MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A prominent civil rights attorney and at least two other people involved in an anti-immigration enforcement protest that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-protest-church-minneapolis-fcc97a29b9c4434c665d76d4811c5a3e">disrupted a service</a>&nbsp;at a Minnesota church have been arrested, Trump administration officials said Thursday, even as a judge rebuffed related charges against journalist Don Lemon.

The developments unfolded as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vance-ice-minneapolis-deportations-trump-economy-002f1d1acf05c00aeee289ec192100e7">Vice President JD Vance</a>&nbsp;arrived in the state. Speaking in Minneapolis, he urged state and local law enforcement to collaborate with federal officials and said protesters must stop getting in their way.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong in a post on X. On Sunday, protesters entered the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor. Bondi later posted on X that a second person had been arrested, followed by a third arrest announced by FBI Director Kash Patel.

The Justice Department quickly opened a civil rights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good," referring to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota-9aa822670b705c89906f2c699f1d16c5">37-year-old mother of three</a>&nbsp;who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.

“Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," the attorney general wrote on X.

Cities Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads the local ICE field office. Many Baptist churches have pastors who also work other jobs.

Prominent leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have come to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-protest-church-minneapolis-fcc97a29b9c4434c665d76d4811c5a3e">the church’s defense</a>, arguing that compassion for migrant families affected by the crackdown cannot justify violating a sacred space during worship.

Attorneys representing the church hailed the arrests.

“The U.S. Department of Justice acted decisively by arresting those who coordinated and carried out the terrible crime,” said Doug Wardlow, director of litigation for True North Legal, which calls itself a public interest civil rights firm, in a statement.

Levy Armstrong, an attorney and prominent local activist, had called for the pastor affiliated with ICE to resign, saying his dual role poses a “fundamental moral conflict.”

“You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities,” she said Tuesday. “When officials protect armed agents, repeatedly refuse meaningful investigation into killings like Renee Good’s, and signal they may pursue peaceful protesters and journalists, that is not justice — it is intimidation.”

Vance wants local law enforcement to assist federal officers

Vance, a Republican, arrived amid tense interactions between federal immigration law enforcement authorities and residents. State and local elected officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-renee-good-immigration-sweeps-6ae64be5a0d6a718b658a938fb56e567">have opposed the crackdown</a>&nbsp;that has become a major focus of Department of Homeland Security sweeps.

His visit comes less than a month after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-crackdown-woman-shot-5158ce0838305b491c95db97b970cd03">Renee Good was killed</a>. He has called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vance-minnesota-immigration-enforcement-06b23b428edcc8498362be4ac656f201">Good’s death</a>&nbsp;a “tragedy of her own making.”

Speaking in Toledo, Ohio, before his Minnesota visit, Vance warned the church protesters: “Those people are going to be sent to prison so long as we have the power to do so. We’re going to do everything we can to enforce the law."

Later in Minneapolis, he urged state and city law enforcement to help the federal immigration officers.

“We’re doing everything that we can to lower the temperature,” Vance said, adding that he wants “state and local officials to meet us halfway.”

A longtime activist in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Levy Armstrong has helped lead local protests after the high-profile police-involved killings of Black Americans, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/video-minneapolis-immigration-good-ice-george-floyd-9dc5b1f19af644f861963f0a041516f4">George Floyd,</a>&nbsp;Philando&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/philando-castile">Castile</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-51873689cf63426c89e78ae987479315">Jamar Clark.</a>&nbsp;She is a former president of the NAACP’s Minneapolis branch.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a photo on X of Levy Armstrong with her arms behind her back next to a person wearing a badge. Noem said she faces a charge under a statute that bars threatening or intimidating someone exercising a right.

Patel posted on X that Chauntyll Louisa Allen, the second person Bondi said was arrested, is charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services or seeking to participate in a service at a house of worship. Patel said William Kelly has also been arrested.

It's unclear which attorneys would represent Allen and Kelly.

Saint Paul Public Schools, where Allen is a member of the board of education, is aware of her arrest but will not comment on pending legal matters, according to district spokesperson Erica Wacker.

Allen and Levy Armstrong are part of a community of Black Minnesota activists who have protested the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.

Kelly defended the protest during a news conference Tuesday, criticizing the church for its association with a pastor who works for ICE.

In court Thursday, federal magistrate judge Doug Micko granted the women bond and restricted them from traveling outside Minnesota or from going near the church. The government said it would appeal.

Levy-Armstrong’s attorney said he offered for her to turn herself in peacefully, but the Trump administration insisted on arresting her.

“They wanted a spectacle,” Levy-Armstrong’s husband Marques Armstrong said, recalling around 50 agents came to detain his wife.

Arrests follow a DOJ civil rights investigation

The Justice Department’s swift investigation into the church protest stands in contrast to its decision not to open a civil rights investigation into the killing of Good. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week there was “no basis” for a civil rights investigation into her death.

Administration officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-crackdown-woman-shot-5158ce0838305b491c95db97b970cd03">have said the officer acted in self-defense</a>&nbsp;and that the driver of the Honda was engaging in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vance-minnesota-immigration-enforcement-06b23b428edcc8498362be4ac656f201">“an act of domestic terrorism”</a>&nbsp;when she pulled toward him. But the decision not to have the department’s Civil Rights Division investigate marked a sharp departure from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials.

The Justice Department has separately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-crackdown-trump-5e2f40582b62687fd9bc70640382f034">opened an investigation</a>&nbsp;into whether Minnesota officials impeded or obstructed federal immigration enforcement though their public statements. Prosecutors this week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-crackdown-trump-5e2f40582b62687fd9bc70640382f034">sent subpoenas</a>&nbsp;to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, according to a person familiar with the matter.

A magistrate judge rejected federal prosecutors’ bid to charge journalist Don Lemon related to the church protest, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation.

Lemon was among those on who entered the church. Lemon has said he is not affiliated with the protest organizers and was there chronicling as a journalist.

“Once the protest started in the church we did an act of journalism which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization,” Lemon said in a video posted on social media. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what the Justice Department would do after the judge’s decision. Authorities could return to a magistrate judge to again seek a criminal complaint or an indictment against Lemon before a grand jury.

CNN, which fired Lemon in 2023, first reported the ruling.

Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Chris Megerian in Washington; Corey Williams in Detroit; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; and Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed.

<p>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A prominent civil rights attorney and at least two other people involved in an anti-immigration enforcement protest that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-protest-church-minneapolis-fcc97a29b9c4434c665d76d4811c5a3e">disrupted a service</a>&nbsp;at a Minnesota church have been arrested, Trump administration officials said Thursday, even as a judge rebuffed related charges against journalist Don Lemon.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">Ok ✅ <a href="https://t.co/tQZNbKFABA">pic.twitter.com/tQZNbKFABA</a></p>&mdash; Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2014400940523069618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">William Kelly is being charged with conspiracy to deprive rights, a federal crime, for his involvement in the St. Paul church riots. <a href="https://t.co/cXuuvQ9zxR">pic.twitter.com/cXuuvQ9zxR</a></p>&mdash; Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/2014410433281622347?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The developments unfolded as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vance-ice-minneapolis-deportations-trump-economy-002f1d1acf05c00aeee289ec192100e7">Vice President JD Vance</a>&nbsp;arrived in the state. Speaking in Minneapolis, he urged state and local law enforcement to collaborate with federal officials and said protesters must stop getting in their way.</p><p>Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong in a post on X. On Sunday, protesters entered the Cities Church in St. Paul, where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor. Bondi later posted on X that a second person had been arrested, followed by a third arrest announced by FBI Director Kash Patel.</p><p>The Justice Department quickly opened a civil rights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good," referring to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-shooting-minneapolis-minnesota-9aa822670b705c89906f2c699f1d16c5">37-year-old mother of three</a>&nbsp;who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.</p><p>“Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," the attorney general wrote on X.</p><p>Cities Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads the local ICE field office. Many Baptist churches have pastors who also work other jobs.</p><h2>Church lawyers praise the arrests</h2><p>Prominent leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention have come to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ice-protest-church-minneapolis-fcc97a29b9c4434c665d76d4811c5a3e">the church’s defense</a>, arguing that compassion for migrant families affected by the crackdown cannot justify violating a sacred space during worship.</p><p>Attorneys representing the church hailed the arrests.</p><p>“The U.S. Department of Justice acted decisively by arresting those who coordinated and carried out the terrible crime,” said Doug Wardlow, director of litigation for True North Legal, which calls itself a public interest civil rights firm, in a statement.</p><p>Levy Armstrong, an attorney and prominent local activist, had called for the pastor affiliated with ICE to resign, saying his dual role poses a “fundamental moral conflict.”</p><p>“You cannot lead a congregation while directing an agency whose actions have cost lives and inflicted fear in our communities,” she said Tuesday. “When officials protect armed agents, repeatedly refuse meaningful investigation into killings like Renee Good’s, and signal they may pursue peaceful protesters and journalists, that is not justice — it is intimidation.”</p><h2>Vance wants local law enforcement to assist federal officers</h2><p>Vance, a Republican, arrived amid tense interactions between federal immigration law enforcement authorities and residents. State and local elected officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minneapolis-renee-good-immigration-sweeps-6ae64be5a0d6a718b658a938fb56e567">have opposed the crackdown</a>&nbsp;that has become a major focus of Department of Homeland Security sweeps.</p><p>His visit comes less than a month after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-crackdown-woman-shot-5158ce0838305b491c95db97b970cd03">Renee Good was killed</a>. He has called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vance-minnesota-immigration-enforcement-06b23b428edcc8498362be4ac656f201">Good’s death</a>&nbsp;a “tragedy of her own making.”</p><p>Speaking in Toledo, Ohio, before his Minnesota visit, Vance warned the church protesters: “Those people are going to be sent to prison so long as we have the power to do so. We’re going to do everything we can to enforce the law."</p><p>Later in Minneapolis, he urged state and city law enforcement to help the federal immigration officers.</p><p>“We’re doing everything that we can to lower the temperature,” Vance said, adding that he wants “state and local officials to meet us halfway.”</p><h2>Protesters appear in court</h2><p>A longtime activist in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Levy Armstrong has helped lead local protests after the high-profile police-involved killings of Black Americans, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/video-minneapolis-immigration-good-ice-george-floyd-9dc5b1f19af644f861963f0a041516f4">George Floyd,</a>&nbsp;Philando&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/philando-castile">Castile</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-51873689cf63426c89e78ae987479315">Jamar Clark.</a>&nbsp;She is a former president of the NAACP’s Minneapolis branch.</p><p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a photo on X of Levy Armstrong with her arms behind her back next to a person wearing a badge. Noem said she faces a charge under a statute that bars threatening or intimidating someone exercising a right.</p><p>Patel posted on X that Chauntyll Louisa Allen, the second person Bondi said was arrested, is charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which prohibits physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services or seeking to participate in a service at a house of worship. Patel said William Kelly has also been arrested.</p><p>It's unclear which attorneys would represent Allen and Kelly.</p><p>Saint Paul Public Schools, where Allen is a member of the board of education, is aware of her arrest but will not comment on pending legal matters, according to district spokesperson Erica Wacker.</p><p>Allen and Levy Armstrong are part of a community of Black Minnesota activists who have protested the deaths of African Americans at the hands of police.</p><p>Kelly defended the protest during a news conference Tuesday, criticizing the church for its association with a pastor who works for ICE.</p><p>In court Thursday, federal magistrate judge Doug Micko granted the women bond and restricted them from traveling outside Minnesota or from going near the church. The government said it would appeal.</p><p>Levy-Armstrong’s attorney said he offered for her to turn herself in peacefully, but the Trump administration insisted on arresting her.</p><p>“They wanted a spectacle,” Levy-Armstrong’s husband Marques Armstrong said, recalling around 50 agents came to detain his wife.</p><h2>Arrests follow a DOJ civil rights investigation</h2><p>The Justice Department’s swift investigation into the church protest stands in contrast to its decision not to open a civil rights investigation into the killing of Good. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said last week there was “no basis” for a civil rights investigation into her death.</p><p>Administration officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-enforcement-crackdown-woman-shot-5158ce0838305b491c95db97b970cd03">have said the officer acted in self-defense</a>&nbsp;and that the driver of the Honda was engaging in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vance-minnesota-immigration-enforcement-06b23b428edcc8498362be4ac656f201">“an act of domestic terrorism”</a>&nbsp;when she pulled toward him. But the decision not to have the department’s Civil Rights Division investigate marked a sharp departure from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials.</p><p>The Justice Department has separately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-crackdown-trump-5e2f40582b62687fd9bc70640382f034">opened an investigation</a>&nbsp;into whether Minnesota officials impeded or obstructed federal immigration enforcement though their public statements. Prosecutors this week&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-immigration-crackdown-trump-5e2f40582b62687fd9bc70640382f034">sent subpoenas</a>&nbsp;to the offices of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p><h2>Judge rejects charges against Lemon</h2><p>A magistrate judge rejected federal prosecutors’ bid to charge journalist Don Lemon related to the church protest, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.</p><p>The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation.</p><p>Lemon was among those on who entered the church. Lemon has said he is not affiliated with the protest organizers and was there chronicling as a journalist.</p><p>“Once the protest started in the church we did an act of journalism which was report on it and talk to the people involved, including the pastor, members of the church and members of the organization,” Lemon said in a video posted on social media. “That’s it. That’s called journalism.”</p><p>It wasn’t immediately clear what the Justice Department would do after the judge’s decision. Authorities could return to a magistrate judge to again seek a criminal complaint or an indictment against Lemon before a grand jury.</p><p>CNN, which fired Lemon in 2023, first reported the ruling.</p><p>___</p><p>Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press reporters Chris Megerian in Washington; Corey Williams in Detroit; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; and Mike Catalini in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed.</p>

