HIGHLANDVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Two Missouri sheriff’s deputies were fatally shot, one during a traffic stop and the other hours later during an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, who was also killed, authorities said.

Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said the initial shooting happened during a traffic stop south of Highlandville on Monday in southwest Missouri, news outlets reported.

About 100 officers, deputies, and state troopers helped with the search for the suspect, Cole said. He says U.S. Marshals and FBI and ATF agents were also involved.

The suspected shooter’s truck was found abandoned several miles south near Reeds Spring and law enforcement officers searched the area nearby, Cole said. Early Tuesday, after a heat signature was detected in the woods, deputies moved in. Cole said the suspect opened fire, striking three deputies.

One Christian County deputy was killed and two other deputies, from Christian and Webster counties, were wounded with injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening, Cole said. Law enforcement officers on the scene returned fire and the suspect was killed, he said.

Cole identified the deputy killed in the initial shooting as Deputy Gabriel Ramirez.

“Deputy Ramirez was always kind to everybody, Cole said. “He was always a friend, was always there for anybody who needed a shoulder to lean on.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771932587902.png" alt="Bird from an earlier arrest in Stone Co." />
                        <figcaption>Bird from an earlier arrest in Stone Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>HIGHLANDVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Two Missouri sheriff’s deputies were fatally shot, one during a traffic stop and the other hours later during an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, who was also killed, authorities said.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Blue Alert CANCELLED<br>Suspect in Custody. <a href="https://t.co/BHzLQCclfE">https://t.co/BHzLQCclfE</a></p>&mdash; MSHP General HQ (@MSHPTrooperGHQ) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPTrooperGHQ/status/2026188740549640551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said the initial shooting happened during a traffic stop south of Highlandville on Monday in southwest Missouri, news outlets reported.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This morning, our hearts are heavy. Two brave Christian County deputies were killed and two more were injured in the line of duty. We pray for these officers, the families grieving this tragedy, and the brothers and sisters in blue who served alongside them. <br><br>We stand firmly…</p>&mdash; Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway (@AGCHanaway) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGCHanaway/status/2026294606342549526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>About 100 officers, deputies, and state troopers helped with the search for the suspect, Cole said. He says U.S. Marshals and FBI and ATF agents were also involved.</p><p>The suspected shooter’s truck was found abandoned several miles south near Reeds Spring and law enforcement officers searched the area nearby, Cole said. Early Tuesday, after a heat signature was detected in the woods, deputies moved in. Cole said the suspect opened fire, striking three deputies.</p><p>One Christian County deputy was killed and two other deputies, from Christian and Webster counties, were wounded with injuries that aren’t considered life-threatening, Cole said. Law enforcement officers on the scene returned fire and the suspect was killed, he said.</p><p>Cole identified the deputy killed in the initial shooting as Deputy Gabriel Ramirez.</p><p>“Deputy Ramirez was always kind to everybody, Cole said. “He was always a friend, was always there for anybody who needed a shoulder to lean on.”</p>

2 Missouri sheriff's deputies fatally shot, 2 others wounded

Someone knows how to find our mom and bring her home. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) — you can remain anonymous — or find a way to reach out to me.NOTE: Family reward of up to $1 million will be paid only for recovery of Nancy Guthrie, consistent with FBI criteria for payment of its reward in this case: <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/nancy-guthrie">Click here for details</a>

There is also a $100,000 reward in the case.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1770749564250.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The family of missing Tucson woman Nancy Guthrie is offering a private $1 million reward for credible information that directly leads to her return.<br><br>If you have firsthand knowledge of Nancy’s whereabouts or any information about where she may be located, please contact the FBI… <a href="https://t.co/FgeWFDizcJ">pic.twitter.com/FgeWFDizcJ</a></p>&mdash; FBI Phoenix (@FBIPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIPhoenix/status/2026296993211994352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVJKU2wADV3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); 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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVJKU2wADV3/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Savannah Guthrie (@savannahguthrie)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>Someone knows how to find our mom and bring her home. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) — you can remain anonymous — or find a way to reach out to me.NOTE: Family reward of up to $1 million will be paid only for recovery of Nancy Guthrie, consistent with FBI criteria for payment of its reward in this case: <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/nancy-guthrie">Click here for details</a></p><p>There is also a $100,000 reward in the case.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today, the FBI is increasing its reward up to $100,000 for information leading to the location of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.<br><br>New identifying details about the suspect in the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie have been… <a href="https://t.co/GJcx4ra6wX">pic.twitter.com/GJcx4ra6wX</a></p>&mdash; FBI Phoenix (@FBIPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIPhoenix/status/2022084453699350981?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Family offering $1 million reward in Nancy Guthrie mystery

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is set to invalidate about 1,700 driver’s licenses held by transgender residents and roughly as many birth certificates under a new law that goes beyond Republican-imposed restrictions in other states on listing gender identities in government documents.

The new law takes effect Thursday. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the measure but the Legislature's GOP supermajorities overrode it last week as Republican state lawmakers across the U.S. have pursued another round of measures to roll back transgender rights.

The bill prohibits documents from listing any sex other than the one assigned birth and invalidates any that reflect a conflicting gender identity. Florida, Tennessee and Texas also don't allow driver's licenses to reflect a trans person's gender identity, and at least eight states besides Kansas have policies that bar trans residents from changing their birth certificates.

But only Kansas' law requires reversing changes previously made for trans residents. Kansas officials expect to cancel about 1,700 driver's licenses and issue new birth certificates for up to 1,800 people.

“It tells me that Kansas Republicans are interested in being on the vanguard of the culture war and in a race to the bottom,” said Democratic state Rep. Abi Boatman, a transgender Air Force veteran appointed in January to fill a vacant Wichita seat.

Kansas' new law enjoyed nearly unanimous GOP support. It is the latest success in what has become an annual effort to further roll back transgender rights by Republicans in statehouses across the U.S., bolstered by policies and rhetoric from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-transgender-rights-lawsuit-e0c462aeb4662576e3569dfdf91b0a9c">President Donald Trump's administration.</a>

Trump and other Republicans attack research-backed conclusions that gender can change or be fluid as radical&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-order-passports-prisons-military-3c14ecbdd10f61618384e81624d090fb">“gender ideology."</a>&nbsp;GOP lawmakers in Kansas regularly describe transgender girls and women as male and as they say they're protecting women.

Like fellow Republicans, Kansas Senate Majority Leader Chase Blaisi said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-rights-campaign-trump-kamala-harris-democrats-republicans-bbae5660ef59110e5fc9c24f98b082d6">Trump’s reelection</a>&nbsp;and other GOP victories in 2024 show that voters want “to return to common sense" on gender.

"When I go home, people believe there are just two sexes, male and female,” Blasi said. “It’s basic biology I learned in high school.”

Kelly supports transgender rights, but GOP lawmakers have overridden her vetoes three of the past four years. Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-minors-kansas-07d1d75b82f3c7f9f6bc9b7daf02d8e9">bans gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for minors and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-athletes-ban-kansas-08604c663518fb2538565f3e1ac3d4ba">bars transgender women and girls</a>&nbsp;from female sports teams, kindergarten through college.

Transgender people can't use public restrooms, locker rooms or other single-sex facilities associated with their gender identities, though there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-bathroom-laws-enforcement-e96e94b8935eb6bd23a42562cdeeec6c">no enforcement mechanism</a>&nbsp;until this year's law added tough new provisions.

Transgender people have said carrying IDs that misgender them opens them to intrusive questions, harassment and even violence when they show it to police, merchants, and others.

In 2023, Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-birth-certificates-kansas-8424f36613c05d03b7d4eb8f82229ee6">halted changes</a>&nbsp;in Kansas birth certificates and driver's licenses by enacting a measure ending the state's legal recognition of trans residents' gender identities. Though the law didn't mention either document, it legally defined male and female by a person's “biological reproductive system” at birth.

However, a lawsuit led to state court decisions that last year permitted driver's license changes to resume.

Legislators in at least seven other states are considering bills to prevent transgender people from changing one or both documents, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://pluralpolicy.com/app/tagged-bills/49041">a search</a>&nbsp;using the bill-tracking software Plural.

The extra step by Kansas legislators reinforces a message “that trans people aren’t welcome,” said Anthony Alvarez, a transgender University of Kansas student who works for a pro-LGBTQ rights group.

Kansas is likely to notify transgender residents by mail that their driver's licenses are no longer valid and they need to go to a local licensing office to get a new one, said Zachary Denney, spokesperson for the agency that issues them.

The Legislature hasn't earmarked funds to cover the cost, so each person will pay it — $26 for a standard license.

Alvarez already has had four IDs in four years as he's changed his name, changed his gender marker and turned 21.

He's always planned to stay in his native Kansas after getting his history degree this spring.

