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Texas A&M fires professor amid gender identity teaching backlash

HOUSTON (AP) — A professor at Texas A&M University was fired and others were removed from their positions after a video surfaced in which a student confronted the instructor over her teaching of issues related to gender identity in a class on children’s literature.
The firing of Melissa McCoul, a senior lecturer in the English department with over a decade of teaching experience, came after political pressure from Republican lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who had called for her termination.
The incident prompted Glenn Hegar, the chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, to order an audit of courses at all 12 schools in the system.
“It is unacceptable for A&M System faculty to push a personal political agenda,” Hegar said in a statement on Monday. “We have been tasked with training the next generation of teachers and childcare professionals. That responsibility should prioritize protecting children not engaging in indoctrination.”
In an email, McCoul referred all questions to her attorney, Amanda Reichek. Reichek said in a statement that McCoul has appealed her termination and “is exploring further legal action.”
“Dr. McCoul was fired in derogation of her constitutional rights and the academic freedom that was once the hallmark of higher education in Texas,” Reichek said.
Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III said in a statement Tuesday he directed the campus provost to fire McCoul after learning the instructor had continued teaching content in a children’s literature course “that did not align with any reasonable expectation of standard curriculum for the course.”
Welsh said the issue had been raised earlier this summer and he had “made it clear to our academic leadership that course content must match catalog descriptions for each and every one of our course sections.” Welsh said he learned on Monday that this was not taking place.
“This isn’t about academic freedom; it’s about academic responsibility,” Welsh said.
In her statement, Reichek pushed back on Welsh’s claims that McCoul’s teaching did not match the course description.
“Professor McCoul’s course content was entirely consistent with the catalog and course description, and she was never instructed to change her course content in any way, shape, or form,” Reichek said. “In fact, Dr. McCoul taught this course and others like it for many years, successfully and without challenge.”
Welsh also ordered the removal of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the head of the English Department from their administrative positions.
The actions by Texas A&M were criticized by faculty and writers’ groups.
“We are witnessing the death of academic freedom in Texas, the remaking of universities as tools of authoritarianism that suppress free thought,” Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms Managing Director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, said in a statement.
The Texas chapter of the American Association of University Professors said what happened at Texas A&M University should concern every Texan.
“Not only has the integrity of academic freedom come under fire, but the due process rights of a faculty member have been trampled at the urging of state politicians + the governor himself,” the group said in a statement.
The controversy began on Monday after Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison posted a video, audio recordings and other materials on a thread on the social media site X. Harrison called for the professor and Welsh to be fired for “DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination.”
In one video, a female student and the professor can be heard arguing over gender identity being taught in a children’s literature class. The student and professor are not shown and it’s unclear when the video was taken.
“This also very much goes against not only myself but a lot of people’s religious beliefs. And so I am not going to participate in this because it’s not legal and I don’t want to promote something that is against our president’s laws as well as against my religious beliefs,” the student could be heard saying in the video.
“If you are uncomfortable in this class you do have the right to leave. What we are doing is not illegal,” the professor said.
In her back-and-forth with the professor, the student mentioned an executive order that President Donald Trump signed earlier this year in which he said “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.”
A Texas law took effect on Sept. 1 that forbids Texas K-12 schools from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity. The law does not apply to universities and other institutions of higher education.
Texas A&M is located in College Station, about 95 miles (153 kilometers) northwest of Houston.
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Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://x.com/juanlozano70
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Trump says he’s sending the National Guard into Memphis to ‘fix’ crime like D.C.

President Donald Trump said Friday that he’s planning to send federal law enforcement and the National Guard into Memphis, Tennessee, to lower crime in the city following his surge into Washington, D.C., over the last month.
“We’re going to Memphis. Memphis is deeply troubled,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” in New York. “The mayor is happy. He’s a Democrat. And the governor of Tennessee, the governor is happy. We’re gonna fix that just like we did Washington.”
The president then raised the issue of lowering crime in Chicago, a frequent talking point of his, saying, “I would’ve preferred going to Chicago,” and criticizing Democratic officials in the city for opposing the move.
Trump said he decided on Memphis after speaking with someone he knows on the board of Fedex who brought up the crime rate in the city.
“We’re going to Memphis.” Trump said. “I’m just announcing that now, and we’ll straighten that out — National Guard and anybody else we need. And by the way, we’ll bring in the military, too, if we need it.”
FBI data shows that violent crimes have hovered at around 15,000 to 16,000 a year in Memphis in the last five years, marking an increase of several thousand from a decade ago.
