Abortion is only available at some Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri, and not every kind of abortion is accessible

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

One year ago, Missourians voted to enshrine abortion rights into the state Constitution.

But access remains fragmented as court battles and proposed abortion bans introduce more confusion into an already complicated situation.

Procedural abortions are sporadically available at three Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri as numerous legal fights unfold, including a question over whether restrictions on medication abortion will remain in place. Medication abortion, which accounts for about two-thirds of abortions nationwide, is completely unavailable in Missouri.

The exact number of abortions provided since the passage of Amendment 3 is not yet available. But Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion advocate with Campaign Life Missouri, said it seems to be “nowhere near what we had anticipated or what the supporters of Amendment 3 had anticipated.”&nbsp;

While the last 12 months have seen a pitched battle over abortion rights in Missouri, the next 12 months will likely see some conclusion.

The outcome of a multi-week trial slated for January will determine which of Missouri’s longstanding abortion regulations will be upheld and which are unconstitutional under the abortion-rights amendment. Any decision will likely end up before a higher state court.

Outside the courts, lawmakers placed a new constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot seeking to reinstate Missouri’s abortion ban.&nbsp;

“They rushed to put an abortion ban, that reads like a pro-choice amendment, back on the ballot––and they don’t think Missourians are smart enough to notice,” Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said in a statement. “We know better. This time next year, Missourians will again vote against banning abortion. Hey Jeff City, it’s time you learned, no means no.”

The abortion rights amendment broadly protects reproductive health care. It also&nbsp;prohibits the legislature from regulating abortion prior to the point of fetal viability, which is generally the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb without extraordinary measures.

When 52% of 3 million Missouri voters supported the amendment, it opened the doors not only for broad abortion access in Missouri, but also began to lay the groundwork for access for women in nearby states with bans, including Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.&nbsp;

But the road to widespread access is complicated, in large part thanks to&nbsp;the state’s long history electing anti-abortion lawmakers and their focus on crafting some of the more restrictive laws in the country, known as “targeted regulation of abortion providers,” or TRAP, laws.

These regulations are the reason for the dramatic dip in abortion in Missouri before it was outlawed. And these regulations remain among the reasons abortion isn’t yet widely accessible.

A decade ago, more than 5,000 abortions were performed in Missouri, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. By 2020, that number dropped to 167 as the legislature enacted more abortion regulations.

In 2019, the Missouri legislature passed a “trigger law” that would go into effect if Roe v. Wade ever fell. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022, Missouri enacted its trigger law, becoming the first state to ban nearly all abortion.

In the first 25 months after Roe was overturned, 74 abortions were performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to health department data.&nbsp;But data shows the ban didn’t prevent thousands of other Missourians from getting elective abortions.&nbsp;

In 2023, approximately 2,860 Missourians traveled to Kansas last year for abortions, and 8,710 traveled to Illinois,&nbsp;<a href="https://guttmacherinstitute.github.io/provision-dashboard/" target="_blank">according to the Guttmacher Institute,</a>&nbsp;a reproductive rights research group that closely tracks abortion data.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762429624360.png" alt=" Connie Gerling, with 40 Days for Life, prays as she stands outside the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic on Monday, March 3, 2025. A sign beside her reads: “We Care. We can Help” (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Connie Gerling, with 40 Days for Life, prays as she stands outside the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic on Monday, March 3, 2025. A sign beside her reads: “We Care. We can Help” (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Abortion is only available at some Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri, and not every kind of abortion is accessible</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>One year ago, Missourians voted to enshrine abortion rights into the state Constitution.But access remains fragmented as court battles and proposed abortion bans introduce more confusion into an already complicated situation.Procedural abortions are sporadically available at three Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri as numerous legal fights unfold, including a question over whether restrictions on medication abortion will remain in place. Medication abortion, which accounts for about two-thirds of abortions nationwide, is completely unavailable in Missouri.The exact number of abortions provided since the passage of Amendment 3 is not yet available. But Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion advocate with Campaign Life Missouri, said it seems to be “nowhere near what we had anticipated or what the supporters of Amendment 3 had anticipated.”&nbsp;While the last 12 months have seen a pitched battle over abortion rights in Missouri, the next 12 months will likely see some conclusion.The outcome of a multi-week trial slated for January will determine which of Missouri’s longstanding abortion regulations will be upheld and which are unconstitutional under the abortion-rights amendment. Any decision will likely end up before a higher state court.Outside the courts, lawmakers placed a new constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot seeking to reinstate Missouri’s abortion ban.&nbsp;“They rushed to put an abortion ban, that reads like a pro-choice amendment, back on the ballot––and they don’t think Missourians are smart enough to notice,” Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said in a statement. “We know better. This time next year, Missourians will again vote against banning abortion. Hey Jeff City, it’s time you learned, no means no.”The abortion rights amendment broadly protects reproductive health care. It also&nbsp;prohibits the legislature from regulating abortion prior to the point of fetal viability, which is generally the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb without extraordinary measures.When 52% of 3 million Missouri voters supported the amendment, it opened the doors not only for broad abortion access in Missouri, but also began to lay the groundwork for access for women in nearby states with bans, including Iowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.&nbsp;But the road to widespread access is complicated, in large part thanks to&nbsp;the state’s long history electing anti-abortion lawmakers and their focus on crafting some of the more restrictive laws in the country, known as “targeted regulation of abortion providers,” or TRAP, laws.These regulations are the reason for the dramatic dip in abortion in Missouri before it was outlawed. And these regulations remain among the reasons abortion isn’t yet widely accessible.A decade ago, more than 5,000 abortions were performed in Missouri, according to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. By 2020, that number dropped to 167 as the legislature enacted more abortion regulations.In 2019, the Missouri legislature passed a “trigger law” that would go into effect if Roe v. Wade ever fell. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022, Missouri enacted its trigger law, becoming the first state to ban nearly all abortion.In the first 25 months after Roe was overturned, 74 abortions were performed in Missouri under the state’s emergency exemption, according to health department data.&nbsp;But data shows the ban didn’t prevent thousands of other Missourians from getting elective abortions.&nbsp;In 2023, approximately 2,860 Missourians traveled to Kansas last year for abortions, and 8,710 traveled to Illinois,&nbsp;<a href="https://guttmacherinstitute.github.io/provision-dashboard/" target="_blank">according to the Guttmacher Institute,</a>&nbsp;a reproductive rights research group that closely tracks abortion data.&nbsp;

Missouri legalized abortion 1 year ago. Here’s what’s happened since the landmark vote

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been arrested for allegedly making a threat to kill President Donald J. Trump.

