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

State law enables complaint-based and scheduled annual inspections

TOPEKA — The acting child advocate for Kansas recommended Wednesday that lawmakers mandate annual unannounced inspection of residential facilities serving children in the state’s welfare system.

Surprise assessments of congregate care settings, including group homes and treatment facilities, would be in addition to a yearly scheduled inspection and complaint-based inspections authorized by the state.

“Are you saying there are currently no unannounced inspections of these facilities right now?” said Sen. Adam Thomas, an Olathe Republican on the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.

Kerri Lonard, acting child advocate for the state of Kansas, told the Senate committee there was no statutory requirement in Kansas for unannounced inspections for benefit of children in the welfare system.

Her recommendation was included in a series of proposals prepared for consideration during the 2025 legislative session.

Lonard urged lawmakers to consider altering the definition of “neglect” in relation to children to make certain a parent or guardian’s level of poverty wasn’t a determinant in child-welfare assessments. She also suggested the Legislature change the frequency of court hearings on a child permanency from 12 months to nine months.

She recommended the state authorize issuance of a best-practices handbook for benefit of attorneys working on behalf of children and their families.

Lawmakers could consider a child-welfare certification program for employees and contract staff at the Kansas Department for Children and Families or DCF, she said.

In addition, she said, the state ought to study the possibility of creating bed space for youth in detoxification facilities and expanding availability of substance abuse and behavioral health services for youth.

Kansas could work toward better collaboration among DCF and law enforcement agencies when making decisions on removal of children from the home, placing children in police protective custody and when resolving placement decisions, she said.

“There is a lot of interplay around prevention and then those services that may or may not be available when they enter the system,” Lonard said.

Lonard said reforms adopted by the 2024 Legislature, including a provision in state law creating the neutral and independent office of child advocate, were proving beneficial. Originally, the office was established by an executive order issued by Gov. Laura Kelly.

Lonard said it was important the Legislature granted the child advocate access to court records of foster care cases.

“We find we are utilizing that system quite often to really get a better understanding of what’s going on — where the case is at procedurally,” Lonard said.

In the office’s annual report, Lonard said there were 235 formal complaints filed in 2024 regarding the welfare of 377 children. She said investigations supported allegations in 68 cases. In 22 instances, allegations were unsupported by the child advocate office but recommendations were issued on unrelated concerns. There were 42 cases in which the complaint was unsupported and no recommendation was made for correction action.

She said most complaints were about DCF or foster care case managers, but others involved judges, attorneys, state agencies, KanCare contractors and mental health providers. There were 72 complaints last year about state agency bias, conflict of interest or unprofessionalism. There were 88 complaints filed in 2024 regarding family separation and reunification.

From 2017 to 2021, the Legislature was unable to reach consensus on a way to amend state law to make permanent the office of child advocate. In 2021, Kelly signed an executive order launching the administrative office.

Some legislators were hesitant to make the office part of state statute unless it was placed under control of a Republican attorney general rather than Democratic governor.

In the 2024 session, the compromise bill passed 117-3 in the House and 36-3 in the Senate. The leader of child advocate office is subject to appointment by the governor and Senate confirmation. The confirmed director of the office would serve a five-year term.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737665979713.png" alt=" Kerrie Lonard, acting director of the Kansas office of child advocate, asked members of the Kansas Senate to support legislation requiring annual unannounced inspection of residential facilities serving children and their families. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kerrie Lonard, acting director of the Kansas office of child advocate, asked members of the Kansas Senate to support legislation requiring annual unannounced inspection of residential facilities serving children and their families. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>State law enables complaint-based and scheduled annual inspections</h2>TOPEKA — The acting child advocate for Kansas recommended Wednesday that lawmakers mandate annual unannounced inspection of residential facilities serving children in the state’s welfare system.Surprise assessments of congregate care settings, including group homes and treatment facilities, would be in addition to a yearly scheduled inspection and complaint-based inspections authorized by the state.“Are you saying there are currently no unannounced inspections of these facilities right now?” said Sen. Adam Thomas, an Olathe Republican on the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee.Kerri Lonard, acting child advocate for the state of Kansas, told the Senate committee there was no statutory requirement in Kansas for unannounced inspections for benefit of children in the welfare system.Her recommendation was included in a series of proposals prepared for consideration during the 2025 legislative session.Lonard urged lawmakers to consider altering the definition of “neglect” in relation to children to make certain a parent or guardian’s level of poverty wasn’t a determinant in child-welfare assessments. She also suggested the Legislature change the frequency of court hearings on a child permanency from 12 months to nine months.She recommended the state authorize issuance of a best-practices handbook for benefit of attorneys working on behalf of children and their families.Lawmakers could consider a child-welfare certification program for employees and contract staff at the Kansas Department for Children and Families or DCF, she said.In addition, she said, the state ought to study the possibility of creating bed space for youth in detoxification facilities and expanding availability of substance abuse and behavioral health services for youth.Kansas could work toward better collaboration among DCF and law enforcement agencies when making decisions on removal of children from the home, placing children in police protective custody and when resolving placement decisions, she said.“There is a lot of interplay around prevention and then those services that may or may not be available when they enter the system,” Lonard said.Lonard said reforms adopted by the 2024 Legislature, including a provision in state law creating the neutral and independent office of child advocate, were proving beneficial. Originally, the office was established by an executive order issued by Gov. Laura Kelly.Lonard said it was important the Legislature granted the child advocate access to court records of foster care cases.“We find we are utilizing that system quite often to really get a better understanding of what’s going on — where the case is at procedurally,” Lonard said.In the office’s annual report, Lonard said there were 235 formal complaints filed in 2024 regarding the welfare of 377 children. She said investigations supported allegations in 68 cases. In 22 instances, allegations were unsupported by the child advocate office but recommendations were issued on unrelated concerns. There were 42 cases in which the complaint was unsupported and no recommendation was made for correction action.She said most complaints were about DCF or foster care case managers, but others involved judges, attorneys, state agencies, KanCare contractors and mental health providers. There were 72 complaints last year about state agency bias, conflict of interest or unprofessionalism. There were 88 complaints filed in 2024 regarding family separation and reunification.From 2017 to 2021, the Legislature was unable to reach consensus on a way to amend state law to make permanent the office of child advocate. In 2021, Kelly signed an executive order launching the administrative office.Some legislators were hesitant to make the office part of state statute unless it was placed under control of a Republican attorney general rather than Democratic governor.In the 2024 session, the compromise bill passed 117-3 in the House and 36-3 in the Senate. The leader of child advocate office is subject to appointment by the governor and Senate confirmation. The confirmed director of the office would serve a five-year term.

Kansas’ child advocate wants to require unannounced inspection of residential facilities

WASHINGTON —A Capitol Police officer has been suspended after a man with a gun was able to get past a security check at the Capitol Visitor Center.

“On Tuesday, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) received a lookout for a man with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area, according to a media release.

Just after 1p.m. Capitol Police officers spotted the man’s car on First Street, near East Capitol Street, NE. Officers conducted a canvass of the area and discovered that the man had recently entered the Capitol Visitor Center&nbsp; and taken a Capitol tour.

At 2:15 p.m., the man identified as 27-year-old James A. Faber of Massachusetts, was found leaving the Library of Congress, after the tour, and walking towards his car. He was stopped, searched, and arrested. 

Officers discovered a small 9mm handgun concealed in his waistband. 

Faber is being held on requested charges of Unlawful Activities, Carrying a Pistol Without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Resisting Arrest. 

The case is currently with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

USCP security video shows Faber entered through the south Capitol Visitors Center checkpoint. After the magnetometers sounded, an officer performed a secondary hand search, and Faber was let into the building.&nbsp; The officer is suspended while the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative investigation into the officer’s performance of that search. 

At this time, there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress. Nobody was hurt. The USCP demands the highest standards when it comes to screening visitors, so a full review of this incident has already been ordered, as well as mandatory refresher training on security screening, so this never happens again.”

WASHINGTON —A Capitol Police officer has been suspended after a man with a gun was able to get past a security check at the Capitol Visitor Center.“On Tuesday, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) received a lookout for a man with reported mental health issues and suicidal thoughts who was believed to be armed and in the area, according to a media release.Just after 1p.m. Capitol Police officers spotted the man’s car on First Street, near East Capitol Street, NE. Officers conducted a canvass of the area and discovered that the man had recently entered the Capitol Visitor Center&nbsp; and taken a Capitol tour.At 2:15 p.m., the man identified as 27-year-old James A. Faber of Massachusetts, was found leaving the Library of Congress, after the tour, and walking towards his car. He was stopped, searched, and arrested. Officers discovered a small 9mm handgun concealed in his waistband. Faber is being held on requested charges of Unlawful Activities, Carrying a Pistol Without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, Unlawful Possession of Ammunition, and Resisting Arrest. The case is currently with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. USCP security video shows Faber entered through the south Capitol Visitors Center checkpoint. After the magnetometers sounded, an officer performed a secondary hand search, and Faber was let into the building.&nbsp; The officer is suspended while the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an administrative investigation into the officer’s performance of that search. At this time, there is no indication that the man was coming to harm the Congress. Nobody was hurt. The USCP demands the highest standards when it comes to screening visitors, so a full review of this incident has already been ordered, as well as mandatory refresher training on security screening, so this never happens again.”

