WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump could meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week as he seeks to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, a White House official said Wednesday.

The official cautioned that a meeting has not been scheduled yet and no location has been determined. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.

The White House said Trump was also open to a meeting with both Putin and Ukrainian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kellogg-zelenskyy-437f4c8fa4531059007dd3ab00c23458">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>.

A meeting between Putin and Trump would be their first since Trump returned to office this year. It would be a significant milestone in the 3-year-old war, though there’s no promise such a meeting would lead to the end of the fighting since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on their demands.

News of a potential meeting with Putin, which was first reported by The New York Times, came hours after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow. Trump had posted earlier on Truth Social that Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Putin in which “great progress was made.”

It was not immediately clear if Putin or Zelenskyy had agreed to any meetings with Trump.

Zelenskyy has been willing to meet face-to-face with Putin to end the conflict, but Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea.

Trump has met with Zelenskyy several times this year, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-security-guarantees-trump-meeting-washington-eebdf97b663c2cdc9e51fa346b09591d">contentious February meeting</a>&nbsp;in Washington. Though he has not yet met with Putin this year, Trump met with him five times during his first term.

Trump said earlier Wednesday that he updated America’s allies in Europe and that they will work toward an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “in the days and weeks to come.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky.” Her statement did not address the potential timing of any meeting.

Witkoff met with Putin days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-russia-ukraine-war-b265ec364349a7e2065982064748e69a">severe economic penalties</a>&nbsp;that could also hit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-oil-china-turkey-f377653aebf6d5a34a09a7466d85fd56">countries buying its oil</a>.

The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours, the Kremlin said.

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Witkoff had a “useful and constructive conversation” that focused on the Ukrainian crisis and, in a nod toward improving relations between Washington and Moscow, “prospects for possible development of strategic cooperation" between the United States and Russia.

Earlier on Wednesday, the same White House official said the U.S. was still expected to impose secondary sanctions against Russia on Friday, after a 10-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-trump-putin-deadline-ultimatum-0e4cfb5969be5d02217be90f7521ce48">deadline that Trump imposed is to expire</a>. The White House has not yet released details about the sanctions.

Washington has threatened&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-russia-ukraine-war-b265ec364349a7e2065982064748e69a">“severe tariffs” and other economic penalties</a>&nbsp;if the killing doesn’t stop.

Trump also has threatened to slap tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, which could increase import taxes dramatically on China and India He said Tuesday he hadn't publicly committed to any particular tariff rate, and indicated that his decision could depend on an outcome of the meeting with Putin.

Trump has expressed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-fb61625d2dee8b1917bb3522e73c2166">increasing frustration with Putin</a>&nbsp;over Russia’s escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine, intended to erode morale and public appetite for the war. The intensified attacks have occurred even as Trump has urged the Russian leader in recent months to relent.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday evening that he and Trump spoke on the phone after Witkoff met with Putin. He said “European leaders also participated in the conversation,” and “we discussed what was said in Moscow.”

“It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire," Zelenskyy said, adding that the pressure on Moscow "is working," without elaborating.

Zelenskyy stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not "deceive us or the United States” when it comes to “the details” of a potential agreement. Kyiv proposes that Ukraine and its allies soon “talk to determine our position, our common position, and our common view.”

Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, Russian forces hit a recreational center in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov said Wednesday.

Russian forces launched at least four strikes on the area and initially attacked with powerful&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-bombs-airfields-scorched-earth-58380b8625df7ed52a3b5472326559b8">glide bombs</a>.

“There is zero military sense in this strike. Only cruelty to intimidate,” Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.

Russia also struck the Ukrainian power grid and facilities for heating and cooking gas, Zelenskyy said, as Ukraine makes preparations for winter.

Western analysts and Ukrainian officials say Putin is stalling for time and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian forces push to capture more Ukraine land. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-offensives-ceasefire-c03921de21027d13117cb668c9a1a959">Russian offensive that started in the spring</a>&nbsp;and is expected to continue through the fall is advancing faster than last year's push but is making only slow and costly gains and has been unable to take any major cities.

The situation on the front line is critical for Ukrainian forces but defenses are not about to collapse, analysts say.

Stepping up diplomatic and economic pressure on the Kremlin risks stoking international tensions amid worsening Russia-U.S. relations.

Putin has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-peace-talks-istanbul-7cafd1b233b30de0c9683aaa2b042212">given no hint that he might be ready</a>&nbsp;to make concessions. Instead, the Russian leader and senior Kremlin officials have talked up the country’s military strength.

Putin announced last week that Russia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-belarus-putin-lukashenko-oreshnik-missile-ukraine-f8d30cb15b6b1022f2e63263480df3b2">new hypersonic missile</a>, which he says cannot be intercepted by current NATO air defense systems, has entered service.

Russia announced Tuesday that it no longer regards itself as bound by a self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of nuclear-capable&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-missile-intermediate-nuclear-putin-moratorium-5697b228999cf78b21784dba989c28c4">intermediate range missiles</a>, a warning that potentially sets the stage for a new arms race.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, meantime, warned that the Ukraine war could bring Russia and the U.S. into armed conflict. Trump responded to that by ordering the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-nuclear-submarines-repositioned-medvedev-f8e9b870fa107f6b6209e7a22f8ada43">repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines</a>.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday welcomed Witkoff's visit. “We consider (talks with Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful," he said.

Trump initially gave Moscow a 50-day deadline, but later&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-trump-putin-deadline-ultimatum-0e4cfb5969be5d02217be90f7521ce48">moved up his ultimatum</a>&nbsp;as the Kremlin continued to bomb Ukrainian cities.

However, Trump himself doubted their effectiveness, saying Sunday that Russia has proven to be “pretty good at avoiding sanctions.”

“They’re wily characters,” he said of the Russians.

The Kremlin has insisted that international sanctions imposed since its February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have had a limited impact.

