VATICAN CITY (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-vance-pope-migration-a91d0f741cb994faae1e363d38b66c05">U.S. Vice President JD Vance</a>&nbsp;met briefly with Pope Francis on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings, after they got into a long-distance tangle over the Trump administration's migrant deportation plans.

Francis, who is recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia, received Vance in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel where he lives. The 88-year-old pope offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance's three young children, who did not attend, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.

“I know you have not been feeling great but it's good to see you in better health,” Vance told the pope. “Thank you for seeing me.”

Vance’s motorcade entered Vatican City through a side gate while Easter Mass was being celebrated in St. Peter’s Square. Francis had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-vatican-easter-pneumonia-4b1182146a692479562b635a9723de2f">delegated the celebration</a>&nbsp;of the Mass to another cardinal.

The Vatican said they met for a few minutes at the Domus Santa Marta “to exchange Easter greetings.”

Vance's office said the vice president “expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for inviting him to meet on Easter Sunday and for the hospitality the Vatican has extended to his family."

“I pray for you every day,” Vance said as he bid Francis farewell. “God bless you.”

In all, Vance’s motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes. The vice president later joined his family for Easter Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome. The Vances visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul that is said to be located there.

Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and the pope have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-trump-migration-09a89091f8e7dc3270099f0947d04e90">tangled sharply over migration</a>&nbsp;and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse. Francis has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy.

Just days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis blasted the deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. In a letter to U.S. bishops, Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-catholic-theology-migration-e868af574fb2e742c6ed3d756c569769">claimed that Catholic doctrine justified</a>&nbsp;such policies.

Vance has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vice-president-jd-vance-pope-francis-immigration-4f05693320524f9976d3b9ebe31b3f97">acknowledged Francis’ criticism</a>&nbsp;but has said he will continue to defend his views. During a Feb. 28 appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance didn’t address the issue specifically but called himself a “baby Catholic” and acknowledged there are “things about the faith that I don’t know.”

Vance met Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

Vance’s office said he and Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”

The Vatican, for its part, said there was an “exchange of opinions” including over migrants and refugees and current conflicts.

The Holy See has responded cautiously to the Trump administration while seeking to continue productive relations in keeping with its tradition of diplomatic neutrality. It has expressed alarm over the administration’s crackdown on migrants and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-us-usaid-pope-migration-6bf064630ff58022ab133f5375f5b5ef">cuts in international aid</a>&nbsp;while insisting on peaceful resolutions to the wars in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kursk-drones-3c940cf913f22eb21803841b4d026db8">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-04-19-2025-5e80a0efc0b267515ec88aec4c3672d1">Gaza.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745151132434.png" alt="Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. At center the head of the papal houshold Bishop Leonardo Sapienza. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. At center the head of the papal houshold Bishop Leonardo Sapienza. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)</figcaption>
 </figure>VATICAN CITY (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-vance-pope-migration-a91d0f741cb994faae1e363d38b66c05">U.S. Vice President JD Vance</a>&nbsp;met briefly with Pope Francis on Sunday to exchange Easter greetings, after they got into a long-distance tangle over the Trump administration's migrant deportation plans.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today I met with the Holy Father Pope Francis. I am grateful for his invitation to meet, and I pray for his good health. Happy Easter! <a href="https://t.co/SIhU9gYQl2">pic.twitter.com/SIhU9gYQl2</a>&mdash; Vice President JD Vance (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1913977824739729459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It was an honor to visit the Vatican during Holy Week, and a blessing to experience the beauty and reverence of the Good Friday liturgy at St. Peter&#39;s Basilica. <a href="https://t.co/L3LBlkNgmJ">pic.twitter.com/L3LBlkNgmJ</a>&mdash; Vice President JD Vance (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1913709851190170061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Francis, who is recovering from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia, received Vance in one of the reception rooms of the Vatican hotel where he lives. The 88-year-old pope offered the Catholic vice president three big chocolate Easter eggs for Vance's three young children, who did not attend, as well as a Vatican tie and rosaries.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745150828303.jpeg" alt="Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. At center the head of the papal houshold Bishop Leonardo Sapienza. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, before bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. At center the head of the papal houshold Bishop Leonardo Sapienza. (Vatican Media via AP, HO)</figcaption>
 </figure>“I know you have not been feeling great but it's good to see you in better health,” Vance told the pope. “Thank you for seeing me.”Vance’s motorcade entered Vatican City through a side gate while Easter Mass was being celebrated in St. Peter’s Square. Francis had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-vatican-easter-pneumonia-4b1182146a692479562b635a9723de2f">delegated the celebration</a>&nbsp;of the Mass to another cardinal.The Vatican said they met for a few minutes at the Domus Santa Marta “to exchange Easter greetings.”Vance's office said the vice president “expressed his gratitude to Pope Francis for inviting him to meet on Easter Sunday and for the hospitality the Vatican has extended to his family."“I pray for you every day,” Vance said as he bid Francis farewell. “God bless you.”In all, Vance’s motorcade was on Vatican territory for 17 minutes. The vice president later joined his family for Easter Mass at St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four pontifical basilicas in Rome. The Vances visited the tomb of the apostle St. Paul that is said to be located there.Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and the pope have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-trump-migration-09a89091f8e7dc3270099f0947d04e90">tangled sharply over migration</a>&nbsp;and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse. Francis has made caring for migrants a hallmark of his papacy.Just days before he was hospitalized in February, Francis blasted the deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. In a letter to U.S. bishops, Francis also appeared to respond to Vance directly for having&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-catholic-theology-migration-e868af574fb2e742c6ed3d756c569769">claimed that Catholic doctrine justified</a>&nbsp;such policies.Vance has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vice-president-jd-vance-pope-francis-immigration-4f05693320524f9976d3b9ebe31b3f97">acknowledged Francis’ criticism</a>&nbsp;but has said he will continue to defend his views. During a Feb. 28 appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance didn’t address the issue specifically but called himself a “baby Catholic” and acknowledged there are “things about the faith that I don’t know.”Vance met Saturday with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.Vance’s office said he and Parolin “discussed their shared religious faith, Catholicism in the United States, the plight of persecuted Christian communities around the world, and President Trump’s commitment to restoring world peace.”The Vatican, for its part, said there was an “exchange of opinions” including over migrants and refugees and current conflicts.The Holy See has responded cautiously to the Trump administration while seeking to continue productive relations in keeping with its tradition of diplomatic neutrality. It has expressed alarm over the administration’s crackdown on migrants and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-us-usaid-pope-migration-6bf064630ff58022ab133f5375f5b5ef">cuts in international aid</a>&nbsp;while insisting on peaceful resolutions to the wars in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kursk-drones-3c940cf913f22eb21803841b4d026db8">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-04-19-2025-5e80a0efc0b267515ec88aec4c3672d1">Gaza.</a>

Vice President Vance meets Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, gets chocolate eggs for kids

JOHNSON COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Saturday in Johnson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Toyota Corolla driven by Jose M. Placensia Castaneda, 17, Lenexa, was southbound on U.S. 69 near 58th Street. The car crossed the raised median, entered the northbound lanes and struck a northbound 2015 Kia Optima driven by Victoria A. Jones, 44, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Castaneda and a passenger in the Toyota Itzel&nbsp;Guerra, 18, Overland Park were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Jones and a passenger Germara D.&nbsp;Guillory, 41, Kansas City, Missouri, to KU Medical Center. Castaneda and Guerra were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

JOHNSON COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Saturday in Johnson County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Toyota Corolla driven by Jose M. Placensia Castaneda, 17, Lenexa, was southbound on U.S. 69 near 58th Street. The car crossed the raised median, entered the northbound lanes and struck a northbound 2015 Kia Optima driven by Victoria A. Jones, 44, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Castaneda and a passenger in the Toyota Itzel&nbsp;Guerra, 18, Overland Park were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Jones and a passenger Germara D.&nbsp;Guillory, 41, Kansas City, Missouri, to KU Medical Center. Castaneda and Guerra were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Two Kansas teens dead after head-on crash

CAIRO (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels said Saturday that the U.S. military launched a series of airstrikes on the capital, Sanaa, and the Houthi-held coastal city of Hodeida, less than two days after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-us-airstrikes-563f61bbd96e1f2de68373fdf76c8811">a U.S. strike wrecked a Red Sea port and killed more than 70 people.</a>

The Houthis’ media office said 13 U.S. airstrikes hit an airport and a port in Hodeida, on the Red Sea. The office also reported U.S strikes in the capital, Sanaa.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said it continues to conduct strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

Thursday’s strike hit the port of Ras Isa, also in Hodeida province, killing 74 people and wounding 171 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. It was the deadliest strike in the U.S. ongoing bombing campaign on the Iranian-backed rebels.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday said he was “gravely concerned” about the attack on Ras Isa, as well as the Houthis missile and drone attacks on Israel and the shipping routes, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said Saturday.

