<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DEVI%20SHASTRI%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DEVI SHASTRI <br>AP Health Writer</a>

Montana is the ninth U.S. state to have an active measles outbreak.

The U.S. was up to 800&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">cases of measles</a>&nbsp;nationwide on Friday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">Texas</a>&nbsp;is driving the high numbers, with an outbreak centered in West Texas that started nearly three months ago and is up to 597 cases.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children</a>&nbsp;died from measles-related illnesses near&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">the epicenter in Texas,</a>&nbsp;and an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">adult in New Mexico</a>&nbsp;who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a">states with active outbreaks</a>&nbsp;— defined as three or more cases — include Indiana,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas</a>, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Mexico. The U.S. has more than double the number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-mmr-vaccine-texas-rfk-ff8e744b19ead87698d7217de02814ee">measles cases</a>&nbsp;it saw in all of 2024.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">Measles</a>&nbsp;is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.

Health experts fear the virus will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">take hold in other U.S. communities</a>&nbsp;with low vaccination rates and that the spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-outbreak-mmr-vaccine-6cfda9a944084c390bc70f0e7a37a426">could stretch on for a year</a>.

In North America, an outbreak in Ontario, Canada has sickened 925 from mid-October through April 16. That's on top of cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON561">Mexico</a>&nbsp;that the World Health Organization has said are linked to the Texas outbreak. A large outbreak in Chihuahua state has 433 cases as of April 18, according to data from the state health ministry.

Here's what else you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">need to know about measles in the U.S.</a>

<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas</a>&nbsp;has 37 cases in eight counties in the southwest part of the state, health officials announced Wednesday.

Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray and Morton counties have fewer than five cases each. Haskell County has the most with eight cases, Stevens County has seven, Kiowa County has six.

The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.

How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?

Texas state health officials said Friday there were 36 new cases of measles since Tuesday, bringing the total to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">597 across 25 counties</a>&nbsp;— most of them in West Texas. Four more Texans were hospitalized, for a total of 62 throughout the outbreak, and Parmer and Potter counties logger their first cases.

State health officials estimated about 4% of cases — fewer than 30 — are actively infectious.

Sixty-two percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has logged 371 cases since late January — just over 1% of the county's residents.

The April 3 death in Texas was an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">8-year-old child,</a>&nbsp;according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health officials in Texas said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas</a>&nbsp;in late February — Kennedy said age 6.

New Mexico announced five new cases this week, bringing the state’s total to 63. Three more people were in the hospital this week, for a total of six since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Two are in Eddy County and Chaves and Doña Ana counties have one each.

State health officials say the cases are linked to Texas’ outbreak based on genetic testing. New Mexico reported its first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">measles-related death in an adult</a>&nbsp;on March 6.

Cases in Oklahoma remained steady at 12 total cases Friday: nine confirmed and three probable. The first two probable cases were “associated” with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks, the state health department said.

A state health department spokesperson said measles exposures were confirmed in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Rogers and Custer counties, but wouldn't say which counties had cases.

The Ohio Department of Health confirmed 30 measles cases in the state Thursday. The state county includes only Ohio residents.

There are 14 cases in Ashtabula County near Cleveland, 14 in Knox County and one each in Allen and Holmes counties, the state said. The outbreak in Ashtabula County started with an unvaccinated adult who had interacted with someone who had traveled internationally.

Health officials in Knox County, in east-central Ohio, say there are a total of 20 people with measles, but seven of them do not live in Ohio. In 2022, a measles outbreak in central Ohio sickened 85.

Indiana confirmed two more cases Monday in an outbreak that has sickened eight in Allen County in the northeast part of the state — five are unvaccinated minors and three are adults whose vaccination status is unknown. The cases have no known link to other outbreaks, the Allen County Department of Health said Monday.

How many cases are there in Pennsylvania?

In far northwest Pennsylvania, Erie County health officials declared a measles outbreak Monday after finding two new cases linked to a measles case confirmed March 30.

The state has had nine cases overall this year, six of which are not linked to the outbreak, including international travel-related cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/documents/2025%20HAN/2025-787-3-13-ADV-%20Measles.pdf">Montgomery County and one in Philadelphia</a>.

Montcalm County, near Grand Rapids in western Michigan, has three linked measles cases. State health officials say the cases are tied to a large measles outbreak in Ontario, Canada.

The state has seven confirmed measles cases as of Thursday, but the remaining four are not part of the Montcalm County outbreak. Michigan's last measles outbreak was in 2019.

Montana state health officials announced five cases Thursday in unvaccinated children and adults who had traveled out of state, and confirmed it was an outbreak on Monday. All five are isolating at home in Gallatin County in the southwest part of the state.

State health officials are working to trace exposures in Bozeman and Belgrade.

They are Montana's first measles cases in 35 years. Health officials didn't say whether the cases are linked to other outbreaks in North America.

Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?

There have been 800 cases in 2025 as of Friday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 10 clusters — defined as three or more related cases.

Measles cases have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington.

Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-asia-measles-rates-unicef-who-report-2f888732cc297090238956986fd89cc4">someone who caught the disease abroad</a>. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.

What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?

The best way to avoid measles is to get the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vaccines/mmr.html">measles, mumps and rubella</a>&nbsp;(MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.

People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because most children back then had measles and now have “presumptive immunity.”

In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”

But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. The U.S. saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-cdc-outbreak-chicago-mmr-vaccine-7ecdfef41e6dbd659c7ac8b80d5de38f">a rise in measles cases in 2024</a>, including an outbreak in Chicago that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-chicago-migrant-shelter-cdc-e58517c830f73e42266d45d45983c12b">sickened more than 60.</a>

Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.

The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.

Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html">dangerous complications</a>&nbsp;such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.

There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.