Man with a loaded gun got past security at U.S. Capitol

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Wyandotte County have identified the victim as 40-year-old&nbsp;James Adam Jackson.

Just after 2:30a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of S. Valley Street, in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.

First responders discovered Jackson inside a residence, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased on scene. 

This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit.&nbsp; This is the first homicide reported in Kansas City, Kansas in 2025. There were 22 reported in 2024, according to police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737559024633.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Wyandotte County have identified the victim as 40-year-old&nbsp;James Adam Jackson.Just after 2:30a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1600 block of S. Valley Street, in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.First responders discovered Jackson inside a residence, the victim of apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased on scene. This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit.&nbsp; This is the first homicide reported in Kansas City, Kansas in 2025. There were 22 reported in 2024, according to police.

Police ID 40-year-old homicide victim found in Kansas home

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Police in Wichita issued an alert Thursday of an uptick in fake $100 bills being used to purchase merchandise. The $100 d bills are very close in size and design, however, on the front of the bill where “The United States of America” is printed, these bills have “For Motion Picture Purposes” or “Movie Money” printed. 

If your business receives or someone attempts to use this fake money, report the incident to law enforcement immediately.  You can make a report by calling 911, or by calling the Wichita Police Case Desk at 316-268-4221.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737683056596.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Police in Wichita issued an alert Thursday of an uptick in fake $100 bills being used to purchase merchandise. The $100 d bills are very close in size and design, however, on the front of the bill where “The United States of America” is printed, these bills have “For Motion Picture Purposes” or “Movie Money” printed. If your business receives or someone attempts to use this fake money, report the incident to law enforcement immediately. You can make a report by calling 911, or by calling the Wichita Police Case Desk at 316-268-4221.

Police issue alert for use of fake $100 bills used in Kansas

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —Kansas U.S. Senators&nbsp; Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall on Thursday questioned Brooke Rollins, President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of Agriculture, during a Senate Committee on Agriculture hearing.

“It has been described here the dangerous and dramatic circumstances that farmers and ranchers find themselves in across the country – it is certainly true in Kansas,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran. “We have the same difficulties that everybody else has across the country with high input costs and low commodity prices, but I would add that almost 80 percent of the counties in Kansas are in a drought, and so you add to those problems that we can’t grow a crop.”

Sen. Moran raised the importance of quickly administering the disaster and economic assistance passed by Congress in December and emphasized the need for transparency on how the assistance will be distributed so famers will be in a better position to financially plan for the planting season.&nbsp;

Sen. Moran also highlighted to Mrs. Rollins the importance of passing a new Farm Bill, the need to have USDA employees in office, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/1/sen-moran-leads-colleagues-in-reintroducing-farm-to-fly-act-to-expand-use-of-biofuels-for-aviation?trk=feed-detail_main-feed-card_feed-article-content">Farm to Fly Act</a>,&nbsp;the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, and important research at land-grant universities across the United States.

&nbsp;Senator Marshall discussed Brooke’s life-long passion for agriculture and her extensive professional experience in the White House and domestic policy. Having grown up on a farm in a small town, Brooke’s love for agriculture started at a young age, participating in Future Farmers of America, 4H, and earning her agriculture degree from Texas A&amp;M. Brooke shared her heart for America’s farmers and ranchers, and her commitment to defending our food producers and rural Americans’ way of life.&nbsp;

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —Kansas U.S. Senators&nbsp; Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall on Thursday questioned Brooke Rollins, President Trump’s nominee to be the Secretary of Agriculture, during a Senate Committee on Agriculture hearing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH: Agriculture Secretary Nominee Brooke Rollins Opening Statement <a href="https://t.co/HaKyWnGYHm">pic.twitter.com/HaKyWnGYHm</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1882467774548885802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“It has been described here the dangerous and dramatic circumstances that farmers and ranchers find themselves in across the country – it is certainly true in Kansas,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran. “We have the same difficulties that everybody else has across the country with high input costs and low commodity prices, but I would add that almost 80 percent of the counties in Kansas are in a drought, and so you add to those problems that we can’t grow a crop.”<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xz76gRRkX9M?si=eDO-2iLm8QpRv8vT&amp;start=1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Sen. Moran raised the importance of quickly administering the disaster and economic assistance passed by Congress in December and emphasized the need for transparency on how the assistance will be distributed so famers will be in a better position to financially plan for the planting season.&nbsp;Sen. Moran also highlighted to Mrs. Rollins the importance of passing a new Farm Bill, the need to have USDA employees in office, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/1/sen-moran-leads-colleagues-in-reintroducing-farm-to-fly-act-to-expand-use-of-biofuels-for-aviation?trk=feed-detail_main-feed-card_feed-article-content">Farm to Fly Act</a>,&nbsp;the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas, and important research at land-grant universities across the United States.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YARqFl2aoj8?si=42W7vARxUQfzhQGM&amp;start=2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>&nbsp;Senator Marshall discussed Brooke’s life-long passion for agriculture and her extensive professional experience in the White House and domestic policy. Having grown up on a farm in a small town, Brooke’s love for agriculture started at a young age, participating in Future Farmers of America, 4H, and earning her agriculture degree from Texas A&amp;M. Brooke shared her heart for America’s farmers and ranchers, and her commitment to defending our food producers and rural Americans’ way of life.&nbsp;

🎥Kan. U.S. Senators quiz Ag Secretary nominee during confirmation hearing

GRAHAM COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after noon Thursday in Graham County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Nissan Frontier driven by Jeremiah Lacey Bell, 41, Hill City, was westbound on U.S. 24 five and one half miles west of Hill City.&nbsp;

The pickup traveled into the eastbound lane. The pickup and an eastbound 2018 Peterbilt 389 driven by Gregory Chad&nbsp;Burger, 54, Kensington, collided in the eastbound lanes.

Both drivers were pronounced dead and were transported to&nbsp;Stinemetz Funeral Home. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

GRAHAM COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after noon Thursday in Graham County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Nissan Frontier driven by Jeremiah Lacey Bell, 41, Hill City, was westbound on U.S. 24 five and one half miles west of Hill City.&nbsp;The pickup traveled into the eastbound lane. The pickup and an eastbound 2018 Peterbilt 389 driven by Gregory Chad&nbsp;Burger, 54, Kensington, collided in the eastbound lanes.Both drivers were pronounced dead and were transported to&nbsp;Stinemetz Funeral Home. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Two Kansas men dead after after 2-vehicle crash

JOHNSON COUNTY —A former Kansas high school Choir Director accused of sex crimes made a court appearance Friday.

Micah Horton, 35, the former Choir Director at Olathe North High School pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful sexual relations.

After an investigation in March of 2024, Olathe Police arrested Horton. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 28, according to the District Attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710373305440.png" alt="Horton-photo Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Horton-photo Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A former Kansas high school Choir Director accused of sex crimes made a court appearance Friday.Micah Horton, 35, the former Choir Director at Olathe North High School pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful sexual relations.After an investigation in March of 2024, Olathe Police arrested Horton. He is scheduled for sentencing on March 28, according to the District Attorney's office.

Former Kan. school choir director admits to sex crimes with student

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been charged with 14 felonies in connection with a shooting and multi-hour standoff with police at a residence around East 26th Street and Montgall Avenue on January 14, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2485/Afterhours-Complaint-Packet-Coleman">Steve Coleman, 43,&nbsp; faces</a>&nbsp;Assault in the 1st Degree, six counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, two counts of Kidnapping in the 1st Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, two counts of Harassment in the 1st Degree, and Assault in the 3rd Degree.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2486/KC25002340---ColemanSteve---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the residence on a call for help. After officers knocked on the door, they heard a woman screaming and then two gunshots fired inside the residence.&nbsp;

Officers made forcible entry into the residence and the victim was observed lying on the ground with a gunshot injury to the face. She was transported from the scene by EMS. She sustained a non-survivable injury to the head and is not expected to survive without life support.&nbsp;

The scene turned into a standoff with the defendant and KCPD negotiators responded to the scene and communicated with the defendant by phone. The defendant surrendered&nbsp; without incident. A second victim in the residence with non-life-threatening injuries and several other innocent unrelated parties in the apartment building were also safely evacuated.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737147850081.png" alt="Coleman-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Coleman-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been charged with 14 felonies in connection with a shooting and multi-hour standoff with police at a residence around East 26th Street and Montgall Avenue on January 14, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2485/Afterhours-Complaint-Packet-Coleman">Steve Coleman, 43,&nbsp; faces</a>&nbsp;Assault in the 1st Degree, six counts of Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, two counts of Kidnapping in the 1st Degree, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, two counts of Harassment in the 1st Degree, and Assault in the 3rd Degree.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2486/KC25002340---ColemanSteve---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the residence on a call for help. After officers knocked on the door, they heard a woman screaming and then two gunshots fired inside the residence.&nbsp;Officers made forcible entry into the residence and the victim was observed lying on the ground with a gunshot injury to the face. She was transported from the scene by EMS. She sustained a non-survivable injury to the head and is not expected to survive without life support.&nbsp;The scene turned into a standoff with the defendant and KCPD negotiators responded to the scene and communicated with the defendant by phone. The defendant surrendered&nbsp; without incident. A second victim in the residence with non-life-threatening injuries and several other innocent unrelated parties in the apartment building were also safely evacuated.Coleman is being held on no bond.&nbsp;

Kansas City man accused of shooting woman in the face

DALLAS (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered the release of thousands of classified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-documents-release-trump-50ea62770b13f0ffc11ca18dde03500d">governmental documents</a>&nbsp;about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-51224feebb8742a8a4e604da845c7fa8">1963 assassination</a>&nbsp;of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jfk-assassination">John F. Kennedy</a>, which has fueled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e45a1408a8274447bdba8dc34b93bfa1">conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;for decades.

