SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement are investigating a school threat in Topeka.

Just after 6:30a.m. Tuesday, police responded to a call regarding an online social media threat involving Eisenhower Middle School, 3305 SE Minnesota Avenue in Topeka, according to a media release.. No other schools are involved in this incident.

Topeka Police are working jointly with the FBI and are investigating the credibility of this online threat. The impacted school has notified families.

Anyone who sees or hears anything related to this incident is asked to immediately contact the Topeka Police Department by emailing telltpd@topeka.org or by calling the TPD Criminal Investigation Bureau at 785-368-9400.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697128767642.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement are investigating a school threat in Topeka.Just after 6:30a.m. Tuesday, police responded to a call regarding an online social media threat involving Eisenhower Middle School, 3305 SE Minnesota Avenue in Topeka, according to a media release.. No other schools are involved in this incident.Topeka Police are working jointly with the FBI and are investigating the credibility of this online threat. The impacted school has notified families.Anyone who sees or hears anything related to this incident is asked to immediately contact the Topeka Police Department by emailing telltpd@topeka.org or by calling the TPD Criminal Investigation Bureau at 785-368-9400.

FBI investigating social media threat at Kansas middle school

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans rushed to approve legislation on Wednesday that would impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements ahead of the midterm elections, a long shot Trump administration priority that faces sharp blowback in the Senate.

The bill, called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-save-act-citizenship-voting-elections-a37c139461d11eb5f82086680b67ffe7">Safeguard American Voter Eligibility</a>, or SAVE America Act, would require Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote, mostly through a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. It would also require a valid photo identification before voters can cast ballots, which some states already demand. It was approved on a mostly party-line vote, 218-213. GOP members of the Kansas delegation voted with the majority.

Republicans said the legislation is needed to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats warn it will disenfranchise millions of Americans by making it harder to vote. Federal law already requires that voters in national elections be U.S. citizens, but there’s no requirement to provide documentary proof. Experts said voter fraud is extremely rare, and very few noncitizens ever slip through the cracks. Fewer than one in 10 Americans don’t have paperwork proving they are citizens.

“Some of my colleagues will call this voter suppression or Jim Crow 2.0,” said Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., presenting the package at a committee hearing.

But he said “those allegations are false,” and he argued the bill is needed to enforce existing laws, particularly those that bar immigrants who are not citizens from voting. “The current law is not strong enough,” he said.

The GOP’s sudden push to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/midterms-voting-laws-photo-id-citizenship-republicans-feecb51a6efa41cf32d18fe4b15c08ce">change voting rules</a>&nbsp;at the start of the midterm election season is raising red flags, particularly because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump&nbsp;</a>has suggested he wants to nationalize U.S. elections, which, under the Constitution, are designed to be run by individual states.

The Trump administration recently seized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-georgia-elections-fulton-county-2020-ballots-9dfecd778c09134e9aa0bba2848718f5">ballots in Georgia</a>&nbsp;from the 2020 election, which the president insists he won despite his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. The Department of Justice is demanding voter rolls from states, including Michigan, where a federal judge this week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-judges-dismisses-lawsuit-michigan-voter-rolls-b18568bec27026c97e41885b80d15fe9">dismissed the department’s lawsuit</a>&nbsp;seeking the voter files. Secretaries of state have raised concerns that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-homeland-security-voters-noncitizens-9ad3293b2f188b8a5b0bc166a61c225c">voters’ personal data</a>&nbsp;may be shared with Homeland Security to verify citizenship and could result in people being unlawfully purged from the rolls.

“Let me be clear what this is about: It’s about Republicans trying to rig the next election,” said Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, during a hearing ahead of the floor vote. “Republicans are pushing the Save America Act because they want fewer Americans to vote. It’s that simple.”

The legislation is actually a do-over of a similar bill the House approved last year, which also sought to clamp down on fraudulent voting, particularly among noncitizens. It won the support of four House Democrats, but stalled in the Republican-led Senate. Only one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, voted for the revised bill.

This version toughens some of the requirements further, while creating a process for those whose names may have changed, particularly during marriage, to provide the paperwork necessary and further attest to their identity.

It also requires states to share their voter information with the Department of Homeland Security, as a way to verify the citizenship of the names on the voter rolls. That has drawn pushback from elections officials as potentially intrusive on people’s privacy.

The new rules in the bill would take effect immediately, if the bill is passed by both chambers of Congress and signed into law.

But with primary elections getting underway next month, critics said the sudden shift would be difficult for state election officials to implement and potentially confuse voters.

Voting experts have warned that more than 20 million U.S. citizens of voting age do not have proof of their citizenship readily available. Almost half of Americans do not have a U.S. passport.

“Election Day is fast approaching,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies likely without the necessary resources.”

In the Senate, where Republicans also have majority control, there does not appear to be enough support to push the bill past the chamber’s filibuster rules, which largely require 60 votes to advance legislation.

That frustration has led some Republicans, led by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, to push for a process that would skip the 60-vote threshold in this case, and allow the bill to be debated through a so-called standing filibuster — a process that would open the door to potentially endless debate.

Lee made the case to GOP senators at a closed-door lunch this week, and some said afterward they are mulling the concept.

“I think most people’s minds are open,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., “My mind’s certainly open.”

But Murkowski of Alaska said she is flat out against the legislation.

“Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska,” she said.

Karen Brinson Bell of Advance Elections, a nonpartisan consulting firm, said the bill adds numerous requirements for state and local election officials with no additional funding.

“Election officials have a simple request of Congress — that you help share their burdens not add to them,” she said.

This story has been corrected to fix a statistic. Fewer than one in 10 Americans do not have paperwork proving they are citizens; an earlier version incorrectly said fewer than one in 10 have valid passports.

Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770863394074.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans rushed to approve legislation on Wednesday that would impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements ahead of the midterm elections, a long shot Trump administration priority that faces sharp blowback in the Senate.The bill, called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-save-act-citizenship-voting-elections-a37c139461d11eb5f82086680b67ffe7">Safeguard American Voter Eligibility</a>, or SAVE America Act, would require Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote, mostly through a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. It would also require a valid photo identification before voters can cast ballots, which some states already demand. It was approved on a mostly party-line vote, 218-213. GOP members of the Kansas delegation voted with the majority.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The House just passed the SAVE America Act — commonsense legislation that requires voter ID and implements other critical measures to protect federal elections from fraud. Next up: Senate <a href="https://t.co/ciBQL7fnoJ">pic.twitter.com/ciBQL7fnoJ</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2021732716534739290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Republicans said the legislation is needed to prevent voter fraud, but Democrats warn it will disenfranchise millions of Americans by making it harder to vote. Federal law already requires that voters in national elections be U.S. citizens, but there’s no requirement to provide documentary proof. Experts said voter fraud is extremely rare, and very few noncitizens ever slip through the cracks. Fewer than one in 10 Americans don’t have paperwork proving they are citizens.“Some of my colleagues will call this voter suppression or Jim Crow 2.0,” said Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., presenting the package at a committee hearing.But he said “those allegations are false,” and he argued the bill is needed to enforce existing laws, particularly those that bar immigrants who are not citizens from voting. “The current law is not strong enough,” he said.<h2>Election turmoil shadows the vote</h2>The GOP’s sudden push to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/midterms-voting-laws-photo-id-citizenship-republicans-feecb51a6efa41cf32d18fe4b15c08ce">change voting rules</a>&nbsp;at the start of the midterm election season is raising red flags, particularly because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump&nbsp;</a>has suggested he wants to nationalize U.S. elections, which, under the Constitution, are designed to be run by individual states.The Trump administration recently seized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-georgia-elections-fulton-county-2020-ballots-9dfecd778c09134e9aa0bba2848718f5">ballots in Georgia</a>&nbsp;from the 2020 election, which the president insists he won despite his defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. The Department of Justice is demanding voter rolls from states, including Michigan, where a federal judge this week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-judges-dismisses-lawsuit-michigan-voter-rolls-b18568bec27026c97e41885b80d15fe9">dismissed the department’s lawsuit</a>&nbsp;seeking the voter files. Secretaries of state have raised concerns that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-homeland-security-voters-noncitizens-9ad3293b2f188b8a5b0bc166a61c225c">voters’ personal data</a>&nbsp;may be shared with Homeland Security to verify citizenship and could result in people being unlawfully purged from the rolls.“Let me be clear what this is about: It’s about Republicans trying to rig the next election,” said Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, during a hearing ahead of the floor vote. “Republicans are pushing the Save America Act because they want fewer Americans to vote. It’s that simple.”The legislation is actually a do-over of a similar bill the House approved last year, which also sought to clamp down on fraudulent voting, particularly among noncitizens. It won the support of four House Democrats, but stalled in the Republican-led Senate. Only one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, voted for the revised bill.This version toughens some of the requirements further, while creating a process for those whose names may have changed, particularly during marriage, to provide the paperwork necessary and further attest to their identity.It also requires states to share their voter information with the Department of Homeland Security, as a way to verify the citizenship of the names on the voter rolls. That has drawn pushback from elections officials as potentially intrusive on people’s privacy.<h2>Warnings from state election officials</h2>The new rules in the bill would take effect immediately, if the bill is passed by both chambers of Congress and signed into law.But with primary elections getting underway next month, critics said the sudden shift would be difficult for state election officials to implement and potentially confuse voters.Voting experts have warned that more than 20 million U.S. citizens of voting age do not have proof of their citizenship readily available. Almost half of Americans do not have a U.S. passport.“Election Day is fast approaching,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. “Imposing new federal requirements now, when states are deep into their preparations, would negatively impact election integrity by forcing election officials to scramble to adhere to new policies likely without the necessary resources.”<h2>The fight ahead in the Senate</h2>In the Senate, where Republicans also have majority control, there does not appear to be enough support to push the bill past the chamber’s filibuster rules, which largely require 60 votes to advance legislation.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Republicans are still trying to pass the SAVE Act—a bill that would make it harder to vote and disenfranchise millions of Americans. Join <a href="https://twitter.com/redistrictact?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RedistrictAct</a> and tell your member of Congress to vote no: <a href="https://t.co/Cc4JHKr73Q">https://t.co/Cc4JHKr73Q</a> <a href="https://t.co/tUyxEbYJ0y">pic.twitter.com/tUyxEbYJ0y</a>&mdash; Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/2021721313144877484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>That frustration has led some Republicans, led by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, to push for a process that would skip the 60-vote threshold in this case, and allow the bill to be debated through a so-called standing filibuster — a process that would open the door to potentially endless debate.Lee made the case to GOP senators at a closed-door lunch this week, and some said afterward they are mulling the concept.“I think most people’s minds are open,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., “My mind’s certainly open.”But Murkowski of Alaska said she is flat out against the legislation.“Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska,” she said.Karen Brinson Bell of Advance Elections, a nonpartisan consulting firm, said the bill adds numerous requirements for state and local election officials with no additional funding.“Election officials have a simple request of Congress — that you help share their burdens not add to them,” she said.___This story has been corrected to fix a statistic. Fewer than one in 10 Americans do not have paperwork proving they are citizens; an earlier version incorrectly said fewer than one in 10 have valid passports.__Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

