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

TOPEKA — Kansas House Democrats opened their “fight back” tour Thursday night in the capital city, drawing more than 220 people to sit through rain showers and talk about the importance of strengthening their party’s voice in upcoming elections.

“There’s a lot to lose, so we have a lot to fight for,” said Carla Gardner, of Lawrence, as she waited in line to get into the event. “It’s sad that in 2025 we feel we have to fight back. But a lot of, well, women, potentially, could lose, the LGBTQ+ community, health care, veterans — there are just so many groups, people of color, just all the marginalized groups, that stand to lose a lot more. We have to fight back.”

Linda Manley and Sarah Ruiz, both of Topeka, said they attended the rally because they feel the need to get involved more at the local level after watching national news.

Why did they come listen to Democrats in the rain?

“The chaos in the world and trying to find out what we can do,” Ruiz said.

“Loss of our Constitution, loss of our courts, checks and balances — I know it needs to start locally,” Manley added.

Their words were echoed by many of the House Democrats in attendance, as well as Gov. Laura Kelly, who spoke briefly at the event.

“This was exactly the right response to what happened in November of 2024, in this last legislative session,” she said. “We need to be out there now and forever, leading up to the August 2026 primary when, in addition to electing candidates, we also have to make sure that we defeat that amendment to elect our Supreme Court justices.”

Kelly referred to a proposed constitutional amendment that would put Kansas Supreme Court justices on the ballot, instead of the governor appointing one of three finalists selected by a nonpartisan review panel.

“I don’t know about you, but I have no interest in being like Wisconsin on this where there are millions and millions of dollars coming into that state to sway the one group that is supposed to be impartial and not motivated by political leanings,” the governor said.

Kelly encouraged everyone in attendance to “learn to speak Republican” and talk to people throughout the state.

“Talk about the issues that matter to people, and talk about electing a person, not a party,” she said.

Rep. Susan Ruiz, before the event started, emphasized that same message. The Shawnee Democrat said anyone paying attention to what happened in the Legislature during the recent session should be concerned.

A more collaborative relationship is needed in the Statehouse to push forward things Kansans care about, she said.

“I want to see more Democrats running and winning so that we can have a fighting chance,” she said, referring to the Republicans’ supermajority. “But it would be nice to see some moderate Republicans also win because we can band together. There’s a lot of things that we can do together that would be good for the majority of the people in the state, and not the Koch brothers of the world.”

Rep. Kirk Haskins, a Topeka Democrat, said before speaking at the event that the fight back tour, which will go to at least 11 more stops throughout the state, is important to get messaging out for the Democrats.

“There’s a lot of Kansans that have had their opinion not heard,” he said. “For example, 80% of Kansans want us to see some sort of expansion of Medicaid, but yet it doesn’t come up. We also feel like it’s time for the House Democrats to lead the opportunity for them to be heard, and so we’re traveling across with an agenda purpose to share what’s happening, but also to learn, not just from Democrats, but from all Kansans.”

Haskins said he’s been concerned about how business is being conducted at the Statehouse, and also what is happening at the federal level. Important items are buried in details, for instance.&nbsp;

“We saw this during the past session many times over,” he said. “Property tax relief started off as something they campaigned on, but then when it came out, they’re making sure that luxury jets get property tax relief.”

Rob Fillion, executive director of the Kansas GOP, said the House Democrats are not on a “fight back” tour.

“This is the out-of-touch tour,” he said by email. “Do the legislators not know that people are tired of larger government? Do they not understand that people like lower taxes, secure borders and parental rights?”

The gathering drew former elected officials like Joan Wagnon, who served in the House and as Topeka mayor, along with 13 current representatives and senators, Kansas Board of Education members, Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla and others.

After Kelly spoke, a panel made up of House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, of Lenexa, and Topeka Reps. Alexis Simmons, John Alcala, and Haskins answered questions from the audience.

Those questions focused primarily on what actions people could take to make a difference, as well as concerns about Medicaid cuts and mental health services.

The panel encouraged people to contact their legislators, to go to their offices and be heard.&nbsp;

“I’m on my soapbox. Settle in,” Simmons said, drawing laughs. “Y’all know how many races in the state of Kansas, in the state Legislature, are won or lost by only double digits? It’s crazy. There are so many. We just lost a state senator in Leavenworth — he lost by 31 votes.”

Simmons encouraged people to talk to everyone and tell them to vote all the way down the ballot.

“Do not vote only for president. Don’t vote only for Congress. Vote all the way down,” she said.

The next fight back tour events will be in Wichita on June 5 and Newton on June 6. Details are on the House Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kshousedems" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748697749008.jpeg" alt="Linda Manley, left, and Sarah Ruiz attended the House Democrats “fight back” rally Thursday in Topeka. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Linda Manley, left, and Sarah Ruiz attended the House Democrats “fight back” rally Thursday in Topeka. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas House Democrats opened their “fight back” tour Thursday night in the capital city, drawing more than 220 people to sit through rain showers and talk about the importance of strengthening their party’s voice in upcoming elections.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🔥🦬Topeka showed up!!! A fired-up crowd of hundreds gathered in Topeka last night to help us launch the Fight Back Tour! The Fight Back Tour heads next to Wichita and Newton on June 5 and 6. 🔥 RSVP for your spot at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fightbacktour?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fightbacktour</a> in our bio <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kansas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kansas</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://t.co/3jSTNkC36p">pic.twitter.com/3jSTNkC36p</a>&mdash; Kansas House Democrats (@KSHouseDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSHouseDems/status/1928555944931176957?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“There’s a lot to lose, so we have a lot to fight for,” said Carla Gardner, of Lawrence, as she waited in line to get into the event. “It’s sad that in 2025 we feel we have to fight back. But a lot of, well, women, potentially, could lose, the LGBTQ+ community, health care, veterans — there are just so many groups, people of color, just all the marginalized groups, that stand to lose a lot more. We have to fight back.”Linda Manley and Sarah Ruiz, both of Topeka, said they attended the rally because they feel the need to get involved more at the local level after watching national news.Why did they come listen to Democrats in the rain?“The chaos in the world and trying to find out what we can do,” Ruiz said.“Loss of our Constitution, loss of our courts, checks and balances — I know it needs to start locally,” Manley added.Their words were echoed by many of the House Democrats in attendance, as well as Gov. Laura Kelly, who spoke briefly at the event.“This was exactly the right response to what happened in November of 2024, in this last legislative session,” she said. “We need to be out there now and forever, leading up to the August 2026 primary when, in addition to electing candidates, we also have to make sure that we defeat that amendment to elect our Supreme Court justices.”Kelly referred to a proposed constitutional amendment that would put Kansas Supreme Court justices on the ballot, instead of the governor appointing one of three finalists selected by a nonpartisan review panel.“I don’t know about you, but I have no interest in being like Wisconsin on this where there are millions and millions of dollars coming into that state to sway the one group that is supposed to be impartial and not motivated by political leanings,” the governor said.Kelly encouraged everyone in attendance to “learn to speak Republican” and talk to people throughout the state.“Talk about the issues that matter to people, and talk about electing a person, not a party,” she said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748697709558.png" alt="Representatives (from left) John Alcala, Alexis Simmons, Kirk Haskins and Brandon Woodard took part in a panel in Topeka Thursday to kick off the House Democrats “fight back” tour. The panel was moderated by Jacquie Lightcap. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Representatives (from left) John Alcala, Alexis Simmons, Kirk Haskins and Brandon Woodard took part in a panel in Topeka Thursday to kick off the House Democrats “fight back” tour. The panel was moderated by Jacquie Lightcap. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Rep. Susan Ruiz, before the event started, emphasized that same message. The Shawnee Democrat said anyone paying attention to what happened in the Legislature during the recent session should be concerned.A more collaborative relationship is needed in the Statehouse to push forward things Kansans care about, she said.“I want to see more Democrats running and winning so that we can have a fighting chance,” she said, referring to the Republicans’ supermajority. “But it would be nice to see some moderate Republicans also win because we can band together. There’s a lot of things that we can do together that would be good for the majority of the people in the state, and not the Koch brothers of the world.”Rep. Kirk Haskins, a Topeka Democrat, said before speaking at the event that the fight back tour, which will go to at least 11 more stops throughout the state, is important to get messaging out for the Democrats.“There’s a lot of Kansans that have had their opinion not heard,” he said. “For example, 80% of Kansans want us to see some sort of expansion of Medicaid, but yet it doesn’t come up. We also feel like it’s time for the House Democrats to lead the opportunity for them to be heard, and so we’re traveling across with an agenda purpose to share what’s happening, but also to learn, not just from Democrats, but from all Kansans.”Haskins said he’s been concerned about how business is being conducted at the Statehouse, and also what is happening at the federal level. Important items are buried in details, for instance.&nbsp;“We saw this during the past session many times over,” he said. “Property tax relief started off as something they campaigned on, but then when it came out, they’re making sure that luxury jets get property tax relief.”Rob Fillion, executive director of the Kansas GOP, said the House Democrats are not on a “fight back” tour.“This is the out-of-touch tour,” he said by email. “Do the legislators not know that people are tired of larger government? Do they not understand that people like lower taxes, secure borders and parental rights?”The gathering drew former elected officials like Joan Wagnon, who served in the House and as Topeka mayor, along with 13 current representatives and senators, Kansas Board of Education members, Topeka Mayor Michael Padilla and others.After Kelly spoke, a panel made up of House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, of Lenexa, and Topeka Reps. Alexis Simmons, John Alcala, and Haskins answered questions from the audience.Those questions focused primarily on what actions people could take to make a difference, as well as concerns about Medicaid cuts and mental health services.The panel encouraged people to contact their legislators, to go to their offices and be heard.&nbsp;“I’m on my soapbox. Settle in,” Simmons said, drawing laughs. “Y’all know how many races in the state of Kansas, in the state Legislature, are won or lost by only double digits? It’s crazy. There are so many. We just lost a state senator in Leavenworth — he lost by 31 votes.”Simmons encouraged people to talk to everyone and tell them to vote all the way down the ballot.“Do not vote only for president. Don’t vote only for Congress. Vote all the way down,” she said.The next fight back tour events will be in Wichita on June 5 and Newton on June 6. Details are on the House Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kshousedems" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.&nbsp;

