&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Nebraska man on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just before 2:30p.m. May 23, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp;conducted a traffic stop on a Subaru Forester for a traffic infraction on U.S. 75 Highway near 126th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

&nbsp; After the traffic stop was completed, the driver, Michael Glebavicius, 55, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested following a search of the vehicle. During the search, methamphetamine, marijuana and numerous items of drug paraphernalia were located.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Glebavicius was&nbsp;booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal carrying of a weapon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747947275336.png" alt="Glebavicius" />
 <figcaption>Glebavicius</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Nebraska man on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just before 2:30p.m. May 23, a sheriff's deputy&nbsp;conducted a traffic stop on a Subaru Forester for a traffic infraction on U.S. 75 Highway near 126th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp; After the traffic stop was completed, the driver, Michael Glebavicius, 55, of Omaha, Nebraska, was arrested following a search of the vehicle. During the search, methamphetamine, marijuana and numerous items of drug paraphernalia were located.&nbsp;&nbsp;Glebavicius was&nbsp;booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal carrying of a weapon.

Sheriff: Man jailed for weapons violation, transporting meth in Kansas

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22FATIMA%20HUSSEIN%20and%20ALAN%20SUDERMAN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By FATIMA HUSSEIN and ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says making cents doesn't make sense anymore.

The U.S. Mint has made its final order of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/penny?srsltid=AfmBOorp-P0PbOJ5jRYvigQlRIm4B-3l4zGXxjxQJQtTp0bE4wPjPh8E">penny</a>&nbsp;blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out, a Treasury Department official confirmed Thursday. This move comes as the cost of making pennies has increased markedly, by upward of 20% in 2024, according to the Treasury.

By stopping the penny's production, the Treasury expects an immediate annual savings of $56 million in reduced material costs, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the news.

In February, President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-penny-treasury-mint-192e3b9ad9891d50e7014997653051ba">announced</a>&nbsp;that he had ordered his administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” Trump wrote at that time in a post on his Truth Social site. “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”

There are about 114 billion pennies currently in circulation in the United States — that's $1.14 billion — but they are greatly underutilized, the Treasury says. The penny was one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/us-circulating-coins">first coins made</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Mint after its establishment in 1792.

The nation's treasury secretary has the authority to mint and issue coins “in amounts the secretary decides are necessary to meet the needs of the United States.”

Advocates for ditching the penny cite its high production cost — almost 4 cents per penny now, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/content/dam/usmint/reports/2024-annual-report.pdf">the U.S. Mint</a>&nbsp;— and limited utility. Fans of the penny cite its usefulness in charity drives and relative bargain in production costs compared with the nickel, which costs almost 14 cents to mint.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.

Pennies are the most popular coin made by the U.S. Mint, which reported making 3.2 billion of them last year. That’s more than half of all the new coins it made last year.

Congress, which dictates currency specifications such as the size and metal content of coins, could make Trump’s order permanent through law. But past congressional efforts to ditch the penny have failed.

Two bipartisan bills to kill the penny permanently were introduced this year.

Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced the&nbsp;<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lee.senate.gov%2F2025%2F5%2Flee-merkley-bill-would-save-taxpayers-millions-by-ending-penny-production&amp;data=05%7C02%7CFHussein%40ap.org%7C0654612ecd2d4ec3808408dd9942af9f%7Ce442e1abfd6b4ba3abf3b020eb50df37%7C1%7C0%7C638835233891671752%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Bzu01aKqBRZ%2FA8JUhDlqQx9lGZmEakeg5R1X4Fz2mwE%3D&amp;reserved=0">Make Sense Not Cents Act</a>&nbsp;this month. In April, Reps. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Robert Garcia, D-Calif., along with Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the Common Cents Act.

Jay Zagorsky, professor of markets, public policy, and law at Boston University, said that while he supports the move to end penny production, Congress must include language in any proposed legislation to require rounding up in pricing, which will eliminate the demand for pennies.

Zagorsky, who recently published a book called “The Power of Cash: Why Using Paper Money is Good for You and Society,” said otherwise simply ditching the penny will only increase demand for nickels, which are even more expensive, at 14 cents to produce.

“If we suddenly have to produce a lot of nickels — and we lose more money on producing every nickel — eliminating the penny doesn't make any sense.”

Mark Weller, executive director of the Americans for Common Cents group — which conducts research and provides information to Congress and the Executive Branch on the value and benefits of the penny — says “there has been an evolution over the past six months that inevitability the production of the penny will be halted.”

His group advocates for the U.S. to find ways to reduce the cost of producing the nickel, especially since it will be more in demand once the penny is totally eliminated from circulation.

“It's incumbent on Treasury to come up with a cheaper way to make the nickel,” Weller said. “Let's make sure we're making our coins as least expensively as possible and maintaining the option to use cash in transactions.”

Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22FATIMA%20HUSSEIN%20and%20ALAN%20SUDERMAN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By FATIMA HUSSEIN and ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says making cents doesn't make sense anymore.The U.S. Mint has made its final order of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/penny?srsltid=AfmBOorp-P0PbOJ5jRYvigQlRIm4B-3l4zGXxjxQJQtTp0bE4wPjPh8E">penny</a>&nbsp;blanks and plans to stop producing the coin when those run out, a Treasury Department official confirmed Thursday. This move comes as the cost of making pennies has increased markedly, by upward of 20% in 2024, according to the Treasury.By stopping the penny's production, the Treasury expects an immediate annual savings of $56 million in reduced material costs, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the news.In February, President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-penny-treasury-mint-192e3b9ad9891d50e7014997653051ba">announced</a>&nbsp;that he had ordered his administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin.“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” Trump wrote at that time in a post on his Truth Social site. “I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.”There are about 114 billion pennies currently in circulation in the United States — that's $1.14 billion — but they are greatly underutilized, the Treasury says. The penny was one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/us-circulating-coins">first coins made</a>&nbsp;by the U.S. Mint after its establishment in 1792.The nation's treasury secretary has the authority to mint and issue coins “in amounts the secretary decides are necessary to meet the needs of the United States.”Advocates for ditching the penny cite its high production cost — almost 4 cents per penny now, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/content/dam/usmint/reports/2024-annual-report.pdf">the U.S. Mint</a>&nbsp;— and limited utility. Fans of the penny cite its usefulness in charity drives and relative bargain in production costs compared with the nickel, which costs almost 14 cents to mint.The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.Pennies are the most popular coin made by the U.S. Mint, which reported making 3.2 billion of them last year. That’s more than half of all the new coins it made last year.Congress, which dictates currency specifications such as the size and metal content of coins, could make Trump’s order permanent through law. But past congressional efforts to ditch the penny have failed.Two bipartisan bills to kill the penny permanently were introduced this year.Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., introduced the&nbsp;<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lee.senate.gov%2F2025%2F5%2Flee-merkley-bill-would-save-taxpayers-millions-by-ending-penny-production&amp;data=05%7C02%7CFHussein%40ap.org%7C0654612ecd2d4ec3808408dd9942af9f%7Ce442e1abfd6b4ba3abf3b020eb50df37%7C1%7C0%7C638835233891671752%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=Bzu01aKqBRZ%2FA8JUhDlqQx9lGZmEakeg5R1X4Fz2mwE%3D&amp;reserved=0">Make Sense Not Cents Act</a>&nbsp;this month. In April, Reps. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Robert Garcia, D-Calif., along with Sens. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the Common Cents Act.Jay Zagorsky, professor of markets, public policy, and law at Boston University, said that while he supports the move to end penny production, Congress must include language in any proposed legislation to require rounding up in pricing, which will eliminate the demand for pennies.Zagorsky, who recently published a book called “The Power of Cash: Why Using Paper Money is Good for You and Society,” said otherwise simply ditching the penny will only increase demand for nickels, which are even more expensive, at 14 cents to produce.“If we suddenly have to produce a lot of nickels — and we lose more money on producing every nickel — eliminating the penny doesn't make any sense.”Mark Weller, executive director of the Americans for Common Cents group — which conducts research and provides information to Congress and the Executive Branch on the value and benefits of the penny — says “there has been an evolution over the past six months that inevitability the production of the penny will be halted.”His group advocates for the U.S. to find ways to reduce the cost of producing the nickel, especially since it will be more in demand once the penny is totally eliminated from circulation.“It's incumbent on Treasury to come up with a cheaper way to make the nickel,” Weller said. “Let's make sure we're making our coins as least expensively as possible and maintaining the option to use cash in transactions.”__Suderman reported from Richmond, Virginia.

