By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL and MICHAEL TACKETT&nbsp;

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/richard-nixon">hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate scandal</a>&nbsp;when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.

His death was confirmed to The Associated Press by his wife, Kim, and John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon during the Watergate scandal and went on to, along with Butterfield, help&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-nixon-trump-immunity-watergate-54d4c3737d6951b219d66708e1ef259d">expose the wrongdoing</a>.

“He had the heavy responsibility of revealing something he was sworn to secrecy on, which is the installation of the Nixon taping system,” Dean said. “He stood up and told the truth.”

As a deputy assistant to the president, Butterfield oversaw the taping system connected to voice-activated listening devices that had been secretly placed in four locations, including Nixon’s office in the Executive Office Building and the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Butterfield later said that, besides himself and the president, he believed that only White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, a Haldeman assistant and a handful of Secret Service agents knew about the taping system.

“Everything was taped … as long as the president was in attendance,” Butterfield told Watergate investigators when testifying under oath during a preliminary interview.

The tapes would expose Nixon’s role in the cover-up that followed the burglary in 1972 at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate building. To avoid impeachment by the House, Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, less than a month after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender the relevant tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.

Butterfield believed he’d had a hand in the president’s fate. “I didn’t like to be the cause of that, but I felt that I was, in a lot of ways,” he said in a 2008 oral history for the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

Butterfield, a college friend of Haldeman’s at UCLA who had contacted his friend to ask about opportunities in the new Nixon administration, served as a deputy assistant to Nixon from 1969 to 1973. In that capacity, he worked under Haldeman and, among other duties, was secretary to the Cabinet and helped oversee White House operations.

The Air Force veteran had left the White House to become administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration when Senate committee staffers privately questioned him on July 13, 1973, during their investigation of the Watergate break-in. A routine question about the possibility of a taping system had been prompted by former White House counsel John Dean’s testimony that he believed a conversation he had had with Nixon may have been recorded.

When Butterfield acknowledged that a taping system indeed existed, he was brought before a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The public revelation on July 16, 1973, of a taping system designed to record all the president’s conversations stunned Nixon friends and foes alike. The tapes promised Watergate investigators a rich vein of evidence in their quest to determine what Nixon and others knew about the break-in — a great deal, as it turned out.

Efforts by investigators to gain access to the tapes sparked a yearlong legal battle that was resolved in July 1974 when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Nixon had to give them up.

The thousands of hours of tapes made public over the years — they are now controlled by the National Archives — provide a unique, if often unflattering, view of Nixon. His words exposed a bad temper, vulgar language, bigoted racial and religious views, and unvarnished opinions about national and international figures.

“I just thought, ‘When they hear those tapes …’ I mean, I knew what was on these tapes … they’re dynamite,” Butterfield told the Nixon Library. “I guess I didn’t foresee that the president might be put out of office or impeached, but I thought it would be a perilous few years for him. I guess I couldn’t conceive of (Nixon) being forced out of office. It had never happened before.”

Butterfield later said he believed that Nixon’s successor, President Gerald Ford, fired him as FAA administrator in 1975 as part of an agreement worked out between the Nixon and Ford staff members. He said he had heard from White House friends that he had been targeted shortly after his testimony to the Senate committee.

After leaving the FAA, Butterfield worked as a business executive in California. He earned a master’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, in 1994.

Alexander Porter Butterfield was born on April 6, 1926, in Pensacola, Florida.

He left UCLA to join the Navy and later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1956 and a master’s degree from George Washington University in 1967.

In 1948, he joined the Air Force and served as an instructor at a base near Las Vegas during the Korean War and later served in Germany. In Washington, he was a military assistant to the special assistant of the defense secretary in 1965 and 1966 and later served as senior military representative of the U.S. and representative for the commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces, Australia. He retired at the rank of colonel after 20 years in the Air Force.

Butterfield was unsparing in his criticism of the former president in later years. While he commended Nixon’s achievements in foreign affairs, he considered his former boss “not an honest man” and “a crook” and believed that Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in before it occurred and was the architect of the ensuing cover-up.

Butterfield found himself “cheering … just cheering” the day Nixon resigned, he told the Nixon Library, because “justice had prevailed.”

“I didn’t think that it would for a while,” he said. “This guy was the ringleader.”

Daniel, the primary writer of this obituary, retired from The Associated Press in 2023.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773086175858.png" alt="Alexander Butterfield with President Richard Nixon on the cover of one of Bob Woodward's many books." />
 <figcaption>Alexander Butterfield with President Richard Nixon on the cover of one of Bob Woodward's many books.</figcaption>
 </figure>By DOUGLASS K. DANIEL and MICHAEL TACKETT&nbsp;WASHINGTON (AP) — Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who inadvertently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/richard-nixon">hastened Richard Nixon’s resignation</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/john-dean-richard-nixon-government-and-politics-crime-c7a7b99cca7c685cfc239f5e08b53378">the Watergate scandal</a>&nbsp;when he revealed that the president had bugged the Oval Office and Cabinet Room and routinely recorded his conversations, has died. He was 99.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">AP: Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes, dies at 99. <a href="https://t.co/O803DE90qB">https://t.co/O803DE90qB</a> <a href="https://t.co/tWcqYrQkda">https://t.co/tWcqYrQkda</a>&mdash; Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigCaplan/status/2031099110430748970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>His death was confirmed to The Associated Press by his wife, Kim, and John Dean, who served as White House counsel to Nixon during the Watergate scandal and went on to, along with Butterfield, help&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-nixon-trump-immunity-watergate-54d4c3737d6951b219d66708e1ef259d">expose the wrongdoing</a>.“He had the heavy responsibility of revealing something he was sworn to secrecy on, which is the installation of the Nixon taping system,” Dean said. “He stood up and told the truth.”As a deputy assistant to the president, Butterfield oversaw the taping system connected to voice-activated listening devices that had been secretly placed in four locations, including Nixon’s office in the Executive Office Building and the presidential retreat at Camp David.Butterfield later said that, besides himself and the president, he believed that only White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, a Haldeman assistant and a handful of Secret Service agents knew about the taping system.“Everything was taped … as long as the president was in attendance,” Butterfield told Watergate investigators when testifying under oath during a preliminary interview.The tapes would expose Nixon’s role in the cover-up that followed the burglary in 1972 at the Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate building. To avoid impeachment by the House, Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, less than a month after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender the relevant tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor.Butterfield believed he’d had a hand in the president’s fate. “I didn’t like to be the cause of that, but I felt that I was, in a lot of ways,” he said in a 2008 oral history for the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.Butterfield, a college friend of Haldeman’s at UCLA who had contacted his friend to ask about opportunities in the new Nixon administration, served as a deputy assistant to Nixon from 1969 to 1973. In that capacity, he worked under Haldeman and, among other duties, was secretary to the Cabinet and helped oversee White House operations.The Air Force veteran had left the White House to become administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration when Senate committee staffers privately questioned him on July 13, 1973, during their investigation of the Watergate break-in. A routine question about the possibility of a taping system had been prompted by former White House counsel John Dean’s testimony that he believed a conversation he had had with Nixon may have been recorded.When Butterfield acknowledged that a taping system indeed existed, he was brought before a public hearing of the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities. The public revelation on July 16, 1973, of a taping system designed to record all the president’s conversations stunned Nixon friends and foes alike. The tapes promised Watergate investigators a rich vein of evidence in their quest to determine what Nixon and others knew about the break-in — a great deal, as it turned out.Efforts by investigators to gain access to the tapes sparked a yearlong legal battle that was resolved in July 1974 when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Nixon had to give them up.The thousands of hours of tapes made public over the years — they are now controlled by the National Archives — provide a unique, if often unflattering, view of Nixon. His words exposed a bad temper, vulgar language, bigoted racial and religious views, and unvarnished opinions about national and international figures.“I just thought, ‘When they hear those tapes …’ I mean, I knew what was on these tapes … they’re dynamite,” Butterfield told the Nixon Library. “I guess I didn’t foresee that the president might be put out of office or impeached, but I thought it would be a perilous few years for him. I guess I couldn’t conceive of (Nixon) being forced out of office. It had never happened before.”Butterfield later said he believed that Nixon’s successor, President Gerald Ford, fired him as FAA administrator in 1975 as part of an agreement worked out between the Nixon and Ford staff members. He said he had heard from White House friends that he had been targeted shortly after his testimony to the Senate committee.After leaving the FAA, Butterfield worked as a business executive in California. He earned a master’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, in 1994.Alexander Porter Butterfield was born on April 6, 1926, in Pensacola, Florida.He left UCLA to join the Navy and later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1956 and a master’s degree from George Washington University in 1967.In 1948, he joined the Air Force and served as an instructor at a base near Las Vegas during the Korean War and later served in Germany. In Washington, he was a military assistant to the special assistant of the defense secretary in 1965 and 1966 and later served as senior military representative of the U.S. and representative for the commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces, Australia. He retired at the rank of colonel after 20 years in the Air Force.Butterfield was unsparing in his criticism of the former president in later years. While he commended Nixon’s achievements in foreign affairs, he considered his former boss “not an honest man” and “a crook” and believed that Nixon knew about the Watergate break-in before it occurred and was the architect of the ensuing cover-up.Butterfield found himself “cheering … just cheering” the day Nixon resigned, he told the Nixon Library, because “justice had prevailed.”“I didn’t think that it would for a while,” he said. “This guy was the ringleader.”___Daniel, the primary writer of this obituary, retired from The Associated Press in 2023.

