JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites.

The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.

Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn’t want — though official there have repeatedly warned it could build them. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address on YouTube that the attacks will continue “for as many days at it takes to remove this threat.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action against Iran” and that Israel advised the U.S. that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defense.

“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement released by the White House.

Rubio also issued a warning to Iran that it should not target U.S. interests or personnel.

People in Tehran awoke to the sound of the blast. State television acknowledged the blast.

It wasn't immediately clear what had been hit, though smoke could be rising from Chitgar, a neighborhood in western Tehran. There are no known nuclear sites in that area — but it wasn't immediately clear if anything was happening in the rest of the country.

An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian nuclear sites, without identifying them.

The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation, which is also targeting military sites.

Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising nearly 5% on the news.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that his country carried out the attack, without saying what it targeted.

“In the wake of the state of Israel’s preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately," he said in a statement.

The statement added that Katz “signed a special order declaring an emergency situation in the home front.”

“It is essential to listen to instructions from the home front command and authorities to stay in protected areas,” it said

Both Iran and Israel closed their airspace.

As the explosions in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.

Trump earlier said he was urging Netanyahu to hold off from taking action for the time being while the administration negotiated with Iran.

“As long as I think there is a (chance for an) agreement, I don’t want them going in because I think it would blow it,” Trump told reporters.

Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn't want — though official there have repeatedly warned it could build them. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq's capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.

Iran halted flights Friday at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside of Tehran, the country’s main airport, Iranian state TV said.

Iran has closed its airspace in the past when launching previous attacks against Israel during the Israel-Hamas war.

The White House did not have an immediate comment Thursday night.

Trump earlier said he was urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off from taking action for the time being while the administration negotiated with Iran.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — (AP) — Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran.

Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn't want — though official there have repeatedly warned it could. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq's capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.

It wasn't immediately clear what had been hit, though smoke could be rising from Chitgar, a neighborhood in western Tehran.

Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising over 2%.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its… <a href="https://t.co/5FFesh3dkF">pic.twitter.com/5FFesh3dkF</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1933328486669697508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn’t want — though official there have repeatedly warned it could build them. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq’s capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Prime Minister Netanyahu: &quot;Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel&#39;s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/3c8oF1GCYa">pic.twitter.com/3c8oF1GCYa</a>&mdash; Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1933329728246534596?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an address on YouTube that the attacks will continue “for as many days at it takes to remove this threat.”U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took “unilateral action against Iran” and that Israel advised the U.S. that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defense.“We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement released by the White House.Rubio also issued a warning to Iran that it should not target U.S. interests or personnel.People in Tehran awoke to the sound of the blast. State television acknowledged the blast.It wasn't immediately clear what had been hit, though smoke could be rising from Chitgar, a neighborhood in western Tehran. There are no known nuclear sites in that area — but it wasn't immediately clear if anything was happening in the rest of the country.An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian nuclear sites, without identifying them.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A statement from IDF Spokesperson BG Effie Defrin on the preemptive Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear targets <a href="https://t.co/IJNT5LXz6o">pic.twitter.com/IJNT5LXz6o</a>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1933328551333216407?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation, which is also targeting military sites.Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising nearly 5% on the news.Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that his country carried out the attack, without saying what it targeted.“In the wake of the state of Israel’s preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately," he said in a statement.The statement added that Katz “signed a special order declaring an emergency situation in the home front.”“It is essential to listen to instructions from the home front command and authorities to stay in protected areas,” it saidBoth Iran and Israel closed their airspace.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At our Embassy in Jerusalem and closely following the situation. We will remain here all night. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” <a href="https://t.co/2nAHxijkdA">https://t.co/2nAHxijkdA</a>&mdash; Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/1933302492147687876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As the explosions in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/A9A4LhK7PZ">pic.twitter.com/A9A4LhK7PZ</a>&mdash; Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio/status/1933275097357312051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump earlier said he was urging Netanyahu to hold off from taking action for the time being while the administration negotiated with Iran.“As long as I think there is a (chance for an) agreement, I don’t want them going in because I think it would blow it,” Trump told reporters.-----------JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran as Israel said it targeted nuclear and military sites.The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐃𝐅 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧&#39;𝐬 𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦. Dozens of IAF jets completed the first stage that included strikes on dozens of military targets, including… <a href="https://t.co/vtx98P9564">pic.twitter.com/vtx98P9564</a>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1933324595471454495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn't want — though official there have repeatedly warned it could build them. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq's capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.People in Tehran awoke to the sound of the blast. State television acknowledged the blast.It wasn't immediately clear what had been hit, though smoke could be rising from Chitgar, a neighborhood in western Tehran. There are no known nuclear sites in that area — but it wasn't immediately clear if anything was happening in the rest of the country.An Israeli military official says that his country targeted Iranian nuclear sites, without identifying them.The official spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing operation, which is also targeting military sites.Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising nearly 5% on the news.Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said that his country carried out the attack, without saying what it targeted.“In the wake of the state of Israel’s preventive attack against Iran, missile and drone attacks against Israel and its civilian population are expected immediately," he said in a statement.The statement added that Katz “signed a special order declaring an emergency situation in the home front.”“It is essential to listen to instructions from the home front command and authorities to stay in protected areas,” it saidIran halted flights Friday at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside of Tehran, the country’s main airport, Iranian state TV said.Iran has closed its airspace in the past when launching previous attacks against Israel during the Israel-Hamas war.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At our Embassy in Jerusalem and closely following the situation. We will remain here all night. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” <a href="https://t.co/2nAHxijkdA">https://t.co/2nAHxijkdA</a>&mdash; Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/1933302492147687876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The White House did not have an immediate comment Thursday night.As the explosions in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.Trump earlier said he was urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off from taking action for the time being while the administration negotiated with Iran.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/A9A4LhK7PZ">pic.twitter.com/A9A4LhK7PZ</a>&mdash; Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio/status/1933275097357312051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“As long as I think there is a (chance for an) agreement, I don’t want them going in because I think it would blow it,” Trump told reporters.--------------------DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — (AP) — Israel attacked Iran's capital early Friday, with explosions booming across Tehran.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">At our Embassy in Jerusalem and closely following the situation. We will remain here all night. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” <a href="https://t.co/2nAHxijkdA">https://t.co/2nAHxijkdA</a>&mdash; Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/1933302492147687876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The attack comes as tensions have reached new heights over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program. The Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years on Thursday censured Iran over it not working with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site in the country and swap out some centrifuges for more-advanced ones.Israel for years has warned it will not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon, something Tehran insists it doesn't want — though official there have repeatedly warned it could. The U.S. has been preparing for something to happen, already pulling some diplomats from Iraq's capital and offering voluntary evacuations for the families of U.S. troops in the wider Middle East.People in Tehran awoke to the sound of the blast. State television acknowledged the blast.It wasn't immediately clear what had been hit, though smoke could be rising from Chitgar, a neighborhood in western Tehran.Benchmark Brent crude spiked on the attack, rising over 2%.The White House did not have an immediate comment Thursday night.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/A9A4LhK7PZ">pic.twitter.com/A9A4LhK7PZ</a>&mdash; Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio/status/1933275097357312051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As the explosions in Tehran started, President Donald Trump was on the lawn of the White House mingling with members of Congress. It was unclear if he had been informed but the president continued shaking hands and posing for pictures for several minutes.

Rubio: U.S. not involved as Israel launches strike against Iran's nuclear program

RENO COUNTY — A registered Kansas sex offender was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison, followed by an additional 27.5 years, for sexually abusing two underage girls.

Wayne Willard, 39, was found guilty in April of rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a 12-year-old, as well as the forcible rape of a 15-year-old. A Reno County District Court Judge followed the mandatory guidelines under Jessica’s Law in sentencing Willard to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 40 years for crimes involving the 12-year-old.

After serving the life sentence, Willard must begin a separate 27.5-year sentence for the rape of the 15-year-old. The judge designated him a "persistent sex offender" in connection to that conviction. Willard will not receive credit for any time previously served.

