The Asian Hall of Fame announced Sanchez as one of its new inductees, alongside BLACKPINK’s Rosé and Emmy Award-winning personalities Simran Baidwan and Frank Buckley.

Sanchez won the 20th season of “America’s Got Talent” in 2025, earning recognition from the organization for her achievement in the reality talent competition.

“During times of worldwide conflict, Asian Hall of Fame serves as a beacon of cross-cultural collaboration and interracial synergy,” Asian Hall of Fame President and CEO Maki Hsieh said in a press release. Hsieh said the Class of 2026 inductees and Goodwill Ambassadors represent legacies that advance culture, commerce and community.

The induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on Nov. 5. Previous honorees Fiona Ma, William Wang and Lee Soo-man will present the incoming inductees.

Class of 2026 inductees

• Dave Lu, managing partner, Hyphen Capital
• Dr. Charles Huang, founder and chairman, Pasaca Capital Inc.
• Frank Buckley, Emmy Award-winning KTLA 5 anchor
• Jessica Sanchez, 2025 “America’s Got Talent” winner
• Jerry and Charlene Lee, philanthropists
• Kitty Lo, chair, MHG
• Lisa Lu, cinema trailblazer
• Maggie Tseng, founder and CEO, TAO
• Rosé, K-pop icon and member of BLACKPINK
• Simran Baidwan, Emmy Award-winning executive producer
• Din Tai Fung, Global Family Legacy Inductee
• TSMC, Corporate Tech Inductee
• Dennis Quaid, Goodwill Ambassador
• Robert Vargas, Goodwill Ambassador
• Advocacy Prize recipient LAPD Detective Sharon Kim

Class of 2026 medalists

• Hideo Nomo, Hall of Fame Sports Pioneer Inductee
• Miky Lee, Centennial Medal of Lifetime Achievement
• Sophie Chang, Humanitarian Service Medal of Honor
• Lynn and Steve Valbuena, Heritage Excellence Medal
• Rich Le Roy, Heritage Excellence Medal
• Sabrina Castaneda, Heritage Excellence Medal

The protesters held the event during rush hour and displayed a tarp mockup of the proposed structure. Organizers said the actual arch would stand about 32 times taller than the mockup.

The event, called “Vets Over Vanity,” included veterans, retirees and lawmakers who criticized the project’s scale and design and questioned whether Trump has secured the necessary congressional approval.

Jon Gundersen, a retired Army veteran and former Foreign Service officer involved in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the arch, said the proposed monument would not appropriately honor veterans.

“It’s the wrong monument, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, dedicated to the wrong man,” Gundersen said.

Gundersen traveled from South Carolina for the protest, which Public Citizen helped organize. He said he found the turnout encouraging and said people from both major political parties had expressed opposition to the project.

Concerns over Arlington National Cemetery

Several speakers focused on the arch’s proximity to Arlington National Cemetery and the potential effect on families visiting graves.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a military veteran, criticized the project and said the government could instead direct money toward veterans’ services.

The White House has said the arch would “enhance the visitor experience” at Arlington National Cemetery and serve as a visual reminder of the sacrifices of American service members.

Gundersen questioned how the structure would affect families attending funerals at the cemetery.

“It’s not only wrong and inappropriate, it’s obscene and should never [be] done,” he said.

The crowd applauded throughout the roughly 30-minute program and periodically chanted “no arch!” Protesters also joined in a rendition of “We Shall Overcome.” Cyclists and commuters passing Memorial Circle honked and waved in support.

Planes flew over the gathering as protesters also raised concerns about aviation safety. The proposed arch would stand near the approach to one of the region’s busiest airport runways.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., questioned the administration’s plans to incorporate military drones and snipers into the structure.

The White House, Interior Department and Federal Aviation Administration have not responded to questions about the proposed military component.

Federal review moves forward

The proposed arch could come before the National Capital Planning Commission at its next meeting in early November.

The National Park Service had worked with outside groups on ways to reduce the project’s impact on nearby protected landmarks. The park service had also rejected suggestions to relocate the arch.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation ended that review process in late September, days after Trump announced plans for the structure to include a military complex.

