DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ayatollah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Ali Khamenei</a>, who assembled theocratic power in Iran over the decades as its supreme leader and sought to turn it into a regional powerhouse, bringing it into confrontation with Israel and the United States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-iran-politics-government-mahmoud-ahmadinejad-6acdb64d36fcbe05b3ee725d8a585d96">over its nuclear program</a>&nbsp;while crushing democracy protesters at home, has died. He was 86.

(Video below of Iran President Ali Khamenei at the UN Sept. 22, 1987-CSPAN)

Iranian state media reported the death early Sunday, after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-explosion-tehran-c2f11247d8a66e36929266f2c557a54c">a major attack</a>&nbsp;launched by Israel and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump said hours earlier that Khamenei had been killed in the joint operation.

Khamenei dramatically remolded the Islamic Republic since he took the reins after the death of Ayatollah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3042785d564d4acaa2e4a18bfc206d25">Ruhollah Khomeini</a>&nbsp;in 1989. Khomeini was the fiery, charismatic ideologue who led the overthrow of the shah and installed rule by Shiite Muslim clerics tasked with spreading religious purity. It fell to Khamenei, a stodgier figure with weaker religious credentials and a leaden demeanor, to turn that revolutionary vision into a state establishment.

He ended up ruling far longer than Khomeini. He greatly expanded the Shiite clerical class and built the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1a91d52c042141e4b7c8e93e6a20040e">paramilitary Revolutionary Guard</a>&nbsp;into the most important body underpinning his rule. The Guard became a military and business behemoth, the country’s most elite force and head of its ballistic missile arsenal, with hands across Iran’s economic sectors.

But the strains became harder to contain. Political repression and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/soaring-cost-of-food-and-essentials-squeeze-iranian-families-amid-tensions-with-us-4fca82ab094b4cedb3e8ad630b704c40">the faltering economy</a>&nbsp;fueled successively bigger waves of mass protests. Anger over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-mahsa-amini-crackdown-f26a5f687d87785841241d266ca3e872">2022 death of Mahsa Amini</a>, detained for not wearing her mandatory headscarf properly, escalated into demonstrations against social restrictions. In early January, hundreds of thousands marched in cities across the country, many chanting, “Death to Khamenei.”

Khamenei responded with the deadliest crackdown seen in nearly 50 years of clerical rule as security forces opened fire on crowds, killing thousands.

At the same time, the Mideast wars sparked by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-deaths-numbers-3e74e053814fd798fc1321c44f3e3c34">Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel</a>&nbsp;set in motion the collapse of the regionwide “Axis of Resistance” built by Khamenei. Israel and Iran attacked each other directly for the first time in 2024. I&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-nuclear-timeline-war-146b4072f1f6cc43cfd3bde740313a5c">srael struck Iran again in June 2025</a>, as it and the United States&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-iaea-sanctions-728b811da537abe942682e13a82ff8bd">targeted the country’s nuclear program</a>&nbsp;and killed top military officers and nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated by sending missiles and drones at Israel.

Khamenei’s death raises questions about the future of the Islamic Republic.

The 88-seat Assembly of Experts, a group of mostly hard-line clerics, will choose Khamenei’s replacement. But no clear successor is in place.

As he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/live-updates-israel-iran-february-28-2026">launched the bombing</a>&nbsp;in February, U.S. President Donald Trump called on Iranians to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-trump-address-f662a4f3378535d81197be699fb35a3e">“take over your government. It will be yours to take.</a>&nbsp;This will be probably your only chance for generations.” What happens next may depend greatly on bodies like the Revolutionary Guard, which has repeatedly shown its willingness to use overwhelming force to keep power even as many of Iran’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-memorials-chehelom-71e5db503a287126a2d31cb32a2809eb">90 million people grow disenchanted</a>.

“Culturally, the government is bankrupt,” said Mehdi Khalaji, an analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in 2017. “The ideology of the Islamic Republic did not work at all.”

From a questioned start to a hard-line grip on Iran

Ali Khamenei was born into a religious family in the northeastern holy city of Mashhad, a hotbed of revolutionary fervor during the struggle against the Western-allied shah,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/343d87fdb960424e9ec0f4a90dc64fcb">Mohammad Reza Pahlavi</a>.

Like many other Iranian leaders, he studied under Khomeini at the seminary in the holy city of Qom, south of Tehran, in the early 1960s, before the Khomeini's exile to Iraq and France.

Khamenei joined the anti-shah movement, facing time in both prison and in hiding. When&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3042785d564d4acaa2e4a18bfc206d25">Khomeini returned to Iran in triumph in February 1979</a>&nbsp;and proclaimed the Islamic Republic, Khamenei was appointed to the secretive Revolutionary Council. In 1981, he was elected Iran's third president; that same year, a bombing by opponents left him with one hand paralyzed.

With his thick, heavy-framed glasses, Khamenei lacked the steely gaze and fiery aura of Khomeini, the father of the Islamic Revolution. He fell far short of Khomeini’s religious scholarship, holding the relatively low rank of “hojatolislam” in the Shiite clerical hierarchy.

After being named supreme leader after Khomeini's death, he bounded overnight to the level of grand ayatollah, at the top of the hierarchy, and for years had to deal with skepticism over his credentials.

Khamenei acknowledged the doubts with humility. “I am an individual with many faults and shortcomings and truly a minor seminarian,” he said in his first speech in his new post.

Despite his lack of charisma, Khamenei stabilized Iran after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-iraq-5da81b6ba552db5f9ad6eb9bf4cc8525">the 1980s war with Iraq</a>&nbsp;and governed for over three decades — far longer than Khomeini.

Hard-liners considered him second only to God in his authority. Khamenei created an ever-growing bureaucracy of Shiite clerics and governmental agencies that blurred responsibilities and left him as the ultimate arbiter. As Iran questioned whether to keep the Revolutionary Guard after the war with Iraq, Khamenei came to its rescue and allowed the paramilitary force to gain a powerful grip on Iran’s economy. He also used a system of appointees to undercut the civilian government elected by its people.

The rise and fall of Iran’s proxy forces

Under Khamenei's reign, Iran shifted fully from conventional warfare to support for proxies, building the so-called Axis of Resistance to advance its interests in the region. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-hezbollahisrael-lebanon-b4daa0a6084df27099cef45b59120034">Lebanese militant group Hezbollah</a>, established with Iran's help in the 1980s, drove Israel from southern Lebanon in 2000 and battled it to a stalemate in the monthlong 2006 war.

Through Hezbollah, Iran perfected a strategy of making local militant groups its allies to project power — often through violence. Iran followed that model when backing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-15d10ed74c7f3cc7fd36fa0f77f73e54">Yemen's Houthi rebels</a>, who in 2014 seized the country's capital, Sanaa, and held on for over a decade in a stalemated war in the Arab world's poorest nation — despite facing a Saudi-led coalition and later,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-red-sea-attacks-israel-f820b848eb76fa3ecc8056ca332cabae">U.S.-led airstrikes over their attacks in the Red Sea</a>&nbsp;corridor.

Elsewhere, suspected Iranian-backed militants bombed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/argentina-bombing-jewish-community-center-921ee279365a80a729f819117ca905ce">Jewish center in Buenos Aires in 1994</a>, killing 85 people. Iran also was allegedly linked to the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers housing complex in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 members of the U.S. military. Iran denied responsibility for both attacks.

Iran emerged as a prime beneficiary of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-invasion-war-timeline-saddam-hussein-50828061c98e410063753045179bdcfb">U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003</a>, which replaced its main regional threat, Saddam Hussein, with a friendly Shiite-led government. Iranian-backed militias waged a brutal insurgency against U.S. forces and embedded themselves within the country's political landscape.

Khamenei used the Guard's expeditionary Quds Force most successfully after the Sunni extremists of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-crash-islamic-state-lone-wolves-4bb6446c484737fbe9dd1b9c26a899a9">Islamic State group seized large swaths</a>&nbsp;of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Guard troops advised Shiite militias, the best fighters in Iraq, and gave crucial support to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-sweida-daraa-homs-hts-qatar-816e538565d1ae47e016b5765b044d31">President Assad in Syria’s civil war</a>.

That secured Assad for a decade, until the chaos sparked by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-music-festival-6a55aae2375944f10ecc4c52d05f2ffe">Hamas' attack on Israel</a>&nbsp;in 2023. Israel devastated the Gaza Strip and launched airstrikes and ground operations pulverizing Hamas, which Iran had armed and funded for years. Israel is widely believed to have killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-hamas-israel-30968a7acb31cd8b259de9650014b779">Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh</a>&nbsp;in an operation in Tehran in 2024, further embarrassing the Islamic Republic.

