KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging two former Wyandotte County District Court bookkeepers with stealing $900,000 from the Court, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, Julia Roberts, 65, of Kansas City, Kansas, and Vicki Robinson, 63, of Bonner Springs were indicted on one count of wire fraud conspiracy as well as individual counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

As part of their duties, Roberts and Robinson were responsible for collecting and depositing funds into the Wyandotte County Clerk Office’s bank account.

Roberts and Robinson are accused of devising a scheme to steal incoming cash between January 2018 and February 2023. They allegedly concealed the ongoing thefts by using the clerk of court’s signature on fraudulent checks that they generated without authorization. 

According to court documents, the fraudulent checks appeared to be facially valid and were drawn on and deposited into the county clerk office’s bank account, creating a corresponding debit and credit—which eliminated fluctuation in the deposit amount on the bank statements but concealed the stolen cash in the Court’s accounting system.

Roberts and Robinson made their initial court appearances on September 3, 2025, and September 5, 2025, respectively, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Angel D. Mitchell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.

<p>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging two former Wyandotte County District Court bookkeepers with stealing $900,000 from the Court, according to the United State's Attorney.</p><p>According to court documents, Julia Roberts, 65, of Kansas City, Kansas, and Vicki Robinson, 63, of Bonner Springs were indicted on one count of wire fraud conspiracy as well as individual counts of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.</p><p>As part of their duties, Roberts and Robinson were responsible for collecting and depositing funds into the Wyandotte County Clerk Office’s bank account.</p><p>Roberts and Robinson are accused of devising a scheme to steal incoming cash between January 2018 and February 2023. They allegedly concealed the ongoing thefts by using the clerk of court’s signature on fraudulent checks that they generated without authorization. </p><p>According to court documents, the fraudulent checks appeared to be facially valid and were drawn on and deposited into the county clerk office’s bank account, creating a corresponding debit and credit—which eliminated fluctuation in the deposit amount on the bank statements but concealed the stolen cash in the Court’s accounting system.</p><p>Roberts and Robinson made their initial court appearances on September 3, 2025, and September 5, 2025, respectively, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Angel D. Mitchell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.</p><p>The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.</p>

2 Kan. county court bookkeepers charged in $900K fraud scheme

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hosted a dinner Friday night for members of Congress in the newly paved White House Rose Garden, telling them they were the first gathering of what he dubbed the “Rose Garden Club.”

The president held a microphone as he addressed about 100 people, mostly House Republicans along with some GOP senators, thanking them for their support of his legislation.

“We call it the Rose Garden Club. And it’s a club for senators, for congresspeople and for people in Washington, and frankly, people that can bring peace and success to our country,” Trump said.

Trump said he intended for the tech executives he dined with Thursday night, including Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to be the first ones to enjoy the space. That dinner was moved indoors due to rain.

“I had the high-tech guys here, and they didn’t want to have rain on top of their beautiful heads,” Trump told the lawmakers.

Among the changes Trump has made to renovate and remake the White House has been his decision to pave over the grassy lawn in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/trump-rose-garden-paved-over-photo-gallery-732b9521b69c10c12ce448f12e27401c">the Rose Garden</a>, where he set up tables, chairs and umbrellas that look strikingly similar to the outdoor setup at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump hosted a dinner Friday night for members of Congress in the newly paved White House Rose Garden, telling them they were the first gathering of what he dubbed the “Rose Garden Club.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">GRAND OPENING: Rose Garden Club 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/VJe97CondZ">pic.twitter.com/VJe97CondZ</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1964155026323980414?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Grand Opening of the Rose Garden Club at the <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhiteHouse</a> <a href="https://t.co/BLdk8obft2">pic.twitter.com/BLdk8obft2</a></p>&mdash; Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenCheung47/status/1964146753394925915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757171663358.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Rose Garden Club 🌹🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/A3voNntmpy">pic.twitter.com/A3voNntmpy</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1964335225640481014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The grand opening of the new Rose Garden Club at the White House last night was epic. Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> for his hospitality &amp; visionary leadership. <a href="https://t.co/eoTJu8EMNZ">pic.twitter.com/eoTJu8EMNZ</a></p>&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1964306857368952927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Last night at the White House we celebrated the grand opening of the Rose Garden Club. I was honored to offer a prayer for our nation, with <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> sharing a great photo of me praying over <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realdonaldtrump</a>. A special night, thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>. <a href="https://t.co/5f45VgDTop">pic.twitter.com/5f45VgDTop</a></p>&mdash; Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorLankford/status/1964328662766944410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The president held a microphone as he addressed about 100 people, mostly House Republicans along with some GOP senators, thanking them for their support of his legislation.</p><p>“We call it the Rose Garden Club. And it’s a club for senators, for congresspeople and for people in Washington, and frankly, people that can bring peace and success to our country,” Trump said.</p><p>Trump said he intended for the tech executives he dined with Thursday night, including Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to be the first ones to enjoy the space. That dinner was moved indoors due to rain.</p><p>“I had the high-tech guys here, and they didn’t want to have rain on top of their beautiful heads,” Trump told the lawmakers.</p><p>Among the changes Trump has made to renovate and remake the White House has been his decision to pave over the grassy lawn in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/trump-rose-garden-paved-over-photo-gallery-732b9521b69c10c12ce448f12e27401c">the Rose Garden</a>, where he set up tables, chairs and umbrellas that look strikingly similar to the outdoor setup at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.</p>

See photos of White House dinner at new ‘Rose Garden Club’

CHICAGO (AP) — At a Catholic school in Pope Leo XIV’s hometown, fifth graders read comic books about Carlo Acutis' life titled “Digital Disciple.” They draw pictures of what the teenage Italian computer whiz might have had as his cellphone wallpaper. They discuss the miracles that allegedly occurred thanks to Acutis' intercession.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brzb_VN86Ng">Click here to view</a> the web camera on the Acutis Tomb

In the lead-up to Acutis' canonization on Sunday, it's all Acutis, all the time at the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish and school in Chicago. The parish was the first in the United States to take its name from Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15 and is about to become history's first millennial saint.

In recent years, Acutis has shot to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-saint-catholic-millennial-assisi-francis-f3abea4be1c4e57adbe1633733fd671d">near rock star-like fame</a>&nbsp;among many young Catholics, generating a global following the likes of which the Catholic Church hasn’t seen in ages. Much of that popularity is thanks to a concerted campaign by the Vatican to give the next generation of faithful a relatable, modern-day role model, an ordinary kid who used his technological talents to spread the faith.

He’s not a towering world figure like Mother Teresa or St. John Paul II, but rather a “saint next door,” said the Rev. Ed Howe, the pastor at Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish in Chicago’s Northwest Side.

“He’s someone who I think a lot of young people today say, ‘I could be the saint next door,'" Howe said.

Leo, a Chicago native, will declare Acutis a saint on Sunday in his first canonization ceremony, alongside another popular Italian, Pier Giorgio Frassati, who also died young. Both ceremonies had been scheduled for earlier this year, but were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-saint-acutis-posponed-9fdb99acaf0296974dc6216851c9167a">postponed following Pope Francis' death</a>&nbsp;in April.

It was Francis who had fervently willed the Acutis sainthood case forward, convinced that the church needed someone like him to attract young Catholics to the faith while addressing the promises and perils of the digital age.

Acutis was precociously savvy with computers long before the social media era, reading college-level textbooks on programming and coding as a youngster and making websites that at the time were the domain of professionals. But he limited himself to an hour of video games a week, apparently deciding long before TikTok that human relationships were far more important than virtual ones.

“Carlo was well aware that the whole apparatus of communications, advertising and social networking can be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism and buying the latest thing on the market,” Francis wrote in a 2019 document. “Yet he knew how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty.”

Leo inherited the Acutis cause, but he too has pointed to technology —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-vision-papacy-artificial-intelligence-36d29e37a11620b594b9b7c0574cc358">especially artificial intelligence</a>&nbsp;— as one of the main challenges facing humanity.

Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy but not particularly observant Catholic family. They moved back to Milan soon after he was born and he enjoyed a typical, happy childhood, albeit marked by his increasingly intense religious devotion.

In October 2006, at age 15, he fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia. Within days, he was dead. He was entombed in Assisi, which known for its association with another popular saint, St. Francis.

In a remarkably quick process, Acutis was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-sainthood-pope-francis-4b0149a3a2ca7a5be5cc6b87698bb931">beatified in 2020</a>, and last year Francis approved the second miracle needed for him to be made a saint.

In the years since his death, young Catholics have flocked by the millions to Assisi, where through a glass-sided tomb they can see the young Acutis, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt, his hands clasped around a rosary. Those who can’t make it in person can watch the comings and goings on a webcam pointed at his tomb, a level of internet accessibility not afforded even to popes buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.

