US NATIONAL NEWS
Official: Clinic Suspect Made ‘No More Baby Parts’ Comment
Published
11 years agoon
By
Willie David
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Robert Lewis Dear was reclusive, and he seldom spoke to neighbors in a quiet patch of woods in rural Colorado where he lived.
Now, it’s his words that are drawing the most attention as police try to discern his motivations for a shooting attack they say he carried out Friday at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs that killed three people, including a police officer.
After his arrest, Dear said “no more baby parts,” said a law enforcement official, who could not elaborate and spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.
Planned Parenthood cited witnesses as saying the gunman was motivated by his opposition to abortion.
The attack thrust the clinic to the center of the ongoing debate over Planned Parenthood, which was re-ignited in July when anti-abortion activists released undercover video they said showed the group’s personnel negotiating the sale of fetal organs.
Planned Parenthood has denied seeking any payments beyond legally permitted reimbursement costs for donating the organs to researchers. Still, the National Abortion Federation says it has since seen a rise in threats at clinics nationwide.
Anti-abortion activists, part of a group called the Center for Medical Progress, denounced the “barbaric killing spree in Colorado Springs by a violent madman” and offered prayers for the dead and wounded and for their families.
The Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs provides women’s health services and has long been the site of regular anti-abortion protests. A Roman Catholic priest who has held weekly Mass in front of the clinic for 20 years said Dear wasn’t part of his group.
“I don’t know him from Adam,” the Rev. Bill Carmody said. “I don’t recognize him at all.”
Police haven’t said what motivated Dear, 57, to carry out the attack.
Dear, who was in custody and is expected to make his first court appearance on Monday, was described by neighbors as reclusive. They said he stashed food in the woods, avoided eye contact and warned neighbors about government spying.
At a vigil Saturday at All Souls Unitarian Church, Rev. Nori Rost called the gunman a “domestic terrorist.” In the back of the room, someone held a sign that said: “Women’s bodies are not battlefields. Neither is our town.”
Vicki Cowart, the regional head of Planned Parenthood, drew a standing ovation when she walked to the pulpit. She promised to quickly reopen the clinic. “We will adapt. We will square our shoulders and we will go on,” she said.
After her remarks, a woman in the audience stood up, objected to the vigil becoming a “political statement” and left.
Cowart said the gunman “broke in” to the clinic Friday but didn’t get past a locked door leading to the main part of the facility. She said there was no armed security when the shooting began. He later surrendered to police after an hourslong standoff.
In the parking lot of the two-story building, one man said the gunman shot at him as he pulled his car out, blasting two holes in his windshield. Inside, one worker ducked under a table and called her brother to tell him to take care of her kids if she was killed.
At one point, an officer whispered reports into his radio as he crept through the building. Others relayed information from surveillance cameras and victims in hiding. “We’ve got a report of a victim texting from just east of the lobby,” someone said.
In the end, a six-year veteran University of Colorado police officer was killed. Two civilians also died, though their identities weren’t immediately released. Five other officers and four people were hospitalized.
Cowart said all 15 clinic employees survived and worked hard to make sure everyone else got into safe spaces and stayed quiet.
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said the city is mourning and praised the bravery of first responders. He said the nation is wrestling with the causes of violence but that it’s too early to discuss that while the city is reeling.
“This is the kind of thing that hits the entire community in the gut,” he said.
Cowart said the organization would learn from the attack. When asked if the clinic should have more security, she said the clinic’s clients shouldn’t have to walk through metal detectors.
The attack marked the latest mass shooting to stun the nation. It drew the now-familiar questions about a gunman’s motives and whether anyone, from government to relatives, could have done anything to prevent an attack.
Those who knew the 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound Dear said he seemed to have few religious or political leanings.
Neighbors who lived beside Dear’s former South Carolina home say he hid food in the woods as if he was a survivalist and said he lived off selling prints of his uncle’s paintings of Southern plantations and the Masters golf tournament.
John Hood said Saturday that when he moved to Walterboro, Dear was living in a doublewide mobile home next door. Hood said Dear seemed to be a loner and very strange but not dangerous.
He pointed to a wooden fence separating their land and said he put it up because Dear liked to skinny dip.
Hood said that Dear rarely talked to them, and when he did, he tended to offer unsolicited advice such as recommending that Hood put a metal roof on his house so the U.S. government couldn’t spy on him.