Hezbollah found its ranks targeted by exploding pagers and an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-lebanon-israel-nasrallah-8da2e424e85152f0f41aa142391075ed">Israeli campaign killed its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah</a>. Then, in December 2024,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-ousted-rebel-offensive-timeline-8c54a8b97803d4b10cde53b97227128e">rebel fighters toppled Assad</a>&nbsp;in an offensive in Syria, ending a half-century of his family's autocratic rule.

Nuclear program advances to near-weapons-grade levels

The supreme leader remained deeply suspicious of the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-presidential-election-us-israel-hamas-war-analysis-b876feed55807a36aef03ea44fd1c10d">referring to it as the “Great Satan”</a>&nbsp;even after President Barack Obama came into office in 2009, offering dialogue and a fresh start.

He shrugged off U.N. sanctions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/un-nuclear-watchdog-iaea-iran-4706276a489b1a4cce2ca6260d0b3182">pushed ahead with Iran’s nuclear program</a>, which the U.S. and its allies say hid a secret project to build a nuclear weapon up until 2003. Khamenei issued a verbal fatwa, or religious ruling, that nuclear weapons are un-Islamic, but vowed the country would never give up its right to develop what he called a peaceful nuclear energy program.

Under Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Tehran agreed to drastically reduce its stockpile and enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But only three years later, Trump in his first term unilaterally withdrew Washington from the accord, arguing it didn't go far enough.

Iran has since broken all the limits of the nuclear deal and accumulated a stockpile of uranium enriched to nearly weapons-grade levels, now large enough to pursue several nuclear weapons if it chose to do so. Diplomatic efforts to restore the deal under President Joe Biden stalled.

In a March 2011 speech, Khamenei used toppled Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who had given up his own nuclear program years earlier, as an example of why Iran’s nuclear program remained so important&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/egypt-middle-east-islamic-state-group-coronavirus-pandemic-tunisia-26e27da4a70743eafb25a5bcf5d61ba1">in the wake of the Arab Spring</a>&nbsp;upheavals in the Middle East.

“Just the way you give a lollipop to a child, Westerners gave ‘incentives’ to them and they gave up everything,” Khamenei said.

Protests and demands for change intensified

Khamenei's first major challenge came in 1997, when pro-reform politicians gained control of parliament and cleric&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-ea865319f1ff4afebe4ce358d89ab217">Mohammad Khatami was elected president</a>&nbsp;by a landslide, riding a large youth vote. The reformists demanded a loosening of the strict social rules imposed by the revolution and called for improved ties with the outside world, including the U.S.

Khamenei-backed hard-liners moved to contain the liberal movement, fearing it would eventually call for an end to clerical rule. Khamenei stopped parliament from loosening restrictions on the media in an unusually overt intervention. Clerical bodies blocked other key liberal legislation and banned many reformist lawmakers from running for reelection, ensuring a return of hard-liner control in the 2004 elections.

That set the stage for the election of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-election-raisi-ahmadinejad-557dd8e41a9abf78e0ad02e0e21d4e00">hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad</a>&nbsp;in 2005 and his disputed reelection in 2009 amid charges of vote-rigging. Mass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ab649e2190834e19b1f006f76493645f">protests broke out, posing the greatest threat</a>&nbsp;in decades to Iran’s clerical leadership. The Revolutionary Guard, Basij militia and police unleashed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-b94b46844e9646c08d8cd0764d8cd840">crackdown in which dozens were killed</a>&nbsp;and hundreds arrested.

The turmoil, and reports of protesters being tortured to death or raped in prison, dealt a severe blow to Khamenei’s prestige.

As sanctions bit further, popular unrest rose. Economic protests broke out in 2017 and demonstrations escalated in 2019 over a rise in government-set gasoline prices. A bloody crackdown that followed killed over 300 people, according to activists.

Although Khamenei struggled to preserve the ideological purity of the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s government has largely failed to rid the country of Western influence. Satellite dishes, banned in theory, crowd Tehran’s rooftops. Banned social media sites are widely used, even by some prominent politicians, despite being blocked.

Protests erupted again in 2022 over the death of Amini, a young woman detained for not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. More than 500 people were killed and tens of thousands arrested when security forces crushed the demonstrations again.

In late December 2025, new economic protests erupted and would grow into what appeared to be the biggest protest movement ever. Hundreds of thousands across the country took to the streets, overtly demanding an end to the Islamic Republic. Some even chanted for the return of the shah's son, living in exile since 1979. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/iran-security-forces-threaten-staff-at-hospitals-packed-with-protesters-aff95a0ba6a34f9496eddc0b5e44abb1">ferocity of the crackdown</a>&nbsp;stunned Iranians.

With U.S. President Donald Trump, Khamenei faced a more aggressive and unpredictable American drive to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Trump unilaterally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-iran-cead755353a1455bbef08ef289448994">withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal</a>&nbsp;with world powers in 2018, bringing a return of sanctions.

The two sides came close to war with the United States after an American drone strike killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-tehran-international-news-iraq-ali-khamenei-5597ff0f046a67805cc233d5933a53ed">Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani</a>&nbsp;in January 2020. At Soleimani’s mass funeral that drew millions to the streets,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ali-khamenei-ap-top-news-iraq-iran-united-arab-emirates-14792cc1d7f73ffec8f8c425b73b44fb">Khamenei wept over the casket</a>&nbsp;of the man he once called a “living martyr.” Two days later, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-21f4a92a2dfbc38581719664bdf6f38e">Guard mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner</a>&nbsp;after its takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard.

Iran ramped uranium enrichment back up, reaching 60% purity — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Still, when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-deal-khamenei-us-tensions-bc11763f45041ac84171ebc3866f1273">Khamenei resumed talks,</a>&nbsp;underscoring the deep toll the sanctions had taken.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-rial-currency-us-7077a417560efcb6d9cbf7102cbc8b57">Iran’s long-ailing economy</a>&nbsp;entered a freefall worsening domestic unrest.

But a deal remained elusive. In June 2025, Israel and the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, inflicting heavy damage, though how far back it set the program remained unclear.

During the crackdown on nationwide protests in January, Trump renewed threats to strike, demanding Iran make major concessions at the negotiating table. Then came&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-embassy-staff-436162f886bdaed30c8dd0cdbe1b5aea">three rounds of indirect talks</a>. Then came Saturday.

Former Associated Press writer Brian Murphy contributed.

Iranian state media confirms Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's death

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-explosion-tehran-c2f11247d8a66e36929266f2c557a54c">The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://israel's%20defense%20minister%20says%20his%20country%20has%20attacked%20iran%20and%20declares%20a%20state%20of%20emergency/">Iran</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">U.S. President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.

Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.

Aerial footage posted to social media by U.S. Central Command showed U.S. munitions striking what appeared to be a variety of targets from drones to buildings.

The video montage was released Saturday afternoon. It showed black and white aerial footage of what appeared to be a drone on a runway, a radar tower, a missile battery, and a compound of buildings. They were all being struck by what seemed to be bombs or missiles and followed by large explosions.

The footage features the words “unclassified” at the top of the screen and a targeting reticle in the middle.

U.S. Central Command did not provide more details about the video.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772310653586.png" alt="Image from U.S. Central Command video" />
                        <figcaption>Image from U.S. Central Command video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-explosion-tehran-c2f11247d8a66e36929266f2c557a54c">The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://israel's%20defense%20minister%20says%20his%20country%20has%20attacked%20iran%20and%20declares%20a%20state%20of%20emergency/">Iran</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">U.S. President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.</p><p>Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.</p><p>Aerial footage posted to social media by U.S. Central Command showed U.S. munitions striking what appeared to be a variety of targets from drones to buildings.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As the President stated, our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.<br><br>The President ordered bold action. CENTCOM forces are delivering an overwhelming and unrelenting blow. <a href="https://t.co/B0k5gV4YnU">pic.twitter.com/B0k5gV4YnU</a></p>&mdash; U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/2027814907119321481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The video montage was released Saturday afternoon. It showed black and white aerial footage of what appeared to be a drone on a runway, a radar tower, a missile battery, and a compound of buildings. They were all being struck by what seemed to be bombs or missiles and followed by large explosions.</p><p>The footage features the words “unclassified” at the top of the screen and a targeting reticle in the middle.</p><p>U.S. Central Command did not provide more details about the video.</p>

🎥US posts aerial footage showing strikes on variety of targets

WASHINGTON (AP) —U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead, saying his passing is “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”

The death occurred after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.

