By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/audrey-mcavoy">AUDREY McAVOY</a> Associated Press

A third teenager has been arrested and charged with the killing of a congressional intern in the nation’s capital, a crime that President Donald Trump cited when he announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-washington-increased-federal-law-enforcement-takeover-33b186a95dabf111bac61db398aa7543">law enforcement surge</a>&nbsp;in Washington.

Naqwan Antonio Lucas, 18, has been indicted with first-degree murder and 15 other charges for the killing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym of Granby, Massachusetts who worked in the office of Kansas 4th District Congressman Ron Estes. Lucas pleaded not guilty on Thursday.

Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, died a day after he was struck by stray bullets near Washington’s Mount Vernon Square the night of June 30.

Authorities last month arrested&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eric-tarpinian-jachym-intern-killed-arrests-pirro-2ab7b67305d6f12de6b6e456699c5a8e">two 17-year-old suspects</a>&nbsp;in the shooting, Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jailen Lucas. They were charged as adults for first-degree murder while armed.

Prosecutors said Naqwan Lucas and Jailen Lucas are brothers.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said last month that Tarpinian-Jachym was an “innocent bystander” who wasn’t an intended target of the gunfire.

Pirro’s office said he was hit when three armed suspects left a stolen vehicle and began firing shots at two young men. Tarpinian-Jachym was shot four times. Five other people also were assaulted or injured.

Naqwan Lucas faces a second indictment for allegedly killing 17-year-old Zoey Kelly on July 4. Kelly was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head inside a storage container wrapped in bedding in a bedroom closet, prosecutors said.

Naqwan Lucas also pleaded not guilty to these charges. His attorney, Steven Kiersh, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Surveillance video helped investigators identify the three suspects, police said.

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

The University of Massachusetts Amherst student was in Washington to work as a summer intern in the office of Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761862535029.png" alt="Photo DC Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo DC Police</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/audrey-mcavoy">AUDREY McAVOY</a> Associated PressA third teenager has been arrested and charged with the killing of a congressional intern in the nation’s capital, a crime that President Donald Trump cited when he announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-washington-increased-federal-law-enforcement-takeover-33b186a95dabf111bac61db398aa7543">law enforcement surge</a>&nbsp;in Washington.Naqwan Antonio Lucas, 18, has been indicted with first-degree murder and 15 other charges for the killing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym of Granby, Massachusetts who worked in the office of Kansas 4th District Congressman Ron Estes. Lucas pleaded not guilty on Thursday.Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, died a day after he was struck by stray bullets near Washington’s Mount Vernon Square the night of June 30.Authorities last month arrested&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eric-tarpinian-jachym-intern-killed-arrests-pirro-2ab7b67305d6f12de6b6e456699c5a8e">two 17-year-old suspects</a>&nbsp;in the shooting, Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jailen Lucas. They were charged as adults for first-degree murder while armed.Prosecutors said Naqwan Lucas and Jailen Lucas are brothers.U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said last month that Tarpinian-Jachym was an “innocent bystander” who wasn’t an intended target of the gunfire.Pirro’s office said he was hit when three armed suspects left a stolen vehicle and began firing shots at two young men. Tarpinian-Jachym was shot four times. Five other people also were assaulted or injured.Naqwan Lucas faces a second indictment for allegedly killing 17-year-old Zoey Kelly on July 4. Kelly was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head inside a storage container wrapped in bedding in a bedroom closet, prosecutors said.Naqwan Lucas also pleaded not guilty to these charges. His attorney, Steven Kiersh, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.Surveillance video helped investigators identify the three suspects, police said.Trump mentioned Tarpinian-Jachym’s killing — but not his name — during an Aug. 11 news conference where he announced a federal intervention for a “public safety emergency” in the District of Columbia.The University of Massachusetts Amherst student was in Washington to work as a summer intern in the office of Rep. Ron Estes, R-Kansas.

3rd suspect charged in DC slaying of intern for Kan. congressman

BUTLER COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an alleged drive-by shooting in Butler County.

Just after 6:30p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a home in the 600 Block of Santa Fe in Augusta, according to a media release from the Augusta Department of Public Safety. 

A women who lives there found her home and vehicle had ben shot at numerous times overnight. The initial investigation uncovered circumstances leading officers to believe the shooting occurred between 1 and 2a.m. Damage was limited to one home and vehicle. It was an isolated incident and there were no injuries reported.

BUTLER COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an alleged drive-by shooting in Butler County.Just after 6:30p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a home in the 600 Block of Santa Fe in Augusta, according to a media release from the Augusta Department of Public Safety. A women who lives there found her home and vehicle had ben shot at numerous times overnight. The initial investigation uncovered circumstances leading officers to believe the shooting occurred between 1 and 2a.m. Damage was limited to one home and vehicle. It was an isolated incident and there were no injuries reported.

Police: Kansas woman's home, car damaged in drive-by shooting

By MORGAN LEE and SEJAL GOVINDARAO Associated Press

Six people who died at a Colorado dairy farm this summer were exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas, authorities said Thursday.

The Weld County coroner's office drew its conclusions from autopsies and toxicology tests.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-dairy-deaths-8ee96fdcb698f4d5de1a231a5389d22a">deaths of five men and a teenager</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 20 sent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dairy-farm-colorado-deaths-gas-exposure-a058110957fc63af087e984d4de676d2">shockwaves through the rural communities</a>&nbsp;in and around Keenesburg, 35 miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Denver, where emergency responders entered a confined space to recover the bodies. Authorities had immediately expressed concern that the deaths were linked to harmful gases.

The coroner's findings will factor into an investigation by federal workplace safety and health investigators into determining what happened at the industrial-scale dairy, owned by California-based Prospect Ranch, as well as the role of a dairy equipment contractor.

The autopsy reports gave no indication of the circumstances of the deaths, describing only an industrial accident in a confined space at a dairy farm.

Dairy operators and federal workplace safety authorities have said little about what went wrong.

The hazards of confined spaces on farms and dairies are a well-known and persistent cause of death in agriculture across the U.S. — often from exposure to odorless and colorless noxious gases, or due to asphyxiation in closed spaces where oxygen has been depleted.

All those who died in Colorado were Latino, ranging in age from 17 to 50. Four of them, including the teenage high school student, were from the same extended family.

As the news spread of the deaths, people in the community organized fundraisers including a dance, haircuts and a car wash to benefit the families of those who died. Several local churches organized a memorial gathering at the local fair grounds in Keenesburg in early September that included singing “Amazing Grace."

“People are in shock. Everybody in the ranching and dairy community knows it’s difficult, hard work and there are accidents,” said the Rev. Thomas Kuffel, a priest at Catholic churches including Holy Family in Keenesburg. “But this is very foreign to them, in that accidents are typically one or two people.”

First responders from a rural fire district in Weld County were dispatched around 6 p.m. on Aug. 20 to Prospect Ranch and took their own safety precautions as they entered a confined space.

Alejandro Espinoza Cruz, of Nunn, was found dead along with his 17-year-old son Oscar Espinoza Leos and a second son, 29-year-old Carlos Espinoza Prado of Evans.

The Espinozas are related by marriage to a 36-year-old from Greeley who died — Jorge Sanchez Pena, according to Jolene Weiner, chief deputy county coroner for Weld County.

The other two men — Ricardo Gomez Galvan, 40, and Noe Montañez Casañas, 32 — lived in Keenesburg. The remains of Montañez Casañas, a veterinarian who was employed under a U.S. visa, were repatriated to the central Mexican state of Hidalgo, according to the Mexican consulate in Denver. Relatives of those who died couldn't immediately be reached.

Silos that store grain and feed are among the most deadly confined spaces on farms, with hazards that include gases from fodder for feeding cattle that ferments and releases carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, according to William Field, a professor at Purdue University who compiles annual reports on injuries and fatalities.

The next most deadly group of hazards are associated with the handling and storage of animal manure, which also include dangers from harmful gases. As manure decomposes, it releases toxic gases that can replace available oxygen with carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.

Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic gas that is colorless but has a sulfurous smell reminiscent of rotten eggs.

After some exposure, people can quickly lose the ability to smell the gas even though it’s still there through “olfactory fatigue.” At high concentrations, the ability to smell the gas can be lost instantly, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Proven safety precautions include access to a self-contained breathing apparatus with a short supply of oxygen and emergency response planning and training, Field said.

“Having an emergency action plan that would eliminate the cascading effects, so that if somebody is down, somebody doesn’t just jump in there,” is important, he said.

