More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-red-cup-day-strike-workers-bdaff6272bedcec43a536a4a024137f6">plan to strike</a>&nbsp;at 65 U.S. stores Thursday to protest a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company.

The strike was intended to disrupt Starbucks'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-red-cup-day-7c07617260ea1c4760410e29b4509b6b">Red Cup Day</a>, which is typically one of the company's busiest days of the year. Since 2018, Starbucks has given out free, reusable cups on that day to customers who buy a holiday drink.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-lawsuit-israel-palestinian-f212a994fef67f122854a4df7e5d13f5">Starbucks Workers United</a>, the union organizing Starbucks baristas, said stores in 45 cities would be impacted, including New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, San Diego, St. Louis, Dallas, Columbus, Ohio, and Starbucks' home city of Seattle. There is no date set for the strike to end, and more stores are prepared to join if Starbucks doesn't reach a contract agreement with the union, organizers said.

Starbucks emphasized that the vast majority of its U.S. stores would be open and operating as usual Thursday. The coffee giant has 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like grocery stores and airports.

Around 550 company-owned U.S. Starbucks stores are currently unionized. More have voted to unionize, but Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-close-stores-layoffs-3aa70c7d3828520855998a490ebe865b">closed 59 unionized stores</a>&nbsp;in September as part of a larger reorganization campaign.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-dress-code-baristas-strike-3a39bbf41247d2090afa9b487ccf3d97">Striking workers</a>&nbsp;say they're protesting because Starbucks has yet to reach a contract agreement with the union. Starbucks workers first voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo in 2021. In December 2023, Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-coffee-05d3d30c2c7e100a07f5d74fefb2d556">vowed to finalize</a>&nbsp;an agreement by the end of 2024. But in August of last year, the company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-narasimhan-chipotle-0173c2b9189c808968613b1285c1c366">ousted Laxman Narasimhan</a>, the CEO who made that promise. The union said progress has stalled under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-brian-niccol-f2b918d9862a329d7f0ba3373ebbc444">Brian Niccol</a>, the company’s current chairman and CEO.

Workers say they're seeking better hours and improved staffing in stores, where they say long customer wait times are routine. They say too many workers aren't getting the required 20 hours per week they need before Starbucks' benefits kick in. They also want higher pay, pointing out that executives like Niccol are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-niccol-chipotle-coffee-7cf3e56164ad0b9cba05002e7805b1fc">making millions</a>.

The union also wants the company to resolve hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-starbucks-union-fired-workers-tennessee-18547e128a14fae93a148383f48cb305">unfair labor practice</a>&nbsp;charges filed by workers, who say the company has fired baristas in retaliation for unionizing and has failed to bargain over changes in policy that workers must enforce, like its decision earlier this year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-customers-purchase-restroom-code-conduct-3876b0592418f30fc19a4e56848ed28b">limit restroom use</a>&nbsp;to paying customers.

Starbucks stands by its wages and benefits

Starbucks says it offers the best wage and benefit package in retail, worth an average of $30 per hour. Among the company's benefits are up to 18 weeks of paid family leave and 100% tuition coverage for a four-year college degree. In a letter to employees last week, Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union walked away from the bargaining table in the spring.

Kelly said Starbucks remained ready to talk and “believes we can move quickly to a reasonable deal.” Kelly also said surveys showed that most employees like working for the company, and its barista turnover rates are half the industry average.

Unionized workers have gone on strike at Starbucks before. In 2022 and 2023, workers walked off the job on Red Cup Day. Last year, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-baristas-workers-united-7b2f6e5d7b039bc1909d646d84cd426d">five-day strike</a>&nbsp;ahead of Christmas closed 59 U.S. stores. Each time, Starbucks said the disruption to its operations was minimal. Starbucks United said the new strike is open-ended and could spread to many more unionized locations.

The number of non-union Starbucks locations dwarfs the number of unionized ones. But Todd Vachon, a union expert at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, said any strike could be highly visible and educate the public on baristas' concerns.

Unlike manufacturers, Vachon said, retail industries depend on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-niccol-coffee-b547ab2141e194b30675ad8d1caff90d">the connection</a>&nbsp;between their employees and their customers. That makes shaming a potentially powerful weapon in the union’s arsenal, he said.

Starbucks' same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, rose 1% in the July-September period. It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-earnings-sales-north-america-71dc61f607d013a418c53535daa21a3f">the first time</a>&nbsp;in nearly two years that the company had posted an increase. In his first year at the company, Niccol set new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-dress-code-lawsuits-union-9d1eff89242d00f65d459d8a393f409a">hospitality standards</a>, redesigned stores to be cozier and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-niccol-coffee-b547ab2141e194b30675ad8d1caff90d">more welcoming</a>, and adjusted staffing levels to better handle peak hours.

Starbucks also is trying to prioritize in-store orders over mobile ones. Last week, the company's holiday drink rollout in the U.S. was so successful that it almost immediately sold out of its glass Bearista cup. Starbucks said demand for the cup exceeded its expectations, but it wouldn't say if the Bearista will return before the holidays are over.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762459345358.png" alt="Starbucks Union" />
                        <figcaption>Starbucks Union</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By DEE-ANN DURBIN <br>AP Business Writer</p><p>More than 1,000 unionized Starbucks workers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-red-cup-day-strike-workers-bdaff6272bedcec43a536a4a024137f6">plan to strike</a>&nbsp;at 65 U.S. stores Thursday to protest a lack of progress in labor negotiations with the company.</p><p>The strike was intended to disrupt Starbucks'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-red-cup-day-7c07617260ea1c4760410e29b4509b6b">Red Cup Day</a>, which is typically one of the company's busiest days of the year. Since 2018, Starbucks has given out free, reusable cups on that day to customers who buy a holiday drink.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/gdbL0MxtjX">https://t.co/gdbL0MxtjX</a></p>&mdash; Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) <a href="https://twitter.com/SBWorkersUnited/status/1988727090007670974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-lawsuit-israel-palestinian-f212a994fef67f122854a4df7e5d13f5">Starbucks Workers United</a>, the union organizing Starbucks baristas, said stores in 45 cities would be impacted, including New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, San Diego, St. Louis, Dallas, Columbus, Ohio, and Starbucks' home city of Seattle. There is no date set for the strike to end, and more stores are prepared to join if Starbucks doesn't reach a contract agreement with the union, organizers said.</p><p>Starbucks emphasized that the vast majority of its U.S. stores would be open and operating as usual Thursday. The coffee giant has 10,000 company-owned stores in the U.S., as well as 7,000 licensed locations in places like grocery stores and airports.</p><p>Around 550 company-owned U.S. Starbucks stores are currently unionized. More have voted to unionize, but Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-close-stores-layoffs-3aa70c7d3828520855998a490ebe865b">closed 59 unionized stores</a>&nbsp;in September as part of a larger reorganization campaign.</p><p>Here's what's behind the strike.</p><h2>A stalled contract agreement</h2><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-dress-code-baristas-strike-3a39bbf41247d2090afa9b487ccf3d97">Striking workers</a>&nbsp;say they're protesting because Starbucks has yet to reach a contract agreement with the union. Starbucks workers first voted to unionize at a store in Buffalo in 2021. In December 2023, Starbucks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-workers-united-union-coffee-05d3d30c2c7e100a07f5d74fefb2d556">vowed to finalize</a>&nbsp;an agreement by the end of 2024. But in August of last year, the company&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-narasimhan-chipotle-0173c2b9189c808968613b1285c1c366">ousted Laxman Narasimhan</a>, the CEO who made that promise. The union said progress has stalled under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-brian-niccol-f2b918d9862a329d7f0ba3373ebbc444">Brian Niccol</a>, the company’s current chairman and CEO.</p><h2>Workers want higher pay, better hours</h2><p>Workers say they're seeking better hours and improved staffing in stores, where they say long customer wait times are routine. They say too many workers aren't getting the required 20 hours per week they need before Starbucks' benefits kick in. They also want higher pay, pointing out that executives like Niccol are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-niccol-chipotle-coffee-7cf3e56164ad0b9cba05002e7805b1fc">making millions</a>.</p><p>The union also wants the company to resolve hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-starbucks-union-fired-workers-tennessee-18547e128a14fae93a148383f48cb305">unfair labor practice</a>&nbsp;charges filed by workers, who say the company has fired baristas in retaliation for unionizing and has failed to bargain over changes in policy that workers must enforce, like its decision earlier this year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-customers-purchase-restroom-code-conduct-3876b0592418f30fc19a4e56848ed28b">limit restroom use</a>&nbsp;to paying customers.</p><h2>Starbucks stands by its wages and benefits</h2><p>Starbucks says it offers the best wage and benefit package in retail, worth an average of $30 per hour. Among the company's benefits are up to 18 weeks of paid family leave and 100% tuition coverage for a four-year college degree. In a letter to employees last week, Starbucks’ Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union walked away from the bargaining table in the spring.</p><p>Kelly said Starbucks remained ready to talk and “believes we can move quickly to a reasonable deal.” Kelly also said surveys showed that most employees like working for the company, and its barista turnover rates are half the industry average.</p><h2>Limited locations with high visibility</h2><p>Unionized workers have gone on strike at Starbucks before. In 2022 and 2023, workers walked off the job on Red Cup Day. Last year, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-strike-baristas-workers-united-7b2f6e5d7b039bc1909d646d84cd426d">five-day strike</a>&nbsp;ahead of Christmas closed 59 U.S. stores. Each time, Starbucks said the disruption to its operations was minimal. Starbucks United said the new strike is open-ended and could spread to many more unionized locations.</p><p>The number of non-union Starbucks locations dwarfs the number of unionized ones. But Todd Vachon, a union expert at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations, said any strike could be highly visible and educate the public on baristas' concerns.</p><p>Unlike manufacturers, Vachon said, retail industries depend on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-niccol-coffee-b547ab2141e194b30675ad8d1caff90d">the connection</a>&nbsp;between their employees and their customers. That makes shaming a potentially powerful weapon in the union’s arsenal, he said.</p><h2>Improving sales</h2><p>Starbucks' same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, rose 1% in the July-September period. It was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-earnings-sales-north-america-71dc61f607d013a418c53535daa21a3f">the first time</a>&nbsp;in nearly two years that the company had posted an increase. In his first year at the company, Niccol set new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-dress-code-lawsuits-union-9d1eff89242d00f65d459d8a393f409a">hospitality standards</a>, redesigned stores to be cozier and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/starbucks-ceo-niccol-coffee-b547ab2141e194b30675ad8d1caff90d">more welcoming</a>, and adjusted staffing levels to better handle peak hours.</p><p>Starbucks also is trying to prioritize in-store orders over mobile ones. Last week, the company's holiday drink rollout in the U.S. was so successful that it almost immediately sold out of its glass Bearista cup. Starbucks said demand for the cup exceeded its expectations, but it wouldn't say if the Bearista will return before the holidays are over.</p>

