WASHINGTON (AP) — His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;pick to lead the nation's health agencies. He's delivering speeches urging the president to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-marc-fogel-prisoner-swap-98418693957b1fa0189ee8ac4e8b4f2d">stand with longstanding foreign allies</a>&nbsp;and lobbying members of Congress while aides write letters and opinion columns.

This weekend,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Mike_Pence/status/1890887398461948057">he posted an article he penned more than a decade ago</a>&nbsp;on the limits of presidential power after&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114009179225169296">Trump claimed</a>&nbsp;that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;is emerging as one of the last Republicans in Washington willing to publicly criticize the new administration.

It's an especially jarring role for the former vice president, whose refusal to break with Trump defined their time together in office until the two had a falling out over Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-elections-voting-fraud-and-irregularities-2d39186996f69de245e59c966d4d140f">his efforts to remain in power</a>.

Pence and those who work with him at Advancing American Freedom, his political advocacy group, stress they are not looking to take on the “Never Trump" mantle. They intend to praise the administration when they agree with it, while raising concerns when they don't, advocating for longtime conservative principles that have fallen out of favor as Trump's “Make America Great Again” brand of populism has taken hold.

“We’re calling balls and strikes here,” Pence told The Associated Press.

Pence opposed Kennedy — who has since been confirmed as secretary of health and human services — due to Kennedy’s past comments voicing support for abortion rights. His group is now lobbying against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-labor-secretary-lori-chavez-deremer-decd9cff41794205bd06223f939f9e7b">Lori Chavez-DeRemer</a>, Trump's pick for labor secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AmericanFreedom/status/1889826692493091262">accusing her of being pro-union</a>, and plans to spend the coming months pushing to increase military spending, shrink the deficit, and make permanent 2017 tax cuts, as well as trying to convince Trump to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-reciprocal-imports-tax-trade-economy-54c0a26687dc96157d96229068894720">stop slapping tariffs</a>&nbsp;on allies.

The AP recently sat down with Pence to discuss his efforts and his relationship with Trump — including a closely watched handshake at the funeral of President Jimmy Carter and his wife's lack of reaction as the 45th and 47th president took his seat.

Here is a transcript of that conversation, which has been lightly edited for space and clarity:

Q: What do you see as your role and the role of AAF over the next four years?

Pence: “To be an anchor to windward ... I came across that line I think in a Herman Melville book a long time ago.”

“The wind blows in the direction of more government. And I think it’s a role of conservatives to anchor the party so that when the wind blows, you put the anchor to windward so you stay grounded and hopefully do some small part to hold, you know, hold the ship of state on the principles that really minted my career in this movement.”

“A strong defense, to American leadership of the free world, limited government, fiscal responsibility, growth, the right to life, traditional values — those were the values that drew me to the Republican Party. And I still think that they are the timeless ideals of the party of Lincoln. And so I want to do my part, even as a former elected official, to use whatever remains of my bully pulpit to be a champion for those principles.”

Pence: “Well, for me, it’s always principles first. It’s not personal. I went to the inauguration last month and I was very moved in the outpouring of kind words and expressions of appreciation from former colleagues, including many members of the new administration who I encountered in hallways. And I saw Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio. I gave him a hug, told him how proud I was of him. We had praised him from here when he was selected. I must have seen about or interacted with about half the incoming Cabinet."

“We went to the Carter funeral. And the president and I had a very cordial exchange. You know, he was coming down the row in front of us at the National Cathedral and he said, ‘Hi, Mike.’ And I was standing up, extended my hand, and I said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President.’ And I could see his countenance softened. And he said, ‘Thanks.’ And Melania reached out and I said, ‘Congratulations, Melania.’ And it was, you know, the people that know me know it’s not personal. I’ve long since forgiven the president for any differences that we had at the end of our administration. We still have those differences as the president still holds the view that, to my knowledge, that I had some authority that I did not have under the Constitution or laws of the country. But from my heart, I've prayed often for the president."

“And so, to answer your question, I think that the way we want to approach this is with integrity to principle. And I’m very encouraged. I think the Trump administration is off to a great start ... I’m very pleased about the president undoing Biden’s border policies and putting back into place the policies that we had negotiated and established that secured the border. But you know, with regard to the nomination of RFK ... for me, it would begin and end with the right to life ... I saw the nomination of an abortion rights supporter to be secretary of HHS to be a dramatic departure from 50 years of strong pro-life leadership at HHS under Republican administrations. So we thought it was important to speak out. And we got a lot of quiet encouragement about that."

“Well, we got a lot of quiet encouragement from people that, for whatever reason, didn't feel compelled to join us in that chorus. But I thought it was an important point for us to make. And, you know, we'll continue to be a champion."

Q: Why are Republicans so reluctant to speak out publicly?

Pence: “I never speculate on motives. You know, I’m not new to town. I’ve waged lonely battles before.”

“But you know, you have to be willing to step out and lead. And my hope is that even in the wake of this fight that, you know, the Senate has worked its will, the president will get his choice at HHS. My hope is that when the next issue of life comes up, that people will have been encouraged, emboldened to know that they’re not alone.”

Q: Is there support in the party for moving back in the direction that you'd like to see versus the populist, MAGA wing of the party that's ascendant?

Pence: “Well now you hit it. Now you're on it. I don’t think — look, I think some of the prominent voices in the party have embraced a more populist thinking. I don’t believe the overwhelming majority of people that ever vote Republican think any differently than they thought during our administration when we hewed to a conservative agenda or the years before or since."

"Let me give you one anecdote. So I'm at a town hall meeting when I’m running for president. And at the end of the town hall meeting — it was well-attended, it was in Iowa — a farmer walked up to me and he said, ‘It was a great town hall meeting. I agree with everything you say.’ You know, and I argued for — this was literally in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack. And I argued for strong American support for Israel, strong American leadership in the world, continued support for Ukraine in their fight and limited government and bringing about reforms to put our fiscal house in order and right to life.

And this farmer says to me, he said, ‘I agree with absolutely everything you said.’ So I said, ‘Well, can I count on your vote?’ And he said, ‘No, I got to be for Trump this time.’ And he goes, ‘But I’ll see you in four years. You’re going to be a great president someday.’ I said, ‘Would you mind telling me, you know, why?’ And he said words I never forgot, which was in effect: He lamented Biden’s failed record. And I saw that he was drawn to the need for a rematch. And then he said, ‘Plus, if they can do that to a former president, they can do that to me.’ And the ‘lawfare’ stuff went into higher relief.

“So I didn’t see in this last election a Republican Party that was embracing big government or a vision to pull back from America’s commitments on the world stage or marginalizing the right to life. I didn’t see that traveling all over the country and I still don’t see it. I think there were other factors that gave the former president a decided advantage in the election. He’d earned it. He’d won it. And then he won it in the fall. But I don’t think the party’s changed."

Q: You mentioned the Carter funeral earlier. Tell me about your wife's reaction to the Trumps that day.

(At the funeral, former second lady Karen Pence refused to acknowledge the then-president elect or shake Melania Trump’s hands — footage that ended up going viral online.)

Pence: “My wife loves her husband. And I love my wife and I have great respect for her. And so — but I’ve been really moved at how many people around the country have thanked us both for that day.