FBI arrests 3 protesters who disrupted Minnesota church service

Kansas Republican Congressmen Tracey Mann, Ron Estes and Derek Schmidt voted against the resolution.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House rejected a Democratic-backed resolution Thursday that would have prevented&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;from sending U.S. military forces to Venezuela after a tied vote on the legislation fell just short of the majority needed for passage.

The tied vote was the latest sign of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s tenuous hold on the majority, as well as some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-republicans-trump-greenland-denmark-28252fc0691a183f52d3c4a77369457b">growing pushback</a>&nbsp;in the GOP-controlled Congress to Trump’s aggressions in the Western Hemisphere. A Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">vote on a similar resolution</a>&nbsp;was also tied last week until Vice President JD Vance broke the deadlock.

To defeat the resolution Thursday, Republican leaders had to hold the vote open for more than 20 minutes while Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt, who had been out of state all week campaigning for a Senate seat in Texas, rushed back to Capitol Hill.

On the House floor, Democrats responded with shouts that Republican leaders were violating the chamber’s procedural moves. Two Republicans — Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — voted with all Democrats for the legislation.

The war powers resolution would have directed Trump to remove U.S. troops from Venezuela. The Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">told senators last week</a>&nbsp;that there are no U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela and committed to getting congressional approval before launching major military operations there.

But Democrats argued that the resolution is necessary after the U.S. raid to capture Venezuelan leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-trump-military-operation-85041a1ec03bafe839b785a95169d694">Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;and since Trump has stated plans to control the country’s oil industry for years to come.

Thursday’s vote was the latest test in Congress of how much leeway Republicans will give a president who campaigned on removing the U.S. from foreign entanglements but has increasingly reached for military options to impose his will in the Western Hemisphere. So far, almost all Republicans have declined to put checks on Trump through the war powers votes.

Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, accused Democrats of bringing the war powers resolution to a vote out of “spite” for Trump.

“It’s about the fact that you don’t want President Trump to arrest Maduro, and you will condemn him no matter what he does, even though he brought Maduro to justice with possibly the most successful law enforcement operation in history,” Mast added.

Still, Democrats stridently argued that Congress needs to assert its role in determining when the president can use wartime powers. They have been able to force a series of votes in both the House and Senate as Trump in recent months ramped up his campaign against Maduro and set his sights on other conflicts overseas.

“Donald Trump is reducing the United States to a regional bully with fewer allies and more enemies,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a floor debate. “This isn’t making America great again. It’s making us isolated and weak.”

Last week, Senate Republicans were only able to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">narrowly dismiss</a>&nbsp;a Venezuela war powers resolution after the Trump administration persuaded two Republicans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-war-powers-venezuela-trump-maduro-greenland-e1c5c8390eb2331779504b710fe85025">back away from their earlier support</a>. As part of that effort, Secretary of State Marco Rubio committed to a briefing next week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

When the House voted on a similar Venezuela war powers resolution last month, three Republican House members — Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has since resigned from Congress — joined Democrats in voting for the legislation. Trump has since carried out the attack on Venezuela to seize Maduro, as well as turned his ambitions to possessing Greenland.

Trump’s insistence that the U.S. will possess Greenland over the objections of Denmark, a NATO ally, has alarmed some Republicans on Capitol Hill. They have mounted some of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-republicans-trump-greenland-denmark-28252fc0691a183f52d3c4a77369457b">most outspoken objections</a>&nbsp;to almost anything the president has done since taking office.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-davos-housing-greenland-gaza-a2f3f4c18ba321c8025a3e208fc0ddf6">Trump this week backed away</a>&nbsp;from military and tariff threats against European allies as he announced that his administration was working with NATO on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security.

But Bacon still expressed frustration with Trump’s aggressive foreign policy and planned to vote for the war powers resolution, even though it only applies to Venezuela.

“I’m tired of all the threats,” he said.

Trump’s recent military actions — and threats to do more — have reignited a decades-old debate in Congress over the War Powers Act, a law passed in the early 1970s by lawmakers looking to claw back their authority over military actions.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/war-powers-act-trump-congress-9e6832fb5f5f844acf8992008d3a8d63">War Powers Resolution</a>&nbsp;was passed in the Vietnam War era as the U.S. sent troops to conflicts throughout Asia. It attempted to force presidents to work with Congress to deploy troops if there hasn’t already been a formal declaration of war.

Under the legislation, lawmakers can also force votes on legislation that directs the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities.

Presidents have long tested the limits of those parameters, and Democrats argue that Trump in his second term has pushed those limits farther than ever.

The Trump administration left Congress in the dark ahead of the surprise raid to capture Maduro. It has also used an evolving set of legal justifications to blow up alleged drug boats and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/venezuela-oil-exports-explainer/">seize sanctioned oil tankers</a>&nbsp;near Venezuela.

Democrats question who gets to benefit from Venezuelan oil licenses

As the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-venezuela-oil-tanker-77f2c1441dda8217b37f9e38c3ae9131">Trump administration oversees</a>&nbsp;the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide, Senate Democrats are questioning who is benefitting from the contracts.

In one of the first transactions, the U.S. granted Vitol, the world’s largest independent oil broker, a license worth roughly $250 million. A senior partner at Vitol, John Addison, gave roughly $6 million to Trump-aligned political action committees during the presidential election, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?cycle=2024&amp;order=asc&amp;page=3&amp;sort=N&amp;zip=77024" target="_blank">donation records</a>&nbsp;compiled by OpenSecrets.

“Congress and the American people deserve full transparency regarding any financial commitments, promises, deals, or other arrangements related to Venezuela that could favor donors to the President’s campaign and political operation,” 13 Democratic senators wrote to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Thursday in a letter led by Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.

