WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-thune">John Thune</a>&nbsp;is rejecting Democratic demands on health care as unserious but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-omb-government-shutdown-mass-firings-41e2bb0ebd2d2cc13b2894721d6b6641">a government shutdown</a>&nbsp;is still “avoidable” despite sharp divisions ahead of Wednesday's funding deadline.

“I’m a big believer that there’s always a way out,” the South Dakota Republican said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. “And I think there are off-ramps here, but I don’t think that the negotiating position, at least at the moment, that the Democrats are trying to exert here is going to get you there.”

Thune said Democrats are going to have to “dial back”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-government-shutdown-trump-schumer-health-care-55d72ec2cdfd6b0c9f6dcc61696dbbc6">their demands</a>, which include immediately extending health insurance subsidies and reversing the health care policies in the massive tax bill that Republicans passed over the summer. Absent that, Thune said, “we’re probably plunging forward toward the shutdown.”

It's just the latest standoff in Washington over government funding, stretching back through several administrations. President Donald Trump was the driving force behind&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">the longest shutdown ever</a>&nbsp;during his first term, as he sought money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. This time it is Democrats who are making demands as they face intense pressure from their core supporters to stand up to the Republican president and his policies.

Democrats have shown little signs of relenting, just before spending runs out Wednesday. Their position remained the same even after the White House Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-congress-government-shutdown-99d4cafe53209f6dc6ae5562c2ac79d2">released a memo</a>&nbsp;that said agencies should consider a “reduction in force” for many federal programs if the government closes — meaning thousands of federal workers could be permanently laid off.

Senate Democratic Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/charles-schumer">Chuck Schumer</a>&nbsp;of New York said the OMB memo was simply an “attempt at intimidation” and predicted the “unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back.”

Thune stopped short of criticizing the White House threat of mass layoffs, saying the situation remains “a hypothetical.” Still, he said no one should be surprised by the memo as “everyone knows Russ Vought,” the head of the Office of Management and Budget, and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-doge-russell-vought-project-2025-f403174299933b7e3a3b6ebd779c146c">longtime advocacy</a>&nbsp;for slashing government.

“But it’s all avoidable,” Thune said. “And so if they don’t want to go down that path, there’s a way to avoid going down that path.”

One way to avoid a shutdown, Thune said, would be for enough Democrats to vote with Republicans for a stripped-down “clean” bill to keep the government open for the next seven weeks while negotiations on spending continue. That’s how Republicans avoided a shutdown in March, when Schumer and several other Democrats decided at the last minute to vote with Republicans — to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-congress-chuck-schumer-government-funding-shutdown-43d1acea20c34ad28d848edc08ad6375">great political cost</a>&nbsp;when Schumer's party then revolted.

A seven-week funding bill has already passed the House.

“What would eight Democrats be willing to support?” Thune asked. “In terms of a path forward, or at least understanding what that path forward looks like.”

Republicans in the 100-member Senate need at least seven Democrats to vote with them to get the 60 votes necessary for a short-term funding package, and they may lose up to two of their own — Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky both opposed it in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-trump-funding-bill-republicans-shutdown-1fea0f79c85ec69b91d9789fbda00834">preliminary votes</a>&nbsp;last week. A competing bill from Democrats also fell well short of 60 votes.

Thune suggested some individual bipartisan bills to fund parts of the government for the next year could be part of a compromise, “but that requires cooperation from both sides,” he said.

Democrats say they are frustrated that Thune hasn’t approached them to negotiate — and that Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-government-shutdown-schumer-jeffries-meeting-8b1726435066403bf6b9fe4e4fffc029">abruptly canceled a meeting</a>&nbsp;with Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York that had been scheduled for this week. Trump wrote on social media, “I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive.”

Thune said he “did have a conversation with the president” and offered his opinion on the meeting, which he declined to disclose. “But I think the president speaks for himself, and I think he came to the conclusion that that meeting would not be productive,” Thune said.

Still, he says he thinks Trump could be open to a negotiation on the expanded health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year if Democrats weren't threatening a shutdown. Many people who receive the subsidies through the marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act are expected to see&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-health-care-tax-credits-obamacare-shutdown-f1ee636ddba7f65baa5234c55cb0c96e">a sharp rise in premiums</a>&nbsp;if Congress doesn’t extend them.

Some Republicans have agreed with Democrats that keeping the subsidies is necessary, but Thune says “reform is going to have to be a big part of it.” Democrats are likely to oppose such changes.

By Monday, when the Senate returns to session, lawmakers will have just over 24 hours to avoid federal closures.

Thune said he intends to bring up the bills that were rejected last week. “They’ll get multiple chances to vote,” he said, before a government shutdown begins at midnight Wednesday.

He said he hopes “cooler heads will prevail.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704491297410.png" alt="File photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom" />
                        <figcaption>File photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/john-thune">John Thune</a>&nbsp;is rejecting Democratic demands on health care as unserious but says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-omb-government-shutdown-mass-firings-41e2bb0ebd2d2cc13b2894721d6b6641">a government shutdown</a>&nbsp;is still “avoidable” despite sharp divisions ahead of Wednesday's funding deadline.</p><p>“I’m a big believer that there’s always a way out,” the South Dakota Republican said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. “And I think there are off-ramps here, but I don’t think that the negotiating position, at least at the moment, that the Democrats are trying to exert here is going to get you there.”</p><p>Thune said Democrats are going to have to “dial back”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-government-shutdown-trump-schumer-health-care-55d72ec2cdfd6b0c9f6dcc61696dbbc6">their demands</a>, which include immediately extending health insurance subsidies and reversing the health care policies in the massive tax bill that Republicans passed over the summer. Absent that, Thune said, “we’re probably plunging forward toward the shutdown.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJeffries</a>: &quot;Four days away from a government shutdown and Republicans are on vacation...and Donald Trump is at a golf event?!? <a href="https://t.co/32yhMNfGqv">pic.twitter.com/32yhMNfGqv</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1971628678246261037?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on plans to layoff federal workers amid a possible government shutdown: &quot;This is all caused by the Democrats. They asked us to do something that&#39;s totally unreasonable.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4MRt5L3km3">pic.twitter.com/4MRt5L3km3</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1971247529586004415?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>It's just the latest standoff in Washington over government funding, stretching back through several administrations. President Donald Trump was the driving force behind&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">the longest shutdown ever</a>&nbsp;during his first term, as he sought money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. This time it is Democrats who are making demands as they face intense pressure from their core supporters to stand up to the Republican president and his policies.</p><p>Democrats have shown little signs of relenting, just before spending runs out Wednesday. Their position remained the same even after the White House Office of Management and Budget on Wednesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-congress-government-shutdown-99d4cafe53209f6dc6ae5562c2ac79d2">released a memo</a>&nbsp;that said agencies should consider a “reduction in force” for many federal programs if the government closes — meaning thousands of federal workers could be permanently laid off.</p><p>Senate Democratic Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/charles-schumer">Chuck Schumer</a>&nbsp;of New York said the OMB memo was simply an “attempt at intimidation” and predicted the “unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back.”</p><p>Thune stopped short of criticizing the White House threat of mass layoffs, saying the situation remains “a hypothetical.” Still, he said no one should be surprised by the memo as “everyone knows Russ Vought,” the head of the Office of Management and Budget, and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-doge-russell-vought-project-2025-f403174299933b7e3a3b6ebd779c146c">longtime advocacy</a>&nbsp;for slashing government.</p><p>“But it’s all avoidable,” Thune said. “And so if they don’t want to go down that path, there’s a way to avoid going down that path.”</p><p>One way to avoid a shutdown, Thune said, would be for enough Democrats to vote with Republicans for a stripped-down “clean” bill to keep the government open for the next seven weeks while negotiations on spending continue. That’s how Republicans avoided a shutdown in March, when Schumer and several other Democrats decided at the last minute to vote with Republicans — to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrats-congress-chuck-schumer-government-funding-shutdown-43d1acea20c34ad28d848edc08ad6375">great political cost</a>&nbsp;when Schumer's party then revolted.</p><p>A seven-week funding bill has already passed the House.</p><p>“What would eight Democrats be willing to support?” Thune asked. “In terms of a path forward, or at least understanding what that path forward looks like.”</p><p>Republicans in the 100-member Senate need at least seven Democrats to vote with them to get the 60 votes necessary for a short-term funding package, and they may lose up to two of their own — Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky both opposed it in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-trump-funding-bill-republicans-shutdown-1fea0f79c85ec69b91d9789fbda00834">preliminary votes</a>&nbsp;last week. A competing bill from Democrats also fell well short of 60 votes.</p><p>Thune suggested some individual bipartisan bills to fund parts of the government for the next year could be part of a compromise, “but that requires cooperation from both sides,” he said.</p><p>Democrats say they are frustrated that Thune hasn’t approached them to negotiate — and that Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-government-shutdown-schumer-jeffries-meeting-8b1726435066403bf6b9fe4e4fffc029">abruptly canceled a meeting</a>&nbsp;with Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York that had been scheduled for this week. Trump wrote on social media, “I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive.”</p><p>Thune said he “did have a conversation with the president” and offered his opinion on the meeting, which he declined to disclose. “But I think the president speaks for himself, and I think he came to the conclusion that that meeting would not be productive,” Thune said.</p><p>Still, he says he thinks Trump could be open to a negotiation on the expanded health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year if Democrats weren't threatening a shutdown. Many people who receive the subsidies through the marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act are expected to see&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-health-care-tax-credits-obamacare-shutdown-f1ee636ddba7f65baa5234c55cb0c96e">a sharp rise in premiums</a>&nbsp;if Congress doesn’t extend them.</p><p>Some Republicans have agreed with Democrats that keeping the subsidies is necessary, but Thune says “reform is going to have to be a big part of it.” Democrats are likely to oppose such changes.</p><p>By Monday, when the Senate returns to session, lawmakers will have just over 24 hours to avoid federal closures.</p><p>Thune said he intends to bring up the bills that were rejected last week. “They’ll get multiple chances to vote,” he said, before a government shutdown begins at midnight Wednesday.</p><p>He said he hopes “cooler heads will prevail.”</p>

Latest standoff in Washington over government funding continues

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating alleged criminal damage in Manhattan.