OSHA can take six months or longer to complete an investigation into workplace fatalities and typically focuses on identifying root causes.

OSHA has launched inspections and investigations of Prospect Ranch as well as Johnstown, Colorado-based Fiske Electric, whose subsidiary High Plains Robotics services dairy equipment and employed some of those who died. Prospect Ranch could not be immediately reached for comment, and Fiske Electric did not respond to email and phone messages.

The progress of the investigations is unclear. Local, regional and Washington, D.C.-based representatives for OSHA did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails on Thursday. Automated responses said no one could reply because of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-effects-trump-update-democrats-95b986b83b9802fe7a8374572fcd86f0">federal government shutdown</a>.

It’s unclear if Espinoza Leos, the teenager, was assigned specifically to hazardous work, though that wouldn’t be unusual or prohibited by law. Federal regulations&nbsp;<a href="https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/docs/hazag.asp">allow</a>&nbsp;those who are 16 and older to do hazardous jobs in agriculture, while the minimum age is 18 in other industries, under child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Renée Anthony, an environmental engineer and director of the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health at the University of Iowa, said federal regulations leave out detailed standards for confined space safety in the agriculture sector even where permits are required.

Still, Anthony said all industry sectors, including agriculture, have an obligation under federal law to keep workplaces free from recognized hazards that can cause death or serious injury.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761866893204.png" alt="Oscar Espinoza Leos was among the six who died- photo courtesy Lighthouse Family Mortuary" />
 <figcaption>Oscar Espinoza Leos was among the six who died- photo courtesy Lighthouse Family Mortuary</figcaption>
 </figure>By MORGAN LEE and SEJAL GOVINDARAO Associated PressSix people who died at a Colorado dairy farm this summer were exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas, authorities said Thursday.The Weld County coroner's office drew its conclusions from autopsies and toxicology tests.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-dairy-deaths-8ee96fdcb698f4d5de1a231a5389d22a">deaths of five men and a teenager</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 20 sent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dairy-farm-colorado-deaths-gas-exposure-a058110957fc63af087e984d4de676d2">shockwaves through the rural communities</a>&nbsp;in and around Keenesburg, 35 miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Denver, where emergency responders entered a confined space to recover the bodies. Authorities had immediately expressed concern that the deaths were linked to harmful gases.The coroner's findings will factor into an investigation by federal workplace safety and health investigators into determining what happened at the industrial-scale dairy, owned by California-based Prospect Ranch, as well as the role of a dairy equipment contractor.The autopsy reports gave no indication of the circumstances of the deaths, describing only an industrial accident in a confined space at a dairy farm.<h2>What happened at the dairy farm</h2>Dairy operators and federal workplace safety authorities have said little about what went wrong.The hazards of confined spaces on farms and dairies are a well-known and persistent cause of death in agriculture across the U.S. — often from exposure to odorless and colorless noxious gases, or due to asphyxiation in closed spaces where oxygen has been depleted.All those who died in Colorado were Latino, ranging in age from 17 to 50. Four of them, including the teenage high school student, were from the same extended family.As the news spread of the deaths, people in the community organized fundraisers including a dance, haircuts and a car wash to benefit the families of those who died. Several local churches organized a memorial gathering at the local fair grounds in Keenesburg in early September that included singing “Amazing Grace."“People are in shock. Everybody in the ranching and dairy community knows it’s difficult, hard work and there are accidents,” said the Rev. Thomas Kuffel, a priest at Catholic churches including Holy Family in Keenesburg. “But this is very foreign to them, in that accidents are typically one or two people.”<h2>Who are the people that died</h2>First responders from a rural fire district in Weld County were dispatched around 6 p.m. on Aug. 20 to Prospect Ranch and took their own safety precautions as they entered a confined space.Alejandro Espinoza Cruz, of Nunn, was found dead along with his 17-year-old son Oscar Espinoza Leos and a second son, 29-year-old Carlos Espinoza Prado of Evans.The Espinozas are related by marriage to a 36-year-old from Greeley who died — Jorge Sanchez Pena, according to Jolene Weiner, chief deputy county coroner for Weld County.The other two men — Ricardo Gomez Galvan, 40, and Noe Montañez Casañas, 32 — lived in Keenesburg. The remains of Montañez Casañas, a veterinarian who was employed under a U.S. visa, were repatriated to the central Mexican state of Hidalgo, according to the Mexican consulate in Denver. Relatives of those who died couldn't immediately be reached.<h2>Why confined spaces are dangerous</h2>Silos that store grain and feed are among the most deadly confined spaces on farms, with hazards that include gases from fodder for feeding cattle that ferments and releases carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide, according to William Field, a professor at Purdue University who compiles annual reports on injuries and fatalities.The next most deadly group of hazards are associated with the handling and storage of animal manure, which also include dangers from harmful gases. As manure decomposes, it releases toxic gases that can replace available oxygen with carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic gas that is colorless but has a sulfurous smell reminiscent of rotten eggs.After some exposure, people can quickly lose the ability to smell the gas even though it’s still there through “olfactory fatigue.” At high concentrations, the ability to smell the gas can be lost instantly, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Proven safety precautions include access to a self-contained breathing apparatus with a short supply of oxygen and emergency response planning and training, Field said.“Having an emergency action plan that would eliminate the cascading effects, so that if somebody is down, somebody doesn’t just jump in there,” is important, he said.<h2>What workplace oversight was there</h2>OSHA can take six months or longer to complete an investigation into workplace fatalities and typically focuses on identifying root causes.OSHA has launched inspections and investigations of Prospect Ranch as well as Johnstown, Colorado-based Fiske Electric, whose subsidiary High Plains Robotics services dairy equipment and employed some of those who died. Prospect Ranch could not be immediately reached for comment, and Fiske Electric did not respond to email and phone messages.The progress of the investigations is unclear. Local, regional and Washington, D.C.-based representatives for OSHA did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails on Thursday. Automated responses said no one could reply because of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-effects-trump-update-democrats-95b986b83b9802fe7a8374572fcd86f0">federal government shutdown</a>.It’s unclear if Espinoza Leos, the teenager, was assigned specifically to hazardous work, though that wouldn’t be unusual or prohibited by law. Federal regulations&nbsp;<a href="https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/docs/hazag.asp">allow</a>&nbsp;those who are 16 and older to do hazardous jobs in agriculture, while the minimum age is 18 in other industries, under child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.Renée Anthony, an environmental engineer and director of the Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health at the University of Iowa, said federal regulations leave out detailed standards for confined space safety in the agriculture sector even where permits are required.Still, Anthony said all industry sectors, including agriculture, have an obligation under federal law to keep workplaces free from recognized hazards that can cause death or serious injury.

Coroner’s report: How 5 adults, teen died at Colorado dairy

President Trump arrived home from his trip to Asia in time to join FIrst Lady Melania Trump and hand out candy to children during a Halloween event at the White House on Thursday evening.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761872548675.png" alt="image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>President Trump arrived home from his trip to Asia in time to join FIrst Lady Melania Trump and hand out candy to children during a Halloween event at the White House on Thursday evening.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Halloween at the White House 2025 🍁🍂🎃 <a href="https://t.co/8ouTBcLuVk">pic.twitter.com/8ouTBcLuVk</a>&mdash; Office of the First Lady (@FirstLadyOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstLadyOffice/status/1984258805233025096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump and the First Lady Participate in Halloween at The White House <a href="https://t.co/AnezkesE8L">https://t.co/AnezkesE8L</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1984014953540362675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> host Halloween trick-or-treating at the White House 🎃 <a href="https://t.co/7S1CFTtSt3">pic.twitter.com/7S1CFTtSt3</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984015930272485702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump, former McDonald&#39;s worker himself, greets new Drive-Thru employees at the White House <a href="https://t.co/99KwxiH7wM">pic.twitter.com/99KwxiH7wM</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984024039850197436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> strikes again! 🤣 <a href="https://t.co/mjzufQiAut">https://t.co/mjzufQiAut</a> <a href="https://t.co/98J3vfTMfg">pic.twitter.com/98J3vfTMfg</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984026442494279730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> brings her son trick-or-treating at the White House with <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> 🧡🖤💛 <a href="https://t.co/tzW4PL3Syt">pic.twitter.com/tzW4PL3Syt</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984017034141950458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> hugs trick-or-treaters at the White House ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/QdY8EsicA4">pic.twitter.com/QdY8EsicA4</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1984022682506293310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Kids&#39; Halloween costumes at White House with President Trump and First Lady <a href="https://t.co/qOToLC5x5z">pic.twitter.com/qOToLC5x5z</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1984063387467387053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President, First Lady host trick-or-treaters at the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) —The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says drug makers have recalled more than a half-million bottles of the blood pressure medication prazosin hydrochloride over concerns it may include a cancer-causing chemical.

