For the first time, a woman will serve as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/anglican-church-of-england-archbishop-of-canterbury-cb6217f75fbef58e2a22088033248717">Archbishop of Canterbury</a>, following the 105 men who have held the role since St. Augustine took the position in the year 597.

This means Bishop of London Sarah Mullally has broken through the Church of England’s highest stained-glass ceiling. But for many of the world’s religions, that barrier to women in top leadership remains firmly intact.

Here is a look at how high women in ministry have been able to climb in some of the major faith traditions.

As the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mullaly will also lead the Anglican Communion in her new role, which the communion describes as the first among equals. It has more than 85 million members spread across 165 countries and many still believe the Bible requires male-only leadership.

One exception is the Episcopal Church in the United States. Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected to serve as the presiding bishop of that Anglican province in 2006.

In addition to the Episcopal Church, other mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. have had female leaders.

The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton recently finished 12 years as the first woman to be presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest U.S. Lutheran body. The United Methodist Church has had women serve as president of its powerful Council of Bishops, including the current president — Tracy Smith Malone. In 2023, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson became the first woman to lead the United Church of Christ as its general minister and president.

Among evangelical churches, there are some female pastors. But the largest evangelical denomination, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southern-baptist-churches-women-pastors-34edfd1578e609c3acb187ab90f0255e">Southern Baptist Convention</a>, has maintained an all-male leadership and bars women from serving as pastors at SBC-affiliated churches.

In the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-1675b593ac48cd40fd15304a59ba9e1b">most major Black Christian denominations</a>&nbsp;have no doctrinal bar to ordained women leaders in the way that some denominations do, and women have preached and been ordained in historically Black churches since at least the 19th century.

Yet denominational leadership remained all-male until the 21st century, and women are still the exception in the top rungs. One example is Vashti Murphy McKenzie, who in 2000 was elected the first woman bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">Catholic Church</a>&nbsp;makes a distinction between ministry and management when it comes to women’s leadership roles.

The church bars women from ordained ministry, meaning they cannot be priests or deacons, on the grounds that Christ’s apostles were all men. Women have however reached high levels of church management,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">especially under Pope Francis</a>.

The late pope promoted several nuns to senior Vatican positions, including the first-ever female prefect of a Holy See department, and gave women the right to vote at major Vatican gatherings known as synods.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Commonly known as the Mormon church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is currently going through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mormon-church-nelson-oaks-president-leadership-90ce246157e27e976af6f57b5e92fc32">leadership transition</a>&nbsp;following the death of its president, Russell M. Nelson.

Every church president since its founding in 1830 has been a man — and the next person to lead the more than 17 million-member, global church will be too. That is in keeping with the faith’s all-male priesthood.

The highest-ranking women in the church oversee organizations that run programs for women and girls. These sit below several layers of leadership groups reserved for only men.

The gender situation within Judaism is markedly different in Israel and the United States, which together account for more than 80% of the world’s Jewish population.

The largest U.S. branches, Reform and Conservative, allow women to be rabbis, while the Orthodox branch does not. In Israel, the Conservative and Reform movements are small, and Orthodox authorities hold a near monopoly on all matters regarding Judaism.

Unlike the Church of England, not all faith traditions, including Islam, have a centralized hierarchical structure, and therefore do not have an equivalent role to that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Among Islam's some 2 billion adherents around the world, women don’t lead mixed-gender congregational prayers in traditional Muslim settings and the top formal ranks of Islamic authorities have been largely filled with men.

Still, many Muslim women have been occupying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-religion-islam-14cfe5f40ffa234a7e783dc9a53b98ea">other leadership roles</a>&nbsp;in Islamic spaces in their communities, including as religious scholars, preachers, and, in some cases, religious courts judges.

Different cultural norms or theological and scholarly interpretations can lead to varying views and debates on the permissibility, scope or boundaries of certain roles. Some Muslims have been pushing to expand women’s roles in Islamic spaces and pointing to historic examples from the Islamic heritage.

Women leaders in other decentralized faiths

Instead of a single, centralized figure or body, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-india-new-york-new-york-city-hinduism-c7d710dbdb69dd6de0fabb0f48cdc849">Hinduism</a>&nbsp;is derived from sacred texts, tradition and the teachings of spiritual teachers and monastic leaders.

Structured similarly, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-religion-india-education-thailand-72c19680853e154d2687990c62f8c19c">Buddhism</a>&nbsp;stems from the Buddha’s teachings, those acknowledged as enlightened individuals and community consensus, with scripture serving as guidance rather than a definitive source of all rules.

Both religions have numerous sects and orders with their own leaders and a small number of them are women.

In Hinduism, some examples include Mata Amritanandamayi, a 72-year-old Indian spiritual leader, who hails from a marginalized fishing community and now oversees her own spiritual and charitable organization. Examples can also be found in the Ramakrishna Order, which has a separate branch for female monks who establish and lead their own monasteries around the world.

In Buddhism, more women are pushing for ordination and for elevation to higher titles. Some schools, such as Soto Zen, the largest in Japan and with large numbers of Western practitioners, are more open to female leaders and have several abbesses in their ranks.

Sikhism, which by some counts is the fifth largest religion in the world, is also male-dominated.

None of the 10 Gurus, the human spiritual teachers of the faith, were female. Women are also significantly underrepresented in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the body that oversees many gurdwaras in India. Bibi Jagir Kaur was the first woman to be elected president of the committee in 1999 and again in 2004.

In many gurdwaras, certain rituals like carrying the palanquin containing the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture, or performing spiritual music (kirtan) at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest Sikh shrine, have remained largely male-dominated.

Those norms are slowly changing in other parts of the world including North America where several women have formed kirtan groups.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

For the first time, a woman will serve as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/anglican-church-of-england-archbishop-of-canterbury-cb6217f75fbef58e2a22088033248717">Archbishop of Canterbury</a>, following the 105 men who have held the role since St. Augustine took the position in the year 597.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Hello, my name is Bishop Sarah Mullally. I&#39;m deeply honoured to have been called to serve as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.<a href="https://t.co/2FIJRUADZk">https://t.co/2FIJRUADZk</a> <a href="https://t.co/IqTgcfi7tp">pic.twitter.com/IqTgcfi7tp</a>&mdash; Archbishop of Canterbury (@OfficeofABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeofABC/status/1974037891484414226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>This means Bishop of London Sarah Mullally has broken through the Church of England’s highest stained-glass ceiling. But for many of the world’s religions, that barrier to women in top leadership remains firmly intact.Here is a look at how high women in ministry have been able to climb in some of the major faith traditions.<h2>Anglican Communion</h2>As the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mullaly will also lead the Anglican Communion in her new role, which the communion describes as the first among equals. It has more than 85 million members spread across 165 countries and many still believe the Bible requires male-only leadership.One exception is the Episcopal Church in the United States. Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected to serve as the presiding bishop of that Anglican province in 2006.<h2>Other Protestant churches</h2>In addition to the Episcopal Church, other mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. have had female leaders.The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton recently finished 12 years as the first woman to be presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest U.S. Lutheran body. The United Methodist Church has had women serve as president of its powerful Council of Bishops, including the current president — Tracy Smith Malone. In 2023, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson became the first woman to lead the United Church of Christ as its general minister and president.Among evangelical churches, there are some female pastors. But the largest evangelical denomination, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southern-baptist-churches-women-pastors-34edfd1578e609c3acb187ab90f0255e">Southern Baptist Convention</a>, has maintained an all-male leadership and bars women from serving as pastors at SBC-affiliated churches.In the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-1675b593ac48cd40fd15304a59ba9e1b">most major Black Christian denominations</a>&nbsp;have no doctrinal bar to ordained women leaders in the way that some denominations do, and women have preached and been ordained in historically Black churches since at least the 19th century.Yet denominational leadership remained all-male until the 21st century, and women are still the exception in the top rungs. One example is Vashti Murphy McKenzie, who in 2000 was elected the first woman bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.<h2>Catholic Church</h2>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">Catholic Church</a>&nbsp;makes a distinction between ministry and management when it comes to women’s leadership roles.The church bars women from ordained ministry, meaning they cannot be priests or deacons, on the grounds that Christ’s apostles were all men. Women have however reached high levels of church management,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">especially under Pope Francis</a>.The late pope promoted several nuns to senior Vatican positions, including the first-ever female prefect of a Holy See department, and gave women the right to vote at major Vatican gatherings known as synods.<h2>The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</h2>Commonly known as the Mormon church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is currently going through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mormon-church-nelson-oaks-president-leadership-90ce246157e27e976af6f57b5e92fc32">leadership transition</a>&nbsp;following the death of its president, Russell M. Nelson.Every church president since its founding in 1830 has been a man — and the next person to lead the more than 17 million-member, global church will be too. That is in keeping with the faith’s all-male priesthood.The highest-ranking women in the church oversee organizations that run programs for women and girls. These sit below several layers of leadership groups reserved for only men.<h2>Judaism</h2>The gender situation within Judaism is markedly different in Israel and the United States, which together account for more than 80% of the world’s Jewish population.The largest U.S. branches, Reform and Conservative, allow women to be rabbis, while the Orthodox branch does not. In Israel, the Conservative and Reform movements are small, and Orthodox authorities hold a near monopoly on all matters regarding Judaism.<h2>Islam</h2>Unlike the Church of England, not all faith traditions, including Islam, have a centralized hierarchical structure, and therefore do not have an equivalent role to that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.Among Islam's some 2 billion adherents around the world, women don’t lead mixed-gender congregational prayers in traditional Muslim settings and the top formal ranks of Islamic authorities have been largely filled with men.Still, many Muslim women have been occupying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-religion-islam-14cfe5f40ffa234a7e783dc9a53b98ea">other leadership roles</a>&nbsp;in Islamic spaces in their communities, including as religious scholars, preachers, and, in some cases, religious courts judges.Different cultural norms or theological and scholarly interpretations can lead to varying views and debates on the permissibility, scope or boundaries of certain roles. Some Muslims have been pushing to expand women’s roles in Islamic spaces and pointing to historic examples from the Islamic heritage.<h2>Women leaders in other decentralized faiths</h2>Instead of a single, centralized figure or body, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-india-new-york-new-york-city-hinduism-c7d710dbdb69dd6de0fabb0f48cdc849">Hinduism</a>&nbsp;is derived from sacred texts, tradition and the teachings of spiritual teachers and monastic leaders.Structured similarly, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-religion-india-education-thailand-72c19680853e154d2687990c62f8c19c">Buddhism</a>&nbsp;stems from the Buddha’s teachings, those acknowledged as enlightened individuals and community consensus, with scripture serving as guidance rather than a definitive source of all rules.Both religions have numerous sects and orders with their own leaders and a small number of them are women.In Hinduism, some examples include Mata Amritanandamayi, a 72-year-old Indian spiritual leader, who hails from a marginalized fishing community and now oversees her own spiritual and charitable organization. Examples can also be found in the Ramakrishna Order, which has a separate branch for female monks who establish and lead their own monasteries around the world.In Buddhism, more women are pushing for ordination and for elevation to higher titles. Some schools, such as Soto Zen, the largest in Japan and with large numbers of Western practitioners, are more open to female leaders and have several abbesses in their ranks.<h2>Sikhism</h2>Sikhism, which by some counts is the fifth largest religion in the world, is also male-dominated.None of the 10 Gurus, the human spiritual teachers of the faith, were female. Women are also significantly underrepresented in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the body that oversees many gurdwaras in India. Bibi Jagir Kaur was the first woman to be elected president of the committee in 1999 and again in 2004.In many gurdwaras, certain rituals like carrying the palanquin containing the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture, or performing spiritual music (kirtan) at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest Sikh shrine, have remained largely male-dominated.Those norms are slowly changing in other parts of the world including North America where several women have formed kirtan groups.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