“The secretary-general recalls that international law, including international humanitarian law as applicable, must be respected at all times, and he appeals to all to respect and protect civilians as well as civilian infrastructure,” Dujarric said.

U.S. Central Command declined to answer any questions about possible civilian casualties. It referred to a statement in which it said “this strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”

The strikes on Hodeida have been part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-us-airstrikes-israel-hamas-278d07bc5aad75bb32e57f99a78cbe88">a month-long U.S. bombing campaign</a>, which the Trump administration said came about because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">the Houthi</a>&nbsp;attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on its close ally, Israel.

About 200 people have been killed in the U.S. campaign since March 16, according to the Houthis' health ministry.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745114166514.jpeg" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>CAIRO (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels said Saturday that the U.S. military launched a series of airstrikes on the capital, Sanaa, and the Houthi-held coastal city of Hodeida, less than two days after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-us-airstrikes-563f61bbd96e1f2de68373fdf76c8811">a U.S. strike wrecked a Red Sea port and killed more than 70 people.</a>The Houthis’ media office said 13 U.S. airstrikes hit an airport and a port in Hodeida, on the Red Sea. The office also reported U.S strikes in the capital, Sanaa.There were no immediate reports of casualties.The U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said it continues to conduct strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.Thursday’s strike hit the port of Ras Isa, also in Hodeida province, killing 74 people and wounding 171 others, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. It was the deadliest strike in the U.S. ongoing bombing campaign on the Iranian-backed rebels.United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday said he was “gravely concerned” about the attack on Ras Isa, as well as the Houthis missile and drone attacks on Israel and the shipping routes, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said Saturday.“The secretary-general recalls that international law, including international humanitarian law as applicable, must be respected at all times, and he appeals to all to respect and protect civilians as well as civilian infrastructure,” Dujarric said.U.S. Central Command declined to answer any questions about possible civilian casualties. It referred to a statement in which it said “this strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”The strikes on Hodeida have been part of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-us-airstrikes-israel-hamas-278d07bc5aad75bb32e57f99a78cbe88">a month-long U.S. bombing campaign</a>, which the Trump administration said came about because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">the Houthi</a>&nbsp;attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on its close ally, Israel.About 200 people have been killed in the U.S. campaign since March 16, according to the Houthis' health ministry.

Houthi rebels: U.S. air strikes hit an airport and Red Sea port on the coast of Yemen

By&nbsp;DEREK GATOPOULOS, COLLEEN BARRY and LEFTERIS PITARAKIS Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — For more than 400 years, Catholic and Orthodox churches have used different ways to determine the date of Easter. But this Sunday will mark a special moment for Christians, as the churches celebrate of Jesus’ resurrection on the same day.

What’s more, top religious leaders — including Pope Francis — are expressing a desire to keep it that way. But the unusual alignment has stirred underlying mistrust between the two major Christian communions.

The movable date for Easter follows a seemingly straightforward rule: the Sunday following the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. But the two churches started using different calendars after Pope Gregory XIII’s adaptation in 1582, when the Western church adopted the Gregorian calendar while the Eastern Orthodox Church kept the older Julian one.

Moreover, each church uses its own ecclesiastical calculations for lunar cycles and the equinox, which don’t neatly match scientific projections.

The result is that Easter dates can be as much as five weeks apart. They can coincide in back-to-back years, or a decade can pass without it happening.

Days before his five-week hospitalization, Pope Francis referred to this year’s Easter celebration while invoking the 1,700th anniversary of the historic Council of Nicaea, when Christian leaders gathered to settle foundational disputes about the faith.

“Once again, I renew my appeal: Let this coincidence serve as a sign — a call to all Christians to take a decisive step toward unity around a common date for Easter,” Francis said while leading prayers at the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome.

Francis’ invitation, delivered at the end of a prayer for Christian Unity with Orthodox priests present, wasn’t new. Returning from a trip to Turkey in 2014, he told reporters on the plane that a unified date would be logical.

“It is a bit ridiculous,” he said, then staged a pretend conversation: “‘Tell me, your Christ, when is he resurrected? Next week? Mine was resurrected last week.’”

He has found an ally in Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, a fellow octogenarian and spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians. The two “speak to one another like brothers,” Francis has said. For his part, Bartholomew has called Francis “our elder brother” and described the Easter initiative as “a real step toward repairing old conflicts.”

The idea of a common Easter has been discussed since the 1960s, with interest often peaking when celebrations coincide. The key obstacle has always been the implication that one side would need to concede.

Protestants, who follow the same calendar as Catholics, have also been in on the discussions.

The Geneva-based World Council of Churches — a fellowship of Orthodox and Protestant bodies — has proposed a compromise. It suggests using modern astronomy, basing the calculation on Jerusalem time and following the same basic rule set centuries ago.

“It has never been more important than now, because we live in a polarized world and people all over the world yearn for more unity,” Lutheran Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, a senior WCC official, told The Associated Press from his home outside Berlin. “All other questions – on calendar, on time, on the moon and the stars and everything – it’s not primary; it’s secondary.”

While the pope’s wishes may carry powerful influence through the Vatican’s highly centralized authority, Bartholomew’s role is largely symbolic over the self-governed national and local churches. And discussions between Russia, the Orthodox world’s most populous country, and churches of other Orthodox-majority countries remain stalled due to the war and church divisions in Ukraine.

Further complicating prospects for consensus is a history characterized by centuries of mistrust, largely driven by wariness in the East about the Vatican’s supremacy.

At a Holy Week service Monday in Athens, Father Anastasios welcomed parishioners into the Church of Saint Dimitrios Loumbardiaris, a restored stone chapel near the Acropolis. He said he supports forging bonds with Christianity’s other branches — but with caution.

“We can try to build bridges, but we cannot distort our faith or the traditions of our ancestors, or the dogmas Christ himself handed down,” he said. “There are deeply rooted differences. From my view and that of many people here, the unity sought in the past by the Roman Catholic Church often wasn’t sincere; it came with strings attached, was more about dominance than genuine reconciliation.”

As dialogue between the churches slowly unfolds, common Easter celebrations are already a practical reality in a few places. The Orthodox Church in Finland switched dates in the 1920s to align celebrations with the Lutheran majority. And Catholics in Greece — while making no official change to their calendar — have celebrated with the rest of the country since 1970.

Joseph Roussos, a member of a Catholic community on the Greek island of Syros, took his first trip to the Vatican last month.

At age 67, he remembers when Easters in Greece were separate: when schools and shopkeepers on the island closed for different holidays, and the church bells tolled mournfully during two distinct Holy Weeks.

“It wasn’t a good situation. But when we did celebrate Easter together, there was great harmony,” he said. “We live very well (today), and it’s truly beautiful. I hope it stays that way.”