Willard has been registered as a sex offender since 2008 for sexual battery and aggravated indecent liberties convictions involving a child under age 16 in Wichita County, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

The investigation was conducted by the Reno County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Reno County Senior Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh and Assistant District Attorney Bach Hang. Willard was represented by defense attorney Mark Sevart of Wichita.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749742234948.jpeg" alt="Willard -photo Reno County&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Willard -photo Reno County&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY — A registered Kansas sex offender was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison, followed by an additional 27.5 years, for sexually abusing two underage girls.Wayne Willard, 39, was found guilty in April of rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a 12-year-old, as well as the forcible rape of a 15-year-old. A Reno County District Court Judge followed the mandatory guidelines under Jessica’s Law in sentencing Willard to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 40 years for crimes involving the 12-year-old.After serving the life sentence, Willard must begin a separate 27.5-year sentence for the rape of the 15-year-old. The judge designated him a "persistent sex offender" in connection to that conviction. Willard will not receive credit for any time previously served.Willard has been registered as a sex offender since 2008 for sexual battery and aggravated indecent liberties convictions involving a child under age 16 in Wichita County, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.The investigation was conducted by the Reno County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by Reno County Senior Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh and Assistant District Attorney Bach Hang. Willard was represented by defense attorney Mark Sevart of Wichita.

Registered Kansas sex offender assaulted 12-year-old

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A man charged in a fatal hit-and-run that killed a bicyclist was back in court Wednesday for an arraignment hearing.

Christopher Johnson, 23, plead not guilty to a charge of felony hit-and-run before&nbsp;Judge Eric Williams, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He will face a jury trial in October.

In August of 2024, police responded to a traffic collision involving a vehicle and an electric bicycle at 2400 N. Hoover in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

First responders found 43-year-old Thomas Doyle of Wichita who was riding the bike unresponsive. Thomas was later pronounced deceased at the scene by Sedgwick County EMS.

Investigators determined Doyle was northbound on Hoover when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Johnsaon that then continued driving north.

On August 22, police arrested Johnson on felony allegations, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=751504">Sedgwick County booking records.</a>&nbsp; He bonded out of jail the following day.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724409391079.png" alt="Johnson photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Johnson photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A man charged in a fatal hit-and-run that killed a bicyclist was back in court Wednesday for an arraignment hearing.Christopher Johnson, 23, plead not guilty to a charge of felony hit-and-run before&nbsp;Judge Eric Williams, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He will face a jury trial in October.In August of 2024, police responded to a traffic collision involving a vehicle and an electric bicycle at 2400 N. Hoover in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.First responders found 43-year-old Thomas Doyle of Wichita who was riding the bike unresponsive. Thomas was later pronounced deceased at the scene by Sedgwick County EMS.Investigators determined Doyle was northbound on Hoover when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Johnsaon that then continued driving north.On August 22, police arrested Johnson on felony allegations, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=751504">Sedgwick County booking records.</a>&nbsp; He bonded out of jail the following day.

Driver enters plea in fatal Kansas hit-and-run that killed bicyclist

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alex-padilla">Alex Padilla</a>&nbsp;on Thursday was forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles and handcuffed by officers as he tried to speak up about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-crackdown-us-protests-049a611d47d0fc7656731e4f4c714e93">immigration raids that have led to protests</a>&nbsp;in California and around the country.

Video shows a Secret Service agent on Noem’s security detail grabbing Padilla, who represents California, by his jacket and shoving him from the room as he tried to interrupt Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles.

“I’m Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he shouted in a halting voice.

Scuffling with officers outside the room, he can be heard bellowing, “Hands off!” He is later seen on his knees and then pushed to the ground and handcuffed in a hallway, with several officers atop him.

The shocking scene of a U.S. senator being aggressively removed from a Cabinet secretary’s news conference prompted immediate outrage from his Democratic colleagues. Images and video of the scuffle ricocheted through the halls of Congress, where stunned lawmakers demanded an immediate investigation and characterized the episode as another in a line of mounting threats to democracy by President Donald Trump’s administration.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said what he saw “sickened my stomach.”

“We need immediate answers to what the hell went on,” the New York senator said from the Senate floor. “It’s despicable, it’s disgusting, it’s so un-American.”

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said Padilla “chose disrespectful political theater and interrupted a live news conference.” They claimed erroneously that Padilla did not identify himself and said Secret Service believed him to be an attacker.

“Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” the statement said, adding that “officers acted appropriately.”

Emerging afterward, Padilla said he was demanding answers about the Trump administration’s “increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions” from Noem when he was removed. He said he and his colleagues had received little to no response to their questions in recent weeks, so he attended the briefing for more information.

“If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question … I can only imagine what they are doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers throughout the Los Angeles community, and throughout California and throughout the country,” he said.

Noem told Fox LA afterward that she had a “great” conversation with Padilla after the scuffle, but called his approach “something that I don’t think was appropriate at all.”

The fracas in Los Angeles came just days after Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lamonica-mciver-assault-charge-alina-habba-immigration-7b6a5b0fc8079a9efd0606ab68e3f02d">indicted</a>&nbsp;on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a detention center in New Jersey while Newark’s mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Democrats have framed the charges as intimidation efforts by the Trump administration.

Padilla, the son of immigrants from Mexico, has been a harsh Trump critic and his mass deportations agenda. In a post on the social platform X, he said of recent federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, “Trump isn’t targeting criminals in his mass deportation agenda, he is terrorizing communities, breaking apart families and putting American citizens in harm’s way.”

Democratic senators quickly gathered in the Senate chamber denouncing the treatment of their colleague — a well-liked and respected senator — and urged Americans to understand what was happening.

“If this is how a United States senator can be treated, none of our constituents are safe,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., as colleagues gathered on the Senate floor to denounce the situation. “This is a test for the country.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Trump is making this country “look more and more like a fascist state.”

“Will any Republican senator speak up for our democracy?” Warren pleaded.

Senate Republican leader John Thune said he wants to know the facts of the situation.

“Obviously we will have response,” said Thune, R-S.D., as he walked to his office at the U.S. Capitol. “But I want to know the facts, find out exactly what happened.”

Other Republicans had a more muted response, with some saying they had not yet seen the video.

The No. 2 Republican, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, said he was unaware of what happened but said Padilla should have been at work in Washington.

The stark incident comes as Congress faces increasing episodes of encroachment on its authority. As a coequal branch of the U.S. government, the Trump administration is exerting its executive powers in untested ways.

As part of their work in Congress, lawmakers are responsible for providing oversight of the administration, its agencies and actions.

Several senators and representatives have been exercising their oversight roles by surveying the treatment of immigrants and others being detained as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation.

From the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said what happened to Padilla “was un-American” and those involved must be held accountable.

“This is not going to end until there is accountability and until the Trump administration changes its behavior,” he said.

Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim in Washington and Jaimie Ding contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749757787923.png" alt="Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem during her Los Angeles news conferece-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem during her Los Angeles news conferece-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alex-padilla">Alex Padilla</a>&nbsp;on Thursday was forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles and handcuffed by officers as he tried to speak up about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-crackdown-us-protests-049a611d47d0fc7656731e4f4c714e93">immigration raids that have led to protests</a>&nbsp;in California and around the country.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749757448306.png" alt="Senator Padilla asshown the video provided by U.S. Homeland Security" />
 <figcaption>Senator Padilla asshown the video provided by U.S. Homeland Security</figcaption>
 </figure>Video shows a Secret Service agent on Noem’s security detail grabbing Padilla, who represents California, by his jacket and shoving him from the room as he tried to interrupt Noem’s news conference in Los Angeles.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">During a news conference with DHS Secretary Noem, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) is removed from the room by force. <a href="https://t.co/vJryoWIVHi">pic.twitter.com/vJryoWIVHi</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1933244184581873693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Padilla pushing and shoving law enforcement officers to get his way back to the podium. Incredibly aggressive behavior from a sitting US Senator. No one knew who he was. <a href="https://t.co/yQ1GVVUF8d">https://t.co/yQ1GVVUF8d</a> <a href="https://t.co/80kBU9O8R3">pic.twitter.com/80kBU9O8R3</a>&mdash; Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1933248954260746399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I’m Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,” he shouted in a halting voice.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Senator Alex Padilla is a good man and principled public servant. The brazen and aggressive manhandling of Senator Padilla by the Trump administration is a sickening disgrace. Anyone who assaulted the Senator should be held accountable. No one is above the law. <a href="https://t.co/s9pHXP5tRD">pic.twitter.com/s9pHXP5tRD</a>&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffries/status/1933236767680840025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Scuffling with officers outside the room, he can be heard bellowing, “Hands off!” He is later seen on his knees and then pushed to the ground and handcuffed in a hallway, with several officers atop him.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">With regard to the incident in LA this afternoon, the Senator in question was not wearing a security pin and physically resisted law enforcement when confronted. Our FBI personnel acted completely appropriately while assisting Secret Service and we are grateful for their…&mdash; Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDDBongino/status/1933262131346223586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The shocking scene of a U.S. senator being aggressively removed from a Cabinet secretary’s news conference prompted immediate outrage from his Democratic colleagues. Images and video of the scuffle ricocheted through the halls of Congress, where stunned lawmakers demanded an immediate investigation and characterized the episode as another in a line of mounting threats to democracy by President Donald Trump’s administration.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SenAlexPadilla?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenAlexPadilla</a>: &quot;If this is how this administration responds to a Senator with a question. If this is how the Department of Homeland Security responds to a Senator with a question you can only imagine what they&#39;re doing to farmers, to cooks, to day laborers…&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4HQXylr1dh">pic.twitter.com/4HQXylr1dh</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1933251262935388646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said what he saw “sickened my stomach.”“We need immediate answers to what the hell went on,” the New York senator said from the Senate floor. “It’s despicable, it’s disgusting, it’s so un-American.”In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said Padilla “chose disrespectful political theater and interrupted a live news conference.” They claimed erroneously that Padilla did not identify himself and said Secret Service believed him to be an attacker.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Reporter: “Would you please address Senator Padilla’s interruption to your press conference… Will you be pressing charges from what we just witnessed here?” Secretary Kristi Noem: “I don’t even know the senator. He did not request a meeting or to speak with me. So when I leave… <a href="https://t.co/233FInB8NF">pic.twitter.com/233FInB8NF</a>&mdash; RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) <a href="https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1933229459676536930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a>: &quot;It was wildly inappropriate. You don&#39;t charge a sitting cabinet secretary...A sitting Member of Congress should not act like that...that behavior at a minimum it rises to the level of a censure.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/FzL1z4WmNi">pic.twitter.com/FzL1z4WmNi</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1933262191429292537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">After he interrupted our press conference with law enforcement, I met with Senator Padilla for 15 minutes. We probably disagree on 90% of the topics but we agreed to exchanged phone numbers and we will continue to talk—that is the way it should be in this country. I wish he… <a href="https://t.co/WdDs26jyCY">pic.twitter.com/WdDs26jyCY</a>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1933267265849278591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Padilla was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers’ repeated commands,” the statement said, adding that “officers acted appropriately.”Emerging afterward, Padilla said he was demanding answers about the Trump administration’s “increasingly extreme immigration enforcement actions” from Noem when he was removed. He said he and his colleagues had received little to no response to their questions in recent weeks, so he attended the briefing for more information.“If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question … I can only imagine what they are doing to farmworkers, to cooks, to day laborers throughout the Los Angeles community, and throughout California and throughout the country,” he said.Noem told Fox LA afterward that she had a “great” conversation with Padilla after the scuffle, but called his approach “something that I don’t think was appropriate at all.”The fracas in Los Angeles came just days after Democratic U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lamonica-mciver-assault-charge-alina-habba-immigration-7b6a5b0fc8079a9efd0606ab68e3f02d">indicted</a>&nbsp;on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a detention center in New Jersey while Newark’s mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Democrats have framed the charges as intimidation efforts by the Trump administration.Padilla, the son of immigrants from Mexico, has been a harsh Trump critic and his mass deportations agenda. In a post on the social platform X, he said of recent federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, “Trump isn’t targeting criminals in his mass deportation agenda, he is terrorizing communities, breaking apart families and putting American citizens in harm’s way.”Democratic senators quickly gathered in the Senate chamber denouncing the treatment of their colleague — a well-liked and respected senator — and urged Americans to understand what was happening.“If this is how a United States senator can be treated, none of our constituents are safe,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., as colleagues gathered on the Senate floor to denounce the situation. “This is a test for the country.”Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said Trump is making this country “look more and more like a fascist state.”“Will any Republican senator speak up for our democracy?” Warren pleaded.Senate Republican leader John Thune said he wants to know the facts of the situation.“Obviously we will have response,” said Thune, R-S.D., as he walked to his office at the U.S. Capitol. “But I want to know the facts, find out exactly what happened.”Other Republicans had a more muted response, with some saying they had not yet seen the video.The No. 2 Republican, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, said he was unaware of what happened but said Padilla should have been at work in Washington.The stark incident comes as Congress faces increasing episodes of encroachment on its authority. As a coequal branch of the U.S. government, the Trump administration is exerting its executive powers in untested ways.As part of their work in Congress, lawmakers are responsible for providing oversight of the administration, its agencies and actions.Several senators and representatives have been exercising their oversight roles by surveying the treatment of immigrants and others being detained as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation operation.From the steps of the U.S. Capitol, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said what happened to Padilla “was un-American” and those involved must be held accountable.“This is not going to end until there is accountability and until the Trump administration changes its behavior,” he said.___Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim in Washington and Jaimie Ding contributed to this report.

🎥U.S. Senator forcibly removed from Homeland Security news conference

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House narrowly passed legislation Thursday that would revoke $9.4 billion in previously approved funding for public media, including National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, as well as foreign aid, though the bill’s future in the Senate amid a strict timeline is uncertain.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025168?Page=2" target="_blank">214-212 mostly party-line vote</a>&nbsp;marks just the third time in several decades the House has approved a bill to claw back funding that lawmakers formerly agreed to spend. President Donald Trump sent the rescissions request that led to the House bill to the Republican-controlled Congress earlier this month.

Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Mike Turner of Ohio voted against approving the bill along with all of the chamber’s Democrats.

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon and New York Rep. Nick LaLota, both Republicans, switched from opposing to supporting the bill after Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with them on the floor as the vote was held open.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., contended during floor debate that pulling back the funding is the right place to start, but said the GOP will seek to do much more in the months and years ahead.

Scalise said PBS and NPR should have to compete against other media organizations without grant funding from the federal government.

“There is still going to be a plethora of options for the American people,” Scalise said. “But if they’re paying their hard-earned dollars to go get content, why should your tax dollars only go to one thing that the other side wants to promote? Let everybody go compete on a fair basis.”

Maine Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree said every state in the country would feel the impact of eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

“I rise today in strong opposition to the reckless attack on public media contained within this rescissions bill and millions of Americans who rely on and treasure their local public television and radio stations,” Pingree said.

Efforts to defund CPB, she said, were the result of Trump’s “agenda against the free press and his authoritarian desire to control the media.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4/text" target="_blank">seven-page bill</a>&nbsp;would rescind all funding that Congress approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, a total of $1.1 billion.

CPB, which provides grants to public radio and television stations throughout the country, is one of the few programs that receives an advanced appropriation. So the funding elimination envisioned in the House bill would take effect starting on Oct. 1.

The legislation revokes more than $8 billion from several foreign aid programs run by the U.S. State Department or the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Florida Republican Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, chairman of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee, said during an interview Wednesday there were extensive talks between GOP lawmakers and the Office of Management and Budget before the Trump administration officially submitted this rescissions request.

But Díaz-Balart cautioned there would need to be substantial pre-negotiations ahead of any future rescissions requests for programs within his annual funding bill.

