A Missouri House committee voted Thursday to redraw the state’s congressional districts to carve up Kansas City and gain another GOP-leaning seat

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">Jason Hancock</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a>

If a new Missouri congressional map endorsed by President Donald Trump is put into place, voters living on Kansas City’s east side will share a congressional district with people living nearly four hours away in Osage County.&nbsp;

Anyone living in downtown Kansas City would be in a district stretching south nearly to Springfield. And Kansas Citians living north of the Missouri River would be in a district running to the border of Iowa and Illinois.&nbsp;

All of those voters currently reside in the 5th Congressional and are represented by 11-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.&nbsp;

But under the proposed new map, which was approved Thursday by a Missouri House committee after more than five hours of public testimony, that district would be carved up in hopes of creating another Republican-leaning seat.

“This is a superior map than the one we have today,” said state Rep. Dirk Deaton, a Noel Republican sponsoring the redistricting legislation.&nbsp;

Missouri has eight congressional districts, with Democrats holding two.&nbsp;

Trump, facing a potentially difficult midterm election cycle next year, has instructed GOP-controlled states to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/07/repub/why-congressional-redistricting-is-blowing-up-across-the-us-this-summer/">redraw maps</a>&nbsp;to add&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/21/missouri-gop-leader-says-lawmakers-will-start-with-a-congressional-map-drawn-in-d-c/">more Republican seats</a>.&nbsp;

Even though mid-decade redistricting in Missouri is nearly unheard of — it hasn’t happened in six decades, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision — Gov. Mike Kehoe called lawmakers back into session this week to redraw the map so the GOP would hold seven of the state’s seats in the U.S. House.

Republicans Thursday downplayed any role Trump’s demands had on the gerrymandering push. And they insisted the map was drawn by the governor’s staff, not the White House.

Democrats didn’t buy it, denouncing the map as unconstitutional and the push to split up Kansas City for partisan gain as “morally corrupt and inexcusable.”

“Every Missourian deserves fair representation, not these political tricks,” said state Rep. Mark Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat. “My city, Kansas City, hangs in the balance right here, right now.”

The Missouri Constitution calls for the legislature to draw new congressional districts every 10 years after&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=III++++45&amp;bid=31801&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">new census numbers</a>&nbsp;are certified to the governor. That happened in 2022, and Democrats argue it&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/07/black-missouri-lawmakers-vow-to-block-missouri-gop-push-for-new-congressional-districts/">violates the state constitution</a>&nbsp;to draw another map before the next census is complete.&nbsp;

There are also questions about whether relying on old population data could also violate the state and federal constitution.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2025-09-04/naacp-sues-missouri-republicans-unconstitutional-gerrymander-kansas-city" target="_blank">The Missouri NAACP filed a lawsuit Wednesday</a>&nbsp;in Cole County arguing the governor’s decision to call a special session was unconstitutional. Cleaver has also promised to go to court to challenge any gerrymandered map lawmakers approve.

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, on Thursday demanded demographic information about the map be made available to the public before the committee took a vote.&nbsp;

“I’m asking for information for the public and for this committee,” Aune said. “We deserve to have that information, and if you are not willing to provide it, what are you hiding?&nbsp;

She also pressed Deaton whether the governor’s office actually drew the map, or whether it was crafted by the Trump administration. She noted Trump last week praised the map and instructed Missouri lawmakers to&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/J_Hancock/status/1961834031550448026" target="_blank">approve it “AS IS.”</a>

The proposed new map meets constitutional requirements of districts with equal population as precisely as possible, Deaton said, and is more compact and contiguous, and divides fewer communities, than the current map.&nbsp;

He said the governor was clear that his staff drew the proposed map.

“Gov. Kehoe has never lied to me,” Deaton said, “so I take him at his word.”

The only person to testify in favor of the proposed new map was Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life. She said her organization is committed to helping pass anti-abortion legislation and supporting anti-abortion elected officials.&nbsp;

“We support the process that would increase those numbers,” she said.

A parade of critics testified against the map, including the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, the Missouri NAACP, the League of Women Voters and several residents of the 5th District.&nbsp;

Shannon Cooper, a lobbyist for the city of Kansas City and former Republican lawmaker, said the proposed map “chops our region into three different pieces.” The needs of downtown Kansas City, he said, are different than the needs of rural Henry County.

“I have gone through three redistricting processes in my time here, and what is sorely lacking in this is the amount of public input and the time where, in the past, the committees have traveled across the state and gone into communities and taken the local input from citizens, businesses as well as elected local officials to see what they care about and how they want to be put into those districts,” he said. “And we’re going to do this in six or eight hours and vote it out Monday and Tuesday.”

Phil Scaglia, testifying on behalf of Cleaver, who could not attend Thursday’s hearing, said the map violates the “one person, one vote” principle by relying on old census data. It’s also unconstitutional, Scaglia argued, because it “fails to be compact and divides communities of interest.”

A new map could be be drawn in a way that includes all of Kansas City south of the Missouri River in the 5th District, Scaglia said, and still give Republicans the electoral advantage they are seeking.

State Rep. Don Mayhew, a Republican from Crocker, countered that he believes Kansas City would benefit by being represented by three members of Congress.

The proposed new map leaves two districts untouched — the 7th District in southwest Missouri and 8th District in&nbsp;southeast Missouri, both represented by Republicans. It only tinkers with the 1st District, based in St. Louis and represented by Democrat Wesley Bell.&nbsp;

The 2nd District, represented by Republican Ann Wagner, moves south of the Missouri River, taking in southern St. Louis suburbs along with Gasconade,&nbsp; Crawford, Jefferson and Washington counties.&nbsp;

The 3rd District, represented by Republican Bob Onder, swaps territory with the 2nd, taking over all of St. Charles and Warren counties, adding Audrain, Lincoln, Monroe, Pike and Ralls counties as it stretches north to Hannabil and encompasses nearly all of Columbia.

The 4th and 6th Districts are where the Kansas City voters who previously all lived in the 5th will be moved.&nbsp;

The 4th District loses parts of Columbia, along with Sedalia and Warrensburg to the 5th District in order to pick up downtown Kansas City. It is represented by Republican Mark Alford.&nbsp;

The 6th District runs across the entire northern half of the state, picking up a piece of Kansas City north of the Missouri River.&nbsp;

It’s the 5th District that sees the most substantial changes. Previously encompassing nearly all of Kansas City, the district now only includes the city’s east side, then stretches east to encompass Jefferson City all the way to Phelps County. It also includes the northern portion of Boone County, but not the Democrat-leaning areas of Columbia.&nbsp;

The 5th District also picks up six counties from the 3rd District — Cole, Cooper, Howard, Maries, Moniteau and Miller counties as well as Morgan County from the 4th District.

Sharp asked Deaton Thursday whether he would be open to changing the map, even in small ways. Deaton said the map was produced and requested by the governor, and he “can’t imagine myself at this time supporting any changes.”&nbsp;

“You move one line to make one person happy,” Deaton said, “and you have to move seven other lines and you’ve got seven new enemies… this is the map I’m supporting.”&nbsp;

As the committee was preparing to vote, Sharp offered an amendment moving a small portion of south Kansas City in the Hickman Mills area — around 12,000 voters — back into the 5th District. The change would be balanced out by moving voters near Grain Valley to the 4th District.

Republicans opposed the change, and Sharp withdrew the amendment in the hope of offering it again when the full House debates the bill next week.

Aune said the entire process “reeks of an authoritarian power grab.”

State Rep. Richard West, a Wentzville Republican and chair of the committee, praised the map for moving all of St. Charles County into the same district.&nbsp;

“My county is currently split up,” he said. “This is going to make us whole.”

State Rep. Bill Hardwick, a Republican from Dixon, pushed back on the idea that what Republicans are doing by redrawing the map is out of the ordinary in American politics.

