NORFOLK, Va. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;did not let the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>&nbsp;interfere with a stop in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday to salute the Navy as it celebrates its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.navy.mil/Navy-250/">250th anniversary</a>&nbsp;— using his speech to praise both the Navy and himself.

Trump delivered remarks that by his own recognition bordered on making it more like a campaign event, generating some applause from the crowd before closing out with a recording of his theme song, “YMCA” by Village People.

“Let’s face it, this is a rally,” Trump told the crowd that the Navy estimated to be 10,000 people.

The president criticized his political opponents and attacked Democratic lawmakers as the shutdown entered its fifth day, causing military personnel to work without pay until the government reopens.

“I want you to know that despite the current Democrat induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny. Don’t worry about it," Trump said to cheers from the crowd.

The government shutdown that began Wednesday has sparked partisan blame games as several thousand federal employees are furloughed and key infrastructure and energy projects in Democratic-run areas such as New York and Chicago have been put on hold. It lurked in the background of the event as Trump praised a Navy that he said has “never failed to hunt, kill and win.”

Senate Democrats rejected efforts to preserve a continuation of government operations when the new budget year started on Wednesday. They cited the lapse in subsidies that could cause health insurance costs to climb rapidly for people who get coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Democratic lawmakers also have sought to reverse cuts to Medicaid that Trump signed into law.

Democrats oppose Trump's move to have his administration decline to spend congressionally approved funds, saying it undermines the budgeting process, among other concerns. Meanwhile, Trump has explored laying off federal workers at what he called “Democrat Agencies.”

Among those joining Trump for the festivities were first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former Navy rear admiral who was a White House doctor during Trump's first term.

After his arrival in Norfolk, Trump went to the USS George H.W. Bush and spoke to the sailors and handed out challenge coins.

The Trumps then watched a military demonstration while standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Navy destroyers launched missiles and fired shells into the Atlantic Ocean, Navy SEALs descended from helicopters and fighter jets catapulted off.

The president has increasingly sought to leverage support from within the military as he has escalated its role in American society, asking troops to patrol the streets of U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Memphis, Baltimore and Portland, Oregon. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Trump was seeking to send his state's National Guard to Portland after the administration's previous moves to deploy troops in the Oregon National Guard were blocked in court.

Trump on Tuesday addressed a gathering of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-meeting-military-commanders-4ceb8026bff7c652b08c08e8afb1df99">military leaders</a>&nbsp;abruptly summoned from across the globe to Virginia by Hegseth. The Republican president proposed using U.S. cities as training grounds for the armed forces and he spoke of needing military might to combat what he called the “invasion from within.”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-combat-women-race-hegseth-d406029d0e0dfd52443ef8d7fcb765cb">Hegseth declared</a>&nbsp;an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-pentagon-defense-combat-women-trump-b423fd49730d9ab97151a2d2a4fdf6a7">“male-level” standards</a>&nbsp;for physical fitness.

The administration is seeking to reshape Pentagon culture and use military resources for the president’s priorities, including quelling domestic unrest and violent crime.

Trump has also engaged the military in an armed conflict with drug cartels, leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-venezuela-drug-cartels-unlawful-combatants-1848b02febe08acacb82979d7da47dfb">four strikes</a>&nbsp;on boats in the Caribbean that Washington says were involved in trafficking.

<p>NORFOLK, Va. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;did not let the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>&nbsp;interfere with a stop in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday to salute the Navy as it celebrates its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.navy.mil/Navy-250/">250th anniversary</a>&nbsp;— using his speech to praise both the Navy and himself.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a> arrive aboard the USS George H.W. Bush off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, to celebrate the <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USNavy</a>&#39;s 250th birthday. <a href="http
s://t.co/BrP0ByFZmX">pic.twitter.com/BrP0ByFZmX</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974892908827300085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump and theFirst Lady walk through a cordon of U.S. Navy Sailors as they arrive on the USSS Harry’s Truman 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/EXhHyWHQ0e">pic.twitter.com/EXhHyWHQ0e</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1974927779763556583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NAVY 1! <br><br>President <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> makes an announcement on USSS George H.W. Bush 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/WqMVLvREXg">pic.twitter.com/WqMVLvREXg</a></p>&mdash; Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) <a href="https://twitter.com/MargoMartin47/status/1974928957561819394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</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/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: We are gathered on this storied waterfront to celebrate 250 years of strength, tenacity, and unwavering courage by the greatest fighting force ever to roam the seas — the UNITED STATES NAVY. <a href="https://t.co/sOYwKP8V3x">pic.twitter.com/sOYwKP8V3x</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974933318073508208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</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/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Docked beside us today are a combined 150,000 tons of pure American Naval supremacy — and two colossal reasons why NO ONE should ever want to start a fight with the USA.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/7uGYhVlpWh">pic.twitter.com/7uGYhVlpWh</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974934985653277096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</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/POTUIS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUIS</a>: &quot;Whenever duty calls, American Sailors will hoist our flag high and they will rally to Admiral Farragut&#39;s immortal battle cry: &#39;DAMN THE TORPEDOS, FULL SPEED AHEAD!&#39;&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0pJleUey7N">pic.twitter.com/0pJleUey7N</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974943920779153693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="nl" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/FLOTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLOTUS</a>: &quot;HOOYAH, NAVY!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/gUMfbjZZv5">pic.twitter.com/gUMfbjZZv5</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974931079682457750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</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">THE <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USNAVY</a> LOVES <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SECWAR</a>! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/my6pxPAHOP">pic.twitter.com/my6pxPAHOP</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974929453295006076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</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">THE <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USNAVY</a> LOVES <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SECWAR</a>! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/my6pxPAHOP">pic.twitter.com/my6pxPAHOP</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974929453295006076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump delivered remarks that by his own recognition bordered on making it more like a campaign event, generating some applause from the crowd before closing out with a recording of his theme song, “YMCA” by Village People.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">250 years of the greatest fighting force ever to roam the seas — THE UNITED STATES NAVY. 🇺🇸<a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USNavy</a> ⚓️ <a href="https://t.co/pwZLiAMNz6">pic.twitter.com/pwZLiAMNz6</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1974944835108065313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</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">Sailors wave goodbye to President Trump after the largest celebration in the history of the U.S. Navy! ⚓️🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/03f8ztRTSl">pic.twitter.com/03f8ztRTSl</a></p>&mdash; Anna Kelly (@AnnaKelly47) <a href="https://twitter.com/AnnaKelly47/status/1974946429543366974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</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">TRUMP DANCE ABOARD THE USS HARRY S. TRUMAN!<br><br>GOD BLESS OUR NAVY! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/TCYmQ2ayh0">pic.twitter.com/TCYmQ2ayh0</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974944086718403000?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“Let’s face it, this is a rally,” Trump told the crowd that the Navy estimated to be 10,000 people.</p><p>The president criticized his political opponents and attacked Democratic lawmakers as the shutdown entered its fifth day, causing military personnel to work without pay until the government reopens.</p><p>“I want you to know that despite the current Democrat induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny. Don’t worry about it," Trump said to cheers from the crowd.</p><p>The government shutdown that began Wednesday has sparked partisan blame games as several thousand federal employees are furloughed and key infrastructure and energy projects in Democratic-run areas such as New York and Chicago have been put on hold. It lurked in the background of the event as Trump praised a Navy that he said has “never failed to hunt, kill and win.”</p><p>Senate Democrats rejected efforts to preserve a continuation of government operations when the new budget year started on Wednesday. They cited the lapse in subsidies that could cause health insurance costs to climb rapidly for people who get coverage through the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Democratic lawmakers also have sought to reverse cuts to Medicaid that Trump signed into law.</p><p>Democrats oppose Trump's move to have his administration decline to spend congressionally approved funds, saying it undermines the budgeting process, among other concerns. Meanwhile, Trump has explored laying off federal workers at what he called “Democrat Agencies.”</p><p>Among those joining Trump for the festivities were first lady Melania Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John Phelan, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, a former Navy rear admiral who was a White House doctor during Trump's first term.</p><p>After his arrival in Norfolk, Trump went to the USS George H.W. Bush and spoke to the sailors and handed out challenge coins.</p><p>The Trumps then watched a military demonstration while standing on the deck of the aircraft carrier. Navy destroyers launched missiles and fired shells into the Atlantic Ocean, Navy SEALs descended from helicopters and fighter jets catapulted off.</p><p>The president has increasingly sought to leverage support from within the military as he has escalated its role in American society, asking troops to patrol the streets of U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Memphis, Baltimore and Portland, Oregon. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Trump was seeking to send his state's National Guard to Portland after the administration's previous moves to deploy troops in the Oregon National Guard were blocked in court.</p><p>Trump on Tuesday addressed a gathering of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-hegseth-meeting-military-commanders-4ceb8026bff7c652b08c08e8afb1df99">military leaders</a>&nbsp;abruptly summoned from across the globe to Virginia by Hegseth. The Republican president proposed using U.S. cities as training grounds for the armed forces and he spoke of needing military might to combat what he called the “invasion from within.”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-combat-women-race-hegseth-d406029d0e0dfd52443ef8d7fcb765cb">Hegseth declared</a>&nbsp;an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-pentagon-defense-combat-women-trump-b423fd49730d9ab97151a2d2a4fdf6a7">“male-level” standards</a>&nbsp;for physical fitness.</p><p>The administration is seeking to reshape Pentagon culture and use military resources for the president’s priorities, including quelling domestic unrest and violent crime.</p><p>Trump has also engaged the military in an armed conflict with drug cartels, leading to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-venezuela-drug-cartels-unlawful-combatants-1848b02febe08acacb82979d7da47dfb">four strikes</a>&nbsp;on boats in the Caribbean that Washington says were involved in trafficking.</p>

🎥 President, First Lady celebrate Navy's 250th birthday 

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/rio-yamat">RIO YAMAT</a>,&nbsp;<br>AP Airlines&nbsp;and&nbsp;Travel Writer

If a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-chuck-schumer-20e54a0f5e4fee909d0f9ea2c07c15e1">U.S. government shutdown</a>&nbsp;goes on long enough, it could throw a wrench in travel plans, potentially leading to longer airport wait times, flight delays and even cancellations.

