JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether federal law preempts thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.

Bayer's new request to the nation's highest court comes as it is simultaneously pursing legislation in several states seeking to erect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bayer-legislation-glyphosate-roundup-lawsuits-cancer-warning-4fa2e6662479f3e60a409ce4439a40ed">a legal shield against lawsuits</a>&nbsp;targeting Roundup, a commonly used weedkiller for both farms and homes. Bayer disputes the cancer claims but has set aside $16 billion to settle cases and asserted Monday that the future of American agriculture is at stake.

In a court filing, Bayer urged the Supreme Court to take up a Missouri case that awarded $1.25 million to a man who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after spraying Roundup on a community garden in St. Louis. The federally approved label for Roundup includes no warning of cancer. Bayer contends federal pesticide laws preempt states from adopting additional labeling for products and thus prohibits failure-to-warn lawsuits brought under state laws.

The Supreme Court in 2022 declined to hear a similar claim from Bayer in a California case that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-environment-and-nature-california-san-francisco-b0ef61238f5e83778fb12e748bc97593">awarded more than $86 million</a>&nbsp;to a married couple.

But Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018, contends the Supreme Court should intervene now because lower courts have issued conflicting rulings. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Bayer's favor last year while the 9th and 11th Circuits have ruled against its stance.

An attorney representing the St. Louis gardener said Bayer is “really grasping at straws."

“The reality is they don’t want to put the warning on it because they’re afraid" that if people "realize it’s unsafe, it will reduce sales,” said attorney Jim Onder, whose firm has more than 20,000 clients with failure-to-warn claims regarding Roundup.

Bayer faces about 181,000 Roundup claims, mostly from residential users.

Because of that, Bayer stopped using the key ingredient glyphosate in Roundup sold for home uses. But glyphosate remains in agricultural products. It's designed to be used with genetically modified seeds that can resist the weedkiller’s deadly effect, thus allowing farmers to produce more while conserving the soil by tilling it less.

Bayer has said it might have to consider pulling glyphosate from U.S. agricultural markets if the lawsuits persist.

“This is a bigger threat to innovation in general, when we think about agriculture," said Jess Christiansen, head of communications for Bayer’s crop science division. "If glyphosate falls to the litigation industry, what could be next?”

Bayer has made similar arguments to lawmakers in several states. Georgia recently became the first to pass legislation backed by Bayer that would deem federally approved pesticide labels sufficient to satisfy any state-law duty to warn customers. Gov. Brian Kemp has not indicated whether he will sign the bill.

A jury in Georgia recently ordered Bayer to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roundup-monsanto-cancer-lawsuit-2-billion-7f903acb350dd6f6ce09b102914eabc1">pay nearly $2.1 billion</a>&nbsp;to a man who claimed Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Legislation barring similar state failure-to-warn claims for pesticide makers passed the Tennessee Senate on Thursday and the North Dakota House earlier this year and is now pending in the second chamber in each state.

Bayer also has focused heavily on Missouri and Iowa, home respectively to its North America crop science division and a Roundup manufacturing facility.

The Republicna-led Missouri House narrowly passed the legislation in February. But a coalition of Republican senators has vowed to block it. State Sen. Nick Schroer has said it “would be a betrayal to the public trust” and the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial to grant “immunity” to pesticide manufactures against particular legal claims.

Similar legislation advanced through the Iowa Senate this year with exclusively Republican support. But the Iowa House declined to bring the bill forward before last week’s legislative deadline. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters Thursday “there’s not support” within the Republican House caucus at this time.

The bill drew staunch opposition from environmental justice groups that denounced it as a “cancer gag act,” saying it would limit the rights of Iowans to hold pesticide companies accountable if their products cause harm. During a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bayer-roundup-glyphosate-pesticide-liability-cancer-7d7885e55e228fae8ed8ec7b207a65b8">February protest</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa capitol building, speakers took turns telling stories of family members throughout the state who have been diagnosed with cancers.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether federal law preempts thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer.Bayer's new request to the nation's highest court comes as it is simultaneously pursing legislation in several states seeking to erect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bayer-legislation-glyphosate-roundup-lawsuits-cancer-warning-4fa2e6662479f3e60a409ce4439a40ed">a legal shield against lawsuits</a>&nbsp;targeting Roundup, a commonly used weedkiller for both farms and homes. Bayer disputes the cancer claims but has set aside $16 billion to settle cases and asserted Monday that the future of American agriculture is at stake.In a court filing, Bayer urged the Supreme Court to take up a Missouri case that awarded $1.25 million to a man who developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after spraying Roundup on a community garden in St. Louis. The federally approved label for Roundup includes no warning of cancer. Bayer contends federal pesticide laws preempt states from adopting additional labeling for products and thus prohibits failure-to-warn lawsuits brought under state laws.The Supreme Court in 2022 declined to hear a similar claim from Bayer in a California case that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-environment-and-nature-california-san-francisco-b0ef61238f5e83778fb12e748bc97593">awarded more than $86 million</a>&nbsp;to a married couple.But Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Roundup maker Monsanto in 2018, contends the Supreme Court should intervene now because lower courts have issued conflicting rulings. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Bayer's favor last year while the 9th and 11th Circuits have ruled against its stance.An attorney representing the St. Louis gardener said Bayer is “really grasping at straws."“The reality is they don’t want to put the warning on it because they’re afraid" that if people "realize it’s unsafe, it will reduce sales,” said attorney Jim Onder, whose firm has more than 20,000 clients with failure-to-warn claims regarding Roundup.Bayer faces about 181,000 Roundup claims, mostly from residential users.Because of that, Bayer stopped using the key ingredient glyphosate in Roundup sold for home uses. But glyphosate remains in agricultural products. It's designed to be used with genetically modified seeds that can resist the weedkiller’s deadly effect, thus allowing farmers to produce more while conserving the soil by tilling it less.Bayer has said it might have to consider pulling glyphosate from U.S. agricultural markets if the lawsuits persist.“This is a bigger threat to innovation in general, when we think about agriculture," said Jess Christiansen, head of communications for Bayer’s crop science division. "If glyphosate falls to the litigation industry, what could be next?”Bayer has made similar arguments to lawmakers in several states. Georgia recently became the first to pass legislation backed by Bayer that would deem federally approved pesticide labels sufficient to satisfy any state-law duty to warn customers. Gov. Brian Kemp has not indicated whether he will sign the bill.A jury in Georgia recently ordered Bayer to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roundup-monsanto-cancer-lawsuit-2-billion-7f903acb350dd6f6ce09b102914eabc1">pay nearly $2.1 billion</a>&nbsp;to a man who claimed Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Legislation barring similar state failure-to-warn claims for pesticide makers passed the Tennessee Senate on Thursday and the North Dakota House earlier this year and is now pending in the second chamber in each state.Bayer also has focused heavily on Missouri and Iowa, home respectively to its North America crop science division and a Roundup manufacturing facility.The Republicna-led Missouri House narrowly passed the legislation in February. But a coalition of Republican senators has vowed to block it. State Sen. Nick Schroer has said it “would be a betrayal to the public trust” and the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial to grant “immunity” to pesticide manufactures against particular legal claims.Similar legislation advanced through the Iowa Senate this year with exclusively Republican support. But the Iowa House declined to bring the bill forward before last week’s legislative deadline. Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters Thursday “there’s not support” within the Republican House caucus at this time.The bill drew staunch opposition from environmental justice groups that denounced it as a “cancer gag act,” saying it would limit the rights of Iowans to hold pesticide companies accountable if their products cause harm. During a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bayer-roundup-glyphosate-pesticide-liability-cancer-7d7885e55e228fae8ed8ec7b207a65b8">February protest</a>&nbsp;at the Iowa capitol building, speakers took turns telling stories of family members throughout the state who have been diagnosed with cancers.___

Weedkiller maker asks Supreme Court to intervene in cancer claim lawsuits

TOPEKA&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office have positively identified human remains that were found near Garnett, Kansas in April of 1973, providing answers to a family after 52 years.