US Mint moves forward with plans to kill the penny

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple sex allegations.

Just after 1 p.m. Thursday, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Detectives arrested 22-year-old Quo-Jon Paul Tye, of Holton, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Tye was arrested on a five count Jackson County District Court warrant. The warrant was issued in reference to a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigation. The alleged crimes were reported to the Sheriff’s Office in November of 2024. 

The warrant consists of three counts of rape and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a minor. Tye was booked into and remains in the Jackson County Jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748010128802.png" alt="Tye-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Tye-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple sex allegations.Just after 1 p.m. Thursday, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Detectives arrested 22-year-old Quo-Jon Paul Tye, of Holton, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Tye was arrested on a five count Jackson County District Court warrant. The warrant was issued in reference to a Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigation. The alleged crimes were reported to the Sheriff’s Office in November of 2024. The warrant consists of three counts of rape and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a minor. Tye was booked into and remains in the Jackson County Jail.

Sheriff: Kansas man accused of child sex crimes

TOPEKA, Kan.&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday morning in Topeka, Kansas.

On Thursday, May 22, at around 11:54 p.m., the TPD was dispatched to investigate a domestic disturbance. Officers went to the residence at 1500 SW 24 St. to make contact with a man identified as Dustin C. Kuney, 33, of Topeka, according to a media release.

Officers attempted to communicate with Kuney, who was alone in the residence, and at 12:54 a.m., Kuney fired shots from the doorway of the residence. Three TPD officers returned fire in response. The gunfire ended and Kuney surrendered to officers at the scene. No law enforcement officers or citizens were injured in this incident.

Kuney was arrested on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, and was booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections.

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Topeka.

Just after 11:45p.m Thursday, police responded to investigate a call for of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 1500 block of SW 24th Street in Topeka, according to police spokesman Daniel Garrett.

Just before 1a.m. Friday, police attempted to make contact with the suspect. Officers announced their presence, and the individual reportedly began shooting from the home. The officers then discharged their weapons in response. The suspect, an adult male, then surrendered to officers at the scene, and was taken into custody. The suspect was not injured, and a firearm was found at the scene.&nbsp;

TPD requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to investigate the incident.&nbsp; Per policy, the involved Topeka officers have been placed on administrative leave.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747995528776.png" alt="Police near the scene of the officer-involved shooting -photo by Eric Ives courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police near the scene of the officer-involved shooting -photo by Eric Ives courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan.&nbsp;– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred Friday morning in Topeka, Kansas.On Thursday, May 22, at around 11:54 p.m., the TPD was dispatched to investigate a domestic disturbance. Officers went to the residence at 1500 SW 24 St. to make contact with a man identified as Dustin C. Kuney, 33, of Topeka, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748016178787.png" alt="Kuney photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Kuney photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers attempted to communicate with Kuney, who was alone in the residence, and at 12:54 a.m., Kuney fired shots from the doorway of the residence. Three TPD officers returned fire in response. The gunfire ended and Kuney surrendered to officers at the scene. No law enforcement officers or citizens were injured in this incident.Kuney was arrested on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer, and was booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections.---------SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Topeka.Just after 11:45p.m Thursday, police responded to investigate a call for of a domestic disturbance at a home in the 1500 block of SW 24th Street in Topeka, according to police spokesman Daniel Garrett.Just before 1a.m. Friday, police attempted to make contact with the suspect. Officers announced their presence, and the individual reportedly began shooting from the home. The officers then discharged their weapons in response. The suspect, an adult male, then surrendered to officers at the scene, and was taken into custody. The suspect was not injured, and a firearm was found at the scene.&nbsp;TPD requested the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to investigate the incident.&nbsp; Per policy, the involved Topeka officers have been placed on administrative leave.

Police ID man jailed after gunfight with officers at Kansas home

They were colleagues, and they were a couple, days away from a marriage proposal.

But the interwoven lives of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were brutally cut short Wednesday evening, when the two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot while leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-embassy-jewish-museum-shooting-10307b3b1a2a337e76730736b12ebbcb">suspect told police</a>&nbsp;he “did it for Palestine,” according to court documents filed Thursday as he was charged with murder. He didn't enter a plea.

Milgrim, a 26-year-old American from Kansas, had devoted her burgeoning career to bringing people together to look for ways to promote peace and combat climate change, those who knew her say.

Lischinsky, a 30-year-old Israeli citizen who spent some of his childhood in Germany, had a deep attachment to Israel and an interest in bridging cultural and religious divides.

He had bought an engagement ring and was just days away from proposing to Milgrim on a planned trip to Jerusalem, according to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter.

“A young couple with a bright future, planning their life together,” said Ron Prosor, a veteran Israeli diplomat who knew Lischinsky.

Lischinsky grew up partly in the German city of Nuremberg and moved to Israel at 16. He served in the Jewish state's military “and chose to dedicate his life to the state of Israel," said Prosor, who taught Lischinsky at Israel's Reichman University. Lischinsky earned a master’s degree in government, diplomacy and strategy there.

“He embodied the Judeo-Christian values and set an example for young people worldwide,” Prosor said on X.

A friend, David Boskey, recalled Lischinsky as someone unafraid to broach hard questions in order to interrogate his own convictions.

He met Lischinsky in 2017 in Jerusalem at a Messianic Jewish congregation, where they would often end up talking together about life and faith, Boskey said. The Messianic movement — popularly known as Jews for Jesus — incorporates Jewish symbols and practices, but Israel considers Messianic Jews to be practicing another faith.

“He was looking to see where he was going to go in life, asking questions about calling and about identity and about what he was going to study, where he was going to work, what he wanted to pursue in life,” Boskey said. He described Lischinsky as “a truth-seeking type of person, mixed with a very, very kind and gracious willingness to serve other people.”

Lischinsky helped found the Israeli-German Society's youth forum, according to its counterpart in Germany, and he took a job at the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 2022.

There, he worked as a research assistant whose responsibilities included keeping track of important events and trends in the Middle East and North Africa, his LinkedIn profile said.

He said he advocated for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding and was an “ardent believer” in deepening Israel’s ties with the Arab world through the U.S.-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords.

On Instagram, his bio included a yellow ribbon symbolizing the struggle to free the hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the war in the Gaza Strip</a>.

Milgrim’s Instagram bio also had a yellow ribbon, as well as a passage, in Hebrew, from the biblical Book of Deuteronomy: “Justice, justice you shall pursue.”

Milgrim was an American citizen. She hailed from Overland Park, Kansas, where a former youth director at Congregation Beth Torah remembers a brilliant girl with a perpetual smile and a sense of purpose.

“She had a passion for Judaism and for Israel, and she wanted to do some good,” said Marcia Rittmaster, the former youth director. She recommended Milgrim for a Jewish leadership internship upon the young woman's graduation from high school.

Milgrim went on to the University of Kansas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in 2021 and was a warm, uplifting presence at Shabbat dinners and holiday gatherings at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life.

“She believed in connections, in building community and bringing people together,” Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel said. He said she loved asking questions, enjoyed insightful conversations and “was filled with so much love.”

After graduating, Milgrim worked at at a Tel Aviv-based organization centered on technology training and conflict dialogue for young Palestinians and Israelis, according to her LinkedIn profile. It said she had been trained in religious engagement and peacebuilding by the United States Institute of Peace, an organization that promotes conflict resolution and was created by the U.S. Congress.

After earning a master’s degree in international affairs from American University in 2023, she went to work at the Israeli Embassy, where her job involved organizing events and missions to Israel.

Among them was an Earth Day gathering last month that highlighted Israeli companies and nonprofit groups doing climate work, recalled attendee Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, a philanthropist and a Maryland Commission on Climate Change member. She said she and Milgrim brainstormed by phone just this past week about ways to inform journalists about climate-related innovations in Israel.

“She was exceptionally talented, exceptionally passionate, really kind, extremely well-organized and very effective. And she’s the kind of young leader that, really, this nation and the world needs,” Mizrahi said.

A standing-room only crowd gathered for a vigil for Milgrim in her hometown Thursday night.

Her college roommate related how her friend was an animal lover who faithfully walked her dog, took care of her pet rabbit and was a member of the beekeeping club. She was a passionate advocate for the environment, Amanda Birger said.

“She was very tactful about how she used her voice, which sometimes came off as cautious,” Birger said. “But when it looked like wasn’t speaking up, it’s because she was trying to keep the peace.”