The shutdown began Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-trump-health-care-54b2a584657a0b619bc8326708a05604">failed to reach a deal</a>&nbsp;to continue funding government services and operations. That means a vast majority of employees who keep U.S. airports and air travel running are working without pay until the government reopens.

“The longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely we are to see longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations, national parks in disrepair and unnecessary delays in modernizing travel infrastructure,” Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, warned in a statement.

Here’s what to know about the shutdown and its potential impacts on your travel plans.

Travelers can still fly despite the lapse in funding, and early on in the shutdown, they might not even notice any issues at the airport.

Control towers and airport security checkpoints will still be staffed, with about 13,200 air traffic controllers and more than 61,000 Transportation Security Administration employees expected to remain on the job.

But as more time passes for the workers since their last paycheck, travelers could start to see longer lines at security and flight interruptions, said Jeffrey Price, professor of aviation at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.

“The system does become a little bit more brittle, and the longer this goes, the more the traveler is going to notice it,” Price said.

That’s what happened in 2018 and 2019, when Trump led the country into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">its longest shutdown ever</a>&nbsp;for 35 days during his first term.

About three weeks into that shutdown, some unpaid security screeners started calling in sick, and air traffic controllers sued the government in a bid to get their paychecks. Miami International Airport had to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f147ae8bd1e44787aa11ebe725fd59c0">temporarily close</a>&nbsp;one of its terminals because TSA officers were calling in sick at twice the airport’s usual rate.

The latest shutdown is unfolding at a time when both the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration are already facing staffing shortages, including a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

If the system can’t handle the number of flights that are scheduled, the FAA will slow down landings and take offs and passengers will see more delays and cancellations.

Nick Daniels, president of the union that represents air traffic controllers, said a shutdown weakens the aviation safety system by adding stress on controllers and taking away many of the workers who support them and maintain the outdated system they rely on.

“They’re out there working right now with critical staffing — the lowest staffing we’ve had in decades of only 10,800, where there should be 14,633. And on top of that, they’re working with unreliable equipment,” Daniels said.

During the 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term, controllers in the busiest U.S. air traffic facilities&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/event/116th-congress/house-event/LC64697/text" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;working as much as 60 hours per week, and an increasing number of TSA agents also quit their jobs.

“This is more than just an inconvenience to the traveler,” Price said of the shutdown. “This is definitely going to bring up safety and security issues, if it really starts to go into the long term.”

Amtrak says its passengers trains will continue running. It operates more than 300 trains daily in 46 states, the D.C. area and three Canadian provinces.

In a statement, the country’s rail operator said that passengers planning to travel on its trains “in the coming days and weeks can be assured that Amtrak will remain open for business.”

Ports of entry into the country are expected to stay open for international travelers, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-09/DOT_Shutdown_Plan_9.30.25.pdf" target="_blank">contingency plan</a>.

The department estimated that about 63,000 workers at Customs and Border Protection would still report to work. They include employees who are responsible for protecting the country’s borders and monitoring traffic coming into the U.S. at official border crossings, like airports and land crossings from Canada and Mexico.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for overseeing the naturalization process, is primarily funded by application fees, meaning a lapse in funding at the federal government has minimal impacts on most passport and visa processing.

Agency spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said in a statement, however, that the shutdown does temporarily shutter the agency’s E-Verify program, a free online system that employers can use to confirm their new employees are authorized to work in the U.S.

Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo were scheduled to stay open to the public through at least Oct. 6. Further updates will be posted on&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/PKDX7SulEi" target="_blank">the Smithsonian website</a>.

The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum complex, with 17 museums and its zoo located in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as two museums in New York City.

National Parks will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-national-parks-liberty-bell-4c30b0b6db4ba8a7d0583a2d5fe58022">remain mostly open</a>&nbsp;during the shutdown.

The National Park Service’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf" target="_blank">contingency plan</a>&nbsp;says park roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials will “generally remain accessible to visitors.” But parks without ”accessible areas” will be closed, and additional sites could shutter if damage is done to park resources or garbage builds up during the shutdown.

The park service oversees 400 sites, including large national parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon, national battlefields and national monuments like the Statue of Liberty.

Associated Press transportation reporter Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1751991473798.png" alt="File photo TSA" />
                        <figcaption>File photo TSA</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/rio-yamat">RIO YAMAT</a>,&nbsp;<br>AP Airlines&nbsp;and&nbsp;Travel Writer</p><p>If a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-chuck-schumer-20e54a0f5e4fee909d0f9ea2c07c15e1">U.S. government shutdown</a>&nbsp;goes on long enough, it could throw a wrench in travel plans, potentially leading to longer airport wait times, flight delays and even cancellations.</p><p>The shutdown began Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-trump-health-care-54b2a584657a0b619bc8326708a05604">failed to reach a deal</a>&nbsp;to continue funding government services and operations. That means a vast majority of employees who keep U.S. airports and air travel running are working without pay until the government reopens.</p><p>“The longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely we are to see longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations, national parks in disrepair and unnecessary delays in modernizing travel infrastructure,” Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, warned in a statement.</p><p>Here’s what to know about the shutdown and its potential impacts on your travel plans.</p><h2>Flying during a shutdown</h2><p>Travelers can still fly despite the lapse in funding, and early on in the shutdown, they might not even notice any issues at the airport.</p><p>Control towers and airport security checkpoints will still be staffed, with about 13,200 air traffic controllers and more than 61,000 Transportation Security Administration employees expected to remain on the job.</p><p>But as more time passes for the workers since their last paycheck, travelers could start to see longer lines at security and flight interruptions, said Jeffrey Price, professor of aviation at the Metropolitan State University of Denver.</p><p>“The system does become a little bit more brittle, and the longer this goes, the more the traveler is going to notice it,” Price said.</p><p>That’s what happened in 2018 and 2019, when Trump led the country into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd">its longest shutdown ever</a>&nbsp;for 35 days during his first term.</p><p>About three weeks into that shutdown, some unpaid security screeners started calling in sick, and air traffic controllers sued the government in a bid to get their paychecks. Miami International Airport had to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f147ae8bd1e44787aa11ebe725fd59c0">temporarily close</a>&nbsp;one of its terminals because TSA officers were calling in sick at twice the airport’s usual rate.</p><p>The latest shutdown is unfolding at a time when both the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration are already facing staffing shortages, including a shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers.</p><p>If the system can’t handle the number of flights that are scheduled, the FAA will slow down landings and take offs and passengers will see more delays and cancellations.</p><h2>Safety at airports and in the air</h2><p>Nick Daniels, president of the union that represents air traffic controllers, said a shutdown weakens the aviation safety system by adding stress on controllers and taking away many of the workers who support them and maintain the outdated system they rely on.</p><p>“They’re out there working right now with critical staffing — the lowest staffing we’ve had in decades of only 10,800, where there should be 14,633. And on top of that, they’re working with unreliable equipment,” Daniels said.</p><p>During the 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term, controllers in the busiest U.S. air traffic facilities&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/event/116th-congress/house-event/LC64697/text" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;working as much as 60 hours per week, and an increasing number of TSA agents also quit their jobs.</p><p>“This is more than just an inconvenience to the traveler,” Price said of the shutdown. “This is definitely going to bring up safety and security issues, if it really starts to go into the long term.”</p><h2>Travel by train</h2><p>Amtrak says its passengers trains will continue running. It operates more than 300 trains daily in 46 states, the D.C. area and three Canadian provinces.</p><p>In a statement, the country’s rail operator said that passengers planning to travel on its trains “in the coming days and weeks can be assured that Amtrak will remain open for business.”</p><h2>International travel into the U.S.</h2><p>Ports of entry into the country are expected to stay open for international travelers, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-09/DOT_Shutdown_Plan_9.30.25.pdf" target="_blank">contingency plan</a>.</p><p>The department estimated that about 63,000 workers at Customs and Border Protection would still report to work. They include employees who are responsible for protecting the country’s borders and monitoring traffic coming into the U.S. at official border crossings, like airports and land crossings from Canada and Mexico.</p><h2>Passports and visas</h2><p>The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for overseeing the naturalization process, is primarily funded by application fees, meaning a lapse in funding at the federal government has minimal impacts on most passport and visa processing.</p><p>Agency spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said in a statement, however, that the shutdown does temporarily shutter the agency’s E-Verify program, a free online system that employers can use to confirm their new employees are authorized to work in the U.S.</p><h2>Museums and national parks</h2><p>Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo were scheduled to stay open to the public through at least Oct. 6. Further updates will be posted on&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/PKDX7SulEi" target="_blank">the Smithsonian website</a>.</p><p>The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum complex, with 17 museums and its zoo located in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as two museums in New York City.</p><p>National Parks will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-national-parks-liberty-bell-4c30b0b6db4ba8a7d0583a2d5fe58022">remain mostly open</a>&nbsp;during the shutdown.</p><p>The National Park Service’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf" target="_blank">contingency plan</a>&nbsp;says park roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials will “generally remain accessible to visitors.” But parks without ”accessible areas” will be closed, and additional sites could shutter if damage is done to park resources or garbage builds up during the shutdown.</p><p>The park service oversees 400 sites, including large national parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon, national battlefields and national monuments like the Statue of Liberty.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press transportation reporter Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.</p>

A prolonged US government shutdown could impact your travel plans

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration said Friday that it would pay migrant children $2,500 to voluntarily return to their home countries, dangling a new incentive in efforts to persuade people to self-deport.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t say how much migrants would get or when the offer would take effect, but The Associated Press obtained an email to migrant shelters saying children 14 years of age and older would get $2,500 each. Children were given 24 hours to respond.

The notice to shelters from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Administration for Families and Children did not indicate any consequences for children who decline the offer. It asked shelter directors to acknowledge the offer within four hours.

ICE said in a statement that the offer would initially be for 17-year-olds.

“Any payment to support a return home would be provided after an immigration judge grants the request and the individual arrives in their country of origin,” ICE said. “Access to financial support when returning home would assist should they choose that option.”

ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and the Health and Human Services Department did not immediately respond to questions about the amount of the payment and age eligibility.

ICE dismissed widespread reports among immigration lawyers and advocates that it was launching a much broader crackdown Friday to deport migrant children who entered the country without their parents, called “Freaky Friday.”

The administration has also offered $1,000 to adults who voluntarily leave the country. Advocates said $2,500 may prevent children from making informed decisions.

“For a child, $2,500 might be the most money they’ve ever seen in their life, and that may make it very, very difficult for them to accurately weigh the long-term risks of taking voluntary departure versus trying to stay in the United States and going through the immigration court process to get relief that they may be legally entitled to,” said Melissa Adamson, senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law.

Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, echoed concerns about the offer, saying it “pressures children to abandon their legal claims and return to a life of fear and danger without ever receiving a fair hearing.”

U.S. border authorities have arrested children crossing the border without parents more than 400,000 times since October 2021. A 2008 law requires them to appear before an immigration judge before being returned to their countries.

Children have been spending more time in government-run shelters since the Trump administration put them under closer scrutiny before releasing them to family in the United States to pursue their immigration cases.

The additional scrutiny includes fingerprinting, DNA testing and home visits by immigration officers. Over the summer, immigration officers started showing up and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-children-parents-reunification-trump-81b20a1e3651337cec14b508f59cc52f">arresting parents</a>.

The average length of stay at government-run shelters for those released in the U.S. was 171 days in July, down from a peak of 217 days in April but well above 37 days in January, when Trump took office.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750038378079.png" alt="File photo -Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>File photo -Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Trump administration said Friday that it would pay migrant children $2,500 to voluntarily return to their home countries, dangling a new incentive in efforts to persuade people to self-deport.</p><p>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t say how much migrants would get or when the offer would take effect, but The Associated Press obtained an email to migrant shelters saying children 14 years of age and older would get $2,500 each. Children were given 24 hours to respond.</p><p>The notice to shelters from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Administration for Families and Children did not indicate any consequences for children who decline the offer. It asked shelter directors to acknowledge the offer within four hours.</p><p>ICE said in a statement that the offer would initially be for 17-year-olds.</p><p>“Any payment to support a return home would be provided after an immigration judge grants the request and the individual arrives in their country of origin,” ICE said. “Access to financial support when returning home would assist should they choose that option.”</p><p>ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and the Health and Human Services Department did not immediately respond to questions about the amount of the payment and age eligibility.</p><p>ICE dismissed widespread reports among immigration lawyers and advocates that it was launching a much broader crackdown Friday to deport migrant children who entered the country without their parents, called “Freaky Friday.”</p><p>The administration has also offered $1,000 to adults who voluntarily leave the country. Advocates said $2,500 may prevent children from making informed decisions.</p><p>“For a child, $2,500 might be the most money they’ve ever seen in their life, and that may make it very, very difficult for them to accurately weigh the long-term risks of taking voluntary departure versus trying to stay in the United States and going through the immigration court process to get relief that they may be legally entitled to,” said Melissa Adamson, senior attorney at the National Center for Youth Law.</p><p>Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, echoed concerns about the offer, saying it “pressures children to abandon their legal claims and return to a life of fear and danger without ever receiving a fair hearing.”</p><p>U.S. border authorities have arrested children crossing the border without parents more than 400,000 times since October 2021. A 2008 law requires them to appear before an immigration judge before being returned to their countries.</p><p>Children have been spending more time in government-run shelters since the Trump administration put them under closer scrutiny before releasing them to family in the United States to pursue their immigration cases.</p><p>The additional scrutiny includes fingerprinting, DNA testing and home visits by immigration officers. Over the summer, immigration officers started showing up and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-children-parents-reunification-trump-81b20a1e3651337cec14b508f59cc52f">arresting parents</a>.</p><p>The average length of stay at government-run shelters for those released in the U.S. was 171 days in July, down from a peak of 217 days in April but well above 37 days in January, when Trump took office.</p>

Trump admin. offers migrant children cash to self deport

WABAUNSEE COUNTY&nbsp;– A former correctional officer of the Wabaunsee County Jail was arrested Sunday following an investigation led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, according to a media relase.

Jeffery Patrick, 48, was arrested Sunday at approximately 12:00 p.m. after he turned himself in to authorities at the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office. Patrick was arrested for one count of mistreatment of a confined person.

On May 28 of this year, the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI for assistance with a correctional officer who was reportedly taking money from an inmate for personal use. The KBI conducted an investigation, leading to the arrest warrant being served by the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office.

The alleged incidents occurred between March and May at the Wabaunsee County Jail, where Patrick served as a correctional officer until he was terminated in June.

Following his arrest, Patrick was booked into the Pottawatomie County Jail.

<p>WABAUNSEE COUNTY&nbsp;– A former correctional officer of the Wabaunsee County Jail was arrested Sunday following an investigation led by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, according to a media relase.</p><p>Jeffery Patrick, 48, was arrested Sunday at approximately 12:00 p.m. after he turned himself in to authorities at the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office. Patrick was arrested for one count of mistreatment of a confined person.</p><p>On May 28 of this year, the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office contacted the KBI for assistance with a correctional officer who was reportedly taking money from an inmate for personal use. The KBI conducted an investigation, leading to the arrest warrant being served by the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office.</p><p>The alleged incidents occurred between March and May at the Wabaunsee County Jail, where Patrick served as a correctional officer until he was terminated in June.</p><p>Following his arrest, Patrick was booked into the Pottawatomie County Jail.</p>

KBI: Former Kansas county jailer arrested

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just after 11p.m. Saturday in Kansas City.

A pedestrian was crossing 31st Street westbound in the crosswalk, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. At the same time, a Mazda CX-9 was traveling northbound on Southwest Trafficway with a green traffic light and struck the pedestrian.

 The pedestrian was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased by medical staff. Police released no additional details. The incident remains under investigation.

<p>KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just after 11p.m. Saturday in Kansas City.</p><p>A pedestrian was crossing 31st Street westbound in the crosswalk, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. At the same time, a Mazda CX-9 was traveling northbound on Southwest Trafficway with a green traffic light and struck the pedestrian.</p><p> The pedestrian was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased by medical staff. Police released no additional details. The incident remains under investigation.</p>

KCPD investigating fatal pedestrian accident

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/maria-sherman">MARIA SHERMAN</a>

Who is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift’s</a>&nbsp;heir apparent? Her 12th album,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-album-life-of-showgirl-c4262686b5b68ee210f7571b8716ab51">“The Life of a Showgirl,”</a>&nbsp;offers an answer. It’s Taylor Swift.

Her last album,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review-b24d2275df5cf78ffa9069c61b9825ec">“The Tortured Poets Department,”</a>&nbsp;ended with the cautionary “Clara Bow,” an allegory that seemed to suggest her tenure atop the cultural mainstream was inherited from stars of the past, like the namechecked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stevie-nicks">Stevie Nicks</a>&nbsp;— and that a new generation of younger, elastic female pop performers could soon take her place. In 2025, there are many to choose from: Consider&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chappell-roan">Chappell Roan’s</a>&nbsp;full-throated theatrics,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/olivia-rodrigo">Olivia Rodrigo’s</a>&nbsp;fiery punk-pop feminism,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sabrina-carpenter">Sabrina Carpenter’s</a>&nbsp;cheeky sexuality. In the knotty themes of Friday’s “The Life of a Showgirl,” best illustrated in the title track, Swift asserts that the baton hasn’t been passed, but rather shared. Because she isn’t going anywhere.

“And all the headshots on the walls / Of the dance halls are of the b------ / Who wish I’d hurry up and die,” she sings with a wink, “But I’m immortal now, baby dolls / I couldn’t if I tried.” Notably, if she has a chosen successor in someone else, it’s the album’s sole feature: Carpenter, who sings on the stomp-clap closer in her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sabrina-carpenter-mans-best-friend-review-1f3bd6c87b64bc3329e7e7c94f034083">newly adopted twang.</a>&nbsp;The mournful glissando of lap steel — the album’s most country moment — arrives only with Carpenter’s introduction. The western genre is Swift’s past and Carpenter’s future.

Suggestive bangers and a ‘New Heights’ namecheck

If Swift is co-signing Carpenter, she’s also learning from her. Carpenter has cornered the market on tight pop songs with pert, provocative messages; Swift does the same with the manspreading swagger of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-michael">George Michael-interpolating</a>&nbsp;“Father Figure,” which mentions a protege, and the funky “Wood.” (A carefully veiled PG-13 lyric: “His love was the key / That opened my thighs,” she sings. “Girls, I don’t need to catch the bouquet / To know a hard rock is on the way.”) Interwoven are suggestive, sensual ad-libs ... and a direct reference to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">fiance Travis Kelce’s</a>&nbsp;podcast.

Across a brisk 12 tracks — Swift’s tendency toward abundance doesn’t manifest itself in a double album this time around, but instead in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-streaming-vinyl-guide-e6ae27ac62d972be042e849dc31e140c">her endless vinyl variants</a>&nbsp;— “The Life of a Showgirl” mostly delivers on its promise of up-tempo pop “bangers,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-heights-podcast-e26d4150cd1fa7bf7cea189e48237663">to borrow her own vernacular.</a>&nbsp;Fans need not wait up for the long-anticipated “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” because “The Life of a Showgirl” pulls from its essence. But this time, with a lot of affection, like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/taylor-swift-television-programs-arts-and-entertainment-d1a0278150f040538767bab78067f352">a truer “Lover” era.</a>

Swift has long internalized criticisms and responded to them in her art, most directly in 2017’s “Reputation.” Here, she is once again concerned with her perception, articulated over booming, lush production on “CANCELLED!” or “Elizabeth Taylor.” On the latter, she sings, “Hollywood hates me / You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby.” Except this time, her love acts as an anchor. “I can’t have fun if I can’t have you,” she flirts.

