WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers</a>, three people familiar with the matter said Friday.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-george-floyd-kash-patel-8d18a1e6a5a36636cc2415fc492b3f52">bureau last spring had reassigned the agents</a>&nbsp;but has since fired them, said the people, who insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel matters with The Associated Press.

The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear, but two people said it was roughly 20.

The photographs at issue showed a group of agents in a taking a knee during one of the demonstrations following the May 2020 killing of Floyd, a death that led to a national reckoning over policing and racial injustice and sparked widespread anger after millions of people saw video of the arrest. The kneeling had angered some in the FBI but was also understood as a possible de-escalation tactic during a period of protests.

The FBI Agents Association confirmed in a statement late Friday that more than a dozen agents had been fired, including military veterans with additional statutory protections, and condemned the move as unlawful. It called on Congress to investigate and said the firings were another indication of FBI Director Kash Patel's disregard for the legal rights of bureau employees.

“As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law,” the agents association said. “But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment and due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process.”

An FBI spokesman declined to comment Friday.

The firings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fired-fbi-agents-lawsuit-patel-trump-4431bc93e2783b3b9c658ece82476742">come amid a broader personnel purge</a>&nbsp;at the bureau as Patel works to reshape the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency.

Five agents and top-level executives were known to have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-jan-6-patel-driscoll-f4bd75766307f558dfdbdea736e026e8">summarily fired</a>&nbsp;last month in a wave of ousters that current and former officials say has contributed to declining morale.

One of those, Steve Jensen, helped oversee investigations into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/january-6-cases/">Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol</a>. Another, Brian Driscoll, served as acting FBI director in the early days of the Trump administration and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-justice-department-jan-6-ff003e46ea48c4e8be710d1ba2eb2d02">resisted Justice Department demands</a>&nbsp;to supply the names of agents who investigated Jan. 6.

A third, Chris Meyer, was incorrectly rumored on social media to have participated in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-smith-c66d5ffb7ba86c1b991f95e89bdeba0c">investigation into President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida,. A fourth, Walter Giardina, participated in high-profile investigations like the one into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/peter-navarro">Trump adviser Peter Navarro.</a>

A lawsuit filed by Jensen, Driscoll and another fired FBI supervisor, Spencer Evans, alleged that Patel communicated that he understood that it was “likely illegal” to fire agents based on cases they worked but was powerless to stop it because the White House and the Justice Department were determined to remove all agents who investigated Trump.

Patel denied at a congressional hearing last week taking orders from the White House on whom to fire and said anyone who has been fired failed to meet the FBI's standards.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758966939542.png" alt="File FBI Director Kash Patel-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>File FBI Director Kash Patel-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers</a>, three people familiar with the matter said Friday.</p><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-george-floyd-kash-patel-8d18a1e6a5a36636cc2415fc492b3f52">bureau last spring had reassigned the agents</a>&nbsp;but has since fired them, said the people, who insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel matters with The Associated Press.</p><p>The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear, but two people said it was roughly 20.</p><p>The photographs at issue showed a group of agents in a taking a knee during one of the demonstrations following the May 2020 killing of Floyd, a death that led to a national reckoning over policing and racial injustice and sparked widespread anger after millions of people saw video of the arrest. The kneeling had angered some in the FBI but was also understood as a possible de-escalation tactic during a period of protests.</p><p>The FBI Agents Association confirmed in a statement late Friday that more than a dozen agents had been fired, including military veterans with additional statutory protections, and condemned the move as unlawful. It called on Congress to investigate and said the firings were another indication of FBI Director Kash Patel's disregard for the legal rights of bureau employees.</p><p>“As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law,” the agents association said. “But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment and due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process.”</p><p>An FBI spokesman declined to comment Friday.</p><p>The firings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fired-fbi-agents-lawsuit-patel-trump-4431bc93e2783b3b9c658ece82476742">come amid a broader personnel purge</a>&nbsp;at the bureau as Patel works to reshape the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency.</p><p>Five agents and top-level executives were known to have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-jan-6-patel-driscoll-f4bd75766307f558dfdbdea736e026e8">summarily fired</a>&nbsp;last month in a wave of ousters that current and former officials say has contributed to declining morale.</p><p>One of those, Steve Jensen, helped oversee investigations into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/january-6-cases/">Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol</a>. Another, Brian Driscoll, served as acting FBI director in the early days of the Trump administration and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-justice-department-jan-6-ff003e46ea48c4e8be710d1ba2eb2d02">resisted Justice Department demands</a>&nbsp;to supply the names of agents who investigated Jan. 6.</p><p>A third, Chris Meyer, was incorrectly rumored on social media to have participated in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-smith-c66d5ffb7ba86c1b991f95e89bdeba0c">investigation into President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida,. A fourth, Walter Giardina, participated in high-profile investigations like the one into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/peter-navarro">Trump adviser Peter Navarro.</a></p><p>A lawsuit filed by Jensen, Driscoll and another fired FBI supervisor, Spencer Evans, alleged that Patel communicated that he understood that it was “likely illegal” to fire agents based on cases they worked but was powerless to stop it because the White House and the Justice Department were determined to remove all agents who investigated Trump.</p><p>Patel denied at a congressional hearing last week taking orders from the White House on whom to fire and said anyone who has been fired failed to meet the FBI's standards.</p>

FBI fires agents photographed kneeling during 2020 racial justice protest

WYANDOTTE COUNTY—&nbsp;A 24-year-old man has has been charged by the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office with first-degree felony murder in the 2018 Cold Case shooting death of 20-year-old KC Gillespie of Edwardsville, Kansas, according to police.

On March 11 of 2018, police responded&nbsp;to a fatal traffic crash in the parking lot of the Forest Glen Estates Apartments,&nbsp;511 N 64 St, Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.