The executive order Trump signed Thursday also aims to declassify the remaining federal records relating to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/martin-luther-king-jr">Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.</a>&nbsp;The order is among a flurry of executive actions Trump has quickly taken the first week of his second term.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “everything will be revealed.”

Trump had promised&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45">during his reelection campaign</a>&nbsp;to make public the last batches of still-classified documents surrounding President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-film-auction-2a0212ac4589128f57ea1356f04e2c21">transfixed people</a>&nbsp;for decades. Trump made a similar pledge during his first term,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-general-news-3814a426ab4c4295abb014bfb48da4d2">but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to withhold some documents</a>.

Trump has nominated Kennedy’s nephew,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-f-kennedy-jr-rfk-things-to-know-explained-who-is-hhs-5288a4a7277d1a0b4a7ede8f57a971ce">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, to be the health secretary in his new administration. Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. The younger Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6e3b67150add418da998318039b3a1f6">has said he isn’t convinced</a>&nbsp;that a lone gunman was solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President Kennedy, in 1963.

The order directs the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to develop a plan within 15 days to release the remaining John F. Kennedy records, and within 45 days for the other two cases. It was not clear when the records would actually be released.

Trump handed the pen used to sign the order to an aide and directed it to be given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination of President Kennedy have yet to be fully declassified. And while many who have studied what's been released so far say the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations, there is still an intense interest in details related to the assassination and the events surrounding it.

“There’s always the possibility that something would slip through that would be the tiny tip of a much larger iceberg that would be revealing," said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of “The Kennedy Half-Century.” “That’s what researchers look for. Now, odds are you won’t find that but it is possible that it’s there.”

Kennedy was fatally shot in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-298388ef0d6e41d98a47c70c86c64788">downtown Dallas</a>&nbsp;on Nov. 22, 1963, as his motorcade passed in front of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/travel-and-tourism-e9f33c5e647d45149c1738d64ea0e3c5">Texas School Book Depository building,</a>&nbsp;where 24-year-old assassin&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c7cb2904bd954273a42c9cce1458fe42">Lee Harvey Oswald</a>&nbsp;had positioned himself from a sniper’s perch on the sixth floor. Two days after Kennedy was killed, nightclub owner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/national-national-general-news-808c313725d849fd884794fe49b6fd39">Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer</a>.

In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of over 5 million records was required to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c50d6fd107534341b9fa47b9014801ab">opened by 2017,</a>&nbsp;barring any exemptions designated by the president.

The order notes that although no congressional act directs the release of information on the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy or King, those governmental records being made public “is also in the public interest.”

During his first term, Trump boasted that he’d allow the release of all of the remaining records on the president's assassination but ended up holding some back because of what he called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/trump-boasted-hed-open-all-jfk-files-but-now-says-he-cant-2f48d57f9ee045d98eb784d2295288ef">potential harm to national security.</a>&nbsp;And while files have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-statutes-assassinations-lee-harvey-oswald-5b50bdcd246d228828b24f584ccad3ab">continued to be released</a>&nbsp;under President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, some still remain unseen.

Sabato, who trains student researchers to comb through the documents, said that most researchers agree that “roughly” 3,000 records have not yet been released, either in whole or in part, and many of those originated with the CIA.

The documents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-77243c0452d743d8ac62d03c253b6057">released over the last several years</a>&nbsp;offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time, and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.

King and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated within two months of each other in 1968.

King was outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, when shots rang out. The civil rights leader, who had been in town to support striking sanitation workers, was set to lead marches and other nonviolent protests there. He died at a hospital less than an hour later.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-memphis-assassinations-db2b9b4c13524f7e8e12c5a5c16164e0">James Earl Ray</a>&nbsp;pleaded guilty to assassinating King. He later though renounced that plea and maintained his innocence up until his death.

FBI documents released over the years show how the bureau wiretapped King's telephone lines, bugged his hotel rooms and used informants to get information against him. The agency’s conduct was the subject of the recent documentary film, “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/martin-luther-king-jr-d616aad776447a74f2c7367564f9cff4">MLK/FBI</a>."

Robert F. Kennedy, then a New York senator, was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after giving his victory speech for winning California’s Democratic presidential primary. His assassin,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sirhan-sirhan">Sirhan Sirhan</a>, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving life in prison.

There are still some documents in the JFK collection though that researchers don’t believe the president will be able to release. Around 500 documents, including tax returns, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement. And, researchers note, documents have also been destroyed over the decades.

Associated Press writer Terry Tang contributed to this report from Phoenix.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700660678254.png" alt="FILE - In this Nov. 22, 1963 file photo, President John F. Kennedy waves from his car in a motorcade approximately one minute before he was shot in Dallas. Riding with Kennedy are First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, right, Nellie Connally, second from left, and her husband, Texas Gov. John Connally, far left. (AP Photo/Jim Altgens, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - In this Nov. 22, 1963 file photo, President John F. Kennedy waves from his car in a motorcade approximately one minute before he was shot in Dallas. Riding with Kennedy are First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, right, Nellie Connally, second from left, and her husband, Texas Gov. John Connally, far left. (AP Photo/Jim Altgens, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>DALLAS (AP) — President Donald Trump has ordered the release of thousands of classified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-documents-release-trump-50ea62770b13f0ffc11ca18dde03500d">governmental documents</a>&nbsp;about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-51224feebb8742a8a4e604da845c7fa8">1963 assassination</a>&nbsp;of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jfk-assassination">John F. Kennedy</a>, which has fueled&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e45a1408a8274447bdba8dc34b93bfa1">conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;for decades.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President Trump signs executive order declassifying files relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. &quot;A lot of people are waiting for this for years. For decades. Everything will be revealed.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LC0qNvQLSr">pic.twitter.com/LC0qNvQLSr</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1882531918480126365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The executive order Trump signed Thursday also aims to declassify the remaining federal records relating to the assassinations of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/martin-luther-king-jr">Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.</a>&nbsp;The order is among a flurry of executive actions Trump has quickly taken the first week of his second term.Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “everything will be revealed.”Trump had promised&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-trump-speech-arizona-a2638f89ddcb5de03edbe4574ca17d45">during his reelection campaign</a>&nbsp;to make public the last batches of still-classified documents surrounding President Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-film-auction-2a0212ac4589128f57ea1356f04e2c21">transfixed people</a>&nbsp;for decades. Trump made a similar pledge during his first term,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-general-news-3814a426ab4c4295abb014bfb48da4d2">but ultimately bent to appeals from the CIA and FBI to withhold some documents</a>.Trump has nominated Kennedy’s nephew,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-f-kennedy-jr-rfk-things-to-know-explained-who-is-hhs-5288a4a7277d1a0b4a7ede8f57a971ce">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, to be the health secretary in his new administration. Kennedy’s father, Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1968 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. The younger Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6e3b67150add418da998318039b3a1f6">has said he isn’t convinced</a>&nbsp;that a lone gunman was solely responsible for the assassination of his uncle, President Kennedy, in 1963.The order directs the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to develop a plan within 15 days to release the remaining John F. Kennedy records, and within 45 days for the other two cases. It was not clear when the records would actually be released.Trump handed the pen used to sign the order to an aide and directed it to be given to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Only a few thousand of the millions of governmental records related to the assassination of President Kennedy have yet to be fully declassified. And while many who have studied what's been released so far say the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations, there is still an intense interest in details related to the assassination and the events surrounding it.“There’s always the possibility that something would slip through that would be the tiny tip of a much larger iceberg that would be revealing," said Larry J. Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of “The Kennedy Half-Century.” “That’s what researchers look for. Now, odds are you won’t find that but it is possible that it’s there.”Kennedy was fatally shot in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-298388ef0d6e41d98a47c70c86c64788">downtown Dallas</a>&nbsp;on Nov. 22, 1963, as his motorcade passed in front of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/travel-and-tourism-e9f33c5e647d45149c1738d64ea0e3c5">Texas School Book Depository building,</a>&nbsp;where 24-year-old assassin&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c7cb2904bd954273a42c9cce1458fe42">Lee Harvey Oswald</a>&nbsp;had positioned himself from a sniper’s perch on the sixth floor. Two days after Kennedy was killed, nightclub owner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/national-national-general-news-808c313725d849fd884794fe49b6fd39">Jack Ruby fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer</a>.In the early 1990s, the federal government mandated that all assassination-related documents be housed in a single collection in the National Archives and Records Administration. The collection of over 5 million records was required to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c50d6fd107534341b9fa47b9014801ab">opened by 2017,</a>&nbsp;barring any exemptions designated by the president.The order notes that although no congressional act directs the release of information on the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy or King, those governmental records being made public “is also in the public interest.”During his first term, Trump boasted that he’d allow the release of all of the remaining records on the president's assassination but ended up holding some back because of what he called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/trump-boasted-hed-open-all-jfk-files-but-now-says-he-cant-2f48d57f9ee045d98eb784d2295288ef">potential harm to national security.</a>&nbsp;And while files have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-statutes-assassinations-lee-harvey-oswald-5b50bdcd246d228828b24f584ccad3ab">continued to be released</a>&nbsp;under President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, some still remain unseen.Sabato, who trains student researchers to comb through the documents, said that most researchers agree that “roughly” 3,000 records have not yet been released, either in whole or in part, and many of those originated with the CIA.The documents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/united-states-government-77243c0452d743d8ac62d03c253b6057">released over the last several years</a>&nbsp;offer details on the way intelligence services operated at the time, and include CIA cables and memos discussing visits by Oswald to the Soviet and Cuban embassies during a trip to Mexico City just weeks before the assassination. The former Marine had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning home to Texas.King and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated within two months of each other in 1968.King was outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, when shots rang out. The civil rights leader, who had been in town to support striking sanitation workers, was set to lead marches and other nonviolent protests there. He died at a hospital less than an hour later.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-memphis-assassinations-db2b9b4c13524f7e8e12c5a5c16164e0">James Earl Ray</a>&nbsp;pleaded guilty to assassinating King. He later though renounced that plea and maintained his innocence up until his death.FBI documents released over the years show how the bureau wiretapped King's telephone lines, bugged his hotel rooms and used informants to get information against him. The agency’s conduct was the subject of the recent documentary film, “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/martin-luther-king-jr-d616aad776447a74f2c7367564f9cff4">MLK/FBI</a>."Robert F. Kennedy, then a New York senator, was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after giving his victory speech for winning California’s Democratic presidential primary. His assassin,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sirhan-sirhan">Sirhan Sirhan</a>, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving life in prison.There are still some documents in the JFK collection though that researchers don’t believe the president will be able to release. Around 500 documents, including tax returns, weren’t subject to the 2017 disclosure requirement. And, researchers note, documents have also been destroyed over the decades.___Associated Press writer Terry Tang contributed to this report from Phoenix.--------------