“He was really strange and out there, but I never thought he would do any harm,” he said.
Dear also lived part of the time in a cabin with no electricity or running water in Black Mountain, North Carolina. He kept mostly to himself, his neighbors said. When he did talk, it was a rambling combination of a number of topics that didn’t make sense.
He tended to avoid eye contact, said James Russell, who lived a few hundred feet down the mountain from Dear’s cabin.
“If you talked to him, nothing with him was very cognitive,” Russell said.
Other neighbors knew Dear, too, but they didn’t want to give their names because they said they were scared of him.
Russell and others said the only companion they saw with him was a mangy dog that looked to be in such bad shape they called animal control because they worried he was beating it.
In the small town of Hartsel, Colorado, about 60 miles west of Colorado Springs, about a dozen police vehicles and fire trucks were parked outside a small white trailer belonging to Dear located on a sprawling swath of land.
Property records indicate Dear purchased the land about a year ago.
Another law enforcement official said authorities searched the trailer Saturday but found no explosives. The official, who has direct knowledge of the case, said authorities also talked with a woman living in the trailer. The official, who lacked authorization to speak publicly about the investigation, spoke on condition of anonymity.
Zigmond Post, who lives near the RV where Dear lived, said he didn’t have many interactions with Dear, but he said the suspect once gave him a pamphlet opposing President Barack Obama.
“He didn’t talk about them or anything. He just said ‘Look them over when you get a chance,’ ” Post said.
Jamie Heffelman, owner of the Highline Cafe in Hartsel, said residents would occasionally see Dear at the post office to get his mail, but he never said much. “Nobody really knows him. He stays to himself,” she said.
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US NATIONAL NEWS
Trump Cabinet Officials Take America First Agenda Across the Nation
Published
4 days agoon
August 21, 2026
WASHINGTON (FNN) – From the heartland to the coasts, members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet have fanned out across the country in recent weeks, visiting factories, farms, airports, universities, veterans facilities and community health centers to promote the administration’s policy priorities.
The visits have focused on a broad range of issues, including domestic manufacturing, energy production, infrastructure, small-business growth, veterans’ care, agriculture, border security and workforce development.
The appearances also have given Cabinet officials an opportunity to point to specific projects and investments they say demonstrate the impact of the administration’s America First agenda.
Manufacturing and Economic Growth
Economic policy has been a recurring theme.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited Vermeer Corp. in Pella, Iowa, where he promoted federal tax cuts as a catalyst for new manufacturing investment. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick likewise highlighted domestic manufacturing during a visit to Apple’s advanced manufacturing center in Houston.
In Indiana, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler toured a manufacturer and met with farmers and other small-business owners. In Virginia, she visited another small manufacturer to discuss federal lending programs and tax provisions affecting small businesses.
Loeffler and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also toured Titan Tire in Des Moines, Iowa, where they discussed trade policy and the administration’s economic agenda with workers and company officials.
Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling made manufacturing and workforce development another focus, visiting facilities in Texas, Iowa and Ohio to discuss labor shortages, advanced manufacturing and workforce preparation.
Infrastructure and Transportation
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has used several stops to highlight federal infrastructure investments.
During a visit to Michigan, Duffy toured Gerald R. Ford International Airport and discussed modernization of air traffic control systems. In Tampa, he announced federal funding for transportation and maritime projects, including a $16.5 million Federal Transit Administration award for a passenger ferry connecting Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Duffy also highlighted infrastructure improvements planned at Tampa International Airport and a federal shipyard grant intended to support infrastructure upgrades and welder training.
In Cincinnati, Duffy announced a multibillion-dollar investment in the nation’s rail system, describing the effort as part of what he called a new era of American rail development.
Energy and Natural Resources
Energy Secretary Chris Wright traveled to Texas’ Permian Basin to promote increased domestic oil and gas production.
Wright’s visit included a stop at an ExxonMobil oil rig and was part of the Energy Department’s Great American Energy Comeback Tour, underscoring the administration’s emphasis on expanding domestic energy production.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also traveled to Wisconsin, where he announced 111 new hunting and fishing opportunities across the national wildlife refuge system.
The announcement reflected another administration priority: expanding public access to federal lands while promoting outdoor recreation.
Health Care and Veterans
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made several stops focused on health care and public health.