Trent Schneider, 57, of&nbsp;Winthrop Harbor, Ill., is charged with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person, according to the United State's Attorney. Schneider was arrested Tuesday morning and made an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Chicago.&nbsp; Schneider was ordered to remain detained in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Nov. 6, 2025.

According to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Schneider&nbsp;posted a video of himself&nbsp;on Oct. 16, 2025,&nbsp;on Instagram in which he stated, “I’m going to get some guns.&nbsp; I know where I can get a lot of [expletive] guns and I am going to take care of business myself.&nbsp; I’m tired of all you [expletive] frauds.&nbsp; People need to [expletive] die and people are going to die.&nbsp; [Expletive] all of you, especially you Trump.&nbsp; You should be executed.”&nbsp; The video also included a caption that stated, in part: “THIS IS&nbsp;NOT A THREAT!!!&nbsp;AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date&nbsp;is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”

According to the complaint, a concerned citizen in Florida viewed the video and reported it to law enforcement.

The complaint and arrest were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and&nbsp;Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office.&nbsp; Valuable assistance was provided by the Lake County, Ill. Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor, Ill. Police Department.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt.&nbsp; The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.&nbsp; The charge in the complaint&nbsp;is punishable by a&nbsp;maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.&nbsp; If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762294284266.png" alt="Schneider is in federal custody -photo Lake County. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Schneider is in federal custody -photo Lake County. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been arrested for allegedly making a threat to kill President Donald J. Trump.Trent Schneider, 57, of&nbsp;Winthrop Harbor, Ill., is charged with making a threat in interstate commerce to injure a person, according to the United State's Attorney. Schneider was arrested Tuesday morning and made an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert in Chicago.&nbsp; Schneider was ordered to remain detained in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Nov. 6, 2025.According to a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Schneider&nbsp;posted a video of himself&nbsp;on Oct. 16, 2025,&nbsp;on Instagram in which he stated, “I’m going to get some guns.&nbsp; I know where I can get a lot of [expletive] guns and I am going to take care of business myself.&nbsp; I’m tired of all you [expletive] frauds.&nbsp; People need to [expletive] die and people are going to die.&nbsp; [Expletive] all of you, especially you Trump.&nbsp; You should be executed.”&nbsp; The video also included a caption that stated, in part: “THIS IS&nbsp;NOT A THREAT!!!&nbsp;AFTER LOSING EVERYTHING and My House Auction date&nbsp;is 11.04.2025 @realDonaldTrump SHOULD BE EXECUTED!!!”According to the complaint, a concerned citizen in Florida viewed the video and reported it to law enforcement.The complaint and arrest were announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and&nbsp;Dai Tran, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Chicago Field Office.&nbsp; Valuable assistance was provided by the Lake County, Ill. Sheriff’s Office and the Winthrop Harbor, Ill. Police Department.The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt.&nbsp; The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.&nbsp; The charge in the complaint&nbsp;is punishable by a&nbsp;maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.&nbsp; If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.&nbsp;

Read the online threat against President Trump that landed man in jail

KANSAS CITY —A second person has died from injuries that occurred just before 1:30a.m. October 19, in Kansas City Missouri.

A gray Chevrolet Malibu was southbound on Paseo at a very high rate of speed, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. At 16th and Paseo, the car went into a broad slide, continued over the curb through the grass and struck a large tree.

EMS transported the unrestrained driver to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff.

The front seat passenger and left rear seat passenger were both transported to local hospitals with critical injuries. 

On Tuesday authorities were notified by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office that the front seat passenger had been pronounced deceased by hospital staff on Oct. 19,&nbsp; at 3:31 a.m.&nbsp;

The right rear seat passenger was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. . The left rear seat passenger was reported in serious condition and the right rear seat passenger was in stable condition.&nbsp; Police did not release names of those involved.

This is fatality #56 compared to #80 at this time last year.

KANSAS CITY —A second person has died from injuries that occurred just before 1:30a.m. October 19, in Kansas City Missouri.A gray Chevrolet Malibu was southbound on Paseo at a very high rate of speed, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. At 16th and Paseo, the car went into a broad slide, continued over the curb through the grass and struck a large tree.EMS transported the unrestrained driver to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff.The front seat passenger and left rear seat passenger were both transported to local hospitals with critical injuries. On Tuesday authorities were notified by the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office that the front seat passenger had been pronounced deceased by hospital staff on Oct. 19,&nbsp; at 3:31 a.m.&nbsp;The right rear seat passenger was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. . The left rear seat passenger was reported in serious condition and the right rear seat passenger was in stable condition.&nbsp; Police did not release names of those involved.This is fatality #56 compared to #80 at this time last year.

KCPD: 2nd person dies after violent crash into a tree

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨 BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDuffy</a> announces a 10% reduction in scheduled flight capacity at the nation&#39;s top 40 high-traffic markets due to the Democrat Shutdown&#39;s strain on air traffic controllers. <a href="https://t.co/g6yJygA96W">pic.twitter.com/g6yJygA96W</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1986182615372849270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My number one priority is the safety of the American people. <a href="https://t.co/lOi3Q2rpZ7">https://t.co/lOi3Q2rpZ7</a>&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1986189054568767782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">There may be flight delays or cancellations. Our top priority is that when Americans fly, they will make it to their destination safely because <a href="https://twitter.com/USDOT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USDOT</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FAANews</a> have done their work. <a href="https://t.co/1uDsFr5HDL">pic.twitter.com/1uDsFr5HDL</a>&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1986194251143590306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are level-setting with the American people. We’re doing whatever it takes to get passengers to their destination safely. <a href="https://t.co/byVYfr6FEw">pic.twitter.com/byVYfr6FEw</a>&mdash; Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDuffy/status/1986215014189945064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Government shutdown: FAA reducing air traffic in ‘high-volume’ markets

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach today announced his office filed election fraud charges against Jose Ceballos, the mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, according to a statement form Kobach's office. Ceballos last night was re-elected.

&nbsp;“In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen. We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times,” Kobach said.

&nbsp;Officials from the attorney general’s office filed the charges in Comanche County. Ceballos faces three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. The charges are nonperson felonies, and Ceballos could face more than 5 years in prison.

<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/24666/638979462743160827" target="_blank">Click here to read the complaint&nbsp;</a>

The Coldwater City Council were called in for a Special Meeting by Mayor Joe Ceballos at 12:40p.m. Wednesday to discuss the charges filed by the Kansas Attorney Generals Office.

