OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former Oklahoma Gov. David Boren, who became one of the nation's youngest governors in the 1970s at age 33 and later helped shape national intelligence as a U.S. senator, has died. He was 83.

Boren, who went on to serve as president of the University of Oklahoma after retiring from politics, died early Thursday at his home near Newcastle, said Bob Burke, a longtime family friend. He said Boren's death was the result of complications from diabetes.

The son of a Democratic congressman, Boren quickly followed in his father's footsteps into elected office and oversaw a dramatic downsizing of government in Oklahoma, where over decades in legislative corridors and university offices he became one of the state's most influential figures. His son, Dan Boren, also served four terms as an Oklahoma congressman.

In 2019, David Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-a6900eea27124e9ebe5bc23cd4ad1656">cut ties with the university</a>&nbsp;he had led for 24 years amid a probe into allegations that he had sexually harassed male subordinates. Boren denied wrongdoing and the allegations never resulted in charges or civil litigation.

“Today, I join Oklahomans in mourning the loss of former Governor David Boren, who dedicated his life to serving our state," said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who ordered flags on state property to be flown at half-staff until his funeral. “His love of Oklahoma was evident in everything he did.”

Boren served in the U.S. Senate between 1979 and 1994 and was the longest-serving chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He became president of Oklahoma's largest public university after leaving the Senate and held the position until stepping down in 2018.

“He saw public service as a noble calling and dedicated his life to it,” Dan Boren said in a statement. "The countless heartwarming stories I hear almost daily from people across this state who he helped are reminders of his remarkable life.”

A year after leaving the University of Oklahoma,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/628538cca4f74df5b755927956a3bd8e">a former student alleged he was touched</a>&nbsp;and kissed inappropriately by Boren on several occasions about a decade earlier, allegations that Boren repeatedly denied.

An investigation into Boren’s alleged misconduct&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-8a9ca5652f8d43788ff663e2f36d4e02">by the Jones Day law firm</a>, which ended when Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-49a8fca716714b628f20c009d1952980">severed ties to the university</a>&nbsp;in 2019, was never publicly released. The allegations against Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/18d6c8ab6a444af28274ede2a6d4a41d">tarnished his reputation</a>&nbsp;and led him to withdraw from public life.

Boren served four terms in the Oklahoma House before being elected governor at the age of 33 in 1974, which at the time made him the youngest governor in the country. He ran a reformist campaign that became known as the “Boren Broom Brigade” to demonstrate his pledge to “sweep out the old guard.”

While in the U.S. Senate, Boren forged close relationships with the leaders of the nation's intelligence community, including former CIA Director George Tenet, whom Boren tapped as the Intelligence Committee's chief of staff prior to Tenet's appointment as CIA director.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Boren was having breakfast with Tenet at a Washington hotel when Tenet, then CIA director, learned that an aircraft had flown into the World Trade Center tower in New York City. Boren later recalled that neither he nor Tenet was “totally shocked” by the terrorist attack because the two men had spoken frequently about the possibility of international terrorists launching an attack in the U.S.

In the Senate, Boren also helped build bipartisan support to oppose South Africa's oppressive racial apartheid regime ahead of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990. Shortly after his release, Mandela traveled to the U.S. and appeared as a guest on an ABC News town hall moderated by Ted Koppel. Boren was in the audience and Mandela led a standing ovation after Boren summed up the evils of apartheid and called for its end.

“He has said all the things that are required to be said in regards to the problems of South Africa,” Mandela said.

During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Boren also said he was heavily involved with helping influence U.S. policy in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua, during conflict in that country between the right-wing Contras and the leftist Sandinistas, working as an “informal emissary” for former President George H.W. Bush.

“The fact that I was in a different party — and the fact that we trusted each other -- was a big benefit,” Boren told The Oklahoman in 1994.

David Lyle Boren was born on April 21, 1941, in Washington, the son of U.S. Rep. Lyle Hagler Boren and the former Christine McKown. He was married twice, to the late Janna Little Robbins and then to Molly Shi Boren, a former judge, English teacher and president emeritus of the Oklahoma Arts Institute.

Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cc475d3a46ff4206b368770c9cffc7df">suffered from a minor stroke</a>&nbsp;at a statue dedication ceremony in April 2018 and was hospitalized for several days. Boren also underwent heart bypass surgery in March 2017.

Boren is survived by two children, including Dan Boren, the former Oklahoma congressman who is currently secretary of commerce for the Chickasaw Nation.

Retired Associated Press journalist Tim Talley was the principal writer of this obituary.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former Oklahoma Gov. David Boren, who became one of the nation's youngest governors in the 1970s at age 33 and later helped shape national intelligence as a U.S. senator, has died. He was 83.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">The University of Oklahoma is saddened to share the passing of David L. Boren, whose life’s work was rooted in his commitment to the people of Oklahoma and his belief in the power of education to change lives. <a href="https://t.co/dOWh6sb9jE">pic.twitter.com/dOWh6sb9jE</a>&mdash; University of Oklahoma (@UofOklahoma) <a href="https://twitter.com/UofOklahoma/status/1892577069827051826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Boren, who went on to serve as president of the University of Oklahoma after retiring from politics, died early Thursday at his home near Newcastle, said Bob Burke, a longtime family friend. He said Boren's death was the result of complications from diabetes.The son of a Democratic congressman, Boren quickly followed in his father's footsteps into elected office and oversaw a dramatic downsizing of government in Oklahoma, where over decades in legislative corridors and university offices he became one of the state's most influential figures. His son, Dan Boren, also served four terms as an Oklahoma congressman.In 2019, David Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-domestic-news-domestic-news-a6900eea27124e9ebe5bc23cd4ad1656">cut ties with the university</a>&nbsp;he had led for 24 years amid a probe into allegations that he had sexually harassed male subordinates. Boren denied wrongdoing and the allegations never resulted in charges or civil litigation.“Today, I join Oklahomans in mourning the loss of former Governor David Boren, who dedicated his life to serving our state," said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who ordered flags on state property to be flown at half-staff until his funeral. “His love of Oklahoma was evident in everything he did.”Boren served in the U.S. Senate between 1979 and 1994 and was the longest-serving chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He became president of Oklahoma's largest public university after leaving the Senate and held the position until stepping down in 2018.“He saw public service as a noble calling and dedicated his life to it,” Dan Boren said in a statement. "The countless heartwarming stories I hear almost daily from people across this state who he helped are reminders of his remarkable life.”A year after leaving the University of Oklahoma,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/628538cca4f74df5b755927956a3bd8e">a former student alleged he was touched</a>&nbsp;and kissed inappropriately by Boren on several occasions about a decade earlier, allegations that Boren repeatedly denied.An investigation into Boren’s alleged misconduct&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-8a9ca5652f8d43788ff663e2f36d4e02">by the Jones Day law firm</a>, which ended when Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-49a8fca716714b628f20c009d1952980">severed ties to the university</a>&nbsp;in 2019, was never publicly released. The allegations against Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/18d6c8ab6a444af28274ede2a6d4a41d">tarnished his reputation</a>&nbsp;and led him to withdraw from public life.Boren served four terms in the Oklahoma House before being elected governor at the age of 33 in 1974, which at the time made him the youngest governor in the country. He ran a reformist campaign that became known as the “Boren Broom Brigade” to demonstrate his pledge to “sweep out the old guard.”While in the U.S. Senate, Boren forged close relationships with the leaders of the nation's intelligence community, including former CIA Director George Tenet, whom Boren tapped as the Intelligence Committee's chief of staff prior to Tenet's appointment as CIA director.On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Boren was having breakfast with Tenet at a Washington hotel when Tenet, then CIA director, learned that an aircraft had flown into the World Trade Center tower in New York City. Boren later recalled that neither he nor Tenet was “totally shocked” by the terrorist attack because the two men had spoken frequently about the possibility of international terrorists launching an attack in the U.S.In the Senate, Boren also helped build bipartisan support to oppose South Africa's oppressive racial apartheid regime ahead of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in 1990. Shortly after his release, Mandela traveled to the U.S. and appeared as a guest on an ABC News town hall moderated by Ted Koppel. Boren was in the audience and Mandela led a standing ovation after Boren summed up the evils of apartheid and called for its end.“He has said all the things that are required to be said in regards to the problems of South Africa,” Mandela said.During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Boren also said he was heavily involved with helping influence U.S. policy in Central America, particularly in Nicaragua, during conflict in that country between the right-wing Contras and the leftist Sandinistas, working as an “informal emissary” for former President George H.W. Bush.“The fact that I was in a different party — and the fact that we trusted each other -- was a big benefit,” Boren told The Oklahoman in 1994.David Lyle Boren was born on April 21, 1941, in Washington, the son of U.S. Rep. Lyle Hagler Boren and the former Christine McKown. He was married twice, to the late Janna Little Robbins and then to Molly Shi Boren, a former judge, English teacher and president emeritus of the Oklahoma Arts Institute.Boren&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cc475d3a46ff4206b368770c9cffc7df">suffered from a minor stroke</a>&nbsp;at a statue dedication ceremony in April 2018 and was hospitalized for several days. Boren also underwent heart bypass surgery in March 2017.Boren is survived by two children, including Dan Boren, the former Oklahoma congressman who is currently secretary of commerce for the Chickasaw Nation.___Retired Associated Press journalist Tim Talley was the principal writer of this obituary.

David Boren, former Oklahoma governor, US senator and university president has died

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">Sen. Mitch McConnell</a>&nbsp;announced on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump.

McConnell, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-united-states-senate-new-york-city-mitch-mcconnell-41f4326218e7c2d8439ca02d09c6683b">longest-serving Senate party leader</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history, chose his 83rd birthday to share his decision not to run for another term in Kentucky and to retire when his current term ends. He informed The Associated Press of his decision before he addressed colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor.

