BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

GARNETT — Kansas farmers are sharing opinions ranging from concerned to “pi**ed” about trade tariffs with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who toured a corn farm Friday southwest of Kansas City.

“When I’m talking to folks, I hear everything from concern and a cautious approach to how to navigate this tariff climate that we’re in, all the way to folks who are really, like, really worked up and are pi**ed,” Davids said, standing on a gravel road near the Phelon family corn farm outside Garnett.

Davids began visiting a variety of ag operations in 2023, including a goat farm in Miami County, a poultry and livestock operation in Anderson County. She serves on the House Agriculture Committee and wanted to learn more about farmers and their needs, she said.

The farmers she’s met with expressed concerns about potential future impacts on the international markets for their products because of tariffs, Davids said.

“The time and investment it takes to get those customers in international markets, it’s not a lightswitch, and it takes a lot of work and effort and rebuilding of relationships to get those same customers back and continue to have that level of market share,” she said. “The impacts are there and people are feeling it.”

Davids spent Friday morning with Adam Phelon and his father, Raylen Phelon, discussing the farm bill and other issues while touring their fourth-generation corn operation.

“I would say that right now, the prospect of a farm bill is very much dependent on how the Congress moves forward on reconciliation,” Davids said. “We’re supposed to have a markup on the reconciliation bill next week. I think when it comes to the farm bill, we have a really strong starting place in this Congress.”

Davids said Republicans and Democrats see crop insurance as a top priority, for instance, and there is agreement on other agricultural provisions.

“I think that there’s a reason to be realistically optimistic, but similar to last Congress — it’s not the farm bill that is holding up the process of getting a farm bill done,” she said. “It’s that there are other legislative things going on before we can do the farm bill.”

Adam Phelon, who is a Kansas Soybean Association board member, said he would like to see Congress pass a farm bill but added that multiple issues are being watched by farmers.

“It’s not just tariffs — it’s trade, it’s EPA regulations, it’s the energy costs, it’s infrastructure. I mean, infrastructure is such a huge one for us,” he said. “And that goes to not just our roads around here, but that goes to rail, that goes to ships that are coming into ports, you know, everything that goes on there. All that’s important to us as farmers.”

But the priority right now is getting a farm bill, he said.

“We need updated reference prices,” he said. “We need to make sure that there’s a strong safety net, and we need to make sure the crop insurance is protected because we have weather uncertainties. Without having crop insurance and making sure there’s a strong safety net underneath us — those things can be life or death in terms of a farm and how we operate.”

Kaleb Little, CEO and administrator of the Kansas Soybean Association, was at the Phelon farm for the tour. He said he is hearing similar concerns as those expressed by Adam Phelon from others in the organization.

“There’s always so much uncertainty in farming and agriculture,” Little said. “There’s so much that’s just out of their hands. And then throw in what the federal government is and isn’t doing is just another layer of uncertainty in there, whether trade or not, getting a farm bill done, or bio fuels policy,” Little said. “Farmers are always optimists, right? Because they have to be.”

A lot of association members are hanging onto what Little termed “cautious optimism” that things will come out better. Still, he said, there is angst and concern.

For soybean farmers, half of their products go to the international market, he said. There were long-term impacts from tariffs put in place during President Donald Trump’s first administration.&nbsp;

“The world dynamics really changed,” Little said, adding that pre-2018 tariffs, about 60% of China’s soybean market came from U.S. farmers.

“That got cut in half,” he said of the impacts of previous tariffs. “Some of the good that came out of that was soybean farmers and groups like the United Soybean or the American Soybean Association, those organizations really worked to diversify the international market. So U.S. soy is going to a lot more individual markets than it did pre-China. There are some positives there, but it’s a lot more work to maintain 50 countries as customers versus 12 or 15, especially when you talk about infrastructure and things like that.”

Uncertainty is a part of running a farm, whether it be weather- or politics-related. But it makes planning difficult.

“The uncertainty is a huge issue,” Adam Phelon said. “So, yeah, maybe we won’t be making some bigger purchases that we planned on before, just so we can plan for the future in case, you know, things get worse before they get better.”

Even knowing the challenges, Adam Phelon never doubted that he’d continue his family’s farming tradition.

“This ground that we’re standing on today has been in my grandma’s family for around 100 years now,” he said. “Yeah, we’ve got VHS tapes of me in a crib being hauled up the side of a combine. I remember getting dropped off at youth group, and the look on my youth group teacher’s face when she saw me climb right into a tractor to go to work. Her jaw dropped. I was probably 11 or 12 years old.

“I love being out here working in the dirt, and seeing the crop grow from a seed to a final product, and taking pride in that,” Adam Phelon said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746994451297.png" alt=" Raylen Phelon, left, and his son, Adam Phelon, are corn and soybean farmers who are concerned about whether a farm bill will pass. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Raylen Phelon, left, and his son, Adam Phelon, are corn and soybean farmers who are concerned about whether a farm bill will pass. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>GARNETT — Kansas farmers are sharing opinions ranging from concerned to “pi**ed” about trade tariffs with U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, who toured a corn farm Friday southwest of Kansas City.“When I’m talking to folks, I hear everything from concern and a cautious approach to how to navigate this tariff climate that we’re in, all the way to folks who are really, like, really worked up and are pi**ed,” Davids said, standing on a gravel road near the Phelon family corn farm outside Garnett.Davids began visiting a variety of ag operations in 2023, including a goat farm in Miami County, a poultry and livestock operation in Anderson County. She serves on the House Agriculture Committee and wanted to learn more about farmers and their needs, she said.The farmers she’s met with expressed concerns about potential future impacts on the international markets for their products because of tariffs, Davids said.“The time and investment it takes to get those customers in international markets, it’s not a lightswitch, and it takes a lot of work and effort and rebuilding of relationships to get those same customers back and continue to have that level of market share,” she said. “The impacts are there and people are feeling it.”Davids spent Friday morning with Adam Phelon and his father, Raylen Phelon, discussing the farm bill and other issues while touring their fourth-generation corn operation.“I would say that right now, the prospect of a farm bill is very much dependent on how the Congress moves forward on reconciliation,” Davids said. “We’re supposed to have a markup on the reconciliation bill next week. I think when it comes to the farm bill, we have a really strong starting place in this Congress.”Davids said Republicans and Democrats see crop insurance as a top priority, for instance, and there is agreement on other agricultural provisions.“I think that there’s a reason to be realistically optimistic, but similar to last Congress — it’s not the farm bill that is holding up the process of getting a farm bill done,” she said. “It’s that there are other legislative things going on before we can do the farm bill.”Adam Phelon, who is a Kansas Soybean Association board member, said he would like to see Congress pass a farm bill but added that multiple issues are being watched by farmers.“It’s not just tariffs — it’s trade, it’s EPA regulations, it’s the energy costs, it’s infrastructure. I mean, infrastructure is such a huge one for us,” he said. “And that goes to not just our roads around here, but that goes to rail, that goes to ships that are coming into ports, you know, everything that goes on there. All that’s important to us as farmers.”But the priority right now is getting a farm bill, he said.“We need updated reference prices,” he said. “We need to make sure that there’s a strong safety net, and we need to make sure the crop insurance is protected because we have weather uncertainties. Without having crop insurance and making sure there’s a strong safety net underneath us — those things can be life or death in terms of a farm and how we operate.”<h2>Statewide insights</h2>Kaleb Little, CEO and administrator of the Kansas Soybean Association, was at the Phelon farm for the tour. He said he is hearing similar concerns as those expressed by Adam Phelon from others in the organization.“There’s always so much uncertainty in farming and agriculture,” Little said. “There’s so much that’s just out of their hands. And then throw in what the federal government is and isn’t doing is just another layer of uncertainty in there, whether trade or not, getting a farm bill done, or bio fuels policy,” Little said. “Farmers are always optimists, right? Because they have to be.”A lot of association members are hanging onto what Little termed “cautious optimism” that things will come out better. Still, he said, there is angst and concern.For soybean farmers, half of their products go to the international market, he said. There were long-term impacts from tariffs put in place during President Donald Trump’s first administration.&nbsp;“The world dynamics really changed,” Little said, adding that pre-2018 tariffs, about 60% of China’s soybean market came from U.S. farmers.“That got cut in half,” he said of the impacts of previous tariffs. “Some of the good that came out of that was soybean farmers and groups like the United Soybean or the American Soybean Association, those organizations really worked to diversify the international market. So U.S. soy is going to a lot more individual markets than it did pre-China. There are some positives there, but it’s a lot more work to maintain 50 countries as customers versus 12 or 15, especially when you talk about infrastructure and things like that.”<h2>In his blood</h2>Uncertainty is a part of running a farm, whether it be weather- or politics-related. But it makes planning difficult.“The uncertainty is a huge issue,” Adam Phelon said. “So, yeah, maybe we won’t be making some bigger purchases that we planned on before, just so we can plan for the future in case, you know, things get worse before they get better.”Even knowing the challenges, Adam Phelon never doubted that he’d continue his family’s farming tradition.“This ground that we’re standing on today has been in my grandma’s family for around 100 years now,” he said. “Yeah, we’ve got VHS tapes of me in a crib being hauled up the side of a combine. I remember getting dropped off at youth group, and the look on my youth group teacher’s face when she saw me climb right into a tractor to go to work. Her jaw dropped. I was probably 11 or 12 years old.“I love being out here working in the dirt, and seeing the crop grow from a seed to a final product, and taking pride in that,” Adam Phelon said.