Kansas House Democrats hit the road to ‘fight back’ against GOP supermajority

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating three suspects on multiple allegations after caught in an alleged stolen vehicle.

Just after 7p.m. May 28, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a Ford pickup that was being stolen from private property located at 142nd&nbsp;and T. Road in southeastern Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp; A Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy located the vehicle and three male subjects on 142nd&nbsp;between U.4 and V. Roads.&nbsp; All three men were arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail.

Philip D. Lister, 61, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony possession of stolen property, possession of opiates, and possession of methamphetamine.

Michael Ray Youngs, 52, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony theft of property, criminal damage to property and possession of a hallucinogenic drug.

Thomas Wesley Denny, 41, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony possession of stolen property and criminal damage to property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748458727934.png" alt="Denny photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Denny photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement are investigating three suspects on multiple allegations after caught in an alleged stolen vehicle.Just after 7p.m. May 28, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a Ford pickup that was being stolen from private property located at 142nd&nbsp;and T. Road in southeastern Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp; A Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy located the vehicle and three male subjects on 142nd&nbsp;between U.4 and V. Roads.&nbsp; All three men were arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748458673294.png" alt="Lister photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Lister photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Philip D. Lister, 61, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony possession of stolen property, possession of opiates, and possession of methamphetamine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748458836186.png" alt="Youngs photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Youngs photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Michael Ray Youngs, 52, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony theft of property, criminal damage to property and possession of a hallucinogenic drug.Thomas Wesley Denny, 41, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of felony possession of stolen property and criminal damage to property.

Sheriff: Suspects caught in pickup stolen from rural Kansas home

CHARLES CITY, Va. (AP) — Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of U.S. President John Tyler born 83 years after his grandfather left the White House in 1845, died. He was 96.

The cause of Tyler’s death on Sunday was not immediately released. John Tyler was 63 years old when Harrison Tyler’s father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr., was born. And Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 when that father was 75 years old and the presidential grandfather had been dead for more than 60 years.

The grandson was known for preserving his grandfather’s plantation and nearby Civil War fort. In a statement, Annique Dunning, the executive director of Sherwood Forest, a national landmark of President Tyler’s residence, said the president’s grandson,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-bbd1a166bba24ec9907e3457a3005a48">whose brother died in 2020</a>, was a “beloved father and grandfather, he will be missed immeasurably by those who survive him.”

“He will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him,” Dunning said.

Over the course of his life, Tyler preserved Sherwood Forest, his grandfather’s plantation that enslaved dozens of people, including 43 people in 1860, just before the Civil War began. The grandson also helped restore and maintain Fort Pocahontas, a Union fort during the Civil War.

Tyler’s grandfather was a Democrat nicknamed the “Accidental President” after unexpectedly assuming the presidency when President William Henry Harrison died in office. President Tyler was the first vice president to gain control of the White House in the wake of a death.

The University of Virginia’s Miller Center&nbsp;<a href="https://millercenter.org/president/tyler">described the president</a>&nbsp;as “the last gasp of the Old Virginia aristocracy in the White House.” He had married twice and had 15 children, including Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr.

The time between the president’s birth and his grandson’s death spans 235 years.

CHARLES CITY, Va. (AP) — Harrison Ruffin Tyler, the last living grandson of U.S. President John Tyler born 83 years after his grandfather left the White House in 1845, died. He was 96.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FOfficialSherwoodForest%2Fposts%2Fpfbid033GBgdR3PpjhJj4KHFjop8ro41GY5LXib6ehgSAhvMZuBD7CR9iV1SXRoMpJAzEJ4l&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="763" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The cause of Tyler’s death on Sunday was not immediately released. John Tyler was 63 years old when Harrison Tyler’s father, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr., was born. And Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928 when that father was 75 years old and the presidential grandfather had been dead for more than 60 years.The grandson was known for preserving his grandfather’s plantation and nearby Civil War fort. In a statement, Annique Dunning, the executive director of Sherwood Forest, a national landmark of President Tyler’s residence, said the president’s grandson,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-bbd1a166bba24ec9907e3457a3005a48">whose brother died in 2020</a>, was a “beloved father and grandfather, he will be missed immeasurably by those who survive him.”“He will be remembered for his considerable charm, generosity and unfailing good humor by all who knew him,” Dunning said.Over the course of his life, Tyler preserved Sherwood Forest, his grandfather’s plantation that enslaved dozens of people, including 43 people in 1860, just before the Civil War began. The grandson also helped restore and maintain Fort Pocahontas, a Union fort during the Civil War.Tyler’s grandfather was a Democrat nicknamed the “Accidental President” after unexpectedly assuming the presidency when President William Henry Harrison died in office. President Tyler was the first vice president to gain control of the White House in the wake of a death.The University of Virginia’s Miller Center&nbsp;<a href="https://millercenter.org/president/tyler">described the president</a>&nbsp;as “the last gasp of the Old Virginia aristocracy in the White House.” He had married twice and had 15 children, including Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr.The time between the president’s birth and his grandson’s death spans 235 years.

Last grandson of 10th U.S. President John Tyler, dies at 96

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces felony charges in connection with a fatal shooting that took place near Westport on May 23.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2628/Ponder-COMPLAINTREDACTED">Marquis Ponder</a>, 30,&nbsp; faces 2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2629/Ponder-Marquis-PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the area of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard and located the victim suffering from a gunshot wound in a vehicle. He was transferred to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.&nbsp;

Based on surveillance footage, Ponder and the victim and exchanged words while inside a nearby business. The victim exited and Ponder followed behind him. The two appeared to continue exchanging words and then the victim turned around and walked away from the Ponder.&nbsp; Ponder then reached his hand into his pant pocket, retrieved a firearm, and then fired at the victim. The victim ran to his parked vehicle and attempted to drive away.&nbsp;

The defendant is being held on a $200,000 cash bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748052715240.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation-photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation-photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces felony charges in connection with a fatal shooting that took place near Westport on May 23.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2628/Ponder-COMPLAINTREDACTED">Marquis Ponder</a>, 30,&nbsp; faces 2nd Degree Murder, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of a Weapon, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748446156709.png" alt="Ponder photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Ponder photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2629/Ponder-Marquis-PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the area of Westport Road and Broadway Boulevard and located the victim suffering from a gunshot wound in a vehicle. He was transferred to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.&nbsp;Based on surveillance footage, Ponder and the victim and exchanged words while inside a nearby business. The victim exited and Ponder followed behind him. The two appeared to continue exchanging words and then the victim turned around and walked away from the Ponder.&nbsp; Ponder then reached his hand into his pant pocket, retrieved a firearm, and then fired at the victim. The victim ran to his parked vehicle and attempted to drive away.&nbsp;The defendant is being held on a $200,000 cash bond.&nbsp;

KCPD: Man shot victim who drove away and was involved in a crash

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Two women died from injuries in an accident just after 2p.m. Friday in Shawnee County..

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Anya Joann&nbsp;Turner, 22, Topeka, was eastbound on U.S. 24 just east of Goodyear Road.

The SUV traveled off the roadway to the right and the drier overcorrected to the left, crossed all eastbound lanes, traveled through the median into the westbound lanes and collided with a 2020 Kia Forte driven by Andria Nikkole&nbsp; Starr, 32, Topeka.