Just before 6:30p.m. Thursday, officers filed a report of criminal damage to property in the 200 block of 5th Street, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

A 42-year-old woman reported an unknown suspect damaged her daughter’s cello on a school bus. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $2,000.

 Anyone with information, contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward up to $1,000.

<p>RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating alleged criminal damage in Manhattan.</p><p>Just before 6:30p.m. Thursday, officers filed a report of criminal damage to property in the 200 block of 5th Street, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.</p><p>A 42-year-old woman reported an unknown suspect damaged her daughter’s cello on a school bus. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $2,000.</p><p> Anyone with information, contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward up to $1,000.</p>

Police investigate girl's cello damaged on Kansas school bus

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

KANSAS CITY — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Thursday plans to boost American farmers by purchasing millions of bushels of crops.

In an effort to increase American exports, the USDA will purchase 417,000 metric tons of commodities immediately to support the international food aid programs. That’s equivalent to more than 16 million bushels of corn and sorghum.

Rollins made the announcement during a speech that earned a standing ovation at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City, where she outlined the Trump Administration’s efforts to aid a struggling farm economy.

“The cost of doing business for our farmers has increased drastically while commodity prices have slipped,” Rollins said.

The large purchase would benefit America First International Food Assistance programs, the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program and Food for Progress, which rely on U.S.-grown crops.

Rollins outlined a series of dire economic challenges facing farmers and ranchers in the United States, blaming the Biden administration for inflation and policies that “all but ignored the needs” of farmers.

Since 2020, the cost of seed has risen 18%, the cost of fuel rose 30%, labor costs are up 47%, electricity up 36%, machinery up 45% and fertilizer up 37%, she said. Largest of all was a 73% increase in interest expenses.

To address rising costs for farmers, Rollins said the Federal Reserve needs to keep lowering interest rates. The Trump administration is also reportedly repurposing “Biden DEI,” or diversity, equity and inclusion funds. Those could benefit farmers as soon as Oct. 2.

She touted seven new international trade deals, including 99% tariffs on Indonesia, increased rice exports from Japan and an ethanol deal with the United Kingdom.

Out of concern for undue foreign influence in American agriculture, Rollins also announced that the USDA and the U.S. Department of Justice signed a joint memorandum Thursday morning to scrutinize the agriculture marketplace through antitrust enforcement that promotes market competition, effective immediately.

Rollins addressed a pressing beef cattle shortage, which partially has to do with low inventory, a loss of cattle ranches and disease risk. Over the past decade, the U.S. has lost about 150,000 cattle operations, Rollins said. Many have been offshored or consolidated. U.S. cattle inventory is at its lowest in 75 years, she said.

She also promised new dietary guidelines for Americans that encourage beef, protein and whole milk consumption.

However, the USDA has no current plans to offer payments to beef producers.

“We see how the government getting involved can completely distort the markets, and so currently there will be no plan,” Rollins said. “No plan is even under consideration to insert ourselves through payments into the beef cattle industry.”

Instead, Rollins said, the government will focus on freeing up land, using funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill for animal disease prevention, and, “hopefully inspiring the next generation of farmers.”

She told reporters following the speech that the USDA is not yet ready to announce a payment plan to aid farmers. During the first Trump administration, farmers received around $23 million in subsidies.

Also on Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters he would use tariff revenue to bail out farmers, who have been disproportionately hurt by tariff policies, according to reporting from Politico.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758888393603.png" alt=" U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks at an agriculture conference on Thursday in Kansas City, where she discussed solutions to American farmers’ economic plight. (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks at an agriculture conference on Thursday in Kansas City, where she discussed solutions to American farmers’ economic plight. (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>KANSAS CITY — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Thursday plans to boost American farmers by purchasing millions of bushels of crops.</p><p>In an effort to increase American exports, the USDA will purchase 417,000 metric tons of commodities immediately to support the international food aid programs. That’s equivalent to more than 16 million bushels of corn and sorghum.</p><p>Rollins made the announcement during a speech that earned a standing ovation at the Ag Outlook Forum in Kansas City, where she outlined the Trump Administration’s efforts to aid a struggling farm economy.</p><p>“The cost of doing business for our farmers has increased drastically while commodity prices have slipped,” Rollins said.</p><p>The large purchase would benefit America First International Food Assistance programs, the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program and Food for Progress, which rely on U.S.-grown crops.</p><p>Rollins outlined a series of dire economic challenges facing farmers and ranchers in the United States, blaming the Biden administration for inflation and policies that “all but ignored the needs” of farmers.</p><p>Since 2020, the cost of seed has risen 18%, the cost of fuel rose 30%, labor costs are up 47%, electricity up 36%, machinery up 45% and fertilizer up 37%, she said. Largest of all was a 73% increase in interest expenses.</p><p>To address rising costs for farmers, Rollins said the Federal Reserve needs to keep lowering interest rates. The Trump administration is also reportedly repurposing “Biden DEI,” or diversity, equity and inclusion funds. Those could benefit farmers as soon as Oct. 2.</p><p>She touted seven new international trade deals, including 99% tariffs on Indonesia, increased rice exports from Japan and an ethanol deal with the United Kingdom.</p><p>Out of concern for undue foreign influence in American agriculture, Rollins also announced that the USDA and the U.S. Department of Justice signed a joint memorandum Thursday morning to scrutinize the agriculture marketplace through antitrust enforcement that promotes market competition, effective immediately.</p><p>Rollins addressed a pressing beef cattle shortage, which partially has to do with low inventory, a loss of cattle ranches and disease risk. Over the past decade, the U.S. has lost about 150,000 cattle operations, Rollins said. Many have been offshored or consolidated. U.S. cattle inventory is at its lowest in 75 years, she said.</p><p>She also promised new dietary guidelines for Americans that encourage beef, protein and whole milk consumption.</p><p>However, the USDA has no current plans to offer payments to beef producers.</p><p>“We see how the government getting involved can completely distort the markets, and so currently there will be no plan,” Rollins said. “No plan is even under consideration to insert ourselves through payments into the beef cattle industry.”</p><p>Instead, Rollins said, the government will focus on freeing up land, using funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill for animal disease prevention, and, “hopefully inspiring the next generation of farmers.”</p><p>She told reporters following the speech that the USDA is not yet ready to announce a payment plan to aid farmers. During the first Trump administration, farmers received around $23 million in subsidies.</p><p>Also on Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters he would use tariff revenue to bail out farmers, who have been disproportionately hurt by tariff policies, according to reporting from Politico.</p>

Ag secretary announces major crops purchase, antitrust efforts at KC conference

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal shooting in Wyandotte County.

Just after 1:30a.m. Friday, police responded to a reported shooting in the 1500 block Greeley Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, according to police. First responders discovered an adult male victim in the street. EMS pronounced him dead on scene from apparent gunshot wounds. 

Persons of interest are cooperating with the investigation.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758884840257.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal shooting in Wyandotte County.</p><p>Just after 1:30a.m. Friday, police responded to a reported shooting in the 1500 block Greeley Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, according to police. First responders discovered an adult male victim in the street. EMS pronounced him dead on scene from apparent gunshot wounds. </p><p>Persons of interest are cooperating with the investigation.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.</p>

Homicide: Police found man dead on Kansas street

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement in Johnson County are asking for help to identify home burglary suspects.

Two individuals recently burglarized at least two homes in Lenexa, between 2–3 a.m., after the victims accidentally left their garage doors open. Items were stolen during both incidents. One suspect is wearing a “Kearney Football” t-shirt.

They arrived in a pickup truck, possibly a GMC, which can be seen near the end of the video.

If you recognize either suspect or have information about this case, please call Lenexa detective at 913-825-8125.

<p>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement in Johnson County are asking for help to identify home burglary suspects.</p><p>Two individuals recently burglarized at least two homes in Lenexa, between 2–3 a.m., after the victims accidentally left their garage doors open. Items were stolen during both incidents. One suspect is wearing a “Kearney Football” t-shirt.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Can you help us identify these suspects?<br><br>Two individuals recently burglarized at least two homes in Lenexa, between 2–3 a.m., after the victims accidentally left their garage doors open. Items were stolen during both incidents.<br><br>One suspect is wearing a “Kearney Football”… <a href="https://t.co/t0WDzwxr25">pic.twitter.com/t0WDzwxr25</a></p>&mdash; Lenexa Police (@LenexaPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/LenexaPolice/status/1971314516718678504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>They arrived in a pickup truck, possibly a GMC, which can be seen near the end of the video.</p><p>If you recognize either suspect or have information about this case, please call Lenexa detective at 913-825-8125.</p>

🎥Police ask for help to ID Kansas home burglary suspects

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-comey">James Comey</a>&nbsp;was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.