But, he said, “They’re just making it harder and harder for me to live in the state that I love.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771940294917.jpeg" alt="Small transgender and LGBTQ rights flags sit on the desks of Kansas state Reps. Tobias Schlingensiepen, right, D-Topeka, and Kirk Haskins, left, also D-Topeka, in the Kansas House chamber, protesting a new law that will prevent transgender people from changing their driver's licenses and birth certificates to reflect their gender identities and nullify past changes, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas. (AP Photo/John Hanna)" />
                        <figcaption>Small transgender and LGBTQ rights flags sit on the desks of Kansas state Reps. Tobias Schlingensiepen, right, D-Topeka, and Kirk Haskins, left, also D-Topeka, in the Kansas House chamber, protesting a new law that will prevent transgender people from changing their driver's licenses and birth certificates to reflect their gender identities and nullify past changes, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas. (AP Photo/John Hanna)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;</p><p>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is set to invalidate about 1,700 driver’s licenses held by transgender residents and roughly as many birth certificates under a new law that goes beyond Republican-imposed restrictions in other states on listing gender identities in government documents.</p><p>The new law takes effect Thursday. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the measure but the Legislature's GOP supermajorities overrode it last week as Republican state lawmakers across the U.S. have pursued another round of measures to roll back transgender rights.</p><p>The bill prohibits documents from listing any sex other than the one assigned birth and invalidates any that reflect a conflicting gender identity. Florida, Tennessee and Texas also don't allow driver's licenses to reflect a trans person's gender identity, and at least eight states besides Kansas have policies that bar trans residents from changing their birth certificates.</p><p>But only Kansas' law requires reversing changes previously made for trans residents. Kansas officials expect to cancel about 1,700 driver's licenses and issue new birth certificates for up to 1,800 people.</p><p>“It tells me that Kansas Republicans are interested in being on the vanguard of the culture war and in a race to the bottom,” said Democratic state Rep. Abi Boatman, a transgender Air Force veteran appointed in January to fill a vacant Wichita seat.</p><p>Kansas' new law enjoyed nearly unanimous GOP support. It is the latest success in what has become an annual effort to further roll back transgender rights by Republicans in statehouses across the U.S., bolstered by policies and rhetoric from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-transgender-rights-lawsuit-e0c462aeb4662576e3569dfdf91b0a9c">President Donald Trump's administration.</a></p><p>Trump and other Republicans attack research-backed conclusions that gender can change or be fluid as radical&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-order-passports-prisons-military-3c14ecbdd10f61618384e81624d090fb">“gender ideology."</a>&nbsp;GOP lawmakers in Kansas regularly describe transgender girls and women as male and as they say they're protecting women.</p><p>Like fellow Republicans, Kansas Senate Majority Leader Chase Blaisi said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-rights-campaign-trump-kamala-harris-democrats-republicans-bbae5660ef59110e5fc9c24f98b082d6">Trump’s reelection</a>&nbsp;and other GOP victories in 2024 show that voters want “to return to common sense" on gender.</p><p>"When I go home, people believe there are just two sexes, male and female,” Blasi said. “It’s basic biology I learned in high school.”</p><p>Kelly supports transgender rights, but GOP lawmakers have overridden her vetoes three of the past four years. Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-minors-kansas-07d1d75b82f3c7f9f6bc9b7daf02d8e9">bans gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for minors and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-athletes-ban-kansas-08604c663518fb2538565f3e1ac3d4ba">bars transgender women and girls</a>&nbsp;from female sports teams, kindergarten through college.</p><p>Transgender people can't use public restrooms, locker rooms or other single-sex facilities associated with their gender identities, though there was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-bathroom-laws-enforcement-e96e94b8935eb6bd23a42562cdeeec6c">no enforcement mechanism</a>&nbsp;until this year's law added tough new provisions.</p><p>Transgender people have said carrying IDs that misgender them opens them to intrusive questions, harassment and even violence when they show it to police, merchants, and others.</p><p>In 2023, Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-birth-certificates-kansas-8424f36613c05d03b7d4eb8f82229ee6">halted changes</a>&nbsp;in Kansas birth certificates and driver's licenses by enacting a measure ending the state's legal recognition of trans residents' gender identities. Though the law didn't mention either document, it legally defined male and female by a person's “biological reproductive system” at birth.</p><p>However, a lawsuit led to state court decisions that last year permitted driver's license changes to resume.</p><p>Legislators in at least seven other states are considering bills to prevent transgender people from changing one or both documents, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://pluralpolicy.com/app/tagged-bills/49041">a search</a>&nbsp;using the bill-tracking software Plural.</p><p>But none would reverse past changes.</p><p>The extra step by Kansas legislators reinforces a message “that trans people aren’t welcome,” said Anthony Alvarez, a transgender University of Kansas student who works for a pro-LGBTQ rights group.</p><p>Kansas is likely to notify transgender residents by mail that their driver's licenses are no longer valid and they need to go to a local licensing office to get a new one, said Zachary Denney, spokesperson for the agency that issues them.</p><p>The Legislature hasn't earmarked funds to cover the cost, so each person will pay it — $26 for a standard license.</p><p>Alvarez already has had four IDs in four years as he's changed his name, changed his gender marker and turned 21.</p><p>He's always planned to stay in his native Kansas after getting his history degree this spring.</p><p>But, he said, “They’re just making it harder and harder for me to live in the state that I love.”</p>

New law puts Kansas at vanguard of ending trans IDs on drivers licenses, birth certificates

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Police have released more details surrounding the arrest of a man wanted in connection with the November shooting death of a 16-year-old Kansas boy.

On Friday, police asked the public for help to locate 20-year-old Nassir Tiriq Gill in connection with the November killing of 16-year-old Kingston Scott.

Late Monday, Topeka Police thanked members of the public for their assistance in providing information related to the crime and arrest. Police also thanked the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office.

 Just before 9p.m. Sunday, police booked 20-year-old&nbsp; Nassir Tiriq Gill into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, according to online jail records.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Just before 1a.m. November 22, 2025,&nbsp; police responded to several reports of gunshots around SE 37th Street and SE Adams Street in Topeka. While officers were investigating that area, they received information on a subject arriving at a local hospital by private vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. The victim later identified as Kingston Scott of Topeka was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;

As a result of the investigation police have already arrested two 16-year-old boys from Topeka on&nbsp;&nbsp;charges including murder, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle with great bodily harm and Aggravated Assault; Use of a deadly weapon.

&nbsp;Gill is being held on requested charges of&nbsp; Murder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated, Murder in the 1st degree; In the commission of a felony. Murder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle w great bodily harm, Criminal discharge of firearm; Recklessly at occupied dwelling and Criminal damage to property; Without consent value &lt; $1000, according to online jail records.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771847664741.png" alt="Gill photo Shawnee  County" />
                        <figcaption>Gill photo Shawnee  County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Police have released more details surrounding the arrest of a man wanted in connection with the November shooting death of a 16-year-old Kansas boy.</p><p>On Friday, police asked the public for help to locate 20-year-old Nassir Tiriq Gill in connection with the November killing of 16-year-old Kingston Scott.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1764973228137.png" alt="Kingston Scott photo GoFundMe" />
                        <figcaption>Kingston Scott photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Late Monday, Topeka Police thanked members of the public for their assistance in providing information related to the crime and arrest. Police also thanked the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office.</p><p> Just before 9p.m. Sunday, police booked 20-year-old&nbsp; Nassir Tiriq Gill into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections, according to online jail records.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Just before 1a.m. November 22, 2025,&nbsp; police responded to several reports of gunshots around SE 37th Street and SE Adams Street in Topeka. While officers were investigating that area, they received information on a subject arriving at a local hospital by private vehicle with apparent gunshot wounds. The victim later identified as Kingston Scott of Topeka was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;</p><p>As a result of the investigation police have already arrested two 16-year-old boys from Topeka on&nbsp;&nbsp;charges including murder, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle with great bodily harm and Aggravated Assault; Use of a deadly weapon.</p><p>&nbsp;Gill is being held on requested charges of&nbsp; Murder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated, Murder in the 1st degree; In the commission of a felony. Murder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated, Criminal discharge of firearm; Occupied vehicle w great bodily harm, Criminal discharge of firearm; Recklessly at occupied dwelling and Criminal damage to property; Without consent value &lt; $1000, according to online jail records.</p>

Police: Tips helped in arrest of suspect in killing of Kansas boy

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an altercation that led to an arrest during a student&nbsp; protest in Olathe.

Just after 2p.m. February 20, police were dispatched to a reported fight in the area of College Boulevard and South Lone Elm Road in Olathe, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.

Officers learned there was a planned anti-ICE protest near Olathe Northwest High school when they confronted and started a fight with students who were counter protesting them. During the incident, approximately four students were injured.&nbsp;

Numerous officers responded and stabilized the incident. As a result of the investigation, one juvenile male was taken into custody. Investigators are continuing work to identify and contact individuals who may have been involved.

"The Olathe Police Department supports the community’s right to engage in peaceful protest and lawful assembly. We are committed to protecting those rights while also ensuring public safety. Violence, property damage, or threats to people will be addressed appropriately to protect the community."

&nbsp;Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.&nbsp;

<p>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an altercation that led to an arrest during a student&nbsp; protest in Olathe.</p><p>Just after 2p.m. February 20, police were dispatched to a reported fight in the area of College Boulevard and South Lone Elm Road in Olathe, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.</p><p>Officers learned there was a planned anti-ICE protest near Olathe Northwest High school when they confronted and started a fight with students who were counter protesting them. During the incident, approximately four students were injured.&nbsp;</p><p>Numerous officers responded and stabilized the incident. As a result of the investigation, one juvenile male was taken into custody. Investigators are continuing work to identify and contact individuals who may have been involved.</p><p>"The Olathe Police Department supports the community’s right to engage in peaceful protest and lawful assembly. We are committed to protecting those rights while also ensuring public safety. Violence, property damage, or threats to people will be addressed appropriately to protect the community."</p><p>&nbsp;Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Olathe Police Department at (913) 971-6363 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-8477.&nbsp;</p>

Student-led anti-ice protest ends in Kan. teen's arrest after fight

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;will stand before Congress on Tuesday to deliver&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-state-of-union-affordability-9dd2fe1f3ba81bddd4ad115356131b41">the annual State of the Union address</a>&nbsp;to a suddenly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiQt_5Q07iI" target="_blank">transformed nation</a>.

One year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-trump-approval-economy-immigration-foreign-policy-0cf4ce30aa2bead033122b6d287e0c7f">back in office</a>, Trump has emerged as a president defying conventional expectations. He has executed a head-spinning agenda, upending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigrant-detention-warehouses-ice-trump-52244cad6413704d4bacfcb0cb06b6bb">priorities at home</a>, shattering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-europe-us-trump-leadership-ukraine-security-92ebda5a785423a9ef72d96dc1117ca6">alliances abroad</a>&nbsp;and challenging the nation’s foundational system of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-executive-order-lawsuit-tracker/">checks and balances</a>. Two Americans were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-renee-good-alex-pretti-memorial-114fc6189d63adb8cc06d275929652eb">killed by federal agents</a>&nbsp;while protesting the Trump administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigrant-detention-warehouses-ice-trump-52244cad6413704d4bacfcb0cb06b6bb">immigration raids and mass deportations</a>.

