Hate crime

The Town Council of Hollywood, South Carolina, unanimously passed a hate-crime ordinance during a second reading on Sept. 28, allowing local fines and jail time for bias-motivated acts. The vote drew applause from residents, with Mayor Chardale Murray saying the town wants to signal it will not tolerate hate.

State Sen. Wendell Gilliard spoke before the vote, recalling that the General Assembly failed to pass statewide hate-crime legislation after the 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church shooting, prompting Black lawmakers to push municipalities to act instead. South Carolina remains one of only two states without a statewide hate-crime law. Hollywood joins at least 25 other South Carolina municipalities, including Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville, that have passed similar local measures. A 2023 opinion from the state Attorney General warned such ordinances could be constitutionally vulnerable, arguing the state constitution's framers sought to avoid a "patchwork" of local criminal laws that could be challenged if the state Supreme Court weighs in.

Two Michigan residents face terrorism charges in separate cases involving threats against elected officials, Attorney General Dana Nessel's office announced.

Anthony Dekinderen, 61, of Lake Orion, allegedly emailed a Michigan journalist threats to kill members of the Michigan Supreme Court, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. He faces nine counts of false report or threat of terrorism, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and was arraigned September 19 with bond set at $5 million, requiring GPS monitoring if posted.

Alicia Choucair, 33, of Roseville, is accused of threatening a dispatcher with violence against Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud unless "her people" were kept out of the city. She faces two counts of false report or threat of terrorism, a computer crime count, and a hate crime charge, and was arraigned September 17 with bond set at $20,000.

Nessel, who created the state's Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit in 2019, said threats against officials are becoming more common and will be prosecuted fully. Both defendants await probable-cause conferences.

California continues to expand electric vehicle adoption even as the Trump administration works to slow the national EV transition. Federal actions have eliminated the $7,500 EV tax credit, rescinded the endangerment finding underpinning vehicle emissions regulation under the Clean Air Act, revoked California's authority to set stricter-than-federal emissions standards, and overturned the state's EV sales mandate. The administration also froze funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, though a federal judge ruled that freeze unlawful.

Despite a national sales slowdown following the loss of the federal rebate, California's EV sales share held up: about 19% of new car sales in the state were zero-emission vehicles in the second quarter of 2025, nearly three times the national rate. Roughly 1 in 12 vehicles on California roads are now zero-emission. The state also led the nation in new fast-charging stations added last quarter and now has more public chargers than gas pumps. California is currently defending its 2035 gas-car sales ban in court, a case that could determine the future pace of its emissions strategy.

Leaked audio obtained by the Daily Caller shows Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms telling donors she is "deeply concerned" about President Trump's executive order targeting cashless bail, arguing it primarily harms poor people facing low-level misdemeanor charges. In the recording, Bottoms claimed cash bail does not apply to felons, a statement that is inaccurate — Georgia law does apply cash bail requirements to felony offenses.

Trump's order directs federal agencies to identify and withhold funding from jurisdictions that have substantially eliminated cash bail for crimes posing a public safety threat, including violent, sexual, and property offenses. As Atlanta mayor, Bottoms signed an ordinance eliminating cash bond for minor offenses like public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, during a period marked by rising crime in the city. Bottoms faces Republican nominee Rick Jackson in the November 3 general election. Her campaign has not responded to requests for comment on the leaked remarks.

A Winston-Salem, North Carolina woman has been indicted in connection with the May 18, 2026 mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill announced. FBI and local law enforcement officials joined O'Neill to detail the charges, though further specifics on the woman's alleged role have not yet been released.

The shooting killed three men, including a longtime mosque security guard credited with limiting the attack's toll. Two teenage suspects, ages 17 and 18, died by suicide in a vehicle near the scene after fleeing a home where a parent had reported one of them missing and armed. Investigators found evidence of "generalized hate rhetoric" and are treating the case as a hate crime, though no specific threat had been made against the center beforehand. The indictment marks the first known criminal charge tied to the attack beyond the deceased shooters, raising questions about who else may face prosecution as the investigation continues.