COWLEY COUNTY—Authorities are working to identify human remains found by a pond in Cowley County.

Just before 3p.m. Wednesday, deputies with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a private residence in the Southwest portion of Cowley County for the report of a possible human body by a pond, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.

When Deputies arrived, the homeowner took them to the location where the remains were located.

The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office (SUSO) was contacted as they had recently issued a missing person report. Investigators contacted the Arkansas City Fire Department (ACFD) who assisted by retrieving the remains.

At this time the identity of the remains has not been made. An autopsy has been scheduled at the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center (SCRFSC) in Wichita, Kansas. The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office on this on-going investigation.

COWLEY COUNTY—Authorities are working to identify human remains found by a pond in Cowley County.Just before 3p.m. Wednesday, deputies with the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a private residence in the Southwest portion of Cowley County for the report of a possible human body by a pond, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.When Deputies arrived, the homeowner took them to the location where the remains were located.The Sumner County Sheriff’s Office (SUSO) was contacted as they had recently issued a missing person report. Investigators contacted the Arkansas City Fire Department (ACFD) who assisted by retrieving the remains.At this time the identity of the remains has not been made. An autopsy has been scheduled at the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center (SCRFSC) in Wichita, Kansas. The Cowley County Sheriff’s Office is working closely with the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office on this on-going investigation.

Sheriff: Human remains found near a pond in rural Kansas

By&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/eric-tucker">ERIC TUCKER</a> Associated Press

Tulsi Gabbard, the Trump administration’s director of national intelligence, is touting from the White House podium the release of a House report that she claims helps undercut the reality of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Gabbard made a surprise appearance just hours after she made public a declassified report from House Republicans that was produced during the first presidential administration.

The report does not dispute the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in the election, but alleges tradecraft failings in how intelligence officials reached the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to have Trump win.

The release of the report, as Trump is facing backlash from elements of his base over the handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of Russian election interference.

Gabbard lashed out during lengthy remarks at specific members of the Obama administration.

Gabbard calls Obama’s response a ‘disservice’

By<a href="https://apnews.com/author/collin-binkley">COLLIN BINKLEY</a>

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said former President Barack Obama did a “disservice to the American people” when his office attacked the government’s rehashed grievances over the Russia investigation that overshadowed President Donald Trump’s first term.

Obama’s post-presidential office issued a rare statement on Tuesday, condemning the Trump administration’s allegations as a “ridiculous and “a weak attempt at distraction.”

Asked about it at a Wednesday press briefing, Gabbard said Obama and others from his administration are “trying to deflect away from their culpability in what is a historic scandal.”

Calls for retribution in Russia investigation run into reality of Supreme Court immunity ruling

By<a href="https://apnews.com/author/eric-tucker">ERIC TUCKER</a>

As President Donald Trump urges scrutiny of fellow commander-in-chief Barack Obama, it’s worth remembering a simple fact: Former presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts they take in office.

That’s thanks to a Supreme Court opinion issued last year that shielded Trump in a case charging him with conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The topic has resurfaced thanks to efforts by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Trump has suggested that investigators should look into Obama and other senior officials, though none of them have been accused of any wrongdoing and the Supreme Court ruling in any event would foreclose the possibility of a prosecution of Obama.

White House doesn’t make it clear what kind of ‘accountability’ Trump wants of Obama

By<a href="https://apnews.com/author/michelle-l-price">MICHELLE L. PRICE</a>

Trump has repeated baseless claims that Obama engaged in treason and Leavitt said the president wants his predecessor to be held accountable. But she had no details, when pressed, about how Trump wants to see Obama held accountable when the Supreme Court ruled last year in a case involving Trump that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their constitutional authority.

Leavitt said that the White House would let the Justice Department decide what to do.

“It’s in the Department of Justice’s hands and we trust them to move the ball forward,” she said.

By&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/eric-tucker">ERIC TUCKER</a> Associated PressTulsi Gabbard, the Trump administration’s director of national intelligence, is touting from the White House podium the release of a House report that she claims helps undercut the reality of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">This is sending SHOCKWAVES through DC and the Democrats KNOW IT! This is perhaps one of the most crucial video segments of 2025. <a href="https://t.co/PMpxlbZwz6">pic.twitter.com/PMpxlbZwz6</a>&mdash; Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/1948083367909405136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Gabbard made a surprise appearance just hours after she made public a declassified report from House Republicans that was produced during the first presidential administration.The report does not dispute the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia interfered in the election, but alleges tradecraft failings in how intelligence officials reached the conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to have Trump win.The release of the report, as Trump is facing backlash from elements of his base over the handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of Russian election interference.Gabbard lashed out during lengthy remarks at specific members of the Obama administration.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/DNIGabbard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DNIGabbard</a>: If Russia was trying to influence the election like Democrats said in order to boost Donald Trump, they&#39;d have released the most damning information on Hillary prior to the election. They specifically withheld it because they thought she&#39;d win. <a href="https://t.co/XQQgXzmUNE">https://t.co/XQQgXzmUNE</a> <a href="https://t.co/8oSTEf8EVb">pic.twitter.com/8oSTEf8EVb</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1948090161100718176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 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>: &quot;Tulsi Gabbard unveiled shocking new evidence that former President Barack Obama and top aides in the Obama administration conspired to subvert President Trump&#39;s 2016 election victory and undermined the democratic will of the American people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/pLo9jiutaH">pic.twitter.com/pLo9jiutaH</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1948083824442638462?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🧵 New evidence has emerged of the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history. Per President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>&#39;s directive, I have declassified a <a href="https://twitter.com/HouseIntel?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HouseIntel</a> oversight majority staff report that exposes how the Obama Administration… <a href="https://t.co/0sS4Df8yoI">pic.twitter.com/0sS4Df8yoI</a>&mdash; DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) <a href="https://twitter.com/DNIGabbard/status/1948007534960198036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">LIE: Putin and the Russian Government helped Trump win the 2016 election TRUTH: President Obama, former Director of the CIA John Brennan, and others fabricated the Russia Hoax, suppressed intelligence showing Putin was preparing for a Clinton victory, manufactured findings from… <a href="https://t.co/nkaLDMrUSv">pic.twitter.com/nkaLDMrUSv</a>&mdash; DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) <a href="https://twitter.com/DNIGabbard/status/1948007538902904833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 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/DNIGabbard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DNIGabbard</a> on new Obama report: &quot;There is irrefutable evidence that detail how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/sCOivLlCDL">pic.twitter.com/sCOivLlCDL</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1948104168587010258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>Gabbard calls Obama’s response a ‘disservice’</h2>By<a href="https://apnews.com/author/collin-binkley">COLLIN BINKLEY</a>Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said former President Barack Obama did a “disservice to the American people” when his office attacked the government’s rehashed grievances over the Russia investigation that overshadowed President Donald Trump’s first term.Obama’s post-presidential office issued a rare statement on Tuesday, condemning the Trump administration’s allegations as a “ridiculous and “a weak attempt at distraction.”Asked about it at a Wednesday press briefing, Gabbard said Obama and others from his administration are “trying to deflect away from their culpability in what is a historic scandal.”<h2>Calls for retribution in Russia investigation run into reality of Supreme Court immunity ruling</h2>By<a href="https://apnews.com/author/eric-tucker">ERIC TUCKER</a>As President Donald Trump urges scrutiny of fellow commander-in-chief Barack Obama, it’s worth remembering a simple fact: Former presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts they take in office.That’s thanks to a Supreme Court opinion issued last year that shielded Trump in a case charging him with conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election.The topic has resurfaced thanks to efforts by the Trump administration to rewrite the history of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.Trump has suggested that investigators should look into Obama and other senior officials, though none of them have been accused of any wrongdoing and the Supreme Court ruling in any event would foreclose the possibility of a prosecution of Obama.<h2>White House doesn’t make it clear what kind of ‘accountability’ Trump wants of Obama</h2>By<a href="https://apnews.com/author/michelle-l-price">MICHELLE L. PRICE</a>Trump has repeated baseless claims that Obama engaged in treason and Leavitt said the president wants his predecessor to be held accountable. But she had no details, when pressed, about how Trump wants to see Obama held accountable when the Supreme Court ruled last year in a case involving Trump that former presidents have absolute immunity from prosecution for official acts that fall within their constitutional authority.Leavitt said that the White House would let the Justice Department decide what to do.“It’s in the Department of Justice’s hands and we trust them to move the ball forward,” she said.

🎥DNI lashes out at Obama administration on Russia investigation

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Friends and relatives of four University of Idaho students murdered in their rental home by Bryan Kohberger delivered powerful statements of love, anguish and condemnation as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/bryan-kohberger-sentencing-idaho-murders-updates">his sentencing hearing</a>&nbsp;began Wednesday.