"At this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met. While the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments. It’s important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government,"&nbsp; wrote Britt Lenertz, President Coldwater City Council on the city's social media page/

&nbsp;“I’ve worked with Attorney General Kobach for years on proof of citizenship as a useful tool to root out election crimes. During my time as House Elections Chair, then Secretary Kobach and I fought to pass a proof of citizenship requirement. Instead, we’re left relying on individuals’ word when it comes to verifying citizenship,” Schwab said. “I’m grateful that President Trump implemented the SAVE program to help states and to prevent situations like this.”

&nbsp;When he was Secretary of State, Kobach led the charge to stop noncitizens from voting illegally in Kansas elections. A federal court struck down the Kansas proof-of-citizenship law in 2018. Eight states, including Kansas, have passed laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in at least some cases, but the laws have only been implemented in four of those states, including Arizona, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wyoming.

&nbsp;“Voting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem. It happens. Every time a noncitizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen’s vote.” Kobach said.

&nbsp;State law generally requires that candidates for elected city office must be a qualified elector, or eligible to vote, and be a resident of the city. However, cities have home rule power. It will be up to the city attorney to decide whether Ceballos is eligible to continue in his role as mayor.

&nbsp;Special Agent Nate Humble and Special Agent in Charge Matt Simpson are investigating the Ceballos case. First Assistant Attorney General Stacy Edwards is prosecuting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762377337825.png" alt="​Joe Ceballos-photo City of Colwater" />
 <figcaption>​Joe Ceballos-photo City of Colwater</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach today announced his office filed election fraud charges against Jose Ceballos, the mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, according to a statement form Kobach's office. Ceballos last night was re-elected.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKrisKobach1787%2Fvideos%2F1721924125162262%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>&nbsp;“In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen. We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times,” Kobach said.&nbsp;Officials from the attorney general’s office filed the charges in Comanche County. Ceballos faces three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. The charges are nonperson felonies, and Ceballos could face more than 5 years in prison.<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/24666/638979462743160827" target="_blank">Click here to read the complaint&nbsp;</a>The Coldwater City Council were called in for a Special Meeting by Mayor Joe Ceballos at 12:40p.m. Wednesday to discuss the charges filed by the Kansas Attorney Generals Office."At this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met. While the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments. It’s important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government,"&nbsp; wrote Britt Lenertz, President Coldwater City Council on the city's social media page/&nbsp;“I’ve worked with Attorney General Kobach for years on proof of citizenship as a useful tool to root out election crimes. During my time as House Elections Chair, then Secretary Kobach and I fought to pass a proof of citizenship requirement. Instead, we’re left relying on individuals’ word when it comes to verifying citizenship,” Schwab said. “I’m grateful that President Trump implemented the SAVE program to help states and to prevent situations like this.”&nbsp;When he was Secretary of State, Kobach led the charge to stop noncitizens from voting illegally in Kansas elections. A federal court struck down the Kansas proof-of-citizenship law in 2018. Eight states, including Kansas, have passed laws requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in at least some cases, but the laws have only been implemented in four of those states, including Arizona, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wyoming.&nbsp;“Voting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem. It happens. Every time a noncitizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen’s vote.” Kobach said.&nbsp;State law generally requires that candidates for elected city office must be a qualified elector, or eligible to vote, and be a resident of the city. However, cities have home rule power. It will be up to the city attorney to decide whether Ceballos is eligible to continue in his role as mayor.&nbsp;Special Agent Nate Humble and Special Agent in Charge Matt Simpson are investigating the Ceballos case. First Assistant Attorney General Stacy Edwards is prosecuting.

🎥Mayor in Kan. charged with election fraud after his re-election

On Monday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization, according to a social media report from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

"Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. The strike was conducted in international waters in the Eastern Pacific."

"No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and two male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed."

"We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens. Protecting the homeland is our TOP priority. NO cartel terrorist stands a chance against the American military."

The attack brings the death toll&nbsp;from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to 66 in 16 strikes.

On Monday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization, according to a social media report from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known… <a href="https://t.co/OsQuHrYLMp">pic.twitter.com/OsQuHrYLMp</a>&mdash; Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1985863010376642677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. The strike was conducted in international waters in the Eastern Pacific.""No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and two male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed.""We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens. Protecting the homeland is our TOP priority. NO cartel terrorist stands a chance against the American military."The attack brings the death toll&nbsp;from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to 66 in 16 strikes.

🎥US military kills 2 in new strike on drug-running boat

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector&nbsp;

TOPEKA — The former CEO and founder of the Beneficient investment firm that was granted a unique bank charter on orders of the Kansas Legislature was arrested and jailed Tuesday following indictment for an alleged scheme to loot more than $150 million from a company forced into bankruptcy.

Brad Heppner, who was taken into custody at his home by the Irving Police Department in Texas, was indicted in federal court in New York on counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, making false statements to auditors, and falsification of records. Prosecutors say he misled investors and auditors, and they said he obstructed an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

He has for years been at the center of a flurry of civil lawsuits alleging financial misconduct. The criminal case was worked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with the SEC.

“Heppner abused his role as a public company executive to loot the company and to funnel money into his own pockets,” said Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. “When executives like Heppner lie and cheat to enrich themselves at the expense of everyday investors, they corrupt the integrity of our public markets.”

Interest in Heppner’s business activities has been relevant to Kansans because Beneficient, the company he founded, has held a Kansas banking license since 2021.

Heppner was accused in the indictment, unsealed Tuesday, of misappropriating at least $150 million from the publicly traded, now-bankrupt GWG Holdings through a series of self-serving transactions tied to Beneficient and Highland Consolidated Limited Partnership. He was simultaneously chairman of GWG and Beneficient, and secretly controlled HCLP, according to the indictment.

“Though Heppner repeatedly described HCLP as an independent entity, it was, in fact, a shell company controlled by Heppner and operated for his benefit,” the indictment said. “Once Heppner exhausted his ability to siphon GWG’s assets for himself, he separated himself from GWG. GWG filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter, causing losses exceeding $1 billion to thousands of investors and bondholders.”

Financial damage resulting from the catastrophe at GWG primarily fell on retail investors, “many of them retirees,” the indictment says.

The indictment says Heppner used the money for personal expenses, including $40 million for renovation of a Dallas mansion and a ranch in Montalba, Texas. He allegedly spent $10 million on upkeep, expansion and IT services on those properties as well as $10 million to cover credit card debt and private aviation expenditures. He purportedly used $20 million to pay tax expenses and bought jewelry valued at more than $500,000.