Kan. lawmakers help House pass proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters

KANSAS CITY —Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department are investigating a shooting that has left a teen dead.

Just before 3p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 7400 Block of Armstrong in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release. \

First responders located a 17-year-old boy outside an apartment complex, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to an area hospital where he died from his injuries. There are no suspects in custody at this time and police have not released the name of the victim.

KANSAS CITY —Detectives with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department are investigating a shooting that has left a teen dead.Just before 3p.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 7400 Block of Armstrong in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release. \First responders located a 17-year-old boy outside an apartment complex, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was transported to an area hospital where he died from his injuries. There are no suspects in custody at this time and police have not released the name of the victim.

17-year-old killed in Kansas apartment complex shooting

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-arizona-b765fed6b9669441383b75860263ac99">Fresh surveillance images</a>&nbsp;from Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing, coupled with intense police activity across Arizona and the detention of a man had raised hopes that authorities were nearing a major break.

But then the man was released after questioning, leaving it unclear Wednesday where the investigation stood into last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie</a>.

FBI agents carrying water bottles to beat the 80-degree F (26.7-degree C) heat walked among rocks and desert vegetation at Guthrie's Tucson-area home. They also fanned out across a neighborhood about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away, knocking on doors and searching through cactuses, bushes and boulders.

Several hundred detectives and agents are now assigned to the investigation, which is expanding in the area, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said.

In a nearby neighborhood, two investigators emerged from daughter Annie Guthrie’s home with a paper grocery sack and a white trash bag. One, still wearing blue protective gloves, also took a stack of mail from the roadside mailbox. They drove away without speaking to reporters.

Barb Dutrow, who was jogging through a neighborhood where teams were searching, said an FBI agent told her they were looking for anything that might have been tossed from a car. Dutrow, who was visiting from Louisiana for a convention, said she "can't imagine the feeling of the family of having their mother taken.”

A day earlier, authorities said they had stopped a man near the U.S.-Mexico border, just hours after the FBI released videos of a person wearing a gun holster, ski mask and backpack and approaching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">Nancy Guthrie's home</a>&nbsp;in Tucson. The man told media outlets early Wednesday that he was released after several hours and had nothing to do with Guthrie's disappearance last week.

Authorities have not said what led them to stop the man Tuesday but confirmed he was released. The sheriff's department said its deputies and FBI agents also searched a location in Rio Rico, a city south of Tucson where the man lives.

It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-534c68bfb666ab8e08123f130f937c2d">the latest twist</a>&nbsp;in an investigation that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-534c68bfb666ab8e08123f130f937c2d">gripped the nation</a>&nbsp;since Nancy Guthrie disappeared on Feb. 1. Until Tuesday, it seemed authorities were making little headway in determining what happened to her or finding who was responsible.

The black and white images released by the FBI showing a masked person trying to cover a doorbell camera on Guthrie’s porch marked the first significant break in the case. But the images did not show&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">what happened to her</a>&nbsp;or help determine whether she is still alive.

FBI Director Kash Patel said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-guthrie-nest-camera-footage-kidnapper-bd5f1d886543e23f2d105535031c9445">investigators spent days</a>&nbsp;trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images.

Even though the images do not show the person's face, investigators are hopeful someone will know who was on the porch. More than 4,000 calls came into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-arizona-sheriff-4f128f953d8e828d87fc1ee293338d9c">Pima County sheriff's</a>&nbsp;tip line within the past 24 hours, the department said Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>. She was last seen at home Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.

Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media and said the family believes their mother is still alive.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/today-savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-2c0512333cfaa6cdb01a82d1992160b2">The longtime NBC host</a>&nbsp;and her two siblings have indicated a willingness to pay a ransom.

It is not known whether ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, and whether the family has had any contact with whoever took Guthrie.

TMZ reported it received a message Wednesday from someone claiming to know the kidnapper’s identity and that they unsuccessfully tried to reach Savannah Guthrie’s brother and sister. The person asked for bitcoin in exchange for the information, TMZ said. The FBI did not immediately respond to a message.

Authorities have said Nancy Guthrie takes several medications and there was concern from the start that she could die without them.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770749564250.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-arizona-b765fed6b9669441383b75860263ac99">Fresh surveillance images</a>&nbsp;from Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing, coupled with intense police activity across Arizona and the detention of a man had raised hopes that authorities were nearing a major break.But then the man was released after questioning, leaving it unclear Wednesday where the investigation stood into last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/savannah-guthrie">Savannah Guthrie</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770737956751.png" alt="Billboard in Texas -photo courtesy KVUE" />
 <figcaption>Billboard in Texas -photo courtesy KVUE</figcaption>
 </figure>FBI agents carrying water bottles to beat the 80-degree F (26.7-degree C) heat walked among rocks and desert vegetation at Guthrie's Tucson-area home. They also fanned out across a neighborhood about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away, knocking on doors and searching through cactuses, bushes and boulders.Several hundred detectives and agents are now assigned to the investigation, which is expanding in the area, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said.In a nearby neighborhood, two investigators emerged from daughter Annie Guthrie’s home with a paper grocery sack and a white trash bag. One, still wearing blue protective gloves, also took a stack of mail from the roadside mailbox. They drove away without speaking to reporters.Barb Dutrow, who was jogging through a neighborhood where teams were searching, said an FBI agent told her they were looking for anything that might have been tossed from a car. Dutrow, who was visiting from Louisiana for a convention, said she "can't imagine the feeling of the family of having their mother taken.”A day earlier, authorities said they had stopped a man near the U.S.-Mexico border, just hours after the FBI released videos of a person wearing a gun holster, ski mask and backpack and approaching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">Nancy Guthrie's home</a>&nbsp;in Tucson. The man told media outlets early Wednesday that he was released after several hours and had nothing to do with Guthrie's disappearance last week.Authorities have not said what led them to stop the man Tuesday but confirmed he was released. The sheriff's department said its deputies and FBI agents also searched a location in Rio Rico, a city south of Tucson where the man lives.It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-534c68bfb666ab8e08123f130f937c2d">the latest twist</a>&nbsp;in an investigation that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-nancy-guthrie-mom-missing-534c68bfb666ab8e08123f130f937c2d">gripped the nation</a>&nbsp;since Nancy Guthrie disappeared on Feb. 1. Until Tuesday, it seemed authorities were making little headway in determining what happened to her or finding who was responsible.The black and white images released by the FBI showing a masked person trying to cover a doorbell camera on Guthrie’s porch marked the first significant break in the case. But the images did not show&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-nancy-adaa8af43efe04c252a52616d9037a05">what happened to her</a>&nbsp;or help determine whether she is still alive.FBI Director Kash Patel said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-guthrie-nest-camera-footage-kidnapper-bd5f1d886543e23f2d105535031c9445">investigators spent days</a>&nbsp;trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images.Even though the images do not show the person's face, investigators are hopeful someone will know who was on the porch. More than 4,000 calls came into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mom-missing-arizona-sheriff-4f128f953d8e828d87fc1ee293338d9c">Pima County sheriff's</a>&nbsp;tip line within the past 24 hours, the department said Wednesday afternoon.Authorities have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-arizona-tucson-6c7b78d17d7b647c64f71f64ecaecf8b">taken against her will</a>. She was last seen at home Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media and said the family believes their mother is still alive.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/today-savannah-guthrie-mother-missing-2c0512333cfaa6cdb01a82d1992160b2">The longtime NBC host</a>&nbsp;and her two siblings have indicated a willingness to pay a ransom.It is not known whether ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, and whether the family has had any contact with whoever took Guthrie.TMZ reported it received a message Wednesday from someone claiming to know the kidnapper’s identity and that they unsuccessfully tried to reach Savannah Guthrie’s brother and sister. The person asked for bitcoin in exchange for the information, TMZ said. The FBI did not immediately respond to a message.Authorities have said Nancy Guthrie takes several medications and there was concern from the start that she could die without them.___

Search crews comb desert terrain for clues in Nancy Guthrie's disappearance

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday kept former New York Jets first-round draft pick&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f49699b7c048415a9bad415a69e3b871">Darron Lee</a>&nbsp;in jail without bond as he faces a first-degree murder charge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f49699b7c048415a9bad415a69e3b871">in the death of his girlfriend</a>&nbsp;in Tennessee.