The offices of Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Republican Gov. Bill Lee didn’t immediately respond to NBC News’ requests for comment.
Trump acknowledged that he has “more power” in D.C., whose officials share authority with the federal government, and said the administration has had a positive relationship with Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“We’ve had a great relationship,” Trump said. “Everybody’s happy, and the mayor was not in favor of it at first … and then she saw the results, and everyone’s going up and thanking her. We have no crime anymore.”
Trump’s emergency order authorizing a federal takeover of the D.C. police force for 30 days expired this week, and would have required Congress to extend it further under a law that grants the city some autonomy.
Bowser said federal law enforcement personnel would remain in the nation’s capital, but the Metropolitan Police Department would stop transporting people detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
While the city would return to the “status quo,” she said, “federal police officers are going to be in the district … federal police officers can enhance the public safety mission of MPD.”
Bowser said last month that the increase of federal forces in the nation’s capital did lead to a drop in crime.
“We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city,” she said. In the first 20 days of the federal takeover, there had been an 87% drop in carjackings compared with the same period last year. The data cited also showed a 45% decrease in violent crime and a 15% fall in crime overall in the district from the same period last year.
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Packers defense smothers Commanders, Jayden Daniels in 27-18 win: Key takeaways

By Nicki Jhabvala, Matt Schneidman, Saad Yousuf and Matt Moret
The Green Bay Packers defense all but shut down the Washington Commanders’ offense in the NFL’s first “Thursday Night Football” game of the season, going on to win the bruising matchup 27-18. Green Bay combined for 404 yards, while Washington totaled just 230 yards in a game that left each side with injuries.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love had a great showing, racking up 292 yards and two touchdowns, including a pass to Romeo Doubs that opened the scoring with four and a half minutes left in the first quarter. Running back Josh Jacobs also recorded 84 rushing yards and a touchdown that made him the first Packer to score a rushing touchdown in 10 consecutive games.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels finished the first half with just 49 passing yards, which he boosted to 200 by the end of the game.
Both teams lost key players to injury during the first half.
Jayden Reed, a standout receiver for the Packers who had three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions last week, left the contest less than five minutes into the first quarter. The team later ruled out Reed, 25, with a shoulder injury after he struggled to walk down the Lambeau Field tunnel while clutching his collarbone. Coach Matt LaFleur said postgame Reed fractured his collarbone and is headed to the IR. He is out for the foreseeable future, but the team expects him to return some point this season.
Commanders defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. was carted off the field in the second quarter with a quad injury that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Wise’s injury occurred during an extra-point attempt following the Packers’ second touchdown. Packers tackle Anthony Belton fell back on Wise’s right leg during the play, and the entire Commanders bench gathered around the 31-year-old as he left the field.
Veteran Commanders running back Austin Ekeler also left the game with five and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter following a non-contact injury. Medical staff assisted him to the sideline as he hopped to the bench on one foot. He was carted back to the locker room and ruled out with an Achilles injury.
Washington never got its running game going, with rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Ekeler and Daniels combining for 51 yards.
Green Bay held onto a double-digit lead throughout the first half. The score gap closed briefly after Daniels made a 20-yard pass to Zach Ertz for the Commanders’ first TD of the night, but Love extended the Packers’ lead on the next drive, hitting tight end Tucker Kraft in the end zone with an 8-yard pass.
Daniels connected with free-agency acquisition Deebo Samuel for a 10-yard touchdown with under four minutes left in the game. The Commanders successfully made a two-point conversion after the play, with Daniels firing a quick shot to Luke McCaffrey in the back of the end zone.
Brandon McManus, the Packers’ 12th-year kicker, missed his first try of the game when his kick hit the left upright, but he rebounded to make his next two field-goal attempts, one from 22 yards out and another from 56 yards. Commanders kicker Matt Gay likewise made two of his three field-goal attempts.
Kraft comes up big
Consider Thursday night Kraft’s coming out party. The third-year tight end had a semi-breakout season in 2024 but turned in the best game of his career against the Commanders to the tune of six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. According to the Amazon Prime broadcast, Kraft’s receiving yards were the most by a Packers tight end since Richard Rodgers in 2015. On Kraft’s crucial touchdown catch to put the Packers up 14 with less than nine minutes remaining, Kraft perfectly sold the block before releasing into the end zone, where Love found him wide open. It’s nights like these that show why Kraft can be one of the NFL’s best tight ends this season.