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said, as aides lined the back chamber and several senators listened from seats. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”

His announcement begins the epilogue of a storied career as a master strategist, one in which he helped forge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-presidential-election-trump-harris-ed91f084599d0f25b00f44bb71620528">a conservative Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;and steered the Senate through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2d9e099660064f2b8a8fc2237b4e7e4e">tax cuts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-trial-0d0916330d20cc139c64f73af5ef4647">presidential impeachment trials</a>&nbsp;and fierce political fights.

McConnell, first elected in 1984, intends to serve the remainder of his term ending in January 2027. The Kentuckian has dealt with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-senate-fall-republican-8d58004d3f14c1995d83c11319d77d72">a series of medical episodes</a>&nbsp;in recent years, including injuries sustained from falls and times when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-gop-leader-mcconnell-health-freeze-up-c5b43745251daa0bb63636ceff4edce2">his face briefly froze</a>&nbsp;while he was speaking.

The senator delivered his speech in a chamber the famously taciturn McConnell revered as a young intern long before joining its back benches as a freshman lawmaker in the mid-1980s. His dramatic announcement comes almost a year after his decision to relinquish&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366">his leadership post</a>&nbsp;after the November 2024 election.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-leader-thune-cornyn-scott-mcconnell-trump-c3c1c451a420729136ae641a14d9d5d6">South Dakota Sen. John Thune</a>, a top McConnell deputy, replaced him as majority leader.

McConnell's looming departure reflects the changing dynamics of the Trump-led GOP. He's seen his power diminish on a parallel track with both his health and his relationship with Trump, who once praised him as an ally but has taken to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-slams-mcconnell-for-rfk-jr-vote-calling-him-bitter-and-questioning-his-childhood-polio-bcf92bb6f7a54c71b81ba861d4180575">criticizing him in caustic terms</a>.

In Kentucky, McConnell's departure will mark the loss of a powerful advocate and will set off a competitive GOP primary next year for what will now be an open Senate seat. Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, seen as a rising star in his party for winning statewide office in Republican territory, has said he has no interest in the Senate, though he is widely viewed as a contender for higher office.

McConnell, a diehard adherent to Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and muscular foreign policy, increasingly found himself out of step with a GOP shifting toward the fiery, often isolationist populism espoused by Trump.

McConnell still champions providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid to fend off Russia’s invasion, even as Trump ratchets up criticism of the country and its leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kellogg-zelenskyy-437f4c8fa4531059007dd3ab00c23458">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>. The senator plans to make it clear Thursday that national defense remains at the forefront of his agenda.

“Thanks to Ronald Reagan’s determination, the work of strengthening American hard power was well underway when I arrived in the Senate,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. "But since then, we’ve allowed that power to atrophy. And today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it. So, lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term: I have some unfinished business to attend to."

McConnell and Trump were partners during Trump's first term, but the relationship was severed after McConnell blamed Trump for “disgraceful” acts in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack by his supporters</a>. A momentary thaw in 2024 when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-endorsement-donald-trump-super-tuesday-422a2ec6f19917b46804b4cf6ee40371">McConnell endorsed Trump</a>&nbsp;didn't last.

Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-mitch-mcconnell-polio-rfk-vaccines-06a03dd5ca2024317f01e1c4f5171678">Trump referred to McConnell</a>&nbsp;as a "very bitter guy” after McConnell, who battled polio as a child, opposed vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as the nation’s top health official. McConnell referred to Trump as a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist” in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-trump-biography-election-0a861001d95287e689336504abc2281f">a biography of the senator</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press' deputy Washington bureau chief, Michael Tackett.

Before their falling out, Trump and McConnell pushed through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6a409d3266be46dcaa2f1267fd947a12">a tax overhaul</a>&nbsp;largely focused on reductions for businesses and higher-earning taxpayers. They joined forces to reshape the Supreme Court when Trump nominated three justices and McConnell guided them to Senate confirmation, tilting the high court to the right.

McConnell set a new precedent for hardball partisan tactics in 2016 by refusing to even give a hearing to Democratic President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-6fe101b4bef54f989d939bccc81873fc">Barack Obama’s pick of Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Putting the brakes on the Senate's “advise and consent” role for judicial nominees, McConnell said the vacancy should be filled by the next president so voters could have their say.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f5a557876d5546cca4ebd53b4860e2ed">Trump filled the vacancy</a>&nbsp;once he took office, and McConnell later called the stonewalling of Garland's nomination his “most consequential” achievement.

Later, when liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died weeks before the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden, McConnell&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">rushed Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation</a>&nbsp;through the Senate, waving off allegations of hypocrisy.

McConnell also guided the Senate — and Trump — through two impeachment trials that ended in acquittals.

In the second impeachment, weeks after the deadly Capitol attack by a mob hoping to overturn Trump’s 2020 reelection defeat, McConnell joined all but seven Republicans in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">voting to acquit</a>. McConnell said he believed Trump couldn’t be convicted because he’d already left office, but the senator also condemned Trump as “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection.

McConnell over the years swung back and forth from majority to minority leader, depending on which party held power. He defended President George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq war and failed to block Obama’s health care overhaul.

McConnell, the longest-serving senator ever from Kentucky, ensured that the Bluegrass State received plenty of federal funding. Back home he was a key architect in his party's rise to power in a state long dominated by Democrats.

He is married to Elaine Chao, and they have long been a power couple in Washington. In his prepared remarks Thursday, the senator referred to her as his “ultimate teammate and confidante.” Chao was labor secretary for Bush and transportation secretary during Trump's first term, though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-security-michael-pence-01e30bccef96ccd73fe642f8f96f8519">she resigned</a>&nbsp;after the Capitol insurrection, saying it had “deeply troubled” her.

McConnell's parting words reflected his devotion to the Senate and his disdain for his detractors.

“The Senate is still equipped for work of great consequence," he said. "And, to the disappointment of my critics, I’m still here on the job.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740070424167.png" alt="Mitch McConnell spoke about his decision on the Senate Floor Thursday morning just moments after voting to advance the nomination of Kash Patel to be Director of the FBI-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Mitch McConnell spoke about his decision on the Senate Floor Thursday morning just moments after voting to advance the nomination of Kash Patel to be Director of the FBI-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mitch-mcconnell">Sen. Mitch McConnell</a>&nbsp;announced on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Sen. Mitch McConnell (<a href="https://twitter.com/SenMcConnell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenMcConnell</a>): &quot;Seven times my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate...Representing our Commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/b33cR7I36e">pic.twitter.com/b33cR7I36e</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1892621015370399750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McConnell, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-united-states-senate-new-york-city-mitch-mcconnell-41f4326218e7c2d8439ca02d09c6683b">longest-serving Senate party leader</a>&nbsp;in U.S. history, chose his 83rd birthday to share his decision not to run for another term in Kentucky and to retire when his current term ends. He informed The Associated Press of his decision before he addressed colleagues in a speech on the Senate floor.“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said, as aides lined the back chamber and several senators listened from seats. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”His announcement begins the epilogue of a storied career as a master strategist, one in which he helped forge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-presidential-election-trump-harris-ed91f084599d0f25b00f44bb71620528">a conservative Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;and steered the Senate through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2d9e099660064f2b8a8fc2237b4e7e4e">tax cuts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-trial-0d0916330d20cc139c64f73af5ef4647">presidential impeachment trials</a>&nbsp;and fierce political fights.McConnell, first elected in 1984, intends to serve the remainder of his term ending in January 2027. The Kentuckian has dealt with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-senate-fall-republican-8d58004d3f14c1995d83c11319d77d72">a series of medical episodes</a>&nbsp;in recent years, including injuries sustained from falls and times when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-gop-leader-mcconnell-health-freeze-up-c5b43745251daa0bb63636ceff4edce2">his face briefly froze</a>&nbsp;while he was speaking.The senator delivered his speech in a chamber the famously taciturn McConnell revered as a young intern long before joining its back benches as a freshman lawmaker in the mid-1980s. His dramatic announcement comes almost a year after his decision to relinquish&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366">his leadership post</a>&nbsp;after the November 2024 election.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-leader-thune-cornyn-scott-mcconnell-trump-c3c1c451a420729136ae641a14d9d5d6">South Dakota Sen. John Thune</a>, a top McConnell deputy, replaced him as majority leader.McConnell's looming departure reflects the changing dynamics of the Trump-led GOP. He's seen his power diminish on a parallel track with both his health and his relationship with Trump, who once praised him as an ally but has taken to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-slams-mcconnell-for-rfk-jr-vote-calling-him-bitter-and-questioning-his-childhood-polio-bcf92bb6f7a54c71b81ba861d4180575">criticizing him in caustic terms</a>.In Kentucky, McConnell's departure will mark the loss of a powerful advocate and will set off a competitive GOP primary next year for what will now be an open Senate seat. Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, seen as a rising star in his party for winning statewide office in Republican territory, has said he has no interest in the Senate, though he is widely viewed as a contender for higher office.McConnell, a diehard adherent to Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and muscular foreign policy, increasingly found himself out of step with a GOP shifting toward the fiery, often isolationist populism espoused by Trump.McConnell still champions providing Ukraine with weapons and other aid to fend off Russia’s invasion, even as Trump ratchets up criticism of the country and its leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kellogg-zelenskyy-437f4c8fa4531059007dd3ab00c23458">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>. The senator plans to make it clear Thursday that national defense remains at the forefront of his agenda.“Thanks to Ronald Reagan’s determination, the work of strengthening American hard power was well underway when I arrived in the Senate,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. "But since then, we’ve allowed that power to atrophy. And today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it. So, lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term: I have some unfinished business to attend to."McConnell and Trump were partners during Trump's first term, but the relationship was severed after McConnell blamed Trump for “disgraceful” acts in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack by his supporters</a>. A momentary thaw in 2024 when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-endorsement-donald-trump-super-tuesday-422a2ec6f19917b46804b4cf6ee40371">McConnell endorsed Trump</a>&nbsp;didn't last.Last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-mitch-mcconnell-polio-rfk-vaccines-06a03dd5ca2024317f01e1c4f5171678">Trump referred to McConnell</a>&nbsp;as a "very bitter guy” after McConnell, who battled polio as a child, opposed vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as the nation’s top health official. McConnell referred to Trump as a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist” in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-trump-biography-election-0a861001d95287e689336504abc2281f">a biography of the senator</a>&nbsp;by The Associated Press' deputy Washington bureau chief, Michael Tackett.Before their falling out, Trump and McConnell pushed through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6a409d3266be46dcaa2f1267fd947a12">a tax overhaul</a>&nbsp;largely focused on reductions for businesses and higher-earning taxpayers. They joined forces to reshape the Supreme Court when Trump nominated three justices and McConnell guided them to Senate confirmation, tilting the high court to the right.McConnell set a new precedent for hardball partisan tactics in 2016 by refusing to even give a hearing to Democratic President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-6fe101b4bef54f989d939bccc81873fc">Barack Obama’s pick of Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Putting the brakes on the Senate's “advise and consent” role for judicial nominees, McConnell said the vacancy should be filled by the next president so voters could have their say.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f5a557876d5546cca4ebd53b4860e2ed">Trump filled the vacancy</a>&nbsp;once he took office, and McConnell later called the stonewalling of Garland's nomination his “most consequential” achievement.Later, when liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died weeks before the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden, McConnell&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">rushed Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation</a>&nbsp;through the Senate, waving off allegations of hypocrisy.McConnell also guided the Senate — and Trump — through two impeachment trials that ended in acquittals.In the second impeachment, weeks after the deadly Capitol attack by a mob hoping to overturn Trump’s 2020 reelection defeat, McConnell joined all but seven Republicans in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">voting to acquit</a>. McConnell said he believed Trump couldn’t be convicted because he’d already left office, but the senator also condemned Trump as “practically and morally responsible” for the insurrection.McConnell over the years swung back and forth from majority to minority leader, depending on which party held power. He defended President George W. Bush’s handling of the Iraq war and failed to block Obama’s health care overhaul.McConnell, the longest-serving senator ever from Kentucky, ensured that the Bluegrass State received plenty of federal funding. Back home he was a key architect in his party's rise to power in a state long dominated by Democrats.He is married to Elaine Chao, and they have long been a power couple in Washington. In his prepared remarks Thursday, the senator referred to her as his “ultimate teammate and confidante.” Chao was labor secretary for Bush and transportation secretary during Trump's first term, though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/national-security-michael-pence-01e30bccef96ccd73fe642f8f96f8519">she resigned</a>&nbsp;after the Capitol insurrection, saying it had “deeply troubled” her.McConnell's parting words reflected his devotion to the Senate and his disdain for his detractors.“The Senate is still equipped for work of great consequence," he said. "And, to the disappointment of my critics, I’m still here on the job.”___Schreiner reported from Louisville, Ky.