For his admirers, Acutis was an ordinary kid who did extraordinary things, a typical Milan teen who went to school, played soccer and loved animals. But he also brought food to the poor, attended Mass daily and got his less-than-devout parents back to church.

“When I read his story for the first time, it was just like shocking to me, because from a very early age, he was just really drawn to Jesus Christ and he would go to Mass all the time,” said Sona Harrison, an eighth grader at the St. John Berchmans’ school, which is part of the Acutis parish. “I feel like he’s a lot more relatable, and I definitely feel like I’m closer to God when I read about him.”

Acutis earned the nickname “God’s Influencer,” because he used technology to spread the faith. His most well-known tech legacy is the website he created about so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html">Eucharistic miracles</a>, available in nearly 20 different languages. The site compiles information about the 196 seemingly inexplicable events over the history of the church related to the Eucharist, which the faithful believe is the body of Christ.

Acutis was known to spend hours in prayer before the Eucharist each day, a practice known as Eucharistic adoration.

“This was the fixed appointment of his day,” his mother, Antonia Salzano, said in a documentary that was airing Friday night at the U.S. seminary in Rome.

Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a history professor at the University of Notre Dame, said Acutis’ enormous popularity was clearly the result of a concerted church campaign, pushed strongly by his grief-stricken mother. But she said that is nothing new, and that in the 2,000-year history of the church, saints have very often been pushed ahead to respond to a particular need at a particular time.

“It doesn’t detract from the holiness of the person being honored to say that there are choices that are made” about which cases move forward, she said in a phone interview.

Sprows Cummings said that the Acutis phenomenon caught on because he's attractive to both young people and the institutional church, for using technology in a positive way to spread his profound belief in Eucharistic miracles at a time when many Catholics don’t believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist.

“Canonization is about marketing,” said Sprows Cummings, author of “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics become American.”

“Which stories are going to get told? Who is going to get remembered through this amazingly efficient way of remembering holy people?”

Acutis and his story are ever-present here at the parish named for him. During Mass this week before the canonization, students processed into the chapel under an Acutis banner carrying things he might have carried: a soccer ball, laptop and knapsack.

Howe, the parish pastor and priest of the Congregation of the Resurrection, pulled items out of the knapsack to explain Acutis' story to the youngest students seated up front: A can of food he might have given to a homeless person, a set of rosary beads he might have prayed with.

“He fed the poor, he cared for the poor,” said 9-year-old David Cameron, who called Acutis “a great man.” Cameron, a fan of Sonic, Minecraft and Halo, also found inspiration in Acutis' love of video games — and awe at Acutis' restraint.

“He played video games for like only one hour a week, which I don’t think I can do,” he said.

Nicole Winfield reported from Vatican City.

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

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757084801829.png" alt="View from the Acutis web camera" />
                        <figcaption>View from the Acutis web camera</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>CHICAGO (AP) — At a Catholic school in Pope Leo XIV’s hometown, fifth graders read comic books about Carlo Acutis' life titled “Digital Disciple.” They draw pictures of what the teenage Italian computer whiz might have had as his cellphone wallpaper. They discuss the miracles that allegedly occurred thanks to Acutis' intercession.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brzb_VN86Ng">Click here to view</a> the web camera on the Acutis Tomb</p><p>In the lead-up to Acutis' canonization on Sunday, it's all Acutis, all the time at the Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish and school in Chicago. The parish was the first in the United States to take its name from Acutis, who died in 2006 at age 15 and is about to become history's first millennial saint.</p><p>In recent years, Acutis has shot to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-saint-catholic-millennial-assisi-francis-f3abea4be1c4e57adbe1633733fd671d">near rock star-like fame</a>&nbsp;among many young Catholics, generating a global following the likes of which the Catholic Church hasn’t seen in ages. Much of that popularity is thanks to a concerted campaign by the Vatican to give the next generation of faithful a relatable, modern-day role model, an ordinary kid who used his technological talents to spread the faith.</p><p>He’s not a towering world figure like Mother Teresa or St. John Paul II, but rather a “saint next door,” said the Rev. Ed Howe, the pastor at Blessed Carlo Acutis Parish in Chicago’s Northwest Side.</p><p>“He’s someone who I think a lot of young people today say, ‘I could be the saint next door,'" Howe said.</p><h2>Pope Leo XIV's first canonization</h2><p>Leo, a Chicago native, will declare Acutis a saint on Sunday in his first canonization ceremony, alongside another popular Italian, Pier Giorgio Frassati, who also died young. Both ceremonies had been scheduled for earlier this year, but were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-saint-acutis-posponed-9fdb99acaf0296974dc6216851c9167a">postponed following Pope Francis' death</a>&nbsp;in April.</p><p>It was Francis who had fervently willed the Acutis sainthood case forward, convinced that the church needed someone like him to attract young Catholics to the faith while addressing the promises and perils of the digital age.</p><p>Acutis was precociously savvy with computers long before the social media era, reading college-level textbooks on programming and coding as a youngster and making websites that at the time were the domain of professionals. But he limited himself to an hour of video games a week, apparently deciding long before TikTok that human relationships were far more important than virtual ones.</p><p>“Carlo was well aware that the whole apparatus of communications, advertising and social networking can be used to lull us, to make us addicted to consumerism and buying the latest thing on the market,” Francis wrote in a 2019 document. “Yet he knew how to use the new communications technology to transmit the Gospel, to communicate values and beauty.”</p><p>Leo inherited the Acutis cause, but he too has pointed to technology —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-vision-papacy-artificial-intelligence-36d29e37a11620b594b9b7c0574cc358">especially artificial intelligence</a>&nbsp;— as one of the main challenges facing humanity.</p><h2>A fast-track to sainthood</h2><p>Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London to a wealthy but not particularly observant Catholic family. They moved back to Milan soon after he was born and he enjoyed a typical, happy childhood, albeit marked by his increasingly intense religious devotion.</p><p>In October 2006, at age 15, he fell ill with what was quickly diagnosed as acute leukemia. Within days, he was dead. He was entombed in Assisi, which known for its association with another popular saint, St. Francis.</p><p>In a remarkably quick process, Acutis was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-sainthood-pope-francis-4b0149a3a2ca7a5be5cc6b87698bb931">beatified in 2020</a>, and last year Francis approved the second miracle needed for him to be made a saint.</p><p>In the years since his death, young Catholics have flocked by the millions to Assisi, where through a glass-sided tomb they can see the young Acutis, dressed in jeans, Nike sneakers and a sweatshirt, his hands clasped around a rosary. Those who can’t make it in person can watch the comings and goings on a webcam pointed at his tomb, a level of internet accessibility not afforded even to popes buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.</p><h2>The ordinary and the extraordinary</h2><p>For his admirers, Acutis was an ordinary kid who did extraordinary things, a typical Milan teen who went to school, played soccer and loved animals. But he also brought food to the poor, attended Mass daily and got his less-than-devout parents back to church.</p><p>“When I read his story for the first time, it was just like shocking to me, because from a very early age, he was just really drawn to Jesus Christ and he would go to Mass all the time,” said Sona Harrison, an eighth grader at the St. John Berchmans’ school, which is part of the Acutis parish. “I feel like he’s a lot more relatable, and I definitely feel like I’m closer to God when I read about him.”</p><p>Acutis earned the nickname “God’s Influencer,” because he used technology to spread the faith. His most well-known tech legacy is the website he created about so-called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.miracolieucaristici.org/en/Liste/list.html">Eucharistic miracles</a>, available in nearly 20 different languages. The site compiles information about the 196 seemingly inexplicable events over the history of the church related to the Eucharist, which the faithful believe is the body of Christ.</p><p>Acutis was known to spend hours in prayer before the Eucharist each day, a practice known as Eucharistic adoration.</p><p>“This was the fixed appointment of his day,” his mother, Antonia Salzano, said in a documentary that was airing Friday night at the U.S. seminary in Rome.</p><h2>An appeal that serves the church</h2><p>Kathleen Sprows Cummings, a history professor at the University of Notre Dame, said Acutis’ enormous popularity was clearly the result of a concerted church campaign, pushed strongly by his grief-stricken mother. But she said that is nothing new, and that in the 2,000-year history of the church, saints have very often been pushed ahead to respond to a particular need at a particular time.</p><p>“It doesn’t detract from the holiness of the person being honored to say that there are choices that are made” about which cases move forward, she said in a phone interview.</p><p>Sprows Cummings said that the Acutis phenomenon caught on because he's attractive to both young people and the institutional church, for using technology in a positive way to spread his profound belief in Eucharistic miracles at a time when many Catholics don’t believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist.</p><p>“Canonization is about marketing,” said Sprows Cummings, author of “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics become American.”</p><p>“Which stories are going to get told? Who is going to get remembered through this amazingly efficient way of remembering holy people?”</p><p>Acutis and his story are ever-present here at the parish named for him. During Mass this week before the canonization, students processed into the chapel under an Acutis banner carrying things he might have carried: a soccer ball, laptop and knapsack.</p><p>Howe, the parish pastor and priest of the Congregation of the Resurrection, pulled items out of the knapsack to explain Acutis' story to the youngest students seated up front: A can of food he might have given to a homeless person, a set of rosary beads he might have prayed with.</p><p>The message landed.</p><p>“He fed the poor, he cared for the poor,” said 9-year-old David Cameron, who called Acutis “a great man.” Cameron, a fan of Sonic, Minecraft and Halo, also found inspiration in Acutis' love of video games — and awe at Acutis' restraint.</p><p>“He played video games for like only one hour a week, which I don’t think I can do,” he said.</p><p>___</p><p>Nicole Winfield reported from Vatican City.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.</p>

15-year-old computer whiz is becoming the Catholic Church's first millennial saint

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a shooting&nbsp; in Wichita continue asking the public for help to locate&nbsp;16-year-old Cesar Govea, according to a statement from Wichita Police.