Nixon aide who disclosed Watergate tapes dies at 99

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man who joined the Army straight out of high school is the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-khamenei-03-09-2026">Iran war</a>, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon statement said.

Mike Bell, retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church, said he’d known Pennington since he was a toddler and got a call from Pennington's father when the soldier was hurt.

“I talked to Tim Saturday morning, and he was doing a little better, and they were talking about maybe moving him to Germany,” Bell said. But he said Tim Pennington called again that evening to ask for prayers as his son's condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.

“He was just a quiet person,” said Bell, noting that Pennington attended the church’s after-school program. “I mean, he never attracted attention because he was just steady doing what he needed to do to do it. Does that make sense?”

Pennington was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command based at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The unit’s mission focused on “missile warning, GPS, and long-haul satellite communications” according to their website.

“This just breaks my heart,” Keith Taul, judge-executive of Hardin County, where Pennington was from, said in a written statement emailed to The Associated Press. “I have known the family for at least 30 years. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering they are experiencing. To lose a single service member is just a devastating blow. But when it is one of our own, we grieve as a community.”

Glendale is an unincorporated town of about 300 residents south of the Hardin County seat of Elizabethtown.

In a statement posted on social media, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Pennington “a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.”

The other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-military-deaths-0a3f1532ec1953d51898e5b5e2b625d6">six service members killed</a>&nbsp;since the conflict began on Feb. 28 were Army reservists killed in Kuwait when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Saturday had joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base at the dignified transfer for those six U.S. soldiers.

The dignified transfer, a ritual that returns the remains of U.S. service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said bearing witness to the transfer was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-ae37de2f1c6b450ab60ce236c8f04450">“the toughest thing I have to do”</a>&nbsp;as president.

Pennington graduated in 2017 from Central Hardin High School, where he was enrolled in the automotive technology pathway, district spokesman John Wright told the AP. Former automotive tech instructor Tom Pitt, who taught Pennington in 2017 at Hardin County Early College and Career Center, called him “an American hero.”

“A lot of times as a teacher, you have students who are smart, you have students who are charismatic, who are likable, dare I say, enchanting,” said Pitt, who added that Pennington — whom he called Nate — was a Boy Scout. “Rarely do you have students who are all of those. And Ben Pennington was all of those. He was basically the quintessential all-American.”

Pennington enlisted that year as a unit supply specialist, and was assigned to the space and missile command on June 10, 2025, the Army said in a release.

Among his awards and decorations were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

“The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command is deeply saddened by the loss of Sgt. Pennington,” said Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general. “He gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved. That makes him nothing less than a hero, and he will always be remembered that way. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”

Col. Michael F. Dyer, 1st Space Brigade commander, described Pennington as “a dedicated and experienced noncommissioned officer who led with strength, professionalism and sense of duty.”

Pennington will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Pentagon said.

Associated Press reporters Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773082135316.png" alt="Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington" />
 <figcaption>Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington</figcaption>
 </figure>ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man who joined the Army straight out of high school is the seventh U.S. service member to die in combat during the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-khamenei-03-09-2026">Iran war</a>, the Pentagon announced Monday.Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon statement said.Mike Bell, retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church, said he’d known Pennington since he was a toddler and got a call from Pennington's father when the soldier was hurt.“I talked to Tim Saturday morning, and he was doing a little better, and they were talking about maybe moving him to Germany,” Bell said. But he said Tim Pennington called again that evening to ask for prayers as his son's condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.“He was just a quiet person,” said Bell, noting that Pennington attended the church’s after-school program. “I mean, he never attracted attention because he was just steady doing what he needed to do to do it. Does that make sense?”Pennington was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command based at Fort Carson, Colorado.The unit’s mission focused on “missile warning, GPS, and long-haul satellite communications” according to their website.“This just breaks my heart,” Keith Taul, judge-executive of Hardin County, where Pennington was from, said in a written statement emailed to The Associated Press. “I have known the family for at least 30 years. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering they are experiencing. To lose a single service member is just a devastating blow. But when it is one of our own, we grieve as a community.”Glendale is an unincorporated town of about 300 residents south of the Hardin County seat of Elizabethtown.In a statement posted on social media, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Pennington “a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.”The other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-military-deaths-0a3f1532ec1953d51898e5b5e2b625d6">six service members killed</a>&nbsp;since the conflict began on Feb. 28 were Army reservists killed in Kuwait when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Saturday had joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base at the dignified transfer for those six U.S. soldiers.The dignified transfer, a ritual that returns the remains of U.S. service members killed in action, is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said bearing witness to the transfer was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-ae37de2f1c6b450ab60ce236c8f04450">“the toughest thing I have to do”</a>&nbsp;as president.Pennington graduated in 2017 from Central Hardin High School, where he was enrolled in the automotive technology pathway, district spokesman John Wright told the AP. Former automotive tech instructor Tom Pitt, who taught Pennington in 2017 at Hardin County Early College and Career Center, called him “an American hero.”“A lot of times as a teacher, you have students who are smart, you have students who are charismatic, who are likable, dare I say, enchanting,” said Pitt, who added that Pennington — whom he called Nate — was a Boy Scout. “Rarely do you have students who are all of those. And Ben Pennington was all of those. He was basically the quintessential all-American.”Pennington enlisted that year as a unit supply specialist, and was assigned to the space and missile command on June 10, 2025, the Army said in a release.Among his awards and decorations were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.“The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command is deeply saddened by the loss of Sgt. Pennington,” said Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general. “He gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved. That makes him nothing less than a hero, and he will always be remembered that way. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”Col. Michael F. Dyer, 1st Space Brigade commander, described Pennington as “a dedicated and experienced noncommissioned officer who led with strength, professionalism and sense of duty.”Pennington will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Pentagon said.___Associated Press reporters Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed to this report.

Pentagon IDs 7th U.S. soldier to die in Iran conflict

BARTON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Barton County Sheriff's Office reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) that 87-year-old Ronald Base has been located safe in Osborne County, Kansas.

BARTON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Barton County Sheriff's Office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Barton County man.

The whereabouts of 87-year-old Ronald Base, of Barton County, are unknown and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.

