By JACK BROOK Associated Press/Report for America

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A woman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-reporter-death-woman-charged-19030dc5638ec7e190764ebc15faf32f">facing a second-degree murder charge</a>&nbsp;for the death of a Super Bowl television reporter has been sentenced to 25 years in an unrelated case on Thursday.

Danette Colbert, 48, had previously been given a suspended sentence by an Orleans Parish judge last year after being convicted of theft and fraud charges.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office successfully argued in court that Colbert, who has multiple prior felony convictions involving fraud, was a habitual offender and deserved a harsher sentence.

Colbert had been on probation when police arrested her for allegedly stealing the cellphone and bank cards of a reporter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-telemundo-reporter-death-adan-manzano-590192fafbbc6401682e813402801e94">found dead</a>&nbsp;in his hotel room on Feb. 5. He was in town to cover Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans.

Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old reporter and television anchor based in Kansas City, Missouri, suffocated while lying face down on a pillow. Alcohol and the depressant Xanax were later found in his system. Colbert was captured on security footage leaving Manzano's hotel room in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, police said.

Colbert and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-reporter-death-new-orleans-telemundo-501e4b2a94548465102c63631a9dccb1">another person</a>&nbsp;still face second-degree murder charges in Jefferson Parish, bordering New Orleans.

“The evidence was overwhelming that this woman was a serial fraudster and took advantage of multiple tourists and innocent people over many years in the French Quarter,” Murrill said in an emailed statement.

Colbert’s attorney Jerome Matthews did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Stavros Panagoulopoulos, the lawyer representing Colbert in the second-degree murder case, declined to comment.

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reportforamerica.org/">Report for America</a>&nbsp;is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738973498909.png" alt="Adan Manzano courtesy photo" />
                        <figcaption>Adan Manzano courtesy photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By JACK BROOK Associated Press/Report for America</p><p>NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A woman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-reporter-death-woman-charged-19030dc5638ec7e190764ebc15faf32f">facing a second-degree murder charge</a>&nbsp;for the death of a Super Bowl television reporter has been sentenced to 25 years in an unrelated case on Thursday.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746499475287.png" alt="Colbert photo Kenner Police" />
                        <figcaption>Colbert photo Kenner Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Danette Colbert, 48, had previously been given a suspended sentence by an Orleans Parish judge last year after being convicted of theft and fraud charges.</p><p>Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's office successfully argued in court that Colbert, who has multiple prior felony convictions involving fraud, was a habitual offender and deserved a harsher sentence.</p><p>Colbert had been on probation when police arrested her for allegedly stealing the cellphone and bank cards of a reporter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-telemundo-reporter-death-adan-manzano-590192fafbbc6401682e813402801e94">found dead</a>&nbsp;in his hotel room on Feb. 5. He was in town to cover Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans.</p><p>Adan Manzano, a 27-year-old reporter and television anchor based in Kansas City, Missouri, suffocated while lying face down on a pillow. Alcohol and the depressant Xanax were later found in his system. Colbert was captured on security footage leaving Manzano's hotel room in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner, police said.</p><p>Colbert and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-reporter-death-new-orleans-telemundo-501e4b2a94548465102c63631a9dccb1">another person</a>&nbsp;still face second-degree murder charges in Jefferson Parish, bordering New Orleans.</p><p>“The evidence was overwhelming that this woman was a serial fraudster and took advantage of multiple tourists and innocent people over many years in the French Quarter,” Murrill said in an emailed statement.</p><p>Colbert’s attorney Jerome Matthews did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><p>Stavros Panagoulopoulos, the lawyer representing Colbert in the second-degree murder case, declined to comment.</p><p>___</p><p>Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reportforamerica.org/">Report for America</a>&nbsp;is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.</p>

Woman accused in KC reporter's death sentenced in unrelated case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kristi-noem-border-trump-44925ad8670cd4ad57427513915bb140">Kristi Noem</a>&nbsp;said Thursday that federal law enforcement is investigating a social media post made by former FBI Director James Comey that she and other Republicans suggest is a call for violence against President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.

In an Instagram post, Comey wrote “cool shell formation on my beach walk” under a picture of seashells that appeared to form the shapes for “86 47.”

Numerous Trump administration officials, including Noem, said Comey was advocating for the assassination of Trump, the 47th president. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” Noem wrote.

Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”

The post has since been deleted. Comey subsequently wrote, “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.

“It never occurred to me,” Comey added, “but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

Comey's original post sparked outrage among conservatives on social media, with Donald Trump Jr. accusing Comey of calling for his father’s killing.

Current FBI Director Kash Patel said he was aware of the post and was conferring with the Secret Service and its director.

James Blair, White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs, noted that the post came at a delicate time given that Trump is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-5-14-2025">traveling in the Middle East</a>.

“This is a Clarion Call from Jim Comey to terrorists &amp; hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East,” Blair wrote on X.

Comey, who was FBI director from 2013 to 2017, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-united-states-government-094da2d5fb1e45bda42e55c1577f815c">fired by Trump</a>&nbsp;during the president's first term amid the bureau’s probe into allegations of ties between Russian officials and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Comey wrote about his career in the best-selling memoir “A Higher Loyalty.”

He is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-crime-new-york-donald-trump-d86c246a39d44b15d1238f105c19a06e">crime fiction writer</a>&nbsp;and is promoting his latest book, “FDR Drive,” which is being released on Tuesday.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Homeland Security Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kristi-noem-border-trump-44925ad8670cd4ad57427513915bb140">Kristi Noem</a>&nbsp;said Thursday that federal law enforcement is investigating a social media post made by former FBI Director James Comey that she and other Republicans suggest is a call for violence against President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> Trump. <br><br>DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.</p>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1923141313005785365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are aware of the recent social media post by former FBI Director James Comey, directed at President Trump. We are in communication with the Secret Service and Director Curran. Primary jurisdiction is with SS on these matters and we, the FBI, will provide all necessary support.</p>&mdash; FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/status/1923151715777356062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747360229157.png" alt="Image from Comey's Instagram page" />
                        <figcaption>Image from Comey's Instagram page</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In an Instagram post, Comey wrote “cool shell formation on my beach walk” under a picture of seashells that appeared to form the shapes for “86 47.”</p><p>Numerous Trump administration officials, including Noem, said Comey was advocating for the assassination of Trump, the 47th president. “DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately,” Noem wrote.</p><p>Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJsN4GAPoxY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJsN4GAPoxY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by James Comey (@comey)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>The post has since been deleted. Comey subsequently wrote, “I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence.</p><p>“It never occurred to me,” Comey added, “but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”</p><p>Comey's original post sparked outrage among conservatives on social media, with Donald Trump Jr. accusing Comey of calling for his father’s killing.</p><p>Current FBI Director Kash Patel said he was aware of the post and was conferring with the Secret Service and its director.</p><p>James Blair, White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs, noted that the post came at a delicate time given that Trump is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-5-14-2025">traveling in the Middle East</a>.</p><p>“This is a Clarion Call from Jim Comey to terrorists &amp; hostile regimes to kill the President of the United States as he travels in the Middle East,” Blair wrote on X.</p><p>Comey, who was FBI director from 2013 to 2017, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-united-states-government-094da2d5fb1e45bda42e55c1577f815c">fired by Trump</a>&nbsp;during the president's first term amid the bureau’s probe into allegations of ties between Russian officials and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Comey wrote about his career in the best-selling memoir “A Higher Loyalty.”</p><p>He is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-crime-new-york-donald-trump-d86c246a39d44b15d1238f105c19a06e">crime fiction writer</a>&nbsp;and is promoting his latest book, “FDR Drive,” which is being released on Tuesday.</p>

Former FBI Director accused of post seen as potential threat to Trump's life

ELLSWORTH COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 7p.m. Thursday in Ellsworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chrysler 200 driven by Nathaniel B.&nbsp;Dold, 18, Sterling, was eastbound on Kansas 156 approximately three mile northeast of Ellsworth.&nbsp;The car crossed the center line and struck a westbound 2021 Peterbilt semi driven by Noel J.&nbsp;Schilling, 58, Morrill.