“This rescission package — which I’ve had communication with OMB on — if this passes, we can move forward,” he said. “Now, if you’re talking about a potential for future additional rescissions, that could potentially create a problem and tie the president’s hands when it comes to dealing with adversaries or helping allies.”

Díaz-Balart said that OMB officials hoping to make any additional rescissions requests on foreign aid would need to engage in “a level of coordination that is so detailed, so intense to make sure that nothing comes forward that could potentially hurt the president’s ability to really do the America First agenda internationally.”

Florida Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel, ranking member on the State-Foreign Operations spending panel, said during floor debate Thursday the bill was an attack on American values and posed a threat to national security.

“It’s not charity, it’s strategy,” Frankel said of foreign aid. “Don’t take my word for it, military leaders from both parties have warned us for years — if we fail to lead with soft power, we’ll end up paying in blood, bombs and more boots on the ground.”

“Cutting foreign assistance will deepen desperation, fuel extremism, push fragile societies toward collapse and when that happens we all pay the price,” she added. “Refugee crises surge, diseases spread, trade routes shut down, our troops and diplomats face greater danger and our homeland security is weakened.”

The House vote took place just one week after the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-wants-congress-slash-94b-spending-now-defund-npr-and-pbs" target="_blank">sent lawmakers the rescissions request</a>, the first of many proposals the White House budget office plans to submit.&nbsp;

The $9.4 billion cancellation proposal represents a small fraction of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61181" target="_blank">the roughly $6.8 trillion</a>&nbsp;the federal government spends each year.

The recommendation said some of the foreign aid should be cancelled because it supported “programs that are antithetical to American interests and worsen the lives of women and children, like ‘family planning’ and ‘reproductive health,’ LGBTQI+ activities, and ‘equity’ programs.”

The rescissions request allows the Office of Management and Budget to legally freeze funding on the programs listed for 45 days while lawmakers decide whether to approve the recommendation as is, amend it, or ignore it.

The House and Senate must agree to approve the same rescissions bill before mid-July for the changes to take effect. Failure to reach a bicameral agreement before then would require the Trump administration to spend the funding and block the president from requesting the same cancellation for the rest of his term.

Rescissions requests are rare since Congress typically negotiates spending levels on thousands of federal programs in the dozen annual spending bills that are then signed by the president.

The first Trump administration proposed rescissions in 2018, but the bill never made it through the Senate.

The last time Congress actually approved rescinding funding was in 1992 during the George H.W. Bush administration, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48432/R48432.2.pdf" target="_blank">a report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

The Senate will need to take up the bill before mid-July if it wants to approve any of the spending cuts, though several GOP senators told States Newsroom during brief interviews Wednesday ahead of the House vote they may amend the package, which would require it to go back to the House for final approval before the 45-day clock runs out.

Rescissions bills come with a vote-a-rama in the Senate, giving Republicans and Democrats the chance to call up as many amendments as they want for a floor vote. The GOP holds a 53-member majority, so four or more Republicans opposing any element of the bill would likely lead to its removal.

Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she will give the rescissions bill “careful consideration.”

In a statement released earlier this month just after the White House sent the request to lawmakers, Collins wrote the committee would “carefully review the rescissions package and examine the potential consequences of these rescissions on global health, national security, emergency communications in rural communities, and public radio and television stations.”

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee, said he’s mostly supportive of the rescissions request, though he didn’t rule out offering an amendment to restore full funding for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, often called PEPFAR.

“I think I’ll be okay with most of it. I’m concerned about PEPFAR. I’ll have to look at that,” Graham said.

West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, chairwoman of the spending panel that oversees the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, said she’s planning to evaluate the bill once it arrives.

“We’ve got all these other things I’m thinking about. I haven’t even focused on it,” Capito said, referring to ongoing negotiations over the party’s “big, beautiful bill.”

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, said she’s going to “try to” ensure the Corporation for Public Broadcasting keeps its funding.

“I’m a supporter of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It’s a lifeline for many of my small, rural communities,” Murkowski said

Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran, a senior appropriator, said he’s “trying to figure out a strategy of how to deal with” both the foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provisions once the bill comes over from the House.

“I’m looking at both of them to see what the right outcome should be.”

‘The risk of living in a news desert’

Both PBS and NPR released statements following the House vote, pledging to do their best to keep their funding intact.

Katherine Maher, NPR president and CEO, wrote in a statement the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is essential to the organization.

“Americans who rely on local, independent stations serving communities across America, especially in rural and underserved regions, will suffer the immediate consequences of this vote,” Maher wrote. “If rescission passes and local stations go dark, millions of Americans will no longer have access to locally owned, independent, nonprofit media and will bear the risk of living in a news desert, missing their emergency alerts, and hearing silence where classical, jazz and local artists currently play.”

Paula Kerger, president and CEO at PBS, wrote in a separate statement the “fight to protect public media does not end with this vote, and we will continue to make the case for our essential service in the days and weeks to come.

