Dear Commons Community,

ABC is yanking Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show off the air indefinitely in the wake of government threats following comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s killing.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” a network spokesperson told HuffPost in a statement yesterday.

On Monday’s show, Kimmel criticized the response to the killing from people on the right, a statement that’s drawn the ire of conservatives and threats of penalties from FCC Chair Brendan Carr.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

Earlier on Wednesday, while speaking in an interview with YouTuber Benny Johnson, Carr suggested that ABC and Disney should take action over Kimmel’s comments, and added that the FCC could penalize individual broadcasters that air the late night program.

The FCC can impose fines and review the licenses of individual broadcasters if the agency believes that they aren’t operating in the public interest, Carr said.

ABC’s announcement followed a statement from Nexstar Media Group, which said it would be pulling Kimmel’s program from affiliates that it operates over concerns about his Kirk comments.

“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in a press release. “Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”

According to Variety, Nexstar’s actions come as it is also seeking FCC approval for a major merger it’s pursuing.

ABC’s decision is the latest to raise concerns about press freedom as Trump has called for the revocation of it and NBC’s licenses, and as he’s sued The New York Times over claims of defamation.

A gutless decision!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

USA Today has done a summary of new revelations about Tyler Robinson, the person charged with killing Charlie Kirk.  Most of their reporting comes from a 10-page criminal information sheet released by Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray. Here is the entire USA Today reporting.

The 22-year-old had been planning an attack for a week. He used a weapon he described as “grandpa’s rifle.” And after shooting and killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, he messaged his roommate, with whom he was in a romantic relationship, according to court documents.

Told to look under a keyboard, Tyler Robinson’s roommate discovered a note reading, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

“You weren’t the one who did it right????” asked the roommate.

“I am, I’m sorry,” Robinson replied.

Those were among the details contained in a 10-page criminal information released by Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray, who held a news conference after he charged Robinson, a former straight-A student from Utah, with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering for instructing his roommate not to cooperate in Kirk’s death.

Robinson is accused of shooting Kirk in the neck during a public appearance at Utah Valley University, located in the city of Orem, on Sept. 10. The killing of an influential ally of Trump and co-founder of Turning Point USA shocked the nation amid an increase in political violence.

Robinson was arraigned Sept. 16 on charges that came with new details about the suspect.

What led the suspect to Kirk’s event?

The charges include the allegation that Robinson targeted Kirk because of “Robinson’s belief or perception regarding Charlie Kirk’s political expression.”

Robinson’s mother told police that her son had “began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders,” the court document said.

And she said that over the last year or so, Robinson had become more political and had “started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” according to the documents.

That resulted in discussions with family members, especially between Robinson and his father, who had differing political views. Robinson had accused Kirk of spreading hate, Gray said. The messages obtained by investigators between Robinson and his roomate include Robinson noting that “since trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard maga.”

After the shooting, Gray said the roommate, who is cooperating and hasn’t been charged in the incident, shared text messages between the two. Robinson’s roommate described the exchange to police and willingly showed them the messages, officials said. Law enforcement also obtained a photo of the note.

When his roommate asked why he did it, Robinson replied via message, “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.” He added he’d been planning it for “a bit over a week.”

Gray said Robinson directed his roommate to “delete his incriminating texts” and “stay silent.”

“You are all I worry about love,” Robinson messaged his roommate, according to a criminal information document filed in court.

What evidence have police collected

DNA consistent with suspect Tyler Robinson was found on the trigger of the rifle believed to have been used to kill Kirk, Gray said.

Robinson’s DNA was also found on a towel wrapped around the rifle and a screwdriver found on the roof where police say the fatal shot was fired, federal officials said previously.

The charging documents say that engravings on the bullets recovered in connection with Kirk’s assassination included unfired casings say, “Hey Fascist! Catch!” “If you Read This, You Are GAY Lmao,” and “O Bella ciao…,” a possible reference to an Italian anti-fascist song.

The fired cartridge says, “NoTices Bulge OWO What’s This?” a reference to an internet meme tied to animated videos and furry culture.

In a search of Robinson’s home, investigators found another shell casing with “etchings” similar to those found in the rifle discovered near the attack, according to the documents.