🎥Mitch McConnell, longest-serving Senate leader, won't seek reelection

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of federal government employees have been shown the door in the first month of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s administration</a>&nbsp;as the White House and its Department of Government Efficiency fire both new and career workers, tell agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions in force” and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds.

It is affecting more than just the national capital region, home to about 20% of the 2.4 million members of the civilian federal workforce, which does not include military personnel and postal workers. More than 80% of that workforce lives outside the Washington area.

There is no official figure available of the total firings or layoffs. The Associated Press tallied how agencies are being affected based on AP reporting and statements from lawmakers and employee unions.

Here is a look at some of the broad and specific ways federal agencies and employees are being affected by the administration’s reductions, as of Wednesday:

‘Deferred resignation’ proposal for federal workers

The White House offered a “deferred resignation” proposal in exchange for financial incentives, like months of paid leave,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-buyouts-to-all-federal-employees-f67f5751a0fd5ad8471806a5a1067b5e">to almost all federal employees</a>&nbsp;who opted to leave their jobs by Feb. 6.

But just before that deadline, a federal judge blocked Trump’s plan, wanting to hear arguments from the administration and the labor unions, which said the offer was illegal.

According to the Office of Personnel Management, about 75,000 federal employees had accepted the offer as of Feb. 12.

There have also been wide-ranging layoffs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-layoffs-doge-406752da1614755b8fabe9c94e0c71a8">probationary employees</a>&nbsp;— those generally on the job for less than a year and who have yet to gain civil service protection. Potentially hundreds of thousands are affected.

On Feb. 13, the administration ordered agencies to lay off nearly all such workers. According to government data maintained by OPM, 220,000 federal employees had less than a year on the job as of March 2024.

On Feb. 13, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the dismissal of more than 1,000 employees who had served for less than two years. According to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., that included researchers working on cancer treatment, opioid addiction, prosthetics and burn pit exposure.

At least 39 people have been fired from the Education Department, including special education specialists and student aid officials, according to a union that represents agency workers.

There have also been nearly $900 million in cuts to the department’s Institute of Education Services, which tracks the progress of America’s students. It is unclear to what degree the institute would continue to exist. Industry experts said at least 169 contracts were terminated Feb. 10.

Hundreds of federal employees tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs were laid off Feb. 13, but that move was largely rescinded hours later, according to a memo obtained by the AP. Three U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation said as many as 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were ousted, with some losing access to email before they had learned they were fired.

The jobs of more than 5,000 probationary employees are on the line at the Department of Health and Human Services.

On Feb. 14, officials with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-job-cuts-health-cdc-0d002fd6f528a7b91ced79628bf68196">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;were told they were losing nearly 1,300 probationary employees — about one-tenth of the agency’s workforce — but the final number&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-lab-layoffs-b9e13d62d0da00611f84b7762be0c7b9">was closer to 700</a>, according to two CDC officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the cuts.

Probationary employees were also fired at public health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but HHS has not released a final number.

The probationary cuts included more than 130 employees at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which oversees the nation’s critical infrastructure, including the federal efforts to secure election systems. It is not clear whether those included 17 employees who had worked on election security and had already been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-security-cisa-kristi-noem-cybersecurity-5bac8ce416c46b4fbe44c94ae5874b39">placed on leave</a>.

Four employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency — its chief financial officer, two program analysts and a grant specialist —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fema-migrant-hotels-new-york-musk-immigration-3d250d9f64b40858c0f0eda9989bea6d">were fired</a>&nbsp;Feb. 11 over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fema-migrant-funding-new-york-hotels-immigration-elon-musk-doge-268ca7eda43011a501dfad0fa88a4775">payments to reimburse</a>&nbsp;New York City for hotel costs for migrants.

The IRS will lay off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-treasury-layoffs-doge-tax-season-2be8db11fdd510b7ce6ac0db56f9a503">thousands of probationary workers</a>&nbsp;in the middle of tax season, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It is unclear how many IRS workers will be affected or when the cuts will happen.

The administration has fired&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-park-firings-doge-grand-teton-baedee0a748a6374eafb6f95aac5dadc">about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees</a>&nbsp;who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions.

The firings were not publicly announced but were confirmed by Democratic senators and House members. Adding to the confusion, the park service now says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs that were initially rescinded last month.

Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve more than 325 million annual visitors who descend on the nation’s 428 parks, historic sites and other attractions.

The administration has ordered the agency — created after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-chopra-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-3bd86eb9b0ad7d829cb812af900fab9f">to stop nearly all its work</a>, effectively shutting it down.

The new agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, said on Feb. 14 that her agency had invited Elon Musk’s DOGE team with “open arms” and that layoffs “will be forthcoming.”

A spokesman for the department, which oversees the Forest Service, said Rollins supports Trump’s directive to eliminate inefficiencies by firing about 2,000 “probationary, non-firefighting employees.”

Rollins is committed to “preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted,” the spokesman said in a statement, which did not address the fired workers who were responsible for thinning trees, removing combustible debris from forests and other projects that aim to lower a wildfire’s intensity.

On Feb. 19, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usda-firings-doge-bird-flu-trump-fdd6495cbe44c96d471ae8c6cf4dd0a8">scrambled to rehire</a>&nbsp;several workers who were involved in the government’s response to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bird-flu">ongoing bird flu outbreak</a>&nbsp;that has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years, but who were among the thousands of federal employees eliminated on Musk’s recommendations.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many workers the department might be trying to rehire and whether any of them worked at the main USDA lab in Ames, Iowa.

Trump swiftly ordered a halt to much of the aid that the United States sends abroad. Several weeks later, the pause is on pause.

In his first week in office, Trump issued an executive order directing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-department-trump-foreign-aid-bf047e17ef64cb42a1a1b7fdf05caffa">90-day hold on most of the foreign assistance</a>&nbsp;disbursed through the State Department.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued several specific exemptions, including emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance. But thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide stopped work or prepared to do so.

Without the money to pay staff, aid organizations including the U.S. Agency for International Development began laying off hundreds of employees. Crews removed the agency’s signage from its Washington headquarters.

But on Feb. 13, a federal judge considering some of the lawsuits challenging agency cuts ordered the administration to temporarily lift the funding freeze.

The White House said last month it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-f9948b9996c0ca971f0065fac85737ce">pausing federal grants and loans</a>&nbsp;as the Republican administration began an across-the-board ideological review.

The freeze could affect trillions of dollars and cause widespread disruption in health care research, education programs and other initiatives. Even grants that have been awarded but not spent are supposed to be halted.

“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” said a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Democrats and independent organizations said the move was illegal because Congress had already authorized the funding.

Each of the federal government’s largest agencies has its own independent inspector general who is supposed to conduct objective audits, prevent fraud and promote efficiency.

Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inspectors-general-fired-congress-unlawful-4e8bc57e132c3f9a7f1c2a3754359993">fired at least 17 of them</a>, including watchdogs he appointed in his first term. At least one Democratic appointee, Michael Horowitz at the Justice Department, was spared.