As the lawmakers sit in the House chamber listening to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-whats-next-b8b6d5d44ebb3640a88f7202754cb361">Trump’s agenda</a>&nbsp;for the year ahead, the moment is an existential one for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/congress">the Congress</a>, which has essentially become sidelined by his expansive reach, the Republican president bypassing his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-troubles-midterms-trump-7a4a88479807ea15a8050129dbe19c0d">slim GOP majority</a>&nbsp;to amass enormous power for himself.

“It’s crazy,” said Nancy Henderson Korpi, a retiree in northern Minnesota who joined an Indivisible protest group and plans to watch the speech from home. “But what is disturbing more to me is that Congress has essentially just handed over their power.”

She said, “We could make some sound decisions and changes if Congress would do their job.”

The country is at a crossroads, celebrating its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/america-250-congress-spending-history-trump-9163856922b428f53a8e1a7c30a06a04">250th anniversary</a>&nbsp;while experiencing some of the most significant changes to its politics, policies and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-gallup-optimism-future-republicans-democrats-4dc287cdbbaefb077895746613fea4e4">general mood</a>&nbsp;in many Americans’ lifetimes.

The president muscled his agenda through Congress when he needed to — often pressuring lawmakers with a phone call during cliffhanger votes — but more often avoided the messy give-and-take of the legislative process to power past his own party and the often&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-health-care-speaker-johnson-228dde6760bbd2cf98be8f2e676bf175">unified Democratic opposition</a>.

Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment so far is the GOP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-beautiful-gop-taxes-ced365c347de9320eef2ccb8df16dda2">big tax cuts bill</a>, with its new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-accounts-kids-michael-dell-1831095c23ead75b67edc65ead5309fd">savings accounts</a>&nbsp;for babies,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-treasury-tax-tips-income-employment-b1f5a296b3926dd2a448769ca69b6f4c">no taxes on tips</a>&nbsp;and other specialty deductions, and steep&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-bill-medicaid-cuts-snap-ed0d2c7c20b43c54265dbc9cb215b647">cuts to Medicaid</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-bill-tax-cuts-medicaid-416f8f60ba7b541622f1d5d149555752">SNAP food aid</a>. It also fueled more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-immigration-ice-deportation-budget-be983b14f60a5cdfc17af7cf0307f1c9">$170 billion to Homeland Security</a>&nbsp;for his immigration deportations.

But the GOP-led Congress has largely stood by as Trump dramatically seized power through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/executive-orders">hundreds of executive actions</a>, many being challenged in court, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to impose his agenda.

“Retrieving a lost power is no easy business in our constitutional order,” wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Supreme Court’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9">landmark rebuke</a>&nbsp;of Trump’s tariffs policy on Friday.

Gorsuch said that without the court stepping in on major questions, “Our system of separated powers and checks-and-balances threatens to give way to the continual and permanent accretion of power in the hands of one man.”

Trump goes it alone, with or without Congress

From slashing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-firings-layoffs-federal-government-workers-musk-d33cdd7872d64d2bdd8fe70c28652654">the federal workforce</a>&nbsp;to upending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/childhood-vaccine-schedule-trump-rfk-hhs-9b8df9e2767c1261aaac4e2331e77fa3">the childhood vaccine</a>&nbsp;schedule to attacking Venezuela and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-presidential-palace-blowtorches-7969152ae48510003fe9cbde92f3c102">capturing that country’s president</a>, Trump’s reach appeared to know no bounds.

His administration launched investigations of would-be political foes, imposed his name on historic buildings, including the storied John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and perhaps most visibly has been rounding up people and converting warehouses into detention holding centers for deportations.

At almost every step of the way, there were moments when Congress could have intervened but did not.

Democrats, in the minority, often tried to push back, including by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/trump-dhs-government-shutdown-2-17-2026">halting routine Homeland Security funds</a>&nbsp;unless there are restraints on the immigration actions.

But Republicans believe the country elected the president and gave their party control of Congress to align with his agenda, according to one senior GOP leadership aide who insisted on anonymity to discuss the dynamic.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">House Speaker Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;of Louisiana has said Trump will be the “most consequential” president of the modern era.

Democrats plan to either boycott the speech or sit in stony silence.

“The state of the union is falling apart,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

There have been times when Congress held its own against the White House, but they have been rare — as in the high-profile bipartisan push from Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Ca., to force the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">the Jeffrey Epstein files</a>, over the objections of Johnson and GOP leadership.

The flex of congressional power has more often come from a few renegade Republicans joining with most Democrats to put a check on the president, as when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-tariffs-trump-canada-db591b69fbc3d867a82c7ae22d7e308b">the House voted</a>&nbsp;to block Trump’s tariffs on Canada. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-war-powers-venezuela-trump-maduro-greenland-e1c5c8390eb2331779504b710fe85025">Senate advanced a war powers resolution</a>&nbsp;to prevent military action in Venezuela without congressional approval, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">backed off</a>&nbsp;after Trump intervened.

Those have been mostly symbolic votes, because Congress would not have the numbers to overcome any expected Trump veto.

More often, the Congress has accommodated Trump, by rolling back already approved bipartisan funding for USAID foreign aid or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-broadcasting-pbs-npr-b68f441c227ec7e076c038821b4a5931">public broadcasting</a>&nbsp;or failing to stop the U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats that killed two survivors in the Caribbean. When Trump issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-jan-6-pardons-trump-justice-department-8ce8b2a8f8cb602d5eaf85ac7b969606">Day One pardon</a>&nbsp;of some 1,500 people charged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/january-6-cases/">the Jan. 6, 2021 attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol, the Republicans in Congress did not object.

And as Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency with billionaire Elon Musk started firing federal workers, GOP lawmakers signaled approval by forming their own DOGE caucus on Capitol Hill.

“The central question for us is does the public understand what’s at stake” said Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization focused on government management and democracy. “We are in the midst of the most significant transformation of our government and our public servants in our history as a country.”

He said some 300,000 federal employees were fired or moved on, while 100,000 new hires or rehires have largely gone to Homeland Security.

In courtrooms across the country, cases are being filed against the administration at record levels, as Congress was “asleep at the wheel,” said Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, which has filed more than 150 cases against the administration, part of the largest legal effort against an executive branch in U.S. history.

But the judicial system has been under strain, and the White House has not always abided by court rulings. GOP lawmakers have joined Trump’s criticism of the courts, displaying outside their offices posters of judges they want to impeach.

A next big test will be over a proof-of-citizenship voting bill that Trump wants ahead of the midterm elections.

The House has passed the SAVE America Act, which would require birth certificates or passports to register to vote in federal elections and a photo ID at the polls. Supporters say it’s needed to crack down on fraud, while critics argue it will shut millions of Americans out of voting because they don’t have citizenship documents readily available.

The Senate has a majority to pass the measure but not the necessary 60 votes to overcome an expected Democratic-led filibuster.