Govea is wanted in connection with a shooting on August 24, that injured his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend and a 17-year-old boy. The victims were inside a vehicle near Wichita and Waterwalk when Govea opened fire.

Govea is considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach him.

If you know his whereabouts, do not approach him and call 911 immediately. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756165563203.png" alt="Govea-photo Wichita Police" />
                        <figcaption>Govea-photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a shooting&nbsp; in Wichita continue asking the public for help to locate&nbsp;16-year-old Cesar Govea, according to a statement from Wichita Police.</p><p>Govea is wanted in connection with a shooting on August 24, that injured his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend and a 17-year-old boy. The victims were inside a vehicle near Wichita and Waterwalk when Govea opened fire.</p><p>Govea is considered armed and dangerous. Do not approach him.</p><p>If you know his whereabouts, do not approach him and call 911 immediately. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.</p>

Police: Kan. teen accused of shooting ex-girlfriend still hiding

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware and has tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies to begin the heavy lift of fundraising and finding a site for the museum and archive.

The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation this past week approved a 13-person governance board that is charged with steering the project. The board includes former Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-age-probe-steve-richetti-664295c69e71d13a5231c221469170f1">Antony Blinken</a>, longtime adviser&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-age-probe-steve-richetti-664295c69e71d13a5231c221469170f1">Steve Ricchetti,</a>&nbsp;prolific Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford and others with deep ties to the one-term president and his wife.

Biden’s library team has the daunting task of raising money for the 46th president’s legacy project at a moment when his party has become fragmented about the way ahead and many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democratic-national-committee-trump-meeting-ken-martin-3e605c6441f69de360e83e6aaf36f393">big Democratic donors have stopped writing checks.</a>

It also remains to be seen whether corporations and institutional donors that have historically donated to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-democracy-presidents-threats-joint-statement-5530a89df2c41d58a22961f63fb0e6ff">presidential library projects</a>&nbsp;— regardless of the party of the former president — will be more hesitant to contribute, with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/republican-biden-election-democrat-midterm-78b6e3998772b987625abbbc9bebf3d0">maligning Biden</a>&nbsp;on a daily basis and savaging groups he deems left-leaning.

“There’s certainly folks — folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them,” Gifford, who was named chairman of the library board, told The Associated Press. “That being said ... we’re not going to create a budget, we’re not going to set a goal for ourselves that we don’t believe we can hit.”

The cost of presidential libraries has soared over the decades.

The George H.W. Bush library’s construction cost came in at about $43 million when it opened in 1997. Bill Clinton’s cost about $165 million. George W. Bush’s team met its $500 million fundraising goal before the library was dedicated.

The Obama Foundation has set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philanthropy-aaecbd43264b62e70dd634dc78470294">a whopping $1.6 billion fundraising goal</a>&nbsp;for construction, sustaining global programming and seeding an endowment for the Chicago presidential center that is slated to open next year.

Biden’s library team is still in the early stages of planning, but Gifford predicted that the cost of the project would probably “end up somewhere in the middle” of the Obama Presidential Center and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

Biden advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries with a bricks and mortar presence that the National Archives and Records Administration manages. (They skipped the Herbert Hoover library in Iowa, which is closed for renovations.) They’ve also met Obama library officials to discuss programming and location considerations and have begun talks with Delaware leaders to assess potential partnerships.

Construction and support for programming for the libraries are paid for with private funds donated to the nonprofit organizations established by the former president.

The initial vision is for the Biden library to include an immersive museum detailing Biden’s four years in office.

The Bidens also want it to be a hub for leadership, service and civic engagement that will include educational and event space to host policy gatherings.

Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last year’s election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors.

Clinton announced Little Rock, Arkansas, would host his library weeks into his second term. Barack Obama selected Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side as the site for his presidential center before he left office, and George W. Bush selected Southern Methodist University in Dallas before finishing his second term.

One-termer George H.W. Bush announced in 1991, more than a year before he would lose his reelection bid, that he would establish his presidential library at Texas A&amp;M University after he left office.

Trump was mostly quiet about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/presidential-library-president-donald-trump-2045cd9b642ded0988ca9eff30ad5f46">plans for a presidential library</a>&nbsp;after losing to Biden in 2020 and has remained so since his return to the White House this year. But the Republican has won millions of dollars in lawsuits against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-media-harris-minutes-paramount-6415042fe910ae60b432dd8c73ef61b2">Paramount Global</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-trump-lawsuit-defamation-stephanopoulos-04aea8663310af39ae2a85f4c1a56d68">ABC News</a>, Meta and X in which parts of those settlements are directed for a future Trump library.

Trump has also accepted a free Air Force One replacement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-qatar-gift-jet-air-force-one-7f9afb461c6b3ac16fca3bb0973715ff">from the Qatar government.</a>&nbsp;He says the $400 million plane would be donated to his future presidential library, similar to how the Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and put on display as a museum piece, once he leaves office.

Others named to Biden’s library board are former senior White House aides Elizabeth Alexander, Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cedric-richmond">Cedric Richmond</a>; David Cohen, a former ambassador to Canada and telecom executive; Tatiana Brandt Copeland, a Delaware philanthropist; Jeff Peck, Biden Foundation treasurer and former Senate aide; Fred C. Sears II, Biden’s longtime friend; former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh; former Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young; and former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell.

Biden has deep ties to Pennsylvania but ultimately settled on Delaware, the state that was the launching pad for his political career. He was first elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate before serving as Obama’s vice president.

The president was born in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-scranton-pennsylvania-election-taxes-6b3de3a4807cbccdb5732442071f4f6e">Scranton, Pennsylvania,</a>&nbsp;where he lived until age 10. He left when his father, struggling to make ends meet, moved the family to Delaware after landing a job there selling cars.

Working-class Scranton became a touchstone in Biden’s political narrative during his long political career. He also served as a professor at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-granddaughter-maisy-graduation-university-pennsylvania-eeb7c1e6916362e32b10a6333efa5f28">University of Pennsylvania</a>&nbsp;after his vice presidency, leading a center on diplomacy and global engagement at the school named after him.

Gifford said ultimately the Bidens felt that Delaware was where the library should be because the state has “propelled his entire political career.”

Elected officials in Delaware are cheering Biden’s move.