Barry reported from Rome. AP journalist Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report

By&nbsp;DEREK GATOPOULOS, COLLEEN BARRY and LEFTERIS PITARAKIS Associated PressATHENS, Greece (AP) — For more than 400 years, Catholic and Orthodox churches have used different ways to determine the date of Easter. But this Sunday will mark a special moment for Christians, as the churches celebrate of Jesus’ resurrection on the same day.What’s more, top religious leaders — including Pope Francis — are expressing a desire to keep it that way. But the unusual alignment has stirred underlying mistrust between the two major Christian communions.<h2>Calendars and calculations differ</h2>The movable date for Easter follows a seemingly straightforward rule: the Sunday following the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. But the two churches started using different calendars after Pope Gregory XIII’s adaptation in 1582, when the Western church adopted the Gregorian calendar while the Eastern Orthodox Church kept the older Julian one.Moreover, each church uses its own ecclesiastical calculations for lunar cycles and the equinox, which don’t neatly match scientific projections.The result is that Easter dates can be as much as five weeks apart. They can coincide in back-to-back years, or a decade can pass without it happening.<h2>Pope Francis’ wish</h2>Days before his five-week hospitalization, Pope Francis referred to this year’s Easter celebration while invoking the 1,700th anniversary of the historic Council of Nicaea, when Christian leaders gathered to settle foundational disputes about the faith.“Once again, I renew my appeal: Let this coincidence serve as a sign — a call to all Christians to take a decisive step toward unity around a common date for Easter,” Francis said while leading prayers at the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome.Francis’ invitation, delivered at the end of a prayer for Christian Unity with Orthodox priests present, wasn’t new. Returning from a trip to Turkey in 2014, he told reporters on the plane that a unified date would be logical.“It is a bit ridiculous,” he said, then staged a pretend conversation: “‘Tell me, your Christ, when is he resurrected? Next week? Mine was resurrected last week.’”He has found an ally in Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, a fellow octogenarian and spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians. The two “speak to one another like brothers,” Francis has said. For his part, Bartholomew has called Francis “our elder brother” and described the Easter initiative as “a real step toward repairing old conflicts.”<h2>Only winners, no losers?</h2>The idea of a common Easter has been discussed since the 1960s, with interest often peaking when celebrations coincide. The key obstacle has always been the implication that one side would need to concede.Protestants, who follow the same calendar as Catholics, have also been in on the discussions.The Geneva-based World Council of Churches — a fellowship of Orthodox and Protestant bodies — has proposed a compromise. It suggests using modern astronomy, basing the calculation on Jerusalem time and following the same basic rule set centuries ago.“It has never been more important than now, because we live in a polarized world and people all over the world yearn for more unity,” Lutheran Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, a senior WCC official, told The Associated Press from his home outside Berlin. “All other questions – on calendar, on time, on the moon and the stars and everything – it’s not primary; it’s secondary.”<h2>‘Strings attached’</h2>While the pope’s wishes may carry powerful influence through the Vatican’s highly centralized authority, Bartholomew’s role is largely symbolic over the self-governed national and local churches. And discussions between Russia, the Orthodox world’s most populous country, and churches of other Orthodox-majority countries remain stalled due to the war and church divisions in Ukraine.Further complicating prospects for consensus is a history characterized by centuries of mistrust, largely driven by wariness in the East about the Vatican’s supremacy.At a Holy Week service Monday in Athens, Father Anastasios welcomed parishioners into the Church of Saint Dimitrios Loumbardiaris, a restored stone chapel near the Acropolis. He said he supports forging bonds with Christianity’s other branches — but with caution.“We can try to build bridges, but we cannot distort our faith or the traditions of our ancestors, or the dogmas Christ himself handed down,” he said. “There are deeply rooted differences. From my view and that of many people here, the unity sought in the past by the Roman Catholic Church often wasn’t sincere; it came with strings attached, was more about dominance than genuine reconciliation.”<h2>‘Great harmony’</h2>As dialogue between the churches slowly unfolds, common Easter celebrations are already a practical reality in a few places. The Orthodox Church in Finland switched dates in the 1920s to align celebrations with the Lutheran majority. And Catholics in Greece — while making no official change to their calendar — have celebrated with the rest of the country since 1970.Joseph Roussos, a member of a Catholic community on the Greek island of Syros, took his first trip to the Vatican last month.At age 67, he remembers when Easters in Greece were separate: when schools and shopkeepers on the island closed for different holidays, and the church bells tolled mournfully during two distinct Holy Weeks.“It wasn’t a good situation. But when we did celebrate Easter together, there was great harmony,” he said. “We live very well (today), and it’s truly beautiful. I hope it stays that way.”___Barry reported from Rome. AP journalist Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report

Four centuries later, Easter’s date remains divisive. Some church leaders want that to change

KANSAS CITY—A&nbsp; Kansas City father and son face charges in connection with a fatal dog mauling that took place last year, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2589/KC24082504--Thibeaux_John-II--Complaint-and-Warrant-Packet-1">John R. Thibeaux II</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2588/KC24082504--Thibeaux_John--Complaint-and-Warrant-Packet-1">John R. Thibeaux I</a>&nbsp;face one count of 1st Degree Involuntary Manslaughter and one count of 2nd Degree Assault each.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2587/KC24082504--Thibeaux_John-II--PC-Statement_redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the 3200 block of East 80th Street on Nov. 2, 2024, and found numerous dogs attacking the victim. Officers used sirens and air horns to scare away the dogs and they retreated to Thibeaux II’s yard through holes in a chain-link fence. The fence was improperly installed, allowing the dogs to enter and exit the yard.

The victim, who suffered severe wounds, died days later. Another person was also bitten while trying to stop the attack.

Surveillance video showed the dogs behind the fence in Thibeaux II’s yard before the attack. One of the dogs was outside the fence and began attacking the victim. The other dogs crawled under the chain-link fence and joined in the attack.&nbsp;

Witnesses reported the dogs regularly roamed the neighborhood, had attacked neighbors’ pets, were aggressive toward people, and even bit someone in the neighborhood on two separate occasions. Text messages revealed Thibeaux I knew about the dogs’ behavior.&nbsp;

Detectives also discovered Thibeaux II operated a dog breeding business, as evidenced by social media posts advertising puppies for sale. Thibeaux II also admitted in texts that one of his dogs had bitten him while he tried to break up a fight between his dogs, just months before the fatal attack.&nbsp;

Both defendants are in custody on a $100,000 bond each.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745011329889.png" alt="John R. Thibeaux-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>John R. Thibeaux-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—A&nbsp; Kansas City father and son face charges in connection with a fatal dog mauling that took place last year, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2589/KC24082504--Thibeaux_John-II--Complaint-and-Warrant-Packet-1">John R. Thibeaux II</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2588/KC24082504--Thibeaux_John--Complaint-and-Warrant-Packet-1">John R. Thibeaux I</a>&nbsp;face one count of 1st Degree Involuntary Manslaughter and one count of 2nd Degree Assault each.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745011303839.png" alt="John R. Thibeaux II photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>John R. Thibeaux II photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2587/KC24082504--Thibeaux_John-II--PC-Statement_redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the 3200 block of East 80th Street on Nov. 2, 2024, and found numerous dogs attacking the victim. Officers used sirens and air horns to scare away the dogs and they retreated to Thibeaux II’s yard through holes in a chain-link fence. The fence was improperly installed, allowing the dogs to enter and exit the yard.The victim, who suffered severe wounds, died days later. Another person was also bitten while trying to stop the attack.Surveillance video showed the dogs behind the fence in Thibeaux II’s yard before the attack. One of the dogs was outside the fence and began attacking the victim. The other dogs crawled under the chain-link fence and joined in the attack.&nbsp;Witnesses reported the dogs regularly roamed the neighborhood, had attacked neighbors’ pets, were aggressive toward people, and even bit someone in the neighborhood on two separate occasions. Text messages revealed Thibeaux I knew about the dogs’ behavior.&nbsp;Detectives also discovered Thibeaux II operated a dog breeding business, as evidenced by social media posts advertising puppies for sale. Thibeaux II also admitted in texts that one of his dogs had bitten him while he tried to break up a fight between his dogs, just months before the fatal attack.&nbsp;Both defendants are in custody on a $100,000 bond each.&nbsp;

Kansas City father, son accused in fatal dog mauling

HARVEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect&nbsp;in connection with an attempted aggravated kidnapping that occurred the evening of April 15, according to a media release from Sedgwick Police Chief Bryan Hall.

Just after 6:30p.m. that evening, police responded to reports that a woman had attempted to forcibly remove a child from a practice field located at 400 W. 4th Street. Witnesses said the woman stated her intent to take the child from the school property. Two supervising adults intervened and were able to separate the woman from the child.

The incident was reported to law enforcement on April 16. Following an investigation and consultation with the Harvey County Attorney’s Office, a 37-year-old Sedgwick resident was taken into custody on requested charges of attempted aggravated kidnapping, a felony.

She is currently being held at the Harvey County Detention Center and is awaiting an initial court appearance.

To protect the privacy of the child and the integrity of the investigation, police released no further details about the victim or suspect.

HARVEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect&nbsp;in connection with an attempted aggravated kidnapping that occurred the evening of April 15, according to a media release from Sedgwick Police Chief Bryan Hall.Just after 6:30p.m. that evening, police responded to reports that a woman had attempted to forcibly remove a child from a practice field located at 400 W. 4th Street. Witnesses said the woman stated her intent to take the child from the school property. Two supervising adults intervened and were able to separate the woman from the child.The incident was reported to law enforcement on April 16. Following an investigation and consultation with the Harvey County Attorney’s Office, a 37-year-old Sedgwick resident was taken into custody on requested charges of attempted aggravated kidnapping, a felony.She is currently being held at the Harvey County Detention Center and is awaiting an initial court appearance.To protect the privacy of the child and the integrity of the investigation, police released no further details about the victim or suspect.

Police: Kan. woman attempted to kidnap child from school practice field

DODGE COUNTY, Nebraska —Authorities are investigating a small plane crash in rural northeast Nebraska that killed three people including a man from Kansas.

The plane crashed just after 8p.m. Friday into the Platte River south of Fremont, according to the Dodge County Sheriff's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;The victims have been identified as 43-year-old Daniel Williams of Moundridge, Kansas, 50-year-old Jeff Bittinger and 48-year-old Randy Amrein both of Fremont, Nebraska, according to the sheriff's office.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are in charge of the investigation. Fremont is located approximately 45 minutes northwest of Omaha.

DODGE COUNTY, Nebraska —Authorities are investigating a small plane crash in rural northeast Nebraska that killed three people including a man from Kansas.The plane crashed just after 8p.m. Friday into the Platte River south of Fremont, according to the Dodge County Sheriff's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;The victims have been identified as 43-year-old Daniel Williams of Moundridge, Kansas, 50-year-old Jeff Bittinger and 48-year-old Randy Amrein both of Fremont, Nebraska, according to the sheriff's office.The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are in charge of the investigation. Fremont is located approximately 45 minutes northwest of Omaha.

Kan. man among 3 dead in small plane crash in Nebraska

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on multiple allegations after an alleged domestic incident involving a gun.

Just after 1p.m. April 16, police were in the area of the 2000 block of Lane Street in Topeka and witnessed shots being fired, according to Topeka Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.

&nbsp;The suspect was believed to have been hiding in a nearby residence but has not been located. The shooting was being investigated as a domestic dispute and there with no imminent threat to the public.&nbsp;

As a result of this investigation police arrested 53-year-old Christopher L. Cowan on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated assault, use of a deadly weapon, Aggravated endangering a child, reckless situation to a child &lt;18, Criminal discharge of a firearm, recklessly at occupied vehicle, Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon,&nbsp;Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felon warrant service or execution and Parole violation warrant arrest.

&nbsp;U.S. Marshall’s Service assisted Topeka police in the arrest.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744898147600.png" alt="Cowan photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Cowan photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on multiple allegations after an alleged domestic incident involving a gun.Just after 1p.m. April 16, police were in the area of the 2000 block of Lane Street in Topeka and witnessed shots being fired, according to Topeka Police Lt. Donna Eubanks.&nbsp;The suspect was believed to have been hiding in a nearby residence but has not been located. The shooting was being investigated as a domestic dispute and there with no imminent threat to the public.&nbsp;As a result of this investigation police arrested 53-year-old Christopher L. Cowan on requested charges of&nbsp;Aggravated assault, use of a deadly weapon, Aggravated endangering a child, reckless situation to a child &lt;18, Criminal discharge of a firearm, recklessly at occupied vehicle, Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon,&nbsp;Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felon warrant service or execution and Parole violation warrant arrest.&nbsp;U.S. Marshall’s Service assisted Topeka police in the arrest.&nbsp;

U.S. Marshals help catch Kansas felon wanted for shooting

Harvard University is the latest in a growing list of higher education institutions that had its federal funding targeted by the government in order to comply with the Trump administration's political agenda.

The series of threats — and subsequent pauses in funding — to some of the top U.S. universities have become an unprecedented tool for the administration to exert influence on college campuses. Six of the seven universities impacted are Ivy League schools.

President Donald Trump vowed to pursue these federal cuts on the campaign trail last year, saying he would focus on schools that push "critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content." Public school systems are targets for cuts too.

Here's a look at which universities have been pressured by the administration's funding cuts so far.

The administration announced its antisemitism task force would conduct a " comprehensive review " of the Massachusetts university on March 31. The government was set to review nearly $9 billion of federal grants and contracts.

Harvard is among universities across the country where pro-Palestinian protests erupted on campus amid the war in Gaza last year. Republican officials have since heavily scrutinized those universities, and several Ivy League presidents testified before Congress to discuss antisemitism allegations.

The administration issued its list of demands to Harvard in a letter on April 3. The demands included a ban on face masks, limitations on campus protests and a review of academic departments' biases.

About a week later, those demands were expanded to include leadership reforms, admission policy changes and stopping the university's recognition of certain student organizations.

Then, on Monday, Harvard President Alan Gerber refused to comply, saying in a letter that the university "will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights."

Hours later, the administration announced it froze more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the university.

The White House announced last week that it froze more than $1 billion of Cornell's federal funding. The administration said the freeze came as it investigated alleged civil rights violations at the university.

The New York university was among a group of more than 60 universities that received a letter from the Education Department on March 10 urging them to take steps to protect Jewish students or else face "potential enforcement actions."

The Defense Department issued more than 75 stop-work orders for research, Cornell said in a statement, but that the federal government hadn't confirmed if the total funding freeze totaled $1 billion.

Like Cornell, Northwestern also saw a halt in some of its federal funding last week. The amount was about $790 million, according to the Trump administration.

The Illinois university did not receive an official message from the White House on the freeze despite its cooperation with civil rights investigations, according to Northwestern officials at the time.

University spokesperson Jon Yates said Northwestern's scientific research was "at jeopardy" because of the freeze — a widespread issue for universities facing research cuts from the National Institutes of Health.

The Trump administration was anticipated to pause federal grants and contracts at Brown University because of the Rhode Island school's response to alleged antisemitism on campus, according to a White House official on April 3.

The total was expected to be about $510 million in funding, according to the official.

Dozens of research grants were suspended at Princeton University without a clear rationale, according to an April 1 campus message from university president Christopher Eisgruber. The grants came from federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, NASA and the Defense Department.

Before the funding pause, Eisgruber had expressed his opposition to Trump's threatened cuts at Columbia University in an essay in The Atlantic magazine. He called the administration's move a "radical threat to scholarly excellence and to America's leadership in research."

Unlike the other targeted universities, the University of Pennsylvania saw funding cuts because of a transgender athlete who competed in Penn's swimming program, according to the Trump administration.

After a Feb. 5 executive order barring transgender athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports, the Education Department launched an investigation a day later into athletics programs at Penn and San Jose State University. The Penn investigation centered on Lia Thomas, who is the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title and graduated from the university in 2022.

Over a month later, the White House announced the suspension of about $175 million in federal funding from the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration said the halt in funding on March 19 came after a separate discretionary federal money review.

The university said at the time that it wasn't directly notified of the action.

Columbia University was the first major institution that had its funding singled out by the Trump administration.

At first, federal agencies declared they were considering stop-work orders for about $51 million of contracts with Columbia on March 3. Trump had also said on social media that schools that allow "illegal protests" would see funding cuts.

Last year, Columbia student protesters started a wave of campus demonstrations against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The protests led to tense faceoffs with police at the New York City university and the arrests of more than 100 demonstrators.

University leadership faced scathing condemnations from Republicans on the protests' proliferation, leading former president Minouche Shafik to step down. Columbia also began investigating pro-Palestinian student activists, such as Mahmoud Khalil, who was later arrested and is at threat of deportation.

On March 7, the Trump administration cancelled about $400 million of Columbia's federal funding. Columbia took some action afterward, such as expelling and suspending some student protesters who occupied a campus building during demonstrations.

The university announced March 21 that it had agreed to make even more sweeping policy changes that the Trump administration had demanded.

The changes included placing the Middle East studies department under supervision, hiring new safety personnel who can make arrests, and banning face masks "for the purposes of concealing one's identity." The university also agreed to appoint a senior provost tasked with reviewing several international studies departments' leadership and curriculum.