“This world was a better place with her in it,” Scott Laramie, the stepfather of Madison Mogen, told the court. ”Karen and I are ordinary people, but we lived extraordinary lives because we had Maddie.”

The father of Kaylee Goncalves taunted Kohberger for leaving his DNA behind and getting caught despite being a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/four-dead-idaho-university-students-3369af9472fa36cc5a6ed270fa5ace07">graduate student in criminology</a>&nbsp;at nearby Washington State University at the time.

“You were that careless, that foolish, that stupid,” Steve Goncalves said. “Master’s degree? You’re a joke.”

Judge Steven Hippler ordered Kohberger to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bryan-kohberger-sentencing-motive-plea-victims-54726aa3e3d9cacb489f637fa9f4e968">serve four life sentences</a>&nbsp;without parole for four counts of first-degree murder in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-idaho-students-slain-6626d7c53a08563cfa9df5123f41bd87">brutal stabbing deaths</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-idaho-students-killed-victims-5ab2369325a207db21541bccbbc11434">Mogen, Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin</a>&nbsp;early on Nov. 13, 2022. He was also given a 10-year sentence for burglary and assessed $270,000 in fines and civil penalties.

The defendant&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-idaho-students-slain-6626d7c53a08563cfa9df5123f41bd87">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;early this month, just weeks before his trial was to start, in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

Kohberger broke into the home through a kitchen sliding door and brutally stabbed the four friends, who appeared to have no connection with him. No motive has been offered, and Kohberger chose not to speak at the hearing.

Dylan Mortenson, a roommate who told police of seeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bryan-kohberger-stabbings-murder-trial-eyebrows-idaho-2efec9f917ce07d690acd43fce91d08c">a strange man with bushy eyebrows</a>&nbsp;and a ski mask in the home that night, sobbed as she described how Kohberger, seated across the room in an orange jumpsuit, “took the light they carried into each room.”

“He is a hollow vessel, something less than human,” Mortenson said. "A body without empathy without remorse.”

Mortenson and another surviving roommate, Bethany Funke, described crippling panic attacks and anxiety after the attack.

“I slept in my parents’ room for almost a year, and had them double lock every door, set an alarm, and still check everywhere in the room just in case someone was hiding,” Funke wrote in a statement read by a friend. “I have not slept through a single night since this happened. I constantly wake up in panic, terrified someone is breaking in or someone is here to hurt me, or I’m about to lose someone else that I love.”

Alivea Goncalves's voice didn’t waver as she asked Kohberger questions about the killings, including what her sister’s last words were. She drew applause after belittling Kohberger, who remained expressionless as she insulted him.

“You didn’t win, you just exposed yourself as the coward you are," Alivea Goncalves said. "You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser.”

Kohberger’s mother and sister also attended the hearing, sitting in the gallery near the defense table. His mother quietly wept at times as the other parents described their grief. She sobbed briefly when Maddie Mogen’s grandmother said that her heart goes out to the other families, including Kohberger’s.

Xana Kernodle’s aunt, Kim Kernodle, said she forgave Kohberger and asked him to call her from prison, hoping he would answer her lingering questions about the killings.

“Bryan, I’m here today to tell you I have forgiven you, because I no longer could live with that hate in my heart,” she said. “And for me to become a better person, I have forgiven you. And any time you want to talk and tell me what happened, get my number. I’m here. No judgment.”

Police initially had no suspects in the killings, which terrified the rural western Idaho city of Moscow. Some students at both universities left mid-semester, taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe.

A knife sheath left near Mogen’s body had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-idaho-murder-kohberger-guilty-d73f71d01046a99e2dba6170e4ed7c50">a single source of male DNA on the button snap</a>, investigators said, and surveillance videos showed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-pennsylvania-idaho-5f5173a3af306701d5659f2fb61a9d44">a white Hyundai Elantra</a>&nbsp;near the rental home around the time of the murders.

Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect and accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings. Online shopping records showed Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier, along with a sheath like the one at the home.

Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings.

Both the investigation and the case drew widespread attention. Discussion groups proliferated online, members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case. Some armchair web-sleuths pointed fingers at innocent people simply because they knew the victims or lived in the same town. Misinformation spread, piling additional distress on the already-traumatized community.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751459170755.png" alt="Kohberger photo Ada Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Kohberger photo Ada Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Friends and relatives of four University of Idaho students murdered in their rental home by Bryan Kohberger delivered powerful statements of love, anguish and condemnation as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/bryan-kohberger-sentencing-idaho-murders-updates">his sentencing hearing</a>&nbsp;began Wednesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Now *THIS* is how you give an impact statement that will undoubtedly get under Kohberger&#39;s skin. Holy shit. Alivea Goncalves throws some punches here. <a href="https://t.co/CkWqPWm9vO">pic.twitter.com/CkWqPWm9vO</a>&mdash; Frosty (@FrostyTakes) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrostyTakes/status/1948054679914733645?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“This world was a better place with her in it,” Scott Laramie, the stepfather of Madison Mogen, told the court. ”Karen and I are ordinary people, but we lived extraordinary lives because we had Maddie.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751479520041.png" alt="From top left, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle." />
 <figcaption>From top left, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.</figcaption>
 </figure>The father of Kaylee Goncalves taunted Kohberger for leaving his DNA behind and getting caught despite being a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/four-dead-idaho-university-students-3369af9472fa36cc5a6ed270fa5ace07">graduate student in criminology</a>&nbsp;at nearby Washington State University at the time.“You were that careless, that foolish, that stupid,” Steve Goncalves said. “Master’s degree? You’re a joke.”Judge Steven Hippler ordered Kohberger to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bryan-kohberger-sentencing-motive-plea-victims-54726aa3e3d9cacb489f637fa9f4e968">serve four life sentences</a>&nbsp;without parole for four counts of first-degree murder in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-idaho-students-slain-6626d7c53a08563cfa9df5123f41bd87">brutal stabbing deaths</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-idaho-students-killed-victims-5ab2369325a207db21541bccbbc11434">Mogen, Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin</a>&nbsp;early on Nov. 13, 2022. He was also given a 10-year sentence for burglary and assessed $270,000 in fines and civil penalties.The defendant&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kohberger-idaho-students-slain-6626d7c53a08563cfa9df5123f41bd87">pleaded guilty</a>&nbsp;early this month, just weeks before his trial was to start, in a deal to avoid the death penalty.Kohberger broke into the home through a kitchen sliding door and brutally stabbed the four friends, who appeared to have no connection with him. No motive has been offered, and Kohberger chose not to speak at the hearing.Dylan Mortenson, a roommate who told police of seeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bryan-kohberger-stabbings-murder-trial-eyebrows-idaho-2efec9f917ce07d690acd43fce91d08c">a strange man with bushy eyebrows</a>&nbsp;and a ski mask in the home that night, sobbed as she described how Kohberger, seated across the room in an orange jumpsuit, “took the light they carried into each room.”“He is a hollow vessel, something less than human,” Mortenson said. "A body without empathy without remorse.”Mortenson and another surviving roommate, Bethany Funke, described crippling panic attacks and anxiety after the attack.“I slept in my parents’ room for almost a year, and had them double lock every door, set an alarm, and still check everywhere in the room just in case someone was hiding,” Funke wrote in a statement read by a friend. “I have not slept through a single night since this happened. I constantly wake up in panic, terrified someone is breaking in or someone is here to hurt me, or I’m about to lose someone else that I love.”Alivea Goncalves's voice didn’t waver as she asked Kohberger questions about the killings, including what her sister’s last words were. She drew applause after belittling Kohberger, who remained expressionless as she insulted him.“You didn’t win, you just exposed yourself as the coward you are," Alivea Goncalves said. "You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser.”Kohberger’s mother and sister also attended the hearing, sitting in the gallery near the defense table. His mother quietly wept at times as the other parents described their grief. She sobbed briefly when Maddie Mogen’s grandmother said that her heart goes out to the other families, including Kohberger’s.Xana Kernodle’s aunt, Kim Kernodle, said she forgave Kohberger and asked him to call her from prison, hoping he would answer her lingering questions about the killings.“Bryan, I’m here today to tell you I have forgiven you, because I no longer could live with that hate in my heart,” she said. “And for me to become a better person, I have forgiven you. And any time you want to talk and tell me what happened, get my number. I’m here. No judgment.”Police initially had no suspects in the killings, which terrified the rural western Idaho city of Moscow. Some students at both universities left mid-semester, taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe.A knife sheath left near Mogen’s body had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-idaho-murder-kohberger-guilty-d73f71d01046a99e2dba6170e4ed7c50">a single source of male DNA on the button snap</a>, investigators said, and surveillance videos showed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-pennsylvania-idaho-5f5173a3af306701d5659f2fb61a9d44">a white Hyundai Elantra</a>&nbsp;near the rental home around the time of the murders.Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect and accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings. Online shopping records showed Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier, along with a sheath like the one at the home.Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings.Both the investigation and the case drew widespread attention. Discussion groups proliferated online, members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case. Some armchair web-sleuths pointed fingers at innocent people simply because they knew the victims or lived in the same town. Misinformation spread, piling additional distress on the already-traumatized community.