Ukraine maintains the sanctions are taking their toll on Moscow’s war machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754482846710.png" alt="Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, right, shake hands during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)" />
 <figcaption>Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, right, shake hands during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump could meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as next week as he seeks to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, a White House official said Wednesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on the possibility of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine: &quot;We had some very good talks with President Putin today and there&#39;s a very good chance that we could be ending the round — the end of that road. There&#39;s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/37yFw7buKu">pic.twitter.com/37yFw7buKu</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1953209514305487086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The official cautioned that a meeting has not been scheduled yet and no location has been determined. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal plans.The White House said Trump was also open to a meeting with both Putin and Ukrainian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kellogg-zelenskyy-437f4c8fa4531059007dd3ab00c23458">Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>.A meeting between Putin and Trump would be their first since Trump returned to office this year. It would be a significant milestone in the 3-year-old war, though there’s no promise such a meeting would lead to the end of the fighting since Russia and Ukraine remain far apart on their demands.News of a potential meeting with Putin, which was first reported by The New York Times, came hours after Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow. Trump had posted earlier on Truth Social that Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Putin in which “great progress was made.”It was not immediately clear if Putin or Zelenskyy had agreed to any meetings with Trump.Zelenskyy has been willing to meet face-to-face with Putin to end the conflict, but Russia has repeatedly rejected the idea.Trump has met with Zelenskyy several times this year, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-security-guarantees-trump-meeting-washington-eebdf97b663c2cdc9e51fa346b09591d">contentious February meeting</a>&nbsp;in Washington. Though he has not yet met with Putin this year, Trump met with him five times during his first term.Trump said earlier Wednesday that he updated America’s allies in Europe and that they will work toward an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “in the days and weeks to come.”White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The Russians expressed their desire to meet with President Trump, and the President is open to meeting with both President Putin and President Zelensky.” Her statement did not address the potential timing of any meeting.Witkoff met with Putin days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or potentially face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-russia-ukraine-war-b265ec364349a7e2065982064748e69a">severe economic penalties</a>&nbsp;that could also hit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-russia-oil-china-turkey-f377653aebf6d5a34a09a7466d85fd56">countries buying its oil</a>.The meeting between Putin and Witkoff lasted about three hours, the Kremlin said.Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Witkoff had a “useful and constructive conversation” that focused on the Ukrainian crisis and, in a nod toward improving relations between Washington and Moscow, “prospects for possible development of strategic cooperation" between the United States and Russia.<h2>The threat of US sanctions</h2>Earlier on Wednesday, the same White House official said the U.S. was still expected to impose secondary sanctions against Russia on Friday, after a 10-day&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-trump-putin-deadline-ultimatum-0e4cfb5969be5d02217be90f7521ce48">deadline that Trump imposed is to expire</a>. The White House has not yet released details about the sanctions.Washington has threatened&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-russia-ukraine-war-b265ec364349a7e2065982064748e69a">“severe tariffs” and other economic penalties</a>&nbsp;if the killing doesn’t stop.Trump also has threatened to slap tariffs on nations that buy Russian oil, which could increase import taxes dramatically on China and India He said Tuesday he hadn't publicly committed to any particular tariff rate, and indicated that his decision could depend on an outcome of the meeting with Putin.Trump has expressed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-fb61625d2dee8b1917bb3522e73c2166">increasing frustration with Putin</a>&nbsp;over Russia’s escalating strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine, intended to erode morale and public appetite for the war. The intensified attacks have occurred even as Trump has urged the Russian leader in recent months to relent.Zelenskyy said Wednesday evening that he and Trump spoke on the phone after Witkoff met with Putin. He said “European leaders also participated in the conversation,” and “we discussed what was said in Moscow.”“It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire," Zelenskyy said, adding that the pressure on Moscow "is working," without elaborating.Zelenskyy stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not "deceive us or the United States” when it comes to “the details” of a potential agreement. Kyiv proposes that Ukraine and its allies soon “talk to determine our position, our common position, and our common view.”<h2>The fighting grinds on</h2>Overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, Russian forces hit a recreational center in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, killing two people and injuring 12, including two children, regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov said Wednesday.Russian forces launched at least four strikes on the area and initially attacked with powerful&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-bombs-airfields-scorched-earth-58380b8625df7ed52a3b5472326559b8">glide bombs</a>.“There is zero military sense in this strike. Only cruelty to intimidate,” Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram.Russia also struck the Ukrainian power grid and facilities for heating and cooking gas, Zelenskyy said, as Ukraine makes preparations for winter.Western analysts and Ukrainian officials say Putin is stalling for time and avoiding serious negotiations while Russian forces push to capture more Ukraine land. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-offensives-ceasefire-c03921de21027d13117cb668c9a1a959">Russian offensive that started in the spring</a>&nbsp;and is expected to continue through the fall is advancing faster than last year's push but is making only slow and costly gains and has been unable to take any major cities.The situation on the front line is critical for Ukrainian forces but defenses are not about to collapse, analysts say.<h2>Risks of more pressure</h2>Stepping up diplomatic and economic pressure on the Kremlin risks stoking international tensions amid worsening Russia-U.S. relations.Putin has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-peace-talks-istanbul-7cafd1b233b30de0c9683aaa2b042212">given no hint that he might be ready</a>&nbsp;to make concessions. Instead, the Russian leader and senior Kremlin officials have talked up the country’s military strength.Putin announced last week that Russia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-belarus-putin-lukashenko-oreshnik-missile-ukraine-f8d30cb15b6b1022f2e63263480df3b2">new hypersonic missile</a>, which he says cannot be intercepted by current NATO air defense systems, has entered service.Russia announced Tuesday that it no longer regards itself as bound by a self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of nuclear-capable&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-missile-intermediate-nuclear-putin-moratorium-5697b228999cf78b21784dba989c28c4">intermediate range missiles</a>, a warning that potentially sets the stage for a new arms race.Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, meantime, warned that the Ukraine war could bring Russia and the U.S. into armed conflict. Trump responded to that by ordering the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-nuclear-submarines-repositioned-medvedev-f8e9b870fa107f6b6209e7a22f8ada43">repositioning of two U.S. nuclear submarines</a>.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday welcomed Witkoff's visit. “We consider (talks with Witkoff) important, substantive and very useful," he said.Trump initially gave Moscow a 50-day deadline, but later&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-trump-putin-deadline-ultimatum-0e4cfb5969be5d02217be90f7521ce48">moved up his ultimatum</a>&nbsp;as the Kremlin continued to bomb Ukrainian cities.However, Trump himself doubted their effectiveness, saying Sunday that Russia has proven to be “pretty good at avoiding sanctions.”“They’re wily characters,” he said of the Russians.The Kremlin has insisted that international sanctions imposed since its February 2022 invasion of its neighbor have had a limited impact.Ukraine maintains the sanctions are taking their toll on Moscow’s war machine and wants Western allies to ramp them up.___

White House: Trump could meet in person with Putin as soon as next week

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</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 Reflecto</a>r

LENEXA — Melanie Arroyo lives in two worlds.

There’s the one where the Lenexa City Council member has to “assimilate and perform” like her white counterparts, she said. Then there’s the authentic world, where she is aware of how vulnerable she is in this country, “simply because I’m brown and because I have an accent.”

At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, which was packed with residents who were upset about last week’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-07-31/released-immigration-raids-el-toro-loco-restaurant-lenexa-kansas-city-homeland-security" target="_blank">raid by federal authorities</a>&nbsp;at El Toro Loco restaurants in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas, Arroyo revealed that city police had recently investigated her citizenship status and required her to prove her citizenship.

It started with someone complaining to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation about testimony Arroyo submitted in February to a state Senate committee in opposition to a bill that would eliminate in-state tuition for immigrants. The individual — whom the KBI declined to identify — questioned whether Arroyo was a U.S. citizen and eligible to hold public office.

The KBI referred the complaint to Lenexa police, who questioned Arroyo. She hired an attorney and presented documentation from her 2018 naturalization. Police closed the case last week, two days before the El Toro Loco raids.

For Arroyo, the police inquiry was a painful reminder that a single disgruntled resident can disrupt her life by making a false allegation.

Arroyo told Kansas Reflector she decided to talk about her experience after the unrelated federal raid in Lenexa, which raised questions about whether agents had violated the rights of workers who were detained without regard for whether they had committed a crime, had a lawful immigration status, or were U.S. citizens.

Arroyo said the two situations were connected only by the underlying motive, “which is xenophobia.”

“I felt like I had this obligation to come forward with my story, to let people know in Kansas City that everybody needs to wake the f*** up,” Arroyo said. “You guys are still living in 2024, thinking that our judicial processes are intact, and they’re not. I’m living in the summer of 2025, being directly impacted by this, and so we need to adapt to the circumstances that we’re in. And I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t know what the solutions are.”

Those who attended Tuesday night’s council meeting gasped when Arroyo revealed the police inquiry. They responded to her remarks with a standing ovation that lasted 20 seconds before Mayor Julie Sayers restored order with her gavel.

Councilwoman Courtney Eiterich expressed solidarity with Arroyo. Eiterich said her husband is an immigrant and that they have had conversations about whether he needs to keep naturalization papers with him.

In Lenexa and across the country, Eiterich said, authorities carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportations are violating constitutional rights with the support of federal courts.

“I teach high school government, and this is really difficult for me to wrap my head around and try to explain to my students how this is happening and what is our role in trying to fix it. And I don’t have any answers,” Eiterich said.

Lenexa city attorney Sean McLaughlin defended the police investigation of Arroyo.

He said Arroyo’s testimony before the Legislature indicated she had overstayed her visa and didn’t acknowledge her naturalization. He pointed to a city ordinance that requires office holders to be citizens.

“We felt we had no choice but to investigate the matter because it is the city’s obligation to ensure compliance with our own ordinances,” McLaughlin told the council.

“We stand behind our actions,” he added.

Arroyo submitted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/committees/ctte_s_fed_st_1/documents/testimony/20250227_25.pdf" target="_blank">written testimony</a>&nbsp;in opposition to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb254/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 254</a>, which was supported by Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach. A Senate committee held&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/03/kansas-republicans-punt-immigration-bill-after-kicking-opponents-out-of-hearing/">a contentious hearing on the proposal</a>&nbsp;in February and advanced the bill in March, but the full Senate never gave it consideration.

The testimony describes her experience growing up as “an undocumented immigrant girl” in the Kansas City area who didn’t speak fluent English. She said she was able to enroll in Kansas universities “with the condition that I resolved my immigration status.” She studied studio art and psychology at the University of Saint Mary and Johnson County Community College, then earned master’s degrees in clinical counseling and art therapy at Emporia State University.

Melissa Underwood, a spokeswoman for the KBI, said a Johnson County resident referenced Arroyo’s testimony in a voicemail left at the agency’s Lenexa office. The KBI referred the matter to city police, Underwood said, because the state agency typically doesn’t investigate immigration-related matters. Underwood said the complaint didn’t come from Kobach.

“The information was sent to the Lenexa Police Department for follow-up as they deemed appropriate,” Underwood said.

In a brief interview after the city council meeting, McLaughlin acknowledged there was no evidence to support a complaint about Arroyo’s citizenship status.

But, he said, “just because evidence doesn’t exist doesn’t mean we don’t investigate.”

Two dozen community members voiced concerns to the council about the investigation of Arroyo and the raid on a local restaurant.

They included Kansas Rep. Susan Ruiz, LGBTQ+ activist Jae Moyer, immigration attorney Anne Parelkar, two pastors, and Roeland Park City Council member Jen Hill, who was Arroyo’s 8th grade English teacher in 2005.

Even then, Hill said, Arroyo’s “voice carried strength, clarity and purpose.”

