WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the active duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration moves forward with deep cuts that it says will promote efficiency but that critics worry could result in a more politicized force.

Hegseth also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions and directed the military to cut an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force, which could include any one-star or above or officer of equivalent Navy rank.

The cuts are on top of more than a half-dozen top general officers that President Donald Trump or Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-brown-joint-chiefs-firing-25668b583b8fb2262c7890a44164e287">have fired since January,</a>&nbsp;including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-brown-joint-chiefs-of-staff-firing-fa428cc1508a583b3bf5e7a5a58f6acf">Gen. CQ Brown Jr.</a>&nbsp;They also have fired the only two women serving as four-star officers, as well as a disproportionate number of other senior female officers.

In the earlier rounds of firing, Hegseth said the eliminations were “a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.”

As Pentagon chief, Hegseth has touted his efforts to root out any programming or leadership that endorses diversity in the ranks, tried to terminate transgender service members and begun sweeping changes to enforce a uniform fitness standard for combat positions.

In a memo announcing the cuts Monday, Hegseth said they would remove “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.” He said the aim was to free the military from “unnecessary bureaucratic layers.”

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a Marine who served in Iraq and is now on the House Armed Services Committee, said he sees Hegseth’s actions as trying to politicize the military.

“He’s creating a formal framework to fire all the generals who disagree with him — and the president,” Moulton told AP at the Capitol.

He said certainly any organization can look for efficiencies but Hegseth has long been explicit about his agenda. “He wrote a book about it. He wants to politicize the military,” Moulton said. "So it’s hard to see these cuts in any other context.”

Moulton warned of fallout for the troops. “It is essential that our troops understand they are getting constitutional orders, not political orders,” he said, “because otherwise you don’t have a democracy, otherwise you have a military that just works well for one political party or another.”

Adding to the turmoil in the Pentagon, Hegseth in recent weeks has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ullyot-leaks-pentagon-hegseth-trump-dei-d5306e0441dacae1a0d03c871be265bb">dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers</a>, tightly narrowing his inner circle. He also has been facing questions from both Democrats and Republicans about his handling of sensitive information and use of the Signal messaging app.

There are about 800 general officers in the military, but only 44 of those are four-star general or flag officers. The Army has the largest number of general officers, with 219, including eight four-star generals.

The number of general officer positions in the military is set by law. Members of Congress were not provided with the advance notification they normally would receive on the cuts but were given a “very brief alert” this afternoon, according to a congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not made public.

The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by Trump and ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Hegseth last week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/army-program-personnel-cuts-mergers-98c61ed96953d84625b597ef4fc1ad40">ordered a sweeping transformation</a>&nbsp;of the Army to “build a leaner, more lethal force,” including merging or closing headquarters, dumping outdated vehicles and aircraft, slashing as many as 1,000 headquarters staff in the Pentagon and shifting personnel to units in the field.

Also last week the Army confirmed that there will be a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-army-military-parade-birthday-2f5cd12c8ccd4efddc29bfa3cf8f2705">military parade on Trump’s birthday</a>&nbsp;in June, as part of the celebration around the service’s 250th birthday. Officials say it will cost tens of millions of dollars.

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday directed the active duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers as the Trump administration moves forward with deep cuts that it says will promote efficiency but that critics worry could result in a more politicized force.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Introducing the “Less Generals More GIs Policy.” <a href="https://t.co/bQLRL2MqSC">pic.twitter.com/bQLRL2MqSC</a>&mdash; Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (@SecDef) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1919499390370066650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Hegseth also told the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions and directed the military to cut an additional 10% of its general and flag officers across the force, which could include any one-star or above or officer of equivalent Navy rank.The cuts are on top of more than a half-dozen top general officers that President Donald Trump or Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-brown-joint-chiefs-firing-25668b583b8fb2262c7890a44164e287">have fired since January,</a>&nbsp;including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-brown-joint-chiefs-of-staff-firing-fa428cc1508a583b3bf5e7a5a58f6acf">Gen. CQ Brown Jr.</a>&nbsp;They also have fired the only two women serving as four-star officers, as well as a disproportionate number of other senior female officers.In the earlier rounds of firing, Hegseth said the eliminations were “a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take.”As Pentagon chief, Hegseth has touted his efforts to root out any programming or leadership that endorses diversity in the ranks, tried to terminate transgender service members and begun sweeping changes to enforce a uniform fitness standard for combat positions.In a memo announcing the cuts Monday, Hegseth said they would remove “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.” He said the aim was to free the military from “unnecessary bureaucratic layers.”Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a Marine who served in Iraq and is now on the House Armed Services Committee, said he sees Hegseth’s actions as trying to politicize the military.“He’s creating a formal framework to fire all the generals who disagree with him — and the president,” Moulton told AP at the Capitol.He said certainly any organization can look for efficiencies but Hegseth has long been explicit about his agenda. “He wrote a book about it. He wants to politicize the military,” Moulton said. "So it’s hard to see these cuts in any other context.”Moulton warned of fallout for the troops. “It is essential that our troops understand they are getting constitutional orders, not political orders,” he said, “because otherwise you don’t have a democracy, otherwise you have a military that just works well for one political party or another.”Adding to the turmoil in the Pentagon, Hegseth in recent weeks has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ullyot-leaks-pentagon-hegseth-trump-dei-d5306e0441dacae1a0d03c871be265bb">dismissed or transferred multiple close advisers</a>, tightly narrowing his inner circle. He also has been facing questions from both Democrats and Republicans about his handling of sensitive information and use of the Signal messaging app.There are about 800 general officers in the military, but only 44 of those are four-star general or flag officers. The Army has the largest number of general officers, with 219, including eight four-star generals.The number of general officer positions in the military is set by law. Members of Congress were not provided with the advance notification they normally would receive on the cuts but were given a “very brief alert” this afternoon, according to a congressional staffer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not made public.The cuts were first reported by CNN.The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by Trump and ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.Hegseth last week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/army-program-personnel-cuts-mergers-98c61ed96953d84625b597ef4fc1ad40">ordered a sweeping transformation</a>&nbsp;of the Army to “build a leaner, more lethal force,” including merging or closing headquarters, dumping outdated vehicles and aircraft, slashing as many as 1,000 headquarters staff in the Pentagon and shifting personnel to units in the field.Also last week the Army confirmed that there will be a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-army-military-parade-birthday-2f5cd12c8ccd4efddc29bfa3cf8f2705">military parade on Trump’s birthday</a>&nbsp;in June, as part of the celebration around the service’s 250th birthday. Officials say it will cost tens of millions of dollars.—-Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.

🎥Hegseth orders Pentagon to cut number of senior generals by 20%

HARVEY COUNTY —On May 2, Honorable Judge Jason Lane sentenced Hunter D. Miller to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for Rape of a child less than 14 years of age and Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.

In April, Miller was convicted in a jury trial.

Prior to sentencing the Court denied Miller’s motion for a new trial. The victim in this case was under the age of 10 at the time of the crimes. If released from custody, Miller will be subject to lifetime parole with electronic monitoring and will have lifetime registration as a sexual offender. 

This case was prosecuted with the assistance of the Newton Police Department and Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713279497993.png" alt="Miller photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Miller photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY —On May 2, Honorable Judge Jason Lane sentenced Hunter D. Miller to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for Rape of a child less than 14 years of age and Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.In April, Miller was convicted in a jury trial.Prior to sentencing the Court denied Miller’s motion for a new trial. The victim in this case was under the age of 10 at the time of the crimes. If released from custody, Miller will be subject to lifetime parole with electronic monitoring and will have lifetime registration as a sexual offender. This case was prosecuted with the assistance of the Newton Police Department and Heart to Heart Child Advocacy Center.

 Kan. man guilty of sex crimes involving a child under age 10

FRANKLIN COUNTY —Authorities investigating a deadly head-on crash that occurred just after 5:30p.m. Sunday in Franklin County have identified the victims.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 GMC Yukon driven by James D. Gilstrap, 33, Tulsa, Oklahoma, was southbound on U.S. 169 highway just northeast of Virginia Road.

The driver attempted to overtake a slower southbound vehicle and entered the northbound lanes to pass.&nbsp; The Yukon and a northbound 2016 Subaru Legacy driven by Alexander R.&nbsp;Ernst, 37, Ames, Iowa, collided head-on on the northbound shoulder and caught fire.