Trump in his post called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history.”

Trump said that Khamenei “was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”

Dubai,UAE(AP)-Israeli officials told The Associated Press Saturday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Ali Khamenei</a>&nbsp;is dead. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. or Iran on his status.

The assassination of the second leader of the Islamic Republic, who had no designated successor, would throw its future into doubt.

In a nationally televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “growing signs” that Khamenei had been killed when Israel struck his compound early Saturday.

Shortly after the address, two Israeli officials said Israel had confirmed his death. The officials both spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement and gave no further details.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750936010746.png" alt="File photo Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to a group of people and officials in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 21, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)" />
                        <figcaption>File photo Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks to a group of people and officials in Tehran, Iran, Friday, March 21, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead, saying his passing is “the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei...&quot; - President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/oXZTFGg5pS">pic.twitter.com/oXZTFGg5pS</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2027863139136479347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🚨 <a href="https://t.co/P7uXSEG5dU">pic.twitter.com/P7uXSEG5dU</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2027860992944726087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The death occurred after a joint U.S. and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites.</p><p>Trump in his post called Khamenei “one of the most evil people in history.”</p><p>Trump said that Khamenei “was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”</p><p>Dubai,UAE(AP)-Israeli officials told The Associated Press Saturday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Ali Khamenei</a>&nbsp;is dead. There was no immediate comment from the U.S. or Iran on his status.</p><p>The assassination of the second leader of the Islamic Republic, who had no designated successor, would throw its future into doubt.</p><p>In a nationally televised address, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “growing signs” that Khamenei had been killed when Israel struck his compound early Saturday.</p><p>Shortly after the address, two Israeli officials said Israel had confirmed his death. The officials both spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announcement and gave no further details.</p>

Trump says Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is dead

&nbsp;The U.S. and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran. As of 12 noon CST Saturday, several members of the Kansas Congressional delegation used their social media accounts to comment on the military action.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772307695585.png" alt="Operation Epic Fury -photo U.S. Central Command" />
                        <figcaption>Operation Epic Fury -photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;The U.S. and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran. As of 12 noon CST Saturday, several members of the Kansas Congressional delegation used their social media accounts to comment on the military action.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">May God Bless and keep safe the Armed Forces of the United States Military. The greatest military in the world.</p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/2027728158078718088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</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">I am forever grateful to our brave men and women service members of the United States Military who embody the strength of our nation. The news this morning regarding Iran is nothing more than a consequence of the choices that the Iranian regime has made as a failed nation.</p>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/2027773653652238340?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</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">Pray for the men and women serving in the United States armed forces.</p>&mdash; Congressman Derek Schmidt (@RepDerekSchmidt) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDerekSchmidt/status/2027742041703174602?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</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">For decades, the Iranian regime and their proxies have threatened Americans, persecuted their own people, and undermined peace and stability in the Middle East. I support <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> taking decisive action to deliver peace through strength in the region, ensuring that Iran does not…</p>&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/2027805833761849821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</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">That said, costly, endless wars without congressional authorization are not the answer. We cannot repeat the mistakes of our past, and I am extremely concerned about what this attack could drag us into. I am especially thinking of our servicemembers and hoping for their safety.</p>&mdash; Rep. Sharice Davids (@RepDavids) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDavids/status/2027853164603490720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Kansas lawmakers comment on U.S. military attack on Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an 8-minute video posted on his Truth Social that the U.S. has begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach U.S. and appealed to the Iranian people to “take over your government.”

A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.

For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. Among the regime’s very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days. In 1983, Iran’s proxies carried out the marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American military personnel.

In 2000, they knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS Cole. Many died. Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq. The regime’s proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years, as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lines. It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer.

From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts. And it was Iran’s proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before.

Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested. It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. Again they wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening. They just wanted to practice evil. But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades.

They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore. Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing the long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland. Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if they ever had, and actually were armed with nuclear weapons as a means to deliver their message.

For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy. We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs, or roadside bombs as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans. And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon.

This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces. I built and rebuilt our military in my first administration and there is no military on earth even close to its power, strength or sophistication. My administration is taking every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm’s way. And we trust that with his help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail. We have the greatest in the world, and they will prevail.

To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death. So, lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death. Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.

For many years, you have asked for America’s help. But you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let’s see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny, and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.

May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces. May God bless the United States of America. May God bless you all. Thank you.

<p>U.S. President Donald Trump said in an 8-minute video posted on his Truth Social that the U.S. has begun “major combat operations in Iran.” He claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program and plans to develop missiles to reach U.S. and appealed to the Iranian people to “take over your government.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Donald J. Trump on the United States military combat operations in Iran: <a href="https://t.co/LimJmpLkgZ">pic.twitter.com/LimJmpLkgZ</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2027654336138924410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Here’s Trump’s address in full:</p><p>A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran. Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime. A vicious group of very hard, terrible people. Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas, and our allies throughout the world.</p><p>For 47 years, the Iranian regime has chanted Death to America and waged an unending campaign of bloodshed and mass murder, targeting the United States, our troops and the innocent people in many, many countries. Among the regime’s very first acts was to back a violent takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, holding dozens of American hostages for 444 days. In 1983, Iran’s proxies carried out the marine barracks bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American military personnel.</p><p>In 2000, they knew and were probably involved with the attack on the USS Cole. Many died. Iranian forces killed and maimed hundreds of American service members in Iraq. The regime’s proxies have continued to launch countless attacks against American forces stationed in the Middle East in recent years, as well as U.S. naval and commercial vessels and international shipping lines. It’s been mass terror, and we’re not going to put up with it any longer.</p><p>From Lebanon to Yemen and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts. And it was Iran’s proxy, Hamas, that launched the monstrous Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, slaughtering more than 1,000 innocent people, including 46 Americans, while taking 12 of our citizens hostage. It was brutal, something like the world has never seen before.</p><p>Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terror, and just recently killed tens of thousands of its own citizens on the street as they protested. It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon. That is why in Operation Midnight Hammer last June, we obliterated the regime’s nuclear program at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. After that attack, we warned them never to resume their malicious pursuit of nuclear weapons, and we sought repeatedly to make a deal. We tried. They wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. Again they wanted to do it. They didn’t want to do it. They didn’t know what was happening. They just wanted to practice evil. But Iran refused, just as it has for decades and decades.</p><p>They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore. Instead, they attempted to rebuild their nuclear program and to continue developing the long range missiles that can now threaten our very good friends and allies in Europe, our troops stationed overseas, and could soon reach the American homeland. Just imagine how emboldened this regime would be if they ever had, and actually were armed with nuclear weapons as a means to deliver their message.</p><p>For these reasons, the United States military is undertaking a massive and ongoing operation to prevent this very wicked, radical dictatorship from threatening America and our core national security interests. We’re going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally again obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy. We’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces, and no longer use their IEDs, or roadside bombs as they are sometimes called, to so gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans. And we will ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. It’s a very simple message. They will never have a nuclear weapon.</p><p>This regime will soon learn that no one should challenge the strength and might of the United States Armed Forces. I built and rebuilt our military in my first administration and there is no military on earth even close to its power, strength or sophistication. My administration is taking every possible step to minimize the risk to U.S. personnel in the region. Even so, and I do not make this statement lightly, the Iranian regime seeks to kill. The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war. But we’re doing this not for now. We’re doing this for the future. And it is a noble mission. We pray for every service member as they selflessly risk their lives to ensure that Americans and our children will never be threatened by a nuclear-armed Iran. We ask God to protect all of our heroes in harm’s way. And we trust that with his help, the men and women of the armed forces will prevail. We have the greatest in the world, and they will prevail.</p><p>To the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police, I say tonight that you must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity. Or in the alternative, face certain death. So, lay down your arms. You will be treated fairly with total immunity, or you will face certain death. Finally, to the great proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.</p><p>For many years, you have asked for America’s help. But you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight. Now you have a president who is giving you what you want. So let’s see how you respond. America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force. Now is the time to seize control of your destiny, and to unleash the prosperous and glorious future that is close within your reach. This is the moment for action. Do not let it pass.</p><p>May God bless the brave men and women of America’s armed forces. May God bless the United States of America. May God bless you all. Thank you.</p>

Read President Trump’s statement on Iran in full

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on&nbsp;<a href="https://israel's%20defense%20minister%20says%20his%20country%20has%20attacked%20iran%20and%20declares%20a%20state%20of%20emergency/">Iran</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;urged the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.