Base is likely driving a gray 2010 Dodge Dakota bearing Kansas tag 5736ACK. He was last seen south of Great Bend on Monday, March 9, at approximately 3:40 p.m. Base has Alzheimers, and is believed to be traveling to Culver, Kansas.

Base is a white male who is around 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and was last seen wearing gray pants, gray shirt, a red and gray flannel jacket, and black shoes.

If you see Ronald Base, or his vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, please call the Barton County Sheriff's Office at (620) 793-1920.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773100112817.png" alt="Ronald Base courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Ronald Base courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Barton County Sheriff's Office reported to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) that 87-year-old Ronald Base has been located safe in Osborne County, Kansas.-------------BARTON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Barton County Sheriff's Office requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) issue a statewide Silver Alert for a missing Barton County man.The whereabouts of 87-year-old Ronald Base, of Barton County, are unknown and the public’s assistance is requested to help locate him.Base is likely driving a gray 2010 Dodge Dakota bearing Kansas tag 5736ACK. He was last seen south of Great Bend on Monday, March 9, at approximately 3:40 p.m. Base has Alzheimers, and is believed to be traveling to Culver, Kansas.Base is a white male who is around 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 200 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and was last seen wearing gray pants, gray shirt, a red and gray flannel jacket, and black shoes.If you see Ronald Base, or his vehicle, please call 911 immediately. If you have other information about his whereabouts, please call the Barton County Sheriff's Office at (620) 793-1920.

KBI: Silver Alert cancelled, missing Kansas man found 

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-us-march-9-2026-b2aa51ef51d4b57103ffee0c95bc2ff7">war with Iran</a>&nbsp;may not last that long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/markets-oil-iran-trump-war-brent-72e8c9a29c2ba1fd761ee968f3d4e553">Oil prices</a>&nbsp;whipped from nearly $120 per barrel, their highest since 2022, back toward $90.

The S&amp;P 500 dropped as much as 1.5% in the morning before flipping to a gain of 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average clawed back a plunge of nearly 900 points to rise 239 points, or 0.5%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.4%.

They’re the latest hour-to-hour swings to pummel financial markets because of the uncertainty about just how high oil prices will go and how long they will stay there because of disruptions to the energy industry in the Middle East. Markets made their remarkable reversals during the last hour of Wall Street’s trading after President Donald Trump told CBS News that he thinks “the war is very complete, pretty much.”

That calmed worries that had built earlier in the morning, when the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, briefly touched $119.50. It hadn’t been that expensive since the summer of 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.

If oil prices stay very high for very long, households’ budgets already stretched by high inflation could break under the pressure. Companies, meanwhile, would see their own bills jump for fuel and to stock items on their store shelves or in their data warehouses. It all raises the possibility of a worst-case scenario for the global economy, “stagflation,” where growth stagnates and inflation remains high.

Concerns have focused in particular on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-strait-hormuz-us-protests-persian-gulf-db7159d715453977279ab9cfd918e6e4">Strait of Hormuz</a>, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast that a fifth of the world’s oil sails through on a typical day. Iran had earlier threatened to set fire to ships sailing the strait.

If the strait remains closed for only a few weeks, the price of oil could push to $150 per barrel of higher, according to oil and gas strategists at Macquarie Research.

But oil prices pared their gains through the day, initially on talk that seven of the world’s largest economies could coordinate moves to push back on the spikes. They then slid sharply after CBS News said Trump said of Iran that “if you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”

Trump also added that when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, he’s “thinking about taking it over,” according to CBS.

A barrel of Brent crude pulled back to settle at $98.96 in the afternoon and then kept falling afterward below $90. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude touched $119.48 during the morning, then pulled back to settle at $94.77 and then sank toward $85.

The U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly from past military conflicts, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. Some professional investors continue to suggest that drops in prices for stocks could ultimately offer opportunities to buy them at cheaper levels before they rise again.

“We continue to believe that the current acute shortage of oil will be reversed in the coming months as new supply comes online and oil should drop significantly,” according to Sameer Samana, head of global equities and real assets at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Even with all the recent swings in the market, the S&amp;P 500 index that sits at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is still within 3% of its record set in January.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 55.97 points to 6,795.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 239.25 to 47,740.80, and the Nasdaq composite gained 308.27 to 22,695.95.

To be sure, prices could reverse again in the coming days given all the uncertainties about the war. That's what happened through the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-oil-gold-iran-trump-25fd9bfa1b20549a6cbbdee61b2ea05f">huge swings</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-iran-oil-trump-c9a42448cbc7afc35e959dd444614aa0">rocked</a>&nbsp;Wall Street&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-oil-iran-1f7bf89b783a9ba731f4b25564bf80f8">last week</a>.

In stock markets abroad, where economies are more dependent on the import of oil and natural gas, stocks fell sharply before Trump’s comments were published. South Korea’s Kospi sank 6%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 5.2% and France’s CAC 40 dropped 1%.

Trump’s comments came after he said late Sunday that high oil prices at the moment were worth the cost.

“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” he said in a posting on his social media network.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.10% from 4.15% late Friday.

Worries about high inflation and oil prices are pushing upward on Treasury yields, and the 10-year yield briefly rose above 4.20% early Monday.

But worries about a potentially slowing economy are pulling downward at the same time. On Friday, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-unemployment-economy-inflation-trump-tariffs-075a0d33e0794b7c93b9b8a7302dab98">discouragingly weak report on the U.S. job market</a>&nbsp;showed that employers cut more jobs last month than they added.

Yields then slid late in the day when oil prices eased.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market careened through a manic Monday, going from a steep early loss to a solid gain as worries turned into hope that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-us-march-9-2026-b2aa51ef51d4b57103ffee0c95bc2ff7">war with Iran</a>&nbsp;may not last that long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/markets-oil-iran-trump-war-brent-72e8c9a29c2ba1fd761ee968f3d4e553">Oil prices</a>&nbsp;whipped from nearly $120 per barrel, their highest since 2022, back toward $90.The S&amp;P 500 dropped as much as 1.5% in the morning before flipping to a gain of 0.8%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average clawed back a plunge of nearly 900 points to rise 239 points, or 0.5%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.4%.They’re the latest hour-to-hour swings to pummel financial markets because of the uncertainty about just how high oil prices will go and how long they will stay there because of disruptions to the energy industry in the Middle East. Markets made their remarkable reversals during the last hour of Wall Street’s trading after President Donald Trump told CBS News that he thinks “the war is very complete, pretty much.”That calmed worries that had built earlier in the morning, when the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, briefly touched $119.50. It hadn’t been that expensive since the summer of 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine.If oil prices stay very high for very long, households’ budgets already stretched by high inflation could break under the pressure. Companies, meanwhile, would see their own bills jump for fuel and to stock items on their store shelves or in their data warehouses. It all raises the possibility of a worst-case scenario for the global economy, “stagflation,” where growth stagnates and inflation remains high.Concerns have focused in particular on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-strait-hormuz-us-protests-persian-gulf-db7159d715453977279ab9cfd918e6e4">Strait of Hormuz</a>, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast that a fifth of the world’s oil sails through on a typical day. Iran had earlier threatened to set fire to ships sailing the strait.If the strait remains closed for only a few weeks, the price of oil could push to $150 per barrel of higher, according to oil and gas strategists at Macquarie Research.But oil prices pared their gains through the day, initially on talk that seven of the world’s largest economies could coordinate moves to push back on the spikes. They then slid sharply after CBS News said Trump said of Iran that “if you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.”Trump also added that when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, he’s “thinking about taking it over,” according to CBS.A barrel of Brent crude pulled back to settle at $98.96 in the afternoon and then kept falling afterward below $90. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude touched $119.48 during the morning, then pulled back to settle at $94.77 and then sank toward $85.The U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly from past military conflicts, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. Some professional investors continue to suggest that drops in prices for stocks could ultimately offer opportunities to buy them at cheaper levels before they rise again.“We continue to believe that the current acute shortage of oil will be reversed in the coming months as new supply comes online and oil should drop significantly,” according to Sameer Samana, head of global equities and real assets at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.Even with all the recent swings in the market, the S&amp;P 500 index that sits at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is still within 3% of its record set in January.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 55.97 points to 6,795.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 239.25 to 47,740.80, and the Nasdaq composite gained 308.27 to 22,695.95.To be sure, prices could reverse again in the coming days given all the uncertainties about the war. That's what happened through the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-oil-gold-iran-trump-25fd9bfa1b20549a6cbbdee61b2ea05f">huge swings</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-iran-oil-trump-c9a42448cbc7afc35e959dd444614aa0">rocked</a>&nbsp;Wall Street&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-oil-iran-1f7bf89b783a9ba731f4b25564bf80f8">last week</a>.In stock markets abroad, where economies are more dependent on the import of oil and natural gas, stocks fell sharply before Trump’s comments were published. South Korea’s Kospi sank 6%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 tumbled 5.2% and France’s CAC 40 dropped 1%.Trump’s comments came after he said late Sunday that high oil prices at the moment were worth the cost.“Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace,” he said in a posting on his social media network.In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.10% from 4.15% late Friday.Worries about high inflation and oil prices are pushing upward on Treasury yields, and the 10-year yield briefly rose above 4.20% early Monday.But worries about a potentially slowing economy are pulling downward at the same time. On Friday, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-unemployment-economy-inflation-trump-tariffs-075a0d33e0794b7c93b9b8a7302dab98">discouragingly weak report on the U.S. job market</a>&nbsp;showed that employers cut more jobs last month than they added.Yields then slid late in the day when oil prices eased.___