First responders found Gillespie dead from a gunshot wound inside a white SUV that crashed into a tree.

Gillespie is survived by his fiancee and a 2-year-old daughter, according to his obituary.

Carter is being held in the Moberly, Missouri, Correctional Center,&nbsp; serving a 15-year sentence the 2022 shooting death of 24-year-old Cardell Crawford in the Westport Entertainment District.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758882447969.png" alt="Carter photo Mo. Dept. Corrections" />
                        <figcaption>Carter photo Mo. Dept. Corrections</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WYANDOTTE COUNTY—&nbsp;A 24-year-old man has has been charged by the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office with first-degree felony murder in the 2018 Cold Case shooting death of 20-year-old KC Gillespie of Edwardsville, Kansas, according to police.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758883559732.png" alt="Gillespie photo&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aldenharrington.com/">Alden Harrington Funeral Home</a>" />
                        <figcaption>Gillespie photo&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aldenharrington.com/">Alden Harrington Funeral Home</a></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>On March 11 of 2018, police responded&nbsp;to a fatal traffic crash in the parking lot of the Forest Glen Estates Apartments,&nbsp;511 N 64 St, Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.</p><p>First responders found Gillespie dead from a gunshot wound inside a white SUV that crashed into a tree.</p><p>Gillespie is survived by his fiancee and a 2-year-old daughter, according to his obituary.</p><p>Carter is being held in the Moberly, Missouri, Correctional Center,&nbsp; serving a 15-year sentence the 2022 shooting death of 24-year-old Cardell Crawford in the Westport Entertainment District.</p>

Suspect charged in cold case murder of Kansas man

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) —On Friday, President Trump and his granddaughter were front and center at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup">Ryder Cup</a>&nbsp;at Bethpage Black — welcomed to the first day of competition.

U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said he’s “deeply honored” that Trump will be there to cheer on his squad. European captain Luke Donald said the president’s attendance “just shows how big the Ryder Cup is,” calling it a “mark of respect,” even if he’s rooting for the other side.

The president took up position between the 1st tee and the 18th hole, near the bottom of the grandstand.

Four fighter jets flew over as a firefighter sang the National Anthem.

For Trump, an avid golfer, his Ryder Cup trip will be the culmination of a remarkable turnaround in his relationship with the sport — and in the sport’s relationship with him.

Next year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-doral-pga-tour-2026-signature-events-626c82e73363cad355156b82adbf0cfa">the Blue Monster course at his Doral resort near Miami will return to the PGA Tour schedule</a>&nbsp;for the first time in a decade. Trump’s courses in Scotland and Ireland have or are slated to host European tour events. And, since his return to office in January, he hosted Tiger Woods, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in an unsuccessful attempt to fix golf’s PGA Tour-LIV Golf schism.

Three Trump-owned courses have hosted LIV events.

“I’m deeply honored that the president of the United States is going to come support our team at the Ryder Cup,” Bradley said. “I think anytime you can be around a current president is a pretty phenomenal thing, but when you’re representing your country at a place like Bethpage Black in New York, having the president there to support you is something that is just absolutely incredible. I’m really grateful to him for doing that for us.”

The feeling seems mutual. In a Truth Social post last month announcing his tournament visit, Trump praised Bradley as “an AMAZING guy” and said “It will be a great Ryder Cup.”

In addition, Trump is close with several U.S. players, including Sam Burns, Bryson DeChambeau and top-ranked Scottie Scheffler. Last year, Trump appeared on DeChambeau’s “Can I Break 50?” YouTube series, racking up more than 16 million views. Scheffler, who also has played golf with Trump, said he’ll sometimes get a congratulatory call or text from him after a win.