On April 18, 1973, the decomposing remains of an unidentified male were located three miles southeast of Garnett, Kansas, off 1550 Road. He was found wearing a brown corduroy jacket, a green long-sleeved buttoned shirt, jeans, a black leather belt with a large belt buckle, brown hiking boots, and a navy blue stocking cap. He was also wearing two gold rings with crosses, a ring with the number “78” and a silver chain with a large cross.

During the autopsy in 1973, the coroner ruled the man’s manner of death a homicide due to signs of trauma. It was determined the man was around 20-years-old and believed to have brown hair and a slender build. Over the years, many attempts were made to identify the remains and learn what happened to the man.

In 2024, DNA was extracted from the remains so that a DNA profile could be utilized for forensic genetic genealogy testing. This advanced testing, conducted by Othram, attempts to uncover family relationships in order to identify any living relatives of the person who is unidentified. The funding to conduct the testing was provided by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), administered by the National Institute of Justice, and managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International.

In early 2025, KBI learned the testing had identified relatives of the unknown man. After further investigation, KBI agents and the Anderson County Sheriff's Office located the man’s siblings. They conducted interviews and collected DNA from a sibling for comparison. The unidentified person was then positively identified as Jimmy Allen Dollison.

Jimmy Dollison had been living in Kansas City, Kansas when he went missing. He disappeared sometime in October or November of 1972, when he was 16-years-old. According to family members, he was reported missing by his parents, but the family never learned what happened to Jimmy.

The KBI and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the circumstances of Dollison’s death. Anyone who has information about the disappearance or murder of Jimmy Dollison is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or report tips online at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kbi.ks.gov%2Fsar%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0100019616f0254d-ff9985bf-4b8c-4d01-bc48-88282324d6fb-000000/tIjY96t5nUzkLaJWYi5w37hsskU2VE0j-PuUqXq3654=400">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744141977526.png" alt="Jimmy Dollison courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Jimmy Dollison courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office have positively identified human remains that were found near Garnett, Kansas in April of 1973, providing answers to a family after 52 years.On April 18, 1973, the decomposing remains of an unidentified male were located three miles southeast of Garnett, Kansas, off 1550 Road. He was found wearing a brown corduroy jacket, a green long-sleeved buttoned shirt, jeans, a black leather belt with a large belt buckle, brown hiking boots, and a navy blue stocking cap. He was also wearing two gold rings with crosses, a ring with the number “78” and a silver chain with a large cross.During the autopsy in 1973, the coroner ruled the man’s manner of death a homicide due to signs of trauma. It was determined the man was around 20-years-old and believed to have brown hair and a slender build. Over the years, many attempts were made to identify the remains and learn what happened to the man.In 2024, DNA was extracted from the remains so that a DNA profile could be utilized for forensic genetic genealogy testing. This advanced testing, conducted by Othram, attempts to uncover family relationships in order to identify any living relatives of the person who is unidentified. The funding to conduct the testing was provided by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), administered by the National Institute of Justice, and managed through a contract with Research Triangle Institute International.In early 2025, KBI learned the testing had identified relatives of the unknown man. After further investigation, KBI agents and the Anderson County Sheriff's Office located the man’s siblings. They conducted interviews and collected DNA from a sibling for comparison. The unidentified person was then positively identified as Jimmy Allen Dollison.Jimmy Dollison had been living in Kansas City, Kansas when he went missing. He disappeared sometime in October or November of 1972, when he was 16-years-old. According to family members, he was reported missing by his parents, but the family never learned what happened to Jimmy.The KBI and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the circumstances of Dollison’s death. Anyone who has information about the disappearance or murder of Jimmy Dollison is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME, or report tips online at&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-1.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.kbi.ks.gov%2Fsar%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/0100019616f0254d-ff9985bf-4b8c-4d01-bc48-88282324d6fb-000000/tIjY96t5nUzkLaJWYi5w37hsskU2VE0j-PuUqXq3654=400">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

KBI: Remains found in 1973 positively identified as Kansas teen

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday helped shovel dirt onto the replacement for a historic White House tree that had to be removed because of safety concerns around its deteriorating condition.

“We have a beautiful tree now at the White House,” Trump said.

The White House did not allow news media coverage of the tree planting, but afterward shared a brief video clip on social media. Dale Haney, the longtime grounds superintendent, also participated.

“Dale’s been here 53 years. He’s fantastic,” Trump said.

The Republican president had announced March 30 on his social media platform that the nearly 200-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-landscaping-tree-21d3f53568bf5f9c64050a2732c034c6">tree, known as the Jackson Magnolia, was in “terrible condition,</a>&nbsp;a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed.”

The southern magnolia had stood for decades near the west side of the South Portico of the White House. It’s where presidents and prime ministers often are welcomed on their visits, as well as where the president himself exits to board the Marine One helicopter or returns after a trip.

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/jackson-magnolia.htm" target="_blank">National Park Service website</a>, “folklore tells us” that President Andrew Jackson brought the tree’s seeds from his home near Nashville, Tennessee. The seeds apparently were planted in honor of his wife Rachel, who died shortly before he took office in 1829.

A 12-year-old sapling that is a direct descendant of the Jackson Magnolia was planted in its place on Tuesday, the White House said. The National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds, said the sapling was grown at its offsite greenhouse specifically to replace the Jackson Magnolia.

The decision to remove the tree followed an assessment by Peter Hart, a registered consulting arborist and member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists, which concluded that the tree had “surpassed the time of serving as an aesthetic and historic landmark due to the potential harm it may cause because of the risk of structural failure,” the White House said.

Hart’s report also recommended that the tree be removed as soon as possible “to eliminate the risk of personal injury and/or property damage,” according to the White House.

The park service is keeping a sample of the downed tree for historical and archival purposes and transferring any remaining wood to the Executive Residence. Trump had said the wood “may be used for other high and noble purposes!!!!”

The tree was significantly pruned in 2017 during Trump’s first term. It also had suffered damage in 1994 when a small Cessna plane crashed onto the South Lawn and skidded into the White House.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744153092134.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday helped shovel dirt onto the replacement for a historic White House tree that had to be removed because of safety concerns around its deteriorating condition.“We have a beautiful tree now at the White House,” Trump said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Donald J. Trump planted a new MAGAnolia sapling at the White House — a direct descendant of the historic &quot;Jackson Magnolia.&quot; 🌳🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/aSJn8Zo4pp">pic.twitter.com/aSJn8Zo4pp</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1909663068130255206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The White House did not allow news media coverage of the tree planting, but afterward shared a brief video clip on social media. Dale Haney, the longtime grounds superintendent, also participated.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump plants a new descendant sapling of the historic &quot;Jackson Magnolia.&quot; The White House remains committed to the stewardship and preservation of its historic grounds. &quot;We have a beautiful tree now in the White House.&quot; - <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/0wA8ShWye2">pic.twitter.com/0wA8ShWye2</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1909675396402233544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Dale’s been here 53 years. He’s fantastic,” Trump said.The Republican president had announced March 30 on his social media platform that the nearly 200-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-landscaping-tree-21d3f53568bf5f9c64050a2732c034c6">tree, known as the Jackson Magnolia, was in “terrible condition,</a>&nbsp;a very dangerous safety hazard, at the White House Entrance, no less, and must now be removed.”The southern magnolia had stood for decades near the west side of the South Portico of the White House. It’s where presidents and prime ministers often are welcomed on their visits, as well as where the president himself exits to board the Marine One helicopter or returns after a trip.According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/whho/learn/historyculture/jackson-magnolia.htm" target="_blank">National Park Service website</a>, “folklore tells us” that President Andrew Jackson brought the tree’s seeds from his home near Nashville, Tennessee. The seeds apparently were planted in honor of his wife Rachel, who died shortly before he took office in 1829.A 12-year-old sapling that is a direct descendant of the Jackson Magnolia was planted in its place on Tuesday, the White House said. The National Park Service, which manages the White House grounds, said the sapling was grown at its offsite greenhouse specifically to replace the Jackson Magnolia.The decision to remove the tree followed an assessment by Peter Hart, a registered consulting arborist and member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists, which concluded that the tree had “surpassed the time of serving as an aesthetic and historic landmark due to the potential harm it may cause because of the risk of structural failure,” the White House said.Hart’s report also recommended that the tree be removed as soon as possible “to eliminate the risk of personal injury and/or property damage,” according to the White House.The park service is keeping a sample of the downed tree for historical and archival purposes and transferring any remaining wood to the Executive Residence. Trump had said the wood “may be used for other high and noble purposes!!!!”The tree was significantly pruned in 2017 during Trump’s first term. It also had suffered damage in 1994 when a small Cessna plane crashed onto the South Lawn and skidded into the White House.