She was “the ultimate peacemaker in her personal life and her professional life,” Birger said.

Milgrim held her Jewish values dear and showed Birger how someone their age could live a joyful Jewish life.

“She stood so proudly in her Judaism. She wore it with a smile, happily educating anyone who asked about it. She made me want to be more Jewish,” Birger said.

Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, said Milgrim was a point person for her organization with women’s groups, LGBTQ communities and multi-faith groups.

“She accomplished so much in her short life, and she deserves to be remembered for all the things she brought to this world,” she said.

Before her work at the embassy, Milgrim was studying whether friendships between Arabs and Israelis could promote peace, Katz said.

“We knew something like this could happen,” she said. “I just don't think we thought it would happen to her.”

Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Contributing were Geir Moulson in Berlin; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv; Jennifer Peltz in New York; Sarah Brumfeld in Cockeysville, Maryland; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747923211105.png" alt="Sarah Milgrim and&nbsp; Yaron Lischinsky courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Sarah Milgrim and&nbsp; Yaron Lischinsky courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>They were colleagues, and they were a couple, days away from a marriage proposal.But the interwoven lives of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were brutally cut short Wednesday evening, when the two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot while leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-embassy-jewish-museum-shooting-10307b3b1a2a337e76730736b12ebbcb">suspect told police</a>&nbsp;he “did it for Palestine,” according to court documents filed Thursday as he was charged with murder. He didn't enter a plea.Milgrim, a 26-year-old American from Kansas, had devoted her burgeoning career to bringing people together to look for ways to promote peace and combat climate change, those who knew her say.Lischinsky, a 30-year-old Israeli citizen who spent some of his childhood in Germany, had a deep attachment to Israel and an interest in bridging cultural and religious divides.He had bought an engagement ring and was just days away from proposing to Milgrim on a planned trip to Jerusalem, according to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter.“A young couple with a bright future, planning their life together,” said Ron Prosor, a veteran Israeli diplomat who knew Lischinsky.<h2>Yaron Lischinsky</h2>Lischinsky grew up partly in the German city of Nuremberg and moved to Israel at 16. He served in the Jewish state's military “and chose to dedicate his life to the state of Israel," said Prosor, who taught Lischinsky at Israel's Reichman University. Lischinsky earned a master’s degree in government, diplomacy and strategy there.“He embodied the Judeo-Christian values and set an example for young people worldwide,” Prosor said on X.A friend, David Boskey, recalled Lischinsky as someone unafraid to broach hard questions in order to interrogate his own convictions.He met Lischinsky in 2017 in Jerusalem at a Messianic Jewish congregation, where they would often end up talking together about life and faith, Boskey said. The Messianic movement — popularly known as Jews for Jesus — incorporates Jewish symbols and practices, but Israel considers Messianic Jews to be practicing another faith.“He was looking to see where he was going to go in life, asking questions about calling and about identity and about what he was going to study, where he was going to work, what he wanted to pursue in life,” Boskey said. He described Lischinsky as “a truth-seeking type of person, mixed with a very, very kind and gracious willingness to serve other people.”Lischinsky helped found the Israeli-German Society's youth forum, according to its counterpart in Germany, and he took a job at the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 2022.There, he worked as a research assistant whose responsibilities included keeping track of important events and trends in the Middle East and North Africa, his LinkedIn profile said.He said he advocated for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding and was an “ardent believer” in deepening Israel’s ties with the Arab world through the U.S.-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords.On Instagram, his bio included a yellow ribbon symbolizing the struggle to free the hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">the war in the Gaza Strip</a>.Milgrim’s Instagram bio also had a yellow ribbon, as well as a passage, in Hebrew, from the biblical Book of Deuteronomy: “Justice, justice you shall pursue.”<h2>Sarah Milgrim</h2>Milgrim was an American citizen. She hailed from Overland Park, Kansas, where a former youth director at Congregation Beth Torah remembers a brilliant girl with a perpetual smile and a sense of purpose.“She had a passion for Judaism and for Israel, and she wanted to do some good,” said Marcia Rittmaster, the former youth director. She recommended Milgrim for a Jewish leadership internship upon the young woman's graduation from high school.Milgrim went on to the University of Kansas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in 2021 and was a warm, uplifting presence at Shabbat dinners and holiday gatherings at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life.“She believed in connections, in building community and bringing people together,” Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel said. He said she loved asking questions, enjoyed insightful conversations and “was filled with so much love.”After graduating, Milgrim worked at at a Tel Aviv-based organization centered on technology training and conflict dialogue for young Palestinians and Israelis, according to her LinkedIn profile. It said she had been trained in religious engagement and peacebuilding by the United States Institute of Peace, an organization that promotes conflict resolution and was created by the U.S. Congress.After earning a master’s degree in international affairs from American University in 2023, she went to work at the Israeli Embassy, where her job involved organizing events and missions to Israel.Among them was an Earth Day gathering last month that highlighted Israeli companies and nonprofit groups doing climate work, recalled attendee Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, a philanthropist and a Maryland Commission on Climate Change member. She said she and Milgrim brainstormed by phone just this past week about ways to inform journalists about climate-related innovations in Israel.“She was exceptionally talented, exceptionally passionate, really kind, extremely well-organized and very effective. And she’s the kind of young leader that, really, this nation and the world needs,” Mizrahi said.A standing-room only crowd gathered for a vigil for Milgrim in her hometown Thursday night.Her college roommate related how her friend was an animal lover who faithfully walked her dog, took care of her pet rabbit and was a member of the beekeeping club. She was a passionate advocate for the environment, Amanda Birger said.“She was very tactful about how she used her voice, which sometimes came off as cautious,” Birger said. “But when it looked like wasn’t speaking up, it’s because she was trying to keep the peace.”She was “the ultimate peacemaker in her personal life and her professional life,” Birger said.Milgrim held her Jewish values dear and showed Birger how someone their age could live a joyful Jewish life.“She stood so proudly in her Judaism. She wore it with a smile, happily educating anyone who asked about it. She made me want to be more Jewish,” Birger said.Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, said Milgrim was a point person for her organization with women’s groups, LGBTQ communities and multi-faith groups.“She accomplished so much in her short life, and she deserves to be remembered for all the things she brought to this world,” she said.Before her work at the embassy, Milgrim was studying whether friendships between Arabs and Israelis could promote peace, Katz said.“We knew something like this could happen,” she said. “I just don't think we thought it would happen to her.”___Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Contributing were Geir Moulson in Berlin; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv; Jennifer Peltz in New York; Sarah Brumfeld in Cockeysville, Maryland; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu; and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire.

Bonded by work and love, Israeli Embassy colleagues' lives cut short by gunman

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-antisemitism-federal-grants-trump-3c8e4d2d3fa0c5083d98250078f95d00">escalating battle</a>&nbsp;with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the action Thursday, saying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/harvards-challenge-to-trump-administration-could-test-limits-of-government-power/">Harvard</a>&nbsp;has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus. It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, saying it hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.

“This means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the agency said in a statement.

Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, accounting for more than a quarter of its student body. Most are graduate students, coming from more than 100 countries.

Harvard called the action unlawful and said it's working to provide guidance to students.

“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the university said in a statement.

The Trump administration's clash with Harvard, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, has intensified since it became the first to openly defy White House demands for changes at elite schools it has criticized as hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. The federal government has cut $2.6 billion in federal grants to Harvard, forcing it to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-research-funding-universities-560292a39b4ec4fe473ed1f91d89f556">self-fund</a>&nbsp;much of its sprawling research operation. President Donald Trump has said he wants to strip the university of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-nonprofit-tax-exempt-status-how-can-it-be-revoked-096614ea5ec65ec7a6ac08efd0f1e94f">tax-exempt status</a>.

The administration has demanded records of campus protests

The threat to Harvard's international enrollment stems from an April 16 request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that it provide information about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-status-international-students-07a10958bf078cb04b59d1fc9a3a27a8">foreign students</a>&nbsp;that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.

In a letter to Harvard on Thursday, Noem said the school's sanction is “the unfortunate result of Harvard's failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.” It bars Harvard from hosting international students for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.

Noem said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces a trove of records on foreign students within 72 hours. Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activity on campus.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem said in a statement.

The action revoked Harvard's certification in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-students-visas-terminated-trump-sevis-9f85c3c58a4b74c354df0d7d993cf34c">Student and Exchange Visitor Program</a>, which gives the school the ability to sponsor international students to get their visas and attend school in the United States.