<p><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DEVI%20SHASTRI%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DEVI SHASTRI <br>AP Health Writer</a></p><p>Montana is the ninth U.S. state to have an active measles outbreak.</p><p>The U.S. was up to 800&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">cases of measles</a>&nbsp;nationwide on Friday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">Texas</a>&nbsp;is driving the high numbers, with an outbreak centered in West Texas that started nearly three months ago and is up to 597 cases.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children</a>&nbsp;died from measles-related illnesses near&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">the epicenter in Texas,</a>&nbsp;and an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">adult in New Mexico</a>&nbsp;who was not vaccinated died of a measles-related illness.</p><p>Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a">states with active outbreaks</a>&nbsp;— defined as three or more cases — include Indiana,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas</a>, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Mexico. The U.S. has more than double the number of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-mmr-vaccine-texas-rfk-ff8e744b19ead87698d7217de02814ee">measles cases</a>&nbsp;it saw in all of 2024.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">Measles</a>&nbsp;is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.</p><p>Health experts fear the virus will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">take hold in other U.S. communities</a>&nbsp;with low vaccination rates and that the spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-outbreak-mmr-vaccine-6cfda9a944084c390bc70f0e7a37a426">could stretch on for a year</a>.</p><p>In North America, an outbreak in Ontario, Canada has sickened 925 from mid-October through April 16. That's on top of cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON561">Mexico</a>&nbsp;that the World Health Organization has said are linked to the Texas outbreak. A large outbreak in Chihuahua state has 433 cases as of April 18, according to data from the state health ministry.</p><p>Here's what else you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">need to know about measles in the U.S.</a></p><h2>How many cases are there in Kansas?</h2><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744819510121.png" alt="Counties with active cases in Kansas -KDHE image" />
                        <figcaption>Counties with active cases in Kansas -KDHE image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas</a>&nbsp;has 37 cases in eight counties in the southwest part of the state, health officials announced Wednesday.</p><p>Finney, Ford, Grant, Gray and Morton counties have fewer than five cases each. Haskell County has the most with eight cases, Stevens County has seven, Kiowa County has six.</p><p>The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.</p><h2>How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?</h2><p>Texas state health officials said Friday there were 36 new cases of measles since Tuesday, bringing the total to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">597 across 25 counties</a>&nbsp;— most of them in West Texas. Four more Texans were hospitalized, for a total of 62 throughout the outbreak, and Parmer and Potter counties logger their first cases.</p><p>State health officials estimated about 4% of cases — fewer than 30 — are actively infectious.</p><p>Sixty-two percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has logged 371 cases since late January — just over 1% of the county's residents.</p><p>The April 3 death in Texas was an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">8-year-old child,</a>&nbsp;according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health officials in Texas said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas</a>&nbsp;in late February — Kennedy said age 6.</p><p>New Mexico announced five new cases this week, bringing the state’s total to 63. Three more people were in the hospital this week, for a total of six since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Two are in Eddy County and Chaves and Doña Ana counties have one each.</p><p>State health officials say the cases are linked to Texas’ outbreak based on genetic testing. New Mexico reported its first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">measles-related death in an adult</a>&nbsp;on March 6.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Oklahoma?</h2><p>Cases in Oklahoma remained steady at 12 total cases Friday: nine confirmed and three probable. The first two probable cases were “associated” with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks, the state health department said.</p><p>A state health department spokesperson said measles exposures were confirmed in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Rogers and Custer counties, but wouldn't say which counties had cases.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Ohio?</h2><p>The Ohio Department of Health confirmed 30 measles cases in the state Thursday. The state county includes only Ohio residents.</p><p>There are 14 cases in Ashtabula County near Cleveland, 14 in Knox County and one each in Allen and Holmes counties, the state said. The outbreak in Ashtabula County started with an unvaccinated adult who had interacted with someone who had traveled internationally.</p><p>Health officials in Knox County, in east-central Ohio, say there are a total of 20 people with measles, but seven of them do not live in Ohio. In 2022, a measles outbreak in central Ohio sickened 85.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Indiana?</h2><p>Indiana confirmed two more cases Monday in an outbreak that has sickened eight in Allen County in the northeast part of the state — five are unvaccinated minors and three are adults whose vaccination status is unknown. The cases have no known link to other outbreaks, the Allen County Department of Health said Monday.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Pennsylvania?</h2><p>In far northwest Pennsylvania, Erie County health officials declared a measles outbreak Monday after finding two new cases linked to a measles case confirmed March 30.</p><p>The state has had nine cases overall this year, six of which are not linked to the outbreak, including international travel-related cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/documents/2025%20HAN/2025-787-3-13-ADV-%20Measles.pdf">Montgomery County and one in Philadelphia</a>.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Michigan?</h2><p>Montcalm County, near Grand Rapids in western Michigan, has three linked measles cases. State health officials say the cases are tied to a large measles outbreak in Ontario, Canada.</p><p>The state has seven confirmed measles cases as of Thursday, but the remaining four are not part of the Montcalm County outbreak. Michigan's last measles outbreak was in 2019.</p><h2>How many cases are there in Montana?</h2><p>Montana state health officials announced five cases Thursday in unvaccinated children and adults who had traveled out of state, and confirmed it was an outbreak on Monday. All five are isolating at home in Gallatin County in the southwest part of the state.</p><p>State health officials are working to trace exposures in Bozeman and Belgrade.</p><p>They are Montana's first measles cases in 35 years. Health officials didn't say whether the cases are linked to other outbreaks in North America.</p><h2>Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?</h2><p>There have been 800 cases in 2025 as of Friday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 10 clusters — defined as three or more related cases.</p><p>Measles cases have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Washington.</p><p>Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-asia-measles-rates-unicef-who-report-2f888732cc297090238956986fd89cc4">someone who caught the disease abroad</a>. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.</p><h2>What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?</h2><p>The best way to avoid measles is to get the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vaccines/mmr.html">measles, mumps and rubella</a>&nbsp;(MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.</p><p>Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.</p><p>People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because most children back then had measles and now have “presumptive immunity.”</p><p>In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”</p><p>But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. The U.S. saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-cdc-outbreak-chicago-mmr-vaccine-7ecdfef41e6dbd659c7ac8b80d5de38f">a rise in measles cases in 2024</a>, including an outbreak in Chicago that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-chicago-migrant-shelter-cdc-e58517c830f73e42266d45d45983c12b">sickened more than 60.</a></p><h2>What are the symptoms of measles?</h2><p>Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.</p><p>The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.</p><p>Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html">dangerous complications</a>&nbsp;such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.</p><h2>How can you treat measles?</h2><p>There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.</p><p>___</p>

9th state reports active measles outbreak

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a>

Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long received $137,000 in campaign contributions — just enough to pay off a personal loan to his campaign — soon after he was tapped to lead the Internal Revenue Service.