Dold was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported Parsons Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp;Schilling to the Ellsworth County Hospital. Dold was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

<p>ELLSWORTH COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 7p.m. Thursday in Ellsworth County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chrysler 200 driven by Nathaniel B.&nbsp;Dold, 18, Sterling, was eastbound on Kansas 156 approximately three mile northeast of Ellsworth.&nbsp;The car crossed the center line and struck a westbound 2021 Peterbilt semi driven by Noel J.&nbsp;Schilling, 58, Morrill.</p><p>Dold was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported Parsons Funeral Home. EMS transported&nbsp;Schilling to the Ellsworth County Hospital. Dold was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.</p>

Kansas teen dies after crash with a semi

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas man has been charged after he allegedly performed stunts in a vehicle and then fled police, resulting in a high-speed chase and crash Saturday night, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2618/najeracarlos---complaint-packet">Carlos Najera. 19, faces</a>&nbsp;one count of Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention.&nbsp;

“Thanks to the work by the Kansas City Police Department, we were able to swiftly file charges in this case,”&nbsp;said Prosecutor Johnson. “Stunts and sideshows are criminal activities and endanger other drivers and pedestrians. We will continue to take these incidents seriously and pursue charges to the fullest extent possible.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2619/najeracarlos---pc-statement--Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were attempting a traffic stop for ATVs near Southwest Boulevard and 31st Street on May 9. While the ATVs fled, a silver Infiniti sedan began doing burnouts and donuts in the intersection in front of officers. Officers observed the rear side passenger point a black handgun with a green laser attachment directly at them.&nbsp;

The Infiniti fled the scene, driving at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour on Interstate 35, crossing state lines into Kansas and then returning to Missouri. The chase ended at Southwest Trafficway and 31st Street where it collided with another vehicle. Multiple occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to run.

Najera was taken into custody and is being held on a $100,000 cash only bond. The two backseat passengers were identified as juveniles. &nbsp;

Officers recovered three firearms in the vehicle, including one with a green laser attachment.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746915068272.png" alt="Photo KCPD" />
                        <figcaption>Photo KCPD</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas man has been charged after he allegedly performed stunts in a vehicle and then fled police, resulting in a high-speed chase and crash Saturday night, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.</p><p><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2618/najeracarlos---complaint-packet">Carlos Najera. 19, faces</a>&nbsp;one count of Aggravated Fleeing a Stop or Detention.&nbsp;</p><p>“Thanks to the work by the Kansas City Police Department, we were able to swiftly file charges in this case,”&nbsp;said Prosecutor Johnson. “Stunts and sideshows are criminal activities and endanger other drivers and pedestrians. We will continue to take these incidents seriously and pursue charges to the fullest extent possible.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747082899348.png" alt="Najera photo Jackson County" />
                        <figcaption>Najera photo Jackson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2619/najeracarlos---pc-statement--Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were attempting a traffic stop for ATVs near Southwest Boulevard and 31st Street on May 9. While the ATVs fled, a silver Infiniti sedan began doing burnouts and donuts in the intersection in front of officers. Officers observed the rear side passenger point a black handgun with a green laser attachment directly at them.&nbsp;</p><p>The Infiniti fled the scene, driving at speeds exceeding 90 miles per hour on Interstate 35, crossing state lines into Kansas and then returning to Missouri. The chase ended at Southwest Trafficway and 31st Street where it collided with another vehicle. Multiple occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to run.</p><p>Najera was taken into custody and is being held on a $100,000 cash only bond. The two backseat passengers were identified as juveniles. &nbsp;</p><p>Officers recovered three firearms in the vehicle, including one with a green laser attachment.&nbsp;</p>

Kan. teen driver performed dangerous stunts, fled police

DICKINSON COUNTY — A small earthquake shook central Kansas Thursday afternoon.

Just after 4:30p.m., a quake measuring a magnitude 3.6 rattled portions of rural Dickinson County three miles northwest of Herington, according to the U.S. Geological Survey&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Dickinson County Sheriff's office had no information on reports of damage or injury.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747353095577.png" alt="USGS image" />
                        <figcaption>USGS image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DICKINSON COUNTY — A small earthquake shook central Kansas Thursday afternoon.</p><p>Just after 4:30p.m., a quake measuring a magnitude 3.6 rattled portions of rural Dickinson County three miles northwest of Herington, according to the U.S. Geological Survey&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The Dickinson County Sheriff's office had no information on reports of damage or injury.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Small earthquake reported in central Kansas

RENO COUNTY —Police arrested a Hutchinson man Tuesday night after he allegedly called 911 multiple times without cause and then directed his dogs to attack officers attempting to arrest him, according to a media release from Hutchinson Police.

On May 13, 911 Telecommunications in Reno County received several emergency calls from Timothy W. Peters, 60, requesting police response to his residence at 1405 North Main Street. Each time officers arrived, Peters reportedly refused assistance and ordered them to leave.

Just before 9p.m., officers responded again to the same location following another call from Peters. When informed he was under arrest for unlawfully requesting emergency assistance, Peters allegedly threatened to use his dogs as weapons. Authorities say he ignored repeated commands to secure the animals.

As officers attempted to take Peters into custody, he resisted and instructed his dogs to attack. The dogs reportedly showed immediate aggression, but officers were not bitten.

Peters was arrested and booked on requested charges, including two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threat with intent to terrorize or cause evacuation, felony interference with law enforcement, unlawful request for emergency assistance, and battery on a law enforcement officer.

No injuries were reported in the incident. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747247463474.png" alt="Peters photo Reno Co." />
                        <figcaption>Peters photo Reno Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>RENO COUNTY —Police arrested a Hutchinson man Tuesday night after he allegedly called 911 multiple times without cause and then directed his dogs to attack officers attempting to arrest him, according to a media release from Hutchinson Police.</p><p>On May 13, 911 Telecommunications in Reno County received several emergency calls from Timothy W. Peters, 60, requesting police response to his residence at 1405 North Main Street. Each time officers arrived, Peters reportedly refused assistance and ordered them to leave.</p><p>Just before 9p.m., officers responded again to the same location following another call from Peters. When informed he was under arrest for unlawfully requesting emergency assistance, Peters allegedly threatened to use his dogs as weapons. Authorities say he ignored repeated commands to secure the animals.</p><p>As officers attempted to take Peters into custody, he resisted and instructed his dogs to attack. The dogs reportedly showed immediate aggression, but officers were not bitten.</p><p>Peters was arrested and booked on requested charges, including two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threat with intent to terrorize or cause evacuation, felony interference with law enforcement, unlawful request for emergency assistance, and battery on a law enforcement officer.</p><p>No injuries were reported in the incident. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.</p>

Police: Kan. man made many 911 calls, commanded dogs to attack officers

By MEHMET GUZEL, HANNA ARHIROVA and SUZAN FRASER Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Ukraine were set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, both countries said Thursday, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey.

During his Middle East trip, President Trump told reporters he and Putin need to get together to get the Ukraine war solved.

The president insists he’s not disappointed with Russian President Vladimir Putin for not showing up for peace talks in Istanbul with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I don’t believe anything’s going to happen whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled from Doha, Qatar, to Abu Dhabi, United Emirates, on Thursday. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”

Zelenskyy said he is sending a team headed by his defense minister from the Turkish capital Ankara to Istanbul to meet a Russian delegation, even though Moscow's side doesn't include "anyone who actually makes decisions."

The Ukrainian side would be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and its aim is "to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation, the first steps toward ending the war — namely, a ceasefire," he said.

Few had expected Putin to show up in Turkey, and his absence punctured any hope of significant progress toward ending the 3-year-old war amid peace efforts in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders. It also raised the prospect of intensified international sanctions on Russia that have been threatened by the West.

Zelenskyy, who flew Thursday to Ankara after challenging Putin to sit down with him, accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level negotiating team that he described as "a theater prop."