In California, Kennedy visited Castle Family Health Centers in Atwater to announce a $102 million investment in rural health care centers. In Iowa, he promoted a new presidential fitness test during a visit to a YMCA, where he watched children participate in exercises including push-ups and planks.
Kennedy also appeared in California alongside Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner to promote the administration’s approach to homelessness and addiction, including a greater emphasis on treatment and faith-based organizations.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has similarly traveled to local communities to discuss veterans’ services. During a visit to the Omaha VA, Collins highlighted women’s health and the expansion of care for younger veterans. He later participated in the Iowa State Fair’s annual Veterans Day Parade.
Agriculture and Border Security
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has focused on issues affecting farmers, food assistance and agricultural security.
In Texas, Rollins joined federal officials to discuss efforts to combat the New World screwworm, including plans to use drones to help identify infected animals and prevent their movement across the U.S.-Mexico border.
In Colorado, Rollins met with farmers and agricultural producers to discuss federal support for the industry and defended changes to federal food assistance programs, including new work requirements.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick also met with farmers in California to discuss challenges facing agriculture and the administration’s push to expand U.S. agricultural exports.
Homeland Security and National Security
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin traveled to Alaska for stops in Anchorage and Kodiak.
In Anchorage, Mullin toured a U.S. Customs and Border Protection cargo screening facility and met with Transportation Security Administration workers at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. He later traveled to Kodiak, where he toured the Coast Guard base and received briefings on homeland security and federal investments in the service.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also made a public appearance at the Iowa State Fair, where he spoke about U.S. troops and national security.
Education and Workforce Development
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has continued a national tour of colleges and universities, with a stop at Kansas State University marking her 40th campus visit.
Her visit included a focus on the university’s veterinary programs, research and extension work.
Labor Department officials have similarly emphasized the connection between education and employment. Sonderling’s visit to Ohio State University’s Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence highlighted advanced manufacturing research and efforts to prepare students for the modern workforce.
A Nationwide Message
Taken together, the visits illustrate a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to bring Cabinet officials directly into communities and connect federal policy with local businesses, workers, farmers, veterans and public institutions.
The events have varied widely in subject matter — from oil production in Texas and manufacturing in Iowa to transportation projects in Florida and health care investments in California — but administration officials have presented them as parts of a broader economic and national policy agenda.
The strategy also puts local lawmakers and community leaders alongside Cabinet officials, giving federal initiatives a visible connection to individual states and congressional districts.
For the administration, the message is straightforward: America First policies are intended not simply to be announced in Washington, but demonstrated through investments, projects and policy changes taking place in communities across the country.
Crimes and Courts
Ben Crump Joins Nolan Wells Family, Dr. Jamal Bryant for Prayer Rally on What Would Have Been His 19th Birthday
Published
6 days agoon
August 20, 2026
Family calls for release of official autopsy findings, transparency and answers surrounding death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells
BILOXI, Miss. (FNN NEWS) — National civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined the family of Nolan Xavier Wells and prominent faith leader Dr. Jamal Bryant on Wednesday for a prayer rally marking what would have been Wells’ 19th birthday.
The gathering at Greater St. John AME Church in Biloxi honored Wells’ life while amplifying his family’s continuing demands for answers, transparency and accountability surrounding his death.
FAMILY CONTINUES FIGHT FOR ANSWERS
Rather than celebrating Nolan’s 19th birthday with him, his family gathered with community members, faith leaders and advocates to remember his life and continue their pursuit of the truth about what happened to him.
The Wells family is calling for the release of the official autopsy findings and greater transparency from state investigators.
The rally provided the family with a public platform to keep attention focused on unanswered questions surrounding Nolan’s death while seeking support from the broader community.
BEN CRUMP JOINS FAMILY’S CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY
Crump’s participation brings national attention to the family’s search for answers.
The civil rights and personal injury attorney has represented families in numerous high-profile cases involving deaths, civil rights and allegations of government or institutional misconduct.
His appearance alongside the Wells family underscored their demand that authorities provide information needed to establish a clearer account of the circumstances surrounding Nolan’s death.
The family’s requests for transparency remain allegations and demands for information; authorities’ findings should be distinguished from claims that have not yet been independently established.
DR. JAMAL BRYANT LEADS FAITH COMMUNITY IN SUPPORT
Bryant joined Crump, the Wells family and community members as the gathering combined remembrance with prayer and calls for accountability.