Gilstrap and passengers in the Yukon including Wayne T.&nbsp; Walls, 41, Talala, Oklahoma, and two 14-year-old boys from Tulsa were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a 15-year-old boy from Talala, Oklahoma to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

Ernst and passengers in the Subaru including John D.&nbsp;Elliott, 76;&nbsp; Madalyn N. Elliott, 33;&nbsp; Norleen L. Elliott, 69, all from Chesterfield, Missouri, were pronounced dead at the scene. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Three of those killed were connected with Tulsa Public Schools, the school district confirmed Monday. Booker T. Washington High School student 14-year-old Donald “DJ” Laster, was one of the teens who died in the crash, along with former Carver Middle School coach and teacher Wayne Walls and Ja’mon Gilstrap, a member of Tulsa Public Schools' transportation team.

The crash closed a section of the highway for four hours, and Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Jodi Clary said authorities were still working at the crash site Monday evening. The cause of the crash remained under investigation. “Both cars burned up,” Clary said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746453539052.png" alt="Photo KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>FRANKLIN COUNTY —Authorities investigating a deadly head-on crash that occurred just after 5:30p.m. Sunday in Franklin County have identified the victims.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 GMC Yukon driven by James D. Gilstrap, 33, Tulsa, Oklahoma, was southbound on U.S. 169 highway just northeast of Virginia Road.The driver attempted to overtake a slower southbound vehicle and entered the northbound lanes to pass.&nbsp; The Yukon and a northbound 2016 Subaru Legacy driven by Alexander R.&nbsp;Ernst, 37, Ames, Iowa, collided head-on on the northbound shoulder and caught fire.Gilstrap and passengers in the Yukon including Wayne T.&nbsp; Walls, 41, Talala, Oklahoma, and two 14-year-old boys from Tulsa were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported a 15-year-old boy from Talala, Oklahoma to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.Ernst and passengers in the Subaru including John D.&nbsp;Elliott, 76;&nbsp; Madalyn N. Elliott, 33;&nbsp; Norleen L. Elliott, 69, all from Chesterfield, Missouri, were pronounced dead at the scene. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.Three of those killed were connected with Tulsa Public Schools, the school district confirmed Monday. Booker T. Washington High School student 14-year-old Donald “DJ” Laster, was one of the teens who died in the crash, along with former Carver Middle School coach and teacher Wayne Walls and Ja’mon Gilstrap, a member of Tulsa Public Schools' transportation team.The crash closed a section of the highway for four hours, and Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Jodi Clary said authorities were still working at the crash site Monday evening. The cause of the crash remained under investigation. “Both cars burned up,” Clary said.

KHP IDs six adults, two 14-year-olds who died in head-on crash 

SEDGWICK —A Kansas felon on parole who admitted to a fatal stabbing in 2020 is going back to prison.

On Friday, Judge Sean Hatfield sentenced Kenneth Junius, Jr. to 247 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In March he pleaded guilty to the killing&nbsp; 59-year-old Bryan Turner.

In November of 2020, police responded to a stabbing at a home in the 2800 block of South Washington in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp;

Upon arrival, officer’s located Bryan Turner with multiple cut and stab wounds to his body.&nbsp; Officers quickly began life-saving measures, but he died of his injuries on the scene.

The investigation revealed that multiple people were at the home, and Turner and a suspect identified as Junious were both visiting. While at the home, a disturbance ensued between Junious and Turner.

During the disturbance, Junious pulled out a knife and caused multiple injuries to Turner. Junious then fled the scene in a vehicle.&nbsp; Police reported his arrest several days later.

Junious has numerous previous felony convictions that include aggravated battery, aggravated escape from custody, theft, criminal possession of a weapon, theft, flee and attempt to elude and and was on parole through Kansas Dept. of Corrections at the time of the stabbing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1605617102715.png" alt="Junious photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Junious photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK —A Kansas felon on parole who admitted to a fatal stabbing in 2020 is going back to prison.On Friday, Judge Sean Hatfield sentenced Kenneth Junius, Jr. to 247 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In March he pleaded guilty to the killing&nbsp; 59-year-old Bryan Turner.In November of 2020, police responded to a stabbing at a home in the 2800 block of South Washington in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp;Upon arrival, officer’s located Bryan Turner with multiple cut and stab wounds to his body.&nbsp; Officers quickly began life-saving measures, but he died of his injuries on the scene.The investigation revealed that multiple people were at the home, and Turner and a suspect identified as Junious were both visiting. While at the home, a disturbance ensued between Junious and Turner.During the disturbance, Junious pulled out a knife and caused multiple injuries to Turner. Junious then fled the scene in a vehicle.&nbsp; Police reported his arrest several days later.Junious has numerous previous felony convictions that include aggravated battery, aggravated escape from custody, theft, criminal possession of a weapon, theft, flee and attempt to elude and and was on parole through Kansas Dept. of Corrections at the time of the stabbing.

Kan. felon on parole going back to prison for knife fight killing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing forward with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">its mass deportation agenda</a>, President Donald Trump's administration said Monday that it would pay $1,000 to immigrants who are in the United States illegally and return to their home country voluntarily.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release that it would also pay for travel assistance — and that people who use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigrant-deportation-87badb16224730affadf95c67c551da7">an app called CBP Home</a>&nbsp;to tell the government they plan to return home will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by immigration enforcement.

“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest," Secretary Kristi Noem said. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.”

The department said it had already paid for a plane ticket for one migrant to return home to Honduras from Chicago and said more tickets have been booked for this week and next.

It's a major part of Trump's administration

Trump made immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the United States illegally a centerpiece of his campaign, and he is following through during the first months of his administration. But it is a costly, resource-intensive endeavor.

While the Republican administration is asking Congress for a massive increase in resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department responsible for removing people from the country, it’s also pushing people in the country illegally to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-self-deportation-trump-0a8d8371cf7e22a5809db40ebbecf42d">“self-deport.”</a>

It has coupled this self-deportation push with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dhs-immigration-award-republican-ad-campaign-e7939619195791493e828dfd20604d65">television ads threatening action</a>&nbsp;against people in the U.S. illegally and social media images showing immigration enforcement arrests and migrants being sent to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-us-rubio-prison-de912f6a8199aaa7c8490585dcaa3b87">a prison in El Salvador</a>.

The Trump administration has often portrayed self-deportation as a way for migrants to preserve their ability to return to the U.S. someday.

But Aaron Reichlen-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, which advocates for immigrants, said there’s a lot for migrants to be cautious about in the latest offer from Homeland Security.

He said it’s often worse for people to leave the country and not fight their case in immigration court, especially if they’re already in removal proceedings. He said if migrants are in removal proceedings and don’t show up in court they can automatically get a deportation order and leaving the country usually counts as abandoning many applications for relief including asylum applications.

And Homeland Security is not indicating that it is closely coordinating with the immigration courts so that there are no repercussions for people in immigration court if they leave, he said.

“People’s immigration status is not as simple as this makes it out to be," Reichlen-Melnick said.

He questioned where Homeland Security would get the money and the authorization to make the payments — and he suggested they are necessary because the administration can't arrest and remove as many people as it has promised so it has to encourage people to do it on their own.

“They’re not getting their numbers," he said.

As part of its self-deportation effort, the Trump administration has transformed an app that had been used by the Biden administration to allow nearly 1 million migrants to schedule appointments to enter the country into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigrant-deportation-87badb16224730affadf95c67c551da7">a tool to help migrants</a>&nbsp;return home. Under the Biden administration, it was called CBP One; now it's dubbed CBP Home.

