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Kyle Rittenhouse whispers to his attorney Corey Chirafisi on Wednesday during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse. | Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP Pool

Rittenhouse is charged with killing two men and wounding a third during the summer of 2020 in a case that has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and the racial unrest after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

KENOSHA, Wis. — Prosecutors at Kyle Rittenhouse’s murder trial Wednesday played video for the jury that captured scenes of protesters and the sound of gunfire in the street as they began detailing the night Rittenhouse shot three people, two fatally, during a tumultuous demonstration against police brutality.

In one of the bystander videos livestreamed that night by Koerri Washington, a social media influencer from Kenosha, Rittenhouse can be seen running through the frame, carrying a fire extinguisher.

Washington said he followed Rittenhouse because he saw him earlier that evening and thought he seemed like an “interesting figure.”

“He just looked young to me,” Washington said. “It wasn’t anything malicious. Young person, in a situation. And he had his gloves on, and he was smoking cigarettes and stuff.”

Shortly afterward, the video captures the sounds of gunshots, including those of Rittenhouse shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, the first man killed that night. Washington, who was on a skateboard, said when he heard the shots, he “skated away to safety.”

Rittenhouse, now 18, is charged with killing two men and wounding a third during the summer of 2020 in a politically polarizing case that has stirred furious debate over self-defense, vigilantism, the Second Amendment right to bear arms, and the racial unrest around the U.S. in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Rittenhouse, a one-time police youth cadet, could get life in prison if convicted.

The teenager traveled to Kenosha from his home in Illinois after protests broke out over the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by a white Kenosha police officer. Rittenhouse said he went there to protect property after two nights in which rioters set fires and ransacked businesses.

During opening statements Tuesday, prosecutors portrayed him as the instigator who set in the motion the night of bloodshed, while his lawyer argued that he acted in self-defense after Rosenbaum tried to grab his gun and others in the crowd kicked him and hit him in the head with a skateboard.

On Tuesday, a friend testified that Rittenhouse was pale, “freaking out” and “really scared” moments after shooting the three men and said he had to do it because “people were trying to hurt him.”

Dominick Black, who faces his own trial for buying the 17-year-old Rittenhouse an AR-15-style rifle he wasn’t old enough to legally possess, said he was stunned when Rittenhouse called him seconds after the first shooting.

“I didn’t believe the gunshots were actually his until I got a phone call, and I answered it, and he just said, ‘I shot somebody, I shot somebody,'” Black recounted.

Black, who was dating Rittenhouse’s sister at the time, testified that he and Rittenhouse had gone to downtown Kenosha to help protect a car dealership after vehicles were burned the night before. Black said he thought nobody would start trouble if they saw him with his assault-style rifle. He also said Rittenhouse helped give medical aid and put out fires.

Black said he was on the roof as protesters hurled gasoline bombs and rocks at the business.

Moments after shooting the 36-year-old Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse shot and killed Anthony Huber, 26, a protester from Silver Lake, Wisconsin, who was seen on bystander video hitting Rittenhouse with a skateboard.

Defense attorney Mark Richards portrayed Rittenhouse as the victim, saying Huber was “trying to separate the head from the body” with the skateboard.

Rittenhouse then wounded Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, a protester from West Allis, Wisconsin, who had a gun in his hand as he stepped toward Rittenhouse.

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Andy Cohen attends the October launch party for the book, “Not All Diamonds and Rose: The Inside Story of The Real Housewives from the People Who Lived It,” in New York City. | Getty

This is not the first time the “Real Housewives” franchise — which premiered in 2006 with “The Real Housewives of Orange Country” — has come under fire for bigotry.

“The Real Housewives” franchise is expanding overseas, but not everyone is a fan.

Executive producer Andy Cohen announced Monday that Bravo is producing “The Real Housewives of Dubai,” marking the network’s 11th installment and first international franchise.

“Everything’s bigger in Dubai, and I couldn’t be more excited to launch Bravo’s first international ‘Housewives’ series in a city I’ve been fascinated by for years,” Cohen said in a statement.

During an appearance on the “Today” show on Monday, Cohen excitedly shared: “Get your passports, our 11th city! We are going to the billionaire’s playground. This is going to blow the lid off the entire franchise.”