First female Archbishop of Canterbury still an outlier among top religious leaders

KANSAS CITY —One person died and three others were injured in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Saturday in Clay County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Subaru Forester driven by a 36-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man was southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 29 just south of U.S. 169. The Subaru struck a 2007 Honda Accord driven by a 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas man head-on.&nbsp; After impact the Honda struck a 2021 Chevy Traverse driven by a 67-year-old Kansas City, Missouri woman and a 2024 Toyota Venza driven by a 27-year-old Smithville woman.

A 21-year-old Kansas City, Kansas woman in Honda was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported the Honda driver and the Subaru driver to North Kansas City Hospital. The 67-year-old driver refused treatment at the scene. The Subaru driver was also not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759667832059.png" alt="Image KC Scout Camera" />
 <figcaption>Image KC Scout Camera</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —One person died and three others were injured in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Saturday in Clay County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Subaru Forester driven by a 36-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man was southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 29 just south of U.S. 169. The Subaru struck a 2007 Honda Accord driven by a 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas man head-on.&nbsp; After impact the Honda struck a 2021 Chevy Traverse driven by a 67-year-old Kansas City, Missouri woman and a 2024 Toyota Venza driven by a 27-year-old Smithville woman.A 21-year-old Kansas City, Kansas woman in Honda was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported the Honda driver and the Subaru driver to North Kansas City Hospital. The 67-year-old driver refused treatment at the scene. The Subaru driver was also not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Kansas woman dead, 3 injured after wrong-way, head-on crash

By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mayasmith/">Maya Smith</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

LAWRENCE — Lawrence firefighters union president Seamus Albritton says the community might have to wait longer for emergency responses as a result of budget cuts.

The Lawrence City Commission recently cut the Lawrence Fire-Medical Department budget by $1.5 million. The department’s response times already exceed six minutes for arrival to structured fires, above the National Fire Protection Association standard of four minutes or less for career departments.

“We have the data that support that we’re already understaffed at the number of fire trucks that we have now,” Albritton said. “They’re choosing to cut the core services of the city. Your core services keep the citizens safe, and they choose to fund things beyond public safety.”

This cut will eliminate one truck from Lawrence Station No. 5, right next to the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

Lawrence is not alone in cutting fire-medical budgets. Amid budget shortfalls across the state, public safety departments are facing cuts. And service providers are sounding alarms about the impact those cuts could have, especially in rural communities.

“When people dial 911, they expect a response,” state fire management officer Bill Waln said. “The mission of any emergency response organization is to make sure that their response is timely, safe, and effective. Significant cuts can make that more challenging, not because the commitment of the emergency responder changes, but because resources are what allow us to meet the public’s expectations.”

Kansas communities rely on federal grants that provide funding for small fire departments’ training, maintaining equipment and funding jobs. For rural communities, Waln said, federal grants can be a lifeline.

“When those grants are cut, departments don’t lose their dedication, but they may lose the tools or people they need to meet the public’s expectation when they dial 911,” Waln said. “For emergency responders, that translates into longer hours, more stress, and in some cases greater risk on the job. They carry a tremendous weight, knowing the community depends on them no matter what.”

Beyond the cost of equipment and facilities, some small communities struggle to have enough manpower to cover their county’s emergencies.

Rural counties are heavily reliant on volunteer firefighters, with 78.6% of departments across the state being volunteer, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://klcjournal.com/the-volunteer-fire-departments-protecting-rural-kansas-face-an-emergency-finding-enough-joiners/#:~:text=But%20the%20state%20is%20disproportionately%20reliant%20on,another%2011.4%25%20rate%20as%20%E2%80%9Cmostly%20volunteer%E2%80%9D%20departments." target="_blank">the National Fire Department Registry.</a>

“We have 65- and 70-year-olds in the line of duty,” said Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell. “ This is an incredibly physically demanding job.  The fire doesn’t care what your paycheck is. Old men and women still serving simply because they want to serve their community — and there’s no one coming in to take over for them is really a travesty in my opinion.”

With fewer volunteers, rural counties rely on neighboring counties to take on emergency response — putting rural communities at risk of first responders arriving too late.&nbsp;

“Instead of seven minutes, they get there in 27 minutes,” Russell said. “They’re there to help clean up — to put out the ashes.”

Response times highlight the broader issues within fire-medical departments, from staffing shortages to the politics involved with the budget making process, ultimately leading to first responders being stretched too thin, Waln said.

