SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in vehicle crash and fire that left a passenger dead is due back in court on Thursday.&nbsp;

Christian Sheppard, 33 of Wichita, is charged with 2nd degree murder and is scheduled to attend a arraignment hearing before Judge Tyler Roush, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. He may enter a plea in the case.

On Dec. 29, police responded to a collision in the 200 block of N. Charles Street in Wichita, according to a media release. First responders found the vehicle that struck a tree and fence and caught fire. A passenger, identified as 32-year-old Chekiel Wright, died, and the driver, later identified as Sheppard was seriously injured.

On May 21, police arrested Sheppard.&nbsp; He met the requirement of a $250,000 bond and was released from custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747917397070.png" alt="Sheppard photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Sheppard photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man accused in vehicle crash and fire that left a passenger dead is due back in court on Thursday.&nbsp;Christian Sheppard, 33 of Wichita, is charged with 2nd degree murder and is scheduled to attend a arraignment hearing before Judge Tyler Roush, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. He may enter a plea in the case.On Dec. 29, police responded to a collision in the 200 block of N. Charles Street in Wichita, according to a media release. First responders found the vehicle that struck a tree and fence and caught fire. A passenger, identified as 32-year-old Chekiel Wright, died, and the driver, later identified as Sheppard was seriously injured.On May 21, police arrested Sheppard.&nbsp; He met the requirement of a $250,000 bond and was released from custody, according to online jail records.

Arraignment hearing for Kansas driver in fatal crash and fire 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted down legislation Wednesday that would have put a check on President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels after Democrats tried to counter the administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-armed-conflict-cb57804807e55a00ace60ad5f4d4f24d">extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers</a>&nbsp;to destroy vessels in the Caribbean.

The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51, with two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski, voting in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voting against. Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.

It was the first vote in Congress on Trump’s military campaign, which according to the White House has so far&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-venezuela-drug-cartels-unlawful-combatants-1848b02febe08acacb82979d7da47dfb">destroyed four vessels</a>, killed at least 21 people and stopped narcotics from reaching the U.S.. The war powers resolution would have required the president to seek authorization from Congress before further military strikes on the cartels.

The Trump administration has asserted that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-indictments-armed-forces-united-states-miami-d82797206561db03851e47df125c243f">drug traffickers</a>&nbsp;are armed combatants threatening the United States, creating justification to use military force. But that assertion has been met with some unease on Capitol Hill.

Some Republicans are asking the White House for more clarification on its legal justification and specifics on how the strikes are conducted, while Democrats insist they are violations of U.S. and international law. It’s a clash that could redefine how the world’s most powerful military uses lethal force and set the tone for future global conflict.

The White House had indicated Trump would veto the legislation, and even though the Senate vote failed it gave lawmakers an opportunity to go on the record with their objections to Trump’s declaration that the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels.

“It sends a message when a significant number of legislators say, ‘Hey, this is a bad idea,’” said Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who pushed the resolution alongside Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.

Wednesday's vote was brought under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war.

“Congress must not allow the executive branch to become judge, jury and executioner,” Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has long pushed for greater congressional oversight of war powers, said during a floor speech.

Paul was the only Republican to publicly speak in favor of the resolution before the vote, but a number of GOP senators have questioned the strikes on vessels and said they are not receiving enough information from the administration.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, acknowledged “there may be some concern” in the Republican conference about the strikes. However, Republican leaders argued against the resolution on the Senate floor Wednesday, calling it a political ploy from Democrats.

“People were attacking our country by bringing in poisonous substances to deposit into our country that would have killed Americans,” said Sen. Jim Risch, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Fortunately most of those drugs are now at the bottom of the ocean.”

Risch thanked Trump for his actions and added that he hoped the military strikes would continue.

What has the administration told Congress about the strikes?

Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee received a classified briefing last week on the strikes, and Cramer said he was “comfortable with at least the plausibility of their legal argument.” But he added that no one representing intelligence agencies or the military command structure for Central and South America was present for the briefing.

“I’d be more comfortable defending the administration if they shared the information,” he said.

Kaine also said the briefing did not include any information on why the military chose to destroy the vessels rather than interdict them or get into the specifics of how the military was so confident that the vessels were carrying drugs.

“Maybe they were engaged in human trafficking, or maybe it was the wrong ship,” Schiff said. “We just have little or no information about who was onboard these ships or what intelligence was used or what the rationale was and how certain we could be that everyone on that ship deserved to die.”

The Democrats also said the administration has told them it is adding cartels to a list of organizations deemed “narco-terrorists” that are targets for military strikes, but it has not shown the lawmakers a complete list.

“The slow erosion of congressional oversight is not an abstract debate about process,” Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a floor speech. “It is a real and present threat to our democracy.”

Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;visited the Republican Conference for lunch Wednesday to emphasize to senators that they should vote against the legislation. He told the senators the administration was treating cartels like governmental entities because they have seized control of large portions of some Caribbean nations, according to Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota.

“These drug trafficking organizations are a direct threat to the safety and security of the United States to unleash violence and criminality on our streets, fueled by the drugs and the drug profits that they make,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol. “And the president is the commander in chief, has an obligation to keep our country safe.”

Still, there is worry in the Senate that the recent buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean was a sign of shifting U.S. priorities and tactics that could have grave repercussions. Senators warned that further military strikes had the potential to set off a conflict with Venezuela.

“This is the kind of thing that leads a country, unexpectedly and unintentionally, into war," Schiff said.

Following the vote, Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, said in a statement that even though he voted against the resolution, he was still “highly concerned about the legality” of the strikes.

He also raised concern that the military buildup in the Caribbean could divert resources from countering China's military elsewhere. Young said he would be meeting with Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about those concerns and also called for a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“The administration should adhere to the Constitution and keep the people’s representatives informed on this critical national security issue,” he said.

Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted down legislation Wednesday that would have put a check on President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels after Democrats tried to counter the administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-armed-conflict-cb57804807e55a00ace60ad5f4d4f24d">extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers</a>&nbsp;to destroy vessels in the Caribbean.The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51, with two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski, voting in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voting against. Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Earlier this morning, on President Trump&#39;s orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the… <a href="https://t.co/QpNPljFcGn">pic.twitter.com/QpNPljFcGn</a>&mdash; Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1974150886084485503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">🚨 BREAKING: US Senate REJECTS advancing a measure to stop President Trump and Pete Hegseth from unilaterally striking narco-terrorist boats coming through the Caribbean to poison and kill Americans, 48-51 JOHN FETTERMAN (D) votes NAY. Republicans RAND PAUL and LISA MURKOWSKI… <a href="https://t.co/MEGTdQECXn">pic.twitter.com/MEGTdQECXn</a>&mdash; Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1976080295368523866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>It was the first vote in Congress on Trump’s military campaign, which according to the White House has so far&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-venezuela-drug-cartels-unlawful-combatants-1848b02febe08acacb82979d7da47dfb">destroyed four vessels</a>, killed at least 21 people and stopped narcotics from reaching the U.S.. The war powers resolution would have required the president to seek authorization from Congress before further military strikes on the cartels.The Trump administration has asserted that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/caribbean-indictments-armed-forces-united-states-miami-d82797206561db03851e47df125c243f">drug traffickers</a>&nbsp;are armed combatants threatening the United States, creating justification to use military force. But that assertion has been met with some unease on Capitol Hill.Some Republicans are asking the White House for more clarification on its legal justification and specifics on how the strikes are conducted, while Democrats insist they are violations of U.S. and international law. It’s a clash that could redefine how the world’s most powerful military uses lethal force and set the tone for future global conflict.The White House had indicated Trump would veto the legislation, and even though the Senate vote failed it gave lawmakers an opportunity to go on the record with their objections to Trump’s declaration that the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels.“It sends a message when a significant number of legislators say, ‘Hey, this is a bad idea,’” said Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who pushed the resolution alongside Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.<h2>What is the War Powers Resolution?</h2>Wednesday's vote was brought under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war.“Congress must not allow the executive branch to become judge, jury and executioner,” Paul, a Kentucky Republican who has long pushed for greater congressional oversight of war powers, said during a floor speech.Paul was the only Republican to publicly speak in favor of the resolution before the vote, but a number of GOP senators have questioned the strikes on vessels and said they are not receiving enough information from the administration.Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, acknowledged “there may be some concern” in the Republican conference about the strikes. However, Republican leaders argued against the resolution on the Senate floor Wednesday, calling it a political ploy from Democrats.“People were attacking our country by bringing in poisonous substances to deposit into our country that would have killed Americans,” said Sen. Jim Risch, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Fortunately most of those drugs are now at the bottom of the ocean.”Risch thanked Trump for his actions and added that he hoped the military strikes would continue.<h2>What has the administration told Congress about the strikes?</h2>Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee received a classified briefing last week on the strikes, and Cramer said he was “comfortable with at least the plausibility of their legal argument.” But he added that no one representing intelligence agencies or the military command structure for Central and South America was present for the briefing.“I’d be more comfortable defending the administration if they shared the information,” he said.Kaine also said the briefing did not include any information on why the military chose to destroy the vessels rather than interdict them or get into the specifics of how the military was so confident that the vessels were carrying drugs.“Maybe they were engaged in human trafficking, or maybe it was the wrong ship,” Schiff said. “We just have little or no information about who was onboard these ships or what intelligence was used or what the rationale was and how certain we could be that everyone on that ship deserved to die.”The Democrats also said the administration has told them it is adding cartels to a list of organizations deemed “narco-terrorists” that are targets for military strikes, but it has not shown the lawmakers a complete list.“The slow erosion of congressional oversight is not an abstract debate about process,” Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a floor speech. “It is a real and present threat to our democracy.”<h2>A visit from Rubio</h2>Secretary of State&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;visited the Republican Conference for lunch Wednesday to emphasize to senators that they should vote against the legislation. He told the senators the administration was treating cartels like governmental entities because they have seized control of large portions of some Caribbean nations, according to Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota.“These drug trafficking organizations are a direct threat to the safety and security of the United States to unleash violence and criminality on our streets, fueled by the drugs and the drug profits that they make,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol. “And the president is the commander in chief, has an obligation to keep our country safe.”Still, there is worry in the Senate that the recent buildup of U.S. maritime forces in the Caribbean was a sign of shifting U.S. priorities and tactics that could have grave repercussions. Senators warned that further military strikes had the potential to set off a conflict with Venezuela.“This is the kind of thing that leads a country, unexpectedly and unintentionally, into war," Schiff said.Following the vote, Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, said in a statement that even though he voted against the resolution, he was still “highly concerned about the legality” of the strikes.He also raised concern that the military buildup in the Caribbean could divert resources from countering China's military elsewhere. Young said he would be meeting with Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about those concerns and also called for a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.“The administration should adhere to the Constitution and keep the people’s representatives informed on this critical national security issue,” he said.___Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed.

Moran, Marshall help Senate vote down check of Trump's use of war powers against cartels

DOUGLAS COUNTY—A man found a concerning device behind some drywall as he was remodeling a house in Lawrence.

Just before 1:30p.m. Wednesday, he called dispatchers from the 900 block of Iowa with the grenade in his truck, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.

Officers responded to the area about and took appropriate precautions by clearing the area around the truck and standing by until bomb experts arrived.  It appears to be a grenade that expels gas and rubber balls. The Leavenworth bomb squad took possession of the device to properly dispose of it.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760006554368.png" alt="Photo Lawrence police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—A man found a concerning device behind some drywall as he was remodeling a house in Lawrence.Just before 1:30p.m. Wednesday, he called dispatchers from the 900 block of Iowa with the grenade in his truck, according to a statement from Lawrence Police.Officers responded to the area about and took appropriate precautions by clearing the area around the truck and standing by until bomb experts arrived. It appears to be a grenade that expels gas and rubber balls. The Leavenworth bomb squad took possession of the device to properly dispose of it.

Man found grenade behind drywall in Kansas home

KANSAS CITY — The Missouri State Highway Patrol released additional details on a crash that injured a State Trooper just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.