Harvard President Alan Garber earlier this month said the university has made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-department-of-education-grants-1b5fe7309e2f9f4c0e2281a6a9b25f97">changes to its governance</a>&nbsp;over the past year and a half, including a broad strategy to combat antisemitism, but warned it would not budge on its “its core, legally-protected principles” over fears of retaliation. He said he wasn’t aware of evidence to support the administration's allegation that its international students were “more prone to disruption, violence, or other misconduct than any other students.”

Students in Harvard College Democrats said the Trump administration is playing with students' lives to push a radical agenda and to quiet dissent. “Trump's attack on international students is text book authoritarianism — Harvard must continue to hold the line,” the group said in a statement.

The administration drew condemnation from free speech groups, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which said Noem is demanding a “surveillance state.”

"This sweeping fishing expedition reaches protected expression and must be flatly rejected," the group said in a statement.

The revocation opens a new front in a closely watched battle

Many of Harvard's punishments have come through a federal antisemitism task force that says the university failed to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence amid a nationwide wave of pro-Palestinian protests.

Homeland Security officials echoed those concerns in their Thursday announcement. It offered examples, including a recent internal report at Harvard, finding that many Jewish students reported facing discrimination or bias on campus.

It also tapped into concerns that congressional Republicans have raised about ties between U.S. universities and China. Homeland Security officials said Harvard provided training to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps as recently as 2024. As evidence, it provided a link to a Fox News article, which in turn cited a letter from House Republicans.

Asked for comment on the alleged coordination with the Chinese Communist Party, a Harvard spokesperson said the university will be responding to the House Republicans' letter.

Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, called the latest action an “illegal, small-minded” overreach.

“I worry that this is sending a very chilling effect to international students looking to come to America for education," he said.

The Trump administration has leveraged the system for tracking international students’ legal status as part of its broader attempts to crack down on higher education. What was once a largely administrative database has become a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-visa-status-restraining-order-64a97b4fabc5264ed20b179952cdabff">tool of enforcement</a>, as immigration officials revoked students’ legal status directly in the system.

Those efforts were challenged in court, leading to restorations of status and a nationwide injunction blocking the administration from pursuing further terminations.

Associated Press writers Annie Ma in Washington and Cheyanne Mumphrey in Phoenix contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/">standards</a>&nbsp;for working with philanthropies, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/supporting-ap/">list</a>&nbsp;of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1744677178521.png" alt="Harvard President Alan Garber- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Harvard President Alan Garber- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration revoked Harvard University's ability to enroll international students in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-antisemitism-federal-grants-trump-3c8e4d2d3fa0c5083d98250078f95d00">escalating battle</a>&nbsp;with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747947898170.png" alt="Page one of the letter courtesy DHS" />
 <figcaption>Page one of the letter courtesy DHS</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747947942503.png" alt="Page 2 of the letter courtesy DHS" />
 <figcaption>Page 2 of the letter courtesy DHS</figcaption>
 </figure>The Department of Homeland Security announced the action Thursday, saying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/harvards-challenge-to-trump-administration-could-test-limits-of-government-power/">Harvard</a>&nbsp;has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing “anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” to assault Jewish students on campus. It also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party, saying it hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group as recently as 2024.“This means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the agency said in a statement.Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, accounting for more than a quarter of its student body. Most are graduate students, coming from more than 100 countries.Harvard called the action unlawful and said it's working to provide guidance to students.“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the university said in a statement.The Trump administration's clash with Harvard, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, has intensified since it became the first to openly defy White House demands for changes at elite schools it has criticized as hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. The federal government has cut $2.6 billion in federal grants to Harvard, forcing it to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-research-funding-universities-560292a39b4ec4fe473ed1f91d89f556">self-fund</a>&nbsp;much of its sprawling research operation. President Donald Trump has said he wants to strip the university of its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-nonprofit-tax-exempt-status-how-can-it-be-revoked-096614ea5ec65ec7a6ac08efd0f1e94f">tax-exempt status</a>.<h2>The administration has demanded records of campus protests</h2>The threat to Harvard's international enrollment stems from an April 16 request from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who demanded that it provide information about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harvard-tax-exempt-status-international-students-07a10958bf078cb04b59d1fc9a3a27a8">foreign students</a>&nbsp;that might implicate them in violence or protests that could lead to their deportation.In a letter to Harvard on Thursday, Noem said the school's sanction is “the unfortunate result of Harvard's failure to comply with simple reporting requirements.” It bars Harvard from hosting international students for the upcoming 2025-26 school year.Noem said Harvard can regain its ability to host foreign students if it produces a trove of records on foreign students within 72 hours. Her updated request demands all records, including audio or video footage, of foreign students participating in protests or dangerous activity on campus.“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem said in a statement.The action revoked Harvard's certification in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-students-visas-terminated-trump-sevis-9f85c3c58a4b74c354df0d7d993cf34c">Student and Exchange Visitor Program</a>, which gives the school the ability to sponsor international students to get their visas and attend school in the United States.Harvard President Alan Garber earlier this month said the university has made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-department-of-education-grants-1b5fe7309e2f9f4c0e2281a6a9b25f97">changes to its governance</a>&nbsp;over the past year and a half, including a broad strategy to combat antisemitism, but warned it would not budge on its “its core, legally-protected principles” over fears of retaliation. He said he wasn’t aware of evidence to support the administration's allegation that its international students were “more prone to disruption, violence, or other misconduct than any other students.”Students in Harvard College Democrats said the Trump administration is playing with students' lives to push a radical agenda and to quiet dissent. “Trump's attack on international students is text book authoritarianism — Harvard must continue to hold the line,” the group said in a statement.The administration drew condemnation from free speech groups, including the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which said Noem is demanding a “surveillance state.”"This sweeping fishing expedition reaches protected expression and must be flatly rejected," the group said in a statement.<h2>The revocation opens a new front in a closely watched battle</h2>Many of Harvard's punishments have come through a federal antisemitism task force that says the university failed to protect Jewish students from harassment and violence amid a nationwide wave of pro-Palestinian protests.Homeland Security officials echoed those concerns in their Thursday announcement. It offered examples, including a recent internal report at Harvard, finding that many Jewish students reported facing discrimination or bias on campus.It also tapped into concerns that congressional Republicans have raised about ties between U.S. universities and China. Homeland Security officials said Harvard provided training to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps as recently as 2024. As evidence, it provided a link to a Fox News article, which in turn cited a letter from House Republicans.Asked for comment on the alleged coordination with the Chinese Communist Party, a Harvard spokesperson said the university will be responding to the House Republicans' letter.Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, called the latest action an “illegal, small-minded” overreach.“I worry that this is sending a very chilling effect to international students looking to come to America for education," he said.The Trump administration has leveraged the system for tracking international students’ legal status as part of its broader attempts to crack down on higher education. What was once a largely administrative database has become a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-visa-status-restraining-order-64a97b4fabc5264ed20b179952cdabff">tool of enforcement</a>, as immigration officials revoked students’ legal status directly in the system.Those efforts were challenged in court, leading to restorations of status and a nationwide injunction blocking the administration from pursuing further terminations.___Associated Press writers Annie Ma in Washington and Cheyanne Mumphrey in Phoenix contributed to this report.___The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/news-values-and-principles/">standards</a>&nbsp;for working with philanthropies, a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/about/supporting-ap/">list</a>&nbsp;of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Read the DHS letter to Harvard banning enrollment of foreign students

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspect on multiple allegations after a

Just after 4a.m. May 18, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Ford Escape for a traffic violation near 110th Road on U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The driver, 62-year-old Dewayne Marshall Anderson, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of stolen property, transporting an open container, illegal registration and no insurance. 

 The passenger, 43-year-old Stella Marie Mahkuk, of Horton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of cocaine, possession of methampehtamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747757779580.png" alt="Anderson photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Anderson photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating two suspect on multiple allegations after aJust after 4a.m. May 18, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Ford Escape for a traffic violation near 110th Road on U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747757761082.png" alt="Mahkuk photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Mahkuk photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The driver, 62-year-old Dewayne Marshall Anderson, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of stolen property, transporting an open container, illegal registration and no insurance. The passenger, 43-year-old Stella Marie Mahkuk, of Horton, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of cocaine, possession of methampehtamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container.

Kan. couple caught transporting stolen property, cocaine

&nbsp;A new exhibit is now on display at the Smoky Hill Museum and you can see all of the different artifacts the museum has to showcase.