“When reductions affect emergency response organizations, I hope leaders fully recognize the potential impact,” Waln said. “Citizens expect that when they call for help, the response is quick, safe, and effective. Any decision that changes that expectation carries very real consequences for safety, trust, and the wellbeing of those on the front lines.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759612611355.png" alt=" Lawrence Station 5 is among fire departments across the state facing budget cuts, leading to potentially longer response times. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Lawrence Station 5 is among fire departments across the state facing budget cuts, leading to potentially longer response times. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mayasmith/">Maya Smith</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>LAWRENCE — Lawrence firefighters union president Seamus Albritton says the community might have to wait longer for emergency responses as a result of budget cuts.The Lawrence City Commission recently cut the Lawrence Fire-Medical Department budget by $1.5 million. The department’s response times already exceed six minutes for arrival to structured fires, above the National Fire Protection Association standard of four minutes or less for career departments.“We have the data that support that we’re already understaffed at the number of fire trucks that we have now,” Albritton said. “They’re choosing to cut the core services of the city. Your core services keep the citizens safe, and they choose to fund things beyond public safety.”This cut will eliminate one truck from Lawrence Station No. 5, right next to the University of Kansas.&nbsp;Lawrence is not alone in cutting fire-medical budgets. Amid budget shortfalls across the state, public safety departments are facing cuts. And service providers are sounding alarms about the impact those cuts could have, especially in rural communities.“When people dial 911, they expect a response,” state fire management officer Bill Waln said. “The mission of any emergency response organization is to make sure that their response is timely, safe, and effective. Significant cuts can make that more challenging, not because the commitment of the emergency responder changes, but because resources are what allow us to meet the public’s expectations.”Kansas communities rely on federal grants that provide funding for small fire departments’ training, maintaining equipment and funding jobs. For rural communities, Waln said, federal grants can be a lifeline.“When those grants are cut, departments don’t lose their dedication, but they may lose the tools or people they need to meet the public’s expectation when they dial 911,” Waln said. “For emergency responders, that translates into longer hours, more stress, and in some cases greater risk on the job. They carry a tremendous weight, knowing the community depends on them no matter what.”Beyond the cost of equipment and facilities, some small communities struggle to have enough manpower to cover their county’s emergencies.Rural counties are heavily reliant on volunteer firefighters, with 78.6% of departments across the state being volunteer, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://klcjournal.com/the-volunteer-fire-departments-protecting-rural-kansas-face-an-emergency-finding-enough-joiners/#:~:text=But%20the%20state%20is%20disproportionately%20reliant%20on,another%2011.4%25%20rate%20as%20%E2%80%9Cmostly%20volunteer%E2%80%9D%20departments." target="_blank">the National Fire Department Registry.</a>“We have 65- and 70-year-olds in the line of duty,” said Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell. “ This is an incredibly physically demanding job.  The fire doesn’t care what your paycheck is. Old men and women still serving simply because they want to serve their community — and there’s no one coming in to take over for them is really a travesty in my opinion.”With fewer volunteers, rural counties rely on neighboring counties to take on emergency response — putting rural communities at risk of first responders arriving too late.&nbsp;“Instead of seven minutes, they get there in 27 minutes,” Russell said. “They’re there to help clean up — to put out the ashes.”Response times highlight the broader issues within fire-medical departments, from staffing shortages to the politics involved with the budget making process, ultimately leading to first responders being stretched too thin, Waln said.“When reductions affect emergency response organizations, I hope leaders fully recognize the potential impact,” Waln said. “Citizens expect that when they call for help, the response is quick, safe, and effective. Any decision that changes that expectation carries very real consequences for safety, trust, and the wellbeing of those on the front lines.”

From budget cuts to lack of volunteers, Kansas counties face increased fire response times

JERUSALEM (AP) Hamas says it is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the bodies of the dead in accordance with President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hamas-israel-gaza-war-mideast-bba524e6ac9cc9877e71fefc804cb602">Trump’s peace plan</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-plan-gaza-israel-hamas-war-d5bb4097af1d46ba16ab20914d265ff7">Under the plan</a>, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It would also give up power and disarm.

In delivering its response to Trump’s plan, the militant group said it was ready to release the hostages and give up power but made no reference to disarming and made clear there was still much more to negotiate.

Israel said on Saturday that it would start preparations for implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan and the hostages’ release.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">ensuing war</a>&nbsp;has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Total hostages captured during Oct. 7 attack: 251

Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: four (two who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of two soldiers killed in the 2014 war)

Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 148, of whom eight were dead

Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 51

Hostages still in captivity: 48, of which the Israeli military believes 20 are still alive

Non-Israeli hostages in captivity: four (two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-thai-dccc8d8da8c56d5122a21a6b89c7175d">Thai</a>&nbsp;nationals and one Tanzanian who have been confirmed dead, and one Nepalese national)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740236871145.png" alt="Hostage and Missing Families Forum" />
 <figcaption>Hostage and Missing Families Forum</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM (AP) Hamas says it is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the bodies of the dead in accordance with President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hamas-israel-gaza-war-mideast-bba524e6ac9cc9877e71fefc804cb602">Trump’s peace plan</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/jWKQTWMdAQ">pic.twitter.com/jWKQTWMdAQ</a>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1974496709985161556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-plan-gaza-israel-hamas-war-d5bb4097af1d46ba16ab20914d265ff7">Under the plan</a>, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It would also give up power and disarm.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> on the Hamas response to President Trump&#39;s peace plan: &quot;They have said, basically, that they agree to his proposal and the framework for releasing the hostages. That&#39;s an enormous achievement... There&#39;s a lot of international pressure on Hamas to make this happen.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WkSJ41qEiD">pic.twitter.com/WkSJ41qEiD</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974828315484848176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In delivering its response to Trump’s plan, the militant group said it was ready to release the hostages and give up power but made no reference to disarming and made clear there was still much more to negotiate.Israel said on Saturday that it would start preparations for implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan and the hostages’ release.Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">ensuing war</a>&nbsp;has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.Here are details on the hostages:Total hostages captured during Oct. 7 attack: 251Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: four (two who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of two soldiers killed in the 2014 war)Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 148, of whom eight were deadBodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 51Hostages rescued alive: eightHostages still in captivity: 48, of which the Israeli military believes 20 are still aliveNon-Israeli hostages in captivity: four (two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-thai-dccc8d8da8c56d5122a21a6b89c7175d">Thai</a>&nbsp;nationals and one Tanzanian who have been confirmed dead, and one Nepalese national)

A look at the hostages taken to Gaza, by the numbers

KANSAS CITY. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court to being in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to the United State's Attorney.

Donnique H. Kelley, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to participating in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

According to court documents, between the dates of Dec. 14, 2022 and March 23, 2023, Kelley and others sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to law enforcement officials on at least seven separate occasions.&nbsp;

On Sept. 12, 2023, following a car stop on East 63rd Street, Kansas City, Mo., a co-conspirator and source of supply of fentanyl and methamphetamine for the conspiracy was found in possession of 4.45 kilograms of methamphetamine, 2.02 kilograms of marijuana, and $14,382.

Under federal statutes, Kelley is subject to a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

KANSAS CITY. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court to being in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to the United State's Attorney.Donnique H. Kelley, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to participating in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.According to court documents, between the dates of Dec. 14, 2022 and March 23, 2023, Kelley and others sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to law enforcement officials on at least seven separate occasions.&nbsp;On Sept. 12, 2023, following a car stop on East 63rd Street, Kansas City, Mo., a co-conspirator and source of supply of fentanyl and methamphetamine for the conspiracy was found in possession of 4.45 kilograms of methamphetamine, 2.02 kilograms of marijuana, and $14,382.Under federal statutes, Kelley is subject to a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Kansas City man sold fentanyl, meth to law enforcement officers

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s largest school district said they filed a lawsuit Friday against the consulting company it hired to identify superintendent candidates, alleging it did not properly vet Ian Roberts, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-des-moines-superintendent-ian-roberts-b52a9ea28d002d27832c67513403368e">arrested by immigration authorities</a>&nbsp;last week.

Des Moines Public Schools hired JG Consulting in 2022 to facilitate the leadership search, which led to the hiring of Roberts the following year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements officials have said the Guyana native was in the U.S. illegally and had no work authorization. Federal prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-9f095fd0dd8b8ab93f6e03231231cac3">charged Roberts</a>&nbsp;on Thursday with possessing four firearms while in the U.S. illegally, including one authorities said was wrapped in a towel inside the Jeep Cherokee he was driving when agents pulled him over, according to court filings.

The district’s complaint accused the search firm of breach of contract and negligence, and school board chair Jackie Norris said the focus is on recouping taxpayer dollars and addressing reputational damage.

“The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates. Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist,” Norris said. “If we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired.”

James Guerra, president and CEO of Texas-based JG Consulting, did not immediately respond to phone calls or messages seeking comment Friday. A phone call to JG Consulting’s customer service line went unanswered.

The arrest of Roberts after he ran from a traffic stop has shocked and confused the community. Students have walked out of their classrooms in protest. Community members have gathered to pose questions to Roberts’ lawyers, trying to reconcile the vibrant man who engaged with students and staff with the man at the center of a scandal that has grabbed national attention. The Des Moines school board has said it was “a victim of deception” throughout his tenure.

Roberts, who is in federal custody in Des Moines,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-105449edfeb37ee2d3d635de9df52a64">resigned as superintendent</a>&nbsp;this week after a state education board revoked his license.

Federal authorities said Roberts had a final removal order that was issued last year, and an immigration judge denied a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case this April. Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, has said Roberts was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully.”

The contract between the district and JG Consulting, which has long been available on the district’s website, said the company was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, public domain search and complete reference checks, as well as the presentation of qualified candidates.

Roberts has two decades of experience in education and used a doctorate title well before earning a doctoral degree from Trident University International in 2021.

Roberts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-superintendent-ice-doctorate-d719dac9a6cffd5b8dc93725441fdebc">falsely claimed on a resume</a>&nbsp;he submitted with his application that he earned a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.

Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctorate program from 2002 to 2007, the school’s public relations office confirmed in an email that he didn’t receive that degree. A background check during the hiring process said the same, flagging the discrepancy with the resume, according to the district.

The district said the full school board only saw a resume that was revised to indicate he had not completed his dissertation, which is necessary for the degree. But the board did have access to the background check alerting members to the initial variance.