Kansas farmers await farm bill passage, end of tariff uncertainty

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-05-11-2025-6a562aa1c6ce81bcc9ff4649e39ab937">Israeli-American soldier</a>&nbsp;held hostage for more than 19 months in the Gaza Strip was released Monday, Hamas said, in a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel.

The Israeli military confirmed that Edan Alexander had been turned over to the Red Cross and was being brought to Israeli forces.

Alexander was taken from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which set off the war in Gaza. His release would be the first since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-netanyahu-ff48f081b069e484955a72bc68261364">Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March</a>, unleashing fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds.

Israel has promised to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-05-05-2025-d22caabfd2cf89e83fe06e649e6438ba">intensify its offensive</a>, including by seizing the territory and displacing much of its population again. Days before the ceasefire ended, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-04-17-2025-69292810abbd0512ded90fdfd0ba7692">deepening a humanitarian crisis</a>&nbsp;and sparking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-famine-war-israel-1360c6d16902c163234b0eb1e96e694b">warnings about the risk of famine</a>&nbsp;if the blockade isn’t lifted. Israel says the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement on Israel’s terms.

Israel says 59 hostages including Alexander remain in captivity, with about 24 of them said to be alive. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the 2023 attack were freed in ceasefire deals.

Television footage showed Alexander’s mother, Yael Alexander, arriving at the Reim military base in southern Israel, where her son was expected to be taken first.

Alexander’s grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, said she had barely been able to sleep and had baked Edan’s favorite foods, some of which she sent to the military base.

Trump calls expected release ‘hopefully’ a step toward ending war

Hamas on Sunday announced its intention to release Alexander, shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump is set to arrive Tuesday in the Middle East on the first official foreign trip of his second term.

Trump on Sunday called the planned release “a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.”

“Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!” Trump said on social media.

Trump, who is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is not scheduled to stop in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and discussed efforts to release the remaining hostages, his office said.

“To this end, Prime Minister Netanyahu directed that a negotiations team leave for Doha tomorrow,” the prime minister’s office said, adding that Netanyahu had “made it clear that the negotiations would only take place under fire.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing relatives of hostages, welcomed the news that an Israeli delegation was headed to Doha for talks.

“While Edan Alexander’s release gives us hope, all 58 of our loved ones must come home. Time is running out. These negotiations must bring everyone back,” the group said in a statement. “Trump’s plan offers a real path to freeing all hostages immediately. Every passing day puts their lives at greater risk. We cannot wait any longer.”

Israel says it still plans to escalate its offensive

On Monday, a statement from Netanyahu’s office said Israel was not granting any concessions for Alexander’s release.

The statement said Israel did not commit to a ceasefire or the freeing of Palestinian prisoners as part of the release and that it had only agreed to create a “safe corridor” to allow for Alexander to be returned.

The statement said Israel would carry on with plans to ramp up its offensive in Gaza. Israel says it won’t launch that plan until after Trump’s visit to the Middle East, to allow for a potential new ceasefire deal to emerge.

A statement by the office on Sunday said the U.S. had told Israel that Alexander’s release could lead to a new deal with Hamas to free more hostages.

Netanyahu faces criticism for not freeing all hostages

Israel’s involvement in Alexander’s expected release wasn’t immediately clear. But it created a backlash against Netanyahu, with critics accusing him of having to rely on a foreign leader to help free the remaining hostages.

At the opening of his trial for alleged corruption, where he is giving testimony, a woman in the courtroom asked whether he was “ashamed that the president of the United States is saving his citizens, and he is leaving them to die there in captivity.”

Critics assert that Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping up the war in Gaza is politically motivated. Netanyahu says he aims to achieve Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas.

Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in the 2023 attack. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 52,800 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians.