"But again, you know, I want to emphasize, we’re eyes forward here. You know, I’d always thought the president was going to come around on the position he took on Jan. 6. If you read the end of my book, which I’d be flattered if you did, you’ll read we actually parted on very amicable terms, very good terms. But in the spring, when he returned to the rhetoric about how I could have done something that neither the Constitution nor the law would ever permit any vice president to do, then I just decided it was important to go our separate ways. But hope springs eternal. And we want to be a constructive force for the conservative agenda. I think that’s good for the administration. It’s good for the Congress. More importantly, it’s good for America.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736435328583.png" alt="As Trump went to his seat before the Jimmy Carter memorial service began, he shook hands with Mike Pence in a rare interaction with his former vice president. The two men had a falling out over Pence’s refusal to help Trump overturn his election defeat to Biden four years ago. -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>As Trump went to his seat before the Jimmy Carter memorial service began, he shook hands with Mike Pence in a rare interaction with his former vice president. The two men had a falling out over Pence’s refusal to help Trump overturn his election defeat to Biden four years ago. -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — His group spent nearly $1 million on ads opposing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;pick to lead the nation's health agencies. He's delivering speeches urging the president to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-marc-fogel-prisoner-swap-98418693957b1fa0189ee8ac4e8b4f2d">stand with longstanding foreign allies</a>&nbsp;and lobbying members of Congress while aides write letters and opinion columns.This weekend,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Mike_Pence/status/1890887398461948057">he posted an article he penned more than a decade ago</a>&nbsp;on the limits of presidential power after&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114009179225169296">Trump claimed</a>&nbsp;that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;is emerging as one of the last Republicans in Washington willing to publicly criticize the new administration.It's an especially jarring role for the former vice president, whose refusal to break with Trump defined their time together in office until the two had a falling out over Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-elections-voting-fraud-and-irregularities-2d39186996f69de245e59c966d4d140f">his efforts to remain in power</a>.Pence and those who work with him at Advancing American Freedom, his political advocacy group, stress they are not looking to take on the “Never Trump" mantle. They intend to praise the administration when they agree with it, while raising concerns when they don't, advocating for longtime conservative principles that have fallen out of favor as Trump's “Make America Great Again” brand of populism has taken hold.“We’re calling balls and strikes here,” Pence told The Associated Press.Pence opposed Kennedy — who has since been confirmed as secretary of health and human services — due to Kennedy’s past comments voicing support for abortion rights. His group is now lobbying against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-labor-secretary-lori-chavez-deremer-decd9cff41794205bd06223f939f9e7b">Lori Chavez-DeRemer</a>, Trump's pick for labor secretary,&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AmericanFreedom/status/1889826692493091262">accusing her of being pro-union</a>, and plans to spend the coming months pushing to increase military spending, shrink the deficit, and make permanent 2017 tax cuts, as well as trying to convince Trump to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-reciprocal-imports-tax-trade-economy-54c0a26687dc96157d96229068894720">stop slapping tariffs</a>&nbsp;on allies.The AP recently sat down with Pence to discuss his efforts and his relationship with Trump — including a closely watched handshake at the funeral of President Jimmy Carter and his wife's lack of reaction as the 45th and 47th president took his seat.Here is a transcript of that conversation, which has been lightly edited for space and clarity:<h2>Q: What do you see as your role and the role of AAF over the next four years?</h2>Pence: “To be an anchor to windward ... I came across that line I think in a Herman Melville book a long time ago.”“The wind blows in the direction of more government. And I think it’s a role of conservatives to anchor the party so that when the wind blows, you put the anchor to windward so you stay grounded and hopefully do some small part to hold, you know, hold the ship of state on the principles that really minted my career in this movement.”“A strong defense, to American leadership of the free world, limited government, fiscal responsibility, growth, the right to life, traditional values — those were the values that drew me to the Republican Party. And I still think that they are the timeless ideals of the party of Lincoln. And so I want to do my part, even as a former elected official, to use whatever remains of my bully pulpit to be a champion for those principles.”<h2>Q: How are you picking your battles?</h2>Pence: “Well, for me, it’s always principles first. It’s not personal. I went to the inauguration last month and I was very moved in the outpouring of kind words and expressions of appreciation from former colleagues, including many members of the new administration who I encountered in hallways. And I saw Secretary of State (Marco) Rubio. I gave him a hug, told him how proud I was of him. We had praised him from here when he was selected. I must have seen about or interacted with about half the incoming Cabinet."“We went to the Carter funeral. And the president and I had a very cordial exchange. You know, he was coming down the row in front of us at the National Cathedral and he said, ‘Hi, Mike.’ And I was standing up, extended my hand, and I said, ‘Congratulations, Mr. President.’ And I could see his countenance softened. And he said, ‘Thanks.’ And Melania reached out and I said, ‘Congratulations, Melania.’ And it was, you know, the people that know me know it’s not personal. I’ve long since forgiven the president for any differences that we had at the end of our administration. We still have those differences as the president still holds the view that, to my knowledge, that I had some authority that I did not have under the Constitution or laws of the country. But from my heart, I've prayed often for the president."“And so, to answer your question, I think that the way we want to approach this is with integrity to principle. And I’m very encouraged. I think the Trump administration is off to a great start ... I’m very pleased about the president undoing Biden’s border policies and putting back into place the policies that we had negotiated and established that secured the border. But you know, with regard to the nomination of RFK ... for me, it would begin and end with the right to life ... I saw the nomination of an abortion rights supporter to be secretary of HHS to be a dramatic departure from 50 years of strong pro-life leadership at HHS under Republican administrations. So we thought it was important to speak out. And we got a lot of quiet encouragement about that."<h2>Q: Quiet encouragement?</h2>“Well, we got a lot of quiet encouragement from people that, for whatever reason, didn't feel compelled to join us in that chorus. But I thought it was an important point for us to make. And, you know, we'll continue to be a champion."<h2>Q: Why are Republicans so reluctant to speak out publicly?</h2>Pence: “I never speculate on motives. You know, I’m not new to town. I’ve waged lonely battles before.”“But you know, you have to be willing to step out and lead. And my hope is that even in the wake of this fight that, you know, the Senate has worked its will, the president will get his choice at HHS. My hope is that when the next issue of life comes up, that people will have been encouraged, emboldened to know that they’re not alone.”<h2>Q: Is there support in the party for moving back in the direction that you'd like to see versus the populist, MAGA wing of the party that's ascendant?</h2>Pence: “Well now you hit it. Now you're on it. I don’t think — look, I think some of the prominent voices in the party have embraced a more populist thinking. I don’t believe the overwhelming majority of people that ever vote Republican think any differently than they thought during our administration when we hewed to a conservative agenda or the years before or since.""Let me give you one anecdote. So I'm at a town hall meeting when I’m running for president. And at the end of the town hall meeting — it was well-attended, it was in Iowa — a farmer walked up to me and he said, ‘It was a great town hall meeting. I agree with everything you say.’ You know, and I argued for — this was literally in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack. And I argued for strong American support for Israel, strong American leadership in the world, continued support for Ukraine in their fight and limited government and bringing about reforms to put our fiscal house in order and right to life.And this farmer says to me, he said, ‘I agree with absolutely everything you said.’ So I said, ‘Well, can I count on your vote?’ And he said, ‘No, I got to be for Trump this time.’ And he goes, ‘But I’ll see you in four years. You’re going to be a great president someday.’ I said, ‘Would you mind telling me, you know, why?’ And he said words I never forgot, which was in effect: He lamented Biden’s failed record. And I saw that he was drawn to the need for a rematch. And then he said, ‘Plus, if they can do that to a former president, they can do that to me.’ And the ‘lawfare’ stuff went into higher relief.“So I didn’t see in this last election a Republican Party that was embracing big government or a vision to pull back from America’s commitments on the world stage or marginalizing the right to life. I didn’t see that traveling all over the country and I still don’t see it. I think there were other factors that gave the former president a decided advantage in the election. He’d earned it. He’d won it. And then he won it in the fall. But I don’t think the party’s changed."<h2>Q: You mentioned the Carter funeral earlier. Tell me about your wife's reaction to the Trumps that day.</h2>(At the funeral, former second lady Karen Pence refused to acknowledge the then-president elect or shake Melania Trump’s hands — footage that ended up going viral online.)Pence: “My wife loves her husband. And I love my wife and I have great respect for her. And so — but I’ve been really moved at how many people around the country have thanked us both for that day."But again, you know, I want to emphasize, we’re eyes forward here. You know, I’d always thought the president was going to come around on the position he took on Jan. 6. If you read the end of my book, which I’d be flattered if you did, you’ll read we actually parted on very amicable terms, very good terms. But in the spring, when he returned to the rhetoric about how I could have done something that neither the Constitution nor the law would ever permit any vice president to do, then I just decided it was important to go our separate ways. But hope springs eternal. And we want to be a constructive force for the conservative agenda. I think that’s good for the administration. It’s good for the Congress. More importantly, it’s good for America.”

Mike Pence is one of the few Republicans willing to challenge Trump 2.0

SALINE COUNTY —Police in Salina investigating a double-homicide have released the names of the two women who died as 64-year-old Rosalinda Reyna and&nbsp; 84-year-old Martha Velasquez Reyna, both of Salina, according to statement from Salina Police.&nbsp;The cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to police.

Just after 5:30p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 700 block of Vassar Drive in Salina, according to a media release.

First responders located the two women in the driveway of the home who were deceased.

Moments later, officers located the suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Preston James Reyna a couple blocks from the scene and took him into custody without incident.

Reyna, of Salina, is being held on requested charges that include two counts of 1st Degree Murder, 2 counts of Aggravated DV Battery, Aggravated Kidnapping, 2 counts of DV Battery, and DV Damage to Property.

Reyna has been listed as a Registered Offender since 2014 after a 2009 conviction in Saline County for second degree murder.&nbsp; According to the Associated Press, Reyna was to be evaluated at Larned State Hospital after he pleaded guilty to unintentional second-degree murder in death of Nicolas Chavez Castro. He beat Castro to death with a board.

During trial, Reyna's mother, Rosalinda Reyna, testified that on the day Castro was killed, she was trying to get someone to help her get her son to the Salina Regional Health Center. Prosecutors say Castro was killed because Reyna mistakenly believed he had kidnapped and raped his mother.&nbsp;Reyna has been previously been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739789789567.png" alt="Reyna photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Reyna photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Police in Salina investigating a double-homicide have released the names of the two women who died as 64-year-old Rosalinda Reyna and&nbsp; 84-year-old Martha Velasquez Reyna, both of Salina, according to statement from Salina Police.&nbsp;The cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to police.Just after 5:30p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a domestic disturbance at a home in the 700 block of Vassar Drive in Salina, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739792336312.png" alt="Police on the scene of the double-homicide -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the double-homicide -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>First responders located the two women in the driveway of the home who were deceased.Moments later, officers located the suspect, later identified as 35-year-old Preston James Reyna a couple blocks from the scene and took him into custody without incident.Reyna, of Salina, is being held on requested charges that include two counts of 1st Degree Murder, 2 counts of Aggravated DV Battery, Aggravated Kidnapping, 2 counts of DV Battery, and DV Damage to Property.Reyna has been listed as a Registered Offender since 2014 after a 2009 conviction in Saline County for second degree murder.&nbsp; According to the Associated Press, Reyna was to be evaluated at Larned State Hospital after he pleaded guilty to unintentional second-degree murder in death of Nicolas Chavez Castro. He beat Castro to death with a board.During trial, Reyna's mother, Rosalinda Reyna, testified that on the day Castro was killed, she was trying to get someone to help her get her son to the Salina Regional Health Center. Prosecutors say Castro was killed because Reyna mistakenly believed he had kidnapped and raped his mother.&nbsp;Reyna has been previously been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.