The themes for the&nbsp;different items on display in four exhibit areas of the main gallery include, “Settling the Crossroads,” “Milling at the Crossroads,” “The Good Life” and “A Military Presence.” This is apart of the museum's new exhibit, "Kansas: Battleground for Freedom."

According to the museum this exhibit will feature artifacts such as, part of a log cabin that stood by the Saline River from c1855 to c1930. Gloves made from an otter trapped on the Smoky Hill River. A cupboard that came with the first load of goods and furniture brought to Salina in 1858. Bag, tools, rigging kit and harness for a parachute used for training purposes at the Central States Parachute Loft in Salina, KS.

Furthermore, a WWII Marine uniform and purse belonging to Sylvia H. Gould Bigler. Life Magazine with Shirley Temple on the cover. Sheet music for an Elvis Presley song. A Lassie coloring book An avocado-green crockpot from the 1970s and a Sony Walkman.&nbsp;

The Smoky Hill Museum replaces most of the artifacts in the main gallery every&nbsp;12 - 18 months.

See the museum's new exhibit, which explores how Kansas found itself a hotbed of political turmoil and a foreshadowing of the coming Civil War. 

The museum is open every Tuesday - Friday from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574873241936.jpeg" alt="Smoky Hill Museum&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Smoky Hill Museum&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By: NICOLAS FIERROSalina Post&nbsp;A new exhibit is now on display at the Smoky Hill Museum and you can see all of the different artifacts the museum has to showcase.The themes for the&nbsp;different items on display in four exhibit areas of the main gallery include, “Settling the Crossroads,” “Milling at the Crossroads,” “The Good Life” and “A Military Presence.” This is apart of the museum's new exhibit, "Kansas: Battleground for Freedom."According to the museum this exhibit will feature artifacts such as, part of a log cabin that stood by the Saline River from c1855 to c1930. Gloves made from an otter trapped on the Smoky Hill River. A cupboard that came with the first load of goods and furniture brought to Salina in 1858. Bag, tools, rigging kit and harness for a parachute used for training purposes at the Central States Parachute Loft in Salina, KS.Furthermore, a WWII Marine uniform and purse belonging to Sylvia H. Gould Bigler. Life Magazine with Shirley Temple on the cover. Sheet music for an Elvis Presley song. A Lassie coloring book An avocado-green crockpot from the 1970s and a Sony Walkman.&nbsp;The Smoky Hill Museum replaces most of the artifacts in the main gallery every&nbsp;12 - 18 months.See the museum's new exhibit, which explores how Kansas found itself a hotbed of political turmoil and a foreshadowing of the coming Civil War. The museum is open every Tuesday - Friday from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm and Saturday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Smoky Hill Museum displays new exhibit with intriguing artifacts 

By GERALD IMRAY and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used a White House meeting to forcefully confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the country of failing to address Trump's baseless claim of the systematic killing of white farmers.

Trump even dimmed the lights of the Oval Office to play a video of a far-left politician chanting a song that includes the lyrics "kill the farmer." He also leafed through news articles to underscore his point, saying the country's white farmers have faced "death, death, death, horrible death."

Trump had already cut all U.S. assistance to South Africa and welcomed several dozen white South African farmers to the U.S. as refugees as he pressed the case that a "genocide" is underway in the country.

The U.S. president has launched a series of accusations at South Africa's Black-led government, claiming it is seizing land from white farmers, enforcing antiwhite policies and pursuing an anti-American foreign policy.

Experts in South Africa say there is no evidence of whites being targeted for their race, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country with a high crime rate.

"People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety," Trump said. "Their land is being confiscated and in many cases they're being killed."

Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump's accusation. The South African leader had sought to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country's relationship with the United States. The bilateral relationship is at its lowest point since South Africa enforced its apartheid system of racial segregation, which ended in 1994.

"We are completely opposed to that," Ramaphosa said of the behavior alleged by Trump in their exchange. He added, "that is not government policy" and "our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying."

"When they take the land, they kill the white farmer," he said.

Trump appeared prepared to confront Ramaphosa at the start of the meeting while journalists were present. Videos were cued up on a large TV set to show a clip of an opposition party leader, Julius Malema, leading an old anti-apartheid song.

The song has been contentious for years in the country because of its central lyrics "kill the Boer" and "shoot the Boer" — with Boer a word that refers to a white farmer. Malema, featured in the video, is not part of the country's governing coalition.

Another clip played showed white crosses on the side of a road, described as a memorial for white farmers who were killed. Ramaphosa seemed baffled. "I'd like to know where that is, because this I've never seen."

Trump kicked off the meeting by describing the South African president as a "truly respected man in many, many circles." He added: "And in some circles he's considered a little controversial."

Ramaphosa chimed in, playfully jabbing back at a U.S. president who is no stranger to controversy. "We're all like that," Ramaphosa said.

Trump issued an executive order in February cutting all funding to South Africa over some of its domestic and foreign policies. The order criticized the South African government on multiple fronts, saying it is pursuing antiwhite policies at home and supporting "bad actors" in the world like the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran.

Trump has falsely accused the South African government of rights violations against white Afrikaner farmers by seizing their land through a new expropriation law. No land has been seized and the South African government has pushed back, saying U.S. criticism is driven by misinformation.

The Trump administration's references to the Afrikaner people — who are descendants of Dutch and other European settlers — have also elevated previous claims made by Trump's South African-born adviser Elon Musk and some conservative U.S. commentators that the South African government is allowing attacks on white farmers in what amounts to a genocide.

The administration's concerns about South African policies cut even deeper than the concerns about white farmers.

South Africa has also angered the Trump White House over its move to bring charges at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Ramaphosa has also faced scrutiny in Washington for his past connections to MTN Group, Iran's second-largest telecom provider. It owns nearly half of Irancell, a joint venture linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ramaphosa served as board chair of MTN from 2002 to 2013.

"When one country is consistently unaligned with the United States on issue after issue after issue after issue, now you become -- you have to make conclusions about it," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a Senate hearing this week.

Ramaphosa came into the meeting looking to avoid the sort of contentious engagement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy experienced during his February Oval Office visit, when the Ukrainian leader found himself being berated by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. That disastrous meeting ended with White House officials asking Zelenskyy and his delegation to leave the White House grounds.

The South African president's delegation included golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, a gesture to the golf-obsessed U.S. president. Ramaphosa brought Trump a massive book about South Africa's golf courses. He even told Trump that he's been working on his golf game, seeming to angle for an invitation to the links with the president.

Luxury goods tycoon and Afrikaner Johann Rupert was also in the delegation to help ease Trump's concerns that land was being seized from white farmers.

At one point, Ramaphosa called on Zingiswa Losi, the president of a group of South African trade unions, who told Trump it is true that South Africa is a "violent nation for a number of reasons." But she told him it was important to understand that Black men and women in rural areas were also being targeted in heinous crimes.

"The problem in South Africa, it is not necessarily about race, but it's about crime," Losi said. "We are here to say how do we, both nations, work together to reset, to really talk about investment but also help ... to really address the levels of crime we have in our country."

Musk also attended Wednesday's talks. He has been at the forefront of the criticism of his homeland, casting its affirmative action laws as racist against whites.

Musk has said on social media that his Starlink satellite internet service isn't able to get a license to operate in South Africa because he is not Black.

South African authorities say Starlink hasn't formally applied. It can, but it would be bound by affirmative action laws in the communications sector that require foreign companies to allow 30% of their South African subsidiaries to be owned by shareholders who are Black or from other racial groups disadvantaged under apartheid.

The South African government says its long-standing affirmative action laws are a cornerstone of its efforts to right the injustices of the white minority rule of apartheid, which denied opportunities to Blacks and other racial groups.

Following the contentious Oval Office exchange in front of the cameras, Trump hosted Ramaphosa for lunch.

Asked by a reporter as he left the White House if he thought Trump heard him out, the South African leader responded, "Yes, he did, and it went very well."

