WASHINGTON (AP) — Jan. 26 marks the official start date of the 2026 tax filing season, when the IRS will begin accepting and processing 2025 tax returns. April 15 is the filing deadline to avoid penalties and interest.

Tax season is the annual period when taxpayers prepare and submit their income tax returns for the previous calendar year to the IRS and most U.S. citizens and permanent residents need to file a tax return if they make more than a certain amount of money for the year.

Tax experts, including the IRS’ independent watchdog, have warned that this year’s filing season could be hampered by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-doge-layoffs-tax-season-0659e4b439400bf66023273f6a532fa0">loss of tens of thousands of tax collection workers</a>&nbsp;who left the agency through planned layoffs and buyouts spurred by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-irs-bessent-bisignano-e58cfaf2c88299e728d9783c8f5476fa">named to the new role in October</a>, said “the IRS workforce remains vigilant and dedicated to their mission to serve the American taxpaying public. At the same time, IRS information systems have been updated to incorporate the new tax laws and are ready to efficiently and effectively process taxpayer returns during the filing season.”

Bisignano is also commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

The IRS will also be responsible for implementing major provisions of Republicans’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-provisions" target="_blank">tax and spending package</a>&nbsp;signed into law last summer. Several provisions in the law retroactively affect the 2025 tax year, likely leading to more questions from taxpayers and requiring the IRS to update tax forms.

“President Trump is committed to the taxpayers of this country and improving upon the successful tax filing season in 2025,” said acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent in a news release. “I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for businesses and consumers alike.”

The IRS expects to receive roughly 164 million individual income tax returns this year, which is on par with what it received last year.

The average refund amount was $3,167, according to IRS data. Bessent has said on several occasions that the effects of Republican tax law will result in bigger tax refunds in 2026.

The latest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-season-irs-audits-watchdog-report-fb5a1ecec7424362e34e9502270f1e21">National Taxpayer Advocate report</a>&nbsp;to Congress published in June states that the IRS workforce has fallen from 102,113 workers at the end of the Biden administration to 75,702. The IRS website does not include the latest employment numbers on the agency’s workforce.

IRS employees involved in last year’s tax season were not allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until after the taxpayer filing deadline of April 15, 2025.

The June&nbsp;<a href="https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/" target="_blank">National Taxpayer Advocate</a>&nbsp;report to Congress warned that the 2026 season could be rocky.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jan. 26 marks the official start date of the 2026 tax filing season, when the IRS will begin accepting and processing 2025 tax returns. April 15 is the filing deadline to avoid penalties and interest.Tax season is the annual period when taxpayers prepare and submit their income tax returns for the previous calendar year to the IRS and most U.S. citizens and permanent residents need to file a tax return if they make more than a certain amount of money for the year.Tax experts, including the IRS’ independent watchdog, have warned that this year’s filing season could be hampered by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-doge-layoffs-tax-season-0659e4b439400bf66023273f6a532fa0">loss of tens of thousands of tax collection workers</a>&nbsp;who left the agency through planned layoffs and buyouts spurred by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/social-security-irs-bessent-bisignano-e58cfaf2c88299e728d9783c8f5476fa">named to the new role in October</a>, said “the IRS workforce remains vigilant and dedicated to their mission to serve the American taxpaying public. At the same time, IRS information systems have been updated to incorporate the new tax laws and are ready to efficiently and effectively process taxpayer returns during the filing season.”Bisignano is also commissioner of the Social Security Administration.The IRS will also be responsible for implementing major provisions of Republicans’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/one-big-beautiful-bill-provisions" target="_blank">tax and spending package</a>&nbsp;signed into law last summer. Several provisions in the law retroactively affect the 2025 tax year, likely leading to more questions from taxpayers and requiring the IRS to update tax forms.“President Trump is committed to the taxpayers of this country and improving upon the successful tax filing season in 2025,” said acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent in a news release. “I am confident in our ability to deliver results and drive growth for businesses and consumers alike.”The IRS expects to receive roughly 164 million individual income tax returns this year, which is on par with what it received last year.The average refund amount was $3,167, according to IRS data. Bessent has said on several occasions that the effects of Republican tax law will result in bigger tax refunds in 2026.The latest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-season-irs-audits-watchdog-report-fb5a1ecec7424362e34e9502270f1e21">National Taxpayer Advocate report</a>&nbsp;to Congress published in June states that the IRS workforce has fallen from 102,113 workers at the end of the Biden administration to 75,702. The IRS website does not include the latest employment numbers on the agency’s workforce.IRS employees involved in last year’s tax season were not allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until after the taxpayer filing deadline of April 15, 2025.The June&nbsp;<a href="https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov/" target="_blank">National Taxpayer Advocate</a>&nbsp;report to Congress warned that the 2026 season could be rocky.

IRS announces when they will begin accepting 2025 tax returns

The unemployment rate for Ellis County fell again in Novemeber down to 2.5% compared to 3% in September.

Ellis County also had an unemployment rate of 2.5% in November 2024.

Most of northwest Kansas counties are reporting less than 4%, with the exception of Lane County, which is at 4.1% unemployment for November.

No data was collected for October because of the federal government shutdown.

Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.8% in November. This is unchanged from 3.8% in September and unchanged from 3.8% in November 2024. 

The labor force participation rate for Kansas increased to 67.4% in November.

Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 3,800 from October. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs increased by 3,800 over the month, while government remained unchanged.

The largest job gains in the private sector were in&nbsp;trade, transportation and utilities&nbsp;(+1,500 jobs). The largest decrease was in leisure and hospitality&nbsp;(-300 jobs).

Since November 2024, Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 3,500. This change is due to an increase of 5,400 private sector jobs and a decrease of 1,900 government jobs.

The December 2025 Kansas Labor Report will be released on Friday, Jan. 23.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767814699028.png" alt="Screenshot 2026-01-07 at 1.36.58 PM.png" />
 <figcaption>Screenshot 2026-01-07 at 1.36.58 PM.png</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas Department of LaborThe unemployment rate for Ellis County fell again in Novemeber down to 2.5% compared to 3% in September.Ellis County also had an unemployment rate of 2.5% in November 2024.Most of northwest Kansas counties are reporting less than 4%, with the exception of Lane County, which is at 4.1% unemployment for November.No data was collected for October because of the federal government shutdown.Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information division of the Kansas Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show a statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.8% in November. This is unchanged from 3.8% in September and unchanged from 3.8% in November 2024. The labor force participation rate for Kansas increased to 67.4% in November.Seasonally adjusted job estimates for Kansas indicate total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 3,800 from October. Total nonfarm includes private sector and government employers. Private sector jobs increased by 3,800 over the month, while government remained unchanged.The largest job gains in the private sector were in&nbsp;trade, transportation and utilities&nbsp;(+1,500 jobs). The largest decrease was in leisure and hospitality&nbsp;(-300 jobs).Since November 2024, Kansas’ seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs have increased by 3,500. This change is due to an increase of 5,400 private sector jobs and a decrease of 1,900 government jobs.The December 2025 Kansas Labor Report will be released on Friday, Jan. 23.

Ellis County unemployment numbers fall again

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/regina-garcia-cano">REGINA GARCIA CANO</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aamer-madhani">AAMER MADHANI</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/megan-janetsky">MEGAN JANETSKY</a>

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday that Venezuela would be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and he pledged to use proceeds from the sale of this oil “to benefit the people” of both countries.