Trump has vowed executive actions if Congress fails to approve legislation.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741357145287.png" alt="President Trump during his address to a joint session of Congress last year-image from White House video" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump during his address to a joint session of Congress last year-image from White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;will stand before Congress on Tuesday to deliver&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-state-of-union-affordability-9dd2fe1f3ba81bddd4ad115356131b41">the annual State of the Union address</a>&nbsp;to a suddenly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiQt_5Q07iI" target="_blank">transformed nation</a>.</p><p>One year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-trump-approval-economy-immigration-foreign-policy-0cf4ce30aa2bead033122b6d287e0c7f">back in office</a>, Trump has emerged as a president defying conventional expectations. He has executed a head-spinning agenda, upending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigrant-detention-warehouses-ice-trump-52244cad6413704d4bacfcb0cb06b6bb">priorities at home</a>, shattering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-europe-us-trump-leadership-ukraine-security-92ebda5a785423a9ef72d96dc1117ca6">alliances abroad</a>&nbsp;and challenging the nation’s foundational system of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-executive-order-lawsuit-tracker/">checks and balances</a>. Two Americans were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-renee-good-alex-pretti-memorial-114fc6189d63adb8cc06d275929652eb">killed by federal agents</a>&nbsp;while protesting the Trump administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigrant-detention-warehouses-ice-trump-52244cad6413704d4bacfcb0cb06b6bb">immigration raids and mass deportations</a>.</p><p>As the lawmakers sit in the House chamber listening to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-whats-next-b8b6d5d44ebb3640a88f7202754cb361">Trump’s agenda</a>&nbsp;for the year ahead, the moment is an existential one for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/congress">the Congress</a>, which has essentially become sidelined by his expansive reach, the Republican president bypassing his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-republicans-troubles-midterms-trump-7a4a88479807ea15a8050129dbe19c0d">slim GOP majority</a>&nbsp;to amass enormous power for himself.</p><p>“It’s crazy,” said Nancy Henderson Korpi, a retiree in northern Minnesota who joined an Indivisible protest group and plans to watch the speech from home. “But what is disturbing more to me is that Congress has essentially just handed over their power.”</p><p>She said, “We could make some sound decisions and changes if Congress would do their job.”</p><h2>The state of the union is upheaval</h2><p>The country is at a crossroads, celebrating its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/america-250-congress-spending-history-trump-9163856922b428f53a8e1a7c30a06a04">250th anniversary</a>&nbsp;while experiencing some of the most significant changes to its politics, policies and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-gallup-optimism-future-republicans-democrats-4dc287cdbbaefb077895746613fea4e4">general mood</a>&nbsp;in many Americans’ lifetimes.</p><p>The president muscled his agenda through Congress when he needed to — often pressuring lawmakers with a phone call during cliffhanger votes — but more often avoided the messy give-and-take of the legislative process to power past his own party and the often&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-health-care-speaker-johnson-228dde6760bbd2cf98be8f2e676bf175">unified Democratic opposition</a>.</p><p>Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment so far is the GOP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-beautiful-gop-taxes-ced365c347de9320eef2ccb8df16dda2">big tax cuts bill</a>, with its new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-accounts-kids-michael-dell-1831095c23ead75b67edc65ead5309fd">savings accounts</a>&nbsp;for babies,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-treasury-tax-tips-income-employment-b1f5a296b3926dd2a448769ca69b6f4c">no taxes on tips</a>&nbsp;and other specialty deductions, and steep&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-bill-medicaid-cuts-snap-ed0d2c7c20b43c54265dbc9cb215b647">cuts to Medicaid</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-big-bill-tax-cuts-medicaid-416f8f60ba7b541622f1d5d149555752">SNAP food aid</a>. It also fueled more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-immigration-ice-deportation-budget-be983b14f60a5cdfc17af7cf0307f1c9">$170 billion to Homeland Security</a>&nbsp;for his immigration deportations.</p><p>But the GOP-led Congress has largely stood by as Trump dramatically seized power through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/executive-orders">hundreds of executive actions</a>, many being challenged in court, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to impose his agenda.</p><p>“Retrieving a lost power is no easy business in our constitutional order,” wrote Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Supreme Court’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9">landmark rebuke</a>&nbsp;of Trump’s tariffs policy on Friday.</p><p>Gorsuch said that without the court stepping in on major questions, “Our system of separated powers and checks-and-balances threatens to give way to the continual and permanent accretion of power in the hands of one man.”</p><h2>Trump goes it alone, with or without Congress</h2><p>From slashing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/doge-firings-layoffs-federal-government-workers-musk-d33cdd7872d64d2bdd8fe70c28652654">the federal workforce</a>&nbsp;to upending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/childhood-vaccine-schedule-trump-rfk-hhs-9b8df9e2767c1261aaac4e2331e77fa3">the childhood vaccine</a>&nbsp;schedule to attacking Venezuela and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-presidential-palace-blowtorches-7969152ae48510003fe9cbde92f3c102">capturing that country’s president</a>, Trump’s reach appeared to know no bounds.</p><p>His administration launched investigations of would-be political foes, imposed his name on historic buildings, including the storied John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and perhaps most visibly has been rounding up people and converting warehouses into detention holding centers for deportations.</p><p>At almost every step of the way, there were moments when Congress could have intervened but did not.</p><p>Democrats, in the minority, often tried to push back, including by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/trump-dhs-government-shutdown-2-17-2026">halting routine Homeland Security funds</a>&nbsp;unless there are restraints on the immigration actions.</p><p>But Republicans believe the country elected the president and gave their party control of Congress to align with his agenda, according to one senior GOP leadership aide who insisted on anonymity to discuss the dynamic.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">House Speaker Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;of Louisiana has said Trump will be the “most consequential” president of the modern era.</p><p>Democrats plan to either boycott the speech or sit in stony silence.</p><p>“The state of the union is falling apart,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.</p><h2>Congress asserts itself, at times</h2><p>There have been times when Congress held its own against the White House, but they have been rare — as in the high-profile bipartisan push from Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Ca., to force the release of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">the Jeffrey Epstein files</a>, over the objections of Johnson and GOP leadership.</p><p>The flex of congressional power has more often come from a few renegade Republicans joining with most Democrats to put a check on the president, as when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-tariffs-trump-canada-db591b69fbc3d867a82c7ae22d7e308b">the House voted</a>&nbsp;to block Trump’s tariffs on Canada. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-war-powers-venezuela-trump-maduro-greenland-e1c5c8390eb2331779504b710fe85025">Senate advanced a war powers resolution</a>&nbsp;to prevent military action in Venezuela without congressional approval, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">backed off</a>&nbsp;after Trump intervened.</p><p>Those have been mostly symbolic votes, because Congress would not have the numbers to overcome any expected Trump veto.</p><p>More often, the Congress has accommodated Trump, by rolling back already approved bipartisan funding for USAID foreign aid or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-broadcasting-pbs-npr-b68f441c227ec7e076c038821b4a5931">public broadcasting</a>&nbsp;or failing to stop the U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats that killed two survivors in the Caribbean. When Trump issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-jan-6-pardons-trump-justice-department-8ce8b2a8f8cb602d5eaf85ac7b969606">Day One pardon</a>&nbsp;of some 1,500 people charged in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/january-6-cases/">the Jan. 6, 2021 attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol, the Republicans in Congress did not object.</p><p>And as Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency with billionaire Elon Musk started firing federal workers, GOP lawmakers signaled approval by forming their own DOGE caucus on Capitol Hill.</p><p>“The central question for us is does the public understand what’s at stake” said Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization focused on government management and democracy. “We are in the midst of the most significant transformation of our government and our public servants in our history as a country.”</p><p>He said some 300,000 federal employees were fired or moved on, while 100,000 new hires or rehires have largely gone to Homeland Security.</p><h2>Checks and balances are being challenged</h2><p>In courtrooms across the country, cases are being filed against the administration at record levels, as Congress was “asleep at the wheel,” said Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, which has filed more than 150 cases against the administration, part of the largest legal effort against an executive branch in U.S. history.</p><p>But the judicial system has been under strain, and the White House has not always abided by court rulings. GOP lawmakers have joined Trump’s criticism of the courts, displaying outside their offices posters of judges they want to impeach.</p><p>A next big test will be over a proof-of-citizenship voting bill that Trump wants ahead of the midterm elections.</p><p>The House has passed the SAVE America Act, which would require birth certificates or passports to register to vote in federal elections and a photo ID at the polls. Supporters say it’s needed to crack down on fraud, while critics argue it will shut millions of Americans out of voting because they don’t have citizenship documents readily available.</p><p>The Senate has a majority to pass the measure but not the necessary 60 votes to overcome an expected Democratic-led filibuster.</p><p>Trump has vowed executive actions if Congress fails to approve legislation.</p><p>___</p>

State of the Union: President's big speech will be delivered to a changed nation

On Monday, at the direction of U.S. Southern commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to a social media report from the U.S. Southern Command.

 Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed.&nbsp;

Monday’s attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration’s strikes on drug boats to at least 151people in at least 44 attacks carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771878383612.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>On Monday, at the direction of U.S. Southern commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, according to a social media report from the U.S. Southern Command.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Feb. 23, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOUTHCOM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOUTHCOM</a> commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known… <a href="https://t.co/XUHImPAZik">pic.twitter.com/XUHImPAZik</a></p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2026006115428016257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p> Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed.&nbsp;</p><p>Monday’s attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration’s strikes on drug boats to at least 151people in at least 44 attacks carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.</p>

🎥 3 more dead in latest U.S. attack on drug boat in the Caribbean 

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. (JASO) – Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas woman on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 2 a.m. February 18, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Subaru Forester near 118th&nbsp;Road on U.S. Highway 75 for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as 31-year-old Sierra Mackenzie Schumacher of Topeka.&nbsp; During the course of the traffic stop a probable cause search was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal drug or narcotics, fraudulent/fake identification cards and other documents.

Schumacher was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges that include 20 counts of forgery; making or altering a written instrument; 1st&nbsp;conviction, 20 counts of identity fraud; replicate document with person info with intent to deceive, 4 counts of display or possess fictitious or fraudulent identification card, 5 counts of possession of a controlled substance; stimulant, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and defective lamp on motor vehicle.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771596396696.png" alt="Scumacher -Jackson County" />
                        <figcaption>Scumacher -Jackson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. (JASO) – Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas woman on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.</p><p>Just after 2 a.m. February 18, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Subaru Forester near 118th&nbsp;Road on U.S. Highway 75 for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.</p><p>The driver of the vehicle was identified as 31-year-old Sierra Mackenzie Schumacher of Topeka.&nbsp; During the course of the traffic stop a probable cause search was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal drug or narcotics, fraudulent/fake identification cards and other documents.</p><p>Schumacher was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges that include 20 counts of forgery; making or altering a written instrument; 1st&nbsp;conviction, 20 counts of identity fraud; replicate document with person info with intent to deceive, 4 counts of display or possess fictitious or fraudulent identification card, 5 counts of possession of a controlled substance; stimulant, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and defective lamp on motor vehicle.</p>

Kansas woman caught with dozens of fake IDs

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/maria-verza">MARÍA VERZA</a>

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Surveillance of a romantic partner helped put the Mexican armed forces on the trail of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-jalisco-el-mencho-cartel-killing-8acfda160817fb27bed1914e769e955b">the notorious leader</a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-jalisco-cartel-us-sanctions-8e40e7da8ce88c4feb45e61f3a2e00a3">Jalisco New Generation Cartel</a>&nbsp;known as “El Mencho,” who was captured and killed Sunday, Mexican authorities said Monday.

Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said that Sunday’s Mexican special forces operation, which included U.S. intelligence information, ended when special forces found Oseguera Cervantes “hidden in the undergrowth” in his home state of Jalisco. After several shootouts, eight gunmen were killed and the drug lord and two of his bodyguards were wounded. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.

In all,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-jalisco-cartel-mencho-sheinbaum-trump-226e50edc33f981d5d6509acc7021ae5">more than 70 people were killed in the operation and the ensuing violence,</a>&nbsp;including security forces, suspected cartel members and others.

Here’s how the capture of the country’s most powerful cartel leader and one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives unfolded, according to Mexican authorities:

Both Mexico and the United States had spent years tracking “El Mencho,” who faced numerous outstanding arrest warrants for organized crime and drug trafficking in both countries.

This time, however, the intelligence efforts proved successful. Trevilla noted that military investigators identified and began following a trusted associate of one of Oseguera Cervantes’ romantic partners. This individual escorted the woman to Tapalpa, Jalisco, on Friday for a meeting with the drug lord. The military official explained that the exact location was confirmed by “very important additional information” provided by U.S. intelligence.

Once the woman left after spending the night with “El Mencho,” special forces finalized their plans, having confirmed he was staying in the area with a security detail.

Units from the Mexican army and the National Guard established a ground cordon, while six helicopters and additional special forces stood by in states bordering Jalisco.

The Mexican Air Force provided further support with reconnaissance and aircraft, Trevilla said. In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, after his presence was confirmed, the operation began. Throughout the mission, Mexican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-claudia-sheinbaum-woman-president-aa24527fc05dafa9e30b28e4bb40ccbd">President Claudia Sheinbaum</a>&nbsp;was kept informed of every development while on a tour in northern Mexico.

Gen. Trevilla described the criminals’ response as extremely violent.

During the confrontation, he said “El Mencho” attempted to flee with two bodyguards while a heavily armed group remained behind to stall the military advance. The death toll at the scene reached eight, which Trevilla noted was four more than initially reported on Sunday.

