A Cole County judge will decide whether to revise, throw out or keep a constitutional amendment proposed by the Missouri General Assembly that would ban abortion

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

A Cole County judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether a proposed ban on abortion set to go to voters next year should be thrown out or revised over a provision targeting gender-affirming care for minors.&nbsp;

The ACLU of Missouri believes the proposal, which was drafted by state lawmakers, violates the state constitution because it includes multiple subjects. The group also contends the summary that would appear on the ballot is misleading.

If the courts decide to keep the measure on the ballot, plaintiffs are asking that the ballot summary be revised to explicitly state that the measure would ban abortion.

If approved by a simple majority of voters, the abortion ban amendment would repeal a citizen-led reproductive rights amendment that passed last November legalizing&nbsp; abortion in Missouri up until the point of fetal viability and enshrining other reproductive rights in the constitution, including in-vitro fertilization and contraceptives.

The new amendment would reinstate an abortion ban, allowing limited exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomolies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

The current language written by the Missouri General Assembly makes no mention of the ban it would enact.&nbsp;

Instead, Missourians would be asked if they want to amend the Missouri constitution to:&nbsp;

Missouri statute states “petitions for laws shall contain not more than one subject which shall be expressed clearly in the title.”&nbsp;

Chuck Hatfield, an attorney with Stinson LLP&nbsp;representing the plaintiff on Wednesday argued that the inclusion of the gender-affirming health care ban was “ballot candy” meant to win over more voters but is a separate issue from reproductive health care.&nbsp;

Recent polling by St. Louis University/YouGov shows that while the<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/29/poll-shows-missouri-voters-back-trump-hawley-abortion-rights-and-minimum-wage-hike/">&nbsp;majority of polled Missouri voters support access to abortion</a>, the majority also&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/25/poll-finds-missouri-voters-support-for-bans-on-transgender-health-care/">oppose access to gender-affirming health care for minors.&nbsp;</a>

“You can’t say to the people, ‘Here’s a proposal whether the Chiefs should stay in Kansas City and to ban crypto,’” Hatfield said.

Missouri Solicitor General Louis Capozzi, defending the proposed amendment, told Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on Wednesday that gender-affirming procedures can cause the loss of fertility. Therefore, he believes reproductive health care “applies to all people who are thinking about whether to have children.”

Capozzi said the latest proposed amendment “ensures that Missouri children are able to make the choice whether to reproduce when they are adults,” adding that if someone is “unable to reproduce, they can’t access reproductive health care.”

Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/06/judge-decides-abortion-amendment-3-missouri-ballot/">anti-abortion leaders were unsuccessful in convincing the courts&nbsp;</a>to throw the abortion rights amendment off the ballot by claiming it violated the single subject rule. At the time, an attorney for the Thomas Moore Society argued unsuccessfully that the subject of that amendment,&nbsp;“a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” encompassed “infinite subjects.”

Hatfield on Wednesday accused the legislature and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins of misrepresenting what the amendment would do through both the language voters will see on the ballot and the ballot language posted&nbsp;at every polling station around the state next to sample ballots.&nbsp;

Hoskins’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/petitions/2026BallotMeasures" target="_blank">ballot language</a>&nbsp;currently reads: “A ‘no’ vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to allow abortion in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest, or to protect children from gender transition.”

Under the current law, abortion is legal up until the point of fetal viability in Missouri and gender-affirming health care for minors is banned.&nbsp;

“It’s ridiculous; it’s wrong,” Hatfield said of the ballot language. “The current constitution guarantees those rights and to imply otherwise is wrong, it’s highly argumentative.”

Capozzi argued the legislature was working with a word limit and that it was more important to state what the amendment would do. Summary statements, he said, need not detail specific exceptions.

The proposed amendment also requires any lawsuits related to reproductive health care to be filed in Cole County and gives the Attorney General’s Office the right to intervene in these cases. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said there is not a legitimate connection to reproductive health care, as “health care is not generally provided in court rooms.”

Hatfield suggested Green “tell the General Assembly to give it another shot in compliance with the constitution.”&nbsp;

Green did not immediately rule on the challenge to the abortion ban amendment. A day earlier, he also heard arguments in a case challenging a new law set to go into effect Thursday that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/25/lawsuit-challenges-the-constitutionality-of-missouri-attorney-generals-new-powers/">changes the deadlines and procedures for challenging and revising ballot language.</a>&nbsp;Green’s determination in that case could affect how he’s allowed to proceed in regarding the ballot language.&nbsp;

Despite the current law, abortion access remains tenuous in Missouri.&nbsp;

Three Planned Parenthood clinics — in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis —&nbsp;have resumed procedural abortions on a limited schedule that was briefly interrupted over the summer when the courts overturned and then reinstated a temporary injunction allowing some abortions to resume ahead of a trial slated for January.

But Planned Parenthood and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office are slated to meet in court a handful of times before then.

At a hearing set for Sept. 10 in Kansas City, Planned Parenthood plans to argue in favor of undoing a number of laws they say are currently preventing its clinics from prescribing medication abortion in Missouri.&nbsp;