Some of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/live-updates-israel-iran-february-28-2026">the first strikes</a>&nbsp;on Iran appeared to hit near the offices of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>. Smoke rose from the capital as part of strikes that Iranian media said occurred nationwide. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices when the attack occurred.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive “as far as I know,” and called the attack “unprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate.”

In a video announcing the “major combat operations," Trump told Iranians that “when we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that goal, called for “the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands."

The strikes during the holy fasting month of Ramadan opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran, and marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has attacked the Islamic Republic during talks over its nuclear program. Weeks earlier, a U.S. military operation captured Venezuela’s president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-maduro-what-to-know-a57528ff315a7f70ed51a1721f5e0bc2">Nicolás Maduro</a>.

The targets included members of Iran's leadership, according to a U.S. official and another person briefed on the attacks who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation. There was no immediate information on whether top officials were killed.

Even if Iran's top leaders are killed, regime change is not guaranteed. Neither the U.S. nor Israel have articulated a vision for what new leadership might look like.

Democrats decried that Trump had taken action without congressional authorization. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration had briefed several Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress in advance of the attack.

The U.N. Security Council said it would meet Saturday afternoon. In a letter to the council, Araghchi said “all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile forces in the region shall be regarded as legitimate military objectives.”

Iran also requested an urgent session of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors about “these threats to safeguarded nuclear facilities,” according to a letter posted by the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.

The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said on X it was closely monitoring developments and had seen “no evidence of radiological impact.”

Tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region. Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program at a moment when the country is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-economy-prices-aa1c14906b39f79b88cdf47616a4a755">struggling at home</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-protests-students-nuclear-khamenei-096e7ede9bc9c1e7b889878af9d6e750">growing dissent</a>&nbsp;following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-memorials-chehelom-71e5db503a287126a2d31cb32a2809eb">nationwide protests</a>.

The immediate trigger for Saturday’s strikes appeared to be the unsuccessful latest round of nuclear talks. But they also reflected dramatic changes that have left Iran’s leadership in its weakest position since the Islamic Revolution nearly half a century ago.

Israeli and American strikes last June greatly weakened Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program. A regionwide war, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has left Iran’s network of proxies across the Middle East greatly weakened. U.S. sanctions and global isolation, meanwhile, have decimated Iran’s economy.

Iran responded to the latest strikes by launching missiles and drones targeting Israel and strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Israel’s military said Iran fired “dozens” of missiles at Israel, with many intercepted and no serious injuries reported. Barrages continued after sundown.

In southern Iran, at least 57 people were reported killed after a girls’ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. The White House and Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flights across the Middle East were disrupted and air defense fire thudded over Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' commercial capital. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the UAE capital killed one person, state media said.

Attack was coordinated between Israel and US

The U.S. military has for weeks amassed forces in the region, even as U.S. and Iranian envoys held talks in Switzerland and Oman.

“Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,” Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, key mediator, said on X. “Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this," he said.

Israel said the operation has been planned for months with the U.S. “Air Force pilots are striking hundreds of targets across Iran, at significant personal risk and in coordination with U.S. strikes,” Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement.

Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran’s military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.

Trump, in seeking to justify the military action, claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program, despite asserting last year the program had been “obliterated” by an earlier round of strikes. He acknowledged Saturday that there could be American casualties, saying “that often happens in war.”

It was a notable call from a U.S. leader who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to keep out of “forever wars.”

Trump’s statement listed grievances beyond the nuclear program, stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic, following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from an American ally into a fierce foe.

The U.S. president said he was aiming to “annihilate” the Iranian navy and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran. He called on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to lay down arms, pledging members would be given immunity, while warning they would face “certain death” if they didn’t.

Trump had threatened military action, but held off, following Iran's recent crackdown on protests spurred by economic grievances that evolved into a nationwide, anti-government push against the ruling clerics.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency says it confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-campus-protests-crackdown-54149e9d49fe022d840f71eb5f5be106">more than 7,000 deaths</a>&nbsp;in the crackdown and is investigating thousands more. The government has acknowledged more than 3,000 killed.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-enrichment-c0079c38746a896e2967a9a9cc2799d5">Iran has said it hasn’t enriched uranium since June</a>, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-nuclear-enrichment-satellite-d5c78b5fe974ec2fc338b8ad6d6a7d68">shown new activity at two of those sites</a>, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.

Iran said it hoped to avert a war, but maintained its right to enrich uranium. Its leaders did not want to discuss other issues, such as its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran is able to make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A third of total worldwide oil exports transported by sea passed through the strait in 2025.

Saudi Arabia said in an announcement on state-run media that Iran had targeted its capital and its eastern region in an attack that was repelled.

Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said a drone targeted the main international airport, injuring several employees. Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Explosions could also be heard in Qatar. Jordan said it “dealt with” 49 drones and ballistic missiles.

The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.

U.S. embassies or consulates in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Israel said staffers were told to shelter in place and recommended all Americans “do the same until further notice.”