US stocks erase big early loss and rise after oil prices drop

JEFFERSON COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal accident that occurred just before 9p.m. Sunday in Jefferson&nbsp; County.

The Patrol reported a&nbsp;Honda UTV and a Polaris UTV were eastbound side-by-side on Half Mound Road at Coal Creek Road approximately 4 and one half miles north of Valley Falls. A rear passenger in one of the vehicles exited the vehicle while it was in motion and was struck and killed by the other vehicle.

Check the Post for additional detail as they are released by the KHP.

JEFFERSON COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal accident that occurred just before 9p.m. Sunday in Jefferson&nbsp; County.The Patrol reported a&nbsp;Honda UTV and a Polaris UTV were eastbound side-by-side on Half Mound Road at Coal Creek Road approximately 4 and one half miles north of Valley Falls. A rear passenger in one of the vehicles exited the vehicle while it was in motion and was struck and killed by the other vehicle.Check the Post for additional detail as they are released by the KHP.

KHP: Passenger dead after exiting moving vehicle

WILSON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man connected to a weekend homicide in Coyville, Kansas.

Just after 7p.m. on Sunday, deputies from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 2105 2nd&nbsp;Street in Coyville, after gunfire was reported.

Upon arrival deputies located Lucas R. Pickell, 37, of Fredonia, just outside a fifth-wheel RV on the property. Pickell had suffered a gunshot wound and died at the scene.

Witnesses were interviewed and evidence was examined and collected. Preliminary information indicates Pickell had been using drugs in the RV with a male subject and two female subjects. During the incident, 52-year-old William “Bud” Wescott, of Coyville, is suspected to have shot Pickell.

Wescott was arrested on requested of second-degree murder at the scene and booked into the Wilson County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773085124320.png" alt="Wescott photo Wilson County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Wescott photo Wilson County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>WILSON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man connected to a weekend homicide in Coyville, Kansas.Just after 7p.m. on Sunday, deputies from the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to 2105 2nd&nbsp;Street in Coyville, after gunfire was reported.Upon arrival deputies located Lucas R. Pickell, 37, of Fredonia, just outside a fifth-wheel RV on the property. Pickell had suffered a gunshot wound and died at the scene.Witnesses were interviewed and evidence was examined and collected. Preliminary information indicates Pickell had been using drugs in the RV with a male subject and two female subjects. During the incident, 52-year-old William “Bud” Wescott, of Coyville, is suspected to have shot Pickell.Wescott was arrested on requested of second-degree murder at the scene and booked into the Wilson County Jail.

Man accused of murder in small rural, Kansas town

Five of six members of Kansas’ congressional delegation rejects war-powers resolution

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">Tim Carpenter</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Servicemembers in a Kansas Air National Guard air refueling wing deployed in support of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran in conjunction with votes by the U.S. Senate and U.S. House to reject a resolution forbidding the armed forces from continuing to engage in hostilities without congressional consent.

Neither the Kansas National Guard nor the U.S. Central Command initially commented on deployment of Kansas Guard troops. The 190th Air Refueling Wing is stationed at Forbes Field in Topeka, and is one of two refueling wings based in Kansas.

Jane Welch, a spokesperson for the Kansas Guard, subsequently confirmed airmen from the 190th deployed “in early March to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Epic Fury.”

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, said he spoke with Kansas Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Paul Schneider about the Kansas Guard’s role in the Middle East.

“Prior to Operation Epic Fury, Kansas guardsmen were already deployed to the region and I wanted to hear firsthand about their mission, their readiness and their needs,” Marshall said. “I have full faith in our Kansas guardsmen and the exceptional leadership overseeing this operation.”

Marshall was among five members in the Kansas congressional delegation to vote against a joint resolution that would have directed President Donald Trump to cease military operations against Iran pending approval by Congress.

On March 4, the U.S. Senate defeated the motion on a war powers resolution 47-53. The U.S. House voted 212-219 on March 5 against rebuffing Trump for bypassing Congress.

“The United States took decisive, necessary and long overdue military action against Iran’s nuclear program,” said Marshall, who defended the attack on a “regime that has spent nearly 50 years chanting ‘death to America,’ killing and maiming thousands of American soldiers and citizens, and relentlessly pursuing a nuclear weapon that threatens our very existence.”

GOP U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran joined Marshall in opposing the resolution. U.S. Reps. Derek Schmidt, Ron Estes and Tracey Mann, all Republicans, voted against the measure. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the delegation’s lone Democrat, voted for it.

Davids, who serves the 3rd District in the Kansas City region, denounced the effort by Iran to develop nuclear weapons. She criticized the Iranian regime’s killing of its own citizens and robbing others of freedom. She said Iran had for decades contributed to global instability by funding terrorism.

“That said, costly, endless wars without congressional authorization are not the answer,” Davids said. “We cannot repeat the mistakes of our past, and I am extremely concerned about what this attack could drag us into. The president has not been granted congressional approval for these acts of war.”

Moran said Iran was guilty of terrorizing its people, financing terror networks, supporting proxy militias, threatening Israel’s security and demonstrating an ambition to enrich uranium for use in missiles that posed a danger to the United States.

He said the engagement of U.S. forces against Iran required the Trump administration to provide “full, timely briefings to Congress so that we can understand the objectives, risks and costs for military action” because “our constitution vests the decision to take our nation to war in Congress.”

Schmidt, the state’s 2nd District congressman, expressed support for U.S. servicemembers in harm’s way, but intentionally had “taken care not to rush to judgment” since the start of U.S. combat operations in Iran.

He said “every person in a position of public responsibility should assess his or her duty with serious mind and with only the best interests of our country for a guide.”

Kansas candidates for federal office weighed into debate about the president’s attack on Iran. The state’s four U.S. House members and Marshall are up for reelection in 2026.

“Supporting our troops means asking the hard questions before the next escalation. Not after it,” said Sandy Spidel&nbsp;Neumann, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Marshall. “Senators are elected to provide oversight, not automatic approval.”

Democrat Chris Carmichael, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 4th District seat held by Estes, said the U.S. Constitution said Congress, not a president, had authority to wage war.

Calling the attack on Iran a “law enforcement action” didn’t change the fact use of the U.S. military in this instance was an unlawful, impeachable offense, he said.