That same day, down the street, the Western District Court of Appeals is slated to hear&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-ag-erred-in-asking-supreme-court-to-overturn-order-legalizing-abortion/">the Missouri Attorney General’s Office’s appeal of an injunction</a>&nbsp;that allowed procedural abortions to resume in Missouri in February.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746190042115.png" alt="An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>A Cole County judge will decide whether to revise, throw out or keep a constitutional amendment proposed by the Missouri General Assembly that would ban abortion</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>A Cole County judge heard arguments Wednesday over whether a proposed ban on abortion set to go to voters next year should be thrown out or revised over a provision targeting gender-affirming care for minors.&nbsp;The ACLU of Missouri believes the proposal, which was drafted by state lawmakers, violates the state constitution because it includes multiple subjects. The group also contends the summary that would appear on the ballot is misleading.If the courts decide to keep the measure on the ballot, plaintiffs are asking that the ballot summary be revised to explicitly state that the measure would ban abortion.If approved by a simple majority of voters, the abortion ban amendment would repeal a citizen-led reproductive rights amendment that passed last November legalizing&nbsp; abortion in Missouri up until the point of fetal viability and enshrining other reproductive rights in the constitution, including in-vitro fertilization and contraceptives.The new amendment would reinstate an abortion ban, allowing limited exceptions for medical emergencies, fatal fetal anomolies and for survivors of rape and incest in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.The current language written by the Missouri General Assembly makes no mention of the ban it would enact.&nbsp;Instead, Missourians would be asked if they want to amend the Missouri constitution to:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Guarantee access to care for medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages;</li><li>Ensure women’s safety during abortions;</li><li>Ensure parental consent for minors;</li><li>Allow abortions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, and incest;</li><li>Require physicians to provide medically accurate information; and</li><li>Protect children from gender transition?</li>
 </ul>Missouri statute states “petitions for laws shall contain not more than one subject which shall be expressed clearly in the title.”&nbsp;Chuck Hatfield, an attorney with Stinson LLP&nbsp;representing the plaintiff on Wednesday argued that the inclusion of the gender-affirming health care ban was “ballot candy” meant to win over more voters but is a separate issue from reproductive health care.&nbsp;Recent polling by St. Louis University/YouGov shows that while the<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/29/poll-shows-missouri-voters-back-trump-hawley-abortion-rights-and-minimum-wage-hike/">&nbsp;majority of polled Missouri voters support access to abortion</a>, the majority also&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/08/25/poll-finds-missouri-voters-support-for-bans-on-transgender-health-care/">oppose access to gender-affirming health care for minors.&nbsp;</a>“You can’t say to the people, ‘Here’s a proposal whether the Chiefs should stay in Kansas City and to ban crypto,’” Hatfield said.Missouri Solicitor General Louis Capozzi, defending the proposed amendment, told Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green on Wednesday that gender-affirming procedures can cause the loss of fertility. Therefore, he believes reproductive health care “applies to all people who are thinking about whether to have children.”Capozzi said the latest proposed amendment “ensures that Missouri children are able to make the choice whether to reproduce when they are adults,” adding that if someone is “unable to reproduce, they can’t access reproductive health care.”Last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/09/06/judge-decides-abortion-amendment-3-missouri-ballot/">anti-abortion leaders were unsuccessful in convincing the courts&nbsp;</a>to throw the abortion rights amendment off the ballot by claiming it violated the single subject rule. At the time, an attorney for the Thomas Moore Society argued unsuccessfully that the subject of that amendment,&nbsp;“a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” encompassed “infinite subjects.”Hatfield on Wednesday accused the legislature and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins of misrepresenting what the amendment would do through both the language voters will see on the ballot and the ballot language posted&nbsp;at every polling station around the state next to sample ballots.&nbsp;Hoskins’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/petitions/2026BallotMeasures" target="_blank">ballot language</a>&nbsp;currently reads: “A ‘no’ vote will not amend the Missouri Constitution to allow abortion in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest, or to protect children from gender transition.”Under the current law, abortion is legal up until the point of fetal viability in Missouri and gender-affirming health care for minors is banned.&nbsp;“It’s ridiculous; it’s wrong,” Hatfield said of the ballot language. “The current constitution guarantees those rights and to imply otherwise is wrong, it’s highly argumentative.”Capozzi argued the legislature was working with a word limit and that it was more important to state what the amendment would do. Summary statements, he said, need not detail specific exceptions.The proposed amendment also requires any lawsuits related to reproductive health care to be filed in Cole County and gives the Attorney General’s Office the right to intervene in these cases. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit said there is not a legitimate connection to reproductive health care, as “health care is not generally provided in court rooms.”Hatfield suggested Green “tell the General Assembly to give it another shot in compliance with the constitution.”&nbsp;Green did not immediately rule on the challenge to the abortion ban amendment. A day earlier, he also heard arguments in a case challenging a new law set to go into effect Thursday that&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/25/lawsuit-challenges-the-constitutionality-of-missouri-attorney-generals-new-powers/">changes the deadlines and procedures for challenging and revising ballot language.</a>&nbsp;Green’s determination in that case could affect how he’s allowed to proceed in regarding the ballot language.&nbsp;Despite the current law, abortion access remains tenuous in Missouri.&nbsp;Three Planned Parenthood clinics — in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis —&nbsp;have resumed procedural abortions on a limited schedule that was briefly interrupted over the summer when the courts overturned and then reinstated a temporary injunction allowing some abortions to resume ahead of a trial slated for January.But Planned Parenthood and the Missouri Attorney General’s Office are slated to meet in court a handful of times before then.At a hearing set for Sept. 10 in Kansas City, Planned Parenthood plans to argue in favor of undoing a number of laws they say are currently preventing its clinics from prescribing medication abortion in Missouri.&nbsp;That same day, down the street, the Western District Court of Appeals is slated to hear&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-ag-erred-in-asking-supreme-court-to-overturn-order-legalizing-abortion/">the Missouri Attorney General’s Office’s appeal of an injunction</a>&nbsp;that allowed procedural abortions to resume in Missouri in February.&nbsp;

Missouri judge weighing whether new abortion ban should appear on 2026 ballot

By TONY GUERRERO Hays Post

Hays hit a high of 71 Wednesday, according to the K-State Ag Research Center.

Hays received .3 inches of rain as of 9 a.m. today. Hays has received 2.90 inches in the month of August. The low for Wednesday was 60.

On average, Hays receives 3.01 inches of rain in August and 17.70 inches of moisture by the end of August. Hays has received&nbsp;16.41 inches of precipitation year to date.

The forecast for today is a slight chance of showers with patchy fog, with a high of 72 and a low of 60. Winds are expected to be around 8 mph.

More patchy fog is expected Friday, with a high of 77, and a chance of storms and showers going into the weekend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1719872287576.jpg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY GUERRERO Hays PostHays hit a high of 71 Wednesday, according to the K-State Ag Research Center.Hays received .3 inches of rain as of 9 a.m. today. Hays has received 2.90 inches in the month of August. The low for Wednesday was 60.On average, Hays receives 3.01 inches of rain in August and 17.70 inches of moisture by the end of August. Hays has received&nbsp;16.41 inches of precipitation year to date.The forecast for today is a slight chance of showers with patchy fog, with a high of 72 and a low of 60. Winds are expected to be around 8 mph.More patchy fog is expected Friday, with a high of 77, and a chance of storms and showers going into the weekend.

Hays receives more rain; fog expected Friday 

Funeral services for Officer Hunter Simoncic have been finalized. The funeral will be held Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at Children's Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kansas.

The service is open to the public and will begin at 10:00 AM. Parking lots will open at 7:30 AM with stadium gates opening at 8:00 AM. There will be a Law Enforcement

Processional starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of service. The route will be posted once details have been confirmed. Attendees should approach Children’s Mercy Park from State Ave. Public parking will be located on the south side of the stadium in Blue Lot 2 on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. 

Please, be aware that Village West Parkway and France Family Drive will be closed to public traffic.We encourage the community members to display blue ribbons outside their homes and businesses as a sign of support of the Simoncic family and the men and women of the KCKPD. It is a small gesture, but  very powerful and unifying one.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756332955180.png" alt="Officer Hunter Simoncic- photo KCK Police" />
 <figcaption>Officer Hunter Simoncic- photo KCK Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Funeral services for Officer Hunter Simoncic have been finalized. The funeral will be held Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at Children's Mercy Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756377461155.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>The service is open to the public and will begin at 10:00 AM. Parking lots will open at 7:30 AM with stadium gates opening at 8:00 AM. There will be a Law Enforcement<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756333095649.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Processional starting 30 minutes after the conclusion of service. The route will be posted once details have been confirmed. Attendees should approach Children’s Mercy Park from State Ave. Public parking will be located on the south side of the stadium in Blue Lot 2 on the grounds of the Kansas Speedway. Please, be aware that Village West Parkway and France Family Drive will be closed to public traffic.We encourage the community members to display blue ribbons outside their homes and businesses as a sign of support of the Simoncic family and the men and women of the KCKPD. It is a small gesture, but very powerful and unifying one.