The White House has said it is safeguarding the South American country’s oil for the benefit of both the people of Venezuela and the U.S.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769122743381.png" alt="File photo House Speaker Mike Johnson" />
                        <figcaption>File photo House Speaker Mike Johnson</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Kansas Republican Congressmen Tracey Mann, Ron Estes and Derek Schmidt voted against the resolution.</h2><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House rejected a Democratic-backed resolution Thursday that would have prevented&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;from sending U.S. military forces to Venezuela after a tied vote on the legislation fell just short of the majority needed for passage.</p><p>The tied vote was the latest sign of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s tenuous hold on the majority, as well as some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-republicans-trump-greenland-denmark-28252fc0691a183f52d3c4a77369457b">growing pushback</a>&nbsp;in the GOP-controlled Congress to Trump’s aggressions in the Western Hemisphere. A Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">vote on a similar resolution</a>&nbsp;was also tied last week until Vice President JD Vance broke the deadlock.</p><p>To defeat the resolution Thursday, Republican leaders had to hold the vote open for more than 20 minutes while Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt, who had been out of state all week campaigning for a Senate seat in Texas, rushed back to Capitol Hill.</p><p>On the House floor, Democrats responded with shouts that Republican leaders were violating the chamber’s procedural moves. Two Republicans — Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — voted with all Democrats for the legislation.</p><p>The war powers resolution would have directed Trump to remove U.S. troops from Venezuela. The Trump administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">told senators last week</a>&nbsp;that there are no U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela and committed to getting congressional approval before launching major military operations there.</p><p>But Democrats argued that the resolution is necessary after the U.S. raid to capture Venezuelan leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-trump-military-operation-85041a1ec03bafe839b785a95169d694">Nicolás Maduro</a>&nbsp;and since Trump has stated plans to control the country’s oil industry for years to come.</p><p>Thursday’s vote was the latest test in Congress of how much leeway Republicans will give a president who campaigned on removing the U.S. from foreign entanglements but has increasingly reached for military options to impose his will in the Western Hemisphere. So far, almost all Republicans have declined to put checks on Trump through the war powers votes.</p><p>Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, accused Democrats of bringing the war powers resolution to a vote out of “spite” for Trump.</p><p>“It’s about the fact that you don’t want President Trump to arrest Maduro, and you will condemn him no matter what he does, even though he brought Maduro to justice with possibly the most successful law enforcement operation in history,” Mast added.</p><p>Still, Democrats stridently argued that Congress needs to assert its role in determining when the president can use wartime powers. They have been able to force a series of votes in both the House and Senate as Trump in recent months ramped up his campaign against Maduro and set his sights on other conflicts overseas.</p><p>“Donald Trump is reducing the United States to a regional bully with fewer allies and more enemies,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a floor debate. “This isn’t making America great again. It’s making us isolated and weak.”</p><p>Last week, Senate Republicans were only able to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea">narrowly dismiss</a>&nbsp;a Venezuela war powers resolution after the Trump administration persuaded two Republicans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-war-powers-venezuela-trump-maduro-greenland-e1c5c8390eb2331779504b710fe85025">back away from their earlier support</a>. As part of that effort, Secretary of State Marco Rubio committed to a briefing next week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.</p><h2>The response to Trump’s foreign policy</h2><p>When the House voted on a similar Venezuela war powers resolution last month, three Republican House members — Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has since resigned from Congress — joined Democrats in voting for the legislation. Trump has since carried out the attack on Venezuela to seize Maduro, as well as turned his ambitions to possessing Greenland.</p><p>Trump’s insistence that the U.S. will possess Greenland over the objections of Denmark, a NATO ally, has alarmed some Republicans on Capitol Hill. They have mounted some of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-republicans-trump-greenland-denmark-28252fc0691a183f52d3c4a77369457b">most outspoken objections</a>&nbsp;to almost anything the president has done since taking office.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-davos-housing-greenland-gaza-a2f3f4c18ba321c8025a3e208fc0ddf6">Trump this week backed away</a>&nbsp;from military and tariff threats against European allies as he announced that his administration was working with NATO on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security.</p><p>But Bacon still expressed frustration with Trump’s aggressive foreign policy and planned to vote for the war powers resolution, even though it only applies to Venezuela.</p><p>“I’m tired of all the threats,” he said.</p><p>Trump’s recent military actions — and threats to do more — have reignited a decades-old debate in Congress over the War Powers Act, a law passed in the early 1970s by lawmakers looking to claw back their authority over military actions.</p><h2>The war powers debate</h2><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/war-powers-act-trump-congress-9e6832fb5f5f844acf8992008d3a8d63">War Powers Resolution</a>&nbsp;was passed in the Vietnam War era as the U.S. sent troops to conflicts throughout Asia. It attempted to force presidents to work with Congress to deploy troops if there hasn’t already been a formal declaration of war.</p><p>Under the legislation, lawmakers can also force votes on legislation that directs the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities.</p><p>Presidents have long tested the limits of those parameters, and Democrats argue that Trump in his second term has pushed those limits farther than ever.</p><p>The Trump administration left Congress in the dark ahead of the surprise raid to capture Maduro. It has also used an evolving set of legal justifications to blow up alleged drug boats and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/venezuela-oil-exports-explainer/">seize sanctioned oil tankers</a>&nbsp;near Venezuela.</p><h2>Democrats question who gets to benefit from Venezuelan oil licenses</h2><p>As the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-venezuela-oil-tanker-77f2c1441dda8217b37f9e38c3ae9131">Trump administration oversees</a>&nbsp;the sale of Venezuela’s petroleum worldwide, Senate Democrats are questioning who is benefitting from the contracts.</p><p>In one of the first transactions, the U.S. granted Vitol, the world’s largest independent oil broker, a license worth roughly $250 million. A senior partner at Vitol, John Addison, gave roughly $6 million to Trump-aligned political action committees during the presidential election, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?cycle=2024&amp;order=asc&amp;page=3&amp;sort=N&amp;zip=77024" target="_blank">donation records</a>&nbsp;compiled by OpenSecrets.</p><p>“Congress and the American people deserve full transparency regarding any financial commitments, promises, deals, or other arrangements related to Venezuela that could favor donors to the President’s campaign and political operation,” 13 Democratic senators wrote to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Thursday in a letter led by Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California.</p><p>The White House has said it is safeguarding the South American country’s oil for the benefit of both the people of Venezuela and the U.S.</p>

Kan. GOP lawmakers help House defeat war powers resolution to check Trump’s military action 

ATLANTA (AP) — Millions of Americans from New Mexico to the Carolinas are bracing for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-ice-snow-freezing-rain-f8f2277db0d87b1aa3d4893c565ce57c">a potentially catastrophic ice storm</a>&nbsp;that could crush trees and power lines and knock out power for days, while Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston could see enough snow to make travel very difficult or nearly impossible, forecasters say.

About 140 million people were under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings — and in many places both.

The storm, expected to begin Friday and continue through the weekend,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-polar-vortex-snow-ice-freezing-06beb5eef46fba3fc81ac3213e5568e0">is also projected to bring</a>&nbsp;heavy snow and all types of wintry precipitation, including freezing rain and sleet. An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/atmospheric-river-explainer-weather-terms-noaa-1255da0c90791344332391b81dbcd8e6">atmospheric river</a>&nbsp;of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas before heading northeast, forecasters said.

“Snow amounts could reach a foot or more in the I-95 major cities from D.C. to Boston,” said weather service forecasters on the East Coast, who are increasingly confident the storm will strike the big cities.

In Washington, D.C., “the combination of heavy snow and ice alongside prolonged very cold temperatures presents a unique and significant risk to life and property across virtually the entire region,” forecasters said in the weather service's Washington/Baltimore office warned.

Here's a look at the approaching storm and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-weather-tips-c6c631eaf21489462a6c7de58a1f1003">how people are preparing for it</a>, by the numbers:

The number of snowplows owned by the city of Jackson, Mississippi, where a mix of ice and sleet is possible this weekend. The city uses other heavy machinery like skid steers and small excavators to clear roads, said James Caldwell, deputy director of public works. Jackson also has three trucks that carry salt and sand to spread across roads before freezing weather.

The amount of ice — half an inch, or 1.27 centimeters — that can lead to a crippling ice storm, toppling trees and power lines to create widespread and long-lasting power outages. The latest forecasts from the weather service warn of the potential for a half-inch of ice or more for many areas, including parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee.

The number of Nashville snowplows named after country music legend and Tennessee native Dolly Parton&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MetroSchools/photos/meet-dolly-plowton-music-city-plow-blizzard-of-oz-snowella-and-frosty-the-snow-p/1337230701778613/">(Dolly Plowton)</a>. Another snowplow in East Tennessee was named Snowlene after her classic hit song “Jolene” as part of a 2022 naming contest.

The number of layers needed to keep warm in extreme cold. AP video journalist Mark Vancleave in Minnesota explains the benefits of all three — a base layer, a middle layer and an outer shell —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-weather-snow-ice-weekend-storm-ba67d30f05cbe14e9568907f09d2f13f">in this video</a>.

The number of major U.S. hub airports in the path of the southern storm this weekend, when ice, sleet and snow could delay passengers and cargo: Dallas-Fort Worth; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Still more major airports on the East Coast could see delays later, as the storm barrels east.

The number of beet juice-dispensing trucks in the city of Chicago, according to Cole Stallard, Chicago’s commissioner of Streets and Sanitation. The natural sugars of beet juice lower the freezing point of water, allowing salt mixtures to work at much lower temperatures and preventing refreezing, while also helping salt stick to the road longer.

The number of snow and ice removal trucks operated by Memphis, Tennessee's Division of Public Works. The city also has six trucks that spread brine, a mixture designed to melt wintry precipitation. Statewide, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has 851 salt trucks and 634 brine trucks, and most of the salt trucks double as plows.

Parts of at least 19 states in the storm’s path were under winter storm watches by late Wednesday, with more watches and warnings expected as the system approaches. They include Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. An estimated 55 million people are included in these winter storm watches, the weather service said.

The degree in Fahrenheit when water freezes, equivalent to 0 Celsius. This is a magic number when it comes to winter weather, said Eric Guillot, a scientist at the weather service. If the temperature is slightly above 32, it will be mostly liquid. But the colder it is below the mark, the more efficiently precipitation will freeze.

The number of snowplow trucks at the ready in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure.

The windchill value — how cold it feels to a person when winds are factored in — that is expected in parts of the Northern Plains, the weather service projects. That equates to minus 45.6 Celsius and is forecast for parts of northern Minnesota and North Dakota.

“When the weather forecast says, ‘feels like negative 34,’ it’s just a matter of covering skin and being prepared for it,” said Nils Anderson, who owns Duluth Gear Exchange, an outdoor equipment store in Duluth, Minnesota.

The number of miles added last year to snowplow routes in Nashville, Tennessee. That was done “to get deeper into our neighborhoods — roads that had never been plowed before,” said Alex Apple, a spokesperson for Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.

Texas has this number of pieces of winter weather equipment, including snowplows, motor graders and brine tankers, Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Adam Hammons said. He said the agency also works with state partners and contractors to get more equipment when needed. In the Dallas area, “right now our main focus is treating our roadways in advance of the storm,” agency spokesperson Tony Hartzel said Wednesday.

The number of cubic yards of salt on hand at the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The state has 121 salt houses around the Arkansas, plus 600 salt spreaders and 700 snowplows, said Dave Parker, an agency spokesperson.

Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Sophie Bates in Jackson, Mississippi; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Travis Loller and Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois; and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769113144833.png" alt="NWS image" />
                        <figcaption>NWS image</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>ATLANTA (AP) — Millions of Americans from New Mexico to the Carolinas are bracing for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-ice-snow-freezing-rain-f8f2277db0d87b1aa3d4893c565ce57c">a potentially catastrophic ice storm</a>&nbsp;that could crush trees and power lines and knock out power for days, while Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston could see enough snow to make travel very difficult or nearly impossible, forecasters say.</p><p>About 140 million people were under winter storm or cold weather watches or warnings — and in many places both.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cold air is still on track. We have expanded the Winter Storm Watch northward. Accumulating snow is becoming more likely. The northern edge of snowfall is still uncertain. <a href="https://t.co/RZzNA01jjt">pic.twitter.com/RZzNA01jjt</a></p>&mdash; NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSKansasCity/status/2014311894941589661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A strong winter storm will move into our area on Friday and continue into the weekend bringing accumulating snowfall and extreme cold temperatures. Stay weather aware and be prepared! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KSwx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KSwx</a> <a href="https://t.co/mIbgJKNLg5">pic.twitter.com/mIbgJKNLg5</a></p>&mdash; NWS Wichita (@NWSWichita) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWichita/status/2014260044557152346?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The storm, expected to begin Friday and continue through the weekend,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-storm-polar-vortex-snow-ice-freezing-06beb5eef46fba3fc81ac3213e5568e0">is also projected to bring</a>&nbsp;heavy snow and all types of wintry precipitation, including freezing rain and sleet. An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/atmospheric-river-explainer-weather-terms-noaa-1255da0c90791344332391b81dbcd8e6">atmospheric river</a>&nbsp;of moisture could be in place by the weekend, pulling precipitation across Texas and other states along the Gulf Coast and continuing across Georgia and the Carolinas before heading northeast, forecasters said.</p><p>“Snow amounts could reach a foot or more in the I-95 major cities from D.C. to Boston,” said weather service forecasters on the East Coast, who are increasingly confident the storm will strike the big cities.</p><p>In Washington, D.C., “the combination of heavy snow and ice alongside prolonged very cold temperatures presents a unique and significant risk to life and property across virtually the entire region,” forecasters said in the weather service's Washington/Baltimore office warned.</p><p>Here's a look at the approaching storm and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-weather-tips-c6c631eaf21489462a6c7de58a1f1003">how people are preparing for it</a>, by the numbers:</p><h2>0</h2><p>The number of snowplows owned by the city of Jackson, Mississippi, where a mix of ice and sleet is possible this weekend. The city uses other heavy machinery like skid steers and small excavators to clear roads, said James Caldwell, deputy director of public works. Jackson also has three trucks that carry salt and sand to spread across roads before freezing weather.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dangerously cold Arctic air spills out over the Great Plains and Eastern U.S through the weekend <a href="https://t.co/A3RX3bwD5b">https://t.co/A3RX3bwD5b</a></p>&mdash; NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/2014308582359998614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>0.5</h2><p>The amount of ice — half an inch, or 1.27 centimeters — that can lead to a crippling ice storm, toppling trees and power lines to create widespread and long-lasting power outages. The latest forecasts from the weather service warn of the potential for a half-inch of ice or more for many areas, including parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee.</p><h2>1</h2><p>The number of Nashville snowplows named after country music legend and Tennessee native Dolly Parton&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/MetroSchools/photos/meet-dolly-plowton-music-city-plow-blizzard-of-oz-snowella-and-frosty-the-snow-p/1337230701778613/">(Dolly Plowton)</a>. Another snowplow in East Tennessee was named Snowlene after her classic hit song “Jolene” as part of a 2022 naming contest.</p><h2>3</h2><p>The number of layers needed to keep warm in extreme cold. AP video journalist Mark Vancleave in Minnesota explains the benefits of all three — a base layer, a middle layer and an outer shell —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/winter-weather-snow-ice-weekend-storm-ba67d30f05cbe14e9568907f09d2f13f">in this video</a>.</p><h2>4</h2><p>The number of major U.S. hub airports in the path of the southern storm this weekend, when ice, sleet and snow could delay passengers and cargo: Dallas-Fort Worth; Atlanta; Memphis, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Still more major airports on the East Coast could see delays later, as the storm barrels east.</p><h2>12</h2><p>The number of beet juice-dispensing trucks in the city of Chicago, according to Cole Stallard, Chicago’s commissioner of Streets and Sanitation. The natural sugars of beet juice lower the freezing point of water, allowing salt mixtures to work at much lower temperatures and preventing refreezing, while also helping salt stick to the road longer.</p><h2>15</h2><p>The number of snow and ice removal trucks operated by Memphis, Tennessee's Division of Public Works. The city also has six trucks that spread brine, a mixture designed to melt wintry precipitation. Statewide, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has 851 salt trucks and 634 brine trucks, and most of the salt trucks double as plows.</p><h2>19</h2><p>Parts of at least 19 states in the storm’s path were under winter storm watches by late Wednesday, with more watches and warnings expected as the system approaches. They include Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. An estimated 55 million people are included in these winter storm watches, the weather service said.</p><h2>32</h2><p>The degree in Fahrenheit when water freezes, equivalent to 0 Celsius. This is a magic number when it comes to winter weather, said Eric Guillot, a scientist at the weather service. If the temperature is slightly above 32, it will be mostly liquid. But the colder it is below the mark, the more efficiently precipitation will freeze.</p><h2>45</h2><p>The number of snowplow trucks at the ready in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure.</p><h2>50 below zero</h2><p>The windchill value — how cold it feels to a person when winds are factored in — that is expected in parts of the Northern Plains, the weather service projects. That equates to minus 45.6 Celsius and is forecast for parts of northern Minnesota and North Dakota.</p><p>“When the weather forecast says, ‘feels like negative 34,’ it’s just a matter of covering skin and being prepared for it,” said Nils Anderson, who owns Duluth Gear Exchange, an outdoor equipment store in Duluth, Minnesota.</p><h2>600</h2><p>The number of miles added last year to snowplow routes in Nashville, Tennessee. That was done “to get deeper into our neighborhoods — roads that had never been plowed before,” said Alex Apple, a spokesperson for Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.</p><h2>1,000-plus</h2><p>Texas has this number of pieces of winter weather equipment, including snowplows, motor graders and brine tankers, Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Adam Hammons said. He said the agency also works with state partners and contractors to get more equipment when needed. In the Dallas area, “right now our main focus is treating our roadways in advance of the storm,” agency spokesperson Tony Hartzel said Wednesday.</p><h2>78,000</h2><p>The number of cubic yards of salt on hand at the Arkansas Department of Transportation. The state has 121 salt houses around the Arkansas, plus 600 salt spreaders and 700 snowplows, said Dave Parker, an agency spokesperson.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Sophie Bates in Jackson, Mississippi; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Travis Loller and Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee; Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois; and Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed.</p>

What the numbers show: Millions prepare for potentially catastrophic ice storm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri gambling regulators on Thursday rejected a request from the NCAA to restrict bets on the performance of college athletes in response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-betting-charges-bribery-ncaa-4a558591ffedcd9bbf8450e602ebc99a">recent betting scandals</a>, but left open the possibility of revisiting the issue as the state's fledgling sports betting market gets better established.

The action by the Missouri Gaming Commission came just a week after the NCAA sent a letter to state gambling oversight boards asking them to ban college athlete prop bets — a popular type of wager focused on what individual players will do in a game, like scoring a certain amount of points in basketball or surpassing a particular passing yardage in football. The NCAA also urged states to ban certain other specialty bets, such as wagers on whether a team will trail by a particular point spread at halftime of a game.

The NCAA contends such bets are ripe for manipulation by athletes facing pressure, harassment or bribes from bettors. It pointed to last week's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-betting-charges-bribery-ncaa-49963615bfd622c2b42bd7038f7c0a3c">federal indictment</a>&nbsp;of more than two dozen people for alleged bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy in a scheme that involved more than 39 players on more than 17 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams attempting to rig more than 29 games.

But Missouri gambling regulators said they didn't want to change the state's rules less than two months after legal sports betting launched in the state. Missouri became the 39th — and latest — state to allow&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-prop-bets-missouri-f7be83cb51fb9be828089f005f83075e">sports betting on Dec. 1</a>&nbsp;under a state constitutional amendment that narrowly won voter approval.

“I just don’t feel that I have enough information to grant a request by the NCAA to prohibit this type of sports wagering, because I don’t know enough yet,” commission chair Jan Zimmerman said.

Legal sports betting has spread quickly across the U.S. since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3fa1f71b8f44378a7e2c51d321b13b4?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;cleared the way for states to adopt it in 2018. Through the first 11 months of 2025, legal sportsbooks generated $15 billion in revenue, up over 17% from the same period a year earlier, according to the American Gaming Association. Missouri has not yet reported its initial sports betting revenues.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-nba-gambling-probe-1c49fcf651b8e6906c21811eec3b860f">Prop bets</a>&nbsp;on professional athletes are currently allowed in every state that has legalized sports betting. But states have widely differing rules for bets on college athletes.

More than a dozen states place no limits on collegiate prop bets while nearly an equal number prohibit all such bets. Missouri is among several states that fall somewhere in between. It prohibits prop bets on athletes playing in games involving Missouri colleges and universities but allows them for all other collegiate games.

The NCAA in 2023 began encouraging states to adopt restrictions on bets involving college athletes. Since then, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have joined the ranks of states banning individual prop bets on college athletes.

NCAA President Charlie Baker said in his recent letter to state gambling regulators that his office “regularly hears concerns from schools and student-athletes across the country on the impacts of sports betting,” including about prop bets.

In written comments to the Missouri Gaming Commission, a sports betting industry group said its members played an integral role in detecting and disclosing to authorities the unscrupulous betting involved in last week's indictment.

Rather than providing grounds to restrict bets on college athletes, the Sports Betting Alliance said the case highlights how legal sportsbooks can help catch&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/billups-rozier-mlb-ncaa-sports-betting-scandals-fe51e2ae3b3ea33ef271c764e581a9ee">instances of wrongdoing</a>&nbsp;that might otherwise go undetected if people placed prop bets through unregulated bookies.

The alliance — which includes Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Betting &amp; Gaming — argued that the NCAA's request didn't meet Missouri's criteria for regulatory revisions and “should not trigger a radical change” to the state's new sports betting industry.

Others also expressed opposition to the betting limits backed by the NCAA.

Restricting prop bets on college athletes would drive gamblers to "offshore and illegal operators” with fewer consumer protections, Kansas City sports wagerer Chuck Kucera said in written comments to the commission.