According to the Patrol, the crash occurred as a 2023 Dodge Charge driven by the 30-year-old Trooper from Lees Summit was eastbound on MO 21- just east of Route EE. The vehicle crossed the center line and struck the trailer of a westbound 2024 Kenworth semi driven by a 61-year-old Marissa, Illinois man.&nbsp;&nbsp;

EMS transported the Trooper to North Kansas City Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.&nbsp; The Patrol released no additional details.

KANSAS CITY —A Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper was injured in an accident that occurred just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the Trooper was eastbound on MO 210 near Stillhouse Road. The&nbsp; Trooper's vehicle crossed the center line and collided with the trailer of a westbound semi.&nbsp;

EMS transported the Trooper to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit is investigating in charge of the investigation.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759886123534.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY — The Missouri State Highway Patrol released additional details on a crash that injured a State Trooper just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.According to the Patrol, the crash occurred as a 2023 Dodge Charge driven by the 30-year-old Trooper from Lees Summit was eastbound on MO 21- just east of Route EE. The vehicle crossed the center line and struck the trailer of a westbound 2024 Kenworth semi driven by a 61-year-old Marissa, Illinois man.&nbsp;&nbsp;EMS transported the Trooper to North Kansas City Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.&nbsp; The Patrol released no additional details.------------------------&nbsp;KANSAS CITY —A Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper was injured in an accident that occurred just after 11:30a.m. Tuesday in Clay County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the Trooper was eastbound on MO 210 near Stillhouse Road. The&nbsp; Trooper's vehicle crossed the center line and collided with the trailer of a westbound semi.&nbsp;EMS transported the Trooper to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured.The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit is investigating in charge of the investigation.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Patrol releases new details in State Trooper crash with a semi

WASHINGTON (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/article/egypt-gaza-talks-kushner-witkoff-israel-hamas-news-10-08-2025-ac80d3ed50ff2a9b4106ab5e13156651">Israel and Hamas have agreed</a>&nbsp;to the “first phase” of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-palestinians-hamas-war-explainer-d5c5057d2fe9e2e255215850b454f601">U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan</a>&nbsp;to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rubio-note-middle-east-peace-f570658c65daefab6d0af9b29e851dd7">major breakthrough</a>&nbsp;in the two-year-old war.

Under the plan, Hamas will release all 20 living hostages in the coming days in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” Hamas said separately that the deal would ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops as well as allow for the entry of aid and exchange of hostages and prisoners.

Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of the plan, such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza.

Hamas official says some 2,000 prisoners to be released

A senior Hamas official has said five border crossings will be opened for aid to flow into the Gaza Strip, some 2,000 prisoners will be released and Israeli troops will withdraw from heavily populated areas as part of the U.S.-mediated deal to end the two-year war.

Osama Hamdan told the pan-Arab Al-Araby TV that 250 prisoners serving long sentences will be released in addition to 1,700 who were taken prisoner during the war in Gaza.

“We have put the names of all the commanders that we want released,” Hamdan said.

“The Israelis should withdraw from all heavily populated areas especially Gaza City, Khan Younis, Rafah and north Gaza,” he added.

The Israeli army is expected to start withdrawing on Friday but it could start as early as late Thursday, Hamdan said.

Gaza paramedic: Peace plan is a ‘moment of joy’

The head of paramedics in northern Gaza says the agreement between Israel and Hamas is a “moment of joy” because it means an end to the relentless bloodshed and killings that have claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Fares Afana said his team’s priority is to remove bodies from under the rubble and on the roads which were inaccessible during intense bombings.

“After two years of this genocide, injustice and oppression, we are physically and psychologically tired,” he added. “Only now after the ceasefire announcement, we can cry for our colleagues who were killed.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to convene his Security Cabinet late Thursday to approve the ceasefire. The entire parliament will then meet to approve the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Both the ceasefire deal and the release of prisoners are expected to pass with wide margins, even if far right ministers vote against it.

After the approval, Israel will publish a list of the prisoners expected to be released. Victims of attacks carried out by the prisoners will have 24 hours to petition the Israeli Supreme Court to halt the releases if they object.

Although petitions are expected, the Supreme Court has never intervened to halt a prisoner release in previous deals, said Amichai Cohen, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem think tank Israel Democracy Institute and an expert in national security law.

Thousands of observant Jews rejoice in Jerusalem

Thousands of observant Jews have streamed into Jerusalem’s old city to mark the holiday of Sukkot at the Wall, with extra rejoicing for the upcoming release of the hostages in Gaza.

“God is making miracles, we know from the past. But today we saw it,” said Avi Kozman, who was holding Sukkot’s traditional palm branch after receiving the Priestly Blessing, or Birkat Kohanim.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sukkot-jewish-holiday-october-7th-ae796c4b56495387e98f756fc4fb1409">Sukkot explicitly encourages Jews to rejoice</a>, and many in the jubilant crowds that broke into spontaneous dancing by Jerusalem’s old walls saw divine intervention in the timing of the announcement.

“We always see his hand in the salvation he gives us,” said Hindel Berman as she returned from prayer with her son. The New Jersey resident had come to Jerusalem to mark Sukkot. She called the announcement an answer to the prayers she’d been fervently making since Oct. 7.

“We were screaming and singing last night,” she said.

Egypt’s president says the plan ‘opens the door of hope’

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt is hailing the deal between Israel and Hamas as a “historic moment.”

“This agreement does not only close the chapter of war; it also opens the door of hope for the peoples of the region for a future defined by justice and stability,” el-Sissi wrote in a social media post.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said he hoped the plan would “constitute a first step toward a permanent ceasefire and an end to the humanitarian suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The United Arab Emirates, which struck a diplomatic recognition deal with Israel in 2020, also praised the move toward a ceasefire.

Saudi Arabia welcomes possible start of a ceasefire

The kingdom said in a foreign ministry statement that it hoped the peace deal will lead to urgent action to alleviate the humanitarian suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and a complete Israeli withdrawal.

Saudi Arabia also expressed hope that the peace plan would lead to the “initiation of practical steps to achieve a just and comprehensive peace based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.”

European leaders have praised the peace deal reached between Israel and Hamas, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressing relief Thursday.