The ruling by Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tori Smith came after Lee was arrested and charged late last week. He also faces a charge of tampering with or fabricating evidence.

Lee is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 9.

Authorities identified the victim in the case as Gabriella Perpétuo. The couple had been living in a home they rented where the incident occurred for about 10 days, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified Wednesday.

Lockhart said he was present during the autopsy and learned the potential manner of death is blunt force trauma homicide, though an autopsy report has not been released yet.

According to an arrest affidavit, first responders on Feb. 5 went to a home in the Chattanooga suburb of Ooltewah for a call of CPR in progress, where they found the woman already deceased.

Lee told deputies that the woman may have fallen in the shower, but according to the affidavit, there were extensive amounts of blood in different areas of the residence that were inconsistent with Lee's statement.

Authorities carrying out a search warrant found multiple kinds of trauma to the woman's body, including a stab wound to her abdomen, an apparent human bite mark on her shoulder, a large bruise on her head, black eyes with heavy swelling, and dried blood on her face and neck, the affidavit said.

Lockhart testified that she also had a severe brain injury and a broken neck. She had more stab wounds on her legs while wearing pants without cut marks, suggesting the pants were put on afterward, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said.

Investigators also found alcohol, narcotics and a gun, the affidavit said.

The affidavit said Lee had a facial injury, lacerations on his hands, wounds on his chest and blood inside the case of his cellphone.

Crime scene detectives also identified blood that had been attempted to be cleaned in multiple areas of the house, in addition to cleaning supplies near where testing confirmed blood stains but no blood was visible, the affidavit said.

Wamp said the case is eligible for capital punishment, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.

“Mr. Lee was in a home with a female that was, for lack of a better term, beaten to death,” Wamp said in court, arguing for the judge to withhold bond. “And the explanation that he gave doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”

Wamp said Lee was on probation in Florida for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in one county and battery in another, and on probation in Ohio for attempted batteries.

Lee was represented at the hearing by deputy public defender Mike Little, who said in court that bond is often set for homicide or first-degree murder defendants, including those with prior felonies.

Responding to a request for comment from The Associated Press, Little said it is too early in the case for him to be making any statements.

The 31-year-old Lee played 58 games with the Jets, Kansas City and Buffalo from 2016 through the 2020 seasons. The former Ohio State linebacker was the 20th overall pick in 2016 by the Jets. He was the defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770844736773.jpeg" alt="FILE - Former Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Darron Lee (50) plays against the Detroit Lions during an NFL football game in Detroit, Sept. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Former Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Darron Lee (50) plays against the Detroit Lions during an NFL football game in Detroit, Sept. 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge on Wednesday kept former New York Jets first-round draft pick&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f49699b7c048415a9bad415a69e3b871">Darron Lee</a>&nbsp;in jail without bond as he faces a first-degree murder charge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f49699b7c048415a9bad415a69e3b871">in the death of his girlfriend</a>&nbsp;in Tennessee.The ruling by Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Tori Smith came after Lee was arrested and charged late last week. He also faces a charge of tampering with or fabricating evidence.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770844849023.png" alt="Lee photo Hamilton County, Tennessee&nbsp; Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Lee photo Hamilton County, Tennessee&nbsp; Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Lee is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on March 9.Authorities identified the victim in the case as Gabriella Perpétuo. The couple had been living in a home they rented where the incident occurred for about 10 days, Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Detective Brian Lockhart testified Wednesday.Lockhart said he was present during the autopsy and learned the potential manner of death is blunt force trauma homicide, though an autopsy report has not been released yet.According to an arrest affidavit, first responders on Feb. 5 went to a home in the Chattanooga suburb of Ooltewah for a call of CPR in progress, where they found the woman already deceased.Lee told deputies that the woman may have fallen in the shower, but according to the affidavit, there were extensive amounts of blood in different areas of the residence that were inconsistent with Lee's statement.Authorities carrying out a search warrant found multiple kinds of trauma to the woman's body, including a stab wound to her abdomen, an apparent human bite mark on her shoulder, a large bruise on her head, black eyes with heavy swelling, and dried blood on her face and neck, the affidavit said.Lockhart testified that she also had a severe brain injury and a broken neck. She had more stab wounds on her legs while wearing pants without cut marks, suggesting the pants were put on afterward, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp said.Investigators also found alcohol, narcotics and a gun, the affidavit said.The affidavit said Lee had a facial injury, lacerations on his hands, wounds on his chest and blood inside the case of his cellphone.Crime scene detectives also identified blood that had been attempted to be cleaned in multiple areas of the house, in addition to cleaning supplies near where testing confirmed blood stains but no blood was visible, the affidavit said.Wamp said the case is eligible for capital punishment, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to seek the death penalty.“Mr. Lee was in a home with a female that was, for lack of a better term, beaten to death,” Wamp said in court, arguing for the judge to withhold bond. “And the explanation that he gave doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”Wamp said Lee was on probation in Florida for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in one county and battery in another, and on probation in Ohio for attempted batteries.Lee was represented at the hearing by deputy public defender Mike Little, who said in court that bond is often set for homicide or first-degree murder defendants, including those with prior felonies.Responding to a request for comment from The Associated Press, Little said it is too early in the case for him to be making any statements.The 31-year-old Lee played 58 games with the Jets, Kansas City and Buffalo from 2016 through the 2020 seasons. The former Ohio State linebacker was the 20th overall pick in 2016 by the Jets. He was the defensive MVP of the 2015 Sugar Bowl.

Former KC Chief jailed without bond in death of girlfriend

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple drug allegations.

On February 9, Officer J. Paulakovich assisted the Kansas Highway Patrol in a vehicle pursuit that ended when the suspect’s car struck a citizen’s vehicle. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Officer Paulakovich arrested the suspect and located fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in the vehicle. 

The suspect had multiple outstanding warrants, including possession of controlled substances, burglary, and parole violations. He was taken into custody and charged.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the suspect.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770760142205.png" alt="Photo KCK Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCK Police</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple drug allegations.On February 9, Officer J. Paulakovich assisted the Kansas Highway Patrol in a vehicle pursuit that ended when the suspect’s car struck a citizen’s vehicle. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Officer Paulakovich arrested the suspect and located fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in the vehicle. The suspect had multiple outstanding warrants, including possession of controlled substances, burglary, and parole violations. He was taken into custody and charged.&nbsp; Police did not release the name of the suspect.

Fentanyl and cocaine found after Kan. police chase and crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi launched into a passionate defense of President Donald Trump Wednesday as she tried to turn the page from relentless criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-client-list-sex-trafficking-049c96080a2ca2c12c84ac506437e50b">the Jeffrey Epstein files</a>, repeatedly shouting at Democrats during a combative hearing in which she postured herself as the Republican president's chief protector.

Besieged by questions over Epstein and accusations of a weaponized Justice Department, Bondi aggressively pivoted in an extraordinary speech in which she mocked her Democratic questioners, praised Trump over the performance of the stock market and openly aligned herself as in sync with a president whom she painted as a victim of past impeachments and investigations.

“You sit here and you attack the president and I’m not going to have it," Bondi told lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee. "I am not going to put up with it.”

With victims of Epstein seated behind her in the hearing room, Bondi forcefully defended the department's handling of the files related to the well-connected financier that have dogged her tenure. She accused Democrats of using the Epstein files to distract from Trump's successes, when it was Republicans who initiated the furor over the files and Bondi herself fanned the flames by distributing binders to conservative influencers at the White House last year.

The hearing quickly devolved into a partisan brawl, with Bondi repeatedly lobbing insults at Democrats while insisting she was not “going to get in the gutter” with them. In one particularly fiery exchange, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland accused Bondi of refusing to answer his questions, prompting the attorney general to call the top Democrat on the committee a “washed-up loser lawyer — not even a lawyer.”

Trying to help Bondi amid an onslaught of Democratic criticism, Republicans tried to keep the focus on bread-and-butter law enforcement issues like violent crime and illegal immigration. Bondi repeatedly deflected questions from Democrats, responding instead with attacks seemingly gleaned from news headlines as she sought to paint them as uninterested about violence in their districts. Democrats became exasperated as Bondi declined time and again to directly answer.

“This is pathetic. I am not asking trick questions," said Becca Balint, a Vermont Democrat who tried to ask Bondi whether the Justice Department had questioned different Trump administration officials about their ties to Epstein. “The American people deserve to know.”