Homeland Security said that, so far, “thousands” of migrants have used the app to self-deport.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing forward with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">its mass deportation agenda</a>, President Donald Trump's administration said Monday that it would pay $1,000 to immigrants who are in the United States illegally and return to their home country voluntarily.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App. This is… <a href="https://t.co/2f02wLWQi5">pic.twitter.com/2f02wLWQi5</a>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1919402136753811733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Trump on new plan to offer undocumented immigrants $1,000 to self-deport from the U.S. <a href="https://t.co/B7WdNYstcp">pic.twitter.com/B7WdNYstcp</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1919465672251240574?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release that it would also pay for travel assistance — and that people who use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigrant-deportation-87badb16224730affadf95c67c551da7">an app called CBP Home</a>&nbsp;to tell the government they plan to return home will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by immigration enforcement.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">🚨ILLEGAL ALIENS: Download the CBP Home App – Now Available on All App Stores Do it the easy way, or get deported the hard way. <a href="https://t.co/Kb3GgAl7it">pic.twitter.com/Kb3GgAl7it</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1901977915882938715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 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/2025/5/1746467204589.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest," Secretary Kristi Noem said. “DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App.”The department said it had already paid for a plane ticket for one migrant to return home to Honduras from Chicago and said more tickets have been booked for this week and next.<h2>It's a major part of Trump's administration</h2>Trump made immigration enforcement and the mass deportation of immigrants in the United States illegally a centerpiece of his campaign, and he is following through during the first months of his administration. But it is a costly, resource-intensive endeavor.While the Republican administration is asking Congress for a massive increase in resources for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department responsible for removing people from the country, it’s also pushing people in the country illegally to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-self-deportation-trump-0a8d8371cf7e22a5809db40ebbecf42d">“self-deport.”</a>It has coupled this self-deportation push with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dhs-immigration-award-republican-ad-campaign-e7939619195791493e828dfd20604d65">television ads threatening action</a>&nbsp;against people in the U.S. illegally and social media images showing immigration enforcement arrests and migrants being sent to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-us-rubio-prison-de912f6a8199aaa7c8490585dcaa3b87">a prison in El Salvador</a>.The Trump administration has often portrayed self-deportation as a way for migrants to preserve their ability to return to the U.S. someday.But Aaron Reichlen-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, which advocates for immigrants, said there’s a lot for migrants to be cautious about in the latest offer from Homeland Security.He said it’s often worse for people to leave the country and not fight their case in immigration court, especially if they’re already in removal proceedings. He said if migrants are in removal proceedings and don’t show up in court they can automatically get a deportation order and leaving the country usually counts as abandoning many applications for relief including asylum applications.<h2>It can be an intricate process</h2>And Homeland Security is not indicating that it is closely coordinating with the immigration courts so that there are no repercussions for people in immigration court if they leave, he said.“People’s immigration status is not as simple as this makes it out to be," Reichlen-Melnick said.He questioned where Homeland Security would get the money and the authorization to make the payments — and he suggested they are necessary because the administration can't arrest and remove as many people as it has promised so it has to encourage people to do it on their own.“They’re not getting their numbers," he said.As part of its self-deportation effort, the Trump administration has transformed an app that had been used by the Biden administration to allow nearly 1 million migrants to schedule appointments to enter the country into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigrant-deportation-87badb16224730affadf95c67c551da7">a tool to help migrants</a>&nbsp;return home. Under the Biden administration, it was called CBP One; now it's dubbed CBP Home.Homeland Security said that, so far, “thousands” of migrants have used the app to self-deport.

🎥 Trump explains offer to pay immigrants who deport themselves

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">This <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> session, I signed a bill creating blackout license plates in Kansas. Soon, drivers will have the option to display this plate on the road. 🚗 <a href="https://t.co/DODodSe2VH">pic.twitter.com/DODodSe2VH</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1919498587307966938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Governor: Blackout license plates will soon be available in Kansas

The Kansas City Missouri Police Department is attempting to locate the&nbsp; suspect vehicle involved in a pedestrian hit and run which occurred at 241 E Linwood Boulevard on April 21, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. The vehicle is a reported stolen auto and has an expired Missouri temp tag&nbsp; &nbsp;The vehicle has has sunroof and no tint on the driver’s window. 

Black 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML 350 4-door Missouri Lic# 07PU0M (expired)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746477507742.png" alt="-Black 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML 350 4-door Missouri Lic# 07PU0M (expired)" />
 <figcaption>-Black 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML 350 4-door Missouri Lic# 07PU0M (expired)</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas City Missouri Police Department is attempting to locate the&nbsp; suspect vehicle involved in a pedestrian hit and run which occurred at 241 E Linwood Boulevard on April 21, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. The vehicle is a reported stolen auto and has an expired Missouri temp tag&nbsp; &nbsp;The vehicle has has sunroof and no tint on the driver’s window. Black 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML 350 4-door Missouri Lic# 07PU0M (expired)

KCPD looking for stolen SUV involed in a hit-and-run

NEOSHO COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 6a.m.&nbsp; Monday in Neosho County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Dodge Durango driven by Teresa Marie&nbsp; Phillips, 47, Chanute, was northbound on Kansas 39 Highway fifteen miles east of Chanute. The SUV and a southbound 2021 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp; Thaddaeus Jack&nbsp;Jetmore, 38, Deerfield, Missouri, collided head-on at the center line.

Phillips was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical in Kansas City. EMS transported Jetmore to KU Medical Center. Phillips was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

NEOSHO COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 6a.m.&nbsp; Monday in Neosho County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Dodge Durango driven by Teresa Marie&nbsp; Phillips, 47, Chanute, was northbound on Kansas 39 Highway fifteen miles east of Chanute. The SUV and a southbound 2021 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp; Thaddaeus Jack&nbsp;Jetmore, 38, Deerfield, Missouri, collided head-on at the center line.Phillips was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical in Kansas City. EMS transported Jetmore to KU Medical Center. Phillips was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dead after SUV, pickup head-on crash

WICHITA, Kan. —&nbsp;The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating 37-year-old Thomas Torrez, a known violent offender, after a series of dangerous events that began early Sunday morning and continued into the evening, according to a media release from the sheriff's department.

Just after 1a.m. Sunday, Wichita Police officers were recovering a stolen vehicle in the 4800 block of E. 21st Street North. During the recovery, Torrez—an occupant of the vehicle—fled the scene in the stolen car. He was not located during the initial incident.

Just before 8p.m., a Sedgwick County deputy spotted the same stolen vehicle using a Flock license plate reader at a McDonald’s drive-thru in the 4800 block of S. Broadway. Torrez was behind the wheel with a female passenger.

The deputy positioned his patrol vehicle to block the stolen car, but Torrez accelerated, ramming the patrol unit. He then reversed into the building, drove over a curb and landscaping, and fled onto 47th Street. The deputy’s vehicle was disabled from the impact, and he was unable to pursue. The deputy sustained minor injuries as a result.

The deputy was “put out in trouble,” and charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer were broadcast to responding units.

While responding with lights and sirens, a second deputy collided with a civilian vehicle at the intersection of 47th Street and Hydraulic. The civilian vehicle was carrying five people—a 37-year-old man, a 29-year-old woman, and three children ages 6, 8, and 10. All suffered minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital. No officers were actively pursuing the stolen vehicle at the time of the crash. This deputy sustained minor injuries that did not require medical attention.

Shortly after fleeing McDonald’s, the female passenger escaped the vehicle near Laura Street, north of 47th. She was located by officers and cooperated with the investigation. According to her statement, she tried to surrender during the initial stop and attempted multiple times to exit the vehicle, even using mace on Torrez.

Torrez later abandoned the stolen vehicle near 44th and Pattie and fled on foot. He then stole a second vehicle from a mobile home park in the 1000 block of E. MacArthur and led deputies on a brief pursuit, driving off-road in the area of O.J. Watson Park.

During his escape, Torrez caused a hit-and-run crash near Harry and McLean. The victim followed him to the area of Water and Zimmerly, where Torrez ditched the second vehicle and fled on foot.

Torrez is required to register with the Sheriff’s Office under the Offender Registration Act. He currently has two felony warrants for his arrest: one for failure to report as required and another for a probation violation.

Thomas Torrez is considered dangerous and should not be approached. If you see him or know where he is, call 911 immediately. To remain anonymous, contact Wichita-Sedgwick County Crime Stoppers at (316) 267-2111. Tips can also be submitted to Sedgwick County Investigations at (316) 660-5300.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746467676255.png" alt="Photo Sedgwick Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sedgwick Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. —&nbsp;The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating 37-year-old Thomas Torrez, a known violent offender, after a series of dangerous events that began early Sunday morning and continued into the evening, according to a media release from the sheriff's department.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746467566855.png" alt="Torrez-photo Sedgwick County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Torrez-photo Sedgwick County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 1a.m. Sunday, Wichita Police officers were recovering a stolen vehicle in the 4800 block of E. 21st Street North. During the recovery, Torrez—an occupant of the vehicle—fled the scene in the stolen car. He was not located during the initial incident.Just before 8p.m., a Sedgwick County deputy spotted the same stolen vehicle using a Flock license plate reader at a McDonald’s drive-thru in the 4800 block of S. Broadway. Torrez was behind the wheel with a female passenger.The deputy positioned his patrol vehicle to block the stolen car, but Torrez accelerated, ramming the patrol unit. He then reversed into the building, drove over a curb and landscaping, and fled onto 47th Street. The deputy’s vehicle was disabled from the impact, and he was unable to pursue. The deputy sustained minor injuries as a result.The deputy was “put out in trouble,” and charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer were broadcast to responding units.While responding with lights and sirens, a second deputy collided with a civilian vehicle at the intersection of 47th Street and Hydraulic. The civilian vehicle was carrying five people—a 37-year-old man, a 29-year-old woman, and three children ages 6, 8, and 10. All suffered minor injuries and were treated at a local hospital. No officers were actively pursuing the stolen vehicle at the time of the crash. This deputy sustained minor injuries that did not require medical attention.Shortly after fleeing McDonald’s, the female passenger escaped the vehicle near Laura Street, north of 47th. She was located by officers and cooperated with the investigation. According to her statement, she tried to surrender during the initial stop and attempted multiple times to exit the vehicle, even using mace on Torrez.Torrez later abandoned the stolen vehicle near 44th and Pattie and fled on foot. He then stole a second vehicle from a mobile home park in the 1000 block of E. MacArthur and led deputies on a brief pursuit, driving off-road in the area of O.J. Watson Park.During his escape, Torrez caused a hit-and-run crash near Harry and McLean. The victim followed him to the area of Water and Zimmerly, where Torrez ditched the second vehicle and fled on foot.Torrez is required to register with the Sheriff’s Office under the Offender Registration Act. He currently has two felony warrants for his arrest: one for failure to report as required and another for a probation violation.Thomas Torrez is considered dangerous and should not be approached. If you see him or know where he is, call 911 immediately. To remain anonymous, contact Wichita-Sedgwick County Crime Stoppers at (316) 267-2111. Tips can also be submitted to Sedgwick County Investigations at (316) 660-5300.