“The NCAA's efforts would be better directed toward player education, internal compliance, and enforcement of its own rules,” Kucera wrote.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sports bettors in Missouri could face new restrictions on college athlete wagers under rules being considered Thursday in response to an NCAA request to states following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-betting-charges-bribery-ncaa-4a558591ffedcd9bbf8450e602ebc99a">latest betting scandal to rock college athletics</a>.

The move by the Missouri Gaming Commission comes a week after the NCAA sent a letter to state gambling oversight boards asking them to ban college athlete prop bets — a popular type of wager focused on what individual players will do in a game, like scoring a certain amount of points in basketball or surpassing a particular passing yardage in football. The NCAA also urged states to ban certain other specialty bets, such as wagers on whether a team will trail by a particular point spread at halftime of a game.

Legal sports betting has spread quickly across the U.S. since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3fa1f71b8f44378a7e2c51d321b13b4?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;cleared the way for states to adopt it in 2018. Through the first 11 months of 2025, legal sportsbooks generated $15 billion in revenue, up over 17% from the same period a year earlier, according to the American Gaming Association. Much of the betting is done online through smartphone apps and websites.

Missouri became the 39th — and latest — state to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-prop-bets-missouri-f7be83cb51fb9be828089f005f83075e">launch sports betting on Dec. 1</a>&nbsp;under a state constitutional amendment that narrowly won voter approval.

The alliance — which includes Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Betting &amp; Gaming — argued that the NCAA's request didn't meet Missouri's criteria for regulatory revisions and “should not trigger a radical change” to the state's fledgling sports betting industry.

<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri gambling regulators on Thursday rejected a request from the NCAA to restrict bets on the performance of college athletes in response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-betting-charges-bribery-ncaa-4a558591ffedcd9bbf8450e602ebc99a">recent betting scandals</a>, but left open the possibility of revisiting the issue as the state's fledgling sports betting market gets better established.</p><p>The action by the Missouri Gaming Commission came just a week after the NCAA sent a letter to state gambling oversight boards asking them to ban college athlete prop bets — a popular type of wager focused on what individual players will do in a game, like scoring a certain amount of points in basketball or surpassing a particular passing yardage in football. The NCAA also urged states to ban certain other specialty bets, such as wagers on whether a team will trail by a particular point spread at halftime of a game.</p><p>The NCAA contends such bets are ripe for manipulation by athletes facing pressure, harassment or bribes from bettors. It pointed to last week's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-betting-charges-bribery-ncaa-49963615bfd622c2b42bd7038f7c0a3c">federal indictment</a>&nbsp;of more than two dozen people for alleged bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy in a scheme that involved more than 39 players on more than 17 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams attempting to rig more than 29 games.</p><p>But Missouri gambling regulators said they didn't want to change the state's rules less than two months after legal sports betting launched in the state. Missouri became the 39th — and latest — state to allow&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-prop-bets-missouri-f7be83cb51fb9be828089f005f83075e">sports betting on Dec. 1</a>&nbsp;under a state constitutional amendment that narrowly won voter approval.</p><p>“I just don’t feel that I have enough information to grant a request by the NCAA to prohibit this type of sports wagering, because I don’t know enough yet,” commission chair Jan Zimmerman said.</p><p>Legal sports betting has spread quickly across the U.S. since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3fa1f71b8f44378a7e2c51d321b13b4?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;cleared the way for states to adopt it in 2018. Through the first 11 months of 2025, legal sportsbooks generated $15 billion in revenue, up over 17% from the same period a year earlier, according to the American Gaming Association. Missouri has not yet reported its initial sports betting revenues.</p><h2>State prop bet rules vary greatly</h2><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-nba-gambling-probe-1c49fcf651b8e6906c21811eec3b860f">Prop bets</a>&nbsp;on professional athletes are currently allowed in every state that has legalized sports betting. But states have widely differing rules for bets on college athletes.</p><p>More than a dozen states place no limits on collegiate prop bets while nearly an equal number prohibit all such bets. Missouri is among several states that fall somewhere in between. It prohibits prop bets on athletes playing in games involving Missouri colleges and universities but allows them for all other collegiate games.</p><p>The NCAA in 2023 began encouraging states to adopt restrictions on bets involving college athletes. Since then, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have joined the ranks of states banning individual prop bets on college athletes.</p><p>NCAA President Charlie Baker said in his recent letter to state gambling regulators that his office “regularly hears concerns from schools and student-athletes across the country on the impacts of sports betting,” including about prop bets.</p><h2>Sports betting firms oppose restrictions</h2><p>In written comments to the Missouri Gaming Commission, a sports betting industry group said its members played an integral role in detecting and disclosing to authorities the unscrupulous betting involved in last week's indictment.</p><p>Rather than providing grounds to restrict bets on college athletes, the Sports Betting Alliance said the case highlights how legal sportsbooks can help catch&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/billups-rozier-mlb-ncaa-sports-betting-scandals-fe51e2ae3b3ea33ef271c764e581a9ee">instances of wrongdoing</a>&nbsp;that might otherwise go undetected if people placed prop bets through unregulated bookies.</p><p>The alliance — which includes Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Betting &amp; Gaming — argued that the NCAA's request didn't meet Missouri's criteria for regulatory revisions and “should not trigger a radical change” to the state's new sports betting industry.</p><p>Others also expressed opposition to the betting limits backed by the NCAA.</p><p>Restricting prop bets on college athletes would drive gamblers to "offshore and illegal operators” with fewer consumer protections, Kansas City sports wagerer Chuck Kucera said in written comments to the commission.</p><p>“The NCAA's efforts would be better directed toward player education, internal compliance, and enforcement of its own rules,” Kucera wrote.</p><p>-------------------</p><p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Sports bettors in Missouri could face new restrictions on college athlete wagers under rules being considered Thursday in response to an NCAA request to states following the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-betting-charges-bribery-ncaa-4a558591ffedcd9bbf8450e602ebc99a">latest betting scandal to rock college athletics</a>.</p><p>The move by the Missouri Gaming Commission comes a week after the NCAA sent a letter to state gambling oversight boards asking them to ban college athlete prop bets — a popular type of wager focused on what individual players will do in a game, like scoring a certain amount of points in basketball or surpassing a particular passing yardage in football. The NCAA also urged states to ban certain other specialty bets, such as wagers on whether a team will trail by a particular point spread at halftime of a game.</p><p>The NCAA contends such bets are ripe for manipulation by athletes facing pressure, harassment or bribes from bettors. It pointed to last week's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-basketball-betting-charges-bribery-ncaa-49963615bfd622c2b42bd7038f7c0a3c">federal indictment</a>&nbsp;of more than two dozen people for alleged bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy in a scheme that involved more than 39 players on more than 17 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams attempting to rig more than 29 games.</p><p>Legal sports betting has spread quickly across the U.S. since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f3fa1f71b8f44378a7e2c51d321b13b4?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">the Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;cleared the way for states to adopt it in 2018. Through the first 11 months of 2025, legal sportsbooks generated $15 billion in revenue, up over 17% from the same period a year earlier, according to the American Gaming Association. Much of the betting is done online through smartphone apps and websites.</p><p>Missouri became the 39th — and latest — state to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-prop-bets-missouri-f7be83cb51fb9be828089f005f83075e">launch sports betting on Dec. 1</a>&nbsp;under a state constitutional amendment that narrowly won voter approval.</p><h2>State prop bet rules vary greatly</h2><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-betting-nba-gambling-probe-1c49fcf651b8e6906c21811eec3b860f">Prop bets</a>&nbsp;on professional athletes are currently allowed in every state that has legalized sports betting. But states have widely differing rules for bets on college athletes.</p><p>More than a dozen states place no limits on collegiate prop bets while nearly an equal number prohibit all such bets. Missouri is among several states that fall somewhere in between. It prohibits prop bets on athletes playing in games involving Missouri colleges and universities but allows them for all other collegiate games.</p><p>The NCAA in 2023 began encouraging states to adopt restrictions on bets involving college athletes. Since then, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have joined the ranks of states banning individual prop bets on college athletes.</p><p>NCAA President Charlie Baker said in his recent letter to state gambling regulators that his office “regularly hears concerns from schools and student-athletes across the country on the impacts of sports betting,” including about prop bets.</p><h2>Sports betting firms oppose restrictions</h2><p>In written comments to the Missouri Gaming Commission, a sports betting industry group said its members played an integral role in detecting and disclosing to authorities the unscrupulous betting involved in last week's indictment.</p><p>Rather than providing grounds to restrict bets on college athletes, the Sports Betting Alliance said the case highlights how legal sportsbooks can help catch&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/billups-rozier-mlb-ncaa-sports-betting-scandals-fe51e2ae3b3ea33ef271c764e581a9ee">instances of wrongdoing</a>&nbsp;that might otherwise go undetected if people placed prop bets through unregulated bookies.</p><p>The alliance — which includes Bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics Betting &amp; Gaming — argued that the NCAA's request didn't meet Missouri's criteria for regulatory revisions and “should not trigger a radical change” to the state's fledgling sports betting industry.</p><p>Others also expressed opposition to the betting limits backed by the NCAA.</p><p>Restricting prop bets on college athletes would drive gamblers to "offshore and illegal operators” with fewer consumer protections, Kansas City sports wagerer Chuck Kucera said in written comments to the commission.</p>

Missouri rejects a ban on college athlete prop bets after NCAA gambling scandals

Topeka&nbsp;– On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. officially filed for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a statement from his office.

Senator Marshall&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114826039777950636">has received</a>&nbsp;the “full and total endorsement” of President Donald Trump.

<i>“It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve Kansas in the Senate,”&nbsp;<b>said Senator Marshall.</b>&nbsp;“And I promise to continue protecting our Kansas values and working with President Trump to restore the American Dream for future generations.”</i>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769106396743.png" alt="Last week, President Trump signed Marshall's Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act-image from White House video" />
                        <figcaption>Last week, President Trump signed Marshall's Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act-image from White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Topeka&nbsp;– On Thursday, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. officially filed for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections, according to a statement from his office.</p><p>Senator Marshall&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114826039777950636">has received</a>&nbsp;the “full and total endorsement” of President Donald Trump.</p><p><i>“It’s been the honor of my lifetime to serve Kansas in the Senate,”&nbsp;<b>said Senator Marshall.</b>&nbsp;“And I promise to continue protecting our Kansas values and working with President Trump to restore the American Dream for future generations.”</i></p>

Senator Roger Marshall files for re-election 

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Colorado man is going to prison for for a crash that killed an 82-year-old Kansas woman.