For “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift enlisted Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback, the hitmaking duo she collaborated with on 2012’s “Red,” 2014’s “1989” and, of course,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/taylor-swift-music-arts-and-entertainment-c29acbc0b521419cb362e720b32ec018">“Reputation.”</a>&nbsp;Notably absent is her frequent producing partner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jack-antonoff">Jack Antonoff.</a>&nbsp;It’s a wise decision: In years past, Swift, Shellback and Martin’s pop experiments shifted not only her career trajectory but the genre itself. Before “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” an EDM drop in the middle of a radio pop hit was unimaginable. After, the style would dominate for half the decade.

“The Life of a Showgirl” isn’t as seismic, but there are addictive and idiosyncratic Swiftisms here: acerbic wit and thick literary references in glassy pop hooks. Where a song like “Opalite,” if attempted by another other performer, would lose its weightlessness under its voluble aspirations, Swift manages to swoon. Stacked, opalescent harmonies and a vintage swing give the song, fittingly, an almost iridescent quality.

And there are bops, like the undeniable opener “The Fate of Ophelia” with its 1980s-via-Robyn synth-pop and momentary “Summertime Sadness” vocal delivery.

There’s a treasure trove of deliciously quotable lines, too, as expected. “Please God bring me a best friend who I think is hot,” she manages to make effortless in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-review-45cf7eca3326d784829b405deb48310f">the “Midnights”-esque</a>&nbsp;“Wi$h Li$t,” a lovely song about the mundanity of romance and the suburban fantasy of “a couple kids … a driveway with a basketball hoop.”

Swift’s dense vocabulary is on full display, often full of charm. But it is sometimes unwieldy, a common criticism of “The Tortured Poets Department,” like when she overstuffs “Our thoughtless ambition sparked the ignition on foolish decisions which led to misguided visions” into “Father Figure,” momentarily overvaluing clever writing over clever cadence.

Or she is too modish. The colloquial “Eldest Daughter,” for example, mentions “trolling,” “memes” and “comments,” immediately dating itself. But sonically, it is a thoughtful acoustic ballad with emo movement, in which Swift contends with her “terminal uniqueness” and deep dedication to a loved one. It juxtaposes nicely with something like the casually cruel, pop-punk affected “Actually Romantic.” It’s hard not to hear some brief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hayley-williams-ego-death-review-paramore-7308f4eb928346c782f847705edcd1fb">Hayley Williams</a>&nbsp;in the distorted speakerphone vocals in the song’s coda or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boygenius-phoebe-bridgers-2024-grammys-baker-dacus-b5498d184f2b66841ad8033ac3d3cbac">boygenius</a>&nbsp;in its harmonies: another example of Swift pulling from those she’s influenced — and enlisted on her tours.

Swift has said “The Life of a Showgirl” is meant to embody her “Eras Tour” —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-numbers-2-billion-118a7f5ea4609c5d3072a29152e387bb">a singular global phenomenon,</a>&nbsp;a canonical event in the history of pop performance that, in its over three-hour runtime, was a sensory explosion. On these 12 tracks, she’s approximating glitz and glamour with humanity and humor. She spends no time waiting in the wings. So let the show begin.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759489518121.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/maria-sherman">MARIA SHERMAN</a></p><p>Who is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift’s</a>&nbsp;heir apparent? Her 12th album,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-album-life-of-showgirl-c4262686b5b68ee210f7571b8716ab51">“The Life of a Showgirl,”</a>&nbsp;offers an answer. It’s Taylor Swift.</p><p>Her last album,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department-review-b24d2275df5cf78ffa9069c61b9825ec">“The Tortured Poets Department,”</a>&nbsp;ended with the cautionary “Clara Bow,” an allegory that seemed to suggest her tenure atop the cultural mainstream was inherited from stars of the past, like the namechecked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/stevie-nicks">Stevie Nicks</a>&nbsp;— and that a new generation of younger, elastic female pop performers could soon take her place. In 2025, there are many to choose from: Consider&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chappell-roan">Chappell Roan’s</a>&nbsp;full-throated theatrics,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/olivia-rodrigo">Olivia Rodrigo’s</a>&nbsp;fiery punk-pop feminism,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sabrina-carpenter">Sabrina Carpenter’s</a>&nbsp;cheeky sexuality. In the knotty themes of Friday’s “The Life of a Showgirl,” best illustrated in the title track, Swift asserts that the baton hasn’t been passed, but rather shared. Because she isn’t going anywhere.</p><p>“And all the headshots on the walls / Of the dance halls are of the b------ / Who wish I’d hurry up and die,” she sings with a wink, “But I’m immortal now, baby dolls / I couldn’t if I tried.” Notably, if she has a chosen successor in someone else, it’s the album’s sole feature: Carpenter, who sings on the stomp-clap closer in her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sabrina-carpenter-mans-best-friend-review-1f3bd6c87b64bc3329e7e7c94f034083">newly adopted twang.</a>&nbsp;The mournful glissando of lap steel — the album’s most country moment — arrives only with Carpenter’s introduction. The western genre is Swift’s past and Carpenter’s future.</p><h2>Suggestive bangers and a ‘New Heights’ namecheck</h2><p>If Swift is co-signing Carpenter, she’s also learning from her. Carpenter has cornered the market on tight pop songs with pert, provocative messages; Swift does the same with the manspreading swagger of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-michael">George Michael-interpolating</a>&nbsp;“Father Figure,” which mentions a protege, and the funky “Wood.” (A carefully veiled PG-13 lyric: “His love was the key / That opened my thighs,” she sings. “Girls, I don’t need to catch the bouquet / To know a hard rock is on the way.”) Interwoven are suggestive, sensual ad-libs ... and a direct reference to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-engaged-d585627eb98b69428ce206a2c8a9cb7d">fiance Travis Kelce’s</a>&nbsp;podcast.</p><p>Across a brisk 12 tracks — Swift’s tendency toward abundance doesn’t manifest itself in a double album this time around, but instead in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-life-showgirl-streaming-vinyl-guide-e6ae27ac62d972be042e849dc31e140c">her endless vinyl variants</a>&nbsp;— “The Life of a Showgirl” mostly delivers on its promise of up-tempo pop “bangers,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-new-heights-podcast-e26d4150cd1fa7bf7cea189e48237663">to borrow her own vernacular.</a>&nbsp;Fans need not wait up for the long-anticipated “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” because “The Life of a Showgirl” pulls from its essence. But this time, with a lot of affection, like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/taylor-swift-television-programs-arts-and-entertainment-d1a0278150f040538767bab78067f352">a truer “Lover” era.</a></p><p>Swift has long internalized criticisms and responded to them in her art, most directly in 2017’s “Reputation.” Here, she is once again concerned with her perception, articulated over booming, lush production on “CANCELLED!” or “Elizabeth Taylor.” On the latter, she sings, “Hollywood hates me / You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby.” Except this time, her love acts as an anchor. “I can’t have fun if I can’t have you,” she flirts.</p><h2>Welcome (back) to Sweden</h2><p>For “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift enlisted Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback, the hitmaking duo she collaborated with on 2012’s “Red,” 2014’s “1989” and, of course,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/taylor-swift-music-arts-and-entertainment-c29acbc0b521419cb362e720b32ec018">“Reputation.”</a>&nbsp;Notably absent is her frequent producing partner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jack-antonoff">Jack Antonoff.</a>&nbsp;It’s a wise decision: In years past, Swift, Shellback and Martin’s pop experiments shifted not only her career trajectory but the genre itself. Before “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” an EDM drop in the middle of a radio pop hit was unimaginable. After, the style would dominate for half the decade.</p><p>“The Life of a Showgirl” isn’t as seismic, but there are addictive and idiosyncratic Swiftisms here: acerbic wit and thick literary references in glassy pop hooks. Where a song like “Opalite,” if attempted by another other performer, would lose its weightlessness under its voluble aspirations, Swift manages to swoon. Stacked, opalescent harmonies and a vintage swing give the song, fittingly, an almost iridescent quality.</p><p>And there are bops, like the undeniable opener “The Fate of Ophelia” with its 1980s-via-Robyn synth-pop and momentary “Summertime Sadness” vocal delivery.</p><p>There’s a treasure trove of deliciously quotable lines, too, as expected. “Please God bring me a best friend who I think is hot,” she manages to make effortless in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-midnights-review-45cf7eca3326d784829b405deb48310f">the “Midnights”-esque</a>&nbsp;“Wi$h Li$t,” a lovely song about the mundanity of romance and the suburban fantasy of “a couple kids … a driveway with a basketball hoop.”</p><h2>The dictionary of a showgirl</h2><p>Swift’s dense vocabulary is on full display, often full of charm. But it is sometimes unwieldy, a common criticism of “The Tortured Poets Department,” like when she overstuffs “Our thoughtless ambition sparked the ignition on foolish decisions which led to misguided visions” into “Father Figure,” momentarily overvaluing clever writing over clever cadence.</p><p>Or she is too modish. The colloquial “Eldest Daughter,” for example, mentions “trolling,” “memes” and “comments,” immediately dating itself. But sonically, it is a thoughtful acoustic ballad with emo movement, in which Swift contends with her “terminal uniqueness” and deep dedication to a loved one. It juxtaposes nicely with something like the casually cruel, pop-punk affected “Actually Romantic.” It’s hard not to hear some brief&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hayley-williams-ego-death-review-paramore-7308f4eb928346c782f847705edcd1fb">Hayley Williams</a>&nbsp;in the distorted speakerphone vocals in the song’s coda or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boygenius-phoebe-bridgers-2024-grammys-baker-dacus-b5498d184f2b66841ad8033ac3d3cbac">boygenius</a>&nbsp;in its harmonies: another example of Swift pulling from those she’s influenced — and enlisted on her tours.</p><p>Swift has said “The Life of a Showgirl” is meant to embody her “Eras Tour” —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-numbers-2-billion-118a7f5ea4609c5d3072a29152e387bb">a singular global phenomenon,</a>&nbsp;a canonical event in the history of pop performance that, in its over three-hour runtime, was a sensory explosion. On these 12 tracks, she’s approximating glitz and glamour with humanity and humor. She spends no time waiting in the wings. So let the show begin.</p>

Music Review: Taylor Swift’s 'The Life of a Showgirl,' love and reputation are on the line

For the first time, a woman will serve as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/anglican-church-of-england-archbishop-of-canterbury-cb6217f75fbef58e2a22088033248717">Archbishop of Canterbury</a>, following the 105 men who have held the role since St. Augustine took the position in the year 597.