Israel’s offensive has obliterated vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape and displaced 90% of the population, often multiple times.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-05-11-2025-6a562aa1c6ce81bcc9ff4649e39ab937">Israeli-American soldier</a>&nbsp;held hostage for more than 19 months in the Gaza Strip was released Monday, Hamas said, in a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceasefire with Israel.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbringhomenow%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02PhS3oK64rwyiMXTr4PWEtcYZtst1eFcZLnggSMdL33BMeNHDhXn2xBm1i9A1gUKel&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="673" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbringhomenow%2Fposts%2Fpfbid026ZcxH2zxhNpcmiL2NR8bmVRJRsTMLv9uNKjgnV7Vs4g9envVmSC8kncaN5h1U8REl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="690" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The Israeli military confirmed that Edan Alexander had been turned over to the Red Cross and was being brought to Israeli forces.Alexander was taken from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which set off the war in Gaza. His release would be the first since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-netanyahu-ff48f081b069e484955a72bc68261364">Israel shattered an eight-week ceasefire with Hamas in March</a>, unleashing fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds.Israel has promised to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-05-05-2025-d22caabfd2cf89e83fe06e649e6438ba">intensify its offensive</a>, including by seizing the territory and displacing much of its population again. Days before the ceasefire ended, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-ceasefire-hostages-04-17-2025-69292810abbd0512ded90fdfd0ba7692">deepening a humanitarian crisis</a>&nbsp;and sparking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-famine-war-israel-1360c6d16902c163234b0eb1e96e694b">warnings about the risk of famine</a>&nbsp;if the blockade isn’t lifted. Israel says the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceasefire agreement on Israel’s terms.Israel says 59 hostages including Alexander remain in captivity, with about 24 of them said to be alive. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the 2023 attack were freed in ceasefire deals.Television footage showed Alexander’s mother, Yael Alexander, arriving at the Reim military base in southern Israel, where her son was expected to be taken first.Alexander’s grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, said she had barely been able to sleep and had baked Edan’s favorite foods, some of which she sent to the military base.<h2>Trump calls expected release ‘hopefully’ a step toward ending war</h2>Hamas on Sunday announced its intention to release Alexander, shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump is set to arrive Tuesday in the Middle East on the first official foreign trip of his second term.Trump on Sunday called the planned release “a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.”“Hopefully this is the first of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!” Trump said on social media.Trump, who is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is not scheduled to stop in Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and discussed efforts to release the remaining hostages, his office said.“To this end, Prime Minister Netanyahu directed that a negotiations team leave for Doha tomorrow,” the prime minister’s office said, adding that Netanyahu had “made it clear that the negotiations would only take place under fire.”The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing relatives of hostages, welcomed the news that an Israeli delegation was headed to Doha for talks.“While Edan Alexander’s release gives us hope, all 58 of our loved ones must come home. Time is running out. These negotiations must bring everyone back,” the group said in a statement. “Trump’s plan offers a real path to freeing all hostages immediately. Every passing day puts their lives at greater risk. We cannot wait any longer.”<h2>Israel says it still plans to escalate its offensive</h2>On Monday, a statement from Netanyahu’s office said Israel was not granting any concessions for Alexander’s release.The statement said Israel did not commit to a ceasefire or the freeing of Palestinian prisoners as part of the release and that it had only agreed to create a “safe corridor” to allow for Alexander to be returned.The statement said Israel would carry on with plans to ramp up its offensive in Gaza. Israel says it won’t launch that plan until after Trump’s visit to the Middle East, to allow for a potential new ceasefire deal to emerge.A statement by the office on Sunday said the U.S. had told Israel that Alexander’s release could lead to a new deal with Hamas to free more hostages.<h2>Netanyahu faces criticism for not freeing all hostages</h2>Israel’s involvement in Alexander’s expected release wasn’t immediately clear. But it created a backlash against Netanyahu, with critics accusing him of having to rely on a foreign leader to help free the remaining hostages.At the opening of his trial for alleged corruption, where he is giving testimony, a woman in the courtroom asked whether he was “ashamed that the president of the United States is saving his citizens, and he is leaving them to die there in captivity.”Critics assert that Netanyahu’s insistence on keeping up the war in Gaza is politically motivated. Netanyahu says he aims to achieve Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas.Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in the 2023 attack. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 52,800 Palestinians, many of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants or civilians.Israel’s offensive has obliterated vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape and displaced 90% of the population, often multiple times.

Last living American-Israeli hostage held in Gaza is free

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Monday signed a sweeping executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. or face new limits over what the government will pay.

The order calls on the health department, led by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-trump-health-secretary-vote-5dbefeef0537dc241e6fb33b8f2a748b">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, to broker new price tags for drugs. If a deal is not reached, a new rule will kick in that will tie the price of what the U.S. pays for medications to lower prices paid by other countries.

“We're going to equalize,” Trump said during a Monday morning press conference. “We're all going to pay the same. We're going to pay what Europe pays.”

It's unclear what — if any — impact the Republican president's executive order will have on millions of Americans who have private health insurance. The federal government has the most power to shape the price it pays for drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

The federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars on prescription drugs, injectables, transfusions and other medications every year through Medicare, which covers nearly 70 million older Americans. Medicaid, meanwhile, covers nearly 80 million poor and disabled people in the U.S.

Ahead of the signing, the nation's leading pharmaceutical lobby on Sunday pushed back against Trump's plan, calling it a “bad deal” for American patients. Drugmakers have long argued that any threats to their profits could impact the research they do to develop new drugs.

“Importing foreign prices will cut billions of dollars from Medicare with no guarantee that it helps patients or improves their access to medicines,” Stephen J. Ubl, the president and CEO of PhRMA, said in a statement. “It jeopardizes the hundreds of billions our member companies are planning to invest in America, making us more reliant on China for innovative medicines.”

Trump's so-called “most favored nation” approach to Medicare drug pricing has been controversial since he first tried to implement it during his first term. He signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-health-politics-business-medicare-61c0e95ec43c72d6bc3464da6240d272">a similar executive order</a>&nbsp;in the final weeks of his presidency, which called for the U.S. to only pay a lower price that other countries pay for some drugs — injectables or cancer drugs given through infusions — administered in a doctor's office.

That narrow executive order faced hurdles, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-medicaid-medicare-courts-b3ddb5c7856f7a11fd569b303b63eb6b">a court order</a>&nbsp;that blocked the rule from going into effect under President Joe Biden's administration. The pharmaceutical industry argued that Trump’s 2020 attempt would give foreign governments the “upper hand” in deciding the value of medicines in the U.S.

Trump repeatedly defended pharmaceutical companies, instead blaming other countries for the high price Americans pay for drugs, during a wide-ranging speech at the White House on Monday. The president was flanked by Kennedy, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health director Jay Bhattacharya.

He did, however, threaten the companies with federal investigations into their practices and opening up the U.S. drug market to bring in more imported medications from other countries.

“The pharmaceutical companies make most of their profits from America,” Trump said. “That’s not a good thing.”

Trump has played up the announcement, saying it will save taxpayers big money. He boasted in one post that his plan could save “TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS.”

“Our Country will finally be treated fairly, and our citizens Healthcare Costs will be reduced by numbers never even thought of before,” Trump said in another post ahead of Monday's announcement.

The White House did not release an analysis of how much money his order would save or which drugs would be impacted.

Oz, speaking on Monday, said that he and the agency’s other top leaders would be meeting with drug company executives over the next 30 days to offer new prices on drugs that are based off what other countries pay.

The health department has the most authority to change the prices of drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid because it can set regulations. Even still, the agency's power to do so is limited. Congress just approved in 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drug-prices-medicare-prescriptions-34886d6f362c242be268c05d5efd5411">a new law</a>&nbsp;that allows Medicare to negotiate the price it pays for a handful of prescription drugs starting in 2026. Prior to the law, Medicare paid what the drug companies charged. Drug companies unsuccessfully sued over the implementation of the law.

The price that millions of Americans covered by private insurance&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drug-prices-medicare-prescriptions-34886d6f362c242be268c05d5efd5411">pay for drugs</a>&nbsp;is even harder for the agency to manipulate.

The U.S. routinely outspends other nations on drug prices, compared with other large and wealthy countries, a problem that has long drawn the ire of both major political parties, but a lasting fix has never cleared Congress.

Trump came into his first term accusing pharmaceutical companies of “getting away with murder” and complaining that other countries whose governments set drug prices were taking advantage of Americans.

On Sunday, Trump took aim at the industry again, writing that the “Pharmaceutical/Drug Companies would say, for years, that it was Research and Development Costs, and that all of these costs were, and would be, for no reason whatsoever, borne by the ‘suckers’ of America, ALONE.”

Referring to drug companies’ powerful lobbying efforts, he said that campaign contributions “can do wonders, but not with me, and not with the Republican Party.”