Homicide: Police ID two women found dead outside Salina home

SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement are investigating three suspects including a wanted Kansas felon on new allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 10:30 p.m. February 14, a K-9 Unit with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a black 1999 Acura TL passenger car near SW 11th Street and SW Prairie Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

During the investigation, the K-9 partner assisted and illegal narcotics were located.

Patricia L. Miller, 43, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for multiple arrest warrants and the following additional requested charges that include possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and Possession of drug paraphernalia. She has two previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Brian L. Kilburn, 47, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections (SNDOC) on requested&nbsp; charges of Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Driving while suspended.

Phillip J. Minton, 42, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges, Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and Possession of drug paraphernalia

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739891901505.png" alt="Kilburn photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Kilburn photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement are investigating three suspects including a wanted Kansas felon on new allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 10:30 p.m. February 14, a K-9 Unit with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on a black 1999 Acura TL passenger car near SW 11th Street and SW Prairie Road, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739891594860.png" alt="Miller photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Miller photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>During the investigation, the K-9 partner assisted and illegal narcotics were located.Patricia L. Miller, 43, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections for multiple arrest warrants and the following additional requested charges that include possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and Possession of drug paraphernalia. She has two previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.Brian L. Kilburn, 47, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections (SNDOC) on requested&nbsp; charges of Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of drug paraphernalia and Driving while suspended.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739893671924.png" alt="Minton photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Minton photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Phillip J. Minton, 42, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges, Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and Possession of drug paraphernalia

Wanted Kansas felon captured after Valentine's Day traffic stop

Bills target funding for vacant state jobs, launch new inquiries of food stamp fraud

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

TOPEKA — Cautionary warnings from Democratic Sen. Cindy Holscher about pitfalls of three budget-related bills didn’t soften resolve of Senate Republicans eager to pursue their vision of state government efficiency.

The GOP majority on the Senate Government Efficiency Committee voted last week to present the full Senate with bills deleting money for state jobs vacant more than 180 days, prohibiting state agencies from enhancing public assistance without legislative permission, and creating a new layer of state-coordinated investigation into food stamp fraud.

Holscher, of Overland Park, appeared the most skeptical about&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_sb85_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 85</a>, which directed the Kansas Department for Children and Families, or DCF, to redouble reviews of state and federal information to search for Kansas families trying to exploit the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program, has been one of the most effective U.S. anti-hunger programs since created in the 1960s.

“I have huge concerns with this bill,” Holscher said. “We’d be reverifying information that has already been verified. We are supposed to be working in the name of government efficiency, and this makes government bigger and adds more red tape.”

DCF’s fraud investigation office has more than a dozen investigators assigned to detecting, preventing and prosecuting welfare fraud in all public assistant programs, including those related to food, child care and medical assistance.

One estimate indicated addition of this new SNAP oversight program could cost the state $9 million to $10.5 million annually and require the hiring of 110 additional state personnel.

The federal government covers 100% of SNAP benefits to households, while the federal and state government share administrative costs. In 2023, SNAP benefitted 200,000 Kansans at a federal cost of more than $500 million.

Under the bill, information about DCF investigations and findings of noncompliance would be published quarterly on the state agency’s website.

Steven Greene, the Kansas-based lobbyist with Opportunity Solutions Project, urged the committee to continue tightening food stamp allocations.

Greene said it was essential Kansas require more frequent data cross-checks of food stamp enrollment against death, lottery and incarceration records as well as changes in residency.

“Kansas can strengthen its safety net and remove ineligible individuals, bringing the focus back to those with a true need,” he said. “When someone wins the lottery, they should no longer collect food stamps. And, when someone moves to another state, they should stop receiving benefits from that state.”

The Florida-based Opportunity Solutions Project is associated with conservative groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, Cato Institute and State Policy Network through affiliation with the Foundation for Government Accountability.

The GOP-led Senate committee endorsed&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_sb161_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 161</a>, which would mandate legislative approval prior to a state agency seeking or implementing any public assistance program created by the federal government that expanded eligibility in Kansas or cost to the state.

Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, said the bill would address complaints that state officials in the administration of Gov. Laura Kelly sought to press ahead with controversial reforms to programs for people with disabilities. Some disability advocates were distressed about potential changes to programs for intellectual or developmentally disabled Kansans and took their complaints to legislators.

“Changes were being proposed … without adequate input,” Thompson said.

The bill could interfere with state agencies trying to adjust services to comply with federal law. For example, Kansas’ $3.7 billion Medicaid program could be out of compliance with federal directives if it didn’t adjust payment rates in a timely manner, given that any net increase in cost without legislative consent would be blocked.

“This is going to create bottlenecks by adding more red tape, which does not feel very efficient,” Holscher said.

Opponent to the bill included the Alliance for Healthy Kansas, Disability Rights Center of Kansas, KanCare Advocates Network, Kansas Action for Children as well as of Harvesters Community Food Network, Kansas Food Bank and Second Harvest Community Food Bank.

The Senate committee approved&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_sb99_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 99</a>&nbsp;to strip state funding for full-time jobs still vacant after 180 days. On July 1, vacant positions would be kept on the books without a state appropriation attached. The Legislature or a council of state lawmakers that handled business when the House and Senate weren’t in session would decide whether to issue funding for each position.

Questions were raised about the bill because of difficulties Attorney General Kris Kobach has had in hiring attorneys. The committee debated but set aside an amendment from Sen. Larry Alley, R-Winfield, that attempted to help Kobach.

“I appreciate what you’re attempting to do,” said Sen. Michael Murphy, a Sylvia Republican. “As confused as we are … I’m afraid when the implementation comes it will be equally confusing, if not more so.”

Sen. Adam Thomas, the Olathe Republican who introduced the bill, said there was plenty of time to address flaws in the personnel legislation.

“The beauty of what we do is it doesn’t go from committee to the governor. We can amend it on the Senate floor,” Thomas said.

Holscher, who registered apprehension about this bill as well, said cutting off funding for vacancies didn’t help any state agency’s ability to fill vacancies.