Turner was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported Starr to Stormont Vail where she was pronounced deceased just before 8p.m. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748653892847.png" alt="First responders at the scene Friday -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene Friday -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Two women died from injuries in an accident just after 2p.m. Friday in Shawnee County..The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Anya Joann&nbsp;Turner, 22, Topeka, was eastbound on U.S. 24 just east of Goodyear Road.The SUV traveled off the roadway to the right and the drier overcorrected to the left, crossed all eastbound lanes, traveled through the median into the westbound lanes and collided with a 2020 Kia Forte driven by Andria Nikkole&nbsp; Starr, 32, Topeka.Turner was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported Starr to Stormont Vail where she was pronounced deceased just before 8p.m. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Two Kansas women dead after SUV, car crash

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/alex-veiga">ALEX VEIGA</a>

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose this week to its highest level since early February, further pushing up borrowing costs for homebuyers.

The rate increased to 6.89% from 6.86% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.03%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose. The average rate ticked up to 6.03% from 6.01% last week. It’s still down from 6.36% a year ago, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. The key barometer is the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Bond yields have been trending higher, reflecting bond market investors’ uncertainty over the Trump administration’s ever-changing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-chickening-out-taco-trade-tariff-chinau-69569d771c28ef972f80b87bac0d54d6">tariffs policy</a>&nbsp;and worry over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moodys-debt-government-us-rating-credit-e2c803cade9b1552b68c7e722eac3b78">exploding federal government debt.</a>

The 10-year Treasury yield was 4.43% in midday trading Thursday, down from 4.47% late Wednesday.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained relatively close to its high so far this year of just above 7%, set in mid-January. The average rate’s low point so far was six weeks ago, when it briefly dropped to 6.62%. After rising for three straight weeks, the average rate is now at its highest level since Feb. 6, when it averaged 6.89%.

High mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, have reduced purchasing power for many prospective homebuyers this year. That’s helped keep the U.S. housing market in a sales slump that dates back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from the rock-bottom lows they reached during the pandemic.

Last year, sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. Sales&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-863952eebc7038e23291cdb80a5760a7">fell last month to the slowest pace for the month of April going back to 2009.</a>

Rising mortgage rates have helped dampen sales during what’s traditionally the peak period of the year for home sales. Mortgage applications fell 1.2% last week from a week earlier as home loan borrowing costs rose, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Applications for a loan to buy a home were up 18% from a year earlier.

New data suggest sales could slow further in coming months. An index of pending U.S. home sales fell 6.3% last month from March and declined 2.5% from April last year, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

There’s usually a month or two lag between a contract signing and when the sale is finalized, which makes pending home sales a bellwether for future completed home sales.

“At this critical stage of the housing market, it is all about mortgage rates,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Despite an increase in housing inventory, we are not seeing higher home sales. Lower mortgage rates are essential to bring home buyers back into the housing market.”

Economists expect mortgage rates to remain volatile in coming months, with forecasts calling for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to range between 6% and 7% this year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659001075252.jpeg" alt="AP photo" />
 <figcaption>AP photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/alex-veiga">ALEX VEIGA</a>The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose this week to its highest level since early February, further pushing up borrowing costs for homebuyers.The rate increased to 6.89% from 6.86% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.03%.Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose. The average rate ticked up to 6.03% from 6.01% last week. It’s still down from 6.36% a year ago, Freddie Mac said.Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. The key barometer is the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.Bond yields have been trending higher, reflecting bond market investors’ uncertainty over the Trump administration’s ever-changing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-chickening-out-taco-trade-tariff-chinau-69569d771c28ef972f80b87bac0d54d6">tariffs policy</a>&nbsp;and worry over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/moodys-debt-government-us-rating-credit-e2c803cade9b1552b68c7e722eac3b78">exploding federal government debt.</a>The 10-year Treasury yield was 4.43% in midday trading Thursday, down from 4.47% late Wednesday.The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained relatively close to its high so far this year of just above 7%, set in mid-January. The average rate’s low point so far was six weeks ago, when it briefly dropped to 6.62%. After rising for three straight weeks, the average rate is now at its highest level since Feb. 6, when it averaged 6.89%.High mortgage rates, which can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, have reduced purchasing power for many prospective homebuyers this year. That’s helped keep the U.S. housing market in a sales slump that dates back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from the rock-bottom lows they reached during the pandemic.Last year, sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. Sales&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/housing-home-sales-real-estate-home-prices-863952eebc7038e23291cdb80a5760a7">fell last month to the slowest pace for the month of April going back to 2009.</a>Rising mortgage rates have helped dampen sales during what’s traditionally the peak period of the year for home sales. Mortgage applications fell 1.2% last week from a week earlier as home loan borrowing costs rose, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Applications for a loan to buy a home were up 18% from a year earlier.New data suggest sales could slow further in coming months. An index of pending U.S. home sales fell 6.3% last month from March and declined 2.5% from April last year, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.There’s usually a month or two lag between a contract signing and when the sale is finalized, which makes pending home sales a bellwether for future completed home sales.“At this critical stage of the housing market, it is all about mortgage rates,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Despite an increase in housing inventory, we are not seeing higher home sales. Lower mortgage rates are essential to bring home buyers back into the housing market.”Economists expect mortgage rates to remain volatile in coming months, with forecasts calling for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to range between 6% and 7% this year.

Average rate on a US 30-year mortgage rises to highest level in months

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Sen. Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said “we all are going to die” as she addressed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-trump-tax-cuts-bill-1e2b12a91a3d12ceb0420ce7053de58e">potential changes to Medicaid eligibility</a>&nbsp;at a town hall in north-central Iowa on Friday.

She had been consistent in her message throughout the contentious forum at a high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, as she defended the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-beautiful-bill-trump-tax-cuts-medicaid-00ce1ff8a7b7fea7a894d38398748c6b">tax and immigration package</a>&nbsp;that has passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. Facing several constituents concerned about cuts to Medicaid, she defended the $700 billion in reduced spending, saying it would keep immigrants in the U.S. illegally and those who have access to insurance through their employers off the rolls.

Then someone in the crowd yelled that people will die without coverage.

“People are not ... well, we all are going to die,” Ernst said, drawing groans. “So, for heaven’s sakes. For heaven’s sakes, folks.”

“What you don’t want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable,” Ernst went on. “Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid we will protect.”

House Republicans last week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-tax-cuts-trump-f2c60ae5c7c1313de69446f9ac7176e6">muscled through</a>&nbsp;the massive spending and tax cut&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-beautiful-bill-trump-tax-cuts-medicaid-00ce1ff8a7b7fea7a894d38398748c6b">package</a>, dubbed “the big, beautiful bill” at the urging of President Donald Trump, by a single vote. It now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-cuts-medicaid-congress-senate-trump-bill-2825f8fa0e96a00cf72a6de6a5a88a25">moves to the Senate</a>.

Ernst made clear Friday that any measure that emerges from the Senate will look different from the House version.

Republicans have defended the new work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents and stepped up eligibility verification, saying the generated savings will sustain the program for vulnerable populations. Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage.

A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade.

Video of Ernst’s comment started making the rounds among Democrat elected officials and candidates. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026.

“This morning, Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud:" Republicans do not care “about whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer,” said Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Sen. Joni Ernst was met with shouts and groans when she said “we all are going to die” as she addressed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-trump-tax-cuts-bill-1e2b12a91a3d12ceb0420ce7053de58e">potential changes to Medicaid eligibility</a>&nbsp;at a town hall in north-central Iowa on Friday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">During a town hall meeting, when discussing Medicaid benefits, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) responds to someone: &quot;Well, we all are going to die.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HDj0w27vHJ">pic.twitter.com/HDj0w27vHJ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1928477381359972502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>She had been consistent in her message throughout the contentious forum at a high school in Parkersburg, Iowa, as she defended the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-beautiful-bill-trump-tax-cuts-medicaid-00ce1ff8a7b7fea7a894d38398748c6b">tax and immigration package</a>&nbsp;that has passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. Facing several constituents concerned about cuts to Medicaid, she defended the $700 billion in reduced spending, saying it would keep immigrants in the U.S. illegally and those who have access to insurance through their employers off the rolls.Then someone in the crowd yelled that people will die without coverage.“People are not ... well, we all are going to die,” Ernst said, drawing groans. “So, for heaven’s sakes. For heaven’s sakes, folks.”“What you don’t want to do is listen to me when I say that we are going to focus on those that are most vulnerable,” Ernst went on. “Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid we will protect.”House Republicans last week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-tax-cuts-trump-f2c60ae5c7c1313de69446f9ac7176e6">muscled through</a>&nbsp;the massive spending and tax cut&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/big-beautiful-bill-trump-tax-cuts-medicaid-00ce1ff8a7b7fea7a894d38398748c6b">package</a>, dubbed “the big, beautiful bill” at the urging of President Donald Trump, by a single vote. It now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-cuts-medicaid-congress-senate-trump-bill-2825f8fa0e96a00cf72a6de6a5a88a25">moves to the Senate</a>.Ernst made clear Friday that any measure that emerges from the Senate will look different from the House version.Republicans have defended the new work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents and stepped up eligibility verification, saying the generated savings will sustain the program for vulnerable populations. Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage.A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade.Video of Ernst’s comment started making the rounds among Democrat elected officials and candidates. Ernst is up for reelection in 2026.“This morning, Joni Ernst said the quiet part out loud:" Republicans do not care “about whether their own constituents live or die as long as the richest few get richer,” said Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, in a statement.