“We are going to do the right thing,” he wrote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747061944102.png" alt="White House image from the Monday morning news conference" />
 <figcaption>White House image from the Monday morning news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Monday signed a sweeping executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. or face new limits over what the government will pay.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> just signed an executive order implementing Most Favored Nation prescription drug pricing — which will deliver dramatically lower drug prices for the American people. Here&#39;s what it does: REDUCING DRUG PRICES FOR AMERICANS AND TAXPAYERS: Today, President Donald… <a href="https://t.co/wjT4A5XofI">pic.twitter.com/wjT4A5XofI</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1921942976441282659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump Holds a Press Conference with the Secretary of Health and Human Services <a href="https://t.co/3hgZDuVi5E">https://t.co/3hgZDuVi5E</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1921925761277026697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The order calls on the health department, led by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-trump-health-secretary-vote-5dbefeef0537dc241e6fb33b8f2a748b">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, to broker new price tags for drugs. If a deal is not reached, a new rule will kick in that will tie the price of what the U.S. pays for medications to lower prices paid by other countries.“We're going to equalize,” Trump said during a Monday morning press conference. “We're all going to pay the same. We're going to pay what Europe pays.”It's unclear what — if any — impact the Republican president's executive order will have on millions of Americans who have private health insurance. The federal government has the most power to shape the price it pays for drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid.The federal government spends hundreds of billions of dollars on prescription drugs, injectables, transfusions and other medications every year through Medicare, which covers nearly 70 million older Americans. Medicaid, meanwhile, covers nearly 80 million poor and disabled people in the U.S.Ahead of the signing, the nation's leading pharmaceutical lobby on Sunday pushed back against Trump's plan, calling it a “bad deal” for American patients. Drugmakers have long argued that any threats to their profits could impact the research they do to develop new drugs.“Importing foreign prices will cut billions of dollars from Medicare with no guarantee that it helps patients or improves their access to medicines,” Stephen J. Ubl, the president and CEO of PhRMA, said in a statement. “It jeopardizes the hundreds of billions our member companies are planning to invest in America, making us more reliant on China for innovative medicines.”Trump's so-called “most favored nation” approach to Medicare drug pricing has been controversial since he first tried to implement it during his first term. He signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-health-politics-business-medicare-61c0e95ec43c72d6bc3464da6240d272">a similar executive order</a>&nbsp;in the final weeks of his presidency, which called for the U.S. to only pay a lower price that other countries pay for some drugs — injectables or cancer drugs given through infusions — administered in a doctor's office.That narrow executive order faced hurdles, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-medicaid-medicare-courts-b3ddb5c7856f7a11fd569b303b63eb6b">a court order</a>&nbsp;that blocked the rule from going into effect under President Joe Biden's administration. The pharmaceutical industry argued that Trump’s 2020 attempt would give foreign governments the “upper hand” in deciding the value of medicines in the U.S.Trump repeatedly defended pharmaceutical companies, instead blaming other countries for the high price Americans pay for drugs, during a wide-ranging speech at the White House on Monday. The president was flanked by Kennedy, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health director Jay Bhattacharya.He did, however, threaten the companies with federal investigations into their practices and opening up the U.S. drug market to bring in more imported medications from other countries.“The pharmaceutical companies make most of their profits from America,” Trump said. “That’s not a good thing.”Trump has played up the announcement, saying it will save taxpayers big money. He boasted in one post that his plan could save “TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS.”“Our Country will finally be treated fairly, and our citizens Healthcare Costs will be reduced by numbers never even thought of before,” Trump said in another post ahead of Monday's announcement.The White House did not release an analysis of how much money his order would save or which drugs would be impacted.Oz, speaking on Monday, said that he and the agency’s other top leaders would be meeting with drug company executives over the next 30 days to offer new prices on drugs that are based off what other countries pay.The health department has the most authority to change the prices of drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid because it can set regulations. Even still, the agency's power to do so is limited. Congress just approved in 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drug-prices-medicare-prescriptions-34886d6f362c242be268c05d5efd5411">a new law</a>&nbsp;that allows Medicare to negotiate the price it pays for a handful of prescription drugs starting in 2026. Prior to the law, Medicare paid what the drug companies charged. Drug companies unsuccessfully sued over the implementation of the law.The price that millions of Americans covered by private insurance&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drug-prices-medicare-prescriptions-34886d6f362c242be268c05d5efd5411">pay for drugs</a>&nbsp;is even harder for the agency to manipulate.The U.S. routinely outspends other nations on drug prices, compared with other large and wealthy countries, a problem that has long drawn the ire of both major political parties, but a lasting fix has never cleared Congress.Trump came into his first term accusing pharmaceutical companies of “getting away with murder” and complaining that other countries whose governments set drug prices were taking advantage of Americans.On Sunday, Trump took aim at the industry again, writing that the “Pharmaceutical/Drug Companies would say, for years, that it was Research and Development Costs, and that all of these costs were, and would be, for no reason whatsoever, borne by the ‘suckers’ of America, ALONE.”Referring to drug companies’ powerful lobbying efforts, he said that campaign contributions “can do wonders, but not with me, and not with the Republican Party.”“We are going to do the right thing,” he wrote.

🎥 Trump sets deadline for drugmakers to lower prescription drug costs

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas man who hid from police for weeks following a fatal February gunfight made a first court appearance on Friday.

Jerry Johnson III, 20 of Wichita, was charged with 1st&nbsp;degree murder.&nbsp;

Just before 6p.m. Feb. 11, police responded to reports of a shooting in the 1200 block of S. Bleckley in Wichita, according to Police Department spokesperson Brad Wright.

Officers arrived at the scene and found 23-year-old Manuel Roach with a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a disturbance occurred involving Roach and three unidentified men dressed in all black. Following the incident, the suspects departed the scene in a white SUV before law enforcement arrival. The exact circumstances that led up to the shooting are still under investigation, according to Wright. Police do believe this was a targeted incident between individuals known to each other.

Later on Feb. 11, an 18-year-old identified as Sergio Clement arrived at a local hospital with a single gunshot wound to his lower extremity. Through the investigation, it was discovered that Clement and 21-year-old Alan Griffin, Jr. were involved in the fatal shooting of Roach. As a result, both were arrested and booked into Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp;

On May 7, deputies booked Johnson into jail after the Wichita Police Department asked the public for information on his whereabouts.&nbsp; On February 14, Johnson was charged by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office in reference to his involvement in the homicide.

Johnson is now being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on a $1 million bond. He is due back in court May 30, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746700121329.png" alt="Johnson-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Johnson-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas man who hid from police for weeks following a fatal February gunfight made a first court appearance on Friday.Jerry Johnson III, 20 of Wichita, was charged with 1st&nbsp;degree murder.&nbsp;Just before 6p.m. Feb. 11, police responded to reports of a shooting in the 1200 block of S. Bleckley in Wichita, according to Police Department spokesperson Brad Wright.Officers arrived at the scene and found 23-year-old Manuel Roach with a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.Preliminary investigation indicates that a disturbance occurred involving Roach and three unidentified men dressed in all black. Following the incident, the suspects departed the scene in a white SUV before law enforcement arrival. The exact circumstances that led up to the shooting are still under investigation, according to Wright. Police do believe this was a targeted incident between individuals known to each other.Later on Feb. 11, an 18-year-old identified as Sergio Clement arrived at a local hospital with a single gunshot wound to his lower extremity. Through the investigation, it was discovered that Clement and 21-year-old Alan Griffin, Jr. were involved in the fatal shooting of Roach. As a result, both were arrested and booked into Sedgwick County Jail.&nbsp;On May 7, deputies booked Johnson into jail after the Wichita Police Department asked the public for information on his whereabouts.&nbsp; On February 14, Johnson was charged by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office in reference to his involvement in the homicide.Johnson is now being held in the Sedgwick County Jail on a $1 million bond. He is due back in court May 30, according to the district attorney's office.

