action was taken during the match as there was no evidence against Prestianni, who covered his mouth with his shirt while talking to Vinícius. The Madrid forward was shown a yellow card after his celebration.

UEFA said the decision from its control, ethics and disciplinary Body (CEDB) is related to a discriminatory behavior.

"This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies," it said in a statement.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino said after the match he was "shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism" and praised the referee for activating the anti-racism protocol.

Benficashowed supportfor Prestianni, with the Portuguese club claiming that Madrid players who said they heard the insult were too far away. Benfica later released a statement saying it welcomed UEFA's investigation and that it "fully supports and believes the version presented" by Prestianni, "whose conduct while with the club has always been guided by respect" toward everyone.

Benfica fans had reacted angrily to Vinícius celebrating his 50th-minute goal by dancing at the corner flag, throwing bottles and other objects toward the Madrid players. Prestianni then confronted Vinícius and said something while covering his mouth with his jersey.

Prestianni insisted that Vinícius misunderstood what was said, while Benfica players after the match reportedly said the Argentine provoked the Brazil forward but never racially insulted him.

Kylian Mbappé was among the Madrid players who strongly defended Vinícius andposted on X: "Dance, Vini, and please never stop. They will never tell us what we have to do or not."

The France star also said Prestianni should never play in the Champions League again.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

"This has been the largest rollout of a school program in the nation and there is still about a month left—application deadline on March 17," Abbott administration spokesperson Eduardo Leal toldFox News Digital.

TheTexasEducation Freedom Accounts (TEFA) is a state-created education savings account program, backed by an initial $1 billion investment. The legislation introduced new competition into the education landscape, giving parents options outside the neighborhood school their child is zoned for — posing challenges for districts struggling to retain students.

School Choice Issue In Texas Reveals New Litmus Test For Republicans

Over 42,000 applications were submitted on the first day the portal opened, which Leal said made it "the largest day one school choice program in the nation."

School choice group, The American Federation for Children Growth Fund, spent nearly $2 million overall on enrollment marketing efforts in Texas to make families aware of the Texas Education Freedom Accounts.

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"Every family wants their children to have access to the besteducationpossible. An education system controlled by the unions that forces kids to go to a school that isn't serving their needs is a moral failure in our country," American Federation for Children President Tommy Schultz told Fox News Digital.

Arizona School District Takes Huge Blow To Enrollment As Parents Choose Other Options

"School choice policies state-by-state have been wildly oversubscribed because the demand is overwhelming from parents," Schultz added. "Now that more than 100,000 families have applied in Texas in this short period of time, it's a clear indication that this is one of the most popular public policy initiatives of our time that can actually fix a broken K-12 system."

TexasGov. Greg Abbottsigned the Texas Education Freedom Act in May 2025. The journey leading to signing the legislation was turbulent for Abbott and state Republicans as he struggled to unify members of his party on his school choice agenda.

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In the past, rural Republicans in the state rejectedschool choice policies, arguing, along with Democrats, that vouchers, or education savings accounts, would negatively impact public school funding.

Colorado Public School Enrollment Drops By 10,000 While Homeschooling Increases Statewide

In order to garner more support for his school choice agenda, the governor announced that he would get involved in the party's primaries to oust any candidates opposing school choice. With the aid of the American Federation for Children's Victory Fund, the governor endorsed and helped raise money forpro-school choice candidates in 2024.

The historic rollout of the program comes amidmajor city school districts strugglingto retain students since the coronavirus pandemic. Among them is Houston Independent School District (HISD), whose superintendent spoke with Fox News Digital in January, about its enrollment decline, citing nationwide enrollment trends, and efforts to appeal to parents ascompetition with charter schools ramps up.

HISD Superintendent Mike Miles last week recommended the district close 12 schools for the 2026-27 school year.

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HISD sent Fox News Digital a press release published on Feb. 12 that the district "is taking necessary steps to ensure the long-term strength, sustainability, and quality of education for all students."

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"This includes a recommendation to the Board of Managers for the closure of 12 schools (11 facilities) beginning 2026-27," the district announced.

The press release continued, "Like school districts across the region and the nation, HISD is navigating significant demographic and population shifts. As the District enters the annual budgeting and planning process for the upcoming school year, the impact of declining enrollment and compounding repair and maintenance costs has made it clear that maintaining certain campuses is no longer financially responsible or educationally sound."

Original article source:Texas parents rush to enroll their kids into state's school choice program