🎥 ‘We're all  going to die’: U.S. Senator defends Medicaid cuts at town hall

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a double-homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victims as 36-year-old Adriane E. Stanley and 35-year-Demetrius Davis, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Just after 9p.m. Wednesday, patrol officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 9600 block of Fremont Street, according to&nbsp; DiMartino.

As officers arrived they were directed to the driveway of a residence where they located the victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered KCFD EMS to the scene. Medics declared both victims deceased, on scene.

This is being investigated as a homicide and no one is in custody, according to DiMaratino. Preliminary investigation revealed there was an argument that led to a physical confrontation between several individuals. The physical confrontation led to shots being fired and the victims being struck.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a double-homicide in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victims as 36-year-old Adriane E. Stanley and 35-year-Demetrius Davis, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.Just after 9p.m. Wednesday, patrol officers were dispatched to a shooting in the 9600 block of Fremont Street, according to&nbsp; DiMartino.As officers arrived they were directed to the driveway of a residence where they located the victims suffering from gunshot wounds. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered KCFD EMS to the scene. Medics declared both victims deceased, on scene.This is being investigated as a homicide and no one is in custody, according to DiMaratino. Preliminary investigation revealed there was an argument that led to a physical confrontation between several individuals. The physical confrontation led to shots being fired and the victims being struck.&nbsp;

Police ID man, woman found dead in driveway of KC home

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/former-connecticut-governor-john-rowland-pardoned-trump-3f64b89567cb5f688808eb1b1ddd581f">A governor who resigned amid a corruption scandal</a>&nbsp;and served two stints in federal prison. A New York Republican who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-michael-grimm-new-york-fraud-30dd91417b29015aa0f78503efefc81d">resigned from Congress after a tax fraud conviction</a>&nbsp;and who made headlines for threatening to throw a reporter off a Capitol balcony over a question he didn't like.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/television-personalities-sentenced-years-federal-prison-fraud-and-tax-evasion">Reality TV stars convicted of cheating banks</a>&nbsp;and evading taxes.

All were unlikely beneficiaries this week of pardons, with President Donald Trump flexing his executive power to bestow clemency on political allies, prominent public figures and others convicted of defrauding the public. The moves not only take aim at criminal cases once touted as just by the Justice Department but also come amid a continuing Trump administration erosion of public integrity guardrails, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-mel-gibson-congress-667a79b368b215bb0cd7b0333f372fc7">firing of the department's pardon attorney</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-public-corruption-unit-cuts-4123347b1ffe4a0f3c681e49a15ab4ca">near-dismantling of a prosecution unit</a>&nbsp;established to hold public officials accountable for abusing the public trust.

"He is using pardons to essentially override the verdicts of juries, to set aside the sentences that have been imposed by judges and to accomplish political objectives,” said Liz Oyer, who was fired in March as the pardon attorney after she says she refused to endorse a recommendation to restore the gun rights of actor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-mel-gibson-congress-667a79b368b215bb0cd7b0333f372fc7">Mel Gibson</a>, a Trump supporter. “That is very damaging and destructive to our system of justice.”

To be sure, other presidents have courted controversy with their clemency decisions.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/today-in-history/september-8">President Gerald Ford famously pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon,</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-43a8f6e91f4f4783b6836c98dbf6f87d">Bill Clinton pardoned fugitive financier Marc Rich just hours before the Democratic president left office</a>. More recently,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter,</a>&nbsp;sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.

But the pardons announced Wednesday are part of a pattern of clemency grants that began in Trump's first term and has continued in the current one in which bold-face names, prominent supporters and defendants whose causes are championed by friends time and again have an edge on ordinary citizens who lack connections to the White House.

In 2020, for instance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-campaigns-baghdad-a6741e5cf9032ce004c8f6751b3cc968">he pardoned allies convicted in the Russia election interference investigation</a>&nbsp;that shadowed his first term as well as his son-in-law's father,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charles-kushner-france-ambassador-trump-pardon-3a65cfec3b2393d6d9eafec7333b2625">Charles Kushner, who was later named ambassador to France</a>.

On his first day back in office,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-jan-6-pardons-trump-justice-department-8ce8b2a8f8cb602d5eaf85ac7b969606">he pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases</a>&nbsp;of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/january-6-cases/">in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot</a>, using his clemency powers to undo the massive prosecution of the unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy.

Twice indicted by the Justice Department, and entangled in criminal investigations in the White House and in his post-presidency life, Trump has long conveyed public suspicion about prosecutorial power and found common cause with politicians — including on the other side of the aisle — he sees as having been mistreated like he believes he was.

In February, for instance, the Republican president pardoned former Democratic Illinois Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardons-rod-blagojevich-ea52b9bd10ee8120934c434e5c75e406">Rod Blagojevich</a>&nbsp;after having earlier commuted his 14-year sentence on political corruption charges. Blagojevich, he said, “was set up by a lot of bad people, some of the same people I had to deal with.”

The most recent pardon beneficiaries include former GOP New York Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-michael-grimm-new-york-fraud-30dd91417b29015aa0f78503efefc81d">Michael Grimm</a>, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran in Manhattan. The former Marine and FBI agent resigned from Congress the following year and served eight months in prison. Grimm tried to reenter politics in 2018 but lost a primary for his old district.

Others include former Republican Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, whose once-promising political career was cut short by an investigation into gifts and favors from state contractors. Rowland was convicted and imprisoned a second time for conspiring to hide his work on political campaigns and was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-e159cc86fc7a42e592b8e5817cc49e78">sentenced to 30 months</a>&nbsp;in federal prison.

The White House also announced pardons for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-youngboy-pardon-trump-weapons-charges-4e0129e9587c61a317acb4153b2e6f9c">rap artist NBA YoungBoy on gun-related charges</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/julie-todd-chrisley-fraud-tax-evasion-sentence-ea5d65c638f06cce3bd82fcfc2c5647c">TV stars</a>&nbsp;Todd and Julie Chrisley, famous for “Chrisley Knows Best,” a reality show that followed their family and extravagant lifestyle that prosecutors said was boosted by bank fraud and hiding earnings from tax authorities. The couple was convicted in 2022 of conspiring to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in loans by submitting false documents.

The latest pardons unfold as Trump has departed from the norms and protocols of the clemency process and as the Justice Department has signaled a tweaked approach to public corruption and white-collar fraud.

The department, for instance, has long had a pardon attorney tasked with sifting through applications from defendants and recommending clemency to the White House for those seen as having served their debt to society and accepted responsibility for their crimes, including drug offenders serving long sentences and not generally known to the public or connected to the powerful.

In place of Oyer, the fired pardon attorney,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-pardons-ed-martin-de43fc3e38ac1e21461c0f30d93b4186">the administration installed Ed Martin</a>, a Trump loyalist who briefly served as interim U.S. attorney in Washington. He has already pledged to scrutinize pardons that Biden issued on his way out of the White House and has said he&nbsp;<a href="https://at%20two%20men%20who%20are%20serving%20long%20prison%20terms%20for%20leading%20a%20conspiracy%20to%20kidnap%20michigan%20gov.%20gretchen%20whitmer./">would take a “hard look" at two men</a>&nbsp;who are serving long prison terms for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gretchen-whitmer-politics-michigan-legal-proceedings-067bdf0f233865a9070918f98b6d4c3a">leading a conspiracy</a>&nbsp;to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Meanwhile, the department's vaunted public integrity section, created in the post-Watergate era to investigate and prosecute public officials for abusing their powers, has been dramatically slashed, whittled down to just a handful of lawyers.

The section endured an exodus of prosecutors after Justice Department leaders demanded the dismissal of a corruption case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-attorney-adams-trump-6627665d0dd41e766d6e94598fba11ff">New York Mayor Eric Adams</a>&nbsp;so he could assist in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

The pardons, said Princeton University presidential historian Julian Zelizer, fit “within the fold of his presidency, where he uses a lot of his power either for retribution or reward rather than for just kind of pure policy-making. We have to understand the pardons in that framework.”

Louisiana rap artist NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden and whose stage moniker stands for “Never Broke Again,” also received a Trump pardon.

