Utah’s governor, in impassioned remarks, urges Americans to find ‘off-ramp’ from political violence

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a week when Americans witnessed a public political assassination, oceans of angry words and a collective sense of horror and exhaustion, one man stepped up to a microphone and said something that stood out: It doesn’t have to be like this.

That man, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, appeared weary, emotional, at times angry and on the verge of tears Friday. While he had the country’s attention, he used the moment to ask his fellow Americans to turn down the temperature.

Cox, long an advocate for civility, said he didn’t “want to get too preachy.” But he described the moment as one where the country’s very ideals were on the line. He made an impassioned plea for Americans and young people in particular to use the horror of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination as an inflection point to turn the country away from political violence and division.

“This is our moment: Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox told a news conference in Utah as he announced authorities had a suspect in Kirk’s killing in custody. “It’s a choice.”

Throughout his political career, Cox, a two-term Republican governor, has issued pleas for bipartisan cooperation and at times drawn national attention for his empathetic remarks.

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What to know about the killing of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA

A 22-year-old Utah man was arrested in the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during an event on a college campus, authorities said Friday.

“We got him,” Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters at a news conference announcing the arrest of Tyler Robinson in Wednesday’s killing of Kirk at Utah Valley University. He was taken into custody Thursday night and is due in court early next week. Investigators believe he acted alone.

Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump. He led an effort to remake the GOP’s get-out-the-vote effort in the 2024 election based on the theory there were thousands of Trump supporters who rarely vote but could be persuaded to do so.

His killing was the latest in a string of attacks on U.S. politicians that have targeted members of both major parties.

Here’s what to know about Kirk’s shooting:

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Man arrested in Charlie Kirk’s killing had no known criminal history, had become ‘more political’

ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) — The family of the young Utah man accused of shooting Charlie Kirk told authorities he had recently become “more political” and recounted a dinner table conversation where they discussed whether the conservative activist was spreading hate.

Tyler James Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily harm, and obstruction of justice, all felonies, according to a probable cause statement filed in court and released Friday. A judge ordered that he be held without bail.

Robinson mentioned Kirk’s upcoming visit to Utah Valley University — located about 3 1/2 hours from the family’s southern Utah home — at a recent dinner, kicking off a conversation about how he didn’t like Kirk’s viewpoints, family told authorities. A full picture of his political leanings was still emerging. Utah state records show he is registered to vote, but that he is not affiliated with a political party and is listed as inactive, meaning he didn’t vote in the two most recent general elections.

His listed address in the probable cause statement is the six-bedroom home of his parents, who own a granite countertop business and are registered to vote as Republicans.

State and federal court records do not show any prior criminal cases involving him. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Robinson had a defense lawyer who could comment on his behalf. Messages seeking comment Friday from family members, including his parents, received no response.

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ICE officer fatally shoots suspect after being dragged by car near Chicago, officials say

CHICAGO (AP) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a suspect who tried to evade arrest Friday in a Chicago suburb by driving his car at officers and dragging one of them, officials said.

The shooting outside the city follows days of threats by the Trump administration to surge immigration enforcement in the nation’s third-largest city and less than a week into an operation labeled “Midway Blitz” by federal officials targeting the so-called sanctuary policies in Chicago and Illinois.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release that the officer was trying to arrest a man with a history of reckless driving who had entered the country illegally, but he refused officers’ orders and instead drove his car at them. An ICE officer who was hit and dragged by the car felt his life was threatened and opened fire, the department said.

ICE said both the officer and the driver from the shooting in the majority Hispanic suburb of Franklin Park, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) west of Chicago, were taken to a local hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead.

ICE identified the suspect as Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez. The Associated Press was not able to immediately reach Villegas-Gonzalez’s family members. Immigration advocates and local officials said they knew little about him as of Friday afternoon. The officer has not been identified.

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Nepal has first woman prime minister as president dissolves parliament and sets March elections

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — The president of Nepal on Friday appointed former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister and the first woman to head the Himalayan nation’s government following fiery protests that caused the collapse of the previous administration.

President Ram Chandra Poudel also dissolved parliament and set March 5 as the date for elections based on the recommendation of the new prime minister, the president’s office said in a statement late Friday. The most recent legislative elections were held in 2022.

Karki, a popular figure while serving as the court’s only female chief justice in 2016 and 2017, was sworn in by the president Friday in a small ceremony at the presidential residence that was broadcast on state-run television.