His proposal to Putin came amid a flurry of maneuvering last weekend as each side sought a diplomatic advantage.

Zelenskyy said he decided to send the delegation to Istanbul to demonstrate to U.S. President Donald Trump that Ukraine wants to end the fighting.

The war has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the U.N. Russian forces are preparing a fresh military offensive, Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say.

At least five civilians were killed and 29 wounded in the past day, according to authorities in five eastern regions of Ukraine where Russia is trying to advance.

The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said in Istanbul that the representatives were ready to meet Ukrainian officials.

"The task of these direct negotiations with Ukraine is to establish long-term peace sooner or later by eliminating the root causes of this conflict," he said in a brief statement.

It was not clear when they would meet. The Russian state news agency Tass reported that the talks will go ahead Friday, citing an unidentified source.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would confer Friday in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Ukrainian delegation, adding that the Russian delegation would be meeting with other members of the U.S. team and that he hoped all sides could get together.

"We don't have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow. And frankly, at this point, I think it's abundantly clear that the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin," Rubio told reporters in Antalya, Turkey, where he was attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier welcomed Zelenskyy to the presidential palace in Ankara for their own talks. Zelenskyy heads Friday to Albania for a gathering of European officials.

The diplomatic maneuvering began Saturday when European leaders met Zelenskyy in Kyiv and urged the Kremlin to agree to a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire as a first step toward peace. Putin responded early Sunday by proposing direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. Then came Zelenskyy's challenge to Putin for face-to-face talks.

After days of silence, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov finally said Thursday that Putin had no plans to travel to Istanbul in the next few days.

Trump said he was not surprised that Putin was a no-show. He had pressed for Putin and Zelenskyy to meet but brushed off the Kremlin leader's decision not to attend.

"I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there," Trump told reporters in Doha, Qatar, on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.

Trump said a meeting between him and Putin was crucial to breaking the deadlock.

"I don't believe anything's going to happen whether you like it or not, until (Putin) and I get together," he said on Air Force One while traveling from Doha to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. "But we're going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying."

Peskov said Putin has no plans to meet with Trump in the coming days.

Medinsky, Putin's aide, is leading the Russian team that also includes three other senior officials, the Kremlin said. Putin also appointed four lower-level officials as "experts" for the talks in Istanbul.

Also absent from the talks were Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, both of whom represented Russia at talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia in March.

The top-level Ukrainian delegation included Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, a Ukrainian official said. Zelenskyy will sit at the negotiating table only with Putin, said presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.

Putin met Wednesday with senior government officials and members of the delegation in preparation for the talks, Peskov said. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov and National Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu attended.

The Kremlin billed the Istanbul talks as a "restart" of peace negotiations held there in 2022 that quickly collapsed. Moscow accused Ukraine and the West of wanting to continue fighting, while Kyiv said Russia's demands amounted to an ultimatum, not something both sides could agree on. That delegation also was also headed by Medinsky.

Putin's proposal came after more than three months of diplomacy kick-started by Trump, who promised during his campaign to end the war swiftly — although it's been hard to pull off. The Trump administration in recent weeks indicated it might walk away from the effort if there was no tangible progress soon.

Sybiha, the Ukrainian foreign minister, met with Rubio and Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday night in Antalya.

Sybiha reaffirmed Ukraine's support for Trump's mediation efforts and thanked the U.S. for its continued involvement, urging Moscow to "reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps" toward peace. "So far, it has not," Sybiha said.

On Thursday morning, Sybiha also met with other European foreign ministers, including his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot, who in a post on X reiterated the call for a ceasefire and the threat of "massive sanctions" if Russia doesn't comply.

"We're in a very difficult spot right now, and we hope that we can find the steps forward that provide for the end of this war in a negotiated way and the prevention of any war in the future," Rubio said Thursday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of "standing in the way of peace."

"There was only one country that started this conflict — that was Russia. That was Putin. There's only one country now standing in the way of peace — that is Russia, that is Putin," he said in a visit to Tirana, Albania.

Barrot echoed that sentiment: "In front of Ukrainians, there is an empty chair, one that should have been occupied by Vladimir Putin," he said. "Vladimir Putin is dragging his feet and in all evidence does not want to enter into these peace discussions."

Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels; Illia Novikov and Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine; Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia; Aamer Madhani in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Matthew Lee in Antalya, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747337212246.png" alt="Image from CSPAN video" />
                        <figcaption>Image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By MEHMET GUZEL, HANNA ARHIROVA and SUZAN FRASER Associated Press</p><p>ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Ukraine were set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, both countries said Thursday, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face in Turkey.</p><p>During his Middle East trip, President Trump told reporters he and Putin need to get together to get the Ukraine war solved.</p><p>The president insists he’s not disappointed with Russian President Vladimir Putin for not showing up for peace talks in Istanbul with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump: &quot;Nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iKg3SJQmaf">pic.twitter.com/iKg3SJQmaf</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1923043128061104498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“I don’t believe anything’s going to happen whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled from Doha, Qatar, to Abu Dhabi, United Emirates, on Thursday. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”</p><p>Zelenskyy said he is sending a team headed by his defense minister from the Turkish capital Ankara to Istanbul to meet a Russian delegation, even though Moscow's side doesn't include "anyone who actually makes decisions."</p><p>The Ukrainian side would be headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and its aim is "to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation, the first steps toward ending the war — namely, a ceasefire," he said.</p><p>Few had expected Putin to show up in Turkey, and his absence punctured any hope of significant progress toward ending the 3-year-old war amid peace efforts in recent months by the Trump administration and Western European leaders. It also raised the prospect of intensified international sanctions on Russia that have been threatened by the West.</p><p>Zelenskyy, who flew Thursday to Ankara after challenging Putin to sit down with him, accused Moscow of not making a serious effort to end the war by sending a low-level negotiating team that he described as "a theater prop."</p><p>His proposal to Putin came amid a flurry of maneuvering last weekend as each side sought a diplomatic advantage.</p><p>Zelenskyy said he decided to send the delegation to Istanbul to demonstrate to U.S. President Donald Trump that Ukraine wants to end the fighting.</p><p>The war has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the U.N. Russian forces are preparing a fresh military offensive, Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say.</p><p>At least five civilians were killed and 29 wounded in the past day, according to authorities in five eastern regions of Ukraine where Russia is trying to advance.</p><p>The head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, said in Istanbul that the representatives were ready to meet Ukrainian officials.</p><p>"The task of these direct negotiations with Ukraine is to establish long-term peace sooner or later by eliminating the root causes of this conflict," he said in a brief statement.</p><p>It was not clear when they would meet. The Russian state news agency Tass reported that the talks will go ahead Friday, citing an unidentified source.</p><p>U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would confer Friday in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the Ukrainian delegation, adding that the Russian delegation would be meeting with other members of the U.S. team and that he hoped all sides could get together.</p><p>"We don't have high expectations of what will happen tomorrow. And frankly, at this point, I think it's abundantly clear that the only way we're going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin," Rubio told reporters in Antalya, Turkey, where he was attending a NATO foreign ministers meeting.</p><p>Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier welcomed Zelenskyy to the presidential palace in Ankara for their own talks. Zelenskyy heads Friday to Albania for a gathering of European officials.</p><p>Weekend maneuvers</p><p>The diplomatic maneuvering began Saturday when European leaders met Zelenskyy in Kyiv and urged the Kremlin to agree to a full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire as a first step toward peace. Putin responded early Sunday by proposing direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul. Then came Zelenskyy's challenge to Putin for face-to-face talks.</p><p>After days of silence, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov finally said Thursday that Putin had no plans to travel to Istanbul in the next few days.</p><p>Trump said he was not surprised that Putin was a no-show. He had pressed for Putin and Zelenskyy to meet but brushed off the Kremlin leader's decision not to attend.</p><p>"I didn't think it was possible for Putin to go if I'm not there," Trump told reporters in Doha, Qatar, on the third day of his visit to the Middle East.</p><p>Trump said a meeting between him and Putin was crucial to breaking the deadlock.</p><p>"I don't believe anything's going to happen whether you like it or not, until (Putin) and I get together," he said on Air Force One while traveling from Doha to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. "But we're going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying."</p><p>Peskov said Putin has no plans to meet with Trump in the coming days.</p><p>Medinsky, Putin's aide, is leading the Russian team that also includes three other senior officials, the Kremlin said. Putin also appointed four lower-level officials as "experts" for the talks in Istanbul.</p><p>Also absent from the talks were Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, both of whom represented Russia at talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia in March.</p><p>The top-level Ukrainian delegation included Umerov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, a Ukrainian official said. Zelenskyy will sit at the negotiating table only with Putin, said presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak.</p><p>Putin met Wednesday with senior government officials and members of the delegation in preparation for the talks, Peskov said. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov and National Security Council secretary Sergei Shoigu attended.</p><p>Russia calls the talks a 'restart'</p><p>The Kremlin billed the Istanbul talks as a "restart" of peace negotiations held there in 2022 that quickly collapsed. Moscow accused Ukraine and the West of wanting to continue fighting, while Kyiv said Russia's demands amounted to an ultimatum, not something both sides could agree on. That delegation also was also headed by Medinsky.</p><p>Putin's proposal came after more than three months of diplomacy kick-started by Trump, who promised during his campaign to end the war swiftly — although it's been hard to pull off. The Trump administration in recent weeks indicated it might walk away from the effort if there was no tangible progress soon.</p><p>Sybiha, the Ukrainian foreign minister, met with Rubio and Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday night in Antalya.</p><p>Sybiha reaffirmed Ukraine's support for Trump's mediation efforts and thanked the U.S. for its continued involvement, urging Moscow to "reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps" toward peace. "So far, it has not," Sybiha said.</p><p>On Thursday morning, Sybiha also met with other European foreign ministers, including his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot, who in a post on X reiterated the call for a ceasefire and the threat of "massive sanctions" if Russia doesn't comply.</p><p>"We're in a very difficult spot right now, and we hope that we can find the steps forward that provide for the end of this war in a negotiated way and the prevention of any war in the future," Rubio said Thursday.</p><p>British Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Putin of "standing in the way of peace."</p><p>"There was only one country that started this conflict — that was Russia. That was Putin. There's only one country now standing in the way of peace — that is Russia, that is Putin," he said in a visit to Tirana, Albania.</p><p>Barrot echoed that sentiment: "In front of Ukrainians, there is an empty chair, one that should have been occupied by Vladimir Putin," he said. "Vladimir Putin is dragging his feet and in all evidence does not want to enter into these peace discussions."</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels; Illia Novikov and Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine; Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia; Aamer Madhani in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Matthew Lee in Antalya, Turkey, contributed to this report.</p><p>___</p><p>Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine</p>