The White House is organizing a meeting Friday with U.S. oil company executives to discuss Venezuela, which the Trump administration has been pressuring to open its vast-but-struggling oil industry more widely to American investment and know-how. Representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend the White House meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.

Earlier Tuesday, officials in Caracas announced that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-presidential-palace-blowtorches-7969152ae48510003fe9cbde92f3c102">capture Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;and spirit him to the United States to face drug charges. And the country’s acting president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-interim-president-rodriguez-maduro-chavez-b352b5af17deb0ab78684b8398045179">Delcy Rodriguez,</a>&nbsp;pushed back on Trump, who earlier this week warned she’d face an outcome worse than Maduro’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-american-imperialism-1a42ccc7036ce7add7a0ba402ac6f48e">if she does not “do what’s right”</a>&nbsp;and overhaul Venezuela into a country that aligns with U.S. interests, including by granting access to American energy companies.

Rodriguez, delivering an address Tuesday before government agricultural and industrial sector officials, said, “Personally, to those who threaten me: My destiny is not determined by them, but by God.”

Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said overall “dozens” of officers and civilians were killed in the weekend strike in Caracas and said prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime.” He didn’t specify if the estimate was specifically referring to Venezuelans.

In addition to the Venezuelan security officials, Cuba’s government had previously confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-us-venezuela-maduro-e66899b41f0b84cf83f77a69d399b486">were killed in the raid</a>. The Cuban government says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cubans-killed-venezuela-strike-us-oas-a8d8fcbe3e825979c5d3171f9b076a85">the personnel killed</a>&nbsp;belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the country’s two main security agencies.

Seven U.S. service members were also injured in the raid, according to the Pentagon. Five have already returned to duty, while two are still recovering from their injuries. The injuries included gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment on the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A video tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officials posted to the military’s Instagram account features faces of the fallen over black-and-white videos of soldiers, American aircraft flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by the blasts. Meanwhile, the streets of Caracas, deserted for days following Maduro’s capture, briefly filled with masses of people waving Venezuelan flags and bouncing to patriotic music at a state-organized display of support for the government.

“Their spilled blood does not cry out for vengeance, but for justice and strength,” the military wrote in an Instagram post. “It reaffirms our unwavering oath not to rest until we rescue our legitimate President, completely dismantle the terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensure that events such as these never again sully our sovereign soil.”

Questions about the future of Venezuelan oil

With oil trading at roughly $56 a barrel, the transaction Trump announced late Tuesday could be worth as much as $2.8 billion. The U.S. goes through an average of roughly 20 million barrels a day of oil and related products, so Venezuela’s transfer would be the equivalent of as much as two and a half days of supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Despite Venezuela having the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, it only produces on average about one million barrels day, significantly below the U.S. average daily production of 13.9 million barrels a day during October.

The press office for Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s announcement.

ExxonMobil is developing a mammoth offshore oil deposit in the waters off Guyana, Venezuela’s neighbor to the east. The company’s major oil discovery in 2015 prompted Venezuela to revive a century-old territorial dispute with Guyana and take steps to annex the remote region known as Essequibo, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana’s land mass.

The development has also led to wide-ranging accusations from Venezuela’s government, including Rodríguez, against Guyana’s leaders and ExxonMobil. Two years ago, Venezuelan lawmakers even considered banning any future operation in Venezuela of oil companies working in Guyana.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump pushed back against Democratic criticism of this weekend’s military operation, noting that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden had also called for the arrest of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nicolas-maduro">Venezuelan leader</a>&nbsp;on drug trafficking charges.

Trump in remarks before a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-house-republicans-meeting-kennedy-center-ad8705ea228a8a4591567fb51f87edb3">House Republican retreat</a>&nbsp;in Washington grumbled that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela.

In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused in a decades-long narco-terrorism and international cocaine trafficking conspiracy. White House officials have noted that Biden’s administration in his final days in office last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-fbi-bondi-justice-department-0e618369ca68b79b1a2143a95955344a">raised the award</a>&nbsp;for information leading to Maduro’s arrest after he assumed a third term in office despite evidence suggesting that he lost Venezuela’s most recent election. The Trump administration doubled the award to $50 million in August.

“You know, at some point, they should say, ‘You know, you did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations.’ Wouldn’t it be good?” Trump said. “I would say that if they did a good job, their philosophies are so different. But if they did a good job, I’d be happy for the country. They’ve been after this guy for years and years and years.”

Americans are split about the capture of Maduro — with many still forming opinions —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-venezuela-trump-foreign-policy-15c94665b41312f5613772726d710905">according to a poll</a>&nbsp;conducted by The Washington Post and SSRS using text messages over the weekend. About 4 in 10 approved of the U.S. military being sent to capture Maduro, while roughly the same share were opposed. About 2 in 10 were unsure.

Nearly half of Americans, 45%, were opposed to the U.S. taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government for the country. About 9 in 10 Americans said the Venezuelan people should be the ones to decide the future leadership of their country.

Maduro&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maduro-venezuela-trump-criminal-case-131f59e517cc8314a53c8dace230d328">pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges</a>&nbsp;in a U.S. courtroom on Monday. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife early Saturday in a raid on a compound where they were surrounded by Cuban guards.

In the days since Maduro’s ouster, Trump and top administration officials have raised anxiety around the globe that the operation could mark the beginning of a more expansionist U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The president in recent days has renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">Greenland</a>&nbsp;for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cuba">Cuba</a>&nbsp;is “in a lot of trouble.”

Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rosa Villavicencio said Tuesday she’ll meet with the U.S. Embassy’s charge d’affaires in Bogota to present him with a formal complaint over the recent threats issued by the United States.

On Sunday, Trump said he wasn’t ruling out an attack on Colombia and described its president, who’s been an outspoken critic of the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela, as a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

Villavicencio said she’s hoping to strengthen relations with the United States and improve cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.

“It is necessary for the Trump administration to know in more detail about all that we are doing in the fight against drug trafficking,” she said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom on Tuesday joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-european-union-greenland-denmark-c5995b27ac8aee84d0064991c86d633e">defending Greenland’s sovereignty.</a>&nbsp;The island is a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark and thus part of the NATO military alliance.