Starbucks workers kick off US strike on company's busy Red Cup Day

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-republicans-schumer-health-insurance-tax-credits-a57733892f05a8893f5781203238e889">a record 43-day shutdown</a>&nbsp;that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.

Trump’s signature draws to a close the second government shutdown he’s overseen in the White House, one that magnified the partisan divisions in Washington as his administration took unprecedented unilateral actions -- including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers -- to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure Monday.

Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aca-credits-health-care-subsidies-government-shutdown-7f7a3609bf78dd7e43be9a041a090220">tax credit</a>&nbsp;expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time.

“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to.”

The frustration and pressures generated by the shutdown was reflected when lawmakers debated the spending measure on the House floor.

Republicans said Democrats sought to use the pain generated by the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute.

“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy. But the bill before the House Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not give up on the subsidy extension even if the vote did not go their way.

“This fight is not over,” Jeffries said. “We’re just getting started.”

The House had not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, when it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-trump-funding-bill-republicans-shutdown-1fea0f79c85ec69b91d9789fbda00834">passed a short-term measure</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open when the new budget year began in October. Johnson sent lawmakers home after that vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had done their job.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1763004356820.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shutdown-republicans-schumer-health-insurance-tax-credits-a57733892f05a8893f5781203238e889">a record 43-day shutdown</a>&nbsp;that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: President Trump signs the bill to officially END the Democrat government shutdown<br><br>&quot;It&#39;s an honor now to sign this incredible bill, and get our country working again.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Y7e7ZmHbUE">pic.twitter.com/Y7e7ZmHbUE</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1988811355911262272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 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;With my signature, the federal government will now resume normal operations and my administration, and our partners in Congress, will continue our work to lower the cost of living, restore public safety... and make America affordable again for all Americans.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ybJjiM2lIL">pic.twitter.com/ybJjiM2lIL</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1988810732834812391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 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;For the past 43 days, Democrats in Congress shut down the government of the United States in an attempt to extort American taxpayers for hundreds of billions of dollars for illegal aliens... Today, we’re sending a clear message that we will NEVER give in to extortion.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/kMKncQPsiL">pic.twitter.com/kMKncQPsiL</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1988809270163566995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 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;The Democrats shutdown has inflicted massive harm. They caused 20,000 flights to be cancelled or delayed... they deprived more than 1M government workers from their paychecks and cut off food stamp benefits of millions and millions of Americans in need.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/KCdnltt95L">pic.twitter.com/KCdnltt95L</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1988810060576031185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump’s signature draws to a close the second government shutdown he’s overseen in the White House, one that magnified the partisan divisions in Washington as his administration took unprecedented unilateral actions -- including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers -- to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.</p><p>The signing ceremony came just hours after the House passed the measure on a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate had already passed the measure Monday.</p><p>Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aca-credits-health-care-subsidies-government-shutdown-7f7a3609bf78dd7e43be9a041a090220">tax credit</a>&nbsp;expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time.</p><p>“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to.”</p><p>The frustration and pressures generated by the shutdown was reflected when lawmakers debated the spending measure on the House floor.</p><p>Republicans said Democrats sought to use the pain generated by the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute.</p><p>“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.</p><p>Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy. But the bill before the House Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.</p><p>Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not give up on the subsidy extension even if the vote did not go their way.</p><p>“This fight is not over,” Jeffries said. “We’re just getting started.”</p><p>The House had not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, when it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-trump-funding-bill-republicans-shutdown-1fea0f79c85ec69b91d9789fbda00834">passed a short-term measure</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open when the new budget year began in October. Johnson sent lawmakers home after that vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had done their job.</p>

🎥President Trump signs bill to end the 43 day government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation's longest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation's capital this week after nearly eight weeks away, with Republicans using their slight majority to get the bill over the finish line by a vote of 222-209. Kansas GOP lawmakers Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Derek Schmidt voted for the measure.

Six Democrats voted with the majority including Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkanp Perez of Washington, Adam Gray of California, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Tom Suozzi of New York and Don Davis of North Carolina. Kansas Democrat Representative Sharice Davids voted against the bill.

The Senate has already passed the measure. Trump has called the bill a “very big victory."

Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aca-credits-health-care-subsidies-government-shutdown-7f7a3609bf78dd7e43be9a041a090220">tax credit</a>&nbsp;expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time. They eventually prevailed, but only after the shutdown took an increasing toll on the country.

The shutdown magnified the stark partisan divisions within Congress, and that split screen was reflected when lawmakers debated the measure on the House floor.

“Stop imposing the suffering,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said. “Let's open the government. Let's get back to the work of the American people.”

Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy, but the bill before the House Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not give up even if the vote did not go their way.

The House had not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, when it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-trump-funding-bill-republicans-shutdown-1fea0f79c85ec69b91d9789fbda00834">passed a short-term measure</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open when the new budget year began in October. House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home after that vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had done their job.

Johnson said the Democratic opposition to the spending bill was pointless, adding “it was wrong, it was cruel.”

“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” Johnson said.

The legislation included buy-in from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-8-democrats-e83180c0b69642a00a234c244d9ea76e">eight senators who broke ranks</a>&nbsp;with the Democrats after reaching the conclusion that Republicans would not bend on using a government funding to bill to extend the health care tax credits. Meanwhile, the shutdown's toll was growing by the day.

The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December to extend the health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.

“We had reached a point where I think a number of us believed that the shutdown had been very effective in raising the concern about health care,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. The promise for a future vote “gives us an opportunity to continue to address that going forward."

The legislation includes a reversal of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-federal-worker-firings-0439e8d0979d9a32e021c5c851fea1cf">the firing of federal workers</a>&nbsp;by the Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they are paid once the shutdown is over. The bill for the Agriculture Department means people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those benefits funded without threat of interruption through the rest of the budget year.

The package includes $203.5 million to boost security for lawmakers and an additional $28 million for the security of Supreme Court justices.

Democrats are also seizing on language that would give senators the opportunity to sue when a federal agency or employee searches their electronic records without notifying them, allowing for up to $500,000 in potential damages for each violation. Democrats called for removal of the provision.

The language seems aimed at helping Republican senators pursue damages if their phone records were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-january-6-senate-grassley-26dcd37c3b9e84c0173e63799baf3fa4">analyzed by the FBI</a>&nbsp;as part of an investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his 2020 election loss</a>&nbsp;to Democrat Joe Biden. The provisions drew criticism from Republicans as well. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., said he's already introduced repeal legislation that he hoped would be voted on quickly.

The biggest point of contention, though, was the fate of the expiring enhanced tax credit that makes health insurance more affordable through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

“It's a subsidy on top of a subsidy. Our friends added it during COVID,” Cole said. “COVID is over. They set a date certain that the subsidies would run out. They chose the date."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the enhanced tax credit was designed to give more people access to health care, but no Republicans voted for it.

“All they have done is try to eliminate access to health care in our country. The country is catching on to them,” Pelosi said.

Most Democrats call the passage of the spending bill this week a mistake. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said the bill "fails to do anything of substance to fix America's healthcare crisis.”

Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, said giving up the fight was a “horrific mistake.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., agreed, saying that voters who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2025-results-takeaways-charts-e440e2b57f751acb5e173ab35aab1bc6">overwhelmingly supported Democrats in last week’s elections</a>&nbsp;were urging them to “hold firm.”