🎥Trump helps plant replacement for a historic White House tree

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations after a traffic stop in Shawnee County.

Just after 9a.m. April 4, a Sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a black 2006 Audi A6 with an expired license plate that did not belong to that vehicle near South Kansas Avenue and SE 15th Street, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian.

During the investigation, the deputy found illegal narcotics.

The driver, David R. Adams, 51, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body, Vehicles; operate a vehicle without registration or with an expired tag and&nbsp;Vehicle liability insurance

A passenger, Raven A. Coats, 42, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the SNDOC on requested charges of&nbsp;Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body,

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744146541300.png" alt="Adams photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Adams photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations after a traffic stop in Shawnee County.Just after 9a.m. April 4, a Sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a black 2006 Audi A6 with an expired license plate that did not belong to that vehicle near South Kansas Avenue and SE 15th Street, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian.During the investigation, the deputy found illegal narcotics.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744146523383.png" alt="Coats photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Coats photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The driver, David R. Adams, 51, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges that include possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body, Vehicles; operate a vehicle without registration or with an expired tag and&nbsp;Vehicle liability insuranceA passenger, Raven A. Coats, 42, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the SNDOC on requested charges of&nbsp;Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body,

Sheriff: Stolen license plate led to Kan. traffic stop drug bust

By MIKE STOBBE and KASTURI PANANJADY&nbsp;

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants communities to stop fluoridating water, and he is setting the gears of government in motion to help make that happen.

Kennedy this week said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. And he said he's assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations.

At the same time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in public water systems.

Here's a look at how reversing fluoride policy has become an action item under President Donald Trump's administration.

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 set guidelines for how much should be added to water.

Fluoride can come from a number of sources, but drinking water is the main one for Americans, researchers say. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population gets fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data.

The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. The American Dental Association credits it with reducing tooth decay by more than 25% in children and adults.

About one-third of community water systems — 17,000 out of 51,000 across the U.S. — serving more than 60% of the population fluoridated their water, according to a 2022 CDC analysis.

The potential problems of too much fluoride

The CDC currently recommends 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.

Over time, studies have documented potential problems when people get much more than that.

Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.

A report last year by the federal government's National Toxicology Program, which summarized studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, concluded that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter — more than twice the CDC's recommended level — was associated with lower IQs in kids.

Meanwhile, last year, a federal judge ordered the EPA to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it's not certain fluoride is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that research pointed to an unreasonable risk that it could be.

Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a "dangerous neurotoxin" and "an industrial waste" tied to a range of health dangers. He has said it's been associated with arthritis, bone breaks, and thyroid disease.

Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn.

How fluoride recommendations can be changed

The CDC's recommendations are widely followed but not mandatory.

State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water and, if so, how much — as long as it doesn't exceed the EPA's limit of 4 milligrams per liter.

So Kennedy can't order communities to stop fluoridation, but he can tell the CDC to stop recommending it.

It would be customary to convene a panel of experts to comb through the research and assess the evidence that speak to the pros and cons of water fluoridation. But Kennedy has the power to stop or change a CDC recommendation without that.

"The power lies with the secretary," but public trust would erode if recommendations are changed without a clear scientific basis, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University.

"If you're really serious about this, you don't just come in and change it," he said. "You ask somebody like the National Academy of Sciences to do a study — and then you follow their recommendations."

On Monday, Kennedy said he was forming a task force to focus on fluoride, while at the same time saying he would order the CDC to stop recommending it.

HHS officials did not answer immediately questions seeking more information about what the task force would be doing.

Some places are already pulling back on fluoridation

Utah recently became the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water, and legislators elsewhere are looking at the issue.

An Associated Press analysis of CDC data for 36 states shows that many communities have halted fluoridation in recent years.

Over the last six years, at least 734 water systems that consistently reported their data in those states have stopped fluoridating water, according to the AP's analysis.

Mississippi alone accounted for more than 1 in 5 of those water systems that stopped. Most water systems that discontinued fluoridation mainly did so to save money, said Melissa Parker, the Mississippi state health department's assistant senior deputy.

During the pandemic, Mississippi's health department allowed local water systems to temporarily cease fluoridating because they could not purchase sodium fluoride in the midst of global supply chain issues. Many never restarted, Parker said.

CDC funding for fluoride is typically a small factor

Since 2003, CDC has funded a limited number of state oral health programs through cooperative agreements. The agreements run in cycles, and at the beginning of this year 15 states were each receiving $380,000 over three years.

The money can be used on a number of things, including collecting data on people with dental problems, dental care and technical assistance for community water fluoridation activities.

The current oral health funding is going to Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The states are told not to use the money for chemicals, because the funding is intended to help set up fluoridation, not for everyday expenses, federal officials have said. South Carolina, for example, sets aside up to $50,000 to help communities in that state fluoridate. Iowa spends about $65,000 to promote community water fluoridation.

Earlier this year, CDC officials declined to answer questions about how much of the total oral health money has been going toward fluoridation.

Now, there is no one to ask: Last week, the CDC's entire 20-person Division of Oral Health was eliminated as part of widespread government staffing cuts.

Congress appropriated money to CDC specifically to support oral health programs, and some congressional staffers say the agency must distribute those funds no matter who is running the HHS or CDC. But Trump-driven budget cuts have struck at a number of programs that Congress had called for, and it's not clear what will happen to the CDC oral health funding.

Fluoridation is relatively cheap compared with other water department expenses, and most communities simply incorporate the cost into the water rates charged to customers, according to the American Water Works Association.

In Erie, Pennsylvania, for example, fluoridating water for 220,000 people costs about $35,000 to $45,000 a year and is entirely funded by water rates, said Craig Palmer, the chief executive of the Erie Water Authority.