“I’m not saying we should gerrymander or we shouldn’t,” he said, adding: “I’m just saying it’s been part of the republic from the beginning.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757068209585.png" alt=" State Rep. Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel, presents legislation that would redraw Missouri’s congressional map to a House committee on Thursday (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)." />
                        <figcaption> State Rep. Dirk Deaton, a Republican from Noel, presents legislation that would redraw Missouri’s congressional map to a House committee on Thursday (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>A Missouri House committee voted Thursday to redraw the state’s congressional districts to carve up Kansas City and gain another GOP-leaning seat</h2><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">Jason Hancock</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a></p><p>If a new Missouri congressional map endorsed by President Donald Trump is put into place, voters living on Kansas City’s east side will share a congressional district with people living nearly four hours away in Osage County.&nbsp;</p><p>Anyone living in downtown Kansas City would be in a district stretching south nearly to Springfield. And Kansas Citians living north of the Missouri River would be in a district running to the border of Iowa and Illinois.&nbsp;</p><p>All of those voters currently reside in the 5th Congressional and are represented by 11-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.&nbsp;</p><p>But under the proposed new map, which was approved Thursday by a Missouri House committee after more than five hours of public testimony, that district would be carved up in hopes of creating another Republican-leaning seat.</p><p>“This is a superior map than the one we have today,” said state Rep. Dirk Deaton, a Noel Republican sponsoring the redistricting legislation.&nbsp;</p><p>Missouri has eight congressional districts, with Democrats holding two.&nbsp;</p><p>Trump, facing a potentially difficult midterm election cycle next year, has instructed GOP-controlled states to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/07/repub/why-congressional-redistricting-is-blowing-up-across-the-us-this-summer/">redraw maps</a>&nbsp;to add&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/21/missouri-gop-leader-says-lawmakers-will-start-with-a-congressional-map-drawn-in-d-c/">more Republican seats</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>Even though mid-decade redistricting in Missouri is nearly unheard of — it hasn’t happened in six decades, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision — Gov. Mike Kehoe called lawmakers back into session this week to redraw the map so the GOP would hold seven of the state’s seats in the U.S. House.</p><p>Republicans Thursday downplayed any role Trump’s demands had on the gerrymandering push. And they insisted the map was drawn by the governor’s staff, not the White House.</p><p>Democrats didn’t buy it, denouncing the map as unconstitutional and the push to split up Kansas City for partisan gain as “morally corrupt and inexcusable.”</p><p>“Every Missourian deserves fair representation, not these political tricks,” said state Rep. Mark Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat. “My city, Kansas City, hangs in the balance right here, right now.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757068164737.png" alt="State Rep. Mark Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat, speaks in opposition to a proposed congressional map during a House committee hearing on Thursday (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)." />
                        <figcaption>State Rep. Mark Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat, speaks in opposition to a proposed congressional map during a House committee hearing on Thursday (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The Missouri Constitution calls for the legislature to draw new congressional districts every 10 years after&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=III++++45&amp;bid=31801&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">new census numbers</a>&nbsp;are certified to the governor. That happened in 2022, and Democrats argue it&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/07/black-missouri-lawmakers-vow-to-block-missouri-gop-push-for-new-congressional-districts/">violates the state constitution</a>&nbsp;to draw another map before the next census is complete.&nbsp;</p><p>There are also questions about whether relying on old population data could also violate the state and federal constitution.&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2025-09-04/naacp-sues-missouri-republicans-unconstitutional-gerrymander-kansas-city" target="_blank">The Missouri NAACP filed a lawsuit Wednesday</a>&nbsp;in Cole County arguing the governor’s decision to call a special session was unconstitutional. Cleaver has also promised to go to court to challenge any gerrymandered map lawmakers approve.</p><p>House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, on Thursday demanded demographic information about the map be made available to the public before the committee took a vote.&nbsp;</p><p>“I’m asking for information for the public and for this committee,” Aune said. “We deserve to have that information, and if you are not willing to provide it, what are you hiding?&nbsp;</p><p>She also pressed Deaton whether the governor’s office actually drew the map, or whether it was crafted by the Trump administration. She noted Trump last week praised the map and instructed Missouri lawmakers to&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/J_Hancock/status/1961834031550448026" target="_blank">approve it “AS IS.”</a></p><p>The proposed new map meets constitutional requirements of districts with equal population as precisely as possible, Deaton said, and is more compact and contiguous, and divides fewer communities, than the current map.&nbsp;</p><p>He said the governor was clear that his staff drew the proposed map.</p><p>“Gov. Kehoe has never lied to me,” Deaton said, “so I take him at his word.”</p><p>The only person to testify in favor of the proposed new map was Susan Klein, executive director of Missouri Right to Life. She said her organization is committed to helping pass anti-abortion legislation and supporting anti-abortion elected officials.&nbsp;</p><p>“We support the process that would increase those numbers,” she said.</p><p>A parade of critics testified against the map, including the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, the Missouri NAACP, the League of Women Voters and several residents of the 5th District.&nbsp;</p><p>Shannon Cooper, a lobbyist for the city of Kansas City and former Republican lawmaker, said the proposed map “chops our region into three different pieces.” The needs of downtown Kansas City, he said, are different than the needs of rural Henry County.</p><p>“I have gone through three redistricting processes in my time here, and what is sorely lacking in this is the amount of public input and the time where, in the past, the committees have traveled across the state and gone into communities and taken the local input from citizens, businesses as well as elected local officials to see what they care about and how they want to be put into those districts,” he said. “And we’re going to do this in six or eight hours and vote it out Monday and Tuesday.”</p><p>Phil Scaglia, testifying on behalf of Cleaver, who could not attend Thursday’s hearing, said the map violates the “one person, one vote” principle by relying on old census data. It’s also unconstitutional, Scaglia argued, because it “fails to be compact and divides communities of interest.”</p><p>A new map could be be drawn in a way that includes all of Kansas City south of the Missouri River in the 5th District, Scaglia said, and still give Republicans the electoral advantage they are seeking.</p><p>State Rep. Don Mayhew, a Republican from Crocker, countered that he believes Kansas City would benefit by being represented by three members of Congress.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757068115039.png" alt="Missouri Republicans are pushing to enact this map to revise congressional district lines in a special session. The GOP’s goal is to win the 5th District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat (Screenshot from Missouri House website)." />
                        <figcaption>Missouri Republicans are pushing to enact this map to revise congressional district lines in a special session. The GOP’s goal is to win the 5th District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat (Screenshot from Missouri House website).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The proposed new map leaves two districts untouched — the 7th District in southwest Missouri and 8th District in&nbsp;southeast Missouri, both represented by Republicans. It only tinkers with the 1st District, based in St. Louis and represented by Democrat Wesley Bell.&nbsp;</p><p>The 2nd District, represented by Republican Ann Wagner, moves south of the Missouri River, taking in southern St. Louis suburbs along with Gasconade,&nbsp; Crawford, Jefferson and Washington counties.&nbsp;</p><p>The 3rd District, represented by Republican Bob Onder, swaps territory with the 2nd, taking over all of St. Charles and Warren counties, adding Audrain, Lincoln, Monroe, Pike and Ralls counties as it stretches north to Hannabil and encompasses nearly all of Columbia.</p><p>The 4th and 6th Districts are where the Kansas City voters who previously all lived in the 5th will be moved.&nbsp;</p><p>The 4th District loses parts of Columbia, along with Sedalia and Warrensburg to the 5th District in order to pick up downtown Kansas City. It is represented by Republican Mark Alford.&nbsp;</p><p>The 6th District runs across the entire northern half of the state, picking up a piece of Kansas City north of the Missouri River.&nbsp;</p><p>It’s the 5th District that sees the most substantial changes. Previously encompassing nearly all of Kansas City, the district now only includes the city’s east side, then stretches east to encompass Jefferson City all the way to Phelps County. It also includes the northern portion of Boone County, but not the Democrat-leaning areas of Columbia.&nbsp;</p><p>The 5th District also picks up six counties from the 3rd District — Cole, Cooper, Howard, Maries, Moniteau and Miller counties as well as Morgan County from the 4th District.</p><p>Sharp asked Deaton Thursday whether he would be open to changing the map, even in small ways. Deaton said the map was produced and requested by the governor, and he “can’t imagine myself at this time supporting any changes.”&nbsp;</p><p>“You move one line to make one person happy,” Deaton said, “and you have to move seven other lines and you’ve got seven new enemies… this is the map I’m supporting.”&nbsp;</p><p>As the committee was preparing to vote, Sharp offered an amendment moving a small portion of south Kansas City in the Hickman Mills area — around 12,000 voters — back into the 5th District. The change would be balanced out by moving voters near Grain Valley to the 4th District.</p><p>Republicans opposed the change, and Sharp withdrew the amendment in the hope of offering it again when the full House debates the bill next week.</p><p>Aune said the entire process “reeks of an authoritarian power grab.”</p><p>State Rep. Richard West, a Wentzville Republican and chair of the committee, praised the map for moving all of St. Charles County into the same district.&nbsp;</p><p>“My county is currently split up,” he said. “This is going to make us whole.”</p><p>State Rep. Bill Hardwick, a Republican from Dixon, pushed back on the idea that what Republicans are doing by redrawing the map is out of the ordinary in American politics.</p><p>“I’m not saying we should gerrymander or we shouldn’t,” he said, adding: “I’m just saying it’s been part of the republic from the beginning.”</p>

Push to gerrymander Missouri congressional map advances

SHAWNEE&nbsp; COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Topeka and have made an arrest.