In a text exchange with his roommate, Robinson described the engravings on the bullets as “mostly a big meme.”

Gray said the investigation was ongoing.

“We don’t have any information at this point of additional suspects, but I know that our law enforcement agencies are continuing to follow leads,” he said.

Gray also announced he would seek the death penalty, something Trump has called for publicly.

“I do not take this decision lightly, and it is a decision I have made independently as county attorney based solely on the available evidence and circumstances and nature of the crime,” he said.

Robinson hoped to cover his tracks before surrendering

Video footage suggested the suspect was seen on campus before the attack “ walking with an unusual gait … consistent with a rifle being hidden in his pants,” according to the court document. Police later found “markings in the gravel rooftop consistent with a sniper having lain on the roof.”

The shooting took place at roughly 12:23 p.m., officials have said previously, when the shooter exited the campus area.

After the attack, Robinson in his text exchange contained in court documents said at one point he was OK but was stuck near the scene until he could retrieve his rifle, which he described as his grandfather’s.

“If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on,” he texted, adding in another message a police car was nearby.

“I’m worried what my old man would do if I didn’t bring back grandpas rifle,” he texted.

As the 33-hour manhunt unfolded following the chaotic scene at Utah Valley University, Robinson’s mother saw a photo that authorities had released of the gunman and thought it could be her son, Gray said.

She remarked to Robinson’s father that the man in the surveillance photo looked like their son, and he agreed. She called her son, but he said he had been home sick on Sept. 10.

Robinson’s father also thought he recognized released photos of the rifle he had given him as a gift, the court documents allege. He asked his son to send him a photo. When they talked, his son told him was intending to take his own life, according to prosecutors.

“Robinson’s parents were able to convince him to meet at their home,” the court document says. Robinson agreed to speak with a family friend who had previously worked as a deputy sheriff. The family friend, along with Robinson’s parents, brought the 22-year-old to local law enforcement on Sept. 11

Robinson was arraigned on Sept. 16, wearing a ballistic vest from jail and sitting with little expression on his face. A judge said he would appoint a lawyer to represent him.

National fears of political violence, job firings

The shooting death of Kirk, who brought the conservative movement to younger generations, has inflamed fears over the rising risk of political violence to both Republicans and Democrats.

Despite some calls to tone down political divisions or rhetoric, the Trump administration has vowed to target left-leaning organizations it contends are promoting political violence. The fallout has also led to job terminations over social media posts deemed offensive by some.

Democrats have accused Trump and his allies of ignoring violence on the political right by condemning only violence on the left. In fact, a recent study by the libertarian Cato Institute found significantly more politically motivated killings in the United States come from right-leaning extremists.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said recently that Kirk’s killing was a chance for the country to reassess the dangers of deepening political polarization, saying, “At some point, we have to find an off-ramp, or it’s going to get much, much worse.”

Cox is so right!

Tony

Nuns Regina, 86, Rita, 81, and Bernadette, 88, are occupying their old convent. – Angelika Warmuth/Reuters

Dear Commons Community,

Three Austrian nuns in their 80s have run away from the retirement home where they were placed and gone back to their former convent.

On September 4, Sister Regina, 86, Sister Rita, 81, and Sister Bernadette, 88, returned to Schloss Goldenstein, the Alpine convent and girls’ school where they had spent most of their lives — much to the displeasure of the local church.

On arrival, the nuns found that their former residence no longer had electricity or running water, so their supporters brought them water and emergency generators, CNN affiliate ORF reported.

The sisters’ former students have been helping and organizing a daily routine for them, while a family doctor is available to offer medical care, ORF added.

Since returning to the convent, the nuns have become active on Instagram, amassing more than 10,000 followers in little over a week. On their account, they document their daily routine of praying, eating and attending mass together as well as their now-frequent interviews with journalists from all around the world.

They also show themselves slowly navigating the monastery’s stairs, in the absence of a stairlift, which they say was removed, and cleaning up the semi-derelict building. In one video, 88-year-old Sister Bernadette can be seen plunging a blocked sink.

The long-running dispute between the nuns and their superior, Provost Markus Grasl, dates back to the end of 2023 when the nuns say they were removed from the monastery against their will.

But it escalated last month when the nuns made several allegations against him and the Archdiocese of Salzburg in the Austrian press.