It’s unclear whether the parties will find any common ground on health care before the December vote in the Senate. Johnson has said he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber.

Some Republicans have said they are open to extending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-health-care-tax-credits-obamacare-shutdown-f1ee636ddba7f65baa5234c55cb0c96e">the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits</a>&nbsp;as premiums will soar for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies. Some argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals rather than go directly to insurance companies.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Monday that she was supportive of extending the tax credits with changes, such as new income caps. Some Democrats have signaled they could be open to that idea.

House Democrats expressed great skepticism that the Senate effort would lead to a breakthrough.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans have wanted to repeal the health overall for the past 15 years. “That’s where they’re trying to go,” she said.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762997095564.png" alt="A view of the House floor as the the result of the vote was announced Wednesday just before 7:30p.m. CST." />
                        <figcaption>A view of the House floor as the the result of the vote was announced Wednesday just before 7:30p.m. CST.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation's longest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/government-shutdown">government shutdown</a>, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BREAKING?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BREAKING</a>: U.S. House votes to end government shutdown, 222-209. <br><br>Goes now to the president. <a href="https://t.co/LPySa48qUZ">pic.twitter.com/LPySa48qUZ</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1988780269688541282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 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">RIP DEMOCRAT SHUTDOWN. <br><br>Oct 1, 2025 – Nov 12, 2025 <a href="https://t.co/rTb6PiYmqI">pic.twitter.com/rTb6PiYmqI</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1988786654622961817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation's capital this week after nearly eight weeks away, with Republicans using their slight majority to get the bill over the finish line by a vote of 222-209. Kansas GOP lawmakers Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Derek Schmidt voted for the measure.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">For 43 painful days, Senate Democrats held our government hostage and demanded we give in to their radical political agenda, causing the longest government shutdown in American history. Tonight, I voted with my House Republican colleagues on the final passage of the funding bill.…</p>&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1988780931776139462?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 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">I proudly voted to reopen the government. I&#39;m hopeful that Congress can put Americans first and get back to passing the agenda that <a href="https://twitter.com/HouseGOP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HouseGOP</a> was elected to deliver on. <a href="https://t.co/xApxe26T7e">pic.twitter.com/xApxe26T7e</a></p>&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1988786303715144016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 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">Rep. Derek Schmidt statement on House vote to reopen the federal government:<a href="https://t.co/CyIA35Gs8s">https://t.co/CyIA35Gs8s</a></p>&mdash; Congressman Derek Schmidt (@RepDerekSchmidt) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDerekSchmidt/status/1988782024510042310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Six Democrats voted with the majority including Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkanp Perez of Washington, Adam Gray of California, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Tom Suozzi of New York and Don Davis of North Carolina. Kansas Democrat Representative Sharice Davids voted against the bill.</p><p>The Senate has already passed the measure. Trump has called the bill a “very big victory."</p><p>Democrats wanted to extend an enhanced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aca-credits-health-care-subsidies-government-shutdown-7f7a3609bf78dd7e43be9a041a090220">tax credit</a>&nbsp;expiring at the end of the year that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. They refused to go along with a short-term spending bill that did not include that priority. But Republicans said that was a separate policy fight to be held at another time. They eventually prevailed, but only after the shutdown took an increasing toll on the country.</p><p>“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to.”</p><p>The shutdown magnified the stark partisan divisions within Congress, and that split screen was reflected when lawmakers debated the measure on the House floor.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> complete remarks before vote to reopen the government: &quot;We need to get this government open as soon as possible and I&#39;m going to yield back the remainder of my time so we can do that. The American people demand it and deserve it. My friends, let&#39;s get this done.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AlDPONKjZS">pic.twitter.com/AlDPONKjZS</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1988778035575721984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Republicans said Democrats sought to use the pain generated by the shutdown to prevail in a policy dispute.</p><p>“Stop imposing the suffering,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said. “Let's open the government. Let's get back to the work of the American people.”</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepJeffries?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepJeffries</a> complete remarks before final vote to reopen government: &quot;The spirit of John Lewis lives amongst House Democrats and we will continue to get into good trouble to make their life better. That&#39;s our commitment to every single American all across this country...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/w3BCB7nSXy">pic.twitter.com/w3BCB7nSXy</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1988777933737992551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Democrats said Republicans raced to pass tax breaks earlier this year that they say mostly will benefit the wealthy, but the bill before the House Wednesday “leaves families twisting in the wind with zero guarantee there will ever, ever be a vote to extend tax credits to help everyday people pay for their health care,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.</p><p>Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not give up even if the vote did not go their way.</p><p>“This fight is not over,” Jeffries said. “We’re just getting started.”</p><p>The House had not been in legislative session since Sept. 19, when it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-trump-funding-bill-republicans-shutdown-1fea0f79c85ec69b91d9789fbda00834">passed a short-term measure</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open when the new budget year began in October. House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home after that vote and put the onus on the Senate to act, saying House Republicans had done their job.</p><p>Johnson said the Democratic opposition to the spending bill was pointless, adding “it was wrong, it was cruel.”</p><p>“They knew it would cause pain and they did it anyway,” Johnson said.</p><h2>The compromise to end the shut</h2><h2>down</h2><p>The legislation included buy-in from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-8-democrats-e83180c0b69642a00a234c244d9ea76e">eight senators who broke ranks</a>&nbsp;with the Democrats after reaching the conclusion that Republicans would not bend on using a government funding to bill to extend the health care tax credits. Meanwhile, the shutdown's toll was growing by the day.</p><p>The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December to extend the health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.</p><p>“We had reached a point where I think a number of us believed that the shutdown had been very effective in raising the concern about health care,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. The promise for a future vote “gives us an opportunity to continue to address that going forward."</p><p>The legislation includes a reversal of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-federal-worker-firings-0439e8d0979d9a32e021c5c851fea1cf">the firing of federal workers</a>&nbsp;by the Trump administration since the shutdown began. It also protects federal workers against further layoffs through January and guarantees they are paid once the shutdown is over. The bill for the Agriculture Department means people who rely on key food assistance programs will see those benefits funded without threat of interruption through the rest of the budget year.</p><p>The package includes $203.5 million to boost security for lawmakers and an additional $28 million for the security of Supreme Court justices.</p><p>Democrats are also seizing on language that would give senators the opportunity to sue when a federal agency or employee searches their electronic records without notifying them, allowing for up to $500,000 in potential damages for each violation. Democrats called for removal of the provision.</p><p>The language seems aimed at helping Republican senators pursue damages if their phone records were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-january-6-senate-grassley-26dcd37c3b9e84c0173e63799baf3fa4">analyzed by the FBI</a>&nbsp;as part of an investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his 2020 election loss</a>&nbsp;to Democrat Joe Biden. The provisions drew criticism from Republicans as well. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., said he's already introduced repeal legislation that he hoped would be voted on quickly.</p><p>The biggest point of contention, though, was the fate of the expiring enhanced tax credit that makes health insurance more affordable through Affordable Care Act marketplaces.</p><p>“It's a subsidy on top of a subsidy. Our friends added it during COVID,” Cole said. “COVID is over. They set a date certain that the subsidies would run out. They chose the date."</p><p>Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the enhanced tax credit was designed to give more people access to health care, but no Republicans voted for it.</p><p>“All they have done is try to eliminate access to health care in our country. The country is catching on to them,” Pelosi said.</p><p>Most Democrats call the passage of the spending bill this week a mistake. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said the bill "fails to do anything of substance to fix America's healthcare crisis.”</p><p>Without the enhanced tax credit, premiums on average will more than double for millions of Americans. More than 2 million people would lose health insurance coverage altogether next year, the Congressional Budget Office projected.</p><p>Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, said giving up the fight was a “horrific mistake.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., agreed, saying that voters who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2025-results-takeaways-charts-e440e2b57f751acb5e173ab35aab1bc6">overwhelmingly supported Democrats in last week’s elections</a>&nbsp;were urging them to “hold firm.”</p><h2>Health care debate ahead</h2><p>It’s unclear whether the parties will find any common ground on health care before the December vote in the Senate. Johnson has said he will not commit to bringing it up in his chamber.</p><p>Some Republicans have said they are open to extending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-health-care-tax-credits-obamacare-shutdown-f1ee636ddba7f65baa5234c55cb0c96e">the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits</a>&nbsp;as premiums will soar for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies. Some argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals rather than go directly to insurance companies.</p><p>Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Monday that she was supportive of extending the tax credits with changes, such as new income caps. Some Democrats have signaled they could be open to that idea.</p><p>House Democrats expressed great skepticism that the Senate effort would lead to a breakthrough.</p><p>Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Republicans have wanted to repeal the health overall for the past 15 years. “That’s where they’re trying to go,” she said.</p><p>___</p><p>Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.</p>

Kan. GOP lawmakers help House pass bill to end longest U.S. gov't shutdown in history

JOHNSON COUNTY, Missouri —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly domestic incident involving an Airman assigned to Whiteman Airforce base that left two dead and one injured.