The council informed historic preservation groups of the decision in an email reviewed by NPR.

Charles Birnbaum, head of The Cultural Landscape Foundation and a participant in the review process, criticized the decision to end the process after two meetings. He said he had seen similar action only twice during his 15 years working for the National Park Service.

The council now plans to send its recommendations directly to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum by Oct. 7.

Critics consider legal and congressional options

Protesters said they would continue opposing the project through legal, congressional and public pressure.

Julius D. “JD” Spain Sr., a member of the Arlington County Board, urged residents to contact their senators and representatives. He also said he would join protesters in removing the structure if it gets built.

Beyer said a large group of people stands ready to protest if construction begins.

Congress could also prevent construction from moving forward if lawmakers block federal funding for the project. Earlier this week, a Republican senator blocked a Democratic effort to prevent federal funding for the arch and the demolition of the Kennedy Center.

The November midterm elections could change the balance of power in Congress, potentially affecting future congressional efforts involving the proposed arch.

Forecasters do not expect a major temperature drop, but they expect a noticeable change after the wet conditions.

“We’ll get the tail-end of this front, so it won’t be a substantial cooldown by any means…but it will be a noticeable one,” the National Weather Service said in its forecast discussion Saturday.

The front could push Houston’s overnight temperatures into the 60s and low 70s for most of the workweek. Forecasters currently estimate a 70% to 75% chance that Houston temperatures will fall below 70 degrees.

Daytime temperatures will remain in the 80s through next week, but drier air behind the front should reduce rain chances across the area for most of the workweek.

Rain expected through the weekend

Houston will face several rounds of showers and thunderstorms through Sunday before the front arrives.

The National Weather Service expects locally heavy rain, with the highest chances along the coast. Coastal areas could receive 1 to 3 inches of rain from Saturday through early next week, while areas farther inland will generally receive less than an inch.

Forecasters said isolated areas could receive higher amounts. The heaviest rainfall should remain 10 to 20 miles offshore, although a slight northward shift could bring more rain into coastal and inland communities.

The Weather Prediction Center has placed Southeast Texas under a marginal risk, or Level 1 of 4, for excessive rainfall Saturday and Sunday. The greatest flooding threat will remain near the coast.

Monday will serve as a transition day, with rain chances continuing along the coast before the cold front moves through overnight.

The cooler and drier conditions should arrive Tuesday and continue through much of the workweek.

In the days after Francis died, Prevost received messages from friends who offered condolences and prayers. Father Ramiro Castillo Castro, who studied under Prevost in the 1990s, told him he was praying for him. Prevost responded that everything was in God’s hands.

John Snider, a Lutheran pastor and longtime friend, also sent a message. The two had spent a summer together in Minneapolis before their ordinations, discussing theology and learning how to minister to sick and dying people.

Snider, who was nearing retirement, told Prevost that he faced an intense responsibility as he prepared to participate in the conclave.

“Everything is in God’s hands,” Prevost replied, thanking the Sniders for their friendship and prayers.

Friends began wondering if Prevost could become pope

John Barry, who had known Prevost since high school, also contacted him after Francis’ death. Barry expressed sympathy for Prevost’s personal loss and then raised the possibility that his friend could become pope.

Barry praised Prevost’s compassion and character and jokingly asked whether he could still email him if he became pope.

Prevost replied that he would leave everything in the Lord’s hands. He also assured Barry that they could continue corresponding.

At the time, however, Prevost did not rank among the cardinals widely discussed as “papabile,” a term used for potential papal candidates.

His nationality presented one obstacle. No American had ever become pope, and some cardinals questioned whether the leader of the Catholic Church should come from a country with significant political, economic and military influence.

Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that electing an American would represent a difficult choice under those circumstances.

Prevost saw the interview and later told Father John Merkelis that Cupich had said the cardinals would not elect an American.

“I’m sleeping well at night,” Prevost said.

Merkelis shared the comment with Sister Thérèse DelGenio, who had worked with both men decades earlier. She responded with a reminder that Prevost had not accounted for the Holy Spirit.