The consulting company was required to bring all information, positive or negative, to the board’s attention but failed to do so, Norris said. “This is about accountability.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758925503158.png" alt="&nbsp;Ian Roberts in February 2020.- photo ICE" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Ian Roberts in February 2020.- photo ICE</figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s largest school district said they filed a lawsuit Friday against the consulting company it hired to identify superintendent candidates, alleging it did not properly vet Ian Roberts, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-des-moines-superintendent-ian-roberts-b52a9ea28d002d27832c67513403368e">arrested by immigration authorities</a>&nbsp;last week.Des Moines Public Schools hired JG Consulting in 2022 to facilitate the leadership search, which led to the hiring of Roberts the following year.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements officials have said the Guyana native was in the U.S. illegally and had no work authorization. Federal prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-9f095fd0dd8b8ab93f6e03231231cac3">charged Roberts</a>&nbsp;on Thursday with possessing four firearms while in the U.S. illegally, including one authorities said was wrapped in a towel inside the Jeep Cherokee he was driving when agents pulled him over, according to court filings.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759615148707.png" alt=" Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, right, greets students and staff on the first day of school at Goodrell Elementary on Aug. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jon Lemons/Courtesy of Des Moines Public Schools)" />
 <figcaption> Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, right, greets students and staff on the first day of school at Goodrell Elementary on Aug. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jon Lemons/Courtesy of Des Moines Public Schools)</figcaption>
 </figure>The district’s complaint accused the search firm of breach of contract and negligence, and school board chair Jackie Norris said the focus is on recouping taxpayer dollars and addressing reputational damage.“The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates. Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist,” Norris said. “If we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired.”James Guerra, president and CEO of Texas-based JG Consulting, did not immediately respond to phone calls or messages seeking comment Friday. A phone call to JG Consulting’s customer service line went unanswered.The arrest of Roberts after he ran from a traffic stop has shocked and confused the community. Students have walked out of their classrooms in protest. Community members have gathered to pose questions to Roberts’ lawyers, trying to reconcile the vibrant man who engaged with students and staff with the man at the center of a scandal that has grabbed national attention. The Des Moines school board has said it was “a victim of deception” throughout his tenure.Roberts, who is in federal custody in Des Moines,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-105449edfeb37ee2d3d635de9df52a64">resigned as superintendent</a>&nbsp;this week after a state education board revoked his license.Federal authorities said Roberts had a final removal order that was issued last year, and an immigration judge denied a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case this April. Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, has said Roberts was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully.”The contract between the district and JG Consulting, which has long been available on the district’s website, said the company was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, public domain search and complete reference checks, as well as the presentation of qualified candidates.Roberts has two decades of experience in education and used a doctorate title well before earning a doctoral degree from Trident University International in 2021.Roberts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-superintendent-ice-doctorate-d719dac9a6cffd5b8dc93725441fdebc">falsely claimed on a resume</a>&nbsp;he submitted with his application that he earned a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctorate program from 2002 to 2007, the school’s public relations office confirmed in an email that he didn’t receive that degree. A background check during the hiring process said the same, flagging the discrepancy with the resume, according to the district.The district said the full school board only saw a resume that was revised to indicate he had not completed his dissertation, which is necessary for the degree. But the board did have access to the background check alerting members to the initial variance.The consulting company was required to bring all information, positive or negative, to the board’s attention but failed to do so, Norris said. “This is about accountability.”

School district sues search firm that vetted superintendent arrested by ICE

JOHNSON COUNTY —Earlier this week, officers responded to reports of car burglaries in progress near K-10 and Canyon Creek Parkway, according to a social media report from Lenexa Police.

Witnesses saw a suspect running from the area as officers arrived.

"Thanks to great teamwork between the Lenexa Police drone operator, K9, and patrol units on foot, officers were guided straight to where the suspect was hiding."

 The suspect, accused of breaking into several vehicles and arriving in a stolen car, quickly surrendered.

"We’re proud of the coordinated effort by our officers and dispatchers on this case, and grateful for the trust and support of our community as we work every day to protect Lenexa."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759536376425.png" alt="Image from Lenexa Police video" />
 <figcaption>Image from Lenexa Police video</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Earlier this week, officers responded to reports of car burglaries in progress near K-10 and Canyon Creek Parkway, according to a social media report from Lenexa Police.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=297&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F823911313503394%2F&show_text=true&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="412" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Witnesses saw a suspect running from the area as officers arrived."Thanks to great teamwork between the Lenexa Police drone operator, K9, and patrol units on foot, officers were guided straight to where the suspect was hiding." The suspect, accused of breaking into several vehicles and arriving in a stolen car, quickly surrendered."We’re proud of the coordinated effort by our officers and dispatchers on this case, and grateful for the trust and support of our community as we work every day to protect Lenexa."

Teamwork helps police capture Kansas burglary suspect

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/wyatte-grantham-philips">WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/matt-obrien">MATT O’BRIEN</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/kelvin-chan">KELVIN CHAN</a> Associated Press

Apple and Google blocked downloads of phone apps that flag sightings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/portland-chicago-memphis-federal-crackdowns-trump-7a45dcf0e7e2bd7debb38603e5b4f660">U.S. immigration agents</a>, just hours after the Trump administration demanded that one particularly popular iPhone app be taken down.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said such tracking puts Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at risk. But users and developers of the apps say it’s their First Amendment right to capture what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods — and maintain that most users turn to these platforms in an effort to protect their own safety as President Donald Trump steps up aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.

ICEBlock, the most widely used of the ICE-tracking apps in Apple’s app store, is among the apps that have been taken down. Bondi said her office reached out to Apple on Thursday “demanding that they remove ICEBlock” and claiming that it “is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs.”

Apple soon complied, sending an email Thursday to the app’s creator, Joshua Aaron, that said it would block further downloads of the app because new information “provided to Apple by law enforcement” showed the app broke the app store rules.

According to the email, which Aaron shared with The Associated Press, Apple said the app violated the company’s policies “because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.”

In a Friday interview, Aaron decried the company for bending to what he described as “an authoritarian regime.” And immigration rights advocates like Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, added that these actions marked “a disturbing example of how tech companies are capitulating to Trump.”

“These apps are a lifeline for communities living in uncertainty and fear of when ICE might show up to tear their families apart,” Matos said in a statement.

Downloads of apps like ICEBlock have surged since Trump took office for his second term earlier this year. Aaron said he launched the app in April as a way to help immigrant communities protect themselves from surprise raids or potential harassment. It had more than 1 million users, he said.

While not specifying details on the total number of platforms removed, Apple confirmed to the AP on Friday that they removed “similar apps” due to potential safety risks that were raised by law enforcement. Google followed their move, saying that several similar apps violated their policies for Android platforms.

While some advocates don’t find all of these apps particularly useful — pointing to potential misinformation and false alarms — they echoed criticism of moves to suppress them.

“What really worries me is the kind of precedent that this sets” where the government can “basically dictate what kinds of apps people have on their phones,” said civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo, who works at Harvard University’s Cyberlaw Clinic.

Caraballo said outside the U.S., government pressure to block apps has been “kind of a hallmark of an authoritarian regime,” such as when Chinese pressure in 2019 led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5fb64c1137ad45f284dc605ca7f9c321">Apple to remove an app</a>&nbsp;that enabled Hong Kong protesters to track police.

Bondi warned over the summer against apps that allow people to communicate about the location of law enforcement officers and specifically called out ICEBlock’s Aaron.

“We are looking at him and he better watch out because that’s not a protected speech,” Bondi said in a July interview on Fox News.

Those warnings escalated last month after a gunman opened fire on an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dallas-ice-shooting-update-immigration-0631d82e4fd0b1f6e3309e6e8aa83d1e">ICE facility</a>&nbsp;in Dallas. Officials including FBI Director Kash Patel said the gunman had searched for apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents, though they haven’t said if he actually used one of the apps or whether any of them played a role in the attack.

Aaron said tying the gunman to the apps made little sense because the app only works if somebody else is reporting ICE activity within a 5-mile radius of another iPhone user.

“You don’t need an app to know that ICE agents are at an ICE detention facility,” he said. “This is just an easy excuse for them to use their power and leverage to take down something that was exposing what they are doing — and that is the terror that they are invoking on the people of this nation every single day.”

He also said the app worked similarly to popular navigation apps like Waze, Google Maps and Apple’s own Maps app, which allow users to report police speed traps.

It’s “not illegal in any way, shape or form, nor does it dox anybody,” he said, adding that ICEBlock is similarly “an early warning system for people.”

Those who use the apps or other online methods to monitor ICE activity say most people who use them do so for their own safety or out of concern for their loved ones.

“People are extremely scared right now,” said Sherman Austin, who founded Stop ICE Raids Alert Network in February. He pointed to rising fears around racial profiling and violent arrests impacting families.

“They want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood and what’s going on in their community,” Austin said, describing people getting violently thrown to the ground by ICE agents in broad daylight.

Also known as StopICE.Net, Austin’s platform similarly uses crowdsourcing, but instead allows its users to track ICE activity more broadly online or through text alerts, without the need to download a separate app. Austin says the platform has reached more than 500,000 subscribers as of Friday.