“To Delaware, he will always be our favorite son,” Gov. Matt Meyer said. “The new presidential library here in Delaware will give future generations the chance to see his story of resilience, family, and never forgetting your roots.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748627322356.png" alt="File photo -Former President Joe Biden meeting with reporters this summer Image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>File photo -Former President Joe Biden meeting with reporters this summer Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/aamer-madhani">AAMER MADHANI</a></p><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has decided to build his presidential library in Delaware and has tapped a group of former aides, friends and political allies to begin the heavy lift of fundraising and finding a site for the museum and archive.</p><p>The Joe and Jill Biden Foundation this past week approved a 13-person governance board that is charged with steering the project. The board includes former Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-age-probe-steve-richetti-664295c69e71d13a5231c221469170f1">Antony Blinken</a>, longtime adviser&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-age-probe-steve-richetti-664295c69e71d13a5231c221469170f1">Steve Ricchetti,</a>&nbsp;prolific Democratic fundraiser Rufus Gifford and others with deep ties to the one-term president and his wife.</p><p>Biden’s library team has the daunting task of raising money for the 46th president’s legacy project at a moment when his party has become fragmented about the way ahead and many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/democratic-national-committee-trump-meeting-ken-martin-3e605c6441f69de360e83e6aaf36f393">big Democratic donors have stopped writing checks.</a></p><p>It also remains to be seen whether corporations and institutional donors that have historically donated to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-states-democracy-presidents-threats-joint-statement-5530a89df2c41d58a22961f63fb0e6ff">presidential library projects</a>&nbsp;— regardless of the party of the former president — will be more hesitant to contribute, with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/republican-biden-election-democrat-midterm-78b6e3998772b987625abbbc9bebf3d0">maligning Biden</a>&nbsp;on a daily basis and savaging groups he deems left-leaning.</p><h2>The political climate has changed</h2><p>“There’s certainly folks — folks who may have been not thinking about those kinds of issues who are starting to think about them,” Gifford, who was named chairman of the library board, told The Associated Press. “That being said ... we’re not going to create a budget, we’re not going to set a goal for ourselves that we don’t believe we can hit.”</p><p>The cost of presidential libraries has soared over the decades.</p><p>The George H.W. Bush library’s construction cost came in at about $43 million when it opened in 1997. Bill Clinton’s cost about $165 million. George W. Bush’s team met its $500 million fundraising goal before the library was dedicated.</p><p>The Obama Foundation has set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/philanthropy-aaecbd43264b62e70dd634dc78470294">a whopping $1.6 billion fundraising goal</a>&nbsp;for construction, sustaining global programming and seeding an endowment for the Chicago presidential center that is slated to open next year.</p><p>Biden’s library team is still in the early stages of planning, but Gifford predicted that the cost of the project would probably “end up somewhere in the middle” of the Obama Presidential Center and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.</p><p>Biden advisers have met with officials operating 12 of the 13 presidential libraries with a bricks and mortar presence that the National Archives and Records Administration manages. (They skipped the Herbert Hoover library in Iowa, which is closed for renovations.) They’ve also met Obama library officials to discuss programming and location considerations and have begun talks with Delaware leaders to assess potential partnerships.</p><h2>Private money builds them</h2><p>Construction and support for programming for the libraries are paid for with private funds donated to the nonprofit organizations established by the former president.</p><p>The initial vision is for the Biden library to include an immersive museum detailing Biden’s four years in office.</p><p>The Bidens also want it to be a hub for leadership, service and civic engagement that will include educational and event space to host policy gatherings.</p><p>Biden, who ended his bid for a second White House term 107 days before last year’s election, has been relatively slow to move on presidential library planning compared with most of his recent predecessors.</p><p>Clinton announced Little Rock, Arkansas, would host his library weeks into his second term. Barack Obama selected Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side as the site for his presidential center before he left office, and George W. Bush selected Southern Methodist University in Dallas before finishing his second term.</p><p>One-termer George H.W. Bush announced in 1991, more than a year before he would lose his reelection bid, that he would establish his presidential library at Texas A&amp;M University after he left office.</p><h2>Trump taps legal settlements for his</h2><p>Trump was mostly quiet about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/presidential-library-president-donald-trump-2045cd9b642ded0988ca9eff30ad5f46">plans for a presidential library</a>&nbsp;after losing to Biden in 2020 and has remained so since his return to the White House this year. But the Republican has won millions of dollars in lawsuits against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-media-harris-minutes-paramount-6415042fe910ae60b432dd8c73ef61b2">Paramount Global</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abc-trump-lawsuit-defamation-stephanopoulos-04aea8663310af39ae2a85f4c1a56d68">ABC News</a>, Meta and X in which parts of those settlements are directed for a future Trump library.</p><p>Trump has also accepted a free Air Force One replacement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-qatar-gift-jet-air-force-one-7f9afb461c6b3ac16fca3bb0973715ff">from the Qatar government.</a>&nbsp;He says the $400 million plane would be donated to his future presidential library, similar to how the Boeing 707 used by President Ronald Reagan was decommissioned and put on display as a museum piece, once he leaves office.</p><p>Others named to Biden’s library board are former senior White House aides Elizabeth Alexander, Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/cedric-richmond">Cedric Richmond</a>; David Cohen, a former ambassador to Canada and telecom executive; Tatiana Brandt Copeland, a Delaware philanthropist; Jeff Peck, Biden Foundation treasurer and former Senate aide; Fred C. Sears II, Biden’s longtime friend; former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh; former Office of Management and Budget director Shalanda Young; and former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell.</p><p>Biden has deep ties to Pennsylvania but ultimately settled on Delaware, the state that was the launching pad for his political career. He was first elected to the New Castle County Council in 1970 and spent 36 years representing Delaware in the Senate before serving as Obama’s vice president.</p><p>The president was born in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-scranton-pennsylvania-election-taxes-6b3de3a4807cbccdb5732442071f4f6e">Scranton, Pennsylvania,</a>&nbsp;where he lived until age 10. He left when his father, struggling to make ends meet, moved the family to Delaware after landing a job there selling cars.</p><p>Working-class Scranton became a touchstone in Biden’s political narrative during his long political career. He also served as a professor at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-granddaughter-maisy-graduation-university-pennsylvania-eeb7c1e6916362e32b10a6333efa5f28">University of Pennsylvania</a>&nbsp;after his vice presidency, leading a center on diplomacy and global engagement at the school named after him.</p><p>Gifford said ultimately the Bidens felt that Delaware was where the library should be because the state has “propelled his entire political career.”</p><p>Elected officials in Delaware are cheering Biden’s move.</p><p>“To Delaware, he will always be our favorite son,” Gov. Matt Meyer said. “The new presidential library here in Delaware will give future generations the chance to see his story of resilience, family, and never forgetting your roots.”</p>

Biden chooses location for his presidential library 

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly knife attack as 23-year-old Christopher Cook of Kansas City, Kansas, according to a statement from police.

Just after 7p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a residence in the 6500 Block of Kansas Avenue after a report of a stabbing. 

First responders located Cook in the home suffering from apparent stab wounds.  He was pronounced deceased on scene. 

&nbsp;This incident remains under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.There is nothing further to report at this time.

<p>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly knife attack as 23-year-old Christopher Cook of Kansas City, Kansas, according to a statement from police.</p><p>Just after 7p.m. Thursday, police were dispatched to a residence in the 6500 Block of Kansas Avenue after a report of a stabbing. </p><p>First responders located Cook in the home suffering from apparent stab wounds.  He was pronounced deceased on scene. </p><p>&nbsp;This incident remains under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.There is nothing further to report at this time.</p>

Police ID victim in deadly knife attack at Kansas home

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a>

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress began searching for compromise on a short-term government funding bill Wednesday, with just a few weeks left to broker a deal before a possible shutdown.

Fresh off their August recess, congressional leaders and members of the Appropriations Committee appealed for bipartisanship from the other side while admitting they are far from a final agreement.&nbsp;

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declined to say during a press conference whether he will negotiate a stopgap spending bill with Democrats, or use the go-at-it-alone approach that succeeded in March.&nbsp;

“Republicans are committed to keeping the government open, and unfortunately, it seems like not all Democrats agree with that, and they’re beginning to apply the government shutdown pressure,” Johnson said. “But I want you to remember one thing: All but one House Democrat voted to shut down the government in March, and we expect, sadly, that that may happen again.”

Johnson said he was open to negotiations with Democratic leaders as long as they “are willing to work with us and think responsibly about how we can spend less than we did last year.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said during an afternoon press conference that Democrats want GOP leaders to negotiate the stopgap spending bill across party lines.&nbsp;

“The bottom line is very simple: We Democrats want a bipartisan bill and we are pushing the Republicans very hard to do it,” Schumer said. “We’re on our front foot. We’re unified.”&nbsp;

Schumer, who took considerable flak&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-signs-stopgap-spending-bill-law-following-us-senate-passage" target="_blank">for helping Republicans limit debate</a>&nbsp;on a partisan stopgap bill in March, said “it’s much different than last time.”&nbsp;

Pressed by several reporters about what Democrats would help move through the Senate this time around, Schumer said: “We are willing to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan proposal with significant Democratic input. So far, they are not.”

The House and Senate are supposed to complete work on the dozen annual government funding bills by the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1 but that hasn’t happened for decades, so lawmakers rely on a stopgap spending bill to keep federal departments and agencies running on autopilot for a couple months.&nbsp;

That measure, sometimes called a continuing resolution, is intended to give lawmakers a bit more time to complete bipartisan House-Senate negotiations on the full-year appropriations bills, though Congress used three CRs to fund the government this fiscal year instead of getting its work done.&nbsp;

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he expects lawmakers will need to approve a stopgap spending bill “for some time into the foreseeable future,” but that discussions are ongoing about how long it will last and what else might be added.&nbsp;

“My hope would be that whatever that CR looks like, that it is clean and that it enables us to buy some time to get a regular appropriations process done,” Thune said. “I still think the best way to fund the government is through the appropriations process.”