Bondi has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi-trump-1a6af3e9fa1cfb6d267985a971a4929a">struggled to move past the backlash</a>&nbsp;over the Epstein files since handing out binders to a group of social media influencers at the White House in February 2025. The binders included no new revelations about Epstein, leading to even more calls from Trump’s base for the files to be released.

In her opening remarks, Bondi told Epstein victims to come forward to law enforcement with any information and about their abuse and said she “deeply sorry” for what they had suffered. She told the survivors that “any accusation of criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated.”

But she refused when pressed by Rep. Pramila Jayapal to turn and face the Epstein victims in the audience and apologize for what Trump's Justice Department has “put them through" and accused the Democrat of “theatrics.”

Bondi’s appearance on Capitol Hill comes a year into her tumultuous tenure that has amplified concerns that the Justice Department is using its law enforcement powers to target political foes of the president. Just a day earlier, the department sought to secure charges against Democratic lawmakers who produced a video urging military service members not to follow “illegal orders.” But in an extraordinary rebuke of prosecutors, a grand jury in Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-orders-democrats-video-e1435655587ad9715c4d1cc776edd545">refused to return an indictment.</a>

Turning aside criticism that the Justice Department under her watch has become politicized, Bondi touted the department’s work to reduce violent crime and said she was determined to restore the department to its core missions after what she described as “years of bloated bureaucracy and political weaponization.”

GOP Rep. Jim Jordan praised Bondi for undoing actions under President Joe Biden's Justice Department that Republicans say unfairly targeted conservatives — including Trump, who was charged in two criminal cases that were abandoned after his 2024 election victory.

“What a difference a year makes," Jordan said. "Under Attorney General Bondi, the DOJ has returned to its core missions — upholding the rule of law, going after the bad guys and keeping Americans safe."

Democrats, meanwhile, excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and also included nude photographs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-28a28aeebcfd49890e0810eb69992724">A review by The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;and other news organizations has found countless examples of sloppy, inconsistent or nonexistent redactions that have revealed sensitive private information.

“You’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims," Raskin told Bondi in his opening statement. “That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change the course. You're running a massive Epstein coverup right out of the Department of Justice."

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky lawmaker who broke with his party to advance the legislation that forced the released of the Epstein files, also took Bondi to task for the release of victims’ personal information, telling her: “Literally the worst thing you could do to survivors, you did.”

Bondi told Massie that he was only focused on the files because Trump is mentioned in them, calling him a “hypocrite” with “Trump-derangement syndrome."

Department officials have said they took pains to protect survivors, but that errors were inevitable given the volume of the materials and the speed at which the department had to release them. Bondi told lawmakers that the Justice Department took down files when they were made aware that they included victims’ information and that staff had tried to do their "very best in the time frame allotted by the legislation” mandating the release of the files.

After raising the expectations of conservatives with promises of transparency last year, the Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">said in July that</a>&nbsp;it had concluded a review and determined that no Epstein “client list” existed and there was no reason to make public additional files. That set off a furor that prompted Congress to pass the legislation demanding that the Justice Department release the files.

The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represented a public walk-back of a theory that the Trump administration had helped promote when Bondi suggested in a Fox News interview last year that it was sitting on her desk for review. Bondi later said she was referring to the Epstein files in total, not a specific client list.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi launched into a passionate defense of President Donald Trump Wednesday as she tried to turn the page from relentless criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-client-list-sex-trafficking-049c96080a2ca2c12c84ac506437e50b">the Jeffrey Epstein files</a>, repeatedly shouting at Democrats during a combative hearing in which she postured herself as the Republican president's chief protector.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> makes opening statement before House Judiciary Cmte.: &quot;President Trump has given us the resources…to protect the American people…I cannot think of a policy outcome more important than protecting the lives of American citizens. Can you?&#39; <a href="https://t.co/xrVcqqHIgV">pic.twitter.com/xrVcqqHIgV</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2021613156749947014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a>: &quot;I want to take a moment to acknowledge the Epstein survivors who are here today... I have spent my entire career fighting for victims and I will continue to do so. I am deeply sorry for what any victim — any victim — has been through... The DOJ is committed to… <a href="https://t.co/t0pnQ7qlor">pic.twitter.com/t0pnQ7qlor</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2021610509489831995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJayapal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJayapal</a> spars with <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> on DOJ treatment of Epstein survivors: &quot;Attorney General Bondi…Will you turn to them now and apologize for what your Department of Justice has put them through?&quot; Bondi: &quot;I&#39;m not going to get in the gutter for her theatrics.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/yDjUSkuAjB">pic.twitter.com/yDjUSkuAjB</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2021627149849948491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJerryNadler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJerryNadler</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> spar: Nadler: &quot;How many of Epstein&#39;s co-conspirators have you indicted?&quot; Bondi: &quot;…You showed—I find it funny—&quot; Nadler: &quot;…How many have you indicted?&quot; Bondi: &quot;…Chairman Jordan, I&#39;m not gonna get in the gutter with these people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BchqLbEGgb">pic.twitter.com/BchqLbEGgb</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2021627087787110649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> slams Democratic lawmakers over their treatment of President Trump: &quot;You all should be apologizing. You sit here and you attack the President and I am not going to have it…None of them asked Merrick Garland over the last four years one word about Jeffrey Epstein.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/uUXIJhXvzr">pic.twitter.com/uUXIJhXvzr</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2021626945830830324?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepTedLieu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepTedLieu</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> on Epstein probe: &quot;Merrick Garland dropped the ball, as did Attorney General Bill Barr, as did Alex Acosta…But you are in charge. You have the power to change things, to hold these men accountable…You&#39;re doing the opposite, you&#39;re protecting them.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0BIRc9SM87">pic.twitter.com/0BIRc9SM87</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2021632788315660596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepTedLieu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepTedLieu</a> spars with <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> over potential Trump involvement in Epstein crimes: &quot;I believe you just lied under oath. There is ample evidence in the Epstein files—&quot; Bondi: &quot;Don&#39;t you ever accuse me of a crime.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/etPN6M38yC">pic.twitter.com/etPN6M38yC</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2021633523761754609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepThomasMassie</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> on Epstein files redactions: &quot;Are you able to track who it was that obscured Les Wexner&#39;s name?&quot; Bondi: &quot;Within 40 minutes, Wexner&#39;s name was added back—&quot; Massie: &quot;Within 40 minutes of me catching you red-handed!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/OmmGbE66fi">pic.twitter.com/OmmGbE66fi</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2021639321896222742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Besieged by questions over Epstein and accusations of a weaponized Justice Department, Bondi aggressively pivoted in an extraordinary speech in which she mocked her Democratic questioners, praised Trump over the performance of the stock market and openly aligned herself as in sync with a president whom she painted as a victim of past impeachments and investigations.“You sit here and you attack the president and I’m not going to have it," Bondi told lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee. "I am not going to put up with it.”With victims of Epstein seated behind her in the hearing room, Bondi forcefully defended the department's handling of the files related to the well-connected financier that have dogged her tenure. She accused Democrats of using the Epstein files to distract from Trump's successes, when it was Republicans who initiated the furor over the files and Bondi herself fanned the flames by distributing binders to conservative influencers at the White House last year.The hearing quickly devolved into a partisan brawl, with Bondi repeatedly lobbing insults at Democrats while insisting she was not “going to get in the gutter” with them. In one particularly fiery exchange, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland accused Bondi of refusing to answer his questions, prompting the attorney general to call the top Democrat on the committee a “washed-up loser lawyer — not even a lawyer.”Trying to help Bondi amid an onslaught of Democratic criticism, Republicans tried to keep the focus on bread-and-butter law enforcement issues like violent crime and illegal immigration. Bondi repeatedly deflected questions from Democrats, responding instead with attacks seemingly gleaned from news headlines as she sought to paint them as uninterested about violence in their districts. Democrats became exasperated as Bondi declined time and again to directly answer.“This is pathetic. I am not asking trick questions," said Becca Balint, a Vermont Democrat who tried to ask Bondi whether the Justice Department had questioned different Trump administration officials about their ties to Epstein. “The American people deserve to know.”Bondi has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi-trump-1a6af3e9fa1cfb6d267985a971a4929a">struggled to move past the backlash</a>&nbsp;over the Epstein files since handing out binders to a group of social media influencers at the White House in February 2025. The binders included no new revelations about Epstein, leading to even more calls from Trump’s base for the files to be released.In her opening remarks, Bondi told Epstein victims to come forward to law enforcement with any information and about their abuse and said she “deeply sorry” for what they had suffered. She told the survivors that “any accusation of criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated.”But she refused when pressed by Rep. Pramila Jayapal to turn and face the Epstein victims in the audience and apologize for what Trump's Justice Department has “put them through" and accused the Democrat of “theatrics.”Bondi’s appearance on Capitol Hill comes a year into her tumultuous tenure that has amplified concerns that the Justice Department is using its law enforcement powers to target political foes of the president. Just a day earlier, the department sought to secure charges against Democratic lawmakers who produced a video urging military service members not to follow “illegal orders.” But in an extraordinary rebuke of prosecutors, a grand jury in Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-orders-democrats-video-e1435655587ad9715c4d1cc776edd545">refused to return an indictment.</a>Turning aside criticism that the Justice Department under her watch has become politicized, Bondi touted the department’s work to reduce violent crime and said she was determined to restore the department to its core missions after what she described as “years of bloated bureaucracy and political weaponization.”GOP Rep. Jim Jordan praised Bondi for undoing actions under President Joe Biden's Justice Department that Republicans say unfairly targeted conservatives — including Trump, who was charged in two criminal cases that were abandoned after his 2024 election victory.“What a difference a year makes," Jordan said. "Under Attorney General Bondi, the DOJ has returned to its core missions — upholding the rule of law, going after the bad guys and keeping Americans safe."Democrats, meanwhile, excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and also included nude photographs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-28a28aeebcfd49890e0810eb69992724">A review by The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;and other news organizations has found countless examples of sloppy, inconsistent or nonexistent redactions that have revealed sensitive private information.“You’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims," Raskin told Bondi in his opening statement. “That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change the course. You're running a massive Epstein coverup right out of the Department of Justice."Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky lawmaker who broke with his party to advance the legislation that forced the released of the Epstein files, also took Bondi to task for the release of victims’ personal information, telling her: “Literally the worst thing you could do to survivors, you did.”Bondi told Massie that he was only focused on the files because Trump is mentioned in them, calling him a “hypocrite” with “Trump-derangement syndrome."Department officials have said they took pains to protect survivors, but that errors were inevitable given the volume of the materials and the speed at which the department had to release them. Bondi told lawmakers that the Justice Department took down files when they were made aware that they included victims’ information and that staff had tried to do their "very best in the time frame allotted by the legislation” mandating the release of the files.After raising the expectations of conservatives with promises of transparency last year, the Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">said in July that</a>&nbsp;it had concluded a review and determined that no Epstein “client list” existed and there was no reason to make public additional files. That set off a furor that prompted Congress to pass the legislation demanding that the Justice Department release the files.The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represented a public walk-back of a theory that the Trump administration had helped promote when Bondi suggested in a Fox News interview last year that it was sitting on her desk for review. Bondi later said she was referring to the Epstein files in total, not a specific client list.