When the sisters left their nursing home, Grasl issued a statement saying the situation was “completely incomprehensible” to him, adding that the women had been involved in “intensive discussions” about their future.

“The rooms in the monastery are no longer usable and in no way meet the requirements for orderly care,” he said. “It is clear than an independent life in the Goldenstein Monastery is no longer possible, particularly due to the precarious health situation of the sisters.”

On September 6, he released another statement, saying he feared the nuns “are overestimating themselves and that a medical emergency may occur.”

When contacted for comment, Reichersberg Abbey, which has been responsible for the monastery since 2022, directed CNN to Grasl’s statements.

ORF reported that when Reichersberg Abbey assumed responsibility for Schloss Goldenstein, it said it would allow the nuns to remain their for the duration of their retirement as long as their health allowed.

The nuns’ long-term future at the monastery is still uncertain, though they now have electricity and hot water in their rooms, ORF said. They remain firmly opposed to returning to the nursing home. “Before I die in that old people’s home, I would rather go to a meadow and enter eternity that way,” Sister Bernadette told the BBC.

However, a spokesperson for Reichersberg Abbey told ORF that returning to the nursing home is “unavoidable.”

God must be on their side.

Tony 

Dear Commons Community,

The Bank of New York is creating an artificial intelligence lab at Carnegie Mellon University as part of a $10 million investment into research and recruiting at the school.

The partnership was unveiled Thursday just before the start of Pittsburgh’s AI Horizons Summit, a two-day event for government and industry leaders to promote AI use in finance, health care, defense and other sectors.

BNY will spend the money over the next five years to “make sure we are going to be at the very forefront of research of how AI can apply to our firm and our industry,” CEO Robin Vince said Thursday at the summit in Bakery Square.

The physical space, called the BNY AI Lab, is set to open this academic year. The exact location has yet to be announced.

Funding will also support faculty-led research and comprehensive multi-disciplinary projects as well as mentoring and internship opportunities for students.

Carnegie Mellon University president Farnam Jahanian said in a statement he’s thrilled to collaborate with BNY “to responsibly scale emerging AI technologies and democratize their impact for the benefit of industry and society at large.”

According to the bank, research will focus on “developing technologies and frameworks that can ensure the robust governance, trust and accountability” needed to use AI, including for financial services. It touted the partnership as strengthening Pittsburgh’s position as an AI hub and supporting regional economic development.

BNY, with its headquarters in New York City but most of its workforce in Pittsburgh, is already deeply intertwined with prestigious university.

The nation’s 12th largest bank by assets claims it employs more graduates of Carnegie Mellon University’s Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Innovation program than any other firm. It also sponsors various projects at the school, like the Corporate Startup Lab, which pairs graduate students with companies looking build internal startups.

Good luck to BNY and Carnegie Mellon in this venture.

Tony

Howard Kurtz

Dear Commons Community,

Howard Kurtz spent the final few minutes of the media criticism show he created by thanking his “loyal audience,” his family, and Fox News, which he said had given him “extraordinary independence” and allowed him to be critical of both the right and the left during his time hosting the program.

“The show begins right here in the brain area each week,” Kurtz said while pointing to his temple. “I don’t have to clear it with anyone. I’ve worked at a lot of places, and that’s rare.”

Kurtz, who first hosted the show on Sept. 7, 2013, said he was proud the show would speak to anyone, from The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro on the conservative side to director Rob Reiner on the liberal side.

“So much television today is about picking a team and denigrating anyone with opposing opinions,” Kurtz said — painting his show as an alternative to that.

Kurtz said he also enjoyed that he was called both pro-President Donald Trump and anti-Trump, “often for the same comments.”

There are numerous recent examples of Kurtz criticizing the president. Last month, he said “not much was accomplished” by President Trump’s Alaskan summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and in July, he said the president’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal was drawing more attention to the report he penned a “bawdy” letter to Jeffrey Epstein.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is also getting a new program and  Tomi Lahren’s role is expanding to be the permanent co-host of The Big Weekend Show, alongside Johnny “Joey” Jones.

The 72-year-old host also thanked his fans for making the show number one in its time slot for the past 12 years, and he also thanked his wife and four daughters “for putting up with all those lost weekends over the years.”