“When presidents ignore the Constitution, Kansans pay the price,” said Carmichael, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1992 to 2023, “Troops put at risk, billions wasted overseas, and higher costs at home while families struggle with health care bills and everyday expenses.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773078744203.jpeg" alt="Members of the Kansas Air National Guard's 190th air refueling wing based at Forbes Field in Topeka are deployed in support of President Donald Trump's war against Iran. Five of the state's six congressional delegation members oppose halting the U.S. military's engagement pending approval by Congress. In this image, Kansas Guard troops fire a 19-gun salute for Gov. Laura Kelly's inauguration Jan. 9, 2023. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Members of the Kansas Air National Guard's 190th air refueling wing based at Forbes Field in Topeka are deployed in support of President Donald Trump's war against Iran. Five of the state's six congressional delegation members oppose halting the U.S. military's engagement pending approval by Congress. In this image, Kansas Guard troops fire a 19-gun salute for Gov. Laura Kelly's inauguration Jan. 9, 2023. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Five of six members of Kansas’ congressional delegation rejects war-powers resolution</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">Tim Carpenter</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Servicemembers in a Kansas Air National Guard air refueling wing deployed in support of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran in conjunction with votes by the U.S. Senate and U.S. House to reject a resolution forbidding the armed forces from continuing to engage in hostilities without congressional consent.Neither the Kansas National Guard nor the U.S. Central Command initially commented on deployment of Kansas Guard troops. The 190th Air Refueling Wing is stationed at Forbes Field in Topeka, and is one of two refueling wings based in Kansas.Jane Welch, a spokesperson for the Kansas Guard, subsequently confirmed airmen from the 190th deployed “in early March to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Epic Fury.”U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, said he spoke with Kansas Adjutant General Brig. Gen. Paul Schneider about the Kansas Guard’s role in the Middle East.“Prior to Operation Epic Fury, Kansas guardsmen were already deployed to the region and I wanted to hear firsthand about their mission, their readiness and their needs,” Marshall said. “I have full faith in our Kansas guardsmen and the exceptional leadership overseeing this operation.”<h2>War Powers vote</h2>Marshall was among five members in the Kansas congressional delegation to vote against a joint resolution that would have directed President Donald Trump to cease military operations against Iran pending approval by Congress.On March 4, the U.S. Senate defeated the motion on a war powers resolution 47-53. The U.S. House voted 212-219 on March 5 against rebuffing Trump for bypassing Congress.“The United States took decisive, necessary and long overdue military action against Iran’s nuclear program,” said Marshall, who defended the attack on a “regime that has spent nearly 50 years chanting ‘death to America,’ killing and maiming thousands of American soldiers and citizens, and relentlessly pursuing a nuclear weapon that threatens our very existence.”GOP U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran joined Marshall in opposing the resolution. U.S. Reps. Derek Schmidt, Ron Estes and Tracey Mann, all Republicans, voted against the measure. U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the delegation’s lone Democrat, voted for it.Davids, who serves the 3rd District in the Kansas City region, denounced the effort by Iran to develop nuclear weapons. She criticized the Iranian regime’s killing of its own citizens and robbing others of freedom. She said Iran had for decades contributed to global instability by funding terrorism.“That said, costly, endless wars without congressional authorization are not the answer,” Davids said. “We cannot repeat the mistakes of our past, and I am extremely concerned about what this attack could drag us into. The president has not been granted congressional approval for these acts of war.”Moran said Iran was guilty of terrorizing its people, financing terror networks, supporting proxy militias, threatening Israel’s security and demonstrating an ambition to enrich uranium for use in missiles that posed a danger to the United States.He said the engagement of U.S. forces against Iran required the Trump administration to provide “full, timely briefings to Congress so that we can understand the objectives, risks and costs for military action” because “our constitution vests the decision to take our nation to war in Congress.”Schmidt, the state’s 2nd District congressman, expressed support for U.S. servicemembers in harm’s way, but intentionally had “taken care not to rush to judgment” since the start of U.S. combat operations in Iran.He said “every person in a position of public responsibility should assess his or her duty with serious mind and with only the best interests of our country for a guide.”<h2>Other Kansas voices</h2>Kansas candidates for federal office weighed into debate about the president’s attack on Iran. The state’s four U.S. House members and Marshall are up for reelection in 2026.“Supporting our troops means asking the hard questions before the next escalation. Not after it,” said Sandy Spidel&nbsp;Neumann, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Marshall. “Senators are elected to provide oversight, not automatic approval.”Democrat Chris Carmichael, who is seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 4th District seat held by Estes, said the U.S. Constitution said Congress, not a president, had authority to wage war.Calling the attack on Iran a “law enforcement action” didn’t change the fact use of the U.S. military in this instance was an unlawful, impeachable offense, he said.“When presidents ignore the Constitution, Kansans pay the price,” said Carmichael, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1992 to 2023, “Troops put at risk, billions wasted overseas, and higher costs at home while families struggle with health care bills and everyday expenses.”

 Kansas Air National Guard’s 190th refueling wing deploys in support of war against Iran

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in a deadly shooting last week made his first court appearance in the case Friday.

Tristan D. Miles, 40, was charged with first degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after 7:30p.m. Monday, police responded to report of a shooting in the parking lot of the&nbsp; American Legion in the 1300 Block of North Hydraulic in Wichita. According to an online statement from police, the suspect called 911 and reported he had just shot someone.

First responders found the&nbsp; shooting victim,&nbsp;56-year-old Darnell Guiden of Wichita,&nbsp;inside a 1998 Chevrolet pickup. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased just before 8p.m.

The suspect, identified from county booking records as 40-year-old Tristan D. Miles, was taken into custody without incident. He had previously been banned from the business from a previous incident, according to police.

Miles is being held a&nbsp;$1-million dollars bond, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1772538210414.png" alt="Miles-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Miles-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in a deadly shooting last week made his first court appearance in the case Friday.Tristan D. Miles, 40, was charged with first degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Just after 7:30p.m. Monday, police responded to report of a shooting in the parking lot of the&nbsp; American Legion in the 1300 Block of North Hydraulic in Wichita. According to an online statement from police, the suspect called 911 and reported he had just shot someone.First responders found the&nbsp; shooting victim,&nbsp;56-year-old Darnell Guiden of Wichita,&nbsp;inside a 1998 Chevrolet pickup. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased just before 8p.m.The suspect, identified from county booking records as 40-year-old Tristan D. Miles, was taken into custody without incident. He had previously been banned from the business from a previous incident, according to police.Miles is being held a&nbsp;$1-million dollars bond, according to the district attorney's office.

Man who called 911 to report shooting faced a judge

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department lawyers announced Monday that they'd reached a settlement in their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-live-nation-ticketmaster-antitrust-lawsuit-df9b552d127e1494db13e3cd625787a8">antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster</a>&nbsp;and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, in a case that alleged an illegal monopoly over live events in America. But it remained possible that some states might continue a trial on their own.

The announcement by the Justice Department at the start of the trial in federal court in Manhattan was greeted angrily by Judge Arun Subramanian, who said no one informed him of the tentative deal until late Sunday even though a term sheet for a possible settlement was signed on Thursday.

“It's entirely unacceptable,” he said.

Adam Gitlin, a lawyer for the District of Columbia, said the states were requesting a mistrial, although the state of Texas had expressed “serious concerns” about the deal between the U.S. and Live Nation and states have not yet agreed to the deal.

David Marriott, a lawyer for Live Nation, said the company opposed a mistrial and believed it should proceed.

The Department of Justice and Live Nation didn’t immediately respond to requests by The Associated Press for comment.

It comes as the two sides face trial in New York over whether to dismantle the monopoly the Justice Department said was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/live-nation-ticketmaster-antitrust-trial-ecfd6cb3e77459412584ed002653bc8f">squelching competition and driving up prices for fans</a>.