Starmer, who is on a two-day visit to India, said at a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the agreement must now be implemented in full without delay and be accompanied by the immediate lifting of all restrictions on lifesaving humanitarian aid to Gaza.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for all parties to uphold the agreement’s terms, while the EU’s policy chief, Kaja Kallas, wrote on X that “The EU will do what it can to support its implementation.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hailed the deal as “extraordinary news” and urged its swift implementation, while Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel expressed hope for wider peace in the region.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron said the ceasefire agreement brings hope for hostages, Palestinians in Gaza, and the entire region. He added the agreement will be discussed in Paris later Thursday.

“This agreement must mark the end of the war and the beginning of a political solution based on the two-state solution,” he said.

Turkey's Erdogan thanks Trump for showing ‘necessary political will’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country played a role in the negotiations, expressed pleasure with the ceasefire agreement reached between Hamas and Israel.

In a statement posted on X, Erdogan thanked Trump for “demonstrating the necessary political will” as well as Qatar and Egypt for facilitating the deal.

“I extend my heartfelt greetings to my Palestinian brothers and sisters who have endured indescribable suffering for two years,” the Turkish president said.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called the deal a step toward lasting peace in the Middle East. He praised Trump for his role in the deal and acknowledged Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey for their mediation efforts.

“Above all, we pay tribute to the resilience of the Palestinian people, who have endured unimaginable hardship that must never be repeated,” Sharif said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim lauded the progress and urged all parties to seize the opportunity for enduring peace.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also welcomed the agreement, expressing hope for a brighter future in the region.

Exhausted Palestinians welcome peace deal with mix of hope and skepticism

Exhausted and hardened by months of brutal bombings, some Palestinians were skeptical yet impatient to see the first phase of the Trump peace plan come into effect, just hours after the agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced.

Paramedic Saeed Awad said he was first skeptical about the possibility of a ceasefire because of previous failed attempts to end the war.

"They all ended in failure. So we didn’t really pay attention to this (round),” he said.

When he first heard the news, Awad said, he had to check with others, seeking confirmation.

“We have been in this war and in this suffering for two years,” Awad said.

Alaa Abd Rabbo, displaced from northern Gaza to Deir al-Balah, said the ceasefire deal is “a Godsend day of relief.”

He said he has been displaced from his home several times, to different parts of Gaza.

“We are tired. We have been displaced and this is the day we have been waiting for,” Abd Rabbo said. “We want to go home, to tend to our affairs, to check on our homes. Even though there are no more homes, but we still want to go home."

World leaders have praised the peace agreement in Gaza brokered by Donald Trump.

Argentine President Javier Milei applauded the deal Wednesday, calling it historic, and said he would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed relief that hostages will soon be reunited with their families and called on all parties to implement the agreed terms swiftly.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely and that “Today is a positive first step in bringing that suffering to an end.”

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also welcomed the agreement as a “major step” toward calming the situation and achieving a two-state settlement.

Israeli military says northern Gaza remains a ‘dangerous combat zone’

The Israeli military warned Palestinians in Gaza against returning north to Gaza City or approaching areas where troops are stationed until further notice.

Israel’s Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued the warning on X, hours after Hamas and Israel agreed to the first phase of the Trump plan to pause the fighting and release hostages and prisoners.

“For your safety, refrain from returning north or approaching areas where (troops) are stationed or operating throughout” Gaza, he said.

Adraee said northern Gaza is “still considered a dangerous combat zone.”

Journalists in Gaza City celebrate peace deal

In Gaza City, where bombings had been heard in the early hours of Thursday before news of the deal, a few journalists roamed the dark streets of the city, shouting in jubilation that “the war has ended,” according to a video they posted on social media.

The journalists, laughing and jumping, shouted that most people who remained in the city have no internet and needed to be woken up to hear the news.

In the south of Gaza, a group of young men lifted another journalist on their shoulders as he broadcast the news to his channel, celebrating the ceasefire.

The men also performed a traditional Palestinian dance, Debka, on the streets, while singing.

UNGA president says ceasefire agreement must lead to immediate aid deliveries

Annalena Baerbock said the agreement announced by Trump finally offers “a ray of hope after more than 700 days of death, destruction and despair.”

She said the moment must be seized to fully implement the agreement, end the war in Gaza, release all hostages and ensure “the immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid.”

Baerbock said many world leaders at their recent meeting in the United Nations General Assembly stressed that a permanent ceasefire can open a path to peace, end Hamas’ rule in Gaza and Israel’s occupation, and lead to a two-state solution, the only way Israelis and Palestinians can live in lasting peace and security.

The former German foreign minister commended the U.S., Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and the many others involved “for their efforts to bring the suffering of Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians to an end.”

Hostage families chant ‘Nobel prize to Trump’ in Tel Aviv

Families of hostages and their supporters started chanting “Nobel prize to Trump” as they gathered in the early hours of the morning in Tel Aviv's hostages square.

People gathered there after the agreement was announced, with freed hostages and families of those still captive cheering, singing and crying at the news.

Israeli ambassador says end of hostilities in Gaza depends on first-stage implementation

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told CNN that living hostages held by Hamas would be released on Sunday or Monday — with a 72-hour clock for Hamas to make the release beginning once the Israeli Cabinet meets, Thursday afternoon or evening, to approve the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in the agreement.

Leiter said that Israel hopes the deal will lead to an end to the war, but that will depend on how well it is implemented.

“We hope it leads to a complete cessation of hostilities and a rebuilding of Gaza for the sake of the Gazans and for the sake of Israel,” he said.

“But it’s the first stage, and we’ve got to see the first stage implemented completely in the next few days.”

Leiter, whose eldest son was killed in the war while serving in the Israeli forces, credited Israeli military pressure with bringing Hamas to the negotiating table after two years of conflict.

Hostages to be ‘probably’ released Monday, Trump says

In an interview on Fox News, Trump said that Hamas will begin releasing hostages “probably” on Monday.

“This is more than Gaza,” Trump told host Sean Hannity in a telephone interview. “This is peace in the Middle East.”

Trump also said a future Gaza will be a “peaceful, much safer place” and that the U.S. would remain involved to ensure its safety and prosperity.

“Other countries in the area will help it reconstruct because they have tremendous wealth,” Trump said, adding: “We’ll be involved in helping them make it successful and helping it stay peaceful.”