🎥Trump orders declassification of records on JFK assassination 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are looking for help to find a vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run that occurred just before 11p.m. Monday in Kansas City.&nbsp;

The vehicle is described as a White 1994 Chevrolet Blazer K1500 2-door Lic# Kansas 883PVD, the VIN: 1GNEK18K4RJ445402. The vehicle has a front grill with a GMC emblem.

The SUV struck a pedestrian who was crossing the street on the crosswalk from the North to the South at Truman Road and Bennington in Kansas City, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

The SUV then left the scene. EMS transported the victim to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737666655781.png" alt="Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are looking for help to find a vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run that occurred just before 11p.m. Monday in Kansas City.&nbsp;The vehicle is described as a White 1994 Chevrolet Blazer K1500 2-door Lic# Kansas 883PVD, the VIN: 1GNEK18K4RJ445402. The vehicle has a front grill with a GMC emblem.The SUV struck a pedestrian who was crossing the street on the crosswalk from the North to the South at Truman Road and Bennington in Kansas City, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.The SUV then left the scene. EMS transported the victim to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

KCPD looking for SUV involved in fatal hit-and-run

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Diocese of Washington, said Wednesday that she will continue to pray for President Donald Trump, hours after he lashed out at her over a sermon.

“I don’t consider him an enemy,” Budde told The Associated Press.

“I believe we can disagree respectfully and put our ideas out there and continue to stand for the convictions we’ve been given without resorting to violence of speech.”

Budde made a direct appeal to Trump during a post-Inauguration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inaugural-prayer-service-washington-national-cathedral-interfaith-a95b36f962be93c8647cc5144266da11">prayer service</a>&nbsp;he attended on Tuesday, asking him to show mercy to members of the LGBTQ+ community and migrants who are in the country illegally.

Trump called Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” on his Truth Social site on Wednesday.

“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!” he posted after midnight. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”

Referencing Trump’s belief that he was saved by God from assassination, Budde preached, “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”

As the president looked on, Budde said, "There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”

She preached that the “vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” but “good neighbors” and “faithful members” of religious communities.

The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">transgender rights</a>&nbsp;and toughening&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportation-immigration-homan-asylum-inauguration-ac10480dc636b758ab3c435b974aeb19">immigration policies</a>.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance looked visibly disgruntled at times as they sat in the front pew with their wives. Vance raised his eyebrows and said something to second lady Usha Vance, who stared straight ahead.

At the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “I didn’t think it was a good service.” Later, on Truth Social, he criticized Budde for failing to mention crimes committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

Budde knew last summer that the subject of her inaugural sermon would be unity after a “divisive election season.”

As she watched the Inauguration the day before she was set to preach, she noted that the prayers from Trump-supporting clergy were “coming at things from a pretty different perspective” than her.

“The Episcopal Church is not a large church, but we do have a what I would call a very generous view of God and a view of human beings,” she said. “And I wanted to make sure that people knew that also is a way to interpret the world through the lens of faith.”

She thought phrasing her words to the president as a plea for mercy “was a very gentle way to do it because I was acknowledging his authority and his power.”

“I guess I had that wrong,” she said.

The strong reactions to Budde’s sermon largely fell along predictable political and religious lines. Progressive people of faith found in her an inspiring example of “speaking truth to power.” Some conservative religious voices found her plea confrontational and disrespectful. Others took issue with a woman in a powerful church leadership role, which their traditions reserve for men.

National spokespeople for the Episcopal Church said Budde is “a valued and trusted pastor” and colleague. “We stand by Bishop Budde and her appeal for the Christian values of mercy and compassion.”

Progressive Christian activist and author Shane Claiborne wrote of Budde on X: “This is what it looks like to speak the truth in love.”

Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, in contrast, posted on X alongside a video of Budde preaching: “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”

Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas, a prominent Trump supporter, was at the service and posted on X that Budde “insulted rather than encouraged our great president” and “there was palpable disgust in the audience with her words.”

Budde felt some of that pushback when she processed down the aisle of the cathedral after the service. The president did not acknowledge her when she passed.

“I try to make eye contact with people and to smile, and not a lot of smiles came back to me,” she said.

The bishop is mostly staying off social media. The vitriol of some of her critics was “the very thing” she was wanting to avoid with her sermon’s message of unity.

“I was hoping to address that culture of contempt in a way that said we could have a different kind of conversation with each other,” the softspoken cleric said.

Most notably, she said she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-mn-state-wire-politics-09f54acd0aadf861ea3aadc5b79c0fd8">“outraged”</a>&nbsp;in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.

The Episcopal Church and its Anglican predecessor have long been a mainstay of American political power. It claimed more signers of the Declaration of Independence than any other denomination. Its reach has dwindled along with many mainline Protestant denominations in recent decades as more Americans no longer identify as religious.

The Episcopal Church continues to host high-profile events at its National Cathedral in Washington, including many inaugural prayer services and the recent funeral of former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-carter-state-funeral-joe-biden-donald-trump-df391a578d6b4627ad500f5df03ac1ff">Jimmy Carter</a>.

Budde is the first woman to lead the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, a position she has held since 2011.

“I’m a mom. I’m a grandmother. I really care about the people in our communities,” Budde said.