Imray reported from Johannesburg. AP writers Seung Min Kim, Chris Megerian, Darlene Superville, Sagar Meghani and Ali Swenson contributed reporting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747860688909.png" alt="Image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>Image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>By GERALD IMRAY and AAMER MADHANI Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump used a White House meeting to forcefully confront South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the country of failing to address Trump's baseless claim of the systematic killing of white farmers.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa exchange on genocide. Q: &quot;What will it take for you to be convinced that there&#39;s no white genocide in South Africa?&quot; Ramaphosa: &quot;I can answer that for the president.&quot; Trump: &quot;I&#39;d rather have him answer.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8v8hXFGmK0">pic.twitter.com/8v8hXFGmK0</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1925241941513707991?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 JUST SHOWN IN THE OVAL OFFICE: Proof of Persecution in South Africa. <a href="https://t.co/rER1l8sqAU">pic.twitter.com/rER1l8sqAU</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1925232291220951370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump even dimmed the lights of the Oval Office to play a video of a far-left politician chanting a song that includes the lyrics "kill the farmer." He also leafed through news articles to underscore his point, saying the country's white farmers have faced "death, death, death, horrible death."Trump had already cut all U.S. assistance to South Africa and welcomed several dozen white South African farmers to the U.S. as refugees as he pressed the case that a "genocide" is underway in the country.The U.S. president has launched a series of accusations at South Africa's Black-led government, claiming it is seizing land from white farmers, enforcing antiwhite policies and pursuing an anti-American foreign policy.Experts in South Africa say there is no evidence of whites being targeted for their race, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country with a high crime rate."People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety," Trump said. "Their land is being confiscated and in many cases they're being killed."Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump's accusation. The South African leader had sought to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country's relationship with the United States. The bilateral relationship is at its lowest point since South Africa enforced its apartheid system of racial segregation, which ended in 1994."We are completely opposed to that," Ramaphosa said of the behavior alleged by Trump in their exchange. He added, "that is not government policy" and "our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying."Trump was unmoved."When they take the land, they kill the white farmer," he said.Trump appeared prepared to confront Ramaphosa at the start of the meeting while journalists were present. Videos were cued up on a large TV set to show a clip of an opposition party leader, Julius Malema, leading an old anti-apartheid song.The song has been contentious for years in the country because of its central lyrics "kill the Boer" and "shoot the Boer" — with Boer a word that refers to a white farmer. Malema, featured in the video, is not part of the country's governing coalition.Another clip played showed white crosses on the side of a road, described as a memorial for white farmers who were killed. Ramaphosa seemed baffled. "I'd like to know where that is, because this I've never seen."Trump kicked off the meeting by describing the South African president as a "truly respected man in many, many circles." He added: "And in some circles he's considered a little controversial."Ramaphosa chimed in, playfully jabbing back at a U.S. president who is no stranger to controversy. "We're all like that," Ramaphosa said.Trump issued an executive order in February cutting all funding to South Africa over some of its domestic and foreign policies. The order criticized the South African government on multiple fronts, saying it is pursuing antiwhite policies at home and supporting "bad actors" in the world like the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran.Trump has falsely accused the South African government of rights violations against white Afrikaner farmers by seizing their land through a new expropriation law. No land has been seized and the South African government has pushed back, saying U.S. criticism is driven by misinformation.The Trump administration's references to the Afrikaner people — who are descendants of Dutch and other European settlers — have also elevated previous claims made by Trump's South African-born adviser Elon Musk and some conservative U.S. commentators that the South African government is allowing attacks on white farmers in what amounts to a genocide.The administration's concerns about South African policies cut even deeper than the concerns about white farmers.South Africa has also angered the Trump White House over its move to bring charges at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Ramaphosa has also faced scrutiny in Washington for his past connections to MTN Group, Iran's second-largest telecom provider. It owns nearly half of Irancell, a joint venture linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ramaphosa served as board chair of MTN from 2002 to 2013."When one country is consistently unaligned with the United States on issue after issue after issue after issue, now you become -- you have to make conclusions about it," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a Senate hearing this week.Ramaphosa came into the meeting looking to avoid the sort of contentious engagement that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy experienced during his February Oval Office visit, when the Ukrainian leader found himself being berated by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. That disastrous meeting ended with White House officials asking Zelenskyy and his delegation to leave the White House grounds.The South African president's delegation included golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, a gesture to the golf-obsessed U.S. president. Ramaphosa brought Trump a massive book about South Africa's golf courses. He even told Trump that he's been working on his golf game, seeming to angle for an invitation to the links with the president.Luxury goods tycoon and Afrikaner Johann Rupert was also in the delegation to help ease Trump's concerns that land was being seized from white farmers.At one point, Ramaphosa called on Zingiswa Losi, the president of a group of South African trade unions, who told Trump it is true that South Africa is a "violent nation for a number of reasons." But she told him it was important to understand that Black men and women in rural areas were also being targeted in heinous crimes."The problem in South Africa, it is not necessarily about race, but it's about crime," Losi said. "We are here to say how do we, both nations, work together to reset, to really talk about investment but also help ... to really address the levels of crime we have in our country."Musk also attended Wednesday's talks. He has been at the forefront of the criticism of his homeland, casting its affirmative action laws as racist against whites.Musk has said on social media that his Starlink satellite internet service isn't able to get a license to operate in South Africa because he is not Black.South African authorities say Starlink hasn't formally applied. It can, but it would be bound by affirmative action laws in the communications sector that require foreign companies to allow 30% of their South African subsidiaries to be owned by shareholders who are Black or from other racial groups disadvantaged under apartheid.The South African government says its long-standing affirmative action laws are a cornerstone of its efforts to right the injustices of the white minority rule of apartheid, which denied opportunities to Blacks and other racial groups.Following the contentious Oval Office exchange in front of the cameras, Trump hosted Ramaphosa for lunch.Asked by a reporter as he left the White House if he thought Trump heard him out, the South African leader responded, "Yes, he did, and it went very well."___Imray reported from Johannesburg. AP writers Seung Min Kim, Chris Megerian, Darlene Superville, Sagar Meghani and Ali Swenson contributed reporting.

🎥Shocking video shown to So. African leader during Trump meeting

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/il-state-wire-79649ce6327a46d0aabeb9bff2ee3c37">George Wendt,</a>&nbsp;an actor with an Everyman charm who played the affable, beer-loving barfly Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auction-television-memorabilia-james-comisar-cheers-c51ffa8c7915d5d0fe53a92327229a3e">“Cheers”</a>&nbsp;and later crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in “Art,” “Hairspray” and “Elf,” has died. He was 76.

Wendt's family said he died early Tuesday morning, peacefully in his sleep while at home, according to the publicity firm The Agency Group.

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” the family said in a statement. “He will be missed forever.” The family has requested privacy during this time.

Despite a long career of roles onstage and on TV, it was as gentle and henpecked Norm Peterson on “Cheers” that he was most associated, earning six straight Emmy Award nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy series from 1984-89.

The series was centered on lovable losers in a Boston bar and starred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ted-danson">Ted Danson,</a>&nbsp;Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kelsey-grammer">Kelsey Grammer,</a>&nbsp;John Ratzenberger, Kirstie Alley and Woody Harrelson. It would spin off another megahit in “Frasier” and was nominated for an astounding 117 Emmy Awards, winning 28 of them.

Wendt, who spent six years in Chicago’s renowned Second City improv troupe before sitting on a barstool at the place where everybody knows your name, didn't have high hopes when he auditioned for “Cheers.”

“My agent said, ‘It’s a small role, honey. It’s one line. Actually, it’s one word.’ The word was ‘beer.’ I was having a hard time believing I was right for the role of ‘the guy who looked like he wanted a beer.’ So I went in, and they said, ‘It’s too small a role. Why don’t you read this other one?’ And it was a guy who never left the bar,” Wendt told GQ in an oral history of “Cheers.”

“Cheers” premiered on Sept. 30, 1982, and spent the first season with low ratings. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff championed the show, and it was nominated for an Emmy for best comedy series in its first season. Some 80 million people would tune in to watch its series finale 11 years later.

Wendt became a fan favorite in and outside the bar — his entrances were cheered with a warm “Norm!” — and his wisecracks always landed. “How’s a beer sound, Norm?” he would be asked by the bartender. “I dunno. I usually finish them before they get a word in,” he’d respond.

While the beer the cast drank on set was nonalcoholic, Wendt and other “Cheers” cast members have admitted they were tipsy on May 20, 1993, when they watched the show’s final episode then appeared together on “The Tonight Show” in a live broadcast from the Bull and Finch Pub in Boston, the bar that inspired the series.

″We had been drinking heavily for two hours but nobody thought to feed us,” Wendt told the Beaver County Times of Pennsylvania in 2009. “We were nowhere near as cute as we thought we were.”