On Thursday, Judge Seth Rundell sentenced 26-year-old Austin Hedges to 31 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Colorado man will be in court to learn his fate Thursday for a crash that killed an 82-year-old Kansas woman.

Austin Hedges, 26, is scheduled for sentencing in Judge Seth Rundle's courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In November Hedges pleaded guilty to charges of reckless involuntary manslaughter in the death of Kathy Knorr, according to the District Attorney's office.

On March 16, 2024, a vehicle driven by Hedges was northbound on Rock Road in Wichita and struck a vehicle driven by Knorr who was turning from Killarney Court onto southbound Rock Road, according to Wichita Police.

EMS transported Knorr to a local hospital. She died on March 30.&nbsp; The Weld County Colorado Sheriff arrested Hedges on April 19 and he was returned to Kansas to face charges.&nbsp; Hedges met the conditions of bond and is not currently in custody.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762796790240.png" alt="Kathy Knorr photo Corzine Memorial Group" />
                        <figcaption>Kathy Knorr photo Corzine Memorial Group</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Colorado man is going to prison for for a crash that killed an 82-year-old Kansas woman.</p><p>On Thursday, Judge Seth Rundell sentenced 26-year-old Austin Hedges to 31 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.</p><p>--------------</p><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Colorado man will be in court to learn his fate Thursday for a crash that killed an 82-year-old Kansas woman.</p><p>Austin Hedges, 26, is scheduled for sentencing in Judge Seth Rundle's courtroom, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.</p><p>In November Hedges pleaded guilty to charges of reckless involuntary manslaughter in the death of Kathy Knorr, according to the District Attorney's office.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714590780723.png" alt="Hedges photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Hedges photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>On March 16, 2024, a vehicle driven by Hedges was northbound on Rock Road in Wichita and struck a vehicle driven by Knorr who was turning from Killarney Court onto southbound Rock Road, according to Wichita Police.</p><p>EMS transported Knorr to a local hospital. She died on March 30.&nbsp; The Weld County Colorado Sheriff arrested Hedges on April 19 and he was returned to Kansas to face charges.&nbsp; Hedges met the conditions of bond and is not currently in custody.</p>

Driver in crash that killed 82-year-old Kan. woman is going to prison

<b>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a><br></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A Kansas City Chiefs attorney told legislators Wednesday that projections show STAR bonds financing the team’s stadium deal will be paid off 10 to 15 years earlier than the expected 30-year term, upping economic benefits for the state.

Korb Maxwell, a Chiefs attorney, told legislators the planned $3 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development in Wyandotte County, and a $300 million Chiefs headquarters and training facility in Johnson County, will add to the state coffers earlier than expected.

He addressed a joint meeting of the Senate and House commerce committees, where legislators put him on the hot seat for an hour as they attempted to clear up “confusion” and answer constituent concerns about the deal.

Most of the questions, couched from different angles, came down to the dollars — how do the economics of the deal work for Kansas, how will Kansans living in the western part of the state benefit and is the estimated $1 billion economic impact realistic?

While many specifics of the plan are still in planning stages, Maxwell said, the STAR bonds — or sales tax and revenue bonds — are projected to pay off early, which will then push the revenue to the state’s treasury years ahead of time.

The Chiefs project will be funded through a 60-40 public-private partnership, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Project-Monitor-2.0-STAR-Bond-Agreement-Execution-Version.pdf" target="_blank">terms posted online</a>&nbsp;by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The state’s 60% of funding will come from a mix of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/community-programs/star-bonds/" target="_blank">STAR bonds</a>&nbsp;and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, which is revenue from iLottery and sports betting. STAR bonds also will be repaid with 100% of liquor sales tax collected in the district.

Aside from expected benefits of 20,000 construction jobs and $4 billion in investment during the building phase, Maxwell touted long-term effects.

“This is also about 4,000 permanent careers, hundreds of millions of dollars in annual payroll once the team starts playing,” he said. “It also includes visiting team payroll, broadcaster payroll, concerts, major national events, Republican or Democratic conventions that could be hosted.”

Sen. Kenny Titus, a Wamego Republican, wasn’t convinced about the economic benefits.

“I do appreciate the optimism that this will be one of the first stadiums to pay for itself in new growth, so it will be interesting to watch that play out,” he said, adding that he’d like to know what happens if in 30 years the Chiefs moved again, leaving an empty stadium.

Maxwell answered by explaining the level of investment being made by the team showed their commitment to the stadium project, and also pointed out the team has been at its current location for more than 60 years.

“We absolutely plan to be there for the very long term,” he said.&nbsp;

Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Republican from Stilwell who chairs the House commerce committee, asked Maxwell about information he hears repeatedly that all emails, contracts and other aspects of the deal would be kept private until 2029.

Maxwell said he didn’t know where that idea came from because his understanding was that Kansas open records and open meetings laws wouldn’t allow that to happen.

However, the reference to a July 1, 2029, deadline comes directly from the 2024 special session law that allows the Kansas Department of Commerce to negotiate a deal to move the Chiefs or the Royals to the state.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li_2024s/b2023_24/measures/HB2001/" target="_blank">House Bill 2001</a>&nbsp;says negotiations and documentation around sports team deals would not be subject to open records requests and would remain confidential until July 1, 2029.&nbsp;

The intent of the Commerce Department is to maintain transparency, which is why the terms sheet and other documentation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/chiefs-media-kit/" target="_blank">were made public</a>&nbsp;on the agency’s website when the announcement was made in December, according to Rachel Willis, director of legislative affairs for the Commerce Department.

After the legislative hearing, she affirmed that even though that language is in HB 2001, the agency will only hold back sensitive information for short periods of time, such as maintaining confidentiality that may affect issuing the STAR bonds. Otherwise, transparency on this deal is important, she said.

Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, D-Overland Park, questioned the use of other tax incentives programs, such as a Community Improvement District, which would put a special tax on a designated area that would go to pay off the STAR bonds.

“This is the first I’d heard about it, so I am curious to know, do we know where that CID would be, and would it only apply to things that are built after the formation of the district?” she said. “I don’t like CIDs in general, when they include places where people have to shop. We have to get gas. We have to go to the grocery store. I don’t mind economic development incentives when there’s choice involved.”

Maxwell said the CID would be for the development the Chiefs are building and new developments around the stadium. Adding a CID is part of the reason the STAR bonds are projected to pay off more quickly than the 30-year term.

Sawyer Clayton also confirmed with Maxwell that labor used to build the stadium would be primarily union workers.

Legislators peppered Maxwell with questions, including whether work is being done to address needed infrastructure changes in the area where the stadium will be located next to the Kansas Speedway, whether local governments were partnering with the state on the project and how the future looks for economic development around the stadium.

Although Maxwell said many of the items were in early stages and emphasized the Chiefs and Commerce Department are working with local entities, he said the Chiefs are already in discussion with developers interested in being part of the mixed-use development.

“Our phone has been ringing off the hook since the moment that we announced in Kansas on Dec. 22, and we are considering all of those possibilities and looking at, is that right to go in Olathe? Is that right to go in Wyandotte County?” he said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769097385844.png" alt=" Korb Maxwell, an attorney for the Chiefs, answered questions Wednesday about the deal to move build a domed stadium and team headquarters in Kansas. He told a legislative committee he expects the STAR bonds issued for the project to pay off early, based on projections. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Korb Maxwell, an attorney for the Chiefs, answered questions Wednesday about the deal to move build a domed stadium and team headquarters in Kansas. He told a legislative committee he expects the STAR bonds issued for the project to pay off early, based on projections. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><b>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a><br></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a></p><p>TOPEKA — A Kansas City Chiefs attorney told legislators Wednesday that projections show STAR bonds financing the team’s stadium deal will be paid off 10 to 15 years earlier than the expected 30-year term, upping economic benefits for the state.</p><p>Korb Maxwell, a Chiefs attorney, told legislators the planned $3 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development in Wyandotte County, and a $300 million Chiefs headquarters and training facility in Johnson County, will add to the state coffers earlier than expected.</p><p>He addressed a joint meeting of the Senate and House commerce committees, where legislators put him on the hot seat for an hour as they attempted to clear up “confusion” and answer constituent concerns about the deal.</p><p>Most of the questions, couched from different angles, came down to the dollars — how do the economics of the deal work for Kansas, how will Kansans living in the western part of the state benefit and is the estimated $1 billion economic impact realistic?</p><p>While many specifics of the plan are still in planning stages, Maxwell said, the STAR bonds — or sales tax and revenue bonds — are projected to pay off early, which will then push the revenue to the state’s treasury years ahead of time.</p><p>The Chiefs project will be funded through a 60-40 public-private partnership, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Project-Monitor-2.0-STAR-Bond-Agreement-Execution-Version.pdf" target="_blank">terms posted online</a>&nbsp;by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The state’s 60% of funding will come from a mix of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/community-programs/star-bonds/" target="_blank">STAR bonds</a>&nbsp;and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, which is revenue from iLottery and sports betting. STAR bonds also will be repaid with 100% of liquor sales tax collected in the district.</p><p>Aside from expected benefits of 20,000 construction jobs and $4 billion in investment during the building phase, Maxwell touted long-term effects.</p><p>“This is also about 4,000 permanent careers, hundreds of millions of dollars in annual payroll once the team starts playing,” he said. “It also includes visiting team payroll, broadcaster payroll, concerts, major national events, Republican or Democratic conventions that could be hosted.”</p><p>Sen. Kenny Titus, a Wamego Republican, wasn’t convinced about the economic benefits.</p><p>“I do appreciate the optimism that this will be one of the first stadiums to pay for itself in new growth, so it will be interesting to watch that play out,” he said, adding that he’d like to know what happens if in 30 years the Chiefs moved again, leaving an empty stadium.</p><p>Maxwell answered by explaining the level of investment being made by the team showed their commitment to the stadium project, and also pointed out the team has been at its current location for more than 60 years.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769097338594.png" alt="Sen. Kenny Titus questioned what would happen if the Chiefs moved, leaving an empty stadium behind, during a Wednesday joint meeting of the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development and Senate Commerce committees. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption>Sen. Kenny Titus questioned what would happen if the Chiefs moved, leaving an empty stadium behind, during a Wednesday joint meeting of the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development and Senate Commerce committees. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>“We absolutely plan to be there for the very long term,” he said.&nbsp;</p><p>Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Republican from Stilwell who chairs the House commerce committee, asked Maxwell about information he hears repeatedly that all emails, contracts and other aspects of the deal would be kept private until 2029.</p><p>Maxwell said he didn’t know where that idea came from because his understanding was that Kansas open records and open meetings laws wouldn’t allow that to happen.</p><p>However, the reference to a July 1, 2029, deadline comes directly from the 2024 special session law that allows the Kansas Department of Commerce to negotiate a deal to move the Chiefs or the Royals to the state.</p><p><a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li_2024s/b2023_24/measures/HB2001/" target="_blank">House Bill 2001</a>&nbsp;says negotiations and documentation around sports team deals would not be subject to open records requests and would remain confidential until July 1, 2029.&nbsp;</p><p>The intent of the Commerce Department is to maintain transparency, which is why the terms sheet and other documentation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascommerce.gov/chiefs-media-kit/" target="_blank">were made public</a>&nbsp;on the agency’s website when the announcement was made in December, according to Rachel Willis, director of legislative affairs for the Commerce Department.</p><p>After the legislative hearing, she affirmed that even though that language is in HB 2001, the agency will only hold back sensitive information for short periods of time, such as maintaining confidentiality that may affect issuing the STAR bonds. Otherwise, transparency on this deal is important, she said.</p><p>Rep. Stephanie Sawyer Clayton, D-Overland Park, questioned the use of other tax incentives programs, such as a Community Improvement District, which would put a special tax on a designated area that would go to pay off the STAR bonds.</p><p>“This is the first I’d heard about it, so I am curious to know, do we know where that CID would be, and would it only apply to things that are built after the formation of the district?” she said. “I don’t like CIDs in general, when they include places where people have to shop. We have to get gas. We have to go to the grocery store. I don’t mind economic development incentives when there’s choice involved.”</p><p>Maxwell said the CID would be for the development the Chiefs are building and new developments around the stadium. Adding a CID is part of the reason the STAR bonds are projected to pay off more quickly than the 30-year term.</p><p>Sawyer Clayton also confirmed with Maxwell that labor used to build the stadium would be primarily union workers.</p><p>Legislators peppered Maxwell with questions, including whether work is being done to address needed infrastructure changes in the area where the stadium will be located next to the Kansas Speedway, whether local governments were partnering with the state on the project and how the future looks for economic development around the stadium.</p><p>Although Maxwell said many of the items were in early stages and emphasized the Chiefs and Commerce Department are working with local entities, he said the Chiefs are already in discussion with developers interested in being part of the mixed-use development.</p><p>“Our phone has been ringing off the hook since the moment that we announced in Kansas on Dec. 22, and we are considering all of those possibilities and looking at, is that right to go in Olathe? Is that right to go in Wyandotte County?” he said.</p>

