Utah mayor Brent Taylor killed in latest Afghanistan 'insider attack'

A Utah mayor was killed in Afghanistan during an "insider attack" while serving with the Utah National Guard in Kabul, the second deadly such attack in the war-torn country in less than a month.

North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor, 39, a married father of seven, was killed and another soldier was wounded Saturday by a member of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, Major General Jeff Burton, who leads Utah's National Guard, confirmed Sunday.

Initial reports indicated the attacker was killed immediately by other Afghan Forces, Burton said.

"Brent typified the citizen soldier who served so diligently in his community as well as felt this call to wear a uniform and serve where ever the nation needed him to go," Burton said. "He's a heavy loss for us." Burton and the Pentagon said the attack was under investigation and released no other details.

Last month an Afghan bodyguard opened fire at a meeting in Kandahar province between local leaders and the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. Three senior provincial officials were killed and three Americans were wounded, although Gen. Austin Miller was unharmed. 

Taliban militants, who have experienced a recent resurgence in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for that attack. NATO and U.S. forces have deployed more troops to support Afghan forces struggling against the Taliban and remnants of the Islamic State active in the country. Taylor, part of that effort, had said he was in Afghanistan to help train Afghan troops.

James Piazza, a Penn State professor specializing in political violence in the Islamic world, says there are reports of "severe demoralization" and desertion among Afghan troops.

"Attacks like this threaten to drive a wedge between U.S. military personnel and Afghan forces," Piazza told USA TODAY. "If U.S. military personnel, sent to Afghanistan to help support and train Afghan forces, don't trust their Afghan counterparts, it's hard to imagine that our support will be very effective."

Major Taylor served as mayor of North Ogden's 17,000 residents since 2013. He also served more than a decade as an officer in the National Guard, including seven years on active duty. He previously served two tours in the Iraq War and one in Afghanistan.

Taylor began another one-year tour in Afghanistan in January. Local police gave him a police escort on the day he left, and hundreds of residents lined the streets to pay him homage, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. He watched on Skype as his youngest daughter learned to walk. In September, he wished his "rock star" wife a happy 15th anniversary on Facebook.

Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox called Taylor's death "devastating".

"I hate this. I’m struggling for words," Cox said in a Facebook post. "I love Mayor Taylor, his amazing wife Jennie and his seven sweet kids. Utah weeps for them today." 

Taylor, a doctoral candidate in international relations at the University of Utah, frequently posted photos from the war zone on social media. He was consistently upbeat, even noting in an April post that "I absolutely love the dedicated US and Afghan soldiers I serve with every day. The dedication of the Afghan soldiers is especially inspiring."

His most recent post, Oct. 28, expressed admiration for millions of Afghans who braved threats and attacks to vote in parliamentary elections last month. 

"As the USA gets ready to vote in our own election next week, I hope everyone back home exercises their precious right to vote," he said. "And that whether the Republicans or the Democrats win, that we all remember that we have far more as Americans that unites us than divides us. ... God Bless America."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, called Taylor a "hero, a wonderful father and a dear friend." Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said he was "heartbroken."

"This is a sad day for Utah, for America," Herbert said. "He was the personification of love of God, family and country."

Cox and, referring to Taylor's elections Facebook post, asked Utah residents to honor the mayor by voting on Tuesday.

"This war has once again cost us the best blood of a generation," Cox said. "Thank you for your sacrifice, my friend."

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11-year-old shoots grandmother, kills self after refusing to clean his room, police say

PHOENIX — An 11-year-old boy in Arizona fatally shot his grandmother before turning the gun on himself after refusing to clean his room Saturday, officials said. 

Yvonne Woodard, 65, and her husband lived with their grandson in a home in the Phoenix suburb of Litchfield Park, according to Maricopa County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez. 

The grandfather told detectives they had asked their grandson to clean his room, but he was being stubborn about it.

The couple were sitting on the couch watching TV together when the grandson came up behind his grandmother and shot her in the back of the head, Enriquez said.

The grandfather first ran after the grandson before returning to help his wife. He then heard gunshots as his grandson shot himself.

Enriquez said the gun belonged to the grandfather. Investigators have yet to find anything that would indicate the grandson wanted to hurt himself or others before the shooting. 

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President Trump: Democrats will take 'a wrecking ball' to American progress if they win control in Congress

Perez said Trump wants to "change the subject" because Republicans are "hemorrhaging (votes) on health care."

                  Trump took Air Force One to Tennessee on behalf of U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, who is now running for a Senate seat. She faces a close race against Democrat Phil Bredesen, the state's former governor. The winner replaces retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker.

Despite the emphasis on U.S. House and Senate races, Trump traveled to Georgia to speak out on a governor's race, as GOP candidate Brian Kemp faces a tough battle against Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Echoing attacks he has made on Democratic candidates for Congress, Trump accused Abrams of being an "extreme far-left politician" who is eager to raise taxes, welcome "illegal aliens" to Georgia, and take away people's guns. He has also described Abrams, an African-American woman, as unqualified for the Georgia governor's job.

Asked about Trump's criticisms during NBC's "Meet The Press," Abrams said she is a business owner, tax attorney, and former state legislative leader, and, "I find his assessments to be vapid and shallow."

Promoting his own record, Trump made references to his re-election bid during the rally at Macon. At one point, supporters in Georgia began chanting, "Six more years! Six more years!"

Before leaving the White House for Georgia and Tennessee, Trump – who on Friday questioned whether Republicans would be able to keep control of the U.S. House – expressed more optimism while chatting with reporters.

"I think we're going to do well in the House," Trump said, though he added his "primary focus" has been retaining Republican control of the Senate.

During the rally in Tennessee, Trump predicted success in House and Senate races but told his supporters: "Who knows, right? Who knows? You've got to get out and vote."

Citing an example of the stakes in Tuesday's election, Trump said his hopes for a middle-class tax cut might vanish if Democrats win the House or the Senate. "We've got to win Congress because the Democrats won't be doing that," Trump said.

Privately, White House officials have also said that a Democratic congressional victory would mean a slew of investigations on items ranging from Trump's taxes to alleged collusion with Russian hackers during the 2016 election.

In rally after rally over recent weeks, Trump has viciously attacked Democrats, accusing them of wanting to bring "socialism" to the economy, of seeking to ruin the heath care system, and of backing "open borders" to make it easier for "criminals"  to enter the country.

"They will try to erase our gains and eradicate our progress," Trump said during an an appearance Friday in Huntington, West Virginia.

It was during that same appearance that Trump acknowledged the possibility that Democrats may win the House.

"It could happen ... could happen," Trump told supporters at an airport rally in Huntington, West Virginia, adding that they shouldn't be fearful if the Democrats prevail.

"Don't worry about it – I'll just figure it out," Trump said.

After Georgia and Tennessee on Sunday, Trump wraps up his personal campaigning Monday with stops in states with Senate races: Cleveland, Ohio; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

That last event is scheduled to include appearances by Fox News host Sean Hannity and radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, a native of Cape Girardeau.

Before that tour, on Monday morning, Trump plans to conduct a "telephone town hall" designed "to appeal to voters in critical districts and states, many of which were first-time voters or returned to the polls for the first time in years in 2016," said a statement from the president's 2020 re-election campaign.

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