“This potentially creates an even worse situation,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739818936527.png" alt=" Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, objected to a series of bills approved by the Senate Government Efficiency Committee that would force an potentially redundant search for food stamp fraud, strip funding for unfilled state government jobs and limit the ability of state agencies to comply with federal mandates. Here, Holscher chats with then-Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, in 2023 on the Senate floor. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, objected to a series of bills approved by the Senate Government Efficiency Committee that would force an potentially redundant search for food stamp fraud, strip funding for unfilled state government jobs and limit the ability of state agencies to comply with federal mandates. Here, Holscher chats with then-Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, in 2023 on the Senate floor. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Bills target funding for vacant state jobs, launch new inquiries of food stamp fraud</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Cautionary warnings from Democratic Sen. Cindy Holscher about pitfalls of three budget-related bills didn’t soften resolve of Senate Republicans eager to pursue their vision of state government efficiency.The GOP majority on the Senate Government Efficiency Committee voted last week to present the full Senate with bills deleting money for state jobs vacant more than 180 days, prohibiting state agencies from enhancing public assistance without legislative permission, and creating a new layer of state-coordinated investigation into food stamp fraud.Holscher, of Overland Park, appeared the most skeptical about&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_sb85_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 85</a>, which directed the Kansas Department for Children and Families, or DCF, to redouble reviews of state and federal information to search for Kansas families trying to exploit the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program, has been one of the most effective U.S. anti-hunger programs since created in the 1960s.“I have huge concerns with this bill,” Holscher said. “We’d be reverifying information that has already been verified. We are supposed to be working in the name of government efficiency, and this makes government bigger and adds more red tape.”DCF’s fraud investigation office has more than a dozen investigators assigned to detecting, preventing and prosecuting welfare fraud in all public assistant programs, including those related to food, child care and medical assistance.One estimate indicated addition of this new SNAP oversight program could cost the state $9 million to $10.5 million annually and require the hiring of 110 additional state personnel.<h2>‘True need’</h2>The federal government covers 100% of SNAP benefits to households, while the federal and state government share administrative costs. In 2023, SNAP benefitted 200,000 Kansans at a federal cost of more than $500 million.Under the bill, information about DCF investigations and findings of noncompliance would be published quarterly on the state agency’s website.Steven Greene, the Kansas-based lobbyist with Opportunity Solutions Project, urged the committee to continue tightening food stamp allocations.Greene said it was essential Kansas require more frequent data cross-checks of food stamp enrollment against death, lottery and incarceration records as well as changes in residency.“Kansas can strengthen its safety net and remove ineligible individuals, bringing the focus back to those with a true need,” he said. “When someone wins the lottery, they should no longer collect food stamps. And, when someone moves to another state, they should stop receiving benefits from that state.”The Florida-based Opportunity Solutions Project is associated with conservative groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council, Cato Institute and State Policy Network through affiliation with the Foundation for Government Accountability.<h2>Bottleneck, red tape?</h2>The GOP-led Senate committee endorsed&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_sb161_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 161</a>, which would mandate legislative approval prior to a state agency seeking or implementing any public assistance program created by the federal government that expanded eligibility in Kansas or cost to the state.Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, said the bill would address complaints that state officials in the administration of Gov. Laura Kelly sought to press ahead with controversial reforms to programs for people with disabilities. Some disability advocates were distressed about potential changes to programs for intellectual or developmentally disabled Kansans and took their complaints to legislators.“Changes were being proposed … without adequate input,” Thompson said.The bill could interfere with state agencies trying to adjust services to comply with federal law. For example, Kansas’ $3.7 billion Medicaid program could be out of compliance with federal directives if it didn’t adjust payment rates in a timely manner, given that any net increase in cost without legislative consent would be blocked.“This is going to create bottlenecks by adding more red tape, which does not feel very efficient,” Holscher said.Opponent to the bill included the Alliance for Healthy Kansas, Disability Rights Center of Kansas, KanCare Advocates Network, Kansas Action for Children as well as of Harvesters Community Food Network, Kansas Food Bank and Second Harvest Community Food Bank.<h2>Beauty of the process</h2>The Senate committee approved&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/supp_note_sb99_01_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Senate Bill 99</a>&nbsp;to strip state funding for full-time jobs still vacant after 180 days. On July 1, vacant positions would be kept on the books without a state appropriation attached. The Legislature or a council of state lawmakers that handled business when the House and Senate weren’t in session would decide whether to issue funding for each position.Questions were raised about the bill because of difficulties Attorney General Kris Kobach has had in hiring attorneys. The committee debated but set aside an amendment from Sen. Larry Alley, R-Winfield, that attempted to help Kobach.“I appreciate what you’re attempting to do,” said Sen. Michael Murphy, a Sylvia Republican. “As confused as we are … I’m afraid when the implementation comes it will be equally confusing, if not more so.”Sen. Adam Thomas, the Olathe Republican who introduced the bill, said there was plenty of time to address flaws in the personnel legislation.“The beauty of what we do is it doesn’t go from committee to the governor. We can amend it on the Senate floor,” Thomas said.Holscher, who registered apprehension about this bill as well, said cutting off funding for vacancies didn’t help any state agency’s ability to fill vacancies.“This potentially creates an even worse situation,” she said.

Kansas Senate’s efficiency committee embraces trio of bills aimed at state spending

TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Monday that Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that will allow KBI agents to work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to remove criminal illegal aliens from Kansas. 

Kansas is one of the first states in the nation to enter such an agreement.

“All across Kansas, illegal aliens who are dangerous criminals or gang members are released back to the streets on a regular basis. That will end. This agreement will ensure that those criminals are deported,” Kobach said.Under the terms of the agreement, a limited number of KBI agents will receive ICE training that authorizes the agents to arrest illegal aliens, to serve and execute warrants for some immigration violations, and to issue immigration detainers.Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes states and political subdivisions of a state to enter into such agreements.“The KBI is pleased to have another tool at our disposal to get known criminal offenders out of our communities,” KBI Director Tony Mattivi said. “This agreement will not shift KBI investigative priorities but will allow us to more swiftly achieve justice in cases in which the KBI currently focuses – major violent crimes, crimes committed against children, and targeting drug trafficking organizations.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1738002670796.png" alt="Photo Homeland Security-ICE" />
 <figcaption>Photo Homeland Security-ICE</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Monday that Attorney General’s Office and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that will allow KBI agents to work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to remove criminal illegal aliens from Kansas. Kansas is one of the first states in the nation to enter such an agreement.“All across Kansas, illegal aliens who are dangerous criminals or gang members are released back to the streets on a regular basis. That will end. This agreement will ensure that those criminals are deported,” Kobach said.Under the terms of the agreement, a limited number of KBI agents will receive ICE training that authorizes the agents to arrest illegal aliens, to serve and execute warrants for some immigration violations, and to issue immigration detainers.Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes states and political subdivisions of a state to enter into such agreements.“The KBI is pleased to have another tool at our disposal to get known criminal offenders out of our communities,” KBI Director Tony Mattivi said. “This agreement will not shift KBI investigative priorities but will allow us to more swiftly achieve justice in cases in which the KBI currently focuses – major violent crimes, crimes committed against children, and targeting drug trafficking organizations.”

KBI partners with feds to remove criminal illegal aliens from Kansas

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 46-year-old Keevon U. Mitchell, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Just after 11:30a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched a report of a vehicle accident in the area of 56th and Woodland in Kansas City.

The call was upgraded to a shooting. As officers arrived they located Mitchell inside of a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound.

Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS. Emergency medical personnel pronounced Mitchell deceased on scene.This is being investigated as a homicide.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or suspect details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739759041991.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 46-year-old Keevon U. Mitchell, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.Just after 11:30a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched a report of a vehicle accident in the area of 56th and Woodland in Kansas City.The call was upgraded to a shooting. As officers arrived they located Mitchell inside of a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound.Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS. Emergency medical personnel pronounced Mitchell deceased on scene.This is being investigated as a homicide.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or suspect details.

Police: Victim in weekend KC homicide a 46-year-old man

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-russia-war-putin-zelenskyy-europe-7940f9c5828fc46431928bc073170bc2">war in Ukraine</a>&nbsp;— talks that reflected a major and rapid change in American foreign policy under President Donald Trump.

No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-pokrovsk-d33999044aea4cf2173cbcf294bd8843">slowly but steadily losing ground</a>&nbsp;against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country won’t accept any outcome from this week's talks if Kyiv doesn't take part. European allies have also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-russia-war-putin-zelenskyy-europe-7940f9c5828fc46431928bc073170bc2">expressed concerns</a>&nbsp;they are being sidelined.

Beyond Ukraine, the meeting — attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other senior officials — had been expected to focus on thawing relations between the two countries, whose ties have fallen to their lowest level in decades.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the meeting, Rubio said the two side agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.

Both embassies have been hit hard by expulsions of large numbers of diplomats over the course of several years as relations soured and the U.S., along with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia. The allies have repeatedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-russia-ukraine-trump-6501850b84c460824a722a233d46c4e6">expanded the measures</a>&nbsp;to damage its economy.

“Should this conflict come to an acceptable end, the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians geopolitically on issues of common interest and frankly, economically on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term,” Rubio said.

His remarks were further evidence of the remarkable U.S. reversal on Russia after years in which Trump’s predecessor led international efforts to isolate Moscow.

Tuesday's meeting was meant to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the talks wrapped, Putin’s foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, told Russia’s Channel One that no date has been set yet for that summit but that it was “unlikely” to take place next week.

Ushakov’s remarks suggested the two sides made little progress. Russia and the United States agreed to “take each other’s interests into account” and advance their relations. He added that it was “hard to say” that the two countries’ positions “are getting closer, but there was talk about it.”

Previously, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the talks would be primarily focused on “restoring the entire range of U.S.-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce has said the meeting was aimed at determining how serious the Russians are about wanting peace and whether detailed negotiations can be started.

Concerns from allies they are being sidelined

The recent U.S. diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Ukraine and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won’t be favorable to them.

Kyiv's absence at Tuesday's talks has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-peace-talks-trump-reaction-a3135cb1dfecc7dbcde663d3bb512e77">rankled many Ukrainians</a>, and France called an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eu-europe-ukraine-nato-security-summit-trump-060c8661c59f8f75b96711d3889ce559">emergency meeting</a>&nbsp;of European Union countries and the U.K. on Monday to discuss the war.

Bruce has said that even though Ukraine will not be at the table Tuesday, any actual peace negotiations will include the country. Kyiv’s participation in such talks was a bedrock of U.S. policy under Joe Biden, whose administration also led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-trump-putin-ukraine-war-32f3b815693df3485b086e647d2e26f7">international efforts to isolate Russia</a>&nbsp;over the war.

White House officials have also pushed back against the notion that Europe has been left out of the conversation, noting that administration officials have spoken to several leaders.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he spoke by phone to Trump and Zelenskyy following the meeting he called in Paris.

“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Macron wrote on social media platform X. “To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” he said and vowed to “work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians.”

Peskov on Tuesday said that Putin has repeatedly expressed readiness for peace talks, and noted that a durable settlement of the conflict in Ukraine would be impossible without “a comprehensive consideration of security issues” in Europe.