Armstrong resigned from her post the following week. The decision was met with dissatisfaction among some faculty members and a lawsuit against the cuts.

But following Harvard's defiance of the Trump administration's demands, Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, had a new message Monday. She said that while she agrees with some of the administration's requests, the university would reject "heavy-handed orchestration" that would "require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy as an educational institution."

Discussions were still ongoing between the federal government and Columbia as of Monday, according to Shipman's campus letter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744677178521.png" alt="Harvard President Alan Garber- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Harvard President Alan Garber- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated PressHarvard University is the latest in a growing list of higher education institutions that had its federal funding targeted by the government in order to comply with the Trump administration's political agenda.The series of threats — and subsequent pauses in funding — to some of the top U.S. universities have become an unprecedented tool for the administration to exert influence on college campuses. Six of the seven universities impacted are Ivy League schools.President Donald Trump vowed to pursue these federal cuts on the campaign trail last year, saying he would focus on schools that push "critical race theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content." Public school systems are targets for cuts too.Here's a look at which universities have been pressured by the administration's funding cuts so far.Harvard UniversityThe administration announced its antisemitism task force would conduct a " comprehensive review " of the Massachusetts university on March 31. The government was set to review nearly $9 billion of federal grants and contracts.Harvard is among universities across the country where pro-Palestinian protests erupted on campus amid the war in Gaza last year. Republican officials have since heavily scrutinized those universities, and several Ivy League presidents testified before Congress to discuss antisemitism allegations.The administration issued its list of demands to Harvard in a letter on April 3. The demands included a ban on face masks, limitations on campus protests and a review of academic departments' biases.About a week later, those demands were expanded to include leadership reforms, admission policy changes and stopping the university's recognition of certain student organizations.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” - President Alan Garber <a href="https://t.co/6cQQpcJVTd">https://t.co/6cQQpcJVTd</a>&mdash; Harvard University (@Harvard) <a href="https://twitter.com/Harvard/status/1911835670953214401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Then, on Monday, Harvard President Alan Gerber refused to comply, saying in a letter that the university "will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights."Hours later, the administration announced it froze more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to the university.Cornell UniversityThe White House announced last week that it froze more than $1 billion of Cornell's federal funding. The administration said the freeze came as it investigated alleged civil rights violations at the university.The New York university was among a group of more than 60 universities that received a letter from the Education Department on March 10 urging them to take steps to protect Jewish students or else face "potential enforcement actions."The Defense Department issued more than 75 stop-work orders for research, Cornell said in a statement, but that the federal government hadn't confirmed if the total funding freeze totaled $1 billion.Northwestern UniversityLike Cornell, Northwestern also saw a halt in some of its federal funding last week. The amount was about $790 million, according to the Trump administration.The Illinois university did not receive an official message from the White House on the freeze despite its cooperation with civil rights investigations, according to Northwestern officials at the time.University spokesperson Jon Yates said Northwestern's scientific research was "at jeopardy" because of the freeze — a widespread issue for universities facing research cuts from the National Institutes of Health.Brown UniversityThe Trump administration was anticipated to pause federal grants and contracts at Brown University because of the Rhode Island school's response to alleged antisemitism on campus, according to a White House official on April 3.The total was expected to be about $510 million in funding, according to the official.Princeton UniversityDozens of research grants were suspended at Princeton University without a clear rationale, according to an April 1 campus message from university president Christopher Eisgruber. The grants came from federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, NASA and the Defense Department.Before the funding pause, Eisgruber had expressed his opposition to Trump's threatened cuts at Columbia University in an essay in The Atlantic magazine. He called the administration's move a "radical threat to scholarly excellence and to America's leadership in research."University of PennsylvaniaUnlike the other targeted universities, the University of Pennsylvania saw funding cuts because of a transgender athlete who competed in Penn's swimming program, according to the Trump administration.After a Feb. 5 executive order barring transgender athletes from participating in women's and girls' sports, the Education Department launched an investigation a day later into athletics programs at Penn and San Jose State University. The Penn investigation centered on Lia Thomas, who is the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title and graduated from the university in 2022.Over a month later, the White House announced the suspension of about $175 million in federal funding from the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration said the halt in funding on March 19 came after a separate discretionary federal money review.The university said at the time that it wasn't directly notified of the action.Columbia UniversityColumbia University was the first major institution that had its funding singled out by the Trump administration.At first, federal agencies declared they were considering stop-work orders for about $51 million of contracts with Columbia on March 3. Trump had also said on social media that schools that allow "illegal protests" would see funding cuts.Last year, Columbia student protesters started a wave of campus demonstrations against Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The protests led to tense faceoffs with police at the New York City university and the arrests of more than 100 demonstrators.University leadership faced scathing condemnations from Republicans on the protests' proliferation, leading former president Minouche Shafik to step down. Columbia also began investigating pro-Palestinian student activists, such as Mahmoud Khalil, who was later arrested and is at threat of deportation.On March 7, the Trump administration cancelled about $400 million of Columbia's federal funding. Columbia took some action afterward, such as expelling and suspending some student protesters who occupied a campus building during demonstrations.The university announced March 21 that it had agreed to make even more sweeping policy changes that the Trump administration had demanded.The changes included placing the Middle East studies department under supervision, hiring new safety personnel who can make arrests, and banning face masks "for the purposes of concealing one's identity." The university also agreed to appoint a senior provost tasked with reviewing several international studies departments' leadership and curriculum.Armstrong resigned from her post the following week. The decision was met with dissatisfaction among some faculty members and a lawsuit against the cuts.But following Harvard's defiance of the Trump administration's demands, Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, had a new message Monday. She said that while she agrees with some of the administration's requests, the university would reject "heavy-handed orchestration" that would "require us to relinquish our independence and autonomy as an educational institution."Discussions were still ongoing between the federal government and Columbia as of Monday, according to Shipman's campus letter.

A look at universities with federal funding targeted by Trump admin.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thirty years after the deadliest homegrown attack in U.S. history, former President Bill Clinton returned to Oklahoma City on Saturday to remember the people who were killed and comfort those affected by the bombing.

Clinton was president on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb exploded, destroying a nine-story federal building in downtown Oklahoma City. He delivered the keynote address at a remembrance ceremony near the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum.

Clinton, now 78, was widely praised for how he helped the city grapple with its grief in the wake of the bombing, which killed 168 people, including 19 children. He says it was a day in his presidency that he will never forget.

"I still remember as if it were 30 minutes ago, coming here with Hillary to that memorial service and saying: 'You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything. You have certainly not lost America, and we will be with you for as many tomorrows as it takes,'" Clinton said, recalling his first visit to Oklahoma City just days after the bombing, when he spoke at a memorial service for the for the victims. "I do think we've kept that commitment."

Clinton has visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum numerous times in the years since the bombing and delivered speeches on major anniversaries.

On Saturday, Clinton also cautioned about the polarizing nature of modern-day politics and how such divisiveness can lead to violence, as it did 30 years ago. He said there is much the nation can learn from the "Oklahoma Standard," a term coined to reference the city's response to the bombing by uniting in service, honor and kindness.

"Today, Oklahoma City, America needs you," he said. "I wish to goodness every American could just see life unfold here, hearing these stories."

Other speakers included former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick, who were in office when the bombing occurred. Family members of some of those killed in the bombing read the 168 names of those killed in the attack.

Saturday's ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on the grounds of the memorial but was moved inside an adjacent church because of heavy rains.

After the ceremony, a procession of bagpipe players from the Oklahoma City Fire Department led many of those in attendance across the street to the outdoor memorial built on the grounds where the federal building once stood. The memorial includes a museum, a reflecting pool and 168 empty chairs of glass, bronze and stone etched with the names of those killed. Nineteen of the chairs are smaller than the others to represent the children killed.

Among the memorial's top missions is to help people understand the senselessness of political violence and teach a new generation about the impact of the bombing, said Kari Watkins, the memorial's president and CEO.

"We knew when we built this place we would some day reach a generation of people who weren't born or who didn't remember the story," Watkins said. "I think now, not just kids are coming through more and more, but teachers who are teaching those kids."