Trump told reporters that “it’s a very common thing to do” and that he would “put good people in there that will be very good.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the firings were a “chilling purge.” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a top Trump ally, acknowledged that the firings may have violated the law, but he added, “Just tell them you need to follow the law next time.”

It’s normal for politically appointed U.S. attorneys to be replaced, but it is not standard procedure for career prosecutors to be ousted with a change in administrations.

The Justice Department said last month that it had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-special-counsel-trump-046ce32dbad712e72e500c32ecc20f2f">fired more than a dozen employees</a>&nbsp;who worked on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-court-classified-documents-2020-election-302f87960dbd84d7be5daedaf03328d8">criminal prosecutions of Trump</a>&nbsp;by special counsel Jack Smith’s team.

By tradition, career employees remain with the department across presidential administrations regardless of their involvement in sensitive investigations.

Multiple senior career officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-justice-department-360fe0c616e11f72bca68ab69f5eed6c">were also reassigned</a>.

A large number of senior career diplomats who served in politically appointed leadership positions — as well as in lower-level posts at the State Department —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-state-department-rubio-d6c2cb864852c32b144101eb38150d29">left their jobs</a>&nbsp;at the demand of the new administration.

It was not immediately clear how many nonpolitical appointees were being asked to leave.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739312666177.png" alt="File photo Elon Musk answers questions about DOGE during an Oval Office Press Conference last week" />
 <figcaption>File photo Elon Musk answers questions about DOGE during an Oval Office Press Conference last week</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of federal government employees have been shown the door in the first month of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s administration</a>&nbsp;as the White House and its Department of Government Efficiency fire both new and career workers, tell agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions in force” and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds.It is affecting more than just the national capital region, home to about 20% of the 2.4 million members of the civilian federal workforce, which does not include military personnel and postal workers. More than 80% of that workforce lives outside the Washington area.There is no official figure available of the total firings or layoffs. The Associated Press tallied how agencies are being affected based on AP reporting and statements from lawmakers and employee unions.Here is a look at some of the broad and specific ways federal agencies and employees are being affected by the administration’s reductions, as of Wednesday:<h2>‘Deferred resignation’ proposal for federal workers</h2>The White House offered a “deferred resignation” proposal in exchange for financial incentives, like months of paid leave,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-buyouts-to-all-federal-employees-f67f5751a0fd5ad8471806a5a1067b5e">to almost all federal employees</a>&nbsp;who opted to leave their jobs by Feb. 6.But just before that deadline, a federal judge blocked Trump’s plan, wanting to hear arguments from the administration and the labor unions, which said the offer was illegal.According to the Office of Personnel Management, about 75,000 federal employees had accepted the offer as of Feb. 12.<h2>Probationary employee layoffs</h2>There have also been wide-ranging layoffs of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-layoffs-doge-406752da1614755b8fabe9c94e0c71a8">probationary employees</a>&nbsp;— those generally on the job for less than a year and who have yet to gain civil service protection. Potentially hundreds of thousands are affected.On Feb. 13, the administration ordered agencies to lay off nearly all such workers. According to government data maintained by OPM, 220,000 federal employees had less than a year on the job as of March 2024.<h2>Department of Veterans Affairs</h2>On Feb. 13, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced the dismissal of more than 1,000 employees who had served for less than two years. According to Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., that included researchers working on cancer treatment, opioid addiction, prosthetics and burn pit exposure.<h2>Education Department</h2>At least 39 people have been fired from the Education Department, including special education specialists and student aid officials, according to a union that represents agency workers.There have also been nearly $900 million in cuts to the department’s Institute of Education Services, which tracks the progress of America’s students. It is unclear to what degree the institute would continue to exist. Industry experts said at least 169 contracts were terminated Feb. 10.<h2>Energy Department</h2>Hundreds of federal employees tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs were laid off Feb. 13, but that move was largely rescinded hours later, according to a memo obtained by the AP. Three U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation said as many as 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were ousted, with some losing access to email before they had learned they were fired.<h2>Department of Health and Human Services</h2>The jobs of more than 5,000 probationary employees are on the line at the Department of Health and Human Services.On Feb. 14, officials with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-job-cuts-health-cdc-0d002fd6f528a7b91ced79628bf68196">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>&nbsp;were told they were losing nearly 1,300 probationary employees — about one-tenth of the agency’s workforce — but the final number&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-lab-layoffs-b9e13d62d0da00611f84b7762be0c7b9">was closer to 700</a>, according to two CDC officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the cuts.Probationary employees were also fired at public health agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but HHS has not released a final number.<h2>Department of Homeland Security</h2>The probationary cuts included more than 130 employees at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which oversees the nation’s critical infrastructure, including the federal efforts to secure election systems. It is not clear whether those included 17 employees who had worked on election security and had already been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-security-cisa-kristi-noem-cybersecurity-5bac8ce416c46b4fbe44c94ae5874b39">placed on leave</a>.Four employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency — its chief financial officer, two program analysts and a grant specialist —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fema-migrant-hotels-new-york-musk-immigration-3d250d9f64b40858c0f0eda9989bea6d">were fired</a>&nbsp;Feb. 11 over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fema-migrant-funding-new-york-hotels-immigration-elon-musk-doge-268ca7eda43011a501dfad0fa88a4775">payments to reimburse</a>&nbsp;New York City for hotel costs for migrants.<h2>Internal Revenue Service</h2>The IRS will lay off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-treasury-layoffs-doge-tax-season-2be8db11fdd510b7ce6ac0db56f9a503">thousands of probationary workers</a>&nbsp;in the middle of tax season, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.It is unclear how many IRS workers will be affected or when the cuts will happen.<h2>National Park Service</h2>The administration has fired&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-national-park-firings-doge-grand-teton-baedee0a748a6374eafb6f95aac5dadc">about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees</a>&nbsp;who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions.The firings were not publicly announced but were confirmed by Democratic senators and House members. Adding to the confusion, the park service now says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs that were initially rescinded last month.Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve more than 325 million annual visitors who descend on the nation’s 428 parks, historic sites and other attractions.<h2>Consumer Financial Protection Bureau</h2>The administration has ordered the agency — created after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-chopra-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-3bd86eb9b0ad7d829cb812af900fab9f">to stop nearly all its work</a>, effectively shutting it down.<h2>Agriculture Department</h2>The new agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, said on Feb. 14 that her agency had invited Elon Musk’s DOGE team with “open arms” and that layoffs “will be forthcoming.”A spokesman for the department, which oversees the Forest Service, said Rollins supports Trump’s directive to eliminate inefficiencies by firing about 2,000 “probationary, non-firefighting employees.”Rollins is committed to “preserving essential safety positions and will ensure that critical services remain uninterrupted,” the spokesman said in a statement, which did not address the fired workers who were responsible for thinning trees, removing combustible debris from forests and other projects that aim to lower a wildfire’s intensity.On Feb. 19, the department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/usda-firings-doge-bird-flu-trump-fdd6495cbe44c96d471ae8c6cf4dd0a8">scrambled to rehire</a>&nbsp;several workers who were involved in the government’s response to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/bird-flu">ongoing bird flu outbreak</a>&nbsp;that has devastated egg and poultry farms over the past three years, but who were among the thousands of federal employees eliminated on Musk’s recommendations.It wasn’t immediately clear how many workers the department might be trying to rehire and whether any of them worked at the main USDA lab in Ames, Iowa.<h2>Foreign aid and development</h2>Trump swiftly ordered a halt to much of the aid that the United States sends abroad. Several weeks later, the pause is on pause.In his first week in office, Trump issued an executive order directing a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-department-trump-foreign-aid-bf047e17ef64cb42a1a1b7fdf05caffa">90-day hold on most of the foreign assistance</a>&nbsp;disbursed through the State Department.Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued several specific exemptions, including emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt from the freeze on foreign assistance. But thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide stopped work or prepared to do so.Without the money to pay staff, aid organizations including the U.S. Agency for International Development began laying off hundreds of employees. Crews removed the agency’s signage from its Washington headquarters.But on Feb. 13, a federal judge considering some of the lawsuits challenging agency cuts ordered the administration to temporarily lift the funding freeze.<h2>Federal grants and loans</h2>The White House said last month it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-f9948b9996c0ca971f0065fac85737ce">pausing federal grants and loans</a>&nbsp;as the Republican administration began an across-the-board ideological review.The freeze could affect trillions of dollars and cause widespread disruption in health care research, education programs and other initiatives. Even grants that have been awarded but not spent are supposed to be halted.“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” said a memo from Matthew Vaeth, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget.Democrats and independent organizations said the move was illegal because Congress had already authorized the funding.<h2>Inspectors general</h2>Each of the federal government’s largest agencies has its own independent inspector general who is supposed to conduct objective audits, prevent fraud and promote efficiency.Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inspectors-general-fired-congress-unlawful-4e8bc57e132c3f9a7f1c2a3754359993">fired at least 17 of them</a>, including watchdogs he appointed in his first term. At least one Democratic appointee, Michael Horowitz at the Justice Department, was spared.Trump told reporters that “it’s a very common thing to do” and that he would “put good people in there that will be very good.”Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the firings were a “chilling purge.” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a top Trump ally, acknowledged that the firings may have violated the law, but he added, “Just tell them you need to follow the law next time.”<h2>Department of Justice</h2>It’s normal for politically appointed U.S. attorneys to be replaced, but it is not standard procedure for career prosecutors to be ousted with a change in administrations.The Justice Department said last month that it had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-special-counsel-trump-046ce32dbad712e72e500c32ecc20f2f">fired more than a dozen employees</a>&nbsp;who worked on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-court-classified-documents-2020-election-302f87960dbd84d7be5daedaf03328d8">criminal prosecutions of Trump</a>&nbsp;by special counsel Jack Smith’s team.By tradition, career employees remain with the department across presidential administrations regardless of their involvement in sensitive investigations.Multiple senior career officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-justice-department-360fe0c616e11f72bca68ab69f5eed6c">were also reassigned</a>.<h2>State Department</h2>A large number of senior career diplomats who served in politically appointed leadership positions — as well as in lower-level posts at the State Department —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-state-department-rubio-d6c2cb864852c32b144101eb38150d29">left their jobs</a>&nbsp;at the demand of the new administration.It was not immediately clear how many nonpolitical appointees were being asked to leave.