Toropin and Madhani reported from Washington and Boak from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772280778680.png" alt="People watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(AP Photo)" />
                        <figcaption>People watch as smoke rises on the skyline after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026.(AP Photo)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on&nbsp;<a href="https://israel's%20defense%20minister%20says%20his%20country%20has%20attacked%20iran%20and%20declares%20a%20state%20of%20emergency/">Iran</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;urged the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979. Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Donald J. Trump on the United States military combat operations in Iran: <a href="https://t.co/LimJmpLkgZ">pic.twitter.com/LimJmpLkgZ</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2027654336138924410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</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 monitored the situation overnight at Mar a Lago alongside members of his national security team. The President spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone. <br><br>Prior to the attacks, Secretary Rubio called all members of the gang of eight to provide congressional…</p>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/2027777973319766251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Some of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/live-updates-israel-iran-february-28-2026">the first strikes</a>&nbsp;on Iran appeared to hit near the offices of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ali-khamenei">Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei</a>. Smoke rose from the capital as part of strikes that Iranian media said occurred nationwide. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices when the attack occurred.</p><p>Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News that Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian are alive “as far as I know,” and called the attack “unprovoked, illegal and absolutely illegitimate.”</p><p>In a video announcing the “major combat operations," Trump told Iranians that “when we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations."</p><p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed that goal, called for “the brave Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands."</p><p>The strikes during the holy fasting month of Ramadan opened a stunning new chapter in U.S. intervention in Iran, and marked the second time in eight months that the Trump administration has attacked the Islamic Republic during talks over its nuclear program. Weeks earlier, a U.S. military operation captured Venezuela’s president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-maduro-what-to-know-a57528ff315a7f70ed51a1721f5e0bc2">Nicolás Maduro</a>.</p><p>The targets included members of Iran's leadership, according to a U.S. official and another person briefed on the attacks who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation. There was no immediate information on whether top officials were killed.</p><p>Even if Iran's top leaders are killed, regime change is not guaranteed. Neither the U.S. nor Israel have articulated a vision for what new leadership might look like.</p><p>Democrats decried that Trump had taken action without congressional authorization. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration had briefed several Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress in advance of the attack.</p><p>The U.N. Security Council said it would meet Saturday afternoon. In a letter to the council, Araghchi said “all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile forces in the region shall be regarded as legitimate military objectives.”</p><p>Iran also requested an urgent session of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors about “these threats to safeguarded nuclear facilities,” according to a letter posted by the semiofficial Tasnim news agency.</p><p>The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said on X it was closely monitoring developments and had seen “no evidence of radiological impact.”</p><h2>Rising tensions</h2><p>Tensions have soared in recent weeks as American warships moved into the region. Trump said he wanted a deal to constrain Iran’s nuclear program at a moment when the country is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-economy-prices-aa1c14906b39f79b88cdf47616a4a755">struggling at home</a>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-protests-students-nuclear-khamenei-096e7ede9bc9c1e7b889878af9d6e750">growing dissent</a>&nbsp;following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-memorials-chehelom-71e5db503a287126a2d31cb32a2809eb">nationwide protests</a>.</p><p>The immediate trigger for Saturday’s strikes appeared to be the unsuccessful latest round of nuclear talks. But they also reflected dramatic changes that have left Iran’s leadership in its weakest position since the Islamic Revolution nearly half a century ago.</p><p>Israeli and American strikes last June greatly weakened Iran’s air defenses, military leadership and nuclear program. A regionwide war, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, has left Iran’s network of proxies across the Middle East greatly weakened. U.S. sanctions and global isolation, meanwhile, have decimated Iran’s economy.</p><p>Iran responded to the latest strikes by launching missiles and drones targeting Israel and strikes targeting U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.</p><p>Israel’s military said Iran fired “dozens” of missiles at Israel, with many intercepted and no serious injuries reported. Barrages continued after sundown.</p><p>In southern Iran, at least 57 people were reported killed after a girls’ school was struck, and dozens more were wounded, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. The White House and Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><p>Flights across the Middle East were disrupted and air defense fire thudded over Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' commercial capital. Shrapnel from an Iranian missile attack on the UAE capital killed one person, state media said.</p><h2>Attack was coordinated between Israel and US</h2><p>The U.S. military has for weeks amassed forces in the region, even as U.S. and Iranian envoys held talks in Switzerland and Oman.</p><p>“Active and serious negotiations have yet again been undermined,” Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, key mediator, said on X. “Neither the interests of the United States nor the cause of global peace are well served by this," he said.</p><p>Israel said the operation has been planned for months with the U.S. “Air Force pilots are striking hundreds of targets across Iran, at significant personal risk and in coordination with U.S. strikes,” Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a statement.</p><p>Targets in the Israeli campaign included Iran’s military, symbols of government and intelligence targets, according to an official briefed on the operation, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic information on the attack.</p><p>Trump, in seeking to justify the military action, claimed Iran has continued to develop its nuclear program, despite asserting last year the program had been “obliterated” by an earlier round of strikes. He acknowledged Saturday that there could be American casualties, saying “that often happens in war.”</p><p>It was a notable call from a U.S. leader who swept into office on an “America First” platform and vowed to keep out of “forever wars.”</p><p>Trump’s statement listed grievances beyond the nuclear program, stretching back to the beginning of the Islamic Republic, following a revolution in 1979 that turned Iran from an American ally into a fierce foe.</p><p>The U.S. president said he was aiming to “annihilate” the Iranian navy and destroy regional proxies supported by Tehran. He called on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to lay down arms, pledging members would be given immunity, while warning they would face “certain death” if they didn’t.</p><p>Trump had threatened military action, but held off, following Iran's recent crackdown on protests spurred by economic grievances that evolved into a nationwide, anti-government push against the ruling clerics.</p><p>The Human Rights Activists News Agency says it confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-campus-protests-crackdown-54149e9d49fe022d840f71eb5f5be106">more than 7,000 deaths</a>&nbsp;in the crackdown and is investigating thousands more. The government has acknowledged more than 3,000 killed.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-enrichment-c0079c38746a896e2967a9a9cc2799d5">Iran has said it hasn’t enriched uranium since June</a>, but it has blocked international inspectors from visiting the sites America bombed. Satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-nuclear-enrichment-satellite-d5c78b5fe974ec2fc338b8ad6d6a7d68">shown new activity at two of those sites</a>, suggesting Iran is trying to assess and potentially recover material there.</p><p>Iran said it hoped to avert a war, but maintained its right to enrich uranium. Its leaders did not want to discuss other issues, such as its long-range missile program or support for armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.</p><h2>Regional effects</h2><p>The strikes could rattle global markets, particularly if Iran is able to make the Strait of Hormuz unsafe for commercial traffic. A third of total worldwide oil exports transported by sea passed through the strait in 2025.</p><p>Saudi Arabia said in an announcement on state-run media that Iran had targeted its capital and its eastern region in an attack that was repelled.</p><p>Kuwait’s civil aviation authority said a drone targeted the main international airport, injuring several employees. Bahrain said a missile attack targeted the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in the island kingdom. Explosions could also be heard in Qatar. Jordan said it “dealt with” 49 drones and ballistic missiles.</p><p>The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen vowed to resume attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and on Israel, according to two senior Houthi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.</p><p>U.S. embassies or consulates in Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Israel said staffers were told to shelter in place and recommended all Americans “do the same until further notice.”</p><p>___</p><p>Toropin and Madhani reported from Washington and Boak from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Melanie Lidman and Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad, Samy Magdy in Cairo, and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.</p>

US and Israel launch major attack on Iran; Tehran hits American bases

KANSAS CITY —Four people including a police officer were injured in a drive-by shooting into a church during a funeral in Kansas City on Friday.

Just after 11a.m. officers were working in an off-duty capacity at New Beginning Apostolic Church  in the 200 block of North Bales, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.&nbsp; Officers were inside the church when shots were fired from the outside.&nbsp; Those gun shots came inside of the church.

As a result of the shots being fired an officer was injured. Late Friday it was unknown if the wound is a result of shattered glass, or a bullet graze.&nbsp; The officer was treated and released at the scene.

During the incident members of the congregation were gathered for a funeral.&nbsp; Two additional victims were struck by gunfire.&nbsp; An adult female and an adult male victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and responded to local hospitals for treatment.&nbsp; A third adult male victim was injured by unknown means with what are also considered non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;

This is being investigated as an aggravated assault, according to DiMartino. Police have not reported an arrest.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772248493421.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
                        <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Four people including a police officer were injured in a drive-by shooting into a church during a funeral in Kansas City on Friday.</p><p>Just after 11a.m. officers were working in an off-duty capacity at New Beginning Apostolic Church  in the 200 block of North Bales, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.&nbsp; Officers were inside the church when shots were fired from the outside.&nbsp; Those gun shots came inside of the church.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772248466870.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>As a result of the shots being fired an officer was injured. Late Friday it was unknown if the wound is a result of shattered glass, or a bullet graze.&nbsp; The officer was treated and released at the scene.</p><p>During the incident members of the congregation were gathered for a funeral.&nbsp; Two additional victims were struck by gunfire.&nbsp; An adult female and an adult male victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and responded to local hospitals for treatment.&nbsp; A third adult male victim was injured by unknown means with what are also considered non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp;</p><p>This is being investigated as an aggravated assault, according to DiMartino. Police have not reported an arrest.</p>

KCPD: 4 injured including police officer after shooting at funeral

COWLEY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Friday in Cowley County.

The Cowley County Sheriff reported a 2008 Volvo XC70 driven by Candice Bergeson, 43, Winfield was involved in a rollover accident in the 2000 block of US 160 Highway.&nbsp;The driver was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.

Witnesses who observed the accident immediately stopped and rendered aid until emergency personnel arrived.&nbsp;

EMS transported Candice Bergeson to William Newton Memorial Hospital for treatment and she was pronounced deceased.

<p>COWLEY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Friday in Cowley County.</p><p>The Cowley County Sheriff reported a 2008 Volvo XC70 driven by Candice Bergeson, 43, Winfield was involved in a rollover accident in the 2000 block of US 160 Highway.&nbsp;The driver was ejected from the vehicle during the crash.</p><p>Witnesses who observed the accident immediately stopped and rendered aid until emergency personnel arrived.&nbsp;</p><p>EMS transported Candice Bergeson to William Newton Memorial Hospital for treatment and she was pronounced deceased.</p>

Kansas woman dies after ejected in rollover accident

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bill-clinton">Bill Clinton</a>&nbsp;told members of Congress on Friday that he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and saw no signs of Epstein's sexual abuse as he faced hours of grilling from lawmakers over his connections to the disgraced financier from more than two decades ago.

“I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,” the former Democratic president said in an opening statement he shared on social media. The closed-door deposition ended after more than six hours of questioning from lawmakers who said he answered every question posed to him.

The deposition in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, New York, marked the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress. It came a day after Clinton's wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-hillary-bill-clinton-deposition-house-investigation-299d82e8549f4d994dcb081c3876585c">sat with lawmakers</a>&nbsp;for her own deposition.

Bill Clinton has also not been accused of any wrongdoing, and Republican members of the House Oversight Committee did not immediately level any accusations against the Clintons as they departed Chappaqua. They planned to review the depositions but said their attention was mostly shifting to other individuals.

Lawmakers are grappling with what accountability in the United States looks like at a time when men around the world have been toppled from their high-powered posts for maintaining their connections with Epstein after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.

“We have questions about anyone who spent time with Epstein post-conviction,” said Republican Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee. “Once you knew Jeffrey Epstein was a sex offender, why did you continue a relationship?”

Bill Clinton, in his opening statement, said that he had long stopped associating with Epstein by the time of his 2008 guilty plea. He also said it would be difficult to recall the specifics of events from more than 20 years ago, but expressed certainty that he had not witnessed signs of Epstein’s abuse.

Republican Rep. John McGuire accused Bill Clinton of having “selective memory” during the questioning, but other GOP members departed acknowledging that he had handled the deposition with skill and candor. Comer called Bill Clinton “charming” during the questioning.