Just before 5p.m. Wednesday, police&nbsp;responded to a shooting in the 1000 block of NE Poplar Street in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Lt. Ronnie Connell.&nbsp; As officers arrived in the area, they located two men suffering from life-threatening injuries. While on the scene, one individual was pronounced deceased by medical personnel. The second was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.

As a result of the investigation, Dalton Wolf Thompson, 28, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree, Attempted Murder in the 1st Degree and&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated Battery

This is the 17th homicide investigation of 2025 in the city of Topeka, according to Connell.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757067919776.png" alt="Thompson photo Shawnee County" />
                        <figcaption>Thompson photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SHAWNEE&nbsp; COUNTY—Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Topeka and have made an arrest.</p><p>Just before 5p.m. Wednesday, police&nbsp;responded to a shooting in the 1000 block of NE Poplar Street in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Lt. Ronnie Connell.&nbsp; As officers arrived in the area, they located two men suffering from life-threatening injuries. While on the scene, one individual was pronounced deceased by medical personnel. The second was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.</p><p>As a result of the investigation, Dalton Wolf Thompson, 28, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree, Attempted Murder in the 1st Degree and&nbsp;&nbsp;Aggravated Battery</p><p>This is the 17th homicide investigation of 2025 in the city of Topeka, according to Connell.</p>

Police: Kansas man jailed for shooting that left 1 dead, 1 injured 

The 2025 Kansas State Fair opened its gates Friday morning under a light drizzle — a reminder, as Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz put it, that “you just never know what you’re going to have for weather in Kansas.” While the rain dampened the sidewalks, spirits remained high as opening ceremonies celebrated the start of 10 days of agriculture, entertainment, and tradition.

The day began with a ribbon cutting at the People’s Bank &amp; Trust Arena, where a new canopy has been added to provide shade and shelter for visitors. Schulz noted that the canopy was just one of many improvements across the grounds, alongside ongoing renovations of the historic Bison Building. Exterior work is nearly complete, and interior upgrades will begin later this month.

Concertgoers can look forward to a strong lineup of entertainment, beginning tonight with Sam Barber and Avery Anna at the Nex-Tech Grandstand. Ticket sales are already running ahead of last year’s pace, according to Schulz, with strong presales and plenty of walk-up traffic expected. “Our percentage sold is way above where we had expected it to be,” he said.

Visitors will also notice new food options this year, including pulled pork corn dogs, firecracker wontons, and pineapple smoothies served right in a carved fruit shell. Fairgoers are encouraged to download the official Kansas State Fair app for the latest updates, schedules, and vendor locations.

Agriculture remains at the heart of the fair. Schulz emphasized the importance of showcasing Kansas’ farming roots, even as some state fairs around the country move away from that focus. “We want to make sure our agricultural aspects are being promoted here at the Kansas State Fair,” he said.

Beyond the midway and the rides, one of the most heartwarming events takes place Friday with the Championship Livestock Show at Prairie Pavilion, where Special Olympics athletes are paired with FFA and 4-H youth to show animals in the ring. Schulz called it one of the most rewarding parts of the fair: “For someone who has never been around livestock, to be able to walk with an animal and work with it is truly special.”

The Kansas State Fair runs through Sept. 14, featuring daily entertainment, livestock shows, exhibits, and hundreds of vendors. Tickets and event packages are available online at kansasstatefair.com or at the gate.

The 2025 Kansas State Fair opened on Friday with a special celebration honoring seniors during "Young at Heart Day". Guests 55 and older will enjoy discounted $2 gate admission as the Fair officially opens its 10-day run at the Hutchinson fairgrounds.

The day began with the Working Equitation Show at 8 a.m. in Expo II, followed by popular family attractions such as Moo-U Guided Barn Tours at the Birthing Center and Dr. Goddard’s Lab demonstrations at the Education Center. Throughout the morning, visitors can also catch Hedrick’s Pig Races, the Chainsaw Woodcarvers, and a variety of art demonstrations in the Oz Gallery.

At 11 a.m., the official Opening Ceremony takes place at the Peoples Bank and Trust Arena, followed by a ribbon-cutting at 11:15 a.m. The afternoon schedule is packed with livestock competitions including goat, swine, sheep, and beef showmanship events, along with the Draft Horse Show in Expo Center. Visitors can also enjoy special contests such as homemade ice cream judging and the “It’s All About the Bread” competition.

Entertainment highlights include the Cowboy Circus, Ron Diamond the Hypnotist, and “It’s Showtime Circus” at Gottschalk Park. Musical performances will feature Sweet Rhubarb on the Lowen Corporation Stage, Jay Jackson with Nashville’s Finest at the Peoples Bank and Trust Arena, and Wyatt Henson performing at Lake Talbott.

The day wraps up with a big night at the Nex-Tech Grandstand, where rising country artists Sam Barber and Avery Anna take the stage.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757084774653.jpeg" alt="State Fair Opening Ceremonies-Post photo" />
                        <figcaption>State Fair Opening Ceremonies-Post photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The 2025 Kansas State Fair opened its gates Friday morning under a light drizzle — a reminder, as Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz put it, that “you just never know what you’re going to have for weather in Kansas.” While the rain dampened the sidewalks, spirits remained high as opening ceremonies celebrated the start of 10 days of agriculture, entertainment, and tradition.</p><p>The day began with a ribbon cutting at the People’s Bank &amp; Trust Arena, where a new canopy has been added to provide shade and shelter for visitors. Schulz noted that the canopy was just one of many improvements across the grounds, alongside ongoing renovations of the historic Bison Building. Exterior work is nearly complete, and interior upgrades will begin later this month.</p><p>Concertgoers can look forward to a strong lineup of entertainment, beginning tonight with Sam Barber and Avery Anna at the Nex-Tech Grandstand. Ticket sales are already running ahead of last year’s pace, according to Schulz, with strong presales and plenty of walk-up traffic expected. “Our percentage sold is way above where we had expected it to be,” he said.</p><p>Visitors will also notice new food options this year, including pulled pork corn dogs, firecracker wontons, and pineapple smoothies served right in a carved fruit shell. Fairgoers are encouraged to download the official Kansas State Fair app for the latest updates, schedules, and vendor locations.</p><p>Agriculture remains at the heart of the fair. Schulz emphasized the importance of showcasing Kansas’ farming roots, even as some state fairs around the country move away from that focus. “We want to make sure our agricultural aspects are being promoted here at the Kansas State Fair,” he said.</p><p>Beyond the midway and the rides, one of the most heartwarming events takes place Friday with the Championship Livestock Show at Prairie Pavilion, where Special Olympics athletes are paired with FFA and 4-H youth to show animals in the ring. Schulz called it one of the most rewarding parts of the fair: “For someone who has never been around livestock, to be able to walk with an animal and work with it is truly special.”</p><p>The Kansas State Fair runs through Sept. 14, featuring daily entertainment, livestock shows, exhibits, and hundreds of vendors. Tickets and event packages are available online at kansasstatefair.com or at the gate.</p><p>----------------------------</p><p>The 2025 Kansas State Fair opened on Friday with a special celebration honoring seniors during "Young at Heart Day". Guests 55 and older will enjoy discounted $2 gate admission as the Fair officially opens its 10-day run at the Hutchinson fairgrounds.</p><p>The day began with the Working Equitation Show at 8 a.m. in Expo II, followed by popular family attractions such as Moo-U Guided Barn Tours at the Birthing Center and Dr. Goddard’s Lab demonstrations at the Education Center. Throughout the morning, visitors can also catch Hedrick’s Pig Races, the Chainsaw Woodcarvers, and a variety of art demonstrations in the Oz Gallery.</p><p>At 11 a.m., the official Opening Ceremony takes place at the Peoples Bank and Trust Arena, followed by a ribbon-cutting at 11:15 a.m. The afternoon schedule is packed with livestock competitions including goat, swine, sheep, and beef showmanship events, along with the Draft Horse Show in Expo Center. Visitors can also enjoy special contests such as homemade ice cream judging and the “It’s All About the Bread” competition.</p><p>Entertainment highlights include the Cowboy Circus, Ron Diamond the Hypnotist, and “It’s Showtime Circus” at Gottschalk Park. Musical performances will feature Sweet Rhubarb on the Lowen Corporation Stage, Jay Jackson with Nashville’s Finest at the Peoples Bank and Trust Arena, and Wyatt Henson performing at Lake Talbott.</p><p>The day wraps up with a big night at the Nex-Tech Grandstand, where rising country artists Sam Barber and Avery Anna take the stage.</p>

Kansas State Fair kicks off with ribbon cutting

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an incident that left a child dead on a Kansas highway.