🎥Anger, sadness during sentencing for murder of 4 university students

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday canceled a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for a new high-voltage transmission line for delivering solar and wind-generated electricity from the Midwest to the eastern U.S.

The U.S. Department of Energy declared that it is "not critical for the federal government to have a role” in the first phase of Chicago-based Invenergy's planned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wind-energy-property-rights-missouri-053956078aed1a86e32ab540eb46c4f9">Grain Belt Express.</a>&nbsp;The department also questioned whether the $11 billion project could meet the financial conditions required for a loan guarantee.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly derided wind and solar energy as “unreliable” and opposed efforts to combat climate change by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-energy-department-clean-energy-wind-solar-batteries-hydrogen-fossil-fuels-cf1dff9ee771c566765e9ca3e3599d91">moving away from fossil fuels.</a>&nbsp;The Department of Energy also said Wednesday that the conditional commitment to Invenergy in November was among billions of dollars' worth of commitments "rushed out the doors" by former President Joe Biden's administration after Biden lost the election.

“To ensure more responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources, DOE has terminated its conditional commitment,” the agency said in a statement.

It wasn’t immediately clear how much the department’s action would delay or stop the start of construction, which was set to begin next year. The company’s representatives didn’t immediately respond to emails Wednesday seeking comment

The company has said its project would create 4,000 jobs and new efficiencies in delivering power, and that it would save consumers $52 billion over 15 years. The line would deliver electricity from Kansas across Missouri and Illinois and into Indiana, connecting there to the power grid for the eastern U.S. It could deliver up to 5,000 megawatts of electricity.

"When electricity demand and consumer power bills are soaring, it’s hard to imagine a more backward move,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a nonpartisan, Washington-based group supporting renewable energy.

Keefe called the Grain Belt Express “one of the country’s most important energy projects” and suggested Trump canceled the loan guarantee “just because it will bring cleaner energy to more people.”

But two prominent Missouri Republicans, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and state Attorney General Andrew Bailey, are vocal critics of the project, describing it as a threat to farmland and land owners' property rights. Bailey called the project a “scam” and a “boondoggle.”

Hawley said on July 10 that he had secured a pledge from U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to cancel the loan guarantee in a conversation with him and Trump.

Critics like Hawley object to the company's ability to use lawsuits against individual land owners along the line's route to compel them to sell their property, which Hawley called “an elitist land grab.”

Online court records show that the company filed dozens of such lawsuits in Missouri circuit courts in recent years, and the Missouri Farm Bureau's president posted on the social platform X Wednesday that the project threatened to “sacrifice rural America in the name of progress.”

Democrats on the U.S. Senate's energy committee suggested on X that Trump, Wright and Hawley “just killed" the project, but Invenergy announced in May that it had awarded $1.7 billion in contracts for work on the project.

And Bailey suggested in a statement that the project could still go forward with private funding without the loan guarantee, saying, “If Invenergy still intends to force this project on unwilling landowners, we will continue to fight every step of the way.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746648653179.png" alt=" The Grain Belt Express planned to build a transmission line through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. (Robert Zullo/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption> The Grain Belt Express planned to build a transmission line through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. (Robert Zullo/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday canceled a $4.9 billion federal loan guarantee for a new high-voltage transmission line for delivering solar and wind-generated electricity from the Midwest to the eastern U.S.The U.S. Department of Energy declared that it is "not critical for the federal government to have a role” in the first phase of Chicago-based Invenergy's planned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wind-energy-property-rights-missouri-053956078aed1a86e32ab540eb46c4f9">Grain Belt Express.</a>&nbsp;The department also questioned whether the $11 billion project could meet the financial conditions required for a loan guarantee.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598444309811.png" alt="Grain Belt Express map" />
 <figcaption>Grain Belt Express map</figcaption>
 </figure>President Donald Trump has repeatedly derided wind and solar energy as “unreliable” and opposed efforts to combat climate change by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-energy-department-clean-energy-wind-solar-batteries-hydrogen-fossil-fuels-cf1dff9ee771c566765e9ca3e3599d91">moving away from fossil fuels.</a>&nbsp;The Department of Energy also said Wednesday that the conditional commitment to Invenergy in November was among billions of dollars' worth of commitments "rushed out the doors" by former President Joe Biden's administration after Biden lost the election.“To ensure more responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources, DOE has terminated its conditional commitment,” the agency said in a statement.It wasn’t immediately clear how much the department’s action would delay or stop the start of construction, which was set to begin next year. The company’s representatives didn’t immediately respond to emails Wednesday seeking commentThe company has said its project would create 4,000 jobs and new efficiencies in delivering power, and that it would save consumers $52 billion over 15 years. The line would deliver electricity from Kansas across Missouri and Illinois and into Indiana, connecting there to the power grid for the eastern U.S. It could deliver up to 5,000 megawatts of electricity."When electricity demand and consumer power bills are soaring, it’s hard to imagine a more backward move,” said Bob Keefe, executive director of E2, a nonpartisan, Washington-based group supporting renewable energy.Keefe called the Grain Belt Express “one of the country’s most important energy projects” and suggested Trump canceled the loan guarantee “just because it will bring cleaner energy to more people.”But two prominent Missouri Republicans, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley and state Attorney General Andrew Bailey, are vocal critics of the project, describing it as a threat to farmland and land owners' property rights. Bailey called the project a “scam” and a “boondoggle.”Hawley said on July 10 that he had secured a pledge from U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright to cancel the loan guarantee in a conversation with him and Trump.Critics like Hawley object to the company's ability to use lawsuits against individual land owners along the line's route to compel them to sell their property, which Hawley called “an elitist land grab.”Online court records show that the company filed dozens of such lawsuits in Missouri circuit courts in recent years, and the Missouri Farm Bureau's president posted on the social platform X Wednesday that the project threatened to “sacrifice rural America in the name of progress.”Democrats on the U.S. Senate's energy committee suggested on X that Trump, Wright and Hawley “just killed" the project, but Invenergy announced in May that it had awarded $1.7 billion in contracts for work on the project.And Bailey suggested in a statement that the project could still go forward with private funding without the loan guarantee, saying, “If Invenergy still intends to force this project on unwilling landowners, we will continue to fight every step of the way.”

Feds cancel loan for Grain Belt Express transmission line project

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-japan-trump-earnings-41443e3b17bb389ecac11508640084ab">more records</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-japan-indonesia-philippines-6e1829cb570d945d13c00f07059a41d4">a trade deal</a>&nbsp;between the world’s No. 1 and No. 4 economies, one that would lower proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-japan-trump-earnings-41443e3b17bb389ecac11508640084ab">tariffs</a>&nbsp;on Japanese imports coming to the United States.

The S&amp;P 500 added 0.8% to its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 507 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.6% to hit its own record.

Stocks jumped even more in Tokyo, where the Nikkei 225 rallied 3.5% after President Donald Trump announced a trade framework that would place a 15% tax on imports coming from Japan. That’s lower than the 25% rate that Trump had earlier said would kick in on Aug. 1.

“It’s a sign of the times that markets would cheer 15% tariffs,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “A year ago, that level of tariffs would be shocking. Today, we breathe a sigh of relief.”

Trump has proposed stiff taxes on imports from around the world, which carry the double-edged risk of driving up inflation for U.S. households while slowing the economy. But many of Trump’s tariffs are currently on pause, giving time to reach deals with other countries that could lower the tax rates. Trump also announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marcos-trump-philippines-china-tariffs-3138d1d7f8368c022ab9242bebb4a2e2">trade agreement with the Philippines</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday.

So far, the U.S. economy has seemed to hold up OK despite the pressures on it. And tariffs already in place may be having less of an effect than expected, at least when it comes to the prices that U.S. households are paying at the moment.

“The main lesson about tariffs so far is that passthrough to consumer prices is tracking somewhat lower than in 2019,” according to Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle.

Tariffs are certainly having an effect, to be sure, as big U.S. companies across industries have been showing through their profit updates in recent days.