“If these cuts are finalized by the Senate, it will have a devastating impact on PBS and local member stations, particularly smaller and rural stations that rely on federal funding for a larger portion of their budgets. Without PBS and local member stations, Americans will lose unique local programming and emergency services in times of crisis.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749763219260.png" alt="U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., holds up an Elmo toy while the chamber debates a bill that would eliminate previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grants to public radio and television stations, including the Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS, which airs “Sesame Street.” (Screen capture from House clerk live video)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., holds up an Elmo toy while the chamber debates a bill that would eliminate previously approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grants to public radio and television stations, including the Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS, which airs “Sesame Street.” (Screen capture from House clerk live video)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a> WASHINGTON — The U.S. House narrowly passed legislation Thursday that would revoke $9.4 billion in previously approved funding for public media, including National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, as well as foreign aid, though the bill’s future in the Senate amid a strict timeline is uncertain.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJeffries</a>: &quot;We&#39;re on the floor of the House of Representatives not debating legislation that is designed to make this country and our economy more affordable but actually debating legislation that targets Elmo and Big Bird and Daniel Tiger and Sesame Street.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/lWkGvuco1A">pic.twitter.com/lWkGvuco1A</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1933229808139301333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025168?Page=2" target="_blank">214-212 mostly party-line vote</a>&nbsp;marks just the third time in several decades the House has approved a bill to claw back funding that lawmakers formerly agreed to spend. President Donald Trump sent the rescissions request that led to the House bill to the Republican-controlled Congress earlier this month.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749763326958.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Nicole Malliotakis of New York and Mike Turner of Ohio voted against approving the bill along with all of the chamber’s Democrats.Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon and New York Rep. Nick LaLota, both Republicans, switched from opposing to supporting the bill after Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with them on the floor as the vote was held open.House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., contended during floor debate that pulling back the funding is the right place to start, but said the GOP will seek to do much more in the months and years ahead.Scalise said PBS and NPR should have to compete against other media organizations without grant funding from the federal government.“There is still going to be a plethora of options for the American people,” Scalise said. “But if they’re paying their hard-earned dollars to go get content, why should your tax dollars only go to one thing that the other side wants to promote? Let everybody go compete on a fair basis.”Maine Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree said every state in the country would feel the impact of eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.“I rise today in strong opposition to the reckless attack on public media contained within this rescissions bill and millions of Americans who rely on and treasure their local public television and radio stations,” Pingree said.Efforts to defund CPB, she said, were the result of Trump’s “agenda against the free press and his authoritarian desire to control the media.”<h2>Public media would lose $1.1 billion</h2>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4/text" target="_blank">seven-page bill</a>&nbsp;would rescind all funding that Congress approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, a total of $1.1 billion.CPB, which provides grants to public radio and television stations throughout the country, is one of the few programs that receives an advanced appropriation. So the funding elimination envisioned in the House bill would take effect starting on Oct. 1.The legislation revokes more than $8 billion from several foreign aid programs run by the U.S. State Department or the U.S. Agency for International Development.Florida Republican Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, chairman of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee, said during an interview Wednesday there were extensive talks between GOP lawmakers and the Office of Management and Budget before the Trump administration officially submitted this rescissions request.But Díaz-Balart cautioned there would need to be substantial pre-negotiations ahead of any future rescissions requests for programs within his annual funding bill.“This rescission package — which I’ve had communication with OMB on — if this passes, we can move forward,” he said. “Now, if you’re talking about a potential for future additional rescissions, that could potentially create a problem and tie the president’s hands when it comes to dealing with adversaries or helping allies.”Díaz-Balart said that OMB officials hoping to make any additional rescissions requests on foreign aid would need to engage in “a level of coordination that is so detailed, so intense to make sure that nothing comes forward that could potentially hurt the president’s ability to really do the America First agenda internationally.”Florida Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel, ranking member on the State-Foreign Operations spending panel, said during floor debate Thursday the bill was an attack on American values and posed a threat to national security.“It’s not charity, it’s strategy,” Frankel said of foreign aid. “Don’t take my word for it, military leaders from both parties have warned us for years — if we fail to lead with soft power, we’ll end up paying in blood, bombs and more boots on the ground.”“Cutting foreign assistance will deepen desperation, fuel extremism, push fragile societies toward collapse and when that happens we all pay the price,” she added. “Refugee crises surge, diseases spread, trade routes shut down, our troops and diplomats face greater danger and our homeland security is weakened.”<h2>First of many requests</h2>The House vote took place just one week after the Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-wants-congress-slash-94b-spending-now-defund-npr-and-pbs" target="_blank">sent lawmakers the rescissions request</a>, the first of many proposals the White House budget office plans to submit.&nbsp;The $9.4 billion cancellation proposal represents a small fraction of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61181" target="_blank">the roughly $6.8 trillion</a>&nbsp;the federal government spends each year.The recommendation said some of the foreign aid should be cancelled because it supported “programs that are antithetical to American interests and worsen the lives of women and children, like ‘family planning’ and ‘reproductive health,’ LGBTQI+ activities, and ‘equity’ programs.”The rescissions request allows the Office of Management and Budget to legally freeze funding on the programs listed for 45 days while lawmakers decide whether to approve the recommendation as is, amend it, or ignore it.The House and Senate must agree to approve the same rescissions bill before mid-July for the changes to take effect. Failure to reach a bicameral agreement before then would require the Trump administration to spend the funding and block the president from requesting the same cancellation for the rest of his term.Rescissions requests are rare since Congress typically negotiates spending levels on thousands of federal programs in the dozen annual spending bills that are then signed by the president.The first Trump administration proposed rescissions in 2018, but the bill never made it through the Senate.The last time Congress actually approved rescinding funding was in 1992 during the George H.W. Bush administration, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48432/R48432.2.pdf" target="_blank">a report</a>&nbsp;from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.<h2>More action in the Senate</h2>The Senate will need to take up the bill before mid-July if it wants to approve any of the spending cuts, though several GOP senators told States Newsroom during brief interviews Wednesday ahead of the House vote they may amend the package, which would require it to go back to the House for final approval before the 45-day clock runs out.Rescissions bills come with a vote-a-rama in the Senate, giving Republicans and Democrats the chance to call up as many amendments as they want for a floor vote. The GOP holds a 53-member majority, so four or more Republicans opposing any element of the bill would likely lead to its removal.Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she will give the rescissions bill “careful consideration.”In a statement released earlier this month just after the White House sent the request to lawmakers, Collins wrote the committee would “carefully review the rescissions package and examine the potential consequences of these rescissions on global health, national security, emergency communications in rural communities, and public radio and television stations.”South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee, said he’s mostly supportive of the rescissions request, though he didn’t rule out offering an amendment to restore full funding for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, often called PEPFAR.“I think I’ll be okay with most of it. I’m concerned about PEPFAR. I’ll have to look at that,” Graham said.West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, chairwoman of the spending panel that oversees the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, said she’s planning to evaluate the bill once it arrives.“We’ve got all these other things I’m thinking about. I haven’t even focused on it,” Capito said, referring to ongoing negotiations over the party’s “big, beautiful bill.”Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, said she’s going to “try to” ensure the Corporation for Public Broadcasting keeps its funding.“I’m a supporter of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It’s a lifeline for many of my small, rural communities,” Murkowski saidKansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran, a senior appropriator, said he’s “trying to figure out a strategy of how to deal with” both the foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provisions once the bill comes over from the House.“I’m looking at both of them to see what the right outcome should be.”<h2>‘The risk of living in a news desert’</h2>Both PBS and NPR released statements following the House vote, pledging to do their best to keep their funding intact.Katherine Maher, NPR president and CEO, wrote in a statement the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is essential to the organization.“Americans who rely on local, independent stations serving communities across America, especially in rural and underserved regions, will suffer the immediate consequences of this vote,” Maher wrote. “If rescission passes and local stations go dark, millions of Americans will no longer have access to locally owned, independent, nonprofit media and will bear the risk of living in a news desert, missing their emergency alerts, and hearing silence where classical, jazz and local artists currently play.”Paula Kerger, president and CEO at PBS, wrote in a separate statement the “fight to protect public media does not end with this vote, and we will continue to make the case for our essential service in the days and weeks to come.“If these cuts are finalized by the Senate, it will have a devastating impact on PBS and local member stations, particularly smaller and rural stations that rely on federal funding for a larger portion of their budgets. Without PBS and local member stations, Americans will lose unique local programming and emergency services in times of crisis.”

U.S. House votes to yank billions for NPR, PBS and foreign aid programs

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just before 7a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the 3400 block of Broadway on a medical call with EMS, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Caller was security in the area and they saw a person unresponsive in a parking lot behind the address. On arrival officers were led to a parking lot to the west of the address where they located the man unresponsive on the sidewalk with what appeared to be significant unknown injuries.

Officers called for EMS who declared the victim deceased at the scene. 

Homicide detectives are investigating, along with crime scene investigators, and representatives from the medical examiners office.

Police don't know when the victim was injured and are working to learn his identity.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749754590674.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.Just before 7a.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to the 3400 block of Broadway on a medical call with EMS, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Caller was security in the area and they saw a person unresponsive in a parking lot behind the address. On arrival officers were led to a parking lot to the west of the address where they located the man unresponsive on the sidewalk with what appeared to be significant unknown injuries.Officers called for EMS who declared the victim deceased at the scene. Homicide detectives are investigating, along with crime scene investigators, and representatives from the medical examiners office.Police don't know when the victim was injured and are working to learn his identity.

Security guard found homicide victim in Kansas City parking lot

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/"></a><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">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — State troopers are on standby in Kansas as demonstrations against federal immigration raids crop up around the country following an increased military presence in response to protests in Los Angeles.

The Kansas Highway Patrol is aware of Kansas City-area protests this week, said April McCollum, a spokeswoman for the agency.

Protests in LA began Friday, mostly in downtown and central parts of the city, in opposition to targeted, sweeping raids from federal immigration officials that result in the arrest and detention of immigrants&nbsp;lacking permanent legal status. The demonstrations escalated once President Donald Trump ordered thousands of members of the California National Guard to the city’s streets, against the wishes of state leaders. Protesters in dozens of other cities joined their LA counterparts Tuesday.

Col. Erik Smith, superintendent of the state highway patrol, told legislators Tuesday that a protest similar to those in LA was planned in the Johnson County area, but the agency did not disclose specifics when asked. The only report of a protest in the area Tuesday occurred in Kansas City, Missouri’s downtown and Westside, drawing hundreds of attendees, according to reporting from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article308332575.html" target="_blank">The Kansas City Star</a>.

A slate of more than 1,800 protests are scheduled across the nation for Saturday. More than a dozen of them are set to occur in Kansas cities, from Garden City to Hiawatha to Arkansas City to the Kansas City area.

“We encourage those involved to maintain civility while exercising their First Amendment rights,” McCollum said.

The agency’s mobile field force is prepared to assist local law enforcement during all incidents of “civil unrest,” Smith said.

The force is&nbsp;“a specially trained and equipped unit composed of Troopers from across the state that can be deployed to support local law enforcement agencies in the event of civil disorder, natural disasters, and other public safety emergencies,” McCollum said.