Cardinals arrive in Rome

Cardinals from around the world arrived in Rome following Francis’ death to mourn the pope and prepare for the conclave.

New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, one of the most prominent American cardinals and one of the few electors who had taken part in the 2013 conclave, dismissed questions about his own chances with a joke about having a better chance of batting cleanup for the New York Yankees.

Dolan had known many cardinals and served as a highly visible representative of the U.S. Catholic Church. Yet Prevost had not initially attracted his attention.

“I didn’t even think of him as an American,” Dolan later said. “The little bit I knew about him was good — I had heard good things about him. But I had never met the man.”

Other cardinals quickly began asking Dolan about Prevost after he arrived in Rome. They wanted to know about Prevost’s interests, personality and temperament.

Dolan then approached Prevost at a gathering of cardinals and introduced himself.

General Congregations shape the discussion

Beginning the day after Francis’ death, the cardinals held daily General Congregation meetings in an auditorium near St. Peter’s Square.

The meetings lasted for hours as the cardinals discussed the state of the Catholic Church, the challenges facing its next leader and the qualities they wanted in the next pope.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin of New Jersey described some sessions as disorganized but said the discussions repeatedly returned to fundamental questions about what the church and the world needed.

Outside the Vatican, thousands of journalists and religious pilgrims gathered in Rome as interest in the conclave grew.

The 2024 film “Conclave,” based on Robert Harris’ novel, also fueled public interest in the papal election. Prevost had watched the film and discussed it with family and longtime friends, although he rejected comparisons between himself and its fictional characters.

Prevost gains support among cardinals

As the meetings continued, more cardinals began considering Prevost seriously.

Prevost had worked closely with Francis and supported several priorities associated with the previous pope, including synodality, advocacy for immigrants and environmental concerns. His years as a missionary and his extensive work in Peru also gave him strong ties outside the United States.

Some cardinals also saw Prevost as a possible change in leadership style after Francis. Dolan said he wanted a pope who was measured, calm and reliable.

Dolan began researching Prevost’s record and asked a colleague who had worked closely with him for an assessment.

“He runs a good meeting,” the colleague told him.

Dolan initially considered the comment faint praise but later understood it as an indication that Prevost could organize discussions, establish goals and manage responsibilities effectively.

During a coffee break at one General Congregation meeting, Dolan asked an older cardinal who he thought could become pope.

The cardinal pointed toward Prevost.

Cardinals examine Prevost’s experience

The cardinals continued discussing the priorities they wanted the next pope to address, including the church’s response to sexual abuse, Vatican finances, Curia reform, world peace and environmental concerns.

Cardinal Pedro Barreto of Peru, who was 81 and therefore ineligible to vote, saw connections between those priorities and Prevost’s experience.

Prevost had led the Peruvian bishops’ council addressing abuse and had helped address church finances in Peru. His two years in Rome had also given him experience with the Vatican without establishing him as a longtime Curia insider.

Barreto saw Prevost’s background as relevant to the cardinals’ concerns and recognized that his American nationality remained the main obstacle.

Cardinal Joseph Tobin also began considering Prevost as a possible pope. The two had known each other for about three decades and had worked together in Rome and Peru.

One evening, Tobin joined Prevost and other cardinals for prayer and dinner. Before leaving, Tobin told his friend he thought the cardinals might ask him to serve as pope.

Prevost did not argue or try to discourage him. He simply thanked Tobin for his prayers.

Prevost leaves the decision to God

As the May 7 conclave approached, Prevost faced the possibility that the cardinals could elect him to lead the Catholic Church.

He had begun thinking about retirement in recent years. The prospect of becoming pope would instead place him at the center of the Catholic Church and global affairs.

Prevost later recalled taking a deep breath and turning the decision over to God.

“I said, ‘Here we go, Lord. You’re in charge. You lead the way.’”

In New Lenox, Illinois, his brother John Prevost also prayed about the possibility.

John initially dismissed the idea of an American pope but began reconsidering it as reports from Rome continued. Father John Merkelis later told him that Robert’s chances appeared similar to those Jorge Bergoglio faced before the 2013 conclave.

John did not want the attention that could come with becoming the pope’s brother. He also worried that the role would change Robert’s life and end his regular visits home.