“It’s because I know her so well that I’m both saddened and outraged by the recent false allegations questioning her citizenship,” Hill said. “These claims are not only entirely unfounded, they are a blatant attempt to discredit her based on her ethnicity, rather than recognizing the immense value of her service and her character.”

Sara Rohleder told the council this was the first local government meeting she had ever attended, and “that’s saying a lot.” She referenced the approximately 150 people who attended the meeting and pointed out that many of them were in the 18-25 age range.

“I’m very concerned,” Rohleder&nbsp; said. “I don’t know what future I have. I don’t know what future my cousins have, who are younger than me. I think this sets a very dangerous precedent. I think this is very, very serious, and I really strongly feel — I honestly feel comfort in knowing that it’s not just me who’s feeling this, because it’s a very isolating time. Look at all these people. Everyone’s here because they care about what’s going on.”

Muñeca Nieves described herself as a proud Afro-Caribbean woman who works for the federal government. She said she had lost 40 pounds by walking to work every day, but&nbsp;“I don’t do it anymore, because I’m brown.”

“Every time a black SUV comes by, I get scared,” Nieves said.

She also said she was “extremely disappointed” in the Lenexa city attorney’s insistence that police were just “following the rules” when they investigated Arroyo.

“Those rules equate to racial profiling,” Nieves said, “which is against the law.”

Lenexa Police Chief Dawn Layman addressed the council at the end of the meeting and&nbsp;acknowledged the hurt expressed by Arroyo.

“I apologize if I made you feel that way,” Layman told her.

Layman said Homeland Security Investigations notified her a week in advance that they would execute a criminal search warrants, authorized by a federal judge, at the El Toro Loco in Lenexa. They mutually agreed that Lenexa police officers would not be on site, she said.

She said the federal raids were related to an ongoing investigation into labor exploitation.

Layman said her department is focused on public safety and serving all who live, work and visit Lenexa, regardless of immigration status.

“Our responsibility is to protect the public, uphold the law, maintain public order and serve our community with honor, integrity and professionalism, and that is in regardless of our personal beliefs or opinion,” Layman said.

In an interview, Arroyo said Layman was unaware of the political and historical weight of asking someone for their papers. But Arroyo also stressed that she doesn’t think Lenexa police are the problem.

“My concern is that we are not aware of the times that we’re living in,” Arroyo said, “and we’re failing to meet the moment.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754508240926.png" alt=" Lenexa City Council member Melanie Arroyo talks with supporters after the Aug. 5, 2025, council meeting. Arroyo revealed city police investigated her citizenship status and required her to prove her citizenship. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Lenexa City Council member Melanie Arroyo talks with supporters after the Aug. 5, 2025, council meeting. Arroyo revealed city police investigated her citizenship status and required her to prove her citizenship. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</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 Reflecto</a>rLENEXA — Melanie Arroyo lives in two worlds.There’s the one where the Lenexa City Council member has to “assimilate and perform” like her white counterparts, she said. Then there’s the authentic world, where she is aware of how vulnerable she is in this country, “simply because I’m brown and because I have an accent.”“It feels lonely,” she said.At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, which was packed with residents who were upset about last week’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-07-31/released-immigration-raids-el-toro-loco-restaurant-lenexa-kansas-city-homeland-security" target="_blank">raid by federal authorities</a>&nbsp;at El Toro Loco restaurants in Lenexa and Kansas City, Kansas, Arroyo revealed that city police had recently investigated her citizenship status and required her to prove her citizenship.It started with someone complaining to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation about testimony Arroyo submitted in February to a state Senate committee in opposition to a bill that would eliminate in-state tuition for immigrants. The individual — whom the KBI declined to identify — questioned whether Arroyo was a U.S. citizen and eligible to hold public office.The KBI referred the complaint to Lenexa police, who questioned Arroyo. She hired an attorney and presented documentation from her 2018 naturalization. Police closed the case last week, two days before the El Toro Loco raids.For Arroyo, the police inquiry was a painful reminder that a single disgruntled resident can disrupt her life by making a false allegation.Arroyo told Kansas Reflector she decided to talk about her experience after the unrelated federal raid in Lenexa, which raised questions about whether agents had violated the rights of workers who were detained without regard for whether they had committed a crime, had a lawful immigration status, or were U.S. citizens.Arroyo said the two situations were connected only by the underlying motive, “which is xenophobia.”“I felt like I had this obligation to come forward with my story, to let people know in Kansas City that everybody needs to wake the f*** up,” Arroyo said. “You guys are still living in 2024, thinking that our judicial processes are intact, and they’re not. I’m living in the summer of 2025, being directly impacted by this, and so we need to adapt to the circumstances that we’re in. And I don’t know what that looks like. I don’t know what the solutions are.”Those who attended Tuesday night’s council meeting gasped when Arroyo revealed the police inquiry. They responded to her remarks with a standing ovation that lasted 20 seconds before Mayor Julie Sayers restored order with her gavel.Councilwoman Courtney Eiterich expressed solidarity with Arroyo. Eiterich said her husband is an immigrant and that they have had conversations about whether he needs to keep naturalization papers with him.In Lenexa and across the country, Eiterich said, authorities carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign promise of mass deportations are violating constitutional rights with the support of federal courts.“I teach high school government, and this is really difficult for me to wrap my head around and try to explain to my students how this is happening and what is our role in trying to fix it. And I don’t have any answers,” Eiterich said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754508202926.png" alt=" Lenexa city attorney Sean McLaughlin during the Aug. 5, 2025, council meeting defends the police investigation of a councilwoman. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Lenexa city attorney Sean McLaughlin during the Aug. 5, 2025, council meeting defends the police investigation of a councilwoman. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>No evidence for inquiry</h2>Lenexa city attorney Sean McLaughlin defended the police investigation of Arroyo.He said Arroyo’s testimony before the Legislature indicated she had overstayed her visa and didn’t acknowledge her naturalization. He pointed to a city ordinance that requires office holders to be citizens.“We felt we had no choice but to investigate the matter because it is the city’s obligation to ensure compliance with our own ordinances,” McLaughlin told the council.“We stand behind our actions,” he added.Arroyo submitted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/committees/ctte_s_fed_st_1/documents/testimony/20250227_25.pdf" target="_blank">written testimony</a>&nbsp;in opposition to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb254/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 254</a>, which was supported by Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach. A Senate committee held&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/03/03/kansas-republicans-punt-immigration-bill-after-kicking-opponents-out-of-hearing/">a contentious hearing on the proposal</a>&nbsp;in February and advanced the bill in March, but the full Senate never gave it consideration.The testimony describes her experience growing up as “an undocumented immigrant girl” in the Kansas City area who didn’t speak fluent English. She said she was able to enroll in Kansas universities “with the condition that I resolved my immigration status.” She studied studio art and psychology at the University of Saint Mary and Johnson County Community College, then earned master’s degrees in clinical counseling and art therapy at Emporia State University.Melissa Underwood, a spokeswoman for the KBI, said a Johnson County resident referenced Arroyo’s testimony in a voicemail left at the agency’s Lenexa office. The KBI referred the matter to city police, Underwood said, because the state agency typically doesn’t investigate immigration-related matters. Underwood said the complaint didn’t come from Kobach.“The information was sent to the Lenexa Police Department for follow-up as they deemed appropriate,” Underwood said.In a brief interview after the city council meeting, McLaughlin acknowledged there was no evidence to support a complaint about Arroyo’s citizenship status.But, he said, “just because evidence doesn’t exist doesn’t mean we don’t investigate.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754508157109.png" alt="Overland Park resident Sara Rohleder speaks at the Aug. 5, 2025, Lenexa City Council meeting. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Overland Park resident Sara Rohleder speaks at the Aug. 5, 2025, Lenexa City Council meeting. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Public outcry</h2>Two dozen community members voiced concerns to the council about the investigation of Arroyo and the raid on a local restaurant.They included Kansas Rep. Susan Ruiz, LGBTQ+ activist Jae Moyer, immigration attorney Anne Parelkar, two pastors, and Roeland Park City Council member Jen Hill, who was Arroyo’s 8th grade English teacher in 2005.Even then, Hill said, Arroyo’s “voice carried strength, clarity and purpose.”“It’s because I know her so well that I’m both saddened and outraged by the recent false allegations questioning her citizenship,” Hill said. “These claims are not only entirely unfounded, they are a blatant attempt to discredit her based on her ethnicity, rather than recognizing the immense value of her service and her character.”Sara Rohleder told the council this was the first local government meeting she had ever attended, and “that’s saying a lot.” She referenced the approximately 150 people who attended the meeting and pointed out that many of them were in the 18-25 age range.“I’m very concerned,” Rohleder&nbsp; said. “I don’t know what future I have. I don’t know what future my cousins have, who are younger than me. I think this sets a very dangerous precedent. I think this is very, very serious, and I really strongly feel — I honestly feel comfort in knowing that it’s not just me who’s feeling this, because it’s a very isolating time. Look at all these people. Everyone’s here because they care about what’s going on.”Muñeca Nieves described herself as a proud Afro-Caribbean woman who works for the federal government. She said she had lost 40 pounds by walking to work every day, but&nbsp;“I don’t do it anymore, because I’m brown.”“Every time a black SUV comes by, I get scared,” Nieves said.She also said she was “extremely disappointed” in the Lenexa city attorney’s insistence that police were just “following the rules” when they investigated Arroyo.“Those rules equate to racial profiling,” Nieves said, “which is against the law.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754508115025.png" alt=" Lenexa Police Chief Dawn Layman addressed the city council during an Aug. 5, 2025, meeting. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Lenexa Police Chief Dawn Layman addressed the city council during an Aug. 5, 2025, meeting. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Police chief responds</h2>Lenexa Police Chief Dawn Layman addressed the council at the end of the meeting and&nbsp;acknowledged the hurt expressed by Arroyo.“I apologize if I made you feel that way,” Layman told her.Layman said Homeland Security Investigations notified her a week in advance that they would execute a criminal search warrants, authorized by a federal judge, at the El Toro Loco in Lenexa. They mutually agreed that Lenexa police officers would not be on site, she said.She said the federal raids were related to an ongoing investigation into labor exploitation.Layman said her department is focused on public safety and serving all who live, work and visit Lenexa, regardless of immigration status.“Our responsibility is to protect the public, uphold the law, maintain public order and serve our community with honor, integrity and professionalism, and that is in regardless of our personal beliefs or opinion,” Layman said.In an interview, Arroyo said Layman was unaware of the political and historical weight of asking someone for their papers. But Arroyo also stressed that she doesn’t think Lenexa police are the problem.“My concern is that we are not aware of the times that we’re living in,” Arroyo said, “and we’re failing to meet the moment.”