Kansas Bureau of Investigation director Tony Mattivi told lawmakers Tuesday at a Senate Committee on Government Efficiency hearing that state agents are not currently trained to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials with raids and arrests in Kansas.

Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, asked Mattivi during the hearing why federal agents aren’t responsive to one-off local arrests.

“ICE, right now, is just overwhelmed,” Mattivi said. “They’re focused on busloads at a time.”

State and local officials don’t have the authority to investigate federal immigration violations, but Kansas, was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/Home/Components/News/News/154/1292" target="_blank">the second state</a>&nbsp;in the country to agree with the Trump administration to exercise 287(g) authority, which refers to section 287(g) of the federal Immigration and Naturalization Act. Once agents are trained, they will be able to make those one-off arrests and fill the gaps federal immigration officials leave behind.

Eventually, Mattivi said, he would like to examine the 48,000 people who are listed as a sex offender, drug offender or violent offender in Kansas and determine whether any of those people are in the country without permanent legal status.

As chair of the Democratic Governors Association, Gov. Laura Kelly, along with most of the rest of the country’s Democratic governors, condemned Trump’s decision to deploy a state’s National Guard as “an alarming abuse of power” and “ineffective and dangerous.”

“Further, threatening to send the U.S. Marines into American neighborhoods undermines the mission of our service members, erodes public trust, and shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement,” the governors said Sunday in a&nbsp;<a href="https://democraticgovernors.org/updates/statement-from-democratic-governors-on-donald-trumps-use-of-californias-national-guard/" target="_blank">joint statement</a>.

The Trump administration deployed around 700 active-duty U.S. Marines to L.A. from a nearby base to “restore order,” defense secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecDef/status/1932202105361612994" target="_blank">post</a>.

Trump called for California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s arrest after Newsom expressed his disapproval of Trump’s actions. Newsom sued the Trump administration, alleging the president’s takeover of the state’s National Guard was illegal. Governors typically hold the power to deploy the guard.

The Democratic governors said they stand with Newsom, “who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation.”

Kansas Republicans rebutted Democrats’ remarks with condemnations of their own.

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DanHawkinsKS/status/1932474561699749990" target="_blank">series of social media posts</a>, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, who is also a Republican candidate for state insurance commissioner, applauded Trump’s actions.

He said he was shocked by the Democratic governors’ statement.

“It’s indefensible that Governor Kelly and other Democrat Governors would seemingly side with the rioters over law and order. Their Trump Derangement Syndrome truly knows no bounds,” Hawkins wrote.

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, who is widely expected to run for governor, criticized Kelly in a statement.

“Laura Kelly is slow to condemn attacks on law enforcement, but quick to side with Gavin Newsom and rioters waving foreign flags as they try to burn down an American community. It is shameful,” he said.

Conservatives in opposition to the protests have frequently used rhetoric that depicts L.A. in flames or in complete disarray. The protests have been confined to a few areas of the city, mostly around local and federal government buildings. Misinformation and doctored or fabricated photos have circulated.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who is a 2026 Republican candidate for governor,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ScottSchwabKS/status/1931929273180225614" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;on the social media platform X in response to the statement from the Democratic governors: “This is wrong.”

In a separate&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ScottSchwabKS/status/1931565318691832308" target="_blank">post</a>, Schwab said protesters in California were “endangering” law enforcement “because they embrace disorder and crime over civility.”

He added: “Our founders are rolling in their graves.”

Protests in 15 cities in Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, fall under the banner of No Kings Day, a collection of anti-Trump protests. Saturday is also Flag Day.

Ahead of the protest in Topeka at the Statehouse, organizers with the Kansas chapter of 50501 emphasized in a statement its desire for a peaceful demonstration.

“We are committed to the safety of every protester and are exploring unforeseen and uncontrollable challenges and how to respond to them,” the statement said. “We are continuing to plan for a safe gathering.”

Activists are chartering buses and establishing carpools to Topeka from Abilene, Junction City, Manhattan, Franklin County, Lawrence and the Kansas City, Kansas, area.

Ahead of Wichita’s rally, organizers with Defend Democracy ICT said the protest date is symbolic, “aligning with Flag Day, President Trump’s birthday, and a controversial military parade in Washington, D.C.”

“This is a stand against authoritarianism and the growing disregard for democratic norms,” organizers said in a statement. “We are here to remind our leaders that power belongs with the people — not kings, not billionaires, not dictators.”

Protests are scheduled to take place in the following cities, according to the No Kings online&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nokings.org/" target="_blank">tracker</a>: Arkansas City, Emporia, Garden City, Great Bend, Hiawatha, Hutchinson,&nbsp; Lawrence, Lenexa, Manhattan, Ottawa, Overland Park, Pittsburg, Salina, Topeka, Wichita and Kansas City, Missouri.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749732670793.jpeg" alt=" Kansans rally at the Statehouse in Topeka as part of the 50501 national day of action on May 1, 2025. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kansans rally at the Statehouse in Topeka as part of the 50501 national day of action on May 1, 2025. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/"></a><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">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — State troopers are on standby in Kansas as demonstrations against federal immigration raids crop up around the country following an increased military presence in response to protests in Los Angeles.The Kansas Highway Patrol is aware of Kansas City-area protests this week, said April McCollum, a spokeswoman for the agency.Protests in LA began Friday, mostly in downtown and central parts of the city, in opposition to targeted, sweeping raids from federal immigration officials that result in the arrest and detention of immigrants&nbsp;lacking permanent legal status. The demonstrations escalated once President Donald Trump ordered thousands of members of the California National Guard to the city’s streets, against the wishes of state leaders. Protesters in dozens of other cities joined their LA counterparts Tuesday.Col. Erik Smith, superintendent of the state highway patrol, told legislators Tuesday that a protest similar to those in LA was planned in the Johnson County area, but the agency did not disclose specifics when asked. The only report of a protest in the area Tuesday occurred in Kansas City, Missouri’s downtown and Westside, drawing hundreds of attendees, according to reporting from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article308332575.html" target="_blank">The Kansas City Star</a>.A slate of more than 1,800 protests are scheduled across the nation for Saturday. More than a dozen of them are set to occur in Kansas cities, from Garden City to Hiawatha to Arkansas City to the Kansas City area.“We encourage those involved to maintain civility while exercising their First Amendment rights,” McCollum said.The agency’s mobile field force is prepared to assist local law enforcement during all incidents of “civil unrest,” Smith said.The force is&nbsp;“a specially trained and equipped unit composed of Troopers from across the state that can be deployed to support local law enforcement agencies in the event of civil disorder, natural disasters, and other public safety emergencies,” McCollum said.Kansas Bureau of Investigation director Tony Mattivi told lawmakers Tuesday at a Senate Committee on Government Efficiency hearing that state agents are not currently trained to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials with raids and arrests in Kansas.Sen. Mike Thompson, a Shawnee Republican, asked Mattivi during the hearing why federal agents aren’t responsive to one-off local arrests.“ICE, right now, is just overwhelmed,” Mattivi said. “They’re focused on busloads at a time.”State and local officials don’t have the authority to investigate federal immigration violations, but Kansas, was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/Home/Components/News/News/154/1292" target="_blank">the second state</a>&nbsp;in the country to agree with the Trump administration to exercise 287(g) authority, which refers to section 287(g) of the federal Immigration and Naturalization Act. Once agents are trained, they will be able to make those one-off arrests and fill the gaps federal immigration officials leave behind.Eventually, Mattivi said, he would like to examine the 48,000 people who are listed as a sex offender, drug offender or violent offender in Kansas and determine whether any of those people are in the country without permanent legal status.<h2>Politicians sound off</h2>As chair of the Democratic Governors Association, Gov. Laura Kelly, along with most of the rest of the country’s Democratic governors, condemned Trump’s decision to deploy a state’s National Guard as “an alarming abuse of power” and “ineffective and dangerous.”“Further, threatening to send the U.S. Marines into American neighborhoods undermines the mission of our service members, erodes public trust, and shows the Trump administration does not trust local law enforcement,” the governors said Sunday in a&nbsp;<a href="https://democraticgovernors.org/updates/statement-from-democratic-governors-on-donald-trumps-use-of-californias-national-guard/" target="_blank">joint statement</a>.The Trump administration deployed around 700 active-duty U.S. Marines to L.A. from a nearby base to “restore order,” defense secretary Pete Hegseth said in a social media&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecDef/status/1932202105361612994" target="_blank">post</a>.Trump called for California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s arrest after Newsom expressed his disapproval of Trump’s actions. Newsom sued the Trump administration, alleging the president’s takeover of the state’s National Guard was illegal. Governors typically hold the power to deploy the guard.The Democratic governors said they stand with Newsom, “who has made it clear that violence is unacceptable and that local authorities should be able to do their jobs without the chaos of this federal interference and intimidation.”Kansas Republicans rebutted Democrats’ remarks with condemnations of their own.In a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/DanHawkinsKS/status/1932474561699749990" target="_blank">series of social media posts</a>, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, who is also a Republican candidate for state insurance commissioner, applauded Trump’s actions.He said he was shocked by the Democratic governors’ statement.“It’s indefensible that Governor Kelly and other Democrat Governors would seemingly side with the rioters over law and order. Their Trump Derangement Syndrome truly knows no bounds,” Hawkins wrote.Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, who is widely expected to run for governor, criticized Kelly in a statement.“Laura Kelly is slow to condemn attacks on law enforcement, but quick to side with Gavin Newsom and rioters waving foreign flags as they try to burn down an American community. It is shameful,” he said.Conservatives in opposition to the protests have frequently used rhetoric that depicts L.A. in flames or in complete disarray. The protests have been confined to a few areas of the city, mostly around local and federal government buildings. Misinformation and doctored or fabricated photos have circulated.Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who is a 2026 Republican candidate for governor,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ScottSchwabKS/status/1931929273180225614" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;on the social media platform X in response to the statement from the Democratic governors: “This is wrong.”In a separate&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/ScottSchwabKS/status/1931565318691832308" target="_blank">post</a>, Schwab said protesters in California were “endangering” law enforcement “because they embrace disorder and crime over civility.”He added: “Our founders are rolling in their graves.”<h2>Saturday protests</h2>Protests in 15 cities in Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri, fall under the banner of No Kings Day, a collection of anti-Trump protests. Saturday is also Flag Day.Ahead of the protest in Topeka at the Statehouse, organizers with the Kansas chapter of 50501 emphasized in a statement its desire for a peaceful demonstration.“We are committed to the safety of every protester and are exploring unforeseen and uncontrollable challenges and how to respond to them,” the statement said. “We are continuing to plan for a safe gathering.”Activists are chartering buses and establishing carpools to Topeka from Abilene, Junction City, Manhattan, Franklin County, Lawrence and the Kansas City, Kansas, area.Ahead of Wichita’s rally, organizers with Defend Democracy ICT said the protest date is symbolic, “aligning with Flag Day, President Trump’s birthday, and a controversial military parade in Washington, D.C.”“This is a stand against authoritarianism and the growing disregard for democratic norms,” organizers said in a statement. “We are here to remind our leaders that power belongs with the people — not kings, not billionaires, not dictators.”Protests are scheduled to take place in the following cities, according to the No Kings online&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nokings.org/" target="_blank">tracker</a>: Arkansas City, Emporia, Garden City, Great Bend, Hiawatha, Hutchinson,&nbsp; Lawrence, Lenexa, Manhattan, Ottawa, Overland Park, Pittsburg, Salina, Topeka, Wichita and Kansas City, Missouri.