The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump’s chief grievances, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">long-concluded investigation into Russian interference</a>&nbsp;in the 2016 election, to face prosecution. Trump has for years derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution.

The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Bondi is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-weaponizing-government-second-term-54ab244ccb2328d116a498bbaeb680ef">being weaponized in pursuit of investigations</a>&nbsp;and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies. It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the department, blurring the line between law and politics at an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.

Trump on Thursday hailed the indictment as “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!” Attorney General&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pam-bondi">Pam Bondi</a>, a Trump loyalist, and FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime vocal critic of the Russia investigation, issued similar statements. “No one is above the law,” Bondi said.

Comey, in a video he posted after his indictment, said: “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial.”

Comey was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-4ff1ecb621884a728b25e62661257ef0">fired</a>&nbsp;months into Trump’s first administration and since then has remained a top target for Trump supporters seeking retaliation related to the Russia investigation. He was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump appeared to appeal directly to Bondi bring charges against Comey and complained that Justice Department investigations into his foes had not resulted in charges.

“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote, referencing the fact that he himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”

Turmoil in the office that filed the case

The office that filed the case against Comey, the Eastern District of Virginia, was thrown into turmoil last Friday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-letitia-james-siebert-trump-9ec1a96c05fa77d8acc558bd803622a2">the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert</a>, who had not charged Comey and had faced pressure to bring charges against another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigation-letitia-james-07452728c0bf2677ca095b7cf14db2c6">a mortgage fraud investigation</a>.

The following evening,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/letitia-james-eastern-district-of-virginia-trump-8c84bd8603a4b932f9cb2e451ef057a3">Trump lamented in a Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;aimed at the attorney general that department investigations had not resulted in prosecutions. He nominated as the new U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who had been one of Trump’s personal lawyers but lacks experience as a federal prosecutor.

Halligan had rushed to present the case to a grand jury this week because prosecutors evaluating whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward came even as prosecutors in the office had detailed in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.3.0.pdf" target="_blank">two-count indictment</a>&nbsp;consists of charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

It accuses Comey of lying to the Senate when he said he had not authorized anyone else at the FBI to leak information. Though the indictment does not mention the investigation or its subject, it appears from the context to refer to a leak related to an inquiry into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran for president against Trump in 2016.

It also alleges that Comey obstructed Congress when he said he did not recall being presented with information that purported to show a Clinton campaign plan to tie Trump to Russia. But that theory, which has been based on some Republican allies of Trump, is based on emails that investigators examined but did not determine to be authentic or credible.

Lingering anger over Russia investigation

Trump has for years railed against both a finding by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia preferred him to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and the criminal investigation that tried to determine whether his campaign had conspired with Moscow to sway the outcome of that race.

Prosecutors led by special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that Trump or his associates criminally colluded with Russia, but they did find that Trump’s campaign had welcomed Moscow’s assistance.

Trump has seized on the fact that Mueller’s investigation did not find a criminal conspiracy, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f2d8d48dede72f5ceb9883e97818caa2">significant errors and omissions</a>&nbsp;made by the FBI in wiretap applications, to claim vindication. A yearslong investigation into potential misconduct during the Russia investigation was conducted by a different special counsel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-trump-russia-probe-7e84f94ca9cf7905cbc5eddc108575b3">John Durham</a>. That produced three criminal cases, including against an FBI lawyer, but not against senior government officials.

The indictment comes against the backdrop of a Trump administration effort to cast the Russia investigation as the outgrowth of an effort under Democratic President Barack Obama to overhype Moscow’s interference in the election and to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s victory.

Administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gabbard-russia-2016-election-interference-895e863c27e5853f10c819121d73df8a">declassified a series of documents</a>&nbsp;meant to chip away at the strength of an Obama-era intelligence assessment published in January 2017 that said Moscow had engaged in a broad campaign of interference at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A senior Justice Department official in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, Comey was picked by Obama to lead the FBI in 2013 and was director when the bureau opened the Russia investigation in the summer of 2016.

Comey’s relationship with Trump was strained from the start and was exacerbated when Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private White House dinner to pledge personal loyalty to the president. That overture so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.

Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an action later investigated by Mueller for potential obstruction of justice.

After being let go, Comey authorized a close friend to share with a reporter the substance of an unclassified memo that documented an Oval Office request from Trump to shut down an FBI investigation into his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump and his allies later branded Comey a leaker, with the president even accusing him of treason. Comey himself has called Trump “ego driven” and likened him to a mafia don.

The Justice Department, during Trump’s first term, declined to prosecute Comey over his handling of his memos. The department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee2870cb0c9148e08161d851b26092e9">inspector general</a>&nbsp;did issue a harshly critical report in 2019 that said Comey violated FBI policies, including by failing to return the documents to the FBI after he was dismissed and for sharing them with his personal lawyers without FBI permission.

Earlier this year, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-maurene-comey-trump-23fb32ac0e4402873862d3ca6d31d18e">fired Comey’s daughter</a>, Maurene Comey, from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. She has since sued, saying the termination was carried out without any explanation and was done for political reasons.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-comey">James Comey</a>&nbsp;was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPC1sFFD2iF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPC1sFFD2iF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPC1sFFD2iF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by James Comey (@comey)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump’s chief grievances, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">long-concluded investigation into Russian interference</a>&nbsp;in the 2016 election, to face prosecution. Trump has for years derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758884974711.png" alt="Comey indictment page 1 -United State's Attorney" />
                        <figcaption>Comey indictment page 1 -United State's Attorney</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758885000026.png" alt="Comey indictment page 2 -United State's Attorney" />
                        <figcaption>Comey indictment page 2 -United State's Attorney</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” <a href="https://t.co/polaL0r6ky">pic.twitter.com/polaL0r6ky</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971355485019439155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Bondi is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-weaponizing-government-second-term-54ab244ccb2328d116a498bbaeb680ef">being weaponized in pursuit of investigations</a>&nbsp;and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies. It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the department, blurring the line between law and politics at an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.</p><p>Trump on Thursday hailed the indictment as “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!” Attorney General&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pam-bondi">Pam Bondi</a>, a Trump loyalist, and FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime vocal critic of the Russia investigation, issued similar statements. “No one is above the law,” Bondi said.</p><p>Comey, in a video he posted after his indictment, said: “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So let’s have a trial.”</p><p>Comey was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-4ff1ecb621884a728b25e62661257ef0">fired</a>&nbsp;months into Trump’s first administration and since then has remained a top target for Trump supporters seeking retaliation related to the Russia investigation. He was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump appeared to appeal directly to Bondi bring charges against Comey and complained that Justice Department investigations into his foes had not resulted in charges.</p><p>“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote, referencing the fact that he himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”</p><h2>Turmoil in the office that filed the case</h2><p>The office that filed the case against Comey, the Eastern District of Virginia, was thrown into turmoil last Friday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-letitia-james-siebert-trump-9ec1a96c05fa77d8acc558bd803622a2">the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert</a>, who had not charged Comey and had faced pressure to bring charges against another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigation-letitia-james-07452728c0bf2677ca095b7cf14db2c6">a mortgage fraud investigation</a>.</p><p>The following evening,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/letitia-james-eastern-district-of-virginia-trump-8c84bd8603a4b932f9cb2e451ef057a3">Trump lamented in a Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;aimed at the attorney general that department investigations had not resulted in prosecutions. He nominated as the new U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who had been one of Trump’s personal lawyers but lacks experience as a federal prosecutor.</p><p>Halligan had rushed to present the case to a grand jury this week because prosecutors evaluating whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward came even as prosecutors in the office had detailed in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.</p><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.3.0.pdf" target="_blank">two-count indictment</a>&nbsp;consists of charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding.</p><p>It accuses Comey of lying to the Senate when he said he had not authorized anyone else at the FBI to leak information. Though the indictment does not mention the investigation or its subject, it appears from the context to refer to a leak related to an inquiry into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran for president against Trump in 2016.</p><p>It also alleges that Comey obstructed Congress when he said he did not recall being presented with information that purported to show a Clinton campaign plan to tie Trump to Russia. But that theory, which has been based on some Republican allies of Trump, is based on emails that investigators examined but did not determine to be authentic or credible.</p><h2>Lingering anger over Russia investigation</h2><p>Trump has for years railed against both a finding by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia preferred him to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and the criminal investigation that tried to determine whether his campaign had conspired with Moscow to sway the outcome of that race.</p><p>Prosecutors led by special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that Trump or his associates criminally colluded with Russia, but they did find that Trump’s campaign had welcomed Moscow’s assistance.</p><p>Trump has seized on the fact that Mueller’s investigation did not find a criminal conspiracy, as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f2d8d48dede72f5ceb9883e97818caa2">significant errors and omissions</a>&nbsp;made by the FBI in wiretap applications, to claim vindication. A yearslong investigation into potential misconduct during the Russia investigation was conducted by a different special counsel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-trump-russia-probe-7e84f94ca9cf7905cbc5eddc108575b3">John Durham</a>. That produced three criminal cases, including against an FBI lawyer, but not against senior government officials.</p><p>The indictment comes against the backdrop of a Trump administration effort to cast the Russia investigation as the outgrowth of an effort under Democratic President Barack Obama to overhype Moscow’s interference in the election and to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s victory.</p><p>Administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gabbard-russia-2016-election-interference-895e863c27e5853f10c819121d73df8a">declassified a series of documents</a>&nbsp;meant to chip away at the strength of an Obama-era intelligence assessment published in January 2017 that said Moscow had engaged in a broad campaign of interference at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p><p>A senior Justice Department official in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, Comey was picked by Obama to lead the FBI in 2013 and was director when the bureau opened the Russia investigation in the summer of 2016.</p><p>Comey’s relationship with Trump was strained from the start and was exacerbated when Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private White House dinner to pledge personal loyalty to the president. That overture so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.</p><p>Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an action later investigated by Mueller for potential obstruction of justice.</p><p>After being let go, Comey authorized a close friend to share with a reporter the substance of an unclassified memo that documented an Oval Office request from Trump to shut down an FBI investigation into his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump and his allies later branded Comey a leaker, with the president even accusing him of treason. Comey himself has called Trump “ego driven” and likened him to a mafia don.</p><p>The Justice Department, during Trump’s first term, declined to prosecute Comey over his handling of his memos. The department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee2870cb0c9148e08161d851b26092e9">inspector general</a>&nbsp;did issue a harshly critical report in 2019 that said Comey violated FBI policies, including by failing to return the documents to the FBI after he was dismissed and for sharing them with his personal lawyers without FBI permission.</p><p>Earlier this year, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-maurene-comey-trump-23fb32ac0e4402873862d3ca6d31d18e">fired Comey’s daughter</a>, Maurene Comey, from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. She has since sued, saying the termination was carried out without any explanation and was done for political reasons.</p><p>____</p>