The indictment seeks to force Heppner to surrender ill-gotten cash as well as the properties in Dallas and Montalba.

Heppner, 59, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the fraud, false statement and false record counts. The conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

In June, Heppner resigned from Dallas-headquartered Beneficient rather than cooperate with an audit committee looking into financial irregularities. In 2021, Heppner left GWG and structurally separated Beneficient from GWG. GWG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022.

Dan Callahan, a spokesperson representing Beneficient, issued a company statement in wake of the indictment: “Beneficient parted ways with Mr. Heppner earlier this year, immediately after learning facts related to his alleged fraud on the company and others. Beneficient will continue to pursue its own claims against Mr. Heppner on behalf of its shareholders. Beneficient has and continues to cooperate with the government’s investigation of Mr. Heppner.”

Heppner was the face of Beneficient before and after it landed a Kansas banking charter for a Beneficient subsidiary. Legislation that guaranteed Beneficient received the charter was championed by Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican now in the midst of a campaign for governor. Masterson made the motion in support of the charter during a 2021 interim legislative committee hearing. The legislation was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

While lobbying Kansas legislators in pursuit of a bank charter, Heppner allegedly continued with the covert effort to hide the funneling of $150 million from GWG to Beneficient and to HCLP.

Beneficient made financial contributions to the campaigns of Republicans and Democrats in Kansas. It’s unclear whether those donations were made with cash Heppner allegedly transferred from GWG.

David Herndon, the Kansas state banking commissioner, opposed the charter for Beneficient and repeatedly urged the Legislature to repeal the law allowing Beneficient to anchor its asset-swap business to Kansas.

The business linked to the state charter was designed to allow Beneficient to work with investors to cash out or trade for stock their illiquid assets, including venture capital and private equity. To entice Kansas to deliver the charter, Beneficient agreed to funnel money into a Kansas foundation that was to help revitalize Hesston and support economic development in other rural communities. Heppner grew up in Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762351195715.jpeg" alt="Brad Heppner, former CEO of Beneficient in Texas, is arrested and indicted in Texas on securities and wire fraud, making false statements and falsification of records. (Photo by Irving Police Department)" />
 <figcaption>Brad Heppner, former CEO of Beneficient in Texas, is arrested and indicted in Texas on securities and wire fraud, making false statements and falsification of records. (Photo by Irving Police Department)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector&nbsp;TOPEKA — The former CEO and founder of the Beneficient investment firm that was granted a unique bank charter on orders of the Kansas Legislature was arrested and jailed Tuesday following indictment for an alleged scheme to loot more than $150 million from a company forced into bankruptcy.Brad Heppner, who was taken into custody at his home by the Irving Police Department in Texas, was indicted in federal court in New York on counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud, making false statements to auditors, and falsification of records. Prosecutors say he misled investors and auditors, and they said he obstructed an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.He has for years been at the center of a flurry of civil lawsuits alleging financial misconduct. The criminal case was worked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in cooperation with the SEC.“Heppner abused his role as a public company executive to loot the company and to funnel money into his own pockets,” said Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. “When executives like Heppner lie and cheat to enrich themselves at the expense of everyday investors, they corrupt the integrity of our public markets.”Interest in Heppner’s business activities has been relevant to Kansans because Beneficient, the company he founded, has held a Kansas banking license since 2021.Heppner was accused in the indictment, unsealed Tuesday, of misappropriating at least $150 million from the publicly traded, now-bankrupt GWG Holdings through a series of self-serving transactions tied to Beneficient and Highland Consolidated Limited Partnership. He was simultaneously chairman of GWG and Beneficient, and secretly controlled HCLP, according to the indictment.“Though Heppner repeatedly described HCLP as an independent entity, it was, in fact, a shell company controlled by Heppner and operated for his benefit,” the indictment said. “Once Heppner exhausted his ability to siphon GWG’s assets for himself, he separated himself from GWG. GWG filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter, causing losses exceeding $1 billion to thousands of investors and bondholders.”Financial damage resulting from the catastrophe at GWG primarily fell on retail investors, “many of them retirees,” the indictment says.The indictment says Heppner used the money for personal expenses, including $40 million for renovation of a Dallas mansion and a ranch in Montalba, Texas. He allegedly spent $10 million on upkeep, expansion and IT services on those properties as well as $10 million to cover credit card debt and private aviation expenditures. He purportedly used $20 million to pay tax expenses and bought jewelry valued at more than $500,000.The indictment seeks to force Heppner to surrender ill-gotten cash as well as the properties in Dallas and Montalba.Heppner, 59, faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the fraud, false statement and false record counts. The conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.In June, Heppner resigned from Dallas-headquartered Beneficient rather than cooperate with an audit committee looking into financial irregularities. In 2021, Heppner left GWG and structurally separated Beneficient from GWG. GWG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2022.Dan Callahan, a spokesperson representing Beneficient, issued a company statement in wake of the indictment: “Beneficient parted ways with Mr. Heppner earlier this year, immediately after learning facts related to his alleged fraud on the company and others. Beneficient will continue to pursue its own claims against Mr. Heppner on behalf of its shareholders. Beneficient has and continues to cooperate with the government’s investigation of Mr. Heppner.”Heppner was the face of Beneficient before and after it landed a Kansas banking charter for a Beneficient subsidiary. Legislation that guaranteed Beneficient received the charter was championed by Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican now in the midst of a campaign for governor. Masterson made the motion in support of the charter during a 2021 interim legislative committee hearing. The legislation was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.While lobbying Kansas legislators in pursuit of a bank charter, Heppner allegedly continued with the covert effort to hide the funneling of $150 million from GWG to Beneficient and to HCLP.Beneficient made financial contributions to the campaigns of Republicans and Democrats in Kansas. It’s unclear whether those donations were made with cash Heppner allegedly transferred from GWG.David Herndon, the Kansas state banking commissioner, opposed the charter for Beneficient and repeatedly urged the Legislature to repeal the law allowing Beneficient to anchor its asset-swap business to Kansas.The business linked to the state charter was designed to allow Beneficient to work with investors to cash out or trade for stock their illiquid assets, including venture capital and private equity. To entice Kansas to deliver the charter, Beneficient agreed to funnel money into a Kansas foundation that was to help revitalize Hesston and support economic development in other rural communities. Heppner grew up in Kansas.