Search underway for Kan. violent offender who rammed deputy's patrol car

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is opening a new salvo in his tariff war, targeting films made outside the U.S.

In a post Sunday night on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he has authorized the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to slap a 100% tariff “on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death," he wrote, complaining that other countries “are offering all sorts of incentives to draw" filmmakers and studios away from the U.S. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”

The White House said Monday that it was figuring out how to comply with the president's wishes.

“Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again,” said spokesperson Kush Desai.

It’s common for both large and small films to include production in the U.S. and in other countries. Big-budget movies like the upcoming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mission-impossible-cannes-tom-cruise-final-reckoning-8bd10d2c68c28b0bec4318e16c63b63d">“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,"</a>&nbsp;for instance, are shot around the world.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-film-movie-tax-credit-break-1fbd0e52337080320f3761a176199a8e">Incentive programs</a>&nbsp;for years have influenced where movies are shot, increasingly driving film production out of California and to other states and countries with favorable tax incentives, like Canada and the United Kingdom.

Yet Trump's tariffs are designed to lead consumers toward American products. And in movie theaters, American-produced movies overwhelmingly dominate the domestic marketplace.

China has ramped up its domestic movie production, culminating in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-movies-imax-united-states-screen-a80a60b37b56e9c92af739b97b658584">the animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2”</a>&nbsp;grossing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/captain-america-monkey-box-office-724a39dd6d67c6718a452424b7606612">more than $2 billion</a>&nbsp;this year. But even then, its sales came almost entirely from mainland China. In North America, it earned just $20.9 million.

In New Zealand, where successive governments have offered rebates and incentives in recent years to draw Hollywood films to the country, the film industry has generated billions of dollars in tourism revenue driven by the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films, which featured the country’s pristine and scenic vistas. More recently, the blockbuster “Minecraft” movie was filmed entirely in New Zealand, and U.S. productions in 2023 delivered $1.3 billion New Zealand dollars ($777 million) to the country in return for NZ$200 million in subsidies, according to government figures.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was awaiting more details of Trump’s measures before commenting on them but would continue to pitch to filmmakers abroad, including in India’s Bollywood. “We’ve got an absolutely world class industry,” he said. “This is the best place to make movies, period, in the world.”

The Motion Picture Association, which represents major U.S. film studios and streaming services, didn’t immediately respond to messages Sunday evening.

The MPA’s data shows how much Hollywood exports have dominated cinemas. According to the MPA, the American movies produced $22.6 billion in exports and $15.3 billion in trade surplus in 2023.

Trump, a Republican, has made good on the “tariff man" label he gave himself years ago, slapping new taxes on goods made in countries around the globe. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-economy-recession-china-imports-trade-8d90bb37735e833c43a7b7a9d5a0b9a2">a 145% tariff on Chinese goods</a>&nbsp;and a 10% baseline tariff on goods from other countries, with even higher levies threatened.

By unilaterally imposing tariffs, Trump has exerted extraordinary influence over the flow of commerce, creating political risks and pulling the market in different directions. There are tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, with more imports, including pharmaceutical drugs, set to be subject to new tariffs in the weeks ahead.

Trump has long voiced concern about movie production moving overseas.

Shortly before he took office, he announced that he had tapped actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone to serve as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hollywood-ambassadors-b3cd35a950fc6465c32551624feea332">“special ambassadors"</a>&nbsp;to Hollywood to bring it "BACK — BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”

U.S. film and television production has been hampered in recent years, with setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/">the Hollywood guild strikes</a>&nbsp;of 2023 and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-oscars-los-angeles-academy-awards-da8cd994872ac6c1c65dcd4bc8721cc5">the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area</a>. Overall production in the U.S. was down 26% last year compared with 2021, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://prodpro.com/blog/2025-tv-film-outlook-report/">data from ProdPro</a>, which tracks production.

The group's annual survey of executives, which asked about preferred filming locations, found no location in the U.S. made the top five, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Toronto, the U.K., Vancouver, Central Europe and Australia came out on top, with California placing sixth,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-film-movie-tax-credit-break-1fbd0e52337080320f3761a176199a8e">Georgia seventh</a>, New Jersey eighth and New York ninth.

The problem is especially acute in California. In the greater Los Angeles area, production last year was down 5.6% from 2023 according to FilmLA, second only to 2020, during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Last, October, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, proposed expanding California’s Film &amp; Television Tax Credit program to $750 million annually, up from $330 million.

Other U.S. cities like Atlanta, New York, Chicago and San Francisco have also used aggressive tax incentives to lure film and TV productions. Those programs can take the form of cash grants, as in Texas, or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-film-movie-tax-credit-break-1fbd0e52337080320f3761a176199a8e">tax credits</a>, which Georgia and New Mexico offer.

“Other nations have been stealing the movie-making capabilities from the United States,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday night after returning from a weekend in Florida. “If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States we should have a tariff on movies that come in."