🎥 Trump: Not disappointed Putin skipped Ukraine peace talks

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DEE-ANN%20DURBIN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DEE-ANN DURBIN <br>AP Business Writer</a>

<a href="https://apnews.com/video/starbucks-imposes-new-limits-on-what-baristas-can-wear-under-their-green-aprons-d85d947832844f0b96bf4023757ee77f">A strike</a>&nbsp;by Starbucks baristas protesting the company's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-dress-code-black-shirt-union-b7dd93b93c6c13448606545fb3f1778f">new dress code</a>&nbsp;grew Thursday.

More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas at 120 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest the new dress code, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-union-workers-united-ef16b24b20d43a6addadf91c0067bd28">Starbucks Workers United</a>, a union representing the coffee giant's U.S. workers.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-earnings-quarter-niccol-084641cd0786394e93d87d59689b8806">Starbucks</a>&nbsp;put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms.

Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-restrooms-policy-2d258bc61c55769bb2acaf15d1ed3b48">for customers</a>&nbsp;as it tries to establish a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-niccol-coffee-b547ab2141e194b30675ad8d1caff90d">warmer, more welcoming feeling</a>&nbsp;in its stores.

But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-baristas-workers-united-7b2f6e5d7b039bc1909d646d84cd426d">Starbucks Workers United</a>, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining.

“Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code,” said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. “Customers don’t care what color our clothes are when they’re waiting 30 minutes for a latte.”

Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code.

On Wednesday, Starbucks Workers Union said a total of 1,000 workers had staged walkouts at 75 U.S. stores. Starbucks said at the time that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-first-3d-printed-store-texas-552972e9df63796e42ede152747b9069">U.S. stores</a>. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said.

“It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they’re putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work," Starbucks said in a statement. "More than 99% of our stores are open today serving customers — and have been all week.”

Associated Press readers who shared their opinions had mixed views of the dress code. Some said they didn’t think Starbucks’ baristas had much to complain about, noting that many retailers require their workers to dress a certain way. Others said they thought Starbucks should focus on improving the quality and prices of its beverages, and keeping workers happy instead of worrying about what its employees wear.

Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024.

The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-starbucks-union-fired-workers-tennessee-18547e128a14fae93a148383f48cb305">National Labor Relations Board</a>&nbsp;alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code.

<p><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DEE-ANN%20DURBIN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DEE-ANN DURBIN <br>AP Business Writer</a></p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/video/starbucks-imposes-new-limits-on-what-baristas-can-wear-under-their-green-aprons-d85d947832844f0b96bf4023757ee77f">A strike</a>&nbsp;by Starbucks baristas protesting the company's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-dress-code-black-shirt-union-b7dd93b93c6c13448606545fb3f1778f">new dress code</a>&nbsp;grew Thursday.</p><p>More than 2,000 Starbucks baristas at 120 U.S. stores have gone on strike since Sunday to protest the new dress code, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-union-workers-united-ef16b24b20d43a6addadf91c0067bd28">Starbucks Workers United</a>, a union representing the coffee giant's U.S. workers.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-earnings-quarter-niccol-084641cd0786394e93d87d59689b8806">Starbucks</a>&nbsp;put new limits starting Monday on what its baristas can wear under their green aprons. The dress code requires employees at company-operated and licensed stores in the U.S. and Canada to wear a solid black shirt and khaki, black or blue denim bottoms.</p><p>Under the previous dress code, baristas could wear a broader range of dark colors and patterned shirts. Starbucks said the new rules would make its green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-restrooms-policy-2d258bc61c55769bb2acaf15d1ed3b48">for customers</a>&nbsp;as it tries to establish a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-niccol-coffee-b547ab2141e194b30675ad8d1caff90d">warmer, more welcoming feeling</a>&nbsp;in its stores.</p><p>But&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-baristas-workers-united-7b2f6e5d7b039bc1909d646d84cd426d">Starbucks Workers United</a>, the union that represents workers at 570 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, said the dress code should be subject to collective bargaining.</p><p>“Starbucks has lost its way. Instead of listening to baristas who make the Starbucks experience what it is, they are focused on all the wrong things, like implementing a restrictive new dress code,” said Paige Summers, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Hanover, Maryland. “Customers don’t care what color our clothes are when they’re waiting 30 minutes for a latte.”</p><p>Summers and others also criticized the company for selling styles of Starbucks-branded clothing that employees no longer are allowed to wear to work on an internal website. Starbucks said it would give two free black T-shirts to each employee when it announced the new dress code.</p><p>On Wednesday, Starbucks Workers Union said a total of 1,000 workers had staged walkouts at 75 U.S. stores. Starbucks said at the time that the strike was having a limited impact on its 10,000 company-operated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-first-3d-printed-store-texas-552972e9df63796e42ede152747b9069">U.S. stores</a>. In some cases the strikes closed stores for less than an hour, the company said.</p><p>“It would be more productive if the union would put the same effort into coming back to the table that they’re putting into protesting wearing black shirts to work," Starbucks said in a statement. "More than 99% of our stores are open today serving customers — and have been all week.”</p><p>Associated Press readers who shared their opinions had mixed views of the dress code. Some said they didn’t think Starbucks’ baristas had much to complain about, noting that many retailers require their workers to dress a certain way. Others said they thought Starbucks should focus on improving the quality and prices of its beverages, and keeping workers happy instead of worrying about what its employees wear.</p><p>Starbucks Workers United has been unionizing U.S. stores since 2021. Starbucks and the union have yet to reach a contract agreement, despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in February 2024.</p><p>The union said this week that it filed a complaint with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-starbucks-union-fired-workers-tennessee-18547e128a14fae93a148383f48cb305">National Labor Relations Board</a>&nbsp;alleging Starbucks' failure to bargain over the new dress code.</p>

More Starbucks baristas go on strike to protest new dress code

KANSAS CITY— Two firefighters avoided serious injuries while fighting a blaze at a townhome.