The meeting at the Diriyah Palace in the Saudi capital of Riyadh also highlights de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to be a major diplomatic player, burnishing a reputation severely tarnished by the 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/33223f5934d04756836ca393a805ebea">killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi</a>.

Saudi state media described the talks as happening at the prince’s direction. Like the neighboring United Arab Emirates, the prince has maintained close relations to Russia throughout its war on Ukraine, both through the OPEC+ oil cartel and diplomatically as well.

Saudi Arabia has also helped in prisoner negotiations and hosted Zelenskyy for an Arab League summit in 2023. Zelenskyy said he would travel to the kingdom later this week.

Rubio was accompanied by U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov sat next to the Kremlin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaed al Alban joined Rubio, Lavrov and others for the start of the meeting but were expected to leave early in the talks.

Ahead of the talks, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund who the Kremlin said might join, underscored the importance of the meeting.

“Good U.S.-Russia relations are very important for the whole world. Only jointly can Russia and the U.S. address lots of world problems, resolve for global conflicts and offer solutions,” Dmitriev, who said he and his team would focus on economic issues at the talks, told the AP.

The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-russia-ukraine-g20-blinken-lavrov-1af60a2c2918e9c0777b33b3e71bd54b">talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20</a>&nbsp;meeting in India nearly two years ago, and in the fall of 2022, U.S. and Russian spymasters met in Turkey amid Washington’s concerns that Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons amid battlefield setbacks.

Meanwhile, Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with drones, according to Kyiv's military. The Ukrainian air force said Russian troops launched a barrage of 176 drones at Ukraine overnight, most of which were destroyed or disabled by jamming.

One Russian drone struck a residential building in Dolynska in the Kirovohrad region, wounding a mother and her two children and prompting an evacuation of 38 apartments, the regional administration reported. Four more residential buildings were damaged by drone debris in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, according to local officials.

Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739876989638.png" alt="Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the table in Riyadh- image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the table in Riyadh- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The top diplomats from Russia and the U.S. met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-russia-war-putin-zelenskyy-europe-7940f9c5828fc46431928bc073170bc2">war in Ukraine</a>&nbsp;— talks that reflected a major and rapid change in American foreign policy under President Donald Trump.No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which came as the beleaguered country is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-pokrovsk-d33999044aea4cf2173cbcf294bd8843">slowly but steadily losing ground</a>&nbsp;against more numerous Russian troops in a grinding war that began nearly three years ago. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country won’t accept any outcome from this week's talks if Kyiv doesn't take part. European allies have also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-russia-war-putin-zelenskyy-europe-7940f9c5828fc46431928bc073170bc2">expressed concerns</a>&nbsp;they are being sidelined.Beyond Ukraine, the meeting — attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other senior officials — had been expected to focus on thawing relations between the two countries, whose ties have fallen to their lowest level in decades.<h2>Improving Russian-US relations</h2>In an interview with The Associated Press after the meeting, Rubio said the two side agreed broadly to pursue three goals: to restore staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow, to create a high-level team to support Ukraine peace talks, and to explore closer relations and economic cooperation.Both embassies have been hit hard by expulsions of large numbers of diplomats over the course of several years as relations soured and the U.S., along with European nations, imposed a raft of sanctions on Russia. The allies have repeatedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-russia-ukraine-trump-6501850b84c460824a722a233d46c4e6">expanded the measures</a>&nbsp;to damage its economy.“Should this conflict come to an acceptable end, the incredible opportunities that exist to partner with the Russians geopolitically on issues of common interest and frankly, economically on issues that hopefully will be good for the world and also improve our relations in the long term,” Rubio said.His remarks were further evidence of the remarkable U.S. reversal on Russia after years in which Trump’s predecessor led international efforts to isolate Moscow.Tuesday's meeting was meant to pave the way for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. After the talks wrapped, Putin’s foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, told Russia’s Channel One that no date has been set yet for that summit but that it was “unlikely” to take place next week.Ushakov’s remarks suggested the two sides made little progress. Russia and the United States agreed to “take each other’s interests into account” and advance their relations. He added that it was “hard to say” that the two countries’ positions “are getting closer, but there was talk about it.”Previously, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the talks would be primarily focused on “restoring the entire range of U.S.-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce has said the meeting was aimed at determining how serious the Russians are about wanting peace and whether detailed negotiations can be started.<h2>Concerns from allies they are being sidelined</h2>The recent U.S. diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Ukraine and key allies scrambling to ensure a seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won’t be favorable to them.Kyiv's absence at Tuesday's talks has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-peace-talks-trump-reaction-a3135cb1dfecc7dbcde663d3bb512e77">rankled many Ukrainians</a>, and France called an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eu-europe-ukraine-nato-security-summit-trump-060c8661c59f8f75b96711d3889ce559">emergency meeting</a>&nbsp;of European Union countries and the U.K. on Monday to discuss the war.Bruce has said that even though Ukraine will not be at the table Tuesday, any actual peace negotiations will include the country. Kyiv’s participation in such talks was a bedrock of U.S. policy under Joe Biden, whose administration also led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-trump-putin-ukraine-war-32f3b815693df3485b086e647d2e26f7">international efforts to isolate Russia</a>&nbsp;over the war.White House officials have also pushed back against the notion that Europe has been left out of the conversation, noting that administration officials have spoken to several leaders.French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said he spoke by phone to Trump and Zelenskyy following the meeting he called in Paris.“We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Macron wrote on social media platform X. “To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians,” he said and vowed to “work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians.”Peskov on Tuesday said that Putin has repeatedly expressed readiness for peace talks, and noted that a durable settlement of the conflict in Ukraine would be impossible without “a comprehensive consideration of security issues” in Europe.<h2>Saudi Arabia's role</h2>The meeting at the Diriyah Palace in the Saudi capital of Riyadh also highlights de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to be a major diplomatic player, burnishing a reputation severely tarnished by the 2018&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/33223f5934d04756836ca393a805ebea">killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi</a>.Saudi state media described the talks as happening at the prince’s direction. Like the neighboring United Arab Emirates, the prince has maintained close relations to Russia throughout its war on Ukraine, both through the OPEC+ oil cartel and diplomatically as well.Saudi Arabia has also helped in prisoner negotiations and hosted Zelenskyy for an Arab League summit in 2023. Zelenskyy said he would travel to the kingdom later this week.Rubio was accompanied by U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff, while Lavrov sat next to the Kremlin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaed al Alban joined Rubio, Lavrov and others for the start of the meeting but were expected to leave early in the talks.Ahead of the talks, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund who the Kremlin said might join, underscored the importance of the meeting.“Good U.S.-Russia relations are very important for the whole world. Only jointly can Russia and the U.S. address lots of world problems, resolve for global conflicts and offer solutions,” Dmitriev, who said he and his team would focus on economic issues at the talks, told the AP.The meeting marked the most extensive contact between the two countries since Moscow's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Lavrov and then-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-russia-ukraine-g20-blinken-lavrov-1af60a2c2918e9c0777b33b3e71bd54b">talked briefly on the sidelines of a G-20</a>&nbsp;meeting in India nearly two years ago, and in the fall of 2022, U.S. and Russian spymasters met in Turkey amid Washington’s concerns that Moscow could resort to nuclear weapons amid battlefield setbacks.<h2>War continues</h2>Meanwhile, Russia continued to pummel Ukraine with drones, according to Kyiv's military. The Ukrainian air force said Russian troops launched a barrage of 176 drones at Ukraine overnight, most of which were destroyed or disabled by jamming.One Russian drone struck a residential building in Dolynska in the Kirovohrad region, wounding a mother and her two children and prompting an evacuation of 38 apartments, the regional administration reported. Four more residential buildings were damaged by drone debris in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, according to local officials.___Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

US and Russian officials discuss ending Ukraine war -without Ukraine

CASS COUNTY, Neb. —The Nebraska State Patrol announced Monday that Trooper Kyle McAcy #302 was killed in the line of duty in a traffic crash on Interstate 80.

Preliminary investigation shows that Trooper McAcy was responding with other troopers to a crash on Interstate 80 near mile marker 424, between Ashland and Greenwood. During that response, Trooper McAcy was outside his patrol unit and was struck by a snowplow.

Troopers immediately rushed to his aid, but Trooper McAcy succumbed to his injuries on scene. The Nebraska State Patrol has asked the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the crash investigation. Trooper McAcy’s family has been notified and NSP personnel are providing support at this time.

“Our NSP family is devastated today,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Kyle was a dedicated trooper, a devoted public servant, and most importantly a good friend to many in Omaha and beyond. His loss is being felt by countless people. Please keep his family, friends, colleagues, and community in your hearts as they deal with this unimaginable loss.”