The case, brought under President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;'s Democratic administration in 2024, accused Live Nation of using threats, retaliation and other tactics to “suffocate the competition” by controlling virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing.

The Justice Department accused Live Nation of engaging in a slew of practices that have allowed it to maintain a stranglehold over the live music scene. The Justice Department has said the company uses long-term contracts to keep venues from choosing rival ticketers, blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers and threatening venues that they could lose money and fans if they don’t choose Ticketmaster.

Live Nation has maintained that artists and teams set prices and decide how tickets are sold.

Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment, based in Beverly Hills, California, have a long history of clashes with major artists and their fans, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-taylor-swift-af5d58d2a8c6def368ded1bd2ddd8a6f">Taylor Swift</a>&nbsp;and Bruce Springsteen.

Ticketmaster, which was established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010, is the world’s largest ticket seller across live music, sports, theater and more.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668687399028.jpeg" alt="AP Photo." />
 <figcaption>AP Photo.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Department lawyers announced Monday that they'd reached a settlement in their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-live-nation-ticketmaster-antitrust-lawsuit-df9b552d127e1494db13e3cd625787a8">antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster</a>&nbsp;and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, in a case that alleged an illegal monopoly over live events in America. But it remained possible that some states might continue a trial on their own.The announcement by the Justice Department at the start of the trial in federal court in Manhattan was greeted angrily by Judge Arun Subramanian, who said no one informed him of the tentative deal until late Sunday even though a term sheet for a possible settlement was signed on Thursday.“It's entirely unacceptable,” he said.Adam Gitlin, a lawyer for the District of Columbia, said the states were requesting a mistrial, although the state of Texas had expressed “serious concerns” about the deal between the U.S. and Live Nation and states have not yet agreed to the deal.David Marriott, a lawyer for Live Nation, said the company opposed a mistrial and believed it should proceed.The Department of Justice and Live Nation didn’t immediately respond to requests by The Associated Press for comment.It comes as the two sides face trial in New York over whether to dismantle the monopoly the Justice Department said was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/live-nation-ticketmaster-antitrust-trial-ecfd6cb3e77459412584ed002653bc8f">squelching competition and driving up prices for fans</a>.The case, brought under President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;'s Democratic administration in 2024, accused Live Nation of using threats, retaliation and other tactics to “suffocate the competition” by controlling virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing.The Justice Department accused Live Nation of engaging in a slew of practices that have allowed it to maintain a stranglehold over the live music scene. The Justice Department has said the company uses long-term contracts to keep venues from choosing rival ticketers, blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers and threatening venues that they could lose money and fans if they don’t choose Ticketmaster.Live Nation has maintained that artists and teams set prices and decide how tickets are sold.Ticketmaster and Live Nation Entertainment, based in Beverly Hills, California, have a long history of clashes with major artists and their fans, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-taylor-swift-af5d58d2a8c6def368ded1bd2ddd8a6f">Taylor Swift</a>&nbsp;and Bruce Springsteen.Ticketmaster, which was established in 1976 and merged with Live Nation in 2010, is the world’s largest ticket seller across live music, sports, theater and more.

Ticketmaster parent company reaches landmark antitrust settlement

MIAMI COUNTY —Three people are safe after a weekend water rescue in Miami County.

Emergency personnel from the Miami County, Kansas Sheriff’s Office, Osawatomie Volunteer Fire Department, and Miami County EMS worked a water rescue in the area of 347th Street and Hospital Drive on Sunday, according to a social media report from the sheriff's office.

The driver traveled into flooded roadways, requiring emergency rescue. The occupants, two adults and a juvenile, reportedly did not know how to swim, making this situation even more dangerous for both them and the responders working to reach them.

&nbsp;All occupants were rescued and are safe. There were no injures to anyone involved.&nbsp;

&nbsp;The sheriff office reminded, "Turn around, don’t drown. Never attempt to drive through flooded roadways. It only takes a small amount of moving water to sweep a vehicle away.Please avoid flooded areas and allow emergency crews space to work safely."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773067052689.png" alt="Photos Miami County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photos Miami County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI COUNTY —Three people are safe after a weekend water rescue in Miami County.Emergency personnel from the Miami County, Kansas Sheriff’s Office, Osawatomie Volunteer Fire Department, and Miami County EMS worked a water rescue in the area of 347th Street and Hospital Drive on Sunday, according to a social media report from the sheriff's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773067026939.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The driver traveled into flooded roadways, requiring emergency rescue. The occupants, two adults and a juvenile, reportedly did not know how to swim, making this situation even more dangerous for both them and the responders working to reach them.&nbsp;All occupants were rescued and are safe. There were no injures to anyone involved.&nbsp;&nbsp;The sheriff office reminded, "Turn around, don’t drown. Never attempt to drive through flooded roadways. It only takes a small amount of moving water to sweep a vehicle away.Please avoid flooded areas and allow emergency crews space to work safely."

2 adults, child rescued after driver stuck on flooded Kansas road

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">Morgan Chilson</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Five Democratic candidates vying to unseat U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall told more than 150 people Sunday how they will deliver in Washington, D.C., if the state can flip the seat blue.

While sharing their experience and goals for Kansas, the five took a few shots at Marshall. They&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU4oovkjmWY" target="_blank">were on stage</a>&nbsp;during the closing day of the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual meeting, which began Friday at Townsite Topeka.

“I just want you to know I’m ready, willing and able to send Roger Marshall back to Florida for good,” said Sandy Spidel Neumann, who is challenging Marshall for his Senate seat.

Democrats have accused Marshall of living at his second residence in Florida more than his Kansas residence, an accusation Marshall denies.

Spidel Neumann said she made the decision to run, after a long career in financial services, after seeing Marshall storm out of a town hall.

“I saw Roger Marshall’s infamous town hall, and I saw him walk out on Kansans — people that reminded me of my cousins who voted for Trump and Marshall,” she said. “It was so bad that I thought, ‘Oh, hell to the no, you work for us, and we need somebody to fight for us.’ I’m that person.”

The five candidates talked about issues they’ve heard from Kansans as they’ve toured the state, echoing many of the same challenges other candidates spoke about at the convention: education, immigration, health care, tariffs and reproductive rights.

Erik Murray, a real estate developer, said the “politician-created problems,” such as tariffs and tax policies that benefit billionaires, “are tearing apart the fabric of our communities.”

“We know that this is a country of immigrants, and protecting and standing up for folks is what we believe in,” Murray said. “So we’ve got to restore our Kansas values in Washington.”

Anne Parelkar, an immigration attorney, called for a full investigation of what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been doing nationwide.&nbsp;

“The American people need and deserve to see everything that they have done and everything that has gone wrong,” she said. “We deserve the truth, and if that investigation shows us that there isn’t anything in that entity worth saving, then we abolish it, and we use that money for actual immigration reform that serves our people in our country.”

Spidel Neumann called for body cameras, the elimination of masks and better training.

“We need them to have the right goals,” she said, noting that ICE agents have goals set based on the number of arrests, rather than on convictions or other criteria.

Jason Hart, an assistant U.S. district attorney, said his job for 21 years has been “standing in the breach against bullies” for marginalized communities.

“You have to be there and be able to hold their hand, to meet them where they are, and show them that you care and that you are an ally,” he said.

Christy Cauble Davis, a fifth-generation Kansan, said about 20% of the voters in Chase County, where she lives, are registered Democrats. Even with those numbers, her county voted about 50-50 on protecting abortion in the Kansas Constitution.

“What that says to me is we can’t count rural Kansas out,” she said. “We need to work statewide.There are more people who agree on issues than disagree.”

Spidel Neumann said she couldn’t believe Kansas is still debating this issue.

“I am beyond floored by it,” she said. “I’m a pro-choice Catholic. I’m pro women making decisions that they need to make with their doctor, with their family. Politicians should not be involved, and they should stay away from our hoo-has.”