New Jersey-based Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and drugs distributor Amerisource Health Services issued voluntary nationwide&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/?Product=216677" target="_blank">recalls</a>&nbsp;earlier this month of more than 580,000 bottles of various strengths of prazosine capsules, according to the FDA.

Doctors prescribe prazosin, which relaxes blood vessels, to help lower blood pressure. It also is sometimes prescribed for nightmares and other sleep disturbances caused by post-traumatic stress disorder.

The FDA said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/?Product=216512" target="_blank">enforcement orders</a>&nbsp;posted online that it has given the affected lots of the drug a Class II risk classification because some of the recalled medication may have nitrosamine impurities that are considered potentially cancer causing.

According to the FDA,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/control-nitrosamine-impurities-human-drugs" target="_blank">N-nitrosamine impurities</a>&nbsp;are a class of potentially cancer-causing chemicals that can form during manufacture or storage of a drug.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says drug makers have recalled more than a half-million bottles of the blood pressure medication prazosin hydrochloride over concerns it may include a cancer-causing chemical.New Jersey-based Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and drugs distributor Amerisource Health Services issued voluntary nationwide&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/?Product=216677" target="_blank">recalls</a>&nbsp;earlier this month of more than 580,000 bottles of various strengths of prazosine capsules, according to the FDA.Doctors prescribe prazosin, which relaxes blood vessels, to help lower blood pressure. It also is sometimes prescribed for nightmares and other sleep disturbances caused by post-traumatic stress disorder.The FDA said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/ires/?Product=216512" target="_blank">enforcement orders</a>&nbsp;posted online that it has given the affected lots of the drug a Class II risk classification because some of the recalled medication may have nitrosamine impurities that are considered potentially cancer causing.According to the FDA,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/control-nitrosamine-impurities-human-drugs" target="_blank">N-nitrosamine impurities</a>&nbsp;are a class of potentially cancer-causing chemicals that can form during manufacture or storage of a drug.

FDA announces nationwide recall of tainted blood pressure medicine

KANSAS CITY —A man already serving time in the Kansas Department of corrections is facing new charges in connection with two fatal fentanyl overdoses that took place in 2023.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2750/Esparza-Redacted-Complaint-1">Angel B. Esparza</a>, 32,&nbsp;faces one count of 2nd Degree Felony Murder, one count of 1st Degree Involuntary Manslaughter, and one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2749/Esparza-Redacted-Probable-Cause-2">According to court records</a>, two coworkers died from fentanyl overdoses in October 2023—one in their Lee’s Summit residence and another in their Belton residence.&nbsp;

The Jackson County Drug Task Force has led the investigation of the deaths over the past couple years, leading to the identification of Esparza.

Detectives found paraphernalia at the first victim’s home which tested positive for fentanyl. &nbsp;They also found messages between the victims indicating the use of fentanyl.

In 2024, detectives found Facebook messages and Cash App records indicating the defendant sold fentanyl to the second victim the night before the first victim’s death. Additional Facebook messages revealed the defendant had sold drugs, including fentanyl, to other individuals as well.&nbsp;

The defendant is currently serving a prison sentence in the Kansas Department of Corrections for an unrelated conviction. Esparza has seven previous convictions in Kansas. His bond has been set at $250,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761594937474.png" alt="Esparza photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Esparza photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A man already serving time in the Kansas Department of corrections is facing new charges in connection with two fatal fentanyl overdoses that took place in 2023.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2750/Esparza-Redacted-Complaint-1">Angel B. Esparza</a>, 32,&nbsp;faces one count of 2nd Degree Felony Murder, one count of 1st Degree Involuntary Manslaughter, and one count of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2749/Esparza-Redacted-Probable-Cause-2">According to court records</a>, two coworkers died from fentanyl overdoses in October 2023—one in their Lee’s Summit residence and another in their Belton residence.&nbsp;The Jackson County Drug Task Force has led the investigation of the deaths over the past couple years, leading to the identification of Esparza.Detectives found paraphernalia at the first victim’s home which tested positive for fentanyl. &nbsp;They also found messages between the victims indicating the use of fentanyl.In 2024, detectives found Facebook messages and Cash App records indicating the defendant sold fentanyl to the second victim the night before the first victim’s death. Additional Facebook messages revealed the defendant had sold drugs, including fentanyl, to other individuals as well.&nbsp;The defendant is currently serving a prison sentence in the Kansas Department of Corrections for an unrelated conviction. Esparza has seven previous convictions in Kansas. His bond has been set at $250,000.

Man in Kansas prison accused of fentanyl deaths in 2023

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is forging ahead with plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-public-service-changes-trump-69243c5b83f3fe42c56744004a1a27fe" rel="nofollow">eject some nonprofits</a>&nbsp;from a popular student loan forgiveness program if their work is deemed to have a “substantial illegal purpose” — a move that could cut off some teachers, doctors and other public workers from federal loan cancellation.

New rules finalized Thursday give the Education Department expanded power to ban organizations from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The Trump administration said it’s necessary to block taxpayer money from lawbreakers. Critics say it turns the program into a tool of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-public-service-trump-145f6a07a477e5c82f4374bc89e1eea7" rel="nofollow">political retribution</a>.

Set to take effect in July, the policy is aimed primarily at organizations that work with immigrants and transgender youth.

It grants the education secretary power to exclude groups from the program if they engage in activities including the trafficking or “chemical castration” of children, illegal immigration and supporting terrorist organizations. “Chemical castration” is defined as using hormone therapy or drugs that delay puberty — gender-affirming care common for transgender children or teens.

It amounts to a major reworking of a program that has canceled loans for more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-forgiveness-debt-774b0ee69f911f68f646a066031ee604" rel="nofollow">1 million Americans</a>&nbsp;and was created by Congress in 2007 to steer more college graduates into lower-paying public sector jobs. The Trump administration has yet to identify specific groups it intends to target, but it estimates fewer than 10 would be barred per year.

The program “was meant to support Americans who dedicate their careers to public service – not to subsidize organizations that violate the law, whether by harboring illegal immigrants or performing prohibited medical procedures that attempt to transition children away from their biological sex,” Education Undersecretary Nicholas Kent said in a statement.

The legal nonprofit Student Defense said it will sue to challenge the rules, arguing the administration is illegally “punishing public servants for their employers’ perceived political views.”

The program has rewarded a wide range of public service careers

The program promises to cancel federal student loans for government employees and many nonprofit workers after they have made 10 years of payments. It has long been open to government workers, teachers, firefighters and employees of public hospitals. Eligibility rules laid out by Congress focus mostly on nonprofits’ tax status and their field of work.

The benefit has gone to workers at organizations across the political spectrum. Yet in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-service-student-loan-forgiveness-trump-457a24f8dba3c52dfe58f1e72ba61fa4" rel="nofollow">March action</a>&nbsp;demanding new limits, President Donald Trump said it has “misdirected tax dollars into activist organizations that not only fail to serve the public interest, but actually harm our national security and American values, sometimes through criminal means.”

A central concern of critics is the wide latitude the department is giving itself to determine if an organization’s work should be considered to have a “substantial illegal purpose.”

Employers across state and local government as well as nonprofits can be expelled from the program if a state or federal court rules against them, or if they agree to a legal settlement that includes admission of guilt. Performing gender-affirming care in the 27 states that outlaw it, for example, appears to be grounds for expulsion.

Even without a legal finding, the education secretary will be able to independently determine that an organization should be barred. The secretary would weigh whether the “preponderance of the evidence” leans against the employer.

The department dismissed concerns from many who said that bar is too low.

“It ensures decisions are grounded in fact, not speculation, and allows the Department to act promptly to protect both borrowers and taxpayers,” federal officials wrote.

Critics see an opening for decisions based on ideology

Among those opposing the proposal were prominent associations in higher education, health care and legal professions. In public comments submitted to the department, many called it an illegal overstep and said it would undermine an incentive that has helped address work shortages in high-demand fields.