President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office earlier in the day that he expects Republicans will vote for a stopgap spending bill but he didn’t address how it would get through the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster, which requires bipartisanship.&nbsp;

“I think the Republicans will vote for an extension,” Trump said. “We won’t have any Democrat votes.”&nbsp;

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters he hopes to negotiate final versions of three full-year bills with the Senate before the end of the month.

Lawmakers would then use a stopgap spending bill to keep the departments and agencies covered in the other nine bills flat funded for a couple of months until the two chambers can reach final agreement on the spending levels and policy within those measures.&nbsp;

“We’re talking about relatively modest bills and bills where there is either broad agreement, like MilCon-VA, or LegBranch and Ag,” Cole said. “We’re not talking about major bills. You can’t really do that until you have a topline and we don’t have a topline.”

The Agriculture-FDA, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA spending bills are generally easier to negotiate than some of the other full-year measures, like Defense, Homeland Security and Labor-Health and Human Services-Education.&nbsp;

Cole said when House and Senate leaders begin negotiating a total spending level for all of the bills, or topline, is “above my paygrade.”

“I’m ready to do it at any time if they want to empower us, otherwise the leadership on both sides and the president have to” figure that out, Cole said.

The House and Senate are supposed to start off the annual government funding process in the spring by reaching bipartisan agreement on how much in total spending to spread throughout the dozen appropriations bills.&nbsp;

Those talks haven’t even started for fiscal 2026, which is slated to begin Oct. 1.&nbsp;

Instead, the House and Senate Appropriations committees have separately decided how much to spend and written vastly different versions of the bills.&nbsp;

The 12 bills that have been released by the GOP-led House committee are partisan, while the eight bills released by the Senate panel have received broad bipartisan support in committee.&nbsp;

Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she’s spoken with Cole a couple of times about the three-bills-plus-stopgap strategy and supports the concept.&nbsp;

“I have and I agree with that approach,” Collins said.

Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, said any stopgap bill “needs to be a real bipartisan compromise.”

“For the last few months we have shown a bipartisan way forward on the Appropriations Committee,” Murray said. “Democrats have shown that we are willing to work in good faith to write bipartisan funding bills that protect investments in education, life-saving research and a lot more.&nbsp;

“We’ve already passed eight out of the committee and three on the floor: MilCon-VA, Ag and LegBranch. As part of a bipartisan short-term CR, I support conferencing those three bills and passing them with the short-term CR for the remaining nine bills.”

House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro said “the best case scenario for us is to move forward.”&nbsp;

“No gimmicks, no riders, let’s clear the decks,” the Connecticut Democrat said. “Talk about how we get Republican priorities, Democratic priorities.”&nbsp;

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said “there’s a chance” to wrap up negotiations between the two chambers on final versions of some of the full-year government spending bills before the end of the month.&nbsp;

“It might not be all 12, but a few of them for sure,” Scalise said. “So let’s give the appropriators that opportunity to keep negotiating. They’ve already been having negotiations for weeks now — Tom Cole and a lot of his counterparts. I have faith they can hopefully get a lot of things done.”

Scalise, R-La., said he plans to reserve floor time later this month to&nbsp; ensure whatever spending bill gets written is “the top priority.”

Rep. Robert Aderholt, chairman of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said he thinks most people agree there’s going to be some sort of stopgap given all 12 of the annual bills aren’t close to becoming law.

The Alabama Republican said this feat is “almost impossible” given the short number of legislative days left before the shutdown deadline.&nbsp;

“The solution, of course, obviously, or the only alternative, would be to have a CR, but I think the shorter the CR, the better,” he said, noting that the measure would have to be “long enough that you can have negotiations, but short enough that it doesn’t drag out until Christmas and that … we’re up here at Christmas doing an omnibus or something like that, which everybody wants to avoid.”&nbsp;

Congress has often bundled the final, conferenced versions of the dozen bills together into a sweeping omnibus package at the end of the year to ensure quick floor votes, though GOP leaders have tried to get away from that practice in recent years.&nbsp;

Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said that while he hopes a stopgap spending bill is “not necessary,” the panel is “certainly prepared to put together a short-term CR if that’s what’s required to avoid a shutdown.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757020412274.png" alt=" U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., takes questions from reporters during a press conference in the Rayburn Room of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. Also pictured, from left to right, are Ohio Republican Rep. Dave Taylor; Majority Whip Tom Emmer R-Minn.; co-founders of Patriot Industries Sarah and Tom Click; Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.; and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)" />
                        <figcaption> U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., takes questions from reporters during a press conference in the Rayburn Room of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. Also pictured, from left to right, are Ohio Republican Rep. Dave Taylor; Majority Whip Tom Emmer R-Minn.; co-founders of Patriot Industries Sarah and Tom Click; Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.; and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a></p><p>WASHINGTON — Members of Congress began searching for compromise on a short-term government funding bill Wednesday, with just a few weeks left to broker a deal before a possible shutdown.</p><p>Fresh off their August recess, congressional leaders and members of the Appropriations Committee appealed for bipartisanship from the other side while admitting they are far from a final agreement.&nbsp;</p><p>Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declined to say during a press conference whether he will negotiate a stopgap spending bill with Democrats, or use the go-at-it-alone approach that succeeded in March.&nbsp;</p><p>“Republicans are committed to keeping the government open, and unfortunately, it seems like not all Democrats agree with that, and they’re beginning to apply the government shutdown pressure,” Johnson said. “But I want you to remember one thing: All but one House Democrat voted to shut down the government in March, and we expect, sadly, that that may happen again.”</p><p>Johnson said he was open to negotiations with Democratic leaders as long as they “are willing to work with us and think responsibly about how we can spend less than we did last year.”</p><p>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said during an afternoon press conference that Democrats want GOP leaders to negotiate the stopgap spending bill across party lines.&nbsp;</p><p>“The bottom line is very simple: We Democrats want a bipartisan bill and we are pushing the Republicans very hard to do it,” Schumer said. “We’re on our front foot. We’re unified.”&nbsp;</p><p>Schumer, who took considerable flak&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-signs-stopgap-spending-bill-law-following-us-senate-passage" target="_blank">for helping Republicans limit debate</a>&nbsp;on a partisan stopgap bill in March, said “it’s much different than last time.”&nbsp;</p><p>Pressed by several reporters about what Democrats would help move through the Senate this time around, Schumer said: “We are willing to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan proposal with significant Democratic input. So far, they are not.”</p><h2>Spending running on autopilot</h2><p>The House and Senate are supposed to complete work on the dozen annual government funding bills by the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1 but that hasn’t happened for decades, so lawmakers rely on a stopgap spending bill to keep federal departments and agencies running on autopilot for a couple months.&nbsp;</p><p>That measure, sometimes called a continuing resolution, is intended to give lawmakers a bit more time to complete bipartisan House-Senate negotiations on the full-year appropriations bills, though Congress used three CRs to fund the government this fiscal year instead of getting its work done.&nbsp;</p><p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he expects lawmakers will need to approve a stopgap spending bill “for some time into the foreseeable future,” but that discussions are ongoing about how long it will last and what else might be added.&nbsp;</p><p>“My hope would be that whatever that CR looks like, that it is clean and that it enables us to buy some time to get a regular appropriations process done,” Thune said. “I still think the best way to fund the government is through the appropriations process.”</p><p>President Donald Trump said from the Oval Office earlier in the day that he expects Republicans will vote for a stopgap spending bill but he didn’t address how it would get through the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster, which requires bipartisanship.&nbsp;</p><p>“I think the Republicans will vote for an extension,” Trump said. “We won’t have any Democrat votes.”&nbsp;</p><h2>Three spending bills seen as possible</h2><p>House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters he hopes to negotiate final versions of three full-year bills with the Senate before the end of the month.</p><p>Lawmakers would then use a stopgap spending bill to keep the departments and agencies covered in the other nine bills flat funded for a couple of months until the two chambers can reach final agreement on the spending levels and policy within those measures.&nbsp;</p><p>“We’re talking about relatively modest bills and bills where there is either broad agreement, like MilCon-VA, or LegBranch and Ag,” Cole said. “We’re not talking about major bills. You can’t really do that until you have a topline and we don’t have a topline.”</p><p>The Agriculture-FDA, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-VA spending bills are generally easier to negotiate than some of the other full-year measures, like Defense, Homeland Security and Labor-Health and Human Services-Education.&nbsp;</p><p>Cole said when House and Senate leaders begin negotiating a total spending level for all of the bills, or topline, is “above my paygrade.”</p><p>“I’m ready to do it at any time if they want to empower us, otherwise the leadership on both sides and the president have to” figure that out, Cole said.</p><p>The House and Senate are supposed to start off the annual government funding process in the spring by reaching bipartisan agreement on how much in total spending to spread throughout the dozen appropriations bills.&nbsp;</p><p>Those talks haven’t even started for fiscal 2026, which is slated to begin Oct. 1.&nbsp;</p><p>Instead, the House and Senate Appropriations committees have separately decided how much to spend and written vastly different versions of the bills.&nbsp;</p><h2>House and Senate at odds</h2><p>The 12 bills that have been released by the GOP-led House committee are partisan, while the eight bills released by the Senate panel have received broad bipartisan support in committee.&nbsp;</p><p>Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she’s spoken with Cole a couple of times about the three-bills-plus-stopgap strategy and supports the concept.&nbsp;</p><p>“I have and I agree with that approach,” Collins said.</p><p>Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, ranking member on the Appropriations Committee, said any stopgap bill “needs to be a real bipartisan compromise.”</p><p>“For the last few months we have shown a bipartisan way forward on the Appropriations Committee,” Murray said. “Democrats have shown that we are willing to work in good faith to write bipartisan funding bills that protect investments in education, life-saving research and a lot more.&nbsp;</p><p>“We’ve already passed eight out of the committee and three on the floor: MilCon-VA, Ag and LegBranch. As part of a bipartisan short-term CR, I support conferencing those three bills and passing them with the short-term CR for the remaining nine bills.”</p><p>House Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro said “the best case scenario for us is to move forward.”&nbsp;</p><p>“No gimmicks, no riders, let’s clear the decks,” the Connecticut Democrat said. “Talk about how we get Republican priorities, Democratic priorities.”&nbsp;</p><h2>Negotiations ‘for weeks now’</h2><p>House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said “there’s a chance” to wrap up negotiations between the two chambers on final versions of some of the full-year government spending bills before the end of the month.&nbsp;</p><p>“It might not be all 12, but a few of them for sure,” Scalise said. “So let’s give the appropriators that opportunity to keep negotiating. They’ve already been having negotiations for weeks now — Tom Cole and a lot of his counterparts. I have faith they can hopefully get a lot of things done.”</p><p>Scalise, R-La., said he plans to reserve floor time later this month to&nbsp; ensure whatever spending bill gets written is “the top priority.”</p><p>Rep. Robert Aderholt, chairman of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said he thinks most people agree there’s going to be some sort of stopgap given all 12 of the annual bills aren’t close to becoming law.</p><p>The Alabama Republican said this feat is “almost impossible” given the short number of legislative days left before the shutdown deadline.&nbsp;</p><p>“The solution, of course, obviously, or the only alternative, would be to have a CR, but I think the shorter the CR, the better,” he said, noting that the measure would have to be “long enough that you can have negotiations, but short enough that it doesn’t drag out until Christmas and that … we’re up here at Christmas doing an omnibus or something like that, which everybody wants to avoid.”&nbsp;</p><p>Congress has often bundled the final, conferenced versions of the dozen bills together into a sweeping omnibus package at the end of the year to ensure quick floor votes, though GOP leaders have tried to get away from that practice in recent years.&nbsp;</p><p>Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican who sits on the House Appropriations Committee, said that while he hopes a stopgap spending bill is “not necessary,” the panel is “certainly prepared to put together a short-term CR if that’s what’s required to avoid a shutdown.”</p>