This means Bishop of London Sarah Mullally has broken through the Church of England’s highest stained-glass ceiling. But for many of the world’s religions, that barrier to women in top leadership remains firmly intact.

Here is a look at how high women in ministry have been able to climb in some of the major faith traditions.

As the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mullaly will also lead the Anglican Communion in her new role, which the communion describes as the first among equals. It has more than 85 million members spread across 165 countries and many still believe the Bible requires male-only leadership.

One exception is the Episcopal Church in the United States. Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected to serve as the presiding bishop of that Anglican province in 2006.

In addition to the Episcopal Church, other mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. have had female leaders.

The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton recently finished 12 years as the first woman to be presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest U.S. Lutheran body. The United Methodist Church has had women serve as president of its powerful Council of Bishops, including the current president — Tracy Smith Malone. In 2023, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson became the first woman to lead the United Church of Christ as its general minister and president.

Among evangelical churches, there are some female pastors. But the largest evangelical denomination, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southern-baptist-churches-women-pastors-34edfd1578e609c3acb187ab90f0255e">Southern Baptist Convention</a>, has maintained an all-male leadership and bars women from serving as pastors at SBC-affiliated churches.

In the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-1675b593ac48cd40fd15304a59ba9e1b">most major Black Christian denominations</a>&nbsp;have no doctrinal bar to ordained women leaders in the way that some denominations do, and women have preached and been ordained in historically Black churches since at least the 19th century.

Yet denominational leadership remained all-male until the 21st century, and women are still the exception in the top rungs. One example is Vashti Murphy McKenzie, who in 2000 was elected the first woman bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">Catholic Church</a>&nbsp;makes a distinction between ministry and management when it comes to women’s leadership roles.

The church bars women from ordained ministry, meaning they cannot be priests or deacons, on the grounds that Christ’s apostles were all men. Women have however reached high levels of church management,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">especially under Pope Francis</a>.

The late pope promoted several nuns to senior Vatican positions, including the first-ever female prefect of a Holy See department, and gave women the right to vote at major Vatican gatherings known as synods.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Commonly known as the Mormon church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is currently going through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mormon-church-nelson-oaks-president-leadership-90ce246157e27e976af6f57b5e92fc32">leadership transition</a>&nbsp;following the death of its president, Russell M. Nelson.

Every church president since its founding in 1830 has been a man — and the next person to lead the more than 17 million-member, global church will be too. That is in keeping with the faith’s all-male priesthood.

The highest-ranking women in the church oversee organizations that run programs for women and girls. These sit below several layers of leadership groups reserved for only men.

The gender situation within Judaism is markedly different in Israel and the United States, which together account for more than 80% of the world’s Jewish population.

The largest U.S. branches, Reform and Conservative, allow women to be rabbis, while the Orthodox branch does not. In Israel, the Conservative and Reform movements are small, and Orthodox authorities hold a near monopoly on all matters regarding Judaism.

Unlike the Church of England, not all faith traditions, including Islam, have a centralized hierarchical structure, and therefore do not have an equivalent role to that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Among Islam's some 2 billion adherents around the world, women don’t lead mixed-gender congregational prayers in traditional Muslim settings and the top formal ranks of Islamic authorities have been largely filled with men.

Still, many Muslim women have been occupying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-religion-islam-14cfe5f40ffa234a7e783dc9a53b98ea">other leadership roles</a>&nbsp;in Islamic spaces in their communities, including as religious scholars, preachers, and, in some cases, religious courts judges.

Different cultural norms or theological and scholarly interpretations can lead to varying views and debates on the permissibility, scope or boundaries of certain roles. Some Muslims have been pushing to expand women’s roles in Islamic spaces and pointing to historic examples from the Islamic heritage.

Women leaders in other decentralized faiths

Instead of a single, centralized figure or body, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-india-new-york-new-york-city-hinduism-c7d710dbdb69dd6de0fabb0f48cdc849">Hinduism</a>&nbsp;is derived from sacred texts, tradition and the teachings of spiritual teachers and monastic leaders.

Structured similarly, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-religion-india-education-thailand-72c19680853e154d2687990c62f8c19c">Buddhism</a>&nbsp;stems from the Buddha’s teachings, those acknowledged as enlightened individuals and community consensus, with scripture serving as guidance rather than a definitive source of all rules.

Both religions have numerous sects and orders with their own leaders and a small number of them are women.

In Hinduism, some examples include Mata Amritanandamayi, a 72-year-old Indian spiritual leader, who hails from a marginalized fishing community and now oversees her own spiritual and charitable organization. Examples can also be found in the Ramakrishna Order, which has a separate branch for female monks who establish and lead their own monasteries around the world.

In Buddhism, more women are pushing for ordination and for elevation to higher titles. Some schools, such as Soto Zen, the largest in Japan and with large numbers of Western practitioners, are more open to female leaders and have several abbesses in their ranks.

Sikhism, which by some counts is the fifth largest religion in the world, is also male-dominated.

None of the 10 Gurus, the human spiritual teachers of the faith, were female. Women are also significantly underrepresented in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the body that oversees many gurdwaras in India. Bibi Jagir Kaur was the first woman to be elected president of the committee in 1999 and again in 2004.

In many gurdwaras, certain rituals like carrying the palanquin containing the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture, or performing spiritual music (kirtan) at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest Sikh shrine, have remained largely male-dominated.

Those norms are slowly changing in other parts of the world including North America where several women have formed kirtan groups.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

<p>For the first time, a woman will serve as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/anglican-church-of-england-archbishop-of-canterbury-cb6217f75fbef58e2a22088033248717">Archbishop of Canterbury</a>, following the 105 men who have held the role since St. Augustine took the position in the year 597.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hello, my name is Bishop Sarah Mullally.<br><br>I&#39;m deeply honoured to have been called to serve as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury.<a href="https://t.co/2FIJRUADZk">https://t.co/2FIJRUADZk</a> <a href="https://t.co/IqTgcfi7tp">pic.twitter.com/IqTgcfi7tp</a></p>&mdash; Archbishop of Canterbury (@OfficeofABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeofABC/status/1974037891484414226?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>This means Bishop of London Sarah Mullally has broken through the Church of England’s highest stained-glass ceiling. But for many of the world’s religions, that barrier to women in top leadership remains firmly intact.</p><p>Here is a look at how high women in ministry have been able to climb in some of the major faith traditions.</p><h2>Anglican Communion</h2><p>As the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mullaly will also lead the Anglican Communion in her new role, which the communion describes as the first among equals. It has more than 85 million members spread across 165 countries and many still believe the Bible requires male-only leadership.</p><p>One exception is the Episcopal Church in the United States. Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected to serve as the presiding bishop of that Anglican province in 2006.</p><h2>Other Protestant churches</h2><p>In addition to the Episcopal Church, other mainline Protestant denominations in the U.S. have had female leaders.</p><p>The Rev. Elizabeth Eaton recently finished 12 years as the first woman to be presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest U.S. Lutheran body. The United Methodist Church has had women serve as president of its powerful Council of Bishops, including the current president — Tracy Smith Malone. In 2023, the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson became the first woman to lead the United Church of Christ as its general minister and president.</p><p>Among evangelical churches, there are some female pastors. But the largest evangelical denomination, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southern-baptist-churches-women-pastors-34edfd1578e609c3acb187ab90f0255e">Southern Baptist Convention</a>, has maintained an all-male leadership and bars women from serving as pastors at SBC-affiliated churches.</p><p>In the U.S.,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-1675b593ac48cd40fd15304a59ba9e1b">most major Black Christian denominations</a>&nbsp;have no doctrinal bar to ordained women leaders in the way that some denominations do, and women have preached and been ordained in historically Black churches since at least the 19th century.</p><p>Yet denominational leadership remained all-male until the 21st century, and women are still the exception in the top rungs. One example is Vashti Murphy McKenzie, who in 2000 was elected the first woman bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.</p><h2>Catholic Church</h2><p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">Catholic Church</a>&nbsp;makes a distinction between ministry and management when it comes to women’s leadership roles.</p><p>The church bars women from ordained ministry, meaning they cannot be priests or deacons, on the grounds that Christ’s apostles were all men. Women have however reached high levels of church management,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-women-cf2602d26d3ec84a7993f872916b1b89">especially under Pope Francis</a>.</p><p>The late pope promoted several nuns to senior Vatican positions, including the first-ever female prefect of a Holy See department, and gave women the right to vote at major Vatican gatherings known as synods.</p><h2>The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</h2><p>Commonly known as the Mormon church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is currently going through a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mormon-church-nelson-oaks-president-leadership-90ce246157e27e976af6f57b5e92fc32">leadership transition</a>&nbsp;following the death of its president, Russell M. Nelson.</p><p>Every church president since its founding in 1830 has been a man — and the next person to lead the more than 17 million-member, global church will be too. That is in keeping with the faith’s all-male priesthood.</p><p>The highest-ranking women in the church oversee organizations that run programs for women and girls. These sit below several layers of leadership groups reserved for only men.</p><h2>Judaism</h2><p>The gender situation within Judaism is markedly different in Israel and the United States, which together account for more than 80% of the world’s Jewish population.</p><p>The largest U.S. branches, Reform and Conservative, allow women to be rabbis, while the Orthodox branch does not. In Israel, the Conservative and Reform movements are small, and Orthodox authorities hold a near monopoly on all matters regarding Judaism.</p><h2>Islam</h2><p>Unlike the Church of England, not all faith traditions, including Islam, have a centralized hierarchical structure, and therefore do not have an equivalent role to that of the Archbishop of Canterbury.</p><p>Among Islam's some 2 billion adherents around the world, women don’t lead mixed-gender congregational prayers in traditional Muslim settings and the top formal ranks of Islamic authorities have been largely filled with men.</p><p>Still, many Muslim women have been occupying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-religion-islam-14cfe5f40ffa234a7e783dc9a53b98ea">other leadership roles</a>&nbsp;in Islamic spaces in their communities, including as religious scholars, preachers, and, in some cases, religious courts judges.</p><p>Different cultural norms or theological and scholarly interpretations can lead to varying views and debates on the permissibility, scope or boundaries of certain roles. Some Muslims have been pushing to expand women’s roles in Islamic spaces and pointing to historic examples from the Islamic heritage.</p><h2>Women leaders in other decentralized faiths</h2><p>Instead of a single, centralized figure or body, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-india-new-york-new-york-city-hinduism-c7d710dbdb69dd6de0fabb0f48cdc849">Hinduism</a>&nbsp;is derived from sacred texts, tradition and the teachings of spiritual teachers and monastic leaders.</p><p>Structured similarly, authority in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-religion-india-education-thailand-72c19680853e154d2687990c62f8c19c">Buddhism</a>&nbsp;stems from the Buddha’s teachings, those acknowledged as enlightened individuals and community consensus, with scripture serving as guidance rather than a definitive source of all rules.</p><p>Both religions have numerous sects and orders with their own leaders and a small number of them are women.</p><p>In Hinduism, some examples include Mata Amritanandamayi, a 72-year-old Indian spiritual leader, who hails from a marginalized fishing community and now oversees her own spiritual and charitable organization. Examples can also be found in the Ramakrishna Order, which has a separate branch for female monks who establish and lead their own monasteries around the world.</p><p>In Buddhism, more women are pushing for ordination and for elevation to higher titles. Some schools, such as Soto Zen, the largest in Japan and with large numbers of Western practitioners, are more open to female leaders and have several abbesses in their ranks.</p><h2>Sikhism</h2><p>Sikhism, which by some counts is the fifth largest religion in the world, is also male-dominated.</p><p>None of the 10 Gurus, the human spiritual teachers of the faith, were female. Women are also significantly underrepresented in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the body that oversees many gurdwaras in India. Bibi Jagir Kaur was the first woman to be elected president of the committee in 1999 and again in 2004.</p><p>In many gurdwaras, certain rituals like carrying the palanquin containing the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture, or performing spiritual music (kirtan) at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest Sikh shrine, have remained largely male-dominated.</p><p>Those norms are slowly changing in other parts of the world including North America where several women have formed kirtan groups.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.</p>