Kansas troopers on standby for protests, ahead of nationwide anti-Trump demonstrations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/billy-long">Billy Long</a>&nbsp;of Missouri was confirmed on Thursday to lead&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/internal-revenue-service">the Internal Revenue Service</a>, giving the beleaguered agency he once sought to abolish a permanent commissioner after months of acting leaders and massive staffing cuts that have threatened to derail next year’s tax filing season.

The Senate confirmed Long on a 53-44 vote despite Democrats’ concerns about the Republican's past work for a firm that pitched a fraud-ridden coronavirus pandemic-era tax break and about campaign contributions he received after President Donald Trump nominated him to serve as IRS commissioner.&nbsp; Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted for the nomination.

While in Congress, where he served from 2011 to 2023, Long sponsored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/25">legislation to get rid of the IRS</a>, the agency he is now tasked with leading. A former auctioneer, Long has no background in tax administration.

Long will take over an IRS undergoing massive change, including layoffs and voluntary retirements of tens of thousands of workers and accusations that then-Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency mishandled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-treasury-irs-taxpayer-data-musk-7d6b80e429106250afa6d02e55a981b1">sensitive taxpayer data</a>. Unions and advocacy organizations have sued to block DOGE’s access to the information.

The IRS was one of the highest-profile agencies still without a Senate-confirmed leader. Before Long’s confirmation, the IRS shuffled through four&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-irs-tax-policy-biden-shapley-b60455836992c078f1177f6802755b91">acting leaders</a>, including one who resigned over a deal between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-ice-tax-data-deportations-federal-judge-fd696d215843bdc16260dfad471f500d">share immigrants’ tax data</a>&nbsp;with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and another whose appointment led to a fight between Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

After leaving Congress to mount an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate, Long worked with a firm that distributed the pandemic-era employee retention tax credit. That tax credit program was eventually shut down after then-IRS Commissioner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-commissioner-werfel-362c3a82afccf40780eaf6357afcb637">Daniel Werfel</a>&nbsp;determined that it was fraudulent.

Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-wyden-call-for-criminal-investigation-into-evidence-of-fraud-by-promoters-affiliated-with-irs-nominee-billy-long/">called for a criminal investigation</a>&nbsp;into Long’s connections to other alleged tax credit loopholes. The lawmakers allege that firms connected to Long duped investors into spending millions of dollars to purchase fake tax credits.

Long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-commissioner-taxes-billy-long-trump-855b54855dcb0d545987caed3ce65f6f">appeared before the Senate Finance Committee</a>&nbsp;last month and denied any wrongdoing related to his involvement in the tax credit scheme.

Ahead of the confirmation vote, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles blasting the requisite FBI background check conducted on Long as a political appointee as inadequate.

“These issues were not adequately investigated,” Wyden wrote. “In fact, the FBI’s investigation, a process dictated by the White House, seemed designed to avoid substantively addressing any of these concerning public reports. It’s almost as if the FBI is unable to read the newspaper.”

Democratic lawmakers have also written to Long and his associated firms detailing concerns with what they call unusually timed contributions made to Long’s defunct 2022 Senate campaign committee shortly after Trump nominated him.

The IRS faces an uncertain future under Long. Tax experts have voiced concerns that the 2026 filing season could be hampered by the departure of so many tax collection workers. In April,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-layoffs-civil-rights-compliance-trump-musk-d2c5708973cddf91c1a72b392118628c">The Associated Press reported</a>&nbsp;that the IRS planned to cut as many as 20,000 staffers — up to 25% of the workforce. An IRS representative on Thursday confirmed the IRS had shed about that many workers but said the cuts amounted to approximately the same number of IRS jobs added under the Biden administration.

The fate of the Direct File program, the free&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/income-taxes-irs-filing-season-tax-3183677b56af696bd5e005fa01388f79">electronic tax return filing system</a>&nbsp;developed during President Joe Biden's Democratic administration, is also unclear. Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation companies had complained it was a waste of taxpayer money because free filing programs already exist, although they are hard to use. Long said during his confirmation hearing that it would be one of the first programs that come up for discussion if he were confirmed.

Long is not the only Trump appointee to support dismantling an agency he was assigned to manage.

