By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Justice Department attorney accused of hurling a sandwich at a federal agent in the nation’s capital — a confrontation captured in a viral video — pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor assault charge.

Prosecutors charged Sean Charles Dunn with a misdemeanor last week after a grand jury refused to indict him on a felony charge, a sign of a backlash against President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement surge in Washington.

A jury trial for Dunn is scheduled to start on Nov. 3. Dunn didn’t speak to reporters as he left the courtroom. His attorney, Sabrina Shroff, declined to comment on the case.

A bystander’s video captured Dunn throwing a “sub-style” sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent on the night of Aug. 10, a court filing said.

As the video spread on the internet, the White House touted Dunn’s arrest on social media. But the image of Dunn throwing a sandwich also has become a protest symbol.

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Over 2,000 people have been arrested on surge-related charges since the operation started on Aug. 7. More than 50 of them, including Dunn, have been charged in the district court. Prosecutors already have asked the court to dismiss eight of those cases, including charges against two people who were accused of threatening to kill Trump.

It is extraordinarily rare for a federal grand jury to balk at returning an indictment, but it has happened at least eight times in six cases since Trump’s surge over a month ago.

Dunn, 37, of Washington, was an international affairs specialist in the Justice Department’s criminal division, but Attorney General Pam Bondi said he was fired after his arrest on a felony assault charge.

Around 11 p.m. on Aug. 10, Dunn approached a group of CBP agents, pointed a finger in an agent’s face and swore at him, calling him a “fascist,” a police affidavit says. An observer’s video captured Dunn throwing a sandwich at the agent’s chest, the affidavit says.

“Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” Dunn shouted, according to police.

Dunn tried to run away but was apprehended, police said.

Dunn’s case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, whom Trump nominated during his first term in the White House.

By PHILIP MARCELO, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — When longtime friends David Paine and Jay Winuk set out to encourage people to take part in volunteer and service projects on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, their goal was simple: to turn a day of unimaginable tragedy into a day for doing good.

Now, as the nation prepares to mark the 24th anniversary of 9/11, that lofty mission has evolved into a national day of service where people across the country participate in projects that honor the nearly 3,000 dead.

Volunteers work during the “NYC Meal Pack For 9/11 Day” at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The nationwide effort kicked off Wednesday as thousands of volunteers began assembling packaged meals for needy New Yorkers in a festive atmosphere aboard the USS Intrepid.

Teams of volunteers filled small plastic bags with various ingredients for making a kind of jambalaya, including uncooked rice, dehydrated vegetables, lentils, salt and other seasonings, as a DJ blasted upbeat tunes from the wing of an aircraft carrier-turned-museum.

“The vision was to create a ritual,” said Winuk, co-founder and executive vice president of 9/11 Day, the nonprofit organizing the event. “We couldn’t know that it would continue to resonate with people more than two decades later.”

Volunteers work during the “NYC Meal Pack For 9/11 Day” at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The two-day event, which runs through Thursday, aims to package more than two million meals for local food banks. It is among 25 large-scale volunteer service projects being organized in some two dozen cities across the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Overall, 9/11 Day estimates some 30 million Americans will participate in some form with the day of service, which Congress enshrined into law in 2009.

Beside meal packing, volunteers will be taking part in food and clothing drives, park and neighborhood cleanups, blood banks and other community events, the organization says. Even smaller acts of kindness count, like greeting strangers on the street or holding the door for someone.

“It’s really just meant to be a day when we remember and rekindle the way we all felt and the way that we all behaved in the immediate aftermath of the attack,” said Paine, who co-founded 9/11 Day and serves as its president. “When we weren’t red states or blue states. We were just human beings wanting to help one another.”

A volunteer puts labels on the bag during the “NYC Meal Pack For 9/11 Day” at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Wednesday, Sep. 10, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Winuk says it’s been “gratifying” to see Americans embrace the call to service and good deeds. His brother, Glenn Winuk, died on Sept. 11 while serving as volunteer firefighter and EMT.

“Glenn would have been first in line for this kind of thing. He lived his life and died in service to other people,” he said.

The call seems to be resonating in particular with the some 100 million younger Americans born after the 2001 attacks, Paine added.

“The amazing thing about 9/11 was that it brought our country together in a way that we had never experienced before, and I think there’s a longing for that sense of unity again,” he said. “I think that’s especially true for young people deeply discouraged by the kind of division, divisiveness, that they are feeling.”

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John Danyliouk was among the young volunteers taking part in the meal pack for the first time.