A comprehensive look at DOGE’s firings and layoffs so far

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed wealthy financier Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary Tuesday, putting in place a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump's hardline trade polices.

The Senate vote to confirm Lutnick was 51-45. Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran did not vote.  Republicans Gary Peters and Dan Sullivan also did not vote. Democrat Senator Cory Booker also missed the vote. Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall voted with the majority.

At the Commerce Department, Lutnick, who was CEO at the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, will oversee 50,000 employees who do everything from collecting economic statistics to running the census to issuing weather reports. But he's likely to spend a lot of time — along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-trade-greer-lutnick-c8fa358407ab066bb4d8f32692ad4d84">Jamieson Greer, Trump's nominee</a>&nbsp;to be the top U.S. trade negotiator — managing the president's aggressive plans to impose import taxes on U.S. trading partners, including allies and adversaries alike.

Trump views the tariffs as a versatile economic tool. They can raise money to finance his tax cuts elsewhere, protect U.S. industries and pressure other countries into making concessions on such issues as their own trade barriers, immigration and drug trafficking. Mainstream economists mostly view tariffs as counterproductive: They are paid by import companies in the United States, which try to pass along the higher costs to consumers and can thereby add to inflationary pressures throughout the economy.

At his confirmation hearing last month, Lutnick dismissed as “nonsense'' the idea that tariffs contribute to inflation. He expressed support for deploying across-the-board tariffs ”country by country'' to strong-arm other countries into lowering barriers to American exports.

Trump last week announced plans for "reciprocal'' tariffs — raising U.S. import tax rates to match the higher taxes that other countries impose on goods from the U.S. The move would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-reciprocal-tariff-trade-deficit-4329a37b5a41ac944dcc74093410a126">shatter the rules that have governed world trade</a>&nbsp;for decades. Since the 1960s, tariff rates have mostly emerged from negotiations between dozens of countries. Trump is commandeering the process.

The president has also imposed 10% tariffs on Chinese imports and effectively raised U.S. taxes on foreign steel and aluminum. He has threatened — and delayed until March 4 — 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

Lutnick was CEO at Cantor Fitzgerald when its offices were hit in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. The firm lost two-thirds of its employees — 658 people — that day, including Lutnick’s brother. Howard Lutnick led the firm's recovery and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial &amp; Museum.

Lutnick has promised to sell off his business holdings. They're complicated. His&nbsp;<a href="https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/AC841CF0E3B5807A85258C1C00320D21/$FILE/Lutnick%2C%20Howard%20%20final278.pdf">financial disclosure statement</a>&nbsp;showed that he had positions in more than 800 businesses and other private organizations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739925505432.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran met with Lutnick in late December" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran met with Lutnick in late December</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed wealthy financier Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary Tuesday, putting in place a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump's hardline trade polices.The Senate vote to confirm Lutnick was 51-45. Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran did not vote. Republicans Gary Peters and Dan Sullivan also did not vote. Democrat Senator Cory Booker also missed the vote. Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall voted with the majority.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">CONFIRMED 🇺🇸 Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/howardlutnick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@howardlutnick</a> on his confirmation as Secretary of Commerce! He brings decades of experience to the agency and will work with President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> to rebuild America’s economy.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1892196042247922136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>At the Commerce Department, Lutnick, who was CEO at the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, will oversee 50,000 employees who do everything from collecting economic statistics to running the census to issuing weather reports. But he's likely to spend a lot of time — along with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-trade-greer-lutnick-c8fa358407ab066bb4d8f32692ad4d84">Jamieson Greer, Trump's nominee</a>&nbsp;to be the top U.S. trade negotiator — managing the president's aggressive plans to impose import taxes on U.S. trading partners, including allies and adversaries alike.Trump views the tariffs as a versatile economic tool. They can raise money to finance his tax cuts elsewhere, protect U.S. industries and pressure other countries into making concessions on such issues as their own trade barriers, immigration and drug trafficking. Mainstream economists mostly view tariffs as counterproductive: They are paid by import companies in the United States, which try to pass along the higher costs to consumers and can thereby add to inflationary pressures throughout the economy.At his confirmation hearing last month, Lutnick dismissed as “nonsense'' the idea that tariffs contribute to inflation. He expressed support for deploying across-the-board tariffs ”country by country'' to strong-arm other countries into lowering barriers to American exports.Trump last week announced plans for "reciprocal'' tariffs — raising U.S. import tax rates to match the higher taxes that other countries impose on goods from the U.S. The move would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-reciprocal-tariff-trade-deficit-4329a37b5a41ac944dcc74093410a126">shatter the rules that have governed world trade</a>&nbsp;for decades. Since the 1960s, tariff rates have mostly emerged from negotiations between dozens of countries. Trump is commandeering the process.The president has also imposed 10% tariffs on Chinese imports and effectively raised U.S. taxes on foreign steel and aluminum. He has threatened — and delayed until March 4 — 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.Lutnick was CEO at Cantor Fitzgerald when its offices were hit in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. The firm lost two-thirds of its employees — 658 people — that day, including Lutnick’s brother. Howard Lutnick led the firm's recovery and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National September 11 Memorial &amp; Museum.Lutnick has promised to sell off his business holdings. They're complicated. His&nbsp;<a href="https://extapps2.oge.gov/201/Presiden.nsf/PAS+Index/AC841CF0E3B5807A85258C1C00320D21/$FILE/Lutnick%2C%20Howard%20%20final278.pdf">financial disclosure statement</a>&nbsp;showed that he had positions in more than 800 businesses and other private organizations.

Moran missed vote as Senate confirms Lutnick for Commerce Secretary

SUMTERVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Native American activist Leonard Peltier was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-biden-pardons-eba525b713f2ec739b84aa4426366775">released from a Florida prison</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday, weeks after then-President Joe Biden angered law enforcement officials by commuting his life sentence in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.

For nearly half a century, Peltier’s imprisonment has symbolized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/leonard-peltier">systemic injustice</a>&nbsp;for Native Americans across the country who believe in his innocence. The decision to release the 80-year-old to home confinement was celebrated by supporters.

“He represents every person who’s been roughed up by a cop, profiled, had their children harassed at school,” said Nick Estes, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe who advocated for Peltier’s release.

But the move just before Biden left office also prompted criticism from those who say Peltier is guilty, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-wray-fbi-farewell-trump-patel-partisanship-afe159a6e112e68dd5319ceac905d517">former FBI Director Christopher Wray</a>, who called him “a remorseless killer” in a private letter to Biden obtained by The Associated Press.

“Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law,” Wray wrote.

The commutation was not a pardon for crimes committed, something Peltier’s advocates have hoped for since he has always maintained his innocence.

Peltier left the prison Tuesday morning in an SUV, according to a prison official. He didn't stop to speak with reporters or his supporters outside the gates.

One of his attorneys, Jenipher Jones, said Peltier was looking forward to going home.

“We’re so excited for this moment,” Jones said. “He is in good spirits. He has the soul of a warrior.”

After being released from USP Coleman, a high-security prison, Peltier planned to return to North Dakota, where he is expected to celebrate with friends and family on Wednesday.

Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence Jan. 20, noting he had spent most of his life in prison and was now in poor health.

“We never thought he would get out,” Ray St. Clair, a member of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, said shortly before Peltier's release. “It shows you should never give up hope. We can take this repairing the damage that was done. This is a start.”

Peltier, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota, was active in the American Indian Movement, which beginning in the 1960s fought for Native American treaty rights and tribal self-determination.

The group&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/protests-and-demonstrations-united-states-government-south-dakota-religion-b3b62b1e89e713160ee0051c8b760459">grabbed headlines</a>&nbsp;in 1969 when activists occupied the former prison island of Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay, and again in 1972, when they presented presidential candidates with a list of demands including the restoration of tribal land. After they were ignored, they seized the headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

From then on, the group was subject to FBI surveillance and harassment under a covert program that sought to disrupt activism and was exposed in 1975.

Peltier's conviction stemmed from a confrontation that year on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in which FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were killed. According to the FBI, the agents were there to serve arrest warrants for robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Prosecutors maintained at trial that Peltier shot both agents in the head at point-blank range. Peltier acknowledged being present and firing a gun at a distance, but he said he fired in self-defense. A woman who claimed to have seen Peltier shoot the agents later recanted her testimony, saying it had been coerced.

He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and given two consecutive life sentences.

Two other movement members, co-defendants Robert Robideau and Dino Butler, were acquitted on the grounds of self-defense.

Peltier was denied parole&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-parole-hearing-2d0df4e4997d988ec229b05de9dba648">as recently as July</a>&nbsp;and was not eligible to be considered for it again until 2026.

“Leonard Peltier’s release is the right thing to do given the serious and ongoing human rights concerns about the fairness of his trial, his nearly 50 years behind bars, his health and his age," Paul O’Brien, executive director with Amnesty International USA, said in a statement before Peltier's release. "While we welcome his release from prison, he should not be restricted to home confinement.”

Prominent Native American groups like the National Congress of the American Indian have called for Peltier's release for decades, and Amnesty International considered him a political prisoner. Prominent supporters over the years included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, civil rights icon Coretta Scott King, actor and director Robert Redford and musicians Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte and Jackson Browne.