Despite shutdown deadline, little movement in Congress on spending deal

RENO COUNTY—A family pet died in a house fire in rural Reno County.

Just after noon on Friday,&nbsp;units from Reno County Fire Districts 9, 8, and Reno/Harvey Jt. 2, responded to a house fire in the 14,000 block of Bauman Road, according to&nbsp;Travis Vogt, Reno County Fire Administrator.

 A mutual aide request was made for an engine crew from Mt Hope Fire and Sedgwick County Fire District #1 for man power.

The first arriving units found smoke showing from the roof vents. An interior attack was made and the fire was contained to a single bathroom. 

The home sustained smoke and heat damage throughout. Haven EMS provided rehab for the crews. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries, however one dog was found deceased. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757114163340.png" alt="Photos Reno County Emergency Management" />
                        <figcaption>Photos Reno County Emergency Management</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>RENO COUNTY—A family pet died in a house fire in rural Reno County.</p><p>Just after noon on Friday,&nbsp;units from Reno County Fire Districts 9, 8, and Reno/Harvey Jt. 2, responded to a house fire in the 14,000 block of Bauman Road, according to&nbsp;Travis Vogt, Reno County Fire Administrator.</p><p> A mutual aide request was made for an engine crew from Mt Hope Fire and Sedgwick County Fire District #1 for man power.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757114112774.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The first arriving units found smoke showing from the roof vents. An interior attack was made and the fire was contained to a single bathroom. </p><p>The home sustained smoke and heat damage throughout. Haven EMS provided rehab for the crews. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries, however one dog was found deceased. </p><p>The cause of the fire is under investigation.&nbsp;</p>

Family pet dies in rural Kansas house fire

WYANDOTTE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) shared an update on the July 5th death of Charles Adair at the Wyandotte County Detention Center.

In the final autopsy report, the coroner ruled Adair's cause of death as complications of mechanical asphyxia. Contributory factors were noted as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and hepatic cirrhosis due to chronic alcoholism. Adair's manner of death was determined to be homicide.&nbsp;

At approximately 8:30 p.m. on July 5, Charles L. Adair, 50, of Kansas City, Kansas, received medical care in the detention center’s infirmary for a pre-existing wound on his leg.

Preliminary information indicates that when personnel attempted to transfer him back to his cell, Adair caused a disturbance by yelling, refusing to listen to commands, and physically resisting. Multiple sheriff’s deputies responded and handcuffed Adair to gain compliance. They transported him to his cell, where several deputies placed him on the lower bunk. They began attempting to remove the handcuffs, while Adair continued to resist. They gained control, removed the cuffs, and left the cell.

Immediately after, at 8:37 p.m., medical staff were called to evaluate Adair who they found&nbsp; him unresponsive. Life-saving measures were initiated. EMS responded to the facility and continued medical intervention. Despite efforts, Adair was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m.

This week the KBI concluded its investigation and presented findings to the Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751825756436.png" alt="Adair photo from an arrest in 2022 in Wyandotte County" />
                        <figcaption>Adair photo from an arrest in 2022 in Wyandotte County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WYANDOTTE COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) shared an update on the July 5th death of Charles Adair at the Wyandotte County Detention Center.</p><p>In the final autopsy report, the coroner ruled Adair's cause of death as complications of mechanical asphyxia. Contributory factors were noted as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and hepatic cirrhosis due to chronic alcoholism. Adair's manner of death was determined to be homicide.&nbsp;</p><p>At approximately 8:30 p.m. on July 5, Charles L. Adair, 50, of Kansas City, Kansas, received medical care in the detention center’s infirmary for a pre-existing wound on his leg.</p><p>Preliminary information indicates that when personnel attempted to transfer him back to his cell, Adair caused a disturbance by yelling, refusing to listen to commands, and physically resisting. Multiple sheriff’s deputies responded and handcuffed Adair to gain compliance. They transported him to his cell, where several deputies placed him on the lower bunk. They began attempting to remove the handcuffs, while Adair continued to resist. They gained control, removed the cuffs, and left the cell.</p><p>Immediately after, at 8:37 p.m., medical staff were called to evaluate Adair who they found&nbsp; him unresponsive. Life-saving measures were initiated. EMS responded to the facility and continued medical intervention. Despite efforts, Adair was pronounced dead at 9:19 p.m.</p><p>This week the KBI concluded its investigation and presented findings to the Wyandotte County District Attorney's Office.&nbsp;</p>

KBI updates cause of death of inmate after struggle with deputies

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs' red and white dominated in the stands at NeoQuimica Arena on Friday night during their season-opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers, though even some of the local supporters couldn't hide their frustration that Taylor Swift was nowhere to be seen after days of anticipation in Brazil.

Several Chiefs players talked about a growing support base for the team in Brazil, and these fans were the clear majority among the more than 47,000 in attendance. Meanwhile, the Chargers, who were the designated home team, were jeered as they came on the field.

The bigger story for some, though, was the no-show by Swift, who last week announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">she was engaged</a>&nbsp;to Chiefs tight end and three-time Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce. There was speculation all week here that Swift might make a third visit to the South American nation, and the first to the stadium of soccer club Corinthians, whose fans see her as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-nfl-brazil-corinthians-eb0bf3394888d4b5e1ae647ab2a5bb33">good luck charm.</a>&nbsp;Stories in the Brazilian media about a possible visit boosted online interest in the game, the NFL’s second in Brazil.