Just before 7:30a.m. Wednesday, the Johnson County, Missouri central dispatch received two calls simultaneously about a domestic disturbance in progress in the 700 Block of Cedar Drive in Warrensburg, according to a media release from police.

Officers responded and located the suspect who was armed with a weapon and running south toward Hale Lake Road. The suspect fired their weapon multiple times in the area of the officers as they arrived on the scene. A courageous bystander identified as Tony Barron, attempted to intervene prior to officers arrival. He was shot and killed by the suspect.&nbsp;

Officers established a perimeter and advised local school and businesses to lockdown.&nbsp;

Just after 8:30a.m., officers found the suspect south of the residence. He was deceased with what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.&nbsp; A woman injured during the incident was treated for injuries from Western Missouri Medical Center.&nbsp;No officers or other first responders were injured.&nbsp; Whiteman Air Force Base confirmed that an “off-base, off-duty” Airman was involved in the incident.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762994393092.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JOHNSON COUNTY, Missouri —Law enforcement are investigating a deadly domestic incident involving an Airman assigned to Whiteman Airforce base that left two dead and one injured.</p><p>Just before 7:30a.m. Wednesday, the Johnson County, Missouri central dispatch received two calls simultaneously about a domestic disturbance in progress in the 700 Block of Cedar Drive in Warrensburg, according to a media release from police.</p><p>Officers responded and located the suspect who was armed with a weapon and running south toward Hale Lake Road. The suspect fired their weapon multiple times in the area of the officers as they arrived on the scene. A courageous bystander identified as Tony Barron, attempted to intervene prior to officers arrival. He was shot and killed by the suspect.&nbsp;</p><p>Officers established a perimeter and advised local school and businesses to lockdown.&nbsp;</p><p>Just after 8:30a.m., officers found the suspect south of the residence. He was deceased with what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.&nbsp; A woman injured during the incident was treated for injuries from Western Missouri Medical Center.&nbsp;No officers or other first responders were injured.&nbsp; Whiteman Air Force Base confirmed that an “off-base, off-duty” Airman was involved in the incident.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.</p>

Off duty Mo. Airman involved in deadly domestic incident

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Mint on Wednesday ended production of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-mint-treasury-department-penny-end-production-daf6367d7e8d31d6783720d5d4667115">penny</a>, a change made to save money and because the 1-cent coin that could once buy a snack or a piece of candy had become increasingly irrelevant.

The last pennies were struck at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country’s smallest denomination coins have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/penny?srsltid=AfmBOorp-P0PbOJ5jRYvigQlRIm4B-3l4zGXxjxQJQtTp0bE4wPjPh8E">produced since 1793</a>, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Officials said the final few pennies would be auctioned off.

“God bless America, and we’re going to save the taxpayers $56 million,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said just before hitting a button to strike the final penny.

Pennies remain legal tender, but new ones will no longer be made.

The last coin to be discontinued was the half-cent in 1857, Beach said.

President Donald Trump ordered the penny's demise as costs climbed to nearly 4 cents per penny and the 1-cent valuation became somewhat obsolete. Billions of pennies remain in circulation, but they are rarely essential for financial transactions in the 21st century economy.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents," Trump wrote in an online post in February. "This is so wasteful!”

Still, many people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/no-more-penny-end-production-cent-25527a16976a8c81f91c1a4a4eba473a">have a nostalgia for them</a>, seeing them as lucky or fun to collect. And some retailers voiced concerns in recent weeks as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/penny-coins-lincoln-shortage-us-mint-trump-089cf657b3fa4d6dc21533cf6bb08cf3">supplies ran low</a>&nbsp;and the end of production drew near. They said the phase-out was abrupt and came with no government guidance on how to handle transactions.

Some rounded prices down to avoid shortchanging shoppers. Others pleaded with customers to bring exact change. The more creative among them gave out prizes, such as a free drink, in exchange for a pile of pennies.

“We have been advocating abolition of the penny for 30 years. But this is not the way we wanted it to go,” Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores said last month.

Some banks, meanwhile, began rationing supplies, a somewhat paradoxical result of the effort to address what many see as a glut of the coins. Over the last century, about half of the coins made at mints in Philadelphia and Denver have been pennies.

But they still have a better production cost-to-value ratio than the nickel, which costs nearly 14 cents to make. The diminutive dime,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cost-of-a-penny-nickel-dime-e38975c6811ad38ac0a986c8fccf3a4a">by comparison</a>, costs less than 6 cents to produce, and the quarter nearly 15 cents.

Back in 1793, a penny could get you a biscuit, a candle or a piece of candy. These days, many sit in drawers or glass jars and are basically cast aside or collected.

No matter their face value, collectors and historians consider them an important historical record that can be traced back for more than 200 years. Frank Holt, an emeritus professor at the University of Houston who has studied the history of coins, laments the loss.

<p>PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Mint on Wednesday ended production of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-mint-treasury-department-penny-end-production-daf6367d7e8d31d6783720d5d4667115">penny</a>, a change made to save money and because the 1-cent coin that could once buy a snack or a piece of candy had become increasingly irrelevant.</p><p>The last pennies were struck at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country’s smallest denomination coins have been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/penny?srsltid=AfmBOorp-P0PbOJ5jRYvigQlRIm4B-3l4zGXxjxQJQtTp0bE4wPjPh8E">produced since 1793</a>, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Officials said the final few pennies would be auctioned off.</p><p>“God bless America, and we’re going to save the taxpayers $56 million,” U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said just before hitting a button to strike the final penny.</p><p>Pennies remain legal tender, but new ones will no longer be made.</p><p>The last coin to be discontinued was the half-cent in 1857, Beach said.</p><p>President Donald Trump ordered the penny's demise as costs climbed to nearly 4 cents per penny and the 1-cent valuation became somewhat obsolete. Billions of pennies remain in circulation, but they are rarely essential for financial transactions in the 21st century economy.</p><p>“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents," Trump wrote in an online post in February. "This is so wasteful!”</p><p>Still, many people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/no-more-penny-end-production-cent-25527a16976a8c81f91c1a4a4eba473a">have a nostalgia for them</a>, seeing them as lucky or fun to collect. And some retailers voiced concerns in recent weeks as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/penny-coins-lincoln-shortage-us-mint-trump-089cf657b3fa4d6dc21533cf6bb08cf3">supplies ran low</a>&nbsp;and the end of production drew near. They said the phase-out was abrupt and came with no government guidance on how to handle transactions.</p><p>Some rounded prices down to avoid shortchanging shoppers. Others pleaded with customers to bring exact change. The more creative among them gave out prizes, such as a free drink, in exchange for a pile of pennies.</p><p>“We have been advocating abolition of the penny for 30 years. But this is not the way we wanted it to go,” Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores said last month.</p><p>Some banks, meanwhile, began rationing supplies, a somewhat paradoxical result of the effort to address what many see as a glut of the coins. Over the last century, about half of the coins made at mints in Philadelphia and Denver have been pennies.</p><p>But they still have a better production cost-to-value ratio than the nickel, which costs nearly 14 cents to make. The diminutive dime,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cost-of-a-penny-nickel-dime-e38975c6811ad38ac0a986c8fccf3a4a">by comparison</a>, costs less than 6 cents to produce, and the quarter nearly 15 cents.</p><p>Back in 1793, a penny could get you a biscuit, a candle or a piece of candy. These days, many sit in drawers or glass jars and are basically cast aside or collected.</p><p>No matter their face value, collectors and historians consider them an important historical record that can be traced back for more than 200 years. Frank Holt, an emeritus professor at the University of Houston who has studied the history of coins, laments the loss.</p>

US Mint presses final pennies as the 1-cent coin gets canceled

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/adelita-grijalva-swear-congress-epstein-files-25636fec1d99960a5fb11501ac86cc69">Adelita Grijalva</a>&nbsp;was sworn in as the newest member of Congress on Wednesday, more than seven weeks after she won a special election in Arizona to fill the House seat last held by her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/raul-grijalva-death-obituary-9484cd0f4911430ef6ef01f9590402d5">late father</a>.

Grijalva was sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday shortly before the House returned to session to vote on a deal to fund the federal government. After delivering a floor speech, Grijalva signed a discharge petition to eventually trigger a vote to release files related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>, giving it the needed 218 signatures.

Grijalva’s seating brings the partisan margin in the House to a narrow 219-214 Republican majority. She vowed to continue her father’s legacy of advocating for progressive policies on issues like environmentalism, labor rights and tribal sovereignty.

In a speech on the House floor after being sworn in, Grijalva said it was time for Congress “to restore a full and check and balance to this administration.”

“We can and must do better. What is most concerning is not what this administration has done, but what the majority of this body has failed to do,” she said.

The seating of Grijalva brings an end to a weekslong delay that she and other Democrats said was intended to prevent her signature on the Epstein petition .

Johnson had refused to seat Grijalva while the chamber was out of session, a decision that prompted condemnation from Grijalva, a lawsuit from Arizona’s attorney general and speculation that Johnson was delaying her induction into the House to stall a vote on whether to require the Justice Department release documents related to the late convicted sex trafficker.