“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

Madhani reported from Washington and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP writers Josh Boak, Konstantin Toropin, Sagar Meghani, Isabel DeBre, Linley Sanders and Manuel Rueda contributed reporting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767660848489.png" alt="google image" />
 <figcaption>google image</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/regina-garcia-cano">REGINA GARCIA CANO</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aamer-madhani">AAMER MADHANI</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/megan-janetsky">MEGAN JANETSKY</a>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;said Tuesday that Venezuela would be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and he pledged to use proceeds from the sale of this oil “to benefit the people” of both countries.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 President Donald J. Trump announces Interim Authorities in Venezuela will be turning over between 30 and 50 MILLION Barrels of High Quality, Sanctioned Oil, to the United States of America. <a href="https://t.co/08qI7MvCpk">pic.twitter.com/08qI7MvCpk</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2008691566131769746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The White House is organizing a meeting Friday with U.S. oil company executives to discuss Venezuela, which the Trump administration has been pressuring to open its vast-but-struggling oil industry more widely to American investment and know-how. Representatives of Exxon, Chevron and ConocoPhillips are expected to attend the White House meeting, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the plans.Earlier Tuesday, officials in Caracas announced that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-presidential-palace-blowtorches-7969152ae48510003fe9cbde92f3c102">capture Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;and spirit him to the United States to face drug charges. And the country’s acting president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-interim-president-rodriguez-maduro-chavez-b352b5af17deb0ab78684b8398045179">Delcy Rodriguez,</a>&nbsp;pushed back on Trump, who earlier this week warned she’d face an outcome worse than Maduro’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-american-imperialism-1a42ccc7036ce7add7a0ba402ac6f48e">if she does not “do what’s right”</a>&nbsp;and overhaul Venezuela into a country that aligns with U.S. interests, including by granting access to American energy companies.Rodriguez, delivering an address Tuesday before government agricultural and industrial sector officials, said, “Personally, to those who threaten me: My destiny is not determined by them, but by God.”Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said overall “dozens” of officers and civilians were killed in the weekend strike in Caracas and said prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as a “war crime.” He didn’t specify if the estimate was specifically referring to Venezuelans.In addition to the Venezuelan security officials, Cuba’s government had previously confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-us-venezuela-maduro-e66899b41f0b84cf83f77a69d399b486">were killed in the raid</a>. The Cuban government says&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cubans-killed-venezuela-strike-us-oas-a8d8fcbe3e825979c5d3171f9b076a85">the personnel killed</a>&nbsp;belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, the country’s two main security agencies.Seven U.S. service members were also injured in the raid, according to the Pentagon. Five have already returned to duty, while two are still recovering from their injuries. The injuries included gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment on the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.A video tribute to the slain Venezuelan security officials posted to the military’s Instagram account features faces of the fallen over black-and-white videos of soldiers, American aircraft flying over Caracas and armored vehicles destroyed by the blasts. Meanwhile, the streets of Caracas, deserted for days following Maduro’s capture, briefly filled with masses of people waving Venezuelan flags and bouncing to patriotic music at a state-organized display of support for the government.“Their spilled blood does not cry out for vengeance, but for justice and strength,” the military wrote in an Instagram post. “It reaffirms our unwavering oath not to rest until we rescue our legitimate President, completely dismantle the terrorist groups operating from abroad, and ensure that events such as these never again sully our sovereign soil.”<h2>Questions about the future of Venezuelan oil</h2>With oil trading at roughly $56 a barrel, the transaction Trump announced late Tuesday could be worth as much as $2.8 billion. The U.S. goes through an average of roughly 20 million barrels a day of oil and related products, so Venezuela’s transfer would be the equivalent of as much as two and a half days of supply, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.Despite Venezuela having the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves, it only produces on average about one million barrels day, significantly below the U.S. average daily production of 13.9 million barrels a day during October.The press office for Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s announcement.ExxonMobil is developing a mammoth offshore oil deposit in the waters off Guyana, Venezuela’s neighbor to the east. The company’s major oil discovery in 2015 prompted Venezuela to revive a century-old territorial dispute with Guyana and take steps to annex the remote region known as Essequibo, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana’s land mass.The development has also led to wide-ranging accusations from Venezuela’s government, including Rodríguez, against Guyana’s leaders and ExxonMobil. Two years ago, Venezuelan lawmakers even considered banning any future operation in Venezuela of oil companies working in Guyana.Earlier Tuesday, Trump pushed back against Democratic criticism of this weekend’s military operation, noting that his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden had also called for the arrest of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nicolas-maduro">Venezuelan leader</a>&nbsp;on drug trafficking charges.Trump in remarks before a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-house-republicans-meeting-kennedy-center-ad8705ea228a8a4591567fb51f87edb3">House Republican retreat</a>&nbsp;in Washington grumbled that Democrats were not giving him credit for a successful military operation, even though there was bipartisan agreement that Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela.In 2020, Maduro was indicted in the United States, accused in a decades-long narco-terrorism and international cocaine trafficking conspiracy. White House officials have noted that Biden’s administration in his final days in office last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-fbi-bondi-justice-department-0e618369ca68b79b1a2143a95955344a">raised the award</a>&nbsp;for information leading to Maduro’s arrest after he assumed a third term in office despite evidence suggesting that he lost Venezuela’s most recent election. The Trump administration doubled the award to $50 million in August.“You know, at some point, they should say, ‘You know, you did a great job. Thank you. Congratulations.’ Wouldn’t it be good?” Trump said. “I would say that if they did a good job, their philosophies are so different. But if they did a good job, I’d be happy for the country. They’ve been after this guy for years and years and years.”<h2>What US opinion polls show</h2>Americans are split about the capture of Maduro — with many still forming opinions —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-venezuela-trump-foreign-policy-15c94665b41312f5613772726d710905">according to a poll</a>&nbsp;conducted by The Washington Post and SSRS using text messages over the weekend. About 4 in 10 approved of the U.S. military being sent to capture Maduro, while roughly the same share were opposed. About 2 in 10 were unsure.Nearly half of Americans, 45%, were opposed to the U.S. taking control of Venezuela and choosing a new government for the country. About 9 in 10 Americans said the Venezuelan people should be the ones to decide the future leadership of their country.Maduro&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maduro-venezuela-trump-criminal-case-131f59e517cc8314a53c8dace230d328">pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges</a>&nbsp;in a U.S. courtroom on Monday. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife early Saturday in a raid on a compound where they were surrounded by Cuban guards.In the days since Maduro’s ouster, Trump and top administration officials have raised anxiety around the globe that the operation could mark the beginning of a more expansionist U.S. foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. The president in recent days has renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">Greenland</a>&nbsp;for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cuba">Cuba</a>&nbsp;is “in a lot of trouble.”<h2>Colombia responds to Trump</h2>Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Rosa Villavicencio said Tuesday she’ll meet with the U.S. Embassy’s charge d’affaires in Bogota to present him with a formal complaint over the recent threats issued by the United States.On Sunday, Trump said he wasn’t ruling out an attack on Colombia and described its president, who’s been an outspoken critic of the U.S. pressure campaign on Venezuela, as a “sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”Villavicencio said she’s hoping to strengthen relations with the United States and improve cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking.“It is necessary for the Trump administration to know in more detail about all that we are doing in the fight against drug trafficking,” she said.Meanwhile, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom on Tuesday joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-european-union-greenland-denmark-c5995b27ac8aee84d0064991c86d633e">defending Greenland’s sovereignty.</a>&nbsp;The island is a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark and thus part of the NATO military alliance.“Greenland belongs to its people,” the statement said. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”—Madhani reported from Washington and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP writers Josh Boak, Konstantin Toropin, Sagar Meghani, Isabel DeBre, Linley Sanders and Manuel Rueda contributed reporting.

Trump: US to get up to 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela

NEW YORK (AP) — Broad gains led by technology stocks pushed Wall Street to more records on Tuesday.

The gains mirror much of the action from the previous year, when big technology stocks often drove the market to a series of records.

Technology stocks led the gains, but several other sectors assisted in the broader market's advance. Health care companies, retailers and industrial firms broadly gained ground. Roughly three out of every four stocks in the benchmark S&amp;P 500 index rose.

The S&amp;P 500 rose 42.77 points, or 0.6%, to 6,944.82, setting a record on just the third trading day of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 484.90 points, or 1%, to 49,462.08, hitting a record for a second-straight day. The Nasdaq composite rose 151.35 points, or 0.6%, to 23,547.17.