Trump confirmed that he spoke to Netanyahu earlier Wednesday night. The prime minister told him, “I can’t believe it,” according to the president’s retelling.

“I said, ‘Israel cannot fight the world, Bibi, they can’t fight the world,’ and he understands that very well,” Trump said.

Israeli Army welcomes agreement, prepares for ‘any scenario’

🎥Trump phone call with families on deal to release hostages

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce on Wednesday as part of the ongoing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shutdown-federal-workers-pay-health-care-415768faa14b4e54525d5e6d18ac97b4">government shutdown</a>, according to an updated contingency plan posted to its website. Most IRS operations are closed, the agency said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26183224-irs-furlough-letter/">a separate letter to its workers</a>.

The news comes after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-chicago-pritzker-johnson-national-guard-illinois-3ca116f867916ac6538bf45ce391c94c">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-senate-schumer-thune-trump-health-care-b85fe6cdd5d8cdc3e3aa1f4ae889474f">failed to strike an agreement</a>&nbsp;to fund federal operations, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>&nbsp;has entered its second week, with no discernible endgame in sight.

The agency's initial&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26183200-irs-lapse-plan/">Lapsed Appropriations Contingency Plan</a>, which provided for the first five business days of operations, stated that the department would remain open using Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-reduction-climate-anniversary-9950f7e814ac71e89eee3f452ab17f71">Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;funds.

Now, only 39,870 employees, or 53.6%, will remain working as the shutdown continues. It is unclear which workers will remain on the job.

Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said in a statement that taxpayers should expect increased wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues.

“Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week," she said. “Every day these employees are locked out of work is another day of frustration for taxpayers and a growing backlog of work that sits and waits for the shutdown to end.”

She urged the Trump administration and Congress to "reach an agreement that reopens government and restores the services that Americans need and deserve."

The notice to workers states that furloughed workers and those who remain on the job will receive back pay once the shutdown ends. This is notable since the Republican administration on Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-back-bay-shutdown-785eb776d2312d1f68f7e91961d0a93a">warned of no guaranteed back pay</a>&nbsp;for federal workers affected by a government shutdown.

Last week, Trump said roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-9-30-2025#00000199-9b62-d3e5-a399-ff7b4ce10000">750,000 federal workers</a>&nbsp;nationwide were expected to be furloughed across agencies, with some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-9-30-2025#00000199-9c25-d394-abb9-bf2ff8a90000">potentially fired</a>&nbsp;by his administration.

Representatives from the IRS, the Treasury and the White House did not comment on the furlough plans.

Earlier this year the IRS embarked on mass layoffs, spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency, affecting tens of thousands of workers. At the end of 2024, the agency employed roughly 100,000 workers — and currently that hovers around 75,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690229574211.png" alt="Photo AP" />
 <figcaption>Photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS will furlough nearly half of its workforce on Wednesday as part of the ongoing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shutdown-federal-workers-pay-health-care-415768faa14b4e54525d5e6d18ac97b4">government shutdown</a>, according to an updated contingency plan posted to its website. Most IRS operations are closed, the agency said in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26183224-irs-furlough-letter/">a separate letter to its workers</a>.The news comes after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-chicago-pritzker-johnson-national-guard-illinois-3ca116f867916ac6538bf45ce391c94c">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-senate-schumer-thune-trump-health-care-b85fe6cdd5d8cdc3e3aa1f4ae889474f">failed to strike an agreement</a>&nbsp;to fund federal operations, and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>&nbsp;has entered its second week, with no discernible endgame in sight.The agency's initial&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26183200-irs-lapse-plan/">Lapsed Appropriations Contingency Plan</a>, which provided for the first five business days of operations, stated that the department would remain open using Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-reduction-climate-anniversary-9950f7e814ac71e89eee3f452ab17f71">Inflation Reduction Act</a>&nbsp;funds.Now, only 39,870 employees, or 53.6%, will remain working as the shutdown continues. It is unclear which workers will remain on the job.Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said in a statement that taxpayers should expect increased wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues.“Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week," she said. “Every day these employees are locked out of work is another day of frustration for taxpayers and a growing backlog of work that sits and waits for the shutdown to end.”She urged the Trump administration and Congress to "reach an agreement that reopens government and restores the services that Americans need and deserve."The notice to workers states that furloughed workers and those who remain on the job will receive back pay once the shutdown ends. This is notable since the Republican administration on Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-workers-back-bay-shutdown-785eb776d2312d1f68f7e91961d0a93a">warned of no guaranteed back pay</a>&nbsp;for federal workers affected by a government shutdown.Last week, Trump said roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-9-30-2025#00000199-9b62-d3e5-a399-ff7b4ce10000">750,000 federal workers</a>&nbsp;nationwide were expected to be furloughed across agencies, with some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-9-30-2025#00000199-9c25-d394-abb9-bf2ff8a90000">potentially fired</a>&nbsp;by his administration.Representatives from the IRS, the Treasury and the White House did not comment on the furlough plans.Earlier this year the IRS embarked on mass layoffs, spearheaded by the Department of Government Efficiency, affecting tens of thousands of workers. At the end of 2024, the agency employed roughly 100,000 workers — and currently that hovers around 75,000.

IRS will furlough nearly half its workforce due to government shutdown 

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.

Just before 6a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported house fire in the 3500 block of E. 26th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

 Crews reported heavy fire through the roof of a two-story occupied home .&nbsp; Searches of the structure came back all clear. The occupants of the home were able to escape. The fire was placed under control at 5:53 am. Red Cross was ordered for two adults and animal control was ordered to care for multiple dogs. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759926945992.png" alt="Photo KC Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo KC Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.Just before 6a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported house fire in the 3500 block of E. 26th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. Crews reported heavy fire through the roof of a two-story occupied home .&nbsp; Searches of the structure came back all clear. The occupants of the home were able to escape. The fire was placed under control at 5:53 am. Red Cross was ordered for two adults and animal control was ordered to care for multiple dogs.

Animal control responds for multiple dogs after KC house fire

HAMILTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug charges after a drug bust in southwest Kansas.