In 2024, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentrell-gaulden-nba-youngboy-sentence-09ab0405e071156c64063eb464b3c313">was sentenced</a>&nbsp;to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges after he acknowledged having possessed weapons despite being a convicted felon. Gaulden also pleaded guilty to his role in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/rapper-nba-youngboy-booked-into-cache-county-jail-for-pattern-of-unlawful-activity/" target="_blank">a prescription drug fraud ring</a>&nbsp;in Utah.

Gaulden’s and the other pardons were confirmed Wednesday evening by two White House officials who spoke only on condition of anonymity to detail actions that had not yet been made public.

In a statement posted online, Gaulden said, “I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist.”

He said this “opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this,” and thanked Johnson.

Trump has spent the week issuing high-profile pardons. Video released by a White House aide showed Johnson in the Oval Office on Tuesday, as Trump called the daughter of Todd and Julie Chrisley of the reality show “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/julie-todd-chrisley-fraud-tax-evasion-appeal-983ca240f0a631e075ef5dd911ebfe26">Chrisley Knows Best</a>&nbsp;" to say he was pardoning them.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669079805529.png" alt="Todd Chrisley, left, and his wife, Julie Chrisley, pose for photos at the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 2, 2017, i(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)" />
 <figcaption>Todd Chrisley, left, and his wife, Julie Chrisley, pose for photos at the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 2, 2017, i(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/former-connecticut-governor-john-rowland-pardoned-trump-3f64b89567cb5f688808eb1b1ddd581f">A governor who resigned amid a corruption scandal</a>&nbsp;and served two stints in federal prison. A New York Republican who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-michael-grimm-new-york-fraud-30dd91417b29015aa0f78503efefc81d">resigned from Congress after a tax fraud conviction</a>&nbsp;and who made headlines for threatening to throw a reporter off a Capitol balcony over a question he didn't like.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/television-personalities-sentenced-years-federal-prison-fraud-and-tax-evasion">Reality TV stars convicted of cheating banks</a>&nbsp;and evading taxes.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">No MAGA left behind.&mdash; Ed Martin (@EagleEdMartin) <a href="https://twitter.com/EagleEdMartin/status/1927092000848855360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>All were unlikely beneficiaries this week of pardons, with President Donald Trump flexing his executive power to bestow clemency on political allies, prominent public figures and others convicted of defrauding the public. The moves not only take aim at criminal cases once touted as just by the Justice Department but also come amid a continuing Trump administration erosion of public integrity guardrails, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-mel-gibson-congress-667a79b368b215bb0cd7b0333f372fc7">firing of the department's pardon attorney</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-public-corruption-unit-cuts-4123347b1ffe4a0f3c681e49a15ab4ca">near-dismantling of a prosecution unit</a>&nbsp;established to hold public officials accountable for abusing the public trust."He is using pardons to essentially override the verdicts of juries, to set aside the sentences that have been imposed by judges and to accomplish political objectives,” said Liz Oyer, who was fired in March as the pardon attorney after she says she refused to endorse a recommendation to restore the gun rights of actor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-mel-gibson-congress-667a79b368b215bb0cd7b0333f372fc7">Mel Gibson</a>, a Trump supporter. “That is very damaging and destructive to our system of justice.”To be sure, other presidents have courted controversy with their clemency decisions.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/today-in-history/september-8">President Gerald Ford famously pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon,</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-43a8f6e91f4f4783b6836c98dbf6f87d">Bill Clinton pardoned fugitive financier Marc Rich just hours before the Democratic president left office</a>. More recently,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-son-hunter-charges-pardon-pledge-24f3007c2d2f467fa48e21bbc7262525">President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter,</a>&nbsp;sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.But the pardons announced Wednesday are part of a pattern of clemency grants that began in Trump's first term and has continued in the current one in which bold-face names, prominent supporters and defendants whose causes are championed by friends time and again have an edge on ordinary citizens who lack connections to the White House.In 2020, for instance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-campaigns-baghdad-a6741e5cf9032ce004c8f6751b3cc968">he pardoned allies convicted in the Russia election interference investigation</a>&nbsp;that shadowed his first term as well as his son-in-law's father,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charles-kushner-france-ambassador-trump-pardon-3a65cfec3b2393d6d9eafec7333b2625">Charles Kushner, who was later named ambassador to France</a>.On his first day back in office,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-jan-6-pardons-trump-justice-department-8ce8b2a8f8cb602d5eaf85ac7b969606">he pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases</a>&nbsp;of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/january-6-cases/">in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot</a>, using his clemency powers to undo the massive prosecution of the unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy.Twice indicted by the Justice Department, and entangled in criminal investigations in the White House and in his post-presidency life, Trump has long conveyed public suspicion about prosecutorial power and found common cause with politicians — including on the other side of the aisle — he sees as having been mistreated like he believes he was.In February, for instance, the Republican president pardoned former Democratic Illinois Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardons-rod-blagojevich-ea52b9bd10ee8120934c434e5c75e406">Rod Blagojevich</a>&nbsp;after having earlier commuted his 14-year sentence on political corruption charges. Blagojevich, he said, “was set up by a lot of bad people, some of the same people I had to deal with.”The most recent pardon beneficiaries include former GOP New York Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-michael-grimm-new-york-fraud-30dd91417b29015aa0f78503efefc81d">Michael Grimm</a>, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran in Manhattan. The former Marine and FBI agent resigned from Congress the following year and served eight months in prison. Grimm tried to reenter politics in 2018 but lost a primary for his old district.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">BREAKING! President Trump calls <a href="https://twitter.com/_ItsSavannah_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@_ItsSavannah_</a> to inform her that he will be granting full pardons to her parents, Todd and Julie Chrisley! Trump Knows Best! <a href="https://t.co/j5WPMOOQ7L">pic.twitter.com/j5WPMOOQ7L</a>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1927470034688839944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Others include former Republican Connecticut Gov. John Rowland, whose once-promising political career was cut short by an investigation into gifts and favors from state contractors. Rowland was convicted and imprisoned a second time for conspiring to hide his work on political campaigns and was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-e159cc86fc7a42e592b8e5817cc49e78">sentenced to 30 months</a>&nbsp;in federal prison.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748524734972.png" alt="NBA Youngboy" />
 <figcaption>NBA Youngboy</figcaption>
 </figure>The White House also announced pardons for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-youngboy-pardon-trump-weapons-charges-4e0129e9587c61a317acb4153b2e6f9c">rap artist NBA YoungBoy on gun-related charges</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/julie-todd-chrisley-fraud-tax-evasion-sentence-ea5d65c638f06cce3bd82fcfc2c5647c">TV stars</a>&nbsp;Todd and Julie Chrisley, famous for “Chrisley Knows Best,” a reality show that followed their family and extravagant lifestyle that prosecutors said was boosted by bank fraud and hiding earnings from tax authorities. The couple was convicted in 2022 of conspiring to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in loans by submitting false documents.The latest pardons unfold as Trump has departed from the norms and protocols of the clemency process and as the Justice Department has signaled a tweaked approach to public corruption and white-collar fraud.The department, for instance, has long had a pardon attorney tasked with sifting through applications from defendants and recommending clemency to the White House for those seen as having served their debt to society and accepted responsibility for their crimes, including drug offenders serving long sentences and not generally known to the public or connected to the powerful.In place of Oyer, the fired pardon attorney,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-pardons-ed-martin-de43fc3e38ac1e21461c0f30d93b4186">the administration installed Ed Martin</a>, a Trump loyalist who briefly served as interim U.S. attorney in Washington. He has already pledged to scrutinize pardons that Biden issued on his way out of the White House and has said he&nbsp;<a href="https://at%20two%20men%20who%20are%20serving%20long%20prison%20terms%20for%20leading%20a%20conspiracy%20to%20kidnap%20michigan%20gov.%20gretchen%20whitmer./">would take a “hard look" at two men</a>&nbsp;who are serving long prison terms for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gretchen-whitmer-politics-michigan-legal-proceedings-067bdf0f233865a9070918f98b6d4c3a">leading a conspiracy</a>&nbsp;to kidnap Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.Meanwhile, the department's vaunted public integrity section, created in the post-Watergate era to investigate and prosecute public officials for abusing their powers, has been dramatically slashed, whittled down to just a handful of lawyers.The section endured an exodus of prosecutors after Justice Department leaders demanded the dismissal of a corruption case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-attorney-adams-trump-6627665d0dd41e766d6e94598fba11ff">New York Mayor Eric Adams</a>&nbsp;so he could assist in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.The pardons, said Princeton University presidential historian Julian Zelizer, fit “within the fold of his presidency, where he uses a lot of his power either for retribution or reward rather than for just kind of pure policy-making. We have to understand the pardons in that framework.”Louisiana rap artist NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden and whose stage moniker stands for “Never Broke Again,” also received a Trump pardon.In 2024, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentrell-gaulden-nba-youngboy-sentence-09ab0405e071156c64063eb464b3c313">was sentenced</a>&nbsp;to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges after he acknowledged having possessed weapons despite being a convicted felon. Gaulden also pleaded guilty to his role in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/rapper-nba-youngboy-booked-into-cache-county-jail-for-pattern-of-unlawful-activity/" target="_blank">a prescription drug fraud ring</a>&nbsp;in Utah.Gaulden’s and the other pardons were confirmed Wednesday evening by two White House officials who spoke only on condition of anonymity to detail actions that had not yet been made public.In a statement posted online, Gaulden said, “I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist.”He said this “opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for and I am fully prepared to step into this,” and thanked Johnson.Trump has spent the week issuing high-profile pardons. Video released by a White House aide showed Johnson in the Oval Office on Tuesday, as Trump called the daughter of Todd and Julie Chrisley of the reality show “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/julie-todd-chrisley-fraud-tax-evasion-appeal-983ca240f0a631e075ef5dd911ebfe26">Chrisley Knows Best</a>&nbsp;" to say he was pardoning them.