Just after 5:30p.m. Wednesday, sheriff's deputies and Johnson County Med-Act responded to a medical incident on eastbound Kansas 10 at Kill Creek Road, according to a statement from the Johnson County Sheriff's office.

First responders found an adult and two children in the vehicle. One child was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the other child to an area hospital. Eastbound traffic was slowed near the scene to allow first responders to work. The sheriff's office released no additional details.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757076858966.png" alt="Image KC Scout camera" />
                        <figcaption>Image KC Scout camera</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an incident that left a child dead on a Kansas highway.</p><p>Just after 5:30p.m. Wednesday, sheriff's deputies and Johnson County Med-Act responded to a medical incident on eastbound Kansas 10 at Kill Creek Road, according to a statement from the Johnson County Sheriff's office.</p><p>First responders found an adult and two children in the vehicle. One child was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the other child to an area hospital. Eastbound traffic was slowed near the scene to allow first responders to work. The sheriff's office released no additional details.</p>

Sheriff: Child dead after medical incident on Kansas highway

CRAWFORD COUNTY—A now former member of the Kansas State University football team is out of jail after an arrest in southeast Kansas.

On Wednesday, police in Arma arrested 19-year-old Darren Jay-Shawn Ross on drug allegations, according to online booking records.

Ross was a member of the Wildcat 2024 recruiting class and played high school football at Liberty North.&nbsp;

Ross was booked into jail just before 3:30a.m. Wednesday on requested charges of distributing marijuana, according to the Crawford County sheriff's web site. He met the requirement of a $15,000 bond and was released just before 7p.m. Thursday.

His bio has been removed from the Kansas State Football website. He did not play in the first two games of the season for the Wildcats.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757078797295.png" alt="Ross photo Crawford Co." />
                        <figcaption>Ross photo Crawford Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>CRAWFORD COUNTY—A now former member of the Kansas State University football team is out of jail after an arrest in southeast Kansas.</p><p>On Wednesday, police in Arma arrested 19-year-old Darren Jay-Shawn Ross on drug allegations, according to online booking records.</p><p>Ross was a member of the Wildcat 2024 recruiting class and played high school football at Liberty North.&nbsp;</p><p>Ross was booked into jail just before 3:30a.m. Wednesday on requested charges of distributing marijuana, according to the Crawford County sheriff's web site. He met the requirement of a $15,000 bond and was released just before 7p.m. Thursday.</p><p>His bio has been removed from the Kansas State Football website. He did not play in the first two games of the season for the Wildcats.</p>

K-State football player out of jail after arrest in southeast Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;hosted a high-powered group of tech executives at the White House on Thursday as he showcased&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence">research on artificial intelligence</a>&nbsp;and boasted of investments that companies are making around the United States.

“This is taking our country to a new level,” he said at the center of a long table surrounded by what he described as “high IQ people.”

It was the latest example of a delicate two-way courtship between Trump and tech leaders, several of whom attended his inauguration. Trump has exulted in the attention from some of the world’s most successful businesspeople, while the companies are eager to remain on the good side of the mercurial president.

While the executives praised Trump and talked about their hopes for technological advancement, the Republican president was focused on dollar signs. He went around the table and asked executives how much they were investing in the country.

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, who sat to Trump’s right, said $600 billion. Apple’s Tim Cook said the same. Google’s Sundar Pichai said $250 billion.

“What about Microsoft?” Trump said. “That’s a big number.”

CEO Satya Nadella said it was up to $80 billion per year.

“Good,” Trump responded. “Very good.”

Notably absent from the guest list was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>, once a close ally of Trump who was tasked with running the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-28263ffbfc191602b3657618138ee585">a public breakup</a>&nbsp;with Trump earlier this year.

At the table instead was one of Musk’s rivals in artificial intelligence, Sam Altman of OpenAI.

In another reflection of shifting loyalties in Trump’s world, the dinner included Jared Isaacman, who founded the payment processing company Shift4.

Isaacman was a Musk ally chosen by Trump to lead NASA, only to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-isaacman-nasa-nomination-withdraw-a0b1d23823a06ac7ae1994c930c7786c">his nomination withdrawn</a>&nbsp;because he was, in Trump’s words, “totally a Democrat.”

The dinner was expected to be held in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/trump-rose-garden-paved-over-photo-gallery-732b9521b69c10c12ce448f12e27401c">the Rose Garden</a>, where Trump recently paved over the grassy lawn and set up tables, chairs and umbrellas that look strikingly similar to the outdoor setup at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

But because of inclement weather, officials decided to move the event to the White House State Dining Room.

The event followed an afternoon meeting of the White House’s new Artificial Intelligence Education task force, which first lady Melania Trump chaired and some tech leaders participated in.

“The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction,” she said,

Pichai, IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna and Code.org President Cameron Wilson were among those participating in the task force.

The White House confirmed that the guest list for the dinner also included: Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates; Google founder Sergey Brin; OpenAI founder Greg Brockman; Oracle CEO Safra Catz; Blue Origin CEO David Limp; Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra; TIBCO Software chairman Vivek Ranadive; Palantir executive Shyam Sankar; Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang; and Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman.

Trump’s outreach to top tech executives has occasionally been divisive within the Republican Party.

One of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hawley-pelosi-stocks-insider-trading-ban-cf6200d0ec71fe012bb3b9a916696b37">Josh Hawley</a>, delivered a sharp criticism of the tech industry during a speech at a conservative conference in Washington on Thursday morning. He criticized the lack of regulation around artificial intelligence and singled out Meta and ChatGPT.

“The government should inspect all of these frontier AI systems so we can better understand what the tech titans plan to build and destroy,” the Missouri senator said.

Trump has embraced AI-created imagery and frequently shares it online, despite his complaints earlier in the week about the technology being used to create misleading videos.

Late Wednesday night, he posted a string of AI-generated memes and videos, such as one depicting him interacting with the man pictured in the Cracker Barrel logo, one showing California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff with an extremely elongated neck, and one with Trump’s face superimposed on a pole vaulter as it appears to leap over a Cracker Barrel banner.

On Tuesday, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-window-ai-9dad119bb6de1519582db036dc0726d7">said a video showing items being thrown out</a>&nbsp;of an upstairs window of the White House must have been created by AI, despite his team seeming to have confirmed the video’s veracity hours earlier.

Trump then said, “If something happens that’s really bad, maybe I’ll have to just blame AI.”

The first lady, at her event Thursday, likewise highlighted both the potential and peril of AI.

“As leaders and parents, we must manage AI’s growth responsibly,” she said, calling for both action and caution. “During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children — empowering, but with watchful guidance.”

Last month, the first lady launched a nationwide contest for students in grades K-12 to use AI to complete a project or address a community challenge. The project was aimed at showing the benefits of AI, but the first lady has also highlighted its drawbacks.

Melania Trump lobbied Congress this year to pass legislation that imposes penalties for online sexual exploitation using imagery that is real or an AI-generated deepfake.

The president signed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/take-it-down-deepfake-trump-melania-first-amendment-741a6e525e81e5e3d8843aac20de8615">“Take It Down Act”</a>&nbsp;in May.

Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Washington and Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco in San Francisco contributed to this report.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757074835886.png" alt="Image courtesy White House video" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;hosted a high-powered group of tech executives at the White House on Thursday as he showcased&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/artificial-intelligence">research on artificial intelligence</a>&nbsp;and boasted of investments that companies are making around the United States.</p><p>“This is taking our country to a new level,” he said at the center of a long table surrounded by what he described as “high IQ people.”</p><p>It was the latest example of a delicate two-way courtship between Trump and tech leaders, several of whom attended his inauguration. Trump has exulted in the attention from some of the world’s most successful businesspeople, while the companies are eager to remain on the good side of the mercurial president.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING 🇺🇸 : President Trump hosts tech leaders for a dinner at the White House. Guests include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman<a href="https://t.co/GUJavrxP9M">pic.twitter.com/GUJavrxP9M</a></p>&mdash; Zaid Ahmd (@realzaidzayn) <a href="https://twitter.com/realzaidzayn/status/1963766937500156283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Google co-founder Sergey Brin: &quot;It&#39;s a real incredible inflection point right now in AI and the fact that your administration is supporting our companies instead of fighting with them — it&#39;s hugely important.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/3vUGc1Dvai">pic.twitter.com/3vUGc1Dvai</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963780730632180101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Google CEO Sundar Pichai: &quot;The AI moment is one of the most transformative moments any of us have ever seen... The AI Action Plan, under your leadership, I think is a great start, and we look forward to working together — and thanks for your leadership.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AKzlSgbYJl">pic.twitter.com/AKzlSgbYJl</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963781769108332769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AMD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AMD</a> CEO <a href="https://twitter.com/LisaSu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LisaSu</a>: &quot;The incredible work that your administration has done to support the semiconductor industry... the amount of acceleration that we&#39;ve seen just in the few short months that the administration has been in place — we&#39;re so grateful for that support.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/UjrORUbzLQ">pic.twitter.com/UjrORUbzLQ</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963782822218313962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Microsoft?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Microsoft</a> CEO <a href="https://twitter.com/satyanadella?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@satyanadella</a>: &quot;Everything that you&#39;re doing in terms of setting in place the platform where the rest of the world can not only use our technology, but trust our technology more than any other alternative, is perhaps the most important issue.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4xNxZggG3f">pic.twitter.com/4xNxZggG3f</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963783827442057465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Apple?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Apple</a> CEO <a href="https://twitter.com/tim_cook?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tim_cook</a>: &quot;I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major [$600 billion] investment in the United States... That says a lot about your focus and your leadership and your focus on innovation.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/289vkiB6vy">pic.twitter.com/289vkiB6vy</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963786061114417495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/OpenAI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OpenAI</a> CEO Sam Altman: &quot;Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation President. It&#39;s a very refreshing change...The investment that&#39;s happening here, the ability to get the power of the industry back... I don&#39;t think that would be happening without your leadership.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/suGDIJFlx8">pic.twitter.com/suGDIJFlx8</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963787418429018457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/OpenAI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OpenAI</a> President Greg Brockman <a href="https://twitter.com/gdb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@gdb</a>: &quot;We&#39;ve been just very impressed with how this Administration has really embraced AI... There has been a choice of whether to approach it with optimism, and I think that that&#39;s what I&#39;ve really seen from this Administration.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/cLGmDzLwtO">pic.twitter.com/cLGmDzLwtO</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963790825273348601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>While the executives praised Trump and talked about their hopes for technological advancement, the Republican president was focused on dollar signs. He went around the table and asked executives how much they were investing in the country.</p><p>Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, who sat to Trump’s right, said $600 billion. Apple’s Tim Cook said the same. Google’s Sundar Pichai said $250 billion.</p><p>“What about Microsoft?” Trump said. “That’s a big number.”</p><p>CEO Satya Nadella said it was up to $80 billion per year.</p><p>“Good,” Trump responded. “Very good.”</p><p>Notably absent from the guest list was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>, once a close ally of Trump who was tasked with running the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-28263ffbfc191602b3657618138ee585">a public breakup</a>&nbsp;with Trump earlier this year.</p><p>At the table instead was one of Musk’s rivals in artificial intelligence, Sam Altman of OpenAI.</p><p>In another reflection of shifting loyalties in Trump’s world, the dinner included Jared Isaacman, who founded the payment processing company Shift4.</p><p>Isaacman was a Musk ally chosen by Trump to lead NASA, only to have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-isaacman-nasa-nomination-withdraw-a0b1d23823a06ac7ae1994c930c7786c">his nomination withdrawn</a>&nbsp;because he was, in Trump’s words, “totally a Democrat.”</p><p>The dinner was expected to be held in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/trump-rose-garden-paved-over-photo-gallery-732b9521b69c10c12ce448f12e27401c">the Rose Garden</a>, where Trump recently paved over the grassy lawn and set up tables, chairs and umbrellas that look strikingly similar to the outdoor setup at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.</p><p>But because of inclement weather, officials decided to move the event to the White House State Dining Room.</p><p>The event followed an afternoon meeting of the White House’s new Artificial Intelligence Education task force, which first lady Melania Trump chaired and some tech leaders participated in.</p><p>“The robots are here. Our future is no longer science fiction,” she said,</p><p>Pichai, IBM chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna and Code.org President Cameron Wilson were among those participating in the task force.</p><p>The White House confirmed that the guest list for the dinner also included: Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates; Google founder Sergey Brin; OpenAI founder Greg Brockman; Oracle CEO Safra Catz; Blue Origin CEO David Limp; Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra; TIBCO Software chairman Vivek Ranadive; Palantir executive Shyam Sankar; Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang; and Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman.</p><p>Trump’s outreach to top tech executives has occasionally been divisive within the Republican Party.</p><p>One of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hawley-pelosi-stocks-insider-trading-ban-cf6200d0ec71fe012bb3b9a916696b37">Josh Hawley</a>, delivered a sharp criticism of the tech industry during a speech at a conservative conference in Washington on Thursday morning. He criticized the lack of regulation around artificial intelligence and singled out Meta and ChatGPT.</p><p>“The government should inspect all of these frontier AI systems so we can better understand what the tech titans plan to build and destroy,” the Missouri senator said.</p><p>Trump has embraced AI-created imagery and frequently shares it online, despite his complaints earlier in the week about the technology being used to create misleading videos.</p><p>Late Wednesday night, he posted a string of AI-generated memes and videos, such as one depicting him interacting with the man pictured in the Cracker Barrel logo, one showing California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff with an extremely elongated neck, and one with Trump’s face superimposed on a pole vaulter as it appears to leap over a Cracker Barrel banner.</p><p>On Tuesday, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-window-ai-9dad119bb6de1519582db036dc0726d7">said a video showing items being thrown out</a>&nbsp;of an upstairs window of the White House must have been created by AI, despite his team seeming to have confirmed the video’s veracity hours earlier.</p><p>Trump then said, “If something happens that’s really bad, maybe I’ll have to just blame AI.”</p><p>The first lady, at her event Thursday, likewise highlighted both the potential and peril of AI.</p><p>“As leaders and parents, we must manage AI’s growth responsibly,” she said, calling for both action and caution. “During this primitive stage, it is our duty to treat AI as we would our own children — empowering, but with watchful guidance.”</p><p>Last month, the first lady launched a nationwide contest for students in grades K-12 to use AI to complete a project or address a community challenge. The project was aimed at showing the benefits of AI, but the first lady has also highlighted its drawbacks.</p><p>Melania Trump lobbied Congress this year to pass legislation that imposes penalties for online sexual exploitation using imagery that is real or an AI-generated deepfake.</p><p>The president signed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/take-it-down-deepfake-trump-melania-first-amendment-741a6e525e81e5e3d8843aac20de8615">“Take It Down Act”</a>&nbsp;in May.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Washington and Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco in San Francisco contributed to this report.</p>

🎥 Trump hosts top tech CEOs, not  Elon Musk, at White House dinner

KANSAS CITY —A man's death in June is now being investigating as a homicide.

Just before 3a.m. June 22, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the 3600 block of Warwick Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri on a reported incident with KC Fire Department crews, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

 First responders located the victim, later identified as 50-year-old&nbsp;Darriyun Webb on the floor unconscious. EMS responded and transported the victim to an area hospital where he was declared deceased. The investigation indicates the victim and suspect had been involved in a physical altercation that led to the victim losing consciousness.

The suspect, an adult male, was identified and interviewed at the scene.

On Thursday morning homicide detectives were notified by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office this incident has been ruled a homicide.

<p>KANSAS CITY —A man's death in June is now being investigating as a homicide.</p><p>Just before 3a.m. June 22, police&nbsp;were dispatched to the 3600 block of Warwick Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri on a reported incident with KC Fire Department crews, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.</p><p> First responders located the victim, later identified as 50-year-old&nbsp;Darriyun Webb on the floor unconscious. EMS responded and transported the victim to an area hospital where he was declared deceased. The investigation indicates the victim and suspect had been involved in a physical altercation that led to the victim losing consciousness.</p><p>The suspect, an adult male, was identified and interviewed at the scene.</p><p>On Thursday morning homicide detectives were notified by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office this incident has been ruled a homicide.</p><h2></h2>

Medical examiner rules Kansas City man's death in June a homicide

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas woman accused in the death of a 7-year-old boy returned to court on Thursday.

Tasha Diane Dillard, 25, Wichita, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated child endangerment in Judge William Woolley's courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; She had been scheduled to face a trial starting on September 15.