By SEAN MURPHY&nbsp;OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Thirty years after the deadliest homegrown attack in U.S. history, former President Bill Clinton returned to Oklahoma City on Saturday to remember the people who were killed and comfort those affected by the bombing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President <a href="https://twitter.com/BillClinton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BillClinton</a> at Oklahoma City Bombing 30th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony: &quot;If our lives are going to be dominated by the effort to dominate people we disagree with we&#39;re going to put the 250 year old march toward a more perfect union at risk.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/71TYyKGGrZ">pic.twitter.com/71TYyKGGrZ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1913629555115405634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Clinton was president on April 19, 1995, when a truck bomb exploded, destroying a nine-story federal building in downtown Oklahoma City. He delivered the keynote address at a remembrance ceremony near the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President <a href="https://twitter.com/BillClinton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BillClinton</a> at Oklahoma City Bombing 30th Anniversary Remembrance Ceremony: &quot;That bombing profoundly shook the country and did more to all of you. But, in the end it brought out the best in America.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bIO7n7akn0">pic.twitter.com/bIO7n7akn0</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1913629472554705161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Clinton, now 78, was widely praised for how he helped the city grapple with its grief in the wake of the bombing, which killed 168 people, including 19 children. He says it was a day in his presidency that he will never forget."I still remember as if it were 30 minutes ago, coming here with Hillary to that memorial service and saying: 'You have lost too much, but you have not lost everything. You have certainly not lost America, and we will be with you for as many tomorrows as it takes,'" Clinton said, recalling his first visit to Oklahoma City just days after the bombing, when he spoke at a memorial service for the for the victims. "I do think we've kept that commitment."Clinton has visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum numerous times in the years since the bombing and delivered speeches on major anniversaries.On Saturday, Clinton also cautioned about the polarizing nature of modern-day politics and how such divisiveness can lead to violence, as it did 30 years ago. He said there is much the nation can learn from the "Oklahoma Standard," a term coined to reference the city's response to the bombing by uniting in service, honor and kindness."Today, Oklahoma City, America needs you," he said. "I wish to goodness every American could just see life unfold here, hearing these stories."Other speakers included former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating and former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick, who were in office when the bombing occurred. Family members of some of those killed in the bombing read the 168 names of those killed in the attack.Saturday's ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on the grounds of the memorial but was moved inside an adjacent church because of heavy rains.After the ceremony, a procession of bagpipe players from the Oklahoma City Fire Department led many of those in attendance across the street to the outdoor memorial built on the grounds where the federal building once stood. The memorial includes a museum, a reflecting pool and 168 empty chairs of glass, bronze and stone etched with the names of those killed. Nineteen of the chairs are smaller than the others to represent the children killed.Among the memorial's top missions is to help people understand the senselessness of political violence and teach a new generation about the impact of the bombing, said Kari Watkins, the memorial's president and CEO."We knew when we built this place we would some day reach a generation of people who weren't born or who didn't remember the story," Watkins said. "I think now, not just kids are coming through more and more, but teachers who are teaching those kids."

🎥Former President Bill Clinton returns to Oklahoma City 30 years after the bombing

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.

Just after 6p.m. Thursday, police&nbsp;responded to an injury accident in the 3700 block of East 51st&nbsp;Street, according to KCPD&nbsp;Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

When officers arrived, they located a man later identified as 50-year-old&nbsp;Terry Lindsey suffering from life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; Lindsey was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.&nbsp;

Originally, Accident Investigation Unit detectives responded to the scene to handle the investigation.&nbsp; However, preliminary findings revealed the Lindsey appeared to have been struck intentionally by a vehicle.&nbsp; Homicide Detectives have taken over the case and this is being investigated as a homicide.&nbsp;

A subject of interest was taken into custody a short time later, pending further investigation.&nbsp; Detectives conducted area canvasses for witnesses and surveillance footage.&nbsp; 

Crime Scene responded to the scene and processed all available physical evidence.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City, Missouri.Just after 6p.m. Thursday, police&nbsp;responded to an injury accident in the 3700 block of East 51st&nbsp;Street, according to KCPD&nbsp;Sergeant Phil DiMartino.When officers arrived, they located a man later identified as 50-year-old&nbsp;Terry Lindsey suffering from life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; Lindsey was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.&nbsp;Originally, Accident Investigation Unit detectives responded to the scene to handle the investigation.&nbsp; However, preliminary findings revealed the Lindsey appeared to have been struck intentionally by a vehicle.&nbsp; Homicide Detectives have taken over the case and this is being investigated as a homicide.&nbsp;A subject of interest was taken into custody a short time later, pending further investigation.&nbsp; Detectives conducted area canvasses for witnesses and surveillance footage.&nbsp; Crime Scene responded to the scene and processed all available physical evidence.&nbsp;

KCPD: Homicide victim intentionally run over by a vehicle

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri’s first confirmed measles case of the year involves a child in Taney County, the health department announced Friday afternoon.

The child’s vaccination status “has not yet been verified,” according to the press release.

The child, who is not a Missouri resident, was visiting Taney County and was diagnosed “soon after arrival,” Lisa Cox, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/news/newsitem/uuid/58f781a5-e996-4c78-918c-07b00af263cf/case-of-measles-confirmed-in-traveler-to-missouri" target="_blank">press release</a>.

Taney County is in southwest Missouri, and its largest city is Branson.&nbsp;

“Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted,” Cox said, adding that the state is supporting Taney County’s health department to investigate possible exposure.&nbsp;

The case is “associated with recent international travel,” Cox said.

Measles is a highly-contagious virus the country&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html" target="_blank">declared eliminated</a>&nbsp;25 years ago, but that has resurged with falling vaccination rates.&nbsp;

“For those unvaccinated or those unsure of their vaccination status, now is the time to review records and get caught up if needed,” Dr. George Turabelidze, state epidemiologist with DHSS, said in the press release.

The percent of Missouri kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella has declined over the last several years, from 95% in the 2019-2020 school year to 91% in the 2023-2024 school year, in public schools, per&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">DHHS data</a>. In private schools, the drop has been even larger, from 92% to 85% in the same period.

Nationally, there are at least&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html" target="_blank">800 reported cases of measles across 25 states,&nbsp;</a>according to Center for Disease Control data as of Friday. That doesn’t include Missouri’s case, Cox said, because the state received lab test results Thursday night, after the federal reporting deadline for this week.&nbsp;

That is the highest number for a single year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/measles-outbreak-us-map/" target="_blank">since 2019</a>&nbsp;and is still growing.

The majority of measles infections nationally have been reported in a West Texas outbreak. There have been two confirmed deaths, both in Texas.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/2314/Measles-Data" target="_blank">Kansas</a>&nbsp;has reported 37 cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/measles-kansas-ohio-texas.html" target="_blank">possibly linked</a>&nbsp;to the Texas outbreak.

There are outbreaks in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/health/measles-texas-mexico-canada.html" target="_blank">Canada and Mexico</a>, too, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/measles-kansas-ohio-texas.html" target="_blank">several states have reported</a>&nbsp;isolated cases as the result of international travel.