&nbsp;On October 6, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in coordination with the Stanton County Sheriff's Office, executed a search warrant at 207 N. Maple Street in Coolidge, Kansas as part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal distribution of methamphetamine, according to a report from the Hamilton County Sheriff.

During the search investigators recovered suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and additional evidence consistent with the distribution of controlled substances.&nbsp; Deputies arrested 59-year-old&nbsp;Patricia Apodaca of Coolidge on requested charges of Distribution of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility in the Commission of a Drug Felony, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and No Drug Tax Stamp.

They also arrested 69-year-old Claude Bezona (69) of Coolidge on requested charges of Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759917926562.png" alt="Bezona photo Hamilton C ounty" />
 <figcaption>Bezona photo Hamilton C ounty</figcaption>
 </figure>HAMILTON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug charges after a drug bust in southwest Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759917889179.png" alt="Apodaca photo Hamilton County" />
 <figcaption>Apodaca photo Hamilton County</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;On October 6, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office in coordination with the Stanton County Sheriff's Office, executed a search warrant at 207 N. Maple Street in Coolidge, Kansas as part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal distribution of methamphetamine, according to a report from the Hamilton County Sheriff.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759917986345.png" alt="Photo Hamilton County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Hamilton County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>During the search investigators recovered suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and additional evidence consistent with the distribution of controlled substances.&nbsp; Deputies arrested 59-year-old&nbsp;Patricia Apodaca of Coolidge on requested charges of Distribution of Methamphetamine, Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility in the Commission of a Drug Felony, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and No Drug Tax Stamp.They also arrested 69-year-old Claude Bezona (69) of Coolidge on requested charges of Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Woman accused of selling meth from rural SW Kansas home

The Jackson County judge didn’t draw any conclusions about whether the current parental consent law is unconstitutional under the reproductive rights amendment

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

A&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/30/abortion-advocacy-group-sues-missouri-parental-consent-laws/">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;seeking to strike down Missouri laws that restrict access to abortion for minors was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/2516-CV13783-%20%20Omnibus%20Order_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=16&amp;di=29109222" target="_blank">thrown out Tuesday on technical grounds.&nbsp;</a>

Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle determined that the nonprofit that filed the litigation, Right By You, did not have the standing to sue. The lawsuit targeted a requirement that minors get parental consent before an abortion and a ban on anyone aiding or assisting minors who are seeking an abortion.&nbsp;

Castle didn’t draw any conclusions in her Tuesday decision about whether the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">reproductive rights amendment approved by voters last year&nbsp;</a>renders either law unconstitutional.&nbsp;

<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=188.028" target="_blank">Missouri’s parental consent law</a>&nbsp;requires a minor attempting to access abortion receive at least one parent’s consent. The other parent must also be notified. If that’s not possible, they can also ask a judge to bypass the requirement.

“Today’s victory ensures that Missouri’s parental consent laws will continue to safeguard young girls, hold abortion providers accountable and uphold the values of Missouri families for generations to come,”&nbsp;Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Right By You is a nonprofit that helps young people navigate pregnancy decisions, including by increasing access to and awareness around contraceptives, prenatal care, abortion, parenting and adoption. In its lawsuit, the nonprofit also asked the court to allow the group to begin funding and arranging logistics for minors seeking abortions, including transportation, hotel and child care costs.&nbsp;

But Castle on Tuesday determined Right By You, which has one employee in Illinois and some volunteers who live in Missouri,&nbsp; didn’t have the ability to sue because it’s “fiscally sponsored” by a nonprofit incorporated in California. She dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, leaving the door open for the suit to be filed again.

“Young Missourians will continue to be coerced, isolated, and stigmatized for simply choosing to end a pregnancy until the abortion restrictions targeting them are lifted,” Stephanie Kraft Sheley, Right By You’s founder and director, said in a statement Wednesday. “Missouri’s youth deserve better than being left on their own just to access basic health care.”

Kraft Sheley said attorneys may re-file the lawsuit. In the meantime, she said, Right By You will continue providing young people with information on abortion and contraception through the nonprofit’s text line.

Castle heard arguments in early September after the attorney general’s office asked the court to dismiss the case.

Peter Donohue, an assistant attorney general involved in the lawsuit, told Castle that the judicial bypass measures in place are sufficient.&nbsp;

“It’s kind of wild the plaintiffs think that in cases where judicial bypass is insufficient, that they want basically no circumstance in which parents would be notified of their minor children having an abortion, essentially,” Donohue said.

Allison Zimmer, with the Lawyering Project, argued on behalf of Right By You that the lawsuit was part of a larger effort to broadly protect reproductive rights.&nbsp;

“Just to go back to what is at stake here again, this is about the threat to the right to reproductive freedom,” Zimmer said. “A constitutional right for people in Missouri after the November election … “

Thirty-eight states, including Missouri, require at least some parental involvement for minors seeking abortions, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/minors-access-abortion-care" target="_blank">the Guttmacher Institute,&nbsp;</a>a reproductive rights research group.&nbsp;

“It makes sense that folks that are in healthy relationships with their children have this instinct that they would want their children to come to them, but a law that forces that to happen in every case is not the solution to that problem,” Kraft Sheley previously told The Independent. “Because it’s not possible for a law to legislate a healthy family dynamic.”

Kraft Sheley is also a co-founder of What’s Next, a reproductive justice group made up of organizers and activists who previously called for a constitutional amendment to appear on the Missouri ballot with no restrictions on abortion.&nbsp;

Last year, the coalition called on the state’s major reproductive rights groups<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/25/reproductive-justice-whats-next-abortion-amendment-3-missouri/">&nbsp;to challenge Missouri’s parental consent law</a>.&nbsp;

After getting no response, Kraft Sheley filed her own lawsuit, noting that current policy does not clearly state how or if minors in state custody or in the foster care system can access abortion through the current parental consent law.

An answer to the question of constitutionality may instead come from a separate lawsuit filed in February 2024 in Cole County by the attorney general’s office alleging Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which oversees clinics in Kansas City and Columbia, illegally transported minors out of state for abortions.&nbsp;

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/29/missouri-attorney-general-andrew-bailey-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-project-veritas/">The lawsuit relied on a staged video&nbsp;filmed and edited by Project Veritas</a>, a conservative news organization. In the footage, a man working with Project Veritas goes to a Kansas City area Planned Parenthood and pretends to have a 13-year-old niece who he says needs an abortion. The employee tells the man that Planned Parenthood can help the girl get an abortion in Kansas.