Following the announcement, the franchise’s new location sparked fan outcry on social media. Although the United Arab Emirates (UAE), one of the richest countries in the world, offers a tantalizing display of opulence that translates well to reality television, social media users called out Bravo for overlooking the country’s human rights violations against women and the LGBTQ+ community.

USA TODAY reached out to Cohen for comment. The network declined to comment.

But some potential ‘Housewives’ fans were unhappy about the news.

“So now we’re going to ignore the anti-gay laws and misogyny of UAE?” tweeted @TeresaForehea1. “Great pick! I see the ‘social consciousness’ of BRAVO didn’t last very long.”

Bravo has previously expressed its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and said its cast and crews are required to complete sensitivity and inclusion training.

In 2019, Cohen said Bravo is “the most inclusive channel in the history of television, as far as I’m concerned.”

Bravo’s promotional video for “Dubai” refers to “The City of Gold” as the “land of opportunity” and “new American dream,” but a 2021 Human Rights Watch reportsaid women and girls face “significant discrimination.”

According to the report, women in Dubai need written permission from a male guardian to get married, while men do not. “Laws still provide male guardian authority over women and loopholes allow reduced sentences for men for killing a female relative,” the Human Rights Watch adds.

“A disgusting choice,” tweeted @SwanBubbles about the Dubai location for the new version of the franchise. Twitter user @MariaMSaab added: “Pretty culturally tone deaf to call Dubai the ‘new American dream.’ “

The LGBTQ+ community also faces discrimination in the UAE, which “criminalizes forms of gender expression,” according to Human Rights Watch. The UAE is ranked No. 142 on Asher & Lyric’s 150-country list of best and worst countries for LGBTQ travel in 2021.

Other social media users addressed their concerns directly to Cohen, the series’ executive producer, who is openly gay.

“(Shaking my head) seeing Andy supporting a Housewives franchise in Dubai with their anti LGBTQ+ laws and record,” tweeted @jelevision.

User @DaniVanella added: “Dear @Andy, it’s illegal to be gay in Dubai… I wish you and @BravoTV would reconsider.”

“@Andy… Is it bothersome to you that you are going to be shining a potentially positive spotlight on a country where being gay is a crime?” wrote @AskMarkWard on Twitter.

This is not the first time the “Real Housewives” franchise — which premiered in 2006 with “The Real Housewives of Orange Country” — has come under fire for bigotry. While the network aims to be inclusive, fans have pointed out problematic incidents over the years, from homophobic and racist comments to offensive costumes.

Bravo’s latest installment based in Dubai will feature “a group of women navigating their relationships, careers, and supremely lavish and ultra-wealthy lifestyles in the United Arab Emirates… whether they’re coasting on a private plane, running their own empires or hosting on a private island,” the network said.

Despite the criticism, other fans seemed excited.

“Wow! Dubai is gonna smoke all the other cities. They have crazy money!!!” fan @vanessaj_socialbutterfly commented on Instagram. And others speculated whether “Ladies of London” alum Caroline Stanbury would join the cast. User @wineandbabies commented: “Can we get @carolinestanbury back please?????”

“The Real Housewives of Dubai” is set to premiere in 2022. A cast has not yet been announced.

Contributing: David Oliver

Read more at usatoday.com

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Holly Mathews (left) and Jonathan Ceballos were killed in a shooting Sunday that wounded at least nine other people. | Provided/GoFundMe

“I really hope they get these guys. This isn’t right, this isn’t right at all,” said Sharyl Mathews, mother of Holly who was killed early Sunday.

At 22, Holly Mathews had her life figured out.

She was in her senior year of college, studying to be an arborist while working two jobs. Two weeks ago, she became engaged and was choosing bridesmaids.

“Her time was precious,” said her mom Sharyl Mathews, days after her daughter was gunned down during a Halloween party where 10 other people were shot early Sunday. “It’s hard to breathe. My daughter was my whole world.”

Mathews had gone out with a friend to a house party in Frankfort. They left around midnight and, at the suggestion of the friend, stopped by another party in Joliet Township.

“They felt a bad vibe and were there for only 10 minutes,” Sharyl Mathews said.