The group has similarly criticized the Trump administration for what it says are retaliatory attacks targeting those who are exercising their First Amendment rights. Last month, the platform said it learned that the Department of Homeland Security has subpoenaed Meta for data on StopICE.Net’s Instagram account.

Austin said StopICE.Net immediately challenged the action, adding on Friday that the subpoena is now temporarily blocked and pending a hearing with a judge.

Meta declined comment Friday. DHS did not directly respond to a request for comment about the subpoena on Friday, instead directing the AP to a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who reiterated that “ICE tracking apps put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger” and criticized media outlets for framing Apple’s “correct decision” to remove apps like ICEBlock as “caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed.”

Developers like Austin, meanwhile, say removals of these apps and other federal threats should alarm everyone.

“We’re up against a regime, an administration that’s going to operate any way it wants to — and threatens whoever it wants in order to get its way, in order to control information and in order to control a narrative,” he said. “We have to challenge this and fight this any way we can.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759508859916.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/wyatte-grantham-philips">WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/matt-obrien">MATT O’BRIEN</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/kelvin-chan">KELVIN CHAN</a> Associated PressApple and Google blocked downloads of phone apps that flag sightings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/portland-chicago-memphis-federal-crackdowns-trump-7a45dcf0e7e2bd7debb38603e5b4f660">U.S. immigration agents</a>, just hours after the Trump administration demanded that one particularly popular iPhone app be taken down.U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said such tracking puts Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at risk. But users and developers of the apps say it’s their First Amendment right to capture what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods — and maintain that most users turn to these platforms in an effort to protect their own safety as President Donald Trump steps up aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.ICEBlock, the most widely used of the ICE-tracking apps in Apple’s app store, is among the apps that have been taken down. Bondi said her office reached out to Apple on Thursday “demanding that they remove ICEBlock” and claiming that it “is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs.”Apple soon complied, sending an email Thursday to the app’s creator, Joshua Aaron, that said it would block further downloads of the app because new information “provided to Apple by law enforcement” showed the app broke the app store rules.According to the email, which Aaron shared with The Associated Press, Apple said the app violated the company’s policies “because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.”In a Friday interview, Aaron decried the company for bending to what he described as “an authoritarian regime.” And immigration rights advocates like Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, added that these actions marked “a disturbing example of how tech companies are capitulating to Trump.”“These apps are a lifeline for communities living in uncertainty and fear of when ICE might show up to tear their families apart,” Matos said in a statement.Downloads of apps like ICEBlock have surged since Trump took office for his second term earlier this year. Aaron said he launched the app in April as a way to help immigrant communities protect themselves from surprise raids or potential harassment. It had more than 1 million users, he said.While not specifying details on the total number of platforms removed, Apple confirmed to the AP on Friday that they removed “similar apps” due to potential safety risks that were raised by law enforcement. Google followed their move, saying that several similar apps violated their policies for Android platforms.While some advocates don’t find all of these apps particularly useful — pointing to potential misinformation and false alarms — they echoed criticism of moves to suppress them.“What really worries me is the kind of precedent that this sets” where the government can “basically dictate what kinds of apps people have on their phones,” said civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo, who works at Harvard University’s Cyberlaw Clinic.Caraballo said outside the U.S., government pressure to block apps has been “kind of a hallmark of an authoritarian regime,” such as when Chinese pressure in 2019 led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5fb64c1137ad45f284dc605ca7f9c321">Apple to remove an app</a>&nbsp;that enabled Hong Kong protesters to track police.Bondi warned over the summer against apps that allow people to communicate about the location of law enforcement officers and specifically called out ICEBlock’s Aaron.“We are looking at him and he better watch out because that’s not a protected speech,” Bondi said in a July interview on Fox News.Those warnings escalated last month after a gunman opened fire on an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dallas-ice-shooting-update-immigration-0631d82e4fd0b1f6e3309e6e8aa83d1e">ICE facility</a>&nbsp;in Dallas. Officials including FBI Director Kash Patel said the gunman had searched for apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents, though they haven’t said if he actually used one of the apps or whether any of them played a role in the attack.Aaron said tying the gunman to the apps made little sense because the app only works if somebody else is reporting ICE activity within a 5-mile radius of another iPhone user.“You don’t need an app to know that ICE agents are at an ICE detention facility,” he said. “This is just an easy excuse for them to use their power and leverage to take down something that was exposing what they are doing — and that is the terror that they are invoking on the people of this nation every single day.”He also said the app worked similarly to popular navigation apps like Waze, Google Maps and Apple’s own Maps app, which allow users to report police speed traps.It’s “not illegal in any way, shape or form, nor does it dox anybody,” he said, adding that ICEBlock is similarly “an early warning system for people.”Those who use the apps or other online methods to monitor ICE activity say most people who use them do so for their own safety or out of concern for their loved ones.“People are extremely scared right now,” said Sherman Austin, who founded Stop ICE Raids Alert Network in February. He pointed to rising fears around racial profiling and violent arrests impacting families.“They want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood and what’s going on in their community,” Austin said, describing people getting violently thrown to the ground by ICE agents in broad daylight.Also known as StopICE.Net, Austin’s platform similarly uses crowdsourcing, but instead allows its users to track ICE activity more broadly online or through text alerts, without the need to download a separate app. Austin says the platform has reached more than 500,000 subscribers as of Friday.The group has similarly criticized the Trump administration for what it says are retaliatory attacks targeting those who are exercising their First Amendment rights. Last month, the platform said it learned that the Department of Homeland Security has subpoenaed Meta for data on StopICE.Net’s Instagram account.Austin said StopICE.Net immediately challenged the action, adding on Friday that the subpoena is now temporarily blocked and pending a hearing with a judge.Meta declined comment Friday. DHS did not directly respond to a request for comment about the subpoena on Friday, instead directing the AP to a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who reiterated that “ICE tracking apps put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger” and criticized media outlets for framing Apple’s “correct decision” to remove apps like ICEBlock as “caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed.”Developers like Austin, meanwhile, say removals of these apps and other federal threats should alarm everyone.“We’re up against a regime, an administration that’s going to operate any way it wants to — and threatens whoever it wants in order to get its way, in order to control information and in order to control a narrative,” he said. “We have to challenge this and fight this any way we can.”

Apple and Google block downloads of phone apps that track ICE agents

WASHINGTON (AP) — Party leaders in Congress have long criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shutdown-government-chuck-schumer-8510b2fa4d40c4bbc058951c49c42468">government shutdowns</a>&nbsp;as toxic and destructive.

“Always a bad idea,” former Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-nate-morris-kentucky-senate-campaign-1df56e3f0680c3782ef014d8da0e6c9e">Mitch McConnell</a>, R-Ky., said of shutdowns in 2024. A potential “disaster,” Democratic Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-health-care-subsidies-schumer-6b0d64fe442fc4fa8a8daf283a30ce76">Chuck Schumer</a>&nbsp;of New York said of the shutdown the country narrowly avoided when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-chuck-schumer-senate-democrats-2f5704bf28b9e8864a0cb1713592f8e2">voted with Republicans</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open in March.

“I don’t think shutdowns benefit anybody, least of all the American people,” Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-thune-ap-interview-omb-memo-6b79cd64987b6173f1b3295dc3505994">John Thune</a>, R-S.D., said last week.

Yet Congress often finds itself at the brink of one as the two major political parties’ differences grow more intractable with each passing year.&nbsp;

A look at some previous shutdowns and how they ended:

Two years into his first term, President Donald Trump led the country into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">its longest shutdown ever</a>&nbsp;with demands that Congress give him money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Similar to Republican leaders today, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, refused to negotiate unless Trump, a Republican, allowed the government to reopen. Democrats had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/democrats-seize-house-control-but-trumps-gop-holds-senate-c0be062914e048d79f70bcf120e1ccbb">won the House majority</a>&nbsp;in the 2018 election and took power in the middle of the partial shutdown.

Trump retreated after 35 days as intensifying delays at the nation’s airports and another missed payday for hundreds of thousands of federal workers brought new urgency to efforts to resolve the standoff.

The government shut down for three days as Democrats insisted that any budget measure come with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-immigration-bills-north-america-532fcd6149a34d488723517156c34a55">protections for young immigrants</a>&nbsp;known as “Dreamers.” Trump refused to negotiate until the government reopened, and the weekend shutdown ended after McConnell, then the Senate majority leader, promised a vote on the issue.

Democrats, led by Schumer, tried to lay blame on Trump. But Republicans said that it was Democrats who “caved” in the end.

The hard-right tea party faction of House Republicans, urged on by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-general-news-9f568e68401b4695ad8290e89169d9c2">shut the government down for 16 days</a>&nbsp;as they demanded that language to block implementation of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law be added to a spending bill.

The conflict escalated when House Republicans also blocked the needed approval for raising the amount of money the Treasury can borrow to pay U.S. bills, raising the specter of a catastrophic default. Obama, a Democrat, vowed repeatedly not to pay a “ransom” to get Congress to pass normally routine legislation.