At the same time, the federal government has cut grant funding set aside for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to encourage vaccinations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2025-04-16/federal-government-cuts-missouri-vaccine-funds-as-immunizations-dip" target="_blank">according to St. Louis Public Radio.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741908251964.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri’s first confirmed measles case of the year involves a child in Taney County, the health department announced Friday afternoon.The child’s vaccination status “has not yet been verified,” according to the press release.The child, who is not a Missouri resident, was visiting Taney County and was diagnosed “soon after arrival,” Lisa Cox, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/news/newsitem/uuid/58f781a5-e996-4c78-918c-07b00af263cf/case-of-measles-confirmed-in-traveler-to-missouri" target="_blank">press release</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Measles has been diagnosed in Missouri for the first time this year. The case is in a child who visited Taney county after traveling internationally. Luckily, there is no evidence of widespread public exposure, so there is no need to panic. <a href="https://t.co/kP0QydyipI">pic.twitter.com/kP0QydyipI</a>&mdash; Missouri Department of Health &amp; Senior Services (@HealthyLivingMo) <a href="https://twitter.com/HealthyLivingMo/status/1913290649522045239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Taney County is in southwest Missouri, and its largest city is Branson.&nbsp;“Exposure is believed to be limited, and known contacts have been identified and contacted,” Cox said, adding that the state is supporting Taney County’s health department to investigate possible exposure.&nbsp;The case is “associated with recent international travel,” Cox said.Measles is a highly-contagious virus the country&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html" target="_blank">declared eliminated</a>&nbsp;25 years ago, but that has resurged with falling vaccination rates.&nbsp;“For those unvaccinated or those unsure of their vaccination status, now is the time to review records and get caught up if needed,” Dr. George Turabelidze, state epidemiologist with DHSS, said in the press release.The percent of Missouri kindergarteners fully vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella has declined over the last several years, from 95% in the 2019-2020 school year to 91% in the 2023-2024 school year, in public schools, per&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">DHHS data</a>. In private schools, the drop has been even larger, from 92% to 85% in the same period.Nationally, there are at least&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html" target="_blank">800 reported cases of measles across 25 states,&nbsp;</a>according to Center for Disease Control data as of Friday. That doesn’t include Missouri’s case, Cox said, because the state received lab test results Thursday night, after the federal reporting deadline for this week.&nbsp;That is the highest number for a single year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/measles-outbreak-us-map/" target="_blank">since 2019</a>&nbsp;and is still growing.The majority of measles infections nationally have been reported in a West Texas outbreak. There have been two confirmed deaths, both in Texas.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/2314/Measles-Data" target="_blank">Kansas</a>&nbsp;has reported 37 cases,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/measles-kansas-ohio-texas.html" target="_blank">possibly linked</a>&nbsp;to the Texas outbreak.There are outbreaks in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/17/health/measles-texas-mexico-canada.html" target="_blank">Canada and Mexico</a>, too, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/measles-kansas-ohio-texas.html" target="_blank">several states have reported</a>&nbsp;isolated cases as the result of international travel.At the same time, the federal government has cut grant funding set aside for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to encourage vaccinations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2025-04-16/federal-government-cuts-missouri-vaccine-funds-as-immunizations-dip" target="_blank">according to St. Louis Public Radio.</a>

Missouri reports first measles case of 2025

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has positively identified the body pulled Thursday from the Missouri River&nbsp; as 39-year-old, Brandon Anfinson, according to a statement from the department.

On March 21, Anfinson’s family reported him missing from his home in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. Since that time law enforcement, family, friends and the community conducted extensive searches of the area for him. 

On Thursday, the Kansas City, Missouri Police and Fire Departments were called to 7808 E. Levee Road on a report of a body in the Missouri River. The missing persons case has now become an active death investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. 

Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.There is nothing further to report at this time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745025874467.png" alt="Brandon Anfinson courtesy p hoto" />
 <figcaption>Brandon Anfinson courtesy p hoto</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —The Kansas City, Kansas Police Department has positively identified the body pulled Thursday from the Missouri River&nbsp; as 39-year-old, Brandon Anfinson, according to a statement from the department.On March 21, Anfinson’s family reported him missing from his home in the Argentine neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. Since that time law enforcement, family, friends and the community conducted extensive searches of the area for him. On Thursday, the Kansas City, Missouri Police and Fire Departments were called to 7808 E. Levee Road on a report of a body in the Missouri River. The missing persons case has now become an active death investigation by the KCKPD Major Case Unit. Anyone with information on this case is urged to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward.There is nothing further to report at this time.

Police: Body pulled from river was missing Kansas man

WASHINGTON (AP) —The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Saturday blocked, for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law.

In a brief order, the court directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.”

Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.

The high court acted in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union contending that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart removals under the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alien-enemies-trump-immigration-deportations-21a62ede23b8c493b60d00a9c125722f">Alien Enemies Act</a>&nbsp;of 1798. The Supreme Court had said earlier in April that deportations could proceed only if those about to be removed had a chance to argue their case in court and were given “a reasonable time” to contest their pending removals.

“We are deeply relieved that the Court has temporarily blocked the removals. These individuals were in imminent danger of spending the rest of their lives in a brutal Salvadoran prison without ever having had any due process," ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said in an email.

On Friday, two federal judges refused to step in as lawyers for the men launched a desperate legal campaign to prevent their deportation, even as one judge said the case raised legitimate concerns. Early Saturday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also refused to issue an order protecting the detainees from being deported.

The administration is expected to return to the Supreme Court quickly in an effort to persuade the justices to lift their temporary order.

The ACLU had already sued to block deportations of two Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet facility and sought an order barring removals of any immigrants in the region under the Alien Enemies Act.

In an emergency filing early Friday, the ACLU warned that immigration authorities were accusing other Venezuelan men held there of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which would make them subject to President Donald Trump's use of the act.

The act has only been invoked three previous times in U.S. history, most recently during World War II to hold Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration contended it gave them power to swiftly remove immigrants they identified as members of the gang, regardless of their immigration status.

Following the unanimous high court order on April 9, federal judges in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-alien-enemies-deportation-colorado-venezuelan-gang-c8b4e376539125e46ee16971c8a0f4be">Colorado</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportations-alien-enemies-act-5eb0e061b4cc0d929f0050d7adb9b133">New York and southern Texas</a>&nbsp;promptly issued orders barring removal of detainees under the AEA until the administration provides a process for them to make claims in court.

But there had been no such order issued in the area of Texas that covers Bluebonnet, which is located 24 miles north of Abilene in the far northern end of the state.

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, this week declined to bar the administration from removing the two men identified in the ACLU lawsuit because Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed sworn declarations that they would not be immediately deported. He also balked at issuing a broader order prohibiting removal of all Venezuelans in the area under the act because he said removals hadn't started yet.

But the ACLU's Friday filing included sworn declarations from three separate immigration lawyers who said their clients in Bluebonnet were given paperwork indicating they were members of Tren de Aragua and could be deported by Saturday. In one case, immigration lawyer Karene Brown said her client, identified by initials, was told to sign papers in English even though the client only spoke Spanish.

“ICE informed F.G.M. that these papers were coming from the President, and that he will be deported even if he did not sign it,” Brown wrote.

Gelernt said in a Friday evening hearing before District Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington, D.C., that the administration initially moved Venezuelans to its south Texas immigration facility for deportation. But since a judge banned deportations in that area, it has funneled them to the Bluebonnet facility, where no such order exists. He said witnesses reported the men were being loaded on buses Friday evening to be taken to the airport.

With Hendrix not agreeing to the ACLU's request for an emergency order, the group turned to Boasberg, who initially halted deportations in March. The Supreme Court ruled the orders against deportation could only come from judges in jurisdictions where immigrants were held, which Boasberg said made him powerless Friday.

“I’m sympathetic to everything you’re saying,” Boasberg told Gelernt. “I just don’t think I have the power to do anything about it.”

Boasberg this week found there's probable cause that the Trump administration committed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportees-el-salvador-contempt-boasberg-da282511ac6f5c8dd19af620995ca440">criminal contempt</a>&nbsp;by disobeying his initial deportation ban. He was concerned that the paper that ICE was giving those held did not make clear they had a right to challenge their removal in court, which he believed the Supreme Court mandated.

Drew Ensign, an attorney for the Justice Department, disagreed, saying that people slated for deportation would have a “minimum” of 24 hours to challenge their removal in court. He said no flights were scheduled for Friday night and he was unaware of any Saturday, but the Department of Homeland Security said it reserved the right to remove people then.

ICE said it would not comment on the litigation.

Also Friday, a Massachusetts judge made permanent his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-immigration-deportations-third-countries-89eb617cb350bfeb2114f7b4a4e07aef">temporary ban</a>&nbsp;on the administration deporting immigrants who have exhausted their appeals to countries other than their home countries unless they are informed of their destination and given a chance to object if they'd face torture or death there.