Some of the donations are connected to companies that will be policed by the agency Long has been nominated to run.

According to recently filed financial disclosures, which were first reported on by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.levernews.com/trump-irs-pick-was-just-enriched-by-tax-schemers/" target="_blank">investigative journalism site The Lever</a>, Long only raised roughly $36,000 in the last two years.&nbsp;

He was named as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/donald-trump-picks-missouris-billy-long-to-lead-the-irs/">President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the IRS</a>&nbsp;in December, and in January received $137,000 in donations. He then paid back the remaining&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00460063/?tab=summary" target="_blank">$130,000 in debt from a $250,000 loan</a>&nbsp;he made to his unsuccessful 2022 U.S. Senate campaign.

The donations, and their timing, have renewed criticism of Long’s appointment, which still awaits Senate confirmation. Senate Democrats have already called for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/wyden-cortez-masto-call-for-criminal-investigation-into-evidence-of-fraud-by-promoters-affiliated-with-irs-nominee-billy-long" target="_blank">criminal investigation of firms with ties to Long</a>&nbsp;that they allege are involved in fraudulent tax credit schemes.&nbsp;

Among the donors to Long’s campaign are financial advisers from some of those firms.

“When they told Billy he’d be in charge of revenue collection, did they forget to tell him that meant for the American people, not his own bank account?” said Sean Nicholson, a longtime progressive activist and campaign consultant in Missouri.&nbsp;

Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for the liberal watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the timing of the donations and the “explicit knowledge that they’d end up directly in Long’s bank account, it’s hard to see them as anything other than an attempt to curry favor with the future head of the IRS.”

Long did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;

After a career as an auctioneer and conservative radio host, Long served six terms representing a Southwest Missouri congressional district. He gave up his seat to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/07/21/billy-longs-chances-in-missouri-gop-senate-primary-depend-on-donald-trump/">run for U.S. Senate in 2022</a>, losing in the GOP primary to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt.&nbsp;

Long then worked for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/business/billy-long-irs-tax-credit.html" target="_blank">Lifetime Advisors</a>&nbsp;and earned at least $5,000 in income from&nbsp;<a href="https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/trump-irs-pick-has-ties-to-group-that-pushed-dubious-tax-credits" target="_blank">White River Energy</a>. Both companies have drawn&nbsp;<a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-presses-irs-nominee-billy-long-on-questionable-record-of-pushing-fraud-ridden-tax-credit" target="_blank">scorn from Senate Democrats</a>, and intense media scrutiny, over their involvement in controversial tax credit programs.&nbsp;

In 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/16/ted-cruz-supreme-court-campaign-finance/" target="_blank">U.S. Supreme Court struck down a limit&nbsp;</a>on the amount of post-election funds a candidate can use to pay back personal loans. The majority found the limit an unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of speech, while the dissenting justices argued removing it would pave the way for political corruption.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Even if our broken campaign finance system allows this behavior,” Libowitz said, “it raises serious questions about future conflicts of interest and needs to be addressed in any hearings (Billy Long) has before Congress.”&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1734986359615.png" alt="- Billy Long speaks during a press conference before filing for to be on the ballot in the Missouri GOP Senate primary on Feb. 22, 2022, in Jefferson City (Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent)." />
                        <figcaption>- Billy Long speaks during a press conference before filing for to be on the ballot in the Missouri GOP Senate primary on Feb. 22, 2022, in Jefferson City (Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a></p><p>Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long received $137,000 in campaign contributions — just enough to pay off a personal loan to his campaign — soon after he was tapped to lead the Internal Revenue Service.</p><p>Some of the donations are connected to companies that will be policed by the agency Long has been nominated to run.</p><p>According to recently filed financial disclosures, which were first reported on by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.levernews.com/trump-irs-pick-was-just-enriched-by-tax-schemers/" target="_blank">investigative journalism site The Lever</a>, Long only raised roughly $36,000 in the last two years.&nbsp;</p><p>He was named as&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/donald-trump-picks-missouris-billy-long-to-lead-the-irs/">President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the IRS</a>&nbsp;in December, and in January received $137,000 in donations. He then paid back the remaining&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00460063/?tab=summary" target="_blank">$130,000 in debt from a $250,000 loan</a>&nbsp;he made to his unsuccessful 2022 U.S. Senate campaign.</p><p>The donations, and their timing, have renewed criticism of Long’s appointment, which still awaits Senate confirmation. Senate Democrats have already called for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/wyden-cortez-masto-call-for-criminal-investigation-into-evidence-of-fraud-by-promoters-affiliated-with-irs-nominee-billy-long" target="_blank">criminal investigation of firms with ties to Long</a>&nbsp;that they allege are involved in fraudulent tax credit schemes.&nbsp;</p><p>Among the donors to Long’s campaign are financial advisers from some of those firms.</p><p>“When they told Billy he’d be in charge of revenue collection, did they forget to tell him that meant for the American people, not his own bank account?” said Sean Nicholson, a longtime progressive activist and campaign consultant in Missouri.&nbsp;</p><p>Jordan Libowitz, vice president of communications for the liberal watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said the timing of the donations and the “explicit knowledge that they’d end up directly in Long’s bank account, it’s hard to see them as anything other than an attempt to curry favor with the future head of the IRS.”</p><p>Long did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;</p><p>After a career as an auctioneer and conservative radio host, Long served six terms representing a Southwest Missouri congressional district. He gave up his seat to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/07/21/billy-longs-chances-in-missouri-gop-senate-primary-depend-on-donald-trump/">run for U.S. Senate in 2022</a>, losing in the GOP primary to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt.&nbsp;</p><p>Long then worked for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/business/billy-long-irs-tax-credit.html" target="_blank">Lifetime Advisors</a>&nbsp;and earned at least $5,000 in income from&nbsp;<a href="https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/trump-irs-pick-has-ties-to-group-that-pushed-dubious-tax-credits" target="_blank">White River Energy</a>. Both companies have drawn&nbsp;<a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-presses-irs-nominee-billy-long-on-questionable-record-of-pushing-fraud-ridden-tax-credit" target="_blank">scorn from Senate Democrats</a>, and intense media scrutiny, over their involvement in controversial tax credit programs.&nbsp;</p><p>In 2022, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/16/ted-cruz-supreme-court-campaign-finance/" target="_blank">U.S. Supreme Court struck down a limit&nbsp;</a>on the amount of post-election funds a candidate can use to pay back personal loans. The majority found the limit an unconstitutional restriction on the freedom of speech, while the dissenting justices argued removing it would pave the way for political corruption.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Even if our broken campaign finance system allows this behavior,” Libowitz said, “it raises serious questions about future conflicts of interest and needs to be addressed in any hearings (Billy Long) has before Congress.”&nbsp;</p><p>Last updated 5:57 a.m., Apr. 19, 2025</p>