Trooper McAcy, 31, was a ten-year veteran of the Nebraska State Patrol. He was a graduate of Camp 56 and wore badge #302. Trooper McAcy has served in the Patrol Division, Carrier Enforcement, and as a Crisis Negotiator. He was stationed in Omaha.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739823420144.png" alt="Portions of I-80 were closed between mile markers 420 and 426 after the crash-photo courtesy KETV" />
 <figcaption>Portions of I-80 were closed between mile markers 420 and 426 after the crash-photo courtesy KETV</figcaption>
 </figure>CASS COUNTY, Neb. —The Nebraska State Patrol announced Monday that Trooper Kyle McAcy #302 was killed in the line of duty in a traffic crash on Interstate 80.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739843479943.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Preliminary investigation shows that Trooper McAcy was responding with other troopers to a crash on Interstate 80 near mile marker 424, between Ashland and Greenwood. During that response, Trooper McAcy was outside his patrol unit and was struck by a snowplow.Troopers immediately rushed to his aid, but Trooper McAcy succumbed to his injuries on scene. The Nebraska State Patrol has asked the Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office to conduct the crash investigation. Trooper McAcy’s family has been notified and NSP personnel are providing support at this time.“Our NSP family is devastated today,” said Colonel John Bolduc, Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol. “Kyle was a dedicated trooper, a devoted public servant, and most importantly a good friend to many in Omaha and beyond. His loss is being felt by countless people. Please keep his family, friends, colleagues, and community in your hearts as they deal with this unimaginable loss.”Trooper McAcy, 31, was a ten-year veteran of the Nebraska State Patrol. He was a graduate of Camp 56 and wore badge #302. Trooper McAcy has served in the Patrol Division, Carrier Enforcement, and as a Crisis Negotiator. He was stationed in Omaha.

Patrol IDs Trooper killed after struck by a snow plow

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday questioned the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency but was skeptical of a request to block DOGE from accessing sensitive data and firing employees at half a dozen federal agencies.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan held a hearing on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-musk-trump-lawsuit-states-fbb9695bcffaa96470752d56da20da57">a request from 14 states</a>&nbsp;for a temporary restraining order seeking to curtail Musk’s power in President Donald Trump’s quest to downsize the federal government. Chutkan said she would rule within 24 hours.

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-secrecy-68a66370cbc67c457e0a1c6edb08c5ef">appointed Musk</a>&nbsp;to lead DOGE in a push to slash the federal workforce and reduce or end disfavored programs. The administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-firing-probation-workforce-buyouts-layoffs-doge-159a6de411622c2eb651016b1e99da37">dismissed probationary employees</a>&nbsp;and Trump in an executive order told agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions.”

Democratic attorneys general from 14 states had filed a lawsuit challenging what they called Musk’s “unchecked power.” The states are seeking to block DOGE from firing employees and accessing data at the federal Office of Personnel Management along with six federal agencies that oversee health and human services, education, energy, transportation, labor, and commerce.

During the hourlong hearing held over Zoom, Chutkan said she didn’t think the states had shown necessary evidence of imminent harm to merit court intervention at this stage.

The attorneys general argued that Musk’s actions at the helm of DOGE can only be taken by a nominated and Senate-confirmed official under the Constitution. They also said citizens have concerns about the secure handling of sensitive information. The federal government countered that DOGE is acting in an advisory role, they don’t need Senate confirmation to access data, and that the states hadn’t shown Musk’s hunt for waste and fraud had harmed them.

“Nowhere have my friends offered a shred of anything, nor could they, to show that Elon Musk has any formal or actual authority to make any government decision himself,” Justice Department lawyer Harry Graver said.

The judge appeared to question that assertion.

“I think you stretch too far. I disagree with you there,” Chutkan replied but added that was what the merits of the case were about.

While Chutkan seemed skeptical if a temporary restraining order was merited, she seemed sympathetic to some of the states’ claims

“One of the challenges in plaintiff’s motion is that this is essentially a private citizen directing an organization that’s not a federal agency to have access to the entire workings of the federal government, fire, hire, slash, contract, terminate programs all without apparently any congressional oversight,” the judge said in describing the states’ claim.

She noted that DOGE doesn’t seem to be moving in any kind of orderly or predictable fashion, making it difficult for states to know what is coming next. Chutkan asked for the Justice Department to submit information about past and upcoming employment terminations.

“DOGE’s actions in this arena have been very unpredictable and scattershot, and I have no idea whether that is by design or simply by virtue of the scope of their remit,” Chutkan said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739451959798.png" alt="File photo Elon Musk during a press conference in the Oval Office last week -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo Elon Musk during a press conference in the Oval Office last week -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday questioned the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency but was skeptical of a request to block DOGE from accessing sensitive data and firing employees at half a dozen federal agencies.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan held a hearing on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-musk-trump-lawsuit-states-fbb9695bcffaa96470752d56da20da57">a request from 14 states</a>&nbsp;for a temporary restraining order seeking to curtail Musk’s power in President Donald Trump’s quest to downsize the federal government. Chutkan said she would rule within 24 hours.Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-secrecy-68a66370cbc67c457e0a1c6edb08c5ef">appointed Musk</a>&nbsp;to lead DOGE in a push to slash the federal workforce and reduce or end disfavored programs. The administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-firing-probation-workforce-buyouts-layoffs-doge-159a6de411622c2eb651016b1e99da37">dismissed probationary employees</a>&nbsp;and Trump in an executive order told agency leaders to plan for “large-scale reductions.”Democratic attorneys general from 14 states had filed a lawsuit challenging what they called Musk’s “unchecked power.” The states are seeking to block DOGE from firing employees and accessing data at the federal Office of Personnel Management along with six federal agencies that oversee health and human services, education, energy, transportation, labor, and commerce.During the hourlong hearing held over Zoom, Chutkan said she didn’t think the states had shown necessary evidence of imminent harm to merit court intervention at this stage.The attorneys general argued that Musk’s actions at the helm of DOGE can only be taken by a nominated and Senate-confirmed official under the Constitution. They also said citizens have concerns about the secure handling of sensitive information. The federal government countered that DOGE is acting in an advisory role, they don’t need Senate confirmation to access data, and that the states hadn’t shown Musk’s hunt for waste and fraud had harmed them.“Nowhere have my friends offered a shred of anything, nor could they, to show that Elon Musk has any formal or actual authority to make any government decision himself,” Justice Department lawyer Harry Graver said.The judge appeared to question that assertion.“I think you stretch too far. I disagree with you there,” Chutkan replied but added that was what the merits of the case were about.While Chutkan seemed skeptical if a temporary restraining order was merited, she seemed sympathetic to some of the states’ claims“One of the challenges in plaintiff’s motion is that this is essentially a private citizen directing an organization that’s not a federal agency to have access to the entire workings of the federal government, fire, hire, slash, contract, terminate programs all without apparently any congressional oversight,” the judge said in describing the states’ claim.She noted that DOGE doesn’t seem to be moving in any kind of orderly or predictable fashion, making it difficult for states to know what is coming next. Chutkan asked for the Justice Department to submit information about past and upcoming employment terminations.“DOGE’s actions in this arena have been very unpredictable and scattershot, and I have no idea whether that is by design or simply by virtue of the scope of their remit,” Chutkan said.

Judge set to rule on effort to block DOGE from assessing data, firing federal employees

KANSAS CITY– Employees with the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service are among three defendants who have been indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing and cashing a U.S. Treasury check, according to the United State's Attorney.

Sierra S. McCall, 31, of Independence, Mo., Jalen Koonce, 31, of Raytown, Mo., and Julian A. King, 31, address unknown, were charged in a three-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Feb. 6. The indictment was unsealed and made public following Koonce’s arrest and initial court appearance on Friday, Feb. 7.

McCall is employed by the IRS as a customer contact representative. Koonce is employed by the U.S. Postal Service at the sorting facility where government checks are processed.

The federal indictment charges McCall, Koonce, and King together in one count of the theft of government property. The indictment alleges they aided and abetted each other to steal and cash a $72,236 U.S. Treasury check on Aug. 9, 2023.

The indictment also charges Koonce and King each with one count of money laundering related to financial transactions on Aug. 9, 2023, that involved the proceeds of the theft of government property.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.

KANSAS CITY– Employees with the IRS and the U.S. Postal Service are among three defendants who have been indicted by a federal grand jury for stealing and cashing a U.S. Treasury check, according to the United State's Attorney.Sierra S. McCall, 31, of Independence, Mo., Jalen Koonce, 31, of Raytown, Mo., and Julian A. King, 31, address unknown, were charged in a three-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Feb. 6. The indictment was unsealed and made public following Koonce’s arrest and initial court appearance on Friday, Feb. 7.McCall is employed by the IRS as a customer contact representative. Koonce is employed by the U.S. Postal Service at the sorting facility where government checks are processed.The federal indictment charges McCall, Koonce, and King together in one count of the theft of government property. The indictment alleges they aided and abetted each other to steal and cash a $72,236 U.S. Treasury check on Aug. 9, 2023.The indictment also charges Koonce and King each with one count of money laundering related to financial transactions on Aug. 9, 2023, that involved the proceeds of the theft of government property.The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul S. Becker. It was investigated by Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.

IRS, KC postal employees accused of stealing U.S. Treasury check

BUTLER COUNTY —Six people were injured in an accident just after 2:30p.m. Monday in Butler County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford Explorer driven by Braden&nbsp;Kirkpatrick, 28, Benton, was northbound on Southwest Adams Road three miles west of Benton

When crossing westbound traffic on Kansas 254, the driver failed to yield to westbound traffic at the well marked yield sign in the intersection.