Former CEO who acquired unique Kansas bank charter indicted on fraud charges

President&nbsp;Donald Trump’s&nbsp;authority to impose far-reaching&nbsp;tariffs&nbsp;is&nbsp; before the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning in a pivotal test of executive power with trillion-dollar implications for the global economy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743626000304.png" alt="White House photo" />
 <figcaption>White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>President&nbsp;Donald Trump’s&nbsp;authority to impose far-reaching&nbsp;tariffs&nbsp;is&nbsp; before the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning in a pivotal test of executive power with trillion-dollar implications for the global economy.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Justice Sotomayor asks about tariffs being a kind of tax on Americans and compares President Trump&#39;s emergency tariff Executive Orders to President Biden&#39;s student loan forgiveness policy and a hypothetical climate emergency. <a href="https://t.co/nD0MYgVjv3">pic.twitter.com/nD0MYgVjv3</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1986099084961227180?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Justice Barrett asks if &quot;Regulate&quot; means power to tariff. While U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer responds, Justice Sotomayor: &quot;Could you just answer the justice&#39;s question?&quot; Barrett: &quot;Can you identify any statute that used that phrase...?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SOMhHSGZBm">pic.twitter.com/SOMhHSGZBm</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1986101612272640338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Justice Gorsuch: &quot;What&#39;s the reason to accept the notion that Congress can hand off the power to declare war to the president?&quot; U.S. Solicitor General Sauer: &quot;Well, we don&#39;t contend that.&quot; Gorsuch: &quot;You do, you say it&#39;s unreviewable…you&#39;ve backed off that position?&quot; Sauer:… <a href="https://t.co/tuPdf7295s">pic.twitter.com/tuPdf7295s</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1986105831675371866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Justice Barrett asks about refunding tariff revenue should President Trump lose the case: &quot;If you win, tell me how the reimbursement process would work. Would it be a complete mess?&quot; Neal Katyal: &quot;We don&#39;t deny that it&#39;s difficult.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WsiVGTyBO9">pic.twitter.com/WsiVGTyBO9</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1986124253369147787?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Justice Kavanaugh asks why the president may not be able to issue tariffs but can set trade embargoes, which sets off a debate among the justices and a series of questions about presidential power. <a href="https://t.co/tLDMi2MPm6">pic.twitter.com/tLDMi2MPm6</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1986131942094319755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎧History: Supreme Court oral arguments on Trump's tariffs

WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations including homicide after a standoff at a home in Kansas City, Kansas.

Just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to an armed disturbance at a home in the 1400 block of Oakland Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.

The reporting party told officers an armed subject entered his home and was inside holding his adult son against his will at gunpoint. 

Police negotiators were able to have the victim released from the residence. Just before 2 p.m. the Kansas City, Kansas polic Special Operations Unit made entry in the residence and took the suspect into custody without incident. The suspect is being held on numerous requested felony charges and was wanted in connection with a homicide from Kansas City, Missouri.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations including homicide after a standoff at a home in Kansas City, Kansas.Just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday, police were dispatched to an armed disturbance at a home in the 1400 block of Oakland Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.The reporting party told officers an armed subject entered his home and was inside holding his adult son against his will at gunpoint. Police negotiators were able to have the victim released from the residence. Just before 2 p.m. the Kansas City, Kansas polic Special Operations Unit made entry in the residence and took the suspect into custody without incident. The suspect is being held on numerous requested felony charges and was wanted in connection with a homicide from Kansas City, Missouri.

Missouri murder suspect arrested after standoff at Kan. home

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Mamdani: So Donald Trump, since I know you&#39;re watching, I have four words for you: TURN THE VOLUME UP. We will hold landlords to account because the Donald Trumps of our city have grown far to comfortable taking advantage of their tenants. We will put an end to corruption that… <a href="https://t.co/eCXh6VCPQB">pic.twitter.com/eCXh6VCPQB</a>&mdash; Ron Smith (@Ronxyz00) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ronxyz00/status/1985931708416328138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani: &quot;We can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears not the appeasement it craves. After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him it is the city that gave rise to him...So,… <a href="https://t.co/Vt7pmuIGpd">pic.twitter.com/Vt7pmuIGpd</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1985931014498062675?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani: &quot;We have toppled a political dynasty. I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life but let tonight be the final time I utter his name as we turn the page on a politics that abandons the many and answers only to the few.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Pf0j4I1TDK">pic.twitter.com/Pf0j4I1TDK</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1985927747638632471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Zohran Mamdani's message to Trump after winning New York City mayor's race

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

TOPEKA — Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins acknowledged Tuesday that he didn’t gather enough support from his Republican caucus to force a special session on Friday as planned.

Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson have worked for the past two months to get two-thirds of both chambers to sign a petition for a special session, where they could then redraw congressional maps to try to drive Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids out of office. Masterson previously announced he had the necessary signatures from Senate Republicans.

But a handful of House Republicans refused to join the effort, despite overtures from leadership about other topics that could come up during a special session.

On Tuesday, under the headline “countdown to Jan. 12th,” Hawkins issued a news release that said planning a special session is an “uphill battle” because of challenges with multiple agendas, scheduling conflicts and other factors.

“At the end of the day, a supermajority of Republicans still believe there should be oversight of over a billion dollars in assistance for rural health care, know the difference between a man and a woman, and wish to have a conversation about redistricting,” Hawkins said.

Masterson said in a statement Tuesday the Senate would “continue to deliver” for President Donald Trump, who initiated a multistate fight for a political advantage through gerrymandering.

“President Trump asked Republicans to fight for fair maps and for America’s future,” Masterson said. “We did our part — and we’ll keep leading the charge here in Kansas.”

Earlier in the day, Davids indicated she could be interested in a run for U.S. Senate if redistricting occurs. Redistricting efforts could continue when the Legislature convenes in January.

She was pleased to hear the special session&nbsp; would not occur.

“For months, extreme Republican legislators in Topeka have been scheming with D.C. politicians to silence Kansas voices,” Davids said in a statement Tuesday evening. “Today, we’ve won the first round in this fight against gerrymandering, but their plan to cheat the system isn’t over. They’ve made it clear they’ll do anything to hold onto power, but I’ve been just as clear: voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.”

Politico on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/03/sharice-davids-senate-run-kansas-00633280?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Monday reported</a>&nbsp;that Davids met with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, last week to discuss the possibility of a Senate campaign and to “garner advice from a lawmaker who’s transitioned from the lower chamber to the upper one.”

On a press call discussing the ending of Affordable Care Act subsidies Tuesday afternoon, Davids would only reiterate former statements that her decision hinges at least in part on whether Kansas legislators push for redistricting.