Who else did President Trump pardon this week?

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

Nearly four dozen people in 18 states have been sickened in an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salmonella-cucumbers-bedner-growers-254618f4ce92fa421a5b8e2187ec267d">expanding outbreak</a>&nbsp;of salmonella food poisoning tied to recalled cucumbers sent to restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships and grocery stores, including Target stores, federal health officials said Friday.

At least 16 people have been hospitalized after eating cucumbers produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salmonella-cucumbers-outbreak-florida-water-fccb66a1e0733fc97d29065e287052bc">Florida-based Bedner Growers</a>&nbsp;and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The cucumbers were sold from April 29 through May 19.

The outbreak includes reports of illness from people aboard six different cruise ships that departed from U.S. ports between late March and mid-April, the CDC said. The true number of sick people is likely much higher and the outbreak could affect additional states, officials said.

Several companies have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts">issued recalls</a>&nbsp;for whole cucumbers and cucumbers used in a range of sandwiches, salsas and other foods linked to the outbreak. Target&nbsp;<a href="https://help.target.com/help/TargetGuestHelpPRArticleDetail?articleId=ka9Kd00000000L4IAI&amp;articleTitle=Bedner+Growers+Cucumbers&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">recalled dozens</a>&nbsp;of products, including whole cucumbers, salads and vegetable rolls.

The outbreak was detected during a follow-up inspection in April to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salmonella-cucumbers-recall-a0a479fa6002c7e3b99a705e18f40cdf">2024 outbreak</a>&nbsp;that sickened 551 people and led to 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In that outbreak, investigators found salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company.

As part of the new investigation, FDA officials found salmonella in a sample of Bedner Growers cucumbers at a distribution center in Pennsylvania. That sample matched the strain of salmonella that made people sick. In addition, “multiple other strains” of salmonella were detected that match samples in a government database. CDC officials are working to determine whether additional illnesses in people match those strains.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747793441919.png" alt="USDA image" />
 <figcaption>USDA image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JONEL%20ALECCIA%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer</a>Nearly four dozen people in 18 states have been sickened in an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salmonella-cucumbers-bedner-growers-254618f4ce92fa421a5b8e2187ec267d">expanding outbreak</a>&nbsp;of salmonella food poisoning tied to recalled cucumbers sent to restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships and grocery stores, including Target stores, federal health officials said Friday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748626907690.png" alt="CDC image" />
 <figcaption>CDC image</figcaption>
 </figure>At least 16 people have been hospitalized after eating cucumbers produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salmonella-cucumbers-outbreak-florida-water-fccb66a1e0733fc97d29065e287052bc">Florida-based Bedner Growers</a>&nbsp;and distributed by Fresh Start Produce Sales, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The cucumbers were sold from April 29 through May 19.The outbreak includes reports of illness from people aboard six different cruise ships that departed from U.S. ports between late March and mid-April, the CDC said. The true number of sick people is likely much higher and the outbreak could affect additional states, officials said.Several companies have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts">issued recalls</a>&nbsp;for whole cucumbers and cucumbers used in a range of sandwiches, salsas and other foods linked to the outbreak. Target&nbsp;<a href="https://help.target.com/help/TargetGuestHelpPRArticleDetail?articleId=ka9Kd00000000L4IAI&amp;articleTitle=Bedner+Growers+Cucumbers&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=govdelivery">recalled dozens</a>&nbsp;of products, including whole cucumbers, salads and vegetable rolls.The outbreak was detected during a follow-up inspection in April to a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/salmonella-cucumbers-recall-a0a479fa6002c7e3b99a705e18f40cdf">2024 outbreak</a>&nbsp;that sickened 551 people and led to 155 hospitalizations in 34 states and Washington, D.C. In that outbreak, investigators found salmonella bacteria linked to many of the illnesses in untreated canal water used at farms operated by Bedner Growers and Thomas Produce Company.As part of the new investigation, FDA officials found salmonella in a sample of Bedner Growers cucumbers at a distribution center in Pennsylvania. That sample matched the strain of salmonella that made people sick. In addition, “multiple other strains” of salmonella were detected that match samples in a government database. CDC officials are working to determine whether additional illnesses in people match those strains.Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Kansas included in expanding salmonella outbreak linked to cucumbers

The Senate Freedom Caucus is demanding tax cuts in exchange for not blocking stadium funds, while Democrats on Thursday retaliated for slights during the regular session by derailing the routine work of signing bills

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Gov. Mike Kehoe’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/13/new-stadium-funding-plan-for-chiefs-royals-clears-missouri-house/">stadium funding plan</a>&nbsp;for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals is facing growing resistance from across the ideological spectrum as lawmakers prepare to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">return to the Missouri Capitol</a>&nbsp;on Monday.&nbsp;

From the right, the Senate Freedom Caucus is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid023vQfD6pUWGQWJc8Z5QJNo9CWy7JkZ8SaFwpbLEVKrSAGBeBHwRhFgAChQ7iWpRz3l&amp;id=61553871467514" target="_blank">threatening a return to procedural gridlock</a>&nbsp;if the agenda for next week’s special session doesn’t expand to include broad-based tax cuts and changes to the initiative petition process.&nbsp;

“If Gov. Kehoe and legislative leaders insist on using taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars for a half billion dollar (or more) handout to billionaire sports team owners in a standalone bill, the Missouri Freedom Caucus will vote against such a proposal and will consider utilizing any tools at its disposal to stop it,” state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, said in a statement on behalf of the four-member Senate Freedom Caucus.&nbsp;

From the left, Democrats are seething that the governor’s agenda for the special session includes hundreds of millions for stadiums but only $25 million in disaster recovery funds for victims of recent tornadoes in the St. Louis region.

“The conversation can’t even begin until serious disaster relief is considered,” said state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat. “Why do I care about a billionaire’s stadium when people have lost their homes?&nbsp; There’s absolutely no way we’re going to serve a billionaire a feast and leave crumbs for people who just lost their homes. That’s not happening.”

Complicating all calculations is the Democratic fury over how the regular session ended. Republicans used a rare procedural rule to end debate on controversial bills on abortion and paid sick leave.&nbsp;

Democrats promised the Senate would not function normally until they feel they can trust the GOP to work towards compromise.

On Thursday, Democrats showed just how disruptive they could be when Webber halted the routine work of signing bills from the regular session by noting that the chamber lacked a quorum because a majority of senators were not present.&nbsp;

The Senate was stuck as it waited for GOP legislators to make the unplanned trip to Jefferson City from their homes for what was supposed to be a largely ceremonial day.

Then Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat, made a motion to adjourn the session for the year. Without voting on that motion, Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, adjourned the Senate until Friday so more members could be rounded up.

The day ended in shouting, with Webber accusing his GOP colleagues of violating the chamber’s rules by ignoring Beck’s motion and moving forward to adjourn even though there was no quorum.

“You’re a coward,” Webber yelled as the session was gaveled to a close. “You know that was against the rules and you did it anyway.”

The tension on display Thursday doesn’t bode well for next week’s special session.

“It’s not coming together just swimmingly as of right now,” said state Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The delaying action Thursday was about how the regular session ended, Beck said in an interview. He said he hasn’t had enough conversations with members of his caucus to decide tactics for the special session.

“The only part of the special session I think would be critical would be trying to get some relief for the people of the city of St Louis after the tornado,” Beck said. “There’s some hard feelings out there about how things happened. There’s also a feeling of like the amount of aid that they’ve offered is kind of a slap in the face.”

On Tuesday, Kehoe announced he was calling the legislature back into session to approve $25 million in disaster recovery funds and a little over $200 million in construction projects that failed to win House approval during the regular session.

But the highest profile piece of Kehoe’s special session agenda is his plan for the state to pay up to half the costs of a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs — projects estimated to cost up to $3 billion.