🎥 James Comey's defiant response after charged with lying to Congress

KANSAS CITY—A Kansas City area man faced charges for a fatal stabbing over a sweatshirt the victim was wearing.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2728/Complaint-Packet---ParkerTrey">Trey C. Parker</a>, 23,&nbsp;faces 2nd Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2729/Parker-PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, police were dispatched to a car wash in Independence on Sept. 19 and located the victim with a stab wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at a hospital.&nbsp;

Based on witness reports and surveillance footage, an argument started after a garage sale.&nbsp; Parker, who was friends with the victim were fighting about a sweatshirt, according to the<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2729/Parker-PC-Statement_Redacted"> probable cause statement.</a> The victim was wearing a sweatshirt which belonged to Parker.

Parker stabbed the victim, and the victim entered the front passenger seat of a nearby vehicle, which drove away.&nbsp;

The defendant is being held on a $250,000 cash only bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758742456559.png" alt="Parker photo Jackson County" />
                        <figcaption>Parker photo Jackson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY—A Kansas City area man faced charges for a fatal stabbing over a sweatshirt the victim was wearing.</p><p><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2728/Complaint-Packet---ParkerTrey">Trey C. Parker</a>, 23,&nbsp;faces 2nd Degree Murder and Armed Criminal Action, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.</p><p><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2729/Parker-PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, police were dispatched to a car wash in Independence on Sept. 19 and located the victim with a stab wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at a hospital.&nbsp;</p><p>Based on witness reports and surveillance footage, an argument started after a garage sale.&nbsp; Parker, who was friends with the victim were fighting about a sweatshirt, according to the<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2729/Parker-PC-Statement_Redacted"> probable cause statement.</a> The victim was wearing a sweatshirt which belonged to Parker.</p><p>Parker stabbed the victim, and the victim entered the front passenger seat of a nearby vehicle, which drove away.&nbsp;</p><p>The defendant is being held on a $250,000 cash only bond.&nbsp;</p>

Murder: KC area man stabbed friend during fight over sweatshirt

MITCHELL COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before noon Thursday in Mitchell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chrysler Town &amp; Country driven by Austin Cearyn&nbsp;Jablonski, 17, Lincoln, was&nbsp;eastbound on Kansas 14 just south of V Road.

The driver lost control of the van. It crossed the center line into the westbound lane. A westbound 2021 Kenworth semi driven by Trey Isaac&nbsp;Mosier, 29, Ellinwood, struck the van and entered the north ditch. Both vehicles caught on fire.&nbsp;

Jablonski was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Roberts Funeral Home. Mosier was not injured. The KHP did not report seat belt usage details.

<p>MITCHELL COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before noon Thursday in Mitchell County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chrysler Town &amp; Country driven by Austin Cearyn&nbsp;Jablonski, 17, Lincoln, was&nbsp;eastbound on Kansas 14 just south of V Road.</p><p>The driver lost control of the van. It crossed the center line into the westbound lane. A westbound 2021 Kenworth semi driven by Trey Isaac&nbsp;Mosier, 29, Ellinwood, struck the van and entered the north ditch. Both vehicles caught on fire.&nbsp;</p><p>Jablonski was pronounced dead at the scene and transported Roberts Funeral Home. Mosier was not injured. The KHP did not report seat belt usage details.</p>

Kansas teen dies after van, semi crash and fire

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a drug bust at a Kansas home.

On September 21, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a narcotics related search warrant in the 2500 block of SW Western Avenue, according to Deputy Abigail Chrisstian.

During the investigation, illegal narcotics, two firearms, drug paraphernalia and a stolen motorcycle were located.

Scott L. Kemble, 54, of Shawnee, Kan., was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribute opiate/opium/narcotic/certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia, Possession of THC, Possession of stolen property and Possession of paraphernalia with intent to manufacture controlled substance

The Topeka Police Department (TPD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assisted with this search warrant.&nbsp; Kemble is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758657316065.png" alt="Kemble photo Shawnee Co." />
                        <figcaption>Kemble photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a drug bust at a Kansas home.</p><p>On September 21, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted a narcotics related search warrant in the 2500 block of SW Western Avenue, according to Deputy Abigail Chrisstian.</p><p>During the investigation, illegal narcotics, two firearms, drug paraphernalia and a stolen motorcycle were located.</p><p>Scott L. Kemble, 54, of Shawnee, Kan., was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribute opiate/opium/narcotic/certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia, Possession of THC, Possession of stolen property and Possession of paraphernalia with intent to manufacture controlled substance</p><p>The Topeka Police Department (TPD) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assisted with this search warrant.&nbsp; Kemble is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.</p>

Sheriff: Alleged Kan. drug dealer had stolen motorcycle

SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon has reached a historic $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which said the online retail giant&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-prime-ftc-bezos-online-shopping-6bf17b6ce0795e99bdcee911105199d5">tricked customers into signing up</a>&nbsp;for its Prime memberships and made it difficult for them to cancel after doing so.

The Seattle company will pay $1 billion in civil penalties — the largest fine in the agency’s history — and $1.5 billion will be paid back to consumers who were unintentionally enrolled in Prime, or were deterred from canceling their subscriptions, the agency said Thursday.

The surprise settlement comes just days after the trial began in U.S. District Court in Seattle this week. At the heart of the case is the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, a 2010 law designed to ensure that people know what they’re being charged for online.

FTC officials said Amazon had its back against the wall and the consumer refund amount exceeded even the agency’s expert projections.

“I think it just took a few days for them to see that they were going to lose. And they came to us and they paid out,” said Chris Mufarrige, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, on the settlement negotiations.

Amazon, however, said it was confident it would win case but that it chose to resolve it quickly instead of going through potentially years of trial and appeals. The company admitted no wrongdoing in the case, which was first filed two years ago.

“Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers," said spokesman Mark Blafkin in a statement. "We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world.”

Certain Prime customers who are eligible for automatic refunds of up to $51 include those who may have signed up for a membership via the company’s “Single Page Checkout,” among other links, between June 23, 2019, to June 23, 2025. Those customers will be reimbursed within 90 days of the settlement order.

Amazon is also on the hook to set up a claims process for more than 30 million customers who may have been affected by the other issues at the heart of the FTC case, including its cancellation process.

Amazon Prime provides subscribers with perks that include faster shipping, video streaming and discounts at Whole Foods for a fee of $139 annually, or $14.99 a month.

It’s a key and growing part of Amazon’s business, with more than 200 million members. In its latest financial report, the company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-earnings-tariffs-secondquarter-6ea0c9b31ed5a0c3970ceef0056de063">reported in July</a>&nbsp;that it booked more than $12 billion in net revenue for subscription services, a 12% increase from the same period last year. That figure includes annual and monthly fees associated with Prime memberships, as well as other subscription services such as its music and e-books platforms.

The FTC said Amazon deliberately made it difficult for customers to purchase an item without also subscribing to Prime. In some cases, consumers were presented with a button to complete their transactions — which did not clearly state it would also enroll them in Prime, the agency said.

Getting out of a subscription was often too complicated, and Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made canceling easier, according to an FTC complaint.

Internally, Amazon called the process “Iliad,” a reference to the ancient Greek poem about the lengthy siege of Troy during the Trojan war. The process requires the customer to affirm on three pages their desire to cancel membership.

The FTC began looking into Amazon’s Prime subscription practices in 2021 during the first Trump administration, but the lawsuit was filed in 2023 under former&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-ftc-lina-khan-antitrust-lawsuit-da0b124e24183a3acd60367f05181f49">FTC Chair Lina Khan</a>, an antitrust expert who had been appointed by Biden.

The agency filed the case months before it submitted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-ftc-lina-khan-antitrust-lawsuit-da0b124e24183a3acd60367f05181f49">an antitrust lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against the retail and technology company, accusing it of having monopolistic control&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-ftc-lawsuit-antitrust-lina-khan-d40f5437bac57f7f4a3ab5a49650f98d">over online markets</a>.