The American Bar Association said it could decrease the ranks of public defenders and those in public interest law. Thousands of people will lose access to representation, the association said, “simply because those attorneys’ jobs were deemed politically unfavorable by the Secretary.”

The National Council of Nonprofits said the policy would allow future administrations from any political party to change eligibility rules “based on their own priorities or ideology.”

Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the overhaul will prevent taxpayers from covering loan relief for employees at “radical organizations that violate state and federal laws.”

Under the new rules, employers can only be sanctioned for activities that take place on or after July 1, 2026. Those barred from the program can reapply for eligibility after 10 years or rejoin sooner if they follow a “corrective action plan” approved by the secretary.

Documents from the department indicate that a single violation of the law may or may not be enough to get an employer barred, depending on the circumstances. Not all organizations that break the law have a “substantial illegal purpose,” the agency said, and it ultimately comes down to the secretary’s analysis of the evidence.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753487786830.png" alt=". (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is forging ahead with plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-public-service-changes-trump-69243c5b83f3fe42c56744004a1a27fe" rel="nofollow">eject some nonprofits</a>&nbsp;from a popular student loan forgiveness program if their work is deemed to have a “substantial illegal purpose” — a move that could cut off some teachers, doctors and other public workers from federal loan cancellation.New rules finalized Thursday give the Education Department expanded power to ban organizations from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The Trump administration said it’s necessary to block taxpayer money from lawbreakers. Critics say it turns the program into a tool of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-public-service-trump-145f6a07a477e5c82f4374bc89e1eea7" rel="nofollow">political retribution</a>.Set to take effect in July, the policy is aimed primarily at organizations that work with immigrants and transgender youth.It grants the education secretary power to exclude groups from the program if they engage in activities including the trafficking or “chemical castration” of children, illegal immigration and supporting terrorist organizations. “Chemical castration” is defined as using hormone therapy or drugs that delay puberty — gender-affirming care common for transgender children or teens.It amounts to a major reworking of a program that has canceled loans for more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-cancellation-forgiveness-debt-774b0ee69f911f68f646a066031ee604" rel="nofollow">1 million Americans</a>&nbsp;and was created by Congress in 2007 to steer more college graduates into lower-paying public sector jobs. The Trump administration has yet to identify specific groups it intends to target, but it estimates fewer than 10 would be barred per year.The program “was meant to support Americans who dedicate their careers to public service – not to subsidize organizations that violate the law, whether by harboring illegal immigrants or performing prohibited medical procedures that attempt to transition children away from their biological sex,” Education Undersecretary Nicholas Kent said in a statement.The legal nonprofit Student Defense said it will sue to challenge the rules, arguing the administration is illegally “punishing public servants for their employers’ perceived political views.”<h2>The program has rewarded a wide range of public service careers</h2>The program promises to cancel federal student loans for government employees and many nonprofit workers after they have made 10 years of payments. It has long been open to government workers, teachers, firefighters and employees of public hospitals. Eligibility rules laid out by Congress focus mostly on nonprofits’ tax status and their field of work.The benefit has gone to workers at organizations across the political spectrum. Yet in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-service-student-loan-forgiveness-trump-457a24f8dba3c52dfe58f1e72ba61fa4" rel="nofollow">March action</a>&nbsp;demanding new limits, President Donald Trump said it has “misdirected tax dollars into activist organizations that not only fail to serve the public interest, but actually harm our national security and American values, sometimes through criminal means.”A central concern of critics is the wide latitude the department is giving itself to determine if an organization’s work should be considered to have a “substantial illegal purpose.”Employers across state and local government as well as nonprofits can be expelled from the program if a state or federal court rules against them, or if they agree to a legal settlement that includes admission of guilt. Performing gender-affirming care in the 27 states that outlaw it, for example, appears to be grounds for expulsion.Even without a legal finding, the education secretary will be able to independently determine that an organization should be barred. The secretary would weigh whether the “preponderance of the evidence” leans against the employer.The department dismissed concerns from many who said that bar is too low.“It ensures decisions are grounded in fact, not speculation, and allows the Department to act promptly to protect both borrowers and taxpayers,” federal officials wrote.<h2>Critics see an opening for decisions based on ideology</h2>Among those opposing the proposal were prominent associations in higher education, health care and legal professions. In public comments submitted to the department, many called it an illegal overstep and said it would undermine an incentive that has helped address work shortages in high-demand fields.The American Bar Association said it could decrease the ranks of public defenders and those in public interest law. Thousands of people will lose access to representation, the association said, “simply because those attorneys’ jobs were deemed politically unfavorable by the Secretary.”The National Council of Nonprofits said the policy would allow future administrations from any political party to change eligibility rules “based on their own priorities or ideology.”Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said the overhaul will prevent taxpayers from covering loan relief for employees at “radical organizations that violate state and federal laws.”Under the new rules, employers can only be sanctioned for activities that take place on or after July 1, 2026. Those barred from the program can reapply for eligibility after 10 years or rejoin sooner if they follow a “corrective action plan” approved by the secretary.Documents from the department indicate that a single violation of the law may or may not be enough to get an employer barred, depending on the circumstances. Not all organizations that break the law have a “substantial illegal purpose,” the agency said, and it ultimately comes down to the secretary’s analysis of the evidence.___

New rule bars student loan relief for public workers tied to ‘illegal’ activity

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Kelvin Burgett, 28, Prescott Valley, Arizona was sentenced Thursday in Sedgwick County District Court for the 2022 vehicular crash that resulted in the death of Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter.

Judge William Woolley sentenced Burgett to 3 and one half year or&nbsp; 42 months in prison after previously pleading no contest to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter while driving under the influence of THC.

In October of 2022, a&nbsp;2016 Dodge Charger driven by Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter, 22, Bel Aire, was southbound on 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize responding to a disturbance, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.

A westbound 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Burgett failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the drivers side of the Dodge Charger, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Deputy Carter was pronounced deceased at the scene. EMS transported Burgett to a local hospital.

Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Easter. She began field training in the summer of 2022 and completed that training Oct. 1.&nbsp;

Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Woolley also ordered Burgett to serve 36 months of post-release supervision.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680091672733.png" alt="Burgett-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Burgett-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Kelvin Burgett, 28, Prescott Valley, Arizona was sentenced Thursday in Sedgwick County District Court for the 2022 vehicular crash that resulted in the death of Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter.Judge William Woolley sentenced Burgett to 3 and one half year or&nbsp; 42 months in prison after previously pleading no contest to one count of Involuntary Manslaughter while driving under the influence of THC.In October of 2022, a&nbsp;2016 Dodge Charger driven by Sedgwick County Sheriff's Deputy Sidnee Carter, 22, Bel Aire, was southbound on 135th Street at 29th Street north one mile west of Northwest Wichita and Maize responding to a disturbance, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.A westbound 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Burgett failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the drivers side of the Dodge Charger, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.Deputy Carter was pronounced deceased at the scene. EMS transported Burgett to a local hospital.Deputy Carter had only worked in the field alone for a week, according to Sheriff Easter. She began field training in the summer of 2022 and completed that training Oct. 1.&nbsp;Deputy Carter had served the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office for one and a half years in the Sedgwick County Detention Facility before transferring to the Law Enforcement Bureau in February 2022. She graduated the Law Enforcement Academy on July 21, 2022.&nbsp;During the sentencing hearing, Judge Woolley also ordered Burgett to serve 36 months of post-release supervision.

Prison for man in DUI crash that killed Kansas Deputy

KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City area teen is facing charges for bringing a loaded gun to a school.

On Tuesday, a Belton Police Department School Resource Officer received information regarding a student bringing a firearm to night courses, according to a media release from Belton Police. The school resource officer team developed a plan to stop the student before he could enter the Scott School, 310 S Scott Avenue, in Belton for his night classes. 

 At 4p.m., a School Resource Officer observed this student identified as 18-year-old Cameron Kopfer of Belton arriving at the school and heading toward the entrance.  Officers stopped him without incident before he could enter the school, at which time he was detained for further investigation.   The investigation revealed a loaded pistol in the student’s backpack. 

Kopfer was arrested and placed on a 24-hour investigative hold. On Wednesday, the Cass County Prosecutor's Office charged Kopfer with one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon (Class E Felony) with a cash only bond of $10,000.

The Belton School District and the Belton Police Department place the safety of our students, teachers and school staff as our highest priority.  We are grateful for the courage of an individual to report a tip in hopes of preventing a more tragic outcome. This tip directly resulted in keeping a firearm out of a public school.If you see something......SAY SOMETHING!!!!