Associated Press writers Gary Fields in Washington and Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is opening a new salvo in his tariff war, targeting films made outside the U.S.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">&quot;Hollywood is being destroyed. You have a grossly incompetent governor that allowed that to happen... Other nations have stolen our movie industry...We should have a tariff on movies that come in...That&#39;s sort of a threat to our country in a sense&quot; - Pres. Trump on movie tariffs <a href="https://t.co/C8lm5zMbtf">pic.twitter.com/C8lm5zMbtf</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1919193551390253124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a post Sunday night on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he has authorized the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to slap a 100% tariff “on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746461951593.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death," he wrote, complaining that other countries “are offering all sorts of incentives to draw" filmmakers and studios away from the U.S. "This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat. It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda!”The White House said Monday that it was figuring out how to comply with the president's wishes.“Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again,” said spokesperson Kush Desai.It’s common for both large and small films to include production in the U.S. and in other countries. Big-budget movies like the upcoming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mission-impossible-cannes-tom-cruise-final-reckoning-8bd10d2c68c28b0bec4318e16c63b63d">“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,"</a>&nbsp;for instance, are shot around the world.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-film-movie-tax-credit-break-1fbd0e52337080320f3761a176199a8e">Incentive programs</a>&nbsp;for years have influenced where movies are shot, increasingly driving film production out of California and to other states and countries with favorable tax incentives, like Canada and the United Kingdom.Yet Trump's tariffs are designed to lead consumers toward American products. And in movie theaters, American-produced movies overwhelmingly dominate the domestic marketplace.China has ramped up its domestic movie production, culminating in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-movies-imax-united-states-screen-a80a60b37b56e9c92af739b97b658584">the animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2”</a>&nbsp;grossing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/captain-america-monkey-box-office-724a39dd6d67c6718a452424b7606612">more than $2 billion</a>&nbsp;this year. But even then, its sales came almost entirely from mainland China. In North America, it earned just $20.9 million.In New Zealand, where successive governments have offered rebates and incentives in recent years to draw Hollywood films to the country, the film industry has generated billions of dollars in tourism revenue driven by the “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films, which featured the country’s pristine and scenic vistas. More recently, the blockbuster “Minecraft” movie was filmed entirely in New Zealand, and U.S. productions in 2023 delivered $1.3 billion New Zealand dollars ($777 million) to the country in return for NZ$200 million in subsidies, according to government figures.New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was awaiting more details of Trump’s measures before commenting on them but would continue to pitch to filmmakers abroad, including in India’s Bollywood. “We’ve got an absolutely world class industry,” he said. “This is the best place to make movies, period, in the world.”The Motion Picture Association, which represents major U.S. film studios and streaming services, didn’t immediately respond to messages Sunday evening.The MPA’s data shows how much Hollywood exports have dominated cinemas. According to the MPA, the American movies produced $22.6 billion in exports and $15.3 billion in trade surplus in 2023.Trump, a Republican, has made good on the “tariff man" label he gave himself years ago, slapping new taxes on goods made in countries around the globe. That includes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-economy-recession-china-imports-trade-8d90bb37735e833c43a7b7a9d5a0b9a2">a 145% tariff on Chinese goods</a>&nbsp;and a 10% baseline tariff on goods from other countries, with even higher levies threatened.By unilaterally imposing tariffs, Trump has exerted extraordinary influence over the flow of commerce, creating political risks and pulling the market in different directions. There are tariffs on autos, steel and aluminum, with more imports, including pharmaceutical drugs, set to be subject to new tariffs in the weeks ahead.Trump has long voiced concern about movie production moving overseas.Shortly before he took office, he announced that he had tapped actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone to serve as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hollywood-ambassadors-b3cd35a950fc6465c32551624feea332">“special ambassadors"</a>&nbsp;to Hollywood to bring it "BACK — BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!”U.S. film and television production has been hampered in recent years, with setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hollywood-strikes/">the Hollywood guild strikes</a>&nbsp;of 2023 and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wildfires-oscars-los-angeles-academy-awards-da8cd994872ac6c1c65dcd4bc8721cc5">the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area</a>. Overall production in the U.S. was down 26% last year compared with 2021, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://prodpro.com/blog/2025-tv-film-outlook-report/">data from ProdPro</a>, which tracks production.The group's annual survey of executives, which asked about preferred filming locations, found no location in the U.S. made the top five, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Toronto, the U.K., Vancouver, Central Europe and Australia came out on top, with California placing sixth,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-film-movie-tax-credit-break-1fbd0e52337080320f3761a176199a8e">Georgia seventh</a>, New Jersey eighth and New York ninth.The problem is especially acute in California. In the greater Los Angeles area, production last year was down 5.6% from 2023 according to FilmLA, second only to 2020, during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Last, October, Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, proposed expanding California’s Film &amp; Television Tax Credit program to $750 million annually, up from $330 million.Other U.S. cities like Atlanta, New York, Chicago and San Francisco have also used aggressive tax incentives to lure film and TV productions. Those programs can take the form of cash grants, as in Texas, or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-film-movie-tax-credit-break-1fbd0e52337080320f3761a176199a8e">tax credits</a>, which Georgia and New Mexico offer.“Other nations have been stealing the movie-making capabilities from the United States,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Sunday night after returning from a weekend in Florida. “If they’re not willing to make a movie inside the United States we should have a tariff on movies that come in."___Associated Press writers Gary Fields in Washington and Charlotte Graham-McLay in Wellington, New Zealand, contributed to this report.

🎥Trump's latest tariff threat targets movie industry 

FINNEY COUNTY— Law enforcement in southwest Kansas are investigating a suspect for allegedly&nbsp;assaulting a teenager and threatened others with a firearm.

Just before 11p.m. Friday, police responded to the Finney County Fairgrounds for an aggravated assault after learning a man was reportedly threatening multiple teenagers with a firearm, according to a media release.

 As they arrived, Officers observed a Ford Ranger fleeing the fairgrounds into the Arkansas River. Officers coordinated with Deputies the location of the vehicle, and it was stopped, where law enforcement met with two occupants as well as a group of teenagers in the fairgrounds parking lot to conduct their investigation. 

The investigation revealed that the passenger in the Ford Ranger, identified as Fabian Richters-Laurelez, 21, assaulted a teenager and made threats of shooting the group, leading them to flee into Peebles Complex and call 911. 

Officers arrested Richters-Laurelez and booked him into the Finney County Jail on requested charges of Criminal Threat, Endangering of a Child, Battery, and a municipal warrant.&nbsp; There were no injuries from the incident. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746451406597.png" alt="Richters-Laurelez photo Finney County" />
 <figcaption>Richters-Laurelez photo Finney County</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY— Law enforcement in southwest Kansas are investigating a suspect for allegedly&nbsp;assaulting a teenager and threatened others with a firearm.Just before 11p.m. Friday, police responded to the Finney County Fairgrounds for an aggravated assault after learning a man was reportedly threatening multiple teenagers with a firearm, according to a media release. As they arrived, Officers observed a Ford Ranger fleeing the fairgrounds into the Arkansas River. Officers coordinated with Deputies the location of the vehicle, and it was stopped, where law enforcement met with two occupants as well as a group of teenagers in the fairgrounds parking lot to conduct their investigation. The investigation revealed that the passenger in the Ford Ranger, identified as Fabian Richters-Laurelez, 21, assaulted a teenager and made threats of shooting the group, leading them to flee into Peebles Complex and call 911. Officers arrested Richters-Laurelez and booked him into the Finney County Jail on requested charges of Criminal Threat, Endangering of a Child, Battery, and a municipal warrant.&nbsp; There were no injuries from the incident.

Man accused of threatening teens at fairgrounds in SW Kansas

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair has added another major concert to its 2025 lineup, announcing that country music icon Lorrie Morgan will perform on the final Sunday of the fair, with viral sensation Mason Ramsey set to open the show.

The concert is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Nex-Tech Grandstand. The announcement was made Monday morning by Brian “Shell” Schultz, general manager of the Kansas State Fair.

“Last year we introduced a Sunday afternoon show with the Oak Ridge Boys, and it was a huge hit,” Schultz said. “This year, we’re excited to welcome Lorrie Morgan and Mason Ramsey to close out the fair.”

Morgan, known for hits like What Part of No, Five Minutes, and Something in Red, is considered one of the genre’s legendary vocalists. Schultz called her “one of the first pure queens of country,” noting her decades of success in the industry.

Opening the show will be 17-year-old Mason Ramsey, who rose to fame in 2018 with a viral video of him yodeling in a Walmart. Ramsey previously performed at the Kansas State Fair and is known for blending classic country with a youthful twist.

Tickets for the concert go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, May 9. Subscribers to the fair’s email list will receive a presale code for early access beginning Thursday.

Reserved seats in the Nex-Tech Grandstand will be available for $30 and $40. The Kansas Star Casino Party Pit — a seated section near the stage — will be priced at $50. VIP deck tables, which include six seats, beverages, and hors d’oeuvres, are available for $500. Standing-room-only packages are $60 on the VIP deck.

All concert tickets include fair gate admission.

Schultz emphasized the fair’s commitment to offering accessible and enjoyable concert experiences.

“We’ve got great seating options for everyone,” he said. “Whether you’re looking for a big night out with friends or a close-up view of a country legend, we’ve got you covered.”

The Kansas State Fair runs Sept. 5–14 in Hutchinson. For more information and ticket purchases, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasstatefair.com/">www.kansasstatefair.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746457600471.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas State Fair has added another major concert to its 2025 lineup, announcing that country music icon Lorrie Morgan will perform on the final Sunday of the fair, with viral sensation Mason Ramsey set to open the show.The concert is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Nex-Tech Grandstand. The announcement was made Monday morning by Brian “Shell” Schultz, general manager of the Kansas State Fair.“Last year we introduced a Sunday afternoon show with the Oak Ridge Boys, and it was a huge hit,” Schultz said. “This year, we’re excited to welcome Lorrie Morgan and Mason Ramsey to close out the fair.”Morgan, known for hits like What Part of No, Five Minutes, and Something in Red, is considered one of the genre’s legendary vocalists. Schultz called her “one of the first pure queens of country,” noting her decades of success in the industry.Opening the show will be 17-year-old Mason Ramsey, who rose to fame in 2018 with a viral video of him yodeling in a Walmart. Ramsey previously performed at the Kansas State Fair and is known for blending classic country with a youthful twist.Tickets for the concert go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday, May 9. Subscribers to the fair’s email list will receive a presale code for early access beginning Thursday.Reserved seats in the Nex-Tech Grandstand will be available for $30 and $40. The Kansas Star Casino Party Pit — a seated section near the stage — will be priced at $50. VIP deck tables, which include six seats, beverages, and hors d’oeuvres, are available for $500. Standing-room-only packages are $60 on the VIP deck.All concert tickets include fair gate admission.Schultz emphasized the fair’s commitment to offering accessible and enjoyable concert experiences.“We’ve got great seating options for everyone,” he said. “Whether you’re looking for a big night out with friends or a close-up view of a country legend, we’ve got you covered.”The Kansas State Fair runs Sept. 5–14 in Hutchinson. For more information and ticket purchases, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kansasstatefair.com/">www.kansasstatefair.com</a>.