John initially prayed that his brother would not become pope. He then changed his prayer, asking that whatever happened would serve the church.

The final preparations

The day before the conclave began, Prevost visited the Augustinian General Curia, where he regularly prayed and shared meals with fellow Augustinians.

He spoke with Father Alejandro Moral Antón, who had succeeded him as the order’s prior general. The two then prayed to the Holy Spirit, asking for guidance as Prevost and the other 132 cardinal electors prepared to enter the Sistine Chapel.

Afterward, Moral Antón told Prevost that he would always be welcome to return to the Augustinian community for meals, Mass and prayer, regardless of the color of his vestments.

The following day, the cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave that ultimately elected Prevost as Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope.

The Dragon spacecraft arrived at the ISS Thursday evening. Crew members opened the spacecraft’s hatch about two hours later and joined the station’s existing crew.

“It’s amazing and kind of ironic to think that it’s such a short trip to get here because the journey to get here has been long,” Crew-13 Commander Jessica Watkins said from the ISS.

Crew-13 includes Watkins and pilot Luke Delaney, both from NASA, along with mission specialists Joshua Kutryk of the Canadian Space Agency and Sergey Teteryatnikov of Roscosmos.

The mission operates under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which partners with private space companies such as SpaceX to transport NASA-trained astronauts and international partners to the ISS.

Crew-12 prepares to return to Earth

NASA and SpaceX now prepare for Crew-12’s return after the astronauts spent months aboard the ISS.

Crew-12 has remained at the station since February. NASA could bring the crew back to Earth as soon as Monday, Oct. 5, depending on weather conditions.

The crew includes NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

Crew-12 will formally transfer its mission responsibilities to Crew-13 on Sunday. Crew-12 Commander Jessica Meir will also hand over command of the ISS to Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, whose crew arrived at the station in July.

Dana Weigel, who manages NASA’s low Earth orbit missions, said Thursday that initial inspections of the spacecraft and equipment Crew-12 will bring back to Earth went well.

Crew-12 completes research in orbit

During their mission, Crew-12 conducted research on pneumonia-causing bacteria, blood flow during spaceflight and the production of intravenous fluids in space, among other projects.

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program uses commercial spacecraft to support regular crew rotations to the ISS. SpaceX and Boeing each hold multibillion-dollar contracts with NASA under the program.

The event will begin at 2 p.m. at the bookstore at 1300 Guadalupe St. Visitors can meet Valdez and take prints home to share within their own communities.

Valdez created “The New Americans” as a portrait of resistance. The series features detailed drawings that explore Latino history, identity and communities across the country.

His work also addresses difficult chapters in American history, including the lynching of Latinos and the displacement of communities.

One drawing in the series depicts American labor leader and activist Dolores Huerta.

Valdez receives MacArthur ‘genius grant’

The event comes shortly after the MacArthur Foundation named Valdez a recipient of its fellowship, commonly known as a “genius grant.”

The fellowship provides Valdez with $800,000 over five years without restrictions on how he uses the funds.

Valdez also serves as the ACLU of Texas’ artist-in-residence. The program examines how art can build community and contribute to a more inclusive Texas.

The Saturday event will give visitors an opportunity to engage directly with Valdez’s work and take copies of his drawings into their communities.

Deputies responded to a call around 6:15 p.m. Oct. 1 and found a deceased man who shared Urker’s name and age. Authorities have not released details about what led to his death and continue to investigate.

Urker was living in Dallas when he and Blanchard rekindled their relationship in 2024, according to an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

That year, Blanchard and Urker announced they were expecting a child. Their baby was born in 2025.

Urker was found dead on his 34th birthday, according to the sheriff’s office.

Blanchard and Urker met while she was in prison

Blanchard met Urker while she served a prison sentence for her role in the 2015 killing of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Urker initially contacted her through letters while she was incarcerated.

Blanchard and Urker became engaged but later ended their relationship. She subsequently married Ryan Anderson, who also communicated with her through letters while she was in prison.

Blanchard divorced Anderson four months after her release from prison in 2023. She later reunited with Urker in 2024.