Police investigate a Kansas city council member’s citizenship after a complaint left via voicemail

FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — An Army sergeant opened fire at Fort Stewart on Wednesday, shooting five soldiers and prompting a brief lockdown at one the country’s largest Army bases, officials said.

Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but the suspect is an Army sergeant, according to a U.S. official. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The injured soldiers are stable and recovering, said Brig Gen. John Lubas. The Army won’t release names pending notification of family members and they won’t speculate on motive, Lt. Col. Angel Tomko said at a news conference.

Officials identified the shooter as logistics Sgt. Quornelius Radford. A telephone number listed for Radford in public records rang unanswered on Wednesday.

The shooter opened fire at his workplace, officials said. Soldiers in the area who witnessed the shooting “immediately and without hesitation” tackled the shooter, Lubas said.

This latest act of violence on a U.S. military installation — sites that are supposed to be among the most secure in the country — again raised concerns about safety and security within the armed forces’ own walls.

The Army said it's investigating the shooting. There were still many unanswered questions, including the condition of the soldiers, the scope of their injuries, the name of the shooter as well as any possible motive.

The injured were treated and then moved to Winn Army Community Hospital, base officials said in a Facebook post, adding there's no threat to the community.

Some of the wounded were also taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, said spokesperson Bryna Gordon. The hospital is the top-level trauma center for coastal Georgia. Gordon said she didn’t know how many people were being taken to the hospital or what their conditions are.

Law enforcement was sent to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team complex shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The shooter was arrested at 11:35 a.m., officials said.

The lockdown lasted about an hour. After it was lifted, cars began to move through the normal security checkpoint at the fort’s main gate.

The Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team was created in 2016 when the service added more than 200 vehicles to an infantry unit of roughly 4,200 soldiers. Also known as the “Spartan Brigade,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.army.mil/article/259944/us_armys_most_modern_brigade_hosts_the_great_engagement">the Army has called the unit</a>&nbsp;its “most modern land fighting force.”

Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. It’s home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and family members.

White House and Defense Department officials said President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth had been briefed on the shooting.

The FBI was at the fort to help investigate, said Deputy Director Dan Bongino.

Among the deadliest acts of violence on U.S. military bases was a 2009 attack.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-2872311eb6694d219f7fa5aeb0c233fc">A U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people</a>&nbsp;in a shooting that left more than 30 wounded at Fort Hood, a military installation in Texas.

<a href="https://apnews.com/046ace2b312e41c4beb9fb2cf9fd0728">In 2013</a>, a defense contract worker and former Navy reservist killed 12 people at Washington Navy Yard. He was then killed in a gun battle with police.

<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-b090b70067c84749abc9a3e26205bc49">In 2014</a>, a soldier opened fire on his fellow service members at Fort Hood, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen others before the gunman killed himself.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-shootings-terrorism-us-news-ap-top-news-3206b3f41ae2ccf4b1c6ad0ba9b3185e">In 2019</a>, an aviation student opened fire in a classroom at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, killing three people and injuring another dozen people including two sheriff’s deputies. Just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2dec5ee8ce885061fe25c699a43eb71b">days earlier, a U.S. Navy sailor shot</a>&nbsp;two people to death before killing himself at Pearl Harbor, the Naval station in Hawaii.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Five soldiers were shot on Wednesday at the Army’s Fort Stewart in Georgia before a shooter was arrested.

Parts of Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia were locked down after a shooter was reported on the sprawling Army post, a spokesperson said. The army said the shooter has been arrested and there’s no threat to the community.

A post on Fort Stewart’s Facebook page told all personnel in the locked down area to “stay inside, close and lock all windows and doors.”

The shooter was in the area of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, the fort said online.

The fort’s three elementary schools were also on lockdown, Community Superintendent Brian Perry told WTOC-TV. The schools have nearly 1,400 students, according to the Department of Defense.

Three schools just outside the base took steps similar to a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution,” the Liberty County School System said online.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is in contact with responding law enforcement, he said in a statement. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, whose district includes Fort Stewart, said in an online post that he's monitoring the developments.

FORT STEWART, Georgia– Five Soldiers were shot Wednesday in an active shooter incident in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area, according to a media release from the base. All Soldiers were treated on-site and moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment. There was no active threat to the community. 

Law enforcement was dispatched for a possible shooting in the 2nd ABCT complex at 10:56 a.m. The shooter was apprehended at 11:35 a.m.

The installation was locked down at 11:04 a.m. and Fort Stewart lifted the lockdown of the main cantonment area at 12:10 p.m. 2nd ABCT complex is still locked down.

 Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to treat the wounded Soldiers at 11:09 a.m.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754497102931.png" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) — An Army sergeant opened fire at Fort Stewart on Wednesday, shooting five soldiers and prompting a brief lockdown at one the country’s largest Army bases, officials said.Few details were immediately available about what led to the gunfire, but the suspect is an Army sergeant, according to a U.S. official. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.The injured soldiers are stable and recovering, said Brig Gen. John Lubas. The Army won’t release names pending notification of family members and they won’t speculate on motive, Lt. Col. Angel Tomko said at a news conference.Officials identified the shooter as logistics Sgt. Quornelius Radford. A telephone number listed for Radford in public records rang unanswered on Wednesday.The shooter opened fire at his workplace, officials said. Soldiers in the area who witnessed the shooting “immediately and without hesitation” tackled the shooter, Lubas said.This latest act of violence on a U.S. military installation — sites that are supposed to be among the most secure in the country — again raised concerns about safety and security within the armed forces’ own walls.The Army said it's investigating the shooting. There were still many unanswered questions, including the condition of the soldiers, the scope of their injuries, the name of the shooter as well as any possible motive.The injured were treated and then moved to Winn Army Community Hospital, base officials said in a Facebook post, adding there's no threat to the community.Some of the wounded were also taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, said spokesperson Bryna Gordon. The hospital is the top-level trauma center for coastal Georgia. Gordon said she didn’t know how many people were being taken to the hospital or what their conditions are.Law enforcement was sent to the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team complex shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday. The shooter was arrested at 11:35 a.m., officials said.The lockdown lasted about an hour. After it was lifted, cars began to move through the normal security checkpoint at the fort’s main gate.The Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team was created in 2016 when the service added more than 200 vehicles to an infantry unit of roughly 4,200 soldiers. Also known as the “Spartan Brigade,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.army.mil/article/259944/us_armys_most_modern_brigade_hosts_the_great_engagement">the Army has called the unit</a>&nbsp;its “most modern land fighting force.”Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. It’s home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and family members.White House and Defense Department officials said President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hegseth had been briefed on the shooting.The FBI was at the fort to help investigate, said Deputy Director Dan Bongino.Among the deadliest acts of violence on U.S. military bases was a 2009 attack.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-2872311eb6694d219f7fa5aeb0c233fc">A U.S. Army psychiatrist killed 13 people</a>&nbsp;in a shooting that left more than 30 wounded at Fort Hood, a military installation in Texas.<a href="https://apnews.com/046ace2b312e41c4beb9fb2cf9fd0728">In 2013</a>, a defense contract worker and former Navy reservist killed 12 people at Washington Navy Yard. He was then killed in a gun battle with police.<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-b090b70067c84749abc9a3e26205bc49">In 2014</a>, a soldier opened fire on his fellow service members at Fort Hood, killing three people and wounding more than a dozen others before the gunman killed himself.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-shootings-terrorism-us-news-ap-top-news-3206b3f41ae2ccf4b1c6ad0ba9b3185e">In 2019</a>, an aviation student opened fire in a classroom at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida, killing three people and injuring another dozen people including two sheriff’s deputies. Just&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2dec5ee8ce885061fe25c699a43eb71b">days earlier, a U.S. Navy sailor shot</a>&nbsp;two people to death before killing himself at Pearl Harbor, the Naval station in Hawaii.-----------SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Five soldiers were shot on Wednesday at the Army’s Fort Stewart in Georgia before a shooter was arrested.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The President has been briefed on the shooting at Fort Stewart in Georgia. The White House is monitoring the situation.&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1953135134665802048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our federal law enforcement agents in Georgia are coordinating to provide support as the situation at Fort Stewart develops. I am praying for all the victims and for our troops at the base.&mdash; Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1953137964168405387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Parts of Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia were locked down after a shooter was reported on the sprawling Army post, a spokesperson said. The army said the shooter has been arrested and there’s no threat to the community.A post on Fort Stewart’s Facebook page told all personnel in the locked down area to “stay inside, close and lock all windows and doors.”Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River. It’s home to thousands of soldiers assigned to the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and family members.The shooter was in the area of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, the fort said online.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFortStewartHunterArmyAirfield%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0696cnEND7m9ujYRCsx5nonjp4fmurusZBqGcSzKdntmdhoWDX67gD57gysUrbLCLl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="679" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The fort’s three elementary schools were also on lockdown, Community Superintendent Brian Perry told WTOC-TV. The schools have nearly 1,400 students, according to the Department of Defense.Three schools just outside the base took steps similar to a lockdown “out of an abundance of caution,” the Liberty County School System said online.Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is in contact with responding law enforcement, he said in a statement. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, whose district includes Fort Stewart, said in an online post that he's monitoring the developments.-----------FORT STEWART, Georgia– Five Soldiers were shot Wednesday in an active shooter incident in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team area, according to a media release from the base. All Soldiers were treated on-site and moved to Winn Army Community Hospital for further treatment. There was no active threat to the community. <div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFortStewartHunterArmyAirfield%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0696cnEND7m9ujYRCsx5nonjp4fmurusZBqGcSzKdntmdhoWDX67gD57gysUrbLCLl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="679" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Law enforcement was dispatched for a possible shooting in the 2nd ABCT complex at 10:56 a.m. The shooter was apprehended at 11:35 a.m.The installation was locked down at 11:04 a.m. and Fort Stewart lifted the lockdown of the main cantonment area at 12:10 p.m. 2nd ABCT complex is still locked down. Emergency medical personnel were dispatched to treat the wounded Soldiers at 11:09 a.m.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Army sergeant in custody after 5 soldiers shot at base in Georgia

By BRENT MARTIN St. Joseph Post

He might not have
a say in the matter, by Kansas U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a self-proclaimed
livelong Chiefs fan, would welcome the NFL club to Kansas.

Marshall, during a
visit to Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph, backs the effort by Kansas to lure
the Chiefs across the state line.

“Well, of course,
we would welcome the Chiefs to Kansas. Again, a life-long Chiefs fan would love
to see them over there,” Marshall tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “There are many
reasons that we would like them, but I think mostly importantly going forward
is to give the Chiefs a more secure facility.”

Marshall says
Arrowhead, located in the Truman Sports Complex, isn’t secure enough for Chiefs
players.

“Think about all
the things going on in Chiefs Kingdom that these players are coming and going
at 8-9pm at night. And would be able to have more events there throughout the
year as well,” according to Marshall. “They would certainly be welcome. I think
about a complex in Olathe for the management-type people and a training complex,
how important that could be for the local community as well.”

Marshall would
welcome the Chiefs to cross the state line and relocate in Kansas.

“Look, I love
Arrowhead Stadium,” Marshall says. “I’ve had many, many memories there, going
back to just decades. But I think it’d be better for the Chiefs to come over to
a new location with a more secure facility.”

Kansas rolled out
an incentive package for the Chiefs to move into a new stadium across the state
line. Missouri countered with its own incentives to renovate Arrowhead.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754508064130.jpeg" alt="Sen. Roger Marshall shields his eyes while watching Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph/Photo by Brent Martin" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Roger Marshall shields his eyes while watching Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph/Photo by Brent Martin</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRENT MARTIN St. Joseph PostHe might not have
a say in the matter, by Kansas U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a self-proclaimed
livelong Chiefs fan, would welcome the NFL club to Kansas.Marshall, during a
visit to Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph, backs the effort by Kansas to lure
the Chiefs across the state line.“Well, of course,
we would welcome the Chiefs to Kansas. Again, a life-long Chiefs fan would love
to see them over there,” Marshall tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “There are many
reasons that we would like them, but I think mostly importantly going forward
is to give the Chiefs a more secure facility.”Marshall says
Arrowhead, located in the Truman Sports Complex, isn’t secure enough for Chiefs
players.“Think about all
the things going on in Chiefs Kingdom that these players are coming and going
at 8-9pm at night. And would be able to have more events there throughout the
year as well,” according to Marshall. “They would certainly be welcome. I think
about a complex in Olathe for the management-type people and a training complex,
how important that could be for the local community as well.”Marshall would
welcome the Chiefs to cross the state line and relocate in Kansas.“Look, I love
Arrowhead Stadium,” Marshall says. “I’ve had many, many memories there, going
back to just decades. But I think it’d be better for the Chiefs to come over to
a new location with a more secure facility.”Kansas rolled out
an incentive package for the Chiefs to move into a new stadium across the state
line. Missouri countered with its own incentives to renovate Arrowhead.

Senator Marshall says Kansas would welcome the Chiefs

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

OMAHA — Nebraska reportedly is being considered as a home to one of the state-run, federally funded migrant detention centers that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hopes to launch across the country in the likeness of “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Noem, in an interview with CBS News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alligator-alcatraz-model-kristi-noem-homeland-security/" target="_blank">published Monday</a>, said she hopes to establish a handful of similar detention centers near airports and jails in other states in the coming months, using Florida’s so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades as a model. She said she had already appealed to governors and state leaders.&nbsp;

And CBS said potential sites already under consideration include Nebraska, Arizona and Louisiana.

Many states that support President Donald Trump’s mission of securing the border have empty or underused prison-like facilities, Noem noted. She said locations Homeland Security is considering are by airports and runways, which she said would help cut costs through “quick turnarounds.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates under the umbrella of Homeland Security.

State-owned property that could fit her site preferences could include land near the Omaha Correctional Center by Eppley Airfield and the Nebraska National Guard base near the Lincoln airport.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s office shared a statement Tuesday, saying that his team “continues to be in communication with federal partners on how Nebraska can best assist in these efforts.”

Pillen spokeswoman Laura Strimple said the governor is “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/24/pillen-orders-nebraska-agencies-to-fall-in-line-with-trump-immigration-crackdown/">staunchly committed&nbsp;</a>to keeping Americans safe, our nation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-visits-nebraska-national-guard-on-texas-mexico-border-with-speaker-arch-sen-tom-brewer/">borders secure”</a>&nbsp;and getting criminals “off our streets.”

She said it was premature to comment on potential detention operations, adding: “Gov. Pillen will make details public at the appropriate time.”

An ICE spokesperson told the Examiner in a statement Tuesday that the agency could not confirm “individual pre-decisional conversations” but said it would “confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements.”

The agency blamed the Biden administration’s border policies, and added: “ICE is proud to say we have enhanced enforcement and routine daily operations that have resulted in a significant number of arrests” necessitating greater detention capacity.

Noem’s strategy reportedly builds upon the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center that opened last month at a jetport in the South Florida marshlands. It was built in just days and has the capacity to house at least 3,000 migrants.

The effort would be assisted by the $45 billion set aside for ICE in President Donald Trump’s recently adopted “big beautiful bill.”

Nebraska State Sen. Terrell McKinney of North Omaha, a legislative watchdog on criminal justice issues, criticized the notion of Nebraska as a host site.&nbsp;

“The idea of Nebraska operating a state-run detention facility is crazy and should not move forward,” he said. “Our focus should be on addressing the current budget deficit and reversing the decline of our state’s economy, both of which will only worsen with proposals like this.”

McKinney said that under the Trump administration, “enforcement efforts have expanded far beyond individuals labeled as criminals.”

“Many law-abiding immigrants are being unjustly detained and torn away from their families,” he said.