Bipartisan negotiations in the Senate finally ended the shutdown, and Republicans did not win any major concessions on health care. “We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win,” then-House Speaker John Boehner conceded.

Intent on slashing the budget, Republicans led by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich forced a three-week shutdown from December 1995 to January 1996 in a bid to coerce President Bill Clinton to sign onto a balanced budget agreement. Republicans were saddled with the blame, and Clinton, a Democrat, was reelected that November.

Under Presidents Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, and Ronald Reagan, a Republican, there were short shutdowns almost every year. The longest was in 1978, for 17 days.

A series of legal opinions issued in 1980 and 1981 made shutdowns more impactful. Then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti determined that failure to pass new spending bills required government functioning to shut down in whole or in part. Earlier “shutdowns” did not always entail an actual stop to government functioning and often were simply funding gaps will little real-world effect.

Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1759193358305.png" alt="The shutdown of 2016 photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>The shutdown of 2016 photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Party leaders in Congress have long criticized&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shutdown-government-chuck-schumer-8510b2fa4d40c4bbc058951c49c42468">government shutdowns</a>&nbsp;as toxic and destructive.“Always a bad idea,” former Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-nate-morris-kentucky-senate-campaign-1df56e3f0680c3782ef014d8da0e6c9e">Mitch McConnell</a>, R-Ky., said of shutdowns in 2024. A potential “disaster,” Democratic Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-health-care-subsidies-schumer-6b0d64fe442fc4fa8a8daf283a30ce76">Chuck Schumer</a>&nbsp;of New York said of the shutdown the country narrowly avoided when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-chuck-schumer-senate-democrats-2f5704bf28b9e8864a0cb1713592f8e2">voted with Republicans</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open in March.“I don’t think shutdowns benefit anybody, least of all the American people,” Senate Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-thune-ap-interview-omb-memo-6b79cd64987b6173f1b3295dc3505994">John Thune</a>, R-S.D., said last week.Yet Congress often finds itself at the brink of one as the two major political parties’ differences grow more intractable with each passing year.&nbsp;A look at some previous shutdowns and how they ended:<h2>December 2018- January 2019</h2>Two years into his first term, President Donald Trump led the country into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">its longest shutdown ever</a>&nbsp;with demands that Congress give him money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Similar to Republican leaders today, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, refused to negotiate unless Trump, a Republican, allowed the government to reopen. Democrats had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/democrats-seize-house-control-but-trumps-gop-holds-senate-c0be062914e048d79f70bcf120e1ccbb">won the House majority</a>&nbsp;in the 2018 election and took power in the middle of the partial shutdown.Trump retreated after 35 days as intensifying delays at the nation’s airports and another missed payday for hundreds of thousands of federal workers brought new urgency to efforts to resolve the standoff.<h2>January 2018</h2>The government shut down for three days as Democrats insisted that any budget measure come with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-immigration-bills-north-america-532fcd6149a34d488723517156c34a55">protections for young immigrants</a>&nbsp;known as “Dreamers.” Trump refused to negotiate until the government reopened, and the weekend shutdown ended after McConnell, then the Senate majority leader, promised a vote on the issue.Democrats, led by Schumer, tried to lay blame on Trump. But Republicans said that it was Democrats who “caved” in the end.ADVERTISING<h2>October 2013</h2>The hard-right tea party faction of House Republicans, urged on by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-general-news-9f568e68401b4695ad8290e89169d9c2">shut the government down for 16 days</a>&nbsp;as they demanded that language to block implementation of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law be added to a spending bill.The conflict escalated when House Republicans also blocked the needed approval for raising the amount of money the Treasury can borrow to pay U.S. bills, raising the specter of a catastrophic default. Obama, a Democrat, vowed repeatedly not to pay a “ransom” to get Congress to pass normally routine legislation.Bipartisan negotiations in the Senate finally ended the shutdown, and Republicans did not win any major concessions on health care. “We fought the good fight. We just didn’t win,” then-House Speaker John Boehner conceded.<h2>December 1995-January 1996</h2>Intent on slashing the budget, Republicans led by then-Speaker Newt Gingrich forced a three-week shutdown from December 1995 to January 1996 in a bid to coerce President Bill Clinton to sign onto a balanced budget agreement. Republicans were saddled with the blame, and Clinton, a Democrat, was reelected that November.<h2>1970s and 1980s</h2>Under Presidents Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, and Ronald Reagan, a Republican, there were short shutdowns almost every year. The longest was in 1978, for 17 days.A series of legal opinions issued in 1980 and 1981 made shutdowns more impactful. Then-Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti determined that failure to pass new spending bills required government functioning to shut down in whole or in part. Earlier “shutdowns” did not always entail an actual stop to government functioning and often were simply funding gaps will little real-world effect.___Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.<figure>
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A look at previous government shutdowns and how they ended

NEW YORK (AP) — The curtain has been drawn. The stage lights are on. It’s time for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-album-life-of-showgirl-c4262686b5b68ee210f7571b8716ab51">“The Life of a Showgirl.”</a>

For&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift’s</a>&nbsp;most dedicated audience, a new album means new opportunities to decode Easter eggs in her lyrics and music videos. The pop superstar’s 12th studio album has no shortage&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/domestic-news-domestic-news-general-news-f77fd05cd59ed180af3461c26c5b7e6d">of clever clues and references</a>&nbsp;to her public life and discography. Many are opaque, revealing just enough to inspire a myriad of fan theories. Others are concrete – explicit names and places worth exploring. Below, you will find a guide to those instances, and how they relate to Swift.

Lyric: “That view of Portofino was on my mind / When you called me at the Plaza Athénée”

Meaning: When Swift announced her new album, she did so with the introduction of a shade she’s calling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-orange-color-0a7e40dd51b4aae99ca1a67fbb5e7f89">Portofino Orange Glitter</a>&nbsp;after donning the color onstage during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-end-06a41d7c717486f2c0e99a7304789912">latter part of her “Eras Tour.”</a>&nbsp;“I’ve just always liked it,” she said of the hue during her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-heights-podcast-e26d4150cd1fa7bf7cea189e48237663">first appearance on “New Heights,”</a>&nbsp;the popular, typically football-focused podcast hosted by her fiancé Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce. “It feels like energetically how my life has felt. And this album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour.” She and beau Kelce were spotted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-europe-eras-tour-fans-bcf8a207f06fd1f3e17a2f3f3b24dab5">last year in Lake Como, Italy,</a>&nbsp;but it is unclear if they spent time in nearby Portofino. Additionally,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-streaming-vinyl-guide-e6ae27ac62d972be042e849dc31e140c">the standard version of her album</a>&nbsp;is available in “sweat and vanilla perfume Portofino orange vinyl.” As for the Plaza Athénée? That’s a luxury hotel in Paris.

Lyric: “Be my NY when Hollywood hates me”

Meaning: Both locations make appearances in Swift’s songwriting. Among them: “Welcome to New York” from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-a4002b50f70b5899a846baf3e20de5ab">2014’s “1989”</a>&nbsp;and “White Horse” from 2008’s “Fearless.” She also owns property in both locations.

Lyric: “Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust … just kidding”

Meaning: In August of this year, Swift&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">announced her engagement</a>&nbsp;to Kelce by posting a carousel of images on Instagram. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the ring wasn’t the only jewelry she was showing off. She was also wearing a Cartier watch.

Lyric: “We hit the best booth at Musso &amp; Frank’s”

Meaning: Since opening in 1919, Musso &amp; Frank Grill has been a hot spot for celebrities in Los Angeles – embodying the kind of old school Hollywood glamor that inspired “The Life of a Showgirl” artwork.

Lyric: “All my white diamonds and lovers are forever”

Meaning: The song is titled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-arts-and-entertainment-new-york-celebrity-06f0da0426e19668a99c8db81a98a328">“Elizabeth Taylor”</a>&nbsp;after the classic Hollywood starlet who, in 1991, created her own perfume called “White Diamonds.”

Lyric: “You drive, 85 / Gallatin Road and the lakeside beach”

Meaning: There are several Gallatin Roads in the United States, but given the other lyrics in the song, this one likely refers to a street in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, where Swift spent her adolescence.

Lyric: “But as the 50 Cent song played”

Meaning: A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/50-cent">50 Cent</a>&nbsp;reference further implies this song is rooted in Swift’s teen years in the ’00s, when the rapper was at the height of his popularity. The song also mentions “prom” and “second period,” what is typically associated with high school.