Among the seized weaponry were two rocket launchers, including one identical to the model used by the CJNG in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-patrol-surveillance-drivers-ice-trump-9f5d05469ce8c629d6fecf32d32098cd">2015 to down a military helicopter.</a>&nbsp;That 2015 attack served as a grim milestone, proving the cartel was prepared to meet the Mexican authorities with lethal, full-scale force.

Oseguera Cervantes attempted to take cover in a wooded area dotted with cabins on the outskirts of Tapalpa. Although the criminals were heavily armed with rocket launchers, Trevilla noted that they did not manage to deploy them. Special forces eventually “located him hiding in the undergrowth,” triggering another intense confrontation that left “El Mencho” and two of his bodyguards wounded.

During the chaos, a military helicopter was forced into an emergency landing after being struck by gunfire, and two individuals were apprehended at the scene. Three soldiers were injured in the engagement.

Once the scene was secured, the cartel leader and his bodyguards were loaded onto a helicopter for emergency transport to a nearby hospital. However, Trevilla confirmed they died en route, noting they were already in “critical condition.”

Following their deaths, the flight plan was redirected. Instead of landing in the Jalisco state capital, the bodies were flown to Mexico City to preempt any violent retaliation from the criminal organization.

About 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Tapalpa, a logistics and financial operator known only as “El Tuli” reportedly offered gunmen a bounty of 20,000 pesos — over $1,000 — for every soldier killed, said Trevilla.

The defense minister also said “El Tuli” — allegedly Oseguera’s right-hand man — was the mastermind of a series of roadblocks, arson attacks and hits on government installations across Jalisco state.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-security-trump-sheinbaum-lopez-obrador-ddb4d905e38bab9b9a1560df28a06331">Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch</a>&nbsp;said that the most severe violence occurred in Jalisco, where 25 National Guard members, a prison official, a prosecutor’s office employee and a presumed civilian woman were killed, along with 30 suspected criminals.

In neighboring Michoacán, four more gunmen died while 15 security personnel were wounded.

A paratrooper rifle brigade tracked down “El Tuli” and killed him in a shootout, seizing long and short firearms alongside nearly $1.4 million in mixed U.S. and Mexican currency. Still, retaliation from the cartel continued in several Mexican states.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771795992010.png" alt="U.S. Dept. of Justice" />
                        <figcaption>U.S. Dept. of Justice</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/maria-verza">MARÍA VERZA</a></p><p>MEXICO CITY (AP) — Surveillance of a romantic partner helped put the Mexican armed forces on the trail of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-jalisco-el-mencho-cartel-killing-8acfda160817fb27bed1914e769e955b">the notorious leader</a>&nbsp;of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-jalisco-cartel-us-sanctions-8e40e7da8ce88c4feb45e61f3a2e00a3">Jalisco New Generation Cartel</a>&nbsp;known as “El Mencho,” who was captured and killed Sunday, Mexican authorities said Monday.</p><p>Mexican Defense Secretary Gen. Ricardo Trevilla said that Sunday’s Mexican special forces operation, which included U.S. intelligence information, ended when special forces found Oseguera Cervantes “hidden in the undergrowth” in his home state of Jalisco. After several shootouts, eight gunmen were killed and the drug lord and two of his bodyguards were wounded. They were taken into custody and died on the way to Mexico City, Trevilla said.</p><p>In all,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-jalisco-cartel-mencho-sheinbaum-trump-226e50edc33f981d5d6509acc7021ae5">more than 70 people were killed in the operation and the ensuing violence,</a>&nbsp;including security forces, suspected cartel members and others.</p><p>Here’s how the capture of the country’s most powerful cartel leader and one of the United States’ most wanted fugitives unfolded, according to Mexican authorities:</p><h2>Following a romantic partner</h2><p>Both Mexico and the United States had spent years tracking “El Mencho,” who faced numerous outstanding arrest warrants for organized crime and drug trafficking in both countries.</p><p>This time, however, the intelligence efforts proved successful. Trevilla noted that military investigators identified and began following a trusted associate of one of Oseguera Cervantes’ romantic partners. This individual escorted the woman to Tapalpa, Jalisco, on Friday for a meeting with the drug lord. The military official explained that the exact location was confirmed by “very important additional information” provided by U.S. intelligence.</p><h2>A land and air blockade</h2><p>Once the woman left after spending the night with “El Mencho,” special forces finalized their plans, having confirmed he was staying in the area with a security detail.</p><p>Units from the Mexican army and the National Guard established a ground cordon, while six helicopters and additional special forces stood by in states bordering Jalisco.</p><p>The Mexican Air Force provided further support with reconnaissance and aircraft, Trevilla said. In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, after his presence was confirmed, the operation began. Throughout the mission, Mexican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-claudia-sheinbaum-woman-president-aa24527fc05dafa9e30b28e4bb40ccbd">President Claudia Sheinbaum</a>&nbsp;was kept informed of every development while on a tour in northern Mexico.</p><h2>A violent response</h2><p>Gen. Trevilla described the criminals’ response as extremely violent.</p><p>During the confrontation, he said “El Mencho” attempted to flee with two bodyguards while a heavily armed group remained behind to stall the military advance. The death toll at the scene reached eight, which Trevilla noted was four more than initially reported on Sunday.</p><p>Among the seized weaponry were two rocket launchers, including one identical to the model used by the CJNG in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-patrol-surveillance-drivers-ice-trump-9f5d05469ce8c629d6fecf32d32098cd">2015 to down a military helicopter.</a>&nbsp;That 2015 attack served as a grim milestone, proving the cartel was prepared to meet the Mexican authorities with lethal, full-scale force.</p><h2>‘Hiding in the undergrowth’</h2><p>Oseguera Cervantes attempted to take cover in a wooded area dotted with cabins on the outskirts of Tapalpa. Although the criminals were heavily armed with rocket launchers, Trevilla noted that they did not manage to deploy them. Special forces eventually “located him hiding in the undergrowth,” triggering another intense confrontation that left “El Mencho” and two of his bodyguards wounded.</p><p>During the chaos, a military helicopter was forced into an emergency landing after being struck by gunfire, and two individuals were apprehended at the scene. Three soldiers were injured in the engagement.</p><h2>Dead en route</h2><p>Once the scene was secured, the cartel leader and his bodyguards were loaded onto a helicopter for emergency transport to a nearby hospital. However, Trevilla confirmed they died en route, noting they were already in “critical condition.”</p><p>Following their deaths, the flight plan was redirected. Instead of landing in the Jalisco state capital, the bodies were flown to Mexico City to preempt any violent retaliation from the criminal organization.</p><h2>$1,000 for every soldier killed</h2><p>About 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Tapalpa, a logistics and financial operator known only as “El Tuli” reportedly offered gunmen a bounty of 20,000 pesos — over $1,000 — for every soldier killed, said Trevilla.</p><p>The defense minister also said “El Tuli” — allegedly Oseguera’s right-hand man — was the mastermind of a series of roadblocks, arson attacks and hits on government installations across Jalisco state.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-security-trump-sheinbaum-lopez-obrador-ddb4d905e38bab9b9a1560df28a06331">Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch</a>&nbsp;said that the most severe violence occurred in Jalisco, where 25 National Guard members, a prison official, a prosecutor’s office employee and a presumed civilian woman were killed, along with 30 suspected criminals.</p><p>In neighboring Michoacán, four more gunmen died while 15 security personnel were wounded.</p><p>A paratrooper rifle brigade tracked down “El Tuli” and killed him in a shootout, seizing long and short firearms alongside nearly $1.4 million in mixed U.S. and Mexican currency. Still, retaliation from the cartel continued in several Mexican states.</p><p>___</p>

Surveillance of girlfriend led to deadly capture of Mexican drug lord 

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers could transform elections with a series of bills that squeeze advanced voting timelines, stamp out rare instances of noncitizen voting and tinker with some candidate filing and advocacy rules.

One bill sought to eradicate elections exclusively conducted by mail.

Many of the changes largely were driven by the House Elections Committee chair, Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who is running for secretary of state, and co-chair, Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican.

During debate this week, the duo propped up bills that would require driver’s licenses to indicate citizenship status, shrink the voter registration and advanced voting windows ahead of elections, and prohibit government employees from using public assets to advocate for or against constitutional amendments and ballot questions.

Twenty Republicans sponsored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/HB2503/" target="_blank">House Bill 2503</a>, which would repeal the state’s Mail Ballot Election Act, removing the possibility for local entities to carry out elections solely with mail-in ballots. It passed the House on Thursday in a 72-50 vote.

Another bill would require the names, addresses and other personal identification information of people without U.S. citizenship who receive public benefits to be regularly shared with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office under Proctor’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2491/" target="_blank">House Bill 2491</a>.

The National Voter Registration Act created an automatic voter registration option for people obtaining driver’s licenses, signing up for Medicaid or qualifying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Proctor said the law has turned Kansas into “a welfare voter state.”

The bill mirrors one passed last year that now requires the Kansas Department of Revenue, which oversees driver’s license administration, to send personal data to the Secretary of State’s Office, where it is compared side-by-side with statewide voter rolls.

“Every time we have one of these bills, we hear the same thing,” Proctor said. “We used to hear, ‘This never happens. Noncitizens never vote.’ ”

Now, he said, he hears that voting among people without U.S. citizenship “seldom happens. It’s infrequent.” It’s a shift he attributed to two voter fraud-related indictments in Kansas. Clay Barker, general counsel to the Secretary of State’s Office, confirmed at a Jan. 29 committee hearing that two people have been indicted for fraudulent voting-related crimes, a third indictment is on the way and 10 people are being examined.

“One is too many,” Proctor said, because he believes every vote cast by someone without U.S. citizenship cancels out a citizen’s valid vote.

It has been explicitly illegal for immigrants to vote in federal elections since 1996, and no state allows people to vote in statewide elections if they are not citizens. Election offices monitor for fraudulent votes, and people can face stiff penalties and potential deportation if they cast ballots illegally.

&nbsp;Voting rights advocates have maintained that illegal voting is extremely rare and often the result of administrative error.

“Am I up here saying that there’s a vast conspiracy to let noncitizens vote?” Proctor said. “No.”