After “Cheers,” Wendt starred in his own short-lived sitcom “The George Wendt Show” — “too bad he had to step out of Norm and down so far from that corner stool for his debut stanza,” sniffed Variety — and had guest spots on TV shows like “The Ghost Whisperer,” “Harry’s Law” and “Portlandia.” He was part of a brotherhood of Chicago Everymen who gathered over sausage and beers and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBnnon_iZOM">adored “Da Bears” on “Saturday Night Live.”</a>&nbsp;In 2023, he competed on “The Masked Singer.”

But he found steady work onstage: Wendt slipped on Edna Turnblad’s housecoat in Broadway’s “Hairspray” beginning in 2007, and was in the Tony Award-winning play “Art” in New York and London.

He starred in the national tour of “12 Angry Men” and appeared in a production of David Mamet’s “Lakeboat.” He also starred in regional productions of “Death of a Salesman,” “The Odd Couple,” “Never Too Late” and “Funnyman.”

“A, it’s by far the most fun, but B, I seem to have been kicked out of television,” Wendt told the Kansas City Star in 2011. “I overstayed my welcome. But theater suits me.”

Wendt had an affinity for playing Santa Claus, donning the famous red outfit in the stage musical “Elf” on Broadway in 2017, the TV movie “Santa Baby” with Jenny McCarthy in 2006 and in the doggie Disney video “Santa Buddies” in 2009. He also played Father Christmas for TV specials by Larry the Cable Guy and Stephen Colbert.

“I think it just proves that if you stay fat enough and get old enough, the offers start rolling in,” the actor joked to the AP in his Broadway dressing room.

Born in Chicago, Wendt attended Campion High School, a Catholic boarding school in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and then Notre Dame, where he rarely went to class and was kicked out. He transferred to Rockhurst University in Kansas City and graduated, after majoring in economics.

He found a home at Second City in both the touring company and the mainstage.

“I think comedy is my long suit, for sure. My approach to comedy is usually not full-bore clownish,” he told the AP. “If you’re trying to showboat or step outside, it doesn’t always work. There are certain performers who almost specialize in doing that, and they do it really well. But that’s not my approach.”

He had a lifelong association with beer. He had his first taste as an 8-year-old and got drunk at 16, at the World’s Fair in New York.

His beer knowledge was poured into the book ″Drinking With George: A Barstool Professional’s Guide to Beer,” co-written with Jonathan Grotenstein. One line: “Will Rogers once said he never met a man he didn’t like. I feel the same about beer.”

Part autobiography, part beer drinker’s guide, the book had Wendt’s conversational tone and lists, such as “Five Good Bar Bets,” ″77 Toasts from Around the World” and ”(More Than) 100 Ways to Say That You’re Drunk,” which alphabetically lists 126 synonyms from “annihilated” through “zozzled.”

He is survived by his wife, Second City alum Bernadette Birkett, who voiced Norm’s never-seen not-so better half, Vera, on “Cheers”; his children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel; and his stepchildren, Joshua and Andrew.

“From his early days with The Second City to his iconic role as Norm on ‘Cheers,’ George Wendt’s work showcased how comedy can create indelible characters that feel like family. Over the course of 11 seasons, he brought warmth and humor to one of television’s most beloved roles,” National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson said in a statement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747771581424.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/il-state-wire-79649ce6327a46d0aabeb9bff2ee3c37">George Wendt,</a>&nbsp;an actor with an Everyman charm who played the affable, beer-loving barfly Norm on the hit 1980s TV comedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auction-television-memorabilia-james-comisar-cheers-c51ffa8c7915d5d0fe53a92327229a3e">“Cheers”</a>&nbsp;and later crafted a stage career that took him to Broadway in “Art,” “Hairspray” and “Elf,” has died. He was 76.Wendt's family said he died early Tuesday morning, peacefully in his sleep while at home, according to the publicity firm The Agency Group.“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” the family said in a statement. “He will be missed forever.” The family has requested privacy during this time.Despite a long career of roles onstage and on TV, it was as gentle and henpecked Norm Peterson on “Cheers” that he was most associated, earning six straight Emmy Award nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy series from 1984-89.The series was centered on lovable losers in a Boston bar and starred&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ted-danson">Ted Danson,</a>&nbsp;Shelley Long, Rhea Perlman,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kelsey-grammer">Kelsey Grammer,</a>&nbsp;John Ratzenberger, Kirstie Alley and Woody Harrelson. It would spin off another megahit in “Frasier” and was nominated for an astounding 117 Emmy Awards, winning 28 of them.Wendt, who spent six years in Chicago’s renowned Second City improv troupe before sitting on a barstool at the place where everybody knows your name, didn't have high hopes when he auditioned for “Cheers.”“My agent said, ‘It’s a small role, honey. It’s one line. Actually, it’s one word.’ The word was ‘beer.’ I was having a hard time believing I was right for the role of ‘the guy who looked like he wanted a beer.’ So I went in, and they said, ‘It’s too small a role. Why don’t you read this other one?’ And it was a guy who never left the bar,” Wendt told GQ in an oral history of “Cheers.”<h2>‘Where everyone knows your name’</h2>“Cheers” premiered on Sept. 30, 1982, and spent the first season with low ratings. NBC president Brandon Tartikoff championed the show, and it was nominated for an Emmy for best comedy series in its first season. Some 80 million people would tune in to watch its series finale 11 years later.Wendt became a fan favorite in and outside the bar — his entrances were cheered with a warm “Norm!” — and his wisecracks always landed. “How’s a beer sound, Norm?” he would be asked by the bartender. “I dunno. I usually finish them before they get a word in,” he’d respond.While the beer the cast drank on set was nonalcoholic, Wendt and other “Cheers” cast members have admitted they were tipsy on May 20, 1993, when they watched the show’s final episode then appeared together on “The Tonight Show” in a live broadcast from the Bull and Finch Pub in Boston, the bar that inspired the series.″We had been drinking heavily for two hours but nobody thought to feed us,” Wendt told the Beaver County Times of Pennsylvania in 2009. “We were nowhere near as cute as we thought we were.”After “Cheers,” Wendt starred in his own short-lived sitcom “The George Wendt Show” — “too bad he had to step out of Norm and down so far from that corner stool for his debut stanza,” sniffed Variety — and had guest spots on TV shows like “The Ghost Whisperer,” “Harry’s Law” and “Portlandia.” He was part of a brotherhood of Chicago Everymen who gathered over sausage and beers and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBnnon_iZOM">adored “Da Bears” on “Saturday Night Live.”</a>&nbsp;In 2023, he competed on “The Masked Singer.”<h2>Second career on stage</h2>But he found steady work onstage: Wendt slipped on Edna Turnblad’s housecoat in Broadway’s “Hairspray” beginning in 2007, and was in the Tony Award-winning play “Art” in New York and London.He starred in the national tour of “12 Angry Men” and appeared in a production of David Mamet’s “Lakeboat.” He also starred in regional productions of “Death of a Salesman,” “The Odd Couple,” “Never Too Late” and “Funnyman.”“A, it’s by far the most fun, but B, I seem to have been kicked out of television,” Wendt told the Kansas City Star in 2011. “I overstayed my welcome. But theater suits me.”Wendt had an affinity for playing Santa Claus, donning the famous red outfit in the stage musical “Elf” on Broadway in 2017, the TV movie “Santa Baby” with Jenny McCarthy in 2006 and in the doggie Disney video “Santa Buddies” in 2009. He also played Father Christmas for TV specials by Larry the Cable Guy and Stephen Colbert.“I think it just proves that if you stay fat enough and get old enough, the offers start rolling in,” the actor joked to the AP in his Broadway dressing room.Born in Chicago, Wendt attended Campion High School, a Catholic boarding school in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and then Notre Dame, where he rarely went to class and was kicked out. He transferred to Rockhurst University in Kansas City and graduated, after majoring in economics.He found a home at Second City in both the touring company and the mainstage.“I think comedy is my long suit, for sure. My approach to comedy is usually not full-bore clownish,” he told the AP. “If you’re trying to showboat or step outside, it doesn’t always work. There are certain performers who almost specialize in doing that, and they do it really well. But that’s not my approach.”<h2>Cheers for beer</h2>He had a lifelong association with beer. He had his first taste as an 8-year-old and got drunk at 16, at the World’s Fair in New York.His beer knowledge was poured into the book ″Drinking With George: A Barstool Professional’s Guide to Beer,” co-written with Jonathan Grotenstein. One line: “Will Rogers once said he never met a man he didn’t like. I feel the same about beer.”Part autobiography, part beer drinker’s guide, the book had Wendt’s conversational tone and lists, such as “Five Good Bar Bets,” ″77 Toasts from Around the World” and ”(More Than) 100 Ways to Say That You’re Drunk,” which alphabetically lists 126 synonyms from “annihilated” through “zozzled.”He is survived by his wife, Second City alum Bernadette Birkett, who voiced Norm’s never-seen not-so better half, Vera, on “Cheers”; his children, Hilary, Joe and Daniel; and his stepchildren, Joshua and Andrew.“From his early days with The Second City to his iconic role as Norm on ‘Cheers,’ George Wendt’s work showcased how comedy can create indelible characters that feel like family. Over the course of 11 seasons, he brought warmth and humor to one of television’s most beloved roles,” National Comedy Center Executive Director Journey Gunderson said in a statement.