Billy Long’s bid to lead IRS under scrutiny over donations that paid off personal debt

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-what-to-know-7c2aa927cf142926f05654984aaa0d90">Pope Francis died Monday</a>&nbsp;at age 88. The Vatican said the cause of death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.

History’s first Latin American pontiff&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-francis-dead-01ca7d73c3c48d25fd1504ba076e2e2a">charmed the world</a>&nbsp;with his humble style and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f684920e3ec74a2fbe58371e09ae9112">concern for the poor</a>&nbsp;but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

Francis recently returned to the Vatican after 38 days in a hospital for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square. No&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/papal-succession-plan-what-happens-798029dfb83f4c03b61de5d9cf6945ff">funeral</a>&nbsp;date has been announced.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/next-pope-contenders-list-101d68d61be2401a85310e34b45371a9">The next pope</a>&nbsp;is yet to be decided.

“I hope that whoever comes after him can be as competent, as affectionate and as loving,” said Mary Soul, a Christian resident of Aleppo, Syria.

The Vatican said the cause of Francis’ death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.

It also said the pope had decreed that he will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb. The basilica is home to Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.

Public likely can start paying final respects on Wednesday

The Vatican says the general public likely can begin paying final respects to Pope Francis starting Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica. The date will be confirmed when cardinals gather for the first time after Francis’ death Tuesday morning.

Francis’ coffin will be moved from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. In a change ordered by Francis, the pope’s body will no longer placed on an elevated bier in the basilica. Rather, the wooden coffin will be placed facing the pews.

No date for the funeral has been announced. It must be held between four and six days after the death.

Vatican holds its first public commemoration

The Vatican has begun a Rosary prayer in St. Peter’s Square in its first public commemoration following Pope Francis’ death. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, led the prayer as the sun set.

The first reading was delivered by Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Vatican City State and one of the highest ranking women at the Vatican. Her appointment was a sign of Francis' insistence that women be given more prominent, decision-making roles.

South Sudan recalls ‘a profound act of humility’

The South Sudan Council of Churches says it remembers with gratitude Francis’ visit to the country and his “dedicated efforts to promote healing and unity among our leaders.” The pope once famously knelt and kissed the feet of rivals President Salva Kiir and deputy Riek Machar, which the council called “a profound act of humility.” Tensions continue, however, recently raising fears of a return to civil war.

Putin says the timing of the death was ‘a special sign’

Russian President Vladimir Putin in televised remarks noted that the pope died immediately after Easter, suggesting that “this is a special sign that the person has lived their life not in vain and has done a lot of good.” Putin said Russians will always remember his “highly positive attitude to Russia.”

The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Ignacio Garcia Cuerva, has told journaists that “we are a bit orphaned.” He also said the Argentine Francis was famous for asking people to pray for him. “Then he would say, ‘And if you don’t have faith? Still, send good vibes my way.’”

The archbishop said it couldn’t have been easy for Francis to learn to be a “father to the world.”

Pope’s historic address to Congress, a first

Francis became the first pope to address the U.S. Congress. It was a pivotal moment in bitterly divided Washington in 2015. He called on lawmakers to create a “culture of care” in welcoming immigrants, protecting the environment and sharing the nation’s wealth with those less fortunate.

The pope later spoke from a Capitol balcony, greeting thousands with “buenos dias.”

“I spoke this morning to my newsagent who told me his mother, who is a Hindu, loved Pope Francis,” said Patrick Somerville, as mourners knelt before a portrait of Francis at London’s Westminster Cathedral to offer prayers. “And I think that says it all.”

U.N. chief found ‘great meaning’ in pope's Easter message

The United Nations secretary-general has spoken to journalists about the pope. Antonio Guterres said that “many of us find great meaning in his final Easter message delivered just yesterday. He appealed for us not to yield to, as he called it, the ‘logic of fear.’”

In Francis’ hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentines gathered for Mass. Some cried. “I think he was a rebel. He may have been contradictory, but that was nice, too,” said worshiper Catalina Favaro.

Bishop Jorge García Cuerva told those gathered that “the pope of everyone has died. The pope of all humanity who insisted one and a thousand times that there must be room for everyone.”

The pope’s beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, who nickname is “The Saints” — wrote “Goodbye, Holy Father” on its website. The team won the national championship in 2013, the year Francis was elected pope.

Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called Francis an “immense personality” and said he “wrote his name in golden letters in modern history.” Though Christians have been increasingly targeted for proselytizing in Muslim-majority Algeria, the Catholic Church enjoys official recognition.

Former U.S. President Joe Biden says Francis was “unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him.” Biden, who is Catholic, called the pope a “challenging teacher” and “above all, he was a pope for everyone.”

Biden had planned to visit Francis one more time before leaving office, but the trip was canceled because of wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

“Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people,” former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, said. “He shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.”

In Ukraine, there was a mix of sorrow and hope. “From a human point of view, it’s sad, of course,” said Valentina Sofilkanych in Lviv. “But as a Ukrainian, I hope the next Pope will be more pro-Ukrainian, we will feel more support from the church.” Francis tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality during the war there.

“He was a pope who was humble. When he visited Kenya, he rode in a very simple car,” said Ted Mutuku, a Catholic in the capital, Nairobi.

The leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said Francis was always deeply interested in the region, and Gaza was “a symbol of Francis’ pontificate,” with the pope “always close to the poor, against the war.”

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will hold a requiem mass on Wednesday with leaders of other major Christian sects.