Some Venezuelans subject to Trump's Alien Enemies Act have been sent to El Salvador and housed in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-trump-prison-immigrants-4ab3fc3c0474efb308084604b61f8a37">notorious</a>&nbsp;main prison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742866027364.png" alt="Image from video provided by U.S. Senator from Missouri Eric Schmitt" />
 <figcaption>Image from video provided by U.S. Senator from Missouri Eric Schmitt</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Saturday blocked, for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745067407505.png" alt="U.S. Supreme Court" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Supreme Court</figcaption>
 </figure>In a brief order, the court directed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.”Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.The high court acted in an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union contending that immigration authorities appeared to be moving to restart removals under the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alien-enemies-trump-immigration-deportations-21a62ede23b8c493b60d00a9c125722f">Alien Enemies Act</a>&nbsp;of 1798. The Supreme Court had said earlier in April that deportations could proceed only if those about to be removed had a chance to argue their case in court and were given “a reasonable time” to contest their pending removals.“We are deeply relieved that the Court has temporarily blocked the removals. These individuals were in imminent danger of spending the rest of their lives in a brutal Salvadoran prison without ever having had any due process," ACLU lawyer Lee Gelernt said in an email.On Friday, two federal judges refused to step in as lawyers for the men launched a desperate legal campaign to prevent their deportation, even as one judge said the case raised legitimate concerns. Early Saturday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also refused to issue an order protecting the detainees from being deported.The administration is expected to return to the Supreme Court quickly in an effort to persuade the justices to lift their temporary order.The ACLU had already sued to block deportations of two Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet facility and sought an order barring removals of any immigrants in the region under the Alien Enemies Act.In an emergency filing early Friday, the ACLU warned that immigration authorities were accusing other Venezuelan men held there of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which would make them subject to President Donald Trump's use of the act.The act has only been invoked three previous times in U.S. history, most recently during World War II to hold Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration contended it gave them power to swiftly remove immigrants they identified as members of the gang, regardless of their immigration status.Following the unanimous high court order on April 9, federal judges in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-alien-enemies-deportation-colorado-venezuelan-gang-c8b4e376539125e46ee16971c8a0f4be">Colorado</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportations-alien-enemies-act-5eb0e061b4cc0d929f0050d7adb9b133">New York and southern Texas</a>&nbsp;promptly issued orders barring removal of detainees under the AEA until the administration provides a process for them to make claims in court.But there had been no such order issued in the area of Texas that covers Bluebonnet, which is located 24 miles north of Abilene in the far northern end of the state.U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, this week declined to bar the administration from removing the two men identified in the ACLU lawsuit because Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed sworn declarations that they would not be immediately deported. He also balked at issuing a broader order prohibiting removal of all Venezuelans in the area under the act because he said removals hadn't started yet.But the ACLU's Friday filing included sworn declarations from three separate immigration lawyers who said their clients in Bluebonnet were given paperwork indicating they were members of Tren de Aragua and could be deported by Saturday. In one case, immigration lawyer Karene Brown said her client, identified by initials, was told to sign papers in English even though the client only spoke Spanish.“ICE informed F.G.M. that these papers were coming from the President, and that he will be deported even if he did not sign it,” Brown wrote.Gelernt said in a Friday evening hearing before District Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington, D.C., that the administration initially moved Venezuelans to its south Texas immigration facility for deportation. But since a judge banned deportations in that area, it has funneled them to the Bluebonnet facility, where no such order exists. He said witnesses reported the men were being loaded on buses Friday evening to be taken to the airport.With Hendrix not agreeing to the ACLU's request for an emergency order, the group turned to Boasberg, who initially halted deportations in March. The Supreme Court ruled the orders against deportation could only come from judges in jurisdictions where immigrants were held, which Boasberg said made him powerless Friday.“I’m sympathetic to everything you’re saying,” Boasberg told Gelernt. “I just don’t think I have the power to do anything about it.”Boasberg this week found there's probable cause that the Trump administration committed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportees-el-salvador-contempt-boasberg-da282511ac6f5c8dd19af620995ca440">criminal contempt</a>&nbsp;by disobeying his initial deportation ban. He was concerned that the paper that ICE was giving those held did not make clear they had a right to challenge their removal in court, which he believed the Supreme Court mandated.Drew Ensign, an attorney for the Justice Department, disagreed, saying that people slated for deportation would have a “minimum” of 24 hours to challenge their removal in court. He said no flights were scheduled for Friday night and he was unaware of any Saturday, but the Department of Homeland Security said it reserved the right to remove people then.ICE said it would not comment on the litigation.Also Friday, a Massachusetts judge made permanent his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-immigration-deportations-third-countries-89eb617cb350bfeb2114f7b4a4e07aef">temporary ban</a>&nbsp;on the administration deporting immigrants who have exhausted their appeals to countries other than their home countries unless they are informed of their destination and given a chance to object if they'd face torture or death there.Some Venezuelans subject to Trump's Alien Enemies Act have been sent to El Salvador and housed in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-trump-prison-immigrants-4ab3fc3c0474efb308084604b61f8a37">notorious</a>&nbsp;main prison.

Supreme Court blocks, for now, new deportations under 1798 law

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</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 — Approval of a last-minute addition to Kansas’ state budget took the gambling and sports betting sphere by surprise, leaving the future of the industry in the state uncertain.

The Kansas Legislature Friday passed the&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb125/" target="_blank">state budget bill</a>, which included a provision that bans the Kansas Lottery, the agency that oversees gambling in the state, from spending state money to negotiate any renewals, extensions or new contracts with sports wagering operators until July 2026.

Jeremy Kudon, a lobbyist who had a hand in ushering in gambling’s new era of sports wagering in the United States, took to the social media platform X to assure bettors that their online sports betting operators would remain in Kansas — for now.

“Just want to clarify: None of the leading OSB operators in Kansas will go dark as a result of today’s vote,” Kudon wrote in a post.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662056609748.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly, who signed a bill in May 2022 legalizing sports betting in Kansas, placed the state's first bet in September of that year on the Kansas City Chiefs.(Submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly, who signed a bill in May 2022 legalizing sports betting in Kansas, placed the state's first bet in September of that year on the Kansas City Chiefs.(Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</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 — Approval of a last-minute addition to Kansas’ state budget took the gambling and sports betting sphere by surprise, leaving the future of the industry in the state uncertain.The Kansas Legislature Friday passed the&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb125/" target="_blank">state budget bill</a>, which included a provision that bans the Kansas Lottery, the agency that oversees gambling in the state, from spending state money to negotiate any renewals, extensions or new contracts with sports wagering operators until July 2026.Jeremy Kudon, a lobbyist who had a hand in ushering in gambling’s new era of sports wagering in the United States, took to the social media platform X to assure bettors that their online sports betting operators would remain in Kansas — for now.“Just want to clarify: None of the leading OSB operators in Kansas will go dark as a result of today’s vote,” Kudon wrote in a post.Most contracts with the state lottery are valid until 2027, he said.“But I wouldn’t let the Kansas legislature off so easy. They had no idea when these contracts expired and were willing to take your favorite OSB apps away from Kansans. We’re not going to let that happen,” Kudon wrote.Kansans over 21 years old can bet on badminton, bull riding and 50 other categories of live and virtual sports. Since 2022, after the passage of&nbsp;<a href="https://kslegislature.gov/li_2022/b2021_22/measures/sb84/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 84</a>, the state recruited six sports wager operators: BetMGM, Caesar’s, DraftKings, ESPNBet, FanDuel and Fanatics. Each of those contracts, which include retail and mobile betting, are set to expire at the same time in August 2027.Historically, the Kansas Lottery negotiated the contracts and went through an approval process with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.The Legislature’s moratorium, which will apply to fiscal years 2025 and 2026, could open up Kansas’ sports betting market to new regulations or more influence from state lawmakers if they decide to take up the issue in the 2026 session. Among possible changes, one option is an increase in the share of money the state collects from sports wagering revenues. The state currently collects 10% of all revenue from both mobile and retail platforms.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744994370822.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Sports wagering is legal in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Missouri voters narrowly approved in November a constitutional amendment to legalize sports betting online, in casinos and in certain districts near major sports arenas. The rollout was scheduled for this summer, but the state has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/02/24/launch-of-missouri-sports-betting-delayed-until-fall-after-emergency-rules-were-rejected/" target="_blank">delayed it until the fall</a>&nbsp;to allow for time to straighten out licensing rules.Legalized gambling in Kansas dates back to 1986, when more than 60% of voters approved a constitutional amendment to establish a state-run lottery. A year later, the Legislature passed the Kansas Lottery Act.&nbsp;The Legislature this year authorized a gaming compact between the governor’s office and the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska to allow sports betting at the Sac &amp; Fox Casino in Powhattan. In 2024, the Legislature approved a sports betting compact for the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska’s White Cloud Casino in White Cloud and did the same in 2023 for the Prairie Band Casino Resort in Mayetta, which is owned by the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.