Grijalva had said she would join the petition from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., after taking office, giving it the 218 signatures needed. Three Republicans have signed onto Massie’s petition — Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

President Donald Trump has been reaching out about the Epstein petition to Boebert and Mace, according to a person familiar with the effort who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Grijalva’s arrival kicks off a busy day on Capitol Hill as hundreds of House members return, their trips potentially complicated by travel delays caused by the shutdown.

Lawmakers who win special elections typically take the oath of office on days when legislative business is conducted. But with the House out of session since Sept. 19, Johnson had said he would swear her in when everyone returned. He did swear in two Republican members this year when the chamber was not in legislative session.

“I don’t think he’s thought of anything that he’s doing, in this case, as anything personal,” Grijalva told The Associated Press in an interview. “It feels personal because, literally, my name was attached. I also know that if I were a Republican, I would have been sworn in seven weeks ago.”

“We’ve been waiting for this so long that it’s still surreal,” she said.

She will start her House tenure by voting on the Senate-passed legislation to reopen the government. Grijalva and most Democrats are expected to oppose it because it does not extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire at the end of the year. Republicans can still pass the bill with their slim majority.

The 218th signature on an Epstein file discharge petition

Grijalva is the final necessary signature on a discharge petition linked to legislation that would require the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents and communications related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-investigation-records-timeline-545c371ee3dd3142355a26d27829c188">Epstein</a>&nbsp;and his sex trafficking operation. But her move will not mean a vote right away, due to House rules.

Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said he expects voting on the Epstein bill to take place in early December.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-emails-trump-house-democrats-db7df1042a73e610fb5deddf2f90bd3a">Emails released</a>&nbsp;Wednesday from Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are likely to reignite interest in the issue. Epstein wrote in a 2011 email that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a victim of sex trafficking and said in a separate message years later that Trump “knew about the girls.”

“The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Leavitt and Republicans on the committee said the person in question was Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters with a number of his rich and powerful friends. Giuffre, before she died this year, had long insisted that Trump was not among the men who had victimized her.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Adelita’s father, died in March after more than two decades in the House, where he built a reputation as a staunch progressive.

Adelita Grijalva has long been active in local politics. She served on the Tucson Unified School District board before joining the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where she became only the second woman to lead the board.

She won the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-congress-grijalva-butierez-1d9fe8fd6f0604f8064f67f6d8cfdca7">Sept. 23 special election</a>&nbsp;with ease to complete the remainder of her father’s term, representing a mostly Hispanic district in which Democrats enjoy a nearly 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans. Grijalva said the win was emotional.

“I would rather have my dad than have an office,” she said.

She told the AP that environmental justice, tribal sovereignty and public education are among her priorities, echoing the work her father championed.

“I know that the bar is set very high, and the expectation is high of what we’re going to be able to do once sworn in,” she said.

Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/adelita-grijalva-swear-congress-epstein-files-25636fec1d99960a5fb11501ac86cc69">Adelita Grijalva</a>&nbsp;was sworn in as the newest member of Congress on Wednesday, more than seven weeks after she won a special election in Arizona to fill the House seat last held by her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/raul-grijalva-death-obituary-9484cd0f4911430ef6ef01f9590402d5">late father</a>.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Speaker Johnson: &quot;We&#39;re delighted to have her here. She may not agree with me, but we followed the custom of the House on the time table and we&#39;ve had a little, as we say in the deep South, some intense fellowship about that.&quot;<br><br>Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ): &quot;Yes.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/CZJH6mObZr">pic.twitter.com/CZJH6mObZr</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1988723146443182092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Grijalva was sworn in by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday shortly before the House returned to session to vote on a deal to fund the federal government. After delivering a floor speech, Grijalva signed a discharge petition to eventually trigger a vote to release files related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>, giving it the needed 218 signatures.</p><p>Grijalva’s seating brings the partisan margin in the House to a narrow 219-214 Republican majority. She vowed to continue her father’s legacy of advocating for progressive policies on issues like environmentalism, labor rights and tribal sovereignty.</p><p>In a speech on the House floor after being sworn in, Grijalva said it was time for Congress “to restore a full and check and balance to this administration.”</p><p>“We can and must do better. What is most concerning is not what this administration has done, but what the majority of this body has failed to do,” she said.</p><p>The seating of Grijalva brings an end to a weekslong delay that she and other Democrats said was intended to prevent her signature on the Epstein petition .</p><p>Johnson had refused to seat Grijalva while the chamber was out of session, a decision that prompted condemnation from Grijalva, a lawsuit from Arizona’s attorney general and speculation that Johnson was delaying her induction into the House to stall a vote on whether to require the Justice Department release documents related to the late convicted sex trafficker.</p><p>Grijalva had said she would join the petition from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., after taking office, giving it the 218 signatures needed. Three Republicans have signed onto Massie’s petition — Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.</p><p>President Donald Trump has been reaching out about the Epstein petition to Boebert and Mace, according to a person familiar with the effort who was not authorized to discuss it publicly.</p><h2>A busy first day</h2><p>Grijalva’s arrival kicks off a busy day on Capitol Hill as hundreds of House members return, their trips potentially complicated by travel delays caused by the shutdown.</p><p>Lawmakers who win special elections typically take the oath of office on days when legislative business is conducted. But with the House out of session since Sept. 19, Johnson had said he would swear her in when everyone returned. He did swear in two Republican members this year when the chamber was not in legislative session.</p><p>“I don’t think he’s thought of anything that he’s doing, in this case, as anything personal,” Grijalva told The Associated Press in an interview. “It feels personal because, literally, my name was attached. I also know that if I were a Republican, I would have been sworn in seven weeks ago.”</p><p>“We’ve been waiting for this so long that it’s still surreal,” she said.</p><p>She will start her House tenure by voting on the Senate-passed legislation to reopen the government. Grijalva and most Democrats are expected to oppose it because it does not extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire at the end of the year. Republicans can still pass the bill with their slim majority.</p><h2>The 218th signature on an Epstein file discharge petition</h2><p>Grijalva is the final necessary signature on a discharge petition linked to legislation that would require the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents and communications related to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-investigation-records-timeline-545c371ee3dd3142355a26d27829c188">Epstein</a>&nbsp;and his sex trafficking operation. But her move will not mean a vote right away, due to House rules.</p><p>Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee, said he expects voting on the Epstein bill to take place in early December.</p><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-emails-trump-house-democrats-db7df1042a73e610fb5deddf2f90bd3a">Emails released</a>&nbsp;Wednesday from Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are likely to reignite interest in the issue. Epstein wrote in a 2011 email that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a victim of sex trafficking and said in a separate message years later that Trump “knew about the girls.”</p><p>“The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.</p><p>Leavitt and Republicans on the committee said the person in question was Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters with a number of his rich and powerful friends. Giuffre, before she died this year, had long insisted that Trump was not among the men who had victimized her.</p><h2>Arizona’s first Latina congresswoman</h2><p>Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Adelita’s father, died in March after more than two decades in the House, where he built a reputation as a staunch progressive.</p><p>Adelita Grijalva has long been active in local politics. She served on the Tucson Unified School District board before joining the Pima County Board of Supervisors, where she became only the second woman to lead the board.</p><p>She won the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-congress-grijalva-butierez-1d9fe8fd6f0604f8064f67f6d8cfdca7">Sept. 23 special election</a>&nbsp;with ease to complete the remainder of her father’s term, representing a mostly Hispanic district in which Democrats enjoy a nearly 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Republicans. Grijalva said the win was emotional.</p><p>“I would rather have my dad than have an office,” she said.</p><p>She told the AP that environmental justice, tribal sovereignty and public education are among her priorities, echoing the work her father championed.</p><p>“I know that the bar is set very high, and the expectation is high of what we’re going to be able to do once sworn in,” she said.</p><p>___</p><p>Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.</p>

🎥House newest member sworn in paving the way for Epstein files vote

SHAWNEE COUNTY —A child is recovering from a injuries after an incident that occurred Monday in rural Shawnee County.

Just after 1p.m.,&nbsp;the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call regarding a 10-year-old child that fell from a second story window, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

American Medical Response transported the child to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; The sheriff's office reported no additional details.

<p>SHAWNEE COUNTY —A child is recovering from a injuries after an incident that occurred Monday in rural Shawnee County.</p><p>Just after 1p.m.,&nbsp;the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call regarding a 10-year-old child that fell from a second story window, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.</p><p>American Medical Response transported the child to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.&nbsp; The sheriff's office reported no additional details.</p>

Sheriff: 10-year-old fell from 2nd story window of rural Kan. home

RILEY COUNTY — Authorities are investigating the cause of a house fire in Manhattan.

Just before 11a.m. on Wednesday, crews were dispatched to a house fire at 2409 Lookout Drive, according to a media release from the Manhattan FIre Department.

Crews found a single-story home with fire and smoke showing from the attached garage. The fire was contained within 15 minutes. 

Family members removed an occupant with a physical disability before the fire companies arrived.&nbsp; No injuries were reported.