In the occupied West Bank, Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman said Francis worked to “restore the value and meaning of humanity.”

The pope was “in many respects the world’s conscience, never hesitating to challenge the powerful on behalf of the vulnerable,” said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is Catholic. He noted the pope’s visit in 2022, when he apologized for the church’s cooperation with Canada’s policy of Indigenous residential schools, saying the forced assimilation destroyed their cultures.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the pope “tirelessly sought to bring love where there was hatred. Unity where there was discord. And the understanding that we are all equal, living in the same house, our planet, which urgently needs our care.” Francis visited in 2013.

Gianni Infantino, president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, noted the pope’s love for soccer and said that “all the prayers of the whole football world are with him.”

Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Pope Francis’ final public act – an Easter morning blessing and popemobile tour through a crowd of thousands in St. Peter’s Square – in retrospect seems like his final goodbye to the church.

Critics of the Catholic Church’s handing of clergy sex abuse say the pope did far from enough.

“Where Francis had supreme power, he refused to make the necessary changes,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the U.S.-based group BishopAccountability.

David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, noted the pope’s “prompt and impressive action” on other matters but said the pope’s “genial personality and warm demeanor distracted many from the unhealthy and still essentially unaddressed structural and cultural flaws in the church that cause kids to keep being hurt.”

As Catholic Church grows in Africa, many mourn

Many across Africa have said they felt connected with the pope, who often spoke about issues at the heart of the region, from climate change to marginalization.

The pope was “very unambiguous in telling world powers to stop exploiting Africans,” said the Rev. Michael Nsikak Umoh, spokesperson for the Nigerian bishops’ association.

In Congo, where pope visited in 2023 to demand that foreign powers stop plundering Africa’s natural resources, Abbé Camille Esika in the capital, Kinshasa, said Francis “wanted to be the voice of the voiceless.”

The pope visited Africa five times, acknowledging the strong growth of the Catholic Church there. The South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has encouraged all Catholics to pray for those choosing his successor.

U.N. chief praises the pope's example of ‘mutual understanding’

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement recalls that Pope Francis once said: “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies … (it) is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’”