He said he believes people without citizenship end up on voter rolls unintentionally.

“But we owe it to Kansans to be able to tell them with confidence, ‘No, noncitizens are not voting, and we know because we have all these different ways of scrubbing the voter rolls to make sure they never get on the voter rolls in the first place,’ ” he said.

No evidence suggests that instances of noncitizen voting affects the outcomes of elections in the U.S., according to&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/four-things-to-know-about-noncitizen-voting/" target="_blank">an analysis from the Bipartisan Policy Center</a>, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank founded by four former U.S. Senate majority leaders, including the late U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas.

The analysis examined the Heritage Foundation’s  <a href="https://www.heritage.org/voterfraud/search?combine=citizen&amp;state=All&amp;year=&amp;case_type=All&amp;fraud_type=All" target="_blank">Election Fraud Cases</a>&nbsp;database, which found 77 instances of people without citizenship voting between 1999 and 2023, and a Brennan Center for Justice study that inspected 23.5 million votes cast in the 2016 general election across 42 jurisdictions, which found approximately 30 instances of people without citizenship voting.

HB 2491 passed the House on Wednesday in an 87-37 vote, with Republican Reps. Mark Schreiber of Emporia and Lauren Bohi of Olathe joining Democrats in voting against the bill and Democratic Rep. Wanda Brownlee Paige of Kansas City voting with Republicans in favor.

Rep. Kirk Haskins, a Topeka Democrat and the ranking minority member on the House Elections Committee, spurned the bill, pointing out it had three proponents and 12 opponents at a committee hearing. He highlighted the rare instances of votes cast by people without citizenship.&nbsp;

“I don’t know why we keep emphasizing we have an issue when it’s been proven we don’t time and time again,” he said.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2448/" target="_blank">House Bill 2448</a>, a Proctor-sponsored measure that would require citizenship status to appear on driver’s licenses, passed the House on Feb. 12 in a 77-41 vote.

People without citizenship can obtain a temporary driver’s license, but providing documented proof of citizenship is not currently a prerequisite to getting a driver’s license.

A previous Kansas law, backed by then-Secretary of State and current Attorney General Kris Kobach, that required proof of citizenship to vote was struck down in court. The litigation revealed the law&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/24/as-more-states-pass-proof-of-citizenship-laws-report-points-to-kansas-as-cautionary-tale/">prevented more than 30,000 Kansans from voting</a>&nbsp;and raised concerns of violating civil rights during the three years it was in effect. Kansans are still required to show photo ID upon voting.

As the Legislature barrels toward self-imposed deadlines to move bills from chamber to chamber and then on to committees, the House passed the elections-related legislation this week at a rapid clip.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2453/" target="_blank">House Bill 2453</a>&nbsp;would modify three components of advanced voting. It would shift the mail-in ballot deadline by a week, moving it from the Tuesday preceding Election Day to two weeks before Election Day, and clerks would have to send ballots 22 days before an election. It also would shrink the deadline for in-person advance voting, requiring ballots be submitted by the Friday before Election Day instead of noon the day before, as is the current practice. The bill gives county clerks the option to extend the deadline to noon on the Sunday preceding election day, but it could be costly to staff election offices on the weekend, when government buildings are typically closed.

The bill also would forbid county election officers from accepting voter registrations after the 25th day before an election, and it would eliminate the procedures for canvassing and challenging advance mail-in ballots after polls close on Election Day.

It was sponsored by Rep. Sandy Pickert, a Wichita Republican, but Proctor advocated in favor of it on the House floor Tuesday. Pickert was the only person to speak in support of the bill during its hearing in early February.

While the Secretary of State’s Office said it could use existing resources to update training information for local elections officials, the Kansas Association of Counties indicated HB 2453 would increase costs for counties to hire additional staff.

Haskins criticized the bill’s supporters on Tuesday for prioritizing legislation that could potentially drain county revenue at a time when voters are increasingly frustrated with high property taxes — often the main source of counties’ operating budgets.

“But yet, we’re not going to give them any money. We’re not going to reduce property tax,” he said. “We’re not going to address the fact that county election offices, they don’t even know how much it’s going to cost. But we do need more people. This is called by definition an unfunded mandate.”

The House passed the bill in a 86-38 vote on Wednesday, and Republicans Schreiber and Rep. Samantha Poetter Parshall of Paola joined Democrats in voting against it.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2733/" target="_blank">House Bill 2733</a>&nbsp;would require elected officials who hold statewide and local offices to be residents of the state of Kansas and the districts they represent upon election and throughout the duration of their terms. The bill from Rep. Bill Sutton, a Gardner Republican, passed the House on Tuesday without opposition.

Legislators are already required under state law to be voters in the district they represent and a resident of Kansas, with their primary residence located in their district, so they were not included in the bill’s proposed changes.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2451/" target="_blank">House Bill 2451</a>, sponsored by Waggoner, would bar government employees from&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/27/house-republicans-bill-takes-aim-at-kansas-school-employees-who-support-bond-issues/">advocating for or against</a>&nbsp;proposed constitutional amendments or ballot questions. The House voted on Wednesday to pass the bill in an 88-36 vote with Schreiber joining Democrats voting against it and Democrats Brownlee Paige and Rep. Angela Martinez of Wichita voting in favor with Republicans.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771885032491.png" alt=" Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who is running for Secretary of State, is promoting a slew of election-related legislation. He appears here on the House floor on Feb. 12, 2026, in Topeka. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who is running for Secretary of State, is promoting a slew of election-related legislation. He appears here on the House floor on Feb. 12, 2026, in Topeka. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers could transform elections with a series of bills that squeeze advanced voting timelines, stamp out rare instances of noncitizen voting and tinker with some candidate filing and advocacy rules.</p><p>One bill sought to eradicate elections exclusively conducted by mail.</p><p>Many of the changes largely were driven by the House Elections Committee chair, Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who is running for secretary of state, and co-chair, Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican.</p><p>During debate this week, the duo propped up bills that would require driver’s licenses to indicate citizenship status, shrink the voter registration and advanced voting windows ahead of elections, and prohibit government employees from using public assets to advocate for or against constitutional amendments and ballot questions.</p><p>Twenty Republicans sponsored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/HB2503/" target="_blank">House Bill 2503</a>, which would repeal the state’s Mail Ballot Election Act, removing the possibility for local entities to carry out elections solely with mail-in ballots. It passed the House on Thursday in a 72-50 vote.</p><p>Another bill would require the names, addresses and other personal identification information of people without U.S. citizenship who receive public benefits to be regularly shared with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office under Proctor’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2491/" target="_blank">House Bill 2491</a>.</p><p>The National Voter Registration Act created an automatic voter registration option for people obtaining driver’s licenses, signing up for Medicaid or qualifying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.</p><p>Proctor said the law has turned Kansas into “a welfare voter state.”</p><p>The bill mirrors one passed last year that now requires the Kansas Department of Revenue, which oversees driver’s license administration, to send personal data to the Secretary of State’s Office, where it is compared side-by-side with statewide voter rolls.</p><p>“Every time we have one of these bills, we hear the same thing,” Proctor said. “We used to hear, ‘This never happens. Noncitizens never vote.’ ”</p><p>Now, he said, he hears that voting among people without U.S. citizenship “seldom happens. It’s infrequent.” It’s a shift he attributed to two voter fraud-related indictments in Kansas. Clay Barker, general counsel to the Secretary of State’s Office, confirmed at a Jan. 29 committee hearing that two people have been indicted for fraudulent voting-related crimes, a third indictment is on the way and 10 people are being examined.</p><p>“One is too many,” Proctor said, because he believes every vote cast by someone without U.S. citizenship cancels out a citizen’s valid vote.</p><h2>No ‘vast conspiracy’</h2><p>It has been explicitly illegal for immigrants to vote in federal elections since 1996, and no state allows people to vote in statewide elections if they are not citizens. Election offices monitor for fraudulent votes, and people can face stiff penalties and potential deportation if they cast ballots illegally.</p><p>&nbsp;Voting rights advocates have maintained that illegal voting is extremely rare and often the result of administrative error.</p><p>“Am I up here saying that there’s a vast conspiracy to let noncitizens vote?” Proctor said. “No.”</p><p>He said he believes people without citizenship end up on voter rolls unintentionally.</p><p>“But we owe it to Kansans to be able to tell them with confidence, ‘No, noncitizens are not voting, and we know because we have all these different ways of scrubbing the voter rolls to make sure they never get on the voter rolls in the first place,’ ” he said.</p><p>No evidence suggests that instances of noncitizen voting affects the outcomes of elections in the U.S., according to&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/article/four-things-to-know-about-noncitizen-voting/" target="_blank">an analysis from the Bipartisan Policy Center</a>, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank founded by four former U.S. Senate majority leaders, including the late U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas.</p><p>The analysis examined the Heritage Foundation’s  <a href="https://www.heritage.org/voterfraud/search?combine=citizen&amp;state=All&amp;year=&amp;case_type=All&amp;fraud_type=All" target="_blank">Election Fraud Cases</a>&nbsp;database, which found 77 instances of people without citizenship voting between 1999 and 2023, and a Brennan Center for Justice study that inspected 23.5 million votes cast in the 2016 general election across 42 jurisdictions, which found approximately 30 instances of people without citizenship voting.</p><p>HB 2491 passed the House on Wednesday in an 87-37 vote, with Republican Reps. Mark Schreiber of Emporia and Lauren Bohi of Olathe joining Democrats in voting against the bill and Democratic Rep. Wanda Brownlee Paige of Kansas City voting with Republicans in favor.</p><p>Rep. Kirk Haskins, a Topeka Democrat and the ranking minority member on the House Elections Committee, spurned the bill, pointing out it had three proponents and 12 opponents at a committee hearing. He highlighted the rare instances of votes cast by people without citizenship.&nbsp;</p><p>“I don’t know why we keep emphasizing we have an issue when it’s been proven we don’t time and time again,” he said.</p><p><a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2448/" target="_blank">House Bill 2448</a>, a Proctor-sponsored measure that would require citizenship status to appear on driver’s licenses, passed the House on Feb. 12 in a 77-41 vote.</p><p>People without citizenship can obtain a temporary driver’s license, but providing documented proof of citizenship is not currently a prerequisite to getting a driver’s license.</p><p>A previous Kansas law, backed by then-Secretary of State and current Attorney General Kris Kobach, that required proof of citizenship to vote was struck down in court. The litigation revealed the law&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/24/as-more-states-pass-proof-of-citizenship-laws-report-points-to-kansas-as-cautionary-tale/">prevented more than 30,000 Kansans from voting</a>&nbsp;and raised concerns of violating civil rights during the three years it was in effect. Kansans are still required to show photo ID upon voting.</p><h2>‘Unfunded mandate’</h2><p>As the Legislature barrels toward self-imposed deadlines to move bills from chamber to chamber and then on to committees, the House passed the elections-related legislation this week at a rapid clip.</p><p><a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2453/" target="_blank">House Bill 2453</a>&nbsp;would modify three components of advanced voting. It would shift the mail-in ballot deadline by a week, moving it from the Tuesday preceding Election Day to two weeks before Election Day, and clerks would have to send ballots 22 days before an election. It also would shrink the deadline for in-person advance voting, requiring ballots be submitted by the Friday before Election Day instead of noon the day before, as is the current practice. The bill gives county clerks the option to extend the deadline to noon on the Sunday preceding election day, but it could be costly to staff election offices on the weekend, when government buildings are typically closed.</p><p>The bill also would forbid county election officers from accepting voter registrations after the 25th day before an election, and it would eliminate the procedures for canvassing and challenging advance mail-in ballots after polls close on Election Day.</p><p>It was sponsored by Rep. Sandy Pickert, a Wichita Republican, but Proctor advocated in favor of it on the House floor Tuesday. Pickert was the only person to speak in support of the bill during its hearing in early February.</p><p>While the Secretary of State’s Office said it could use existing resources to update training information for local elections officials, the Kansas Association of Counties indicated HB 2453 would increase costs for counties to hire additional staff.</p><p>Haskins criticized the bill’s supporters on Tuesday for prioritizing legislation that could potentially drain county revenue at a time when voters are increasingly frustrated with high property taxes — often the main source of counties’ operating budgets.</p><p>“But yet, we’re not going to give them any money. We’re not going to reduce property tax,” he said. “We’re not going to address the fact that county election offices, they don’t even know how much it’s going to cost. But we do need more people. This is called by definition an unfunded mandate.”</p><p>The House passed the bill in a 86-38 vote on Wednesday, and Republicans Schreiber and Rep. Samantha Poetter Parshall of Paola joined Democrats in voting against it.</p><p><a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2733/" target="_blank">House Bill 2733</a>&nbsp;would require elected officials who hold statewide and local offices to be residents of the state of Kansas and the districts they represent upon election and throughout the duration of their terms. The bill from Rep. Bill Sutton, a Gardner Republican, passed the House on Tuesday without opposition.</p><p>Legislators are already required under state law to be voters in the district they represent and a resident of Kansas, with their primary residence located in their district, so they were not included in the bill’s proposed changes.</p><p><a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2451/" target="_blank">House Bill 2451</a>, sponsored by Waggoner, would bar government employees from&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/27/house-republicans-bill-takes-aim-at-kansas-school-employees-who-support-bond-issues/">advocating for or against</a>&nbsp;proposed constitutional amendments or ballot questions. The House voted on Wednesday to pass the bill in an 88-36 vote with Schreiber joining Democrats voting against it and Democrats Brownlee Paige and Rep. Angela Martinez of Wichita voting in favor with Republicans.</p>