Lyric: “When I left school, I lost track of you / Abigail called me with the bad news / Goodbye”

Meaning: Abigail refers to Swift’s best friend AbigailAnderson, who she attended Hendersonville High School with. This marks the second time Abigail is mentioned in Swift’s discography: the first is the evocative “Fifteen” from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-redoing-fearless-album-127eefa2a3ef3373e65507495f50145c">“Fearless.”</a>

Lyric: “Redwood tree / It ain’t hard to see”

Meaning: In Oct. 2023, Swift and Kelce made a surprise appearance at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/saturday-night-live">“Saturday Night Live”</a>&nbsp;for a season premiere episode that featured host Pete Davidson and musical performer/friend to Swift, Ice Spice.Afterwards, “SNL” cast member Bowen Yang described the couple as the “tallest people in the world,” on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/las-culturistas-culture-awards-matt-rogers-interview-1fefa3101f502806773f8e9976d1f00d">“Las Culturistas”</a>&nbsp;podcast he co-hosts with comedian Matt Rogers. “I see them together, I go, ‘I am in the Redwood Forest.’” Hence, “Redwood tree.”

Meaning:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-heights-podcast-taylor-swift-kelce-e5b21dc74fdc8aebf04f383e5dc11b0b">“New Heights”</a>&nbsp;is a direct reference to the Kelces’ podcast of the same name.

Lyric: “Summertime spritz, pink skies”

Meaning:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-streaming-vinyl-guide-e6ae27ac62d972be042e849dc31e140c">Physical album variants</a>&nbsp;have been a huge part of Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” rollout, and in some ways, they appear in the lyrics of “Honey.” The color of her exclusive vinyl release with Target, “The Crowd Is Your King” edition, was described online as “summertime spritz pink shimmer.”

Meaning: This line relates to another one of her variants: “The Shiny Bug Collection,” which is available in “violet shimmer marbled vinyl” and more relevantly, “wintergreen and onyx marbled vinyl.” (“Violet” is mentioned in “Elizabeth Tylor,” as is “onyx” in “Opalite.”)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737974936244.jpeg" alt="File photo -Donna Kelce stands with her son Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift after the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)" />
 <figcaption>File photo -Donna Kelce stands with her son Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift after the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The curtain has been drawn. The stage lights are on. It’s time for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-album-life-of-showgirl-c4262686b5b68ee210f7571b8716ab51">“The Life of a Showgirl.”</a>For&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift’s</a>&nbsp;most dedicated audience, a new album means new opportunities to decode Easter eggs in her lyrics and music videos. The pop superstar’s 12th studio album has no shortage&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/domestic-news-domestic-news-general-news-f77fd05cd59ed180af3461c26c5b7e6d">of clever clues and references</a>&nbsp;to her public life and discography. Many are opaque, revealing just enough to inspire a myriad of fan theories. Others are concrete – explicit names and places worth exploring. Below, you will find a guide to those instances, and how they relate to Swift.Read on, and happy digging!<h2>“Elizabeth Taylor”</h2>Lyric: “That view of Portofino was on my mind / When you called me at the Plaza Athénée”Meaning: When Swift announced her new album, she did so with the introduction of a shade she’s calling&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-orange-color-0a7e40dd51b4aae99ca1a67fbb5e7f89">Portofino Orange Glitter</a>&nbsp;after donning the color onstage during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-end-06a41d7c717486f2c0e99a7304789912">latter part of her “Eras Tour.”</a>&nbsp;“I’ve just always liked it,” she said of the hue during her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-heights-podcast-e26d4150cd1fa7bf7cea189e48237663">first appearance on “New Heights,”</a>&nbsp;the popular, typically football-focused podcast hosted by her fiancé Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce. “It feels like energetically how my life has felt. And this album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour.” She and beau Kelce were spotted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-europe-eras-tour-fans-bcf8a207f06fd1f3e17a2f3f3b24dab5">last year in Lake Como, Italy,</a>&nbsp;but it is unclear if they spent time in nearby Portofino. Additionally,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-streaming-vinyl-guide-e6ae27ac62d972be042e849dc31e140c">the standard version of her album</a>&nbsp;is available in “sweat and vanilla perfume Portofino orange vinyl.” As for the Plaza Athénée? That’s a luxury hotel in Paris.Lyric: “Be my NY when Hollywood hates me”Meaning: Both locations make appearances in Swift’s songwriting. Among them: “Welcome to New York” from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-a4002b50f70b5899a846baf3e20de5ab">2014’s “1989”</a>&nbsp;and “White Horse” from 2008’s “Fearless.” She also owns property in both locations.Lyric: “Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust … just kidding”Meaning: In August of this year, Swift&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">announced her engagement</a>&nbsp;to Kelce by posting a carousel of images on Instagram. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that the ring wasn’t the only jewelry she was showing off. She was also wearing a Cartier watch.Lyric: “We hit the best booth at Musso &amp; Frank’s”Meaning: Since opening in 1919, Musso &amp; Frank Grill has been a hot spot for celebrities in Los Angeles – embodying the kind of old school Hollywood glamor that inspired “The Life of a Showgirl” artwork.Lyric: “All my white diamonds and lovers are forever”Meaning: The song is titled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-arts-and-entertainment-new-york-celebrity-06f0da0426e19668a99c8db81a98a328">“Elizabeth Taylor”</a>&nbsp;after the classic Hollywood starlet who, in 1991, created her own perfume called “White Diamonds.”<h2>“Ruin the Friendship”</h2>Lyric: “You drive, 85 / Gallatin Road and the lakeside beach”Meaning: There are several Gallatin Roads in the United States, but given the other lyrics in the song, this one likely refers to a street in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, where Swift spent her adolescence.Lyric: “But as the 50 Cent song played”Meaning: A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/50-cent">50 Cent</a>&nbsp;reference further implies this song is rooted in Swift’s teen years in the ’00s, when the rapper was at the height of his popularity. The song also mentions “prom” and “second period,” what is typically associated with high school.Lyric: “When I left school, I lost track of you / Abigail called me with the bad news / Goodbye”Meaning: Abigail refers to Swift’s best friend AbigailAnderson, who she attended Hendersonville High School with. This marks the second time Abigail is mentioned in Swift’s discography: the first is the evocative “Fifteen” from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-redoing-fearless-album-127eefa2a3ef3373e65507495f50145c">“Fearless.”</a><h2>“Wood”</h2>Lyric: “Redwood tree / It ain’t hard to see”Meaning: In Oct. 2023, Swift and Kelce made a surprise appearance at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/saturday-night-live">“Saturday Night Live”</a>&nbsp;for a season premiere episode that featured host Pete Davidson and musical performer/friend to Swift, Ice Spice.Afterwards, “SNL” cast member Bowen Yang described the couple as the “tallest people in the world,” on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/las-culturistas-culture-awards-matt-rogers-interview-1fefa3101f502806773f8e9976d1f00d">“Las Culturistas”</a>&nbsp;podcast he co-hosts with comedian Matt Rogers. “I see them together, I go, ‘I am in the Redwood Forest.’” Hence, “Redwood tree.”Lyric: “New Heights of manhood”Meaning:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-heights-podcast-taylor-swift-kelce-e5b21dc74fdc8aebf04f383e5dc11b0b">“New Heights”</a>&nbsp;is a direct reference to the Kelces’ podcast of the same name.<h2>“Honey”</h2>Lyric: “Summertime spritz, pink skies”Meaning:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-streaming-vinyl-guide-e6ae27ac62d972be042e849dc31e140c">Physical album variants</a>&nbsp;have been a huge part of Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” rollout, and in some ways, they appear in the lyrics of “Honey.” The color of her exclusive vinyl release with Target, “The Crowd Is Your King” edition, was described online as “summertime spritz pink shimmer.”Lyric: “Wintergreen kiss, all mine”Meaning: This line relates to another one of her variants: “The Shiny Bug Collection,” which is available in “violet shimmer marbled vinyl” and more relevantly, “wintergreen and onyx marbled vinyl.” (“Violet” is mentioned in “Elizabeth Tylor,” as is “onyx” in “Opalite.”)

Taylor Swift's new album features references to Travis Kelce

WASHINGTON — Federal officials have approved another generic version of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-makary-22576dbfafca1afe0146ee496540c9a4">abortion pill mifepristone</a>, a regulatory formality that quickly triggered pushback from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-medicaid-trump-planned-parenthood-supreme-court-c512ec676b99d521d240bedeb7f85574">anti-abortion groups</a>&nbsp;and politicians aligned with the Trump administration.

Drugmaker Evita Solutions announced on its website that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-food-and-drug-administration">Food and Drug Administration</a>&nbsp;signed off on its low-cost form of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-makary-22576dbfafca1afe0146ee496540c9a4">pill</a>, which is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks.

On his social media account, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall wrote, "Warning on abortion pills: 11% suffer hemorrhaging, infection, or sepsis; almost everyone endures brutal cramping. Skipping doctor visits means higher failures from undiagnosed gestational age—no ultrasound!"

"These are category X drugs and have high risk severe fetal anomalies if baby survives. Biden admin dismissed key research, allowing mail-order teratogens via Amazon. Every woman should always seek in-person medical advice from their doctor."

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri also criticized the move in a post on X, stating, “I have lost confidence in the leadership at FDA.”

Students for Life Action, which opposes abortion, in a statement called the approval “a stain on the Trump presidency and another sign that the deep state at the FDA must go.”