As part of the settlement terms, Amazon is prohibited from misrepresenting the terms of the subscriptions. It must fully disclose the costs to be incurred and obtain the customer’s express consent for the charge. For example, it must have a clear option for customers to accept or decline a Prime subscription being offered during a purchase, avoiding potentially confusing language such as: “No thanks, I don’t want free shipping.”

Automatic renewals for memberships must be clearly marked and the company is also required to use a cancellation process, which “must not be difficult, costly, confusing or time consuming,” according to the settlement.

Amazon said the settlement doesn't require it to make any additional changes — only to maintain its current sign-up and cancellation process that it had put in place in recent years.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687370869736.png" alt="Post photo" />
                        <figcaption>Post photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon has reached a historic $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, which said the online retail giant&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-prime-ftc-bezos-online-shopping-6bf17b6ce0795e99bdcee911105199d5">tricked customers into signing up</a>&nbsp;for its Prime memberships and made it difficult for them to cancel after doing so.</p><p>The Seattle company will pay $1 billion in civil penalties — the largest fine in the agency’s history — and $1.5 billion will be paid back to consumers who were unintentionally enrolled in Prime, or were deterred from canceling their subscriptions, the agency said Thursday.</p><p>The surprise settlement comes just days after the trial began in U.S. District Court in Seattle this week. At the heart of the case is the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act, a 2010 law designed to ensure that people know what they’re being charged for online.</p><p>FTC officials said Amazon had its back against the wall and the consumer refund amount exceeded even the agency’s expert projections.</p><p>“I think it just took a few days for them to see that they were going to lose. And they came to us and they paid out,” said Chris Mufarrige, director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, on the settlement negotiations.</p><p>Amazon, however, said it was confident it would win case but that it chose to resolve it quickly instead of going through potentially years of trial and appeals. The company admitted no wrongdoing in the case, which was first filed two years ago.</p><p>“Amazon and our executives have always followed the law and this settlement allows us to move forward and focus on innovating for customers," said spokesman Mark Blafkin in a statement. "We work incredibly hard to make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up or cancel their Prime membership, and to offer substantial value for our many millions of loyal Prime members around the world.”</p><p>Certain Prime customers who are eligible for automatic refunds of up to $51 include those who may have signed up for a membership via the company’s “Single Page Checkout,” among other links, between June 23, 2019, to June 23, 2025. Those customers will be reimbursed within 90 days of the settlement order.</p><p>Amazon is also on the hook to set up a claims process for more than 30 million customers who may have been affected by the other issues at the heart of the FTC case, including its cancellation process.</p><p>Amazon Prime provides subscribers with perks that include faster shipping, video streaming and discounts at Whole Foods for a fee of $139 annually, or $14.99 a month.</p><p>It’s a key and growing part of Amazon’s business, with more than 200 million members. In its latest financial report, the company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-earnings-tariffs-secondquarter-6ea0c9b31ed5a0c3970ceef0056de063">reported in July</a>&nbsp;that it booked more than $12 billion in net revenue for subscription services, a 12% increase from the same period last year. That figure includes annual and monthly fees associated with Prime memberships, as well as other subscription services such as its music and e-books platforms.</p><p>The FTC said Amazon deliberately made it difficult for customers to purchase an item without also subscribing to Prime. In some cases, consumers were presented with a button to complete their transactions — which did not clearly state it would also enroll them in Prime, the agency said.</p><p>Getting out of a subscription was often too complicated, and Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made canceling easier, according to an FTC complaint.</p><p>Internally, Amazon called the process “Iliad,” a reference to the ancient Greek poem about the lengthy siege of Troy during the Trojan war. The process requires the customer to affirm on three pages their desire to cancel membership.</p><p>The FTC began looking into Amazon’s Prime subscription practices in 2021 during the first Trump administration, but the lawsuit was filed in 2023 under former&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-ftc-lina-khan-antitrust-lawsuit-da0b124e24183a3acd60367f05181f49">FTC Chair Lina Khan</a>, an antitrust expert who had been appointed by Biden.</p><p>The agency filed the case months before it submitted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-ftc-lina-khan-antitrust-lawsuit-da0b124e24183a3acd60367f05181f49">an antitrust lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against the retail and technology company, accusing it of having monopolistic control&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amazon-ftc-lawsuit-antitrust-lina-khan-d40f5437bac57f7f4a3ab5a49650f98d">over online markets</a>.</p><p>As part of the settlement terms, Amazon is prohibited from misrepresenting the terms of the subscriptions. It must fully disclose the costs to be incurred and obtain the customer’s express consent for the charge. For example, it must have a clear option for customers to accept or decline a Prime subscription being offered during a purchase, avoiding potentially confusing language such as: “No thanks, I don’t want free shipping.”</p><p>Automatic renewals for memberships must be clearly marked and the company is also required to use a cancellation process, which “must not be difficult, costly, confusing or time consuming,” according to the settlement.</p><p>Amazon said the settlement doesn't require it to make any additional changes — only to maintain its current sign-up and cancellation process that it had put in place in recent years.</p>

Amazon hit with $2.5B fine after FTC says it tricked millions into Prime

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order declaring that a proposed deal allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States will be a qualified sale that meets national security concerns laid out by the law.

Much is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tiktok-china-b2621f7554d4a45eef83d05b4b958034">still unknown</a>&nbsp;about the actual arrangement, but Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping “gave us the go-ahead” to proceed with the deal. Any major change to the popular video platform could have a huge impact on how Americans — particularly young adults and teenagers — consume information online.

About 43% of U.S. adults under the age of 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, higher than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/">published Thursday</a>.

&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;.&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@VP&lt;/a&gt; on the TikTok deal: &amp;quot;This deal really does mean that Americans can use TikTok, but actually use it with more confidence than they had in the past because their data&amp;#39;s going to be secure and it&amp;#39;s not going to be used as a propaganda weapon against our fellow citizens.&amp;quot; &lt;a href="https://t.co/4sqqOd5B0t"&gt;pic.twitter.com/4sqqOd5B0t&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971311739556987048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;September 25, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order declaring that a proposed deal allowing TikTok to continue operating in the United States will be a qualified sale that meets national security concerns laid out by the law.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on TikTok: &quot;We have American investors taking it over, running it — highly sophisticated... Oracle is going to play a very big role.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Y6Vj7WbM7s">pic.twitter.com/Y6Vj7WbM7s</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971311489337446627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="lt" dir="ltr">PRESIDENT TRUMP SAVES TIKTOK! <a href="https://t.co/GBntfhCKrQ">pic.twitter.com/GBntfhCKrQ</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1971311657034146020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on what saving TikTok will mean for small businesses: &quot;Small businesses have become very successful because of TikTok... they use it virtually as an advertising tool, and without it, they wouldn&#39;t have anything... So, it&#39;s a very important thing for small business.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/JHZ3GhLCSy">pic.twitter.com/JHZ3GhLCSy</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971314356056174722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> on the TikTok deal: &quot;This deal really does mean that Americans can use TikTok, but actually use it with more confidence than they had in the past because their data&#39;s going to be secure and it&#39;s not going to be used as a propaganda weapon against our fellow citizens.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4sqqOd5B0t">pic.twitter.com/4sqqOd5B0t</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971311739556987048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Much is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tiktok-china-b2621f7554d4a45eef83d05b4b958034">still unknown</a>&nbsp;about the actual arrangement, but Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping “gave us the go-ahead” to proceed with the deal. Any major change to the popular video platform could have a huge impact on how Americans — particularly young adults and teenagers — consume information online.</p><p>About 43% of U.S. adults under the age of 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, higher than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/fact-sheet/social-media-and-news-fact-sheet/">published Thursday</a>.</p><p>&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;.&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@VP&lt;/a&gt; on the TikTok deal: &amp;quot;This deal really does mean that Americans can use TikTok, but actually use it with more confidence than they had in the past because their data&amp;#39;s going to be secure and it&amp;#39;s not going to be used as a propaganda weapon against our fellow citizens.&amp;quot; &lt;a href="https://t.co/4sqqOd5B0t"&gt;pic.twitter.com/4sqqOd5B0t&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971311739556987048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;September 25, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt; &lt;script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;</p>

Trump signs executive order to save TikTok, says China on board

JACKSON COUNTY, Mo.—Three students and the driver were injured in a school bus accident just after 6:30a.m. Thursday in Jackson County.

A Blue Springs School District bus struck a building at the intersection of 7 Highway and 40 Highway, according to a social media report from Blue Springs Police.

The bus driver and three students were transported to local hospitals for evaluation. At this time, their injuries do not appear to be serious.

Based on witness statements and driver accounts, the police investigation&nbsp; revealed that the bus had the right of way at the intersection. A vehicle approaching a yield sign failed to yield to the school bus, resulting in the accident, according to Blue Springs Police.

 The accident remains under investigation.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758809652290.png" alt="photo courtesy KCTV" />
                        <figcaption>photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JACKSON COUNTY, Mo.—Three students and the driver were injured in a school bus accident just after 6:30a.m. Thursday in Jackson County.</p><p>A Blue Springs School District bus struck a building at the intersection of 7 Highway and 40 Highway, according to a social media report from Blue Springs Police.</p><p>The bus driver and three students were transported to local hospitals for evaluation. At this time, their injuries do not appear to be serious.</p><p>Based on witness statements and driver accounts, the police investigation&nbsp; revealed that the bus had the right of way at the intersection. A vehicle approaching a yield sign failed to yield to the school bus, resulting in the accident, according to Blue Springs Police.</p><p> The accident remains under investigation.</p>

Police determine cause of KC bus crash that injured students, driver 

The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Bondi is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-weaponizing-government-second-term-54ab244ccb2328d116a498bbaeb680ef">being weaponized in pursuit of investigations</a>&nbsp;and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies. It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the operations of the Justice Department, blurring the line between law and politics for an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.