The building is a single-family residence. Damage to the residence was significant. The owner is listed as Wanda Jepsen who lives there, according to the fire department.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762972834047.png" alt="-Photo Manhattan Fire Department" />
                        <figcaption>-Photo Manhattan Fire Department</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>RILEY COUNTY — Authorities are investigating the cause of a house fire in Manhattan.</p><p>Just before 11a.m. on Wednesday, crews were dispatched to a house fire at 2409 Lookout Drive, according to a media release from the Manhattan FIre Department.</p><p>Crews found a single-story home with fire and smoke showing from the attached garage. The fire was contained within 15 minutes. </p><p>Family members removed an occupant with a physical disability before the fire companies arrived.&nbsp; No injuries were reported.</p><p>The building is a single-family residence. Damage to the residence was significant. The owner is listed as Wanda Jepsen who lives there, according to the fire department.</p>

Significant damage reported after fire at Kansas home 

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>&nbsp;wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls," according to documents made public Wednesday, but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear, and the White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president.

<a href="https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/3-emails_redacted.pdf">Click here to read the emails</a>

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-birthday-books-democrats-oversight-house-810140a196d24d32bd30691b8ff4d6a9">Democrats on the House Oversight Committee</a>&nbsp;released three emails referencing Trump, including one Epstein wrote in 2011 in which he told confidant Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking victim.

The disclosures seemed designed to raise new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">questions about Trump’s friendship with Epstein</a>&nbsp;and about what&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracy-theories-bondi-bongino-fbi-a143076353acbc1193cb9697e7fc4a90">knowledge he may have had</a>&nbsp;regarding what prosecutors call a yearslong effort by Epstein to exploit underage girls. The Republican businessman-turned-politician has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has said he ended their relationship years ago.

The version of the 2011 email released by the Democrats redacted the name of the victim, but Republicans on the committee later said it was Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters with a number of his rich and powerful friends. Epstein&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-jail-suicide-prison-death-8d194a756f2b429067f009a0c70f96c0">took his own life</a>&nbsp;in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.

Giuffre said Trump ‘couldn’t have been friendlier'

Giuffre, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-roberts-giuffre-obit-778c4fdd6fac2522133ca3d79244bccd">died earlier this year</a>, had long insisted that Trump was not among the men who had victimized her.

In a court deposition, she said under oath that she didn’t believe Trump had any knowledge of Epstein’s misconduct with underage girls. And in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-giuffre-memoir-jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-0adb8b983ac18a45fc7ec035dc789d08">her recently released memoir</a>, she described meeting Trump only once, when she worked as a spa attendant at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/993263aaefab49a7988bb4ccb808791d">his Mar-a-Lago club</a>&nbsp;in Palm Beach, Florida, and did not accuse him of wrongdoing.

Giuffre wrote that she was introduced to Trump by her father, who also worked at the club. She described Trump as friendly and said he offered to help her get babysitting jobs with parents at the club.

Trump “couldn’t have been friendlier,” Giuffre wrote.

Other members of Epstein’s household staff also said in sworn depositions that, while Trump did stop by Epstein’s house, they didn’t see him engage in any inappropriate conduct.

Republicans says emails released to tarnish Trump

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Democrats “selectively leaked emails” to “create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.”

In July, Trump said he had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-congress-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-3ca45e130deb5f2eee8deff36d99734f">banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago</a>&nbsp;because his one-time friend was “taking people who worked for me," including Giuffre. The women, he said, were “taken out of the spa, hired by him — in other words, gone.”

“I said, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our people,’” Trump told reporters. Asked if Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, the president demurred but then said Epstein “stole her.”

The emails made public Wednesday are part of a batch of 23,000 documents provided by Epstein's estate to the Oversight Committee.

Shortly after Democrats released the Trump-related emails, committee Republicans countered by disclosing what they said was an additional 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate. Among them: copies of pages from a James Patterson book about the ex-financier.

The release resurfaces a storyline that had shadowed Trump's presidency during the summer when the FBI and the Justice Department abruptly announced that they would not be releasing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">additional documents</a>&nbsp;that investigators had spent weeks examining, disappointing conspiracy theorists and online sleuths who had expected to see new revelations.

In one 2019 email to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/melania-trump-michael-wolff-lawsuit-epstein-e5a52952be556d2976d5aeaf6e40b1db">journalist Michael Wolff</a>, who has written extensively about Trump, Epstein wrote of Trump, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”

In an April 2, 2011, email to Maxwell, a former Epstein girlfriend now imprisoned for conspiring to engage in sex trafficking, Epstein wrote, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump. (Redacted name) spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there."

Maxwell replied the same day: “I have been thinking about that.”

The name of the person said to have spent time with Trump was blacked out of the email, but House Democrats identified the person as a “victim.”

Leavitt said that the unnamed person referenced in the emails is Giuffre, who had accused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-prince-andrew-strips-royal-titles-7fad76a46a211ae24b605cbd24e80748">Britain’s then-Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager and who died by suicide in April. Andrew, who recently was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-prince-andrew-strips-royal-titles-7fad76a46a211ae24b605cbd24e80748">stripped of his titles</a>&nbsp;and evicted from his royal residence by King Charles III after weeks of pressure to act over his relationship with Epstein, has rejected Giuffre’s allegations and said he didn’t recall meeting her.

Leavitt said in a statement that Giuffre had “repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions.”

“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre,” the statement said. "These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”

Messages seeking comment were left with Wolff, Maxwell attorney David Markus and representatives for Giuffre’s family.

Maxwell's interview with the Justice Department

Maxwell, interviewed in July by the Justice Department’s second-in-command, repeatedly denied witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions involving Trump.

“I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting,” Maxwell&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-transcripts-1d38a010e72b5b58cca944cb3bbb0e6a">told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche</a>, according to a transcript of the interview. “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”

Giuffre came forward publicly after an initial investigation ended in an 18-month Florida jail term for Epstein, who made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/96bc4bdbd240454293888afb1f5bc600">a secret deal</a>&nbsp;to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty instead to relatively minor state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released in 2009.

In subsequent lawsuits, Giuffre said she was a teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she was approached in 2000 by Maxwell.