Small company stocks outpaced their larger counterparts. The Russell 2000 jumped 1.4% and is now just below its record set in December.

The most notable action remained in the tech sector. Amazon, which has reach into both retail and technology, surged 3.4%. It is one of the most valuable companies in the world and its outsized stock valuation helped counter losses elsewhere in the market, including a 1.8% loss from Apple.

Micron Technology surged 10%, also helping to lift the market. Microsoft rose 1.2%

Nvidia, which is often the biggest force behind the market's direction, wavered throughout the day and finished 0.5% lower.

Sandisk surged 27.6% for the market's biggest gain. The stock's value has jumped more than 800% since spinning off from Western Digital last February. The gains have been driven by artificial intelligence and the resulting demand for data-storage hardware. Western Digital rose 16.8%.

Technology companies, especially those focused on artificial intelligence, are being closely watched this week during the industry's annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ces-nvidia-amd-lego-uber-a3e6e4e582ff83a4aa331d1791140369">CES trade show</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas.

AI advances helped propel the broader market to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-bonds-crypto-tariffs-ai-539ae5ec338d19f52116e97d38300c28">series of records in 2025</a>. Investors will be watching companies for any updates that could shed more light on the big corporate investments in AI technology.

The price of benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 2% to $57.13 per barrel, pulling back from sharp gains a day prior when the market reacted to U.S. forces capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a weekend raid. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.7% to $60.70 per barrel.

Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.16% from 4.15% late Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which moves more closely with expectations for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-jobs-economy-3c48a2e88f04b70e993020712c8684b2">what the Federal Reserve will do</a>, rose to 3.46% from 3.45% late Monday.

Gold prices rose 1% and silver prices rose 5.7%. Such assets are often considered safe havens in times of geopolitical turmoil. The metals have notched record prices over the last year amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-trump-jobs-71f3d52f0fd63b34f4a8c59c60ffbe20">lingering economic concerns</a>&nbsp;brought on by conflicts and trade wars.

Outside of company announcements, Wall Street is preparing for several updates on the U.S. labor market this week, along with reports on the services sector and consumer sentiment. They will help paint a clearer picture of how vital parts of the economy closed out 2025 and the direction they could take in 2026.

On Wednesday, the U.S. government will release its report on job openings for November. The October report showed that U.S. job openings had barely budged. Weekly unemployment data will be released on Thursday and the broader monthly employment report, for December, will be released on Friday.

The Institute for Supply Management will also release its latest services sector update on Wednesday, while the University of Michigan will release its latest consumer sentiment survey Friday. They are both widely monitored because the services sector makes up the bulk of the U.S. economy, and consumer sentiment has been shaky under the weight of higher prices and economic uncertainty.

The Fed will be analyzing all of that data and more ahead of its next meeting in late January. The central bank cut its benchmark interest rate three times late in 2025 to try and counter the economic impact of a softer jobs market. Lower interest rates on loans can help bolster economic activity.

Cutting rates also risks fueling inflation at a time when it remains stubbornly above the Fed's 2% target and could potentially reheat. Rising inflation could counter any benefit from lower interest rates and weigh more heavily on the economy.

Wall Street expects the Fed to hold interest rates steady at its January meeting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755116533012.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Broad gains led by technology stocks pushed Wall Street to more records on Tuesday.The gains mirror much of the action from the previous year, when big technology stocks often drove the market to a series of records.Technology stocks led the gains, but several other sectors assisted in the broader market's advance. Health care companies, retailers and industrial firms broadly gained ground. Roughly three out of every four stocks in the benchmark S&amp;P 500 index rose.The S&amp;P 500 rose 42.77 points, or 0.6%, to 6,944.82, setting a record on just the third trading day of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 484.90 points, or 1%, to 49,462.08, hitting a record for a second-straight day. The Nasdaq composite rose 151.35 points, or 0.6%, to 23,547.17.Small company stocks outpaced their larger counterparts. The Russell 2000 jumped 1.4% and is now just below its record set in December.The most notable action remained in the tech sector. Amazon, which has reach into both retail and technology, surged 3.4%. It is one of the most valuable companies in the world and its outsized stock valuation helped counter losses elsewhere in the market, including a 1.8% loss from Apple.Micron Technology surged 10%, also helping to lift the market. Microsoft rose 1.2%Nvidia, which is often the biggest force behind the market's direction, wavered throughout the day and finished 0.5% lower.Sandisk surged 27.6% for the market's biggest gain. The stock's value has jumped more than 800% since spinning off from Western Digital last February. The gains have been driven by artificial intelligence and the resulting demand for data-storage hardware. Western Digital rose 16.8%.Technology companies, especially those focused on artificial intelligence, are being closely watched this week during the industry's annual&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ces-nvidia-amd-lego-uber-a3e6e4e582ff83a4aa331d1791140369">CES trade show</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas.AI advances helped propel the broader market to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-bonds-crypto-tariffs-ai-539ae5ec338d19f52116e97d38300c28">series of records in 2025</a>. Investors will be watching companies for any updates that could shed more light on the big corporate investments in AI technology.The price of benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 2% to $57.13 per barrel, pulling back from sharp gains a day prior when the market reacted to U.S. forces capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a weekend raid. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.7% to $60.70 per barrel.Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.16% from 4.15% late Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which moves more closely with expectations for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-jobs-economy-3c48a2e88f04b70e993020712c8684b2">what the Federal Reserve will do</a>, rose to 3.46% from 3.45% late Monday.Gold prices rose 1% and silver prices rose 5.7%. Such assets are often considered safe havens in times of geopolitical turmoil. The metals have notched record prices over the last year amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-trump-jobs-71f3d52f0fd63b34f4a8c59c60ffbe20">lingering economic concerns</a>&nbsp;brought on by conflicts and trade wars.Markets in Europe gained ground.Outside of company announcements, Wall Street is preparing for several updates on the U.S. labor market this week, along with reports on the services sector and consumer sentiment. They will help paint a clearer picture of how vital parts of the economy closed out 2025 and the direction they could take in 2026.On Wednesday, the U.S. government will release its report on job openings for November. The October report showed that U.S. job openings had barely budged. Weekly unemployment data will be released on Thursday and the broader monthly employment report, for December, will be released on Friday.The Institute for Supply Management will also release its latest services sector update on Wednesday, while the University of Michigan will release its latest consumer sentiment survey Friday. They are both widely monitored because the services sector makes up the bulk of the U.S. economy, and consumer sentiment has been shaky under the weight of higher prices and economic uncertainty.The Fed will be analyzing all of that data and more ahead of its next meeting in late January. The central bank cut its benchmark interest rate three times late in 2025 to try and counter the economic impact of a softer jobs market. Lower interest rates on loans can help bolster economic activity.Cutting rates also risks fueling inflation at a time when it remains stubbornly above the Fed's 2% target and could potentially reheat. Rising inflation could counter any benefit from lower interest rates and weigh more heavily on the economy.Wall Street expects the Fed to hold interest rates steady at its January meeting.___

Wall Street reaches more records on more gains by Big Tech

By DANIEL WHEATON <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2025-12-16/college-graduates-job-search-economy-student-loans-midwest">Kansas News Service</a>

As Ryan Jenkins was finishing his last semester of college, all he could do was watch while the jobs he was hoping to apply for were being cut.