“Clinton was quite candid, perhaps more candid than his attorneys were comfortable,” said Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy.

Republicans finally get a chance to question Bill Clinton

Republicans have wanted to question Bill Clinton about Epstein for years, especially as conspiracy theories arose following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-jail-suicide-prison-death-8d194a756f2b429067f009a0c70f96c0">Epstein's 2019 suicide</a>&nbsp;in a New York jail cell while he faced sex trafficking charges.

Those calls reached a fever pitch late last year when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bill-clinton-justice-department-jeffrey-epstein-4a55e83b62b5a037c431e36cfa87f0dc">several photos of the former president</a>&nbsp;surfaced in the Department of Justice's first release of case files on Epstein and Maxwell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-ghislaine-maxwell-fa2c504a6dfe30ce1686b857a4123b7b">a British socialite</a>&nbsp;who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-convicted-jeffrey-epstein-trial-verdict-63a71a2825eab41184a79e37bb967e90">convicted of sex trafficking</a>&nbsp;in December 2021 but maintains she's innocent. Bill Clinton was photographed on a plane seated alongside a woman, whose face is redacted, with his arm around her. Another photo showed Clinton and Maxwell in a pool with another person whose face was redacted.

Epstein also visited the White House several times during Clinton's presidency, and the pair later made several international trips together for their humanitarian work. Comer claimed the committee has collected evidence that Epstein visited the White House 17 times and that Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's airplane 27 times.

Democratic lawmakers said they also posed tough questions to Bill Clinton about his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell.

“We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long,” Bill Clinton said in his opening statement. “And by the time it came to light with his 2008 guilty plea, I had long stopped associating with him.”

Bill Clinton also went after Comer for calling his wife before the committee, telling him that “including her was simply not right.”

Comer said the committee was working to quickly publish a transcript and video recording of both days of depositions.

Democrats, who have supported the push to get answers from Bill Clinton, are arguing that it sets a precedent that should also apply to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>, a Republican who had his own relationship with Epstein.

“I think that President Trump needs to man up, get in front of this committee and answer the questions and stop calling this investigation a hoax,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, on Friday.

Comer has pushed back on that idea, saying that Trump has answered questions on Epstein from the press. Republicans also said they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong in his relationship with Epstein.

Trump on Friday expressed remorse at Bill Clinton being forced to testify. “I like Bill Clinton, and I don’t like seeing him deposed,” he told reporters as he departed the White House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-texas-cornyn-paxton-hunt-gop-primary-cd31dbec10c54ce230ae915e51cbccf0">en route to Corpus Christi, Texas</a>.

Democrats are also calling for the resignation of Trump's Commerce Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-howard-lutnick-2ead9f281ba2491e0581aced50a0533d">Howard Lutnick</a>. Lutnick was a longtime neighbor of Epstein in New York City but said on a podcast that he severed ties with Epstein following a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home that disturbed Lutnick and his wife.

The public release of case files showed that Lutnick actually had two engagements with Epstein years later. He attended a 2011 event at Epstein's home, and in 2012 his family had lunch with Epstein on his private island.

“He should be removed from office and, at a minimum, should come before the committee,” Garcia said of Lutnick.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace questioned Hillary Clinton about Lutnick's relationship to Epstein during the deposition on Thursday. On Friday morning, Mace joined in calling for the commerce secretary to come before the committee.

“I believe we will have the votes to subpoena him,” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766198004020.png" alt="Bill Clinton photo in the Epstein files release from the US Dept. of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Bill Clinton photo in the Epstein files release from the US Dept. of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bill-clinton">Bill Clinton</a>&nbsp;told members of Congress on Friday that he “did nothing wrong” in his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and saw no signs of Epstein's sexual abuse as he faced hours of grilling from lawmakers over his connections to the disgraced financier from more than two decades ago.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My statement on today’s deposition. <a href="https://t.co/1Yu6lBa5pS">pic.twitter.com/1Yu6lBa5pS</a></p>&mdash; Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillClinton/status/2027582699251048660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</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">As someone who grew up in a home with domestic abuse, not only would I not have flown on his plane if I had any inkling of what he was doing—I would have turned him in myself and led the call for justice for his crimes, not sweetheart deals. <a href="https://t.co/0rX8cat5Pu">pic.twitter.com/0rX8cat5Pu</a></p>&mdash; Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillClinton/status/2027424128559452573?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“I saw nothing, and I did nothing wrong,” the former Democratic president said in an opening statement he shared on social media. The closed-door deposition ended after more than six hours of questioning from lawmakers who said he answered every question posed to him.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJamesComer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJamesComer</a> and other <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPoversight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPoversight</a> members speak to media after conclusion of deposition of former President Bill Clinton. <a href="https://t.co/lPrRGpMjQA">pic.twitter.com/lPrRGpMjQA</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2027541900102701301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2026</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/RepRoKhanna?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepRoKhanna</a>: &quot;President Clinton, in his opening, made the most important statement, &#39;No one is above the law.&#39; He made it clear that it was perfectly appropriate for the committee to call him and ask him tough questions about what happened. He also made it clear that it was… <a href="https://t.co/6vL1Jbr42j">pic.twitter.com/6vL1Jbr42j</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2027465349969387869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The deposition in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, New York, marked the first time a former president has been compelled to testify to Congress. It came a day after Clinton's wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-hillary-bill-clinton-deposition-house-investigation-299d82e8549f4d994dcb081c3876585c">sat with lawmakers</a>&nbsp;for her own deposition.</p><p>Bill Clinton has also not been accused of any wrongdoing, and Republican members of the House Oversight Committee did not immediately level any accusations against the Clintons as they departed Chappaqua. They planned to review the depositions but said their attention was mostly shifting to other individuals.</p><p>Lawmakers are grappling with what accountability in the United States looks like at a time when men around the world have been toppled from their high-powered posts for maintaining their connections with Epstein after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida for soliciting prostitution from an underage girl.</p><p>“We have questions about anyone who spent time with Epstein post-conviction,” said Republican Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House Oversight Committee. “Once you knew Jeffrey Epstein was a sex offender, why did you continue a relationship?”</p><p>Bill Clinton, in his opening statement, said that he had long stopped associating with Epstein by the time of his 2008 guilty plea. He also said it would be difficult to recall the specifics of events from more than 20 years ago, but expressed certainty that he had not witnessed signs of Epstein’s abuse.</p><p>Republican Rep. John McGuire accused Bill Clinton of having “selective memory” during the questioning, but other GOP members departed acknowledging that he had handled the deposition with skill and candor. Comer called Bill Clinton “charming” during the questioning.</p><p>“Clinton was quite candid, perhaps more candid than his attorneys were comfortable,” said Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy.</p><h2>Republicans finally get a chance to question Bill Clinton</h2><p>Republicans have wanted to question Bill Clinton about Epstein for years, especially as conspiracy theories arose following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-jail-suicide-prison-death-8d194a756f2b429067f009a0c70f96c0">Epstein's 2019 suicide</a>&nbsp;in a New York jail cell while he faced sex trafficking charges.</p><p>Those calls reached a fever pitch late last year when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bill-clinton-justice-department-jeffrey-epstein-4a55e83b62b5a037c431e36cfa87f0dc">several photos of the former president</a>&nbsp;surfaced in the Department of Justice's first release of case files on Epstein and Maxwell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-ghislaine-maxwell-fa2c504a6dfe30ce1686b857a4123b7b">a British socialite</a>&nbsp;who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-convicted-jeffrey-epstein-trial-verdict-63a71a2825eab41184a79e37bb967e90">convicted of sex trafficking</a>&nbsp;in December 2021 but maintains she's innocent. Bill Clinton was photographed on a plane seated alongside a woman, whose face is redacted, with his arm around her. Another photo showed Clinton and Maxwell in a pool with another person whose face was redacted.</p><p>Epstein also visited the White House several times during Clinton's presidency, and the pair later made several international trips together for their humanitarian work. Comer claimed the committee has collected evidence that Epstein visited the White House 17 times and that Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's airplane 27 times.</p><p>Democratic lawmakers said they also posed tough questions to Bill Clinton about his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell.</p><p>“We are only here because he hid it from everyone so well for so long,” Bill Clinton said in his opening statement. “And by the time it came to light with his 2008 guilty plea, I had long stopped associating with him.”</p><p>Bill Clinton also went after Comer for calling his wife before the committee, telling him that “including her was simply not right.”</p><p>Comer said the committee was working to quickly publish a transcript and video recording of both days of depositions.</p><h2>Has a precedent been set?</h2><p>Democrats, who have supported the push to get answers from Bill Clinton, are arguing that it sets a precedent that should also apply to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>, a Republican who had his own relationship with Epstein.</p><p>“I think that President Trump needs to man up, get in front of this committee and answer the questions and stop calling this investigation a hoax,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, on Friday.</p><p>Comer has pushed back on that idea, saying that Trump has answered questions on Epstein from the press. Republicans also said they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong in his relationship with Epstein.</p><p>Trump on Friday expressed remorse at Bill Clinton being forced to testify. “I like Bill Clinton, and I don’t like seeing him deposed,” he told reporters as he departed the White House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-texas-cornyn-paxton-hunt-gop-primary-cd31dbec10c54ce230ae915e51cbccf0">en route to Corpus Christi, Texas</a>.</p><p>Democrats are also calling for the resignation of Trump's Commerce Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-howard-lutnick-2ead9f281ba2491e0581aced50a0533d">Howard Lutnick</a>. Lutnick was a longtime neighbor of Epstein in New York City but said on a podcast that he severed ties with Epstein following a 2005 tour of Epstein’s home that disturbed Lutnick and his wife.</p><p>The public release of case files showed that Lutnick actually had two engagements with Epstein years later. He attended a 2011 event at Epstein's home, and in 2012 his family had lunch with Epstein on his private island.</p><p>“He should be removed from office and, at a minimum, should come before the committee,” Garcia said of Lutnick.</p><p>Republican Rep. Nancy Mace questioned Hillary Clinton about Lutnick's relationship to Epstein during the deposition on Thursday. On Friday morning, Mace joined in calling for the commerce secretary to come before the committee.</p><p>“I believe we will have the votes to subpoena him,” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said.</p><p>___</p>