Funeral arrangements announced for fallen Kansas officer

NEW YORK (AP) — The director of the nation's top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned.

Officials did not explain why Susan Monarez was no longer with the agency, but her lawyers said she was targeted for standing up for science.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced her departure in a brief&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/HHSGov/status/1960818490614415869">social media post Wednesday</a>&nbsp;that said: “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people."

On Wednesday evening, her lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell issued a statement that said she had neither resigned nor been told she was fired.

“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted,” the attorneys wrote.

“This is not about one official. It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science. The attack on Dr. Monarez is a warning to every American: our evidence-based systems are being undermined from within,” they said.

Her departure coincided with the resignations this week of at least four top CDC officials. The list includes Dr. Debra Houry, the agency's deputy director; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the agency's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology.

In an email seen by an AP reporter, Houry lamented the crippling effects on the agency from planned budget cuts, reorganization and firings.

“I am committed to protecting the public's health, but the ongoing changes prevent me from continuing in my job as a leader of the agency,” she wrote.

She also noted the rise of misinformation about vaccines during the current Trump administration, and alluded to new limits on CDC communications.

“For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations,” she wrote.

Daskalakis worked closely with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Kennedy remade the committee by firing everyone and replacing them with a group that included several vaccine skeptics — one of whom was put in charge of a COVID-19 vaccines workgroup.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/dr_demetre/status/1960843433473376602">his resignation letter</a>, Daskalakis lamented that the changes put “people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy.” He described Monarez as “hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.” He added: “Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.”

He also wrote: “I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality.”

HHS officials did not immediately respond to questions about the resignations, or to the statement from Monarez's lawyers.

Some public health experts decried the loss of so many of CDC's scientific leaders.

“The CDC is being decapitated. This is an absolute disaster for public health,” said Public Citizen’s Dr. Robert Steinbrook.

Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease researcher, said the CDC departures were “a serious loss for America."

“The loss of experienced, world-class infectious disease experts at CDC is directly related to the failed leadership of extremists currently in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services," he said. “They make our country less safe and less prepared for public health emergencies.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/susan-monarez-cdc-director-senate-hearing-rfk-c7c883f604711238643a9ffd1681bcc0">Monarez</a>, 50, was the agency's 21st director and the first to pass through Senate confirmation following a 2023 law. She was named acting director in January and then tapped as the nominee in March after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dave-weldon-cdc-director-9a3d061832e2f0f644f2c58fbae36965">abruptly withdrew</a>&nbsp;his first choice, David Weldon.

She was sworn in on July 31 — less than a month ago, making her the shortest-serving CDC director in the history of the 79-year-old agency.

Her short time at CDC was tumultuous. On Aug. 8, at the end of her first full week on the job, a Georgia man&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emory-university-shooting-atlanta-407f755f2db20dbab7d04981614f1428">opened fire</a>&nbsp;from a spot at a pharmacy across the street from CDC’s main entrance. The 30-year-old man blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal. He killed a police officer and fired more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-headquarters-shooting-dbb9e20a688f048f572c33ce2a57cd50">180 shots</a>&nbsp;into CDC buildings before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-shooting-georgia-gunman-slain-officer-085d0d46cf2095193f9a65807876ebd5">killing himself</a>.

No one at CDC was injured, but it shell-shocked a staff that already had low morale from other recent changes.

The Atlanta-based federal agency was initially founded to prevent the spread of malaria in the U.S. Its mission was later expanded, and it gradually became a global leader on infectious and chronic diseases and a go-to source of health information.

This year it’s been hit by widespread staff cuts, resignations of key officials and heated controversy over long-standing CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-vaccine-policies-promises-d1ad570053583d953f15ec3e566e426f">vaccine policies</a>&nbsp;upended by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

During her Senate confirmation process, Monarez told senators that she values vaccines, public health interventions and rigorous scientific evidence. But she largely dodged questions about whether those positions put her at odds with Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who has criticized and sought to dismantle some of the agency’s previous protocols and decisions.

The Washington Post first reported she was ousted.

AP reporter Amanda Seitz in Washington contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756332329820.png" alt="Susan Monarez during her confirmation hearing in June-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Susan Monarez during her confirmation hearing in June-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The director of the nation's top public health agency is out after less than one month in the job, and several top agency leaders have resigned.Officials did not explain why Susan Monarez was no longer with the agency, but her lawyers said she was targeted for standing up for science.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> has full confidence in his team at <a href="https://twitter.com/CDCgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CDCgov</a> who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious…&mdash; HHS.gov (@HHSGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/HHSGov/status/1960818490614415869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced her departure in a brief&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/HHSGov/status/1960818490614415869">social media post Wednesday</a>&nbsp;that said: “Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people."On Wednesday evening, her lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell issued a statement that said she had neither resigned nor been told she was fired.“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted,” the attorneys wrote.“This is not about one official. It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science. The attack on Dr. Monarez is a warning to every American: our evidence-based systems are being undermined from within,” they said.Her departure coincided with the resignations this week of at least four top CDC officials. The list includes Dr. Debra Houry, the agency's deputy director; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the agency's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology.In an email seen by an AP reporter, Houry lamented the crippling effects on the agency from planned budget cuts, reorganization and firings.“I am committed to protecting the public's health, but the ongoing changes prevent me from continuing in my job as a leader of the agency,” she wrote.She also noted the rise of misinformation about vaccines during the current Trump administration, and alluded to new limits on CDC communications.“For the good of the nation and the world, the science at CDC should never be censored or subject to political pauses or interpretations,” she wrote.Daskalakis worked closely with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Kennedy remade the committee by firing everyone and replacing them with a group that included several vaccine skeptics — one of whom was put in charge of a COVID-19 vaccines workgroup.In&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/dr_demetre/status/1960843433473376602">his resignation letter</a>, Daskalakis lamented that the changes put “people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy.” He described Monarez as “hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.” He added: “Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.”He also wrote: “I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality.”HHS officials did not immediately respond to questions about the resignations, or to the statement from Monarez's lawyers.Some public health experts decried the loss of so many of CDC's scientific leaders.“The CDC is being decapitated. This is an absolute disaster for public health,” said Public Citizen’s Dr. Robert Steinbrook.Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease researcher, said the CDC departures were “a serious loss for America."“The loss of experienced, world-class infectious disease experts at CDC is directly related to the failed leadership of extremists currently in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services," he said. “They make our country less safe and less prepared for public health emergencies.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/susan-monarez-cdc-director-senate-hearing-rfk-c7c883f604711238643a9ffd1681bcc0">Monarez</a>, 50, was the agency's 21st director and the first to pass through Senate confirmation following a 2023 law. She was named acting director in January and then tapped as the nominee in March after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dave-weldon-cdc-director-9a3d061832e2f0f644f2c58fbae36965">abruptly withdrew</a>&nbsp;his first choice, David Weldon.She was sworn in on July 31 — less than a month ago, making her the shortest-serving CDC director in the history of the 79-year-old agency.Her short time at CDC was tumultuous. On Aug. 8, at the end of her first full week on the job, a Georgia man&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emory-university-shooting-atlanta-407f755f2db20dbab7d04981614f1428">opened fire</a>&nbsp;from a spot at a pharmacy across the street from CDC’s main entrance. The 30-year-old man blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal. He killed a police officer and fired more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-headquarters-shooting-dbb9e20a688f048f572c33ce2a57cd50">180 shots</a>&nbsp;into CDC buildings before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-shooting-georgia-gunman-slain-officer-085d0d46cf2095193f9a65807876ebd5">killing himself</a>.No one at CDC was injured, but it shell-shocked a staff that already had low morale from other recent changes.The Atlanta-based federal agency was initially founded to prevent the spread of malaria in the U.S. Its mission was later expanded, and it gradually became a global leader on infectious and chronic diseases and a go-to source of health information.This year it’s been hit by widespread staff cuts, resignations of key officials and heated controversy over long-standing CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-vaccine-policies-promises-d1ad570053583d953f15ec3e566e426f">vaccine policies</a>&nbsp;upended by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.During her Senate confirmation process, Monarez told senators that she values vaccines, public health interventions and rigorous scientific evidence. But she largely dodged questions about whether those positions put her at odds with Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic who has criticized and sought to dismantle some of the agency’s previous protocols and decisions.The Washington Post first reported she was ousted.___AP reporter Amanda Seitz in Washington contributed to this report.