Nebraska State Sen. Margo Juarez was terse in her reaction. Her South Omaha area district includes the worksite where a June 10 high-profile immigration raid took place, the largest enforcement operation in Nebraska since Trump took office the second time.

“There is no way we will welcome an Alcatraz,” Juarez said. “Look elsewhere.”

More than 70 undocumented immigrants were apprehended during the ICE-led raid at Glenn Valley Foods. Roughly 25 of the workers are still being detained at a North Platte jail, hours from where their families live. That jail contracts with the federal government to hold ICE detainees who are in removal proceedings.

Douglas County officials had previously opted not to renew a federal contract under which it was paid to hold ICE detainees at its Omaha jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751400984359.png" alt="White House image" />
 <figcaption>White House image</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cindygonzalez/">Cindy Gonzalez</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2022/02/08/state-approved-use-of-pesticide-coated-seed-corn-for-ethanol-plant-a-decade-ago/">Nebraska Examiner</a>OMAHA — Nebraska reportedly is being considered as a home to one of the state-run, federally funded migrant detention centers that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hopes to launch across the country in the likeness of “Alligator Alcatraz.”Noem, in an interview with CBS News&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alligator-alcatraz-model-kristi-noem-homeland-security/" target="_blank">published Monday</a>, said she hopes to establish a handful of similar detention centers near airports and jails in other states in the coming months, using Florida’s so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades as a model. She said she had already appealed to governors and state leaders.&nbsp;And CBS said potential sites already under consideration include Nebraska, Arizona and Louisiana.Many states that support President Donald Trump’s mission of securing the border have empty or underused prison-like facilities, Noem noted. She said locations Homeland Security is considering are by airports and runways, which she said would help cut costs through “quick turnarounds.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates under the umbrella of Homeland Security.State-owned property that could fit her site preferences could include land near the Omaha Correctional Center by Eppley Airfield and the Nebraska National Guard base near the Lincoln airport.Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s office shared a statement Tuesday, saying that his team “continues to be in communication with federal partners on how Nebraska can best assist in these efforts.”Pillen spokeswoman Laura Strimple said the governor is “<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/24/pillen-orders-nebraska-agencies-to-fall-in-line-with-trump-immigration-crackdown/">staunchly committed&nbsp;</a>to keeping Americans safe, our nation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/pillen-visits-nebraska-national-guard-on-texas-mexico-border-with-speaker-arch-sen-tom-brewer/">borders secure”</a>&nbsp;and getting criminals “off our streets.”She said it was premature to comment on potential detention operations, adding: “Gov. Pillen will make details public at the appropriate time.”An ICE spokesperson told the Examiner in a statement Tuesday that the agency could not confirm “individual pre-decisional conversations” but said it would “confirm that ICE is exploring all options to meet its current and future detention requirements.”The agency blamed the Biden administration’s border policies, and added: “ICE is proud to say we have enhanced enforcement and routine daily operations that have resulted in a significant number of arrests” necessitating greater detention capacity.Noem’s strategy reportedly builds upon the “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center that opened last month at a jetport in the South Florida marshlands. It was built in just days and has the capacity to house at least 3,000 migrants.The effort would be assisted by the $45 billion set aside for ICE in President Donald Trump’s recently adopted “big beautiful bill.”Nebraska State Sen. Terrell McKinney of North Omaha, a legislative watchdog on criminal justice issues, criticized the notion of Nebraska as a host site.&nbsp;“The idea of Nebraska operating a state-run detention facility is crazy and should not move forward,” he said. “Our focus should be on addressing the current budget deficit and reversing the decline of our state’s economy, both of which will only worsen with proposals like this.”McKinney said that under the Trump administration, “enforcement efforts have expanded far beyond individuals labeled as criminals.”“Many law-abiding immigrants are being unjustly detained and torn away from their families,” he said.Nebraska State Sen. Margo Juarez was terse in her reaction. Her South Omaha area district includes the worksite where a June 10 high-profile immigration raid took place, the largest enforcement operation in Nebraska since Trump took office the second time.“There is no way we will welcome an Alcatraz,” Juarez said. “Look elsewhere.”More than 70 undocumented immigrants were apprehended during the ICE-led raid at Glenn Valley Foods. Roughly 25 of the workers are still being detained at a North Platte jail, hours from where their families live. That jail contracts with the federal government to hold ICE detainees who are in removal proceedings.Douglas County officials had previously opted not to renew a federal contract under which it was paid to hold ICE detainees at its Omaha jail.

Will Nebraska be home to the next ‘Alligator Alcatraz?’

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>&nbsp;'s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, wants to keep grand jury records secret in the sex trafficking case that sent her to prison, her lawyers said Tuesday as prosecutors continued urging a court to release some of those records in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">criminal case-turned-political fireball</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">Maxwell</a>&nbsp;hasn't seen the material herself, her attorneys said — the grand jury process is conducted behind closed doors. But she opposes unsealing what her lawyers described as potentially “hearsay-laden” transcripts of grand jury testimony, which was given in secret and without her lawyers there to challenge it.

“Whatever interest the public may have in Epstein, that interest cannot justify a broad intrusion into grand jury secrecy in a case where the defendant is alive, her legal options are viable and her due process rights remain,” attorneys David O. Markus and Melissa Madrigal wrote.

Government attorneys have been trying to quell a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">clamor for transparency</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">seeking the transcripts' release</a>&nbsp;— though the government also says the public already knows much of what’s in the documents.

Most of the information “was made publicly available at trial or has otherwise been publicly reported through the public statements of victims and witnesses,” prosecutors wrote in court papers Monday. They noted that the disclosures excluded some victims’ and witnesses’ names.

Prosecutors had also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-grand-jury-transcripts-trump-d7b6be64eb7cf79de765d7870069e780">said last week</a>&nbsp;that some of what the grand jurors heard eventually came out at Maxwell’s 2021 trial and in various victims’ lawsuits. There were only two grand jury witnesses, both of them law enforcement officials, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors made clear Monday that they’re seeking to unseal only the transcripts of grand jury witnesses’ testimony, not the exhibits that accompanied it. But they are also working to parse how much of the exhibits also became public record over the years.

While prosecutors have sought to temper expectations about any new revelations from the grand jury proceedings, they aren’t proposing to release&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">a cache of other information</a>&nbsp;the government collected while looking into Epstein.

The transcript faceoff comes six years after authorities said Epstein&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a947e0d85d31496eb5bd9ff4994c9718">killed himself</a>&nbsp;while awaiting trial on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bb41822a39a147ccb03501acf049b58c">sex trafficking charges</a>&nbsp;and four years after Maxwell was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-convicted-jeffrey-epstein-trial-verdict-63a71a2825eab41184a79e37bb967e90">convicted</a>&nbsp;of grooming underage girls to participate in sex acts with him. The British socialite denied the allegations and has appealed her conviction,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-sex-trafficking-conviction-2e090610b579c8313bea7c31174ae0c4">so far unsuccessfully</a>.

Some of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;’s allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-their-words-bondi-patel-bongino-70176344eeab6f66e015bc294afbbf59">spent years suggesting there was more to the Epstein saga</a>&nbsp;than met the eye and calling for more disclosures. A few got powerful positions in Trump’s Justice Department — and then faced backlash after it abruptly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">announced that nothing more would be released</a>&nbsp;and that a long-rumored Epstein “client list” doesn’t exist.

After trying unsuccessfully&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracy-theories-bondi-bongino-fbi-a143076353acbc1193cb9697e7fc4a90">to change the subject</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-supporters-epstein-sex-trafficking-investigation-bondi-47370e63060d79af64b0b8ac70b970a4">denigrating his own supporters</a>&nbsp;for not moving on, the Republican president told Attorney General Pam Bondi&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">to ask courts to unseal the grand jury transcripts</a>&nbsp;in the case.

A top Justice Department official, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-053ad2ae16f31b9d7300340d5f9349c5">interviewed Maxwell</a>&nbsp;late last month, at the government’s request. Last week, she was moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas to continue serving her 20-year sentence. Officials didn’t explain why.

Trump said Tuesday that he didn't know ahead of time about Maxwell's prison transfer and hadn't spoken to Blanche about his conversation with her.

“I think he probably wants to make sure that people should not be involved, or aren’t involved, are not hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate, very unfair to a lot of people,” Trump said in a news conference Tuesday.

The Epstein uproar also has reached Congress, where the House Oversight Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-trump-congress-subpoena-clintons-a02749e1fe6f0de0c385c7fac186d3ba">subpoenaed the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday for files in the case. The committee also issued subpoenas to conduct sworn questioning of former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials.

Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">a number of Epstein's famous former friends;</a>&nbsp;so was Trump, a Republican. Both men have said they knew nothing of Epstein's crimes until he was charged, and Epstein's accusers have not alleged any wrongdoing by Trump or Clinton.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704416234390.png" alt="FILE —&nbsp; a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell shown during a news conference, July 2, 2020, in New York.&nbsp; (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE —&nbsp; a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell shown during a news conference, July 2, 2020, in New York.&nbsp; (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>&nbsp;'s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, wants to keep grand jury records secret in the sex trafficking case that sent her to prison, her lawyers said Tuesday as prosecutors continued urging a court to release some of those records in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">criminal case-turned-political fireball</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">Maxwell</a>&nbsp;hasn't seen the material herself, her attorneys said — the grand jury process is conducted behind closed doors. But she opposes unsealing what her lawyers described as potentially “hearsay-laden” transcripts of grand jury testimony, which was given in secret and without her lawyers there to challenge it.“Whatever interest the public may have in Epstein, that interest cannot justify a broad intrusion into grand jury secrecy in a case where the defendant is alive, her legal options are viable and her due process rights remain,” attorneys David O. Markus and Melissa Madrigal wrote.Prosecutors declined to comment.Government attorneys have been trying to quell a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">clamor for transparency</a>&nbsp;by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">seeking the transcripts' release</a>&nbsp;— though the government also says the public already knows much of what’s in the documents.Most of the information “was made publicly available at trial or has otherwise been publicly reported through the public statements of victims and witnesses,” prosecutors wrote in court papers Monday. They noted that the disclosures excluded some victims’ and witnesses’ names.Prosecutors had also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-grand-jury-transcripts-trump-d7b6be64eb7cf79de765d7870069e780">said last week</a>&nbsp;that some of what the grand jurors heard eventually came out at Maxwell’s 2021 trial and in various victims’ lawsuits. There were only two grand jury witnesses, both of them law enforcement officials, prosecutors said.Prosecutors made clear Monday that they’re seeking to unseal only the transcripts of grand jury witnesses’ testimony, not the exhibits that accompanied it. But they are also working to parse how much of the exhibits also became public record over the years.While prosecutors have sought to temper expectations about any new revelations from the grand jury proceedings, they aren’t proposing to release&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">a cache of other information</a>&nbsp;the government collected while looking into Epstein.The transcript faceoff comes six years after authorities said Epstein&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a947e0d85d31496eb5bd9ff4994c9718">killed himself</a>&nbsp;while awaiting trial on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bb41822a39a147ccb03501acf049b58c">sex trafficking charges</a>&nbsp;and four years after Maxwell was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-convicted-jeffrey-epstein-trial-verdict-63a71a2825eab41184a79e37bb967e90">convicted</a>&nbsp;of grooming underage girls to participate in sex acts with him. The British socialite denied the allegations and has appealed her conviction,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-sex-trafficking-conviction-2e090610b579c8313bea7c31174ae0c4">so far unsuccessfully</a>.Some of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;’s allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-their-words-bondi-patel-bongino-70176344eeab6f66e015bc294afbbf59">spent years suggesting there was more to the Epstein saga</a>&nbsp;than met the eye and calling for more disclosures. A few got powerful positions in Trump’s Justice Department — and then faced backlash after it abruptly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">announced that nothing more would be released</a>&nbsp;and that a long-rumored Epstein “client list” doesn’t exist.After trying unsuccessfully&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracy-theories-bondi-bongino-fbi-a143076353acbc1193cb9697e7fc4a90">to change the subject</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-supporters-epstein-sex-trafficking-investigation-bondi-47370e63060d79af64b0b8ac70b970a4">denigrating his own supporters</a>&nbsp;for not moving on, the Republican president told Attorney General Pam Bondi&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-bondi-91f911d2d7a909f78259cdca7b55d9a6">to ask courts to unseal the grand jury transcripts</a>&nbsp;in the case.A top Justice Department official, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-053ad2ae16f31b9d7300340d5f9349c5">interviewed Maxwell</a>&nbsp;late last month, at the government’s request. Last week, she was moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas to continue serving her 20-year sentence. Officials didn’t explain why.Trump said Tuesday that he didn't know ahead of time about Maxwell's prison transfer and hadn't spoken to Blanche about his conversation with her.“I think he probably wants to make sure that people should not be involved, or aren’t involved, are not hurt by something that would be very, very unfortunate, very unfair to a lot of people,” Trump said in a news conference Tuesday.The Epstein uproar also has reached Congress, where the House Oversight Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-trump-congress-subpoena-clintons-a02749e1fe6f0de0c385c7fac186d3ba">subpoenaed the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday for files in the case. The committee also issued subpoenas to conduct sworn questioning of former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and eight former top law enforcement officials.Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was among&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-bill-clinton-donald-trump-385ccf8d49d337ae4866022877aa9a90">a number of Epstein's famous former friends;</a>&nbsp;so was Trump, a Republican. Both men have said they knew nothing of Epstein's crimes until he was charged, and Epstein's accusers have not alleged any wrongdoing by Trump or Clinton.

New details released in Epstein files drama

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of killing his mother-in-law in front of his 8-year-old son made his first court appearance in the case Tuesday.

&nbsp;Stephen Jacob Rogers was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated endangering a child, and criminal threat in the death of&nbsp;49-year-old Sharmaine Burke, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp;–&nbsp;Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred late Wednesday night&nbsp;

At 11:32 p.m., July 30, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a 911 call from 49-year-old Sharmaine Marlene Burke, according to a media release from the sheriff's office. Burke reported that her son-in-law, 29-year-old Stephen J. Rogers of Wichita, was drunk and had threatened to shoot her. She also stated that her eight-year-old grandson, Rogers’ son, was inside their home at the time, at the Longbranch Mobile Home Park near Derby.

The 911 call-taker stayed on the line as deputies responded. A few minutes into the call, gunshots were heard, and the line went silent.

Deputies arrived at 11:41 p.m. and found Burke with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body. Deputies and Sedgwick County EMS attempted life-saving measures, but Burke succumbed to her injuries at 11:57 p.m.

Rogers and his son were not at the scene when deputies arrived. An immediate search for both the suspect and the child began. Deputies obtained critical information, including a description of Rogers’ vehicle, and shared it with surrounding law enforcement agencies.

At 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, FLOCK camera technology detected Rogers’ vehicle in Augusta. Butler County law enforcement quickly located and stopped the vehicle on U.S. Highway 54 near Haverhill Road. Rogers was arrested and the child was found unharmed inside the vehicle.

Rogers was taken to the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigations Division, and was booked into jail.

Deputies and investigators provided immediate resources to ensure the child’s safety and wellbeing.

The Sheriff’s Office coordinated with multiple agencies during the investigation. Quick action and cooperation allowed law enforcement to safely locate the child and apprehend the suspect.

As part of the investigation, it was determined that an Amber Alert was not necessary because investigators obtained real-time intelligence on the suspect’s vehicle and used FLOCK technology to track it. Issuing an Amber Alert could have alerted the suspect, increasing the risk to the child and complicating the search.

The process for issuing an alert also involves the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and the timeline indicates the alert would have been issued only after the suspect and child were located.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1754002321266.png" alt="Rogers-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Rogers-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused of killing his mother-in-law in front of his 8-year-old son made his first court appearance in the case Tuesday.&nbsp;Stephen Jacob Rogers was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated endangering a child, and criminal threat in the death of&nbsp;49-year-old Sharmaine Burke, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754428952134.png" alt="Sharmaine Burke photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Sharmaine Burke photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY&nbsp;–&nbsp;Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred late Wednesday night&nbsp;At 11:32 p.m., July 30, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications received a 911 call from 49-year-old Sharmaine Marlene Burke, according to a media release from the sheriff's office. Burke reported that her son-in-law, 29-year-old Stephen J. Rogers of Wichita, was drunk and had threatened to shoot her. She also stated that her eight-year-old grandson, Rogers’ son, was inside their home at the time, at the Longbranch Mobile Home Park near Derby.The 911 call-taker stayed on the line as deputies responded. A few minutes into the call, gunshots were heard, and the line went silent.Deputies arrived at 11:41 p.m. and found Burke with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body. Deputies and Sedgwick County EMS attempted life-saving measures, but Burke succumbed to her injuries at 11:57 p.m.Rogers and his son were not at the scene when deputies arrived. An immediate search for both the suspect and the child began. Deputies obtained critical information, including a description of Rogers’ vehicle, and shared it with surrounding law enforcement agencies.At 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, FLOCK camera technology detected Rogers’ vehicle in Augusta. Butler County law enforcement quickly located and stopped the vehicle on U.S. Highway 54 near Haverhill Road. Rogers was arrested and the child was found unharmed inside the vehicle.Rogers was taken to the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigations Division, and was booked into jail.Deputies and investigators provided immediate resources to ensure the child’s safety and wellbeing.The Sheriff’s Office coordinated with multiple agencies during the investigation. Quick action and cooperation allowed law enforcement to safely locate the child and apprehend the suspect.As part of the investigation, it was determined that an Amber Alert was not necessary because investigators obtained real-time intelligence on the suspect’s vehicle and used FLOCK technology to track it. Issuing an Amber Alert could have alerted the suspect, increasing the risk to the child and complicating the search.The process for issuing an alert also involves the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and the timeline indicates the alert would have been issued only after the suspect and child were located.