Kansas legislators grill Chiefs' attorney on economics behind deal to bring team across state line

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Police have made a second arrest in the investigation into the Dec. 27, home invasion shooting in the 100 block of North Ash Wichita that left one man dead and another injured.

On January 15, 39-year-old Andre Bryant was taken into custody&nbsp; and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail, according to a media release from Wichita Police. He made his first court appearance and has been charged with felony murder, aggravated murder, aggravated battery, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated burglary, and felon in possession of a firearm.

Just before 8:30p.m. on December 27, police responded to the home on North Ash&nbsp; and found a 52-year-old man and a 67-year-old man inside the home with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to a hospital. The 52-year-old later died. The 67-year-old man underwent surgery, was released from the hospital and is recovering.&nbsp;

A neighbor, identified as 54-year-old Matthew Morgan, was previously arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail and was charged with second-degree reckless murder.

Bryant is due back in court next month, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767007817776.png" alt="Morgan photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Morgan photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Police have made a second arrest in the investigation into the Dec. 27, home invasion shooting in the 100 block of North Ash Wichita that left one man dead and another injured.</p><p>On January 15, 39-year-old Andre Bryant was taken into custody&nbsp; and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail, according to a media release from Wichita Police. He made his first court appearance and has been charged with felony murder, aggravated murder, aggravated battery, attempted second-degree murder, aggravated burglary, and felon in possession of a firearm.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768573344903.png" alt="Bryant photo Sedgwick County." />
                        <figcaption>Bryant photo Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Just before 8:30p.m. on December 27, police responded to the home on North Ash&nbsp; and found a 52-year-old man and a 67-year-old man inside the home with gunshot wounds. Both were taken to a hospital. The 52-year-old later died. The 67-year-old man underwent surgery, was released from the hospital and is recovering.&nbsp;</p><p>A neighbor, identified as 54-year-old Matthew Morgan, was previously arrested and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail and was charged with second-degree reckless murder.</p><p>Bryant is due back in court next month, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.</p>

Second suspect in Kan. home invasion killing faces a judge

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Thursday inaugurated his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-gaza-board-of-peace-trump-1-21-2026-2f0e063d03babbd3276f31289ba5f2a2">Board of Peace</a>&nbsp;to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body that could eventually rival the United Nations — despite many U.S. allies opting not to participate.

In a speech at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/world-economic-forum-davos-updates-1-20-2026">the World Economic Forum</a>, Trump sought to create momentum for a project to map out a future of the war-torn Gaza Strip that has been overshadowed this week, first by his threats to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">seize Greenland</a>, then by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-davos-housing-greenland-gaza-a2f3f4c18ba321c8025a3e208fc0ddf6">a dramatic retreat</a>&nbsp;from that push.

“This isn’t the United States, this is for the world,” he said, adding, “I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza.”

The event featured&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-dce5a67ee31c5310149121baa52ea14a">Ali Shaath</a>, the head of a new, future technocratic government in Gaza, announcing that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-hamas-rafah-1e1f8a208a58c0bb671b52304e2d6afa">the Rafah border crossing will open</a>&nbsp;in both directions next week. That's after Israel said in early December it would open the crossing, which runs between Gaza and Egypt, but has yet to do so.

Shaath, an engineer and former Palestinian Authority official from Gaza, is overseeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-palestinians-gaza-a7f07c3c9680b34c563124964885efa8">the Palestinian committee</a>&nbsp;set to govern the territory under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-israel-hamas-gaza-trump-witkoff-bb39015d25aeb627a5b9ce73dd4e1155">U.S. supervision</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-gaza-board-of-peace-a4a296f736474e8c6a4edacd7109b8e5">The new peace board</a>&nbsp;was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the ceasefire, but it has morphed into something far more ambitious — and skepticism about its membership and mandate has led some countries usually closest to Washington to take a pass.

Trump tried not to let those not participating ruin his unveiling party, saying 59 countries had signed onto the board — even though heads of state, top diplomats and other officials from only 19 countries plus the U.S. actually attended. He told the group, ranging from Azerbaijan to Paraguay to Hungary, “You’re the most powerful people in the world."

Trump has spoken about the board replacing some U.N. functions and perhaps even making that entire body obsolete one day. But he was more conciliatory in his remarks on the sidelines of the forum in the Swiss alps.

“We’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said, even as he denigrated the U.N. for doing what he said wasn't enough to calm some conflicts around the globe.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that some countries’ leaders have indicated they plan to join but still require approval from their parliaments, and the Trump administration says it has also gotten queries about membership from countries that hadn’t been invited to participate yet.

Big questions remain, however, about what the eventual board will look like.

Russian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;said his country is still consulting with Moscow’s “strategic partners” before deciding to commit. The Russian president on Thursday is due to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Moscow.

Others are asking why Putin and other authoritarian leaders had even been invited to join. Britain’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said her country wasn't signing on “because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues.”

“And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” she told the BBC.

Norway and Sweden have indicated they won’t participate, after France also said no. French officials stressed that while they support the Gaza peace plan, they were concerned the board could seek to replace the U.N. as the main venue for resolving conflicts.

Canada, Ukraine, China and the executive arm of the European Union also haven't committed. Trump calling off the steep tariffs he threatened over Greenland could ease some allies' reluctance, but the issue is still far from settled.

The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin plans to discuss his proposal to send $1 billion to the Board of Peace and use it for humanitarian purposes during his talks with Abbas. But it noted that the use of those assets will require the U.S. action to unblock them.

The idea for the Board of Peace was first laid out in Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-israel-hamas-war-gaza-708a08671b8842d7a7a5e250ec51351c">20-point Gaza ceasefire plan</a>&nbsp;and even was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-gaza-ceasefire-us-resolution-russia-107e44e276fe04a5365ff6d914545718">endorsed by the U.N. Security Council</a>.

Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;announced he’s agreed to join, after his office has earlier criticized the makeup of the board’s committee tasked with overseeing Gaza.

Months into the ceasefire, Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians continue to suffer the humanitarian crisis unleashed by more than two years of war. And violence in Gaza, while not at the same level as before the October ceasefire and hostage deal was agreed on, continues.

Key to the truce continuing to hold is the disarming of Hamas, something that the militant group that has controlled the Palestinian territory since 2007 has refused to do and that Israel sees as non-negotiable. Trump on Thursday repeated his frequently mentioned warnings that the group will have to do so or face dire consequences.

He also said the war in Gaza “is really coming to an end” while conceding, “We have little fires that we'll put out. But they're little,” and they had been “giant, giant, massive fires.”

Trump's push for peace also comes after he threatened military action this month against Iran as it carried out a violent crackdown against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-araghchi-trump-threat-crackdown-299375ebfd004dd6098c77a6bb8079a5">some of the largest street protests in years</a>, killing thousands of people.

Trump, for the time being, has signaled he won't carry out any new strikes on Iran after he said he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-hangings-protests-dae7dca429c9823f4f5690b368ebfe15">received assurances</a>&nbsp;that the Islamic government would not carry out the planned hangings of more than 800 protesters.