“We’re far more alike with each other than we realize. And if we if we just take the time to know one another and know each other’s stories, we tend to soften.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of the Diocese of Washington, said Wednesday that she will continue to pray for President Donald Trump, hours after he lashed out at her over a sermon.“I don’t consider him an enemy,” Budde told The Associated Press.“I believe we can disagree respectfully and put our ideas out there and continue to stand for the convictions we’ve been given without resorting to violence of speech.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde: &quot;The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors...may I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iXaHJrPsof">pic.twitter.com/iXaHJrPsof</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1881761682944397728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Budde made a direct appeal to Trump during a post-Inauguration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inaugural-prayer-service-washington-national-cathedral-interfaith-a95b36f962be93c8647cc5144266da11">prayer service</a>&nbsp;he attended on Tuesday, asking him to show mercy to members of the LGBTQ+ community and migrants who are in the country illegally.Trump called Budde a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater” on his Truth Social site on Wednesday.“Apart from her inappropriate statements, the service was a very boring and uninspiring one. She is not very good at her job!” he posted after midnight. “She and her church owe the public an apology!”Referencing Trump’s belief that he was saved by God from assassination, Budde preached, “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.”As the president looked on, Budde said, "There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”She preached that the “vast majority of immigrants are not criminals,” but “good neighbors” and “faithful members” of religious communities.The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">transgender rights</a>&nbsp;and toughening&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportation-immigration-homan-asylum-inauguration-ac10480dc636b758ab3c435b974aeb19">immigration policies</a>.Trump and Vice President JD Vance looked visibly disgruntled at times as they sat in the front pew with their wives. Vance raised his eyebrows and said something to second lady Usha Vance, who stared straight ahead.At the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “I didn’t think it was a good service.” Later, on Truth Social, he criticized Budde for failing to mention crimes committed by immigrants in the U.S. illegally.Budde knew last summer that the subject of her inaugural sermon would be unity after a “divisive election season.”As she watched the Inauguration the day before she was set to preach, she noted that the prayers from Trump-supporting clergy were “coming at things from a pretty different perspective” than her.“The Episcopal Church is not a large church, but we do have a what I would call a very generous view of God and a view of human beings,” she said. “And I wanted to make sure that people knew that also is a way to interpret the world through the lens of faith.”She thought phrasing her words to the president as a plea for mercy “was a very gentle way to do it because I was acknowledging his authority and his power.”“I guess I had that wrong,” she said.The strong reactions to Budde’s sermon largely fell along predictable political and religious lines. Progressive people of faith found in her an inspiring example of “speaking truth to power.” Some conservative religious voices found her plea confrontational and disrespectful. Others took issue with a woman in a powerful church leadership role, which their traditions reserve for men.National spokespeople for the Episcopal Church said Budde is “a valued and trusted pastor” and colleague. “We stand by Bishop Budde and her appeal for the Christian values of mercy and compassion.”Progressive Christian activist and author Shane Claiborne wrote of Budde on X: “This is what it looks like to speak the truth in love.”Republican Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, in contrast, posted on X alongside a video of Budde preaching: “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas, a prominent Trump supporter, was at the service and posted on X that Budde “insulted rather than encouraged our great president” and “there was palpable disgust in the audience with her words.”Budde felt some of that pushback when she processed down the aisle of the cathedral after the service. The president did not acknowledge her when she passed.“I try to make eye contact with people and to smile, and not a lot of smiles came back to me,” she said.The bishop is mostly staying off social media. The vitriol of some of her critics was “the very thing” she was wanting to avoid with her sermon’s message of unity.“I was hoping to address that culture of contempt in a way that said we could have a different kind of conversation with each other,” the softspoken cleric said.Budde has criticized Trump in the past.Most notably, she said she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-mn-state-wire-politics-09f54acd0aadf861ea3aadc5b79c0fd8">“outraged”</a>&nbsp;in 2020 after Trump staged an appearance in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, which is near the White House. He held up a Bible after the area had been cleared of peaceful protesters.The Episcopal Church and its Anglican predecessor have long been a mainstay of American political power. It claimed more signers of the Declaration of Independence than any other denomination. Its reach has dwindled along with many mainline Protestant denominations in recent decades as more Americans no longer identify as religious.The Episcopal Church continues to host high-profile events at its National Cathedral in Washington, including many inaugural prayer services and the recent funeral of former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-carter-state-funeral-joe-biden-donald-trump-df391a578d6b4627ad500f5df03ac1ff">Jimmy Carter</a>.Budde is the first woman to lead the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, a position she has held since 2011.“I’m a mom. I’m a grandmother. I really care about the people in our communities,” Budde said.“We’re far more alike with each other than we realize. And if we if we just take the time to know one another and know each other’s stories, we tend to soften.”___

Bishop who pleaded with President Trump: I don't consider him an enemy 

Disagreement centers on plan for testing Wichta residents for traces of a carcinogen

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

TOPEKA — A Kansas House member was shoved to the floor at a Topeka bar during an argument between a Wichita City Council member and a Democratic state representative from Wichita who disagreed about plans to test Wichita residents potentially harmed by a toxic chemical spill in a historically Black neighborhood.

Rep. Henry Helgerson, an Eastborough Democrat attending an informal gathering adjacent to the Capitol, was knocked backward while attempting to intervene in the Wednesday night dispute between Democratic Rep. Ford Carr of Wichita and Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson.

Video of the disturbance showed Helgerson smashing into a table and breaking glassware after shoved by Carr. Helgerson was helped to his feet by two people. Helgerson again tried to restrain Carr, who continued the back-and-forth argument with Johnson at the reception for Wichita-area politicians.

“Ain’t nobody scared of your punk a**,” Johnson shouted in a two-minute video clip widely shared at the Statehouse.

“Bring it on,” replied Carr, still wearing his identification badge as a state legislator.

“No. No. No,” Helgerson said, while temporarily moving Carr away from Johnson. “You don’t want to hurt me, do you?”

At one point, Carr threw his suit jacket to the floor in anger. Several people went in and out of view on the video as they attempted to end the spat or stay clear of the primary combatants. Johnson eventually left the bar amid more shouting.

In an interview, Johnson said he was at the Celtic Fox, a bar across the street from the Statehouse in Topeka, when Carr confronted him about handling $2.5 million set aside by the 2024 Kansas Legislature and $125,000 allocated by City Hall to begin a testing program to learn more about extent of chemical contamination in a northeast Wichita neighborhood.

A chemical spill in the Union Pacific railyard decades ago apparently allowed cancer-causing trichloroethylene, or TCE, to infiltrate groundwater and spread for several miles. Wichita residents in path of the spill weren’t informed of possible health complications until 2022.

Johnson said he was eager to focus on important work of addressing health ramifications of the spill in Wichita. He said he was less interested in debating the bar feud.

“That event will be properly investigated. And the video and those present can speak to the specifics of what happened and by whom,” Johnson said. “I don’t want that incident to in any way distract from the genuine, positive efforts and progress we’re making for residents to address the vitally needed testing and remediation at the 29th and Grove neighborhoods.”

Carr, who advocated for state funding for testing during last year’s legislative session, said municipal government officials in Wichita hadn’t moved quickly enough to advance the initiative.

He said the Wichita City Council and Sedgwick County Commission should have launched testing months ago. The required $1 million local match has yet to be secured, but the city and county appear to have found consensus on how to proceed.

Carr said the animated conversation at the bar was inspired by concern the state appropriation could be rescinded if the cash wasn’t spent before the fiscal year ended in June.

“They wanted me to give them an attaboy or a pat on the back for having this plan,” Carr said in an interview. “I told them I’m appreciative that they came up with a plan, but I’m not going to stand up and rejoice a plan that took eight months to develop. At that point, Brandon Johnson took it personally.”

Carr said he hadn’t consumed an intoxicating beverage, but indicated Johnson appeared to be drinking a dark ale.

“I’m not going to say he was inebriated. I’m just going to say that’s what he was drinking,” Carr said. “His voice began to get elevated. And, after his voice elevated, he made a physical gesture, put his finger in my face, and at that point I stood upright, so then he equally stands.”

Carr said he interpreted Johnson’s gesture at the bar as a threat.

“And I’ve always been the kind of person that you can start that trouble — I know how to finish it,” Carr said.

He said he didn’t realize in the moment that it was Helgerson who attempted to intervene. He said he regretted shoving Helgerson hard enough that he fell to the floor. He referred to Helgerson as a friend.

“I pushed Henry out of the way. Apparently, in the heat of passion, I’m a little stronger than I thought,” Carr said. “I can’t say that I regret moving him out of the way, but I just regret that he lost his balance and fell. It was never intended to be any harm to Rep. Helgerson.”