“He just loves the game of golf, and he’s one of those guys when you’re around him, he does such a good job of, like, feeding confidence into everybody around him,” Scheffler said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758916307832.png" alt="President Trump shakes hands with Former University of Kansas golfer Gary Woodland on the first tee Friday afternoon. Woodland is a vice captain on the 2025 Ryder Cup Team-image from CSPAN video" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump shakes hands with Former University of Kansas golfer Gary Woodland on the first tee Friday afternoon. Woodland is a vice captain on the 2025 Ryder Cup Team-image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) —On Friday, President Trump and his granddaughter were front and center at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ryder-cup">Ryder Cup</a>&nbsp;at Bethpage Black — welcomed to the first day of competition.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pres. Trump at the 45th Ryder Cup Matches, Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale, New York <a href="https://t.co/L7bQ1ofBSi">pic.twitter.com/L7bQ1ofBSi</a></p>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1971643396889686145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> salutes as The Star-Spangled Banner is sang and a flyover roars over Bethpage for the 2025 <a href="https://twitter.com/rydercup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RyderCup</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/ZtSHQQVCkP">pic.twitter.com/ZtSHQQVCkP</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971609878939791780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">F-18s fly over President Trump at the Ryder Cup! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/WiUERWGcLm">pic.twitter.com/WiUERWGcLm</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1971618659526496699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pres. Trump at the 45th Ryder Cup Matches, Bethpage State Park, Farmingdale, New York <a href="https://t.co/efnWm1mxOz">pic.twitter.com/efnWm1mxOz</a></p>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1971637550143180810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🇺🇸<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RyderCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RyderCup</a> <a href="https://t.co/9uJUSbf185">pic.twitter.com/9uJUSbf185</a></p>&mdash; Ryder Cup (@rydercup) <a href="https://twitter.com/rydercup/status/1971611864204521801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> greets <a href="https://twitter.com/brysondech?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brysondech</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/bengriffingolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bengriffingolf</a> at the <a href="https://twitter.com/rydercup?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RyderCup</a>: &quot;Here comes President Trump — we understand he&#39;s got golf shoes on...&quot; 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/oFXbWSKx0q">pic.twitter.com/oFXbWSKx0q</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971617384948703571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Keegan_Bradley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Keegan_Bradley</a> brings out the TRUMP DANCE!<br><br>&quot;The President does do it better, I gotta say...&quot; 🤣🤣 <a href="https://t.co/XcObLY6SFI">pic.twitter.com/XcObLY6SFI</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971620454063628408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said he’s “deeply honored” that Trump will be there to cheer on his squad. European captain Luke Donald said the president’s attendance “just shows how big the Ryder Cup is,” calling it a “mark of respect,” even if he’s rooting for the other side.</p><p>The president took up position between the 1st tee and the 18th hole, near the bottom of the grandstand.</p><p>Four fighter jets flew over as a firefighter sang the National Anthem.</p><p>“Donald Trump!” some people chanted.</p><p>For Trump, an avid golfer, his Ryder Cup trip will be the culmination of a remarkable turnaround in his relationship with the sport — and in the sport’s relationship with him.</p><p>Next year,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-doral-pga-tour-2026-signature-events-626c82e73363cad355156b82adbf0cfa">the Blue Monster course at his Doral resort near Miami will return to the PGA Tour schedule</a>&nbsp;for the first time in a decade. Trump’s courses in Scotland and Ireland have or are slated to host European tour events. And, since his return to office in January, he hosted Tiger Woods, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in an unsuccessful attempt to fix golf’s PGA Tour-LIV Golf schism.</p><p>Three Trump-owned courses have hosted LIV events.</p><p>“I’m deeply honored that the president of the United States is going to come support our team at the Ryder Cup,” Bradley said. “I think anytime you can be around a current president is a pretty phenomenal thing, but when you’re representing your country at a place like Bethpage Black in New York, having the president there to support you is something that is just absolutely incredible. I’m really grateful to him for doing that for us.”</p><p>The feeling seems mutual. In a Truth Social post last month announcing his tournament visit, Trump praised Bradley as “an AMAZING guy” and said “It will be a great Ryder Cup.”</p><p>In addition, Trump is close with several U.S. players, including Sam Burns, Bryson DeChambeau and top-ranked Scottie Scheffler. Last year, Trump appeared on DeChambeau’s “Can I Break 50?” YouTube series, racking up more than 16 million views. Scheffler, who also has played golf with Trump, said he’ll sometimes get a congratulatory call or text from him after a win.</p><p>“He just loves the game of golf, and he’s one of those guys when you’re around him, he does such a good job of, like, feeding confidence into everybody around him,” Scheffler said.</p>

🎥 Trump at Ryder Cup included chat with a golfer from Kansas

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal immigration agents arrested the leader of Iowa’s largest school district Friday in a targeted enforcement action that shocked students and educators.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called Des Moines Public School Superintendent Ian Roberts a “criminal alien,” saying he was in the country illegally and had no work authorization. Roberts, who is from Guyana in South America, was considered an ICE fugitive because he was subject to a final removal order issued in 2024, the agency said.

ICE said that it targeted Roberts for arrest by initiating a traffic stop on Friday while he was driving in his school-issued vehicle. Roberts identified himself and then fled, the agency said.

Officers later discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area, and the Iowa State Patrol was called to help find Roberts, who was soon taken into ICE custody. It is unclear where Roberts was being held Friday afternoon.

Roberts, who has described himself as a longtime gun owner and hunter, was in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 cash and a fixed blade hunting knife when arrested, ICE said.

“This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats,” ICE enforcement and removal operations regional official Sam Olson said in a statement. “How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”

Leaders of the Des Moines district said that they were unaware of details of his immigration status and still gathering information about the situation, which they called legally complex. They described Roberts as a dynamic leader who connected with students of all backgrounds.

A longtime leader at school districts across the nation, the 54-year-old began his term as superintendent of Des Moines schools in July 2023. In that position, he oversaw a district that serves more than 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees.

Des Moines school board chairwoman Jackie Norris said a state board had granted Roberts a license to serve as superintendent in 2023 and that the district has been unable to verify ICE’s claims about his immigration status. She said that Roberts had been an “integral part of the community” since his arrival.

In a joint statement, the presidents of unions representing teachers and other school employees in Des Moines and across the state said they were shocked by Roberts’ detention. They said he had been a “tremendous advocate for students, families, staff, and the community.”

“His leadership and compassion for all students, regardless of background, identity, or family origin, are a beacon of light in one of the state’s most diverse school districts,” said the statement by Iowa State Education Association President Joshua Brown and Des Moines Education Association President Anne Cross. “It is a dark and unsettling time in our country. This incident has created tremendous fear for DMPS students, families, and staff.”

Phil Roeder, the district’s spokesperson, said he was supposed to meet Roberts at a school event Friday morning but Roberts sent a text saying he could not make it. Roeder said he got a video call from Roberts soon after and watched officials detain him.

Before coming to Iowa, Roberts had previously worked as superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania.

Roberts is the son of immigrant parents from Guyana

A biography for Roberts listed on the district’s website says he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana and spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York.

Coppin State University’s website features an alumni profile of Roberts, who graduated from the school in Baltimore in 1998. In it, Roberts said his father immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, and his mother immigrated in the early 2000s.

ICE said that Roberts entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999. The next year, he competed for Guyana in the Olympics in track and field.

Matt Smith, a Des Moines schools official who was appointed Friday to serve as interim superintendent, said members of the community felt “sad, outraged and helpless” after learning of Roberts’ detention.

ICE pointed to a prior weapons charge for Roberts but provided no details.

Court records in Pennsylvania show that Roberts pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a minor infraction for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and was fined $100 plus court costs. The case stemmed from a citation in Erie County issued the prior month by a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer, who stopped Roberts as he was finishing a day of deer hunting on state lands.