Lawyers for Maxwell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-ghislaine-maxwell-fa2c504a6dfe30ce1686b857a4123b7b">a British socialite</a>, have argued that she never should have been tried or convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. She is serving a 20-year prison term, though she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida</a>&nbsp;to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after the Blanche interview.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704416234390.png" alt="FILE&nbsp; photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)" />
                        <figcaption>FILE&nbsp; photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein">Jeffrey Epstein</a>&nbsp;wrote in a 2019 email to a journalist that Donald Trump “knew about the girls," according to documents made public Wednesday, but what he knew — and whether it pertained to the sex offender’s crimes — is unclear, and the White House quickly accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the president.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762964441190.png" alt="One of the emails released Wednesday by House Oversight Dems" />
                        <figcaption>One of the emails released Wednesday by House Oversight Dems</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><a href="https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/3-emails_redacted.pdf">Click here to read the emails</a></p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Q: &quot;In the interest of transparency, why not just go ahead, release the full files on Epstein, get this all over with?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> Karoline Leavitt: &quot;This administration has done more with respect to transparency when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein than any administration ever.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/t9LlWGohPt">pic.twitter.com/t9LlWGohPt</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1988682162728759490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p><a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-birthday-books-democrats-oversight-house-810140a196d24d32bd30691b8ff4d6a9">Democrats on the House Oversight Committee</a>&nbsp;released three emails referencing Trump, including one Epstein wrote in 2011 in which he told confidant Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had “spent hours” at Epstein’s house with a sex trafficking victim.</p><p>The disclosures seemed designed to raise new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracies-97200cfab77572a36bc9ab25841a8833">questions about Trump’s friendship with Epstein</a>&nbsp;and about what&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-epstein-conspiracy-theories-bondi-bongino-fbi-a143076353acbc1193cb9697e7fc4a90">knowledge he may have had</a>&nbsp;regarding what prosecutors call a yearslong effort by Epstein to exploit underage girls. The Republican businessman-turned-politician has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has said he ended their relationship years ago.</p><p>The version of the 2011 email released by the Democrats redacted the name of the victim, but Republicans on the committee later said it was Virginia Giuffre, who accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual encounters with a number of his rich and powerful friends. Epstein&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-jail-suicide-prison-death-8d194a756f2b429067f009a0c70f96c0">took his own life</a>&nbsp;in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges.</p><h2>Giuffre said Trump ‘couldn’t have been friendlier'</h2><p>Giuffre, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-roberts-giuffre-obit-778c4fdd6fac2522133ca3d79244bccd">died earlier this year</a>, had long insisted that Trump was not among the men who had victimized her.</p><p>In a court deposition, she said under oath that she didn’t believe Trump had any knowledge of Epstein’s misconduct with underage girls. And in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-giuffre-memoir-jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-0adb8b983ac18a45fc7ec035dc789d08">her recently released memoir</a>, she described meeting Trump only once, when she worked as a spa attendant at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/993263aaefab49a7988bb4ccb808791d">his Mar-a-Lago club</a>&nbsp;in Palm Beach, Florida, and did not accuse him of wrongdoing.</p><p>Giuffre wrote that she was introduced to Trump by her father, who also worked at the club. She described Trump as friendly and said he offered to help her get babysitting jobs with parents at the club.</p><p>Trump “couldn’t have been friendlier,” Giuffre wrote.</p><p>Other members of Epstein’s household staff also said in sworn depositions that, while Trump did stop by Epstein’s house, they didn’t see him engage in any inappropriate conduct.</p><h2>Republicans says emails released to tarnish Trump</h2><p>White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Democrats “selectively leaked emails” to “create a fake narrative to smear President Trump.”</p><p>In July, Trump said he had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-congress-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-3ca45e130deb5f2eee8deff36d99734f">banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago</a>&nbsp;because his one-time friend was “taking people who worked for me," including Giuffre. The women, he said, were “taken out of the spa, hired by him — in other words, gone.”</p><p>“I said, ‘Listen, we don’t want you taking our people,’” Trump told reporters. Asked if Giuffre was one of the employees poached by Epstein, the president demurred but then said Epstein “stole her.”</p><p>The emails made public Wednesday are part of a batch of 23,000 documents provided by Epstein's estate to the Oversight Committee.</p><p>Shortly after Democrats released the Trump-related emails, committee Republicans countered by disclosing what they said was an additional 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate. Among them: copies of pages from a James Patterson book about the ex-financier.</p><p>The release resurfaces a storyline that had shadowed Trump's presidency during the summer when the FBI and the Justice Department abruptly announced that they would not be releasing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-justice-department-pam-bondi-03fbcd024f631440f7ed62b3c6927db3">additional documents</a>&nbsp;that investigators had spent weeks examining, disappointing conspiracy theorists and online sleuths who had expected to see new revelations.</p><p>In one 2019 email to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/melania-trump-michael-wolff-lawsuit-epstein-e5a52952be556d2976d5aeaf6e40b1db">journalist Michael Wolff</a>, who has written extensively about Trump, Epstein wrote of Trump, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop.”</p><p>In an April 2, 2011, email to Maxwell, a former Epstein girlfriend now imprisoned for conspiring to engage in sex trafficking, Epstein wrote, “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn't barked is Trump. (Redacted name) spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned. police chief. etc. im 75 % there."</p><p>Maxwell replied the same day: “I have been thinking about that.”</p><p>The name of the person said to have spent time with Trump was blacked out of the email, but House Democrats identified the person as a “victim.”</p><p>Leavitt said that the unnamed person referenced in the emails is Giuffre, who had accused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-prince-andrew-strips-royal-titles-7fad76a46a211ae24b605cbd24e80748">Britain’s then-Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;and other influential men of sexually exploiting her as a teenager and who died by suicide in April. Andrew, who recently was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-prince-andrew-strips-royal-titles-7fad76a46a211ae24b605cbd24e80748">stripped of his titles</a>&nbsp;and evicted from his royal residence by King Charles III after weeks of pressure to act over his relationship with Epstein, has rejected Giuffre’s allegations and said he didn’t recall meeting her.</p><p>Leavitt said in a statement that Giuffre had “repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and ‘couldn’t have been friendlier’ to her in their limited interactions.”</p><p>“The fact remains that President Trump kicked Jeffrey Epstein out of his club decades ago for being a creep to his female employees, including Giuffre,” the statement said. "These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”</p><p>Messages seeking comment were left with Wolff, Maxwell attorney David Markus and representatives for Giuffre’s family.</p><h2>Maxwell's interview with the Justice Department</h2><p>Maxwell, interviewed in July by the Justice Department’s second-in-command, repeatedly denied witnessing any sexually inappropriate interactions involving Trump.</p><p>“I actually never saw the President in any type of massage setting,” Maxwell&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-maxwell-justice-department-interview-transcripts-1d38a010e72b5b58cca944cb3bbb0e6a">told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche</a>, according to a transcript of the interview. “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman in all respects.”</p><p>Giuffre came forward publicly after an initial investigation ended in an 18-month Florida jail term for Epstein, who made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/96bc4bdbd240454293888afb1f5bc600">a secret deal</a>&nbsp;to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty instead to relatively minor state-level charges of soliciting prostitution. He was released in 2009.</p><p>In subsequent lawsuits, Giuffre said she was a teenage spa attendant at Mar-a-Lago when she was approached in 2000 by Maxwell.</p><p>Lawyers for Maxwell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-ghislaine-maxwell-fa2c504a6dfe30ce1686b857a4123b7b">a British socialite</a>, have argued that she never should have been tried or convicted for her role in luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. She is serving a 20-year prison term, though she was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-justice-department-prison-27d53cd22f8c53d9f2b5012cea32eb5e">moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida</a>&nbsp;to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after the Blanche interview.</p>

🎥Read the Epstein emails released by Democrats; White House responds

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating alleged theft in Manhattan.

Just after 2p.m. Monday, police&nbsp;filed a report of theft in the 1300 block of Hudson Avenue, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.&nbsp; A 73-year-old man reported an unknown suspect stole money during a meeting to purchase items for sale. The total estimated loss associated with this case is $9,000.

<p>RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating alleged theft in Manhattan.</p><p>Just after 2p.m. Monday, police&nbsp;filed a report of theft in the 1300 block of Hudson Avenue, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.&nbsp; A 73-year-old man reported an unknown suspect stole money during a meeting to purchase items for sale. The total estimated loss associated with this case is $9,000.</p>

Police: $9,000 stolen from 73-year-old Kan. man

WASHINGTON (AP) —Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the Trump administration will soon be making “substantial announcements” about steps it will take to reduce the price of food items not grown in the United States. He cited coffee, bananas and other fruits he didn’t name.

“Things like that that will bring the prices down very quickly,” Bessent said during an interview of Fox News Channel’s “Fox &amp; Friends.”

Bessent’s announcement comes as Trump insists costs are down since he took office nine months ago, despite economic data that shows otherwise

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710945821669.jpg" alt="Image Pixaby" />
                        <figcaption>Image Pixaby</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON (AP) —Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the Trump administration will soon be making “substantial announcements” about steps it will take to reduce the price of food items not grown in the United States. He cited coffee, bananas and other fruits he didn’t name.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a>: &quot;You&#39;re going to see substantial announcements over the next couple of days in terms of things we don&#39;t grow here... coffee being one of them, bananas, other fruits... That will bring the prices down very quickly.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/e9Vsa1UdVR">pic.twitter.com/e9Vsa1UdVR</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1988615345028923902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>“Things like that that will bring the prices down very quickly,” Bessent said during an interview of Fox News Channel’s “Fox &amp; Friends.”</p><p>Bessent’s announcement comes as Trump insists costs are down since he took office nine months ago, despite economic data that shows otherwise</p>

🎥Treasury Secretary says price drops coming on coffee and bananas

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an injury crash and continue to search for one of the drivers involved.

Just before 12:30a.m. Monday, a&nbsp;black pickup was northbound at a high rate of speed at the intersection of&nbsp;Valentine and Broadway in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

The pickup collided with a brown sedan which was making a turn. After impact, the black pickup collided with a parked car and the occupants fled the scene. 

EMS transported the driver of the brown sedan to a local hospital with critical injuries.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

<p>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an injury crash and continue to search for one of the drivers involved.</p><p>Just before 12:30a.m. Monday, a&nbsp;black pickup was northbound at a high rate of speed at the intersection of&nbsp;Valentine and Broadway in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.</p><p>The pickup collided with a brown sedan which was making a turn. After impact, the black pickup collided with a parked car and the occupants fled the scene. </p><p>EMS transported the driver of the brown sedan to a local hospital with critical injuries.&nbsp; Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.</p>

KCPD: Driver hospitalized, suspects fled 3-vehicle crash

Team owner Clark Hunt told reporters recently that he was still considering options on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line

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

TOPEKA, Kansas — The Kansas City Chiefs put out a request for proposals to design a new stadium on the Kansas side of the state line and are negotiating for land near the Kansas Speedway, according to two reports from Kansas City area talk show hosts.&nbsp;

Pete Mundo of KCMO talk radio&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmotalkradio.com/shows/mundo-in-the-morning-2/" target="_blank">broke the news</a>&nbsp;that the Chiefs contacted multiple firms regarding a new stadium to be built at Interstate 435 and Interstate 70. He said the news was confirmed by several sources.

Mundo stressed that the RFP didn’t mean the Chiefs had selected Kansas as the location for a new stadium and added that his “gut” said they would stay in Missouri.&nbsp;

On Monday, Kevin Kietzman said on his podcast that the Chiefs are in negotiations with NASCAR and the state of Kansas to acquire land just west of the Kansas Speedway. He said the Chiefs also may be building a hotel by the Hollywood Casino and creating an entertainment district.&nbsp;

“NASCAR owns a total of 880 acres of land at Village West, folks,” Kietzman said. “They only use 300 of them.”