Across the board, the candidates supported women choosing what happens with their bodies.

“We have got to protect women’s rights to make their own decisions about their own bodies,” Murray said. “We do not need the same leaders in Washington that are screwing up everything in this world to be in our doctor’s offices and in our schools and in our hospitals trying to make decisions on behalf of women.”

Cauble Davis said she is used to working with hard-line Republicans to find solutions and drew laughter after a comment about Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who is well-known for his conservative views.

“I’ve also navigated this landscape in my advocacy work in the state Legislature,” she said. “ I worked with Pat Proctor on an issue that we agreed on. If I’m able, as a woman and a leader, to work with Pat Proctor on issues, I can work with anyone.”

Parelkar said she’s modeling the idea of compromise throughout her campaign, where the idea is to “throw out the idea of an aisle.”

“At my community round tables, which we’re holding in every county in this state, we make it a point to invite everybody, not just the people who agree with us — Democrat, Republican, independent, inexperienced in politics,” she said. “I say throw out the old idea of us vs. them.”

Today, she said, it’s “us vs. the elite.”

It was a sentiment that brought Murray’s full agreement.&nbsp;

“We’re all struggling because of the actions that Washington is taking in our communities,” he said. “All of the lies, all of the division, it’s all a distraction from the grift, right? We need to come together as the 99% of Americans who are not part of that grift, not part of that hate, to realize that we need to work together on solutions.”

As an attorney, Hart said he is used to reaching agreement, and it’s all about the question you ask.

“What are your interests, not your positions,” he said. “Because all we’ve been doing right now is arguing from the corners. Everybody’s staked out a position, and they can’t get in the middle. The middle is where you need to be standing in order to bridge the gap.”

Spidel Neumann said reversing some impacts of the “big abomination of a bill” that cut Medicaid would be a good first step because health care is a significant concern in rural Kansas. She also pointed out the need to get a Farm Bill passed and to stop using tariffs “willy-nilly.”&nbsp;

“That’s not economics. That’s market manipulation,” she said.

Cauble Davis said Democrats need to keep in mind that not everyone in rural communities are farmers or ranchers.

“Only 2% of the folks who live in rural America are engaged in production agriculture,” she said, and issues like health care, mental health care and education are critical in rural communities.

Hart said the most important thing is to show up for rural Kansans.

“How do you bring folks together? You go out and talk to them,” he said. “I ask people questions for a living, and that’s what we need more of, not talking at people. I listen to the experts, and the experts are our Kansas voters, our Kansas constituents, our Kansas communities that can tell us exactly what they need, and then take that and go to D.C. and advocate for them.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773060389411.png" alt=" Five Democratic candidates running to flip U.S. Senator Roger Marshall’s seat blue spoke March 8, 2026, at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention. From left, Jason Hart, Christy Cauble Davis, Sandy Spidel Neumann, Anne Parelkar and Erik Murray. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Five Democratic candidates running to flip U.S. Senator Roger Marshall’s seat blue spoke March 8, 2026, at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention. From left, Jason Hart, Christy Cauble Davis, Sandy Spidel Neumann, Anne Parelkar and Erik Murray. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">Morgan Chilson</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Five Democratic candidates vying to unseat U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall told more than 150 people Sunday how they will deliver in Washington, D.C., if the state can flip the seat blue.While sharing their experience and goals for Kansas, the five took a few shots at Marshall. They&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU4oovkjmWY" target="_blank">were on stage</a>&nbsp;during the closing day of the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual meeting, which began Friday at Townsite Topeka.“I just want you to know I’m ready, willing and able to send Roger Marshall back to Florida for good,” said Sandy Spidel Neumann, who is challenging Marshall for his Senate seat.Democrats have accused Marshall of living at his second residence in Florida more than his Kansas residence, an accusation Marshall denies.Spidel Neumann said she made the decision to run, after a long career in financial services, after seeing Marshall storm out of a town hall.“I saw Roger Marshall’s infamous town hall, and I saw him walk out on Kansans — people that reminded me of my cousins who voted for Trump and Marshall,” she said. “It was so bad that I thought, ‘Oh, hell to the no, you work for us, and we need somebody to fight for us.’ I’m that person.”The five candidates talked about issues they’ve heard from Kansans as they’ve toured the state, echoing many of the same challenges other candidates spoke about at the convention: education, immigration, health care, tariffs and reproductive rights.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773060355661.png" alt="Democrat Sandy Spidel Neumann shares her thoughts on her run for the U.S. Senate at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention on March 8 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Democrat Sandy Spidel Neumann shares her thoughts on her run for the U.S. Senate at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention on March 8 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Immigration</h2>Erik Murray, a real estate developer, said the “politician-created problems,” such as tariffs and tax policies that benefit billionaires, “are tearing apart the fabric of our communities.”“We know that this is a country of immigrants, and protecting and standing up for folks is what we believe in,” Murray said. “So we’ve got to restore our Kansas values in Washington.”Anne Parelkar, an immigration attorney, called for a full investigation of what U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been doing nationwide.&nbsp;“The American people need and deserve to see everything that they have done and everything that has gone wrong,” she said. “We deserve the truth, and if that investigation shows us that there isn’t anything in that entity worth saving, then we abolish it, and we use that money for actual immigration reform that serves our people in our country.”Spidel Neumann called for body cameras, the elimination of masks and better training.“We need them to have the right goals,” she said, noting that ICE agents have goals set based on the number of arrests, rather than on convictions or other criteria.Jason Hart, an assistant U.S. district attorney, said his job for 21 years has been “standing in the breach against bullies” for marginalized communities.“You have to be there and be able to hold their hand, to meet them where they are, and show them that you care and that you are an ally,” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773060323828.png" alt="Democratic candidate Jason Hart, an assistant U.S. attorney, shares his thoughts on what needs to happen in Washington, D.C., at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention March 8, 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Democratic candidate Jason Hart, an assistant U.S. attorney, shares his thoughts on what needs to happen in Washington, D.C., at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention March 8, 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Reproductive rights</h2>Christy Cauble Davis, a fifth-generation Kansan, said about 20% of the voters in Chase County, where she lives, are registered Democrats. Even with those numbers, her county voted about 50-50 on protecting abortion in the Kansas Constitution.“What that says to me is we can’t count rural Kansas out,” she said. “We need to work statewide.There are more people who agree on issues than disagree.”Spidel Neumann said she couldn’t believe Kansas is still debating this issue.“I am beyond floored by it,” she said. “I’m a pro-choice Catholic. I’m pro women making decisions that they need to make with their doctor, with their family. Politicians should not be involved, and they should stay away from our hoo-has.”Across the board, the candidates supported women choosing what happens with their bodies.“We have got to protect women’s rights to make their own decisions about their own bodies,” Murray said. “We do not need the same leaders in Washington that are screwing up everything in this world to be in our doctor’s offices and in our schools and in our hospitals trying to make decisions on behalf of women.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773060290995.png" alt="Democratic candidate Christy Cauble Davis talks about the importance of rural communities at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Democratic candidate Christy Cauble Davis talks about the importance of rural communities at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention on March 8, 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Working across the aisle</h2>Cauble Davis said she is used to working with hard-line Republicans to find solutions and drew laughter after a comment about Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who is well-known for his conservative views.“I’ve also navigated this landscape in my advocacy work in the state Legislature,” she said. “ I worked with Pat Proctor on an issue that we agreed on. If I’m able, as a woman and a leader, to work with Pat Proctor on issues, I can work with anyone.”Parelkar said she’s modeling the idea of compromise throughout her campaign, where the idea is to “throw out the idea of an aisle.”“At my community round tables, which we’re holding in every county in this state, we make it a point to invite everybody, not just the people who agree with us — Democrat, Republican, independent, inexperienced in politics,” she said. “I say throw out the old idea of us vs. them.”Today, she said, it’s “us vs. the elite.”It was a sentiment that brought Murray’s full agreement.&nbsp;“We’re all struggling because of the actions that Washington is taking in our communities,” he said. “All of the lies, all of the division, it’s all a distraction from the grift, right? We need to come together as the 99% of Americans who are not part of that grift, not part of that hate, to realize that we need to work together on solutions.”As an attorney, Hart said he is used to reaching agreement, and it’s all about the question you ask.“What are your interests, not your positions,” he said. “Because all we’ve been doing right now is arguing from the corners. Everybody’s staked out a position, and they can’t get in the middle. The middle is where you need to be standing in order to bridge the gap.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773060249595.png" alt="Democratic candidate Erik Murray shares his views on what Kansans want from their Washington politicians at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention March 8, 2026. He is running for Sen. Roger Marshall’s seat. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Democratic candidate Erik Murray shares his views on what Kansans want from their Washington politicians at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention March 8, 2026. He is running for Sen. Roger Marshall’s seat. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Rural Kansas</h2>Spidel Neumann said reversing some impacts of the “big abomination of a bill” that cut Medicaid would be a good first step because health care is a significant concern in rural Kansas. She also pointed out the need to get a Farm Bill passed and to stop using tariffs “willy-nilly.”&nbsp;“That’s not economics. That’s market manipulation,” she said.Cauble Davis said Democrats need to keep in mind that not everyone in rural communities are farmers or ranchers.“Only 2% of the folks who live in rural America are engaged in production agriculture,” she said, and issues like health care, mental health care and education are critical in rural communities.Hart said the most important thing is to show up for rural Kansans.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1773060207013.png" alt="Democratic candidate Anne Parelkar states her point about Kansans needing better representation in Washington, D.C., at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention March 8, 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Democratic candidate Anne Parelkar states her point about Kansans needing better representation in Washington, D.C., at the Kansas Democratic Party’s annual convention March 8, 2026. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>“How do you bring folks together? You go out and talk to them,” he said. “I ask people questions for a living, and that’s what we need more of, not talking at people. I listen to the experts, and the experts are our Kansas voters, our Kansas constituents, our Kansas communities that can tell us exactly what they need, and then take that and go to D.C. and advocate for them.”