Who is Gypsy Rose Blanchard?

Blanchard gained national attention after authorities arrested her in connection with her mother’s killing in 2015. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and said she endured years of abuse from her mother, including medical abuse associated with Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Blanchard served seven years in prison and received her release in 2023.

Authorities have not announced a cause of death for Urker. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.

The Stars finished last season with a first-round playoff elimination at Minnesota on April 30. Dallas had reached the Western Conference Final in each of the previous three seasons, playing 100 games each year and continuing into at least late May.

Captain Jamie Benn said he started feeling ready for a new season about a month before training camp opened.

“A lot of the guys felt the same way,” Benn said. “But with that, we got some rest, more time to prepare for this year and get our bodies right.”

General manager Jim Nill said the extended break helped players recover from the physical and mental demands of several deep playoff runs.

“I think you want to find the positive things you can, and I think this was a big break for the guys,” Nill said. “They’ve played a lot of hockey, a lot of intense hockey, a lot of wear and tear.”

Players used the extended offseason to recover

Several Stars players entered camp healthier after dealing with injuries last season.

Mikko Rantanen returned late in the regular season and during the playoffs after suffering a torn MCL in the Olympics. Roope Hintz missed the rest of the season after tearing his left hamstring March 6.

Tyler Seguin also benefited from the longer break. The 34-year-old center underwent right ACL surgery in December and played just 47 games across the previous two seasons because of injuries. He enters the final season of his eight-year, $78.8 million contract.

“The players that were banged up, they’re healthy now,” Nill said.

The offseason also gave Benn and 35-year-old Matt Duchene additional recovery time as both prepare for their 18th NHL seasons.

Young center Wyatt Johnston also had more time to recover after appearing in all 390 regular-season and playoff games since making his NHL debut four years ago.

“He looks bigger and stronger,” coach Glen Gulutzan said.

Gulutzan also said Benn entered camp in his leanest condition since the coach first worked with him during his initial stint with Dallas from 2011-13.

“He trained like crazy this summer. He is actually really lean,” Gulutzan said. “He did some things differently than he normally did.”

Benn said the NHL continues to get faster, so he spent the offseason preparing to keep pace.

Stars began preparing early

The Stars held a condensed training camp two weeks ago ahead of an expanded 84-game regular season. Nill said some players had already started skating and working out at the team’s facility in July.

Jason Robertson said the longer offseason gave players more time to train and reflect.

“I feel good. I’m sure everyone else feels good,” Robertson said.

Dallas will open its season later than most NHL teams, with the league beginning its schedule Tuesday and 10 teams already set to play multiple games before Friday.

Despite the delay, the Oct. 2 opener marks the Stars’ earliest season start since Oct. 1, 1999, when the team raised its Stanley Cup championship banner after winning the title about 3 1/2 months earlier.

Dallas last reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2020, when the pandemic delayed the season and created a nearly five-month pause. The Stars then had 116 days between the end of that postseason and the start of a shortened 56-game season in January 2021.

After missing the postseason that year, Dallas had 157 days before the next October opener and then began its current run of five consecutive playoff appearances.

Rodriguez grew up working in restaurants and started bussing tables and chopping vegetables alongside his mother at Mia’s Tex-Mex on Lemmon Avenue. He said he knew from an early age that he wanted to build a career in the restaurant industry.

“I was 5 years old and I knew that was what I was going to do,” Rodriguez said in a 2025 interview.

A disagreement with his mother eventually prompted Rodriguez to leave the restaurant. His brother followed him and told him, “Mico, you’re gonna change history.”

Rodriguez later launched Mi Cocina with $82,500 in investments from some of his customers. He initially operated the restaurant with 12 tables in a partly vacant shopping center and did not serve liquor.

He eventually introduced margaritas, using his father’s recipe and a sangria recipe that a Spanish priest had given his father. The combination became the Mambo Taxi, which Rodriguez described as one of Dallas’ most recognizable drinks.

One of Mi Cocina’s longtime customers, Juanita Miller, encouraged Rodriguez to open a location in Highland Park Village. Her support helped the restaurant expand, and developers across North Texas later sought out the brand.