Helgerson, who was at the Capitol on Thursday, wasn’t available to comment on the incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737668512257.png" alt=" Wichita Rep. Ford Carr, left, was involved in an argument and fracas with a Wichita City Council member — captured on video — about handling of testing Wichita residents possibly harmed by a decades-old chemical spill. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Wichita Rep. Ford Carr, left, was involved in an argument and fracas with a Wichita City Council member — captured on video — about handling of testing Wichita residents possibly harmed by a decades-old chemical spill. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Disagreement centers on plan for testing Wichta residents for traces of a carcinogen</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/03/kansas-state-garden-city-cc-striving-to-shrink-bachelors-degree-educational-desert/?emci=8e6f56cf-3bca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;emdi=a9416bb1-82ca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a> TOPEKA — A Kansas House member was shoved to the floor at a Topeka bar during an argument between a Wichita City Council member and a Democratic state representative from Wichita who disagreed about plans to test Wichita residents potentially harmed by a toxic chemical spill in a historically Black neighborhood.Rep. Henry Helgerson, an Eastborough Democrat attending an informal gathering adjacent to the Capitol, was knocked backward while attempting to intervene in the Wednesday night dispute between Democratic Rep. Ford Carr of Wichita and Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson.Video of the disturbance showed Helgerson smashing into a table and breaking glassware after shoved by Carr. Helgerson was helped to his feet by two people. Helgerson again tried to restrain Carr, who continued the back-and-forth argument with Johnson at the reception for Wichita-area politicians.“Ain’t nobody scared of your punk a**,” Johnson shouted in a two-minute video clip widely shared at the Statehouse.“Bring it on,” replied Carr, still wearing his identification badge as a state legislator.“No. No. No,” Helgerson said, while temporarily moving Carr away from Johnson. “You don’t want to hurt me, do you?”At one point, Carr threw his suit jacket to the floor in anger. Several people went in and out of view on the video as they attempted to end the spat or stay clear of the primary combatants. Johnson eventually left the bar amid more shouting.In an interview, Johnson said he was at the Celtic Fox, a bar across the street from the Statehouse in Topeka, when Carr confronted him about handling $2.5 million set aside by the 2024 Kansas Legislature and $125,000 allocated by City Hall to begin a testing program to learn more about extent of chemical contamination in a northeast Wichita neighborhood.A chemical spill in the Union Pacific railyard decades ago apparently allowed cancer-causing trichloroethylene, or TCE, to infiltrate groundwater and spread for several miles. Wichita residents in path of the spill weren’t informed of possible health complications until 2022.Johnson said he was eager to focus on important work of addressing health ramifications of the spill in Wichita. He said he was less interested in debating the bar feud.“That event will be properly investigated. And the video and those present can speak to the specifics of what happened and by whom,” Johnson said. “I don’t want that incident to in any way distract from the genuine, positive efforts and progress we’re making for residents to address the vitally needed testing and remediation at the 29th and Grove neighborhoods.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737668462392.png" alt=" When Rep. Henry Helgerson, an Eastborough Democrat, tried to intervene in the altercation, Rep. Ford Carr shoved him to the floor. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> When Rep. Henry Helgerson, an Eastborough Democrat, tried to intervene in the altercation, Rep. Ford Carr shoved him to the floor. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Carr, who advocated for state funding for testing during last year’s legislative session, said municipal government officials in Wichita hadn’t moved quickly enough to advance the initiative.He said the Wichita City Council and Sedgwick County Commission should have launched testing months ago. The required $1 million local match has yet to be secured, but the city and county appear to have found consensus on how to proceed.Carr said the animated conversation at the bar was inspired by concern the state appropriation could be rescinded if the cash wasn’t spent before the fiscal year ended in June.“They wanted me to give them an attaboy or a pat on the back for having this plan,” Carr said in an interview. “I told them I’m appreciative that they came up with a plan, but I’m not going to stand up and rejoice a plan that took eight months to develop. At that point, Brandon Johnson took it personally.”Carr said he hadn’t consumed an intoxicating beverage, but indicated Johnson appeared to be drinking a dark ale.“I’m not going to say he was inebriated. I’m just going to say that’s what he was drinking,” Carr said. “His voice began to get elevated. And, after his voice elevated, he made a physical gesture, put his finger in my face, and at that point I stood upright, so then he equally stands.”Carr said he interpreted Johnson’s gesture at the bar as a threat.“And I’ve always been the kind of person that you can start that trouble — I know how to finish it,” Carr said.He said he didn’t realize in the moment that it was Helgerson who attempted to intervene. He said he regretted shoving Helgerson hard enough that he fell to the floor. He referred to Helgerson as a friend.“I pushed Henry out of the way. Apparently, in the heat of passion, I’m a little stronger than I thought,” Carr said. “I can’t say that I regret moving him out of the way, but I just regret that he lost his balance and fell. It was never intended to be any harm to Rep. Helgerson.”Helgerson, who was at the Capitol on Thursday, wasn’t available to comment on the incident.

Kansas House Democrat knocked to floor in bar fracas between Wichita councilman, legislator

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used an address Thursday to the World Economic Forum to promise global elites lower taxes if they bring manufacturing to the U.S. and threatened to impose tariffs if they don’t.

Speaking by video from the White House to the annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, on his third full day in office, Trump ran through his flurry of executive actions since his swearing-in and claimed that he had a “massive mandate” from the American people to bring change. He laid out a carrot-and-stick approach for private investment in the U.S.

“Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes as any nation on earth,” Trump said. “But if you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff — differing amounts — but a tariff, which will direct hundreds of billions of dollars and even trillions of dollars into our treasury to strengthen our economy and pay down debt under the Trump administration.”

Trump, who spoke Wednesday to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, also said Thursday that the kingdom wants to invest $600 billion in the U.S. but that he would ask Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to increase it to $1 trillion. The remark drew some laughter from the crowd in the hall in Davos.

Introducing Trump, Davos founder Klaus Schwab told the new president that his return and his agenda have “been at the focus of our discussions this week.” He invited Trump to speak at the summit in person next year.

Trump, who promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war before taking office, said it remained a top priority, but he offered few clues for how he would do so.

“One thing very important: I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon and get that war ended,” Trump told the Davos audience. “We really have to stop that war. That war is horrible”

Earlier in his address to the forum, Trump laid blame on the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries for keeping the price of oil too high for much of the nearly three-year war. Oil sales are the economic engine driving Moscow’s economy.

“If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately,” Trump said. He added about OPEC+, “They are very responsible to a certain extent for what’s taking place.”

Oil prices have more recently slumped due to weaker-than-expected demand from China as well as increased production from countries such as Brazil and Argentina that aren’t in OPEC+.

Keaton reported from Davos, Switzerland. Associated Press Writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737653919556.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used an address Thursday to the World Economic Forum to promise global elites lower taxes if they bring manufacturing to the U.S. and threatened to impose tariffs if they don’t.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/borgebrende?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@borgebrende</a> asks about China: &quot;We know that you called President Xi Jinping last Friday...&quot; President Trump on China: &quot;He called me, but I see it very good. I think that we&#39;re going to have a very good relationship. All we want it fairness. We just want a level playing field. <a href="https://t.co/3bqp3wTHzi">pic.twitter.com/3bqp3wTHzi</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1882472889800130941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump: &quot;Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on Earth...but if you don&#39;t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply you will have to pay a tariff, differing amounts, but a tariff.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LAex7F9j7g">pic.twitter.com/LAex7F9j7g</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1882465784540127622?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking by video from the White House to the annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, on his third full day in office, Trump ran through his flurry of executive actions since his swearing-in and claimed that he had a “massive mandate” from the American people to bring change. He laid out a carrot-and-stick approach for private investment in the U.S.“Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes as any nation on earth,” Trump said. “But if you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then very simply, you will have to pay a tariff — differing amounts — but a tariff, which will direct hundreds of billions of dollars and even trillions of dollars into our treasury to strengthen our economy and pay down debt under the Trump administration.”Trump, who spoke Wednesday to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, also said Thursday that the kingdom wants to invest $600 billion in the U.S. but that he would ask Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to increase it to $1 trillion. The remark drew some laughter from the crowd in the hall in Davos.Introducing Trump, Davos founder Klaus Schwab told the new president that his return and his agenda have “been at the focus of our discussions this week.” He invited Trump to speak at the summit in person next year.Trump, who promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war before taking office, said it remained a top priority, but he offered few clues for how he would do so.“One thing very important: I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon and get that war ended,” Trump told the Davos audience. “We really have to stop that war. That war is horrible”Earlier in his address to the forum, Trump laid blame on the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries for keeping the price of oil too high for much of the nearly three-year war. Oil sales are the economic engine driving Moscow’s economy.“If the price came down, the Russia-Ukraine war would end immediately,” Trump said. He added about OPEC+, “They are very responsible to a certain extent for what’s taking place.”Oil prices have more recently slumped due to weaker-than-expected demand from China as well as increased production from countries such as Brazil and Argentina that aren’t in OPEC+.___Keaton reported from Davos, Switzerland. Associated Press Writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

🎥Trump rattles global leaders with talk of oil prices, tariffs and Ukraine war

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to a record Thursday as Wall Street regained some of the momentum that catapulted it to 57 all-time highs last year.

The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.5% to surpass its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-jobs-china-bitcoin-f066b9725ca1eaf8de1fa700555920e4">all-time high set early last month</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-trump-rates-tariffs-inflation-971d56d5de6fd4abf5e7619fb12727ea">coming close the day before.</a>&nbsp;It was the seventh gain in eight days for the main measure of Wall Street's health. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 408 points, or 0.9%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%.

The gains came amid relatively calm moves for Treasury yields in the U.S. bond market. Big swings there in recent months have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-rates-jobs-efc5402f914dd7403a8dc108f96e5bb4">shaking the stock market</a>, particularly when rising worries about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-jobs-federal-reserve-2d6a4d1c31b37fa2d060c466472a8ca1">inflation</a>&nbsp;and the U.S. government’s heavy debt send&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fed-bonds-interest-rates-37c91aa8d1cc4d2a09506d31e9dba99b">Treasury yields higher</a>.

Treasury yields took a brief turn upward after President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-davos-tariffs-taxes-world-economic-forum-85aa42fb7751bedc1643c5a0e465a053">Trump began talking</a>&nbsp;about the prospect of tariffs at the World Economic Forum, saying products made outside of the United States will be subject to a tariff, but they pulled back after he gave few details. Crude prices also sank after Trump called on oil-producing countries to reduce the price of crude, reducing worries about inflation.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.64% from 4.61% late Wednesday, though it remains below its high from earlier this month. The two-year Treasury yield eased to 4.28% from 4.30% late Wednesday.

Yields earlier in the day had also held relatively steady after a report showed slightly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unemployment-benefits-jobless-claims-layoffs-labor-0cb5ad389a3987666796a45e5e8153be">more U.S. workers applied for unemployment</a>&nbsp;benefits last week than economists expected. While the numbers increased, “they were well within the modest range established in recent months,” according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. “Employment continues to highlight US economic outperformance.”