So cutting off the CDC money would not have much impact on most communities, some experts said, although it could be more impactful for some smaller, rural communities.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By MIKE STOBBE and KASTURI PANANJADY&nbsp;NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants communities to stop fluoridating water, and he is setting the gears of government in motion to help make that happen.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/epaleezeldin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EPALeeZeldin</a> for joining me in Utah Monday. Utah has now become the first state in the nation to officially ban fluoride. I also celebrated other MAHA legislation in Arizona including removing harmful chemicals from school lunches and eliminating sugary sodas from SNAP… <a href="https://t.co/7VdlU5Vuhe">pic.twitter.com/7VdlU5Vuhe</a>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1909761205037924694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> and Administrator <a href="https://twitter.com/epaleezeldin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@epaleezeldin</a> joined Utah elected officials for a press conference Monday to celebrate the passage of three MAHA bills: 1. Utah becomes the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water. 2. A ban on the use of specific dyes and chemical… <a href="https://t.co/YDWP1HzFv6">pic.twitter.com/YDWP1HzFv6</a>&mdash; HHS.gov (@HHSGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/HHSGov/status/1909631615719895536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Kennedy this week said he plans to tell the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in communities nationwide. And he said he's assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations.At the same time, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water. The EPA sets the maximum level allowed in public water systems.Here's a look at how reversing fluoride policy has become an action item under President Donald Trump's administration.The benefits of fluorideFluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the CDC. In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and in 1962 set guidelines for how much should be added to water.Fluoride can come from a number of sources, but drinking water is the main one for Americans, researchers say. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population gets fluoridated drinking water, according to CDC data.The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water was long considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century. The American Dental Association credits it with reducing tooth decay by more than 25% in children and adults.About one-third of community water systems — 17,000 out of 51,000 across the U.S. — serving more than 60% of the population fluoridated their water, according to a 2022 CDC analysis.The potential problems of too much fluorideThe CDC currently recommends 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.Over time, studies have documented potential problems when people get much more than that.Excess fluoride intake has been associated with streaking or spots on teeth. And studies also have traced a link between excess fluoride and brain development.A report last year by the federal government's National Toxicology Program, which summarized studies conducted in Canada, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Mexico, concluded that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter — more than twice the CDC's recommended level — was associated with lower IQs in kids.Meanwhile, last year, a federal judge ordered the EPA to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it's not certain fluoride is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that research pointed to an unreasonable risk that it could be.Kennedy has railed against fluorideKennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a "dangerous neurotoxin" and "an industrial waste" tied to a range of health dangers. He has said it's been associated with arthritis, bone breaks, and thyroid disease.Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn.How fluoride recommendations can be changedThe CDC's recommendations are widely followed but not mandatory.State and local governments decide whether to add fluoride to water and, if so, how much — as long as it doesn't exceed the EPA's limit of 4 milligrams per liter.So Kennedy can't order communities to stop fluoridation, but he can tell the CDC to stop recommending it.It would be customary to convene a panel of experts to comb through the research and assess the evidence that speak to the pros and cons of water fluoridation. But Kennedy has the power to stop or change a CDC recommendation without that."The power lies with the secretary," but public trust would erode if recommendations are changed without a clear scientific basis, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University."If you're really serious about this, you don't just come in and change it," he said. "You ask somebody like the National Academy of Sciences to do a study — and then you follow their recommendations."On Monday, Kennedy said he was forming a task force to focus on fluoride, while at the same time saying he would order the CDC to stop recommending it.HHS officials did not answer immediately questions seeking more information about what the task force would be doing.Some places are already pulling back on fluoridationUtah recently became the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water, and legislators elsewhere are looking at the issue.An Associated Press analysis of CDC data for 36 states shows that many communities have halted fluoridation in recent years.Over the last six years, at least 734 water systems that consistently reported their data in those states have stopped fluoridating water, according to the AP's analysis.Mississippi alone accounted for more than 1 in 5 of those water systems that stopped. Most water systems that discontinued fluoridation mainly did so to save money, said Melissa Parker, the Mississippi state health department's assistant senior deputy.During the pandemic, Mississippi's health department allowed local water systems to temporarily cease fluoridating because they could not purchase sodium fluoride in the midst of global supply chain issues. Many never restarted, Parker said.CDC funding for fluoride is typically a small factorSince 2003, CDC has funded a limited number of state oral health programs through cooperative agreements. The agreements run in cycles, and at the beginning of this year 15 states were each receiving $380,000 over three years.The money can be used on a number of things, including collecting data on people with dental problems, dental care and technical assistance for community water fluoridation activities.The current oral health funding is going to Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin.The states are told not to use the money for chemicals, because the funding is intended to help set up fluoridation, not for everyday expenses, federal officials have said. South Carolina, for example, sets aside up to $50,000 to help communities in that state fluoridate. Iowa spends about $65,000 to promote community water fluoridation.Earlier this year, CDC officials declined to answer questions about how much of the total oral health money has been going toward fluoridation.Now, there is no one to ask: Last week, the CDC's entire 20-person Division of Oral Health was eliminated as part of widespread government staffing cuts.Congress appropriated money to CDC specifically to support oral health programs, and some congressional staffers say the agency must distribute those funds no matter who is running the HHS or CDC. But Trump-driven budget cuts have struck at a number of programs that Congress had called for, and it's not clear what will happen to the CDC oral health funding.Fluoridation is relatively cheap compared with other water department expenses, and most communities simply incorporate the cost into the water rates charged to customers, according to the American Water Works Association.In Erie, Pennsylvania, for example, fluoridating water for 220,000 people costs about $35,000 to $45,000 a year and is entirely funded by water rates, said Craig Palmer, the chief executive of the Erie Water Authority.So cutting off the CDC money would not have much impact on most communities, some experts said, although it could be more impactful for some smaller, rural communities.___Pananjady reported from Philadelphia.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

🎥Why water fluoridation is under fire in the US

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks dove Tuesday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">another stunning reversal</a>, with Wall Street veering from a huge gain at the opening of trading to more losses at the close, because investors still have no idea what to make of President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-stock-market-52a00ea2bb92a067ee72343941b02cd4">trade war</a>, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">scheduled to kick into a higher gear</a>&nbsp;after midnight.

After blasting to an early gain of 4.1%, which would have marked its best day in years, the S&amp;P 500 quickly lost all of it. It then careened to a loss of 3% before paring its drop to 1.6%. That left the index, which sits at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dow-jones-industrial-average-record-rally-22aaf53da73b4550af35e7c40cf30214#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The,good%20year%20for%20Wall%20Street.">heart of many investors’ 401(k) accounts</a>, nearly 19% below its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-market-china-asia-technology-5d60888d8ea6f1e9c7dc19e8c89833e8">record set in February</a>.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 320 points, or 0.8%, after erasing an earlier surge of 1,460 points, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 2.1%.

The shocking swings followed rallies for stocks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trade-tariffs-asia-579f182cc6204270de2eb3f549100b2e">globally</a>&nbsp;earlier in the day, with indexes up 6% in Tokyo, 2.5% in Paris and 1.6% in Shanghai. But even after those jumps, analysts had been warning to expect more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">swings up and down</a>&nbsp;for financial markets not just in the days ahead but also the hours.

The big question remains centered on how long Trump will keep his stiff tariffs on other countries, which would raise prices for U.S. shoppers and slow the economy. If they last a long time, economists and investors expect them to cause a recession. But if Trump lowers them through negotiations relatively quickly, the worst-case scenario can be avoided.

Hope still remains on Wall Street that negotiations may be possible, which helped drive the morning’s rally. Trump said Tuesday that a conversation with South Korea’s acting president helped them reach the “confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries.”

“Their top TEAM is on a plane heading to the U.S., and things are looking good,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “We are likewise dealing with many other countries, all of whom want to make a deal with the United States.”

Japanese stocks led global markets higher after the country’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, appointed his trade negotiator for talks with the United States. It was based on an agreement between Ishiba and Trump, Japanese officials said.

But investors should still remain cautious, said Sameer Samana, a senior global market strategist for Wells Fargo Investment Institute. He pointed to how “the key countries continue to escalate, rather than de-escalate.”