Country music star to perform at the Kansas State Fair

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a budget request Friday that would dramatically slash some federal spending, the initial step in a monthslong process that will include heated debate on Capitol Hill as both political parties work toward a final government funding agreement.

The proposal, for the first time, details how exactly this administration wants lawmakers to restructure spending across the federal government — steep cuts to domestic appropriations, including the elimination of dozens of programs that carry a long history of bipartisan support, and a significant increase in defense funding.

Trump wants more than 60 programs to be scrapped, some with long histories of assistance to states, including Community Services Block Grants, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities within the National Institutes of Health, and the Sexual Risk Avoidance and Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs.

Congress will ultimately decide how much funding to provide to federal programs, and while Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, regular funding bills will need Democratic support to move through the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.

White House budget director Russ Vought wrote in a letter that the request proposes shifting some funding from the federal government to states and local communities.

“Just as the Federal Government has intruded on matters best left to American families, it has intruded on matters best left to the levels of government closest to the people, who understand and respect the needs and desires of their communities far better than the Federal Government ever could,” Vought wrote.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-resources/budget/the-presidents-fy-2026-discretionary-budget-request/" target="_blank">budget request</a>&nbsp;calls on Congress to cut non-defense accounts by $163 billion to $557 billion, while keeping defense funding flat at $893 billion in the dozen annual appropriations bills.

The proposal assumes the GOP Congress passes the separate reconciliation package that is currently being written in the House, bringing defense funding up to $1.01 trillion, a 13.4% increase, and reducing domestic spending to $601 billion, a 16.6% decrease.

Under Trump’s request many federal departments and agencies would be slated for significant spending reductions, though defense, border security and veterans would be exempt.&nbsp;

The budget request also asks Congress to eliminate AmeriCorps, which operates as the Corporation for National and Community Service; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides some funding to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service; the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences; and the 400 Years of African American History Commission.

What if Congress won’t act on the cuts?

Debate over the budget proposal will take place throughout the summer months, but will come to a head in September, when Congress must pass some sort of funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.

A senior White House official, speaking on background on a call with reporters to discuss details of the budget request, suggested that Trump would take unilateral action to cut funding if Congress doesn’t go along with the request.

“Obviously, we have never taken impoundment off the table, because the president and myself believe that 200 years of the president and executive branch had that ability,” the official said. “But we’re working with Congress to see what they will pass. And I believe that they have an interest in passing cuts.”

The 1974 Impoundment Control Act bars the president from canceling funding approved by Congress without consulting lawmakers via a rescissions request, which the officials said the administration plans to release “soon.”

The annual appropriations process is separate from the reconciliation process that Republicans are using to pass their massive tax cuts, border security, defense funding and spending cuts package.

The budget proposal aligns with the Trump’s administration’s plans for mass deportations of people without permanent legal status, and would provide the Department of Homeland Security with $42.3 billion, or a 64.9% increase.

The budget proposal suggests eliminating $650 million from a program that reimburses non-governmental organizations and local governments that help with resettling and aiding newly arrived migrants released from DHS custody, known as the Shelters and Services Program.

The Trump administration also seeks to eliminate the agency that handles the care and resettlement of unaccompanied minors within Health and Human Services. The budget proposal recommends getting rid of the Refugee and Unaccompanied Alien Children Programs’ $1.97 billion budget. The budget proposal argues that because of an executive order to suspend refugee resettlement services, there is no need for the programs.

A federal judge from Washington state issued a nationwide injunction, and ruled the Trump administration must continue refugee resettlement services.

The budget proposal also calls for axing programs that help newly arrived migrant children or students for whom English is not a first language.

For the Education Department, the budget proposal suggests eliminating $890 million in funding for the English Language Acquisition and $428 million for the Migrant Education and Special Programs for Migrant Students.

Members of Congress had mixed reactions to the budget request, with some GOP lawmakers praising its spending cuts, while others took issue with the defense budget.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., outright rejected the defense funding level, writing in a statement that relying on the reconciliation package to get military spending above $1 trillion was unacceptable.&nbsp;

“OMB is not requesting a trillion-dollar budget. It is requesting a budget of $892.6 billion, which is a cut in real terms. This budget would decrease President Trump’s military options and his negotiating leverage,” Wicker wrote. “We face an Axis of Aggressors led by the Chinese Communist Party, who have already started a trade war rather than negotiate in good faith. We need a real Peace Through Strength agenda to ensure Xi Jinping does not launch a military war against us in Asia, beyond his existing military support to the Russians, the Iranians, Hamas, and the Houthis.”

The senior White House official who spoke on a call with reporters to discuss details of the budget request said that splitting the defense increase between the regular Pentagon spending bill and the reconciliation package was a more “durable” proposal.

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, wrote the panel will have “an aggressive hearing schedule to learn more about the President’s proposal and assess funding needs for the coming year.”

“This request has come to Congress late, and key details still remain outstanding,” Collins wrote. “Based on my initial review, however, I have serious objections to the proposed freeze in our defense funding given the security challenges we face and to the proposed funding cuts to – and in some cases elimination of – programs like LIHEAP, TRIO, and those that support biomedical research.&nbsp;

“Ultimately, it is Congress that holds the power of the purse.”

Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote in a statement she will work with others in Congress to block the domestic funding cuts from taking effect.

“Trump wants to rip away funding to safeguard Americans’ health, protect our environment, and to help rural communities and our farmers thrive. This president wants to turn our country’s back on Tribes—and let trash pile up at our national parks,” Murray wrote. “Trump is even proposing to cut investments to prevent violent crime, go after drug traffickers, and tackle the opioids and mental health crises.”

A press release from Murray’s office noted the budget request lacked details on certain programs, including Head Start.

House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La, praised the budget proposal in a statement and pledged that House GOP lawmakers are “ready to work alongside President Trump to implement a responsible budget that puts America first.”

“President Trump’s plan ensures every federal taxpayer dollar spent is used to serve the American people, not a bloated bureaucracy or partisan pet projects,” Johnson wrote.

The House and Senate Appropriations committees are set to begin hearings with Cabinet secretaries and agency heads next week, where Trump administration officials will explain their individual funding requests and answer lawmakers’ questions.

The members on those committees will ultimately write the dozen annual appropriations bills in the months ahead, determining funding levels and policy for numerous programs, including those at the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, State and Transportation.

The House panel’s bills will skew more toward Republican funding levels and priorities, though the Senate committee has a long history of writing broadly bipartisan bills.&nbsp;

The leaders of the two committees — House Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., House ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Senate Chairwoman Collins and Senate ranking member Murray — will ultimately work out a final deal later in the year alongside congressional leaders.

Differences over the full-year bills are supposed to be solved before the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, but members of Congress regularly rely on a stopgap spending bill through mid-December to give themselves more time to complete negotiations.

Failure to pass some sort of government funding measure, either a stopgap bill or all 12 full-year spending bills, before the funding deadline, would lead to a partial government shutdown.