A westbound 2007 Honda Pilot driven by John&nbsp;Arnaldi, 45, Haysville, struck the Ford.&nbsp;

EMS transported&nbsp;Kirkpatrick, a 6-year-old girl and 10-month-old girl in the Ford to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; EMS also transported Arnaldi and passengers in the Honda 42-year-old Raven&nbsp;Haule and 16-year-old&nbsp; &nbsp;Isabella&nbsp; Cook, both of Haysville, to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; The 6-year-old girl in the Ford was not in a child safety seat, according to the KHP.

BUTLER COUNTY —Six people were injured in an accident just after 2:30p.m. Monday in Butler County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford Explorer driven by Braden&nbsp;Kirkpatrick, 28, Benton, was northbound on Southwest Adams Road three miles west of BentonWhen crossing westbound traffic on Kansas 254, the driver failed to yield to westbound traffic at the well marked yield sign in the intersection.A westbound 2007 Honda Pilot driven by John&nbsp;Arnaldi, 45, Haysville, struck the Ford.&nbsp;EMS transported&nbsp;Kirkpatrick, a 6-year-old girl and 10-month-old girl in the Ford to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; EMS also transported Arnaldi and passengers in the Honda 42-year-old Raven&nbsp;Haule and 16-year-old&nbsp; &nbsp;Isabella&nbsp; Cook, both of Haysville, to Wesley Medical Center.&nbsp; The 6-year-old girl in the Ford was not in a child safety seat, according to the KHP.

3 Kan. adults, 3 children hospitalized after SUVs collide 

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man accused in a fatal crash that left passenger dead made a court appearance last week.

Charles Smith Jr. 30, man was charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, DUI causing great bodily harm and driving while suspended, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after 2:30a.m. December 14, police were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in the 1700 block of S. Mosley in Wichita, according to a media release.

First responders located a white 4-door sedan that had collided with multiple trees.&nbsp; Lanashia Clay, 22, from Wichita was seated in the front passenger seat and was pronounced deceased at the scene despite life-saving efforts.

A 25-year-old woman from Wichita was the rear seat passenger. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries.

The 30-year-old driver later identified as Smith was also transported to a local hospital for treatment. After being medically cleared, he was taken into custody on requested charges of&nbsp;Involuntary Manslaughter, Aggravated Battery-DUI, and Driving after suspended.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Preliminary investigation indicated that alcohol and drugs were suspected to be contributing factors in the crash, according to police. Smith is no longer in custody. He is due back in court Feb. 20, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1734260889156.png" alt="Smith photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Smith photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man accused in a fatal crash that left passenger dead made a court appearance last week.Charles Smith Jr. 30, man was charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated battery, DUI causing great bodily harm and driving while suspended, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Just after 2:30a.m. December 14, police were dispatched to a single-vehicle crash in the 1700 block of S. Mosley in Wichita, according to a media release.First responders located a white 4-door sedan that had collided with multiple trees.&nbsp; Lanashia Clay, 22, from Wichita was seated in the front passenger seat and was pronounced deceased at the scene despite life-saving efforts.A 25-year-old woman from Wichita was the rear seat passenger. She was transported to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries.The 30-year-old driver later identified as Smith was also transported to a local hospital for treatment. After being medically cleared, he was taken into custody on requested charges of&nbsp;Involuntary Manslaughter, Aggravated Battery-DUI, and Driving after suspended.&nbsp;&nbsp;Preliminary investigation indicated that alcohol and drugs were suspected to be contributing factors in the crash, according to police. Smith is no longer in custody. He is due back in court Feb. 20, according to the district attorney's office.

Driver in crash that left Kan. woman dead made court appearance

MOSCOW (AP) —Russia has freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a U.S. official.

The move appears to be an effort to ease tensions between Moscow and Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-saudi-talks-0c7f21c2125c97fd0a1f6459eebeb65b">ahead of talks</a>&nbsp;in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Kalob Byers, 28, was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage. According to media reports, Byers had traveled from Istanbul with his Russian fiancee, who was also detained. The authorities said he had attempted to smuggle a “significant amount” of drugs into the country and put him in custody on the charges of drug smuggling, punishable by a prison term of up to 10 years.

Byers has been released from custody and is in the U.S. embassy in Moscow where he is awaiting a flight home, Russian independent news outlet Meduza reported Monday, citing a Facebook post by his parents. A U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press that Byers was released to the embassy late on Sunday evening. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive matters.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday in response to a question about Byers that Moscow expects “to discuss restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations” at the talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, “so certain events can be viewed in this context.”

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Byers’ fiancee was also released. Russian media reports identified her as Naida Mambetova and said she was placed in pre-trial detention on the same charges.

Arrests of American nationals in Russia have become increasingly common in recent years, with relations between Moscow and Washington sinking to Cold War lows over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">war in Ukraine</a>. Some have been released in prisoner exchanges. The most recent one included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-20ab40d17f8a9b4abf9b3498da979859">Marc Fogel, a teacher from Pennsylvania</a>&nbsp;imprisoned in Russia on charges similar to those Byers had faced.

Fogel was detained in 2021 when traveling to Russia to work at a school and handed a 14-year sentence for having what his family and supporters said was medically prescribed marijuana. He was released and brought back to the U.S. earlier this month in a swap that saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-prisoner-swap-fogel-vinnik-99c8ba8ab8ac31dc017148c7a94f9685">Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert</a>&nbsp;who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the U.S., returned to Russia.

The release of Fogel and Byers come as tensions between Russia and the U.S. appear to ease.

President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia, saying he and Russia’s President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the conflict following a lengthy direct phone call.

MOSCOW (AP) —Russia has freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a U.S. official.The move appears to be an effort to ease tensions between Moscow and Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-saudi-talks-0c7f21c2125c97fd0a1f6459eebeb65b">ahead of talks</a>&nbsp;in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.Kalob Byers, 28, was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage. According to media reports, Byers had traveled from Istanbul with his Russian fiancee, who was also detained. The authorities said he had attempted to smuggle a “significant amount” of drugs into the country and put him in custody on the charges of drug smuggling, punishable by a prison term of up to 10 years.Byers has been released from custody and is in the U.S. embassy in Moscow where he is awaiting a flight home, Russian independent news outlet Meduza reported Monday, citing a Facebook post by his parents. A U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press that Byers was released to the embassy late on Sunday evening. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive matters.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday in response to a question about Byers that Moscow expects “to discuss restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations” at the talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, “so certain events can be viewed in this context.”It wasn’t immediately clear whether Byers’ fiancee was also released. Russian media reports identified her as Naida Mambetova and said she was placed in pre-trial detention on the same charges.Arrests of American nationals in Russia have become increasingly common in recent years, with relations between Moscow and Washington sinking to Cold War lows over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">war in Ukraine</a>. Some have been released in prisoner exchanges. The most recent one included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-20ab40d17f8a9b4abf9b3498da979859">Marc Fogel, a teacher from Pennsylvania</a>&nbsp;imprisoned in Russia on charges similar to those Byers had faced.Fogel was detained in 2021 when traveling to Russia to work at a school and handed a 14-year sentence for having what his family and supporters said was medically prescribed marijuana. He was released and brought back to the U.S. earlier this month in a swap that saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-prisoner-swap-fogel-vinnik-99c8ba8ab8ac31dc017148c7a94f9685">Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert</a>&nbsp;who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the U.S., returned to Russia.The release of Fogel and Byers come as tensions between Russia and the U.S. appear to ease.President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia, saying he and Russia’s President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the conflict following a lengthy direct phone call.—

American jailed in Moscow on drug charges is freed ahead of Russia-US talks

TORONTO (AP) — A Delta Airlines plane flipped upon arrival at Toronto’s Pearson Airport and ended up on its roof Monday, injuring 19 people including three who are in critical condition.

The airport confirmed on X that an “incident” occurred with the Delta flight from Minneapolis and that 76 passengers and four crew are accounted for. Delta said in a statement the accident happened at 3:30 p.m.

Video from the scene shows the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR upside down on the snowy tarmac as emergency workers hose it down. The plane was somewhat obscured by snow from a winter storm that hit Toronto over the weekend.

Ornge air ambulance said it was transporting one pediatric patient to Toronto’s SickKids hospital and two adults with critical injuries to other hospitals in the city.

“Emergency teams are responding,” the airport said in a post on the social platform X. “All passengers and crew are accounted for.”

It is too early to say what caused the plane to flip but weather may have played a factor. According to the Meteorological Service of Canada, the airport was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32 mph (51 kph) gusting to 40 mph (65 kph). The temperature was about 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit (-8.6 Celsius).

"It’s very rare to see something like this,” said John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida. “We’ve seen a couple of cases of takeoffs where airplanes have ended up inverted, but it’s pretty rare.”

Cox, who flew for U.S. Air for 25 years and has worked on NTSB investigations, said the CRJ900 aircraft is a proven aircraft that’s been in service for decades and does a good job of handling inclement weather.