Kansas House passes election bills targeting noncitizens, advanced voting

LYON COUNTY— A pilot and passenger avoided injury after an emergency plane landing just before 10a.m. Monday in Lyon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1977&nbsp;Grumman American fixed wing single-engine aircraft piloted by 41-year-old Joseph Ira&nbsp;Glover of&nbsp;Defuniak Springs, Flordia made the emergency landing when the propeller on the aircraft stoped working.

The plane came down in a corn field at 3951 N K-99 just southwest of the&nbsp;Road 400 intersection.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Glover and a passenger were not injured. The FAA and NTSB will investigate.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771877769811.png" alt="google map" />
                        <figcaption>google map</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LYON COUNTY— A pilot and passenger avoided injury after an emergency plane landing just before 10a.m. Monday in Lyon County.</p><p>The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1977&nbsp;Grumman American fixed wing single-engine aircraft piloted by 41-year-old Joseph Ira&nbsp;Glover of&nbsp;Defuniak Springs, Flordia made the emergency landing when the propeller on the aircraft stoped working.</p><p>The plane came down in a corn field at 3951 N K-99 just southwest of the&nbsp;Road 400 intersection.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>Glover and a passenger were not injured. The FAA and NTSB will investigate.</p>

Small plane makes emergency landing in Kan. cornfield

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks slumped Monday after President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-truth-social-872c8f04112a8991d8aa6ae5005767b6">ramped up his newest tariffs</a>, while investors continued to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-fed-jobs-profit-45f8d8df807d4b7ed9127afc4b5809c9">punish companies</a>&nbsp;that could be losers in the artificial-intelligence revolution.

The S&amp;P 500 fell 1% after Trump said on Saturday that he would place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-truth-social-872c8f04112a8991d8aa6ae5005767b6">temporary 15% tariffs</a>&nbsp;on other countries. That’s up from the 10% rate he announced Friday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9">a Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that struck down his sweeping “reciprocal” taxes on imports from around the world.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 821 points, or 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.1%.

Trump’s quick move toward more aggressive tariffs shows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-tariff-trump-supreme-court-596a1adfee90975c018ca292f7e918f8">how much uncertainty still hangs</a>&nbsp;over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-china-trump-trade-supreme-court-fb8d38ae3664e845199d13113d03b471">global economy</a>, even after the Supreme Court said the president lacked the legal authority to institute his sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.

Beyond a 15% tariff that could last for up to 150 days, unless Congress extends it further, Trump is moving forward on other avenues to place more permanent tariffs on countries and industries. That has trading partners uneasy. South Korea’s trade minister, Kim Jung-kwan, said Monday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-trump-china-eu-court-bessent-36c6951422ccd24f475429d4683e7e15">uncertainty may worsen</a>&nbsp;if the Trump administration continues imposing new tariffs under alternative laws.

To be sure, Monday’s moves for markets weren’t close to as bad as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-52dbb020a4c41122e31669c2da236d67">the panic that swept the world in April,</a>&nbsp;when Trump initially announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. U.S. stocks were modestly higher for a brief moment during the morning.

The U.S. dollar’s value edged lower against other currencies. Bitcoin briefly fell below $64,000 but remained above its low point reached earlier this month. Gold continued to rise thanks to its reputation as something safer to own during uncertain times.

Investors may be sensing it will take a long time, as well as more court battles, before more clarity comes about how global trade will look.

“Stocks got a boost Friday from the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, but it quickly became clear that the decision was simply going to open a new chapter in the trade saga, not end it,” according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.

On Wall Street, big losses hit companies under suspicion of getting undercut by AI-powered rivals. Investors have been sharply and suddenly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-fed-jobs-profit-45f8d8df807d4b7ed9127afc4b5809c9">punishing stocks of such companies</a>&nbsp;recently.

CrowdStrike fell 9.8% to widen its loss for the young year so far to 25.3%. A new tool from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-claude-380b-valuation-openai-rivalry-ipo-65c08aa4fab90cde952f37d32625394a">Anthropic</a>&nbsp;that scans codebases for security vulnerabilities and suggests targeted software patches for human review has been hitting stocks across the cybersecurity industry.

AppLovin sank 9.1% and took its loss for the year to date to 43.5%. It’s among the software companies hurt by worries that AI competition will steal customers and fundamentally reset their industries.

Companies that have lent money to software companies whose revenues may be under threat also continued falling, and Blue Owl Capital fell 3.4% to bring its loss for the year so far to 30.1%.

More big moves may still be ahead for Wall Street this week, particularly with a profit report from Nvidia coming on Wednesday.

Worries are rising that companies like Alphabet and Amazon may be spending so much on Nvidia’s chips that they’ll never be able to recoup their investments through higher productivity and future profits.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines fell after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-flight-cancellations-us-travel-54feed6ca0fb8e05c3b59326bd7ff24c">heavy snow and high winds canceled thousands of flights</a>&nbsp;across the busy Northeast.

United Airlines lost 5.2%, American Airlines fell 4.9% and Delta Air Lines sank 3.7%.

Novo Nordisk’s stock that trades in the United States tumbled 16.4% after the Danish drugmaker said a trial for its CagriSema drug showed people lost a smaller percentage of their weight after 84 weeks than with a similar one made by rival Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly rose 4.9%.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 fell 71.76 points to 6,837.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 821.91 to 48,804.06, and the Nasdaq composite sank 258.80 to 22,627.27.

In stock markets abroad, indexes mostly fell in Europe. They had risen on Friday after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

In Asia, where markets got their first chance to react to the court’s ruling, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.5%, while South Korea’s Kospi rose a more modest 0.6%. Markets in Japan and mainland China were closed for holidays.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.03% from 4.08% late Friday.

A top official at the Federal Reserve said Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/waller-inflation-interest-rates-728aa0b00b5d3291169cb807472332d6">that it’s a “coin flip”</a>&nbsp;on whether the Fed will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting in March or stand pat again.

The comments from Fed. Gov. Christopher Waller were a notable shift from January, when he was one of the two Fed governors to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-powell-inflation-c13913c9e007981f075fb3b22d4a4cec">dissent against</a>&nbsp;the central bank’s decision to hold its key rate steady after three rate cuts at the end of last year.