This round of appropriations bills will be the first debated during Trump’s second-term presidency and will likely bring about considerable disagreement over the unilateral actions the administration has already taken to freeze or cancel federal spending, many of which are the subject of lawsuits arguing the president doesn’t have that impoundment authority.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746356978428.png" alt="President Trump during a meeting of his Cabinet last week -image White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump during a meeting of his Cabinet last week -image White House</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a budget request Friday that would dramatically slash some federal spending, the initial step in a monthslong process that will include heated debate on Capitol Hill as both political parties work toward a final government funding agreement.The proposal, for the first time, details how exactly this administration wants lawmakers to restructure spending across the federal government — steep cuts to domestic appropriations, including the elimination of dozens of programs that carry a long history of bipartisan support, and a significant increase in defense funding.Trump wants more than 60 programs to be scrapped, some with long histories of assistance to states, including Community Services Block Grants, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Institute on Minority and Health Disparities within the National Institutes of Health, and the Sexual Risk Avoidance and Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs.Congress will ultimately decide how much funding to provide to federal programs, and while Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, regular funding bills will need Democratic support to move through the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.White House budget director Russ Vought wrote in a letter that the request proposes shifting some funding from the federal government to states and local communities.“Just as the Federal Government has intruded on matters best left to American families, it has intruded on matters best left to the levels of government closest to the people, who understand and respect the needs and desires of their communities far better than the Federal Government ever could,” Vought wrote.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-resources/budget/the-presidents-fy-2026-discretionary-budget-request/" target="_blank">budget request</a>&nbsp;calls on Congress to cut non-defense accounts by $163 billion to $557 billion, while keeping defense funding flat at $893 billion in the dozen annual appropriations bills.The proposal assumes the GOP Congress passes the separate reconciliation package that is currently being written in the House, bringing defense funding up to $1.01 trillion, a 13.4% increase, and reducing domestic spending to $601 billion, a 16.6% decrease.<h2>Many domestic cuts</h2>Under Trump’s request many federal departments and agencies would be slated for significant spending reductions, though defense, border security and veterans would be exempt.&nbsp;The cuts include:<ul>
 <li>Agriculture: – $5 billion, or 18.3%</li><li>Commerce: – $1.7 billion, or 16.5%</li><li>Education: – $12 billion, or 15.3%</li><li>Energy: – $4.7 billion, or 9.4%</li><li>Health and Human Services: – $33 billion, or 26.2%</li><li>Housing and Urban Development: – $33.6 billion, or 43.6%</li><li>Interior: – $5.1 billion, or 30.5%</li><li>Justice: – $2.7 billion, or 7.6%</li><li>Labor: – $4.6 billion, or 34.9%</li><li>State: – $49.1 billion, or 83.7%</li><li>Treasury: – $2.7 billion, or 19%</li>
 </ul>Increases include:<ul>
 <li>Defense: + $113 billion, or 13.4% with reconciliation package</li><li>Homeland Security: + $42.3 billion, or 64.9% with reconciliation package</li><li>Transportation: + $1.5 billion, or 5.8%</li><li>Veterans Affairs: + $5.4 billion, or 4.1%</li>
 </ul>The budget request also asks Congress to eliminate AmeriCorps, which operates as the Corporation for National and Community Service; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides some funding to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service; the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences; and the 400 Years of African American History Commission.<h2>What if Congress won’t act on the cuts?</h2>Debate over the budget proposal will take place throughout the summer months, but will come to a head in September, when Congress must pass some sort of funding bill to avoid a partial government shutdown.A senior White House official, speaking on background on a call with reporters to discuss details of the budget request, suggested that Trump would take unilateral action to cut funding if Congress doesn’t go along with the request.“Obviously, we have never taken impoundment off the table, because the president and myself believe that 200 years of the president and executive branch had that ability,” the official said. “But we’re working with Congress to see what they will pass. And I believe that they have an interest in passing cuts.”The 1974 Impoundment Control Act bars the president from canceling funding approved by Congress without consulting lawmakers via a rescissions request, which the officials said the administration plans to release “soon.”The annual appropriations process is separate from the reconciliation process that Republicans are using to pass their massive tax cuts, border security, defense funding and spending cuts package.<h2>Huge boost for Homeland Security</h2>The budget proposal aligns with the Trump’s administration’s plans for mass deportations of people without permanent legal status, and would provide the Department of Homeland Security with $42.3 billion, or a 64.9% increase.The budget proposal suggests eliminating $650 million from a program that reimburses non-governmental organizations and local governments that help with resettling and aiding newly arrived migrants released from DHS custody, known as the Shelters and Services Program.The Trump administration also seeks to eliminate the agency that handles the care and resettlement of unaccompanied minors within Health and Human Services. The budget proposal recommends getting rid of the Refugee and Unaccompanied Alien Children Programs’ $1.97 billion budget. The budget proposal argues that because of an executive order to suspend refugee resettlement services, there is no need for the programs.A federal judge from Washington state issued a nationwide injunction, and ruled the Trump administration must continue refugee resettlement services.The budget proposal also calls for axing programs that help newly arrived migrant children or students for whom English is not a first language.For the Education Department, the budget proposal suggests eliminating $890 million in funding for the English Language Acquisition and $428 million for the Migrant Education and Special Programs for Migrant Students.<h2>Key GOP senator rejects defense request</h2>Members of Congress had mixed reactions to the budget request, with some GOP lawmakers praising its spending cuts, while others took issue with the defense budget.Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., outright rejected the defense funding level, writing in a statement that relying on the reconciliation package to get military spending above $1 trillion was unacceptable.&nbsp;“OMB is not requesting a trillion-dollar budget. It is requesting a budget of $892.6 billion, which is a cut in real terms. This budget would decrease President Trump’s military options and his negotiating leverage,” Wicker wrote. “We face an Axis of Aggressors led by the Chinese Communist Party, who have already started a trade war rather than negotiate in good faith. We need a real Peace Through Strength agenda to ensure Xi Jinping does not launch a military war against us in Asia, beyond his existing military support to the Russians, the Iranians, Hamas, and the Houthis.”The senior White House official who spoke on a call with reporters to discuss details of the budget request said that splitting the defense increase between the regular Pentagon spending bill and the reconciliation package was a more “durable” proposal.Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, wrote the panel will have “an aggressive hearing schedule to learn more about the President’s proposal and assess funding needs for the coming year.”“This request has come to Congress late, and key details still remain outstanding,” Collins wrote. “Based on my initial review, however, I have serious objections to the proposed freeze in our defense funding given the security challenges we face and to the proposed funding cuts to – and in some cases elimination of – programs like LIHEAP, TRIO, and those that support biomedical research.&nbsp;“Ultimately, it is Congress that holds the power of the purse.”Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote in a statement she will work with others in Congress to block the domestic funding cuts from taking effect.“Trump wants to rip away funding to safeguard Americans’ health, protect our environment, and to help rural communities and our farmers thrive. This president wants to turn our country’s back on Tribes—and let trash pile up at our national parks,” Murray wrote. “Trump is even proposing to cut investments to prevent violent crime, go after drug traffickers, and tackle the opioids and mental health crises.”A press release from Murray’s office noted the budget request lacked details on certain programs, including Head Start.House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La, praised the budget proposal in a statement and pledged that House GOP lawmakers are “ready to work alongside President Trump to implement a responsible budget that puts America first.”“President Trump’s plan ensures every federal taxpayer dollar spent is used to serve the American people, not a bloated bureaucracy or partisan pet projects,” Johnson wrote.<h2>Spending decisions coming</h2>The House and Senate Appropriations committees are set to begin hearings with Cabinet secretaries and agency heads next week, where Trump administration officials will explain their individual funding requests and answer lawmakers’ questions.The members on those committees will ultimately write the dozen annual appropriations bills in the months ahead, determining funding levels and policy for numerous programs, including those at the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Interior, Justice, State and Transportation.The House panel’s bills will skew more toward Republican funding levels and priorities, though the Senate committee has a long history of writing broadly bipartisan bills.&nbsp;The leaders of the two committees — House Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., House ranking member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., Senate Chairwoman Collins and Senate ranking member Murray — will ultimately work out a final deal later in the year alongside congressional leaders.Differences over the full-year bills are supposed to be solved before the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, but members of Congress regularly rely on a stopgap spending bill through mid-December to give themselves more time to complete negotiations.Failure to pass some sort of government funding measure, either a stopgap bill or all 12 full-year spending bills, before the funding deadline, would lead to a partial government shutdown.This round of appropriations bills will be the first debated during Trump’s second-term presidency and will likely bring about considerable disagreement over the unilateral actions the administration has already taken to freeze or cancel federal spending, many of which are the subject of lawsuits arguing the president doesn’t have that impoundment authority.&nbsp;

Trump wants to cut $163B in non-defense spending, ax dozens of programs

KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City.

A Dodge Challenger was westbound on 63rd Street at a very high rate of speed, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

In the area of 63rd and Winchester, the driver failed to negotiate the curvature of the roadway. The Dodge traveled off the roadway to the right, traveling through the grassy shoulder area of the highway and overturned.

The unrestrained driver and unrestrained front seat passenger were ejected. Both were transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff, according to DiMartino.

The passenger was in very critical condition late Sunday. This is fatality #21 compared to #39 at this time last year, according to DiMartino.

KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City.A Dodge Challenger was westbound on 63rd Street at a very high rate of speed, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.In the area of 63rd and Winchester, the driver failed to negotiate the curvature of the roadway. The Dodge traveled off the roadway to the right, traveling through the grassy shoulder area of the highway and overturned.The unrestrained driver and unrestrained front seat passenger were ejected. Both were transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The driver was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff, according to DiMartino.The passenger was in very critical condition late Sunday. This is fatality #21 compared to #39 at this time last year, according to DiMartino.