China said it will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-tariffs-trade-trump-b5010acb08114304d8c36267b47eda13">“fight to the end”</a>&nbsp;and warned of countermeasures after Trump threatened on Monday to raise his tariffs even further on the world’s second-largest economy.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt then said Tuesday that Trump’s threats of even higher tariffs on China will become reality after midnight, when imports from China will be taxed at a stunning 104% rate.

That would coincide with Trump’s latest set of broad tariffs, which are scheduled to kick in at 12:01 a.m. And Trump has made clear that he does not intend to have any exemptions or exclusions in the tariffs, according to the country’s top trade negotiator,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-trump-greer-trade-38a91d4dbec9ac01a85aa54539b6c696">Jamieson Greer.</a>

The U.S. trade representative also said in testimony before a Senate committee that roughly 50 countries have already been in contact, and he’s told them: “If you have a better idea to achieve reciprocity and to get our trade deficit down, we want to talk with you, we want to negotiate with you.”

Trump’s trade war is an attack on the globalization that’s shaped the world’s economy and helped bring down prices for products on store shelves but also caused manufacturing jobs to leave for other countries. Trump has said he wants to narrow trade deficits, which measure how much more the United States imports from other countries than it sends to them as exports.

On Wall Street, companies with vast supply chains around the world helped lead the losses. Ralph Lauren sank 5.6%, for example. It sourced about 15% of its products from China last fiscal year.

Best Buy doesn’t import many products directly from China, but the electronics industry in general has a supply chain that heavily depends on the country. Best Buy estimates vendor imports from China make up about 55% of the products it purchases, and the retailer’s stock fell 8.3%

On the winning side of Wall Street were health insurers, which rose after the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services announced a stronger-than-expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-humana-medicare-advantage-2026-rates-fa63b549d1859e4edbd7c3545b9ad2f4">increase in Medicare Advantage payments</a>&nbsp;for next year. Humana jumped 10.7%, and United Health climbed 5.4%.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 lost 79.48 points to 4,982.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 320.01 to 37,645.59, and the Nasdaq composite sank 335.35 to 15,267.91.

In the bond market, longer-term Treasury yields rose for a second straight day to recover more of their sharp losses from prior months. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.27% from 4.15% late Monday and from just 4.01% late Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks dove Tuesday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">another stunning reversal</a>, with Wall Street veering from a huge gain at the opening of trading to more losses at the close, because investors still have no idea what to make of President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-stock-market-52a00ea2bb92a067ee72343941b02cd4">trade war</a>, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">scheduled to kick into a higher gear</a>&nbsp;after midnight.After blasting to an early gain of 4.1%, which would have marked its best day in years, the S&amp;P 500 quickly lost all of it. It then careened to a loss of 3% before paring its drop to 1.6%. That left the index, which sits at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dow-jones-industrial-average-record-rally-22aaf53da73b4550af35e7c40cf30214#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20The,good%20year%20for%20Wall%20Street.">heart of many investors’ 401(k) accounts</a>, nearly 19% below its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-market-china-asia-technology-5d60888d8ea6f1e9c7dc19e8c89833e8">record set in February</a>.The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 320 points, or 0.8%, after erasing an earlier surge of 1,460 points, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 2.1%.The shocking swings followed rallies for stocks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trade-tariffs-asia-579f182cc6204270de2eb3f549100b2e">globally</a>&nbsp;earlier in the day, with indexes up 6% in Tokyo, 2.5% in Paris and 1.6% in Shanghai. But even after those jumps, analysts had been warning to expect more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-nikkei-tariffs-trump-76d0de278a6cad291ace624a74a6a1b6">swings up and down</a>&nbsp;for financial markets not just in the days ahead but also the hours.The big question remains centered on how long Trump will keep his stiff tariffs on other countries, which would raise prices for U.S. shoppers and slow the economy. If they last a long time, economists and investors expect them to cause a recession. But if Trump lowers them through negotiations relatively quickly, the worst-case scenario can be avoided.Hope still remains on Wall Street that negotiations may be possible, which helped drive the morning’s rally. Trump said Tuesday that a conversation with South Korea’s acting president helped them reach the “confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries.”“Their top TEAM is on a plane heading to the U.S., and things are looking good,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “We are likewise dealing with many other countries, all of whom want to make a deal with the United States.”Japanese stocks led global markets higher after the country’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, appointed his trade negotiator for talks with the United States. It was based on an agreement between Ishiba and Trump, Japanese officials said.But investors should still remain cautious, said Sameer Samana, a senior global market strategist for Wells Fargo Investment Institute. He pointed to how “the key countries continue to escalate, rather than de-escalate.”China said it will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-us-tariffs-trade-trump-b5010acb08114304d8c36267b47eda13">“fight to the end”</a>&nbsp;and warned of countermeasures after Trump threatened on Monday to raise his tariffs even further on the world’s second-largest economy.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt then said Tuesday that Trump’s threats of even higher tariffs on China will become reality after midnight, when imports from China will be taxed at a stunning 104% rate.That would coincide with Trump’s latest set of broad tariffs, which are scheduled to kick in at 12:01 a.m. And Trump has made clear that he does not intend to have any exemptions or exclusions in the tariffs, according to the country’s top trade negotiator,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-trump-greer-trade-38a91d4dbec9ac01a85aa54539b6c696">Jamieson Greer.</a>The U.S. trade representative also said in testimony before a Senate committee that roughly 50 countries have already been in contact, and he’s told them: “If you have a better idea to achieve reciprocity and to get our trade deficit down, we want to talk with you, we want to negotiate with you.”Trump’s trade war is an attack on the globalization that’s shaped the world’s economy and helped bring down prices for products on store shelves but also caused manufacturing jobs to leave for other countries. Trump has said he wants to narrow trade deficits, which measure how much more the United States imports from other countries than it sends to them as exports.On Wall Street, companies with vast supply chains around the world helped lead the losses. Ralph Lauren sank 5.6%, for example. It sourced about 15% of its products from China last fiscal year.Best Buy doesn’t import many products directly from China, but the electronics industry in general has a supply chain that heavily depends on the country. Best Buy estimates vendor imports from China make up about 55% of the products it purchases, and the retailer’s stock fell 8.3%On the winning side of Wall Street were health insurers, which rose after the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services announced a stronger-than-expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-humana-medicare-advantage-2026-rates-fa63b549d1859e4edbd7c3545b9ad2f4">increase in Medicare Advantage payments</a>&nbsp;for next year. Humana jumped 10.7%, and United Health climbed 5.4%.All told, the S&amp;P 500 lost 79.48 points to 4,982.77. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 320.01 to 37,645.59, and the Nasdaq composite sank 335.35 to 15,267.91.In the bond market, longer-term Treasury yields rose for a second straight day to recover more of their sharp losses from prior months. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.27% from 4.15% late Monday and from just 4.01% late Friday.

U.S. stocks continue plunge as uncertainty reigns about Trump's tariffs

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>

WASHINGTON — The IRS and Department of Homeland Security reached an agreement Monday to share tax information of immigrants who have final orders of removal to help immigration agents find and deport the immigrants, according to documents filed in court.

No information between the two agencies has been shared yet, according&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.30.1_1.pdf" target="_blank">to the filings</a>&nbsp;in federal court in the District of Columbia, but the partnership would impact&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/removal-system-united-states-overview" target="_blank">more than 1 million immigrants</a>&nbsp;with final removal orders, as the Trump administration carries out mass deportations of immigrants without permanent legal status.

According to a memorandum of understanding signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and submitted to the court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials can ask the IRS to provide information about immigrants with orders of removal or immigrants involved in criminal investigations.

Some of that tax information includes sensitive details such as current addresses and information about child tax dependents.

It would be the first time the IRS shared sensitive tax information to carry out immigration enforcement.