Both teams have expressed interest in leaving Missouri when the lease on their current stadiums expire in 2030, and Kansas lawmakers have put a deal on the table that would use state incentives to pay for up to 70% of the costs of new stadiums.

Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins told The Kansas City Star on Thursday that if the Chiefs or Royals are interested in leaving Missouri, they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article307452161.html" target="_blank">should act on the state’s offer soon</a>&nbsp;before the deal expires at the end of June.

Kehoe argues that the cost to keep the teams in the state would be less than what Missouri stands to lose if either team leaves the state. He claims the economic activity associated with the Chiefs supports 4,500 jobs, while a new stadium for the Royals would generate about 8,400 jobs.&nbsp;

But while the proposal easily cleared the Missouri House in the legislative session’s final days, it died in the Senate.&nbsp;

A bipartisan filibuster derailed its progress, with complaints ranging from the price tag to the lack of legislative input on the plan.&nbsp;

Senators also complained that stadium funding was taking precedence over $500 million in construction projects killed by the House days earlier that would have funded eight hospitals around the state, supported a new nuclear reactor at the University of Missouri to make cancer treatments and a new mental health hospital in Kansas City.

How opposition in the Senate plays out — the Senate will take up the special session bills first because of anticipated difficulty — will decide what the House can do.

State Rep. Doug Clemens, a Democrat from St. Ann, applauded the moves Thursday to disrupt the normally routine Senate action.

“It’s high time that Democrats dig their heels in and I support this,” Clemens said. “The governor needs to sit down and negotiate with Senate Democrats if we’re going to change things we’re going to make government work for the people.”

House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Republican from Lee’s Summit said he’s ready to act on Kehoe’s package but knows things could change.

“This is politics and negotiating is all part of it,” Patterson said. “There may be negotiations ahead but we will take a look at the current package and move ahead.”

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said she’s generally supportive of the items Kehoe is requesting but would like to see more for disaster aid and construction spending.&nbsp;

What happens in the Senate, she said, is the key to the special session.

“The tenor in the Senate is probably going to dictate a lot of what happens,” Aune said.

Kehoe’s special session agenda includes very little of the construction budget spending, creating blowback. Instead of $50 million originally slated for the University of Missouri nuclear reactor, the governor called for only $25 million.&nbsp;

“The governor’s office gave me their word on $50 million, and I expect not one penny less than that,” Webber said. “I’m genuinely perplexed why they would give me their word then go back on it. I didn’t play games with them, and I don’t understand why they are playing games with my district.”

Hough also said the capital construction bill should spend more. And he questions whether the state should start paying for disaster recovery in cases where FEMA is not participating.

The $25 million proposal, he said, “is kind of like a drop in the bucket. That’s also why the state doesn’t do disaster payments, generally, because we don’t have a printing press like the feds.”

Republicans hold a super majority in the Senate — 24 of 34 seats. But it’s unclear if there are 18 GOP votes in support of Kehoe’s stadium plan, meaning Democratic support may be crucial.&nbsp;

Kehoe has a big hammer to sway votes — there are 248 items added to the budget by lawmakers at a cost of $550 million that are in bills awaiting his action. Kehoe has the power to veto any item from the budget he doesn’t like.

“I’ve got members calling me saying, is he gonna veto my stuff?” Hough said.

Kehoe will have to use every bit of his political skills to win passage of the special session package.

“The easiest way to frame this, from my perspective right now, is that there’s an awful lot of negotiation still yet to be done,” Hough said. “It’s just not as simple as everyone’s going to show back up after the way the session ended.”

A spokeswoman for the governor said he “respects the legislative process and hopes that legislators will work together to deliver on the time-sensitive issues in his call for the special session.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748562977306.png" alt=" Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announces Tuesday that he will call a special legislative session to consider disaster relief, stadium funding and spending items. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)" />
 <figcaption> Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announces Tuesday that he will call a special legislative session to consider disaster relief, stadium funding and spending items. (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Senate Freedom Caucus is demanding tax cuts in exchange for not blocking stadium funds, while Democrats on Thursday retaliated for slights during the regular session by derailing the routine work of signing bills</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jason-hancock/">JASON HANCOCK</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Gov. Mike Kehoe’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/13/new-stadium-funding-plan-for-chiefs-royals-clears-missouri-house/">stadium funding plan</a>&nbsp;for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals is facing growing resistance from across the ideological spectrum as lawmakers prepare to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/27/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-for-kansas-city-stadiums-st-louis-disaster-funding/">return to the Missouri Capitol</a>&nbsp;on Monday.&nbsp;From the right, the Senate Freedom Caucus is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid023vQfD6pUWGQWJc8Z5QJNo9CWy7JkZ8SaFwpbLEVKrSAGBeBHwRhFgAChQ7iWpRz3l&amp;id=61553871467514" target="_blank">threatening a return to procedural gridlock</a>&nbsp;if the agenda for next week’s special session doesn’t expand to include broad-based tax cuts and changes to the initiative petition process.&nbsp;“If Gov. Kehoe and legislative leaders insist on using taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars for a half billion dollar (or more) handout to billionaire sports team owners in a standalone bill, the Missouri Freedom Caucus will vote against such a proposal and will consider utilizing any tools at its disposal to stop it,” state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, said in a statement on behalf of the four-member Senate Freedom Caucus.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748263709817.png" alt="GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>From the left, Democrats are seething that the governor’s agenda for the special session includes hundreds of millions for stadiums but only $25 million in disaster recovery funds for victims of recent tornadoes in the St. Louis region.“The conversation can’t even begin until serious disaster relief is considered,” said state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat. “Why do I care about a billionaire’s stadium when people have lost their homes?&nbsp; There’s absolutely no way we’re going to serve a billionaire a feast and leave crumbs for people who just lost their homes. That’s not happening.”Complicating all calculations is the Democratic fury over how the regular session ended. Republicans used a rare procedural rule to end debate on controversial bills on abortion and paid sick leave.&nbsp;Democrats promised the Senate would not function normally until they feel they can trust the GOP to work towards compromise.On Thursday, Democrats showed just how disruptive they could be when Webber halted the routine work of signing bills from the regular session by noting that the chamber lacked a quorum because a majority of senators were not present.&nbsp;The Senate was stuck as it waited for GOP legislators to make the unplanned trip to Jefferson City from their homes for what was supposed to be a largely ceremonial day.Then Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, an Affton Democrat, made a motion to adjourn the session for the year. Without voting on that motion, Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin, a Shelbina Republican, adjourned the Senate until Friday so more members could be rounded up.The day ended in shouting, with Webber accusing his GOP colleagues of violating the chamber’s rules by ignoring Beck’s motion and moving forward to adjourn even though there was no quorum.“You’re a coward,” Webber yelled as the session was gaveled to a close. “You know that was against the rules and you did it anyway.”The tension on display Thursday doesn’t bode well for next week’s special session.“It’s not coming together just swimmingly as of right now,” said state Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.The delaying action Thursday was about how the regular session ended, Beck said in an interview. He said he hasn’t had enough conversations with members of his caucus to decide tactics for the special session.“The only part of the special session I think would be critical would be trying to get some relief for the people of the city of St Louis after the tornado,” Beck said. “There’s some hard feelings out there about how things happened. There’s also a feeling of like the amount of aid that they’ve offered is kind of a slap in the face.”On Tuesday, Kehoe announced he was calling the legislature back into session to approve $25 million in disaster recovery funds and a little over $200 million in construction projects that failed to win House approval during the regular session.But the highest profile piece of Kehoe’s special session agenda is his plan for the state to pay up to half the costs of a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs — projects estimated to cost up to $3 billion.Both teams have expressed interest in leaving Missouri when the lease on their current stadiums expire in 2030, and Kansas lawmakers have put a deal on the table that would use state incentives to pay for up to 70% of the costs of new stadiums.Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins told The Kansas City Star on Thursday that if the Chiefs or Royals are interested in leaving Missouri, they&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article307452161.html" target="_blank">should act on the state’s offer soon</a>&nbsp;before the deal expires at the end of June.Kehoe argues that the cost to keep the teams in the state would be less than what Missouri stands to lose if either team leaves the state. He claims the economic activity associated with the Chiefs supports 4,500 jobs, while a new stadium for the Royals would generate about 8,400 jobs.&nbsp;But while the proposal easily cleared the Missouri House in the legislative session’s final days, it died in the Senate.&nbsp;A bipartisan filibuster derailed its progress, with complaints ranging from the price tag to the lack of legislative input on the plan.&nbsp;Senators also complained that stadium funding was taking precedence over $500 million in construction projects killed by the House days earlier that would have funded eight hospitals around the state, supported a new nuclear reactor at the University of Missouri to make cancer treatments and a new mental health hospital in Kansas City.How opposition in the Senate plays out — the Senate will take up the special session bills first because of anticipated difficulty — will decide what the House can do.State Rep. Doug Clemens, a Democrat from St. Ann, applauded the moves Thursday to disrupt the normally routine Senate action.“It’s high time that Democrats dig their heels in and I support this,” Clemens said. “The governor needs to sit down and negotiate with Senate Democrats if we’re going to change things we’re going to make government work for the people.”House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Republican from Lee’s Summit said he’s ready to act on Kehoe’s package but knows things could change.“This is politics and negotiating is all part of it,” Patterson said. “There may be negotiations ahead but we will take a look at the current package and move ahead.”House Minority Leader Ashley Aune, a Kansas City Democrat, said she’s generally supportive of the items Kehoe is requesting but would like to see more for disaster aid and construction spending.&nbsp;What happens in the Senate, she said, is the key to the special session.“The tenor in the Senate is probably going to dictate a lot of what happens,” Aune said.Kehoe’s special session agenda includes very little of the construction budget spending, creating blowback. Instead of $50 million originally slated for the University of Missouri nuclear reactor, the governor called for only $25 million.&nbsp;“The governor’s office gave me their word on $50 million, and I expect not one penny less than that,” Webber said. “I’m genuinely perplexed why they would give me their word then go back on it. I didn’t play games with them, and I don’t understand why they are playing games with my district.”Hough also said the capital construction bill should spend more. And he questions whether the state should start paying for disaster recovery in cases where FEMA is not participating.The $25 million proposal, he said, “is kind of like a drop in the bucket. That’s also why the state doesn’t do disaster payments, generally, because we don’t have a printing press like the feds.”Republicans hold a super majority in the Senate — 24 of 34 seats. But it’s unclear if there are 18 GOP votes in support of Kehoe’s stadium plan, meaning Democratic support may be crucial.&nbsp;Kehoe has a big hammer to sway votes — there are 248 items added to the budget by lawmakers at a cost of $550 million that are in bills awaiting his action. Kehoe has the power to veto any item from the budget he doesn’t like.“I’ve got members calling me saying, is he gonna veto my stuff?” Hough said.Kehoe will have to use every bit of his political skills to win passage of the special session package.“The easiest way to frame this, from my perspective right now, is that there’s an awful lot of negotiation still yet to be done,” Hough said. “It’s just not as simple as everyone’s going to show back up after the way the session ended.”A spokeswoman for the governor said he “respects the legislative process and hopes that legislators will work together to deliver on the time-sensitive issues in his call for the special session.”