Guterres adds that “Our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740262535769.png" alt="FIle photo Candles and a photo of Pope Francis are seen in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, where the pontiff was hospitalized this winter (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)" />
                        <figcaption>FIle photo Candles and a photo of Pope Francis are seen in front of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, in Rome, where the pontiff was hospitalized this winter (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-what-to-know-7c2aa927cf142926f05654984aaa0d90">Pope Francis died Monday</a>&nbsp;at age 88. The Vatican said the cause of death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.</p><p>History’s first Latin American pontiff&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-francis-dead-01ca7d73c3c48d25fd1504ba076e2e2a">charmed the world</a>&nbsp;with his humble style and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f684920e3ec74a2fbe58371e09ae9112">concern for the poor</a>&nbsp;but alienated many conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.</p><p>Francis recently returned to the Vatican after 38 days in a hospital for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy. He last appeared in public on Sunday with an Easter blessing and popemobile tour through a cheering crowd in St. Peter’s Square. No&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/papal-succession-plan-what-happens-798029dfb83f4c03b61de5d9cf6945ff">funeral</a>&nbsp;date has been announced.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/next-pope-contenders-list-101d68d61be2401a85310e34b45371a9">The next pope</a>&nbsp;is yet to be decided.</p><p>“I hope that whoever comes after him can be as competent, as affectionate and as loving,” said Mary Soul, a Christian resident of Aleppo, Syria.</p><p>Here's the latest:</p><p>The Vatican said the cause of Francis’ death was a stroke that put him into a coma and led to heart failure.</p><p>It also said the pope had decreed that he will be buried in St. Mary Major Basilica in a simple underground tomb. The basilica is home to Francis’ favorite icon of the Virgin Mary, to whom he was particularly devoted.</p><h2>Public likely can start paying final respects on Wednesday</h2><p>The Vatican says the general public likely can begin paying final respects to Pope Francis starting Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica. The date will be confirmed when cardinals gather for the first time after Francis’ death Tuesday morning.</p><p>Francis’ coffin will be moved from the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where he lived to St. Peter’s Basilica for public viewing. In a change ordered by Francis, the pope’s body will no longer placed on an elevated bier in the basilica. Rather, the wooden coffin will be placed facing the pews.</p><p>No date for the funeral has been announced. It must be held between four and six days after the death.</p><h2>Vatican holds its first public commemoration</h2><p>The Vatican has begun a Rosary prayer in St. Peter’s Square in its first public commemoration following Pope Francis’ death. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, led the prayer as the sun set.</p><p>The first reading was delivered by Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Vatican City State and one of the highest ranking women at the Vatican. Her appointment was a sign of Francis' insistence that women be given more prominent, decision-making roles.</p><h2>South Sudan recalls ‘a profound act of humility’</h2><p>The South Sudan Council of Churches says it remembers with gratitude Francis’ visit to the country and his “dedicated efforts to promote healing and unity among our leaders.” The pope once famously knelt and kissed the feet of rivals President Salva Kiir and deputy Riek Machar, which the council called “a profound act of humility.” Tensions continue, however, recently raising fears of a return to civil war.</p><h2>Putin says the timing of the death was ‘a special sign’</h2><p>Russian President Vladimir Putin in televised remarks noted that the pope died immediately after Easter, suggesting that “this is a special sign that the person has lived their life not in vain and has done a lot of good.” Putin said Russians will always remember his “highly positive attitude to Russia.”</p><h2>‘We are a bit orphaned’</h2><p>The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Ignacio Garcia Cuerva, has told journaists that “we are a bit orphaned.” He also said the Argentine Francis was famous for asking people to pray for him. “Then he would say, ‘And if you don’t have faith? Still, send good vibes my way.’”</p><p>The archbishop said it couldn’t have been easy for Francis to learn to be a “father to the world.”</p><h2>Pope’s historic address to Congress, a first</h2><p>Francis became the first pope to address the U.S. Congress. It was a pivotal moment in bitterly divided Washington in 2015. He called on lawmakers to create a “culture of care” in welcoming immigrants, protecting the environment and sharing the nation’s wealth with those less fortunate.</p><p>The pope later spoke from a Capitol balcony, greeting thousands with “buenos dias.”</p><h2>Love from beyond the Catholic faith</h2><p>“I spoke this morning to my newsagent who told me his mother, who is a Hindu, loved Pope Francis,” said Patrick Somerville, as mourners knelt before a portrait of Francis at London’s Westminster Cathedral to offer prayers. “And I think that says it all.”</p><h2>U.N. chief found ‘great meaning’ in pope's Easter message</h2><p>The United Nations secretary-general has spoken to journalists about the pope. Antonio Guterres said that “many of us find great meaning in his final Easter message delivered just yesterday. He appealed for us not to yield to, as he called it, the ‘logic of fear.’”</p><h2>‘I think he was a rebel’</h2><p>In Francis’ hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentines gathered for Mass. Some cried. “I think he was a rebel. He may have been contradictory, but that was nice, too,” said worshiper Catalina Favaro.</p><p>Bishop Jorge García Cuerva told those gathered that “the pope of everyone has died. The pope of all humanity who insisted one and a thousand times that there must be room for everyone.”</p><p>The pope’s beloved soccer team — Buenos Aires club San Lorenzo, who nickname is “The Saints” — wrote “Goodbye, Holy Father” on its website. The team won the national championship in 2013, the year Francis was elected pope.</p><h2>‘His name in golden letters’</h2><p>Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called Francis an “immense personality” and said he “wrote his name in golden letters in modern history.” Though Christians have been increasingly targeted for proselytizing in Muslim-majority Algeria, the Catholic Church enjoys official recognition.</p><h2>Biden and the Obamas remember</h2><p>Former U.S. President Joe Biden says Francis was “unlike any who came before him. Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time, and I am better for having known him.” Biden, who is Catholic, called the pope a “challenging teacher” and “above all, he was a pope for everyone.”</p><p>Biden had planned to visit Francis one more time before leaving office, but the trip was canceled because of wildfires in the Los Angeles area.</p><p>“Pope Francis was the rare leader who made us want to be better people,” former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, said. “He shook us out of our complacency and reminded us that we are all bound by moral obligations to God and one another.”</p><h2>Mixed emotions in Ukraine</h2><p>In Ukraine, there was a mix of sorrow and hope. “From a human point of view, it’s sad, of course,” said Valentina Sofilkanych in Lviv. “But as a Ukrainian, I hope the next Pope will be more pro-Ukrainian, we will feel more support from the church.” Francis tried to maintain the Vatican’s traditional diplomatic neutrality during the war there.</p><h2>Some saw meaning in the small details</h2><p>“He was a pope who was humble. When he visited Kenya, he rode in a very simple car,” said Ted Mutuku, a Catholic in the capital, Nairobi.</p><h2>Voices from the Middle East</h2><p>The leader of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, said Francis was always deeply interested in the region, and Gaza was “a symbol of Francis’ pontificate,” with the pope “always close to the poor, against the war.”</p><p>The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem will hold a requiem mass on Wednesday with leaders of other major Christian sects.</p><p>In the occupied West Bank, Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman said Francis worked to “restore the value and meaning of humanity.”</p><h2>‘The world’s conscience'</h2><p>The pope was “in many respects the world’s conscience, never hesitating to challenge the powerful on behalf of the vulnerable,” said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is Catholic. He noted the pope’s visit in 2022, when he apologized for the church’s cooperation with Canada’s policy of Indigenous residential schools, saying the forced assimilation destroyed their cultures.</p><h2>‘Love where there was hatred’</h2><p>Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the pope “tirelessly sought to bring love where there was hatred. Unity where there was discord. And the understanding that we are all equal, living in the same house, our planet, which urgently needs our care.” Francis visited in 2013.</p><h2>The soccer-loving pope</h2><p>Gianni Infantino, president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, noted the pope’s love for soccer and said that “all the prayers of the whole football world are with him.”</p><h2>A final appearance, a final goodbye</h2><p>Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Pope Francis’ final public act – an Easter morning blessing and popemobile tour through a crowd of thousands in St. Peter’s Square – in retrospect seems like his final goodbye to the church.</p><h2>Criticism over sexual abuse issue</h2><p>Critics of the Catholic Church’s handing of clergy sex abuse say the pope did far from enough.</p><p>“Where Francis had supreme power, he refused to make the necessary changes,” said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of the U.S.-based group BishopAccountability.</p><p>David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, noted the pope’s “prompt and impressive action” on other matters but said the pope’s “genial personality and warm demeanor distracted many from the unhealthy and still essentially unaddressed structural and cultural flaws in the church that cause kids to keep being hurt.”</p><h2>As Catholic Church grows in Africa, many mourn</h2><p>Many across Africa have said they felt connected with the pope, who often spoke about issues at the heart of the region, from climate change to marginalization.</p><p>The pope was “very unambiguous in telling world powers to stop exploiting Africans,” said the Rev. Michael Nsikak Umoh, spokesperson for the Nigerian bishops’ association.</p><p>In Congo, where pope visited in 2023 to demand that foreign powers stop plundering Africa’s natural resources, Abbé Camille Esika in the capital, Kinshasa, said Francis “wanted to be the voice of the voiceless.”</p><p>The pope visited Africa five times, acknowledging the strong growth of the Catholic Church there. The South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference has encouraged all Catholics to pray for those choosing his successor.</p><h2>U.N. chief praises the pope's example of ‘mutual understanding’</h2><p>United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement recalls that Pope Francis once said: “The future of humankind isn’t exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies … (it) is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a ‘you’ and themselves as part of an ‘us.’”</p><p>Guterres adds that “Our divided and discordant world will be a much better place if we follow his example of unity and mutual understanding in our own actions.”</p>

Vatican explains Pope Francis' cause of death

WASHINGTON ( AP) — The American Egg Board acknowledges shortages as it donated 30,000 eggs for annual White House Easter Egg roll.

Egg Board President and CEO Emily Metz says the eggs were hand-dyed by board staff and volunteers and delivered to the White House on Friday.

She said the board understands the frustration felt by egg farmers and consumers over the egg shortage caused by the spread of avian flu and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/egg-prices-bird-flu-cpi-b0ded420e9f7c0a707277c9c63396a76">how expensive it’s become to buy a dozen.</a>

She said these donated eggs were small and medium, sizes not typically sold by retailers, to avoid contributing to even higher prices. Nearly 9 million dozen eggs are sold daily in the United States, she noted.