Roberts said at the time he was a longtime licensed hunter and gun owner, and that he left his hunting rifle on the seat of his vehicle in plain view to ensure the officer did not feel threatened during their interaction. He said that he was shocked when the officer cited him for doing so, but that he pleaded guilty to avoid any distraction. He questioned whether his dark skin may have played a role in the case.

“I may not appear to be the ‘type of man’ who would enjoy deer season in Pennsylvania, in fact, I am and have been hunting for more than 20 years,” Roberts wrote on a social media post then.

It was the second time in two days that an aggressive action by ICE shocked local officials in Iowa. On Thursday, agents in plain clothes who refused to identify their affiliation tackled a man who was working at a grocery store in downtown Iowa City, pinning him to the floor and handcuffing him as shocked shoppers looked on.

Associated Press writer Ryan J. Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, contributed to this report.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758925503158.png" alt="This photo provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows Ian Roberts in February 2020." />
                        <figcaption>This photo provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows Ian Roberts in February 2020.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal immigration agents arrested the leader of Iowa’s largest school district Friday in a targeted enforcement action that shocked students and educators.</p><p>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called Des Moines Public School Superintendent Ian Roberts a “criminal alien,” saying he was in the country illegally and had no work authorization. Roberts, who is from Guyana in South America, was considered an ICE fugitive because he was subject to a final removal order issued in 2024, the agency said.</p><p>ICE said that it targeted Roberts for arrest by initiating a traffic stop on Friday while he was driving in his school-issued vehicle. Roberts identified himself and then fled, the agency said.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758925645393.png" alt="Roberts&nbsp;Photo from September 26, 2025- image ICE" />
                        <figcaption>Roberts&nbsp;Photo from September 26, 2025- image ICE</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Officers later discovered his vehicle abandoned near a wooded area, and the Iowa State Patrol was called to help find Roberts, who was soon taken into ICE custody. It is unclear where Roberts was being held Friday afternoon.</p><p>Roberts, who has described himself as a longtime gun owner and hunter, was in possession of a loaded handgun, $3,000 cash and a fixed blade hunting knife when arrested, ICE said.</p><p>“This should be a wake-up call for our communities to the great work that our officers are doing every day to remove public safety threats,” ICE enforcement and removal operations regional official Sam Olson said in a statement. “How this illegal alien was hired without work authorization, a final order of removal, and a prior weapons charge is beyond comprehension and should alarm the parents of that school district.”</p><h2>Roberts is an experienced educator</h2><p>Leaders of the Des Moines district said that they were unaware of details of his immigration status and still gathering information about the situation, which they called legally complex. They described Roberts as a dynamic leader who connected with students of all backgrounds.</p><p>A longtime leader at school districts across the nation, the 54-year-old began his term as superintendent of Des Moines schools in July 2023. In that position, he oversaw a district that serves more than 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees.</p><p>Des Moines school board chairwoman Jackie Norris said a state board had granted Roberts a license to serve as superintendent in 2023 and that the district has been unable to verify ICE’s claims about his immigration status. She said that Roberts had been an “integral part of the community” since his arrival.</p><p>In a joint statement, the presidents of unions representing teachers and other school employees in Des Moines and across the state said they were shocked by Roberts’ detention. They said he had been a “tremendous advocate for students, families, staff, and the community.”</p><p>“His leadership and compassion for all students, regardless of background, identity, or family origin, are a beacon of light in one of the state’s most diverse school districts,” said the statement by Iowa State Education Association President Joshua Brown and Des Moines Education Association President Anne Cross. “It is a dark and unsettling time in our country. This incident has created tremendous fear for DMPS students, families, and staff.”</p><p>Phil Roeder, the district’s spokesperson, said he was supposed to meet Roberts at a school event Friday morning but Roberts sent a text saying he could not make it. Roeder said he got a video call from Roberts soon after and watched officials detain him.</p><p>Before coming to Iowa, Roberts had previously worked as superintendent of the Millcreek Township School District in Pennsylvania.</p><h2>Roberts is the son of immigrant parents from Guyana</h2><p>A biography for Roberts listed on the district’s website says he was born to immigrant parents from Guyana and spent much of his childhood in Brooklyn, New York.</p><p>Coppin State University’s website features an alumni profile of Roberts, who graduated from the school in Baltimore in 1998. In it, Roberts said his father immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, and his mother immigrated in the early 2000s.</p><p>ICE said that Roberts entered the U.S. on a student visa in 1999. The next year, he competed for Guyana in the Olympics in track and field.</p><p>Matt Smith, a Des Moines schools official who was appointed Friday to serve as interim superintendent, said members of the community felt “sad, outraged and helpless” after learning of Roberts’ detention.</p><h2>Pleaded guilty to a gun infraction</h2><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758928112826.png" alt="Photo ICE" />
                        <figcaption>Photo ICE</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>ICE pointed to a prior weapons charge for Roberts but provided no details.</p><p>Court records in Pennsylvania show that Roberts pleaded guilty in January 2022 to a minor infraction for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle, and was fined $100 plus court costs. The case stemmed from a citation in Erie County issued the prior month by a Pennsylvania Game Commission officer, who stopped Roberts as he was finishing a day of deer hunting on state lands.</p><p>Roberts said at the time he was a longtime licensed hunter and gun owner, and that he left his hunting rifle on the seat of his vehicle in plain view to ensure the officer did not feel threatened during their interaction. He said that he was shocked when the officer cited him for doing so, but that he pleaded guilty to avoid any distraction. He questioned whether his dark skin may have played a role in the case.</p><p>“I may not appear to be the ‘type of man’ who would enjoy deer season in Pennsylvania, in fact, I am and have been hunting for more than 20 years,” Roberts wrote on a social media post then.</p><p>It was the second time in two days that an aggressive action by ICE shocked local officials in Iowa. On Thursday, agents in plain clothes who refused to identify their affiliation tackled a man who was working at a grocery store in downtown Iowa City, pinning him to the floor and handcuffing him as shocked shoppers looked on.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press writer Ryan J. Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, contributed to this report.</p>

ICE arrests leader of Iowa’s largest public school district

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A driver involved in a&nbsp;&nbsp;fatal crash that killed a Kansas Sheriff's Deputy expected to learn his fate Friday.