Parsons delivers yet again
For the second consecutive game to start his Packers career, Micah Parsons’ influence could be felt beyond just the box score. Parsons only had two tackles and half a sack to go along with three quarterback hits, but he’s even more of a difference-maker on the field. He drew a hands-to-the-face penalty on right guard Nick Allegretti to force a third-and-17 that preceded a punt, drew a false start on left tackle Laremy Tunsil before chasing down a dump-off on second down and pressuring Daniels into an incompletion on third down.
In the second half, Parsons drew a hold on right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. but still shared a sack of Daniels with linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and later split Conerly and running back Jeremy McNichols to pressure Daniels into a 1-yard scramble. So far, he’s been worth every penny of the record-breaking $188 million deal he signed with the Packers.
Packers secondary holds strong
Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon told The Athletic before the season that he sees all the negative things fans say about him, and there have seemed to be a lot in recent years. Still, the Packers entrusted him as their No. 1 cornerback after the release of Jaire Alexander, and Nixon showed why on Thursday. Nixon had never broken up more than two passes in a game since entering the league in 2019 — he didn’t become a full-time defensive player until 2023 — until he broke up five against the Commanders.
— Matt Schneidman in Green Bay
Commanders offense sputters
The Commanders haven’t looked this bad since at least 2023. Maybe earlier. The offense couldn’t generate much of anything against the Packers’ front, which dominated with its speed and power. The right side of Washington’s offensive line, with Conerly Jr., a rookie, and Allegretti, struggled the most, leaving Daniels under duress for much of the game.
Making matters worse, Washington’s receivers couldn’t get open, and in critical stretches, including a fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter, Terry McLaurin was oddly not on the field. It’s baffling that the score was as close as it was for much of the game.
The Commanders’ defense was worse, allowing the Packers to pick apart the middle of the field. There were busted coverages, missed tackles and costly penalties (two holding calls on cornerback Marshon Lattimore).
Injuries piled up for Washington. The team later lost star blocking tight end John Bates and receiver Noah Brown to groin injuries. It was without rookie cornerback Trey Amos and left guard Brandon Coleman for stretches because of shoulder injuries, though both later returned. With Bates, Brown, Ekeler and Wise all going down, Washington lost four starters to injuries. Brutal.
If there were bright spots for the Commanders, they were their punt and kickoff teams. They gave Washington good field position, but the offense couldn’t do anything with it. Samuel returned two kicks for 78 total yards, and rookie Jaylin Lane picked up 50 yards on three punt returns. In coverage, safeties Percy Butler, Jeremy Reaves and Tyler Owens all made big stops to pin the Packers deep in their own territory.
— Nicki Jhabvala in Green Bay
(Photo of Packers’ Rashan Gary and Devonte Wyatt tackling Commanders’ Jayden Daniels: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
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Trump says Charlie Kirk shooting suspect is in custody

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One upon departure for New York, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Sept. 11, 2025.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
President Donald Trump on Friday said the suspected shooter of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk is in custody.
“I think with a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News.
“I think we’re in great shape,” he said. “He’s in custody.”
“Essentially somebody that was very close to him turned him in,” Trump said.
The remarks came less than an hour before authorities were set to hold a news conference on their manhunt for the assassin who fatally shot Kirk on Wednesday during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University.
Ahead of that press event, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the suspect had been turned into police by a family member who saw photos that were shared by the FBI.
A combination photo shows a person of interest in the fatal shooting of U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S., in security footage released by the Utah Department of Public Safety on September 11, 2025.
Utah Department Of Public Safety | Via Reuters
The president said on Fox that he had been informed of the arrest just minutes before the interview began, and noted that some details are “subject to change.”
“But you know, the facts are the facts. We have the person that we think is the person we’re looking for. But they drove into the police headquarters, and he’s there now,” Trump said.
Trump added: “I hope he gets the death penalty.”
The FBI on Thursday released two grainy photos of a “person of interest” and video footage showing a person jumping off the rooftop from where Kirk was shot and fleeing. But authorities have yet to share a suspect’s name or announce an arrest.
Kirk, 31, was the founder of conservative group Turning Point USA, which focuses its political activism on high schools and colleges. He was at UVU in Orem for the first stop on Turning Point’s “American Comeback Tour,” according to the group’s website.
Kirk was in the middle of answering an audience member’s question, which was about mass shootings, when a gunman shot him once in the neck, sending thousands of people running and screaming for safety.
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