Kan. murder suspect, captured after hiding for weeks, appears before judge

NEWARK (AP) —Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-immigration-detention-center-delaney-hall-fa6b16870bd033c5a66499e5d5963c0c">a new federal immigration detention center</a>&nbsp;he has been protesting against and was held in custody for several hours.

Baraka was released around 8 p.m. after being accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings to leave the Delaney Hall facility. Stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, he told waiting supporters: “The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.”

The mayor said he could not speak about his case, citing a promise he made to lawyers and the judge. But he voiced full-throated support for everyone living in his community, immigrants included.

“All of us here, every last one of us, I don’t care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak,” Baraka said, “at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us.”

Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration.

He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.

Linda Baraka, the mayor’s wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband.

“They didn’t arrest anyone else. They didn’t ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,” she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him.

Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka trespassed at the detention facility, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group.

Habba said Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law.”

Video of the incident showed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate to the facility.

Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility.

When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates.

“There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez said. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.”

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the lawmakers had not asked for a tour of Delaney Hall, which the agency said it would have facilitated. The department said that as a bus carrying detainees was entering in the afternoon “a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”

Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper said the three lawmakers went there unannounced because they planned to inspect it, not take a scheduled tour.

“They arrived, explained to the guards and the officials at the facility that they were there to exercise their oversight authority,” he said, adding that they were allowed to enter and inspect the center sometime between 3 and 4 p.m.

Watson Coleman later said the DHS statement inaccurately characterized the visit.

“Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS we did not ‘storm’ the detention center,” she wrote. “The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn’t even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.”

Video shows the mayor standing on the public side of the gate

In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not enter the facility because “you are not a congress member.”

Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: “They’re talking about coming back to arrest you.”

“I’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” Baraka replied.

Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, “Shame,” Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs.

Several civil rights and immigration reform advocates, as well as government officials, condemned Baraka’s arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office is defending a state law barring private immigration detention facilities, criticized the arrest during a seemingly peaceful protest and said no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved.

Rep. Menendez said in a statement that as members of Congress, they have the legal right to carry out oversight at DHS facilities without prior notice and have done so twice already this year. But on Friday, “Throughout every step of this visit, ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight.”

The two-story building next to a county prison formerly operated as a halfway house.

In February, ICE awarded a 15-year contract to The Geo Group Inc. to run the detention center. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, in an unusually long and large agreement for ICE.

The announcement was part of President Donald Trump’s plans to sharply increase detention beds nationwide from a budget of about 41,000 beds this year.

Baraka sued Geo soon after the deal was announced.

Geo touted the Delaney Hall contract during an earnings call with shareholders Wednesday, with CEO David Donahue saying it was expected to generate more than $60 million a year in revenue. He said the facility began the intake process May 1.

Hall said the activation of the center and another in Michigan would increase capacity under contract with ICE from around 20,000 beds to around 23,000.

DHS said in its statement that the facility has the proper permits and inspections have been cleared.

Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed.

NEWARK (AP) —Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-jersey-immigration-detention-center-delaney-hall-fa6b16870bd033c5a66499e5d5963c0c">a new federal immigration detention center</a>&nbsp;he has been protesting against and was held in custody for several hours.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Let’s check the tape. <a href="https://t.co/1S66cGSxct">https://t.co/1S66cGSxct</a> <a href="https://t.co/LqEFhTrnYl">pic.twitter.com/LqEFhTrnYl</a>&mdash; Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1921573646281081028?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Baraka was released around 8 p.m. after being accused of trespassing and ignoring warnings to leave the Delaney Hall facility. Stepping out of an SUV with flashing emergency lights, he told waiting supporters: “The reality is this: I didn't do anything wrong.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨WATCH: US Congresswoman, LaMonica McIver (wearing a red blazer), storms the gate of Delaney Hall Detention Center ASSAULTING an ICE agent. <a href="https://t.co/4Q1deds1tl">pic.twitter.com/4Q1deds1tl</a>&mdash; Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1921271072147546558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The mayor said he could not speak about his case, citing a promise he made to lawyers and the judge. But he voiced full-throated support for everyone living in his community, immigrants included.“All of us here, every last one of us, I don’t care what background you come from, what nationality, what language you speak,” Baraka said, “at some point we have to stop these people from causing division between us.”Baraka, a Democrat who is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, has embraced the fight with the Trump administration over illegal immigration.He has aggressively pushed back against the construction and opening of the 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.Linda Baraka, the mayor’s wife, accused the federal government of targeting her husband.“They didn’t arrest anyone else. They didn’t ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,” she said, adding that she had not been allowed to see him.Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka trespassed at the detention facility, which is run by private prison operator Geo Group.Habba said Baraka had “chosen to disregard the law.”Video of the incident showed that Baraka was arrested after returning to the public side of the gate to the facility.<h2>Witnesses describe a heated argument</h2>Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman, in attempting to enter the facility.When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates.“There was yelling and pushing,” Martinez said. “Then the officers swarmed Baraka. They threw one of the organizers to the ground. They put Baraka in handcuffs and put him in an unmarked car.”The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the lawmakers had not asked for a tour of Delaney Hall, which the agency said it would have facilitated. The department said that as a bus carrying detainees was entering in the afternoon “a group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”Watson Coleman spokesperson Ned Cooper said the three lawmakers went there unannounced because they planned to inspect it, not take a scheduled tour.“They arrived, explained to the guards and the officials at the facility that they were there to exercise their oversight authority,” he said, adding that they were allowed to enter and inspect the center sometime between 3 and 4 p.m.Watson Coleman later said the DHS statement inaccurately characterized the visit.“Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS we did not ‘storm’ the detention center,” she wrote. “The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn’t even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.”<h2>Video shows the mayor standing on the public side of the gate</h2>In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not enter the facility because “you are not a congress member.”Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: “They’re talking about coming back to arrest you.”“I’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” Baraka replied.Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, “Shame,” Baraka was dragged back through the gate in handcuffs.Several civil rights and immigration reform advocates, as well as government officials, condemned Baraka’s arrest. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, whose office is defending a state law barring private immigration detention facilities, criticized the arrest during a seemingly peaceful protest and said no state or local law enforcement agencies were involved.Rep. Menendez said in a statement that as members of Congress, they have the legal right to carry out oversight at DHS facilities without prior notice and have done so twice already this year. But on Friday, “Throughout every step of this visit, ICE attempted to intimidate everyone involved and impede our ability to conduct oversight.”<h2>The detention center</h2>The two-story building next to a county prison formerly operated as a halfway house.In February, ICE awarded a 15-year contract to The Geo Group Inc. to run the detention center. Geo valued the contract at $1 billion, in an unusually long and large agreement for ICE.The announcement was part of President Donald Trump’s plans to sharply increase detention beds nationwide from a budget of about 41,000 beds this year.Baraka sued Geo soon after the deal was announced.Geo touted the Delaney Hall contract during an earnings call with shareholders Wednesday, with CEO David Donahue saying it was expected to generate more than $60 million a year in revenue. He said the facility began the intake process May 1.Hall said the activation of the center and another in Michigan would increase capacity under contract with ICE from around 20,000 beds to around 23,000.DHS said in its statement that the facility has the proper permits and inspections have been cleared.___Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed.

🎥DHS releases video of mayor's arrest at immigration detention center

RICE COUNTY—Law enforcement in Rice County are sharing details of a violent rollover accident that could have been tragic.

On Saturday. night,&nbsp;deputies responded to a rollover crash involving a 16-year-old driver on Avenue N between 13th and 14th Roads in rural Rice County, according to a social media report from the sheriff's office. The teen had just left an underage drinking party. "Looking at the vehicle, it’s clear—this young man is incredibly lucky to be alive."