For the second week, the sentencing for Kelvin Burgett, 28, Prescott Valley, Arizona scheduled for Judge William Wooley's courtroom was coninued,&nbsp;according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. 

In July Burgett pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, according to the district attorneys office.

He was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and&nbsp; driving while suspended, according to the Sedgwick County arrest report.

In October of 2022, a&nbsp;2016 Dodge Charger driven by Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter, 22, Bel Aire, was southbound on 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize responding to a disturbance, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.

A westbound 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Burgett failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the drivers side of the Dodge Charger, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Deputy Carter was pronounced deceased at the scene. EMS transported Burgett to a local hospital.

Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Easter. She began field training in the summer of 2022 and completed that training Oct. 1.&nbsp;

Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680091672733.png" alt="Burgett photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Burgett photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A driver involved in a&nbsp;&nbsp;fatal crash that killed a Kansas Sheriff's Deputy expected to learn his fate Friday.</p><p>For the second week, the sentencing for Kelvin Burgett, 28, Prescott Valley, Arizona scheduled for Judge William Wooley's courtroom was coninued,&nbsp;according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. </p><p>In July Burgett pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter, according to the district attorneys office.</p><p>He was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and&nbsp; driving while suspended, according to the Sedgwick County arrest report.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665249753989.png" alt="Deputy Sidnee Carter" />
                        <figcaption>Deputy Sidnee Carter</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In October of 2022, a&nbsp;2016 Dodge Charger driven by Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter, 22, Bel Aire, was southbound on 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize responding to a disturbance, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.</p><p>A westbound 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Burgett failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the drivers side of the Dodge Charger, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.</p><p>Deputy Carter was pronounced deceased at the scene. EMS transported Burgett to a local hospital.</p><p>Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Easter. She began field training in the summer of 2022 and completed that training Oct. 1.&nbsp;</p><p>Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;</p>

Driver in crash that killed Kan. deputy still waiting to learn his fate

President Trump announce on Friday afternoon that he will be declassifying all records related to Amelia Earhart, the American aviation pioneer from Kansas who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe in July of 1937.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681316394958.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison, Kansas&nbsp;" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison, Kansas&nbsp;</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>President Trump announce on Friday afternoon that he will be declassifying all records related to Amelia Earhart, the American aviation pioneer from Kansas who disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe in July of 1937.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/vPvcxC8Fbu">pic.twitter.com/vPvcxC8Fbu</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1971677105181073715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Trump will declassify all gov't records on Amelia Earhart

Federal health officials are warning consumers not to eat certain heat-and-eat beef meatball pasta meals sold at Walmart stores because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria previously linked to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/listeria-chicken-fettucine-alfredo-kroger-walmart-1c3544d1802d7594ca47a7219ffbb111">deadly outbreak</a>.

The U.S. Agriculture Department issued&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/fsis-issues-public-health-alert-ready-eat-meals-containing-pasta-may-be-contaminated">a public health alert</a>&nbsp;late Thursday for Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs &amp; Marinara Sauce sold in refrigerated 12-ounce clear plastic trays. The products have best-by dates of Sept. 22 through Oct. 1 and may still be in consumers' refrigerators.

The affected meals contain the establishment numbers “EST. 50784” and “EST. 47718” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the label. They were sent to Walmart stores nationwide.

No recall has been issued, but FreshRealm, a large food producer that distributed the products, said they advised Walmart this week to pull the meals from store shelves. Additional products may be identified, according to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

The meals may be contaminated with the same strain of listeria that caused an outbreak tied to chicken fettuccine Alfredo sold at Walmart and Kroger stores. Three people were killed and at least 17 were sickened in that outbreak, which led to a large recall this summer.

FreshRealm conducted tests that detected the listeria in linguine used in the meatball dish, company officials said. The strain matched the listeria identified in the chicken fettuccine Alfredo outbreak, the company said.

“We have long maintained that the source of the listeria was likely an ingredient supplied by a third party,” the company said in a statement.

The pasta came from Nate's Fine Foods of Roseville, California. The company did not immediately respond to questions.

Listeria infections can cause serious illness, particularly in older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those who are pregnant or their newborns. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