Controversy: CDC director out after less than a month on the job

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Representatives of judicial districts from across the state gathered in Hays on Tuesday and Wednesday for a mental health summit.

Seventy percent of people who are incarcerated in the United States have a mental illness or substance abuse problem or both.

The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida told the group, "We should create specialty courts for the 30% of people who don't have mental illness or substance abuse."

There are 19 times more people who have mental illnesses in jails and prisons than in civil treatment programs.

He said the people who do have mental illness and substance abuse issues should be placed in therapeutic situations.

Leifman said the United States is failing at dealing with people who have mental illness, and it is costing taxpayers millions of dollars to run a broken system.

The United States has 4% of the world's population and 25% of the incarcerated people, resulting in $1 trillion in direct and indirect costs per year.&nbsp;

Leifman had the opportunity to visit&nbsp;Trieste, Italy, where he said the community is doing it right.

They virtually have no homelessness. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in jails. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in their forensic hospitals, and they have very few people in their civil hospitals," he said.

Last year, out of 40,000 patients, they only filed 100 cases for civil commitment.

"We do that every day in Miami," he said.

"First, they don't define people by their mental illnesses," he said. "You're not the crazy guy that lives down the street. You are John Smith, who just happens to have a mental illness. Just like you might be John Smith, who just happens to have heart disease or cancer."

When someone has a mental health episode, a doctor immediately goes to that person's home and begins treatment immediately. If the person can't stay at home, they find them housing and assign them three case managers, so they are covered 24 hours until they are stable. They are placed on medication and monitored, but not hospitalized.

As soon as the person begins to recover, they start to try to give them their lives back.

Instead of a state hospital, they have a supportive employment program that includes a radio station, a restaurant and a chic clothing manufacturing operation.

"You walk around the campus, and you don't know the difference between the staff and the patients," he said.

"They have a reason to get up every single day and participate,"&nbsp;Leifman said.

"It is a truly remarkable system of care that actually promotes recovery, and there's absolutely no reason why we can't scale that type of system here in the United States. Today, in the United States, we basically do the opposite," he said.

People remain on the streets, sometimes psychotic, for decades.

"We have been so bad about it that the courts have ruled that the way we do it is basically unconstitutional, enormously unsuccessful and enormously expensive without any positive measurable outcomes," he said.

He said the earlier we treat mental illness, the better the outcomes will be.

He called the treatment of people with serious mental illnesses within the judicial system the greatest public policy failure.

"The fact that we have applied the criminal justice model to a disease as opposed to a population health model explains why we have failed so miserably,"&nbsp;Leifman said.

Leifman's first experience with the mental health system was when he was 17 and working as an intern for a state senator's office.

He was sent to the state mental hospital to investigate claims that a young man was being mistreated.

He found the man tied in four-point restraints, screaming and moaning and about 100 pounds overweight from being injected with Thorazine.

In reading his file and talking to staff, he learned the young man was not psychotic, but autistic. In the basement, he also saw naked men covered in their own feces being hosed down like they were animals in a zoo.

The state senator's office was able to get the young man with autism placed in a group home. However, thewhat&nbsp;

Eventually, Leifman became a judge in Miami.

The city went from having one wing on one floor of the jail dedicated to people who had mental illness to&nbsp;having three dedicated floors to house people who had mental illness.

"When I became a judge, I had no idea that I was becoming the gatekeeper to the largest psychiatric facility in the state of Florida, the Dade County Jail," he said.

Seventy to 80% of the inmates have a mental health diagnosis and are in immediate need of treatment, he said.

Leifman was eventually given a special assignment to work on mental health issues within the Florida court system. He found the state was spending a third of its mental health budget, $250 million, to restore competency to 2,500 to 3,000 people, when about 160,000 people at the time of their arrest needed acute mental health care and weren't getting it.

After spending so many resources on this small population, either the charges were dropped, they were given credit for time served and were released, or they received probation.

They ended up back on the streets, often psychotic, with no access to treatment, and were sometimes rearrested before they made it out of the parking lot.

Leifman shared the story of Tristan Murphy, who suffered from schizophrenia. He wasn't violent, but had good and bad days, depending on whether he took his medication.

One day, he drove his truck into a pond near the sheriff's office. He was arrested and convicted of felony littering.

He was placed on a work detail while incarcerated. His bunkmates noted he was deteriorating mentally. However, corrections officers continued to give him access to tools, including a chainsaw for his work detail. One day, he took a chainsaw to his neck, ending his life.

Leifman said he was no threat to anyone other than himself. He should never have been arrested. He should have been diverted into treatment, Leifman said.

The governor of Florida, a few weeks ago, signed the Tristin Murphy Act, which expands the Miami mental health diversion program statewide.

"We shouldn't need that kind of horror to get the attention of policymakers," he said, "because we all know that the way we handle individuals with these illnesses is wrong and doesn't really work."

He said people who have mental illnesses are less dangerous than the general population and a lot less dangerous than the general population when they are on medication. They are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators.

"We also know that recovery rates for people with mental illness, in many cases, are much better than heart disease and diabetes,"&nbsp;Leifman said. "These are not terminal illnesses. They are treatable illnesses."

People with schizophrenia have higher rates of heart disease and cancer because untreated schizophrenia results in a depletion of the brain chemical dopamine.&nbsp;

They feel awful,&nbsp;Leifman said, so they often chain smoke because the nicotine helps cognition and helps them feel better.

When these people end up in jail, not only do taxpayers have to pay for treatment of the mental illness, but also severe physical health concerns as a result of the mental illness going untreated, Leifman said.

"The good news is that this is a very fixable system," he said.

The judicial system and mental health systems were developed when the most acutely ill were still in state hospitals. The community mental health systems were designed to handle people who have moderate mental illness,&nbsp;Leifman said.