Just after 7:30p.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported apartment fire in the 1600 block of Brooklyn in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

&nbsp;Crews reported smoke and fire showing from a vacant two-story townhome on arrival. During the search of the building, a firefighter fell through the floor and a "Mayday" call was put out. 

The firefighter was quickly found and escorted out of the structure. The firefighter was evaluated on scene. No transport was necessary.&nbsp; A second firefighter unrelated to the mayday was transported for evaluation for a minor injury, according to Hopkins.

Authorities have not released the cause of the fire or additional details.

<p>KANSAS CITY— Two firefighters avoided serious injuries while fighting a blaze at a townhome.</p><p>Just after 7:30p.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported apartment fire in the 1600 block of Brooklyn in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.</p><p>&nbsp;Crews reported smoke and fire showing from a vacant two-story townhome on arrival. During the search of the building, a firefighter fell through the floor and a "Mayday" call was put out. </p><p>The firefighter was quickly found and escorted out of the structure. The firefighter was evaluated on scene. No transport was necessary.&nbsp; A second firefighter unrelated to the mayday was transported for evaluation for a minor injury, according to Hopkins.</p><p>Authorities have not released the cause of the fire or additional details.</p>

Firefighter safe after Mayday call during KC townhome fire

By TIM CARPENTER<br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Administrators of public universities in the Kansas Board of Regents system proposed student tuition increases for undergraduate resident students in the upcoming academic year ranging from 2.5% at Pittsburg State University to 4% at Fort Hays State University.

The outlier was Emporia State University, which responded to steady enrollment declines by requesting no increase in tuition for the second consecutive year.

To varying degrees, the six Board of Regents universities in Kansas grapple with a decline in the college-age population, an ongoing crash in international student enrollment, flat state appropriations, instability in federal research spending as well as inflation in operational costs, pressure to raise employee compensation and demands for substantive direct support of college athletics.

The nine-member Board of Regents has authority over tuition adjustments, but typically recommendations from campus leadership have been adopted.

Here are tuition rate increases proposed by university officials for in-state undergraduate students in the 2025-2026 academic year: University of Kansas, 3%; Kansas State University and Wichita State University, 3.5%; Pittsburg State University, 2.5%; and Fort Hays State University, 4%.

On Wednesday, FHSU President Tisa Mason said during a presentation to the Board of Regents the 4% hike at FHSU would balance financial responsibilities of the university with the capacity of students to afford college.

“We believe that the proposed tuition increase is essential for maintaining our high-quality education and our student support services,” she said.

Board member Jon Rolph of Wichita asked whether Mason should consider a more aggressive tuition increase. FHSU historically maintained the state system’s lowest tuition rate due to revenue received from offering instruction to students in China, but the university found it necessary to raise undergraduate tuition by 7% in 2024 and 6% in 2025.

“Our students would loudly say, ‘No,'” Mason told Rolph. “They are feeling these increases right now.”

FHSU issues statement on proposed tuition hike

Scott Cason, FHSU chief communications officer, issued a written statement via email on the tuition increase today.

"Despite the growing costs of higher education, FHSU remains committed to providing its students with an affordable and high-quality college education," Cason said in the statement. "The tuition plan presented this week at the May Kansas Board of Regents meeting would increase tuition by $6.27 per credit hour for the 2025-26 academic year. FHSU has not proposed increasing any student fees for the coming academic year."

If FHSU’s tuition proposal is approved, FHSU Kansas resident students enrolled full-time will pay $3,055 per semester. Despite this proposed increase in our bottom-line price, an FHSU education will still be over $2,500 less per semester than the average cost of Kansas’s three research universities, and nearly $1,000 less per semester than the average of our fellow regional comprehensive universities, the statement said.

"FHSU’s request for a tuition increase is driven by the findings of a market and tuition and fees elasticity study, identifying new efficiencies, implementing budget cuts over the past three years, and incorporating the recommendations of a university tuition task force comprised of faculty, staff, and students in our tuition proposal. The increase will allow FHSU to remain a cost-effective, high-value educational choice," Cason said in the statement.

The final decision on FHSU’s tuition and fees schedule for the coming academic year will be made by the Kansas Board of Regents at the June meeting.

"To ensure the continuing affordability of an FHSU education, we also offer extensive scholarship opportunities, including an automatic first-time freshman scholarship worth up to $15,000 over four years," the statement said.

"FHSU’s affiliation with Fort Hays Tech | North Central and Fort Hays Tech | Northwest marks a strategic investment in expanding FHSU’s affordability advantage to more students and meeting the evolving professional and workforce development needs of students, communities and businesses across Kansas," the statement said.

Ken Hush, president of Emporia State University, defended the decision to request no tuition increase. It meant ESU would go without a tuition rate hike in five of the past seven years. The university projected it would collect 0.4% less revenue from tuition next academic year compared to the current year, a reflection of erosion in enrollment as ESU restructured the university by firing tenured professors and eliminating academic programs.

Since 2016, tuition revenue to ESU has fallen by 26% while the six-university system overall generated an additional $140 million from tuition during that period.

“We are recommending a zero percent increase for the second year in a row,” said Hush, who indicated ESU’s budget factored in a possible 3% enrollment decline in the upcoming year.

Rolph, however, reiterated that he was concerned adopting less-than-necessary tuition increases at this juncture could lead to substantial spikes in the future to fill revenue gaps.

“Do you have that mapped out over two, three, four years where it’s stair-stepped?” Rolph said.

Hush said ESU was proud to offer a high-quality education with a tuition rate that moderated financial barriers faced by students.

“Our goal is to keep it flat from here on out,” Hush said. “We believe its moving in the right direction.”

Rick Muma, president at Wichita State University, said the 3.5% surge in tuition recommended to the Board of Regents reflected an attempt to navigate a difficult financial landscape. He pointed to leveling of investment from the state, uncertainty regarding federal appropriations, employee compensation that was 16% below market rates, the need to allocate $3.5 million to athletics programs and the anticipated reduction in international student enrollment.

“We are seeing the effects of decreased enrollment among international students,” he said. “This just didn’t start this year. It’s significant for us.”

Muma said the tuition increase could net WSU about $3.4 million annually, but the decline in international students could reduce revenue by $5.5 million annually. He said the university planned to implement a 4.8% budget reduction.

Kansas State President Richard Linton said tuition for in-state undergraduates would climb by 3.5%, but a 2.5% tuition increase would be applied to veterinary medicine students and an 8% increase would be sought for students on the aviation campus in Salina.

He expected KSU enrollment to climb 2% in the upcoming year, which would be a second consecutive year of growth following nine years of decline.

“The goal is to be working as hard as we can from a student-affordability standpoint,” Linton said.

KU Chancellor Doug Girod said the plan was to raise undergraduate tuition by 3% and boost student fees by 2%. These adjustments were in reaction to a projected 2.4% inflation rate, challenges with faculty salary compression, the flat state budget, reinvention of federal research funding and arrival of the long-anticipated enrollment decline tied to U.S. population trends. He expected KU also would experience a reduction among international students.

He said financial ramifications of these forces on higher education were difficult to fully predict, especially in terms of what could happen to student enrollment.