About 1,600 people get sick each year from listeria infections and about 260 die, the CDC says. Federal officials in December said they were revamping protocols to prevent listeria infections after several high-profile outbreaks, including one linked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/listeria-boars-head-deli-meat-65c4016aea0fc9e8505350ebc7b41e39">Boar’s Head deli meats</a>&nbsp;that led to 10 deaths and more than 60 illnesses last year.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758908308274.png" alt="Image FDA" />
                        <figcaption>Image FDA</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By JONEL ALECCIA <br>AP Health Writer</p><p>Federal health officials are warning consumers not to eat certain heat-and-eat beef meatball pasta meals sold at Walmart stores because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria previously linked to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/listeria-chicken-fettucine-alfredo-kroger-walmart-1c3544d1802d7594ca47a7219ffbb111">deadly outbreak</a>.</p><p>The U.S. Agriculture Department issued&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/fsis-issues-public-health-alert-ready-eat-meals-containing-pasta-may-be-contaminated">a public health alert</a>&nbsp;late Thursday for Marketside Linguine with Beef Meatballs &amp; Marinara Sauce sold in refrigerated 12-ounce clear plastic trays. The products have best-by dates of Sept. 22 through Oct. 1 and may still be in consumers' refrigerators.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758908272640.png" alt="Image FDA" />
                        <figcaption>Image FDA</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The affected meals contain the establishment numbers “EST. 50784” and “EST. 47718” inside the USDA mark of inspection on the label. They were sent to Walmart stores nationwide.</p><p>No recall has been issued, but FreshRealm, a large food producer that distributed the products, said they advised Walmart this week to pull the meals from store shelves. Additional products may be identified, according to USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service.</p><p>The meals may be contaminated with the same strain of listeria that caused an outbreak tied to chicken fettuccine Alfredo sold at Walmart and Kroger stores. Three people were killed and at least 17 were sickened in that outbreak, which led to a large recall this summer.</p><p>FreshRealm conducted tests that detected the listeria in linguine used in the meatball dish, company officials said. The strain matched the listeria identified in the chicken fettuccine Alfredo outbreak, the company said.</p><p>“We have long maintained that the source of the listeria was likely an ingredient supplied by a third party,” the company said in a statement.</p><p>The pasta came from Nate's Fine Foods of Roseville, California. The company did not immediately respond to questions.</p><p>Listeria infections can cause serious illness, particularly in older adults, people with weakened immune systems and those who are pregnant or their newborns. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.</p><p>About 1,600 people get sick each year from listeria infections and about 260 die, the CDC says. Federal officials in December said they were revamping protocols to prevent listeria infections after several high-profile outbreaks, including one linked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/listeria-boars-head-deli-meat-65c4016aea0fc9e8505350ebc7b41e39">Boar’s Head deli meats</a>&nbsp;that led to 10 deaths and more than 60 illnesses last year.</p><p>___</p><p>The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.</p>

Listeria found in Walmart meatball meals; may be linked to deadly outbreak

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-kimmel-affiliate-charlie-kirk-8eb9dca5dff2c717fd00a7083982c5c4">Nexstar Media Group</a>&nbsp;joined&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-sinclair-affiliates-40489e9058a609029ebcb2ef894221e9">Sinclair Broadcast Group</a>&nbsp;in bringing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jimmy-kimmel">Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show</a>&nbsp;back to its local TV stations on Friday night, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S.

The companies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-returns-suspension-charlie-kirk-d6421f17ebef4735753495b4f4997c8f">suspended the program</a>&nbsp;over remarks the comedian made in the wake of conservative activist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooting-utah-university-republicans-8357c3d102de09e3320fde761258131a">Charlie Kirk’s killing</a>. The move means “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to local TV on Nexstar’s ABC affiliates in 28 cities, along with the 38 stations where Sinclair agreed to restore the show.

The show will also return to Sinclair's local TV markets from Seattle to Washington, D.C.

Disney-owned ABC suspended Kimmel on Sept. 17, following threats of potential repercussions from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission. Sinclair also condemned the host — confirming that it would stop airing the show the same day.

The Maryland-based broadcast giant, which is known for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bf55f8f8690ad1d840458bf13fbabb89">conservative political content</a>, called on Kimmel at the time to apologize to Kirk’s family — and taking it a step further, asked him to “make a meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA, the nonprofit that Kirk founded.

On the day Kirk was killed, Kimmel shared a message of support for Kirk’s family and other victims of gun violence on social media, which he reiterated during his Tuesday return to ABC. He had also called the conservative activist’s assassination a “senseless murder” prior to being taken off air.

Kimmel’s original comments didn’t otherwise focus on Kirk. He instead lambasted President Donald Trump and his administration’s response to the killing. The comedian did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-returns-suspension-charlie-kirk-a29db3adb762b9b148d56ce88c24485c">not apologize on Tuesday</a>, but did say “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man” and acknowledged that to some, his comments “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”

He also used a blend of humor and pointed messages to emphasize the importance of free speech.

Even after Disney brought Kimmel back to its national airways, both Sinclair and Nexstar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-returns-suspension-charlie-kirk-d6421f17ebef4735753495b4f4997c8f">continued to preempt the show.</a>

New episodes of the show air Monday through Thursday. Friday night’s rerun will be of Tuesday’s show — so viewers of Sinclair stations can see Kimmel's emotional return to the air.

In its statement Friday, Sinclair pointed to its "responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.”

The company, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-kimmel-affiliate-charlie-kirk-8eb9dca5dff2c717fd00a7083982c5c4">operates 38 ABC-affiliated stations</a>, added that it had received “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” and noticed “troubling acts of violence," referencing the shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-10-office-sacramento-california-shooting-7ccb4e8b9014de8075eedc273f1b7182">into the lobby of a Sacramento station</a>.

“These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important,” Sinclair added.

As a result of Sinclair and Nexstar's boycott, viewers in cities representing roughly a quarter of ABC's local TV affiliates had been left without the late-night program on local TV. The blackouts escalated nationwide uproar around First Amendment protections — particularly as the Trump administration and other conservatives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kirk-trump-cancel-culture-assassination-4d69649e382ea46d8dcf794150a1d3c9">police speech after Kirk’s killing</a>. They also cast a spotlight on political influence in the media landscape, with critics lambasting companies that they accuse of censoring content.

Ahead of his suspension, Kimmel took aim at the president and his “MAGA gang” of supporters for their response to Kirk's killing, which Kimmel said included “finger-pointing” and attempts to characterize the alleged shooter as “anything other than one of them.”

These remarks angered many supporters of Kirk — as well as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who accused Kimmel of appearing to “directly mislead the American public” with his remarks about the man accused of the killing. Ahead of Kimmel’s suspension, Carr warned that Disney and ABC’s local affiliates could face repercussions if the comedian was not punished.

He later applauded Sinclair, as well as Nexstar, for their decisions to preempt the show.