But Trump also made the case that his tough approach to Tehran — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-fordo-us-strike-trump-israel-nuclear-sites-320a85327f94ed7496f09564261f3148">strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities</a>&nbsp;in June last year — was critical to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal coalescing. Iran was Hamas' most important patron, providing the group hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid, weapons, training and financial support over the years.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769089086118.png" alt="Image courtesy White House" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Thursday inaugurated his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-gaza-board-of-peace-trump-1-21-2026-2f0e063d03babbd3276f31289ba5f2a2">Board of Peace</a>&nbsp;to lead efforts at maintaining a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas, insisting that “everyone wants to be a part” of the body that could eventually rival the United Nations — despite many U.S. allies opting not to participate.</p><p>In a speech at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/world-economic-forum-davos-updates-1-20-2026">the World Economic Forum</a>, Trump sought to create momentum for a project to map out a future of the war-torn Gaza Strip that has been overshadowed this week, first by his threats to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/greenland">seize Greenland</a>, then by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-davos-housing-greenland-gaza-a2f3f4c18ba321c8025a3e208fc0ddf6">a dramatic retreat</a>&nbsp;from that push.</p><p>“This isn’t the United States, this is for the world,” he said, adding, “I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump Participates in the Board of Peace Charter Announcement <a href="https://t.co/CJz0CmePJq">https://t.co/CJz0CmePJq</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2014279910278225942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> arrives for the signing ceremony of the Board of Peace! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/X5mXCxT9NT">pic.twitter.com/X5mXCxT9NT</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/2014283215075246426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Board of Peace signing ceremony! 🕊️ <a href="https://t.co/w92RRIGYnM">pic.twitter.com/w92RRIGYnM</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/2014287123759747504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump thanks each Board of Peace member 🕊️ <a href="https://t.co/2ePy4XkCR7">pic.twitter.com/2ePy4XkCR7</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/2014304577105866883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">“We are here today because of President Trump’s vision” <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/qXnkbuN2Fn">pic.twitter.com/qXnkbuN2Fn</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/2014305225574580385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/jaredkushner?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaredkushner</a> thanks President Trump for his leadership 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/ncYhJ2SbtP">pic.twitter.com/ncYhJ2SbtP</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/2014308526416396558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;This board has the chance to be one of the most consequential bodies ever created.&quot; - Board of Peace Chairman, President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/xo7AwSDdeV">pic.twitter.com/xo7AwSDdeV</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2014299643723543021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The event featured&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-dce5a67ee31c5310149121baa52ea14a">Ali Shaath</a>, the head of a new, future technocratic government in Gaza, announcing that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-hamas-rafah-1e1f8a208a58c0bb671b52304e2d6afa">the Rafah border crossing will open</a>&nbsp;in both directions next week. That's after Israel said in early December it would open the crossing, which runs between Gaza and Egypt, but has yet to do so.</p><p>Shaath, an engineer and former Palestinian Authority official from Gaza, is overseeing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-palestinians-gaza-a7f07c3c9680b34c563124964885efa8">the Palestinian committee</a>&nbsp;set to govern the territory under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-israel-hamas-gaza-trump-witkoff-bb39015d25aeb627a5b9ce73dd4e1155">U.S. supervision</a>.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769080530297.png" alt="Photo White House" />
                        <figcaption>Photo White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-gaza-board-of-peace-a4a296f736474e8c6a4edacd7109b8e5">The new peace board</a>&nbsp;was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the ceasefire, but it has morphed into something far more ambitious — and skepticism about its membership and mandate has led some countries usually closest to Washington to take a pass.</p><p>Trump tried not to let those not participating ruin his unveiling party, saying 59 countries had signed onto the board — even though heads of state, top diplomats and other officials from only 19 countries plus the U.S. actually attended. He told the group, ranging from Azerbaijan to Paraguay to Hungary, “You’re the most powerful people in the world."</p><p>Trump has spoken about the board replacing some U.N. functions and perhaps even making that entire body obsolete one day. But he was more conciliatory in his remarks on the sidelines of the forum in the Swiss alps.</p><p>“We’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said, even as he denigrated the U.N. for doing what he said wasn't enough to calm some conflicts around the globe.</p><p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that some countries’ leaders have indicated they plan to join but still require approval from their parliaments, and the Trump administration says it has also gotten queries about membership from countries that hadn’t been invited to participate yet.</p><h2>Why some countries aren't participating</h2><p>Big questions remain, however, about what the eventual board will look like.</p><p>Russian President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/vladimir-putin">Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;said his country is still consulting with Moscow’s “strategic partners” before deciding to commit. The Russian president on Thursday is due to host Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for talks in Moscow.</p><p>Others are asking why Putin and other authoritarian leaders had even been invited to join. Britain’s foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, said her country wasn't signing on “because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues.”</p><p>“And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” she told the BBC.</p><p>Norway and Sweden have indicated they won’t participate, after France also said no. French officials stressed that while they support the Gaza peace plan, they were concerned the board could seek to replace the U.N. as the main venue for resolving conflicts.</p><p>Canada, Ukraine, China and the executive arm of the European Union also haven't committed. Trump calling off the steep tariffs he threatened over Greenland could ease some allies' reluctance, but the issue is still far from settled.</p><p>The Kremlin said Thursday that Putin plans to discuss his proposal to send $1 billion to the Board of Peace and use it for humanitarian purposes during his talks with Abbas. But it noted that the use of those assets will require the U.S. action to unblock them.</p><h2>Board grew out of ceasefire proposal</h2><p>The idea for the Board of Peace was first laid out in Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-israel-hamas-war-gaza-708a08671b8842d7a7a5e250ec51351c">20-point Gaza ceasefire plan</a>&nbsp;and even was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-gaza-ceasefire-us-resolution-russia-107e44e276fe04a5365ff6d914545718">endorsed by the U.N. Security Council</a>.</p><p>Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;announced he’s agreed to join, after his office has earlier criticized the makeup of the board’s committee tasked with overseeing Gaza.</p><p>Months into the ceasefire, Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians continue to suffer the humanitarian crisis unleashed by more than two years of war. And violence in Gaza, while not at the same level as before the October ceasefire and hostage deal was agreed on, continues.</p><p>Key to the truce continuing to hold is the disarming of Hamas, something that the militant group that has controlled the Palestinian territory since 2007 has refused to do and that Israel sees as non-negotiable. Trump on Thursday repeated his frequently mentioned warnings that the group will have to do so or face dire consequences.</p><p>He also said the war in Gaza “is really coming to an end” while conceding, “We have little fires that we'll put out. But they're little,” and they had been “giant, giant, massive fires.”</p><h2>Iran protests loom in the background</h2><p>Trump's push for peace also comes after he threatened military action this month against Iran as it carried out a violent crackdown against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-araghchi-trump-threat-crackdown-299375ebfd004dd6098c77a6bb8079a5">some of the largest street protests in years</a>, killing thousands of people.</p><p>Trump, for the time being, has signaled he won't carry out any new strikes on Iran after he said he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-hangings-protests-dae7dca429c9823f4f5690b368ebfe15">received assurances</a>&nbsp;that the Islamic government would not carry out the planned hangings of more than 800 protesters.</p><p>But Trump also made the case that his tough approach to Tehran — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-fordo-us-strike-trump-israel-nuclear-sites-320a85327f94ed7496f09564261f3148">strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities</a>&nbsp;in June last year — was critical to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal coalescing. Iran was Hamas' most important patron, providing the group hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid, weapons, training and financial support over the years.</p>

🎥President Trump signs his Gaza 'Board of Peace' into being

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Firefighters rescued three pets from a fire at a Kansas home on Tuesday.

Just before 5:30p.m. crew&nbsp;responded to a house fire at 868 SE Rice Road, according to a media release.. Upon arrival, crews encountered a single-story home with heavy smoke and visible flames on the exterior of the residence.

Firefighters initiated both exterior and interior fire attack operations and were able to successfully extinguish the fire.

Three occupants self-evacuated from the residence prior to firefighter entry. During search operations, firefighters rescued and revived two dogs and one cat from inside the home.

The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental and related to cooking activity in the kitchen. The home had&nbsp; no working smoke detectors.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769030268688.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Firefighters rescued three pets from a fire at a Kansas home on Tuesday.</p><p>Just before 5:30p.m. crew&nbsp;responded to a house fire at 868 SE Rice Road, according to a media release.. Upon arrival, crews encountered a single-story home with heavy smoke and visible flames on the exterior of the residence.</p><p>Firefighters initiated both exterior and interior fire attack operations and were able to successfully extinguish the fire.</p><p>Three occupants self-evacuated from the residence prior to firefighter entry. During search operations, firefighters rescued and revived two dogs and one cat from inside the home.</p><p>The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental and related to cooking activity in the kitchen. The home had&nbsp; no working smoke detectors.</p>

Crews rescue three pets after fire at Kansas home

KANSAS CITY —Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced Wednesday that after a thorough review, criminal charges could not be ethically or legally filed against a Kansas City police officer involved in a 2023 shooting that killed two people and injured another.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1769051482631.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced Wednesday that after a thorough review, criminal charges could not be ethically or legally filed against a Kansas City police officer involved in a 2023 shooting that killed two people and injured another.</p><p>“Based on the available facts, applicable laws, and legal principles concerning an officer’s use of force, we are unable to criminally charge the officer,”&nbsp;Prosecutor Johnson said.&nbsp;“We recognize that this determination may be deeply painful, and we extend our sincere condolences and sympathy to the victims’ families and to a community that continues to grapple with this tragedy.”</p><p>On June 9, 2023, a Kansas City police officer was stopped at a red light at the East 31st Street and Van Brunt Boulevard intersection when he observed occupants of a white truck exit the vehicle.</p><p> One of the occupants appeared to be armed but went back inside the vehicle and started to drive away when they noticed the officer. It appeared the occupants of the white truck, located in the right lane, directly in front of the officer, were in a dispute with two vehicles beside them in the left lane.&nbsp;</p><p>As the officer pulled up alongside a white minivan involved in the dispute, the front passenger fired a gun at the white truck. The officer fired at the passenger 16 times, killing him and the driver, and injuring a rear passenger.&nbsp;</p><p>The Prosecutor’s Office determined the officer used permissible force in defense of others, responding to the front passenger who was firing at the truck. Under Missouri law regarding transferred intent, a person cannot be held criminally liable when they unintentionally strike a third party while defending themselves or others. Dash cam footage shows the officer fired continuously at the front passenger, his intended target, and additional evidence supports that he was unaware anyone was in the back seat.&nbsp;</p><p>“To be clear, this Office remains concerned about the circumstances of this shooting. Two parents and spouses were killed, and a young man was hurt,”&nbsp;Prosecutor Johnson said. “Our determination that there is insufficient evidence to proceed with criminal charges should not be construed as an endorsement of the officer’s conduct or a conclusion that the risks to human life were appropriately weighed or managed.”</p><p>In her decision letter, Prosecutor Johnson expressed serious concern about the officer’s pattern of behavior and its potential impact on other pending cases he’s involved in. She communicated those issues, including concerns about his continued employment, directly to KCPD leadership.&nbsp;</p><p>“While employment decisions are addressed solely with KCPD and the Board of Police Commissioners, we trust their leadership will give our concerns serious consideration,”&nbsp;Prosecutor Johnson said.&nbsp;</p>