“The weather conditions were windy. The wind was out of the west at 27 to 35 knots, which is about 38 miles an hour. So it was windy. But the airplanes are designed and certified to handle that. The pilots are trained and experienced to handle that."

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada would head up the investigation and provide any updates. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is leading a team of U.S. investigators to assist in the Canadian investigation.

It is at least the fourth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aviation-safety-crash-close-call-fire-faa-fe26b6cf0a4857f9b9336c3f5680e97b">major aviation mishap</a>&nbsp;in North America in the past month. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/plane-helicopter-collision-timeline-washington-crash-c7c6adc6c26d057aebbc6979e0aea3d7">collided near the nation’s capital</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 29,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-plane-collision-victims-ee829891574aa35a30d8262b7e07e638">killing 67 people</a>. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-pa-plane-crash-incident-9f5cfa83125137bf523558cc3738a370">medical transportation plane crashed</a>&nbsp;in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground and 10 were killed in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missing-aircraft-alaska-search-10-people-eb496188285ed54c9a527f658d4ff70a">plane crash in Alaska.</a>

Delta said in a statement that “initial reports were that there are no fatalities."

"Several customers with injuries were transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted," the airline added.

Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford said on X he is "relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson.” Toronto is the capital of Ontario.

“Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed,” Ford said.

Endeavor Air, based in Minneapolis, is a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and the world’s largest operator of CRJ-900 aircraft. The airline operates 130 regional jets on 700 daily flights to over 126 cities in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.

The CRJ900, a popular regional jet, was developed by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier. It’s in the same family of aircraft as the CRJ700, the type of plane involved in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739827893796.png" alt="The Delta Airlines CRJ-900 departed from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Image courtesy CBC" />
 <figcaption>The Delta Airlines CRJ-900 departed from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Image courtesy CBC</figcaption>
 </figure>TORONTO (AP) — A Delta Airlines plane flipped upon arrival at Toronto’s Pearson Airport and ended up on its roof Monday, injuring 19 people including three who are in critical condition.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis. Emergency teams are responding. All passengers and crew are accounted for.&mdash; Toronto Pearson (@TorontoPearson) <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoPearson/status/1891577633747386756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The airport confirmed on X that an “incident” occurred with the Delta flight from Minneapolis and that 76 passengers and four crew are accounted for. Delta said in a statement the accident happened at 3:30 p.m.Video from the scene shows the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR upside down on the snowy tarmac as emergency workers hose it down. The plane was somewhat obscured by snow from a winter storm that hit Toronto over the weekend.Ornge air ambulance said it was transporting one pediatric patient to Toronto’s SickKids hospital and two adults with critical injuries to other hospitals in the city.“Emergency teams are responding,” the airport said in a post on the social platform X. “All passengers and crew are accounted for.”It is too early to say what caused the plane to flip but weather may have played a factor. According to the Meteorological Service of Canada, the airport was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32 mph (51 kph) gusting to 40 mph (65 kph). The temperature was about 16.5 degrees Fahrenheit (-8.6 Celsius)."It’s very rare to see something like this,” said John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting firm Safety Operating Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida. “We’ve seen a couple of cases of takeoffs where airplanes have ended up inverted, but it’s pretty rare.”Cox, who flew for U.S. Air for 25 years and has worked on NTSB investigations, said the CRJ900 aircraft is a proven aircraft that’s been in service for decades and does a good job of handling inclement weather.“The weather conditions were windy. The wind was out of the west at 27 to 35 knots, which is about 38 miles an hour. So it was windy. But the airplanes are designed and certified to handle that. The pilots are trained and experienced to handle that."The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada would head up the investigation and provide any updates. The National Transportation Safety Board said it is leading a team of U.S. investigators to assist in the Canadian investigation.It is at least the fourth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aviation-safety-crash-close-call-fire-faa-fe26b6cf0a4857f9b9336c3f5680e97b">major aviation mishap</a>&nbsp;in North America in the past month. A commercial jetliner and an Army helicopter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/plane-helicopter-collision-timeline-washington-crash-c7c6adc6c26d057aebbc6979e0aea3d7">collided near the nation’s capital</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 29,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-plane-collision-victims-ee829891574aa35a30d8262b7e07e638">killing 67 people</a>. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-pa-plane-crash-incident-9f5cfa83125137bf523558cc3738a370">medical transportation plane crashed</a>&nbsp;in Philadelphia on Jan. 31, killing the six people on board and another person on the ground and 10 were killed in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missing-aircraft-alaska-search-10-people-eb496188285ed54c9a527f658d4ff70a">plane crash in Alaska.</a>Delta said in a statement that “initial reports were that there are no fatalities.""Several customers with injuries were transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted," the airline added.Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford said on X he is "relieved there are no casualties after the incident at Toronto Pearson.” Toronto is the capital of Ontario.“Provincial officials are in contact with the airport and local authorities and will provide any help that’s needed,” Ford said.Endeavor Air, based in Minneapolis, is a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines and the world’s largest operator of CRJ-900 aircraft. The airline operates 130 regional jets on 700 daily flights to over 126 cities in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, according to the company’s website.The CRJ900, a popular regional jet, was developed by Canadian aerospace company Bombardier. It’s in the same family of aircraft as the CRJ700, the type of plane involved in the midair collision near Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29.

Delta flight flips on landing: Badly hurt child among casualties

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-office-of-special-counsel-firing-lawsuit-a57d4261fb63ecfe8e62455a5c1b4e0a">the firing of the head of the federal agency</a>&nbsp;dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, according to documents obtained Sunday that would mark the first appeal to the justices since President Donald Trump took office.

The emergency appeal is the start of what probably will be a steady stream from lawyers for the Republican president and his administration seeking to undo lower court rulings that have slowed his second term agenda.

The Justice Department's filing obtained by The Associated Press asks the conservative-majority court to lift a judge’s court order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as the leader of the Office of Special Counsel.

Dellinger has argued that the law says he can only be dismissed for problems with the performance of his job, none of which were cited in the email dismissing him.

The petition came hours after a divided appeals court panel refused on procedural grounds to lift the order, which was filed Wednesday and expires on Feb. 26.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739200424502.png" alt="President Trump greeting members of the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the State of the Union address in 2019-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Trump greeting members of the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the State of the Union address in 2019-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to permit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-office-of-special-counsel-firing-lawsuit-a57d4261fb63ecfe8e62455a5c1b4e0a">the firing of the head of the federal agency</a>&nbsp;dedicated to protecting whistleblowers, according to documents obtained Sunday that would mark the first appeal to the justices since President Donald Trump took office.The emergency appeal is the start of what probably will be a steady stream from lawyers for the Republican president and his administration seeking to undo lower court rulings that have slowed his second term agenda.The Justice Department's filing obtained by The Associated Press asks the conservative-majority court to lift a judge’s court order temporarily reinstating Hampton Dellinger as the leader of the Office of Special Counsel.Dellinger has argued that the law says he can only be dismissed for problems with the performance of his job, none of which were cited in the email dismissing him.The petition came hours after a divided appeals court panel refused on procedural grounds to lift the order, which was filed Wednesday and expires on Feb. 26.The case is not expected to be docketed until after the Supreme Court returns from the Presidents Day holiday weekend. The justices would not act until Tuesday at the earliest.It’s not clear what reception Trump will get from the conservative-dominated court that includes three justices he nominated in his first term.The case began last week when Dellinger sued over his removal as head of the Office of Special Counsel, which is responsible for guarding the federal workforce from illegal personnel actions, such as retaliation for whistleblowing. He was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate to a five-year term in 2024.Dellinger said the office’s work “needed now more than ever,” noting the “unprecedented” number of firings, without cause, of federal employees with civil service protections in recent weeks by the Trump administration.The administration argues that the order reinstating Dellinger for two weeks wrongly restricts what the president can do. The brief cites the Supreme Court decision that gave Trump immunity from criminal prosecution and reflected a muscular view of executive power.“Until now, as far as we are aware, no court in American history has wielded an injunction to force the president to retain an agency head,” acting Solicitor General Sarah M. Harris wrote.The brief references some of the dozen or more cases where judges have slowed Trump’s agenda, including by ordering the temporary lifting of a foreign aid funding freeze and blocking workers with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency team from accessing Treasury Department data for now.The executive branch has argued since the Carter administration that the Office of Special Counsel is the kind of job where the president should have the power to hire and fire, and letting the order in Dellinger's case stand could “embolden” judges to issue additional blocks in the roughly 70 lawsuits the Trump administration is facing so far, the Justice Department argues.Dellinger’s firing was the latest move in Trump’s sweeping effort to shrink and reshape the federal government, testing the limits of well-established civil service protections by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-usaid-musk-doge-7ec0a2b4032d4782d41c00164003b5de">moving to dismantle federal agencies</a>&nbsp;and push out staffers.The independent Office of Special Counsel is separate from Justice Department special counsels such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jack-smith">Jack Smith</a>, who are appointed by the attorney general for specific investigations, such as Smith's criminal investigation of Trump before he returned to the White House.