Hasbro took a $1 billion, non-cash hit to its results for the spring to write down the value of some of its assets following a review triggered by the implementation of tariffs. It said tariffs have had no impact yet on how much profit it’s making from each $1 of its sales, but it expects to see costs ramp during the current quarter.

Hasbro’s stock fell 0.9% even though it reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, when not including the $1 billion charge.

Texas Instruments’ stock also fell despite delivering results for the latest quarter that were above analysts’ expectations. It gave a forecasted range for profit in the current quarter whose midpoint fell a bit shy of Wall Street’s.

Analysts pointed to some cautious commentary from Texas Instruments executives about how the uncertainty created by tariffs could slow demand. Its stock sank 13.3%.

Most of the stocks on Wall Street nevertheless rose, including a 14.6% jump for GE Vernova. The energy company not only delivered a stronger profit than analysts expected, it also raised its forecasts for revenue from its power and electrification businesses.

GE Vernova said that the inflation it’s expecting to see as a result of tariffs may be trending toward the lower end of $300 million to $400 million, net of mitigating actions.

Lamb Weston rallied 16.3% after the supplier of French fries and other potato products delivered better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected and said it expects customers will continue to eat fries even with an uncertain economy. It also announced a plan to cut at least $250 million in costs by cutting about 4% of its workforce and making other moves.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, several stocks jumped as traders search for the next&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meme-stocks-kohls-opendoor-technologies-9b61a6a555451d49483666d8a9f5ba43">“meme stock”</a>&nbsp;that could ride a wave of online enthusiasm to high prices, regardless of what the company’s profits are doing. Krispy Kreme, which came into the day with a 58.4% loss for the year so far, jumped nearly 39% shortly after trading began. It then gave back most of it and ended with a gain of 4.6%. GoPro rose 12.4%.

That’s even as other potential meme stocks lost their momentum. Opendoor Technologies, which had more than tripled between the last two Mondays, fell 20.3%.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 49.29 points to 6,358.91. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 507.85 to 45,010.29, and the Nasdaq composite gained 127.33 to 21,020.02.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across Asia and Europe following Trump’s announcements of trade deals.

Japan’s market was the big winner, where a series of automakers gave no public reaction as their stock prices rallied. Japanese companies tend to be cautious about their public reactions, and some business officials have privately remarked in off-record comments that they hesitate to say anything because Trump keeps changing his mind.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.6%, and France’s CAC 40 gained 1.4% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks set&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-japan-trump-earnings-41443e3b17bb389ecac11508640084ab">more records</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-japan-indonesia-philippines-6e1829cb570d945d13c00f07059a41d4">a trade deal</a>&nbsp;between the world’s No. 1 and No. 4 economies, one that would lower proposed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-japan-trump-earnings-41443e3b17bb389ecac11508640084ab">tariffs</a>&nbsp;on Japanese imports coming to the United States.The S&amp;P 500 added 0.8% to its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 507 points, or 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.6% to hit its own record.Stocks jumped even more in Tokyo, where the Nikkei 225 rallied 3.5% after President Donald Trump announced a trade framework that would place a 15% tax on imports coming from Japan. That’s lower than the 25% rate that Trump had earlier said would kick in on Aug. 1.“It’s a sign of the times that markets would cheer 15% tariffs,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “A year ago, that level of tariffs would be shocking. Today, we breathe a sigh of relief.”Trump has proposed stiff taxes on imports from around the world, which carry the double-edged risk of driving up inflation for U.S. households while slowing the economy. But many of Trump’s tariffs are currently on pause, giving time to reach deals with other countries that could lower the tax rates. Trump also announced a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marcos-trump-philippines-china-tariffs-3138d1d7f8368c022ab9242bebb4a2e2">trade agreement with the Philippines</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday.So far, the U.S. economy has seemed to hold up OK despite the pressures on it. And tariffs already in place may be having less of an effect than expected, at least when it comes to the prices that U.S. households are paying at the moment.“The main lesson about tariffs so far is that passthrough to consumer prices is tracking somewhat lower than in 2019,” according to Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle.Tariffs are certainly having an effect, to be sure, as big U.S. companies across industries have been showing through their profit updates in recent days.Hasbro took a $1 billion, non-cash hit to its results for the spring to write down the value of some of its assets following a review triggered by the implementation of tariffs. It said tariffs have had no impact yet on how much profit it’s making from each $1 of its sales, but it expects to see costs ramp during the current quarter.Hasbro’s stock fell 0.9% even though it reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, when not including the $1 billion charge.Texas Instruments’ stock also fell despite delivering results for the latest quarter that were above analysts’ expectations. It gave a forecasted range for profit in the current quarter whose midpoint fell a bit shy of Wall Street’s.Analysts pointed to some cautious commentary from Texas Instruments executives about how the uncertainty created by tariffs could slow demand. Its stock sank 13.3%.Most of the stocks on Wall Street nevertheless rose, including a 14.6% jump for GE Vernova. The energy company not only delivered a stronger profit than analysts expected, it also raised its forecasts for revenue from its power and electrification businesses.GE Vernova said that the inflation it’s expecting to see as a result of tariffs may be trending toward the lower end of $300 million to $400 million, net of mitigating actions.Lamb Weston rallied 16.3% after the supplier of French fries and other potato products delivered better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected and said it expects customers will continue to eat fries even with an uncertain economy. It also announced a plan to cut at least $250 million in costs by cutting about 4% of its workforce and making other moves.Elsewhere on Wall Street, several stocks jumped as traders search for the next&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meme-stocks-kohls-opendoor-technologies-9b61a6a555451d49483666d8a9f5ba43">“meme stock”</a>&nbsp;that could ride a wave of online enthusiasm to high prices, regardless of what the company’s profits are doing. Krispy Kreme, which came into the day with a 58.4% loss for the year so far, jumped nearly 39% shortly after trading began. It then gave back most of it and ended with a gain of 4.6%. GoPro rose 12.4%.That’s even as other potential meme stocks lost their momentum. Opendoor Technologies, which had more than tripled between the last two Mondays, fell 20.3%.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 49.29 points to 6,358.91. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 507.85 to 45,010.29, and the Nasdaq composite gained 127.33 to 21,020.02.In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across Asia and Europe following Trump’s announcements of trade deals.Japan’s market was the big winner, where a series of automakers gave no public reaction as their stock prices rallied. Japanese companies tend to be cautious about their public reactions, and some business officials have privately remarked in off-record comments that they hesitate to say anything because Trump keeps changing his mind.Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 1.6%, and France’s CAC 40 gained 1.4% for two of the world’s bigger moves.In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher.

US stocks rise to more records following a US-Japan trade deal

WASHINGTON (AP) —The Army spent about $30 million on its 250th anniversary parade last month that coincided with President Donald Trump’s birthday.

It falls within the Army’s initial estimated cost of between $25 million and $45 million.

Army spokesperson Steve Warren said Tuesday that the total cost covered the festivities and parade, including the cost of transporting tanks to and from Washington and other setup.

Not included was overtime pay for police officers and expenses for the Department of Homeland Security, Warren said, adding that he didn’t have those numbers.

The June 14 parade consisted of more than 6,000 soldiers, 128 Army tanks, aircraft flyovers and the Army’s Golden Knights parachuting over the National Mall. Trump, who had long sought such an event, watched from a special viewing stand south of the White House.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753214364518.png" alt="Soldiers from Fort Riley were featured in the parade-image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>Soldiers from Fort Riley were featured in the parade-image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —The Army spent about $30 million on its 250th anniversary parade last month that coincided with President Donald Trump’s birthday.It falls within the Army’s initial estimated cost of between $25 million and $45 million.Army spokesperson Steve Warren said Tuesday that the total cost covered the festivities and parade, including the cost of transporting tanks to and from Washington and other setup.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753214434851.png" alt="Image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>Image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>Not included was overtime pay for police officers and expenses for the Department of Homeland Security, Warren said, adding that he didn’t have those numbers.The June 14 parade consisted of more than 6,000 soldiers, 128 Army tanks, aircraft flyovers and the Army’s Golden Knights parachuting over the National Mall. Trump, who had long sought such an event, watched from a special viewing stand south of the White House.

How much the Army spent for the 250th anniversary parade

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Regulators questioned Evergy officials Monday about its rate case, honing in on why the company was willing to accept a $69 million decrease from its initial request.

Evergy had asked the Kansas Corporation Commission for a $197 million base rate increase. Instead, after hours of negotiations with KCC staff, attorneys for industrial consumers, the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board and others, they&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/16/evergy-kansas-agreement-raises-residential-base-rates-9-6-pending-regulator-approval/">agreed to a $128 million increase</a>.

The unanimous settlement agreement increases residential base rates by 9.6%, which will bump an average homeowner’s bill by about $9 per month.