The office that filed the case against Comey, the Eastern District of Virginia, was thrown into turmoil last week following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-letitia-james-siebert-trump-9ec1a96c05fa77d8acc558bd803622a2">the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert</a>, who had not charged Comey and had faced pressure to bring charges against another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigation-letitia-james-07452728c0bf2677ca095b7cf14db2c6">a mortgage fraud investigation</a>.

The following evening,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/letitia-james-eastern-district-of-virginia-trump-8c84bd8603a4b932f9cb2e451ef057a3">Trump lamented in a Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;aimed at the attorney general that department investigations had not resulted in prosecutions. He nominated as the new U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who had been one of Trump’s personal lawyers but lacked the federal prosecution experience that would typically accompany the responsibility of running one of the Justice Department’s most prestigious offices.

Halligan had rushed to present the case to a grand jury this week. Prosecutors evaluating whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward came even as prosecutors in the office had detailed in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.

The two-count indictment consists of charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding. Comey’s lawyer had no immediate comment.

Trump has for years railed against both a finding by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia preferred him to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and the criminal investigation that tried to determine whether his campaign had conspired with Moscow to sway the outcome of that race. Prosecutors led by special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that Trump or his associates criminally colluded with Russia, but they did find that Trump’s campaign had welcomed Moscow’s assistance.

Trump has seized on the fact that Mueller’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign and the Kremlin colluded, and that there were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f2d8d48dede72f5ceb9883e97818caa2">significant errors and omissions</a>&nbsp;made by the FBI in wiretap applications, to claim vindication. A yearslong investigation into potential misconduct during the Russia investigation, was conducted by a different special counsel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-trump-russia-probe-7e84f94ca9cf7905cbc5eddc108575b3">John Durham</a>. That produced three criminal cases, including against an FBI lawyer, but not against senior government officials.

The criminal case against Comey does not concern the substance of the Russia investigation but rather accuses him of having lied to Congress.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-comey">James Comey</a>&nbsp;was charged Thursday with making a false statement and obstruction in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.

The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official to face prosecution in connection with one of Trump’s chief grievances: the long-concluded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">investigation into Russian interference</a>&nbsp;in the 2016 election. Trump and his supporters have long derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign.

The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Attorney General&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pam-bondi">Pam Bondi</a>, a Trump loyalist, is being weaponized in pursuit of investigations and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies.

It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the operations of the Justice Department, blurring the line between law and politics for an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.

Comey was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-4ff1ecb621884a728b25e62661257ef0">fired</a>&nbsp;months into Trump’s first administration and has long been a top target for Trump supporters seeking retribution. Comey was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump complained directly to Bondi that she had not yet brought charges against him.

The following evening,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/letitia-james-eastern-district-of-virginia-trump-8c84bd8603a4b932f9cb2e451ef057a3">Trump said in a Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;aimed at the attorney general that department investigations had not resulted in prosecutions. He said he would nominate Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide, to serve as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. She has been one of Trump’s personal lawyers and does not have experience as a federal prosecutor.

The office that filed the case against Comey, the Eastern District of Virginia, was thrown into turmoil last week following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-letitia-james-siebert-trump-9ec1a96c05fa77d8acc558bd803622a2">the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert</a>&nbsp;under pressure to bring charges against another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigation-letitia-james-07452728c0bf2677ca095b7cf14db2c6">a mortgage fraud investigation</a>.

Halligan had rushed to present the case to a grand jury this week. Prosecutors were evaluating whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, and they had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward came even as prosecutors in the office had detailed in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.

The criminal case against Comey does not concern the substance of the Russia investigation. Rather, it accuses him of having lied to a Senate committee in his 2020 appearance when he said he never authorized anyone to serve as an anonymous source to a reporter about the investigation.

Trump’s administration is trying to cast the Russia investigation as the outgrowth of an effort under Democratic President Barack Obama to overhype Moscow’s interference in the election and to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s victory.

Comey has for years been a prime Trump antagonist. Comey was a senior Justice Department official in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, was picked by Obama to lead the FBI in 2013 and was director when the bureau opened the Russia investigation.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758766634623.png" alt="File photo Former FBI Director James Comey" />
                        <figcaption>File photo Former FBI Director James Comey</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-comey">James Comey</a>&nbsp;was charged Thursday with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.</p>&mdash; Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1971345371583611099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump’s chief grievances, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">long-concluded investigation into Russian interference</a>&nbsp;in the 2016 election, to face prosecution. Trump has for years derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution.</p><p>Trump on Thursday hailed the indictment as “JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!” Attorney General&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pam-bondi">Pam Bondi</a>, a Trump loyalist, and FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime vocal critic of the Russia investigation, issued similar statements. “No one is above the law,” Bondi said.</p><p>The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Bondi is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-weaponizing-government-second-term-54ab244ccb2328d116a498bbaeb680ef">being weaponized in pursuit of investigations</a>&nbsp;and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies. It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the operations of the Justice Department, blurring the line between law and politics for an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.</p><p>Comey was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-4ff1ecb621884a728b25e62661257ef0">fired</a>&nbsp;months into Trump’s first administration and since then has remained a top target for Trump supporters seeking retaliation related to the Russia investigation. He was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump appeared to appeal directly to Bondi bring charges against Comey and complained that Justice Department investigations into his foes had not resulted in charges.</p><p>“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote, referencing the fact that he himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”</p><p>The office that filed the case against Comey, the Eastern District of Virginia, was thrown into turmoil last week following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-letitia-james-siebert-trump-9ec1a96c05fa77d8acc558bd803622a2">the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert</a>, who had not charged Comey and had faced pressure to bring charges against another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigation-letitia-james-07452728c0bf2677ca095b7cf14db2c6">a mortgage fraud investigation</a>.</p><p>The following evening,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/letitia-james-eastern-district-of-virginia-trump-8c84bd8603a4b932f9cb2e451ef057a3">Trump lamented in a Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;aimed at the attorney general that department investigations had not resulted in prosecutions. He nominated as the new U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide who had been one of Trump’s personal lawyers but lacked the federal prosecution experience that would typically accompany the responsibility of running one of the Justice Department’s most prestigious offices.</p><p>Halligan had rushed to present the case to a grand jury this week. Prosecutors evaluating whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward came even as prosecutors in the office had detailed in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.</p><p>The two-count indictment consists of charges of making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding. Comey’s lawyer had no immediate comment.</p><p>Trump has for years railed against both a finding by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia preferred him to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and the criminal investigation that tried to determine whether his campaign had conspired with Moscow to sway the outcome of that race. Prosecutors led by special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that Trump or his associates criminally colluded with Russia, but they did find that Trump’s campaign had welcomed Moscow’s assistance.</p><p>Trump has seized on the fact that Mueller’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign and the Kremlin colluded, and that there were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f2d8d48dede72f5ceb9883e97818caa2">significant errors and omissions</a>&nbsp;made by the FBI in wiretap applications, to claim vindication. A yearslong investigation into potential misconduct during the Russia investigation, was conducted by a different special counsel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-trump-russia-probe-7e84f94ca9cf7905cbc5eddc108575b3">John Durham</a>. That produced three criminal cases, including against an FBI lawyer, but not against senior government officials.</p><p>The criminal case against Comey does not concern the substance of the Russia investigation but rather accuses him of having lied to Congress.</p><p>The indictment comes against the backdrop of a Trump administration effort to cast the Russia investigation as the outgrowth of an effort under Democratic President Barack Obama to overhype Moscow’s interference in the election and to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s victory.</p><p>Administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gabbard-russia-2016-election-interference-895e863c27e5853f10c819121d73df8a">declassified a series of documents</a>&nbsp;meant to chip away at the strength of an Obama-era intelligence assessment published in January 2017 that said Moscow had engaged in a broad campaign of interference at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p><p>A senior Justice Department official in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, Comey was picked by Obama to lead the FBI in 2013 and was director when the bureau opened the Russia investigation in the summer of 2016.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758766786219.png" alt="File photo President Trump and Comey in 2017-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>File photo President Trump and Comey in 2017-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Comey’s relationship with Trump was strained from the start and was exacerbated when Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private White House dinner to pledge personal loyalty to the president. That overture so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.</p><p>Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an action later investigated by Mueller for potential obstruction of justice.</p><p>After being let go, Comey authorized a close friend to share with a reporter the substance of an unclassified memo that documented an Oval Office request from Trump to shut down an FBI investigation into his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump and his allies later branded Comey a leaker, with the president even accusing him of treason. Comey himself has called Trump “ego driven” and likened him to a mafia don.</p><p>The Justice Department, during Trump’s first term, declined to prosecute Comey over his handling of his memos. The department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee2870cb0c9148e08161d851b26092e9">inspector general</a>&nbsp;did issue a harshly critical report in 2019 that said Comey violated FBI policies, including by failing to return the documents to the FBI after he was dismissed and for sharing them with his personal lawyers without FBI permission.</p><p>Earlier this year, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-maurene-comey-trump-23fb32ac0e4402873862d3ca6d31d18e">fired Comey’s daughter</a>, Maurene Comey, from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. She has since sued, saying the termination was carried out without any explanation and was done for political reasons.</p><p>--------------------</p><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-comey">James Comey</a>&nbsp;was charged Thursday with making a false statement and obstruction in a criminal case filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No one is above the law. Today’s indictment reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.</p>&mdash; Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1971345371583611099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official to face prosecution in connection with one of Trump’s chief grievances: the long-concluded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-russia-48f9d5132d7a4e2d823edad8fc407979">investigation into Russian interference</a>&nbsp;in the 2016 election. Trump and his supporters have long derided that investigation as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican’s campaign.</p><p>The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Attorney General&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pam-bondi">Pam Bondi</a>, a Trump loyalist, is being weaponized in pursuit of investigations and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies.</p><p>It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the operations of the Justice Department, blurring the line between law and politics for an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle.</p><p>Comey was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-4ff1ecb621884a728b25e62661257ef0">fired</a>&nbsp;months into Trump’s first administration and has long been a top target for Trump supporters seeking retribution. Comey was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump complained directly to Bondi that she had not yet brought charges against him.</p><p>The following evening,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/letitia-james-eastern-district-of-virginia-trump-8c84bd8603a4b932f9cb2e451ef057a3">Trump said in a Truth Social post</a>&nbsp;aimed at the attorney general that department investigations had not resulted in prosecutions. He said he would nominate Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide, to serve as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. She has been one of Trump’s personal lawyers and does not have experience as a federal prosecutor.</p><p>“We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump wrote, referencing the fact that he himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”</p><p>The office that filed the case against Comey, the Eastern District of Virginia, was thrown into turmoil last week following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-letitia-james-siebert-trump-9ec1a96c05fa77d8acc558bd803622a2">the resignation of chief prosecutor Erik Siebert</a>&nbsp;under pressure to bring charges against another Trump target, New York Attorney General Letitia James, in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-investigation-letitia-james-07452728c0bf2677ca095b7cf14db2c6">a mortgage fraud investigation</a>.</p><p>Halligan had rushed to present the case to a grand jury this week. Prosecutors were evaluating whether Comey lied to Congress during testimony on Sept. 30, 2020, and they had until Tuesday to bring a case before the five-year statute of limitations expired. The push to move forward came even as prosecutors in the office had detailed in a memo concerns about the pursuit of an indictment.</p><p>Trump has for years railed against both a finding by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia preferred him to Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and the criminal investigation that tried to determine whether his campaign had conspired with Moscow to sway the outcome of that race. Prosecutors led by special counsel Robert Mueller did not establish that Trump or his associates criminally colluded with Russia, but they did find that Trump’s campaign had welcomed Moscow’s assistance.</p><p>Trump has seized on the fact that Mueller’s investigation did not find that the Trump campaign and the Kremlin colluded, and that there were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f2d8d48dede72f5ceb9883e97818caa2">significant errors and omissions</a>&nbsp;made by the FBI in wiretap applications, to claim vindication. A yearslong investigation into potential misconduct during the Russia investigation, was conducted by a different special counsel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/durham-trump-russia-probe-7e84f94ca9cf7905cbc5eddc108575b3">John Durham</a>. That produced three criminal cases, including against an FBI lawyer, but not against senior government officials.</p><p>The criminal case against Comey does not concern the substance of the Russia investigation. Rather, it accuses him of having lied to a Senate committee in his 2020 appearance when he said he never authorized anyone to serve as an anonymous source to a reporter about the investigation.</p><p>Trump’s administration is trying to cast the Russia investigation as the outgrowth of an effort under Democratic President Barack Obama to overhype Moscow’s interference in the election and to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s victory.</p><p>Administration officials, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-gabbard-russia-2016-election-interference-895e863c27e5853f10c819121d73df8a">declassified a series of documents</a>&nbsp;meant to chip away at the strength of an Obama-era intelligence assessment published in January 2017 that said Moscow had engaged in a broad campaign of interference at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p><p>Comey has for years been a prime Trump antagonist. Comey was a senior Justice Department official in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, was picked by Obama to lead the FBI in 2013 and was director when the bureau opened the Russia investigation.</p><p>Comey’s relationship with Trump was strained from the start and was exacerbated when Comey resisted a request by Trump at a private White House dinner to pledge personal loyalty to the president. That overture so unnerved the FBI director that he documented it in a contemporaneous memorandum.</p><p>Trump fired Comey in May 2017, an action later investigated by Mueller for potential obstruction of justice.</p><p>After being let go, Comey authorized a close friend to share with a reporter the substance of an unclassified memo that documented an Oval Office request from Trump to shut down an FBI investigation into his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump and his allies later branded Comey a leaker, with the president even accusing him of treason. Comey himself has called Trump “ego driven” and likened him to a mafia don.</p><p>The Justice Department, during Trump’s first term, declined to prosecute Comey over his handling of his memos. The department’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ee2870cb0c9148e08161d851b26092e9">inspector general</a>&nbsp;did issue a harshly critical report in 2019 that said Comey violated FBI policies, including by failing to return the documents to the FBI after he was dismissed and for sharing them with his personal lawyers without FBI permission.</p><p>Earlier this year, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-maurene-comey-trump-23fb32ac0e4402873862d3ca6d31d18e">fired Comey’s daughter</a>, Maurene Comey, from her job as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. She has since sued, saying the termination was carried out without any explanation and was done for political reasons.</p>