🎥Epstein files: Bondi's Oversight hearing erupts into shouting match

By: NICOLAS FIERRO Salina Post

The family of the late Riley Dean Faris, is questioning why no criminal charges were placed on an individual involved in the crash that took away his life.

Riley Faris passed away at age 30 on&nbsp;October 17, 2025 after riding his motorcycle, when he was hit from behind on a Brookville road. The crash happened at approximately 6:53 pm on K-140 Highway at Perry Street. Faris was headed westbound when a 2003 Subaru Forester operated by Kiley Barnett (39) from Kanopolis, hit him from behind.&nbsp;

Barnett was booked into the Saline County Jail that same night with requested charges of No Proof of Insurance, Driving While Suspended (DWS) and Following Too Close. She was then released.

According to Kansas Court records, Barnett has 40 traffic violations.

Colton Faris, brother of Riley <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DZBboGCVw/">made a Facebook video on February 3, 2026</a>&nbsp;discussing a conversation he had with Saline County Attorney, John Reynolds.

Colton stated his mother got in contact via phone with Reynolds and wondered why they have not received an accident report after five months since the incident.&nbsp;During the phonecall, Colton said Reynolds explained to his mother the charges placed on Barnett and further said "that is just what happens when you ride a motorcycle."

Colton then called Reynolds on why he made the comment. According to Colton, Reynolds described to him that he thinks there was no evidence to place any sort of murder or involuntary manslaughter charge on Barnett.

"He (Reynolds) said, yes she killed him but it was not criminal. I don't understand that when you don't have a license, you are not supposed to be driving and when you don't have insurance, which is required to drive a car, how killing him is not a criminal offense," said Colton Faris on the video.

Reynolds told Salina Post he did not make explicitly make the comment of "that is just what happens when you ride a motorcycle," but instead was "taken out of context."

He said the context was he explained how "when cars and motorcycles collide, it always ends up bad for the motorcyclist."

Saline County Sheriff's Office on accident report

The Saline County Sheriff's Office told Salina Post why the Faris family received the accident report 3 and one half months later.

According to the Sheriff's Office, reports are available through the <a href="https://www.dol.ks.gov/labor-relations/kansas-open-records-act-kora">Kansas Open Records Act</a>, but with fluid cases (evolving) and cases with the potential to result in criminal charges without a criminal court disposition, are two of the several exemptions to the act.

In this case, the law enforcement agency did not have a court disposition, or any information if criminal charges were not going to be filed by the County Attorney until the week of Feb. 2 - 6, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office wanted to confirm there were not going to be criminal charges filed prior to releasing a narrative report that could potentially interfere with criminal prosecution. 

Once this was learned, the Sheriff's Office encouraged the Faris family to request the case again and the report was disseminated within 48 hours.

"We strive to provide the appropriate information at the appropriate time while adhering to the Kansas Open Records Act," said the Sheriff's Office.

Reynolds stated the charges placed on Barnett were "traffic violations" and not criminal charges.

Reynolds provided details on what happened in the accident.

According to Reynolds, there was a vehicle going southbound leaving Brookville and got onto K-140 westbound. He said the vehicle got right in front of Faris, which caused him to slow down. Barnett coming from behind was headed westbound and once she became aware of Faris slowing down, she had a "very narrowed reaction time, because she closed the gap between him and the vehicle in front," according to Reynolds.

Reynolds said Barnett tried to avoid colliding with Faris during this time.

"By the time she realizes what's going on, she goes to take evasive maneuvers to move over into the other lane to go around Faris," Reynolds said. "She almost missed him."

Reynolds further said he knew this happened, because he not only visited the accident scene, but also by determining the marks on the vehicles, roadway and review of law enforcement body cameras.

"There were two state troopers out there, they came to the same conclusion of the deputies and what I had," said Reynolds.

Additionally, Reynolds said Barnett should have been farther back before the crash. He placed the Following Too Close charge, because the crash resulted in a fatality.&nbsp;

He also said Faris was not wearing a helmet.

For Barnett to have been placed a requested charge of Involuntary Manslaughter, Reynolds stated the following would need to include:&nbsp;

- Killing someone while committing or attempting to commit a felony.   

- During to commission of an unlawful act in an unlawful manner; Or in attempting to commit, or in flight from, an act described in KSA 8-1567.

"I did not see any of these elements in the affidavit filed in this case," said Reynolds.

Petition started to demand felony charges and removal County Attorney

The cousin of the late Riley Faris, started a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-riley-demand-felony-charges-and-removal-of-saline-county-attorney-j-reynolds">petition</a> titled "JUSTICE FOR RILEY: Demand Felony Charges and Removal of Saline County Attorney J. Reynolds."

Stated in the petition, the writer brought up Kansas statutes for upgraded charges on Barnett.

"The charges against Kiley Barnett be upgraded to the highest extent of the law. Under&nbsp;K.S.A. 21-5403, a killing committed unintentionally but recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life is Second-Degree Murder.&nbsp;At a minimum, this must be prosecuted as Involuntary Manslaughter&nbsp;(K.S.A. 21-5405), a Level 5 Person Felony."

Furthermore, it stated Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct for the removal of Reynolds.

The petition currently has over 4,000 signatures.

Barnett is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference on March 25. 