"We understand that teens will make mistakes. It’s part of growing up. But some mistakes carry life-altering consequences. That’s why we have a duty not only to respond, but to hold people accountable.

"We're glad on Mother's Day that this mother doesn't have to remember this day as the day she lost her child year after year. We will be pursuing charges related to this crash."

"We will also be holding the adults responsible for hosting and allowing underage drinking to occur on their property.This isn’t about being harsh—it’s about protecting lives. Because the next time, it might not be a crash with a lucky ending. It might be a call no parent ever wants to get and a notification no deputy wants to give."

"To the young people of Rice County: we care about you. We want you to grow, succeed, and live long enough to learn from your mistakes. But we also need you to know—once you choose to drive under the influence, that mistake becomes dangerous for everyone on the road.If you ever find yourself at a party and need help—call us, your parents, or a trusted adult. We’ll come. No judgment. No charge. Just a safe ride home.But if you choose to drive impaired, accountability will follow."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747048115342.png" alt="Photos Rice County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Rice County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>RICE COUNTY—Law enforcement in Rice County are sharing details of a violent rollover accident that could have been tragic."This Could Have Been a Funeral."&nbsp; On Saturday. night,&nbsp;deputies responded to a rollover crash involving a 16-year-old driver on Avenue N between 13th and 14th Roads in rural Rice County, according to a social media report from the sheriff's office. The teen had just left an underage drinking party. "Looking at the vehicle, it’s clear—this young man is incredibly lucky to be alive."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747047893541.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"We understand that teens will make mistakes. It’s part of growing up. But some mistakes carry life-altering consequences. That’s why we have a duty not only to respond, but to hold people accountable."We're glad on Mother's Day that this mother doesn't have to remember this day as the day she lost her child year after year. We will be pursuing charges related to this crash.""We will also be holding the adults responsible for hosting and allowing underage drinking to occur on their property.This isn’t about being harsh—it’s about protecting lives. Because the next time, it might not be a crash with a lucky ending. It might be a call no parent ever wants to get and a notification no deputy wants to give.""To the young people of Rice County: we care about you. We want you to grow, succeed, and live long enough to learn from your mistakes. But we also need you to know—once you choose to drive under the influence, that mistake becomes dangerous for everyone on the road.If you ever find yourself at a party and need help—call us, your parents, or a trusted adult. We’ll come. No judgment. No charge. Just a safe ride home.But if you choose to drive impaired, accountability will follow."

Sheriff: Kansas teen lucky to be alive

GENEVA (AP) — U.S. and Chinese officials said Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and call a 90-day truce in their trade war for more talks on resolving their trade disputes.

Stock markets rose sharply as the globe's two major economic powers took a step back from a clash that has unsettled the global economy.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop its 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30%, while China agreed to lower its rate on U.S. goods by the same amount to 10%.

Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the tariff reductions at a news conference in Geneva.

The two officials struck a positive tone as they said the two sides had set up consultations to continue discussing their trade issues. Bessent said at the news briefing after two days of talks that the high tariff levels would have amounted to a complete blockage of each sides goods, an outcome neither side wants.

“The consensus from both delegations this weekend is neither side wants a decoupling,” Bessent said. “And what had occurred with these very high tariff ... was an embargo, the equivalent of an embargo. And neither side wants that. We do want trade."

"We want more balanced trade. And I think that both sides are committed to achieving that."

The delegations, escorted around town and guarded by scores of Swiss police, met for at least a dozen hours on both days of the weekend at sun-baked 17th-century villa that serves as the official residence of the Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.

At times, the delegation leaders broke away from their staffs and settled into sofas on the villa’s patios overlooking Lake Geneva, helping deepen personal ties in the effort to reach a much-sought deal.

China’s Commerce Ministry said the two sides agreed to cancel 91% in tariffs on each other’s goods and suspend another 24% in tariffs for 90 days, bringing the total reduction to 115 percentage points.

The ministry called the agreement an important step for the resolution of the two countries’ differences and said it lays the foundation for further cooperation.

“This initiative aligns with the expectations of producers and consumers in both countries and serves the interests of both nations as well as the common interests of the world,” a ministry statement said.

China hopes the U.S will stop “the erroneous practice of unilateral tariff hikes” and work with China to safeguard the development of their economic and trade relations, injecting more certainty and stability into the global economy, the ministry said.

The joint statement issued by the two countries said China also agreed to suspend or remove other measures it has taken since April 2 in response to the U.S. tariffs.

China has increased export controls on rare earths including some critical to the defense industry and added more American companies to its export control and unreliable entity lists, restricting their business with and in China.

The full impact on the complicated tariffs and other trade penalties enacted by Washington and Beijing remains unclear. And much depends on whether they will find ways to bridge longstanding differences during the 90-day suspension.

But investors rejoiced as trade envoys from the world’s two biggest economies blinked, finding ways to pull back from potentially massive disruptions to world trade and their own markets.

Futures for the S&amp;P 500 jumped 2.6% and for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2%. Oil prices surged more than $1.60 a barrel and the U.S. dollar gained against the euro and the Japanese yen.

“This is a substantial de-escalation,” said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics. But he warned “there is no guarantee that the 90-day truce will give way to a lasting ceasefire.”

Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, welcomed the news but expressed caution. The tariffs only were suspended for 90 days and there is great uncertainty over what lies ahead, he said in a statement.

“Businesses need predictability to maintain normal operations and make investment decisions. The chamber therefore hopes to see both sides continue to engage in dialogue to resolve differences, and avoid taking measures that will disrupt global trade and result in collateral damage for those caught in the cross-fire," Eskelund said.

Trump last month raised U.S. tariffs on China&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-trade-taxes-trump-china-bessent-treasury-66668fa26957ece530a250fa8ea19faa">to a combined 145%</a>&nbsp;and China retaliated by hitting American imports with a 125% levy. Tariffs that high essentially amount to the two countries boycotting each other’s products, disrupting trade that last year topped $660 billion.

The announcement by the U.S. and China sent shares surging, with U.S. futures jumping more than 2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surged nearly 3% and benchmarks in Germany and France were both up 0.7%

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on countries worldwide, but its fight with China has been the most intense. Trump’s import taxes on goods from China include a 20% charge meant to pressure Beijing into doing more to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-fentanyl-tariffs-trump-f77abc5dc8cba277a07c0f2cddb9a9e9">fentanyl</a>&nbsp;into the United States.

McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany, Kurtenbach from Mito, Japan, and Moritsugu from Beijing.