Jenkins, then a student at St. Louis University, always wanted to work in local government, but federal funding cuts and the shrinking of government agencies meant there were fewer jobs to apply for.

“We just feel like the door is being closed in front of us,” Jenkins said, describing cuts to agencies carried out this spring by the Department of Government Efficiency.

Graduation came, and, from the 16 applications he submitted, Jenkins got no offers.

The Midwest Newsroom spoke to a dozen recent college graduates in six states about their experiences in the job market. These would-be entry level workers described using elaborate spreadsheets to track dozens of job applications, lost opportunities from federal cuts and hiring processes that made them question their self-worth.

While most of the 2025 spring graduates who spoke with The Midwest Newsroom ended up finding full-time jobs, graduates described hiring processes with limited communication.

The lack of communication is a point of tension for Generation Z, who have heard of peers submitting hundreds of applications and hearing nothing back.

For the past year, recent college graduates have faced a job market flooded with more applicants and fewer jobs. For the months where data is available, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an estimated 685,000 jobs were created. During that same period last year, 1,384,000 jobs had been added to payrolls, which represents a decrease of 51%.

Recently, job creation has slowed, with a net loss of jobs in June and August of this year. Jobs are represented in thousands.

In normal economic conditions, it usually takes a college graduate about six months to find their first job, according to Iowa State University economics professor Peter Orazem. The graduates who spoke to The Midwest Newsroom described searches that lasted beyond that six-month mark, which for some, means a student loan bill coming due without a full-time salary. Most federal student loans include an automatic six-month grace period after graduation.

“Any group that has relatively less work experience or less education gets hurt more when you start moving into an economic slowdown,” Orazem said. “And we’ve certainly seen a slowdown in the demand for workers in the last year or so.”

As another cohort of students enters its last semester of college, most are trying to stay positive.

In December, aspiring newspaper columnist Caroline Siebels-Lindquist, was finishing up a podcast for her capstone project. She will graduate with a journalism degree from Drake University in spring 2026 and is about to begin searching for her first full time job.

From the headlines, LinkedIn posts and hearing from other recent grads, Siebels-Lindquist said she knows the job hunt won’t be easy.

“A lot of my senior peers are quite nervous,” she said.

To deal with that anxiety, Siebels-Lindquist plans on leaning on her mentors and peers — and, if all else fails, going back to a summer job managing canoes at a summer camp in the Boundary Waters.

“Miracles happen,” Siebels-Lindquist said. “Keep the faith.”

In July, Jenkins had an interview for the AmeriCorps VISTA program that would have placed him with Delmar Main Street, an organization that supports economic development in the St. Louis neighborhood that has historically been a racial and economic divide in the city.

Jenkins said the hiring manager got a call and had to pause the interview, but she didn’t turn off her camera.

“I can still see everything going on that’s nonverbal and I could tell something was up, just from her expression, and just by the length of time that she put herself on mute,” Jenkins said. “I just knew something was up.”

After the call, the hiring manager apologized and told Jenkins why she had to pause the interview. The funding for the position had been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/doge-cost-americorps-community-service.html" target="_blank">cut</a>.

AmeriCorps VISTA was among many of the government agencies&nbsp;<a href="https://corpsnetwork.org/we-must-act-now-to-save-americorps/" target="_blank">hollowed out</a>&nbsp;by the Department of Government Efficiency. While the department still exists, the cancellation of grants has limited the organization’s ability to fund positions.

Jenkins, whose family members were once city clerks and firefighters, said he found the experience disheartening, as he wanted to work in a government job to help his community.

He said he wasn’t mad at AmeriCorps, but the experience led him to pause his job search for a few weeks to recover from the setback.

“I feel like I’m being told I can’t, and not even that I can’t, but they don’t want me,” Jenkins said.

According to an August&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/aug/recent-college-grads-bear-brunt-labor-market-shifts" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, college graduates between the ages of 23 and 27 are seeing higher unemployment rates — from 3.25% in 2024 to 4.59% in 2025.

“This 1.34 percentage point increase represents more than just a statistical noise; it reflects a significant shift in how the economy is absorbing newly educated workers,” Federal Reserve researchers Serdar Ozkan and Nicholas Sullivan&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/aug/recent-college-grads-bear-brunt-labor-market-shifts" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;earlier this year.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers, or NACE, surveyed employers and universities to gauge the labor market for recent graduates. While the class of 2024 was entering a stable job market for new workers, signs that the job market was tightening for the class of 2025 appeared earlier this year.

“However, once the spring came, those numbers dropped to about flat,” Shawn VanDerziel, the president and CEO of NACE, said. “We knew it was going to be a very tough job market for that class.”

According to NACE’s 2026 Job Outlook report, 51% of employers ranked the job market as “fair” or “poor,” a significant change from the 2023 report when only 37% said the same thing.

With fewer jobs available, competition increases.

Abigale Baines, a University of San Diego graduate from a northern Chicago suburb, estimated she applied for more than 50 jobs after she graduated in May of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Originally hoping to become an immigration lawyer, her interests shifted to working in social work or in the nonprofit sector.

The many rejection emails she received, she said, all felt similar.

“Maybe they are all going to ChatGPT and are saying, like, ‘Hi, can you please give us a let-them-down-easy job application rejection email?’ and ChatGPT just has one format that it likes, and so it sends that to everybody, and nobody makes any tweaks to it,” she said.

Looking back on her search, Baines estimated that about a third of employers responded quickly with a rejection but said many potential employers didn’t respond at all.

While it wasn’t in her field, Baines found a job as an administrative assistant with Lodge Financial, a mortgage broker for corporations in Skokie, Illinois.

Baines said she was thankful her parents can empathize with her situation.They had graduated during a tight labor market in the 1980s. Her father worked at a dude ranch and her mother was a waitress.

“The economy was in a complete downturn, and then it just took a couple years, and then things turned around and, you know, they were able to build a career,” she said.

It took advice from peers, professors and a fourth-grade teacher for Jonah Zacks to figure out what he wanted his career to be after graduating from college.

Zacks, then a computer science and economics major at Washington University in St. Louis, said he always knew he wanted a career that would make other people’s lives better. Thanks to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.civicsunplugged.org/" target="_blank">Civics Unplugged</a>, he found a method for asking if a job would fulfill that desire.

“I need to find the ‘you-shaped hole’ in any given situation,” Zacks said. “And what that means is looking closely at myself and being really clear with myself about what assets, what abilities, I bring to the table.”

As graduation neared this year, the options for such jobs in the public sector began to dry up due to federal cuts. That’s when it became clear to Zacks: His place was still in the classroom — as a teacher instead of a student.

He applied to Teach for America and now teaches math in Spanish to middle schoolers at the George Washington Carver Dual Language School in Kansas City.

“You have to teach everything,” Zacks said. “You have to teach kids how to approach the world, how to confront challenges, how to keep themselves organized, how to take notes, and also how to see the content that you’re trying to teach in the context of a wider world.”

Zacks said he infuses civic ideals into his classroom, such as putting activities to a vote and encouraging students to focus on finding solutions rather than complaining.

While Zacks’ job search story was not as arduous as others shared with The Midwest Newsroom, he said the increase of automation and the lack of face-to-face communication concerned him.

“The more you can connect with your other humans, the happier, the more effective you are going to be, the better your quality of life is going to be,” Zacks said. “And that was really how I approached my job search.”