Bipartisan resistance building against Mo. governor’s stadium funding plan

COWLEY COUNTY —The search for a missing Kansas woman who was last seen on May 14 continues, according to Cowley County Sheriff Dave Faletti.

On May 20,&nbsp; Cowley County Sheriff’s Deputies were alerted to the discovery of a vehicle linked to a Silver Alert for 81-year-old Jerry McConnell issued in Overland Park, Kansas. The vehicle was located on private property in a remote area near the 4000 block of 327th Road.

Surveillance from a Flock safety camera showed the vehicle traveling west on US Highway 160 entering Cowley County on the evening of May 15 at approximately 5:20 p.m. Upon discovery of the vehicle, a multi-agency search effort was launched. Responding units included the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, Blue Line Trackers, Cowley County CERT volunteers, Kansas Highway Patrol, and other local partners. The initial search was suspended at nightfall and resumed the following morning, May 21, with the aid of two different Kansas Search and Rescue, who brought in specialized canine teams.

Since that time, additional search efforts have been conducted each day this week. Despite extensive ground and air searches, along with search and rescue dive teams from Augusta Fire and Rescue, no new leads have been discovered regarding Mrs. McConnell’s whereabouts.

“We are extremely grateful for the tireless efforts of all those who participated in the search,” said Sheriff David Falletti. “The collaboration among law enforcement, volunteers, and community members has been outstanding.”

An Everbridge alert has been sent out to all residents and property owners in the area to check outbuildings, wells and wooded areas for any sign of our missing person.

At this time, the search for Mrs. McConnell remains ongoing. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747502608195.png" alt="Photos Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>Photos Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY —The search for a missing Kansas woman who was last seen on May 14 continues, according to Cowley County Sheriff Dave Faletti.On May 20,&nbsp; Cowley County Sheriff’s Deputies were alerted to the discovery of a vehicle linked to a Silver Alert for 81-year-old Jerry McConnell issued in Overland Park, Kansas. The vehicle was located on private property in a remote area near the 4000 block of 327th Road.Surveillance from a Flock safety camera showed the vehicle traveling west on US Highway 160 entering Cowley County on the evening of May 15 at approximately 5:20 p.m. Upon discovery of the vehicle, a multi-agency search effort was launched. Responding units included the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, Blue Line Trackers, Cowley County CERT volunteers, Kansas Highway Patrol, and other local partners. The initial search was suspended at nightfall and resumed the following morning, May 21, with the aid of two different Kansas Search and Rescue, who brought in specialized canine teams.Since that time, additional search efforts have been conducted each day this week. Despite extensive ground and air searches, along with search and rescue dive teams from Augusta Fire and Rescue, no new leads have been discovered regarding Mrs. McConnell’s whereabouts.“We are extremely grateful for the tireless efforts of all those who participated in the search,” said Sheriff David Falletti. “The collaboration among law enforcement, volunteers, and community members has been outstanding.”An Everbridge alert has been sent out to all residents and property owners in the area to check outbuildings, wells and wooded areas for any sign of our missing person.At this time, the search for Mrs. McConnell remains ongoing.

Sheriff: Search continues for subject of Kan. Silver Alert

FINNEY COUNTY&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating an incident that occurred Friday afternoon at the Finney County Law Enforcement Center in Garden City.

Preliminary information indicates at around 2:40 p.m., a Garden City man, later identified as 25-year-old Isidro Marino, drove his 2020 Toyota RAV4 off the roadway and struck a 25-year-old woman who was walking in the parking lot of the Law Enforcement Center at 304 N. 9th&nbsp;St.

Marino began to flee the scene when a deputy from the Finney County Sheriff’s Office ran after his vehicle. Marino started to reverse, driving toward the pursuing deputy. The deputy then fired two rounds in the direction of the suspect, however, neither round struck Marino. He fled the area, still driving the SUV.

A short time later, officers from the Garden City Police Department located Marino’s vehicle and a short pursuit ensued before Marino pulled over in the 1200 block of N. 8th&nbsp;Street. As officers attempted to take Marino into custody, he kicked one of the officers.

Marino was booked into the Finney County Jail on requested charges of attempted first-degree murder, fleeing and eluding, and battery of a law enforcement officer.&nbsp;

The woman who was hit by Marino’s SUV was treated for her injuries and released from the hospital.

FINNEY COUNTY&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating an incident that occurred Friday afternoon at the Finney County Law Enforcement Center in Garden City.Preliminary information indicates at around 2:40 p.m., a Garden City man, later identified as 25-year-old Isidro Marino, drove his 2020 Toyota RAV4 off the roadway and struck a 25-year-old woman who was walking in the parking lot of the Law Enforcement Center at 304 N. 9th&nbsp;St.Marino began to flee the scene when a deputy from the Finney County Sheriff’s Office ran after his vehicle. Marino started to reverse, driving toward the pursuing deputy. The deputy then fired two rounds in the direction of the suspect, however, neither round struck Marino. He fled the area, still driving the SUV.A short time later, officers from the Garden City Police Department located Marino’s vehicle and a short pursuit ensued before Marino pulled over in the 1200 block of N. 8th&nbsp;Street. As officers attempted to take Marino into custody, he kicked one of the officers.Marino was booked into the Finney County Jail on requested charges of attempted first-degree murder, fleeing and eluding, and battery of a law enforcement officer.&nbsp;The woman who was hit by Marino’s SUV was treated for her injuries and released from the hospital.

KBI: Driver jailed after hit-and-run in southwest Kansas

OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 11:30p.m. May 27, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop at milepost 157 on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp; During the stop, illegal narcotics and a weapon were located. Two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility.

Jon B. Reed, 38, of Lyndon was booked on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Driving while suspended, No Vehicle liability insurance, Operate vehicle without registration or w/ expired tag and Vehicles; Display of license plates.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748478941799.png" alt="Landie photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Landie photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 11:30p.m. May 27, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop at milepost 157 on Interstate 35 in Osage County for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells.&nbsp; During the stop, illegal narcotics and a weapon were located. Two subjects were taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748478907800.png" alt="Reed photo Osage Co." />
 <figcaption>Reed photo Osage Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Jon B. Reed, 38, of Lyndon was booked on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Driving while suspended, No Vehicle liability insurance, Operate vehicle without registration or w/ expired tag and Vehicles; Display of license plates.Seth A. Landie, 44, of Lyndon was booked on requested charges of&nbsp; Criminal possession of weapon by felon.