Ex-FBI Director, Trump adversary, indicted on charges of lying to Congress 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another fatal hit-and-and run incident in Kansas City.

Just after 9p.m. Wednesday, a bicyclist was eastbound on Independence Avenue and as he entered the intersection at Hardesty Avenue in Kansas City Missouri. He changed lanes and entered the westbound lane, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. A westbound pickup truck&nbsp; on Independence struck the bicyclist head-on. 

The pickup driver fled the scene in an unknown direction. EMS arrived and pronounced the bicyclist deceased.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not released the name of the bicyclist.

<p>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another fatal hit-and-and run incident in Kansas City.</p><p>Just after 9p.m. Wednesday, a bicyclist was eastbound on Independence Avenue and as he entered the intersection at Hardesty Avenue in Kansas City Missouri. He changed lanes and entered the westbound lane, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez. A westbound pickup truck&nbsp; on Independence struck the bicyclist head-on. </p><p>The pickup driver fled the scene in an unknown direction. EMS arrived and pronounced the bicyclist deceased.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police have not released the name of the bicyclist.</p>

KCPD: Bicyclist killed after head-on crash with a pickup

New survey shows rise in problem gambling

TOPEKA — Kansas legislators are considering changes to the way the state taxes sports gambling after receiving less than a 1% cut on more than $2.7 billion in bets in the past fiscal year.

As the expiration dates for contracts between the state and sports wager operators draw nearer, Kansas is confronting an increasingly complex and more profitable gambling climate than when it first legalized sports betting in 2022.

During the 2025 session, the Legislature implemented&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/04/17/last-minute-moratorium-on-kansas-sports-betting-contract-negotiations-provokes-uncertainty/">a last-minute moratorium</a>&nbsp;on the state approving any contract renewals for online sportsbooks. A hearing Monday was the first public discussion of potential changes to Kansas’ sportsbook market since then.

Legislators toyed with the idea of rejiggering the formula that dictates the allocation of sports betting revenues at a Monday hearing in Topeka. Of the $2.7 billion in wagering revenue in fiscal year 2025, which began in July 2024 and ended in June, Kansas retained about $17 million, or 0.6%, according to state data.

Lawmakers also considered changing the way book operators reach customers.

John Pappas, the state advocacy director for iDevelopment and Economic Association, a national trade group for mobile sportsbook operators and technology providers, said during the hearing that Kansas’ model is a success story.

But Rep. Francis Awerkamp, a Republican from St. Marys, said he struggled to accept that notion.

“I guess we represent different people, right?” he said to Pappas. “ You have your clients. I have the people of my district. The people of Kansas.”

In ranking sports wagering tax revenue per $1 million wagered since inception, Kansas ranks 29 out of 33 states.

“This is absolute failure from my perspective,” Awerkamp said.

“What am I not seeing?” he added. “How can you say that this is a success story when we’re basically one of the worst states in the country?”

Pappas said the answer is simple. Success is based on the size of Kansas’ market. For a small population, Kansas’ sports betting revenues are disproportionately large. In Awerkamp’s eyes, the problem is that the revenues are only taxed at 10%.

Six states and Washington, D.C., set different tax rates for online and retail sports betting. Kansas is one of 11 states that tax online and retail sports betting at the same rate of 10% or less. New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island have the highest tax rates at 51%.

Kansans over the age of 21 can bet on more than 50 categories of live and virtual sports, from bull riding to baseball to chess. Casinos in Kansas are allowed to contract with sportsbook operators, of which there are currently six: BetMGM, Caesar’s, DraftKings, ESPNBet, FanDuel and Fanatics.

The 5-year contracts, which include retail and mobile betting, are set to expire around the same time in August 2027. Other states run their own books, or contract directly with book operators.

Existing sportsbook operators and Kansas casinos opposed a change to Kansas’ model. Some cautioned lawmakers about modifying business in Kansas while sportsbooks are expected to begin operating in neighboring states, including Missouri later this year.

Aaron Gomes, president of the parent company to Kansas Crossing Casino in Pittsburg, said in written testimony, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The casino works with three book operators: Caesars, Fanatics and BetMGM.

“Untethering sports wagering from casinos would not only disrupt these partnerships — it would risk undermining the very institutions that have delivered economic value to Kansas,” said Gomes, who is the chief operating officer of the casino’s owner, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment.