On Sept. 17, Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WeAreSinclair/status/1968471160359645658">called</a>&nbsp;Kimmel’s comments “inappropriate and deeply insensitive” and said that ABC’s suspension wasn’t enough. Smith added that Sinclair appreciated Carr’s comments — and called for “immediate regulatory action” from the FCC “to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”

Still, in Friday's announcement, Sinclair maintained that its decision to preempt Kimmel's show was "independent of any government interaction or influence,” Sinclair’s statement Friday read, adding that broadcasters had the right to exercise their own judgment.

While local TV affiliates broadcast their own programming, such as local news, they also contract with larger national broadcasters — and pay them to air their national content, splitting advertising revenue and fees from cable companies.

Sinclair said “constructive” discussions with ABC were ongoing, and said its proposals to the network to strengthen accountability, feedback and dialogue and appoint an ombudsman had not yet been adopted.

Representatives for ABC declined to comment on Friday.

Matthew Dolgin, senior equity analyst at research firm Morningstar, said he wasn’t surprised by Sinclair’s decision.

“The relationship with Disney is far too important for these firms to risk,” Dolgin said. And setting aside legal rights from either side, he added, "Disney would’ve been free to take its affiliate agreements elsewhere in 2026 if these relationships were too difficult. That scenario would be devastating to Nexstar and Sinclair.”

AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles and AP Business Writer Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758149830141.png" alt="Image courtesy ABC" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy ABC</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-kimmel-affiliate-charlie-kirk-8eb9dca5dff2c717fd00a7083982c5c4">Nexstar Media Group</a>&nbsp;joined&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-sinclair-affiliates-40489e9058a609029ebcb2ef894221e9">Sinclair Broadcast Group</a>&nbsp;in bringing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jimmy-kimmel">Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show</a>&nbsp;back to its local TV stations on Friday night, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S.</p><p>The companies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-returns-suspension-charlie-kirk-d6421f17ebef4735753495b4f4997c8f">suspended the program</a>&nbsp;over remarks the comedian made in the wake of conservative activist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-shooting-utah-university-republicans-8357c3d102de09e3320fde761258131a">Charlie Kirk’s killing</a>. The move means “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to local TV on Nexstar’s ABC affiliates in 28 cities, along with the 38 stations where Sinclair agreed to restore the show.</p><p>The show will also return to Sinclair's local TV markets from Seattle to Washington, D.C.</p><p>Disney-owned ABC suspended Kimmel on Sept. 17, following threats of potential repercussions from the Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission. Sinclair also condemned the host — confirming that it would stop airing the show the same day.</p><p>The Maryland-based broadcast giant, which is known for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bf55f8f8690ad1d840458bf13fbabb89">conservative political content</a>, called on Kimmel at the time to apologize to Kirk’s family — and taking it a step further, asked him to “make a meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA, the nonprofit that Kirk founded.</p><p>On the day Kirk was killed, Kimmel shared a message of support for Kirk’s family and other victims of gun violence on social media, which he reiterated during his Tuesday return to ABC. He had also called the conservative activist’s assassination a “senseless murder” prior to being taken off air.</p><p>Kimmel’s original comments didn’t otherwise focus on Kirk. He instead lambasted President Donald Trump and his administration’s response to the killing. The comedian did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-returns-suspension-charlie-kirk-a29db3adb762b9b148d56ce88c24485c">not apologize on Tuesday</a>, but did say “it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man” and acknowledged that to some, his comments “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”</p><p>He also used a blend of humor and pointed messages to emphasize the importance of free speech.</p><p>Even after Disney brought Kimmel back to its national airways, both Sinclair and Nexstar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-returns-suspension-charlie-kirk-d6421f17ebef4735753495b4f4997c8f">continued to preempt the show.</a></p><p>New episodes of the show air Monday through Thursday. Friday night’s rerun will be of Tuesday’s show — so viewers of Sinclair stations can see Kimmel's emotional return to the air.</p><p>In its statement Friday, Sinclair pointed to its "responsibility as local broadcasters to provide programming that serves the interests of our communities, while also honoring our obligations to air national network programming.”</p><p>The company, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-kimmel-affiliate-charlie-kirk-8eb9dca5dff2c717fd00a7083982c5c4">operates 38 ABC-affiliated stations</a>, added that it had received “thoughtful feedback from viewers, advertisers and community leaders representing a wide range of perspectives,” and noticed “troubling acts of violence," referencing the shooting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-10-office-sacramento-california-shooting-7ccb4e8b9014de8075eedc273f1b7182">into the lobby of a Sacramento station</a>.</p><p>“These events underscore why responsible broadcasting matters and why respectful dialogue between differing voices remains so important,” Sinclair added.</p><p>As a result of Sinclair and Nexstar's boycott, viewers in cities representing roughly a quarter of ABC's local TV affiliates had been left without the late-night program on local TV. The blackouts escalated nationwide uproar around First Amendment protections — particularly as the Trump administration and other conservatives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kirk-trump-cancel-culture-assassination-4d69649e382ea46d8dcf794150a1d3c9">police speech after Kirk’s killing</a>. They also cast a spotlight on political influence in the media landscape, with critics lambasting companies that they accuse of censoring content.</p><p>Ahead of his suspension, Kimmel took aim at the president and his “MAGA gang” of supporters for their response to Kirk's killing, which Kimmel said included “finger-pointing” and attempts to characterize the alleged shooter as “anything other than one of them.”</p><p>These remarks angered many supporters of Kirk — as well as FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who accused Kimmel of appearing to “directly mislead the American public” with his remarks about the man accused of the killing. Ahead of Kimmel’s suspension, Carr warned that Disney and ABC’s local affiliates could face repercussions if the comedian was not punished.</p><p>He later applauded Sinclair, as well as Nexstar, for their decisions to preempt the show.</p><p>On Sept. 17, Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WeAreSinclair/status/1968471160359645658">called</a>&nbsp;Kimmel’s comments “inappropriate and deeply insensitive” and said that ABC’s suspension wasn’t enough. Smith added that Sinclair appreciated Carr’s comments — and called for “immediate regulatory action” from the FCC “to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”</p><p>Still, in Friday's announcement, Sinclair maintained that its decision to preempt Kimmel's show was "independent of any government interaction or influence,” Sinclair’s statement Friday read, adding that broadcasters had the right to exercise their own judgment.</p><p>While local TV affiliates broadcast their own programming, such as local news, they also contract with larger national broadcasters — and pay them to air their national content, splitting advertising revenue and fees from cable companies.</p><p>Sinclair said “constructive” discussions with ABC were ongoing, and said its proposals to the network to strengthen accountability, feedback and dialogue and appoint an ombudsman had not yet been adopted.</p><p>Representatives for ABC declined to comment on Friday.</p><p>Matthew Dolgin, senior equity analyst at research firm Morningstar, said he wasn’t surprised by Sinclair’s decision.</p><p>“The relationship with Disney is far too important for these firms to risk,” Dolgin said. And setting aside legal rights from either side, he added, "Disney would’ve been free to take its affiliate agreements elsewhere in 2026 if these relationships were too difficult. That scenario would be devastating to Nexstar and Sinclair.”</p><p>___</p><p>AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles and AP Business Writer Mae Anderson in New York contributed to this report.</p>