🎥What former President told members of Congress about Jeffrey Epstein

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. State Department said Thursday that it would pay up to $10 million for information leading to the arrests or convictions of two brothers identified as leaders of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel in the state of Baja California, which includes Tijuana.

The reward offer came the same day that authorities announced a new indictment against Rene Arzate Garcia, 42, known as “La Rana” (“The Frog”). He was initially charged with drug crimes in San Diego. The superseding indictment includes charges of conspiracy, narcoterrorism and material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The U. S. is offering $5 million each for information on Rene Arzate Garcia and Alfonso Arzate Garcia, 52, known as “Aquiles” (“Achilles”). Their whereabouts are unknown.

“As controllers of a critical trafficking node in Tijuana at the U.S. border, the Arzate-Garcia brothers have become key essential components of the cartel’s command-and-control structure,” the State Department said. “Their control of the Tijuana Plaza offers the Sinaloa Cartel a tactical advantage in maintaining dominance over rival organizations, ensuring no interruption to the busiest border crossing in the Western Hemisphere.”

California’s border with Mexico has been a battleground between the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.

The rewards were announced four days after the Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful cartel. The drug lord was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772206701839.png" alt="Dept. of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Dept. of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SAN DIEGO (AP) — The U.S. State Department said Thursday that it would pay up to $10 million for information leading to the arrests or convictions of two brothers identified as leaders of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel in the state of Baja California, which includes Tijuana.</p><p>The reward offer came the same day that authorities announced a new indictment against Rene Arzate Garcia, 42, known as “La Rana” (“The Frog”). He was initially charged with drug crimes in San Diego. The superseding indictment includes charges of conspiracy, narcoterrorism and material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772206803627.png" alt="Dept. of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>Dept. of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The U. S. is offering $5 million each for information on Rene Arzate Garcia and Alfonso Arzate Garcia, 52, known as “Aquiles” (“Achilles”). Their whereabouts are unknown.</p><p>“As controllers of a critical trafficking node in Tijuana at the U.S. border, the Arzate-Garcia brothers have become key essential components of the cartel’s command-and-control structure,” the State Department said. “Their control of the Tijuana Plaza offers the Sinaloa Cartel a tactical advantage in maintaining dominance over rival organizations, ensuring no interruption to the busiest border crossing in the Western Hemisphere.”</p><p>California’s border with Mexico has been a battleground between the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels.</p><p>The rewards were announced four days after the Mexican army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” decapitating what had become Mexico’s most powerful cartel. The drug lord was the Mexican government’s biggest prize yet to show the Trump administration in its efforts to crack down on the cartels.</p>

US offers reward for capture of brothers said to lead Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel

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

Just after 11:30a.m. Thursday, officers filed a report of criminal damage to property in the 700 block of Griffith Drive, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.&nbsp; A 63-year-old man reported a known 46-year-old female suspect damaged the inside of an apartment. The total estimated loss associated with this case is $2,000. 

Virginia Beneux, 46, of Manhattan, was arrested at 2:14 p.m. in the 700 block of Griffith. She is being held on a $100,000 bond on requested charges of criminal damage to property.&nbsp;

Anyone with information about a crime can contact&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rileycountypolice.org/287/Crime-Stoppers">Crime Stoppers</a>. Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

<p>RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating alleged criminal damage to property in Manhattan.</p><p>Just after 11:30a.m. Thursday, officers filed a report of criminal damage to property in the 700 block of Griffith Drive, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.&nbsp; A 63-year-old man reported a known 46-year-old female suspect damaged the inside of an apartment. The total estimated loss associated with this case is $2,000. </p><p>Virginia Beneux, 46, of Manhattan, was arrested at 2:14 p.m. in the 700 block of Griffith. She is being held on a $100,000 bond on requested charges of criminal damage to property.&nbsp;</p><p>Anyone with information about a crime can contact&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rileycountypolice.org/287/Crime-Stoppers">Crime Stoppers</a>. Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.</p>

Kansas woman held on $100,000 bond for damage to an apartment

NEW YORK --&nbsp;Neil Sedaka, the hit-making singer-songwriter whose boyish soprano and bright melodies made him a top act in the early years of rock 'n' roll and led to a second run of success in the 1970s, has died.

Sedaka, whose hits included "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Laughter in the Rain," died Friday at age 86.

"Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka," his family said in a statement. "A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration to millions, but most importantly, at least to those of us who were lucky enough to know him, an incredible human being who will be deeply missed."

No other details of his death were immediately available.

A key member of the Brill Building songwriting factory, Sedaka teamed with lyricist and boyhood neighbor Howard Greenfield on songs that reflected the teen innocence of the post-Elvis/pre-Beatles era of the late 1950s-early 1960s, including "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," "Calendar Girl" and "Oh! Carol," a lament for his high school sweetheart, Carole King.

After a long dry spell, he reemerged with such smashes as "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood." The Captain&nbsp;&amp; Tennille's cover of his "Love Will Keep Us Together" was a chart-topper in 1975.

Short and dark-haired, with a big smile and high-pitched voice, he was a Juilliard-trained, Brooklyn-born son of a Jewish taxi driver who began performing as a teen and kept at it for decades.

Sedaka still played dozens of concerts a year well into his 80s. He retained the enthusiasm and broad vocal range of his youth and never tired of the standards he had sung hundreds of times.

"Past 70, Pavarotti told me the vocal cords are not what they used to be. I'm very fortunate that my voice has held," he told The Associated Press in 2012. "It's nice to be a legend, but it's better to be a working legend."

Sedaka's songs sold millions worldwide and have been covered by a range of performers, from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to The 5th Dimension and Nickelback. Sedaka helped propel the career of Connie Francis with "Stupid Cupid" and "Where the Boys Are," the latter for the soundtrack of the movie with the same name. The Captain&nbsp;&amp; Tennille received a best-album Grammy thanks largely to "Love Will Keep Us Together" and included a nod to Sedaka at the end of the song, when Toni Tennille exclaimed "Sedaka's back!"