Generations of Indigenous activists and leaders lobbied multiple presidents to pardon Peltier. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American to hold the secretary's position, praised Biden's decision.

“I am grateful that Leonard can now go home to his family,” she said Jan. 20 in a post on X. “I applaud President Biden for this action and understanding what this means to Indian Country.”

As a young child, Peltier was taken from his family and sent to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-indian-country-harris-arizona-election-0ac697174d60f8481924a09cbc0c6d51">boarding school</a>. Thousands of Indigenous children over decades faced the same fate, and were in many cases subjected to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indian-boarding-schools-biden-apology-3e5376d10406e21c25eee35fc6be7510">systemic physical, psychological and sexual abuse</a>.

“He hasn’t really had a home since he was taken away to boarding school,” said Nick Tilsen, who has been advocating for Peltier's release since he was a teen and is CEO of NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy group based in South Dakota. “So he is excited to be at home and paint and have grandkids running around.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739893159547.png" alt="FILE - American Indian activist Leonard Peltier speaks during an interview at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan., April 29, 1999. (Joe Ledford/The Kansas City Star via AP, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - American Indian activist Leonard Peltier speaks during an interview at the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kan., April 29, 1999. (Joe Ledford/The Kansas City Star via AP, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>SUMTERVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Native American activist Leonard Peltier was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-biden-pardons-eba525b713f2ec739b84aa4426366775">released from a Florida prison</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday, weeks after then-President Joe Biden angered law enforcement officials by commuting his life sentence in the 1975 killings of two FBI agents.For nearly half a century, Peltier’s imprisonment has symbolized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/leonard-peltier">systemic injustice</a>&nbsp;for Native Americans across the country who believe in his innocence. The decision to release the 80-year-old to home confinement was celebrated by supporters.“He represents every person who’s been roughed up by a cop, profiled, had their children harassed at school,” said Nick Estes, a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota and a member of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe who advocated for Peltier’s release.But the move just before Biden left office also prompted criticism from those who say Peltier is guilty, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chris-wray-fbi-farewell-trump-patel-partisanship-afe159a6e112e68dd5319ceac905d517">former FBI Director Christopher Wray</a>, who called him “a remorseless killer” in a private letter to Biden obtained by The Associated Press.“Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law,” Wray wrote.The commutation was not a pardon for crimes committed, something Peltier’s advocates have hoped for since he has always maintained his innocence.Peltier left the prison Tuesday morning in an SUV, according to a prison official. He didn't stop to speak with reporters or his supporters outside the gates.One of his attorneys, Jenipher Jones, said Peltier was looking forward to going home.“We’re so excited for this moment,” Jones said. “He is in good spirits. He has the soul of a warrior.”After being released from USP Coleman, a high-security prison, Peltier planned to return to North Dakota, where he is expected to celebrate with friends and family on Wednesday.Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence Jan. 20, noting he had spent most of his life in prison and was now in poor health.“We never thought he would get out,” Ray St. Clair, a member of the White Earth Band of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, said shortly before Peltier's release. “It shows you should never give up hope. We can take this repairing the damage that was done. This is a start.”Peltier, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota, was active in the American Indian Movement, which beginning in the 1960s fought for Native American treaty rights and tribal self-determination.The group&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/protests-and-demonstrations-united-states-government-south-dakota-religion-b3b62b1e89e713160ee0051c8b760459">grabbed headlines</a>&nbsp;in 1969 when activists occupied the former prison island of Alcatraz in the San Francisco Bay, and again in 1972, when they presented presidential candidates with a list of demands including the restoration of tribal land. After they were ignored, they seized the headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.From then on, the group was subject to FBI surveillance and harassment under a covert program that sought to disrupt activism and was exposed in 1975.Peltier's conviction stemmed from a confrontation that year on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in which FBI agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams were killed. According to the FBI, the agents were there to serve arrest warrants for robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon.Prosecutors maintained at trial that Peltier shot both agents in the head at point-blank range. Peltier acknowledged being present and firing a gun at a distance, but he said he fired in self-defense. A woman who claimed to have seen Peltier shoot the agents later recanted her testimony, saying it had been coerced.He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and given two consecutive life sentences.Two other movement members, co-defendants Robert Robideau and Dino Butler, were acquitted on the grounds of self-defense.Peltier was denied parole&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/leonard-peltier-parole-hearing-2d0df4e4997d988ec229b05de9dba648">as recently as July</a>&nbsp;and was not eligible to be considered for it again until 2026.“Leonard Peltier’s release is the right thing to do given the serious and ongoing human rights concerns about the fairness of his trial, his nearly 50 years behind bars, his health and his age," Paul O’Brien, executive director with Amnesty International USA, said in a statement before Peltier's release. "While we welcome his release from prison, he should not be restricted to home confinement.”Prominent Native American groups like the National Congress of the American Indian have called for Peltier's release for decades, and Amnesty International considered him a political prisoner. Prominent supporters over the years included South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, civil rights icon Coretta Scott King, actor and director Robert Redford and musicians Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte and Jackson Browne.Generations of Indigenous activists and leaders lobbied multiple presidents to pardon Peltier. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna and the first Native American to hold the secretary's position, praised Biden's decision.“I am grateful that Leonard can now go home to his family,” she said Jan. 20 in a post on X. “I applaud President Biden for this action and understanding what this means to Indian Country.”As a young child, Peltier was taken from his family and sent to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-indian-country-harris-arizona-election-0ac697174d60f8481924a09cbc0c6d51">boarding school</a>. Thousands of Indigenous children over decades faced the same fate, and were in many cases subjected to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indian-boarding-schools-biden-apology-3e5376d10406e21c25eee35fc6be7510">systemic physical, psychological and sexual abuse</a>.“He hasn’t really had a home since he was taken away to boarding school,” said Nick Tilsen, who has been advocating for Peltier's release since he was a teen and is CEO of NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy group based in South Dakota. “So he is excited to be at home and paint and have grandkids running around.”___Brewer reported from Norman, Oklahoma.

Man who killed 2 FBI agents is free after Biden commuted his sentence

UPDATE:&nbsp; This event has been postponed.&nbsp; Hutchinson Public Library Director Gregg Wamsley tells us that the officials with the Library of Congress were unable to get here as their flights were cancelled.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Hutchinson Public Library is honored to be the first library to partner with the Library of Congress, bringing access to its renowned digital collections directly to you—no trip to Washington, D.C. necessary! 

On February 18, join us for an exciting one-day event where you’ll have the unique opportunity to connect with Library of Congress professionals and learn from experts in a variety of research topics. These sessions will empower you to trace your family’s rich connection to history on a grand scale.

Workshops will run from 10:30 AM to 7:30 PM at the Hutchinson Public Library. Don’t miss this extraordinary chance to engage with history like never before.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739896023330.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>UPDATE:&nbsp; This event has been postponed.&nbsp; Hutchinson Public Library Director Gregg Wamsley tells us that the officials with the Library of Congress were unable to get here as their flights were cancelled.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Hutchinson Public Library is honored to be the first library to partner with the Library of Congress, bringing access to its renowned digital collections directly to you—no trip to Washington, D.C. necessary! On February 18, join us for an exciting one-day event where you’ll have the unique opportunity to connect with Library of Congress professionals and learn from experts in a variety of research topics. These sessions will empower you to trace your family’s rich connection to history on a grand scale.Workshops will run from 10:30 AM to 7:30 PM at the Hutchinson Public Library. Don’t miss this extraordinary chance to engage with history like never before.&nbsp;Workshop Schedule:<ul>
 <li>10:30AM – Historical Newspapers from the Library of Congress</li><li>11:30AM – Genealogy Resources from LOC.gov</li><li>12:30PM – The Veteran’s History Project</li><li>1:30PM – By the People Crowdsourcing at the Library of Congress</li><li>2:30PM – The Kansas Talking Book Program &amp; the Kansas Center for the Book</li><li>3:30PM – Genealogy Resources from LOC.gov</li><li>4:30PM – Creative Works from the New Deal</li><li>5:30PM – Transportation Resources at LOC.gov</li><li>6:30PM – Historical Newspapers from the Library of Congress</li>
 </ul>

Library of Congress event at Hutchinson Public Library postponed 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687354221736.jpeg" alt="USD 308 Stacy Goss-Photo by Rob Dreher" />
 <figcaption>USD 308 Stacy Goss-Photo by Rob Dreher</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Stacy Goss - USD 308" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=9e2g5-1808799-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 BW Morning Show Interview: USD 308, Stacy Goss Director of Communications and Krystal Young Deputy Superintendent

TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Monday that Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that will allow KBI agents to work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to remove criminal illegal aliens from Kansas. 

Kansas is one of the first states in the nation to enter such an agreement.

“All across Kansas, illegal aliens who are dangerous criminals or gang members are released back to the streets on a regular basis. That will end. This agreement will ensure that those criminals are deported,” Kobach said.Under the terms of the agreement, a limited number of KBI agents will receive ICE training that authorizes the agents to arrest illegal aliens, to serve and execute warrants for some immigration violations, and to issue immigration detainers.Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes states and political subdivisions of a state to enter into such agreements.“The KBI is pleased to have another tool at our disposal to get known criminal offenders out of our communities,” KBI Director Tony Mattivi said. “This agreement will not shift KBI investigative priorities but will allow us to more swiftly achieve justice in cases in which the KBI currently focuses – major violent crimes, crimes committed against children, and targeting drug trafficking organizations.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738002670796.png" alt="Photo Homeland Security-ICE" />
 <figcaption>Photo Homeland Security-ICE</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Monday that Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that will allow KBI agents to work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to remove criminal illegal aliens from Kansas. Kansas is one of the first states in the nation to enter such an agreement.“All across Kansas, illegal aliens who are dangerous criminals or gang members are released back to the streets on a regular basis. That will end. This agreement will ensure that those criminals are deported,” Kobach said.Under the terms of the agreement, a limited number of KBI agents will receive ICE training that authorizes the agents to arrest illegal aliens, to serve and execute warrants for some immigration violations, and to issue immigration detainers.Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes states and political subdivisions of a state to enter into such agreements.“The KBI is pleased to have another tool at our disposal to get known criminal offenders out of our communities,” KBI Director Tony Mattivi said. “This agreement will not shift KBI investigative priorities but will allow us to more swiftly achieve justice in cases in which the KBI currently focuses – major violent crimes, crimes committed against children, and targeting drug trafficking organizations.”