Darrin Ives, Evergy vice president for regulatory affairs, said much of the difference in the two amounts is attributed to a lower return on equity and changes to capital structure. Capital structure affects how the utility finances and manages its operations.

Evergy asked for a 10.5% return on equity for investors and settled at 9.7%, Ives said, calling it a “significant move.” Evergy ROE currently is set at 9.4% by the commission.

“It may be a little bit low from our view of a peer utility perspective, but it certainly is within the range of reasonableness and within a range that we feel comfortable that we can tell our investors that Kansas is supportive of continued investment and continued economic development in the state,” he said.

Ives said the settlement agreement was “moderate to slightly below average” compared to peer states and utilities.

Other Midwest utilities, such as Ameren and Xcel Energy, reported return on equities of more than 10%, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/AEE/ameren/roe" target="_blank">data on Macrotrends.</a>

Panasonic’s new $4 billion battery plant in De Soto is a new customer on Evergy’s grid that has the potential to bring in large revenue increases over time. In the settlement agreement, Evergy and KCC staff had opposing views on how to share those revenues between investors and ratepayers, Ives said.

Commissioner Dwight Keen asked Ives to explain his willingness to agree to a completely different outcome than Ives expressed in prefiled testimony.

The issue was whether the company would keep 100% of the Panasonic revenue increases between rate cases. Ives said he felt that should be the case, as Evergy is responsible for all costs between cases.

Staff took the opposite viewpoint, and parties to the settlement agreement compromised. If Evergy, between this current rate case and the next, reached the 9.7% ROE, then 50% of Panasonic’s revenue would be shared back to consumers.

Keen noted that ensuring fairness between investors and ratepayers is important work of KCC.

“The balancing proposition we have is between making sure that the monopolies, the utilities, we regulate can derive a fair rate of return, on the one hand,” he said. “We have to balance that against the affordability to the ratepayers.”

Commissioner Andrew French questioned Ives “out of curiosity” about&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/11/panasonic-to-delay-production-at-kansas-battery-plant-as-electric-car-sales-decline-policies-shift/">media reports that Panasonic would not achieve full production</a>&nbsp;on its original schedule. He said a Bloomberg interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-07-14/bloomberg-tech-7-14-2025-video" target="_blank">Panasonic North American president Megan Myungwon Lee</a>&nbsp;indicated that was misinformation and that the plant would be at full production by the end of the year.

Panasonic spokeswoman Alison Klooster, responding to a Kansas Reflector inquiry, said in an email the company would not be at full production by the end of the year.

“Megan Lee was referring to De Soto getting to the point of full&nbsp;mass&nbsp;production this year, meaning that the lines that are currently operational will reach that point of full mass production,” Klooster said. “She was not referring to the current maximum planned production capacity of the entire facility.”

In response to questions whether the company still planned to meet its full production capacity by the original date of spring 2027, she said the company is excited to have begun production.&nbsp;

“It has always been our plan to grow our North American business in a sustainable manner within the market,” she said. “We have seen 11% growth in U.S. electric vehicle sales in Q1 this year compared with last year, and we are carefully assessing demand trends to expand production capacity while responding to the needs and requests of our customers.

KCC will make a decision on the rate case by Sept. 29.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753292958707.png" alt=" Kansas Corporation Commissioner Dwight Keen questioned Evergy officials about why they were willing to accept a settlement of about $69 million less than they originally requested. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Corporation Commissioner Dwight Keen questioned Evergy officials about why they were willing to accept a settlement of about $69 million less than they originally requested. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Regulators questioned Evergy officials Monday about its rate case, honing in on why the company was willing to accept a $69 million decrease from its initial request.Evergy had asked the Kansas Corporation Commission for a $197 million base rate increase. Instead, after hours of negotiations with KCC staff, attorneys for industrial consumers, the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board and others, they&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/16/evergy-kansas-agreement-raises-residential-base-rates-9-6-pending-regulator-approval/">agreed to a $128 million increase</a>.The unanimous settlement agreement increases residential base rates by 9.6%, which will bump an average homeowner’s bill by about $9 per month.Darrin Ives, Evergy vice president for regulatory affairs, said much of the difference in the two amounts is attributed to a lower return on equity and changes to capital structure. Capital structure affects how the utility finances and manages its operations.Evergy asked for a 10.5% return on equity for investors and settled at 9.7%, Ives said, calling it a “significant move.” Evergy ROE currently is set at 9.4% by the commission.“It may be a little bit low from our view of a peer utility perspective, but it certainly is within the range of reasonableness and within a range that we feel comfortable that we can tell our investors that Kansas is supportive of continued investment and continued economic development in the state,” he said.Ives said the settlement agreement was “moderate to slightly below average” compared to peer states and utilities.Other Midwest utilities, such as Ameren and Xcel Energy, reported return on equities of more than 10%, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/AEE/ameren/roe" target="_blank">data on Macrotrends.</a><h2>Panasonic allocations</h2>Panasonic’s new $4 billion battery plant in De Soto is a new customer on Evergy’s grid that has the potential to bring in large revenue increases over time. In the settlement agreement, Evergy and KCC staff had opposing views on how to share those revenues between investors and ratepayers, Ives said.Commissioner Dwight Keen asked Ives to explain his willingness to agree to a completely different outcome than Ives expressed in prefiled testimony.The issue was whether the company would keep 100% of the Panasonic revenue increases between rate cases. Ives said he felt that should be the case, as Evergy is responsible for all costs between cases.Staff took the opposite viewpoint, and parties to the settlement agreement compromised. If Evergy, between this current rate case and the next, reached the 9.7% ROE, then 50% of Panasonic’s revenue would be shared back to consumers.Keen noted that ensuring fairness between investors and ratepayers is important work of KCC.“The balancing proposition we have is between making sure that the monopolies, the utilities, we regulate can derive a fair rate of return, on the one hand,” he said. “We have to balance that against the affordability to the ratepayers.”<h2>Panasonic production</h2>Commissioner Andrew French questioned Ives “out of curiosity” about&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/11/panasonic-to-delay-production-at-kansas-battery-plant-as-electric-car-sales-decline-policies-shift/">media reports that Panasonic would not achieve full production</a>&nbsp;on its original schedule. He said a Bloomberg interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2025-07-14/bloomberg-tech-7-14-2025-video" target="_blank">Panasonic North American president Megan Myungwon Lee</a>&nbsp;indicated that was misinformation and that the plant would be at full production by the end of the year.Panasonic spokeswoman Alison Klooster, responding to a Kansas Reflector inquiry, said in an email the company would not be at full production by the end of the year.“Megan Lee was referring to De Soto getting to the point of full&nbsp;mass&nbsp;production this year, meaning that the lines that are currently operational will reach that point of full mass production,” Klooster said. “She was not referring to the current maximum planned production capacity of the entire facility.”In response to questions whether the company still planned to meet its full production capacity by the original date of spring 2027, she said the company is excited to have begun production.&nbsp;“It has always been our plan to grow our North American business in a sustainable manner within the market,” she said. “We have seen 11% growth in U.S. electric vehicle sales in Q1 this year compared with last year, and we are carefully assessing demand trends to expand production capacity while responding to the needs and requests of our customers.KCC will make a decision on the rate case by Sept. 29.

Kansas regulators question Evergy about rate increases, Panasonic revenue

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. —Law enforcement are investigating a Missouri State Park Ranger for alleged sexual assault.

On Monday, Camden County Sheriff&nbsp;Chris Edgar confirmed the arrest of 34-year-old Billy G Stephens III, a suspect in a sexual assault investigation. 

Stephens, a Missouri State Park Ranger, was taken into custody late Saturday night while on duty.

On July 19th, Camden County Sheriff’s Detectives conducted an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving an active-duty Missouri State Park Ranger. After attending a forensic interview of an alleged child victim, detectives contacted command staff at the Missouri State Park Rangers and advised them of the situation.

 Rangers command staff cooperated fully with the investigation and assisted in devising a plan to take Stephens into custody. Stephens was arrested at the Camden County Adult Detention Facility. He is charged with the Class B Felony of 2nd Degree Child Molestation, two counts of the Class D Felony of Statutory Rape, the Class D Felony of Tampering with a Witness, and the Class E Felony of Tampering with Physical Evidence.  He is being held without bond 

A statement from the sheriff's office said, "The allegations against Stephens are disturbing and, frankly, a betrayal of the trust our community puts in its law enforcement officers. This office is committed to the equal administration of justice regardless of a suspect’s status as a law enforcement officer."