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761840189479.png" alt="Kopfer photo Belton Police" />
 <figcaption>Kopfer photo Belton Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City area teen is facing charges for bringing a loaded gun to a school.On Tuesday, a Belton Police Department School Resource Officer received information regarding a student bringing a firearm to night courses, according to a media release from Belton Police. The school resource officer team developed a plan to stop the student before he could enter the Scott School, 310 S Scott Avenue, in Belton for his night classes. At 4p.m., a School Resource Officer observed this student identified as 18-year-old Cameron Kopfer of Belton arriving at the school and heading toward the entrance. Officers stopped him without incident before he could enter the school, at which time he was detained for further investigation. The investigation revealed a loaded pistol in the student’s backpack. Kopfer was arrested and placed on a 24-hour investigative hold. On Wednesday, the Cass County Prosecutor's Office charged Kopfer with one count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon (Class E Felony) with a cash only bond of $10,000.The Belton School District and the Belton Police Department place the safety of our students, teachers and school staff as our highest priority. We are grateful for the courage of an individual to report a tip in hopes of preventing a more tragic outcome. This tip directly resulted in keeping a firearm out of a public school.If you see something......SAY SOMETHING!!!!

Student arrested after classmate reports loaded gun at school

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

TOPEKA — A recent report examining the Kansas foster care agency’s performance in 2024 improved from last year, the agency head said, but one region is especially struggling to meet expectations.

The agency’s annual progress is measured by benchmarks outlined in a 2021 federal court settlement that holds the state to certain promises, including lowering the number of times a child is moved, eliminating overnight stays in offices and offering timely mental health services. A neutral third party released&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/09/22/wake-up-call-kansas-foster-care-system-makes-minimal-progress-toward-promises-made-in-court/">the report analyzing 2024’s progress</a>&nbsp;in September.

Laura Howard, secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said at a Monday committee hearing in Topeka that improvement plans look different in each part of the state.

“We can’t just look at the aggregate,” she said. “We have to look at what’s happening in each area in each part of the state. What’s going well? What still needs to improve?”

Five private foster care providers serve eight areas in Kansas, and those organizations are also bound by the requirements of the settlement agreement. One in four Kansas kids in foster care lives in Sedgwick County, which is now served by EmberHope Connections after it replaced Saint Francis Ministries in 2024.

That county, which is home to Wichita, has had the most significant struggles in meeting the settlement requirements.&nbsp;

In 2024, 100 kids experienced more than 200 instances of spending nights in unsuitable places, such as offices. About 83% of those instances were in the Wichita area. It is the only region in the state that continues to have significant issues with placement, Howard said.

The state will no longer be monitored for one metric that ensures placements don’t exceed a home’s licensed capacity. It also improved in decreasing the number of children who had delayed mental health services, but still hasn’t met the settlement’s benchmark.

The one outcome the state did not improve upon was the failure to place measure, which refers to a child sleeping in an office, hotel or other unlicensed setting.

“While we’re seeing progress, and this is definitely a better report than last year’s report, where we saw some declines in performance, it’s just important that we continue to really place the focus on plans for improvement,” Howard said.

Brenda Watkins, president of EmberHope, said her organization is facing three main challenges: high acuity children, the rising cost of liability insurance and struggles to recruit and retain a qualified workforce.

Other Kansas organizations said the same thing at Monday’s hearing, and Watkins said other states are facing similar issues.

In Sedgwick County, EmberHope struggles to find placements for children because, often, no placements are available, Watkins said.

“Truly, there is no placement,” she said.

That means either no beds exist or households and facilities are not willing or able to take a child, she said.

<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/03/as-foster-care-system-continues-to-lag-sedgwick-county-sounds-alarm-on-placement-crisis/">One 6-year-old boy spent 48 nights in an EmberHope office</a>&nbsp;and 40 nights in a hospital in a three-month span.

“He has been wrapped around with community services and supports to meet his needs,” Watkins said.

The boy, who was eventually diagnosed with a neurological condition, has been living in a residential psychiatric treatment facility and is expected to soon be discharged into a therapeutic foster home, Watkins said.

“When the system comes together across the shared parts to share the client that we serve, which is the child and the family, we can be very successful,” she said. “However, that doesn’t happen all the time, and we do need to continue to increase our focus on how we can coordinate care (and) achieve better outcomes for kids in care.”

In fiscal year 2025, which stretches from July 2024 to June 2025, EmberHope had 450 total instances of failure to place in Sedgwick County. In the first four months of the 2026 fiscal year, there have been 527 instances among 75 children, Watkins said.

Organizations are required under the terms of the settlement agreement to end all instances of failure to place by February 2026.

Watkins said the situation in Sedgwick County is at a crisis level. She described “pandemonium,” staff and child injuries and security troubles. One security company fired EmberHope, and off-duty Wichita Police Department officers now help in place of private security guards.

Watkins was among several organization representatives who asked legislators for help in covering the rising cost of liability insurance.

The cost of liability insurance for Cornerstones of Care, which serves foster children in the Kansas City region, is going up 131% in 2026 compared to 2025, said Justin Horton, the chief programs and innovation officer for the organization. Compared to 2022 costs, it is up 235%.

The issue is not unique to Kansas, he said.

“But, nonetheless, if you license foster homes, if you case manage foster homes, (if) you run a residential facility — and I check all three of those boxes — it’s very costly,” Horton said.

Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, speculated that finding liability insurance carriers willing to cover foster care organizations was also an issue. Horton affirmed.

“I would hate to see insurance dictate how we serve our kids,” Ruiz said, “but it seems like in this kind of scenario, that’s what we’re looking at.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761841195839.png" alt=" Kansas Department for Children and Families secretary Laura Howard, speaking here at a June 10, 2025, hearing before the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, is in charge of overseeing the state’s five foster care contractors, which are subject to the terms of a federal settlement. (Photo by Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Department for Children and Families secretary Laura Howard, speaking here at a June 10, 2025, hearing before the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, is in charge of overseeing the state’s five foster care contractors, which are subject to the terms of a federal settlement. (Photo by Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A recent report examining the Kansas foster care agency’s performance in 2024 improved from last year, the agency head said, but one region is especially struggling to meet expectations.The agency’s annual progress is measured by benchmarks outlined in a 2021 federal court settlement that holds the state to certain promises, including lowering the number of times a child is moved, eliminating overnight stays in offices and offering timely mental health services. A neutral third party released&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/09/22/wake-up-call-kansas-foster-care-system-makes-minimal-progress-toward-promises-made-in-court/">the report analyzing 2024’s progress</a>&nbsp;in September.Laura Howard, secretary for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said at a Monday committee hearing in Topeka that improvement plans look different in each part of the state.“We can’t just look at the aggregate,” she said. “We have to look at what’s happening in each area in each part of the state. What’s going well? What still needs to improve?”Five private foster care providers serve eight areas in Kansas, and those organizations are also bound by the requirements of the settlement agreement. One in four Kansas kids in foster care lives in Sedgwick County, which is now served by EmberHope Connections after it replaced Saint Francis Ministries in 2024.That county, which is home to Wichita, has had the most significant struggles in meeting the settlement requirements.&nbsp;In 2024, 100 kids experienced more than 200 instances of spending nights in unsuitable places, such as offices. About 83% of those instances were in the Wichita area. It is the only region in the state that continues to have significant issues with placement, Howard said.The state will no longer be monitored for one metric that ensures placements don’t exceed a home’s licensed capacity. It also improved in decreasing the number of children who had delayed mental health services, but still hasn’t met the settlement’s benchmark.The one outcome the state did not improve upon was the failure to place measure, which refers to a child sleeping in an office, hotel or other unlicensed setting.“While we’re seeing progress, and this is definitely a better report than last year’s report, where we saw some declines in performance, it’s just important that we continue to really place the focus on plans for improvement,” Howard said.Brenda Watkins, president of EmberHope, said her organization is facing three main challenges: high acuity children, the rising cost of liability insurance and struggles to recruit and retain a qualified workforce.Other Kansas organizations said the same thing at Monday’s hearing, and Watkins said other states are facing similar issues.In Sedgwick County, EmberHope struggles to find placements for children because, often, no placements are available, Watkins said.“Truly, there is no placement,” she said.That means either no beds exist or households and facilities are not willing or able to take a child, she said.<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/03/as-foster-care-system-continues-to-lag-sedgwick-county-sounds-alarm-on-placement-crisis/">One 6-year-old boy spent 48 nights in an EmberHope office</a>&nbsp;and 40 nights in a hospital in a three-month span.“He has been wrapped around with community services and supports to meet his needs,” Watkins said.The boy, who was eventually diagnosed with a neurological condition, has been living in a residential psychiatric treatment facility and is expected to soon be discharged into a therapeutic foster home, Watkins said.“When the system comes together across the shared parts to share the client that we serve, which is the child and the family, we can be very successful,” she said. “However, that doesn’t happen all the time, and we do need to continue to increase our focus on how we can coordinate care (and) achieve better outcomes for kids in care.”In fiscal year 2025, which stretches from July 2024 to June 2025, EmberHope had 450 total instances of failure to place in Sedgwick County. In the first four months of the 2026 fiscal year, there have been 527 instances among 75 children, Watkins said.Organizations are required under the terms of the settlement agreement to end all instances of failure to place by February 2026.Watkins said the situation in Sedgwick County is at a crisis level. She described “pandemonium,” staff and child injuries and security troubles. One security company fired EmberHope, and off-duty Wichita Police Department officers now help in place of private security guards.Watkins was among several organization representatives who asked legislators for help in covering the rising cost of liability insurance.The cost of liability insurance for Cornerstones of Care, which serves foster children in the Kansas City region, is going up 131% in 2026 compared to 2025, said Justin Horton, the chief programs and innovation officer for the organization. Compared to 2022 costs, it is up 235%.The issue is not unique to Kansas, he said.“But, nonetheless, if you license foster homes, if you case manage foster homes, (if) you run a residential facility — and I check all three of those boxes — it’s very costly,” Horton said.Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, speculated that finding liability insurance carriers willing to cover foster care organizations was also an issue. Horton affirmed.“I would hate to see insurance dictate how we serve our kids,” Ruiz said, “but it seems like in this kind of scenario, that’s what we’re looking at.”