Kan. man accused of killing his mother-in-law faces a judge

Ever since the NFL announced it was looking to sell NFL Network and other media assets, ESPN had been seen as one of the favorites to make a deal.

Nearly five years later, a framework is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-media-nfl-network-espn-7651546c42276b8691fb4ba522c75892">finally in place</a>.

The NFL announced Tuesday night that it has entered into a nonbinding agreement with ESPN. Under the terms, ESPN will acquire NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators and the league will get a 10% equity stake in ESPN.

The league and ESPN still have to negotiate a final agreement and get approval from NFL owners. The agreement will also have to undergo regulatory approvals.

“Sometimes great things take a long time to get to the point where it’s right. And we both feel that it is at this stage,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a call with The Associated Press.

Along with the sale of NFL Network, the NFL and ESPN will have a second nonbinding agreement where the NFL will license to ESPN certain NFL content and other intellectual property that can be used by NFL Network and other assets that have been purchased.

“We have been talking about it in earnest for the last few years. But interestingly enough, we started talking about this over a decade ago but nothing really ended up happening. And we got back at it when I came back to Disney after my retirement,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a call with the AP.

ESPN is expected to launch its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/espn-streaming-sportscenter-app-ec2b43ab06a2e1a874894486c8102434">direct-to-consumer service</a>&nbsp;before the end of September. The service would give cord-cutters access to all ESPN programs and networks for $29.99 per month. The addition of more NFL programming increases the value.

Many viewers will receive the service for free as part of their subscription to cable, satellite and most streaming services.

“When I came back to Disney and assessed essentially the future of ESPN, it became clear that ESPN had to launch a bigger and more robust and digital or direct-to-consumer product, not only for the sake of ESPN’s business, but for the sports fan,” Iger said. “And obviously, when you start thinking about high-quality sports content, your eyes immediately head in the direction of the NFL because there’s really nothing more valuable and more popular than that.”

NFL Network — which has nearly 50 million subscribers — would be owned and operated by ESPN and would be included in ESPN's direct-to-consumer product.

The NFL RedZone channel would be distributed by ESPN to cable and satellite operators. However, the NFL will continue to own, operate and produce the channel as well as retain the rights to distribute the channel digitally. ESPN would also get rights to the RedZone brand, meaning RedZone channels for college football and basketball or other sports could be coming in the future.

NFL Fantasy Football would merge with ESPN Fantasy Football, giving ESPN the official fantasy football game of the league.

NFL Network will still air seven games per season. Four of ESPN's games, including some that are in overlapping windows on Monday nights, would move to NFL Network. ESPN will license three additional games that will be carried on NFL Network.

The league gets a 10% equity stake in ESPN. Aidan O'Connor, a senior vice president at the Prosek Partners marketing firm, estimates the value of that would be $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion.

ESPN is currently 80% owned by ABC Inc. as an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The other 20% is owned by Hearst. Once the deal is official and approved, the breakdown of ESPN will be 72% ABC Inc., 18% Hearst and 10% NFL.

This isn't the first time the league has had an equity stake in a digital or communications business. It had that in the past with Sirius Satellite Radio and SportsLine. The NFL could also have equity in the newly formed “Paramount Skydance Corporation,” which owns CBS, due to the league's partnership with Skydance.

“This is new as far as a partner now operating a business that we built, ran and grew," said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution. "It’ll also be a little bit new again with some of the dynamics here, but we’ll continue to balance that in a really arm’s length way where we’ll think about how we manage and work across to all our partners.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1754488534841.jpeg" alt="ESPN Monday Night Football TV camera is seen during the second half of an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, File)" />
 <figcaption>ESPN Monday Night Football TV camera is seen during the second half of an NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOE REEDY AP Sports WriterEver since the NFL announced it was looking to sell NFL Network and other media assets, ESPN had been seen as one of the favorites to make a deal.Nearly five years later, a framework is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-media-nfl-network-espn-7651546c42276b8691fb4ba522c75892">finally in place</a>.The NFL announced Tuesday night that it has entered into a nonbinding agreement with ESPN. Under the terms, ESPN will acquire NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators and the league will get a 10% equity stake in ESPN.The league and ESPN still have to negotiate a final agreement and get approval from NFL owners. The agreement will also have to undergo regulatory approvals.“Sometimes great things take a long time to get to the point where it’s right. And we both feel that it is at this stage,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a call with The Associated Press.Along with the sale of NFL Network, the NFL and ESPN will have a second nonbinding agreement where the NFL will license to ESPN certain NFL content and other intellectual property that can be used by NFL Network and other assets that have been purchased.“We have been talking about it in earnest for the last few years. But interestingly enough, we started talking about this over a decade ago but nothing really ended up happening. And we got back at it when I came back to Disney after my retirement,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a call with the AP.<h2>What ESPN gets</h2>ESPN is expected to launch its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/espn-streaming-sportscenter-app-ec2b43ab06a2e1a874894486c8102434">direct-to-consumer service</a>&nbsp;before the end of September. The service would give cord-cutters access to all ESPN programs and networks for $29.99 per month. The addition of more NFL programming increases the value.Many viewers will receive the service for free as part of their subscription to cable, satellite and most streaming services.“When I came back to Disney and assessed essentially the future of ESPN, it became clear that ESPN had to launch a bigger and more robust and digital or direct-to-consumer product, not only for the sake of ESPN’s business, but for the sports fan,” Iger said. “And obviously, when you start thinking about high-quality sports content, your eyes immediately head in the direction of the NFL because there’s really nothing more valuable and more popular than that.”NFL Network — which has nearly 50 million subscribers — would be owned and operated by ESPN and would be included in ESPN's direct-to-consumer product.The NFL RedZone channel would be distributed by ESPN to cable and satellite operators. However, the NFL will continue to own, operate and produce the channel as well as retain the rights to distribute the channel digitally. ESPN would also get rights to the RedZone brand, meaning RedZone channels for college football and basketball or other sports could be coming in the future.NFL Fantasy Football would merge with ESPN Fantasy Football, giving ESPN the official fantasy football game of the league.NFL Network will still air seven games per season. Four of ESPN's games, including some that are in overlapping windows on Monday nights, would move to NFL Network. ESPN will license three additional games that will be carried on NFL Network.<h2>What the NFL receives (and retains)</h2>The league gets a 10% equity stake in ESPN. Aidan O'Connor, a senior vice president at the Prosek Partners marketing firm, estimates the value of that would be $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion.ESPN is currently 80% owned by ABC Inc. as an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The other 20% is owned by Hearst. Once the deal is official and approved, the breakdown of ESPN will be 72% ABC Inc., 18% Hearst and 10% NFL.This isn't the first time the league has had an equity stake in a digital or communications business. It had that in the past with Sirius Satellite Radio and SportsLine. The NFL could also have equity in the newly formed “Paramount Skydance Corporation,” which owns CBS, due to the league's partnership with Skydance.“This is new as far as a partner now operating a business that we built, ran and grew," said Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution. "It’ll also be a little bit new again with some of the dynamics here, but we’ll continue to balance that in a really arm’s length way where we’ll think about how we manage and work across to all our partners.”The league will continue to own and operate NFL Films, NFL+, NFL.com, the official websites of the 32 teams, the NFL Podcast Network and the NFL FAST Channel (a free ad-supported streaming channel).“The moves align with the NFL’s longstanding ambition to reach $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027 — a target first set in 2010, when league revenue stood at approximately $8.5 billion,” O’Connor said. “Financially, the move also signals to investors that ESPN is doubling down on differentiation and content stickiness by offering a scarce and premium product in a crowded marketplace. Intentionally ceding equity to the NFL transforms ESPN from a media licensee into a true platform partner — with few properties rivaling the league in terms of cultural significance, appointment viewing, audience reach, and monetization efficiency."<h2>No major changes yet</h2>Viewers will likely not see any immediate impacts until next year once everything is approved.Besides ESPN, the biggest winner in this could be NFL Network, which had seen reductions in original programming the past couple years. “Total Access,” the network's flagship show since its launch in 2003, ended in May 2024 amid a series of layoffs and cost-cutting moves. “Good Morning Football” also moved from New York, where it had been since its start in 2016, to Southern California last year.NFL Network moved to a broadcast facility across the street from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in 2021.“The thing that’s exciting for us is that we have put a lot into the network. I think it’s been very effective for fans. We know it’s in good hands,” Goodell said. “They’re innovative, they recognize great production and know how to produce it. They will do a fantastic job of operating the network and taking it to another level.”