First female Archbishop of Canterbury still an outlier among top religious leaders

KANSAS CITY —One person died and three others were injured in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Saturday in Clay County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Subaru Forester driven by a 36-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man was southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 29 just south of U.S. 169. The Subaru struck a 2007 Honda Accord driven by a 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas man head-on.&nbsp; After impact the Honda struck a 2021 Chevy Traverse driven by a 67-year-old Kansas City, Missouri woman and a 2024 Toyota Venza driven by a 27-year-old Smithville woman.

A 21-year-old Kansas City, Kansas woman in Honda was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported the Honda driver and the Subaru driver to North Kansas City Hospital. The 67-year-old driver refused treatment at the scene. The Subaru driver was also not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759667832059.png" alt="Image KC Scout Camera" />
                        <figcaption>Image KC Scout Camera</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —One person died and three others were injured in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Saturday in Clay County, Missouri.</p><p>The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Subaru Forester driven by a 36-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man was southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 29 just south of U.S. 169. The Subaru struck a 2007 Honda Accord driven by a 22-year-old Kansas City, Kansas man head-on.&nbsp; After impact the Honda struck a 2021 Chevy Traverse driven by a 67-year-old Kansas City, Missouri woman and a 2024 Toyota Venza driven by a 27-year-old Smithville woman.</p><p>A 21-year-old Kansas City, Kansas woman in Honda was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported the Honda driver and the Subaru driver to North Kansas City Hospital. The 67-year-old driver refused treatment at the scene. The Subaru driver was also not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.</p>

Kansas woman dead, 3 injured after wrong-way, head-on crash

By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mayasmith/">Maya Smith</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

LAWRENCE — Lawrence firefighters union president Seamus Albritton says the community might have to wait longer for emergency responses as a result of budget cuts.

The Lawrence City Commission recently cut the Lawrence Fire-Medical Department budget by $1.5 million. The department’s response times already exceed six minutes for arrival to structured fires, above the National Fire Protection Association standard of four minutes or less for career departments.

“We have the data that support that we’re already understaffed at the number of fire trucks that we have now,” Albritton said. “They’re choosing to cut the core services of the city. Your core services keep the citizens safe, and they choose to fund things beyond public safety.”

This cut will eliminate one truck from Lawrence Station No. 5, right next to the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

Lawrence is not alone in cutting fire-medical budgets. Amid budget shortfalls across the state, public safety departments are facing cuts. And service providers are sounding alarms about the impact those cuts could have, especially in rural communities.

“When people dial 911, they expect a response,” state fire management officer Bill Waln said. “The mission of any emergency response organization is to make sure that their response is timely, safe, and effective. Significant cuts can make that more challenging, not because the commitment of the emergency responder changes, but because resources are what allow us to meet the public’s expectations.”

Kansas communities rely on federal grants that provide funding for small fire departments’ training, maintaining equipment and funding jobs. For rural communities, Waln said, federal grants can be a lifeline.

“When those grants are cut, departments don’t lose their dedication, but they may lose the tools or people they need to meet the public’s expectation when they dial 911,” Waln said. “For emergency responders, that translates into longer hours, more stress, and in some cases greater risk on the job. They carry a tremendous weight, knowing the community depends on them no matter what.”

Beyond the cost of equipment and facilities, some small communities struggle to have enough manpower to cover their county’s emergencies.

Rural counties are heavily reliant on volunteer firefighters, with 78.6% of departments across the state being volunteer, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://klcjournal.com/the-volunteer-fire-departments-protecting-rural-kansas-face-an-emergency-finding-enough-joiners/#:~:text=But%20the%20state%20is%20disproportionately%20reliant%20on,another%2011.4%25%20rate%20as%20%E2%80%9Cmostly%20volunteer%E2%80%9D%20departments." target="_blank">the National Fire Department Registry.</a>

“We have 65- and 70-year-olds in the line of duty,” said Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell. “ This is an incredibly physically demanding job.  The fire doesn’t care what your paycheck is. Old men and women still serving simply because they want to serve their community — and there’s no one coming in to take over for them is really a travesty in my opinion.”

With fewer volunteers, rural counties rely on neighboring counties to take on emergency response — putting rural communities at risk of first responders arriving too late.&nbsp;

“Instead of seven minutes, they get there in 27 minutes,” Russell said. “They’re there to help clean up — to put out the ashes.”

Response times highlight the broader issues within fire-medical departments, from staffing shortages to the politics involved with the budget making process, ultimately leading to first responders being stretched too thin, Waln said.

“When reductions affect emergency response organizations, I hope leaders fully recognize the potential impact,” Waln said. “Citizens expect that when they call for help, the response is quick, safe, and effective. Any decision that changes that expectation carries very real consequences for safety, trust, and the wellbeing of those on the front lines.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759612611355.png" alt=" Lawrence Station 5 is among fire departments across the state facing budget cuts, leading to potentially longer response times. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)" />
                        <figcaption> Lawrence Station 5 is among fire departments across the state facing budget cuts, leading to potentially longer response times. (Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mayasmith/">Maya Smith</a><br><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>LAWRENCE — Lawrence firefighters union president Seamus Albritton says the community might have to wait longer for emergency responses as a result of budget cuts.</p><p>The Lawrence City Commission recently cut the Lawrence Fire-Medical Department budget by $1.5 million. The department’s response times already exceed six minutes for arrival to structured fires, above the National Fire Protection Association standard of four minutes or less for career departments.</p><p>“We have the data that support that we’re already understaffed at the number of fire trucks that we have now,” Albritton said. “They’re choosing to cut the core services of the city. Your core services keep the citizens safe, and they choose to fund things beyond public safety.”</p><p>This cut will eliminate one truck from Lawrence Station No. 5, right next to the University of Kansas.&nbsp;</p><p>Lawrence is not alone in cutting fire-medical budgets. Amid budget shortfalls across the state, public safety departments are facing cuts. And service providers are sounding alarms about the impact those cuts could have, especially in rural communities.</p><p>“When people dial 911, they expect a response,” state fire management officer Bill Waln said. “The mission of any emergency response organization is to make sure that their response is timely, safe, and effective. Significant cuts can make that more challenging, not because the commitment of the emergency responder changes, but because resources are what allow us to meet the public’s expectations.”</p><p>Kansas communities rely on federal grants that provide funding for small fire departments’ training, maintaining equipment and funding jobs. For rural communities, Waln said, federal grants can be a lifeline.</p><p>“When those grants are cut, departments don’t lose their dedication, but they may lose the tools or people they need to meet the public’s expectation when they dial 911,” Waln said. “For emergency responders, that translates into longer hours, more stress, and in some cases greater risk on the job. They carry a tremendous weight, knowing the community depends on them no matter what.”</p><p>Beyond the cost of equipment and facilities, some small communities struggle to have enough manpower to cover their county’s emergencies.</p><p>Rural counties are heavily reliant on volunteer firefighters, with 78.6% of departments across the state being volunteer, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://klcjournal.com/the-volunteer-fire-departments-protecting-rural-kansas-face-an-emergency-finding-enough-joiners/#:~:text=But%20the%20state%20is%20disproportionately%20reliant%20on,another%2011.4%25%20rate%20as%20%E2%80%9Cmostly%20volunteer%E2%80%9D%20departments." target="_blank">the National Fire Department Registry.</a></p><p>“We have 65- and 70-year-olds in the line of duty,” said Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell. “ This is an incredibly physically demanding job.  The fire doesn’t care what your paycheck is. Old men and women still serving simply because they want to serve their community — and there’s no one coming in to take over for them is really a travesty in my opinion.”</p><p>With fewer volunteers, rural counties rely on neighboring counties to take on emergency response — putting rural communities at risk of first responders arriving too late.&nbsp;</p><p>“Instead of seven minutes, they get there in 27 minutes,” Russell said. “They’re there to help clean up — to put out the ashes.”</p><p>Response times highlight the broader issues within fire-medical departments, from staffing shortages to the politics involved with the budget making process, ultimately leading to first responders being stretched too thin, Waln said.</p><p>“When reductions affect emergency response organizations, I hope leaders fully recognize the potential impact,” Waln said. “Citizens expect that when they call for help, the response is quick, safe, and effective. Any decision that changes that expectation carries very real consequences for safety, trust, and the wellbeing of those on the front lines.”</p>

From budget cuts to lack of volunteers, Kansas counties face increased fire response times

JERUSALEM (AP) Hamas says it is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the bodies of the dead in accordance with President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hamas-israel-gaza-war-mideast-bba524e6ac9cc9877e71fefc804cb602">Trump’s peace plan</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-plan-gaza-israel-hamas-war-d5bb4097af1d46ba16ab20914d265ff7">Under the plan</a>, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It would also give up power and disarm.