"While this office does not regularly put out press release information on sex crimes cases, I felt in this case the public needed to know about the alleged misconduct of one of their law enforcement officers."&nbsp;

"We are extremely grateful to the Missouri State Park Rangers for their assistance in this investigation and their commitment to helping us fight crime in our communities.  We will not waiver when it comes to our pursuit of justice. No one gets a pass from us.  A personal message to all law enforcement officers in Camden County and the surrounding communities This is the second local law enforcement officer this month my staff has arrested for felony crimes. Let this be a warning to you. If you are a law enforcement officer and you are involved in criminal activity; we will find you. We will not harbor you. We will hold you accountable."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753180737433.png" alt="Stephens photo Camden County" />
 <figcaption>Stephens photo Camden County</figcaption>
 </figure>CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. —Law enforcement are investigating a Missouri State Park Ranger for alleged sexual assault.On Monday, Camden County Sheriff&nbsp;Chris Edgar confirmed the arrest of 34-year-old Billy G Stephens III, a suspect in a sexual assault investigation. Stephens, a Missouri State Park Ranger, was taken into custody late Saturday night while on duty.On July 19th, Camden County Sheriff’s Detectives conducted an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving an active-duty Missouri State Park Ranger. After attending a forensic interview of an alleged child victim, detectives contacted command staff at the Missouri State Park Rangers and advised them of the situation. Rangers command staff cooperated fully with the investigation and assisted in devising a plan to take Stephens into custody. Stephens was arrested at the Camden County Adult Detention Facility. He is charged with the Class B Felony of 2nd Degree Child Molestation, two counts of the Class D Felony of Statutory Rape, the Class D Felony of Tampering with a Witness, and the Class E Felony of Tampering with Physical Evidence. He is being held without bond A statement from the sheriff's office said, "The allegations against Stephens are disturbing and, frankly, a betrayal of the trust our community puts in its law enforcement officers. This office is committed to the equal administration of justice regardless of a suspect’s status as a law enforcement officer." "While this office does not regularly put out press release information on sex crimes cases, I felt in this case the public needed to know about the alleged misconduct of one of their law enforcement officers."&nbsp;"We are extremely grateful to the Missouri State Park Rangers for their assistance in this investigation and their commitment to helping us fight crime in our communities. We will not waiver when it comes to our pursuit of justice. No one gets a pass from us. A personal message to all law enforcement officers in Camden County and the surrounding communities This is the second local law enforcement officer this month my staff has arrested for felony crimes. Let this be a warning to you. If you are a law enforcement officer and you are involved in criminal activity; we will find you. We will not harbor you. We will hold you accountable."

Sheriff: Park ranger accused of child sex crimes

RILEY COUNTY—Authorities are investigating a burglary in Manhattan and asking the public for help with information.

Just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday, officers filed a report for burglary in the 1800 block of Priboth Road in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

 Jeffery Jones reported an unknown suspect took 80 pheasants and three firearms. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $3,000. 

Anyone with information, contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward up to $1,000.

RILEY COUNTY—Authorities are investigating a burglary in Manhattan and asking the public for help with information.Just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday, officers filed a report for burglary in the 1800 block of Priboth Road in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report. Jeffery Jones reported an unknown suspect took 80 pheasants and three firearms. The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $3,000. Anyone with information, contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward up to $1,000.

Police: Kan. burglary suspect took 80 pheasants, 3 firearms

WASHINGTON (AP) —Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries informed members Tuesday morning that they would see an increase in funds that could be used for private security.

The “pilot program” will run through the end of September, said Johnson, and comes as members head back to their districts for August.

“We live in an enhanced threat environment,” said Johnson, adding that “we have to protect members’ security and everybody who works here on the Hill.”

At the end of September, Johnson said that leadership will “evaluate all the data points, see how effective it was that was utilized, and then make decisions going forward.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753202674574.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson discussed the pilot program Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson discussed the pilot program Tuesday-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries informed members Tuesday morning that they would see an increase in funds that could be used for private security.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751536761079.png" alt="File image Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes spoke on behalf of the Big Beautiful Bill-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File image Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes spoke on behalf of the Big Beautiful Bill-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The “pilot program” will run through the end of September, said Johnson, and comes as members head back to their districts for August.“We live in an enhanced threat environment,” said Johnson, adding that “we have to protect members’ security and everybody who works here on the Hill.”At the end of September, Johnson said that leadership will “evaluate all the data points, see how effective it was that was utilized, and then make decisions going forward.”

House members to see increase in funds for private security

COLES COUNTY, Illinois –A Kansas Amber Alert suspect is in custody and police in Illinois released new details on the capture of 32-year-old&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Christopher K. Barnshaw.

Just after noon Tuesday, police in Mattoon, Illinois, were notified that a suspect in a kidnapping incident in Topeka was possibly in their city, according to a media release from police.

Police in Topeka reported that Barshaw was believed to be a suspect in the death of a man and woman the 500 Block of NE Wabash in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Daniel Garrett. Barnshaw was also believed to have taken a child of one of the victims and fled the area. He was reported to be driving a Lexus passenger vehicle bearing Kansas License 4003AHF.

At 12:16p.m. a police officer in Mattoon, who was actively on a traffic stop on Route 16 observed the suspect vehicle pass him.&nbsp; The officer cleared from the traffic stop and began following the suspect in the Lexus eastboun toward Charleston, Illinois. After several other officers arrived in the area, they conducted a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle at the intersection of Route 16 and Beechtree Road.&nbsp; Barnshaw was take into custody without incident.&nbsp;&nbsp;

During the arrest, officers found a firearm concealed on Barnshaw.&nbsp; The 2-year-old boy who the subject of the Amber Alert was in the back seat unharmed.

Barnshaw is being held in the Coles County Jail on requested charges of Aggravated Kidnapping and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Mattoon Police are working with Topeka Police.&nbsp; Barshaw could face additional charges.&nbsp; Arrangements are being made to reunite the&nbsp; child with a family member.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753203309827.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>COLES COUNTY, Illinois –A Kansas Amber Alert suspect is in custody and police in Illinois released new details on the capture of 32-year-old&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Christopher K. Barnshaw.Just after noon Tuesday, police in Mattoon, Illinois, were notified that a suspect in a kidnapping incident in Topeka was possibly in their city, according to a media release from police.Police in Topeka reported that Barshaw was believed to be a suspect in the death of a man and woman the 500 Block of NE Wabash in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Daniel Garrett. Barnshaw was also believed to have taken a child of one of the victims and fled the area. He was reported to be driving a Lexus passenger vehicle bearing Kansas License 4003AHF.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753228568726.png" alt="Barnshaw photo Coles Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Barnshaw photo Coles Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>At 12:16p.m. a police officer in Mattoon, who was actively on a traffic stop on Route 16 observed the suspect vehicle pass him.&nbsp; The officer cleared from the traffic stop and began following the suspect in the Lexus eastboun toward Charleston, Illinois. After several other officers arrived in the area, they conducted a traffic stop on the suspect vehicle at the intersection of Route 16 and Beechtree Road.&nbsp; Barnshaw was take into custody without incident.&nbsp;&nbsp;During the arrest, officers found a firearm concealed on Barnshaw.&nbsp; The 2-year-old boy who the subject of the Amber Alert was in the back seat unharmed.Barnshaw is being held in the Coles County Jail on requested charges of Aggravated Kidnapping and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Mattoon Police are working with Topeka Police.&nbsp; Barshaw could face additional charges.&nbsp; Arrangements are being made to reunite the&nbsp; child with a family member.

Police: Kan. Amber Alert suspect took child after double-murder

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an “obligation to comply” with an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-men-out-of-womens-sports/">executive order</a>&nbsp;issued by President Donald Trump.

The new policy, announced Monday with&nbsp;<a href="https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt9e58afd92a18a0fc/bltf456568858cc9c12/USOPC_Athlete_Safety_Policy.pdf">a quiet change on the USOPC’s website</a>&nbsp;and confirmed in a letter sent to national sport governing bodies, follows a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year.

The USOPC change is noted obliquely as a detail under “USOPC Athlete Safety Policy” and references Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed in February. That order, among other things, threatens to “rescind all funds” from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women’s sports.

U.S. Olympic officials told the national governing bodies they will need to follow suit, adding that “the USOPC has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” since Trump signed the order.

“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women. All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment.”

The National Women's Law Center put out a statement condemning the move.

“By giving into the political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes,” said that organization's president and CEO, Fatima Goss Graves.

The USOPC oversees around 50 national governing bodies, most of which play a role in everything from the grassroots to elite levels of their sports. That raises the possibility that rules might need to be changed at local sports clubs to retain their memberships in the NGBs.

Some of those organizations — for instance, USA Track and Field — have long followed guidelines set by their own world federation. World Athletics is considering changes to its policies that would mostly fall in line with Trump's order.