The first clue of a souring job market that Maddi Cave noticed was seeing last year’s graduates announcing their first jobs months after graduation.

One student had won awards from the Public Relations Student Society of America, but her job search lasted months.

“She was top of her game, had all the accolades, and she didn’t get a job till February. And I was like: ‘Oh no, I’m kind of scared,’” Cave said.

Cave, then a Drake University student studying public relations and strategic political communications, decided to lean on networking to speed up the job search.

Over the course of more than 30 meetings with Drake alumni and people in her field, she heard similar advice:

Cave said she did all of those things for months, and applied to more than 80 jobs. She heard back from only 12 employers.

“I’m sure that the advice that I was getting at one time would have really set me above my peers, but I had been doing that for these jobs and genuinely hearing crickets,” Cave said.

Job boards were often misleading, Cave said, such as listing a position as entry-level with entry-level pay but asking for years of experience.

“So it got harder and harder to listen to the advice with a straight face when, again, they meant well, but it was not even remotely working,” Cave said.

As her search went on, Cave began to question whether employers were posting jobs in good faith. In a tracking spreadsheet, she began noting if the job appeared in multiple places or if she got some sort of message telling her that her submission was accepted. In the rare instances when a person told her the application was on LinkedIn, she would follow up.

“For the record, none of those emails I ever got a response from,” Cave said.

The sheer lack of response from employers began to worry Cave, but friends, family and fellow alumni encouraged her to keep applying.

As graduation neared, she decided to hold off on applying and moved with her fiance to Green Bay, Wisconsin. There she landed a part-time social media internship with a grocery company during the summer, which allowed her the flexibility to keep searching.

In mid-September, Cave got the call she was waiting for.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.prevea.com/" target="_blank">Prevea Health</a>, a Wisconsin health care system, wanted to interview her for a public relations position.

Cave described the hiring process as night and day compared to the job search.

“In our conversations, they weren’t just asking me a list of super generic questions. They were asking about my work,” Cave said. “So they had obviously looked at it, which was totally new to me.”

After months of hearing crickets from employers, Cave said she felt respected by the organization.

On Oct. 7, her 10-month search for a job finally came to a close.

“The fact that they even just treated me like a good candidate would have been enough to, like, fuel my fire for another month or so of job searching,” Cave said. “But then I actually got the job, and I was like, this is even better.”

Job searching has always been difficult and emotionally taxing, the graduates told The Midwest Newsroom, but with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/2025-07-17/minimum-wage-is-not-enough-to-afford-to-rent-decent-housing-in-the-midwest-report-says" target="_blank">rising cost of living</a>, the job search has a new sense of urgency. Nearly half of Americans said they find groceries, utility bills, health care, housing and transportation difficult to afford, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/poll-affordability-cost-of-living-00678076" target="_blank">POLITICO Poll</a>&nbsp;conducted in November by Public First.

Jenkins’ break came in September, more than 10 months after he started the search, when an economic development coordinator position opened up in Fairview Heights, Illinois, in the St. Louis metro area. His first day was Sept. 22.

Still, with job creation being low, Generation Z will continue to compete with itself and others as workers have fewer options.

“We’re doing the best with what we have,” Baines, the University of San Diego graduate, said. “Please empathize with me.”

Cave said that some of the cultural pushback her generation is facing as they start their careers could be connected to changes in the culture of work. Generation Z is vocal about pushing back on expectations around unpaid overtime or enduring harassment at the workplace.

“What would be the point of working all the time if you never get to use any of your time or money to actually enjoy life, the things that are enjoyable about being a human?”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/midwest-newsroom" target="_blank">Midwest Newsroom</a>&nbsp;is an investigative and enterprise journalism collaboration that includes Iowa Public Radio, KCUR, Nebraska Public Media, St. Louis Public Radio and NPR.

There are many ways you can contact us with story ideas and leads, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/midwest-newsroom/contact-us" target="_blank">you can find that information here</a>.

The Midwest Newsroom is a partner of&nbsp;<a href="https://thetrustproject.org/trust-indicators/" target="_blank">The Trust Project</a>. We invite you to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/midwest-newsroom/ethics-and-practices" target="_blank">review our ethics and practices here</a>.

To report this story, Daniel Wheaton published a call-out story in late October asking for recent graduates to talk about their experiences finding their first full-time jobs. From those responses, he conducted interviews asking graduates to recount their experiences and reflect on finding work in a tight labor market. He used the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data to compare the macroeconomic conditions with the individual experiences of recent graduates.

<a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2025-10-30/class-of-2025-hows-the-job-search-going-the-midwest-newsroom-wants-to-know" target="_blank">Class of 2025: How’s the job search going? The Midwest Newsroom wants to know</a>&nbsp;(Midwest Newsroom | October 2025)

<a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2025/aug/recent-college-grads-bear-brunt-labor-market-shifts" target="_blank">Recent College Grads Bear Brunt of Labor Market Shifts</a>&nbsp;| (St. Louis Federal Reserve Blog, Aug. 25, 2025)

<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/us/politics/doge-cost-americorps-community-service.html" target="_blank">DOGE Guts Agency That Organizes Community Service Programs</a>&nbsp;| (The New York Times | April 17, 2025)

<a href="https://corpsnetwork.org/we-must-act-now-to-save-americorps/" target="_blank">We Must Act Now to Save AmeriCorps</a>&nbsp;| (The Corps Network | Oct. 16 2025)

<a href="https://naceweb.org/research/reports/job-outlook/2026" target="_blank">2026 Job Outlook</a>&nbsp;| (NACE | December 2025)

Recent college graduates face a world with fewer jobs — and loan payments are due soon

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aamer-madhani">AAMER MADHANI</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">audacious U.S. military operation</a>&nbsp;in Venezuela,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">Greenland</a>&nbsp;for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cuba">Cuba</a>&nbsp;is “in a lot of trouble.”

The comments from Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-trump-military-operation-85041a1ec03bafe839b785a95169d694">Secretary of State Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">the ouster of</a>&nbsp;Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.

With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Who’s next?

“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”

Trump, in his administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-security-strategy-europe-russia-america-first-068488ca7e6d1c92ccaddd1649958218">National Security Strategy</a>&nbsp;published last month, laid out restoring “American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere” as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.

Trump has also pointed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monroe-doctrine-venezuela-trump-western-hemisphere-maduro-e5581d71ea15f2fb02461e74ac6b08ca">the 19th century Monroe Doctrine</a>, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/roosevelt-corollary" target="_blank">Roosevelt Corollary</a>&nbsp;— a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panama’s secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S. — as he’s made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.

Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president’s foundational document as the “Don-roe Doctrine.”

Saturday’s dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trump’s comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-prime-minister-frederiksen-visit-trump-4424e2b75ae66ad1c926dca50f2287b7">Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen</a>&nbsp;in a statement that Trump has “no right to annex” the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.

“I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen said.

Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that “the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected” as Trump has vowed to “run” Venezuela and pressed the acting president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-trump-maduro-military-rodriguez-lead-c0bd39f98a79c18c5501bac939c640fe">Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.</a>

Trump on Sunday mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.

Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: “SOON.”

“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Amb. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.

During&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-norway-panama-canal-canada-a52858e3075f9b5ad95e78753293fc1f">his presidential transition</a>&nbsp;and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-vance-visit-us-base-834785773189f2f12ec6b09f8c5a9321">not ruled out military force</a>&nbsp;to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.