Planned Parenthood has said the lawsuit should be dropped because the video was based on a hypothetical situation and because abortion is now legal.&nbsp;

“I find that the right to reproductive freedom initiative does not address the issue of parental consent,”&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/attorney-general-andrew-bailey-demands-records-from-missouri-abortion-nonprofit/">Boone County Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs said in April.</a>&nbsp;“And because of that, I’m going to deny the motion to dismiss.”

The next hearing date has not yet been set.

Missourians in November narrowly voted to enshrine the right to reproductive health care in the state constitution.<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;This amendment&nbsp;</a>includes a provision that prohibits the government from discriminating “against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care or assisting another person in doing so.”&nbsp;

The amendment does allow the government to legislate abortion access if compelling governmental interest exists.&nbsp;

A new amendment proposed by the Republican legislature is set to appear on the November 2026 ballot. If passed, it will<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/07/missouri-abortion-ban-amendment-ballot-language-2026/">&nbsp;repeal the reproductive rights amendment and ban nearly all abortions,&nbsp;</a>with limited exceptions for survivors and for medical emergencies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759971319122.png" alt=" An exam room inside the Planned Parenthood in Meridian, Idaho (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun)." />
 <figcaption> An exam room inside the Planned Parenthood in Meridian, Idaho (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Jackson County judge didn’t draw any conclusions about whether the current parental consent law is unconstitutional under the reproductive rights amendment</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>A&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/30/abortion-advocacy-group-sues-missouri-parental-consent-laws/">lawsuit</a>&nbsp;seeking to strike down Missouri laws that restrict access to abortion for minors was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/2516-CV13783-%20%20Omnibus%20Order_FINAL.pdf?courtCode=16&amp;di=29109222" target="_blank">thrown out Tuesday on technical grounds.&nbsp;</a>Jackson County Circuit Judge Sarah Castle determined that the nonprofit that filed the litigation, Right By You, did not have the standing to sue. The lawsuit targeted a requirement that minors get parental consent before an abortion and a ban on anyone aiding or assisting minors who are seeking an abortion.&nbsp;Castle didn’t draw any conclusions in her Tuesday decision about whether the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">reproductive rights amendment approved by voters last year&nbsp;</a>renders either law unconstitutional.&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=188.028" target="_blank">Missouri’s parental consent law</a>&nbsp;requires a minor attempting to access abortion receive at least one parent’s consent. The other parent must also be notified. If that’s not possible, they can also ask a judge to bypass the requirement.“Today’s victory ensures that Missouri’s parental consent laws will continue to safeguard young girls, hold abortion providers accountable and uphold the values of Missouri families for generations to come,”&nbsp;Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement Wednesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Right By You is a nonprofit that helps young people navigate pregnancy decisions, including by increasing access to and awareness around contraceptives, prenatal care, abortion, parenting and adoption. In its lawsuit, the nonprofit also asked the court to allow the group to begin funding and arranging logistics for minors seeking abortions, including transportation, hotel and child care costs.&nbsp;But Castle on Tuesday determined Right By You, which has one employee in Illinois and some volunteers who live in Missouri,&nbsp; didn’t have the ability to sue because it’s “fiscally sponsored” by a nonprofit incorporated in California. She dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, leaving the door open for the suit to be filed again.“Young Missourians will continue to be coerced, isolated, and stigmatized for simply choosing to end a pregnancy until the abortion restrictions targeting them are lifted,” Stephanie Kraft Sheley, Right By You’s founder and director, said in a statement Wednesday. “Missouri’s youth deserve better than being left on their own just to access basic health care.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759971271708.png" alt="Stephanie Kraft Sheley, founder and director of Right By You, poses for a portrait in April (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Stephanie Kraft Sheley, founder and director of Right By You, poses for a portrait in April (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>Kraft Sheley said attorneys may re-file the lawsuit. In the meantime, she said, Right By You will continue providing young people with information on abortion and contraception through the nonprofit’s text line.Castle heard arguments in early September after the attorney general’s office asked the court to dismiss the case.Peter Donohue, an assistant attorney general involved in the lawsuit, told Castle that the judicial bypass measures in place are sufficient.&nbsp;“It’s kind of wild the plaintiffs think that in cases where judicial bypass is insufficient, that they want basically no circumstance in which parents would be notified of their minor children having an abortion, essentially,” Donohue said.Allison Zimmer, with the Lawyering Project, argued on behalf of Right By You that the lawsuit was part of a larger effort to broadly protect reproductive rights.&nbsp;“Just to go back to what is at stake here again, this is about the threat to the right to reproductive freedom,” Zimmer said. “A constitutional right for people in Missouri after the November election … “Thirty-eight states, including Missouri, require at least some parental involvement for minors seeking abortions, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/minors-access-abortion-care" target="_blank">the Guttmacher Institute,&nbsp;</a>a reproductive rights research group.&nbsp;“It makes sense that folks that are in healthy relationships with their children have this instinct that they would want their children to come to them, but a law that forces that to happen in every case is not the solution to that problem,” Kraft Sheley previously told The Independent. “Because it’s not possible for a law to legislate a healthy family dynamic.”Kraft Sheley is also a co-founder of What’s Next, a reproductive justice group made up of organizers and activists who previously called for a constitutional amendment to appear on the Missouri ballot with no restrictions on abortion.&nbsp;Last year, the coalition called on the state’s major reproductive rights groups<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/25/reproductive-justice-whats-next-abortion-amendment-3-missouri/">&nbsp;to challenge Missouri’s parental consent law</a>.&nbsp;After getting no response, Kraft Sheley filed her own lawsuit, noting that current policy does not clearly state how or if minors in state custody or in the foster care system can access abortion through the current parental consent law.An answer to the question of constitutionality may instead come from a separate lawsuit filed in February 2024 in Cole County by the attorney general’s office alleging Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which oversees clinics in Kansas City and Columbia, illegally transported minors out of state for abortions.&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/29/missouri-attorney-general-andrew-bailey-lawsuit-planned-parenthood-project-veritas/">The lawsuit relied on a staged video&nbsp;filmed and edited by Project Veritas</a>, a conservative news organization. In the footage, a man working with Project Veritas goes to a Kansas City area Planned Parenthood and pretends to have a 13-year-old niece who he says needs an abortion. The employee tells the man that Planned Parenthood can help the girl get an abortion in Kansas.Planned Parenthood has said the lawsuit should be dropped because the video was based on a hypothetical situation and because abortion is now legal.&nbsp;“I find that the right to reproductive freedom initiative does not address the issue of parental consent,”&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/29/attorney-general-andrew-bailey-demands-records-from-missouri-abortion-nonprofit/">Boone County Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs said in April.</a>&nbsp;“And because of that, I’m going to deny the motion to dismiss.”The next hearing date has not yet been set.Missourians in November narrowly voted to enshrine the right to reproductive health care in the state constitution.<a href="https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Missourians-for-Constitutional-Freedom-Amendment.pdf" target="_blank">&nbsp;This amendment&nbsp;</a>includes a provision that prohibits the government from discriminating “against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care or assisting another person in doing so.”&nbsp;The amendment does allow the government to legislate abortion access if compelling governmental interest exists.&nbsp;A new amendment proposed by the Republican legislature is set to appear on the November 2026 ballot. If passed, it will<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/07/missouri-abortion-ban-amendment-ballot-language-2026/">&nbsp;repeal the reproductive rights amendment and ban nearly all abortions,&nbsp;</a>with limited exceptions for survivors and for medical emergencies.