Lower rates would give the economy a boost, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-subpoena-bf4fc6c690fa248fbc531bc9bc7f1758">Trump has been</a>&nbsp;lobbying angrily for them. But they also could risk worsening inflation.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/2/1771881917415.png" alt="President Trump during his post Supreme Court tariff ruling press conference-image courtesy White House video" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump during his post Supreme Court tariff ruling press conference-image courtesy White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks slumped Monday after President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-truth-social-872c8f04112a8991d8aa6ae5005767b6">ramped up his newest tariffs</a>, while investors continued to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-fed-jobs-profit-45f8d8df807d4b7ed9127afc4b5809c9">punish companies</a>&nbsp;that could be losers in the artificial-intelligence revolution.</p><p>The S&amp;P 500 fell 1% after Trump said on Saturday that he would place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-truth-social-872c8f04112a8991d8aa6ae5005767b6">temporary 15% tariffs</a>&nbsp;on other countries. That’s up from the 10% rate he announced Friday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tariffs-trump-0485fcda30a7310501123e4931dba3f9">a Supreme Court ruling</a>&nbsp;that struck down his sweeping “reciprocal” taxes on imports from around the world.</p><p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 821 points, or 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.1%.</p><p>Trump’s quick move toward more aggressive tariffs shows&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-tariff-trump-supreme-court-596a1adfee90975c018ca292f7e918f8">how much uncertainty still hangs</a>&nbsp;over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-china-trump-trade-supreme-court-fb8d38ae3664e845199d13113d03b471">global economy</a>, even after the Supreme Court said the president lacked the legal authority to institute his sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs.</p><p>Beyond a 15% tariff that could last for up to 150 days, unless Congress extends it further, Trump is moving forward on other avenues to place more permanent tariffs on countries and industries. That has trading partners uneasy. South Korea’s trade minister, Kim Jung-kwan, said Monday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-trump-china-eu-court-bessent-36c6951422ccd24f475429d4683e7e15">uncertainty may worsen</a>&nbsp;if the Trump administration continues imposing new tariffs under alternative laws.</p><p>To be sure, Monday’s moves for markets weren’t close to as bad as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-52dbb020a4c41122e31669c2da236d67">the panic that swept the world in April,</a>&nbsp;when Trump initially announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. U.S. stocks were modestly higher for a brief moment during the morning.</p><p>The U.S. dollar’s value edged lower against other currencies. Bitcoin briefly fell below $64,000 but remained above its low point reached earlier this month. Gold continued to rise thanks to its reputation as something safer to own during uncertain times.</p><p>Investors may be sensing it will take a long time, as well as more court battles, before more clarity comes about how global trade will look.</p><p>“Stocks got a boost Friday from the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling, but it quickly became clear that the decision was simply going to open a new chapter in the trade saga, not end it,” according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.</p><p>On Wall Street, big losses hit companies under suspicion of getting undercut by AI-powered rivals. Investors have been sharply and suddenly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-fed-jobs-profit-45f8d8df807d4b7ed9127afc4b5809c9">punishing stocks of such companies</a>&nbsp;recently.</p><p>CrowdStrike fell 9.8% to widen its loss for the young year so far to 25.3%. A new tool from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-claude-380b-valuation-openai-rivalry-ipo-65c08aa4fab90cde952f37d32625394a">Anthropic</a>&nbsp;that scans codebases for security vulnerabilities and suggests targeted software patches for human review has been hitting stocks across the cybersecurity industry.</p><p>AppLovin sank 9.1% and took its loss for the year to date to 43.5%. It’s among the software companies hurt by worries that AI competition will steal customers and fundamentally reset their industries.</p><p>Companies that have lent money to software companies whose revenues may be under threat also continued falling, and Blue Owl Capital fell 3.4% to bring its loss for the year so far to 30.1%.</p><p>More big moves may still be ahead for Wall Street this week, particularly with a profit report from Nvidia coming on Wednesday.</p><p>Worries are rising that companies like Alphabet and Amazon may be spending so much on Nvidia’s chips that they’ll never be able to recoup their investments through higher productivity and future profits.</p><p>Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines fell after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-flight-cancellations-us-travel-54feed6ca0fb8e05c3b59326bd7ff24c">heavy snow and high winds canceled thousands of flights</a>&nbsp;across the busy Northeast.</p><p>United Airlines lost 5.2%, American Airlines fell 4.9% and Delta Air Lines sank 3.7%.</p><p>Novo Nordisk’s stock that trades in the United States tumbled 16.4% after the Danish drugmaker said a trial for its CagriSema drug showed people lost a smaller percentage of their weight after 84 weeks than with a similar one made by rival Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly rose 4.9%.</p><p>All told, the S&amp;P 500 fell 71.76 points to 6,837.75. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 821.91 to 48,804.06, and the Nasdaq composite sank 258.80 to 22,627.27.</p><p>In stock markets abroad, indexes mostly fell in Europe. They had risen on Friday after the Supreme Court’s ruling.</p><p>In Asia, where markets got their first chance to react to the court’s ruling, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.5%, while South Korea’s Kospi rose a more modest 0.6%. Markets in Japan and mainland China were closed for holidays.</p><p>In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.03% from 4.08% late Friday.</p><p>A top official at the Federal Reserve said Monday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/waller-inflation-interest-rates-728aa0b00b5d3291169cb807472332d6">that it’s a “coin flip”</a>&nbsp;on whether the Fed will cut its main interest rate at its next meeting in March or stand pat again.</p><p>The comments from Fed. Gov. Christopher Waller were a notable shift from January, when he was one of the two Fed governors to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-powell-inflation-c13913c9e007981f075fb3b22d4a4cec">dissent against</a>&nbsp;the central bank’s decision to hold its key rate steady after three rate cuts at the end of last year.</p><p>Lower rates would give the economy a boost, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-subpoena-bf4fc6c690fa248fbc531bc9bc7f1758">Trump has been</a>&nbsp;lobbying angrily for them. But they also could risk worsening inflation.</p><p>___</p>

US stocks drop after Trump ramps up new tariffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has ordered nonessential diplomats and their family members at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, a State Department official said Monday, as tensions over Iran rise with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-russia-drill-nuclear-talks-aircraft-carrier-0456903e0d7a24cfcdc33d53732dee2f">the threat of a potentially imminent military strike</a>.

he official said a continuous assessment of the regional security environment determined it was “prudent” to draw down the U.S. Embassy’s footprint so that only essential personnel remain at their posts.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been formally announced, said that it is a temporary measure and that the embassy will remain operational.

Lebanon has been the site of numerous Iran-related retaliatory attacks against U.S. facilities, interests and personnel for decades given Tehran's support for and influence with the Hezbollah militant group, which is held responsible for the deadly bombings of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and an embassy annex in 1984.

As such, changes in the staffing status of the embassy in Beirut have often been seen as a bellwether for potential U.S. or Israeli military action in the region, particularly against Iran. A similar ordered departure was imposed for Beirut and other embassies in the region, including in Iraq, shortly before President Donald Trump ordered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-war-nuclear-talks-geneva-news-06-21-2025-a7b0cdaba28b5817467ccf712d214579">military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities</a>&nbsp;last June.

It was unclear if other American embassies in the Middle East would implement similar orders.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has ordered nonessential diplomats and their family members at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, a State Department official said Monday, as tensions over Iran rise with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-russia-drill-nuclear-talks-aircraft-carrier-0456903e0d7a24cfcdc33d53732dee2f">the threat of a potentially imminent military strike</a>.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Lebanon: On February 23, 2026 the Department of State ordered the departure from Lebanon of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel due to the security situation in Beirut. The Travel Advisory for Lebanon remains at Level 4 – Do Not… <a href="https://t.co/wtl2HmtiI3">pic.twitter.com/wtl2HmtiI3</a></p>&mdash; TravelGov (@TravelGov) <a href="https://twitter.com/TravelGov/status/2025989249284309215?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>he official said a continuous assessment of the regional security environment determined it was “prudent” to draw down the U.S. Embassy’s footprint so that only essential personnel remain at their posts.</p><p>The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move had not yet been formally announced, said that it is a temporary measure and that the embassy will remain operational.</p><p>Lebanon has been the site of numerous Iran-related retaliatory attacks against U.S. facilities, interests and personnel for decades given Tehran's support for and influence with the Hezbollah militant group, which is held responsible for the deadly bombings of the Marine barracks in Beirut in 1983 and an embassy annex in 1984.</p><p>As such, changes in the staffing status of the embassy in Beirut have often been seen as a bellwether for potential U.S. or Israeli military action in the region, particularly against Iran. A similar ordered departure was imposed for Beirut and other embassies in the region, including in Iraq, shortly before President Donald Trump ordered&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-war-nuclear-talks-geneva-news-06-21-2025-a7b0cdaba28b5817467ccf712d214579">military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities</a>&nbsp;last June.</p><p>It was unclear if other American embassies in the Middle East would implement similar orders.</p><p>Tensions have escalated between the U.S. and Iran as Trump has built up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-military-middle-east-iran-protests-b7a56659d708f2f11f66a18135f44c40">the largest military presence in the Middle East in decades</a>&nbsp;and repeatedly threatened action if Tehran does not negotiate a deal to constrain its nuclear program.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-aircraft-carrier-military-8db3fab10476949acda8b973be416204">A second aircraft carrier</a>&nbsp;is heading to the region to join a surge of other American warships and aircraft, offering the Republican president several options for a potential strike even as talks may continue.</p><p>Oman’s foreign minister, Badr al-Busaidi, said the U.S. and Iran plan to hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-khamenei-universities-tehran-trump-military-dd81a3d1e464975c56f02b729e742014">their next round of nuclear talks</a>&nbsp;Thursday in Geneva.</p><p>Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, told CBS on Sunday that he expected to meet U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff then and said a “good chance” remained for a diplomatic solution on the nuclear issue.</p><p>Araghchi has said a proposed deal would be ready to share within days, and he told CBS that Iran was still working on it.</p><p>Asked Friday whether the U.S. could take limited military action as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-nuclear-talks-iaea-dbed41b78ce2ddabc8a04349e72abeba">the countries negotiate</a>, Trump said, “I guess I can say I am considering that.” He also told reporters later that Iran “better negotiate a fair deal.”</p><p>Indirect talks between the longtime adversaries in recent weeks have made little visible progress. Beyond the nuclear program, Iran has refused to discuss wider U.S. and Israeli&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-trump-netanyahu-nuclear-talks-fa5be8069deb4b1b01cdf30d3e3525e7">demands that it scale back its missile program</a>&nbsp;and sever ties to armed groups.</p>