“You cannot have the White House Easter Egg Roll without&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/egg-prices-easter-alternatives-potatoes-marshmallows-9fe44561adddf213c44d0e6fa3ae2f8c">real eggs</a>,” Metz said in an interview.

<p>WASHINGTON ( AP) — The American Egg Board acknowledges shortages as it donated 30,000 eggs for annual White House Easter Egg roll.</p><p>Egg Board President and CEO Emily Metz says the eggs were hand-dyed by board staff and volunteers and delivered to the White House on Friday.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> signal the start of the 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll <a href="https://t.co/nBFWeY36zY">pic.twitter.com/nBFWeY36zY</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1914338794876068223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 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">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> coloring with the kids at the White House Easter Egg Roll! <br><br>“I’m really into this!” <a href="https://t.co/VKOK0h2Jcm">pic.twitter.com/VKOK0h2Jcm</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1914344862683476252?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>She said the board understands the frustration felt by egg farmers and consumers over the egg shortage caused by the spread of avian flu and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/egg-prices-bird-flu-cpi-b0ded420e9f7c0a707277c9c63396a76">how expensive it’s become to buy a dozen.</a></p><p>She said these donated eggs were small and medium, sizes not typically sold by retailers, to avoid contributing to even higher prices. Nearly 9 million dozen eggs are sold daily in the United States, she noted.</p><p>“You cannot have the White House Easter Egg Roll without&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/egg-prices-easter-alternatives-potatoes-marshmallows-9fe44561adddf213c44d0e6fa3ae2f8c">real eggs</a>,” Metz said in an interview.</p>

🎥Thousands of eggs donated for White House egg roll

JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas teen accused in a violent attack on a woman is due in court in Johnson County Monday.

Just before 11p.m. April 17,&nbsp; police were dispatched to an armed disturbance in the 1000 block of North Ridgeview Road in Olathe, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.

First responders discovered a 23-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound. She was transported to a nearby hospital and was expected to survive.

Police later ilocated a 19-year-old man identified according to online booking records as Jesus Anaya of Olathe, and took him into custody. He is being held on a $250,000 bond requested charges of aggravated battery with great bodily harm. He first appearance before a judge is scheduled to face a judge at 1:30p.m. Monday, according to online jail records.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745194472423.png" alt="Anaya photo Johnson County" />
                        <figcaption>Anaya photo Johnson County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas teen accused in a violent attack on a woman is due in court in Johnson County Monday.</p><p>Just before 11p.m. April 17,&nbsp; police were dispatched to an armed disturbance in the 1000 block of North Ridgeview Road in Olathe, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.</p><p>First responders discovered a 23-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound. She was transported to a nearby hospital and was expected to survive.</p><p>Police later ilocated a 19-year-old man identified according to online booking records as Jesus Anaya of Olathe, and took him into custody. He is being held on a $250,000 bond requested charges of aggravated battery with great bodily harm. He first appearance before a judge is scheduled to face a judge at 1:30p.m. Monday, according to online jail records.</p>

Kansas teen to face a judge for allegedly shooting woman

ROME (AP) —Pope Francis died Monday, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f684920e3ec74a2fbe58371e09ae9112">concern for the poor</a>&nbsp;but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change.

Francis, who suffered from chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14, 2025, for a respiratory crisis that developed into double pneumonia. He spent 38 days there, the longest hospitalization of his 12-year papacy.

JD Vance says ‘my heart goes out to millions of Christians’

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who is in India and had met&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-vance-us-migration-c9fc577cabff138de7bd8026133994fc">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;on Easter Sunday, said his “heart goes out to the millions of Christians all over the world who loved him”

“I was happy to see him yesterday, though he was obviously very ill. But I’ll always remember him for the below homily he gave in the very early days of COVID. It was really quite beautiful,” Vance wrote on X. “May God rest his soul.”

Putin says Francis defended humanism and justice

In a letter of condolences, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the pope’s international clout as a “consistent defender of the high values of humanism and justice.”

Putin said that the pope “actively encouraged the development of a dialogue between the Russian Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches, as well as constructive interaction between Russia and the Holy See.”

King Charles praises Francis for working to protect the environment

King Charles III praised the late pope for his work on safeguarding the planet, saying he had profoundly touched the lives of many.

In a statement signed “Charles R,’’ the monarch says the pope will be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith.

“Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many,’’ Charles said. “The queen and I remember with particular affection our meetings with His Holiness over the years and we were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month.’’

he pope met privately with Charles and Queen Camilla on April 10 at the Vatican during the royal couple’s four-day state visit to Italy. It was the pope’s first known meeting with a foreign dignitary after he was hospitalized for five weeks with double-pneumonia.

Charles had been scheduled to make a full-scale state visit to the Vatican in conjunction with his tour of Italy, but the visit was postponed due to Francis’ illness. The brief private audience earlier this month was scheduled at the last minute and lasted about 20 minutes.

Zelenskyy says Francis was praying for peace in Ukraine

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country grieves together with Catholics and all Christians who looked to Francis for spiritual support.

“He knew how to give hope, ease suffering through prayer, and foster unity. He prayed for peace in Ukraine and for Ukrainians. Eternal memory!” Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Head of US bishops says Francis will be remembered for outreach to those on the margins

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement that Francis will long be remembered for his outreach to those on the margins of the church and society.

“He renewed for us the mission to bring the Gospel out to the ends of the earth and offer divine mercy to all,” he said.

“Recently, he expressed anew prayerful hope in his letter of support to the bishops of this country in our attempts to respond to the face of Christ in the migrant, poor, and unborn. In fact, he has always used the strongest and clearest expressions in the defense of the dignity of the human person from conception to natural death.”

Head of World Jewish Congress says Francis was a true moral leader

The president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, described Francis as “a true moral leader, a man of deep faith and humanity, and a steadfast friend to the Jewish people.”

“From his early years in Argentina to his papacy, Pope Francis was deeply committed to fostering interfaith dialogue and ensuring that the memory of the Holocaust remained a guiding lesson for future generations,” he said.