KCPD: Driver dies after ejected in rollover crash

ROME (AP) — This week’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/conclave-definition-what-happens-92a4da4116a62ccc165a63d1ae3c30dc">conclave</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-will-be-next-pope-a1c221a9a46edacb434341b3843393f0">elect the successor</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-francis">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is a solemn affair steeped in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-conclave-glossary-3f34cfc8bda3570b9ecf0602d20990fb">centuries-old traditions</a>.

But far from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-conclave-chimney-97dd5a6cb24294c85e48a933bf4e67b4">Sistine Chapel</a>&nbsp;where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-new-pope-election-conclave-history-fun-facts-6a5dbba91e064dc0c973ae26773a0723">cloistered cardinals</a>&nbsp;will cast votes, people are placing bets on who will be chosen as the next pope. From cash bets on websites to online games modeled after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/fantasy-sports">fantasy football leagues</a>&nbsp;and casual wagers among friends and families, the popularity of guessing and gambling on the future of the papacy is increasing worldwide, experts and participants say.

It's even topped the Europa League soccer tournament and Formula One drivers’ championship, said Sam Eaton, U.K. manager for Oddschecker, a leading online platform analyzing odds across sports, events and other betting markets.

“There’s a huge level of interest globally," he said. “I don’t think we’ve had a market like this where we’ve had so many countries interested in seeing odds.”

Around the world, thousands of bets on the next pope

Hundreds of thousands of people from some 140 countries have visited Oddschecker to review each cardinal’s chances of becoming the next pope, Eaton said. He noted special eagerness in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.

In the U.K., about 30,000 pounds (almost $40,000) have been wagered with one leading online betting platform as of this week, Eaton said – a far cry from 1.2 million pounds on the singing contest Eurovision but still noteworthy as a trend, with the conclave days away.

“Betting on the next pope is definitely a niche market in the grand scheme of things, but it generates global interest,” said Lee Phelps, a spokesman for William Hill, one of the U.K.’s biggest bookmakers.

“Since April 21, we’ve taken thousands of bets, and it’s the busiest of all our non-sports betting markets,” said Phelps, who expects a surge in interest once the conclave begins Wednesday.

Betting on elections, papal conclaves and all manner of global events is almost a tradition of its own in the U.K., but such betting is not legal in the United States. BetMGM, one of the world’s top sports-betting companies, said it would not have any bets up.

But Eaton noted that in the unregulated, illegal space, one of the biggest sites has $10 million wagered so far in pope bets.

In Italy, betting on the papal election — and all religious events — is forbidden.

Some people in Rome are making friendly, informal wagers — the equivalent of $20 on a favorite cardinal, with the loser pledging to host a dinner or buy a pizza night out.

Others are turning to an online game called Fantapapa, or Fantasy Pope, which mimics popular fantasy football and soccer leagues. More than 60,000 people are playing, each choosing 11&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-conclave-pope-b4883723cbbba159b0264dd76526b55d">cardinals</a>&nbsp;– as if for a soccer team – whom they believe have the best shot at becoming the next pope.

They also draft the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-will-be-next-pope-a1c221a9a46edacb434341b3843393f0">top contender</a>, or captain. As with online wagers, the No. 1 choice for fantasy players has been Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, closely followed by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.

“It’s a really fun game to play with friends and have a laugh,” Italian student Federico La Rocca, 23, said. “Initially my dad sent it to me ironically, but now that it’s going to be the conclave, I decided to have a go and try it.”

La Rocca said he chose Tagle because “he looks like a nice guy and fun person.”

Players’ selections determine the number of points they rake in. But what’s the jackpot?

ROME (AP) — This week’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/conclave-definition-what-happens-92a4da4116a62ccc165a63d1ae3c30dc">conclave</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-will-be-next-pope-a1c221a9a46edacb434341b3843393f0">elect the successor</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-francis">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics is a solemn affair steeped in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-conclave-glossary-3f34cfc8bda3570b9ecf0602d20990fb">centuries-old traditions</a>.But far from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-conclave-chimney-97dd5a6cb24294c85e48a933bf4e67b4">Sistine Chapel</a>&nbsp;where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-new-pope-election-conclave-history-fun-facts-6a5dbba91e064dc0c973ae26773a0723">cloistered cardinals</a>&nbsp;will cast votes, people are placing bets on who will be chosen as the next pope. From cash bets on websites to online games modeled after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/fantasy-sports">fantasy football leagues</a>&nbsp;and casual wagers among friends and families, the popularity of guessing and gambling on the future of the papacy is increasing worldwide, experts and participants say.It's even topped the Europa League soccer tournament and Formula One drivers’ championship, said Sam Eaton, U.K. manager for Oddschecker, a leading online platform analyzing odds across sports, events and other betting markets.“There’s a huge level of interest globally," he said. “I don’t think we’ve had a market like this where we’ve had so many countries interested in seeing odds.”<h2>Around the world, thousands of bets on the next pope</h2>Hundreds of thousands of people from some 140 countries have visited Oddschecker to review each cardinal’s chances of becoming the next pope, Eaton said. He noted special eagerness in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.In the U.K., about 30,000 pounds (almost $40,000) have been wagered with one leading online betting platform as of this week, Eaton said – a far cry from 1.2 million pounds on the singing contest Eurovision but still noteworthy as a trend, with the conclave days away.“Betting on the next pope is definitely a niche market in the grand scheme of things, but it generates global interest,” said Lee Phelps, a spokesman for William Hill, one of the U.K.’s biggest bookmakers.“Since April 21, we’ve taken thousands of bets, and it’s the busiest of all our non-sports betting markets,” said Phelps, who expects a surge in interest once the conclave begins Wednesday.Betting on elections, papal conclaves and all manner of global events is almost a tradition of its own in the U.K., but such betting is not legal in the United States. BetMGM, one of the world’s top sports-betting companies, said it would not have any bets up.But Eaton noted that in the unregulated, illegal space, one of the biggest sites has $10 million wagered so far in pope bets.<h2>Fantasy “teams” of cardinals</h2>In Italy, betting on the papal election — and all religious events — is forbidden.Some people in Rome are making friendly, informal wagers — the equivalent of $20 on a favorite cardinal, with the loser pledging to host a dinner or buy a pizza night out.Others are turning to an online game called Fantapapa, or Fantasy Pope, which mimics popular fantasy football and soccer leagues. More than 60,000 people are playing, each choosing 11&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-conclave-pope-b4883723cbbba159b0264dd76526b55d">cardinals</a>&nbsp;– as if for a soccer team – whom they believe have the best shot at becoming the next pope.They also draft the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-will-be-next-pope-a1c221a9a46edacb434341b3843393f0">top contender</a>, or captain. As with online wagers, the No. 1 choice for fantasy players has been Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, closely followed by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.“It’s a really fun game to play with friends and have a laugh,” Italian student Federico La Rocca, 23, said. “Initially my dad sent it to me ironically, but now that it’s going to be the conclave, I decided to have a go and try it.”La Rocca said he chose Tagle because “he looks like a nice guy and fun person.”Players’ selections determine the number of points they rake in. But what’s the jackpot?“Eternal glory,” joked Mauro Vanetti, who created the game when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-pneumonia-06324d49846f26a24acec1da5fc74ab2">Francis was hospitalized</a>&nbsp;earlier this year.Vanetti said he and his co-founder are against gambling, but they wanted to create something fun around the event.“It seems like in Italy there’s a certain inquisitiveness about the mechanisms of the Catholic hierarchy, but it’s a critical curiosity, a sarcastic and playful curiosity, so we were interested in this jesting spirit for such a solemn event,” Vanetti said. “In some ways it deflates the sacredness, in a nonaggressive way.”<h2>Some concerns about betting on a solemn event</h2>Beyond simply picking who the next pope will be, players and gamblers also can guess how many tries it will take the cardinals to choose the leader, which day of the week he’ll be elected, what new name he will decide on, or where his priorities will land on the progressive-conservative scale.While the game and some of the bets have a novel or fun nature, anti-gambling advocates have raised overall concerns about legal gaming and the growing popularity of wagering on all manner of events.A study published last fall found that 10% of young men in the U.S. show behavior that indicates a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-compulsive-gambling-addiction-d4d0b7a8465e5be0b451b115cab0fb15">gambling problem</a>, which is a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-brazil-crisis-e199e0ef30228c15fd25820b1a69a900">rising concern in other parts of the world, too.</a>And for gambling around the papacy in general, some have raised religious concerns. Catholic teaching doesn’t go so far as to call games of chance or wagers sinful, but its Catechism warns that “the passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement.”It says gambling becomes “morally unacceptable” if it gravely affects a person’s livelihood.___Hui reported from London. AP writers Giovanna Dell'Orto in Rome and Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.