Wichita’s foster care woes tinge Kansas’ court-mandated progress report

WASHINGTON (AP) —With federal SNAP food assistance&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-benefits-government-shutdown-democrats-0cb0858eca47c90e2379f823d360083b">set to run dry</a>&nbsp;this weekend amid the protracted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">U.S. government shutdown</a>, Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont became the latest states Wednesday to announce help for low-income households that rely on the funds to eat.

They join states from New York to Nevada in scrambling to find ways to get food to people who are increasingly anxious and will otherwise go hungry without their normal monthly payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

In Louisiana, where nearly one in five residents receive SNAP benefits, lawmakers authorized $150 million in state funding Wednesday to help avoid Saturday's expected interruption. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry backed a bipartisan measure to allow most of the state’s nearly 800,000 SNAP recipients to receive their full monthly benefit amount.

“Our priorities are specific, we’re going to protect the most vulnerable population in Louisiana — which is our kids, disabled and elderly,” Landry said.

But officials said that while program details are still incomplete, the effort will likely exclude “able bodied” adults who aren’t caring for children or don’t share a household with elderly or disabled members — about 53,000 recipients.

Elsewhere, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday that her state will provide $30 million in emergency food assistance to residents through EBT cards, backfilling SNAP benefits temporarily. The Democrat leads a state where 21% of the population relies on SNAP — the highest rate in the nation. Officials said the benefit would cover about 30% of what residents usually see at the start of the month.

New Mexico held a two-day special legislative session at the outset of the shutdown to shore up food banks and pantries with $8 million in new funding, along with $17.5 million in SNAP-related costs to offset cuts under President Donald Trump’s spending and tax cut bill.

The emergency funding is expected to last about 10 days, while Democratic state House Speaker Javier Martínez said the Legislature is positioned to approve more if necessary because “children going without basic food staples is an emergency.”

Lujan Grisham said state officials are aware that 10 days isn't enough but they are prepared to deal with the issue for as long as they can.

“We're not going to let food insecurity creep into this state," she said.

In Vermont, Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic legislative leaders approved using $6.3 million in state funds to cover 15 days of SNAP benefits and provide $250,000 to food banks. The Legislature had previously put $50 million aside for such emergencies.

So far, state responses have been mixed. Some, like Rhode Island, say they will funnel reserve federal welfare funds directly onto the debit cards issued to people who buy groceries with SNAP. States including Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, West Virginia plan to boost funds to food pantries to help cover for low-income families needing food. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo are both seeking to direct $30 million in state funds to cover food assistance.

Other states such as Alabama, Texas, Kansas and Florida have not acted.

In Nebraska, the state Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement Tuesday announcing it would pause SNAP benefits the next day. It said it is “actively coordinating with food banks, nonprofit partners, and community organizations,” and listed area food banks for those seeking help.

Leaving people to fend for themselves will mean the most vulnerable — like children and the elderly — will go hungry, said Tashara Leak, a registered dietitian and nutritional researcher and professor at Cornell University. She also serves on New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy that routinely meets with New York's governor.

“The panic is already starting,” Leak said, adding families with limited resources are "already rationing food in preparation to not receive benefits on Nov. 1.”

States can't do what the federal government can

Despite the best efforts of states, local governments and food charities, it won't be enough to cover what the federal government does under SNAP. Even states with fat budget surpluses couldn't cover the SNAP tab much beyond November. That tab nationwide totaled about $100 billion in 2024.

“There’s no way for the states to be able to fill in the gap for the month of November, especially with such short notice,” Leak said.

Democrats have called on the Trump administration to release contingency funding to ensure uninterrupted SNAP payments, but it has declined to do so.

Recently, a group of Democratic state officials filed suit, asking a judge to require the Trump administration to keep funding SNAP benefits. They say that the government is required to use one contingency fund, which has around $5 billion, for that purpose and that another larger reserve fund of about $23 billion is also available. A hearing is set for Thursday in federal court in Boston.

Delays in benefits are nearly certain for most beneficiaries whose debit cards are replenished early in the month — even in states that are planning to pay for benefits or if a judge orders the federal government to load the cards immediately.

The legal filing asserted that in California, for instance, there will be a one-day delay in benefits available for every day after Oct. 23 that the process of putting money on cards hasn’t begun. That means that if a judge orders the program to continue on Thursday, the first cards would likely not be ready until around Nov. 10.

Christopher Bosso, a Northeastern University professor of public policy and political science who has published a book about SNAP, said even a delay would be deeply felt. Beneficiaries often stock up on groceries at the start of the month, and stores often hold sales then that encourage shoppers to do so.

“We’re about to find out how much this program matters, in ways that people hadn’t realized,” Bosso said.