GENEVA (AP) — U.S. and Chinese officials said Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs and call a 90-day truce in their trade war for more talks on resolving their trade disputes.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a>: &quot;We have reached an agreement on a 90-day pause and substantially moved down the tariff levels — both sides, on the reciprocal tariffs, will move their tariffs down 115%.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Jxdd11U83s">pic.twitter.com/Jxdd11U83s</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1921866107452846100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Stock markets rose sharply as the globe's two major economic powers took a step back from a clash that has unsettled the global economy.U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop its 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30%, while China agreed to lower its rate on U.S. goods by the same amount to 10%.Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the tariff reductions at a news conference in Geneva.The two officials struck a positive tone as they said the two sides had set up consultations to continue discussing their trade issues. Bessent said at the news briefing after two days of talks that the high tariff levels would have amounted to a complete blockage of each sides goods, an outcome neither side wants.“The consensus from both delegations this weekend is neither side wants a decoupling,” Bessent said. “And what had occurred with these very high tariff ... was an embargo, the equivalent of an embargo. And neither side wants that. We do want trade.""We want more balanced trade. And I think that both sides are committed to achieving that."The delegations, escorted around town and guarded by scores of Swiss police, met for at least a dozen hours on both days of the weekend at sun-baked 17th-century villa that serves as the official residence of the Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.At times, the delegation leaders broke away from their staffs and settled into sofas on the villa’s patios overlooking Lake Geneva, helping deepen personal ties in the effort to reach a much-sought deal.China’s Commerce Ministry said the two sides agreed to cancel 91% in tariffs on each other’s goods and suspend another 24% in tariffs for 90 days, bringing the total reduction to 115 percentage points.The ministry called the agreement an important step for the resolution of the two countries’ differences and said it lays the foundation for further cooperation.“This initiative aligns with the expectations of producers and consumers in both countries and serves the interests of both nations as well as the common interests of the world,” a ministry statement said.China hopes the U.S will stop “the erroneous practice of unilateral tariff hikes” and work with China to safeguard the development of their economic and trade relations, injecting more certainty and stability into the global economy, the ministry said.The joint statement issued by the two countries said China also agreed to suspend or remove other measures it has taken since April 2 in response to the U.S. tariffs.China has increased export controls on rare earths including some critical to the defense industry and added more American companies to its export control and unreliable entity lists, restricting their business with and in China.The full impact on the complicated tariffs and other trade penalties enacted by Washington and Beijing remains unclear. And much depends on whether they will find ways to bridge longstanding differences during the 90-day suspension.But investors rejoiced as trade envoys from the world’s two biggest economies blinked, finding ways to pull back from potentially massive disruptions to world trade and their own markets.Futures for the S&amp;P 500 jumped 2.6% and for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2%. Oil prices surged more than $1.60 a barrel and the U.S. dollar gained against the euro and the Japanese yen.“This is a substantial de-escalation,” said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics. But he warned “there is no guarantee that the 90-day truce will give way to a lasting ceasefire.”Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, welcomed the news but expressed caution. The tariffs only were suspended for 90 days and there is great uncertainty over what lies ahead, he said in a statement.“Businesses need predictability to maintain normal operations and make investment decisions. The chamber therefore hopes to see both sides continue to engage in dialogue to resolve differences, and avoid taking measures that will disrupt global trade and result in collateral damage for those caught in the cross-fire," Eskelund said.Trump last month raised U.S. tariffs on China&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-trade-taxes-trump-china-bessent-treasury-66668fa26957ece530a250fa8ea19faa">to a combined 145%</a>&nbsp;and China retaliated by hitting American imports with a 125% levy. Tariffs that high essentially amount to the two countries boycotting each other’s products, disrupting trade that last year topped $660 billion.The announcement by the U.S. and China sent shares surging, with U.S. futures jumping more than 2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surged nearly 3% and benchmarks in Germany and France were both up 0.7%The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on countries worldwide, but its fight with China has been the most intense. Trump’s import taxes on goods from China include a 20% charge meant to pressure Beijing into doing more to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-fentanyl-tariffs-trump-f77abc5dc8cba277a07c0f2cddb9a9e9">fentanyl</a>&nbsp;into the United States.___McHugh contributed from Frankfurt, Germany, Kurtenbach from Mito, Japan, and Moritsugu from Beijing.

🎥 Breakthrough: U.S. and China announce deal to pause trade war

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement continue their investigation of a car crash into a business in Topeka.

Just before 3p.m. May 9, policeresponded to reports of a passenger car that crashed into the front of the Wheel Barrel, 925 N. Kansas Avenue in Topeka, according to Topeka Police LT Kerry Connell.

American Medical Response transported one person to a local area hospital for minor injuries. One person was treated for minor injuries on scene and released.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747015477418.png" alt="photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement continue their investigation of a car crash into a business in Topeka.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fthewheelbarrel%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0u9hT6fYwrHBLBjs7rU6V6Fi3dAr5bXwuCFR29m2JTfeNqfd95Qy74T14q9tfhd5zl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="690" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>Just before 3p.m. May 9, policeresponded to reports of a passenger car that crashed into the front of the Wheel Barrel, 925 N. Kansas Avenue in Topeka, according to Topeka Police LT Kerry Connell.American Medical Response transported one person to a local area hospital for minor injuries. One person was treated for minor injuries on scene and released.&nbsp;&nbsp;

One person hospitalized after crash into Kansas restaurant

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement continue to investigating several suspect in connection with multiple alleged crimes in the Kansas City Westport entertainment district.

On Friday night, officers were attempting to arrest an ATV driver who was breaking the law when a suspect(s) in a vehicle pointed a weapon at them, according to a statement from Kansas City Police. These suspects tried to flee, but could not. Officers arrested all four people in the vehicle, including juveniles.

Police recovered three guns. Felony charges are pending.

The officers involved were added to the KCPD Entertainment District Plan, which the department activated&nbsp; earlier than previous years. Extra officers will continue to be present in that district.

In total, Friday night into Saturday, KCPD arrested six criminals, towed two vehicles, seized five firearms, issued nine citations, issued four summons, and seized drugs.

According to Mayor Quinton Lucas, the KCPD&nbsp;Entertainment District Plan is bringing enforcement and consequences, including felony charges and seized vehicles, drugs and firearms, to those causing harm in the core of the city. An earlier launch than usual ensuring all know more arrests and seizures are coming

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746914941139.jpeg" alt="Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement continue to investigating several suspect in connection with multiple alleged crimes in the Kansas City Westport entertainment district.On Friday night, officers were attempting to arrest an ATV driver who was breaking the law when a suspect(s) in a vehicle pointed a weapon at them, according to a statement from Kansas City Police. These suspects tried to flee, but could not. Officers arrested all four people in the vehicle, including juveniles.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746915042607.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Police recovered three guns. Felony charges are pending.The officers involved were added to the KCPD Entertainment District Plan, which the department activated&nbsp; earlier than previous years. Extra officers will continue to be present in that district.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746915068272.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In total, Friday night into Saturday, KCPD arrested six criminals, towed two vehicles, seized five firearms, issued nine citations, issued four summons, and seized drugs.According to Mayor Quinton Lucas, the KCPD&nbsp;Entertainment District Plan is bringing enforcement and consequences, including felony charges and seized vehicles, drugs and firearms, to those causing harm in the core of the city. An earlier launch than usual ensuring all know more arrests and seizures are coming

Police make multiple arrests in KC entertainment district

CHEYENNE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Sunday in Cheyenne County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp; Juan E. Yanez-Derma, 40, Bird City, was northbound on County Road 10. As the pickup approached County Road E, it was going too fast to make the turn. The vehicle traveled off the roadway and rolled side over side to the north. 

EMS transported&nbsp;Yanez-Derma and two passengers Cesar V.&nbsp;Chavez-Alaron, 36, and Bryan G.&nbsp;Alaracon-Martinez, 19,&nbsp; both of St. Francis to the&nbsp; Cheyenne County Hospital where Yanez-Derma was pronounced deceased.