Nexstar and Sinclair bring Kimmel's show back on local TV stations

The Topeka Zoo is mourning the loss of Leopold, one of its cheetahs, after an unexpected spinal injury forced the difficult decision to euthanize him, according to a social media post from the zoo.

Zoo officials shared the news in a Sept. 24 Facebook post, noting that animal care staff first observed Leopold walking tenderly on his hind legs on Sept. 18. Despite rest and treatment, his condition worsened, leading to further testing. A CT scan at Topeka ER revealed a fractured vertebra that would have required corrective surgery.

Leopold was transferred to a specialty veterinary center for additional imaging and treatment. However, an MRI and subsequent surgical evaluation revealed the damage was too severe to repair. “The surgical team discovered at that time that the damage to his spine could not be repaired, and the humane decision was made to euthanize him,” the zoo said.

The exact cause of the injury remains unclear. Surveillance footage showed Leopold appearing alert and excited by outside activity in his habitat the day before staff noticed his condition. He was later observed walking away with visible discomfort. The zoo believes he may have fallen or landed improperly, but obstructions in the video prevented confirmation of the exact incident.

Zoo staff and visitors alike are grieving the loss. “Losing Leopold is tragic and he will be deeply missed. He was a neat cat who very quickly stole the hearts of many,” said Wrylie Guffey, the zoo’s animal care director.

The zoo has adjusted Leopold’s enclosure to reduce the risk of similar accidents in the future and has shifted its focus to supporting Roosevelt, Leopold’s brother.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758892042473.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy Topeka Zoo" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy Topeka Zoo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The Topeka Zoo is mourning the loss of Leopold, one of its cheetahs, after an unexpected spinal injury forced the difficult decision to euthanize him, according to a social media post from the zoo.</p><p>Zoo officials shared the news in a Sept. 24 Facebook post, noting that animal care staff first observed Leopold walking tenderly on his hind legs on Sept. 18. Despite rest and treatment, his condition worsened, leading to further testing. A CT scan at Topeka ER revealed a fractured vertebra that would have required corrective surgery.</p><p>Leopold was transferred to a specialty veterinary center for additional imaging and treatment. However, an MRI and subsequent surgical evaluation revealed the damage was too severe to repair. “The surgical team discovered at that time that the damage to his spine could not be repaired, and the humane decision was made to euthanize him,” the zoo said.</p><p>The exact cause of the injury remains unclear. Surveillance footage showed Leopold appearing alert and excited by outside activity in his habitat the day before staff noticed his condition. He was later observed walking away with visible discomfort. The zoo believes he may have fallen or landed improperly, but obstructions in the video prevented confirmation of the exact incident.</p><p>Zoo staff and visitors alike are grieving the loss. “Losing Leopold is tragic and he will be deeply missed. He was a neat cat who very quickly stole the hearts of many,” said Wrylie Guffey, the zoo’s animal care director.</p><p>The zoo has adjusted Leopold’s enclosure to reduce the risk of similar accidents in the future and has shifted its focus to supporting Roosevelt, Leopold’s brother.</p>

Unexpected injury led to death of cheetah at Kansas zoo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He said he hopes “cooler heads will prevail.”

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

Latest standoff in Washington over government funding continues

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

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

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

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

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

Police investigate girl's cello damaged on Kansas school bus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Homicide: Police found man dead on Kansas street

MCPHERSON COUNTY—State officials are investigating an incident involving a patient transfer from&nbsp;Osawatomie State Hospital that occurred in McPherson County.

"An individual being transported from our facility on September 18, was involved in an incident on a public highway that temporarily halted traffic, according to a statement from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.

"The individual was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and has since been moved to another state facility." "We are cooperating with authorities and reviewing our transportation policies to ensure the safety of our patients and the public."

The state provided no further details due to privacy concerns.

<p>MCPHERSON COUNTY—State officials are investigating an incident involving a patient transfer from&nbsp;Osawatomie State Hospital that occurred in McPherson County.</p><p>"An individual being transported from our facility on September 18, was involved in an incident on a public highway that temporarily halted traffic, according to a statement from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.</p><p>"The individual was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and has since been moved to another state facility." "We are cooperating with authorities and reviewing our transportation policies to ensure the safety of our patients and the public."</p><p>The state provided no further details due to privacy concerns.</p>

State investigates incident during transfer of patient from psych hospital

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

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

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

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

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

🎥Police ask for help to ID Kansas home burglary suspects

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turmoil in the office that filed the case

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

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

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

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

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

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