The prominent pastor and civil rights advocate has frequently used his national platform to address social justice issues affecting Black communities.
The Biloxi gathering brought the legal, faith and local communities together around the Wells family’s effort to obtain answers.
A 19TH BIRTHDAY MARKED BY PRAYER
The timing of the rally carried particular significance for Nolan’s family.
Wednesday would have marked his 19th birthday.
Instead, family members and supporters gathered at the church to celebrate his memory and reinforce their commitment to finding out what happened.
The rally began at 7 p.m. CDT at Greater St. John AME Church, 551 Division St. in Biloxi.
CALL FOR AUTOPSY FINDINGS AND INVESTIGATIVE TRANSPARENCY
Central to the family’s demands is the release of Nolan’s official autopsy findings.
The family also wants state investigators to provide greater transparency regarding the investigation and the circumstances surrounding his death.
Until official findings are released, significant questions surrounding the case remain unresolved.
For Nolan’s family, Wednesday night’s gathering was both a memorial and a public declaration that their search for answers will continue.
What would have been a milestone birthday instead became a call for truth, transparency and accountability.
Sports
U.S. U-19 Men’s National Team Advances to Fifth Straight Concacaf U-20 Championship Final With 2-0 Win Over Costa Rica
Published
2 weeks agoon
August 10, 2026By
FNN SPORTS
MEXICO CITY (FNN SPORTS) — The U.S. Under-19 Men’s National Team advanced to its fifth consecutive Concacaf U-20 Championship final with a 2-0 semifinal victory over Costa Rica on Friday at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City.
Ruben Ramos scored in the 36th minute and captain Christopher Applewhite added the insurance goal in the 76th as the United States continued its run of championship-game appearances dating to 2017.
The Americans finished with a 17-8 advantage in total shots and put seven attempts on goal while limiting Costa Rica to two shots on target.
Ramos Breaks Through in First Half
The United States controlled much of the early action and created several opportunities during the opening 20 minutes.
Forward Jaidyn Contreras repeatedly challenged the Costa Rican defense and delivered dangerous service into the penalty area, helping the Americans generate multiple set-piece opportunities.
The breakthrough finally came in the 36th minute.
Costa Rica defender Emmanuel Brenes attempted to play the ball out of his own half, but U.S. midfielder Alexander Shaw intercepted the pass and directed the ball forward to Ramos.
Ramos advanced into space before firing a right-footed shot from distance. The attempt took a slight deflection off a Costa Rican defender, changing its path and beating goalkeeper Ian O’Rourke to give the United States a 1-0 lead.
The goal was Ramos’ fourth in five tournament matches.
U.S. Defense Protects Lead
The United States continued pressing after halftime.
Ramos nearly scored again in the 59th minute, unleashing a powerful left-footed shot that forced O’Rourke into a two-handed save.
Costa Rica attempted to find an equalizer as the second half progressed, but the American defense held firm.
Colin Guske helped clear a dangerous opportunity before Braden Dunham made a sliding defensive play to eliminate another Costa Rican attack.
Applewhite Adds Insurance Goal
The United States doubled its advantage in the 76th minute following a free kick.
Tristan Brown sent the service into the six-yard box, where Applewhite slid into position and redirected the ball into the net for a 2-0 lead.
The Americans protected the advantage through the final whistle to secure another appearance in the Concacaf championship match.
U.S. Dominates Statistical Battle
The United States finished with seven shots on goal compared with Costa Rica’s two and held a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks.
U.S. goalkeeper William Lodmell made two saves to complete the clean sheet.
Costa Rica goalkeeper O’Rourke finished with five saves.
Both teams were called for nine fouls.
Match Summary
2026 Concacaf U-20 Men’s Championship Semifinal
United States 2, Costa Rica 0
Scoring
- USA — Ruben Ramos (Alexander Shaw), 36th minute
- USA — Christopher Applewhite (Tristan Brown), 76th minute
Shots: USA 17, Costa Rica 8
Shots on goal: USA 7, Costa Rica 2
Corner kicks: USA 7, Costa Rica 2
Saves: USA 2, Costa Rica 5
Fouls: USA 9, Costa Rica 9
U.S. Reaches Fifth Consecutive Final
The victory sent the Americans to their fifth consecutive Concacaf U-20 Championship final and put them in position to compete for another regional title.
The United States entered the championship match seeking its fourth Concacaf U-20 title during its recent run of tournament success.