Karki, 73, was known for her stand against corruption in the government while serving as chief justice. Some lawmakers tried to impeach her in April 2017 and made accusations of bias, but the move was unsuccessful and criticized as an attack on the judiciary.

Street demonstrations began Monday in the capital Kathmandu over a social media ban turned violent, with protesters attacking government buildings and police opening fire. Though the ban was rescinded, unrest continued over broader grievances. Tens of thousands of protesters attacked and burned the parliament, presidential residence and businesses.

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Rubio meets Qatar’s prime minister before visiting Israel in a delicate balance with two allies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Qatar’s prime minister Friday ahead of a visit to Israel this weekend, showing how the Trump administration is trying to balance relations between key Middle East allies days after Israel targeted Hamas leaders in a strike on Doha.

Despite tensions between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio will arrive in Israel on Sunday for a two-day visit. It is a show of support for the increasingly isolated country before the United Nations holds likely contentious debate on the creation of a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu opposes.

Rubio and Vice President JD Vance met Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House. Later Friday, Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff had dinner with the Qatari premier in New York, where Trump went to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The Trump administration is walking a delicate line between two major allies after Israel took its fight with Hamas to the Qatari capital, where leaders of the militant group had gathered to consider a U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in the nearly two-year-old war in Gaza. Qatar is a key mediator, and while its leaders have vowed to press forward, the next steps are uncertain for a long-sought deal to halt the fighting and release hostages taken from Israel.

Israel’s attack Tuesday also has ruptured Trump’s hopes to secure a wider Middle East peace deal, with the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar all uniting in anger.

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A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes near the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region

MOSCOW (AP) — A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck early Saturday near the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka region, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The quake’s epicenter was 111.7 kilometers (69.3 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and had a depth of 39 kms, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damages.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning System briefly said there was a threat of a possible tsunami from the earthquake but later dropped the threat from its website.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said warnings were issued to coastal areas about a slight change in sea levels, but that means the likelihood of damage is minimal.

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Fed Governor Lisa Cook claimed 2nd residence as ‘vacation home,’ undercutting Trump fraud claims

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud.

President Donald Trump has sought to fire Cook “for cause,” relying on allegations that Cook claimed both the condo and another property as her primary residence simultaneously, as he looks to reshape the central bank to orchestrate a steep cut to interest rates. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”

Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing, the first time a president has sought to remove a member of the seven-person board of governors. Cook secured an injunction Tuesday that allows her to remain as a Fed governor.

The administration has appealed the ruling and asked for an emergency ruling by Monday, just before the Fed is set to meet and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.

Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.

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Israeli strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels damage residential homes, forcing families to live in ruins

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Israel’s deadly airstrikes this week targeting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have damaged residential areas in the country’s capital of Sanaa, leaving many houses in ruins and residents without help from authorities and unable to afford repairs on their own.

Wednesday’s strikes killed 46 people — including 11 women and five children — and wounded 165, according to a toll released late Thursday by the rebel-run health ministry in Sanaa. Most of the casualties were in Sanaa. Rebel officials said 11 local journalists were also killed in the strikes.

The strikes followed a drone launched by the Houthi rebels that breached Israel’s multilayered air defenses and slammed into a southern Israeli airport, blowing out glass windows and injuring one person.

In Yemen, a military headquarters and a Sanaa fuel station were also hit, the rebels said previously, as well as a government facility in the city of Hazm, the capital of northern Jawf province. The National Museum of Yemen was also damaged, according to the rebels’ culture ministry, with footage from the site showings damage to the building’s façade.

In Sanaa, where Yemen’s yearslong civil war has impoverished many, residents told The Associated Press they cannot afford any major repairs and that the local authorities are not offering compensation or help with reconstruction.

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Trump says he’ll send National Guard to Memphis, escalating his use of troops in US cities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he’ll send the National Guard to address crime concerns in Memphis, Tennessee, his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.

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

Tennessee’s Republican governor embraced the troop deployment as part of a broader law enforcement surge in Memphis, however Trump’s assertion drew pushback from the Democratic leader of Memphis, which is majority Black.

“I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Mayor Paul Young told a news conference Friday, while acknowledging the city remained high on too many “bad lists.”

Several Memphis leaders said they welcome federal help but don’t think it needs to involve the military. Young committed to trying to help the deployment strengthen the community without distracting from ongoing law enforcement efforts. He said federal officials should aim at the “root source of violent crime” and mentioned rehabilitation and mental health services, jobs and housing needs.