The Saline County court will determine to either take the Barnett case to trial on if she will be convicted for DWS, No Proof of Insurance and Following Too Close.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770836235145.png" alt="Riley Dean Faris unexpectedly passed away on October 17, 2025 at age 30, following a motorcycle accident. Photo courtesy Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home &amp; Crematory." />
 <figcaption>Riley Dean Faris unexpectedly passed away on October 17, 2025 at age 30, following a motorcycle accident. Photo courtesy Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home &amp; Crematory.</figcaption>
 </figure>By: NICOLAS FIERRO Salina PostThe family of the late Riley Dean Faris, is questioning why no criminal charges were placed on an individual involved in the crash that took away his life.Riley Faris passed away at age 30 on&nbsp;October 17, 2025 after riding his motorcycle, when he was hit from behind on a Brookville road. The crash happened at approximately 6:53 pm on K-140 Highway at Perry Street. Faris was headed westbound when a 2003 Subaru Forester operated by Kiley Barnett (39) from Kanopolis, hit him from behind.&nbsp;Barnett was booked into the Saline County Jail that same night with requested charges of No Proof of Insurance, Driving While Suspended (DWS) and Following Too Close. She was then released.According to Kansas Court records, Barnett has 40 traffic violations.Colton Faris, brother of Riley <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DZBboGCVw/">made a Facebook video on February 3, 2026</a>&nbsp;discussing a conversation he had with Saline County Attorney, John Reynolds. Colton stated his mother got in contact via phone with Reynolds and wondered why they have not received an accident report after five months since the incident.&nbsp;During the phonecall, Colton said Reynolds explained to his mother the charges placed on Barnett and further said "that is just what happens when you ride a motorcycle."<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F1569023047711529%2F&show_text=false&width=267&t=0" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Colton then called Reynolds on why he made the comment. According to Colton, Reynolds described to him that he thinks there was no evidence to place any sort of murder or involuntary manslaughter charge on Barnett."He (Reynolds) said, yes she killed him but it was not criminal. I don't understand that when you don't have a license, you are not supposed to be driving and when you don't have insurance, which is required to drive a car, how killing him is not a criminal offense," said Colton Faris on the video.Reynolds told Salina Post he did not make explicitly make the comment of "that is just what happens when you ride a motorcycle," but instead was "taken out of context."He said the context was he explained how "when cars and motorcycles collide, it always ends up bad for the motorcyclist."<h2>Saline County Sheriff's Office on accident report</h2>The Saline County Sheriff's Office told Salina Post why the Faris family received the accident report 3 and one half months later.According to the Sheriff's Office, reports are available through the <a href="https://www.dol.ks.gov/labor-relations/kansas-open-records-act-kora">Kansas Open Records Act</a>, but with fluid cases (evolving) and cases with the potential to result in criminal charges without a criminal court disposition, are two of the several exemptions to the act.In this case, the law enforcement agency did not have a court disposition, or any information if criminal charges were not going to be filed by the County Attorney until the week of Feb. 2 - 6, according to the Sheriff's Office.The Sheriff's Office wanted to confirm there were not going to be criminal charges filed prior to releasing a narrative report that could potentially interfere with criminal prosecution. Once this was learned, the Sheriff's Office encouraged the Faris family to request the case again and the report was disseminated within 48 hours."We strive to provide the appropriate information at the appropriate time while adhering to the Kansas Open Records Act," said the Sheriff's Office.Reynolds stated the charges placed on Barnett were "traffic violations" and not criminal charges.<h2>Reynolds explains the accident</h2>Reynolds provided details on what happened in the accident.According to Reynolds, there was a vehicle going southbound leaving Brookville and got onto K-140 westbound. He said the vehicle got right in front of Faris, which caused him to slow down. Barnett coming from behind was headed westbound and once she became aware of Faris slowing down, she had a "very narrowed reaction time, because she closed the gap between him and the vehicle in front," according to Reynolds.Reynolds said Barnett tried to avoid colliding with Faris during this time."By the time she realizes what's going on, she goes to take evasive maneuvers to move over into the other lane to go around Faris," Reynolds said. "She almost missed him."Reynolds further said he knew this happened, because he not only visited the accident scene, but also by determining the marks on the vehicles, roadway and review of law enforcement body cameras."There were two state troopers out there, they came to the same conclusion of the deputies and what I had," said Reynolds.Additionally, Reynolds said Barnett should have been farther back before the crash. He placed the Following Too Close charge, because the crash resulted in a fatality.&nbsp;He also said Faris was not wearing a helmet.For Barnett to have been placed a requested charge of Involuntary Manslaughter, Reynolds stated the following would need to include:&nbsp;- Killing someone recklessly.- Killing someone while committing or attempting to commit a felony.   - Killing someone while DUI.   - During to commission of an unlawful act in an unlawful manner; Or in attempting to commit, or in flight from, an act described in KSA 8-1567."I did not see any of these elements in the affidavit filed in this case," said Reynolds.<h2>Petition started to demand felony charges and removal County Attorney</h2>The cousin of the late Riley Faris, started a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/justice-for-riley-demand-felony-charges-and-removal-of-saline-county-attorney-j-reynolds">petition</a> titled "JUSTICE FOR RILEY: Demand Felony Charges and Removal of Saline County Attorney J. Reynolds."Stated in the petition, the writer brought up Kansas statutes for upgraded charges on Barnett."The charges against Kiley Barnett be upgraded to the highest extent of the law. Under&nbsp;K.S.A. 21-5403, a killing committed unintentionally but recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life is Second-Degree Murder.&nbsp;At a minimum, this must be prosecuted as Involuntary Manslaughter&nbsp;(K.S.A. 21-5405), a Level 5 Person Felony."Furthermore, it stated Kansas Rules of Professional Conduct for the removal of Reynolds.<ol>
 <li>"The Broken Oath of Office Under&nbsp;K.S.A. 54-106, John Reynolds took a solemn oath to faithfully discharge the duties&nbsp;of his office. A County Attorney’s most sacred duty is to serve as a Minister of Justice. This means applying the law equally to every citizen, regardless of whether they walk, drive, or ride.&nbsp;By dismissing Riley’s death as an occupational hazard of riding a motorcycle, Mr. Reynolds has breached that oath. He has replaced the law of Kansas with his own personal bias, proving he is either unwilling or unable to faithfully protect the rights of all Saline County residents."</li><li>"KRPC 3.8&nbsp;(Minister of Justice): A prosecutor is a minister of justice, not just an advocate. By dismissing a fatality based on the victim’s vehicle, he has failed his duty to see that justice is accorded to all."</li><li>"KRPC 8.4(d) &amp; (g): His comments are prejudicial to the administration of justice and reflect a bias that renders him unfit to practice law or serve the public impartially.K.S.A. 74-7333&nbsp;(Crime Victims Bill of Rights): He has failed to treat Riley’s family with the courtesy, compassion, and respect for their dignity mandated by Kansas law."</li>
 </ol>The petition currently has over 4,000 signatures.Barnett is scheduled to appear in court for a status conference on March 25. The Saline County court will determine to either take the Barnett case to trial on if she will be convicted for DWS, No Proof of Insurance and Following Too Close.

🎥 Family of Kan. motorcyclist speaks out after no criminal charges in fatal crash

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating the death of a baby.

On Tuesday night, Kansas City police were dispatched on a medical call in the 7500 Block of E. 75th Street, according to Jackson County Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp; First responders were told a 3-month old was bleeding and possibly deceased.&nbsp; The child was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Sheriff Forte'.

A suspicious death is investigation underway.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details on Wednesday.

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating the death of a baby.On Tuesday night, Kansas City police were dispatched on a medical call in the 7500 Block of E. 75th Street, according to Jackson County Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp; First responders were told a 3-month old was bleeding and possibly deceased.&nbsp; The child was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Sheriff Forte'.A suspicious death is investigation underway.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details on Wednesday.

Death of 3-month old in Kansas City under investigation

WICHITA, KAN. – A $510,755.40 default judgment was entered against a Wichita area roofing&nbsp; company and its owner for unconscionable and deceptive acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, according to a media release from the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

The Office of the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division investigated the matter after&nbsp; receiving multiple complaints against Tyler Sims and his company, Flint Hills Roofing Co. LLC.

In a Sedgwick County case, the division alleged Sims and his company committed 28&nbsp; violations of the act, including failing to pull permits, skipping inspections and failing to finish&nbsp; contracted projects. Several roofs had to be partially or fully replaced to meet building codes.

In one case, Sims and Flint Hills replaced a metal roof using water-damaged, moldy plywood and heavy asphalt shingles. The weight of the materials rendered the structure unsafe to enter. 

When an insurance company requested two additional estimates, Sims provided one from a&nbsp; defunct company he formerly owned and forged a second using another company’s logo without permission.

The court ordered Sims and Flint Hills Roofing Co. LLC to pay $36,558.40 in restitution to consumers and $470,000 in civil penalties, along with court costs and investigative fees. Both Sims and the company are banned from doing business in Kansas until the judgment is paid in full, they are properly licensed and they obtain the necessary permits.

WICHITA, KAN. – A $510,755.40 default judgment was entered against a Wichita area roofing&nbsp; company and its owner for unconscionable and deceptive acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, according to a media release from the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.The Office of the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division investigated the matter after&nbsp; receiving multiple complaints against Tyler Sims and his company, Flint Hills Roofing Co. LLC.In a Sedgwick County case, the division alleged Sims and his company committed 28&nbsp; violations of the act, including failing to pull permits, skipping inspections and failing to finish&nbsp; contracted projects. Several roofs had to be partially or fully replaced to meet building codes.In one case, Sims and Flint Hills replaced a metal roof using water-damaged, moldy plywood and heavy asphalt shingles. The weight of the materials rendered the structure unsafe to enter. When an insurance company requested two additional estimates, Sims provided one from a&nbsp; defunct company he formerly owned and forged a second using another company’s logo without permission.The court ordered Sims and Flint Hills Roofing Co. LLC to pay $36,558.40 in restitution to consumers and $470,000 in civil penalties, along with court costs and investigative fees. Both Sims and the company are banned from doing business in Kansas until the judgment is paid in full, they are properly licensed and they obtain the necessary permits.

Kansas roofer fined, banned from doing business in the state

NEW YORK (AP) — James Van Der Beek, a heartthrob who starred in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/television">coming-of-age dramas</a>&nbsp;at the dawn of the new millennium, shooting to fame playing the titular character in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/michelle-williams-comments-on-james-van-der-beeks-cancer-diagnosis-e444132cc5154efa973fba7251e04139">“Dawson’s Creek”</a>&nbsp;and in later years mocking his own hunky persona, has died. He was 48.

“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come,” a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/vanderjames/p/DUoR_x4EkTm/">statement from the actor's family</a>&nbsp;that was posted on Instagram said. “For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.”

Van Der Beek revealed in 2024 that he was being treated for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cancer-breast-colon-early-onset-obesity-b0cab8f95dea65f15fa099132f16f8d6">colorectal cancer.</a>

Van Der Beek made a surprise video appearance in September at a “Dawson's Creek” reunion charity event in New York City after previously dropping out due to illness.