Kurtz’s farewell came a few days after Fox News announced a number of changes to its weekend lineup. Those changes include giving White House correspondents Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich a new hour-long show, The Sunday Briefing, which will air at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sundays — the time slot that has been occupied by Kurtz.

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is also getting a new program and  Tomi Lahren’s role is expanding to be the permanent co-host of The Big Weekend Show, alongside Johnny “Joey” Jones.

Kurtz noted he will remain at Fox News for at least the next few years, writing columns, hosting the MediaBuzz podcast, and offering political and media analysis. But he wanted the audience to know he appreciated his 12 year stint hosting the TV program — as he said so long.

“I’ve had a pretty long run in a pretty tough business, and well, time marches on,” Kurtz said. “I appreciate you being such a loyal audience. Our Sunday get-togethers have been a privilege. Thanks for watching.”

One of the few Fox News people who attempted to be “fair and honest.”

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade has issued an apology for comments he made last Wednesday about the mentally ill homeless when discussing the death of Iryna Zarutska.

During the Wednesday broadcast, Kilmeade was having a discussion with co-hosts Lawrence Jones and Ainsley Earhardt about Zarutska, the 23-year-old Ukrainian woman was stabbed and killed on a train in North Carolina in August. The assailant reportedly had former convictions and a record of mental illness.

During their conversation, Jones addressed public money being spent to attempt to help mentally ill homeless people and suggested that those who didn’t accept the offered services should be jailed. Kilmeade then added, “Or involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill ‘em.”

Kilmeade’s comments sparked controversy, leaving the host to speak out about them during Sunday’s broadcast. In his apology, Kilmeade referred to his comments as “callous.”

“In the morning, we were discussing the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina and how to stop these kinds of attacks by homeless, mentally ill assailants, including institutionalizing or jailing such people so they cannot attack again,” he said. “Now during that discussion, I wrongly said they should get lethal injections. I apologize for that extremely callous remark. I am obviously aware that not all mentally ill, homeless people act as the perpetrator did in North Carolina and that so many homeless people deserve our empathy and compassion.”

The Justice Department has charged Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of fatally stabbing the Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train last month. As reported by the Associated Press, the case has sparked a debate over whether cities such as Charlotte are adequately addressing violent crime, mental illness and transit safety.

“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream – her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement of the murder. “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence – he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”

Any self-respecting network would have asked Kilmeade to resign for his disgusting comments about killing mentally ill homeless people!  WHY do we have violence in America?

Tony

Cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Panama failed to emerge this year.

Dear Commons Community,

Scientists have spotted something dramatically unusual in the ocean, and it could be a warning sign of things to come.

Warm air dances with cold air; cold water chases warm water. It’s all a part of a predictable, stable dance of currents and climate patterns that naturally happen all across the Earth. Until it doesn’t.

For the first time since records began 40 years ago, the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Panama failed to emerge this year. Scientists aren’t sure if it’s a fluke or a new normal.

Specifically, the Gulf of Panama’s seasonal upwelling system has consistently delivered cool, nutrient-rich waters via northerly trade winds every January–April for at least 40 years. But not this year.  As reported by USA Today.

“Time will tell if this is a real life example of a climate tipping point – if the failure of upwelling continues in future years,” said Tim Lenton, of the University of Exeter in the U.K., a tipping point expert who was not involved in the new research.

The findings were reported last week in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

What are ‘tipping points’?

Scientists have long feared that some major features of the Earth’s climate could dramatically come undone if human-caused climate change continues. It’s the premise behind the science fiction movie “The Day After Tomorrow,” which is (very) loosely based on a real concern that a major ocean current could relatively rapidly collapse in a warming world.

Researchers have chronicled a host of similar climate change tipping points. While the Gulf of Panama isn’t one of those tipping points, it does bring concerns about coral reefs that are a part of the conversation.

“Whether it is a tipping point or not it is bad news for a different tipping point that is underway – the loss of coral reefs, linked to extreme warmth of tropical sea surface temperatures – as much needed cooling from the upwelling has not happened this year,” Lenton said.

“The change could also trigger tipping points in the open ocean ecosystem and associated fisheries as there will be much less primary production this year.”

What is upwelling?