AP writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) —With federal SNAP food assistance&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-benefits-government-shutdown-democrats-0cb0858eca47c90e2379f823d360083b">set to run dry</a>&nbsp;this weekend amid the protracted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">U.S. government shutdown</a>, Louisiana, New Mexico and Vermont became the latest states Wednesday to announce help for low-income households that rely on the funds to eat.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a>: &quot;There is no such legal avenue to give SNAP funding now. It doesn&#39;t exist…The president has lamented this, he has informed USDA and everybody, do as best you can, but the money doesn&#39;t exist to do it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/pbuyfAQBz7">pic.twitter.com/pbuyfAQBz7</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1983907891485528507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>They join states from New York to Nevada in scrambling to find ways to get food to people who are increasingly anxious and will otherwise go hungry without their normal monthly payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If there are any Democrats out there who care about the damage this shutdown is doing, then I have a bill at the desk: A clean, nonpartisan CR to fund WIC, SNAP, troop pay, air traffic controller pay, farm programs, housing assistance, national defense, and more. <a href="https://t.co/kpLazyBqPX">pic.twitter.com/kpLazyBqPX</a>&mdash; Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/1983922057675977215?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>Several states take action Wednesday</h2>In Louisiana, where nearly one in five residents receive SNAP benefits, lawmakers authorized $150 million in state funding Wednesday to help avoid Saturday's expected interruption. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry backed a bipartisan measure to allow most of the state’s nearly 800,000 SNAP recipients to receive their full monthly benefit amount.“Our priorities are specific, we’re going to protect the most vulnerable population in Louisiana — which is our kids, disabled and elderly,” Landry said.But officials said that while program details are still incomplete, the effort will likely exclude “able bodied” adults who aren’t caring for children or don’t share a household with elderly or disabled members — about 53,000 recipients.Elsewhere, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday that her state will provide $30 million in emergency food assistance to residents through EBT cards, backfilling SNAP benefits temporarily. The Democrat leads a state where 21% of the population relies on SNAP — the highest rate in the nation. Officials said the benefit would cover about 30% of what residents usually see at the start of the month.New Mexico held a two-day special legislative session at the outset of the shutdown to shore up food banks and pantries with $8 million in new funding, along with $17.5 million in SNAP-related costs to offset cuts under President Donald Trump’s spending and tax cut bill.The emergency funding is expected to last about 10 days, while Democratic state House Speaker Javier Martínez said the Legislature is positioned to approve more if necessary because “children going without basic food staples is an emergency.”Lujan Grisham said state officials are aware that 10 days isn't enough but they are prepared to deal with the issue for as long as they can.“We're not going to let food insecurity creep into this state," she said.In Vermont, Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic legislative leaders approved using $6.3 million in state funds to cover 15 days of SNAP benefits and provide $250,000 to food banks. The Legislature had previously put $50 million aside for such emergencies.<h2>Different strokes for different states</h2>So far, state responses have been mixed. Some, like Rhode Island, say they will funnel reserve federal welfare funds directly onto the debit cards issued to people who buy groceries with SNAP. States including Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, West Virginia plan to boost funds to food pantries to help cover for low-income families needing food. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo are both seeking to direct $30 million in state funds to cover food assistance.Other states such as Alabama, Texas, Kansas and Florida have not acted.In Nebraska, the state Department of Health and Human Services issued a statement Tuesday announcing it would pause SNAP benefits the next day. It said it is “actively coordinating with food banks, nonprofit partners, and community organizations,” and listed area food banks for those seeking help.Leaving people to fend for themselves will mean the most vulnerable — like children and the elderly — will go hungry, said Tashara Leak, a registered dietitian and nutritional researcher and professor at Cornell University. She also serves on New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy that routinely meets with New York's governor.“The panic is already starting,” Leak said, adding families with limited resources are "already rationing food in preparation to not receive benefits on Nov. 1.”<h2>States can't do what the federal government can</h2>Despite the best efforts of states, local governments and food charities, it won't be enough to cover what the federal government does under SNAP. Even states with fat budget surpluses couldn't cover the SNAP tab much beyond November. That tab nationwide totaled about $100 billion in 2024.“There’s no way for the states to be able to fill in the gap for the month of November, especially with such short notice,” Leak said.Democrats have called on the Trump administration to release contingency funding to ensure uninterrupted SNAP payments, but it has declined to do so.Recently, a group of Democratic state officials filed suit, asking a judge to require the Trump administration to keep funding SNAP benefits. They say that the government is required to use one contingency fund, which has around $5 billion, for that purpose and that another larger reserve fund of about $23 billion is also available. A hearing is set for Thursday in federal court in Boston.Delays in benefits are nearly certain for most beneficiaries whose debit cards are replenished early in the month — even in states that are planning to pay for benefits or if a judge orders the federal government to load the cards immediately.The legal filing asserted that in California, for instance, there will be a one-day delay in benefits available for every day after Oct. 23 that the process of putting money on cards hasn’t begun. That means that if a judge orders the program to continue on Thursday, the first cards would likely not be ready until around Nov. 10.Christopher Bosso, a Northeastern University professor of public policy and political science who has published a book about SNAP, said even a delay would be deeply felt. Beneficiaries often stock up on groceries at the start of the month, and stores often hold sales then that encourage shoppers to do so.“We’re about to find out how much this program matters, in ways that people hadn’t realized,” Bosso said.___AP writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

🎥House Speaker: Legal avenue to give SNAP funding now does not exist

KANSAS CITY —A passenger injured in an accident on Wednesday in Kansas City has died.

Just before 12:30 p.m., a silver Dodge Journey was southbound on Broadway in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The driver of the Dodge suffered a possible medical emergency and accelerated through the intersection of Linwood and Broadway. 

The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the right, struck an unoccupied parked Lexus and traveled up onto the sidewalk. The Dodge then struck a steel light pole, the Vietnam Memorial and continued traveling southbound through the grass and struck the side of the VFW building.

EMS transported both the driver and front seat passenger of the of the Dodge to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Both were reported in very critical condition.

The passenger of the Dodge Journey, an adult female,  was pronounced deceased Wednesday night, according to Becchina.&nbsp; Police released no additional details including the name of the victim.

This is fatality #55 compared to #80 last year in Kansas City, Missouri.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761833620367.png" alt="Photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A passenger injured in an accident on Wednesday in Kansas City has died.Just before 12:30 p.m., a silver Dodge Journey was southbound on Broadway in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The driver of the Dodge suffered a possible medical emergency and accelerated through the intersection of Linwood and Broadway. The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the right, struck an unoccupied parked Lexus and traveled up onto the sidewalk. The Dodge then struck a steel light pole, the Vietnam Memorial and continued traveling southbound through the grass and struck the side of the VFW building.EMS transported both the driver and front seat passenger of the of the Dodge to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Both were reported in very critical condition.The passenger of the Dodge Journey, an adult female, was pronounced deceased Wednesday night, according to Becchina.&nbsp; Police released no additional details including the name of the victim.This is fatality #55 compared to #80 last year in Kansas City, Missouri.

KCPD: Passenger injured in SUV crash has died

KANSAS CITY—Authorities investigating the death of an inmate in Jackson County, Missouri have released his name.&nbsp;

On October 21, the Sheriff’s Office was notified that 44-year-old Billy Joe Hercules, who had been transported to a local hospital on October 19, had died, according to a statement from Sheriff Daryl Forte'. Hercules is from Independence, Missouri.

Preliminary findings continue to indicate that no physical interaction occurred between Hercules and corrections officers prior to his death.

The cause and manner of death remain under investigation by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office, which has not yet issued its official report. Hercules was being held for the Johnson County Kansas sheriff's office, according to online jail records. Authorities releas

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761782026243.png" alt="Hercules photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Hercules photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Authorities investigating the death of an inmate in Jackson County, Missouri have released his name.&nbsp;On October 21, the Sheriff’s Office was notified that 44-year-old Billy Joe Hercules, who had been transported to a local hospital on October 19, had died, according to a statement from Sheriff Daryl Forte'. Hercules is from Independence, Missouri.Preliminary findings continue to indicate that no physical interaction occurred between Hercules and corrections officers prior to his death.The cause and manner of death remain under investigation by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office, which has not yet issued its official report. Hercules was being held for the Johnson County Kansas sheriff's office, according to online jail records. Authorities releas

Sheriff: Investigation on cause of death of inmate continues 

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump's comments Thursday suggesting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-nuclear-weapons-testing-7a4626d2f9f8df62aa250b2acded51fd">the United States will restart its testing of nuclear weapons</a>&nbsp;upends decades of American policy in regards to the bomb, but come as Washington's rivals have been conducting their own atomic tests and expanding their arsenals.

Nuclear weapons policy, once thought to be a relic of the Cold War, increasingly has come to the fore as Russia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-nato-moscow-b7696dca6ca1d517f59179f981a57c56">has made repeated atomic threats</a>&nbsp;to both the U.S. and Europe during its war on Ukraine. Moscow also acknowledged this week testing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-missile-nuclear-test-launch-drills-burevestnik-dd6a424d6c545ad42848416b77e93619">a nuclear-powered-and-capable cruise missile</a>&nbsp;called the Burevestnik, code-named Skyfall by NATO,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-nuclear-poseidon-drone-burevestnik-missile-6c0d55d4d1a56e60ce750f8abe5eccab">and a nuclear-armed underwater drone</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-europe-business-science-china-79388639f73d8c8835001982bcb016d6">China is building more ground-based nuclear missile silos.</a>&nbsp;Meanwhile, North Korea just unveiled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-missile-kim-jong-un-8a6b9f3498d50effe3f72969bfe9c842">a new intercontinental ballistic missile it plans to test,</a>&nbsp;part of a nuclear-capable arsenal likely able to reach the continental U.S.

The threat is starting to bleed into popular culture as well, most recently with director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-arts-and-entertainment-d87d1268a80544949b28980107956b40">Kathryn Bigelow</a>&nbsp;'s new film&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-of-dynamite-movie-kathryn-bigelow-interview-e0dff7fbedd3f5076d975762e608e50c">“A House of Dynamite.”</a>

But what does Trump's announcement mean and how would it affect what's happening now with nuclear tensions? Here's what to know.