Before they could leave, two gunmen opened fire from an elevated porch into the crowd of around 200 people in the backyard of a home in the 1000 block of East Jackson Street.

Provided photo
Holly Mathews (right) and her mother Sharyl Mathews (left).

Mathews was shot in the ribs and was pronounced dead in the yard. A man, also 22, was killed. Nine other people were hospitalized, and one remains in critical condition.

Sharyl Mathews said she fell to the ground when the sheriff’s office knocked on her door with the news. “We love her very much,” she said by phone Tuesday. “I don’t know how to go on without her.”

The other person who died was Jonathan Ceballos, remembered by family as “a great brother, friend and son.”

“I remember how much you used to love riding horses, going to Mexico, how we used to play soccer together all the time and how you always made people laugh,” his younger brother Carlos Ceballos wrote in an online fundraiser.

“I honestly can’t believe you were taken from us at such a young age,” he said. “You didn’t deserve this.”

Police had been called at least three times about noise at the party but had not tried to disperse the crowd. Police said the shooting appeared to be gang-related but offered no details.

No arrests have been made, though Mathews said police told her they are sifting through evidence. “I really hope they get these guys,” she said. “This isn’t right, this isn’t right at all.”

Late Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said detectives have interviewed 70 witnesses of the shooting and are seeking to talk with several more.

Detectives confirmed the party hosts were not gang-affiliated, and that Mathews and Ceballos “were merely innocent partygoers.”

A male shooting victim remains hospitalized in critical condition, while two others are still hospitalized and expected to survive, a sheriff’s office spokeswoman said Tuesday.

‘Always smiling’

Mathews recalled how sweet her daughter was to be around. “She was always smiling. She made friends with everyone. She was goofy and funny,” she said.

Her daughter was creative, and could paint, draw and construct mosaics. Mathews was very close to her 17-year-old sister and “best friend,” her mother said.

After a fire at the family home last year, Holly Mathews moved in with her partner. He proposed to her two weeks ago while they vacationed in Utah. Her boyfriend had helped her get a job at his workplace, a tree trimming tool manufacturer, and sparked her interest in being an arborist, her mother said.

She switched her major from nursing but continued working a second job as a nursing assistant at a rehab center.

“She was a workaholic,” her mother recalled. “She was on track to be successful. They were talking about buying their own house. And now it’s gone.”

Her fiance, Adam Gregurich, said she never realized how much she did for other people.

“She was just such a great, genuine, loving, caring person who would literally put everybody else’s needs ahead of hers,” he said Wednesday.

During their Utah trip, they damaged their vehicle off-roading and ran into a television crew from one of their favorite shows, Dirt Every Day, Gregurich said.

They took a group photo and asked everyone to make a frown. “But when we saw the photo, everyone was frowning but she was smiling,” Gregurich said. “It shows how strong she was. To say she’ll be missed doesn’t even come close.”

Mathews’ funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home in Joliet.

An online fundraiser is collecting funeral funds for Mathews’ family.

Provided photo
Holly Mathews and fiance Adam Gregurich (center right and left) pose with Fred Williams (far left) and Dave Chappelle (far right) from the show Dirt Every Day.Read More

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The Biden administration is rolling out a new initiative aimed at reducing the number of suicides by gun and combating the significant increases in suicides by members of the military and veterans. | Andrew Harnik / AP

The plan includes an awareness campaign and a push by federal agencies to encourage safer storage of guns and training for counselors, crisis responders and others.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is rolling out a new initiative aimed at reducing the number of suicides by gun and addressing the significant increases in suicides by members of the military and veterans.

Officials say it’s an unprecedented focus by the federal government on reducing the risk of suicide through awareness and training campaigns and new regulations to increase the availability of gun-storage products.

The plan calls for federal agencies — including the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Transportation’s emergency medical services office — to encourage safer storage of guns and training for counselors, crisis responders and others.

The effort also includes the Justice Department finalizing a rule, first proposed in 2016, that would require stores that sell firearms to also offer secure gun storage and safety devices.

John Feinblatt, president of the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, praised the efforts on gun storage for “blazing a new path” to keep guns away from people who could be a danger to themselves.