Linda McMahon, the current education secretary, has repeatedly said she is trying to put herself out of a job by closing the federal department and transferring its work to the states. Rick Perry, Trump's energy secretary during his first term, called for abolishing the Energy Department during his bid for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1749750950647.png" alt="Former Missouri Congressman Bill Long during his confirmation hearing in May-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Former Missouri Congressman Bill Long during his confirmation hearing in May-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/billy-long">Billy Long</a>&nbsp;of Missouri was confirmed on Thursday to lead&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/internal-revenue-service">the Internal Revenue Service</a>, giving the beleaguered agency he once sought to abolish a permanent commissioner after months of acting leaders and massive staffing cuts that have threatened to derail next year’s tax filing season.The Senate confirmed Long on a 53-44 vote despite Democrats’ concerns about the Republican's past work for a firm that pitched a fraud-ridden coronavirus pandemic-era tax break and about campaign contributions he received after President Donald Trump nominated him to serve as IRS commissioner.&nbsp; Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted for the nomination.While in Congress, where he served from 2011 to 2023, Long sponsored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/25">legislation to get rid of the IRS</a>, the agency he is now tasked with leading. A former auctioneer, Long has no background in tax administration.Long will take over an IRS undergoing massive change, including layoffs and voluntary retirements of tens of thousands of workers and accusations that then-Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency mishandled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-treasury-irs-taxpayer-data-musk-7d6b80e429106250afa6d02e55a981b1">sensitive taxpayer data</a>. Unions and advocacy organizations have sued to block DOGE’s access to the information.The IRS was one of the highest-profile agencies still without a Senate-confirmed leader. Before Long’s confirmation, the IRS shuffled through four&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-irs-tax-policy-biden-shapley-b60455836992c078f1177f6802755b91">acting leaders</a>, including one who resigned over a deal between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-ice-tax-data-deportations-federal-judge-fd696d215843bdc16260dfad471f500d">share immigrants’ tax data</a>&nbsp;with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and another whose appointment led to a fight between Musk and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.After leaving Congress to mount an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate, Long worked with a firm that distributed the pandemic-era employee retention tax credit. That tax credit program was eventually shut down after then-IRS Commissioner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-commissioner-werfel-362c3a82afccf40780eaf6357afcb637">Daniel Werfel</a>&nbsp;determined that it was fraudulent.Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cortez-masto-wyden-call-for-criminal-investigation-into-evidence-of-fraud-by-promoters-affiliated-with-irs-nominee-billy-long/">called for a criminal investigation</a>&nbsp;into Long’s connections to other alleged tax credit loopholes. The lawmakers allege that firms connected to Long duped investors into spending millions of dollars to purchase fake tax credits.Long&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-commissioner-taxes-billy-long-trump-855b54855dcb0d545987caed3ce65f6f">appeared before the Senate Finance Committee</a>&nbsp;last month and denied any wrongdoing related to his involvement in the tax credit scheme.Ahead of the confirmation vote, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles blasting the requisite FBI background check conducted on Long as a political appointee as inadequate.“These issues were not adequately investigated,” Wyden wrote. “In fact, the FBI’s investigation, a process dictated by the White House, seemed designed to avoid substantively addressing any of these concerning public reports. It’s almost as if the FBI is unable to read the newspaper.”Democratic lawmakers have also written to Long and his associated firms detailing concerns with what they call unusually timed contributions made to Long’s defunct 2022 Senate campaign committee shortly after Trump nominated him.The IRS faces an uncertain future under Long. Tax experts have voiced concerns that the 2026 filing season could be hampered by the departure of so many tax collection workers. In April,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-layoffs-civil-rights-compliance-trump-musk-d2c5708973cddf91c1a72b392118628c">The Associated Press reported</a>&nbsp;that the IRS planned to cut as many as 20,000 staffers — up to 25% of the workforce. An IRS representative on Thursday confirmed the IRS had shed about that many workers but said the cuts amounted to approximately the same number of IRS jobs added under the Biden administration.The fate of the Direct File program, the free&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/income-taxes-irs-filing-season-tax-3183677b56af696bd5e005fa01388f79">electronic tax return filing system</a>&nbsp;developed during President Joe Biden's Democratic administration, is also unclear. Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation companies had complained it was a waste of taxpayer money because free filing programs already exist, although they are hard to use. Long said during his confirmation hearing that it would be one of the first programs that come up for discussion if he were confirmed.Long is not the only Trump appointee to support dismantling an agency he was assigned to manage.Linda McMahon, the current education secretary, has repeatedly said she is trying to put herself out of a job by closing the federal department and transferring its work to the states. Rick Perry, Trump's energy secretary during his first term, called for abolishing the Energy Department during his bid for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.___

Moran, Marshall vote to confirm controversial new IRS commissioner 

BUTLER COUNTY—Three people died in an accident just after 10p.m. Wednesday in Butler County.

According to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff, investigators and a witness indicated a Chevrolet pick-up was eastbound on U.S. Highway 400 in rural Leon Kansas. The Chevrolet pickup crossed into oncoming traffic, and struck a westbound Toyota Tacoma driven by 46-year-old Eliot Eichbaucher of Wichita, head-on. 

The witness told deputies that the Chevrolet truck had been weaving back and forth on the highway just prior to the crash.

&nbsp;Eichbauer and both of his passengers, 19-year-old Arlo Eichbauer and 16-year-old Silas Eichbauer, both of Wichita were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to Cundiff.

Arlo Eichbauer is Eliot Eichbauer’s son and Silas Eichbauer is Eliot’s nephew, according to Cundiff.

The three occupants of the Chevrolet truck were all transported to a Wichita area hospital with severe injuries. This crash is still under investigation and alcohol is believed to be a factor.

&nbsp;Butler County Sheriff’s Deputies, Leon Fire, Butler County EMS and Augusta Fire responded to the scene.

BUTLER COUNTY—Three people died in an accident just after 10p.m. Wednesday in Butler County.According to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff, investigators and a witness indicated a Chevrolet pick-up was eastbound on U.S. Highway 400 in rural Leon Kansas. The Chevrolet pickup crossed into oncoming traffic, and struck a westbound Toyota Tacoma driven by 46-year-old Eliot Eichbaucher of Wichita, head-on. The witness told deputies that the Chevrolet truck had been weaving back and forth on the highway just prior to the crash.&nbsp;Eichbauer and both of his passengers, 19-year-old Arlo Eichbauer and 16-year-old Silas Eichbauer, both of Wichita were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to Cundiff.Arlo Eichbauer is Eliot Eichbauer’s son and Silas Eichbauer is Eliot’s nephew, according to Cundiff.The three occupants of the Chevrolet truck were all transported to a Wichita area hospital with severe injuries. This crash is still under investigation and alcohol is believed to be a factor.&nbsp;Butler County Sheriff’s Deputies, Leon Fire, Butler County EMS and Augusta Fire responded to the scene.

Sheriff: Alcohol a factor in crash that killed Kan. man, teens

COWLEY COUNTY—Search crews have finally found human remains near where a missing Kansas woman's car was found last month.

On Wednesday, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of local landowners, continued search efforts in the area of 333rd Road for missing&nbsp;81-year-old Jerry McConnell, according to Cowley County&nbsp;Undersheriff Christina McDonald.

During the course of the search, personal property belonging to McConnell was located. Human remains were also discovered approximately one mile from the location where her abandoned vehicle was previously found.

An autopsy is pending to confirm the identity of the remains.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747502608195.png" alt="McConnell photo Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>McConnell photo Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY—Search crews have finally found human remains near where a missing Kansas woman's car was found last month.On Wednesday, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of local landowners, continued search efforts in the area of 333rd Road for missing&nbsp;81-year-old Jerry McConnell, according to Cowley County&nbsp;Undersheriff Christina McDonald.During the course of the search, personal property belonging to McConnell was located. Human remains were also discovered approximately one mile from the location where her abandoned vehicle was previously found.An autopsy is pending to confirm the identity of the remains.This discovery follows weeks of intensive search operations. On May 20, 2025, at approximately 3:40 p.m., Cowley County Deputies were notified that a vehicle associated with a Silver Alert issued from Overland Park, Kansas, had been found on private property in a rural area near the 4000 block of 327th Road.Despite daily search efforts since the vehicle was located, no further leads were developed until the discovery on June 11.