“I think the next two years are going to answer that question for all of us,” he said.

Tuition at the six universities in the Board of Regents’ system didn’t rise in 2020 and in 2023. In 2022, only KSU raised tuition. KU didn’t adopt a tuition increase from 2020 through 2023 before embracing increases of 5% in 2024 and 3.5% in the current academic year.

<i>The Hays Post contributed to this story, adding comments from Fort Hays State University Communications.</i>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747337376228.jpeg" alt="Leaders of six Kansas public universities submitted recommendations for tuition adjustments to the Kansas Board of Regents, including members in this image taken during a visit to Wichita State University. The increases range from 2.5% to 4%, with Emporia State University declining to raise tuition in the 2025-2026 academic year. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption>Leaders of six Kansas public universities submitted recommendations for tuition adjustments to the Kansas Board of Regents, including members in this image taken during a visit to Wichita State University. The increases range from 2.5% to 4%, with Emporia State University declining to raise tuition in the 2025-2026 academic year. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Fort Hays State seeks 4% increase</h2><p>By TIM CARPENTER<br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a></p><p>TOPEKA — Administrators of public universities in the Kansas Board of Regents system proposed student tuition increases for undergraduate resident students in the upcoming academic year ranging from 2.5% at Pittsburg State University to 4% at Fort Hays State University.</p><p>The outlier was Emporia State University, which responded to steady enrollment declines by requesting no increase in tuition for the second consecutive year.</p><p>To varying degrees, the six Board of Regents universities in Kansas grapple with a decline in the college-age population, an ongoing crash in international student enrollment, flat state appropriations, instability in federal research spending as well as inflation in operational costs, pressure to raise employee compensation and demands for substantive direct support of college athletics.</p><p>The nine-member Board of Regents has authority over tuition adjustments, but typically recommendations from campus leadership have been adopted.</p><p>Here are tuition rate increases proposed by university officials for in-state undergraduate students in the 2025-2026 academic year: University of Kansas, 3%; Kansas State University and Wichita State University, 3.5%; Pittsburg State University, 2.5%; and Fort Hays State University, 4%.</p><h2>FHSU</h2><p>On Wednesday, FHSU President Tisa Mason said during a presentation to the Board of Regents the 4% hike at FHSU would balance financial responsibilities of the university with the capacity of students to afford college.</p><p>“We believe that the proposed tuition increase is essential for maintaining our high-quality education and our student support services,” she said.</p><p>Board member Jon Rolph of Wichita asked whether Mason should consider a more aggressive tuition increase. FHSU historically maintained the state system’s lowest tuition rate due to revenue received from offering instruction to students in China, but the university found it necessary to raise undergraduate tuition by 7% in 2024 and 6% in 2025.</p><p>“Our students would loudly say, ‘No,'” Mason told Rolph. “They are feeling these increases right now.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747341839274.png" alt="Courtesy of FHSU" />
                        <figcaption>Courtesy of FHSU</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>FHSU issues statement on proposed tuition hike</h2><p>Scott Cason, FHSU chief communications officer, issued a written statement via email on the tuition increase today.</p><p>"Despite the growing costs of higher education, FHSU remains committed to providing its students with an affordable and high-quality college education," Cason said in the statement. "The tuition plan presented this week at the May Kansas Board of Regents meeting would increase tuition by $6.27 per credit hour for the 2025-26 academic year. FHSU has not proposed increasing any student fees for the coming academic year."</p><p>If FHSU’s tuition proposal is approved, FHSU Kansas resident students enrolled full-time will pay $3,055 per semester. Despite this proposed increase in our bottom-line price, an FHSU education will still be over $2,500 less per semester than the average cost of Kansas’s three research universities, and nearly $1,000 less per semester than the average of our fellow regional comprehensive universities, the statement said.</p><p>"FHSU’s request for a tuition increase is driven by the findings of a market and tuition and fees elasticity study, identifying new efficiencies, implementing budget cuts over the past three years, and incorporating the recommendations of a university tuition task force comprised of faculty, staff, and students in our tuition proposal. The increase will allow FHSU to remain a cost-effective, high-value educational choice," Cason said in the statement.</p><p>The final decision on FHSU’s tuition and fees schedule for the coming academic year will be made by the Kansas Board of Regents at the June meeting.</p><p>"To ensure the continuing affordability of an FHSU education, we also offer extensive scholarship opportunities, including an automatic first-time freshman scholarship worth up to $15,000 over four years," the statement said.</p><p>"FHSU’s affiliation with Fort Hays Tech | North Central and Fort Hays Tech | Northwest marks a strategic investment in expanding FHSU’s affordability advantage to more students and meeting the evolving professional and workforce development needs of students, communities and businesses across Kansas," the statement said.</p><h2>Emporia State</h2><p>Ken Hush, president of Emporia State University, defended the decision to request no tuition increase. It meant ESU would go without a tuition rate hike in five of the past seven years. The university projected it would collect 0.4% less revenue from tuition next academic year compared to the current year, a reflection of erosion in enrollment as ESU restructured the university by firing tenured professors and eliminating academic programs.</p><p>Since 2016, tuition revenue to ESU has fallen by 26% while the six-university system overall generated an additional $140 million from tuition during that period.</p><p>“We are recommending a zero percent increase for the second year in a row,” said Hush, who indicated ESU’s budget factored in a possible 3% enrollment decline in the upcoming year.</p><p>Rolph, however, reiterated that he was concerned adopting less-than-necessary tuition increases at this juncture could lead to substantial spikes in the future to fill revenue gaps.</p><p>“Do you have that mapped out over two, three, four years where it’s stair-stepped?” Rolph said.</p><p>Hush said ESU was proud to offer a high-quality education with a tuition rate that moderated financial barriers faced by students.</p><p>“Our goal is to keep it flat from here on out,” Hush said. “We believe its moving in the right direction.”</p><h2>Wichita State</h2><p>Rick Muma, president at Wichita State University, said the 3.5% surge in tuition recommended to the Board of Regents reflected an attempt to navigate a difficult financial landscape. He pointed to leveling of investment from the state, uncertainty regarding federal appropriations, employee compensation that was 16% below market rates, the need to allocate $3.5 million to athletics programs and the anticipated reduction in international student enrollment.</p><p>“We are seeing the effects of decreased enrollment among international students,” he said. “This just didn’t start this year. It’s significant for us.”</p><p>Muma said the tuition increase could net WSU about $3.4 million annually, but the decline in international students could reduce revenue by $5.5 million annually. He said the university planned to implement a 4.8% budget reduction.</p><h2>K-State</h2><p>Kansas State President Richard Linton said tuition for in-state undergraduates would climb by 3.5%, but a 2.5% tuition increase would be applied to veterinary medicine students and an 8% increase would be sought for students on the aviation campus in Salina.</p><p>He expected KSU enrollment to climb 2% in the upcoming year, which would be a second consecutive year of growth following nine years of decline.</p><p>“The goal is to be working as hard as we can from a student-affordability standpoint,” Linton said.</p><h2>KU</h2><p>KU Chancellor Doug Girod said the plan was to raise undergraduate tuition by 3% and boost student fees by 2%. These adjustments were in reaction to a projected 2.4% inflation rate, challenges with faculty salary compression, the flat state budget, reinvention of federal research funding and arrival of the long-anticipated enrollment decline tied to U.S. population trends. He expected KU also would experience a reduction among international students.</p><p>He said financial ramifications of these forces on higher education were difficult to fully predict, especially in terms of what could happen to student enrollment.</p><p>“I think the next two years are going to answer that question for all of us,” he said.</p><p>Tuition at the six universities in the Board of Regents’ system didn’t rise in 2020 and in 2023. In 2022, only KSU raised tuition. KU didn’t adopt a tuition increase from 2020 through 2023 before embracing increases of 5% in 2024 and 3.5% in the current academic year.</p><p><i>The Hays Post contributed to this story, adding comments from Fort Hays State University Communications.</i></p>

Five of 6 state universities in Kansas seek tuition hikes to grapple with financial obstacles

Air traffic controllers in Denver had to scramble to use backup frequencies after their main communications lines went down for 90 seconds earlier this week in the latest Federal Aviation Administration equipment failure. The FAA's head of air traffic control, Frank McIntosh, said during a House hearing Thursday that the outage in Denver happened Monday afternoon but its radar remained online. This communications failure follows two high-profile outages of radar and communications in the past 2 1/2 weeks at a facility that directs planes in and out of the Newark, New Jersey, airport. The FAA said in a statement the Denver facility lost communications for approximately 90 seconds, but controllers used another frequency to communicate and the planes remained a safe distance apart.