In 2019, firearms were the most common method used in suicide deaths in the United States, accounting for nearly 24,000 deaths, little over half of all suicide deaths, according to federal health statistics. Experts say many people who take their lives using guns have quick access to firearms and have tended to be gun owners or their family members.

As part of the White House plan, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will distribute a guide for firearms dealers that spells out safety steps required under the law and additional steps the government recommends.

The administration said ATF would also “seek to revoke the licenses of dealers the first time that they violate federal law,” with limited exceptions for “extraordinary circumstances.” Those violations would include selling guns to someone who can’t legally own them, failing to run a background check, falsifying federal records or refusing to cooperate in required ATF inspections.

The Defense Department’s annual year suicide report, released in September, showed that 580 military personnel, including 384 active-duty service members, died by suicide in 2020. The suicide rate among active-duty service members has increased since 2015, the report said.

Many firearms dealers have been stepping up suicide prevention efforts as the number of gun sales in the United States hit a historic high in January, continuing a surge that began as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in early 2020. Some firearms dealers also have been handing out or offering cards with the phone number of suicide-prevention hotlines and tips to identify signs of depression or other mental health issues.

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The Astros’ Dusty Baker is still the winningest manager without a World Series title. | Ashley Landis/AP

“I feel terrible because I’m not really ready to go home,” Baker said. “I haven’t been home since I left in February, so you know I must love these guys and love what I’m doing.”

HOUSTON — Thousands of toothpicks have bitten the dust, yet Dusty Baker needs more.

Time ticks louder for this most beloved of baseball lifers, still the winningest manager without a World Series title.

Nineteen years after falling one win short with San Francisco, Baker’s quest ended two victories shy with Houston following a 7-0 defeat on Tuesday night to the Atlanta Braves, the team that launched his career back in the Summer of Love.

“Quite frankly, this one doesn’t hurt quite as much as the first one did because the first one, I thought we had that one,” he said.

Now 72 and at end of his 24th season as a big league skipper following 19 as an outfielder and four as a coach, Johnnie B. Baker Jr. has participated in about 6,550 big league games. He spent much of this one trudging back and forth from the dugout to the pitcher’s mound, shoulders slightly hunched.

“When I first came in, I was more like an uncle, and then I became more like a dad,” he said. “So I’m kind of in between a dad and maybe even a granddad. But I’m probably a little bit too cool to be a granddad right now.”

Baker was a disappointed grandfather.

He snapped his head, swiped a fist and muttered after Jorge Soler sent Luis Garcia’s cutter soaring over the left field train tracks for a three-run homer that put the Braves ahead 3-0 in the third inning. At the final out, he looked at the celebration, put hands on hips and turned to head back up to the clubhouse.

“I feel terrible because I’m not really ready to go home,” Baker explained later. “I haven’t been home since I left in February, so you know I must love these guys and love what I’m doing.”

Baker is a throwback to the old days, before designated hitters, steroids, computer-driven shifts and perpetual pitching changes.

He is the king of dugout cool, likely the only big league manager who shared a joint with Jimi Hendrix, as Baker did in 1968.

Baker took over the Astros in January 2020 following stints managing San Francisco, the Cubs, Cincinnati and Washington, tasked with guiding and shielding players through the fallout of the team’s sign-stealing scandal.

“Last year I felt like a substitute teacher, really. I was an outsider,” he said, “But this year, they made me feel like I was one of them and they were definitely always one of me.”

His contract is up and his future uncertain, much like Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who heads into a free-agent market threatened with a management lockout. As Astros players praised him, Baker said he wants to return.

“I’ve still got some unfinished business,” he admitted.

At some point during his dugout years, Baker substituted Tea Tree Therapy Toothpicks for chewing tobacco as his preferred method of stress reduction. They are made from Birchwood trees treated with tea tree oil and menthol, and mint is his preferred version. His toothpick total can be as varied as pitch counts.

“Everything depends on the game,” he said. “I’ve learned that you have to keep breathing because, that sounds corny, but like I tell my players, I go out to the mound, and I tell a guy to breathe because you start hyperventilating and you think you’re breathing, but you’re really not breathing. You’ve got to slow your heart down.”

He learned those skills first over playing days that began when the Braves selected the Californian, who admits he “prayed” in hopes of avoiding a deep South hostile to so many Blacks. The teenage Baker was nothing like the senior statesman of today.