In 2023, immigrants in the country without legal authority paid more than $89 billion in taxes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/topics/tax-contributions" target="_blank">according to the left-leaning think tank the American Immigration Council.</a>

In order to file taxes without a social security number, someone who is not a U.S. citizen would use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or an&nbsp;ITIN. As of 2022, there were more than 5.8 million active&nbsp;ITINs,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2024-11/2024400012fr.pdf" target="_blank">according to a report by the Treasury Department Inspect General</a>.

The government filed the document in a case brought by immigration rights groups the Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and Immigrant Solidarity DuPage. The groups are trying to block the IRS from sharing tax records with DHS for immigration enforcement, arguing that such sharing violates IRS disclosure laws.

The Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.31.0.pdf" target="_blank">moved Monday</a>&nbsp;to dismiss the suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing that “providing information to assist criminal investigations—is lawful.”

A hearing on a preliminary injunction to block such information sharing between IRS and DHS is set for April 16 before federal Judge&nbsp;Dabney L. Friedrich, whom President Donald Trump appointed in 2017.

Friedrich ruled against the groups last month, when they asked for a temporary restraining order following a story by The Washington Post that the agencies were considering sharing information in order to find immigrants to deport.

“A single news report about future cooperation between the IRS and DHS does not establish that the plaintiffs’ members are facing imminent injury,” according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.16.0.pdf" target="_blank">March 19 order.&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744140809307.png" alt="&nbsp;Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ahead of&nbsp; raid in Arizona Tuesday" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ahead of&nbsp; raid in Arizona Tuesday</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>WASHINGTON — The IRS and Department of Homeland Security reached an agreement Monday to share tax information of immigrants who have final orders of removal to help immigration agents find and deport the immigrants, according to documents filed in court.No information between the two agencies has been shared yet, according&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.30.1_1.pdf" target="_blank">to the filings</a>&nbsp;in federal court in the District of Columbia, but the partnership would impact&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/removal-system-united-states-overview" target="_blank">more than 1 million immigrants</a>&nbsp;with final removal orders, as the Trump administration carries out mass deportations of immigrants without permanent legal status.According to a memorandum of understanding signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and submitted to the court, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials can ask the IRS to provide information about immigrants with orders of removal or immigrants involved in criminal investigations.Some of that tax information includes sensitive details such as current addresses and information about child tax dependents.It would be the first time the IRS shared sensitive tax information to carry out immigration enforcement.In 2023, immigrants in the country without legal authority paid more than $89 billion in taxes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/topics/tax-contributions" target="_blank">according to the left-leaning think tank the American Immigration Council.</a>In order to file taxes without a social security number, someone who is not a U.S. citizen would use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, or an&nbsp;ITIN. As of 2022, there were more than 5.8 million active&nbsp;ITINs,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tigta.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2024-11/2024400012fr.pdf" target="_blank">according to a report by the Treasury Department Inspect General</a>.<h2>Groups challenging information sharing</h2>The government filed the document in a case brought by immigration rights groups the Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and Immigrant Solidarity DuPage. The groups are trying to block the IRS from sharing tax records with DHS for immigration enforcement, arguing that such sharing violates IRS disclosure laws.The Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.31.0.pdf" target="_blank">moved Monday</a>&nbsp;to dismiss the suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, arguing that “providing information to assist criminal investigations—is lawful.”A hearing on a preliminary injunction to block such information sharing between IRS and DHS is set for April 16 before federal Judge&nbsp;Dabney L. Friedrich, whom President Donald Trump appointed in 2017.Friedrich ruled against the groups last month, when they asked for a temporary restraining order following a story by The Washington Post that the agencies were considering sharing information in order to find immigrants to deport.“A single news report about future cooperation between the IRS and DHS does not establish that the plaintiffs’ members are facing imminent injury,” according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147/gov.uscourts.dcd.278147.16.0.pdf" target="_blank">March 19 order.&nbsp;</a>Last updated 1:17 p.m., Apr. 8, 2025

IRS to share immigrants’ tax info with DHS

LONDON (AP) — Instagram users under 16 won’t be able to livestream or unblur nudity in direct messages they’ve received without parental approval, owner Meta Platforms said Tuesday as it widened its safety measures for teenagers.

The social media company also said it was extending safeguards for users under 18 to Facebook and Messenger.

Meta launched its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/instagram-meta-teen-accounts-kids-425a05cc37f81b6ff2b7439d3884c54a">teen account program</a>&nbsp;for Instagram in September to give parents more options to supervise their children’s online activity amid a growing backlash against how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-social-media-mental-health-df321c791493863001754401676f165c">social media affects</a>&nbsp;the lives of young people.

The latest changes will roll out first to users in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia, before going out to global users in the following months.

Under the changes, teens under 16 are blocked from using Instagram Live unless parents give permission. They also need permission to “turn off our feature that blurs images containing suspected nudity” in direct messages, Meta said in a blog post.

In another major update, Meta said it’s extending the teen account safeguards to its Facebook and Messenger platforms,

These will include protections already in place for teen Instagram users, including setting teen accounts to private by default, blocking private messages from strangers, strict limits on sensitive content like fight videos, reminders to get off the app after 60 minutes and notifications that are halted during bedtime hours.

“Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens’ time is well spent,” Meta said.

The company said at least 54 million teen accounts have been set up since the program launched in September.

LONDON (AP) — Instagram users under 16 won’t be able to livestream or unblur nudity in direct messages they’ve received without parental approval, owner Meta Platforms said Tuesday as it widened its safety measures for teenagers.The social media company also said it was extending safeguards for users under 18 to Facebook and Messenger.Meta launched its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/instagram-meta-teen-accounts-kids-425a05cc37f81b6ff2b7439d3884c54a">teen account program</a>&nbsp;for Instagram in September to give parents more options to supervise their children’s online activity amid a growing backlash against how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/surgeon-general-social-media-mental-health-df321c791493863001754401676f165c">social media affects</a>&nbsp;the lives of young people.The latest changes will roll out first to users in the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia, before going out to global users in the following months.Under the changes, teens under 16 are blocked from using Instagram Live unless parents give permission. They also need permission to “turn off our feature that blurs images containing suspected nudity” in direct messages, Meta said in a blog post.In another major update, Meta said it’s extending the teen account safeguards to its Facebook and Messenger platforms,These will include protections already in place for teen Instagram users, including setting teen accounts to private by default, blocking private messages from strangers, strict limits on sensitive content like fight videos, reminders to get off the app after 60 minutes and notifications that are halted during bedtime hours.“Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger will offer similar, automatic protections to limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact, as well as ways to ensure teens’ time is well spent,” Meta said.The company said at least 54 million teen accounts have been set up since the program launched in September.

New rules will limit kids under 16 on Instagram 

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man involved in a fatal 2022 shooting captured on a security camera is scheduled to learn his fate Tuesday.

Michael Austin, Jr., 40, Wichita, is scheduled to appear in Judge Eric Williams' courtroom Tuesday afternoon for sentencing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In the March 2022 shooting, Amyion Mcdowell-Mitchell, 18, died following an argument during a party at a home in the 5000 block of Osie in Wichita, according to Wichita Police.&nbsp; Security camera images showed a suspect, later identified as Austin, running from the scene of the crime. Police arrested Austin in March of 2023

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1677942669452.png" alt="Austin photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Austin photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man involved in a fatal 2022 shooting captured on a security camera is scheduled to learn his fate Tuesday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1677943190851.png" alt="Image from the security camera video released by police" />
 <figcaption>Image from the security camera video released by police</figcaption>
 </figure>Michael Austin, Jr., 40, Wichita, is scheduled to appear in Judge Eric Williams' courtroom Tuesday afternoon for sentencing, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In the March 2022 shooting, Amyion Mcdowell-Mitchell, 18, died following an argument during a party at a home in the 5000 block of Osie in Wichita, according to Wichita Police.&nbsp; Security camera images showed a suspect, later identified as Austin, running from the scene of the crime. Police arrested Austin in March of 2023

Sentencing day: For Kansas killer caught on security camera

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday blocked an order for the Trump administration to return to work thousands of federal employees who were let go in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mass-firings-federal-workers-trump-administration-7cc7320f469cc65529367aaea2fd9dcb">mass firings</a>&nbsp;aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government.