A USA Swimming spokesman said the federation had been made aware of the USOPC's change and was consulting with the committee to figure out what changes it needs to make. USA Fencing changed its policy effective Aug. 1 to allow only “athletes who are of the female sex” in women's competition and opening men's events to “all athletes not eligible for the women’s category, including transgender women, transgender men, non-binary and intersex athletes and cisgender male athletes.”

The nationwide battle over transgender girls on girls’ and women’s sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans portray the issue as a fight for athletic fairness. More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court after critics challenged the policies as discriminatory, cruel and unnecessarily target&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-athletes-gymnastics-trump-2ca928358c07aa85e5748c094b2aa81e">a tiny niche of athletes.</a>

The NCAA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-transgender-athletes-0850b452de89674aeac7c6b1d8bce6d5">changed its participation policy for transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth. That change came a day after Trump signed the executive order&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-transgender-athletes-3606411fc12efffec95a893351624e1b">intended to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls’ and women’s sports.

Female eligibility is a key issue for the International Olympic Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ioc-olympics-president-coventry-la-2028-trump-4d47dd51a3bb7ac43765122ab61c0665">under its new president, Kirsty Coventry</a>, who has signaled an effort to “protect the female category.” The IOC has allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics — and some have already taken steps on the topic.

Stricter rules on transgender athletes — barring from women’s events anyone who went through male puberty — have been passed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-swimmers-new-rules-fina-world-governing-body-c17e99d3121fa964336458b57ae266f7">swimming</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cycling-female-transgender-athletes-ban-df45fe58ef1e4402c3996b57a0471df7">cycling</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-track-semenya-f3499b00b932948f96838adb3b010f11">track and field</a>. Soccer is reviewing its eligibility rules for women and could set limits on testosterone.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from competing in women’s sports, telling the federations overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an “obligation to comply” with an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/keeping-men-out-of-womens-sports/">executive order</a>&nbsp;issued by President Donald Trump.The new policy, announced Monday with&nbsp;<a href="https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt9e58afd92a18a0fc/bltf456568858cc9c12/USOPC_Athlete_Safety_Policy.pdf">a quiet change on the USOPC’s website</a>&nbsp;and confirmed in a letter sent to national sport governing bodies, follows a similar step taken by the NCAA earlier this year.The USOPC change is noted obliquely as a detail under “USOPC Athlete Safety Policy” and references Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” signed in February. That order, among other things, threatens to “rescind all funds” from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women’s sports.U.S. Olympic officials told the national governing bodies they will need to follow suit, adding that “the USOPC has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” since Trump signed the order.“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations," USOPC CEO Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women. All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment.”The National Women's Law Center put out a statement condemning the move.“By giving into the political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes,” said that organization's president and CEO, Fatima Goss Graves.The USOPC oversees around 50 national governing bodies, most of which play a role in everything from the grassroots to elite levels of their sports. That raises the possibility that rules might need to be changed at local sports clubs to retain their memberships in the NGBs.Some of those organizations — for instance, USA Track and Field — have long followed guidelines set by their own world federation. World Athletics is considering changes to its policies that would mostly fall in line with Trump's order.A USA Swimming spokesman said the federation had been made aware of the USOPC's change and was consulting with the committee to figure out what changes it needs to make. USA Fencing changed its policy effective Aug. 1 to allow only “athletes who are of the female sex” in women's competition and opening men's events to “all athletes not eligible for the women’s category, including transgender women, transgender men, non-binary and intersex athletes and cisgender male athletes.”The nationwide battle over transgender girls on girls’ and women’s sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans portray the issue as a fight for athletic fairness. More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court after critics challenged the policies as discriminatory, cruel and unnecessarily target&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-athletes-gymnastics-trump-2ca928358c07aa85e5748c094b2aa81e">a tiny niche of athletes.</a>The NCAA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-transgender-athletes-0850b452de89674aeac7c6b1d8bce6d5">changed its participation policy for transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;to limit competition in women’s sports to athletes assigned female at birth. That change came a day after Trump signed the executive order&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-transgender-athletes-3606411fc12efffec95a893351624e1b">intended to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls’ and women’s sports.Female eligibility is a key issue for the International Olympic Committee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ioc-olympics-president-coventry-la-2028-trump-4d47dd51a3bb7ac43765122ab61c0665">under its new president, Kirsty Coventry</a>, who has signaled an effort to “protect the female category.” The IOC has allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics — and some have already taken steps on the topic.Stricter rules on transgender athletes — barring from women’s events anyone who went through male puberty — have been passed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-swimmers-new-rules-fina-world-governing-body-c17e99d3121fa964336458b57ae266f7">swimming</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cycling-female-transgender-athletes-ban-df45fe58ef1e4402c3996b57a0471df7">cycling</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-track-semenya-f3499b00b932948f96838adb3b010f11">track and field</a>. Soccer is reviewing its eligibility rules for women and could set limits on testosterone.

US Olympic officials bar transgender women from competing

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is rebuffing pressure to act on the investigation into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>, instead sending members home early for a month-long break from Washington after the week's legislative agenda was upended by Republican members who are clamoring for a vote.

Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday morning that he wants to give the White House “space” to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-c0131616f9d3c1f56a14bb7b9e863741">release the Epstein information</a>&nbsp;on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that aims to force the release of more documents.

“There’s no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they’re already doing,” Johnson said at his weekly news conference, his last before lawmakers depart Washington on Wednesday for their traditional August recess.

The speaker's stance did little to alleviate the intra-party turmoil unfolding on Capitol Hill as many of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;supporters demand that the administration meet its promises to publicly release a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a947e0d85d31496eb5bd9ff4994c9718">killed himself in his New York jail cell</a>&nbsp;in 2019 while awaiting trial. Under pressure from right-wing online influencers, as well as voters back home, rank-and-file Republicans are demanding that the House intervene in the matter.

“The public’s not going to let this die, and rightfully so,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican.

Will Ghislaine Maxwell's deposition happen?

Even before Johnson spoke Tuesday morning, the powerful House Committee on Oversight was advancing a resolution to subpoena Epstein’s former girlfriend,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ghislaine-maxwell">Ghislaine Maxwell</a>, for a deposition.

The Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, said there will be a negotiation with Maxwell’s attorney over the terms of the deposition and that it could happen at the prison where she is serving a lengthy sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The Justice Department also indicated Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-c0131616f9d3c1f56a14bb7b9e863741">it was separately seeking to interview</a>&nbsp;Maxwell.

While Democrats on the House Oversight Committee supported the action, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, warned that her testimony should be treated with skepticism.

“We should be looking and continue to push for a full release of the files,” Garcia told reporters. “I think it’s important for people to know that she obviously is a documented liar and someone that has caused enormous harm to young girls and women.”

Trump didn't address the issue during a reception for House Republicans at the White House on Tuesday night but heaped praise on Johnson, saying he would “go down as one of the great speakers at any time in history.” In remarks alongside Trump, Johnson made no mention of it either.

Speaker Johnson's control of the House is under threat

Johnson decided to end the House's legislative business early this week after he essentially lost control of the powerful House Rules Committee, which sends bills to the floor for debates and votes. Late Monday evening, business on that panel ground to a halt when the Republicans on the committee abruptly recessed proceedings rather than risk more proposals from Democrats pushing them to release Epstein files.

Republicans had teed up votes on legislation to increase penalties for migrants who enter the country illegally, to ease permitting for water infrastructure and to roll back several Biden-era regulations. All those bills were put on hold, at least until after the August recess.

Frustration in the House has been running high since last week, when Republican leaders signaled possible support for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-jeffrey-epstein-trump-24bf59310361b709a7cf6ee881a42e0e">vote on the Epstein files</a>&nbsp;as they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pbs-npr-budget-cuts-trump-republicans-b0044285659ab708e23eb2dc2f3eabfa">raced to pass</a>&nbsp;a $9 billion package of spending cuts. Johnson unveiled a resolution that has no legal weight but would urge the Justice Department to produce more documentation. Trump, meanwhile, has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of testimony from secret grand jury proceedings in the case, though that effort is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-grand-jury-justice-department-4634e5afceb8b1bb43f23558dfbb1d6c">unlikely to produce</a>&nbsp;new revelations.

Echoing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;position, Johnson insisted he, too, wants the files released, but only those that are “credible.” Johnson, who has relied heavily on Trump to hold onto leadership in the House, cast the president's reticence to release information as out of concern for the victims of Epstein.

“We have a moral responsibility to expose the evil of Epstein and everybody who was involved in that — absolutely — and we're resolved to do it,” Johnson said. “But we also have an equal moral responsibility to protect the innocent, and that is a fine needle to thread.”