He appeared projected onstage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre during a live reading of the show’s pilot episode to benefit F Cancer and Van Der Beek. Lin-Manuel Miranda subbed for him on stage. "Thank you to every single person here,” Van Der Beek said.

A one-time theater kid, Van Der Beek would star in the movie “Varsity Blues” and on TV in “CSI: Cyber” as FBI Special Agent Elijah Mundo, but was forever connected to “Dawson’s Creek,” which ran from 1998 to 2003 on The WB.

The series followed a high school group of friends as they learned about falling in love, creating real friendships and finding their footing in life. Van Der Beek, than 20, played 15-year-old Dawson Leery, who aspired to be a director of Steven Spielberg quality.

“Dawson’s Creek,” with the moody theme song Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want To Wait,” helped define The WB as a haven for teens and young adults who related to its hyper-articulate dialogue and frank talk about sexuality. And it made household names of Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams.

The show caused a stir when one of the teens embarked on a racy affair with a teacher 20 years his senior and when Holmes' character climbs through Dawson's bedroom window and they curl up together. Racier shows like “Euphoria” and “Sex Education” owe a debt to “Dawson's Creek.”

Van Der Beek sometimes struggled to get out from under the shadow of the show but eventually leaned into lampooning himself, like on Funny Or Die videos and on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFWX0hWCbng">Kesha's “Blow” music video,</a>&nbsp;which included his laser gun battle with the pop star in a nightclub and dead unicorns.

“It’s tough to compete with something that was the cultural phenomenon that ‘Dawson’s Creek’ was,” he told Vulture in 2013. “It ran for so long. That’s a lot of hours playing one character in front of people. So it’s natural that they associate you with that.”

More than a decade after the show went off the air, a scene at the end of the show’s third season became a GIF. Dawson was watching as his soul mate embarks on a love affair with his best friend and burst into tears.

“It wasn’t scripted that I was supposed to cry; it was just one of those things where it’s a magical moment and it just happens in the scene,” he told Vanity Fair. He seemed exasperated when he told the Los Angeles Times: “All of a sudden, six years of work was boiled down to one seven-second clip on loop.” (Van Der Beek himself recreated the GIF in 2011 for Funny or Die and gave it a second life.)

While still on “Dawson’s Creek,” Van Der Beek hosted “Saturday Night Live” — the musical guest was Everlast — and landed a plumb role in “Varsity Blues,” playing a second-string high school quarterback who leaps into the breach when the star suffers an injury.

Van Der Beek’s character, Mox, turns out to not be a football fanatic, preferring to read Kurt Vonnegut and yearning for the college education which will allow him to escape the jock mentality of his Texas town. “I don’t want your life,” he screams at one point. Critic Roger Ebert called him “convincing and likable.”

Some of his projects after “Dawson’s Creek” include co-creating and playing Wesley “Diplo” Pentz, a dull but likable music producer in the mockumentary satire on Viceland, “What Would Diplo Do?” In 2019, he made it to the semifinals of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and played a balding, out-of-shape ex-boyfriend on “How I Met Your Mother.”

“The more you make fun of yourself and don’t try to go for any kind of respect, the more people seem to respect you,” he told Vanity Fair in 2011. “I’ve always been a clown trapped in a leading man’s body.”

Between 2003 and 2013, he made appearances in shows like “Criminal Minds,” “One Tree Hill,” and “How I Met Your Mother.” He played himself with a crackpot intensity in the Krysten Ritter-led ABC drama “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23,” and the short-lived “CSI” spinoff “CSI: Cyber” and CBS’ “Friends With Better Lives.”

He’s also appeared in a number of movies, such as Kevin Smith’s 2001 comedy “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” and its 2019 sequel, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.” He also was in the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation of “The Rules of Attraction” in 2002 opposite Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth.

In 2025, he was unmasked as Griffin on “The Masked Singer,” after singing a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen.

Van Der Beek, who was raised in Cheshire, Connecticut, started acting at 13 after suffering a concussion playing football that prevented him from playing for a year on doctor’s orders. He landed the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of “Grease.”

He stuck with theater, landing at 16 in 1994 an off-Broadway role in “Finding the Sun” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Albee and one of the sons in a revival of “Shenandoah” at the prestigious Goodspeed Opera House in his home state.

He earned a scholarship to New Jersey’s Drew University but left school early when he got “Dawson’s Creek.” In 2024, he returned to campus to accept an honorary degree for his “selfless service and exemplary commitment to the mission of Drew,” the university said.

Drew University President Hilary Link welcomed Van Der Beek with a popular quote from his “Dawson’s Creek” character: “Edge is fleeting,” she said, “but heart lasts forever. So on this morning, we pay tribute to that heart.”

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770839878936.jpeg" alt="FILE - Actors Ali Larter, left, poses with co-stars James Van Der Beek, center, and Amy Smart at the premiere of "Varsity Blues" in Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 1999. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Actors Ali Larter, left, poses with co-stars James Van Der Beek, center, and Amy Smart at the premiere of "Varsity Blues" in Los Angeles on Jan. 7, 1999. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — James Van Der Beek, a heartthrob who starred in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/television">coming-of-age dramas</a>&nbsp;at the dawn of the new millennium, shooting to fame playing the titular character in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/michelle-williams-comments-on-james-van-der-beeks-cancer-diagnosis-e444132cc5154efa973fba7251e04139">“Dawson’s Creek”</a>&nbsp;and in later years mocking his own hunky persona, has died. He was 48.“Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. There is much to share regarding his wishes, love for humanity and the sacredness of time. Those days will come,” a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/vanderjames/p/DUoR_x4EkTm/">statement from the actor's family</a>&nbsp;that was posted on Instagram said. “For now we ask for peaceful privacy as we grieve our loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.”Van Der Beek revealed in 2024 that he was being treated for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cancer-breast-colon-early-onset-obesity-b0cab8f95dea65f15fa099132f16f8d6">colorectal cancer.</a>Van Der Beek made a surprise video appearance in September at a “Dawson's Creek” reunion charity event in New York City after previously dropping out due to illness.He appeared projected onstage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre during a live reading of the show’s pilot episode to benefit F Cancer and Van Der Beek. Lin-Manuel Miranda subbed for him on stage. "Thank you to every single person here,” Van Der Beek said.<h2>Forever tied to ‘Dawson’s Creek'</h2>A one-time theater kid, Van Der Beek would star in the movie “Varsity Blues” and on TV in “CSI: Cyber” as FBI Special Agent Elijah Mundo, but was forever connected to “Dawson’s Creek,” which ran from 1998 to 2003 on The WB.The series followed a high school group of friends as they learned about falling in love, creating real friendships and finding their footing in life. Van Der Beek, than 20, played 15-year-old Dawson Leery, who aspired to be a director of Steven Spielberg quality.“Dawson’s Creek,” with the moody theme song Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want To Wait,” helped define The WB as a haven for teens and young adults who related to its hyper-articulate dialogue and frank talk about sexuality. And it made household names of Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams.The show caused a stir when one of the teens embarked on a racy affair with a teacher 20 years his senior and when Holmes' character climbs through Dawson's bedroom window and they curl up together. Racier shows like “Euphoria” and “Sex Education” owe a debt to “Dawson's Creek.”Van Der Beek sometimes struggled to get out from under the shadow of the show but eventually leaned into lampooning himself, like on Funny Or Die videos and on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFWX0hWCbng">Kesha's “Blow” music video,</a>&nbsp;which included his laser gun battle with the pop star in a nightclub and dead unicorns.“It’s tough to compete with something that was the cultural phenomenon that ‘Dawson’s Creek’ was,” he told Vulture in 2013. “It ran for so long. That’s a lot of hours playing one character in front of people. So it’s natural that they associate you with that.”<h2>A popular GIF and ‘Varsity Blues’</h2>More than a decade after the show went off the air, a scene at the end of the show’s third season became a GIF. Dawson was watching as his soul mate embarks on a love affair with his best friend and burst into tears.“It wasn’t scripted that I was supposed to cry; it was just one of those things where it’s a magical moment and it just happens in the scene,” he told Vanity Fair. He seemed exasperated when he told the Los Angeles Times: “All of a sudden, six years of work was boiled down to one seven-second clip on loop.” (Van Der Beek himself recreated the GIF in 2011 for Funny or Die and gave it a second life.)While still on “Dawson’s Creek,” Van Der Beek hosted “Saturday Night Live” — the musical guest was Everlast — and landed a plumb role in “Varsity Blues,” playing a second-string high school quarterback who leaps into the breach when the star suffers an injury.Van Der Beek’s character, Mox, turns out to not be a football fanatic, preferring to read Kurt Vonnegut and yearning for the college education which will allow him to escape the jock mentality of his Texas town. “I don’t want your life,” he screams at one point. Critic Roger Ebert called him “convincing and likable.”<h2>After ‘Dawson’s Creek’</h2>Some of his projects after “Dawson’s Creek” include co-creating and playing Wesley “Diplo” Pentz, a dull but likable music producer in the mockumentary satire on Viceland, “What Would Diplo Do?” In 2019, he made it to the semifinals of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” and played a balding, out-of-shape ex-boyfriend on “How I Met Your Mother.”“The more you make fun of yourself and don’t try to go for any kind of respect, the more people seem to respect you,” he told Vanity Fair in 2011. “I’ve always been a clown trapped in a leading man’s body.”Between 2003 and 2013, he made appearances in shows like “Criminal Minds,” “One Tree Hill,” and “How I Met Your Mother.” He played himself with a crackpot intensity in the Krysten Ritter-led ABC drama “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23,” and the short-lived “CSI” spinoff “CSI: Cyber” and CBS’ “Friends With Better Lives.”He’s also appeared in a number of movies, such as Kevin Smith’s 2001 comedy “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” and its 2019 sequel, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.” He also was in the Bret Easton Ellis adaptation of “The Rules of Attraction” in 2002 opposite Jessica Biel and Kate Bosworth.In 2025, he was unmasked as Griffin on “The Masked Singer,” after singing a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone and Morgan Wallen.<h2>Early life as a theater kid</h2>Van Der Beek, who was raised in Cheshire, Connecticut, started acting at 13 after suffering a concussion playing football that prevented him from playing for a year on doctor’s orders. He landed the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of “Grease.”He stuck with theater, landing at 16 in 1994 an off-Broadway role in “Finding the Sun” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Albee and one of the sons in a revival of “Shenandoah” at the prestigious Goodspeed Opera House in his home state.He earned a scholarship to New Jersey’s Drew University but left school early when he got “Dawson’s Creek.” In 2024, he returned to campus to accept an honorary degree for his “selfless service and exemplary commitment to the mission of Drew,” the university said.Drew University President Hilary Link welcomed Van Der Beek with a popular quote from his “Dawson’s Creek” character: “Edge is fleeting,” she said, “but heart lasts forever. So on this morning, we pay tribute to that heart.”He is survived by his wife, Kimberly, and six children, Olivia, Joshua, Annabel, Emilia, Gwendolyn and Jeremiah.___