According to the Smithsonian Institution’s Tropical Research Institute, which led the study, during the dry season in Central America (generally between December and April), northern trade winds generate upwelling events in the ocean waters of the Gulf of Panama.

Upwelling is a process that allows cold, nutrient-rich waters from the depths of the ocean to rise to the surface. This dynamic supports highly productive fisheries and helps protect coral reefs from thermal stress. Thanks to this movement of water, the sea along Panama’s Pacific beaches remains cooler during the “summer” vacation season.

However, researchers recently recorded that in 2025, this vital oceanographic process did not occur for the first time. As a result, the typical drops in temperature and spikes in productivity during this time of year were diminished.

Further research is needed

What are the likely causes of this upwelling suppression? “The prime suspect is a reduction in winds,” said Aaron O’Dea, the Smithsonian’s lead scientist on the project. “Upwelling typically occurs every year when the trade winds blow over the Isthmus. That didn’t happen as frequently or as strongly as normal years, so it makes sense.”

“The more important question is, why did the winds not blow? We currently do not know why and deciphering this will take a little more time,” he told USA Today.

It’s not clear if human-caused climate change played a part in the upwelling suppression this year.

Regardless, this study reveals how climate disruption can quickly alter fundamental oceanic processes that have sustained coastal fishing communities for thousands of years, according to the Smithsonian Institution. Still, further research is needed to determine a more precise cause and its potential consequences for fisheries.

What’s next?

According to O’Dea, “We’re monitoring it daily through various means including satellite and direct measurements. We also have a cruise planned to sample the sub-surface waters early next year to see if the same thing happens or not.”

“To better understand what happened and why, and predict if it will happen again, we have gathered a team of collaborators from the Smithsonian and the Max Planck Institute to analyze atmospheric and ocean data together more rigorously and apply high-resolution modelling approaches for future predictions.”

“One of my hopes for this paper was that it spurs interest and directed research into this and events like this in tropical waters that have always been assumed to be reliable but which in fact, may no longer be so reliable. I think we have now ignited that interest and the next, and more challenging task, will be to sift through data and figure out the details. At least we have started!” O’Dea told USA Today.

If this becomes the new normal, it is not good news!

Tony

Brian Kilmeade

Dear Commons Community,

“Fox and Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade suggested this week that homeless people suffering from mental health issues who refuse help should simply be killed.

Kilmeade and fellow co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt and Lawrence Jones were discussing the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee whose grisly killing on a North Carolina train was caught on surveillance video.

The trio argued that the suspect, who had a litany of previous arrests and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, should have been taken off the streets long ago. The conversation then shifted to a more general discussion of homelessness and the mental health crisis in the United States.

“This is happening all across the country, and it’s not a money issue,” said Jones, adding that “a lot” of homeless people “don’t want” to get necessary help.

“You can’t give ’em a choice,” Jones went on. “Either you take the resources that we’re going to give you, or you decide that you gotta be locked up in jail. That’s the way it has to be now.”

That’s when Kilmeade floated a more extreme idea.

“Or uh, involuntary lethal injection. Or something,” he said. “Just kill ’em.”

The other two hosts barely react to his remark before continuing their discussion.

Though the segment aired on Wednesday, it went viral on social media Saturday morning. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who has received heaps of criticism for his own policies on homelessness, responded with a biblical quote: “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.”

Kilmeade and Fox and Friends co-hosts show their idiocy over and over again!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

CVS Health plans to start offering expanded access to updated COVID vaccines in New York under Governor Kathy Hochul’s executive order issued Sept. 5.  Pharmacists at CVS Health are now allowed to order and administer the new COVID vaccines in New York, a CVS Health spokesperson told USA TODAY. 

The national drugstore chain was the first to confirm it was taking action under Hochul’s order, which declared a state of emergency in an attempt to expand access to COVID shots. The order, in part, took the unprecedented step of allowing pharmacists to prescribe COVID vaccines themselves. The order applies to New Yorkers ages 3 and older.

Previously, many pharmacies in New York had been holding off on offering the new COVID shots this fall, citing uncertainty surrounding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Food and Drug Administration’s guidance that aimed at restricting COVID-19 vaccines to those over 65 and younger people with existing health problems.