The hospitals were shut down. The U.S. adopted the war on crime and sentencing guidelines and drastically cut funds for low-income housing, and the population of the acute mentally ill was thrown into communities that were not prepared for them, he said.

"Instead of blaming themselves for not developing an appropriate system of care, we end up blaming this population, and we use the justice system to punish them, and that has not worked out too well," Leifman said.

He said our society would never allow people to be treated in primary care as we treat people with mental illnesses.&nbsp;

"If you threw people who had primary care illnesses out of hospitals in the middle of the night like we do people with mental illnesses, you'd get arrested," he said.

&nbsp;Leifman said this is a national issue that needs national money, but the solutions can start at the local level.

"Each community needs to take a good, hard look at how they are doing things, and develop collaborative agreements to alter and restructure how we approach this population," he said.

Miami put to gether a two-part approach, pre-arrest and post-arrest.

This included Crisis Intervention Teams, which include specially trained law enforcement officers to respond when someone is having a mental health episode. This often has resulted in people being diverted into treatment instead of arrest&nbsp;

In 10 years, two Crisis Intervention Teams responded to more than 105,000 calls and made fewer than 200 arrests.

Overall arrests plummeted. Dade County closed one of its jails, saving $168 million. Police shootings almost stopped.

The post-arrest program eliminated many of the time-consuming competency evaluations in favor of bringing these individuals into treatment as soon as possible.

Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs were created, also known as AOT. Hays has had an AOT program since 2022.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8abbbbb5-b093-4c36-bc34-50be0815125d">SEE RELATED STORY: Ellis County mental health court pilot sees success in first year.</a>

And peers were enlisted to help people navigate the system and encourage work toward recovery.

Recidivism rates for misdemeanor cases decreased from 75% to 20% for individuals participating in these programs. The treatment model proved so effective that it was expanded to include nonviolent felony cases. Recidivism rates decreased from 75% to 6%.

Continuing care was still needed for individuals with the most acute illnesses, so Dade County recently passed a bond issue to build a facility for these individuals based on the Trieste model.

It offers wrap-around services, including crisis stabilization, primary care, a dental clinic, a podiatry clinic, an eye clinic, short-term residential care, tattoo removal, a day program, a supportive employment program, a computer lab, a GED program, and a courtroom that can handle both civil and criminal cases onsite.

"Not one person, not one party, not one institution created this mess. Not one person, party or institution will fix it. It takes all of us in this room to start looking at our systems and determine how there is a better way to run this system," Leifman said.

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostRepresentatives of judicial districts from across the state gathered in Hays on Tuesday and Wednesday for a mental health summit.Seventy percent of people who are incarcerated in the United States have a mental illness or substance abuse problem or both.The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida told the group, "We should create specialty courts for the 30% of people who don't have mental illness or substance abuse."There are 19 times more people who have mental illnesses in jails and prisons than in civil treatment programs.He said the people who do have mental illness and substance abuse issues should be placed in therapeutic situations.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756322262554.jpeg" alt="The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida discusses his experiences in the judicial system in Florida and Dade County at the 2025 Kansas Mental Health Summit on Tuesday at Fort Hays State University. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>The Hon. Steven Leifman from Florida discusses his experiences in the judicial system in Florida and Dade County at the 2025 Kansas Mental Health Summit on Tuesday at Fort Hays State University. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Leifman said the United States is failing at dealing with people who have mental illness, and it is costing taxpayers millions of dollars to run a broken system.The United States has 4% of the world's population and 25% of the incarcerated people, resulting in $1 trillion in direct and indirect costs per year.&nbsp;Leifman had the opportunity to visit&nbsp;Trieste, Italy, where he said the community is doing it right.They virtually have no homelessness. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in jails. They have few, if any, people with serious mental illness in their forensic hospitals, and they have very few people in their civil hospitals," he said.Last year, out of 40,000 patients, they only filed 100 cases for civil commitment."We do that every day in Miami," he said."First, they don't define people by their mental illnesses," he said. "You're not the crazy guy that lives down the street. You are John Smith, who just happens to have a mental illness. Just like you might be John Smith, who just happens to have heart disease or cancer."When someone has a mental health episode, a doctor immediately goes to that person's home and begins treatment immediately. If the person can't stay at home, they find them housing and assign them three case managers, so they are covered 24 hours until they are stable. They are placed on medication and monitored, but not hospitalized.As soon as the person begins to recover, they start to try to give them their lives back.Instead of a state hospital, they have a supportive employment program that includes a radio station, a restaurant and a chic clothing manufacturing operation."You walk around the campus, and you don't know the difference between the staff and the patients," he said."They have a reason to get up every single day and participate,"&nbsp;Leifman said."It is a truly remarkable system of care that actually promotes recovery, and there's absolutely no reason why we can't scale that type of system here in the United States. Today, in the United States, we basically do the opposite," he said.People remain on the streets, sometimes psychotic, for decades."We have been so bad about it that the courts have ruled that the way we do it is basically unconstitutional, enormously unsuccessful and enormously expensive without any positive measurable outcomes," he said.He said the earlier we treat mental illness, the better the outcomes will be.He called the treatment of people with serious mental illnesses within the judicial system the greatest public policy failure."The fact that we have applied the criminal justice model to a disease as opposed to a population health model explains why we have failed so miserably,"&nbsp;Leifman said.Leifman's first experience with the mental health system was when he was 17 and working as an intern for a state senator's office.He was sent to the state mental hospital to investigate claims that a young man was being mistreated.He found the man tied in four-point restraints, screaming and moaning and about 100 pounds overweight from being injected with Thorazine.In reading his file and talking to staff, he learned the young man was not psychotic, but autistic. In the basement, he also saw naked men covered in their own feces being hosed down like they were animals in a zoo.The state senator's office was able to get the young man with autism placed in a group home. However, thewhat&nbsp;Eventually, Leifman became a judge in Miami.The city went from having one wing on one floor of the jail dedicated to people who had mental illness to&nbsp;having three dedicated floors to house people who had mental illness."When I became a judge, I had no idea that I was becoming the gatekeeper to the largest psychiatric facility in the state of Florida, the Dade County Jail," he said.Seventy to 80% of the inmates have a mental health diagnosis and are in immediate need of treatment, he said.Leifman was eventually given a special assignment to work on mental health issues within the Florida court system. He found the state was spending a third of its mental health budget, $250 million, to restore competency to 2,500 to 3,000 people, when about 160,000 people at the time of their arrest needed acute mental health care and weren't getting it.After spending so many resources on this small population, either the charges were dropped, they were given credit for time served and were released, or they received probation.They ended up back on the streets, often psychotic, with no access to treatment, and were sometimes rearrested before they made it out of the parking lot.Leifman shared the story of Tristan Murphy, who suffered from schizophrenia. He wasn't violent, but had good and bad days, depending on whether he took his medication.One day, he drove his truck into a pond near the sheriff's office. He was arrested and convicted of felony littering.He was placed on a work detail while incarcerated. His bunkmates noted he was deteriorating mentally. However, corrections officers continued to give him access to tools, including a chainsaw for his work detail. One day, he took a chainsaw to his neck, ending his life.Leifman said he was no threat to anyone other than himself. He should never have been arrested. He should have been diverted into treatment, Leifman said.The governor of Florida, a few weeks ago, signed the Tristin Murphy Act, which expands the Miami mental health diversion program statewide."We shouldn't need that kind of horror to get the attention of policymakers," he said, "because we all know that the way we handle individuals with these illnesses is wrong and doesn't really work."He said people who have mental illnesses are less dangerous than the general population and a lot less dangerous than the general population when they are on medication. They are more likely to be the victims of violent crime than the perpetrators."We also know that recovery rates for people with mental illness, in many cases, are much better than heart disease and diabetes,"&nbsp;Leifman said. "These are not terminal illnesses. They are treatable illnesses."People with schizophrenia have higher rates of heart disease and cancer because untreated schizophrenia results in a depletion of the brain chemical dopamine.&nbsp;They feel awful,&nbsp;Leifman said, so they often chain smoke because the nicotine helps cognition and helps them feel better.When these people end up in jail, not only do taxpayers have to pay for treatment of the mental illness, but also severe physical health concerns as a result of the mental illness going untreated, Leifman said."The good news is that this is a very fixable system," he said.The judicial system and mental health systems were developed when the most acutely ill were still in state hospitals. The community mental health systems were designed to handle people who have moderate mental illness,&nbsp;Leifman said.The hospitals were shut down. The U.S. adopted the war on crime and sentencing guidelines and drastically cut funds for low-income housing, and the population of the acute mentally ill was thrown into communities that were not prepared for them, he said."Instead of blaming themselves for not developing an appropriate system of care, we end up blaming this population, and we use the justice system to punish them, and that has not worked out too well," Leifman said.He said our society would never allow people to be treated in primary care as we treat people with mental illnesses.&nbsp;"If you threw people who had primary care illnesses out of hospitals in the middle of the night like we do people with mental illnesses, you'd get arrested," he said.&nbsp;Leifman said this is a national issue that needs national money, but the solutions can start at the local level."Each community needs to take a good, hard look at how they are doing things, and develop collaborative agreements to alter and restructure how we approach this population," he said.Miami put to gether a two-part approach, pre-arrest and post-arrest.This included Crisis Intervention Teams, which include specially trained law enforcement officers to respond when someone is having a mental health episode. This often has resulted in people being diverted into treatment instead of arrest&nbsp;In 10 years, two Crisis Intervention Teams responded to more than 105,000 calls and made fewer than 200 arrests.Overall arrests plummeted. Dade County closed one of its jails, saving $168 million. Police shootings almost stopped.The post-arrest program eliminated many of the time-consuming competency evaluations in favor of bringing these individuals into treatment as soon as possible.Assisted Outpatient Treatment programs were created, also known as AOT. Hays has had an AOT program since 2022.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8abbbbb5-b093-4c36-bc34-50be0815125d">SEE RELATED STORY: Ellis County mental health court pilot sees success in first year.</a>And peers were enlisted to help people navigate the system and encourage work toward recovery.Recidivism rates for misdemeanor cases decreased from 75% to 20% for individuals participating in these programs. The treatment model proved so effective that it was expanded to include nonviolent felony cases. Recidivism rates decreased from 75% to 6%.Continuing care was still needed for individuals with the most acute illnesses, so Dade County recently passed a bond issue to build a facility for these individuals based on the Trieste model.It offers wrap-around services, including crisis stabilization, primary care, a dental clinic, a podiatry clinic, an eye clinic, short-term residential care, tattoo removal, a day program, a supportive employment program, a computer lab, a GED program, and a courtroom that can handle both civil and criminal cases onsite."Not one person, not one party, not one institution created this mess. Not one person, party or institution will fix it. It takes all of us in this room to start looking at our systems and determine how there is a better way to run this system," Leifman said.