George Wendt, who played Norm on ‘Cheers,’ dies at 76

ROME (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance extended an invitation to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-leo-xiv">Pope Leo XIV</a>&nbsp;to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Ukraine</a>.

Vance gave the first American pope a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him. The Chicago-born pope took the letter and put it on his desk and was heard saying “at some point,” in the video footage of the meeting provided by Vatican Media.

Vance, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-catholicism-postliberals-social-policy-7e37e43cb1976c516d642a95d495266a">converted to Catholicism</a>&nbsp;in 2019, also gave the Augustinian pope a copy of two of St. Augustine's most seminal works, “The City of God" and "On Christian Doctrine,” the vice president's office said. Another gift: A Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo's name on it.

“As you can probably imagine, people in the United States are extremely excited about you,” Vance told Leo as they exchanged gifts.

Leo gave Vance a bronze sculpture with the words in Italian “Peace is a fragile flower,” and a coffee-table sized picture book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Leo noted that Francis had chosen not to live in them and added, “And I may live in, but it's not totally decided.”

Vance led the U.S. delegation to Sunday's formal Mass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-xiv-installation-mass-b210865c4f0ed422ae74702c6eea1a93">opening the pontificate</a>&nbsp;of the first American pope. Joining him at the meeting on Monday was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic, Vance spokesperson Luke Schroeder said. The two then also met with the Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

“There was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” according to a Vatican statement after their meeting.

According to the photo of the visits released by the Vatican, Leo's brother, Louis Prevost, a self-described “MAGA-type,” and his wife Deborah joined the delegation during the visit.

The Vatican listed Vance's delegation as the first of several private audiences Leo was having Monday with people who had come to Rome for his inaugural Mass, including other Christian leaders and a group of faithful from his old diocese in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peru-pope-leo-chiclayo-vatican-prevost-0f99859e5749decadade2d24ba7811dd">Chiclayo, Peru</a>.

The Vatican, which was largely sidelined during the first three years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-russia-ukraine-peace-pope-rubio-us-95f185bc251ac2dde54200f9495a0ad9">offered to host any peace talks</a>&nbsp;while continuing humanitarian efforts to facilitate prisoner swaps and reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russia.

After greeting Leo briefly at the end of Sunday’s Mass, Vance spent the rest of the day in separate meetings, including with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also met with European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, who said she hoped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-eu-us-trump-vance-von-der-leyen-europe-trade-tariffs-ukraine-war-russia-pope-leo-b56131694579f4e37f5b7115ca06678d">the trialateral meeting</a>&nbsp;could be a “new beginning.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747569688341.jpeg" alt="Pope Leo XIV meets Vice President JD Vance after the formal inauguration of his pontificate in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)" />
 <figcaption>Pope Leo XIV meets Vice President JD Vance after the formal inauguration of his pontificate in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)</figcaption>
 </figure>ROME (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance extended an invitation to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-leo-xiv">Pope Leo XIV</a>&nbsp;to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Ukraine</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">I was humbled and honored to meet Pope Leo XIV and lead the presidential delegation to Rome for his inaugural mass. We had a great conversation, and I know he is a true servant of God. I hope all Americans will join me in praying for the new pope as he begins his ministry. <a href="https://t.co/z7Q9J48Sdz">https://t.co/z7Q9J48Sdz</a>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1924472188888887416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Vance gave the first American pope a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump and the first lady inviting him. The Chicago-born pope took the letter and put it on his desk and was heard saying “at some point,” in the video footage of the meeting provided by Vatican Media.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">This morning, <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JDVance</a> met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV <a href="https://twitter.com/Pontifex?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Pontifex</a> 🇺🇸🇻🇦 <a href="https://t.co/VRM3ETsAp5">pic.twitter.com/VRM3ETsAp5</a>&mdash; Taylor Van Kirk (@VPPressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/VPPressSec/status/1924377856513052719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Vance, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-catholicism-postliberals-social-policy-7e37e43cb1976c516d642a95d495266a">converted to Catholicism</a>&nbsp;in 2019, also gave the Augustinian pope a copy of two of St. Augustine's most seminal works, “The City of God" and "On Christian Doctrine,” the vice president's office said. Another gift: A Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo's name on it.“As you can probably imagine, people in the United States are extremely excited about you,” Vance told Leo as they exchanged gifts.Leo gave Vance a bronze sculpture with the words in Italian “Peace is a fragile flower,” and a coffee-table sized picture book of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace. Leo noted that Francis had chosen not to live in them and added, “And I may live in, but it's not totally decided.”Vance led the U.S. delegation to Sunday's formal Mass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-leo-xiv-installation-mass-b210865c4f0ed422ae74702c6eea1a93">opening the pontificate</a>&nbsp;of the first American pope. Joining him at the meeting on Monday was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic, Vance spokesperson Luke Schroeder said. The two then also met with the Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.“There was an exchange of views on some current international issues, calling for respect for humanitarian law and international law in areas of conflict and for a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” according to a Vatican statement after their meeting.According to the photo of the visits released by the Vatican, Leo's brother, Louis Prevost, a self-described “MAGA-type,” and his wife Deborah joined the delegation during the visit.The Vatican listed Vance's delegation as the first of several private audiences Leo was having Monday with people who had come to Rome for his inaugural Mass, including other Christian leaders and a group of faithful from his old diocese in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peru-pope-leo-chiclayo-vatican-prevost-0f99859e5749decadade2d24ba7811dd">Chiclayo, Peru</a>.The Vatican, which was largely sidelined during the first three years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-russia-ukraine-peace-pope-rubio-us-95f185bc251ac2dde54200f9495a0ad9">offered to host any peace talks</a>&nbsp;while continuing humanitarian efforts to facilitate prisoner swaps and reunite Ukrainian children taken by Russia.After greeting Leo briefly at the end of Sunday’s Mass, Vance spent the rest of the day in separate meetings, including with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also met with European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni, who said she hoped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-eu-us-trump-vance-von-der-leyen-europe-trade-tariffs-ukraine-war-russia-pope-leo-b56131694579f4e37f5b7115ca06678d">the trialateral meeting</a>&nbsp;could be a “new beginning.”In the evening, Meloni spoke by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump and several other European leaders ahead of Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-drone-strike-sumy-e90d68ea2ef45f329a4cda16e200c141">expected call</a>&nbsp;with Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to a statement from Meloni's office.<h2>‘Every Effort’</h2>Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, is a Chicago-born Augustinian missionary who spent the bulk of his ministry in Chiclayo, a commercial city of around 800,000 on Peru’s northern Pacific coast.In the days since his May 8 election, Leo has vowed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-eastern-rite-christians-persecuted-protect-a06c75258299e585c7eb8ea2006dc22f">“every effort”</a>&nbsp;to help bring peace to Ukraine. He also has emphasized his continuity with Pope Francis, who made caring for migrants and the poor a priority of his pontificate.Before his election,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-twitter-x-trump-vance-criticism-9c311123985ebce282877071f75b6d80">Prevost shared</a>&nbsp;news articles on X that were critical of the Trump administration’s plans for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-immigration-asylum-lawsuit-courts-d325740dd73f425309c66f89e670fd8f">mass deportations of migrants.</a>Vance was one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-vance-pope-migration-a91d0f741cb994faae1e363d38b66c05">last foreign officials</a>&nbsp;to meet with Francis before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-vatican-funeral-d6a8a471978c21c71c3f1dc07f663e78">the Argentine pope's April 21 death.</a>&nbsp;The two had tangled over migration, with Francis&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-trump-migration-09a89091f8e7dc3270099f0947d04e90">publicly rebuking</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration's deportation plan and correcting Vance's theological justification for it.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. 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