The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-jeff-landry-envoy-louisiana-6babac895313a5ec65b5df79c7f86b45">Gov. Jeff Landry</a>&nbsp;as his special envoy to Greenland.

The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump “make Greenland a part of the U.S.”

Meanwhile, concern is simmering in Cuba, one of Venezuela’s most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-says-cuba-not-doing-very-well-and-rubio-hints-it-could-be-next-after-maduro-out-of-venezuela-9fc1a1ec0e164726953e48a1f35cb221">stern warning</a>&nbsp;to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Rubio, in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.

“It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.” The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of “internal intelligence” in Maduro’s government, including “who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.”

The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-us-venezuela-maduro-e66899b41f0b84cf83f77a69d399b486">32 officers were killed</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. military operation.

Trump said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

Trump, as he made his way back to Washington on Sunday evening, also put Venezuela’s neighbor, Colombia, and its leftist president, Gustavo Petro, on notice.

Trump in a back-and-forth with reporters said Colombia is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”

The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gustavo-petro">Petro</a>, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade. Colombia is considered the epicenter of the world’s cocaine trade.

Trump began his monthslong pressure campaign on Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats launched from Venezuela in the Caribbean. He eventually expanded the operations to also target suspected vessels in the eastern Pacific that came from Colombia.

The U.S. in September also added Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to a list of nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-colombia-drug-war-cooperation-14493c8f7a9af102a8a29cc368ac1e03">failing to cooperate in the drug war</a>&nbsp;for the first time in almost 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of U.S. assistance to the country.

“He’s not going to be doing it for very long,” Trump said of Petro on Sunday. “He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He’s not going to be doing it.”

Asked whether he might order the U.S. to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me.”

AP writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba, and Darlene Superville traveling aboard Air Force One contributed reporting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767580227433.png" alt="PresidentTrump talking to reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One- photo by Margo Martin, Special Assistant to the President" />
 <figcaption>PresidentTrump talking to reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One- photo by Margo Martin, Special Assistant to the President</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aamer-madhani">AAMER MADHANI</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — A day after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">audacious U.S. military operation</a>&nbsp;in Venezuela,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Sunday renewed his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">Greenland</a>&nbsp;for the sake of U.S. security interests and threatened military action on Colombia for facilitating the global sale of cocaine, while his top diplomat declared the communist government in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cuba">Cuba</a>&nbsp;is “in a lot of trouble.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We need Greenland from a national security situation. It&#39;s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/suxvDQfmUm">pic.twitter.com/suxvDQfmUm</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2008033774441812412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Cuba: &quot;I think it&#39;s just going to fall. I don&#39;t think we need any action. It looks like it&#39;s going down — it&#39;s going down for the count. You ever watch a fight? They go down for the count, and Cuba looks like it&#39;s going down.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/IJ7gsX16JC">pic.twitter.com/IJ7gsX16JC</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2008033966406672526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Mexico has to get their act together because [drugs] are pouring through Mexico, and we&#39;re going to have to do something. We&#39;d love Mexico to do it. They&#39;re capable of doing it, but unfortunately... the cartels are running Mexico.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/McreTjSuKs">pic.twitter.com/McreTjSuKs</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2008032031876202758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The comments from Trump and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-trump-military-operation-85041a1ec03bafe839b785a95169d694">Secretary of State Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-explosions-caracas-ca712a67aaefc30b1831f5bf0b50665e">the ouster of</a>&nbsp;Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro underscore that the U.S. administration is serious about taking a more expansive role in the Western Hemisphere.With thinly veiled threats, Trump is rattling hemispheric friends and foes alike, spurring a pointed question around the globe: Who’s next?“It’s so strategic right now. Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”Asked during an interview with The Atlantic earlier on Sunday what the U.S.-military action in Venezuela could portend for Greenland, Trump replied: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”Trump, in his administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-security-strategy-europe-russia-america-first-068488ca7e6d1c92ccaddd1649958218">National Security Strategy</a>&nbsp;published last month, laid out restoring “American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere” as a central guidepost for his second go-around in the White House.Trump has also pointed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/monroe-doctrine-venezuela-trump-western-hemisphere-maduro-e5581d71ea15f2fb02461e74ac6b08ca">the 19th century Monroe Doctrine</a>, which rejects European colonialism, as well as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/roosevelt-corollary" target="_blank">Roosevelt Corollary</a>&nbsp;— a justification invoked by the U.S. in supporting Panama’s secession from Colombia, which helped secure the Panama Canal Zone for the U.S. — as he’s made his case for an assertive approach to American neighbors and beyond.Trump has even quipped that some now refer to the fifth U.S. president’s foundational document as the “Don-roe Doctrine.”<h2>Causing unease in Denmark</h2>Saturday’s dead-of-night operation by U.S. forces in Caracas and Trump’s comments on Sunday heightened concerns in Denmark, which has jurisdiction over the vast mineral-rich island of Greenland.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-prime-minister-frederiksen-visit-trump-4424e2b75ae66ad1c926dca50f2287b7">Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen</a>&nbsp;in a statement that Trump has “no right to annex” the territory. She also reminded Trump that Denmark already provides the United States, a fellow member of NATO, broad access to Greenland through existing security agreements.“I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. to stop threatening a historically close ally and another country and people who have made it very clear that they are not for sale,” Frederiksen said.Denmark on Sunday also signed onto a European Union statement underscoring that “the right of the Venezuelan people to determine their future must be respected” as Trump has vowed to “run” Venezuela and pressed the acting president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-trump-maduro-military-rodriguez-lead-c0bd39f98a79c18c5501bac939c640fe">Delcy Rodriguez, to get in line.</a><h2>Social media posting angers Danes</h2>Trump on Sunday mocked Denmark’s efforts at boosting Greenland’s national security posture, saying the Danes have added “one more dog sled” to the Arctic territory’s arsenal.Greenlanders and Danes were further rankled by a social media post following the raid by a former Trump administration official turned podcaster, Katie Miller. The post shows an illustrated map of Greenland in the colors of the Stars and Stripes accompanied by the caption: “SOON.”“And yes, we expect full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Amb. Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s chief envoy to Washington, said in a post responding to Miller, who is married to Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.During&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-norway-panama-canal-canada-a52858e3075f9b5ad95e78753293fc1f">his presidential transition</a>&nbsp;and in the early months of his return to the White House, Trump repeatedly called for U.S. jurisdiction over Greenland, and has pointedly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-vance-visit-us-base-834785773189f2f12ec6b09f8c5a9321">not ruled out military force</a>&nbsp;to take control of the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island that belongs to an ally.The issue had largely drifted out of the headlines in recent months. Then Trump put the spotlight back on Greenland less than two weeks ago when he said he would appoint Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-jeff-landry-envoy-louisiana-6babac895313a5ec65b5df79c7f86b45">Gov. Jeff Landry</a>&nbsp;as his special envoy to Greenland.The Louisiana governor said in his volunteer position he would help Trump “make Greenland a part of the U.S.”<h2>A stern warning to Cuba</h2>Meanwhile, concern is simmering in Cuba, one of Venezuela’s most important allies and trading partners, as Rubio issued a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/trump-says-cuba-not-doing-very-well-and-rubio-hints-it-could-be-next-after-maduro-out-of-venezuela-9fc1a1ec0e164726953e48a1f35cb221">stern warning</a>&nbsp;to the Cuban government. U.S.-Cuba relations have been hostile since the 1959 Cuban revolution.Rubio, in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said Cuban officials were with Maduro in Venezuela ahead of his capture.“It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.” The secretary of state added that Cuban bodyguards were also in charge of “internal intelligence” in Maduro’s government, including “who spies on who inside, to make sure there are no traitors.”The Cuban government said in a statement read on state television on Sunday evening that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cuba-us-venezuela-maduro-e66899b41f0b84cf83f77a69d399b486">32 officers were killed</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. military operation.Trump said that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, is in tatters and will slide further now with the ouster of Maduro, who provided the Caribbean island subsidized oil.“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”<h2>Warning delivered to Colombia</h2>Trump, as he made his way back to Washington on Sunday evening, also put Venezuela’s neighbor, Colombia, and its leftist president, Gustavo Petro, on notice.Trump in a back-and-forth with reporters said Colombia is “run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States.”The Trump administration imposed sanctions in October on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gustavo-petro">Petro</a>, his family and a member of his government over accusations of involvement in the global drug trade. Colombia is considered the epicenter of the world’s cocaine trade.Trump began his monthslong pressure campaign on Maduro by ordering dozens of lethal strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats launched from Venezuela in the Caribbean. He eventually expanded the operations to also target suspected vessels in the eastern Pacific that came from Colombia.The U.S. in September also added Colombia, the top recipient of American assistance in the region, to a list of nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-colombia-drug-war-cooperation-14493c8f7a9af102a8a29cc368ac1e03">failing to cooperate in the drug war</a>&nbsp;for the first time in almost 30 years. The designation led to a slashing of U.S. assistance to the country.“He’s not going to be doing it for very long,” Trump said of Petro on Sunday. “He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories. He’s not going to be doing it.”Asked whether he might order the U.S. to conduct an operation against Colombia, Trump replied, “It sounds good to me.”___AP writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana, Cuba, and Darlene Superville traveling aboard Air Force One contributed reporting.