The 25-year-old Queens resident said he was just a year old when the attacks happened and said his mother would talk about the trauma of being in lower Manhattan at the time.

“Being able to see 9/11 as the day of remembrance and service instead of a day that’s tragic, to change that viewpoint and have people come out and give back, I think, is a really good thing,” Danyliouk said.

Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

The Gophers offered a scholarship to Chicago cornerback John Nestor in February 2022, but the three-star recruit committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes two months later.

Like being allergic to a bee sting; it hurt immediately, then swelled.

The U prides itself on stacking recruiting wins in the Chicagoland area. But the exacerbating factor was Nestor picked the Gophers’ bitter rival.

Three years later, Nestor transferred to the Gophers after spring practices, earned a starting spot in fall camp and made two interceptions — returning one for a touchdown — in a 66-0 win over Northwestern State on Saturday.

“If there is an opportunity for you to rekindle that flame, you do,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. “I thought that our staff did a really good job of that when recruiting John. Ultimately (we) didn’t get him initially, but we had a really good relationship built that when he went in the portal and he has three, four schools, you can be right in the mix.”

Here are eight things to know about Nestor:

Second chance

Gophers defensive coordinator Dany Collins, who attended nearby Chicago high school St. Rita, was a primary, initial recruiter of Nestor.

“We knew what type of person he was and the type of fit,” Collins said about re-recruiting him again this spring. “It all goes back to, again, the fit in this program. Being able to have that fit and then come right in.”

On losing Nestor originally, Collins said those are the breaks of recruiting, and they respected his decision. Now the 6-foot-1, 205-pounder has two years of eligibility remaining for the U.

Kingsbury connection

When Nestor visited the Gophers last spring, his host was linebacker Matt Kingsbury, who also attended St. Rita. The joy was evident on Nestor’s face when Kingsbury was talking to media members about Kingsbury’s two fumble recoveries — with one returned 25 yards for a TD — against Northwestern State.

“(Collins) went to a high school that is about 15 minutes from where I grew up,” Nestor said. “Same high schools as Kings — a rivalry — but we won’t talk about that right now. Just joking.”

First try

As a true freshman for the Hawkeyes, Nestor played immediately on special teams, and comparisons were made to him possibly becoming Riley Moss 2.0, an all-Big Ten cornerback now with the Denver Broncos.

But his sophomore year didn’t go well. He played 121 snaps on defense, allowing five receptions and one touchdown on five targets, along with three missed tackles in a 32-20 loss to Michigan State.

He would play only 29 defensive snaps over the final six games before going into the portal.

Illinois State wide receiver Braden Contreras (9) recovers a fumbled punt in front of Iowa defensive back John Nestor (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Iowa City, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Man of faith

The first question Nestor faced from reporters Saturday was about his 29-yard pick-six on the opening play from scrimmage against the Demons.

“Before I start, I just want to give all glory to God,” Nestor said from the podium at Huntington Bank Stadium. “He is my savior. He is my Lord, and I put him first throughout everything I do every day.”

Nestor, who attended Marist High School, a private Catholic prep school in Chicago, then gave a detailed answer on the big play that set the tone in the blowout.

“We were in Cover 3,” Nestor said. “Throughout our film study all week coaches were saying in that formation (Northwestern State) were running had a lot of hitches by No. 1 (the outside receiver), especially to the boundary. I read the (quarterback) and went with my gut feeling.”

Collins added: “We break the defensive staff meetings at night, and I go in the corner room and he’s in there watching film. He’s always going to take those little nuggets we give him and those coaching points. He is going to study tips and tendencies on his own as well and find some things as well.”

Man of football

The Marist football team started winter conditioning workouts at 5:30 a.m., but that wasn’t early enough for Nestor in the 2021-22 season. Nestor telephoned defensive backs coach John Stefanos about putting him through additional footwork drills on the football field at 4:30.

Stefanos replied: “If you’re gonna be there, I’ll be there.”

That meant workouts in the pre-dawn darkness. In December and January. In Chicago. They would do it in the freezing cold, and would only call it off if it was too snowy outside.

“The best way to describe him is passion and intensity,” Stefanos said. “He has always been that kid. He’s driven. He’s football smart. He doesn’t know any speed but full go. He’s special.”

‘Mesmerized’

Marist head coach Mike Fitzgerald coached at York Community High School in Elmhurst during Nestor’s career.

“I kind of got to see it from the other side,” Fitzgerald said. “And, man, he kept me up late at night trying to figure out how we were gonna block him and keep him out of the mix.”