Kansas judicial summit in Hays focuses on treatment over incarceration

RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — Just hours after a shooter opened fire through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding 17 people, hundreds crowded inside a nearby school’s gym, clutching one another and wiping away tears during a vigil alongside Gov. Tim Walz and clergy members.

Speaking to a silent crowd crammed shoulder-to-shoulder Wednesday night, while hundreds more waited outside, Archbishop Bernard Hebda described the students trying to shield their classmates as the gunfire erupted.

“In the midst of that there was courage, there was bravery, but most especially there was love,” he said at the Academy of Holy Angels, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) south of the shooting, in the suburb of Richfield.

Armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, 23-year-old Robin Westman shot dozens of rounds Wednesday morning toward the children sitting in the pews during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at news conferences. The shooter then died by suicide, he said.

The children who died were 8 and 10. Fourteen other kids and three octogenarian parishioners were wounded but expected to survive, the chief said.

Rev. Dennis Zehren, who was inside the church with the nearly 200 children, said they were almost to the end of the Responsorial Psalm, which speaks about light in the darkness. That's when he heard someone yell, “Down down, everybody down," and the gunshots started.

Fifth-grader Weston Halsne told reporters he ducked for the pews, covering his head, shielded by a friend who was lying on top of him. His friend was hit, he said.

“I was super scared for him, but I think now he’s OK,” the 10-year-old said.

Police investigate motive for the shooting

FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the shooting is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.

O’Hara said police hadn’t yet found any relationship between the shooter and the church, nor determined a motive for the bloodshed. The chief said, however, that investigators were examining a social media post that appeared to show the shooter at the scene.

O’Hara, who gave the wounded youngsters’ ages as 6 to 15, said a wooden plank was placed to barricade some of the side doors, and that authorities found a smoke bomb at the scene.

On a YouTube channel titled Robin W, the alleged shooter released at least two videos before the channel was taken down Wednesday. In one, the alleged shooter shows a cache of weapons and ammunition, some with such phrases as “kill Donald Trump” and “Where is your God?” written on them.

A second video shows the alleged shooter pointing to two outside windows in what appears to be a drawing of the church, and then stabbing it with a long knife.

Westman’s uncle, former Kentucky state lawmaker Bob Heleringer, said he did not know the accused shooter well and was confounded by the "unspeakable tragedy.”

The police chief said Westman did not have an extensive known criminal history and is believed to have acted alone.

Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey decried hatred being directed at “our transgender community.” Westman’s gender identity wasn’t clear. In 2020, a judge approved a petition, signed by Westman’s mother, asking for a name change from Robert to Robin, saying the petitioner “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”

Police chief says officers rescued children who hid

The police chief said officers immediately responded to reports of the shooting, entered the church, rendered first aid and rescued some of the children.

Annunciation's principal Matt DeBoer said teachers and children, too, responded heroically.

“Children were ducked down. Adults were protecting children. Older children were protecting younger children,” he said.

Vincent Francoual said his 11-year-old daughter, Chloe, survived the shooting by running downstairs to hide in a room with a table pressed against the door. But he still isn't sure exactly how she escaped because she is struggling to communicate clearly about the traumatizing scene.

“She told us today that she thought she was going to die,” he said.