Trump spurs speculation about his plans for Greenland, Cuba and Colombia

By&nbsp;TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/18/kansas-board-of-regents-works-to-incorporate-critique-of-tenure-workforce-policy-changes/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Dissenters point to ‘rigid’ post-tenure reviews, short timeline for making improvement

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766432718726.jpeg" alt="Matt Crocker, a member of the Kansas Board of Regents, says faculty tenure and workforce policies under consideration for the state’s six public universities must take into account the necessity of guaranteeing the public receives proper return on investments in higher education. Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector" />
 <figcaption>Matt Crocker, a member of the Kansas Board of Regents, says faculty tenure and workforce policies under consideration for the state’s six public universities must take into account the necessity of guaranteeing the public receives proper return on investments in higher education. Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/18/kansas-board-of-regents-works-to-incorporate-critique-of-tenure-workforce-policy-changes/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Dissenters point to ‘rigid’ post-tenure reviews, short timeline for making improvement</h2>TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents agreed to weigh feedback from professors, administrators and legislators before voting on systemwide faculty tenure and workload policies designed to bring accountability and transparency to academic personnel decisions at the state’s six public universities.Since the Board of Regents released drafts of the policies in November, complaints surfaced that allowing the firing of university professors after two consecutive unsatisfactory annual evaluations was “overly rigid” and didn’t take into account “extenuating circumstances,” such as an employee’s personal crisis.In addition, concern was expressed the workload policy conflicted with standards of the American Association of University Professors or with academic program accreditation guidelines.Objections were raised about membership of post-tenure review committees and whether the university committee deciding to place a faculty member on a one-year improvement plan would be the same group that performed the follow-up evaluation. Another issue was that one year could be an unrealistic period of time for a faculty member to correct deficiencies in research productivity, officials said.“We’re appreciative of that input because it is beneficial and helpful as we look at trying to stand up this policy,” said Board of Regents member Alysia Johnston, who has a background in community college administration.She said the goal was implementation of umbrella policies applicable to the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University and Emporia State University.The Board of Regents engaged in general discussion of the draft policies Wednesday and could take formal action on both in January.During the past few years, members of the Legislature have taken greater interest in university workload and tenure decisions. In 2024, a Kansas House committee welcomed to the Capitol a tenured faculty member at Emporia State who recommended retroactive elimination of tenure at state universities. The idea was opposed by K-State president Richard Linton and KU chancellor Doug Girod.<h2>Return on investment</h2>Rusty Monhollon, vice president of academic affairs for the Board of Regents, said the systemwide tenure and workload policies were the result of persistent calls for greater transparency and accountability regarding faculty appointments.“It’s my own sense that very few faculty would be opposed to greater accountability because the work they do is good. They are very productive and they would stand up under scrutiny,” he said.Monhollon, a former executive director of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, said tenure was awarded to faculty following extensive vetting of each person’s teaching, research and service performance over a period of years. Tenure was mistakenly viewed by the public as a lifetime appointment, he said.Academic freedom, a pivotal component of faculty tenure across the United States, was essential to success of colleges or universities, he said.“Tenure is there to protect faculty to pursue research or to take on topics that are controversial,” Monhollon said. “If those protections aren’t in place for faculty, I think we lose that ability of faculty to take on difficult challenges, maybe pursue paths that are a bit unconventional, that many times bear the kind of results that really advance society and benefit all of us.”Matt Crocker, a Manhattan businessman appointed to the Board of Regents in October, said changes to workload and tenure expectations at state universities should recognize the value in making certain taxpayers received proper return on public investments in higher education. He serves as CEO of SPS Companies, which includes Steel and Pipe Supply Co.He said Monhollon’s comments about protecting academic freedom raised the question: “Protect them from whom?”“If an individual’s not working in line with the mission of the university, I’m not sure that’s really something we want to protect,” Crocker said. “I don’t think we want to mix a lot of concepts together inadvertently as we look through these policies.”<h2>Revised expectations</h2>Under the proposed reforms, the Board of Regents would adopt academic workload expectations and require post-tenure review of faculty at research-centered KU, WSU and K-State and the regional universities in Pittsburg, Emporia and Hays. The core obligation of all faculty in the system would be teaching, research and service, but instruction of students would be the most significant factor in assessments.Faculty at K-State, WSU and KU would be expected to have teaching loads ranging from 40% to 55%. The three regional universities would have teaching loads of 60% to 75%. Research expectations for tenured professors would be specific to each discipline.The faculty would have personalized work plans that were revised annually. Tenured faculty would be reviewed by a university committee every five years. Proponents of reform say collection of data on faculty would serve to better identify professors who excelled and those who fell short. The process could replace subjective elements of faculty evaluations with tangible evidence of research, teaching and service.Each university would retain control of post-tenure faculty reviews and the provisions of self-improvement programs for faculty. Individuals could be placed in one-year remediation programs. The policy would enable universities to dismiss faculty who failed the follow-up review.The universities would submit to the Board of Regents annual reports on tenure that included information on tenure awards and denials, the number of faculty placed on improvement plans as well as faculty resignations and dismissals. Biennial reports prepared for the Board of Regents would document faculty credit hour production, graduation rates, publications and research funding.Johnston, who chairs the Board of Regents’ academic affairs committee, said she anticipated reports on tenure and workload to prove state universities in Kansas maintained high expectations of tenured faculty.“I hope, with greater transparency, the data will prove just that,” she said. “I believe it will show that this is a rigorous process.”