 EMS transported a third passenger Francisco J. De La Mora-Palomo, 33, St. Francis, to the Goodland Regional Medical Center.&nbsp; All four were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

CHEYENNE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 9:30p.m. Sunday in Cheyenne County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Chevy Silverado driven by&nbsp; Juan E. Yanez-Derma, 40, Bird City, was northbound on County Road 10. As the pickup approached County Road E, it was going too fast to make the turn. The vehicle traveled off the roadway and rolled side over side to the north. EMS transported&nbsp;Yanez-Derma and two passengers Cesar V.&nbsp;Chavez-Alaron, 36, and Bryan G.&nbsp;Alaracon-Martinez, 19,&nbsp; both of St. Francis to the&nbsp; Cheyenne County Hospital where Yanez-Derma was pronounced deceased. EMS transported a third passenger Francisco J. De La Mora-Palomo, 33, St. Francis, to the Goodland Regional Medical Center.&nbsp; All four were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dead, 3 injured after pickup rollover crash

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just after 8p.m. Saturday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 9300 block of Cleveland on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

As officers arrived they were directed to an apartment building.&nbsp; There they located a man suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began performing lifesaving measures until KCFD EMS arrived. Medics took over and transported the victim to a local hospital where he died a short time later. 

This is being investigated as a homicide and no one is in custody at this point. Preliminary information revealed an argument occurred in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and the victim being struck. Police released no additional details.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.Just after 8p.m. Saturday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 9300 block of Cleveland on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.As officers arrived they were directed to an apartment building.&nbsp; There they located a man suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers began performing lifesaving measures until KCFD EMS arrived. Medics took over and transported the victim to a local hospital where he died a short time later. This is being investigated as a homicide and no one is in custody at this point. Preliminary information revealed an argument occurred in the parking lot that led to shots being fired and the victim being struck. Police released no additional details.

KCPD: Apartment parking lot argument led to fatal shooting

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’ll sign an executive order on Monday that, if implemented, could bring down the costs of some medications — reviving a failed effort from his first term on an issue he’s talked up since even before becoming president.

The order Trump is promising will direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to tie what Medicare pays for medications administrated in a doctor’s office to the lowest price paid by other countries.

“I will be instituting a MOST FAVORED NATION’S POLICY whereby the United States will pay the same price as the Nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the World,” the president posted Sunday on his social media site, pledging to sign the order on Monday morning at the White House.

“Our Country will finally be treated fairly, and our citizens Healthcare Costs will be reduced by numbers never even thought of before,” Trump added.

His proposal would likely only impact certain drugs covered by Medicare and given in an office — think infusions that treat cancer, and other injectables. But it could potentially bring significant savings to the government, although the “TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS” Trump boasted about in his post may be an exaggeration.

Medicare provides health insurance for roughly 70 million older Americans. Complaints about U.S. drug prices being notoriously high, even when compared with other large and wealthy countries, have long drawn the ire of both parties, but a lasting fix has never cleared Congress.

Under the planned order, the federal government would tie what it pays pharmaceutical companies for those drugs to the price paid by a group of other, economically advanced countries — the so-called “most favored nation” approach.

The proposal will face fierce opposition from the pharmaceutical industry.

It was a rule that Trump tried to adopt during his first term, but could never get through. He signed a similar executive order in the final weeks of his presidency, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-medicaid-medicare-courts-b3ddb5c7856f7a11fd569b303b63eb6b">court order</a>&nbsp;later blocked the rule from going into effect under the Biden administration.

The pharmaceutical industry argued that Trump’s 2020 attempt would give foreign governments the “upper hand” in deciding the value of medicines in the U.S.. The industry has long argued that forcing lower prices will hurt profits, and ultimately affect innovation and its efforts to develop new medicines.

Only drugs on Medicare Part B — the insurance for doctor’s office visits — are likely to be covered under the plan. Medicare beneficiaries are responsible for picking up some of the costs to get those medications during doctor’s visits, and for traditional Medicare enrollees there is no annual out-of-pocket cap on what they pay.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_legacy_files//197401/Part-B%20Drugs-International-Issue-Brief.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;by the Trump administration during its first term found that the U.S. spends twice as much as some other countries in covering those drugs. Medicare Part B drug spending topped $33 billion in 2021.

More common prescription drugs filled at a pharmacy would probably not be covered by the new order.

Trump’s post formally previewing the action came after he teased a “very big announcement” last week. He gave no details, except to note that it wasn’t related to trade or the tariffs he has announced imposing on much of the world.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’ll sign an executive order on Monday that, if implemented, could bring down the costs of some medications — reviving a failed effort from his first term on an issue he’s talked up since even before becoming president.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">JUST IN: PRESIDENT TRUMP&#39;S &quot;MOST IMPORTANT AND IMPACTFUL&quot; TRUTH EVER ISSUED ⬇️ &quot;I am pleased to announce that Tomorrow morning, in the White House, at 9:00 A.M., I will be signing one of the most consequential Executive Orders in our Country’s history....&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YfyKzked0S">pic.twitter.com/YfyKzked0S</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1921695676032856313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The order Trump is promising will direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to tie what Medicare pays for medications administrated in a doctor’s office to the lowest price paid by other countries.“I will be instituting a MOST FAVORED NATION’S POLICY whereby the United States will pay the same price as the Nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the World,” the president posted Sunday on his social media site, pledging to sign the order on Monday morning at the White House.“Our Country will finally be treated fairly, and our citizens Healthcare Costs will be reduced by numbers never even thought of before,” Trump added.His proposal would likely only impact certain drugs covered by Medicare and given in an office — think infusions that treat cancer, and other injectables. But it could potentially bring significant savings to the government, although the “TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS” Trump boasted about in his post may be an exaggeration.Medicare provides health insurance for roughly 70 million older Americans. Complaints about U.S. drug prices being notoriously high, even when compared with other large and wealthy countries, have long drawn the ire of both parties, but a lasting fix has never cleared Congress.Under the planned order, the federal government would tie what it pays pharmaceutical companies for those drugs to the price paid by a group of other, economically advanced countries — the so-called “most favored nation” approach.The proposal will face fierce opposition from the pharmaceutical industry.It was a rule that Trump tried to adopt during his first term, but could never get through. He signed a similar executive order in the final weeks of his presidency, but a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-medicaid-medicare-courts-b3ddb5c7856f7a11fd569b303b63eb6b">court order</a>&nbsp;later blocked the rule from going into effect under the Biden administration.The pharmaceutical industry argued that Trump’s 2020 attempt would give foreign governments the “upper hand” in deciding the value of medicines in the U.S.. The industry has long argued that forcing lower prices will hurt profits, and ultimately affect innovation and its efforts to develop new medicines.Only drugs on Medicare Part B — the insurance for doctor’s office visits — are likely to be covered under the plan. Medicare beneficiaries are responsible for picking up some of the costs to get those medications during doctor’s visits, and for traditional Medicare enrollees there is no annual out-of-pocket cap on what they pay.A&nbsp;<a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/migrated_legacy_files//197401/Part-B%20Drugs-International-Issue-Brief.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;by the Trump administration during its first term found that the U.S. spends twice as much as some other countries in covering those drugs. Medicare Part B drug spending topped $33 billion in 2021.More common prescription drugs filled at a pharmacy would probably not be covered by the new order.Trump’s post formally previewing the action came after he teased a “very big announcement” last week. He gave no details, except to note that it wasn’t related to trade or the tariffs he has announced imposing on much of the world.“We’re going to have a very, very big announcement to make — like as big as it gets,” Trump said last week.He came into his first term accusing pharmaceutical companies of “getting away with murder” and complaining that other countries whose governments set drug prices were taking advantage of Americans.On Sunday, Trump took aim at the industry again, writing that the “Pharmaceutical/Drug Companies would say, for years, that it was Research and Development Costs, and that all of these costs were, and would be, for no reason whatsoever, borne by the ‘suckers’ of America, ALONE.”Referring to drug companies’ powerful lobbying efforts, he said that campaign contributions “can do wonders, but not with me, and not with the Republican Party.”“We are going to do the right thing,” he wrote.