The justices acted in the administration’s emergency appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California ordering that 16,000 probationary employees be reinstated while a lawsuit plays out because their firings didn’t follow federal law.

The effect of the high court’s order will keep employees in six federal agencies on paid administrative leave for now. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have kept the judge's order in place.

A second lawsuit, filed in Maryland, also resulted in an order blocking the firings at those same six agencies, plus roughly a dozen more. But that order only applies in the 19 states and the District of Columbia that sued the administration.

The Justice Department is separately appealing the Maryland order.

At least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminated since Trump took office, the lawsuits claim, though the government has not confirmed that number.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the terminations were improperly directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director. He ordered rehiring at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury.

His order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and nonprofit organizations that argued they’d be affected by the reduced manpower.

Alsup, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, expressed frustration with what he called the government’s attempt to sidestep laws and regulations by firing probationary workers with fewer legal protections.

He said he was appalled that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier.

The administration has insisted that the agencies themselves directed the firings and they “have since decided to stand by those terminations,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741729690736.png" alt="File photo- Hundreds of workers at the U.S. Dept. of Education among those fired." />
 <figcaption>File photo- Hundreds of workers at the U.S. Dept. of Education among those fired.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday blocked an order for the Trump administration to return to work thousands of federal employees who were let go in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mass-firings-federal-workers-trump-administration-7cc7320f469cc65529367aaea2fd9dcb">mass firings</a>&nbsp;aimed at dramatically downsizing the federal government.The justices acted in the administration’s emergency appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California ordering that 16,000 probationary employees be reinstated while a lawsuit plays out because their firings didn’t follow federal law.The effect of the high court’s order will keep employees in six federal agencies on paid administrative leave for now. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson said they would have kept the judge's order in place.A second lawsuit, filed in Maryland, also resulted in an order blocking the firings at those same six agencies, plus roughly a dozen more. But that order only applies in the 19 states and the District of Columbia that sued the administration.The Justice Department is separately appealing the Maryland order.At least 24,000 probationary employees have been terminated since Trump took office, the lawsuits claim, though the government has not confirmed that number.U.S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco ruled that the terminations were improperly directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director. He ordered rehiring at the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior and the Treasury.His order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and nonprofit organizations that argued they’d be affected by the reduced manpower.Alsup, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, expressed frustration with what he called the government’s attempt to sidestep laws and regulations by firing probationary workers with fewer legal protections.He said he was appalled that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier.The administration has insisted that the agencies themselves directed the firings and they “have since decided to stand by those terminations,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer told the court.

U.S. Supreme Court halts reinstatement of fired federal workers

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JAMIE%20STENGLE%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press</a>

A day care facility in a Texas county that's part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-new-mexico-vaccine-rfk-d5444b3397ac7c4034e63becc219aa33">measles outbreak</a>&nbsp;has multiple cases, including children too young to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-mmr-vaccine-texas-rfk-ff8e744b19ead87698d7217de02814ee">fully vaccinated</a>, public health officials say.

West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 481 cases Friday. The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10. The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico.

Three people who were unvaccinated have died from measles-related illnesses this year, including two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">elementary school-aged children</a>&nbsp;in Texas. The second child died Thursday at a Lubbock hospital, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the funeral</a>&nbsp;in Seminole, the epicenter of the outbreak.

As of Friday, there were seven cases at a day care where one young child who was infectious gave it to two other children before it spread to other classrooms, Lubbock Public Health director Katherine Wells said.

“Measles is so contagious I won’t be surprised if it enters other facilities,” Wells said.

There are more than 200 children at the day care, Wells said, and most have had least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which is first recommended between 12 and 15 months old and a second shot between 4 and 6 years old.

“We do have some children that have only received one dose that are now infected,” she said.

The public health department is recommending that any child with only one vaccine get their second dose early, and changed its recommendation for kids in Lubbock County to get the first vaccine dose at 6 months old instead of 1. A child who is unvaccinated and attends the day care must stay home for 21 days since their last exposure, Wells said.

Case count and hospitalization numbers in Texas have climbed steadily since the outbreak began, and spiked by 81 cases from March 28 to April 4, with 16 more people hospitalized in that time.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met with Texas officials Monday to determine how many people it would send to West Texas to assist with the outbreak response, spokesman Jason McDonald said Monday. He expected a small team to arrive later this week, followed by a bigger group on the ground next week.

The CDC said its first team was in the region from early March to April 1, withdrawing on-the-ground support days before a second child died in the outbreak.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1743085628490.png" alt="Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.png" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.png</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JAMIE%20STENGLE%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press</a>A day care facility in a Texas county that's part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-new-mexico-vaccine-rfk-d5444b3397ac7c4034e63becc219aa33">measles outbreak</a>&nbsp;has multiple cases, including children too young to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-mmr-vaccine-texas-rfk-ff8e744b19ead87698d7217de02814ee">fully vaccinated</a>, public health officials say.West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 481 cases Friday. The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10. The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico.Three people who were unvaccinated have died from measles-related illnesses this year, including two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">elementary school-aged children</a>&nbsp;in Texas. The second child died Thursday at a Lubbock hospital, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the funeral</a>&nbsp;in Seminole, the epicenter of the outbreak.As of Friday, there were seven cases at a day care where one young child who was infectious gave it to two other children before it spread to other classrooms, Lubbock Public Health director Katherine Wells said.“Measles is so contagious I won’t be surprised if it enters other facilities,” Wells said.There are more than 200 children at the day care, Wells said, and most have had least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, which is first recommended between 12 and 15 months old and a second shot between 4 and 6 years old.“We do have some children that have only received one dose that are now infected,” she said.The public health department is recommending that any child with only one vaccine get their second dose early, and changed its recommendation for kids in Lubbock County to get the first vaccine dose at 6 months old instead of 1. A child who is unvaccinated and attends the day care must stay home for 21 days since their last exposure, Wells said.Case count and hospitalization numbers in Texas have climbed steadily since the outbreak began, and spiked by 81 cases from March 28 to April 4, with 16 more people hospitalized in that time.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met with Texas officials Monday to determine how many people it would send to West Texas to assist with the outbreak response, spokesman Jason McDonald said Monday. He expected a small team to arrive later this week, followed by a bigger group on the ground next week.The CDC said its first team was in the region from early March to April 1, withdrawing on-the-ground support days before a second child died in the outbreak.

Measles outbreak includes multiple cases at a day care 

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas mom convicted on charges connected with a crash that left another woman severely injured is going to prison.

On April 3, a judge sentenced 28-year-old Alexandria Rodriquez to 38 months in prison for a DUI crash into a woman who was in a crosswalk., according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;

She must also pay $17,000 in restitution to the woman injured in the crash.

Just after 6p.m. December 2, 2024, police responded to report of an injury accident at the intersection of Lincoln and Rock Road in Wichita, according to police.