Patrick Lowry, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Commerce, said major development projects require confidentiality and the agency has no comment on negotiations regarding the stadium.&nbsp;

“Kansas Department of Commerce continues to conduct a careful analysis of costs and benefits as part of crafting agreements to keep the Chiefs and Royals in the region while maximizing growth opportunities for Kansas,” Lowry said.

The Kansas Legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/07/kansas-lawmakers-extend-deadline-for-chiefs-royals-to-accept-stadium-incentives/" target="_blank">agreed to finance</a>&nbsp;up to 70% of the project, with a minimum $1 billion price tag, by issuing bonds to be repaid with sales tax collected in the STAR Bond district.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Missouri lawmakers hoping to convince the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals to remain in the state have&nbsp;authorized bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.

Clark Hunt, the Chiefs owner, recently told reporter that he and his family were still considering options in both Missouri and Kansas.

“I wouldn’t say we’re in limbo. Stadium projects move at their own pace,” Hunt said. “We’ve learned over the years that you can’t really force them to go faster, even if you want them to. And so it’s just important for us to keep working on both options.”

The possibility of moving the Chiefs stadium across the state line has both excited and concerned Kansas leaders. In Wyandotte County, where the Village West area is located, an economic development leader is hesitant to talk about what the stadium might bring to his county, although he’s positive that location would be a strong one for the Chiefs.&nbsp;

“I think that area is the No. 1 tourist destination in the state of Kansas,” said Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council. “There’s infrastructure and highway infrastructure. We know there’s an ability to get people in and out of major sporting events, and if we can put a deal together that works for everybody, it’s a win-win.”

Much still needs to be assessed in terms of the economic development benefits for Wyandotte County.&nbsp;

“We’re still working through the economics of it,” Kindle said. “It has to be revenue development that works for the sports teams but also drives revenue into the community. On the front end, it’s super exciting to have a national sports team in your community because you get a lot of branding, you get more tourism, you get people who are excited about being near that environment.”

Kindle referred to the success of the Kansas Speedway and Sporting KC, both of which are in the area and hold numerous events all year.&nbsp;

“Tourism areas benefit,” he said. “New things have to be happening. This would be an interesting additional asset to the area that we hope would bring in additional hotels and restaurants and interest in that area.”

Kindle said the negotiations with the Chiefs are going on through state officials and Wyandotte has offered support as needed. He’s excited about the idea the team may come to his county, but he also wants to encourage everyone to think long-term.

“They’ve been in their current location for what, 50 or 60 years. We want to make sure that whatever happens here builds on what they’ve done and the success that they’ve had, but also that we ensure that we do, in fact, get that ancillary growth that goes with the project,” Kindle said.&nbsp;

J.C. Bradbury, an economist and professor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, is releasing a book next year titled “This One Will be Different: False Promises and Fiscal Realities of Publicly Funded Stadiums.”&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748263709817.png" alt="&nbsp;GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
                        <figcaption>&nbsp;GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Team owner Clark Hunt told reporters recently that he was still considering options on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line</h2><p><b>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a><br></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a></p><p>TOPEKA, Kansas — The Kansas City Chiefs put out a request for proposals to design a new stadium on the Kansas side of the state line and are negotiating for land near the Kansas Speedway, according to two reports from Kansas City area talk show hosts.&nbsp;</p><p>Pete Mundo of KCMO talk radio&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmotalkradio.com/shows/mundo-in-the-morning-2/" target="_blank">broke the news</a>&nbsp;that the Chiefs contacted multiple firms regarding a new stadium to be built at Interstate 435 and Interstate 70. He said the news was confirmed by several sources.</p><p>Mundo stressed that the RFP didn’t mean the Chiefs had selected Kansas as the location for a new stadium and added that his “gut” said they would stay in Missouri.&nbsp;</p><p>On Monday, Kevin Kietzman said on his podcast that the Chiefs are in negotiations with NASCAR and the state of Kansas to acquire land just west of the Kansas Speedway. He said the Chiefs also may be building a hotel by the Hollywood Casino and creating an entertainment district.&nbsp;</p><p>“NASCAR owns a total of 880 acres of land at Village West, folks,” Kietzman said. “They only use 300 of them.”</p><p>Patrick Lowry, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Commerce, said major development projects require confidentiality and the agency has no comment on negotiations regarding the stadium.&nbsp;</p><p>“Kansas Department of Commerce continues to conduct a careful analysis of costs and benefits as part of crafting agreements to keep the Chiefs and Royals in the region while maximizing growth opportunities for Kansas,” Lowry said.</p><p>The Kansas Legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/07/07/kansas-lawmakers-extend-deadline-for-chiefs-royals-to-accept-stadium-incentives/" target="_blank">agreed to finance</a>&nbsp;up to 70% of the project, with a minimum $1 billion price tag, by issuing bonds to be repaid with sales tax collected in the STAR Bond district.&nbsp;</p><p>Meanwhile, Missouri lawmakers hoping to convince the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals to remain in the state have&nbsp;authorized bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.</p><p>Clark Hunt, the Chiefs owner, recently told reporter that he and his family were still considering options in both Missouri and Kansas.</p><p>“I wouldn’t say we’re in limbo. Stadium projects move at their own pace,” Hunt said. “We’ve learned over the years that you can’t really force them to go faster, even if you want them to. And so it’s just important for us to keep working on both options.”</p><h2>Wyandotte opportunity</h2><p>The possibility of moving the Chiefs stadium across the state line has both excited and concerned Kansas leaders. In Wyandotte County, where the Village West area is located, an economic development leader is hesitant to talk about what the stadium might bring to his county, although he’s positive that location would be a strong one for the Chiefs.&nbsp;</p><p>“I think that area is the No. 1 tourist destination in the state of Kansas,” said Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council. “There’s infrastructure and highway infrastructure. We know there’s an ability to get people in and out of major sporting events, and if we can put a deal together that works for everybody, it’s a win-win.”</p><p>Much still needs to be assessed in terms of the economic development benefits for Wyandotte County.&nbsp;</p><p>“We’re still working through the economics of it,” Kindle said. “It has to be revenue development that works for the sports teams but also drives revenue into the community. On the front end, it’s super exciting to have a national sports team in your community because you get a lot of branding, you get more tourism, you get people who are excited about being near that environment.”</p><p>Kindle referred to the success of the Kansas Speedway and Sporting KC, both of which are in the area and hold numerous events all year.&nbsp;</p><p>“Tourism areas benefit,” he said. “New things have to be happening. This would be an interesting additional asset to the area that we hope would bring in additional hotels and restaurants and interest in that area.”</p><p>Kindle said the negotiations with the Chiefs are going on through state officials and Wyandotte has offered support as needed. He’s excited about the idea the team may come to his county, but he also wants to encourage everyone to think long-term.</p><p>“They’ve been in their current location for what, 50 or 60 years. We want to make sure that whatever happens here builds on what they’ve done and the success that they’ve had, but also that we ensure that we do, in fact, get that ancillary growth that goes with the project,” Kindle said.&nbsp;</p><h2>Stadium investments</h2><p>J.C. Bradbury, an economist and professor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, is releasing a book next year titled “This One Will be Different: False Promises and Fiscal Realities of Publicly Funded Stadiums.”&nbsp;</p><p>He said economic justifications for putting tax dollars behind stadium development don’t hold up.</p><p>Economists look at economic development differently than other professionals, who consider the process about increasing business activity in a community, Bradbury said.</p><p>“Economists use the term economic development to describe improving economic outcomes. And stadiums are absolutely not true economic development catalysts,” he said.</p><p>Bradbury said he has looked for studies that show there is an economic benefit to stadiums and hasn’t found one.</p><p>“If you went and called a doctor for a study on the dangers of smoking, you wouldn’t be able to find a doctor who would say smoking is good for you, right?” Bradbury said. “If you would ask economists about the economic benefits of stadiums, you probably couldn’t find an economist who would say that they’re beneficial. But no one wants to listen to economists on that.”</p><p>Multiple changes happen in communities when stadiums are built that lead people to believe the economy benefits, he said. Increased spending definitely happening around the stadium, but Bradbury said that spending is pulled from restaurants and stores not in the stadium’s entertainment sphere.&nbsp;</p><p>Other factors include being unable to track businesses that don’t open up in a stadium district, such as doctor’s offices and retail stores, because of traffic and people who don’t want to live near stadiums, he said.&nbsp;</p><p>“There’s actually some negative spillover effects that no one likes to talk about,” Bradbury said. He gave an example of an area in Atlanta that was near where stadiums were formerly located. For years, it was a “ghost town,” but after stadiums moved, it is now a thriving commercial district.</p><p>There are positives, including the novelty effect when the stadium first opens, Bradbury said.&nbsp;</p><p>“This is a private business that largely benefits the owners of the team. It’s generating hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars,” Bradbury said. “Athletes are paid millions of dollars of salaries. These organizations exist as economic entities because they’re profitable. There’s zero justification for taxpayers putting a dime for professional sports stadiums, but we just sort of got in the habit of doing that, and now I’m hoping to try to break this habit.”</p>