Traders don’t expect the report to push the Federal Reserve to cut its main interest rate at its upcoming meeting next week, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html?redirect=/trading/interest-rates/countdown-to-fomc.html">data from CME Group</a>. If they’re correct, it would be the first meeting since September where the Fed hasn’t lowered the federal funds rate to take pressure off the U.S. economy. Lower rates can goose prices for investments, but they can also give inflation more fuel.

On Wall Street, GE Aerospace flew 6.6% higher after reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, which split off from General Electric with two other companies last year, said orders for its airplane engines and services jumped 50% from a year earlier to $12.9 billion.

Netflix was another one of the strongest forces lifting the S&amp;P 500. It rose another 3.2% after jumping 9.7% the day before following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/netflix-quarterly-earnings-subscribers-advertising-42d89cf0bbcc2ca1e6a58a42bafeed39">better-than-expected profit report</a>.

Union Pacific chugged 5.2% higher after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-csx-earnings-profit-railroad-2db8a564186edef7d1b5209555151db9">beating analysts’ expectations</a>&nbsp;for profit in the latest quarter. The railroad said its workforce was more productive during the quarter, and its fuel consumption rate likewise improved.

American Airlines lost 8.7% even though it reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It said it may report a bigger loss for the first three months of 2025 than analysts expected. American also gave a forecasted range for profit over the full year whose midpoint fell short of analysts’ expectations.

Video game maker Electronic Arts dropped 16.7% after it warned of a slowdown in revenue related to its soccer game, EA Sports FC25. It also said fewer gamers played its Dragon Age game during the latest quarter than it expected, further cutting into its revenue.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 32.34 points to 6,118.71. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 408.34 to 44,565.07, and the Nasdaq composite added 44.34 to 20,053.68.

In stock markets abroad, movements were mostly quiet, even after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-markets-economy-stocks-pensions-90e82a9beb04ac136303b3b577f378d7">China’s latest attempt to juice stock prices</a>&nbsp;in the world’s second-largest economy. Stocks in Hong Kong got a brief boost from China’s ordering of pensions and mutual funds to invest more in domestic stocks, for example, but the Hang Seng index ended with a dip of 0.4%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.8% despite a sharp drop for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-smap-sex-assault-nakai-fuji-07a9afba447ff0a2d0387d8b783fae8d">Fuji Media</a>&nbsp;Holdings after Masahiro Nakai, a top TV host and former pop star, said he was retiring to take responsibility over sexual assault allegations that are part of a wave roiling Japan’s entertainment industry. The Fuji TV scandal triggered an avalanche of lost advertising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-media-masahiro-nakai-assaults-ddb46421cdb6d418ef3f278a55d155a5">at one of the networks</a>&nbsp;where he worked.

In the cryptocurrency market, where prices have surged on hopes President Donald Trump will make Washington friendlier to the industry, bitcoin was sitting a bit above $103,000, according to CoinDesk. It had set a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bitcoin-crypto-trump-currency-cfa22616701c94590e6f9d409651acac">record above $109,000</a>&nbsp;on Monday.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to a record Thursday as Wall Street regained some of the momentum that catapulted it to 57 all-time highs last year.The S&amp;P 500 rose 0.5% to surpass its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-jobs-china-bitcoin-f066b9725ca1eaf8de1fa700555920e4">all-time high set early last month</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-trump-rates-tariffs-inflation-971d56d5de6fd4abf5e7619fb12727ea">coming close the day before.</a>&nbsp;It was the seventh gain in eight days for the main measure of Wall Street's health. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 408 points, or 0.9%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%.The gains came amid relatively calm moves for Treasury yields in the U.S. bond market. Big swings there in recent months have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-rates-jobs-efc5402f914dd7403a8dc108f96e5bb4">shaking the stock market</a>, particularly when rising worries about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-jobs-federal-reserve-2d6a4d1c31b37fa2d060c466472a8ca1">inflation</a>&nbsp;and the U.S. government’s heavy debt send&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fed-bonds-interest-rates-37c91aa8d1cc4d2a09506d31e9dba99b">Treasury yields higher</a>.Treasury yields took a brief turn upward after President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-davos-tariffs-taxes-world-economic-forum-85aa42fb7751bedc1643c5a0e465a053">Trump began talking</a>&nbsp;about the prospect of tariffs at the World Economic Forum, saying products made outside of the United States will be subject to a tariff, but they pulled back after he gave few details. Crude prices also sank after Trump called on oil-producing countries to reduce the price of crude, reducing worries about inflation.The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.64% from 4.61% late Wednesday, though it remains below its high from earlier this month. The two-year Treasury yield eased to 4.28% from 4.30% late Wednesday.Yields earlier in the day had also held relatively steady after a report showed slightly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unemployment-benefits-jobless-claims-layoffs-labor-0cb5ad389a3987666796a45e5e8153be">more U.S. workers applied for unemployment</a>&nbsp;benefits last week than economists expected. While the numbers increased, “they were well within the modest range established in recent months,” according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. “Employment continues to highlight US economic outperformance.”Traders don’t expect the report to push the Federal Reserve to cut its main interest rate at its upcoming meeting next week, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html?redirect=/trading/interest-rates/countdown-to-fomc.html">data from CME Group</a>. If they’re correct, it would be the first meeting since September where the Fed hasn’t lowered the federal funds rate to take pressure off the U.S. economy. Lower rates can goose prices for investments, but they can also give inflation more fuel.On Wall Street, GE Aerospace flew 6.6% higher after reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, which split off from General Electric with two other companies last year, said orders for its airplane engines and services jumped 50% from a year earlier to $12.9 billion.Netflix was another one of the strongest forces lifting the S&amp;P 500. It rose another 3.2% after jumping 9.7% the day before following a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/netflix-quarterly-earnings-subscribers-advertising-42d89cf0bbcc2ca1e6a58a42bafeed39">better-than-expected profit report</a>.Union Pacific chugged 5.2% higher after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-csx-earnings-profit-railroad-2db8a564186edef7d1b5209555151db9">beating analysts’ expectations</a>&nbsp;for profit in the latest quarter. The railroad said its workforce was more productive during the quarter, and its fuel consumption rate likewise improved.American Airlines lost 8.7% even though it reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It said it may report a bigger loss for the first three months of 2025 than analysts expected. American also gave a forecasted range for profit over the full year whose midpoint fell short of analysts’ expectations.Video game maker Electronic Arts dropped 16.7% after it warned of a slowdown in revenue related to its soccer game, EA Sports FC25. It also said fewer gamers played its Dragon Age game during the latest quarter than it expected, further cutting into its revenue.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 32.34 points to 6,118.71. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 408.34 to 44,565.07, and the Nasdaq composite added 44.34 to 20,053.68.In stock markets abroad, movements were mostly quiet, even after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-markets-economy-stocks-pensions-90e82a9beb04ac136303b3b577f378d7">China’s latest attempt to juice stock prices</a>&nbsp;in the world’s second-largest economy. Stocks in Hong Kong got a brief boost from China’s ordering of pensions and mutual funds to invest more in domestic stocks, for example, but the Hang Seng index ended with a dip of 0.4%.Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.8% despite a sharp drop for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-smap-sex-assault-nakai-fuji-07a9afba447ff0a2d0387d8b783fae8d">Fuji Media</a>&nbsp;Holdings after Masahiro Nakai, a top TV host and former pop star, said he was retiring to take responsibility over sexual assault allegations that are part of a wave roiling Japan’s entertainment industry. The Fuji TV scandal triggered an avalanche of lost advertising&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-media-masahiro-nakai-assaults-ddb46421cdb6d418ef3f278a55d155a5">at one of the networks</a>&nbsp;where he worked.In the cryptocurrency market, where prices have surged on hopes President Donald Trump will make Washington friendlier to the industry, bitcoin was sitting a bit above $103,000, according to CoinDesk. It had set a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bitcoin-crypto-trump-currency-cfa22616701c94590e6f9d409651acac">record above $109,000</a>&nbsp;on Monday.

Stock Market: Dow jumps; S&P climbs to new record 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate advanced the nomination of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-allegations-defense-trump-194e39797595d87f621db641d0f35ff1">Pete Hegseth</a>&nbsp;as President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;defense secretary Thursday on a largely party-line vote, despite grave objections from Democrats and stirring unease among Republicans over his behavior and qualifications to lead the U.S. military.

Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks with Trump and his allies who have mounted an extensive public campaign to push Hegseth toward confirmation. The former combat veteran and Fox News host faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-defense-trump-women-allegations-cd3bfa2dbc35afa37a7f98b72e576233">allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women</a>, which he has denied. The vote was 51-49, with a final vote on confirmation expected Friday.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer implored his colleagues to think seriously, “Is this the best man we have to lead the greatest military in the world?”

Mukowksi, in a lengthy statement, said that his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the U.S. military. She also noted his past statements that women should not fill military combat roles.

“I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join,” Murkowski wrote on social media.

Murkowski said behavior that Hegseth has acknowledged, “including infidelity on multiple occasions,” shows a lack of judgment. “These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of service members,” she said.

"Above all, I believe that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Defense, and must be prioritized without compromise,” she said.

Rarely has a Cabinet choice encountered such swirling allegations of wrongdoing. Trump is standing by Hegseth, and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has dismissed the claims as factually inaccurate.