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1772234604163.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK --&nbsp;Neil Sedaka, the hit-making singer-songwriter whose boyish soprano and bright melodies made him a top act in the early years of rock 'n' roll and led to a second run of success in the 1970s, has died.</p><p>Sedaka, whose hits included "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Laughter in the Rain," died Friday at age 86.</p><p>"Our family is devastated by the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Neil Sedaka," his family said in a statement. "A true rock and roll legend, an inspiration to millions, but most importantly, at least to those of us who were lucky enough to know him, an incredible human being who will be deeply missed."</p><p>No other details of his death were immediately available.</p><p>A key member of the Brill Building songwriting factory, Sedaka teamed with lyricist and boyhood neighbor Howard Greenfield on songs that reflected the teen innocence of the post-Elvis/pre-Beatles era of the late 1950s-early 1960s, including "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," "Calendar Girl" and "Oh! Carol," a lament for his high school sweetheart, Carole King.</p><p>After a long dry spell, he reemerged with such smashes as "Laughter in the Rain" and "Bad Blood." The Captain&nbsp;&amp; Tennille's cover of his "Love Will Keep Us Together" was a chart-topper in 1975.</p><p>Short and dark-haired, with a big smile and high-pitched voice, he was a Juilliard-trained, Brooklyn-born son of a Jewish taxi driver who began performing as a teen and kept at it for decades.</p><p>Sedaka still played dozens of concerts a year well into his 80s. He retained the enthusiasm and broad vocal range of his youth and never tired of the standards he had sung hundreds of times.</p><p>"Past 70, Pavarotti told me the vocal cords are not what they used to be. I'm very fortunate that my voice has held," he told The Associated Press in 2012. "It's nice to be a legend, but it's better to be a working legend."</p><p>Sedaka's songs sold millions worldwide and have been covered by a range of performers, from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to The 5th Dimension and Nickelback. Sedaka helped propel the career of Connie Francis with "Stupid Cupid" and "Where the Boys Are," the latter for the soundtrack of the movie with the same name. The Captain&nbsp;&amp; Tennille received a best-album Grammy thanks largely to "Love Will Keep Us Together" and included a nod to Sedaka at the end of the song, when Toni Tennille exclaimed "Sedaka's back!"</p>

Neil Sedaka, singer-songwriter behind dozens of hits, has died

By JOSH FUNK <br>AP Transportation Writer

The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it’s misleading for members of the House to say their package of aviation safety reforms would address&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-plane-crash-army-helicopter-ntsb-cause-c2ebc159a163068b782dd4824097b00b">the recommendations</a>&nbsp;that her agency made in January to prevent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b">another midair collision</a>&nbsp;like the one last year near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the House bill’s “watered-down” requirements wouldn’t do enough to prevent a future tragedy, and wouldn’t be nearly as effective as a Senate bill that came up just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-dc-midair-collision-congress-reforms-ntsb-134f26d812dc9796fcf3033c42543cc2">one vote short</a>&nbsp;of passing in the House earlier this week. The full NTSB followed up Thursday afternoon with a formal letter to two key House committees, saying that they can't support the bill right now

“We can have disagreements over policy all day. But when something is sold as these are the NTSB recommendations and that is not factually accurate, we have a problem with that. Because now you’re using the NTSB and you’re using people who lost loved ones in terrible tragedies,” Homendy said. “You’re using their pain to move your agenda forward.”

The key concern of Homendy and the families of the people who died in the crash on Jan. 29, 2005, is that they believe all aircraft should be required to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/black-hawk-crash-night-faa-helicopter-286319ac01bee91e4992c95e7946063e">key locator systems</a>&nbsp;that the NTSB has been recommending since 2008, which would allow the pilots to know more precisely where the traffic around them is flying. The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out systems that broadcast an aircraft's location are already required around busy airports. It's the ADS-B In systems that can receive data about the locations of other aircraft that isn't yet standard.

The House bill would ask the Federal Aviation Administration to draft a rule to require the best locator technology instead of just requiring ADS-B In, and even when it does suggest that technology should be required, the bill exempts business jets and small planes in certain parts of the airspace. Homendy said the bill is also weak in other areas, such as limits on when the military will be able to turn those locator systems off and the steps they must take to ensure those systems are working.

The leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee declined to respond to Homendy's criticism Thursday, but Reps. Sam Graves and Rick Larsen have said they believe the ALERT bill they crafted effectively addresses the 50 recommendations that NTSB made at the conclusion of their investigation into the collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738328227489.png" alt="FILE-In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, wreckage is seen in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon, U.S. Coast Guard via AP)" />
                        <figcaption>FILE-In this image provided by the U.S. Coast Guard, wreckage is seen in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon, U.S. Coast Guard via AP)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By JOSH FUNK <br>AP Transportation Writer</p><p>The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it’s misleading for members of the House to say their package of aviation safety reforms would address&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-plane-crash-army-helicopter-ntsb-cause-c2ebc159a163068b782dd4824097b00b">the recommendations</a>&nbsp;that her agency made in January to prevent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ronald-reagan-national-airport-crash-62adba7fb1f546b4cf1716e42b86482b">another midair collision</a>&nbsp;like the one last year near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.</p><p>NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said the House bill’s “watered-down” requirements wouldn’t do enough to prevent a future tragedy, and wouldn’t be nearly as effective as a Senate bill that came up just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-dc-midair-collision-congress-reforms-ntsb-134f26d812dc9796fcf3033c42543cc2">one vote short</a>&nbsp;of passing in the House earlier this week. The full NTSB followed up Thursday afternoon with a formal letter to two key House committees, saying that they can't support the bill right now</p><p>“We can have disagreements over policy all day. But when something is sold as these are the NTSB recommendations and that is not factually accurate, we have a problem with that. Because now you’re using the NTSB and you’re using people who lost loved ones in terrible tragedies,” Homendy said. “You’re using their pain to move your agenda forward.”</p><p>The key concern of Homendy and the families of the people who died in the crash on Jan. 29, 2005, is that they believe all aircraft should be required to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/black-hawk-crash-night-faa-helicopter-286319ac01bee91e4992c95e7946063e">key locator systems</a>&nbsp;that the NTSB has been recommending since 2008, which would allow the pilots to know more precisely where the traffic around them is flying. The Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out systems that broadcast an aircraft's location are already required around busy airports. It's the ADS-B In systems that can receive data about the locations of other aircraft that isn't yet standard.</p><p>The House bill would ask the Federal Aviation Administration to draft a rule to require the best locator technology instead of just requiring ADS-B In, and even when it does suggest that technology should be required, the bill exempts business jets and small planes in certain parts of the airspace. Homendy said the bill is also weak in other areas, such as limits on when the military will be able to turn those locator systems off and the steps they must take to ensure those systems are working.</p><h2>House leaders defend their bill</h2><p>The leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee declined to respond to Homendy's criticism Thursday, but Reps. Sam Graves and Rick Larsen have said they believe the ALERT bill they crafted effectively addresses the 50 recommendations that NTSB made at the conclusion of their investigation into the collision between an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.</p><p>They defended their bill and pledged to work with the families, the Senate and the industry to develop the best solution as soon as possible. The committee will likely markup the bill within the next few weeks.</p><p>“From the beginning, we have stressed the importance of getting this right, and we are confident that we will achieve that goal,” Larsen and Graves said. House Speaker Mike Johnson also said he is committed to getting the bill done.</p><h2>Victims' families say they can't support the bill as written</h2><p>The NTSB released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Documents/NTSB%20Analysis%20of%20ALERT%20Act.pdf">side-by-side comparison</a>&nbsp;of its recommendations and the House bill to highlight all the ways the bill falls short of fully addressing the needed changes.</p><p>Doug Lane, who lost his wife and son in the crash, and many of the other victims' families said the House bill “is not really a serious attempt to address the NTSB recommendations.” He said the introduction of this bill just a few days before the vote on the ROTOR Act, which the Senate unanimously approved, seemed designed to “scuttle” that bill and send the ADS-B In recommendation into limbo to be considered in a lengthy rulemaking process.</p><p>Matt Collins, who lost his younger brother Chris in the disaster, said that the bill must require ADS-B In to be acceptable to the families.</p><p>“As far as the ALERT act — the way it’s written now, I can’t endorse the way its written now. It needs to include ADS-B In,” Collins said. “It’s non-negotiable for us as family members, extremely non-negotiable.”</p><h2>Missed warnings led to the crash</h2><p>The NTSB cited&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ntsb-dc-plane-crash-midair-collision-helicopter-a08cded88e1d7582fb8d242204d6aeff">systemic weaknesses</a>&nbsp;and years of ignored warnings as the main causes of the crash, but Homendy has said that if both the plane and the Black Hawk had been equipped with ADS-B In and the systems had been turned on, the collision would have been prevented. The Army's policy at the time of the crash mandated that its helicopters fly without that system on to conceal their locations, although the helicopter involved in this crash was on a training flight, not a sensitive mission.</p><p>But Homendy said the House seemed to pick and choose what they wanted to include from the NTSB recommendations.</p><p>“We were very explicit of what needed to occur,” Homendy said. “When we issue a recommendation, those recommendations are aimed at preventing a tragedy from happening again. And if you’re just going to give us half a loaf, it’s not going to do it. We’re not gonna save lives.”</p>