Judge throws out lawsuit challenging Missouri’s parental consent abortion law for minors

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday in announcing the outlines of the biggest breakthrough in months in the two-year-old war.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote on social media. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”

Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday in announcing the outlines of the biggest breakthrough in months in the two-year-old war.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨🚨🚨 <a href="https://t.co/14iLLYKxVY">pic.twitter.com/14iLLYKxVY</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976058170251399241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote on social media. “All Parties will be treated fairly!”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on social media, “With God’s help we will bring them all home.” Hamas said separately that the deal would ensure the withdrawal of Israeli troops as well as allow for the entry of aid and exchange of hostages and prisoners.Hamas plans to release all 20 living hostages this weekend, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza.It was not immediately clear whether the parties had made any progress on thornier questions about the future of the conflict, including whether Hamas will demilitarize, as Trump has demanded, and eventual governance of the war-torn territory. But the agreement nonetheless marked the most momentous development since a deal in January and February that involved the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.The deal was solidified in Egypt after days of negotiations centered on a Trump-backed peace plan that he hopes will ultimately result in a permanent end to the war and bring about a sustainable peace in the region.The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people, many of them civilians, and took 251 hostage. Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead, devastated Gaza and upended global politics.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we&#39;re very close to a deal in the Middle East.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EGn45SgLfm">pic.twitter.com/EGn45SgLfm</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976031749022142872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Iconic <a href="https://t.co/4VutKfZJWT">https://t.co/4VutKfZJWT</a> <a href="https://t.co/m6AFDXKyT0">pic.twitter.com/m6AFDXKyT0</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976032423633953106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump expressed optimism earlier in the day by saying that he was considering a trip to the Middle East within a matter of days.Yet another hint of a deal came later in that event when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-rubio-note-middle-east-peace-f570658c65daefab6d0af9b29e851dd7">passed Trump a note</a>&nbsp;on White House stationery that read, “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.” Truth Social is the president’s preferred social media platform.The note prompted Trump to proclaim, “We’re very close to a deal in the Middle East.”--------------WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;was holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers about antifa Wednesday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio, standing in the back corner of the White House’s Blue Room, caught his eye.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I was just dealing with people from the Middle East... on the potential peace deal... it&#39;s something I think that will happen — got a good chance of happening. I may go there sometime toward the end of the week, maybe on Sunday, actually.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/szAzxxBZNC">pic.twitter.com/szAzxxBZNC</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976009390642823648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>He had news for Trump, he said, but it would have to wait until after the media left. Then Rubio passed the president a note.News photographers covering the event zoomed in on the handwriting on White House stationery that read, “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.”“I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying that we’re very close to a deal on the Middle East, and they’re gonna need me pretty quickly,” Trump said. “So we’ll take a couple of more questions.”The influencer event had already been going on for more than an hour when Rubio first approached. The president invited him to come in, and Rubio whispered something to Trump before handing him the note.The note’s urgent tone came as Trump’s top Middle East adviser, Steve Witkoff, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other senior officials joined a third day of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">peace talks</a>&nbsp;between Israel and Hamas at an Egyptian resort Wednesday — a sign that negotiators aim to dive deeply into the toughest issues of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-palestinians-hamas-war-explainer-d5c5057d2fe9e2e255215850b454f601">an American plan</a>&nbsp;to end the war in Gaza.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we&#39;re very close to a deal in the Middle East.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EGn45SgLfm">pic.twitter.com/EGn45SgLfm</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976031749022142872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Iconic <a href="https://t.co/4VutKfZJWT">https://t.co/4VutKfZJWT</a> <a href="https://t.co/m6AFDXKyT0">pic.twitter.com/m6AFDXKyT0</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1976032423633953106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump had kicked off the influencer event by telling assembled journalists that he planned to travel to the Middle East “toward the end of the week” and could even “make the rounds” in the region to Egypt and possibly the Gaza Strip as U.S. negotiators closed in on a deal.Still, even after Rubio passed Trump the note, Trump continued to talk to the influencers and take questions from the media as the secretary of state became visibly anxious.Nearly 10 minutes after his initial comments about leaving, Trump said: “I have to go now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East — although I’m very well represented by our secretary of state. He could probably do an even better job than me, but who knows.”“We don’t want to take any chances. So we’re going to go and do that,” Trump added.He then suggested Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stay and take questions in his absence. However, Trump continued to take questions before the event finally broke up without Cabinet members remaining behind.“We’re gonna get peace in the Middle East,” Trump wrapped by saying. “That’s what we want to do.”