Trump’s remarks came before meeting with China’s Xi

Trump’s comments came in a post on his Truth Social website just before meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In it, Trump noted other countries testing weapons and wrote: “I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”

The president’s post raised immediate questions. America’s nuclear arsenal is maintained by the Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semiautonomous agency within it — not the Defense Department. The Energy Department has overseen testing of nuclear weapons since its creation in 1977. Two other agencies before it — not the Defense Department — conducted tests.

Trump also claimed the U.S. “has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.” Russia is believed to have 5,580 nuclear warheads, according to the Washington-based Arms Control Association, while the U.S. has 5,225. Those figures include so-called “retired” warheads waiting to be dismantled.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute further breaks the warhead total down, with the U.S. having 1,770 deployed warheads with 2,591 in reserve. Russia has 1,718 deployed warheads and 1,930 in reserve.

The two countries account for nearly 90% of the world’s atomic warheads.

U.S. last carried out a nuclear test in 1992

From the time America conducted its “Trinity” nuclear bomb detonation in 1945 to 1992, the U.S. detonated 1,030 atomic bombs in tests — the most of any country. Those figures do not include the two nuclear weapons America used against Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

The first American tests were atmospheric, but they were then moved underground to limit nuclear fallout. Scientists have come to refer to such tests as “shots.” The last such “shot,” called Divider as part of Operation Julin, took place Sept. 23, 1992, at the Nevada National Security Sites, a sprawling compound some 105 kilometers (65 miles) from Las Vegas.

America halted its tests for a couple of reasons. The first was the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. The U.S. also signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty in 1996. There have been tests since the treaty, however — by India, North Korea and Pakistan, the world's newest nuclear powers. The United Kingdom and France also have nuclear weapons, while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-dimona-nuclear-weapons-construction-reactor-3f5cbd0aaf25e2c087b881f6352d7de4">Israel long has been suspected of possessing atomic bombs</a>.

But broadly speaking, the U.S. also had decades of data from tests, allowing it to use computer modeling and other techniques to determine whether a weapon would successfully detonate. Every president since Barack Obama has backed plans to modernize America's nuclear arsenal, whose maintenance and upgrading will cost nearly $1 trillion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The U.S. relies on the so-called “nuclear triad” — ground-based silos, aircraft-carried bombs and nuclear-tipped missiles in submarines at sea — to deter others from launching their weapons against America.

Restarting testing raises additional questions

If the U.S. restarted nuclear weapons testing, it isn't immediately clear what the goal would be. Nonproliferation experts have warned any scientific objective likely would be eclipsed by the backlash to a test — and possibly be a starting gun for other major nuclear powers to begin their own widespread testing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761820813647.png" alt="President Trump's remarks came just before he met with&nbsp;Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday-image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>President Trump's remarks came just before he met with&nbsp;Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday-image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump's comments Thursday suggesting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-nuclear-weapons-testing-7a4626d2f9f8df62aa250b2acded51fd">the United States will restart its testing of nuclear weapons</a>&nbsp;upends decades of American policy in regards to the bomb, but come as Washington's rivals have been conducting their own atomic tests and expanding their arsenals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761820003060.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Nuclear weapons policy, once thought to be a relic of the Cold War, increasingly has come to the fore as Russia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-nato-moscow-b7696dca6ca1d517f59179f981a57c56">has made repeated atomic threats</a>&nbsp;to both the U.S. and Europe during its war on Ukraine. Moscow also acknowledged this week testing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-missile-nuclear-test-launch-drills-burevestnik-dd6a424d6c545ad42848416b77e93619">a nuclear-powered-and-capable cruise missile</a>&nbsp;called the Burevestnik, code-named Skyfall by NATO,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-putin-nuclear-poseidon-drone-burevestnik-missile-6c0d55d4d1a56e60ce750f8abe5eccab">and a nuclear-armed underwater drone</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-europe-business-science-china-79388639f73d8c8835001982bcb016d6">China is building more ground-based nuclear missile silos.</a>&nbsp;Meanwhile, North Korea just unveiled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-missile-kim-jong-un-8a6b9f3498d50effe3f72969bfe9c842">a new intercontinental ballistic missile it plans to test,</a>&nbsp;part of a nuclear-capable arsenal likely able to reach the continental U.S.The threat is starting to bleed into popular culture as well, most recently with director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-arts-and-entertainment-d87d1268a80544949b28980107956b40">Kathryn Bigelow</a>&nbsp;'s new film&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-of-dynamite-movie-kathryn-bigelow-interview-e0dff7fbedd3f5076d975762e608e50c">“A House of Dynamite.”</a>But what does Trump's announcement mean and how would it affect what's happening now with nuclear tensions? Here's what to know.<h2>Trump’s remarks came before meeting with China’s Xi</h2>Trump’s comments came in a post on his Truth Social website just before meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping. In it, Trump noted other countries testing weapons and wrote: “I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately.”The president’s post raised immediate questions. America’s nuclear arsenal is maintained by the Energy Department and the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semiautonomous agency within it — not the Defense Department. The Energy Department has overseen testing of nuclear weapons since its creation in 1977. Two other agencies before it — not the Defense Department — conducted tests.Trump also claimed the U.S. “has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.” Russia is believed to have 5,580 nuclear warheads, according to the Washington-based Arms Control Association, while the U.S. has 5,225. Those figures include so-called “retired” warheads waiting to be dismantled.The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute further breaks the warhead total down, with the U.S. having 1,770 deployed warheads with 2,591 in reserve. Russia has 1,718 deployed warheads and 1,930 in reserve.The two countries account for nearly 90% of the world’s atomic warheads.<h2>U.S. last carried out a nuclear test in 1992</h2>From the time America conducted its “Trinity” nuclear bomb detonation in 1945 to 1992, the U.S. detonated 1,030 atomic bombs in tests — the most of any country. Those figures do not include the two nuclear weapons America used against Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1761819774893.png" alt="Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>The first American tests were atmospheric, but they were then moved underground to limit nuclear fallout. Scientists have come to refer to such tests as “shots.” The last such “shot,” called Divider as part of Operation Julin, took place Sept. 23, 1992, at the Nevada National Security Sites, a sprawling compound some 105 kilometers (65 miles) from Las Vegas.America halted its tests for a couple of reasons. The first was the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War. The U.S. also signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty in 1996. There have been tests since the treaty, however — by India, North Korea and Pakistan, the world's newest nuclear powers. The United Kingdom and France also have nuclear weapons, while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-dimona-nuclear-weapons-construction-reactor-3f5cbd0aaf25e2c087b881f6352d7de4">Israel long has been suspected of possessing atomic bombs</a>.But broadly speaking, the U.S. also had decades of data from tests, allowing it to use computer modeling and other techniques to determine whether a weapon would successfully detonate. Every president since Barack Obama has backed plans to modernize America's nuclear arsenal, whose maintenance and upgrading will cost nearly $1 trillion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.The U.S. relies on the so-called “nuclear triad” — ground-based silos, aircraft-carried bombs and nuclear-tipped missiles in submarines at sea — to deter others from launching their weapons against America.<h2>Restarting testing raises additional questions</h2>If the U.S. restarted nuclear weapons testing, it isn't immediately clear what the goal would be. Nonproliferation experts have warned any scientific objective likely would be eclipsed by the backlash to a test — and possibly be a starting gun for other major nuclear powers to begin their own widespread testing.“Restarting the U.S. nuclear testing program could be one of the most consequential policy actions the Trump administration undertakes — a U.S. test could set off an uncontrolled chain of events, with other countries possibly responding with their own nuclear tests, destabilizing global security, and accelerating a new arms race,” experts warned in a February article in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.“The goal of conducting a fast-tracked nuclear test can only be political, not scientific. ... It would give Russia, China and other nuclear powers free rein to restart their own nuclear testing programs, essentially without political and economic fallout.”Any future U.S. test likely would take place in Nevada at the testing sites, but a lot of work likely would need to go into the sites to prepare them given it's been over 30 years since the last test. A series of slides made for a presentation at Los Alamos National Laboratories in 2018 laid out the challenges, noting that in the 1960s the city of Mercury, Nevada, — at the testing grounds — had been the second-largest city in Nevada.On average, 20,000 people had been on site to organize and prepare for the tests. That capacity has waned in the decades since.“One effects shot would require from two to four years to plan and execute,” the presentation reads. “These were massive undertakings.”___The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.carnegie.org/">the Carnegie Corporation of New York</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://outrider.org/">Outrider Foundation</a>. The AP is solely responsible for all content.