Walz lamented that children just starting the school year “were met with evil and horror and death.” He and President Donald Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff on state and federal buildings, respectively, and the White House said the two men spoke. The governor was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in last year’s election against Trump's running mate, now Vice President JD Vance, a Republican.

From the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram of condolences. The Chicago-born Leo, history’s first American pope, said he was praying for relatives of the dead.

Monday had been the first day of the school year at Annunciation, a 102-year-old school in a leafy residential and commercial neighborhood about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis.

Karin Cebulla, who said she had worked as a learning specialist at Annuciation and sent her two now-college-aged daughters there, described the school as an accepting, caring community.

Karnowski and Vancleave reported from Minneapolis and Golden from Seattle. Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York; Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; Will Weissert and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia; Nicole Winfield in Vatican City; and Steve Peoples in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756305989839.png" alt="Photo courtesy KMSP" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KMSP</figcaption>
 </figure>RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) — Just hours after a shooter opened fire through the windows of a Catholic church in Minneapolis, killing two children and wounding 17 people, hundreds crowded inside a nearby school’s gym, clutching one another and wiping away tears during a vigil alongside Gov. Tim Walz and clergy members.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAnnunciationSchoolMpls%2Fposts%2Fpfbid031gwCWVvawL9vZapZEKHKisTSgyy1rtJiL7avArkGBqQWZc4rHaBBDvrg9SERVeTul&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="498" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756346920151.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy KMSP" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KMSP</figcaption>
 </figure>Speaking to a silent crowd crammed shoulder-to-shoulder Wednesday night, while hundreds more waited outside, Archbishop Bernard Hebda described the students trying to shield their classmates as the gunfire erupted.“In the midst of that there was courage, there was bravery, but most especially there was love,” he said at the Academy of Holy Angels, about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) south of the shooting, in the suburb of Richfield.Armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol, 23-year-old Robin Westman shot dozens of rounds Wednesday morning toward the children sitting in the pews during Mass at the Annunciation Catholic School, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said at news conferences. The shooter then died by suicide, he said.The children who died were 8 and 10. Fourteen other kids and three octogenarian parishioners were wounded but expected to survive, the chief said.Rev. Dennis Zehren, who was inside the church with the nearly 200 children, said they were almost to the end of the Responsorial Psalm, which speaks about light in the darkness. That's when he heard someone yell, “Down down, everybody down," and the gunshots started.Fifth-grader Weston Halsne told reporters he ducked for the pews, covering his head, shielded by a friend who was lying on top of him. His friend was hit, he said.“I was super scared for him, but I think now he’s OK,” the 10-year-old said.<h2>Police investigate motive for the shooting</h2>FBI Director Kash Patel said on X that the shooting is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics.O’Hara said police hadn’t yet found any relationship between the shooter and the church, nor determined a motive for the bloodshed. The chief said, however, that investigators were examining a social media post that appeared to show the shooter at the scene.O’Hara, who gave the wounded youngsters’ ages as 6 to 15, said a wooden plank was placed to barricade some of the side doors, and that authorities found a smoke bomb at the scene.On a YouTube channel titled Robin W, the alleged shooter released at least two videos before the channel was taken down Wednesday. In one, the alleged shooter shows a cache of weapons and ammunition, some with such phrases as “kill Donald Trump” and “Where is your God?” written on them.A second video shows the alleged shooter pointing to two outside windows in what appears to be a drawing of the church, and then stabbing it with a long knife.Westman’s uncle, former Kentucky state lawmaker Bob Heleringer, said he did not know the accused shooter well and was confounded by the "unspeakable tragedy.”The police chief said Westman did not have an extensive known criminal history and is believed to have acted alone.Federal officials referred to Westman as transgender, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey decried hatred being directed at “our transgender community.” Westman’s gender identity wasn’t clear. In 2020, a judge approved a petition, signed by Westman’s mother, asking for a name change from Robert to Robin, saying the petitioner “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”<h2>Police chief says officers rescued children who hid</h2>The police chief said officers immediately responded to reports of the shooting, entered the church, rendered first aid and rescued some of the children.Annunciation's principal Matt DeBoer said teachers and children, too, responded heroically.“Children were ducked down. Adults were protecting children. Older children were protecting younger children,” he said.Vincent Francoual said his 11-year-old daughter, Chloe, survived the shooting by running downstairs to hide in a room with a table pressed against the door. But he still isn't sure exactly how she escaped because she is struggling to communicate clearly about the traumatizing scene.“She told us today that she thought she was going to die,” he said.Walz lamented that children just starting the school year “were met with evil and horror and death.” He and President Donald Trump ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff on state and federal buildings, respectively, and the White House said the two men spoke. The governor was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in last year’s election against Trump's running mate, now Vice President JD Vance, a Republican.From the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram of condolences. The Chicago-born Leo, history’s first American pope, said he was praying for relatives of the dead.Monday had been the first day of the school year at Annunciation, a 102-year-old school in a leafy residential and commercial neighborhood about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of downtown Minneapolis.Karin Cebulla, who said she had worked as a learning specialist at Annuciation and sent her two now-college-aged daughters there, described the school as an accepting, caring community.___Karnowski and Vancleave reported from Minneapolis and Golden from Seattle. Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York; Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; Will Weissert and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Bruce Schreiner in Shelbyville, Kentucky; Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia; Nicole Winfield in Vatican City; and Steve Peoples in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Hundreds honor 2 children killed, 17 wounded in shooting at Minneapolis school

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 shots Wednesday but limited their use for many Americans — and removed one of the two vaccines available for young children.

The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use for younger adults and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity. That presents new barriers to access for millions of Americans who would have to prove their risk — and millions more who may want to get vaccinated and suddenly no longer qualify.

Additionally, Pfizer’s vaccine will no longer be available for any child under 5, because the FDA said it was revoking the shot’s emergency authorization for that age group.

Parents will still be able to seek out shots from rival drugmaker Moderna, the other maker of mRNA vaccines, which has full FDA approval for children as young as 6 months. But the company’s Spikevax vaccine is only approved for children with at least one serious health problem.

The revamped vaccines target a newer version of the continuously evolving virus and are set to begin shipping immediately. But it could be days or weeks before many Americans know if they’ll be able to get one, with access dependent on decisions by federal health advisers, private health insurers, pharmacies and state authorities.

The new restrictions — previewed by FDA officials in May — are a break from the previous U.S. policy, which recommended an annual COVID-19 shot for all Americans 6 months and up.

The approach reflects heightened skepticism about the ongoing risks of COVID-19 and the need for yearly booster shots from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who were both outspoken critics of wide-scale vaccinations.

“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three,” Kennedy wrote on social media.

Novavax's shot is only open to people 12 or older, not younger children – and under the same risk-based restrictions as are now in place for the Moderna and Pfizer options. It's the nation's only traditional, protein-based COVID-19 vaccine.