A spokesperson for the agency said the FDA “has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug," and added that FDA officials do not “endorse any product.”

The criticism comes as Republican President Donald Trump’s top health officials, including Health Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-vaccines-food-additives-pharmaceuticals-trump-797750f5f141161778792e84602b57c8">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, face growing pressure from abortion opponents to reevaluate mifepristone, which was approved 25 years ago and has repeatedly been deemed safe and effective by FDA scientists.

In a letter to Republican attorneys general last month, Kennedy and FDA Commissioner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fda-commissioner-senate-vaccines-food-3a502dc95c7fe98db71f0a39969e17fd">Dr. Marty Makary</a>&nbsp;pledged to conduct a full review of the drug’s safety.

Under Makary and Kennedy, the FDA has repeatedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccine-novavax-fda-trump-covid-study-4b4465ad77cfb0554b27b7d59c40ae32">delayed decisions on vaccines</a>, ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-rfk-kennedy-trump-covid-fda-novavax-b50f4d6fbcca378eb89b059bc8a91477">narrowing the terms of approval</a>&nbsp;for this year's COVID-19 shots. That type of political intervention was previously highly unusual at the FDA, where career scientists typically make such decisions.

The FDA approved the original version of mifepristone in 2000 and gradually eased access over time. That included approving the first generic pill, from drugmaker GenBioPro, in 2019.

In 2021, the FDA under Democratic President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-medication-a6634601a37fb048aecdd9f030e0863a">permitted online prescribing</a>&nbsp;and mail-order delivery of the drug, greatly expanding access. Abortion opponents have been fighting the change ever since.

Approval of generic drugs is typically a rote process at the FDA, with multiple copycat versions usually approved after the patent on the original drug expires. In most cases, generic drugmakers only need to show that their drug matches the ingredients and formula used in the original medication.

“This is exactly how our system is supposed to work, and it has worked this way for decades," said Mini Timmaraju of Reproductive Freedom for All. “Career scientists and civil servants at the FDA did their jobs.”

The FDA typically approves such applications within 10 months. But filing documents posted to the FDA’s website show that Evita Solutions filed its application to market mifepristone four years ago.

On its website, Evita states that it “believes that all people should have access to safe, affordable, high-quality, effective, and compassionate abortion care.”

The company said in an email that the drug is expected to launch in January of next year.

Approval of a second generic is unlikely to affect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-mifespristone-state-lawsuit-f03bfe0d9b9fc04e4c8b01a1c6d16851">access to the pill</a>, which is typically taken with another drug, misoprostol. The combination accounts for roughly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions. Mifepristone dilates the cervix and blocks the hormone progesterone, while misoprostol causes the uterus to cramp and contract.

Access to mifepristone is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-mifepristone-supreme-court-kansas-idaho-missouri-5cc89d289ced29a1274423b43789397f">restricted</a>&nbsp;across large sections of the country because of state laws that ban abortion — including medication abortion — or impose separate restrictions on the drug’s use. Those laws are subject to a number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">ongoing lawsuits</a>&nbsp;that are winding their way through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/supreme-court-mifepristone-ruling-abortion-pill-updates">the legal system.</a>

Restrictions on the pill are not supported by most major medical societies, including the American Medical Association.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967437018.png" alt="photo AP" />
 <figcaption>photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — Federal officials have approved another generic version of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-makary-22576dbfafca1afe0146ee496540c9a4">abortion pill mifepristone</a>, a regulatory formality that quickly triggered pushback from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-medicaid-trump-planned-parenthood-supreme-court-c512ec676b99d521d240bedeb7f85574">anti-abortion groups</a>&nbsp;and politicians aligned with the Trump administration.Drugmaker Evita Solutions announced on its website that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-food-and-drug-administration">Food and Drug Administration</a>&nbsp;signed off on its low-cost form of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-makary-22576dbfafca1afe0146ee496540c9a4">pill</a>, which is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks.On his social media account, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall wrote, "Warning on abortion pills: 11% suffer hemorrhaging, infection, or sepsis; almost everyone endures brutal cramping. Skipping doctor visits means higher failures from undiagnosed gestational age—no ultrasound!""These are category X drugs and have high risk severe fetal anomalies if baby survives. Biden admin dismissed key research, allowing mail-order teratogens via Amazon. Every woman should always seek in-person medical advice from their doctor."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The FDA has approved a new abortion drug, which may render its promised “safety study” of chemical abortions irrelevant. I want to know how this happened. <a href="https://t.co/DTd5LsiTKY">pic.twitter.com/DTd5LsiTKY</a>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1974199810761642419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri also criticized the move in a post on X, stating, “I have lost confidence in the leadership at FDA.”Students for Life Action, which opposes abortion, in a statement called the approval “a stain on the Trump presidency and another sign that the deep state at the FDA must go.”A spokesperson for the agency said the FDA “has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug," and added that FDA officials do not “endorse any product.”The criticism comes as Republican President Donald Trump’s top health officials, including Health Secretary&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-vaccines-food-additives-pharmaceuticals-trump-797750f5f141161778792e84602b57c8">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, face growing pressure from abortion opponents to reevaluate mifepristone, which was approved 25 years ago and has repeatedly been deemed safe and effective by FDA scientists.In a letter to Republican attorneys general last month, Kennedy and FDA Commissioner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fda-commissioner-senate-vaccines-food-3a502dc95c7fe98db71f0a39969e17fd">Dr. Marty Makary</a>&nbsp;pledged to conduct a full review of the drug’s safety.Under Makary and Kennedy, the FDA has repeatedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccine-novavax-fda-trump-covid-study-4b4465ad77cfb0554b27b7d59c40ae32">delayed decisions on vaccines</a>, ultimately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaccines-rfk-kennedy-trump-covid-fda-novavax-b50f4d6fbcca378eb89b059bc8a91477">narrowing the terms of approval</a>&nbsp;for this year's COVID-19 shots. That type of political intervention was previously highly unusual at the FDA, where career scientists typically make such decisions.The FDA approved the original version of mifepristone in 2000 and gradually eased access over time. That included approving the first generic pill, from drugmaker GenBioPro, in 2019.In 2021, the FDA under Democratic President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-abortion-health-medication-a6634601a37fb048aecdd9f030e0863a">permitted online prescribing</a>&nbsp;and mail-order delivery of the drug, greatly expanding access. Abortion opponents have been fighting the change ever since.Approval of generic drugs is typically a rote process at the FDA, with multiple copycat versions usually approved after the patent on the original drug expires. In most cases, generic drugmakers only need to show that their drug matches the ingredients and formula used in the original medication.“This is exactly how our system is supposed to work, and it has worked this way for decades," said Mini Timmaraju of Reproductive Freedom for All. “Career scientists and civil servants at the FDA did their jobs.”The FDA typically approves such applications within 10 months. But filing documents posted to the FDA’s website show that Evita Solutions filed its application to market mifepristone four years ago.On its website, Evita states that it “believes that all people should have access to safe, affordable, high-quality, effective, and compassionate abortion care.”The company said in an email that the drug is expected to launch in January of next year.Approval of a second generic is unlikely to affect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-mifespristone-state-lawsuit-f03bfe0d9b9fc04e4c8b01a1c6d16851">access to the pill</a>, which is typically taken with another drug, misoprostol. The combination accounts for roughly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions. Mifepristone dilates the cervix and blocks the hormone progesterone, while misoprostol causes the uterus to cramp and contract.Access to mifepristone is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-mifepristone-supreme-court-kansas-idaho-missouri-5cc89d289ced29a1274423b43789397f">restricted</a>&nbsp;across large sections of the country because of state laws that ban abortion — including medication abortion — or impose separate restrictions on the drug’s use. Those laws are subject to a number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">ongoing lawsuits</a>&nbsp;that are winding their way through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/supreme-court-mifepristone-ruling-abortion-pill-updates">the legal system.</a>Restrictions on the pill are not supported by most major medical societies, including the American Medical Association.___

Kan. U.S. Senator's warning on approval of another generic abortion pill

KANSAS CITY——Authorities are working to determine the cause of an apartment fire in Kansas City, Missouri.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759494861303.png" alt="Photos KC Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photos KC Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY——Authorities are working to determine the cause of an apartment fire in Kansas City, Missouri.Just after 5a.m. Friday, the Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to a reported apartment fire&nbsp;in the 2400 block of E 9th Street, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. Crews reported heavy fire from a 3-story apartment building on arrival, with fire through the roof of the structure.&nbsp;Offensive operations were initiated with four handlines being advanced into the structure.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759494843471.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>During searches, KCFD companies found 3 victims and brought them out safely. Additional searches came back "all clear."&nbsp; Crews did pull out of the structure and went defensive for a short period while they used the aerial to extinguish fire on the upper level. Companies did return inside with handlines to continue with search and overhaul. The&nbsp;fire&nbsp;was brought under contro lat 5:40 a.m. Red Cross was ordered for 2 adults and 1 child. There were no injuries.