Earlier in the hearing, in discussion with another casino representative, Awerkamp said the sole purpose of the Kansas Lottery is to generate revenue for the state to offset burdens on taxpayers.

“From my perspective, what’s happened is certain organizations have recognized a tremendous opportunity of essentially a constitutionally protected monopoly and tried to get in the process and take a cut,” he said.

The Kansas Lottery was established for the good of the people, Awerkamp said, not the good of the casinos.

Kansans’ attitudes toward gambling have evolved since the state legalized sports wagering, and problem gambling behaviors have escalated, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/committees/ctte_spc_2025_on_fed_and_st_aff_1/documents/testimony/20250922_12.pdf" target="_blank">2025 study</a>&nbsp;that surveyed more than 1,600 Kansas adults.

It was the first time the survey was conducted since 2017, and it recommended enhancing problem gambling messaging, improving state-funded treatment and gambling screening, regulating gambling advertising, and conducting statewide surveys more frequently.

Around 70% of survey respondents reported gambling, and 34% of respondents said they had gambled in the past month, an increase from 19% who reported gambling in 2017.

“The number of Kansans at moderate or high risk for problem gambling has more than tripled since 2017,” the survey found.

Almost everyone surveyed who was classified as high risk acknowledged they had a gambling problem. Many said gambling caused health, financial and relational problems. Substance use and mental health struggles were more likely for those in the high-risk category than those in the moderate and low-risk categories, the study said. Kansans are also less likely to use a gambling hotline than they were eight years ago.

More Kansans are citing their motivation for gambling as paying bills and escaping everyday problems. In 2017, 18% of survey respondents said they gamble to pay bills and 16% said they want to escape their problems. In 2025, those percentages rose to 38% and 35%. Still, between the two surveys, the top motivations remained entertainment and fun, to win money and excitement and challenge.

Around 37% of respondents reported placing a sports wager in 2025. Fewer than half of those surveyed viewed sports betting as entertainment that allows for reasonable gambling.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758822367620.png" alt="Photo Kansas Star Casino" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Kansas Star Casino</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>New survey shows rise in problem gambling</h2><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>TOPEKA — Kansas legislators are considering changes to the way the state taxes sports gambling after receiving less than a 1% cut on more than $2.7 billion in bets in the past fiscal year.</p><p>As the expiration dates for contracts between the state and sports wager operators draw nearer, Kansas is confronting an increasingly complex and more profitable gambling climate than when it first legalized sports betting in 2022.</p><p>During the 2025 session, the Legislature implemented&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/04/17/last-minute-moratorium-on-kansas-sports-betting-contract-negotiations-provokes-uncertainty/">a last-minute moratorium</a>&nbsp;on the state approving any contract renewals for online sportsbooks. A hearing Monday was the first public discussion of potential changes to Kansas’ sportsbook market since then.</p><p>Legislators toyed with the idea of rejiggering the formula that dictates the allocation of sports betting revenues at a Monday hearing in Topeka. Of the $2.7 billion in wagering revenue in fiscal year 2025, which began in July 2024 and ended in June, Kansas retained about $17 million, or 0.6%, according to state data.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758822343321.png" alt="Photo Boot Hill Casino" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Boot Hill Casino</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Lawmakers also considered changing the way book operators reach customers.</p><p>John Pappas, the state advocacy director for iDevelopment and Economic Association, a national trade group for mobile sportsbook operators and technology providers, said during the hearing that Kansas’ model is a success story.</p><p>But Rep. Francis Awerkamp, a Republican from St. Marys, said he struggled to accept that notion.</p><p>“I guess we represent different people, right?” he said to Pappas. “ You have your clients. I have the people of my district. The people of Kansas.”</p><p>In ranking sports wagering tax revenue per $1 million wagered since inception, Kansas ranks 29 out of 33 states.</p><p>“This is absolute failure from my perspective,” Awerkamp said.</p><p>“What am I not seeing?” he added. “How can you say that this is a success story when we’re basically one of the worst states in the country?”</p><p>Pappas said the answer is simple. Success is based on the size of Kansas’ market. For a small population, Kansas’ sports betting revenues are disproportionately large. In Awerkamp’s eyes, the problem is that the revenues are only taxed at 10%.</p><p>Six states and Washington, D.C., set different tax rates for online and retail sports betting. Kansas is one of 11 states that tax online and retail sports betting at the same rate of 10% or less. New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and Rhode Island have the highest tax rates at 51%.</p><p>Kansans over the age of 21 can bet on more than 50 categories of live and virtual sports, from bull riding to baseball to chess. Casinos in Kansas are allowed to contract with sportsbook operators, of which there are currently six: BetMGM, Caesar’s, DraftKings, ESPNBet, FanDuel and Fanatics.</p><p>The 5-year contracts, which include retail and mobile betting, are set to expire around the same time in August 2027. Other states run their own books, or contract directly with book operators.</p><p>Existing sportsbook operators and Kansas casinos opposed a change to Kansas’ model. Some cautioned lawmakers about modifying business in Kansas while sportsbooks are expected to begin operating in neighboring states, including Missouri later this year.</p><p>Aaron Gomes, president of the parent company to Kansas Crossing Casino in Pittsburg, said in written testimony, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”</p><p>The casino works with three book operators: Caesars, Fanatics and BetMGM.</p><p>“Untethering sports wagering from casinos would not only disrupt these partnerships — it would risk undermining the very institutions that have delivered economic value to Kansas,” said Gomes, who is the chief operating officer of the casino’s owner, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment.</p><p>Earlier in the hearing, in discussion with another casino representative, Awerkamp said the sole purpose of the Kansas Lottery is to generate revenue for the state to offset burdens on taxpayers.</p><p>“From my perspective, what’s happened is certain organizations have recognized a tremendous opportunity of essentially a constitutionally protected monopoly and tried to get in the process and take a cut,” he said.</p><p>The Kansas Lottery was established for the good of the people, Awerkamp said, not the good of the casinos.</p><h2>Raising the stakes</h2><p>Kansans’ attitudes toward gambling have evolved since the state legalized sports wagering, and problem gambling behaviors have escalated, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/committees/ctte_spc_2025_on_fed_and_st_aff_1/documents/testimony/20250922_12.pdf" target="_blank">2025 study</a>&nbsp;that surveyed more than 1,600 Kansas adults.</p><p>It was the first time the survey was conducted since 2017, and it recommended enhancing problem gambling messaging, improving state-funded treatment and gambling screening, regulating gambling advertising, and conducting statewide surveys more frequently.</p><p>Around 70% of survey respondents reported gambling, and 34% of respondents said they had gambled in the past month, an increase from 19% who reported gambling in 2017.</p><p>“The number of Kansans at moderate or high risk for problem gambling has more than tripled since 2017,” the survey found.</p><p>Almost everyone surveyed who was classified as high risk acknowledged they had a gambling problem. Many said gambling caused health, financial and relational problems. Substance use and mental health struggles were more likely for those in the high-risk category than those in the moderate and low-risk categories, the study said. Kansans are also less likely to use a gambling hotline than they were eight years ago.</p><p>More Kansans are citing their motivation for gambling as paying bills and escaping everyday problems. In 2017, 18% of survey respondents said they gamble to pay bills and 16% said they want to escape their problems. In 2025, those percentages rose to 38% and 35%. Still, between the two surveys, the top motivations remained entertainment and fun, to win money and excitement and challenge.</p><p>Around 37% of respondents reported placing a sports wager in 2025. Fewer than half of those surveyed viewed sports betting as entertainment that allows for reasonable gambling.</p>

Kansas legislators look for bigger payout from sportsbooks with contracts set to expire

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military's top officers — hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to two people familiar with the matter.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758823087918.png" alt="File Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth- photo CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>File Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth- photo CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military's top officers — hundreds of generals and admirals — to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to two people familiar with the matter.</p><p>The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico. The people, who described the move as unusual, were not authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive plans and spoke on condition of anonymity.</p><p>The Pentagon's top spokesman, Sean Parnell, confirmed that Hegseth "will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”</p><p>Across the military, there are 800 generals and admirals of all ranks. Many command thousands of service members and are stationed across the world in more than a dozen countries and time zones.</p><p>The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, comes on the heels of several unusual and unexplained actions that Hegseth has taken involving military leaders.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-pentagon-cuts-dd2107dff617951b0edf6ca86074d836">In May, Hegseth ordered</a>&nbsp;that the military cut 20% of its four-star general officers, directed an additional 10% cut from all general and flag officers across the force, and told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-brown-joint-chiefs-of-staff-firing-fa428cc1508a583b3bf5e7a5a58f6acf">In February, Hegseth fired</a>&nbsp;Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's top officer, and Gen. James Slife, the Air Force's second highest officer, without explanation. He also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-firing-chairman-lawyers-6bead3346b1210e45e77648e6cbc3599">relieved the military's top lawyers</a>.</p><p>Since then, Hegseth has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-trump-dei-chatfield-nato-23df15b59766458d106567ba782d2f15">fired other military leaders</a>&nbsp;without saying why. Most recently it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-dia-iran-intelligence-trump-kruse-5cb1fb89b8f12c3b517f139f6d840b48">a general</a>&nbsp;who led a military intelligence agency whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-program-military-strikes-trump-f0fc085a2605e7da3e2f47ff9ac0e01d">initial assessment</a>&nbsp;of U.S. damage to Iranian nuclear sites in American strikes angered President Donald Trump.</p>