In delivering its response to Trump’s plan, the militant group said it was ready to release the hostages and give up power but made no reference to disarming and made clear there was still much more to negotiate.

Israel said on Saturday that it would start preparations for implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan and the hostages’ release.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">ensuing war</a>&nbsp;has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Total hostages captured during Oct. 7 attack: 251

Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: four (two who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of two soldiers killed in the 2014 war)

Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 148, of whom eight were dead

Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 51

Hostages still in captivity: 48, of which the Israeli military believes 20 are still alive

Non-Israeli hostages in captivity: four (two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-thai-dccc8d8da8c56d5122a21a6b89c7175d">Thai</a>&nbsp;nationals and one Tanzanian who have been confirmed dead, and one Nepalese national)

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740236871145.png" alt="Hostage and Missing Families Forum" />
                        <figcaption>Hostage and Missing Families Forum</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JERUSALEM (AP) Hamas says it is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the bodies of the dead in accordance with President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hamas-israel-gaza-war-mideast-bba524e6ac9cc9877e71fefc804cb602">Trump’s peace plan</a>.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/jWKQTWMdAQ">pic.twitter.com/jWKQTWMdAQ</a></p>&mdash; Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1974496709985161556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-plan-gaza-israel-hamas-war-d5bb4097af1d46ba16ab20914d265ff7">Under the plan</a>, Hamas would release the remaining 48 hostages — around 20 of them believed to be alive — within three days. It would also give up power and disarm.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> on the Hamas response to President Trump&#39;s peace plan: &quot;They have said, basically, that they agree to his proposal and the framework for releasing the hostages. That&#39;s an enormous achievement... There&#39;s a lot of international pressure on Hamas to make this happen.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WkSJ41qEiD">pic.twitter.com/WkSJ41qEiD</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1974828315484848176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>In delivering its response to Trump’s plan, the militant group said it was ready to release the hostages and give up power but made no reference to disarming and made clear there was still much more to negotiate.</p><p>Israel said on Saturday that it would start preparations for implementation of the first phase of Trump’s plan and the hostages’ release.</p><p>Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages in the Oct. 7 attack. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">ensuing war</a>&nbsp;has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants.</p><p>Here are details on the hostages:</p><p>Total hostages captured during Oct. 7 attack: 251</p><p>Hostages taken before the Oct. 7 attack: four (two who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and the bodies of two soldiers killed in the 2014 war)</p><p>Hostages released in exchanges or other deals: 148, of whom eight were dead</p><p>Bodies of hostages retrieved by Israeli forces: 51</p><p>Hostages rescued alive: eight</p><p>Hostages still in captivity: 48, of which the Israeli military believes 20 are still alive</p><p>Non-Israeli hostages in captivity: four (two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-ceasefire-hostages-thai-dccc8d8da8c56d5122a21a6b89c7175d">Thai</a>&nbsp;nationals and one Tanzanian who have been confirmed dead, and one Nepalese national)</p>

A look at the hostages taken to Gaza, by the numbers

KANSAS CITY. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court to being in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to the United State's Attorney.

Donnique H. Kelley, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to participating in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

According to court documents, between the dates of Dec. 14, 2022 and March 23, 2023, Kelley and others sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to law enforcement officials on at least seven separate occasions.&nbsp;

On Sept. 12, 2023, following a car stop on East 63rd Street, Kansas City, Mo., a co-conspirator and source of supply of fentanyl and methamphetamine for the conspiracy was found in possession of 4.45 kilograms of methamphetamine, 2.02 kilograms of marijuana, and $14,382.

Under federal statutes, Kelley is subject to a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

<p>KANSAS CITY. – A Kansas City man pleaded guilty in federal court to being in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to the United State's Attorney.</p><p>Donnique H. Kelley, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to participating in a conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.</p><p>According to court documents, between the dates of Dec. 14, 2022 and March 23, 2023, Kelley and others sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to law enforcement officials on at least seven separate occasions.&nbsp;</p><p>On Sept. 12, 2023, following a car stop on East 63rd Street, Kansas City, Mo., a co-conspirator and source of supply of fentanyl and methamphetamine for the conspiracy was found in possession of 4.45 kilograms of methamphetamine, 2.02 kilograms of marijuana, and $14,382.</p><p>Under federal statutes, Kelley is subject to a sentence of not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.</p>

Kansas City man sold fentanyl, meth to law enforcement officers

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s largest school district said they filed a lawsuit Friday against the consulting company it hired to identify superintendent candidates, alleging it did not properly vet Ian Roberts, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-des-moines-superintendent-ian-roberts-b52a9ea28d002d27832c67513403368e">arrested by immigration authorities</a>&nbsp;last week.

Des Moines Public Schools hired JG Consulting in 2022 to facilitate the leadership search, which led to the hiring of Roberts the following year.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements officials have said the Guyana native was in the U.S. illegally and had no work authorization. Federal prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-9f095fd0dd8b8ab93f6e03231231cac3">charged Roberts</a>&nbsp;on Thursday with possessing four firearms while in the U.S. illegally, including one authorities said was wrapped in a towel inside the Jeep Cherokee he was driving when agents pulled him over, according to court filings.

The district’s complaint accused the search firm of breach of contract and negligence, and school board chair Jackie Norris said the focus is on recouping taxpayer dollars and addressing reputational damage.

“The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates. Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist,” Norris said. “If we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired.”

James Guerra, president and CEO of Texas-based JG Consulting, did not immediately respond to phone calls or messages seeking comment Friday. A phone call to JG Consulting’s customer service line went unanswered.

The arrest of Roberts after he ran from a traffic stop has shocked and confused the community. Students have walked out of their classrooms in protest. Community members have gathered to pose questions to Roberts’ lawyers, trying to reconcile the vibrant man who engaged with students and staff with the man at the center of a scandal that has grabbed national attention. The Des Moines school board has said it was “a victim of deception” throughout his tenure.

Roberts, who is in federal custody in Des Moines,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-105449edfeb37ee2d3d635de9df52a64">resigned as superintendent</a>&nbsp;this week after a state education board revoked his license.

Federal authorities said Roberts had a final removal order that was issued last year, and an immigration judge denied a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case this April. Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, has said Roberts was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully.”

The contract between the district and JG Consulting, which has long been available on the district’s website, said the company was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, public domain search and complete reference checks, as well as the presentation of qualified candidates.

Roberts has two decades of experience in education and used a doctorate title well before earning a doctoral degree from Trident University International in 2021.

Roberts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-superintendent-ice-doctorate-d719dac9a6cffd5b8dc93725441fdebc">falsely claimed on a resume</a>&nbsp;he submitted with his application that he earned a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.

Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctorate program from 2002 to 2007, the school’s public relations office confirmed in an email that he didn’t receive that degree. A background check during the hiring process said the same, flagging the discrepancy with the resume, according to the district.

The district said the full school board only saw a resume that was revised to indicate he had not completed his dissertation, which is necessary for the degree. But the board did have access to the background check alerting members to the initial variance.

The consulting company was required to bring all information, positive or negative, to the board’s attention but failed to do so, Norris said. “This is about accountability.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758925503158.png" alt="&nbsp;Ian Roberts in February 2020.- photo ICE" />
                        <figcaption>&nbsp;Ian Roberts in February 2020.- photo ICE</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s largest school district said they filed a lawsuit Friday against the consulting company it hired to identify superintendent candidates, alleging it did not properly vet Ian Roberts, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-des-moines-superintendent-ian-roberts-b52a9ea28d002d27832c67513403368e">arrested by immigration authorities</a>&nbsp;last week.</p><p>Des Moines Public Schools hired JG Consulting in 2022 to facilitate the leadership search, which led to the hiring of Roberts the following year.</p><p>U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements officials have said the Guyana native was in the U.S. illegally and had no work authorization. Federal prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-9f095fd0dd8b8ab93f6e03231231cac3">charged Roberts</a>&nbsp;on Thursday with possessing four firearms while in the U.S. illegally, including one authorities said was wrapped in a towel inside the Jeep Cherokee he was driving when agents pulled him over, according to court filings.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759615148707.png" alt=" Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, right, greets students and staff on the first day of school at Goodrell Elementary on Aug. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jon Lemons/Courtesy of Des Moines Public Schools)" />
                        <figcaption> Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts, right, greets students and staff on the first day of school at Goodrell Elementary on Aug. 25, 2025. (Photo by Jon Lemons/Courtesy of Des Moines Public Schools)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The district’s complaint accused the search firm of breach of contract and negligence, and school board chair Jackie Norris said the focus is on recouping taxpayer dollars and addressing reputational damage.</p><p>“The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates. Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist,” Norris said. “If we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired.”</p><p>James Guerra, president and CEO of Texas-based JG Consulting, did not immediately respond to phone calls or messages seeking comment Friday. A phone call to JG Consulting’s customer service line went unanswered.</p><p>The arrest of Roberts after he ran from a traffic stop has shocked and confused the community. Students have walked out of their classrooms in protest. Community members have gathered to pose questions to Roberts’ lawyers, trying to reconcile the vibrant man who engaged with students and staff with the man at the center of a scandal that has grabbed national attention. The Des Moines school board has said it was “a victim of deception” throughout his tenure.</p><p>Roberts, who is in federal custody in Des Moines,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-ice-superintendent-arrested-immigration-iowa-105449edfeb37ee2d3d635de9df52a64">resigned as superintendent</a>&nbsp;this week after a state education board revoked his license.</p><p>Federal authorities said Roberts had a final removal order that was issued last year, and an immigration judge denied a motion to reopen Roberts’ immigration case this April. Roberts’ attorney, Alfredo Parrish, has said Roberts was under the impression from a prior attorney that his immigration case was “resolved successfully.”</p><p>The contract between the district and JG Consulting, which has long been available on the district’s website, said the company was responsible for advertising, recruitment, application and resume review, public domain search and complete reference checks, as well as the presentation of qualified candidates.</p><p>Roberts has two decades of experience in education and used a doctorate title well before earning a doctoral degree from Trident University International in 2021.</p><p>Roberts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ian-roberts-superintendent-ice-doctorate-d719dac9a6cffd5b8dc93725441fdebc">falsely claimed on a resume</a>&nbsp;he submitted with his application that he earned a doctorate in urban educational leadership from Morgan State University in 2007, according to documents The Associated Press obtained through a public records request.</p><p>Although Roberts was enrolled in that doctorate program from 2002 to 2007, the school’s public relations office confirmed in an email that he didn’t receive that degree. A background check during the hiring process said the same, flagging the discrepancy with the resume, according to the district.</p><p>The district said the full school board only saw a resume that was revised to indicate he had not completed his dissertation, which is necessary for the degree. But the board did have access to the background check alerting members to the initial variance.</p><p>The consulting company was required to bring all information, positive or negative, to the board’s attention but failed to do so, Norris said. “This is about accountability.”</p>