Coverage questions and access issues are unresolved

Some medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have objected to the new limits, saying they may block vaccine access for families who want to protect their children. Last week, the group offered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid19-vaccines-aap-cdc-33896013e1d7b3ad06dbd0d99d300bff">its own recommendations</a>&nbsp;for kids, saying annual shots are strongly recommended for children ages 6 months to 2 years and advised for older children.

That differs from the latest guidance under Kennedy, which doesn’t recommend the shots for healthy children of any age, but says kids may get the shots in consultation with physicians.

In his post Wednesday, Kennedy said the shots will be "available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.”

But Americans are likely to confront a number of logistical hurdles.

Insurers typically base their vaccine coverage decisions on the recommendations of a panel of advisers to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but some say they will also look to medical professional groups, including the American Medical Association.

Earlier this year, Kennedy dissolved the CDC panel and replaced its members with a number of doctors and researchers who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients. The panel is expected to meet in September, but no specific date has been set and no agenda released.

Depending on the panel’s advice, Americans under age 65 could be expected to provide documentation of a serious medical condition before they can get a shot. Complicating the rollout is the fact that pharmacists — who administer most COVID-19 shots — typically aren’t expected to collect that kind of information. And laws governing their ability to administer routine vaccinations vary by state, where pharmacists are licensed.

Many states limit vaccinations by pharmacists to those recommended by the CDC panel.

Access could also be complicated for healthy adults and children who are interested in getting a shot for extra protection.

If the latest vaccines aren’t covered by their insurance, those patients could be required to pay $150 or more out of pocket if they want one. If they aren't considered considered high-risk, they also might also have to find a doctor or other health professional willing to give the shot “off label."

Shots target a recently dominant coronavirus version

The updated shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax target a coronavirus subtype named LP. 8.1, a version of the virus that is closely related to some newly emerging cousins. Pfizer and Moderna said they expect their shots to be available within days. Novavax's vaccine is expected in the early fall, a spokesman said.

All three shots were initially made available under the FDA’s emergency use authorization, an expedited process to quickly review vaccines and other countermeasures during the pandemic. Pfizer had not yet sought full approval for its doses designed for children under 5, which is the reason that Moderna will be the only provider of shots for the youngest children this year.

In addition to revoking emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine in young children, Kennedy said Wednesday the government also pulled remaining authorizations for all other COVID-19 vaccines and another therapy from the pandemic years, convalescent plasma, which was used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients before the first antiviral drugs became available.

COVID-19 vaccines do a good job preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death, which remain a bigger risk for seniors and people with underlying health factors, including heart disease, lung disease and cancer.

Preliminary data from the CDC estimates 47,500 Americans died from COVID-related causes last year. In at least two-thirds of those cases, COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause of death. For the rest, COVID-19 was a contributing factor.

AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this story.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756320895304.png" alt="Photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators approved updated COVID-19 shots Wednesday but limited their use for many Americans — and removed one of the two vaccines available for young children.The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are approved for all seniors. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed their use for younger adults and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity. That presents new barriers to access for millions of Americans who would have to prove their risk — and millions more who may want to get vaccinated and suddenly no longer qualify.Additionally, Pfizer’s vaccine will no longer be available for any child under 5, because the FDA said it was revoking the shot’s emergency authorization for that age group.Parents will still be able to seek out shots from rival drugmaker Moderna, the other maker of mRNA vaccines, which has full FDA approval for children as young as 6 months. But the company’s Spikevax vaccine is only approved for children with at least one serious health problem.The revamped vaccines target a newer version of the continuously evolving virus and are set to begin shipping immediately. But it could be days or weeks before many Americans know if they’ll be able to get one, with access dependent on decisions by federal health advisers, private health insurers, pharmacies and state authorities.The new restrictions — previewed by FDA officials in May — are a break from the previous U.S. policy, which recommended an annual COVID-19 shot for all Americans 6 months and up.The approach reflects heightened skepticism about the ongoing risks of COVID-19 and the need for yearly booster shots from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who were both outspoken critics of wide-scale vaccinations.“The American people demanded science, safety, and common sense. This framework delivers all three,” Kennedy wrote on social media.Novavax's shot is only open to people 12 or older, not younger children – and under the same risk-based restrictions as are now in place for the Moderna and Pfizer options. It's the nation's only traditional, protein-based COVID-19 vaccine.<h2>Coverage questions and access issues are unresolved</h2>Some medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have objected to the new limits, saying they may block vaccine access for families who want to protect their children. Last week, the group offered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid19-vaccines-aap-cdc-33896013e1d7b3ad06dbd0d99d300bff">its own recommendations</a>&nbsp;for kids, saying annual shots are strongly recommended for children ages 6 months to 2 years and advised for older children.That differs from the latest guidance under Kennedy, which doesn’t recommend the shots for healthy children of any age, but says kids may get the shots in consultation with physicians.In his post Wednesday, Kennedy said the shots will be "available for all patients who choose them after consulting with their doctors.”But Americans are likely to confront a number of logistical hurdles.Insurers typically base their vaccine coverage decisions on the recommendations of a panel of advisers to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but some say they will also look to medical professional groups, including the American Medical Association.Earlier this year, Kennedy dissolved the CDC panel and replaced its members with a number of doctors and researchers who have repeatedly questioned the safety of commonly used vaccines and ingredients. The panel is expected to meet in September, but no specific date has been set and no agenda released.Depending on the panel’s advice, Americans under age 65 could be expected to provide documentation of a serious medical condition before they can get a shot. Complicating the rollout is the fact that pharmacists — who administer most COVID-19 shots — typically aren’t expected to collect that kind of information. And laws governing their ability to administer routine vaccinations vary by state, where pharmacists are licensed.Many states limit vaccinations by pharmacists to those recommended by the CDC panel.Access could also be complicated for healthy adults and children who are interested in getting a shot for extra protection.If the latest vaccines aren’t covered by their insurance, those patients could be required to pay $150 or more out of pocket if they want one. If they aren't considered considered high-risk, they also might also have to find a doctor or other health professional willing to give the shot “off label."<h2>Shots target a recently dominant coronavirus version</h2>The updated shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax target a coronavirus subtype named LP. 8.1, a version of the virus that is closely related to some newly emerging cousins. Pfizer and Moderna said they expect their shots to be available within days. Novavax's vaccine is expected in the early fall, a spokesman said.All three shots were initially made available under the FDA’s emergency use authorization, an expedited process to quickly review vaccines and other countermeasures during the pandemic. Pfizer had not yet sought full approval for its doses designed for children under 5, which is the reason that Moderna will be the only provider of shots for the youngest children this year.In addition to revoking emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine in young children, Kennedy said Wednesday the government also pulled remaining authorizations for all other COVID-19 vaccines and another therapy from the pandemic years, convalescent plasma, which was used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients before the first antiviral drugs became available.COVID-19 vaccines do a good job preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death, which remain a bigger risk for seniors and people with underlying health factors, including heart disease, lung disease and cancer.Preliminary data from the CDC estimates 47,500 Americans died from COVID-related causes last year. In at least two-thirds of those cases, COVID-19 was listed as the underlying cause of death. For the rest, COVID-19 was a contributing factor.___AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard contributed to this story.___