Air traffic controllers in Denver lost communications with planes around that major airport for 90 seconds earlier this week and had to scramble to use backup frequencies in the latest Federal Aviation Administration equipment failure.

The outage at Denver International Airport happened Monday afternoon and affected communications, not radar, the FAA's head of air traffic control, Frank McIntosh, said during a House hearing Thursday. This communications failure follows two high-profile outages of radar and communications in the past 2 1/2 weeks at a facility that directs planes in and out of the Newark, New Jersey, airport.

The FAA said in a statement that the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center lost communications for approximately 90 seconds. McIntosh said both the primary and main backup frequencies went down, so the controllers had to turn to an emergency frequency to communicate.

"Controllers used another frequency to relay instructions to pilots. Aircraft remained safely separated and there were no impacts to operations," the FAA said.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California told McIntosh during the hearing that "anytime there's these outages which are happening now more regularly, it's very concerning."

"We know that there are staffing and equipment problems at air traffic control," Garcia said. "We know that the problems have gone back decades in some cases, but it's still an absolutely shocking system failure and we need immediate solutions."

The Denver communications failure is the latest troubling equipment failure in the system that keeps planes safe. Last week, the Trump administration announced a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul an air traffic control system that relies on antiquated equipment.

The Newark airport has generally led the nation in flight cancellations and delays ever since its first radar outage on April 28 that also lasted about 90 seconds. A second outage happened on May 9. In both those instances controllers lost both radar and communications.

The FAA was in the middle of a second day Thursday of meetings with the airlines that fly out of Newark about cutting flights because there aren't enough controllers to handle all the flights on the schedule now. More than 100 flights have been canceled at Newark Thursday.

Officials developed the plan to upgrade the system after a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people in the skies over Washington, D.C. Several other crashes this year also put pressure on officials to act.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1738800637991.jpg" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By JOSH FUNK <br>Associated Press</p><p>Air traffic controllers in Denver had to scramble to use backup frequencies after their main communications lines went down for 90 seconds earlier this week in the latest Federal Aviation Administration equipment failure. The FAA's head of air traffic control, Frank McIntosh, said during a House hearing Thursday that the outage in Denver happened Monday afternoon but its radar remained online. This communications failure follows two high-profile outages of radar and communications in the past 2 1/2 weeks at a facility that directs planes in and out of the Newark, New Jersey, airport. The FAA said in a statement the Denver facility lost communications for approximately 90 seconds, but controllers used another frequency to communicate and the planes remained a safe distance apart.</p><p>Air traffic controllers in Denver lost communications with planes around that major airport for 90 seconds earlier this week and had to scramble to use backup frequencies in the latest Federal Aviation Administration equipment failure.</p><p>The outage at Denver International Airport happened Monday afternoon and affected communications, not radar, the FAA's head of air traffic control, Frank McIntosh, said during a House hearing Thursday. This communications failure follows two high-profile outages of radar and communications in the past 2 1/2 weeks at a facility that directs planes in and out of the Newark, New Jersey, airport.</p><p>The FAA said in a statement that the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center lost communications for approximately 90 seconds. McIntosh said both the primary and main backup frequencies went down, so the controllers had to turn to an emergency frequency to communicate.</p><p>"Controllers used another frequency to relay instructions to pilots. Aircraft remained safely separated and there were no impacts to operations," the FAA said.</p><p>Rep. Robert Garcia of California told McIntosh during the hearing that "anytime there's these outages which are happening now more regularly, it's very concerning."</p><p>"We know that there are staffing and equipment problems at air traffic control," Garcia said. "We know that the problems have gone back decades in some cases, but it's still an absolutely shocking system failure and we need immediate solutions."</p><p>The Denver communications failure is the latest troubling equipment failure in the system that keeps planes safe. Last week, the Trump administration announced a multibillion-dollar plan to overhaul an air traffic control system that relies on antiquated equipment.</p><p>The Newark airport has generally led the nation in flight cancellations and delays ever since its first radar outage on April 28 that also lasted about 90 seconds. A second outage happened on May 9. In both those instances controllers lost both radar and communications.</p><p>The FAA was in the middle of a second day Thursday of meetings with the airlines that fly out of Newark about cutting flights because there aren't enough controllers to handle all the flights on the schedule now. More than 100 flights have been canceled at Newark Thursday.</p><p>Officials developed the plan to upgrade the system after a deadly midair collision in January between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people in the skies over Washington, D.C. Several other crashes this year also put pressure on officials to act.</p>

Denver air traffic controllers scramble after losing communications 

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart, which became the nation's largest retailer by making low prices a priority, has found itself in a place it's rarely been: Warning customers that prices will rise for goods ranging from bananas to car seats.

Executives at the $750 billion company told industry analysts Thursday that they are doing everything in their power to absorb the higher costs from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-businesses-us-tariffs-pause-trade-ee5de150ac4ea36852c11bb6ab21af39">tariffs</a>&nbsp;ordered by President Donald Trump.

Given the magnitude of the duties, however, the highest since the 1930s, higher prices are unavoidable and they will hurt Walmart customers already buffeted by inflation over the past three years.

Trump’s threatened 145% import taxes on Chinese goods were reduced to 30% in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-switzerland-tariffs-negotiations-b3f5174d086e39b2522ab848ddad9372">deal announced Monday</a>, with some of the higher tariffs on pause for 90 days.

Those higher prices began to appear on Walmart shelves in late April and accelerated this month, Walmart executives said Thursday. However, a larger sting will be felt in June and July when the back-to-school shopping season goes into high gear.

“We're wired to keep prices low, but there’s a limit to what we can bear, or any retailer for that matter,” Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told The Associated Press on Thursday after the company reported strong first quarter sales.

Rainey emphasized that prices are rising not just for discretionary items such as patio furniture and trendy fashions, but for basic necessities as well. The price of bananas, imported from Costa Rica, rose from 50 cents per pound, to 54 cents. He thinks car seats made in China that currently sell for $350 at Walmart will likely cost customers another $100. Baby strollers are also sourced from China, Rainey said.

Higher prices arrive as many Americans pull back on spending as they grow increasingly uneasy about the economy.

Government data Thursday revealed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-spending-tariffs-retail-2849f1fae55a1da5907aaab1b9941972">slowing sales growth</a>&nbsp;for retailers. Walmart says that its consumers have become cautious and selective.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-tariffs-us-trump-150fab3a44ec055845e47c82bde544c2">Tariffs on China</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-reciprocal-imports-tax-trade-economy-54c0a26687dc96157d96229068894720">other countries</a>&nbsp;are threatening the low-price model at the core of Walmart’s success.

Retailers and importers had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-economy-recession-china-imports-trade-8d90bb37735e833c43a7b7a9d5a0b9a2">largely halted shipments</a>&nbsp;of shoes, clothes, toys, and other items due to new tariffs, but many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-china-business-reaction-0c12feba442877de63d5009c2c300f55">are resuming imports</a>&nbsp;from China in the narrow window that opened during the temporary “truce” this week, hoping to avoid sparse shelves this fall. Yet retailers, already operating on thin margins, say they have no choice but to raise prices to offset higher costs from tariffs. And they are also bracing for higher shipping costs fueled by a surge of companies scrambling to get their goods on ships to the U.S.