"I got to say it feels a bit less exciting now,” said 24-year-old Elena Sampaio, who was wearing a Chiefs shirt but didn't know the names of any of the players. “When I heard Taylor was coming I felt this was going to be a bigger event than I imagined. Too bad."

Instead, local fans who were still looking for Swift in the boxes had to settle for Santos and Brazil striker Neymar hugging Kelce and chatting with him before kickoff.

Fans also celebrated as Green Day drummer Tre Cool joined a group of samba drummers who played before the performances of the national anthems of Brazil and the United States.

"The atmosphere in Brazil will always be festive like this. We are loud, we want the players to hear us. We want to be part of the game,” said Manuel Andrade, 32, a school teacher who supports the New England Patriots. “I don't like the Chiefs at all, and it feels great to cheer against the majority here. I came here last year, hope to come as long as we have this."

The NFL held several events in Sao Paulo this week in the lead-up to the game. The league also sponsored murals by artists Kobra, Crica Monteiro and Leandro Nascimento, as it did last year when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers here.

The game Friday was the first of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-international-facts-figures-madrid-dublin-australia-0506087f183fdd20244196a7238be38e">seven that will be played this season in international venues,</a>&nbsp;including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-schedule-release-b9af9e4505a116b43a87da19db87fd59">in Berlin, Dublin and Madrid.</a>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757124840725.png" alt="Chiefs' Travis Kelce before the Friday night game against the Chargers in Brazil." />
                        <figcaption>Chiefs' Travis Kelce before the Friday night game against the Chargers in Brazil.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs' red and white dominated in the stands at NeoQuimica Arena on Friday night during their season-opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers, though even some of the local supporters couldn't hide their frustration that Taylor Swift was nowhere to be seen after days of anticipation in Brazil.</p><p>Several Chiefs players talked about a growing support base for the team in Brazil, and these fans were the clear majority among the more than 47,000 in attendance. Meanwhile, the Chargers, who were the designated home team, were jeered as they came on the field.</p><p>The bigger story for some, though, was the no-show by Swift, who last week announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">she was engaged</a>&nbsp;to Chiefs tight end and three-time Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce. There was speculation all week here that Swift might make a third visit to the South American nation, and the first to the stadium of soccer club Corinthians, whose fans see her as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-nfl-brazil-corinthians-eb0bf3394888d4b5e1ae647ab2a5bb33">good luck charm.</a>&nbsp;Stories in the Brazilian media about a possible visit boosted online interest in the game, the NFL’s second in Brazil.</p><p>"I got to say it feels a bit less exciting now,” said 24-year-old Elena Sampaio, who was wearing a Chiefs shirt but didn't know the names of any of the players. “When I heard Taylor was coming I felt this was going to be a bigger event than I imagined. Too bad."</p><p>Instead, local fans who were still looking for Swift in the boxes had to settle for Santos and Brazil striker Neymar hugging Kelce and chatting with him before kickoff.</p><p>Fans also celebrated as Green Day drummer Tre Cool joined a group of samba drummers who played before the performances of the national anthems of Brazil and the United States.</p><p>"The atmosphere in Brazil will always be festive like this. We are loud, we want the players to hear us. We want to be part of the game,” said Manuel Andrade, 32, a school teacher who supports the New England Patriots. “I don't like the Chiefs at all, and it feels great to cheer against the majority here. I came here last year, hope to come as long as we have this."</p><p>The NFL held several events in Sao Paulo this week in the lead-up to the game. The league also sponsored murals by artists Kobra, Crica Monteiro and Leandro Nascimento, as it did last year when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers here.</p><p>The game Friday was the first of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-international-facts-figures-madrid-dublin-australia-0506087f183fdd20244196a7238be38e">seven that will be played this season in international venues,</a>&nbsp;including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-schedule-release-b9af9e4505a116b43a87da19db87fd59">in Berlin, Dublin and Madrid.</a></p>

Chiefs draw more fans in Brazil, some disappointed Taylor Swift nowhere to be seen

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aiming to rebrand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-defense">the Department of Defense</a>&nbsp;as the Department of War — a long-telegraphed move aimed at projecting American military toughness around the globe.

“It’s a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now,” Trump said. He said the previous name was “woke.”

The order comes as some of Trump’s closest supporters on Capitol Hill proposed legislation that would codify the new name into law, with Congress having the sole power to establish, shutter and rename federal departments. Absent a change in law, Trump will authorize the Pentagon to use secondary titles.

“From 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War,” Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube, an Army veteran, said in a statement. “It is only fitting that we pay tribute to their eternal example and renowned commitment to lethality by restoring the name of the ‘Department of War’ to our Armed Forces.”

Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are introducing companion legislation in the Senate.

The Department of War was created in 1789, then renamed and reorganized through legislation signed by President Harry Truman in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. The Department of Defense incorporated the Department of War, which oversaw the Army, plus the Department of the Navy and the newly created independent Air Force.

“We decided to go woke and change the name to Department of Defense,” he said. “So we’re going Department of War.”

Pentagon leader Pete Hegseth, who spoke alongside Trump, said, “We haven’t won a major war since” the name was changed. He said, “We’re going to go on offense, not just on defense.”

Trump has said he wants to change the name back to the Department of War because it “just sounded better,” and Hegseth recently hinted that the switch was around the corner.

Speaking to an auditorium of soldiers Thursday at Fort Benning in Georgia, he said he might have “a slightly different title tomorrow.”

In August, Trump told reporters that “everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”

When confronted with the possibility that making the name change would require an act of Congress, Trump told reporters that “we’re just going to do it.”

“I’m sure Congress will go along,” he said, “if we need that.”

Trump and Hegseth have been on a name-changing spree at the Pentagon as they uproot what they describe as “woke” ideology, sometimes by sidestepping legal requirements.

For example, they wanted to restore the names of nine military bases that once honored Confederate leaders, which were changed in 2023 following a congressionally mandated review.

Because the original names were no longer allowed under law, Hegseth ordered the bases to be named after new people with similar names. For example, Fort Bragg now honors Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper and Silver Star recipient from Maine, instead of Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg.

In the case of Fort A.P. Hill, named for Confederate Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill, the Trump administration was forced to choose three soldiers to make the renaming work.

The base now honors Union soldiers Pvt. Bruce Anderson and 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn, who contributes the two initials, and Lt. Col. Edward Hill, whose last name completes the second half of the base name.

The move irked Republicans in Congress who, in July, moved to ban restoring any Confederate names in this year’s defense authorization bill.

Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a Republican who co-sponsored the earlier amendment to remove the Confederate names, said that “what this administration is doing, particularly this secretary of defense, is sticking his finger in the eye of Congress by going back and changing the names to the old names.”