“I’ll just say that if they move forward with this, I haven’t taken any options off the table about what I’ll do next,” she said. “I want to continue to do what I can to bring the voices and needs of Kansans to Congress.

“Right now, it is unclear what’s going to happen with the redistricting,” Davids said. “I am focusing on trying to make sure that the Kansas legislature doesn’t move forward on redistricting because it is actually just bad for the state.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643147273216.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/mchilson/">MORGAN CHILSON</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins acknowledged Tuesday that he didn’t gather enough support from his Republican caucus to force a special session on Friday as planned.Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson have worked for the past two months to get two-thirds of both chambers to sign a petition for a special session, where they could then redraw congressional maps to try to drive Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids out of office. Masterson previously announced he had the necessary signatures from Senate Republicans.But a handful of House Republicans refused to join the effort, despite overtures from leadership about other topics that could come up during a special session.On Tuesday, under the headline “countdown to Jan. 12th,” Hawkins issued a news release that said planning a special session is an “uphill battle” because of challenges with multiple agendas, scheduling conflicts and other factors.“At the end of the day, a supermajority of Republicans still believe there should be oversight of over a billion dollars in assistance for rural health care, know the difference between a man and a woman, and wish to have a conversation about redistricting,” Hawkins said.Masterson said in a statement Tuesday the Senate would “continue to deliver” for President Donald Trump, who initiated a multistate fight for a political advantage through gerrymandering.“President Trump asked Republicans to fight for fair maps and for America’s future,” Masterson said. “We did our part — and we’ll keep leading the charge here in Kansas.”Earlier in the day, Davids indicated she could be interested in a run for U.S. Senate if redistricting occurs. Redistricting efforts could continue when the Legislature convenes in January.She was pleased to hear the special session&nbsp; would not occur.“For months, extreme Republican legislators in Topeka have been scheming with D.C. politicians to silence Kansas voices,” Davids said in a statement Tuesday evening. “Today, we’ve won the first round in this fight against gerrymandering, but their plan to cheat the system isn’t over. They’ve made it clear they’ll do anything to hold onto power, but I’ve been just as clear: voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.”Politico on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/03/sharice-davids-senate-run-kansas-00633280?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Monday reported</a>&nbsp;that Davids met with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California, last week to discuss the possibility of a Senate campaign and to “garner advice from a lawmaker who’s transitioned from the lower chamber to the upper one.”On a press call discussing the ending of Affordable Care Act subsidies Tuesday afternoon, Davids would only reiterate former statements that her decision hinges at least in part on whether Kansas legislators push for redistricting.“I’ll just say that if they move forward with this, I haven’t taken any options off the table about what I’ll do next,” she said. “I want to continue to do what I can to bring the voices and needs of Kansans to Congress.“Right now, it is unclear what’s going to happen with the redistricting,” Davids said. “I am focusing on trying to make sure that the Kansas legislature doesn’t move forward on redistricting because it is actually just bad for the state.”

Kansas House speaker waves white flag on special session as congresswoman considers Senate run

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A Nebraska-run immigration detention facility in McCook will begin accepting the first federal migrant detainees at the state prison facility “in the next day or two,” Gov. Jim Pillen said Monday.

Pillen, speaking at an unrelated news conference, said the repurposing of Nebraska’s former Work Ethic Camp would include moving in the first federal migrant detainees this week.&nbsp;

Pillen had previously said he estimated the first detainees would come by Oct. 31 but had backed that up last week to early November. He and other state and federal officials have dubbed the revamped facility the “Cornhusker Clink.”

Nebraska has agreed to transition the former all-male state prison, which had offered rehabilitative programming and allowed inmates to work in the neighboring community, under an&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/17/nebraska-signed-contract-with-ice-on-sept-30-to-turn-state-prison-into-migrant-detention-center/">initial two-year contract</a>&nbsp;with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The contract was&nbsp;<a href="https://corrections.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/Contract-NDCS-Department-of-Homeland-Security-ICE.pdf" target="_blank">signed Sept. 30</a>.

The facility will remain state-owned and operated.

Under the contract, the Nebraska-ICE facility will eventually house up to 300 detainees. That would be more than the current maximum of about 200. Pillen said he expects the project — which he described as in two “phases” — to fill up to 200 detainees within “two to three weeks.”

Nebraska plans to find more room to support immigration court hearings at the facility and bedding for up to 300 adult male and female detainees, such as by repurposing previous programming space.&nbsp;

Pillen said the state is in the “midst” of getting the cost of that second phase approved, “and that’ll get started in the next couple of weeks.”

“Don’t have an exact timeline to that,” Pillen said Monday of the expansion. “My guess … it would be by the end of the year.”

Pillen’s office has estimated the contract would annually net Nebraska about $14.25 million. The Work Ethic Camp had an annual operating cost of $10.2 million. ICE has also agreed to also pay Nebraska a one-time lump sum of $5.9 million for “facility renovations.”&nbsp;

Reporter Erin Bamer contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762288285286.png" alt="The Work Ethic Camp in McCook, Nebraska. Oct. 24, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)" />
 <figcaption>The Work Ethic Camp in McCook, Nebraska. Oct. 24, 2025. (Juan Salinas II/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a> <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A Nebraska-run immigration detention facility in McCook will begin accepting the first federal migrant detainees at the state prison facility “in the next day or two,” Gov. Jim Pillen said Monday.Pillen, speaking at an unrelated news conference, said the repurposing of Nebraska’s former Work Ethic Camp would include moving in the first federal migrant detainees this week.&nbsp;Pillen had previously said he estimated the first detainees would come by Oct. 31 but had backed that up last week to early November. He and other state and federal officials have dubbed the revamped facility the “Cornhusker Clink.”Nebraska has agreed to transition the former all-male state prison, which had offered rehabilitative programming and allowed inmates to work in the neighboring community, under an&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/10/17/nebraska-signed-contract-with-ice-on-sept-30-to-turn-state-prison-into-migrant-detention-center/">initial two-year contract</a>&nbsp;with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The contract was&nbsp;<a href="https://corrections.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/Contract-NDCS-Department-of-Homeland-Security-ICE.pdf" target="_blank">signed Sept. 30</a>.The facility will remain state-owned and operated.Under the contract, the Nebraska-ICE facility will eventually house up to 300 detainees. That would be more than the current maximum of about 200. Pillen said he expects the project — which he described as in two “phases” — to fill up to 200 detainees within “two to three weeks.”Nebraska plans to find more room to support immigration court hearings at the facility and bedding for up to 300 adult male and female detainees, such as by repurposing previous programming space.&nbsp;Pillen said the state is in the “midst” of getting the cost of that second phase approved, “and that’ll get started in the next couple of weeks.”“Don’t have an exact timeline to that,” Pillen said Monday of the expansion. “My guess … it would be by the end of the year.”Pillen’s office has estimated the contract would annually net Nebraska about $14.25 million. The Work Ethic Camp had an annual operating cost of $10.2 million. ICE has also agreed to also pay Nebraska a one-time lump sum of $5.9 million for “facility renovations.”&nbsp;Reporter Erin Bamer contributed to this report.