Fitzgerald was supposed to be looking at the Redhawks defense as a whole, but was “mesmerized” watching Nestor’s physicality, athleticism and coverage skills.

“He was one of those guys on film where you get caught up just watching a player instead of, like, the defense,” Fitzgerald said. “He was just fun to watch.”

Nestor played safety, corner and receiver at Marist, and as a junior helped the Redhawks advance to the big school state semifinals.

Popular dude

During down times in college, Nestor returns to Marist and runs middle-school camps for defensive backs.

“The sixth, seventh, eighth-graders, they’re all: ‘Where’s Nestor? Where’s Nestor?’ ” Stefanos said. “They love him. He brings energy and knowledge and passion. And we just sit back and watch and let him run it. And it’s very popular.”

Incredible confidence

The Gophers are leaning into being “delusional” about how good of a team they have this season. Nestor has bought in.

“I got so much love for this team,” Nestor said. “Our HAVOC defense, man, we are the best in the country. I’m going to say that right now. We can go toe-to-toe against anybody in the country.

But there is also a dose of humanity. After Nestor’s second pick Saturday, he didn’t manage any return yards and poked fun at himself.

Minnesota Gophers defensive back John Nestor (17) intercepts a pass from Northwestern State Demons quarterback Abram Johnston (10) during the second quarter of NCAA football game at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

“It didn’t look the most athletic play when I fell on the ground,” Nestor said, “but it’s all good.”

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St. Paul City schools will collide Thursday afternoon at Central, when the Minutemen host Johnson. That’s nothing new, as the two programs have maintained their rivalry in recent years.

But the St. Paul clashes will be a far more frequent sight the rest of the season, and – finally – they will again feature heavy stakes.

St. Paul Johnson’s wide receiver Sher Her (5) and outside linebacker Michael Xiong (78), celebrate after their team completed a first down at Harding High School in St. Paul on Sept. 5, 2025. (Claudia Staut / Pioneer Press)

For the first time since conference football was done away with by the Minnesota State High School League at the start of the 2015 campaign, St. Paul public programs will again battle for City supremacy this fall.

All five programs – Johnson, Central, Highland Park, Como Park (which co-ops with Washington) and Harding/Humboldt – are grouped together in the Skyway TC-Red subdistrict, meaning they will all play one another and compete amongst themselves for a subdistrict title.

The Minneapolis public schools, with the exception of Edison, will compete in the TC-Blue subdistrict.

Over the next five weeks, the St. Paul programs will play four games against their fellow St. Paul foes, with one crossover game against a Minneapolis team mixed in.

Whoever emerges on top of the subdistrict will meet the Minneapolis champ in the reincarnation of the Twin Cities Championship game Oct. 15 to close out the “regular season” before section play begins.

Schools from St. Paul and Minneapolis worked in conjunction with one another and the MSHSL to reconfigure the setup of old.

Highland Park coach Dave Zeitchick noted he’s “pumped” about the new subdistrict setup, adding “the MSHSL got it right.”

“It’s great when kids that grew up playing each other get to play each other again,” Zeitchick said. “I have great friends coaching in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and it will be awesome to play against them again. Most of the players in St. Paul and Minneapolis don’t know anything about the football Twin Cities Championship.”

It’s time to get reacquainted with the past, while also providing a path forward.

St. Paul public school programs are a combined 1-9 through two weeks, accruing losses against a number of suburban programs. The lone win is Johnson’s season-opening victory over St. Agnes.

On the Minneapolis side, perennial power North is 2-0, but the other programs in the TC-Blue subdistrict are a combined 2-6.

Harding/Humboldt coach Tim Daniels noted there are “a lot” of talented athletes in the community. But football is a sport of attrition. Declining participation numbers in St. Paul make it difficult to compete with larger programs, particularly over the course of a season.

It’s why as excited as Central coach Scott Howell is to renew rivalries, he also appreciates “the opportunity to play teams who have the same struggles and problems we all face in the inner city.”

Johnson reached the Class 4A state semifinals in 2018, but that represents the only St. Paul public school state appearance since 1981. That’s still an ultimate goal for programs, but a City championship is something players can potentially set their sights on year after year.

“Something awesome to shoot for,” Zeitchick said, “and a real shout out to city schools.”

“I love it,” Johnson coach Richard Magembe said. “It’s time to bring back city pride. Give the youth in our communities something to aspire to and keep the private and suburban schools out of our backyards.”

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