Dillard had originally been charged with 1st degree murder and 7 counts of aggravated endangering a child, according to the District Attorney's office.

On March 16, police responded to a call of a shooting at an apartment in the 3700 block of E Ross Parkway, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses. The caller reported that someone had been shot and that a child was bleeding.

When officers arrived, they found 7-year-old Davion Gunter suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. Davion was transported to a local hospital, where he was&nbsp; pronounced deceased.

At the scene, officers found seven other children and multiple adults. Wichita Police homicide investigators and the Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit responded immediately, conducting interviews and gathered evidence.

Police took Dillard into custody and the children were placed in protective care.&nbsp; &nbsp;She will be sentenced October 16, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742206494454.png" alt="Dillard photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Dillard photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas woman accused in the death of a 7-year-old boy returned to court on Thursday.</p><p>Tasha Diane Dillard, 25, Wichita, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and aggravated child endangerment in Judge William Woolley's courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; She had been scheduled to face a trial starting on September 15.</p><p>Dillard had originally been charged with 1st degree murder and 7 counts of aggravated endangering a child, according to the District Attorney's office.</p><p>On March 16, police responded to a call of a shooting at an apartment in the 3700 block of E Ross Parkway, according to Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses. The caller reported that someone had been shot and that a child was bleeding.</p><p>When officers arrived, they found 7-year-old Davion Gunter suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. Davion was transported to a local hospital, where he was&nbsp; pronounced deceased.</p><p>At the scene, officers found seven other children and multiple adults. Wichita Police homicide investigators and the Exploited and Missing Children’s Unit responded immediately, conducting interviews and gathered evidence.</p><p>Police took Dillard into custody and the children were placed in protective care.&nbsp; &nbsp;She will be sentenced October 16, according to the district attorney's office.</p>

Kansas woman reaches plea deal in death of 7-year-old

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop near Kansas City.

Just after 2a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's&nbsp;deputies made a vehicle stop on southbound Interstate 49 at the Archie exit, due to a lane violation, according to the Cass County Sheriff.

After a vehicle search, deputies found several homemade explosives. The Lee’s Summit Bomb Squad was contacted and arrived on scene, where they detonated the explosives.

Deputies also found narcotics in the vehicle.The suspect has been identified as 51-year-old Charles Cooper of Kansas City. 

He has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (D Felony) and Driving While Revoked/Suspended (D Misdemeanor). Cooper’s bond is set at $10,000 cash only. He’s currently being housed at the Cass County Jail.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757018875097.png" alt="Photo Cass County Sheriff" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Cass County Sheriff</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop near Kansas City.</p><p>Just after 2a.m. Tuesday, sheriff's&nbsp;deputies made a vehicle stop on southbound Interstate 49 at the Archie exit, due to a lane violation, according to the Cass County Sheriff.</p><p>After a vehicle search, deputies found several homemade explosives. The Lee’s Summit Bomb Squad was contacted and arrived on scene, where they detonated the explosives.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1757019134279.png" alt="Cooper photo Cass County" />
                        <figcaption>Cooper photo Cass County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Deputies also found narcotics in the vehicle.The suspect has been identified as 51-year-old Charles Cooper of Kansas City. </p><p>He has been charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance (D Felony) and Driving While Revoked/Suspended (D Misdemeanor). Cooper’s bond is set at $10,000 cash only. He’s currently being housed at the Cass County Jail.</p>

Kansas City man caught transporting homemade explosives

WASHINGTON (AP) —A pair of Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham in the international waters of the Caribbean on Thursday, Pentagon officials said.

A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss operational details, confirmed that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the destroyer, which is part of a group of at least seven U.S. warships that have been deployed to the area as part of a mission to target drug smuggling.

The maneuver comes days after the Trump administration revealed that it ordered a strike on a speedboat that it claims was carrying 11 drug smugglers, killing all of them.

In a social media post late Thursday, the Pentagon called the maneuver by Venezuela “highly provocative” and argued that it was “designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) —A pair of Venezuelan fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham in the international waters of the Caribbean on Thursday, Pentagon officials said.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/PSxm3uRsfM">pic.twitter.com/PSxm3uRsfM</a></p>&mdash; Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1963775938233299235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss operational details, confirmed that two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the destroyer, which is part of a group of at least seven U.S. warships that have been deployed to the area as part of a mission to target drug smuggling.</p><p>The maneuver comes days after the Trump administration revealed that it ordered a strike on a speedboat that it claims was carrying 11 drug smugglers, killing all of them.</p><p>In a social media post late Thursday, the Pentagon called the maneuver by Venezuela “highly provocative” and argued that it was “designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”</p>

Venezuelan military aircraft fly over US Navy vessel as tensions rise

The State of Kansas ends August 2025 with total tax collections at $692.3 million. That is $26.2 million, or 3.9%, above the estimate. Total tax collections were up 4.0% from August 2024, according to a media release from the Governor's office.

Click&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fcontent.govdelivery.com%2Fattachments%2FKSOG%2F2025%2F09%2F04%2Ffile_attachments%2F3378251%2F02_August_Revenue_FY2026_09-02-2025_Final.pdf/1/0101019915ac0fea-2de043bc-57f9-41bb-9e13-15bc8f2e7ded-000000/PxW39ichoUcdiKvYlp4EF_jnWxTDHq2rZE887v-5PEg=421">here</a>&nbsp;to view the August 2025 revenue numbers.

“This month’s stronger-than-expected tax collections highlight the strength of Kansas’ work to attract business investment and workforce development, evidenced by reported withholdings up 13.7% over August of 2024,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “However, even if these better-than-expected revenues continue, I remain concerned about the reckless budget’s impact on the long-term fiscal health of the state and the risk of departing from the course of fiscal responsibility we have been on.”

Individual income tax collections were $361.2 million, which is $16.2 million, or 4.7% above the estimate. Individual income tax collections were up 9.7% from August 2024. Corporate income tax collections were $18.2 million, which is $1.8 million, or 9.0% below the estimate, and down 9.7% from August 2024.&nbsp;

Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $294.2 million, which is $11.2 million, or 4.0% above the estimate, and down 0.1% from August 2024.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<p>The State of Kansas ends August 2025 with total tax collections at $692.3 million. That is $26.2 million, or 3.9%, above the estimate. Total tax collections were up 4.0% from August 2024, according to a media release from the Governor's office.</p><p>Click&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fcontent.govdelivery.com%2Fattachments%2FKSOG%2F2025%2F09%2F04%2Ffile_attachments%2F3378251%2F02_August_Revenue_FY2026_09-02-2025_Final.pdf/1/0101019915ac0fea-2de043bc-57f9-41bb-9e13-15bc8f2e7ded-000000/PxW39ichoUcdiKvYlp4EF_jnWxTDHq2rZE887v-5PEg=421">here</a>&nbsp;to view the August 2025 revenue numbers.</p><p>“This month’s stronger-than-expected tax collections highlight the strength of Kansas’ work to attract business investment and workforce development, evidenced by reported withholdings up 13.7% over August of 2024,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said. “However, even if these better-than-expected revenues continue, I remain concerned about the reckless budget’s impact on the long-term fiscal health of the state and the risk of departing from the course of fiscal responsibility we have been on.”</p><p>Individual income tax collections were $361.2 million, which is $16.2 million, or 4.7% above the estimate. Individual income tax collections were up 9.7% from August 2024. Corporate income tax collections were $18.2 million, which is $1.8 million, or 9.0% below the estimate, and down 9.7% from August 2024.&nbsp;</p><p>Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $294.2 million, which is $11.2 million, or 4.0% above the estimate, and down 0.1% from August 2024.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

Kansas total tax collections in August above the estimate

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A North Kansas City. Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, according to the United State's Attorney.

Aaron Randall Class, 53, was charged in a one-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 12, 2025. The indictment was unsealed and made public following Class’s arrest. The indictment alleges that on or about Nov. 23rd, 2024, Class knowingly aimed a beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft that was in the aircraft jurisdiction of the United States at the time of the incident.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

Under federal statutes, Class is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Branon Chlarson. It was investigated by the North Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696444782028.png" alt="File image from a similar investigation in 2018" />
                        <figcaption>File image from a similar investigation in 2018</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A North Kansas City. Mo., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft, according to the United State's Attorney.</p><p>Aaron Randall Class, 53, was charged in a one-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 12, 2025. The indictment was unsealed and made public following Class’s arrest. The indictment alleges that on or about Nov. 23rd, 2024, Class knowingly aimed a beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft that was in the aircraft jurisdiction of the United States at the time of the incident.</p><p>The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.</p><p>Under federal statutes, Class is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.</p><p>The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Branon Chlarson. It was investigated by the North Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.</p>

Kansas City man charged with aiming laser pointer at aircraft

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man who pleaded guilty in connection with the 2023 shooting death of a man in Wichita is going to prison.

On Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 21-year-old James Sawyer to more than 31-years in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections for the murder of 34-year-old Daniel McPherson during an attempted robbery,&nbsp; according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In July, Sawyer pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery.

On Dec. 6, 2023, the Blackwell, Oklahoma Police Department contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch, reporting a shooting investigation involving two individuals including Sawyer and 18-year-old Phillip Walls who had entered a Blackwell hospital, with one of them sustaining a gunshot wound, according to Officer Andrew Ford.

Following discussions with the subjects, Blackwell Police shared information with Sedgwick County Dispatch. Consequently, the Wichita Police Department was alerted to respond to the Hydraulic and MacArthur area based on information suggesting that the shooting victim, 34-year-old Daniel McPherson, would be found there.

Upon arrival, officers discovered McPherson with a gunshot wound to his head. He&nbsp;was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide investigators were dispatched to conduct the investigation and later traveled to Blackwell, Oklahoma where Walls and Sawyer were in custody.&nbsp;

In May of 2024, Walls pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the shooting and&nbsp;was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752095618673.png" alt="-Sawyer photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>-Sawyer photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man who pleaded guilty in connection with the 2023 shooting death of a man in Wichita is going to prison.</p><p>On Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 21-year-old James Sawyer to more than 31-years in the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections for the murder of 34-year-old Daniel McPherson during an attempted robbery,&nbsp; according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.</p><p>In July, Sawyer pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery.</p><p>On Dec. 6, 2023, the Blackwell, Oklahoma Police Department contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch, reporting a shooting investigation involving two individuals including Sawyer and 18-year-old Phillip Walls who had entered a Blackwell hospital, with one of them sustaining a gunshot wound, according to Officer Andrew Ford.</p><p>Following discussions with the subjects, Blackwell Police shared information with Sedgwick County Dispatch. Consequently, the Wichita Police Department was alerted to respond to the Hydraulic and MacArthur area based on information suggesting that the shooting victim, 34-year-old Daniel McPherson, would be found there.</p><p>Upon arrival, officers discovered McPherson with a gunshot wound to his head. He&nbsp;was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide investigators were dispatched to conduct the investigation and later traveled to Blackwell, Oklahoma where Walls and Sawyer were in custody.&nbsp;</p><p>In May of 2024, Walls pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the shooting and&nbsp;was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison, according to the district attorney's office.</p>

21-year-old Kan. man going to prison for robbery, murder

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/health">health</a>&nbsp;agencies.

Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting COVID-19 shots.

Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for Kennedy to be fired, and his exchanges with Democratic senators on the panel repeatedly devolved into shouting, from both sides.

But some Republican senators also expressed unease with his changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-pregnant-women-children-70c358cad726e57d680234c3ecdec926">COVID-19 policies</a>.

The GOP senators noted that Kennedy said President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for the 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-us-news-international-news-politics-756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;initiative to quickly develop mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — and that he also had attacked the safety and continued use of those very shots.

“I can't tell where you are on Operation Warp Speed,” said Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.

Tillis and others asked him why the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired last week, less than a month into her tenure.

Kennedy said she was dishonest, and that CDC leaders who left the agency last week in support of her deserved to be fired.

He also criticized CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies, and claimed — wrongly — that they “failed to do anything about the disease itself.”

“The people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving,” Kennedy said. He later said they deserved to be fired for not doing enough to control chronic disease.

Democrats express hostility from the start

The Senate Finance Committee had called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again,” but Democratic senators pressed Kennedy on his actions around vaccines.

At the start of the hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon tried to have Kennedy formally sworn in as a witness, saying the HHS secretary has a history of lying to the committee. The committee's chair, Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, denied the Democrat's request, saying “the bottom line is we will let the secretary make his own case.”

Wyden went on to attack Kennedy, saying he had “stacked the deck” of a vaccines advisory committee by replacing scientists with “skeptics and conspiracy theorists.”

Last week, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-monarez-fired-trump-kennedy-vaccines-science-17fd8a19064e39906bc0125fd81e3525">Trump administration fired</a>&nbsp;the CDC's director — a Trump appointee who was confirmed by the Senate — less than a month into her tenure. Several top CDC leaders resigned in protest, leaving the agency in turmoil.

The ousted director, Susan Monarez, wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-the-cdc-and-me-b4ca2eaa">in The Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that Kennedy was trying to weaken public health protections.

“I was told to preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric,” Monarez wrote. “It is imperative that the panel’s recommendations aren’t rubber-stamped but instead are rigorously and scientifically reviewed before being accepted or rejected.”

Kennedy told senators he didn't make such an ultimatum, though he did concede that he had ordered Monarez to fire career CDC scientists.

Kennedy pushed back on concerns raised by multiple Republican senators, including Tillis and Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Both Barrasso and Cassidy are physicians.

The health secretary had animated comebacks as Democratic senators pressed him on the effects of his words and actions.

When Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, questioned Kennedy about his disparaging rhetoric about CDC employees before a deadly shooting at the agency this summer, Kennedy shot back: “Are you complicit in the assassination attempts on President Trump?”

Kennedy called Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico “ridiculous,” said he was “talking gibberish” and accused him of “not understanding how the world works” when Lujan asked Kennedy to pledge to share protocols of any research Kennedy was commissioning into autism and vaccines.

He also engaged in a heated, loud exchanges with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota.

“I didn’t even hear your question,” Kennedy replied to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto as the Nevada Democrat repeatedly asked what the agency was doing to lower drug costs for seniors.

He also told Sen. Bernie Sanders that the Vermont independent was not “making any sense.”

Some senators had their own choice words.

“You’re interrupting me, and sir, you’re a charlatan. That’s what you are, ” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat. “The history on vaccines is very clear.”

As the hearing neared its end, Kennedy pulled his cellphone from his pocket and then tapped and scrolled as Wyden asked about mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion.

In May, Kennedy — a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement — announced COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move opposed by medical and public health groups.

In June,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-cdc-acip-vaccines-3790c89f45b6314c5c7b686db0e3a8f9">he abruptly fired</a>&nbsp;a panel of experts that had been advising the government on vaccine policy. He replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine skeptics, and then shut the door to several doctors groups that had long helped form the committee's recommendations.

Kennedy has voiced distrust of research that showed the COVID-19 vaccines saved lives, and at Thursday's hearing even cast doubt on statistics about how people died during the pandemic and on estimates about how many deaths were averted — statistics produced by the agencies he oversees.

He said federal health policy would be based on gold standard science, but confessed that he wouldn’t necessarily wait for studies to be completed before taking action against, for example, potential causes of chronic illness.

“We are not waiting for everything to come in. We are starting now," he said.

A number of medical groups say Kennedy can’t be counted on to make decisions based on robust medical evidence. In a statement Wednesday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and 20 other medical and public health organizations issued a joint statement calling on him to resign.

“Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe,” the statement said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1756996593037.png" alt="Kennedy waved at protesters and supporters as he entered the hearing room on Thursday -image from CSPAN video" />
                        <figcaption>Kennedy waved at protesters and supporters as he entered the hearing room on Thursday -image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/health">health</a>&nbsp;agencies.</p><p>Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting COVID-19 shots.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1756996094351.png" alt="Protester arrested during the hearing -image from CSPAN video" />
                        <figcaption>Protester arrested during the hearing -image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> enters Senate hearing, reporters ask if he will resign and supporters chant &quot;We love you Bobby&quot; <a href="https://t.co/XENgdhir7w">pic.twitter.com/XENgdhir7w</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963606194104172801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Protesters interrupt <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> opening statement at Senate Finance hearing <a href="https://t.co/tj6HARi5oh">pic.twitter.com/tj6HARi5oh</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963617929938845790?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>: &quot;[CDC] changes were absolutely necessary adjustments to restore the agency to its role as the world&#39;s gold standard... The people at CDC who oversaw [COVID] — who put masks on our children, who closed our schools — are the people that will be leaving.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HMI4FjXmx1">pic.twitter.com/HMI4FjXmx1</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963611669306736643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We became the sickest country in the world. <br><br>I need to make sure this doesn’t happen again. <a href="https://t.co/ihNBfyDWKd">pic.twitter.com/ihNBfyDWKd</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963619420174975317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> scorches <a href="https://twitter.com/RonWyden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonWyden</a>: &quot;You&#39;ve sat in that chair for how long — 20, 25 years? — while the chronic disease in our children went up to 76%, and you said nothing. You never asked the question, &#39;Why is this happening?&#39;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eSmXhlKhof">pic.twitter.com/eSmXhlKhof</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963614447911510036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RonWyden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonWyden</a> asks <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> about former CDC Director Susan Monarez: &quot;So she&#39;s lying today to the American people in the Wall Street Journal?&quot;<br> <br>Kennedy: &quot;Yes sir.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EseDIvN1fx">pic.twitter.com/EseDIvN1fx</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963621199109390721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a>: &quot;We are ending gain-of-function research, child mutilation, and reducing animal testing. We are addressing cellphone use in schools... sickle cell anemia, Hepatitis C, the East Palestine chemical spill, and many, many others.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/wEScTJ9RAJ">pic.twitter.com/wEScTJ9RAJ</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1963614971436163170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are reorganizing the entire organ procurement industry so that the sanctity of life can never be violated again. <a href="https://t.co/U2jgMbbtbj">pic.twitter.com/U2jgMbbtbj</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963626909096436082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Heated exchange between <a href="https://twitter.com/SenWarren?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenWarren</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> on COVID vaccines and fired CDC Director. <a href="https://t.co/Djl7ulVNEJ">pic.twitter.com/Djl7ulVNEJ</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1963644083034841550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I never promised that I was going to recommend products for which there is no indication. <a href="https://t.co/L1rcvbdlI0">pic.twitter.com/L1rcvbdlI0</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963639455484371299?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="da" dir="ltr">Reminder <a href="https://twitter.com/SenSanders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenSanders</a> <a href="https://t.co/YLiUfnZlQL">https://t.co/YLiUfnZlQL</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963638668662300984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">RFK Jr. just went off for 2 minutes straight tearing into the politicization of COVID. <br><br>The entire room went silent. <br><br>Watch: <br><br>“The whole process was politicized. Senator, I mean, we were lied to about everything.”<br><br>“We were lied to about natural immunity. We were lied to… <a href="https://t.co/J4T5OjLEVE">pic.twitter.com/J4T5OjLEVE</a></p>&mdash; Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1963623144440090821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecKennedy</a> and I are fighting for is vaccine transparency — 76 jabs by 18 is excessive without clear justification. <br><br>The CDC needs to get transparent about every vaccine they recommend. <a href="https://t.co/UyPbv0iDAJ">pic.twitter.com/UyPbv0iDAJ</a></p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1963655720265814427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I refuse to sign onto something unless I can stand behind it with scientific certainty. That doesn’t make me ‘anti-vax’ – it makes me pro-science. <a href="https://t.co/8IHLK7Jt76">pic.twitter.com/8IHLK7Jt76</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecKennedy/status/1963649578411901137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for Kennedy to be fired, and his exchanges with Democratic senators on the panel repeatedly devolved into shouting, from both sides.</p><p>But some Republican senators also expressed unease with his changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-pregnant-women-children-70c358cad726e57d680234c3ecdec926">COVID-19 policies</a>.</p><p>The GOP senators noted that Kennedy said President Donald Trump deserved a Nobel Prize for the 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-us-news-international-news-politics-756e5b743058701c4a2ebefd0af1ade4">Operation Warp Speed</a>&nbsp;initiative to quickly develop mRNA COVID-19 vaccines — and that he also had attacked the safety and continued use of those very shots.</p><p>“I can't tell where you are on Operation Warp Speed,” said Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.</p><p>Tillis and others asked him why the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was fired last week, less than a month into her tenure.</p><p>Kennedy said she was dishonest, and that CDC leaders who left the agency last week in support of her deserved to be fired.</p><p>He also criticized CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic tied to lockdowns and masking policies, and claimed — wrongly — that they “failed to do anything about the disease itself.”</p><p>“The people at CDC who oversaw that process, who put masks on our children, who closed our schools, are the people who will be leaving,” Kennedy said. He later said they deserved to be fired for not doing enough to control chronic disease.</p><h2>Democrats express hostility from the start</h2><p>The Senate Finance Committee had called Kennedy to a hearing about his plans to “Make America Healthy Again,” but Democratic senators pressed Kennedy on his actions around vaccines.</p><p>At the start of the hearing, Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon tried to have Kennedy formally sworn in as a witness, saying the HHS secretary has a history of lying to the committee. The committee's chair, Sen. Mike Crapo of Idaho, denied the Democrat's request, saying “the bottom line is we will let the secretary make his own case.”</p><p>Wyden went on to attack Kennedy, saying he had “stacked the deck” of a vaccines advisory committee by replacing scientists with “skeptics and conspiracy theorists.”</p><p>Last week, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cdc-monarez-fired-trump-kennedy-vaccines-science-17fd8a19064e39906bc0125fd81e3525">Trump administration fired</a>&nbsp;the CDC's director — a Trump appointee who was confirmed by the Senate — less than a month into her tenure. Several top CDC leaders resigned in protest, leaving the agency in turmoil.</p><p>The ousted director, Susan Monarez, wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-the-cdc-and-me-b4ca2eaa">in The Wall Street Journal</a>&nbsp;on Thursday that Kennedy was trying to weaken public health protections.</p><p>“I was told to preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric,” Monarez wrote. “It is imperative that the panel’s recommendations aren’t rubber-stamped but instead are rigorously and scientifically reviewed before being accepted or rejected.”</p><p>Kennedy told senators he didn't make such an ultimatum, though he did concede that he had ordered Monarez to fire career CDC scientists.</p><p>Kennedy pushed back on concerns raised by multiple Republican senators, including Tillis and Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Both Barrasso and Cassidy are physicians.</p><h2>Shouting matches and hot comebacks</h2><p>The health secretary had animated comebacks as Democratic senators pressed him on the effects of his words and actions.</p><p>When Sen. Raphael Warnock, of Georgia, questioned Kennedy about his disparaging rhetoric about CDC employees before a deadly shooting at the agency this summer, Kennedy shot back: “Are you complicit in the assassination attempts on President Trump?”</p><p>Kennedy called Sen. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico “ridiculous,” said he was “talking gibberish” and accused him of “not understanding how the world works” when Lujan asked Kennedy to pledge to share protocols of any research Kennedy was commissioning into autism and vaccines.</p><p>He also engaged in a heated, loud exchanges with Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tina Smith of Minnesota.</p><p>“I didn’t even hear your question,” Kennedy replied to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto as the Nevada Democrat repeatedly asked what the agency was doing to lower drug costs for seniors.</p><p>He also told Sen. Bernie Sanders that the Vermont independent was not “making any sense.”</p><p>Some senators had their own choice words.</p><p>“You’re interrupting me, and sir, you’re a charlatan. That’s what you are, ” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat. “The history on vaccines is very clear.”</p><p>As the hearing neared its end, Kennedy pulled his cellphone from his pocket and then tapped and scrolled as Wyden asked about mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion.</p><h2>Kennedy disputes COVID-19 data</h2><p>In May, Kennedy — a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement — announced COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, a move opposed by medical and public health groups.</p><p>In June,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-cdc-acip-vaccines-3790c89f45b6314c5c7b686db0e3a8f9">he abruptly fired</a>&nbsp;a panel of experts that had been advising the government on vaccine policy. He replaced them with a handpicked group that included several vaccine skeptics, and then shut the door to several doctors groups that had long helped form the committee's recommendations.</p><p>Kennedy has voiced distrust of research that showed the COVID-19 vaccines saved lives, and at Thursday's hearing even cast doubt on statistics about how people died during the pandemic and on estimates about how many deaths were averted — statistics produced by the agencies he oversees.</p><p>He said federal health policy would be based on gold standard science, but confessed that he wouldn’t necessarily wait for studies to be completed before taking action against, for example, potential causes of chronic illness.</p><p>“We are not waiting for everything to come in. We are starting now," he said.</p><p>A number of medical groups say Kennedy can’t be counted on to make decisions based on robust medical evidence. In a statement Wednesday, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and 20 other medical and public health organizations issued a joint statement calling on him to resign.</p><p>“Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe,” the statement said.</p><p>Many of the nation’s leading public health and medical societies, including the American Medical Association, American Public Health Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have decried Kennedy’s policies and warn they will drive up rates of vaccine-preventable diseases.</p><p>___</p><p>Stobbe reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.</p>