KBI partners with feds to remove criminal illegal aliens from Kansas

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739890061084.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas Athletics
 
LAWRENCE, Kan. &mdash;&nbsp;Kansas men&apos;s basketball will retire Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Arthur &quot;Dutch&quot; Lonborg&apos;s jersey No. 7 at the Feb. 22 home game against Oklahoma State, Kansas Athletics announced today. &nbsp; Lonborg was a three-sport letterwinner at Kansas in football, basketball and baseball. The Gardner, Illinois, native was a three-time all-conference performer in football (1917-19), twice named all-conference in basketball and was a Helms Foundation All-America First Team selection in basketball in 1919. Lonborg played basketball for Phog Allen while at KU. &nbsp; After graduating from the KU law school, Lonborg coached at McPherson College and Washburn before beginning a 23-year career as coach at Northwestern. At Northwestern, he was instrumental in organizing the first NCAA basketball tournament in 1939. &nbsp; Lonborg returned to KU in 1950 as director of athletics, a position he held for 14 years. During his tenure, the Jayhawks won 38 conference titles and four NCAA crowns, including the 1952 basketball title. Under Lonborg&apos;s guidance, Allen Fieldhouse was built, and Quigley Field (now Hoglund Ballpark) and Memorial Stadium expansion projects were completed. &nbsp; From 1947 to 1960, Lonborg was the chairman of the men&apos;s basketball NCAA Tournament Committee as the tournament grew from an eight-team to a 25-team format. Lonborg also served as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 1935 and managed the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1960 that won the gold medal in Rome. Lonborg was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1973 as a coach. He died on Jan. 31, 1985, in Horton, Kansas, at the age of 86.</div>

🏀 KU to retire Dutch Lonborg's jersey Feb. 22

WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

In response to the expected inclement weather, Wichita State University will move to remote operations Tuesday, Feb. 18. Critical campus operations will remain open, and employees who support these operations should report to campus.

All other employees should work remotely when possible and speak with their supervisor for any specific concerns. Classes will be held remotely. Instructors are encouraged to connect with their students regarding the status of their classes, and students should reach out to their instructors for questions.

The university will resume normal operations as soon as possible, and additional updates will be shared via&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wichita.edu/shockeralert">Shocker Alert texts</a>, WSU email and WSU social media.

Critical campus operations that will remain open include: • Student housing • Dining options (which may reduce business hours as needed) • Campus police • Facilities services • Research laboratories (at faculty discretion) • Operations otherwise designated by the president, athletic director or any vice president

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1694017050213.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONSIn response to the expected inclement weather, Wichita State University will move to remote operations Tuesday, Feb. 18. Critical campus operations will remain open, and employees who support these operations should report to campus.All other employees should work remotely when possible and speak with their supervisor for any specific concerns. Classes will be held remotely. Instructors are encouraged to connect with their students regarding the status of their classes, and students should reach out to their instructors for questions.The university will resume normal operations as soon as possible, and additional updates will be shared via&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wichita.edu/shockeralert">Shocker Alert texts</a>, WSU email and WSU social media.Critical campus operations that will remain open include: • Student housing • Dining options (which may reduce business hours as needed) • Campus police • Facilities services • Research laboratories (at faculty discretion) • Operations otherwise designated by the president, athletic director or any vice president

WSU moves to remote operations for Tuesday, Feb. 18; critical campus functions remain open

This Saturday, HutchCC and the Cancer Council of Reno County&nbsp; &nbsp;will be holding their 13 Annual “Pink Out” night at the Sports Arena as the Blue Dragons host the Butler CC Grizzlies in a Jayhawk Conference Tilt. &nbsp;&nbsp;

HutchCC Athletic Director, Josh Gooch talks about the “Pink Out”&nbsp;

Emily Brown of the Cancer Council of Reno County talks about the importance of this event. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Executive Director, &nbsp;talks about the pinking out of the game. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The cause is not lost on the game. &nbsp;Gooch talked about how cancer touches everyone, even if it isn’t directly. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Gooch added that the Hutch CC ticket office will be open all week at the Sports Arena to purchase your pink out shirts. &nbsp;The office is open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The games on Saturday begin at 1:30 PM. &nbsp;The women play Butler, followed by the mens game. &nbsp;You can hear the games on KWBW or Country 102.9.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://email.em.audience.io/CSB/Public/Form.aspx?fid=1950312&amp;ac=grno">CLICK HERE TO GET DAILY UPDATES!</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739805088617.jpeg" alt="Pink out shirt" />
 <figcaption>Pink out shirt</figcaption>
 </figure>MARC JACOBS -&nbsp;Hutch PostThis Saturday, HutchCC and the Cancer Council of Reno County&nbsp; &nbsp;will be holding their 13 Annual “Pink Out” night at the Sports Arena as the Blue Dragons host the Butler CC Grizzlies in a Jayhawk Conference Tilt. &nbsp;&nbsp;HutchCC Athletic Director, Josh Gooch talks about the “Pink Out”&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Pink Out Clip 1" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=w34zk-18060a4-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Emily Brown of the Cancer Council of Reno County talks about the importance of this event. &nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Pink Out Clip 2" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=vgeec-18060a9-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Executive Director, &nbsp;talks about the pinking out of the game. &nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Pink Out Clip 3" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=au8j6-18060ab-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>The cause is not lost on the game. &nbsp;Gooch talked about how cancer touches everyone, even if it isn’t directly. &nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Pink Out Clip 4" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=r74xj-18060b0-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Gooch added that the Hutch CC ticket office will be open all week at the Sports Arena to purchase your pink out shirts. &nbsp;The office is open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. &nbsp;&nbsp;The games on Saturday begin at 1:30 PM. &nbsp;The women play Butler, followed by the mens game. &nbsp;You can hear the games on KWBW or Country 102.9.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://email.em.audience.io/CSB/Public/Form.aspx?fid=1950312&amp;ac=grno">CLICK HERE TO GET DAILY UPDATES!</a>

HutchCC, Cancer Council of Reno County to hold “Pink Out” this Saturday 

On the BW Morning Show this morning Kansas State Fair director Bryan Schulz announced that Ludacris will be the grandstand act for the second Saturday of this year’s Kansas State Fair. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Ludacris has sold 24-million albums worldwide and has become one of music’s most celebrated artists. &nbsp;His innovative music videos and lyrical wit have solidified him as a trailblazer in the rap and hip-hop scene. &nbsp;&nbsp;

He is multi-talented and has movie and other acting credits and is the highlight of the Fair's entertainment schedule this year.&nbsp;

Tickets go on sale at 10 AM Friday, Feb. 21 at KansasStateFair.com. &nbsp;

Anyone signed up for Kansas State Fair emails can get access to tickets with a presale code, starting 10 AM on Thursday, February 20. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sign up for emails at <a href="http://kansasstatefair.com">kansasstatefair.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739803609511.jpeg" alt="Ludacris to perform at Kansas State Fair on Sept 13. " />
 <figcaption>Ludacris to perform at Kansas State Fair on Sept 13. </figcaption>
 </figure>MARC JACOBS Hutch Post&nbsp;On the BW Morning Show this morning Kansas State Fair director Bryan Schulz announced that Ludacris will be the grandstand act for the second Saturday of this year’s Kansas State Fair. &nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Ludacris Clip 1" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=aszid-1805ffb-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Ludacris has sold 24-million albums worldwide and has become one of music’s most celebrated artists. &nbsp;His innovative music videos and lyrical wit have solidified him as a trailblazer in the rap and hip-hop scene. &nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Ludacris Clip 2" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=dvqqi-1806006-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>He is multi-talented and has movie and other acting credits and is the highlight of the Fair's entertainment schedule this year.&nbsp;<div><iframe title="Ludacris Clip 3" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=yecvs-180600f-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=60a0c8&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=ff6d00" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>Tickets go on sale at 10 AM Friday, Feb. 21 at KansasStateFair.com. &nbsp;Anyone signed up for Kansas State Fair emails can get access to tickets with a presale code, starting 10 AM on Thursday, February 20. &nbsp;&nbsp;Sign up for emails at <a href="http://kansasstatefair.com">kansasstatefair.com</a><a target="_blank" href="https://email.em.audience.io/CSB/Public/Form.aspx?fid=1950312&amp;ac=grno">CLICK HERE TO GET DAILY UPDATES!</a>

Ludacris to perform on Sept. 13 at Kansas State Fair 

The USD 305 school board unanimously voted to appoint Heath Hogan as the district’s new superintendent, effective July 1, 2025.

“We are confident that Mr. Hogan will bring strong leadership and experience to our students, educators and community,” said USD 305 Board President Gabe Grant. “Mr. Hogan’s proven track record will build on the foundation of excellence that has been established.” The board made the decision at a special meeting on Monday, February 17.

He will replace Linn Exline, retiring at the school year's end.

Hogan, 53, said, “It is an honor to be selected for this position. Salina Public Schools has a reputation as an innovative and progressive school system. I am excited for the opportunity to continue the strong partnerships with staff, stakeholders and the board as we move forward and build upon the district’s accomplishments.”

Currently superintendent at Smoky Valley USD 400, Hogan has 28 years of experience in public education. He worked at Garden City Public Schools, USD 457, for 25 years, serving in many different roles, including deputy superintendent, human resources director, elementary principal and teacher.