In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also told reporters he believed Trump and Bondi would “make the right decisions” on the files, but opened the door to committees examining the matter.

Epstein has become a political wedge among GOP

Even with the month-long break, the pressure on Johnson is unlikely to end. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican whose contrarian stances are often a thorn in the side of leadership, is gathering support for a legislative maneuver to force the bipartisan bill to a House vote, even without leadership's consent.

“Now, there are a lot of people here in the swamp who think that, ‘Oh, well, if we spend five weeks on vacation, the pressure for this will dissipate. I don’t think it’s going to dissipate.’” Massie told reporters Monday evening.

Democrats have watched it all unfold with glee and worked to inflame the conflict among Republicans by making their own calls for transparency on the Epstein investigation. They have repeatedly tried to force votes on the matter, casting it as an issue of trust in the government.

“It’s about transparency in government. It’s about whose side are you on? Are you on the side of the rich and powerful, protecting men? Or are you on the side of young girls and America’s children?” said Rep. Ro Khanna, the California Democrat who put forward the legislation alongside Massie.

Epstein sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, authorities say. He couldn’t have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion, prosecutors contend.

Massie said the case is palpable enough to carry significant political consequences.

“This will be an issue that does follow Republicans through the midterms, and it will follow each individual Republican through the midterms. It will follow people into their primaries. Did you support transparency and justice, or did you come up here, get elected and fall into the swamp?” he told reporters.

He added, “I think it is a watershed moment for the speaker of the House and the president.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704330351229.png" alt="Jeffrey Epstein New York Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Jeffrey Epstein New York Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is rebuffing pressure to act on the investigation into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>, instead sending members home early for a month-long break from Washington after the week's legislative agenda was upended by Republican members who are clamoring for a vote.Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday morning that he wants to give the White House “space” to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-c0131616f9d3c1f56a14bb7b9e863741">release the Epstein information</a>&nbsp;on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that aims to force the release of more documents.“There’s no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they’re already doing,” Johnson said at his weekly news conference, his last before lawmakers depart Washington on Wednesday for their traditional August recess.The speaker's stance did little to alleviate the intra-party turmoil unfolding on Capitol Hill as many of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;supporters demand that the administration meet its promises to publicly release a full accounting of the sex trafficking investigation into Epstein, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a947e0d85d31496eb5bd9ff4994c9718">killed himself in his New York jail cell</a>&nbsp;in 2019 while awaiting trial. Under pressure from right-wing online influencers, as well as voters back home, rank-and-file Republicans are demanding that the House intervene in the matter.“The public’s not going to let this die, and rightfully so,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican.<h2>Will Ghislaine Maxwell's deposition happen?</h2>Even before Johnson spoke Tuesday morning, the powerful House Committee on Oversight was advancing a resolution to subpoena Epstein’s former girlfriend,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ghislaine-maxwell">Ghislaine Maxwell</a>, for a deposition.The Republican chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, said there will be a negotiation with Maxwell’s attorney over the terms of the deposition and that it could happen at the prison where she is serving a lengthy sentence for helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. The Justice Department also indicated Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-c0131616f9d3c1f56a14bb7b9e863741">it was separately seeking to interview</a>&nbsp;Maxwell.While Democrats on the House Oversight Committee supported the action, the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, warned that her testimony should be treated with skepticism.“We should be looking and continue to push for a full release of the files,” Garcia told reporters. “I think it’s important for people to know that she obviously is a documented liar and someone that has caused enormous harm to young girls and women.”Trump didn't address the issue during a reception for House Republicans at the White House on Tuesday night but heaped praise on Johnson, saying he would “go down as one of the great speakers at any time in history.” In remarks alongside Trump, Johnson made no mention of it either.<h2>Speaker Johnson's control of the House is under threat</h2>Johnson decided to end the House's legislative business early this week after he essentially lost control of the powerful House Rules Committee, which sends bills to the floor for debates and votes. Late Monday evening, business on that panel ground to a halt when the Republicans on the committee abruptly recessed proceedings rather than risk more proposals from Democrats pushing them to release Epstein files.Republicans had teed up votes on legislation to increase penalties for migrants who enter the country illegally, to ease permitting for water infrastructure and to roll back several Biden-era regulations. All those bills were put on hold, at least until after the August recess.Frustration in the House has been running high since last week, when Republican leaders signaled possible support for a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-jeffrey-epstein-trump-24bf59310361b709a7cf6ee881a42e0e">vote on the Epstein files</a>&nbsp;as they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pbs-npr-budget-cuts-trump-republicans-b0044285659ab708e23eb2dc2f3eabfa">raced to pass</a>&nbsp;a $9 billion package of spending cuts. Johnson unveiled a resolution that has no legal weight but would urge the Justice Department to produce more documentation. Trump, meanwhile, has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of testimony from secret grand jury proceedings in the case, though that effort is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jeffrey-epstein-grand-jury-justice-department-4634e5afceb8b1bb43f23558dfbb1d6c">unlikely to produce</a>&nbsp;new revelations.Echoing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump’s</a>&nbsp;position, Johnson insisted he, too, wants the files released, but only those that are “credible.” Johnson, who has relied heavily on Trump to hold onto leadership in the House, cast the president's reticence to release information as out of concern for the victims of Epstein.“We have a moral responsibility to expose the evil of Epstein and everybody who was involved in that — absolutely — and we're resolved to do it,” Johnson said. “But we also have an equal moral responsibility to protect the innocent, and that is a fine needle to thread.”In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also told reporters he believed Trump and Bondi would “make the right decisions” on the files, but opened the door to committees examining the matter.<h2>Epstein has become a political wedge among GOP</h2>Even with the month-long break, the pressure on Johnson is unlikely to end. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican whose contrarian stances are often a thorn in the side of leadership, is gathering support for a legislative maneuver to force the bipartisan bill to a House vote, even without leadership's consent.“Now, there are a lot of people here in the swamp who think that, ‘Oh, well, if we spend five weeks on vacation, the pressure for this will dissipate. I don’t think it’s going to dissipate.’” Massie told reporters Monday evening.Democrats have watched it all unfold with glee and worked to inflame the conflict among Republicans by making their own calls for transparency on the Epstein investigation. They have repeatedly tried to force votes on the matter, casting it as an issue of trust in the government.“It’s about transparency in government. It’s about whose side are you on? Are you on the side of the rich and powerful, protecting men? Or are you on the side of young girls and America’s children?” said Rep. Ro Khanna, the California Democrat who put forward the legislation alongside Massie.Epstein sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, authorities say. He couldn’t have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion, prosecutors contend.Massie said the case is palpable enough to carry significant political consequences.“This will be an issue that does follow Republicans through the midterms, and it will follow each individual Republican through the midterms. It will follow people into their primaries. Did you support transparency and justice, or did you come up here, get elected and fall into the swamp?” he told reporters.He added, “I think it is a watershed moment for the speaker of the House and the president.”

House ending session early as Republicans clash over Epstein vote

Washington –&nbsp;On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall announced the Trump Administration is fulfilling his request for disaster relief aid following multiple rounds of severe weather and tornadoes this past May. President Trump personally called Senator Marshall to share that he was allocating $6.7 million in public assistance for the affected communities.

“This past May, several of our communities experienced devastating EF3 tornadoes, causing widespread destruction. Entire towns were leveled and significant damage was sustained to Interstate 70, public infrastructure, and private property,”&nbsp;said Senator Marshall.&nbsp;“I am very grateful to President Trump and his administration for quickly fulfilling our request to provide the much-needed assistance to our Kansas communities.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747852169415.jpeg" alt="Grinnell tornado damage image KHP" />
 <figcaption>Grinnell tornado damage image KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>Washington –&nbsp;On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall announced the Trump Administration is fulfilling his request for disaster relief aid following multiple rounds of severe weather and tornadoes this past May. President Trump personally called Senator Marshall to share that he was allocating $6.7 million in public assistance for the affected communities.“This past May, several of our communities experienced devastating EF3 tornadoes, causing widespread destruction. Entire towns were leveled and significant damage was sustained to Interstate 70, public infrastructure, and private property,”&nbsp;said Senator Marshall.&nbsp;“I am very grateful to President Trump and his administration for quickly fulfilling our request to provide the much-needed assistance to our Kansas communities.”The following Kansas counties will be eligible for public assistance:&nbsp;Bourbon, Cheyenne, Edwards, Gove, Kiowa, Logan, Pratt, Reno, Scott, Sheridan, and Stafford.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1753229997596.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Senator Marshall led a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/6.25.25-Letter-in-Support-of-Kansas-Major-Disaster-Declaration-Request.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;in June asking for this public assistance.