Investigators determined a vehicle driven by Rodriguez was northbound on Rock Road and struck a pedestrian walking east to west in the crosswalk.&nbsp; Police took Rodriguez into custody. EMS transported the female pedestrian to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries. Rodriguez had three children in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733494691695.png" alt="Rodriguez photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Rodriguez photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas mom convicted on charges connected with a crash that left another woman severely injured is going to prison.On April 3, a judge sentenced 28-year-old Alexandria Rodriquez to 38 months in prison for a DUI crash into a woman who was in a crosswalk., according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;She must also pay $17,000 in restitution to the woman injured in the crash.Just after 6p.m. December 2, 2024, police responded to report of an injury accident at the intersection of Lincoln and Rock Road in Wichita, according to police.Investigators determined a vehicle driven by Rodriguez was northbound on Rock Road and struck a pedestrian walking east to west in the crosswalk.&nbsp; Police took Rodriguez into custody. EMS transported the female pedestrian to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries. Rodriguez had three children in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

Prison: Kan. mom struck woman in crosswalk while driving drunk

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill that bans policies requiring adopted and foster parents to affirm a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity if it conflicts with the parents’ religious or moral beliefs.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2311/" target="_blank">House Bill 2311</a>&nbsp;would forbid the secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families from placing children in homes based on a guardian’s beliefs on sexual orientation or gender identity, which opponents said could leave LGBTQ+ young people in Kansas’ foster care system vulnerable to prejudicial households. The legislation also would allow people to sue DCF for damages and attorney fees if barriers to foster care or adoption were enforced after July 1, when the bill was set to go into effect.&nbsp;

The governor said Monday the bill detracts from the state’s “best interest of the child” standard.

“Children in need of care already face unique and complex challenges. I will not sign legislation that could further complicate their lives,” Kelly said in a news release. “I also have concerns that this bill could expose the state to frivolous lawsuits and hinder the agency by taking time and resources away from critical services.”

Republican leadership saw the bill differently, characterizing it as a way to ensure foster parents aren’t discriminated against for their religious beliefs.&nbsp;

In a joint statement, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, and Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, called the veto “perplexing” because, in their view, the legislation would extend First Amendment protections to foster parents.&nbsp;

“Our foster care system depends on strong and stable families to care for the children in our system,” they said. “The last thing any administration should be doing is discriminating against qualified families due to their religious and moral beliefs.”

The bill has been framed as a freedom of religious expression issue, but it also targets LGBTQ+ children in the state’s foster care and adoption systems.&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/21/kansas-house-embraces-bill-on-religious-moral-liberty-within-states-foster-care-program/">Proponents argued</a>&nbsp;religious foster parents shouldn’t have to bury their beliefs to adopt or act as foster parents, but opponents say LGBTQ+ kids in the foster care system deserve loving, accepting families.&nbsp;

House Minority Leader Rep. Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, thanked Kelly for the veto, describing the bill as “potentially harmful” because it would “allow adoption and foster care agencies to prioritize religious beliefs over the best interests of children.”

LGBTQ+ youths report disproportionately higher rates of depression, suicide and bullying than their peers. The Trevor Project, one of the nation’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, conducts an annual national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youths, which in 2024 showed&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/state-reports-kansas-2024/" target="_blank">63% of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed</a>&nbsp;in Kansas said they’ve been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year.

“LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities,” the organization’s 2024 survey found.

The Legislature’s veto session is set to convene Thursday, when Republicans with expanded supermajorities can override any of the governor’s vetoes with two-thirds of votes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739315068850.png" alt="File -Gov. Laura Kelly during the 2025 State of the State address" />
 <figcaption>File -Gov. Laura Kelly during the 2025 State of the State address</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill that bans policies requiring adopted and foster parents to affirm a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity if it conflicts with the parents’ religious or moral beliefs.<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2311/" target="_blank">House Bill 2311</a>&nbsp;would forbid the secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families from placing children in homes based on a guardian’s beliefs on sexual orientation or gender identity, which opponents said could leave LGBTQ+ young people in Kansas’ foster care system vulnerable to prejudicial households. The legislation also would allow people to sue DCF for damages and attorney fees if barriers to foster care or adoption were enforced after July 1, when the bill was set to go into effect.&nbsp;The governor said Monday the bill detracts from the state’s “best interest of the child” standard.“Children in need of care already face unique and complex challenges. I will not sign legislation that could further complicate their lives,” Kelly said in a news release. “I also have concerns that this bill could expose the state to frivolous lawsuits and hinder the agency by taking time and resources away from critical services.”Republican leadership saw the bill differently, characterizing it as a way to ensure foster parents aren’t discriminated against for their religious beliefs.&nbsp;In a joint statement, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, and Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, called the veto “perplexing” because, in their view, the legislation would extend First Amendment protections to foster parents.&nbsp;The veto cannot stand, they said.“Our foster care system depends on strong and stable families to care for the children in our system,” they said. “The last thing any administration should be doing is discriminating against qualified families due to their religious and moral beliefs.”The bill has been framed as a freedom of religious expression issue, but it also targets LGBTQ+ children in the state’s foster care and adoption systems.&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/21/kansas-house-embraces-bill-on-religious-moral-liberty-within-states-foster-care-program/">Proponents argued</a>&nbsp;religious foster parents shouldn’t have to bury their beliefs to adopt or act as foster parents, but opponents say LGBTQ+ kids in the foster care system deserve loving, accepting families.&nbsp;House Minority Leader Rep. Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, thanked Kelly for the veto, describing the bill as “potentially harmful” because it would “allow adoption and foster care agencies to prioritize religious beliefs over the best interests of children.”LGBTQ+ youths report disproportionately higher rates of depression, suicide and bullying than their peers. The Trevor Project, one of the nation’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, conducts an annual national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youths, which in 2024 showed&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/state-reports-kansas-2024/" target="_blank">63% of LGBTQ+ young people surveyed</a>&nbsp;in Kansas said they’ve been discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year.“LGBTQ+ young people who reported living in very accepting communities attempted suicide at less than half the rate of those who reported living in very unaccepting communities,” the organization’s 2024 survey found.The Legislature’s veto session is set to convene Thursday, when Republicans with expanded supermajorities can override any of the governor’s vetoes with two-thirds of votes.

Kan. governor vetoes bill that removes protections for LGBTQ+ foster kids in religious households

SHAWNE COUNTY—The Topeka Rescue Mission reported on Monday a staff member was injured during a “tragic incident” outside of the mission.

According to a statement from the mission, the incident occurred Friday.

“Our entire TRM team is devastated by this event,” said CEO, La Manda Cunningham. “Each of our employees is precious to our team and our mission, so when one of us is injured in any way it has a significant and far-reaching impact.  Due to this being a personnel issue coupled with our desire to respect our employee’s privacy we are unable to share much information at this time."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744109113316.png" alt="Photo courtesy Topeka Rescue Mission" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Topeka Rescue Mission</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNE COUNTY—The Topeka Rescue Mission reported on Monday a staff member was injured during a “tragic incident” outside of the mission.According to a statement from the mission, the incident occurred Friday.“Our entire TRM team is devastated by this event,” said CEO, La Manda Cunningham. “Each of our employees is precious to our team and our mission, so when one of us is injured in any way it has a significant and far-reaching impact. Due to this being a personnel issue coupled with our desire to respect our employee’s privacy we are unable to share much information at this time."The employee remains in stable but critical condition, according to the statement.The mission is working closely with and fully cooperating with the Topeka Police Department in their investigation."The mission will continue to provide support to our injured employee, all affected employees, family members, and guests staying with us at the mission, as well as those unsheltered neighbors who are also impacted by the occurrence."“Each of our staff members is precious to us, not just as employees but also as loved members of God's family. We are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our staff, and we will be working closely with authorities to understand this event while also praying for the suspect who was apprehended immediately,” added Mrs. Cunningham.&nbsp; The mission is "providing spiritual support to all employees who are struggling with the emotional impact of this incident."