Kansas Dems in U.S. Senate campaign focus on defeating GOP incumbent

SEDGWICK COUNTY —&nbsp; Police arrested a suspect after responding to an incident involving an 8-year-old girl in west Wichita.

Just before 11:30a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 2800 block of West Central in Wichita for a reported disturbance. The caller told police that their 8-year-old had left home and was walking in the 600 block of North Gordon when a man approached her and grabbed her.

The girl was able to break free and run to her grandparents' location, who called 911.

Officers arrived quickly, located the suspect, later identified in Sedgwick County booking records as 27-year-old Tanner J. Warren, near North Gordon, and detained him without incident.

Detectives with the Exploited and Missing Child Unit conducted the follow‑up investigation and arrested Warren. He was booked into Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges of aggravated kidnapping and child abuse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/3/1772969650307.png" alt="Warren photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Warren photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —&nbsp; Police arrested a suspect after responding to an incident involving an 8-year-old girl in west Wichita.Just before 11:30a.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 2800 block of West Central in Wichita for a reported disturbance. The caller told police that their 8-year-old had left home and was walking in the 600 block of North Gordon when a man approached her and grabbed her.The girl was able to break free and run to her grandparents' location, who called 911.Officers arrived quickly, located the suspect, later identified in Sedgwick County booking records as 27-year-old Tanner J. Warren, near North Gordon, and detained him without incident.Detectives with the Exploited and Missing Child Unit conducted the follow‑up investigation and arrested Warren. He was booked into Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges of aggravated kidnapping and child abuse.

Kansas man accused in attempted abduction of 8-year-old girl

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said it killed six men Sunday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-drug-cartels-military-timeline-91e242e5c56eec39b6b7d72bf55dbd2d">Trump administration’s campaign</a>&nbsp;against alleged traffickers.

Sunday's attack brought the death toll to at least 157 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels in early September.

As with most of the military’s statements on the more than 40 known strikes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. It posted a video on X that showed a small boat being blown up as it floated on the water.

President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-drugs-venezuela-911-hegseth-3db3aafed492556bb9ca7de855c4849e">justified the attacks</a>&nbsp;as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-latin-america-china-d1cbf9af62f10e0644770f2e2b2bd791">meeting with Latin American leaders</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, Trump encouraged them to join the U.S. in taking military action against drug-trafficking cartels and transnational gangs, which he said pose an “unacceptable threat” to the region's national security.

To that end, Ecuador and the United States conducted military operations this past week against organized crime groups in the South American country.

With Saturday's gathering, Trump aimed to demonstrate that he remains committed to focusing U.S. foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere, even while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-us-march-8-2026-f0b20dbffaea9351ae1e54183ffe53ff">waging a war</a>&nbsp;on Iran that has had repercussions across the Middle East.

Critics&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-drugs-25000-lives-c6e4c750b0dc6f15d397d598c9bd169f">have questioned the overall legality</a>&nbsp;of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-drug-smuggling-cocaine-coast-guard-caribbean-e10930a4c7e48eeb23816867e7987bcc">over land from Mexico</a>, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

The boat strikes also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-venezuela-boat-strikes-trump-6eaa178757a39803f0d4b5324dd43c1f">drew intense criticism</a>&nbsp;following the revelation that the military killed survivors of the very first boat attack with a follow-up strike. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers said it was legal and necessary, while Democratic lawmakers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-survivors-hegseth-72b0a498ca08615b2589c772a1d9e642">legal experts said</a>&nbsp;the killings were murder, if not a war crime.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said it killed six men Sunday in a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean as part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-venezuela-drug-cartels-military-timeline-91e242e5c56eec39b6b7d72bf55dbd2d">Trump administration’s campaign</a>&nbsp;against alleged traffickers.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On March 8, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SOUTHCOM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SOUTHCOM</a> commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known… <a href="https://t.co/hIXMDeDKK5">pic.twitter.com/hIXMDeDKK5</a>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2030800534052196608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Sunday's attack brought the death toll to at least 157 people since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in small vessels in early September.As with most of the military’s statements on the more than 40 known strikes in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. It posted a video on X that showed a small boat being blown up as it floated on the water.President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-drugs-venezuela-911-hegseth-3db3aafed492556bb9ca7de855c4849e">justified the attacks</a>&nbsp;as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”In a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-latin-america-china-d1cbf9af62f10e0644770f2e2b2bd791">meeting with Latin American leaders</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, Trump encouraged them to join the U.S. in taking military action against drug-trafficking cartels and transnational gangs, which he said pose an “unacceptable threat” to the region's national security.To that end, Ecuador and the United States conducted military operations this past week against organized crime groups in the South American country.With Saturday's gathering, Trump aimed to demonstrate that he remains committed to focusing U.S. foreign policy on the Western Hemisphere, even while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-us-march-8-2026-f0b20dbffaea9351ae1e54183ffe53ff">waging a war</a>&nbsp;on Iran that has had repercussions across the Middle East.Critics&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-drugs-25000-lives-c6e4c750b0dc6f15d397d598c9bd169f">have questioned the overall legality</a>&nbsp;of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is typically trafficked to the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-drug-smuggling-cocaine-coast-guard-caribbean-e10930a4c7e48eeb23816867e7987bcc">over land from Mexico</a>, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.The boat strikes also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-venezuela-boat-strikes-trump-6eaa178757a39803f0d4b5324dd43c1f">drew intense criticism</a>&nbsp;following the revelation that the military killed survivors of the very first boat attack with a follow-up strike. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers said it was legal and necessary, while Democratic lawmakers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-survivors-hegseth-72b0a498ca08615b2589c772a1d9e642">legal experts said</a>&nbsp;the killings were murder, if not a war crime.