“In November 2022, our Executive Committee had the honor of convening in Vatican City. There, we held a private audience with Pope Francis where we launched the historic ‘Kishreinu’ (Our Bond) initiative, marking a new chapter in Catholic-Jewish relations and reinforcing the common future of our two peoples.”

Turkish leader says Francis was dedicated to interfaith dialogue

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Francis was dedicated to building interfaith dialogue and addressing “human tragedies” such as the Palestinian issue and the war in Gaza.

“A respected statesman, Pope Francis was also a spiritual leader who valued dialogue between different faith groups and took the initiative in the face of human tragedies, especially the Palestinian issue and the genocide in Gaza,” Erdogan wrote on X.

Israel has adamantly denied allegations of genocide in Gaza, calling them baseless and antisemitic. Pope Francis had said such allegations should be investigated while also calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

Iran’s president commends Francis’ position on the war in Gaza

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian offered condolences for Francis and praised his humanitarian stance including support for “innocent Palestinian women and children” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Irish leader says Francis recognized every human’s essential dignity

Irish President Michael Higgins says Francis’ recognition of the “essential dignity” of every human being helped him confront issues such as climate change and the plight of migrants, as well as the child sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the church.

Higgins, who has been Ireland’s president since 2011, said he discussed these issues with Francis during five meetings over the course of his papacy.

During his last visit to Ireland in 2018, Francis spoke about the child sexual abuse scandal that has undermined support for the church in the once overwhelmingly Catholic country.

“On such matters, and on others such as attitudes towards women and those of the LGBTQ+ community within the Church, Pope Francis sought to play a positive role,” Higgins said. “I recall at the end of our meetings he would say as to his work on such issues, ‘it is very difficult’, as he asked for and offered prayers.”

Albania’s leader calls Francis the country’s great friend

Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama called Francis the country’s “great and unforgettable friend.”

For his first European journey in 2014, Francis chose Albania, a land of 3 million population that has become a symbol of interfaith dialogue.

Albania is a predominantly Muslim nation, with smaller Catholic and Orthodox communities who generally live in harmony. All of them suffered gravely under Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha, who declared Albania the world’s first atheist state in 1967. Religious authorities of all faiths were killed, tortured, imprisoned or sent to labor camps.

Churches in the Philippines ring bells to mourn Francis

Churches in the Philippines, the largest Roman Catholic nation in Asia, rang their bells Monday to mourn Francis. He visited in 2015 to console survivors of Typhoon Haiyan and celebrate Mass before millions in Manila.

“Pope Francis showed us what it means to suffer with others and find hope in the midst of pain,” Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula said, citing the pope’s visit to a central region where Haiyan left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in November 2013.

“The Holy Father has reminded us that the church must be close to the poor, merciful to all and a welcoming home for the forgotten,” said Advincula.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Francis “taught us that to be a good Christian is to extend kindness and care to one another. His humility brought many back to the fold of the church.”

Flags across UK ordered to fly at half-staff

British authorities ordered that government buildings fly flags at half-staff until Tuesday evening in light of the pope’s death.

Mother of a slain Israeli-American hostage praises Francis

The mother of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hersh-goldberg-polin-israel-palestinians-gaza-hostages-0be443e7ce616cbce3f2cb984e7971ca">a slain American-Israeli hostage</a>&nbsp;praised Pope Francis’ advocacy for Hamas-held captives in the Gaza Strip.

Rachel Goldberg-Polin, who was among families of the hostages who met with the pope in November 2023, said he “felt our sorrow and suffering, and we so appreciated his advocacy on this topic, and on trying to find peace and reconciliation.”

Francis had repeatedly called for the release of the hostages abducted in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack and for an end to the war it sparked.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages were killed by their captors last year as Israeli troops closed in on the tunnel where they were being held.

First formal Vatican service for Francis set for Monday evening

The first formal liturgical ritual for Francis will occur at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) on Monday with the confirmation of the pope’s death and the placement of the body in the coffin.

The Vatican released the announcement from Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the master of liturgical ceremonies. The presiding prelate is Cardinal Joseph Farrell, the camerlengo who has taken over the administration of the Holy See and will remain in charge until a new pope is elected.

Those invited to attend the ceremony, which will take place in the chapel of the Domus Santa Marta hotel where Francis lived, are the dean of the College of Cardinals, any relatives of the pope, the director and vice director of the Vatican’s health department.

According to the new rites and rituals Francis approved last year, the body will remain in the chapel for a few days before being brought for public viewing in St. Peter’s Basilica. After that there will be the funeral and conclave to elect a new pope.

Canonization of the first millennial saint postponed after Francis’ death

The canonization of the first millennial saint,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/carlo-acutis-saint-millennial-catholic-church-assisi-ec1b2805f12f1795833c02c1c266d9f8">Carlo Acutis</a>, has been postponed due to the death Monday of Pope Francis, the Vatican announced.

Acutis, an Italian teen, used his computer savvy to create an online exhibit about more than 100 eucharistic miracles recognized by the church over many centuries, focused on the real presence of Christ that Catholics believe is in the consecrated bread and wine.

He died of acute leukemia at age 15 in 2006. The canonization was planned for Sunday.

Egypt’s Muslim cleric mourns ‘his brother’ Francis

Egypt’s top Muslim cleric mourned the death of “his brother” Pope Francis and offered condolences to Catholics around the world.

“Pope Francis was a humanitarian icon of the highest caliber, sparing no effort in serving the message of humanity,” Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam, said in a statement.

He recalled that the relationship between the Islamic world and the Vatican was developed under the pontiff’s watch.

Flags flew at half-staff in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Italy to mourn the death of Francis on Easter Monday, a public holiday.

The faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square, where bells tolled in mourning.

Sister Monica Gonzales, who was visiting from Mexico, called Francis’ death “a great loss for the church and for the whole world. A pope who worked so hard for peace, and for the good of all. Let’s all pray for him.”

Eva Bonnano, from Philadelphia, called it “a very sad day. It is honestly impressive, I think, that he made it to Easter, I think that is almost like a miracle for Italy.”

Johann Xavier said he had traveled from Australia, hoping to see the pope during his visit. “But then we heard about it when we came in here. It pretty much devastated all of us. It is really sad,’’ he said.