School district sues search firm that vetted superintendent arrested by ICE

JOHNSON COUNTY —Earlier this week, officers responded to reports of car burglaries in progress near K-10 and Canyon Creek Parkway, according to a social media report from Lenexa Police.

Witnesses saw a suspect running from the area as officers arrived.

"Thanks to great teamwork between the Lenexa Police drone operator, K9, and patrol units on foot, officers were guided straight to where the suspect was hiding."

 The suspect, accused of breaking into several vehicles and arriving in a stolen car, quickly surrendered.

"We’re proud of the coordinated effort by our officers and dispatchers on this case, and grateful for the trust and support of our community as we work every day to protect Lenexa."

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759536376425.png" alt="Image from Lenexa Police video" />
                        <figcaption>Image from Lenexa Police video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JOHNSON COUNTY —Earlier this week, officers responded to reports of car burglaries in progress near K-10 and Canyon Creek Parkway, according to a social media report from Lenexa Police.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=297&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Freel%2F823911313503394%2F&show_text=true&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="412" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div><p>Witnesses saw a suspect running from the area as officers arrived.</p><p>"Thanks to great teamwork between the Lenexa Police drone operator, K9, and patrol units on foot, officers were guided straight to where the suspect was hiding."</p><p> The suspect, accused of breaking into several vehicles and arriving in a stolen car, quickly surrendered.</p><p>"We’re proud of the coordinated effort by our officers and dispatchers on this case, and grateful for the trust and support of our community as we work every day to protect Lenexa."</p>

Teamwork helps police capture Kansas burglary suspect

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/wyatte-grantham-philips">WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/matt-obrien">MATT O’BRIEN</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/kelvin-chan">KELVIN CHAN</a><br>Associated Press

Apple and Google blocked downloads of phone apps that flag sightings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/portland-chicago-memphis-federal-crackdowns-trump-7a45dcf0e7e2bd7debb38603e5b4f660">U.S. immigration agents</a>, just hours after the Trump administration demanded that one particularly popular iPhone app be taken down.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said such tracking puts Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at risk. But users and developers of the apps say it’s their First Amendment right to capture what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods — and maintain that most users turn to these platforms in an effort to protect their own safety as President Donald Trump steps up aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.

ICEBlock, the most widely used of the ICE-tracking apps in Apple’s app store, is among the apps that have been taken down. Bondi said her office reached out to Apple on Thursday “demanding that they remove ICEBlock” and claiming that it “is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs.”

Apple soon complied, sending an email Thursday to the app’s creator, Joshua Aaron, that said it would block further downloads of the app because new information “provided to Apple by law enforcement” showed the app broke the app store rules.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759508859916.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/wyatte-grantham-philips">WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/matt-obrien">MATT O’BRIEN</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/kelvin-chan">KELVIN CHAN</a><br>Associated Press</p><p>Apple and Google blocked downloads of phone apps that flag sightings of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/portland-chicago-memphis-federal-crackdowns-trump-7a45dcf0e7e2bd7debb38603e5b4f660">U.S. immigration agents</a>, just hours after the Trump administration demanded that one particularly popular iPhone app be taken down.</p><p>U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said such tracking puts Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at risk. But users and developers of the apps say it’s their First Amendment right to capture what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods — and maintain that most users turn to these platforms in an effort to protect their own safety as President Donald Trump steps up aggressive immigration enforcement across the country.</p><p>ICEBlock, the most widely used of the ICE-tracking apps in Apple’s app store, is among the apps that have been taken down. Bondi said her office reached out to Apple on Thursday “demanding that they remove ICEBlock” and claiming that it “is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs.”</p><p>Apple soon complied, sending an email Thursday to the app’s creator, Joshua Aaron, that said it would block further downloads of the app because new information “provided to Apple by law enforcement” showed the app broke the app store rules.</p><p>According to the email, which Aaron shared with The Associated Press, Apple said the app violated the company’s policies “because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.”</p><p>In a Friday interview, Aaron decried the company for bending to what he described as “an authoritarian regime.” And immigration rights advocates like Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, added that these actions marked “a disturbing example of how tech companies are capitulating to Trump.”</p><p>“These apps are a lifeline for communities living in uncertainty and fear of when ICE might show up to tear their families apart,” Matos said in a statement.</p><p>Downloads of apps like ICEBlock have surged since Trump took office for his second term earlier this year. Aaron said he launched the app in April as a way to help immigrant communities protect themselves from surprise raids or potential harassment. It had more than 1 million users, he said.</p><p>While not specifying details on the total number of platforms removed, Apple confirmed to the AP on Friday that they removed “similar apps” due to potential safety risks that were raised by law enforcement. Google followed their move, saying that several similar apps violated their policies for Android platforms.</p><p>While some advocates don’t find all of these apps particularly useful — pointing to potential misinformation and false alarms — they echoed criticism of moves to suppress them.</p><p>“What really worries me is the kind of precedent that this sets” where the government can “basically dictate what kinds of apps people have on their phones,” said civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo, who works at Harvard University’s Cyberlaw Clinic.</p><p>Caraballo said outside the U.S., government pressure to block apps has been “kind of a hallmark of an authoritarian regime,” such as when Chinese pressure in 2019 led&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/5fb64c1137ad45f284dc605ca7f9c321">Apple to remove an app</a>&nbsp;that enabled Hong Kong protesters to track police.</p><p>Bondi warned over the summer against apps that allow people to communicate about the location of law enforcement officers and specifically called out ICEBlock’s Aaron.</p><p>“We are looking at him and he better watch out because that’s not a protected speech,” Bondi said in a July interview on Fox News.</p><p>Those warnings escalated last month after a gunman opened fire on an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dallas-ice-shooting-update-immigration-0631d82e4fd0b1f6e3309e6e8aa83d1e">ICE facility</a>&nbsp;in Dallas. Officials including FBI Director Kash Patel said the gunman had searched for apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents, though they haven’t said if he actually used one of the apps or whether any of them played a role in the attack.</p><p>Aaron said tying the gunman to the apps made little sense because the app only works if somebody else is reporting ICE activity within a 5-mile radius of another iPhone user.</p><p>“You don’t need an app to know that ICE agents are at an ICE detention facility,” he said. “This is just an easy excuse for them to use their power and leverage to take down something that was exposing what they are doing — and that is the terror that they are invoking on the people of this nation every single day.”</p><p>He also said the app worked similarly to popular navigation apps like Waze, Google Maps and Apple’s own Maps app, which allow users to report police speed traps.</p><p>It’s “not illegal in any way, shape or form, nor does it dox anybody,” he said, adding that ICEBlock is similarly “an early warning system for people.”</p><p>Those who use the apps or other online methods to monitor ICE activity say most people who use them do so for their own safety or out of concern for their loved ones.</p><p>“People are extremely scared right now,” said Sherman Austin, who founded Stop ICE Raids Alert Network in February. He pointed to rising fears around racial profiling and violent arrests impacting families.</p><p>“They want to know what’s going on in their neighborhood and what’s going on in their community,” Austin said, describing people getting violently thrown to the ground by ICE agents in broad daylight.</p><p>Also known as StopICE.Net, Austin’s platform similarly uses crowdsourcing, but instead allows its users to track ICE activity more broadly online or through text alerts, without the need to download a separate app. Austin says the platform has reached more than 500,000 subscribers as of Friday.</p><p>The group has similarly criticized the Trump administration for what it says are retaliatory attacks targeting those who are exercising their First Amendment rights. Last month, the platform said it learned that the Department of Homeland Security has subpoenaed Meta for data on StopICE.Net’s Instagram account.</p><p>Austin said StopICE.Net immediately challenged the action, adding on Friday that the subpoena is now temporarily blocked and pending a hearing with a judge.</p><p>Meta declined comment Friday. DHS did not directly respond to a request for comment about the subpoena on Friday, instead directing the AP to a statement from Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who reiterated that “ICE tracking apps put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger” and criticized media outlets for framing Apple’s “correct decision” to remove apps like ICEBlock as “caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed.”</p><p>Developers like Austin, meanwhile, say removals of these apps and other federal threats should alarm everyone.</p><p>“We’re up against a regime, an administration that’s going to operate any way it wants to — and threatens whoever it wants in order to get its way, in order to control information and in order to control a narrative,” he said. “We have to challenge this and fight this any way we can.”</p>