How to get updated COVID vaccines in New York

While CVS Health confirmed it was planning to begin offering the new COVID vaccines under Hochul’s order, some details remained unclear. For example, as of 4 p.m. Sept. 8 the company’s online portal for scheduling shots in New York still required patients to declare they have an underlying health condition before allowing them to book a shot.

Wegmans on Sept. 8 told the USA TODAY Network that the updated COVID vaccine was now available at its pharmacies. But it didn’t immediately clarify if its pharmacists would be prescribing the shots themselves to all ages 3 and older under Hochul’s order.

The online vaccine scheduling portal for Wegmans still noted that the new COVID shots were limited to people age 65 and older and younger people with certain health conditions or risk factors.

Are updated COVID vaccines still free in NY?

At the same time, the federal policy changes could limit health insurance coverage for the vaccines, leaving some people paying up to $200 out-of-pocket for the shot. CVS Health, for instance, noted on its website that select vaccines are available at no cost to patients with “most insurance,” while noting eligibility varies by patient and insurance plans.

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding insurance coverage of COVID vaccines overall suggested New Yorkers should check with their pharmacy and health insurance company to obtain further details about any potential costs for COVID vaccines.

New Yorkers interested in getting further details about receiving the updated COVID vaccines could also contact their local county health department, or they can reach out to the state Health Department’s Division of Vaccine Excellence at 518-473-4437 or by email at [email protected].

What does the Kathy Hochul COVID vaccine order say?

Hochul’s executive order on Sept. 5 includes the language to:

Allow physicians and nurse practitioners to prescribe and order a patient-specific or non-patient-specific regimen for pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines to patients age three or older.

Authorize pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines to patients age three or older pursuant to a patient-specific or non-patient-specific order.

Allow pharmacists to prescribe and order COVID vaccines for patients age three or older — a new authority that enables them to prescribe off-label.

The state Health Commissioner, Dr. James McDonald, on Sept. 5 issued a standing order for the updated COVID vaccine made by Moderna. The Health Department also issued guidance Sept. 5 regarding the immunizing children with updated COVID vaccines, including those made by Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax.

In sum, get vaccinated!

Tony

Utah Governor Spencer Cox offering words of healing.

Dear Commons Community,

At a news conference in the days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox took to the podium to deliver updates about the case — and to urge Americans to find a way, together, out of this dark moment.  As reported b NBC News.

“There is one person responsible for what happened here, and that person is now in custody and will be charged soon and will be held accountable,” Cox said. “And yet, all of us have an opportunity right now to do something different.”

“We can always point the finger at the other side,” Cox added later, “and at some point we have to find an off-ramp, or it’s going to get much, much worse.”

Kirk’s assassination has sparked national mourning but also vitriol, with some Republican leaders including President Donald Trump blaming the “radical left” for the shooting.

But Cox has stepped forward as healer-in-chief.

In days filled with division, disparagement and calls for revenge by some other politicians and public figures, Cox’s civil but sober tone brought moral clarity to a moment of angst and broke through the rancor, members of both parties said in interviews.

“That’s who he is,” said Lincoln Shurtz, a partner at Utah-based lobbying firm Lincoln Hill Holdings who has known Cox, a Republican, for two decades. “He thinks we can disagree but still collaborate on things we do disagree on.”

After the 31-year-old Kirk was shot and killed at a public event on a college campus in his state, Cox stepped into the lead role in televised news conferences during and after the ensuing manhunt. He commanded the stage as top national law enforcement officials like FBI Director Kash Patel looked on.

In addition to providing updates on the case, Cox used his speaking time to urge Americans to look in the mirror and seek their better angels. He told them to shut off their social media, which he referred to as a “cancer,” and instead hug a family member and “touch grass.”

“Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture very different than what we are suffering through right now, not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations,” Cox said, directing his remarks to younger people.

“I hear all the time that words are violence, words are not violence,” Cox added. “Violence is violence.”

Even as Trump took on a partisan, anti-left approach in the immediacy after Kirk’s death, it was notable that no one from the White House or law enforcement moved to diminish Cox’s role, allowing lengthy remarks each day, even as they clashed with aspects of Trump’s message. A senior White House official told NBC News they felt Cox has done a “tremendously good job” handling the aftermath of Kirk’s killing.