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aiming to rebrand&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-department-of-defense">the Department of Defense</a>&nbsp;as the Department of War — a long-telegraphed move aimed at projecting American military toughness around the globe.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump signs executive order renaming the Defense Department as Department of War: &quot;It has to do with winning. We should have won every war. We could have won every war. We really chose to be a very politically correct or wokey and we just fight forever.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bluS2rZ4k2">pic.twitter.com/bluS2rZ4k2</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1964064319714300314?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Back to work. <a href="https://t.co/M7wRax9gOm">pic.twitter.com/M7wRax9gOm</a></p>&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1964071082710683650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 President Donald J. Trump signs an Executive Order officially restoring the name &quot;Department of War&quot; to the Department of Defense.<br><br>This is the 200th Executive Order the President has signed since taking office. <a href="https://t.co/OuLfuSoRLR">pic.twitter.com/OuLfuSoRLR</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1964062437721756148?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We won the first World War. We won the second World War. We won everything before that and in between — and then we decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense. So, we&#39;re going Department of War.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Vct6X3L9JU">pic.twitter.com/Vct6X3L9JU</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1964063136643678641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Secretary of War <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PeteHegseth</a>: &quot;This War Department, Mr. President, just like America, is BACK... We&#39;re going to set the tone for this country.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/NrVn35zz62">pic.twitter.com/NrVn35zz62</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1964062304816779733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“It’s a much more appropriate name, especially in light of where the world is right now,” Trump said. He said the previous name was “woke.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Workers take down &quot;Secretary of Defense&quot; signage at The Pentagon <a href="https://t.co/70lO1fSVkg">pic.twitter.com/70lO1fSVkg</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1964102398328160727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">👀 <a href="https://t.co/FG5uBRbGrK">https://t.co/FG5uBRbGrK</a> <a href="https://t.co/xXNs8DXQ8w">pic.twitter.com/xXNs8DXQ8w</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1964070460104044925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/NwFIdAHsxL">https://t.co/NwFIdAHsxL</a> <a href="https://t.co/Dmr6bL2t7p">pic.twitter.com/Dmr6bL2t7p</a></p>&mdash; DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOWResponse/status/1964075449677410603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The order comes as some of Trump’s closest supporters on Capitol Hill proposed legislation that would codify the new name into law, with Congress having the sole power to establish, shutter and rename federal departments. Absent a change in law, Trump will authorize the Pentagon to use secondary titles.</p><p>“From 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War,” Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube, an Army veteran, said in a statement. “It is only fitting that we pay tribute to their eternal example and renowned commitment to lethality by restoring the name of the ‘Department of War’ to our Armed Forces.”</p><p>Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are introducing companion legislation in the Senate.</p><p>The Department of War was created in 1789, then renamed and reorganized through legislation signed by President Harry Truman in 1947, two years after the end of World War II. The Department of Defense incorporated the Department of War, which oversaw the Army, plus the Department of the Navy and the newly created independent Air Force.</p><p>“We decided to go woke and change the name to Department of Defense,” he said. “So we’re going Department of War.”</p><p>Pentagon leader Pete Hegseth, who spoke alongside Trump, said, “We haven’t won a major war since” the name was changed. He said, “We’re going to go on offense, not just on defense.”</p><p>Trump has said he wants to change the name back to the Department of War because it “just sounded better,” and Hegseth recently hinted that the switch was around the corner.</p><p>Speaking to an auditorium of soldiers Thursday at Fort Benning in Georgia, he said he might have “a slightly different title tomorrow.”</p><p>In August, Trump told reporters that “everybody likes that we had an unbelievable history of victory when it was Department of War. Then we changed it to Department of Defense.”</p><p>When confronted with the possibility that making the name change would require an act of Congress, Trump told reporters that “we’re just going to do it.”</p><p>“I’m sure Congress will go along,” he said, “if we need that.”</p><p>Trump and Hegseth have been on a name-changing spree at the Pentagon as they uproot what they describe as “woke” ideology, sometimes by sidestepping legal requirements.</p><p>For example, they wanted to restore the names of nine military bases that once honored Confederate leaders, which were changed in 2023 following a congressionally mandated review.</p><p>Because the original names were no longer allowed under law, Hegseth ordered the bases to be named after new people with similar names. For example, Fort Bragg now honors Army Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II paratrooper and Silver Star recipient from Maine, instead of Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg.</p><p>In the case of Fort A.P. Hill, named for Confederate Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill, the Trump administration was forced to choose three soldiers to make the renaming work.</p><p>The base now honors Union soldiers Pvt. Bruce Anderson and 1st Sgt. Robert A. Pinn, who contributes the two initials, and Lt. Col. Edward Hill, whose last name completes the second half of the base name.</p><p>The move irked Republicans in Congress who, in July, moved to ban restoring any Confederate names in this year’s defense authorization bill.</p><p>Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a Republican who co-sponsored the earlier amendment to remove the Confederate names, said that “what this administration is doing, particularly this secretary of defense, is sticking his finger in the eye of Congress by going back and changing the names to the old names.”</p><p>___</p>

President explains why he's changing the name of the Dept. of Defense 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two teenagers were arrested Friday on murder charges in the killing of a congressional intern for Kansas 4th District Congressman Ron Estes.&nbsp; He was struck by stray bullets during a shooting in the nation's capital — a crime that President Donald Trump cited in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-washington-increased-federal-law-enforcement-takeover-33b186a95dabf111bac61db398aa7543">announcing a law-enforcement surge</a>&nbsp;in Washington.

Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, of Granby, Massachusetts, was fatally shot on the night of June 30 near Washington’s Mount Vernon Square. Both suspects in his killing — Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jailen Lucas —are 17-year-old juveniles but are charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

Police were searching for a third suspect whose name and age weren't immediately released.

Tarpinian-Jachym was an “innocent bystander” who wasn't an intended target of the gunfire, Pirro said at a news conference where she was flanked by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the city's police chief.

“Eric didn't deserve to be gunned down, and the system failed him — the system that felt that juveniles needed to be coddled,” Pirro said. “This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they're not kids. They're criminals.”

Tarpinian-Jachym was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was in Washington to work as a summer intern in the office of Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas.

In July, the House observed a moment of silence after Estes paid tribute to Tarpinian-Jachym, calling him “a dedicated, and thoughtful and kind person who loved our country.”

“We will never forget his presence and kindness in my office,” Estes said. “Those he met in his short term in my office will not forget him, either.”

Trump mentioned Tarpinian-Jachym's killing — but not his name — during an Aug. 11 news conference where he announced a federal intervention for a “public safety emergency” in the District of Columbia.

“Any level of gun violence in our city is unacceptable,” Bowser said.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday's arrests are “a testament to President Trump’s efforts to make Washington, D.C., safe again.”

“The Department of Justice will continue our work to prevent other young people from suffering the same fate as Eric,” Bondi said in a statement. “We hope this brings some measure of solace to his family.”

The suspects, both district residents, exited a vehicle at an intersection and shot at two people riding bikes, including a 16-year-old male who was wounded, according to Metropolitan Police Department Commander Kevin Kentish.

Tarpinian-Jachym was struck by four shots. A woman who wasn't a target also was shot but survived, according to Kentish. Surveillance video helped investigators identify the three suspects, he said.

Online court records didn't immediately identify attorneys for the suspects.

MPD Chief Pamela Smith said she and Pirro spoke to Tarpinian-Jachym’s mother on Friday.

“Eric came to our city with a bright future ahead of him,” Smith said. “He deserved an opportunity to return home safely to his family, but was senselessly taken from his loved ones.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757089518113.png" alt="Eric Tarpinian-Jachym" />
                        <figcaption>Eric Tarpinian-Jachym</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Two teenagers were arrested Friday on murder charges in the killing of a congressional intern for Kansas 4th District Congressman Ron Estes.&nbsp; He was struck by stray bullets during a shooting in the nation's capital — a crime that President Donald Trump cited in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-washington-increased-federal-law-enforcement-takeover-33b186a95dabf111bac61db398aa7543">announcing a law-enforcement surge</a>&nbsp;in Washington.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Two arrests have been made connected to the murder of my intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, as announced by <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyPirro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAttyPirro</a> today.<br><br>I extend my appreciation to Attorney Pirro, her team, and <a href="https://twitter.com/DCPoliceDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DCPoliceDept</a> for diligently working on this case to bring those responsible to justice. <a href="https://t.co/XT81e9y7NV">https://t.co/XT81e9y7NV</a></p>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1964022335930859917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IvX-6f7q9tQ?si=TAzqL4wNBiMZZsVV" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, of Granby, Massachusetts, was fatally shot on the night of June 30 near Washington’s Mount Vernon Square. Both suspects in his killing — Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jailen Lucas —are 17-year-old juveniles but are charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.</p><p>Police were searching for a third suspect whose name and age weren't immediately released.</p><p>Tarpinian-Jachym was an “innocent bystander” who wasn't an intended target of the gunfire, Pirro said at a news conference where she was flanked by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the city's police chief.</p><p>“Eric didn't deserve to be gunned down, and the system failed him — the system that felt that juveniles needed to be coddled,” Pirro said. “This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they're not kids. They're criminals.”</p><p>Tarpinian-Jachym was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was in Washington to work as a summer intern in the office of Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas.</p><p>In July, the House observed a moment of silence after Estes paid tribute to Tarpinian-Jachym, calling him “a dedicated, and thoughtful and kind person who loved our country.”</p><p>“We will never forget his presence and kindness in my office,” Estes said. “Those he met in his short term in my office will not forget him, either.”</p><p>Trump mentioned Tarpinian-Jachym's killing — but not his name — during an Aug. 11 news conference where he announced a federal intervention for a “public safety emergency” in the District of Columbia.</p><p>“Any level of gun violence in our city is unacceptable,” Bowser said.</p><p>Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday's arrests are “a testament to President Trump’s efforts to make Washington, D.C., safe again.”</p><p>“The Department of Justice will continue our work to prevent other young people from suffering the same fate as Eric,” Bondi said in a statement. “We hope this brings some measure of solace to his family.”</p><p>The suspects, both district residents, exited a vehicle at an intersection and shot at two people riding bikes, including a 16-year-old male who was wounded, according to Metropolitan Police Department Commander Kevin Kentish.</p><p>Tarpinian-Jachym was struck by four shots. A woman who wasn't a target also was shot but survived, according to Kentish. Surveillance video helped investigators identify the three suspects, he said.</p><p>Online court records didn't immediately identify attorneys for the suspects.</p><p>MPD Chief Pamela Smith said she and Pirro spoke to Tarpinian-Jachym’s mother on Friday.</p><p>“Eric came to our city with a bright future ahead of him,” Smith said. “He deserved an opportunity to return home safely to his family, but was senselessly taken from his loved ones.”</p>