With 6,752 students, Salina Public Schools (SPS) is the 16th largest school district in Kansas. The district offers personalized learning and many opportunities to engage every student beyond the classroom. By embracing challenges, creating belonging, fostering pride and inspiring hope, SPS prepares students to transform Salina and the world. An early learning center, a 6-12 virtual school, eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools serve pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 students.

For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usd305.com/">www.usd305.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739540128637.jpeg" alt="Heath Hogan&nbsp; courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Heath Hogan&nbsp; courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>USD 305The USD 305 school board unanimously voted to appoint Heath Hogan as the district’s new superintendent, effective July 1, 2025.“We are confident that Mr. Hogan will bring strong leadership and experience to our students, educators and community,” said USD 305 Board President Gabe Grant. “Mr. Hogan’s proven track record will build on the foundation of excellence that has been established.” The board made the decision at a special meeting on Monday, February 17.He will replace Linn Exline, retiring at the school year's end.Hogan, 53, said, “It is an honor to be selected for this position. Salina Public Schools has a reputation as an innovative and progressive school system. I am excited for the opportunity to continue the strong partnerships with staff, stakeholders and the board as we move forward and build upon the district’s accomplishments.”Currently superintendent at Smoky Valley USD 400, Hogan has 28 years of experience in public education. He worked at Garden City Public Schools, USD 457, for 25 years, serving in many different roles, including deputy superintendent, human resources director, elementary principal and teacher.With 6,752 students, Salina Public Schools (SPS) is the 16th largest school district in Kansas. The district offers personalized learning and many opportunities to engage every student beyond the classroom. By embracing challenges, creating belonging, fostering pride and inspiring hope, SPS prepares students to transform Salina and the world. An early learning center, a 6-12 virtual school, eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools serve pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 students.For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usd305.com/">www.usd305.com</a>.

New superintendent selected to lead school district in Salina

K-STATE SALINA COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING&nbsp;

K-State Salina is offering courses for students who desire to complete college credits while still in high school in the high-demand career pathways of aviation maintenance, applied business, applied cyber systems design and uncrewed aircraft systems. These courses will be predominantly offered through an online environment, allowing students to learn anytime, anywhere.

The pre-college pathways program is helping students who are still in high school gain a head start on their postsecondary education and careers while learning valuable skills and knowledge to help them prepare for in-demand careers.

Students who choose the aviation maintenance option will also have an opportunity to reduce the time it takes to earn an associate degree to just one year of postsecondary education instead of the typical two.

“These courses are unique education options that high school students might not otherwise be able to obtain,” said Monte Couchman, director of K-State Salina pre-college pathways. “Between learning how to become an aircraft mechanic or how to operate a drone or exploring virtual environments, the K-State Salina campus is offering nontraditional access to industries with budding career potential.”

While participating students get a jump-start on their college education, they also receive a significantly reduced rate per credit hour compared to traditional college students. Pre-college students can receive up to a 73% discount for these pathway classes through a scholarship, reducing the tuition rate to $85 per credit hour, making their education more affordable and helping them transition into a postsecondary learning environment.

The courses will be instructed by K-State Salina’s faculty experts, who have a wealth of knowledge and industry experience.

“High school students should be interested in a program like this because we’ve got campus data that supports that all four of our pathways are directly attributable to quality jobs,” Couchman said. “Students can also see what college education rigor looks like in a technical program, albeit in an online modality, but with less risk because of how affordable the price is.”

To qualify for pre-college pathways through K-State Salina, high school students should have reached junior or senior classification, have at least a 2.0 cumulative high school grade point average, and receive permission from a parent or guardian and their high school guidance counselor. More information about the program can be found at the pre-college pathways website.

Students interested in the program are encouraged to apply before March 14. To apply, students can talk with their high school guidance counselors or email K-State Salina’s pre-college pathways at salinaprecollege@k-state.edu.

“The flexibility of our pathways program is beneficial to the student,” said Couchman. “Depending on the program that you choose, you will not have to travel to get onto a technical college's campus. If a student has access to Wi-Fi and a laptop, this is a way for them to earn college credit and jump start their career.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739808670553.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>K-STATE SALINA COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING&nbsp;K-State Salina is offering courses for students who desire to complete college credits while still in high school in the high-demand career pathways of aviation maintenance, applied business, applied cyber systems design and uncrewed aircraft systems. These courses will be predominantly offered through an online environment, allowing students to learn anytime, anywhere.The pre-college pathways program is helping students who are still in high school gain a head start on their postsecondary education and careers while learning valuable skills and knowledge to help them prepare for in-demand careers.Students who choose the aviation maintenance option will also have an opportunity to reduce the time it takes to earn an associate degree to just one year of postsecondary education instead of the typical two.“These courses are unique education options that high school students might not otherwise be able to obtain,” said Monte Couchman, director of K-State Salina pre-college pathways. “Between learning how to become an aircraft mechanic or how to operate a drone or exploring virtual environments, the K-State Salina campus is offering nontraditional access to industries with budding career potential.”While participating students get a jump-start on their college education, they also receive a significantly reduced rate per credit hour compared to traditional college students. Pre-college students can receive up to a 73% discount for these pathway classes through a scholarship, reducing the tuition rate to $85 per credit hour, making their education more affordable and helping them transition into a postsecondary learning environment.The courses will be instructed by K-State Salina’s faculty experts, who have a wealth of knowledge and industry experience.“High school students should be interested in a program like this because we’ve got campus data that supports that all four of our pathways are directly attributable to quality jobs,” Couchman said. “Students can also see what college education rigor looks like in a technical program, albeit in an online modality, but with less risk because of how affordable the price is.”To qualify for pre-college pathways through K-State Salina, high school students should have reached junior or senior classification, have at least a 2.0 cumulative high school grade point average, and receive permission from a parent or guardian and their high school guidance counselor. More information about the program can be found at the pre-college pathways website.Students interested in the program are encouraged to apply before March 14. To apply, students can talk with their high school guidance counselors or email K-State Salina’s pre-college pathways at salinaprecollege@k-state.edu.“The flexibility of our pathways program is beneficial to the student,” said Couchman. “Depending on the program that you choose, you will not have to travel to get onto a technical college's campus. If a student has access to Wi-Fi and a laptop, this is a way for them to earn college credit and jump start their career.”

K-State Salina offering one-of-a-kind, in-demand college courses to high school students

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation's nuclear weapons programs, in an about-face that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-musk-trump-lawsuit-states-fbb9695bcffaa96470752d56da20da57">blind cost cutting</a>&nbsp;will put communities at risk.

Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday, with some losing access to email before they'd learned they were fired, only to try to enter their offices on Friday morning to find they were locked out. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739799144954.png" alt="File image- Elon Musk during his Oval Office press conference last week" />
 <figcaption>File image- Elon Musk during his Oval Office press conference last week</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation's nuclear weapons programs, in an about-face that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-musk-trump-lawsuit-states-fbb9695bcffaa96470752d56da20da57">blind cost cutting</a>&nbsp;will put communities at risk.Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday, with some losing access to email before they'd learned they were fired, only to try to enter their offices on Friday morning to find they were locked out. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, which saw about 30% of the cuts. Those employees work on reassembling warheads, one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-warheads-military-bomb-plutonium-6b86198def4516cebe496c9f5fbfbb75">most sensitive jobs</a>&nbsp;across the nuclear weapons enterprise, with the highest levels of clearance.The hundreds let go at NNSA were part of a DOGE purge across the Department of Energy that targeted about 2,000 employees.“The DOGE people are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, referencing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team. “They don’t seem to realize that it’s actually the department of nuclear weapons more than it is the Department of Energy.”By late Friday night, the agency's acting director, Teresa Robbins, issued a memo rescinding the firings for all but 28 of those hundreds of fired staff members.“This letter serves as formal notification that the termination decision issued to you on Feb. 13, 2025 has been rescinded, effective immediately,” said the memo, which was obtained by the AP.The accounts from the three officials contradict an official statement from the Department of Energy, which said fewer than 50 National Nuclear Security Administration staffers were let go, calling them “probationary employees” who “held primarily administrative and clerical roles.”But that wasn't the case. The firings prompted one NNSA senior staffer to post a warning and call to action.“This is a pivotal moment. We must decide whether we are truly committed to leading on the world stage or if we are content with undermining the very systems that secure our nation’s future,” deputy division director Rob Plonski posted to LinkedIn. “Cutting the federal workforce responsible for these functions may be seen as reckless at best and adversarily opportunistic at worst.”While some of the Energy Department employees who were fired dealt with energy efficiency and the effects of climate change, issues not seen as priorities by the Trump administration, many others dealt with nuclear issues, even if they didn't directly work on weapons programs. This included managing massive radioactive waste sites and ensuring the material there doesn't further contaminate nearby communities.That incudes the Savannah River National Laboratory in Jackson, South Carolina; the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington state, where workers secure 177 high-level waste tanks from the site's previous work producing plutonium for the atomic bomb; and the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, a Superfund contamination site where much of the early work on the Manhattan Project was done, among others.U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, both Democrats, called the firings last week “utterly callous and dangerous.”The NNSA staff who had been reinstated could not all be reached after they were fired, and some were reconsidering whether to return to work, given the uncertainty created by DOGE.Many federal employees who had worked on the nation's nuclear programs had spent their entire careers there, and there was a wave of retirements in recent years that cost the agency years of institutional knowledge.But it's now in the midst of a major&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nuclear-warheads-military-bomb-plutonium-6b86198def4516cebe496c9f5fbfbb75">$750 billion nuclear weapons modernization effort</a>&nbsp;— including new land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, new stealth bombers and new submarine-launched warheads. In response, the labs have aggressively hired over the past few years: In 2023, 60% of the workforce had been there five years or less.Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the firings could disrupt the day-to-day workings of the agency and create a sense of instability over the nuclear program both at home and abroad.