Members of both parties have offered accolades for Cox, saying he offered refreshing ideas as the nation’s political discourse has turned increasingly toxic. That included Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat and friend of Cox who spoke to the Utah governor by phone after the tragedy and told NBC News they share some important values.

“I pray for Governor Cox as he leads his state following a heinous act of political violence. Even though we belong to different parties, he and I share a common vision for this country — one where we resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box and strive to work together, regardless of ideology,” Moore said in a statement to NBC News. “I know he will do everything in his power to bring leadership, comfort, unity, and justice in this moment, as we seek healing.”

Cox has had an evolving relationship with Trump. He endorsed Marco Rubio during the 2016 presidential race, when Cox was Utah’s lieutenant governor, and then backed Ted Cruz when Rubio dropped out. At the time, Cox criticized Trump’s “decorum.”

Cox has said he did not vote for Trump in either of his first two campaigns, but he did support the president in 2024.

Cox has long sought opportunities to inject a bipartisan approach into politics, including launching an ad campaign in 2020 in which he and his Democratic opponent for governor both agreed they’d accept the results of the 2020 presidential election. He has partnered with Sen. Chris Murphy to tackle social issues like the loneliness epidemic and social media’s impact on children. He also launched a “disagree better” campaign that aimed to keep opposing sides talking to each other.

Through it all, he remained politically popular in his state. In July, Morning Consult polling found that he had a 54% approval rating among all registered voters in Utah, a number that jumped to 74% with the state’s Republicans.

Cox is broadly viewed as a consistent Republican, but has done things that have angered the party’s right flank.

Most notably, Cox vetoed legislation in 2022 that banned transgender students from playing girls’ sports, saying that he wanted to be on the side of acceptance. He cited statistics showing that out of 75,000 high school students participating in athletics, just one was a transgender student who played girls sports.

“I don’t understand what they are going through or why they feel the way they do,” he said at the time. “But I want them to live. And all the research shows that even a little acceptance and connection can reduce suicidality significantly.”

The veto was later overturned by the Utah’s Republican-dominated state legislature.

Those kinds of positions have created pockets of conservative opposition to Cox, even though he is generally well-regarded in his party.

“Through the national lens, Spencer Cox is a conservative Republican, but in Utah politics it would put him within the party he is in on the moderate side,” Shurtz said. “Among Republicans in the state he is seen as widely successful and well-supported. But there are factions in the base that feel like he is maybe not as forceful on, and — these are my words — fringe issues.”

“It’s when the governor does stuff like he did today,” he added of Cox’s unifying tone. “There are some folks on the right who don’t like that. Their answer is always ‘go kick them in the teeth.’”

In that vein, Steve Bannon, a conservative commentator and an architect of Trump’s first run for office, expressed anger and disappointment at Cox on Friday, calling him “woke” and a “governor who’s also known to be, I think, particularly obnoxious.”

“We don’t need a governor, a political figure, to step up … and give us a political pep talk and a rally and ‘let’s all come together,’” Bannon said on his War Room podcast on Friday, saying that Kirk was killed “in cold blood.”

Still, there is some hunger in the Republican Party for a leader who doesn’t stoke anger.

“A leader should be seeking unity, not retribution,” former Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said in an interview before Cox’s appearance at the Friday morning news conference. “And it’s unity in opposing all political violence. It’s a tragic situation. But out of the tragedy comes an opportunity to make this point clearly on both sides: We need to change the trajectory.”

Portman, who after retiring from the Senate in 2022 launched a center at the University of Cincinnati that focuses on finding civility and common ground in government, said Trump’s initial response to the crisis might have been colored by the “personal anguish and sorrow” of losing a friend.

Democrats also chimed in to praise Cox’s remarks.

“I know this guy is a Republican and all but I swear you could win all the electoral votes with this message in 28,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he appreciated Cox “calling for moral clarity at a time of uncertainty.”

And Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reached out to Cox to offer any assistance he could, a person familiar with their conversation said.

“I think his words have been healing,” Shapiro told CBS News. “I think you can contrast not just with the president’s words, but with some of the dangerous rhetoric that we’ve seen online, the dangerous rhetoric we’ve seen some from some elected leaders.”

Republicans and Democrats can use a few more leaders like Cox.

Tony