“I was just wild,” he said. “How many guys, 19, 20, 21 years old, a little money in your pocket, a pretty car, and single wouldn’t have been kind of wild, you know what I mean? I believe in having fun, but I also believe in working towards my goal because I had to help support my family. So I was never too wild, but I liked to have a good time. I always had Hank Aaron tell me to go to bed and go to church.”

A former Marine, he has a steadiness and assuredness that is admired. The modern manager’s skills of acquiescence to analytics and front-office micromanagement were more slowly acquired.

“There’s a give and a take. It’s just a matter of how much you’re willing to give or how much you’re willing to take,” he said. “Every man has an inner and outer dignity, which you will take to keep the job and sometimes what you won’t take. At some point in time, you’ve got to say, hey, you can keep it.”

Baker won one title as a player and does not appear ready to give up the manager quest.

Moments after the defeat, he even dropped a reference to The Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks.

“You’ve got to keep on trucking, and that gives you even more incentive next year,” Baker said. “It’s tough to take now, but this too shall pass. I mean, it really hurts, but it’s over.”

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Lake Forest’s Asa Thomas (14) dribbles around a St. Patrick defender. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

With so many elite prospects leaving the state in recent years, the search for the next elite star playing his career out in Illinois remains.

With so many elite prospects leaving the state in recent years, the search for the next elite star playing his career out in Illinois remains.

The nation’s very top prospects now have multiple avenues to choose from following high school, including the college route, G League Ignite platform, the fledgling Overtime Elite program and playing overseas. Thus, top prospects and their families are trying to best prepare for those immediate opportunities to cash in earlier than ever.

The hope for the college game and college programs is that the new name, image and likeness rules will be enough to entice prep stars to play college basketball as they can now land endorsement deals as amateur players.

However, the prep school route remains a serious threat to high school basketball fans enjoying marquee talent in this state. The pop-up prep schools made for basketball aren’t going away as a growing number of elite players and their families believe the prep school route is the road to take.

Kenwood junior star JJ Taylor, the latest defection, is a prime example. He joins a growing list of elite talent that has left the state. Illinois now has three players in the Class of 2023 all ranked among the nation’s top 30 prospects: Taylor, Matas Buzelis and Jeremy Fears, Jr. And none of them play their high school basketball in Illinois. All three began their high school careers in Illinois but Buzelis left Hinsdale Central for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire and Fears departed Joliet West for La Lumiere in Indiana.

Kam Craft, one of the state’s top senior prospects and top 100 talent nationally, left Buffalo Grove in August for the The-Skill-Factory Prep School in Atlanta.

Mikey Williams, one of the top juniors in the country from North Carolina, now plays at the newly formed Vertical Academy in North Carolina, a prep school founded by his father. Just last week he became the first American high school basketball player to sign an endorsement deal as he landed a shoe and apparel contract with Puma.

Who is No. 1 in 2023?

With Taylor out of the picture the top spot in the Class of 2023 has been left wide open.

Lake Forest’s Asa Thomas, who has grabbed a number of high-major offers in recent months, is the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s highest ranked player remaining in the class.

With such a premium placed on shooting in today’s game, the stock has only grown for the 6-6 Thomas. He’s an elite perimeter shooter who opened eyes while playing with Lake Forest during the high school live periods in June.

Thomas has offers from Illinois, Marquette, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech and others.

Cam Christie of Rolling Meadows and Darrin Ames of Kenwood will be in the mix as well for top-ranked prospects in a class that has been hit hard at the top with the departure of star talent.

Two-sport powers

With the second round of the IHSA state football playoffs set to unfold this weekend and the basketball season tipping off in just three weeks, a host of schools can boast they have arguably the best combination of football and basketball in 2021-22?

That short list, which includes several Chicago Catholic League programs, consists of St. Rita, Loyola, St. Ignatiius, Brother Rice, Mount Carmel, Glenbard West and Glenbrook South. All are either ranked in this week’s Sun-Times Super 25 football poll or still alive in the state playoffs.

In addition, each school will have high preseason expectations in basketball, including likely preseason top 10 teams Glenbard West, Glenbrook South, St. Rita and St. Ignatius.

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