It will take a simple majority senators to confirm Hegseth’s confirmation. Most Republicans, who hold a 53-seat majority in the chamber, have signaled they will back the nominee, though Vice President JD Vance could be called in to break a tie vote.

“I am ironclad in my assessment that the nominee, Mr. Hegseth, is prepared to be the next secretary of defense,” the chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement on the eve of voting. "The Senate needs to confirm this nominee as fast as possible.”

A new president's national security nominees are often the first to be lined up for confirmation, to ensure U.S. safety at home and abroad. Already the Senate has overwhelmingly confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;as secretary of state in a unanimous vote, and it was on track to confirm&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ratcliffe-trump-cia-russia-senate-gabbard-e85881d1c3921bc65d6c0e3be3ed555c">John Ratcliffe</a>&nbsp;as CIA director later Thursday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1737660176564.png" alt="Senator Lisa Murkowski -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Senator Lisa Murkowski -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate advanced the nomination of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-allegations-defense-trump-194e39797595d87f621db641d0f35ff1">Pete Hegseth</a>&nbsp;as President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;defense secretary Thursday on a largely party-line vote, despite grave objections from Democrats and stirring unease among Republicans over his behavior and qualifications to lead the U.S. military.Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks with Trump and his allies who have mounted an extensive public campaign to push Hegseth toward confirmation. The former combat veteran and Fox News host faces&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-defense-trump-women-allegations-cd3bfa2dbc35afa37a7f98b72e576233">allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women</a>, which he has denied. The vote was 51-49, with a final vote on confirmation expected Friday.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer implored his colleagues to think seriously, “Is this the best man we have to lead the greatest military in the world?”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Since Mr. Hegseth’s nomination last November, I have met with him and carefully reviewed his writings, various reports, and other pertinent materials. I closely followed his hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee and gathered substantial feedback from organizations,…&mdash; Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) <a href="https://twitter.com/lisamurkowski/status/1882496900223377719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Mukowksi, in a lengthy statement, said that his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the U.S. military. She also noted his past statements that women should not fill military combat roles.“I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join,” Murkowski wrote on social media.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1733437046049.png" alt="Pete Hegseth photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pete Hegseth photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Murkowski said behavior that Hegseth has acknowledged, “including infidelity on multiple occasions,” shows a lack of judgment. “These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of service members,” she said."Above all, I believe that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Defense, and must be prioritized without compromise,” she said.Rarely has a Cabinet choice encountered such swirling allegations of wrongdoing. Trump is standing by Hegseth, and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has dismissed the claims as factually inaccurate.It will take a simple majority senators to confirm Hegseth’s confirmation. Most Republicans, who hold a 53-seat majority in the chamber, have signaled they will back the nominee, though Vice President JD Vance could be called in to break a tie vote.“I am ironclad in my assessment that the nominee, Mr. Hegseth, is prepared to be the next secretary of defense,” the chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement on the eve of voting. "The Senate needs to confirm this nominee as fast as possible.”A new president's national security nominees are often the first to be lined up for confirmation, to ensure U.S. safety at home and abroad. Already the Senate has overwhelmingly confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;as secretary of state in a unanimous vote, and it was on track to confirm&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ratcliffe-trump-cia-russia-senate-gabbard-e85881d1c3921bc65d6c0e3be3ed555c">John Ratcliffe</a>&nbsp;as CIA director later Thursday.But Hegseth stands in a category of his own&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-background-defense-secretary-confirmation-hearing-e160e10c86385a8beff110d9190fb34e">amid allegations</a>&nbsp;that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Republican conference in California, which he has denied as a consensual encounter, and of heavy drinking at events when he led a veterans organization. He has also said women should not work in combat roles, a view he has since tempered during his confirmation process.A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-affidavit-defense-secretary-pentagon-trump-e195ba72a3f47060f7a1b7a81981cba2">new claim emerged</a>&nbsp;this week in an affidavit from a former sister-in-law who claimed Hegseth was abusive to his second wife to the point that she feared for her safety. Hegseth has denied the allegation. In divorce proceedings, neither Hegseth nor the woman claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.Schumer said Thursday that Hegseth is unqualified for the job because of his personal behavior, including drinking, and his lack of experience.“One of the kindest words that might be used to describe Mr. Hegseth is erratic, and that’s a term you don’t want at DOD,” Schumer said. “He has a clear problem of judgment.”A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.Hegseth has promised not to drink on the job if confirmed.But senators have remained doubtful of his experience and abilities and the alleged behavior that could lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/hegseth-could-lead-troops-whod-face-getting-fired-for-actions-hes-done-in-the-past/">reprimand or firing</a>&nbsp;for military personnel he would now be expected to lead.Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, herself a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, has signaled her backing.However, several GOP senators, including Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, are being widely watched for their votes.During a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/pete-hegseth-roger-wicker-greenland-virginia-military-and-defense-cc8aef7f27e44f55a3f4e6476fed3086">fiery confirmation</a>&nbsp;hearing, Hegseth swatted away allegations of wrongdoing one by one — dismissing them as “smears” — as he displayed his military credentials and vowed to bring “warrior culture" to the top Pentagon post.Wicker said he had been briefed a third time on the FBI background investigation into Hegseth. He said "the allegations unfairly impugning his character do not pass scrutiny.”------------WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Thursday that she will vote against confirming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-allegations-defense-trump-194e39797595d87f621db641d0f35ff1">Pete Hegseth</a>&nbsp;to lead the Pentagon, becoming the first Republican to oppose one of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;Cabinet picks ahead of a crucial test vote.Murkowski, of Alaska, said in a lengthy statement that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-defense-trump-women-allegations-cd3bfa2dbc35afa37a7f98b72e576233">allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women</a>, which Hegseth has denied, show that his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the U.S. military. She also noted his past statements that women should not fill military combat roles.“I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join,” Murkowski wrote on social media.Murkowski said behavior that Hegseth has acknowledged, “including infidelity on multiple occasions,” shows a lack of judgement. “These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of service members,” she said."Above all, I believe that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Defense, and must be prioritized without compromise,” she said.Senate GOP leaders rushed to advance&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump's</a>&nbsp;defense secretary nominee toward confirmation, despite grave objections from Democrats and stirring unease among Republicans over his behavior and qualifications to lead the U.S. military.It will take a simple majority senators to advance Hegseth’s confirmation in Thursday’s vote. Most Republicans, who hold a 53-seat majority in the chamber, have signaled they will back the nominee, though Vice PResident JD Vance could be called in to break a tie vote.Rarely has a Cabinet choice encountered such swirling allegations of wrongdoing. Trump is standing by Hegseth, and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee has dismissed the claims as factually inaccurate.“I am ironclad in my assessment that the nominee, Mr. Hegseth, is prepared to be the next secretary of defense,” the chairman, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement on the eve of the test vote. "The Senate needs to confirm this nominee as fast as possible.”A new president's national security nominees are often the first to be lined up for confirmation, to unsure U.S. safety at home and abroad. Already the Senate has overwhelmingly confirmed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;as secretary of state in a unanimous vote, and it was on track to confirm&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ratcliffe-trump-cia-russia-senate-gabbard-e85881d1c3921bc65d6c0e3be3ed555c">John Ratcliffe</a>&nbsp;as CIA director later Thursday.But Hegseth stands in a category of his own&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-background-defense-secretary-confirmation-hearing-e160e10c86385a8beff110d9190fb34e">amid allegations</a>&nbsp;that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Republican conference in California, which he has denied as a consensual encounter, and of heavy drinking at events when he led a veterans organization. He has also said women should not work in combat roles, a view he has since tempered during his confirmation process.A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-affidavit-defense-secretary-pentagon-trump-e195ba72a3f47060f7a1b7a81981cba2">new claim emerged</a>&nbsp;this week in an affidavit from a former sister-in-law who claimed Hegseth was abusive to his second wife to the point that she feared for her safety. Hegseth has denied the allegation. In divorce proceedings, neither Hegseth nor the woman claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that Hegseth is unqualified for the job because of his personal behavior, including drinking, and his lack of experience.“One of the kindest words that might be used to describe Mr. Hegseth is erratic, and that’s a term you don’t want at DOD,” Schumer said. “He has a clear problem of judgment.”A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.Hegseth has promised not to drink on the job if confirmed.But senators have remained doubtful of his experience and abilities and the alleged behavior that could lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/hegseth-could-lead-troops-whod-face-getting-fired-for-actions-hes-done-in-the-past/">reprimand or firing</a>&nbsp;for military personnel he would now be expected to lead.Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, herself a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, has signaled her backing.However, several GOP senators, including Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, are being widely watched for their votes.During a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/pete-hegseth-roger-wicker-greenland-virginia-military-and-defense-cc8aef7f27e44f55a3f4e6476fed3086">fiery confirmation</a>&nbsp;hearing, Hegseth swatted away allegations of wrongdoing one by one — dismissing them as “smears” — as he displayed his military credentials and vowed to bring “warrior culture" to the top Pentagon post.Wicker said he had been briefed a third time on the FBI background investigation into Hegseth. He said "the allegations unfairly impugning his character do not pass scrutiny.”