Nebraska set to house first ICE detainees at McCook state prison, governor says

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden’s disastrous term in office... will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before!&quot; - President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/VvPP6DU2qH">pic.twitter.com/VvPP6DU2qH</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1985741263472042069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &quot;We are digging into a contingency fund that is supposed to be for emergencies, catastrophes, for war... The best way to get the full amount of SNAP benefits to those beneficiaries is for Democrats to reopen the government.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tcicftrOYI">pic.twitter.com/tcicftrOYI</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1985780097089994860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥President Trump threatens SNAP funding despite court orders

WYANDOTTE COUNTY–Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City, Kansas&nbsp; have identified the victim as 20-year-old&nbsp;Anna Juarez, according to a statement from police.

Just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday officers with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department were called the area of North 11th Street and Barnett Avenue to investigate a shooting.

When officers arrived on the scene they located Juarez, outside of her home. She had been shot.&nbsp;She was taken to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.&nbsp;A person of interest is currently in police custody.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY–Law enforcement investigating a weekend homicide in Kansas City, Kansas&nbsp; have identified the victim as 20-year-old&nbsp;Anna Juarez, according to a statement from police.Just before 4:30 a.m. Saturday officers with the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department were called the area of North 11th Street and Barnett Avenue to investigate a shooting.When officers arrived on the scene they located Juarez, outside of her home. She had been shot.&nbsp;She was taken to the hospital, where she died from her injuries.&nbsp;A person of interest is currently in police custody.Police released no additional details.

Police ID woman killed outside her Kansas home

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a business burglary in Manhattan.

Just after 8a.m. Monday, officers filed a report of burglary in the 100 block of S. Seth Child Road, accoding to the Riley County Police Department acitivity report.

 Mead Lumber reported an unknown suspect broke into the business and took money from the register and various tools from the store. The estimated total loss associated with this case is $2,100. 

Anyone with information, contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward up to $1,000.

RILEY COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a business burglary in Manhattan.Just after 8a.m. Monday, officers filed a report of burglary in the 100 block of S. Seth Child Road, accoding to the Riley County Police Department acitivity report. Mead Lumber reported an unknown suspect broke into the business and took money from the register and various tools from the store. The estimated total loss associated with this case is $2,100. Anyone with information, contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward up to $1,000.

Police: Kan. lumber yard lost $2,100 in burglary

The Monday hearing was to be the first of three this month dealing with the constitutionality of both the new congressional map and whether a petition can force a vote on redistricting

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

A hearing that was to be the first of at least three this month deciding the fate of Missouri’s newly gerrymandered congressional map was postponed Monday due to a judge’s illness.

Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green was scheduled to hear the lawsuit filed by People Not Politicians over Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/26/effort-to-force-vote-on-gerrymandered-missouri-congressional-map-hits-roadblock/">rejection of its petitions</a>&nbsp;for a referendum on the map passed in&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/12/gerrymandered-congressional-map-initiative-petitions-limits-sent-to-missouri-governor/">a September special session</a>.

People not Politicians argues that a referendum drive can begin as soon as the General Assembly holds final votes on a bill. Hoskins, the defendant in the case, contends no referendum petition can be approved for circulation until a bill is signed by the governor.

People Not Politicians has 90 days from the end of the legislative session — until Dec. 11 — to turn in at least 106,000 signatures in order to force a vote on the plan. In a news release Monday, the group said it has collected more than 150,000 signatures and has 92,000 names on the petitions rejected by Hoskins.

If People Not Politicians submits the required signatures, it would prevent the new redistricting plan from taking effect until a statewide vote is held. The election would be held in November 2026, unless lawmakers act to set an earlier date.

The referendum poses a real threat to the new map. Of the 27 times a referendum has been placed on the Missouri ballot, voters have rejected actions by the General Assembly all but twice. That includes 1922, when voters&nbsp;<a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Proposition_17,_Congressional_Redistricting_Referendum_%281922%29" target="_blank">rejected a new congressional map</a>&nbsp;drawn by the legislature.&nbsp;

A referendum was last deployed in Missouri seven years ago, when labor unions collected 300,000 signatures in 90 days to put a question on the statewide ballot repealing a GOP-backed right-to-work law.

Green did not set a new hearing date on Monday. The case is one of five pending in various courts over the mid-decade redistricting plan. One case was decided last week and two are scheduled to go to trial later this month.

Missouri’s new congressional districts are part of President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/redistricting-illinois-indiana-trump-jeffries" target="_blank">push for Republican states</a>&nbsp;to revise maps to increase the 219-213 GOP majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats have countered with gerrymandering plans in states they control, with a vote in California on Tuesday on a plan to deliver up to five seats to Democrats.

In the case decided last week, Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh denied a request from the Missouri NAACP for a ruling that the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/15/judge-hears-arguments-in-case-seeking-to-toss-missouris-new-congressional-maps/">entire September special session</a>&nbsp;was illegal.

In the lawsuit, the NAACP argued Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe had exceeded his constitutional authority to call a special session because no new census data was available and changing the majority requirements for constitutional amendments was not a pressing issue demanding immediate attention.

Limbaugh heard arguments in the case on Sept. 15, three days after the session adjourned. On Friday, he denied without comment the request for a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction.&nbsp;

The NAACP asked Oct. 1 for an expedited decision, noting that Limbaugh’s ruling would not be the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Motion%20for%20Expedited%20Decision.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3686466" target="_blank">final action in the case</a>.

“No matter how this court rules on the constitutional questions presented, the losing party will seek appellate review,” Nimrod Chapel, an attorney and Missouri NAACP president, wrote in the court filing.

In opposition to the request for a fast ruling, the state argued that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue and that the courts did not have power to intervene.

“The governor has broad discretion to call a special session, and precedent confirms that courts cannot second-guess the manner in which the governor uses that discretion,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Defendants%20Renewed%20Objection%20to%20Motion%20for%20Temporary%20Restraining%20Order,%20Preliminary%20Injunction%20and%20Motion%20to%20Dismiss.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3700261" target="_blank">the brief stated</a>.