'Dawson's Creek' star, who mocked his own hunky persona, has died at 48

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">Morgan Chilson</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — CoreCivic argued Tuesday for the right to begin holding prisoners in its closed Leavenworth facility, even as the company is working through a local permit process that could make the court case irrelevant.

CoreCivic challenged an injunction in the Kansas Court of Appeals that was made last year by the Leavenworth County District Court. The injunction kept the private prison from taking detainees from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while CoreCivic and the City of Leavenworth fought in court about reopening the company’s prison facility.

Complicating the issue, the two are now working through the city’s planning process as CoreCivic has applied for a special use permit that would allow it to reopen.&nbsp;

“This is a difficult case because it feels like there are all of these slippery parts that are not part of the matter before us,” said Chief Judge Sarah Warner. “There’s a separate lawsuit. There are ongoing administrative proceedings.”&nbsp;

CoreCivic operated a private prison in Leavenworth until 2021 when it lost a contract with the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2025, the company announced it planned to reopen the prison as the Midwest Regional Detention Center and house ICE detainees.&nbsp;

The city required CoreCivic to obtain a special use permit through its planning and zoning process before reopening, which is where the court cases originated last year. The two entities have been fighting it out in court, with CoreCivic insisting it did not need a permit.&nbsp;

After losses in Kansas district court, CoreCivic bowed to the city’s demands and began the process of obtaining the permit. Last week, the city’s planning commission&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/03/corecivic-receives-leavenworth-planning-commission-approval-in-contentious-meeting/" target="_blank">approved the permit</a>&nbsp;and sent it to the city commission for a final determination.&nbsp;

Although one court case between the two ended and one remains open but inactive, the Nashville-based private prison company continued its appeal Tuesday to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/04/leavenworth-wins-restraining-order-barring-corecivic-from-taking-ice-detainees/" target="_blank">argue the injunction prohibiting</a>&nbsp;it from taking prisoners immediately should be reversed.

Sara Fevurly, an attorney for CoreCivic, said the district court didn’t properly grant the injunction, and even if the decision were rendered moot after the permit was approved, the company may be entitled to fees and damages associated with an improper temporary injunction.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the short hearing focused on legal technicalities of the case, both sides argued about the definition of “irreparable harm” and whether CoreCivic abandoned use of its property because it did not house prisoners there for about three years.&nbsp;

Joseph Hatley, an attorney for Leavenworth, told the court it was difficult to determine what “irreparable harm” would mean for the city, listing challenges the city had with CoreCivic during its operations before 2021. Those included not alerting local police to crimes at the facility and public works issues created by sewage.&nbsp;

Fevurly argued that past behavior cannot be used to determine harm.&nbsp;

“I don’t know how you calculate damages based on the police inability to investigate crimes,” Hatley said. “There are people who get hurt by that, there are victims in the facility who are hurt by that. Irreparable harm is the inability to calculate damages, and that’s what we have here.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770836020066.png" alt=" From left, Kansas Court of Appeals Judges Thomas Malone, Sarah Warner and Stephen Hill hear arguments on Feb. 10, 2026, about reversing an injunction against CoreCivic (Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> From left, Kansas Court of Appeals Judges Thomas Malone, Sarah Warner and Stephen Hill hear arguments on Feb. 10, 2026, about reversing an injunction against CoreCivic (Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">Morgan Chilson</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — CoreCivic argued Tuesday for the right to begin holding prisoners in its closed Leavenworth facility, even as the company is working through a local permit process that could make the court case irrelevant.CoreCivic challenged an injunction in the Kansas Court of Appeals that was made last year by the Leavenworth County District Court. The injunction kept the private prison from taking detainees from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while CoreCivic and the City of Leavenworth fought in court about reopening the company’s prison facility.Complicating the issue, the two are now working through the city’s planning process as CoreCivic has applied for a special use permit that would allow it to reopen.&nbsp;“This is a difficult case because it feels like there are all of these slippery parts that are not part of the matter before us,” said Chief Judge Sarah Warner. “There’s a separate lawsuit. There are ongoing administrative proceedings.”&nbsp;CoreCivic operated a private prison in Leavenworth until 2021 when it lost a contract with the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2025, the company announced it planned to reopen the prison as the Midwest Regional Detention Center and house ICE detainees.&nbsp;The city required CoreCivic to obtain a special use permit through its planning and zoning process before reopening, which is where the court cases originated last year. The two entities have been fighting it out in court, with CoreCivic insisting it did not need a permit.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770835927566.png" alt="Sara Fevurly, attorney for CoreCivic, considers opponent’s arguments during a Feb. 10, 2026, Kansas Court of Appeals hearing about reversing an injunction against the private prison company. (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sara Fevurly, attorney for CoreCivic, considers opponent’s arguments during a Feb. 10, 2026, Kansas Court of Appeals hearing about reversing an injunction against the private prison company. (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>After losses in Kansas district court, CoreCivic bowed to the city’s demands and began the process of obtaining the permit. Last week, the city’s planning commission&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/03/corecivic-receives-leavenworth-planning-commission-approval-in-contentious-meeting/" target="_blank">approved the permit</a>&nbsp;and sent it to the city commission for a final determination.&nbsp;Although one court case between the two ended and one remains open but inactive, the Nashville-based private prison company continued its appeal Tuesday to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/04/leavenworth-wins-restraining-order-barring-corecivic-from-taking-ice-detainees/" target="_blank">argue the injunction prohibiting</a>&nbsp;it from taking prisoners immediately should be reversed.Sara Fevurly, an attorney for CoreCivic, said the district court didn’t properly grant the injunction, and even if the decision were rendered moot after the permit was approved, the company may be entitled to fees and damages associated with an improper temporary injunction.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the short hearing focused on legal technicalities of the case, both sides argued about the definition of “irreparable harm” and whether CoreCivic abandoned use of its property because it did not house prisoners there for about three years.&nbsp;Joseph Hatley, an attorney for Leavenworth, told the court it was difficult to determine what “irreparable harm” would mean for the city, listing challenges the city had with CoreCivic during its operations before 2021. Those included not alerting local police to crimes at the facility and public works issues created by sewage.&nbsp;Fevurly argued that past behavior cannot be used to determine harm.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770835965549.png" alt="Sara Fevurly, attorney for CoreCivic, considers opponent’s arguments during a Feb. 10, 2026, Kansas Court of Appeals hearing about reversing an injunction against the private prison company. (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sara Fevurly, attorney for CoreCivic, considers opponent’s arguments during a Feb. 10, 2026, Kansas Court of Appeals hearing about reversing an injunction against the private prison company. (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>“I don’t know how you calculate damages based on the police inability to investigate crimes,” Hatley said. “There are people who get hurt by that, there are victims in the facility who are hurt by that. Irreparable harm is the inability to calculate damages, and that’s what we have here.”Warner said the judges would render a written opinion as soon as they could.&nbsp;CoreCivic will know by March 10 whether the city will approve its special use permit to reopen the prison, Hatley said after the hearing. That will be the city commission’s second consideration of the permit, with the first consideration occurring Feb. 24. A public hearing is held as part of the process.&nbsp;David Waters, the Leavenworth city attorney, said after the hearing that the public’s input is “certainly” part of determining whether the permit goes through.&nbsp;“That is why we hold a public hearing,” he said. “The planning commission holds that public hearing to get the citizen input on that. It’s one of the most important parts of the zoning and planning process is to get that input from the residents as to what is best for the public health and safety and welfare of the community.”Waters said CoreCivic has the option to appeal to the district court if the city commission refuses to grant the permit.