Rodriguez said the Highland Park Village location “took us into another plane of existence.” Mi Cocina eventually grew into a restaurant group generating more than $200 million in annual revenue.

Struggles behind the success

Rodriguez also faced personal struggles during the growth of his business.

He said he reached about 450 pounds at his heaviest and later underwent weight-loss surgery. He subsequently returned to drinking alcohol and described the period as a relapse.

His marriage ended, and he sold his shares in Mi Cocina before leaving the restaurant business.

“I was disconnected and I felt so isolated,” Rodriguez said. “Instead of managing that and looking for help, well, the self-destructive behavior came in.”

Rodriguez entered rehabilitation programs more than once and credited them with helping him regain control of his life.

“This is a disease of relapse, and you have to really manage it, and I surrender every day,” he said.

Returning to his Dallas roots

After stepping away from Mi Cocina, Rodriguez returned to the restaurant and entertainment industries with projects tied to the Dallas neighborhoods where he grew up.

One of his ventures centered on a former furniture store near Maple Avenue and the Medical District. The Quintanilla family had built the property in the 1960s, and Rodriguez saw an opportunity to turn its struggling food hall into a gathering place featuring local restaurants and talent.

He worked with vendors he already knew and developed the concept as a combination of food, entertainment and community space.

The project later evolved into Food Nation, which included plans for entertainment programming, a soundstage and a bar next to the food hall.

The project held particular meaning for Rodriguez because he grew up nearby and once delivered newspapers in the area.

“It means a lot to me to be able to do that now,” he said.

A legacy of reinvention

Rodriguez acknowledged that his leadership style changed over the years. He described himself as “dictatorial” early in his career because he feared failing at the restaurant business.

Later, he said he became more understanding and took on a mentoring role with his daughter and younger restaurateurs.

“I’ve nurtured or founded 14 brands and not all of them worked, but it was the process of being able to do that,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez described himself as a survivor who valued the opportunity to rebuild his life and career.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said.

From Mi Cocina and the Mambo Taxi to his later Food Nation project, Rodriguez built a career that connected his restaurant work with his roots in Dallas.

DPD recently issued a request for information to determine whether private-sector companies offer technology that could assist detectives with evidence analysis.

A department spokesperson said one potential use could involve an AI system that identifies links among different offenses to help investigators identify suspects or reviews decades-old cold case files for overlooked leads.

Major Nathan Swyers of DPD’s intelligence unit said during a call with potential vendors this week that such technology could have helped investigators handle evidence in the 2020 killing of Dallas rapper Mo3.

Swyers said investigators had to contend with more than a terabyte, and possibly multiple terabytes, of video evidence in that case.

“I think the biggest thing for us is being able to very quickly go through video evidence and do video analysis without a detective having to sit there for 8 to 10 to 12 hours reviewing that video frame-by-frame,” Swyers said.

DPD already uses several AI-related technologies. The department uses Axon software to draft incident reports, Clearview AI facial recognition technology and another AI tool that summarizes reports and data for review, according to a department spokesperson.

Swyers said any new technology would need to comply with the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) standard, which establishes security requirements for criminal justice information.

DPD has previously said it maintains safeguards for officers using AI tools. The department’s procurement notice also identifies the solicitation as a request for information rather than a contract process, meaning responses will not result in an immediate contract award.

Alex Piquero, a University of Miami criminologist who has worked with Dallas police, said AI can help departments process large amounts of information quickly but warned against treating its output as definitive.

“If people use it blindly and they make a decision about that, that can have harmful consequences,” Piquero said. “It’s a tool in a toolbox but at the end of the day a human being has to input that data and a human being has to understand the output of that data.”

Piquero said police departments across the country continue to explore AI as the technology becomes more accessible and less expensive. He identified the ability to process large amounts of data quickly as one of AI’s potential advantages for investigations.

Swyers said the department also sees efficiency and potential cost savings as reasons to explore the technology amid budget pressures.

Piquero, however, said AI could miss details that experienced investigators might recognize.

“The nuance sometimes might get lost in the use of AI, the human eye might see something, years of experience might tell someone something,” he said.