Rainey told The Associated Press that the retailer did not pause shipments from China as a result of the tariffs like others because it didn't want to hurt its suppliers and wanted to keep merchandise flowing. It has built in hedges against some tariff threats. Two-thirds of Walmart’s merchandise is sourced in the U.S., with groceries now accounting for roughly 60% of Walmart’s U.S. business.

CEO Doug McMillon told analysts Thursday that Walmart imports general merchandise from dozens of countries. But China, in particular, represents a big chunk of volume in certain categories like electronics and toys.

Tariffs on countries like Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia are raising costs on groceries like avocados, coffee and roses, in addition to bananas, company executives said. Walmart is absorbing costs on general merchandise within departments and has yet to pass along rising costs in some cases.

Walmart is also asking suppliers to swap input materials for components if possible, for example, using fiberglass instead of aluminum, which Trump hit with tariffs in early March.

“We're very dependent upon imports for these types of products,” Rainey told The Associated Press.

He said there are some goods for which Walmart simply can't shift production or produce easily in the United States.

Walmart earned $4.45 billion, or 56 cents per share, in the quarter ended April 30, down from $5.10 billion, or 63 cents per share, in the same period last year.

Adjusted earnings per share were 61 cents, exceeding the 58 cent projections from industry analysts, according to FactSet.

Revenue rose 2.5% to $165.61 billion, just short of analyst estimates.

Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales — those from established physical stores and online channels — rose 4.5% in the second quarter, though that’s slowed from a 4.6% bump in the previous quarter, and a 5.3% increase in the third quarter of 2024. .

Business was fueled by health and wellness items as well as groceries. Sales were weaker in home and sporting good, which was offset by robust sales of toys, automotive goods and kid’s clothing, the company said.

Global e-commerce sales rose 22%, up from 16% in the previous quarter.

Walmart said it expects sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% in the second quarter.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747332038494.png" alt="Google image" />
                        <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart, which became the nation's largest retailer by making low prices a priority, has found itself in a place it's rarely been: Warning customers that prices will rise for goods ranging from bananas to car seats.</p><p>Executives at the $750 billion company told industry analysts Thursday that they are doing everything in their power to absorb the higher costs from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-businesses-us-tariffs-pause-trade-ee5de150ac4ea36852c11bb6ab21af39">tariffs</a>&nbsp;ordered by President Donald Trump.</p><p>Given the magnitude of the duties, however, the highest since the 1930s, higher prices are unavoidable and they will hurt Walmart customers already buffeted by inflation over the past three years.</p><p>Trump’s threatened 145% import taxes on Chinese goods were reduced to 30% in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-switzerland-tariffs-negotiations-b3f5174d086e39b2522ab848ddad9372">deal announced Monday</a>, with some of the higher tariffs on pause for 90 days.</p><p>Those higher prices began to appear on Walmart shelves in late April and accelerated this month, Walmart executives said Thursday. However, a larger sting will be felt in June and July when the back-to-school shopping season goes into high gear.</p><p>“We're wired to keep prices low, but there’s a limit to what we can bear, or any retailer for that matter,” Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey told The Associated Press on Thursday after the company reported strong first quarter sales.</p><p>Rainey emphasized that prices are rising not just for discretionary items such as patio furniture and trendy fashions, but for basic necessities as well. The price of bananas, imported from Costa Rica, rose from 50 cents per pound, to 54 cents. He thinks car seats made in China that currently sell for $350 at Walmart will likely cost customers another $100. Baby strollers are also sourced from China, Rainey said.</p><p>Higher prices arrive as many Americans pull back on spending as they grow increasingly uneasy about the economy.</p><p>Government data Thursday revealed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-spending-tariffs-retail-2849f1fae55a1da5907aaab1b9941972">slowing sales growth</a>&nbsp;for retailers. Walmart says that its consumers have become cautious and selective.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-tariffs-us-trump-150fab3a44ec055845e47c82bde544c2">Tariffs on China</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-reciprocal-imports-tax-trade-economy-54c0a26687dc96157d96229068894720">other countries</a>&nbsp;are threatening the low-price model at the core of Walmart’s success.</p><p>Retailers and importers had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-economy-recession-china-imports-trade-8d90bb37735e833c43a7b7a9d5a0b9a2">largely halted shipments</a>&nbsp;of shoes, clothes, toys, and other items due to new tariffs, but many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-china-business-reaction-0c12feba442877de63d5009c2c300f55">are resuming imports</a>&nbsp;from China in the narrow window that opened during the temporary “truce” this week, hoping to avoid sparse shelves this fall. Yet retailers, already operating on thin margins, say they have no choice but to raise prices to offset higher costs from tariffs. And they are also bracing for higher shipping costs fueled by a surge of companies scrambling to get their goods on ships to the U.S.</p><p>Rainey told The Associated Press that the retailer did not pause shipments from China as a result of the tariffs like others because it didn't want to hurt its suppliers and wanted to keep merchandise flowing. It has built in hedges against some tariff threats. Two-thirds of Walmart’s merchandise is sourced in the U.S., with groceries now accounting for roughly 60% of Walmart’s U.S. business.</p><p>Still, Walmart isn’t immune.</p><p>CEO Doug McMillon told analysts Thursday that Walmart imports general merchandise from dozens of countries. But China, in particular, represents a big chunk of volume in certain categories like electronics and toys.</p><p>Tariffs on countries like Costa Rica, Peru and Colombia are raising costs on groceries like avocados, coffee and roses, in addition to bananas, company executives said. Walmart is absorbing costs on general merchandise within departments and has yet to pass along rising costs in some cases.</p><p>Walmart is also asking suppliers to swap input materials for components if possible, for example, using fiberglass instead of aluminum, which Trump hit with tariffs in early March.</p><p>“We're very dependent upon imports for these types of products,” Rainey told The Associated Press.</p><p>He said there are some goods for which Walmart simply can't shift production or produce easily in the United States.</p><p>Walmart earned $4.45 billion, or 56 cents per share, in the quarter ended April 30, down from $5.10 billion, or 63 cents per share, in the same period last year.</p><p>Adjusted earnings per share were 61 cents, exceeding the 58 cent projections from industry analysts, according to FactSet.</p><p>Revenue rose 2.5% to $165.61 billion, just short of analyst estimates.</p><p>Walmart’s U.S. comparable sales — those from established physical stores and online channels — rose 4.5% in the second quarter, though that’s slowed from a 4.6% bump in the previous quarter, and a 5.3% increase in the third quarter of 2024. .</p><p>Business was fueled by health and wellness items as well as groceries. Sales were weaker in home and sporting good, which was offset by robust sales of toys, automotive goods and kid’s clothing, the company said.</p><p>Global e-commerce sales rose 22%, up from 16% in the previous quarter.</p><p>Walmart said it expects sales growth of 3.5% to 4.5% in the second quarter.</p>

A rare warning from Walmart during a US trade war

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a homicide in Kansas City, Missouri identified the victim as 17-year-old Matim Nunley, according to KCPD Captain Jacob Becchina.

Just after 2p.m. May 10, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of East 63rd street on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant Phil DiMartino. As officers arrived they were directed to the parking lot of a convenience store.

There they located a victim identified Thursday morning as Nunley  suffering from gun shot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported Nunley to a local hospital where he died a short time later.&nbsp; Preliminary investigation revealed there was an altercation in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and Nunley being struck. Police have reported an arrest or additional details.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746924246378.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a homicide in Kansas City, Missouri identified the victim as 17-year-old Matim Nunley, according to KCPD Captain Jacob Becchina.</p><p>Just after 2p.m. May 10, police were dispatched to the 8400 block of East 63rd street on a reported shooting, according to Sergeant Phil DiMartino. As officers arrived they were directed to the parking lot of a convenience store.</p><p>There they located a victim identified Thursday morning as Nunley  suffering from gun shot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported Nunley to a local hospital where he died a short time later.&nbsp; Preliminary investigation revealed there was an altercation in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and Nunley being struck. Police have reported an arrest or additional details.</p>