The cases set to go to trial this month are a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=25AC-CC06964&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0004_CT19#header" target="_blank">Cole County lawsuit</a>&nbsp;challenging the constitutionality of the map approved by lawmakers and a federal lawsuit filed by Attorney General Catherine Hanaway asking that congressional redistricting plans be&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/16/lawsuit-threat-of-criminal-charges-part-of-gop-effort-to-block-vote-on-missouri-map/">declared off-limits for referendums</a>.

In the state case, the focus will be on constitutional language directing lawmakers to draw new lines&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=III++++45&amp;bid=31801&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">after every census</a>. Opponents are arguing that because the power for redistricting at other times is not expressly granted, it is forbidden. The state is arguing that because it is not expressly forbidden, it is allowed.

That case is scheduled for a trial Nov. 12 before Limbaugh.

The federal case, scheduled for a trial Nov. 25 in St. Louis, asks for an order blocking the referendum. Hanaway argues that the federal constitution makes legislatures responsible for the district lines, subject only to Congressional oversight.&nbsp;

“Defendants therefore have no legal basis to proceed with their referendum,” the state’s petition states. “This court should declare that such a referendum would violate both the U.S. and Missouri Constitutions.”

In the news release sent in advance of Monday’s postponed hearing, People Not Politicians said the delays and attempts to block the referendum in court will fail. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that laws intended to prevent a referendum drive from starting before a petition is certified are unconstitutional.

“The Supreme Court was unambiguous: the people’s right to petition cannot be undermined by bureaucratic delay or political gamesmanship,” said Richard von Glahn, director of the People Not Politicians campaign. “That same principle applies here. The law is on our side, and so are the people of Missouri.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760697422004.png" alt="Protesters gather in the Missouri Capitol rotunda Sept. 10 in opposition to a gerrymandered congressional district map (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>Protesters gather in the Missouri Capitol rotunda Sept. 10 in opposition to a gerrymandered congressional district map (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Monday hearing was to be the first of three this month dealing with the constitutionality of both the new congressional map and whether a petition can force a vote on redistricting</h2>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>A hearing that was to be the first of at least three this month deciding the fate of Missouri’s newly gerrymandered congressional map was postponed Monday due to a judge’s illness.Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green was scheduled to hear the lawsuit filed by People Not Politicians over Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/26/effort-to-force-vote-on-gerrymandered-missouri-congressional-map-hits-roadblock/">rejection of its petitions</a>&nbsp;for a referendum on the map passed in&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/12/gerrymandered-congressional-map-initiative-petitions-limits-sent-to-missouri-governor/">a September special session</a>.People not Politicians argues that a referendum drive can begin as soon as the General Assembly holds final votes on a bill. Hoskins, the defendant in the case, contends no referendum petition can be approved for circulation until a bill is signed by the governor.People Not Politicians has 90 days from the end of the legislative session — until Dec. 11 — to turn in at least 106,000 signatures in order to force a vote on the plan. In a news release Monday, the group said it has collected more than 150,000 signatures and has 92,000 names on the petitions rejected by Hoskins.If People Not Politicians submits the required signatures, it would prevent the new redistricting plan from taking effect until a statewide vote is held. The election would be held in November 2026, unless lawmakers act to set an earlier date.The referendum poses a real threat to the new map. Of the 27 times a referendum has been placed on the Missouri ballot, voters have rejected actions by the General Assembly all but twice. That includes 1922, when voters&nbsp;<a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Missouri_Proposition_17,_Congressional_Redistricting_Referendum_%281922%29" target="_blank">rejected a new congressional map</a>&nbsp;drawn by the legislature.&nbsp;A referendum was last deployed in Missouri seven years ago, when labor unions collected 300,000 signatures in 90 days to put a question on the statewide ballot repealing a GOP-backed right-to-work law.Green did not set a new hearing date on Monday. The case is one of five pending in various courts over the mid-decade redistricting plan. One case was decided last week and two are scheduled to go to trial later this month.Missouri’s new congressional districts are part of President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/redistricting-illinois-indiana-trump-jeffries" target="_blank">push for Republican states</a>&nbsp;to revise maps to increase the 219-213 GOP majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats have countered with gerrymandering plans in states they control, with a vote in California on Tuesday on a plan to deliver up to five seats to Democrats.In the case decided last week, Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh denied a request from the Missouri NAACP for a ruling that the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/15/judge-hears-arguments-in-case-seeking-to-toss-missouris-new-congressional-maps/">entire September special session</a>&nbsp;was illegal.In the lawsuit, the NAACP argued Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe had exceeded his constitutional authority to call a special session because no new census data was available and changing the majority requirements for constitutional amendments was not a pressing issue demanding immediate attention.Limbaugh heard arguments in the case on Sept. 15, three days after the session adjourned. On Friday, he denied without comment the request for a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction.&nbsp;The NAACP asked Oct. 1 for an expedited decision, noting that Limbaugh’s ruling would not be the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Motion%20for%20Expedited%20Decision.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3686466" target="_blank">final action in the case</a>.“No matter how this court rules on the constitutional questions presented, the losing party will seek appellate review,” Nimrod Chapel, an attorney and Missouri NAACP president, wrote in the court filing.In opposition to the request for a fast ruling, the state argued that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue and that the courts did not have power to intervene.“The governor has broad discretion to call a special session, and precedent confirms that courts cannot second-guess the manner in which the governor uses that discretion,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Defendants%20Renewed%20Objection%20to%20Motion%20for%20Temporary%20Restraining%20Order,%20Preliminary%20Injunction%20and%20Motion%20to%20Dismiss.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3700261" target="_blank">the brief stated</a>.The cases set to go to trial this month are a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/cnet/cases/newHeader.do?inputVO.caseNumber=25AC-CC06964&amp;inputVO.courtId=SMPDB0004_CT19#header" target="_blank">Cole County lawsuit</a>&nbsp;challenging the constitutionality of the map approved by lawmakers and a federal lawsuit filed by Attorney General Catherine Hanaway asking that congressional redistricting plans be&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/16/lawsuit-threat-of-criminal-charges-part-of-gop-effort-to-block-vote-on-missouri-map/">declared off-limits for referendums</a>.In the state case, the focus will be on constitutional language directing lawmakers to draw new lines&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=III++++45&amp;bid=31801&amp;constit=y" target="_blank">after every census</a>. Opponents are arguing that because the power for redistricting at other times is not expressly granted, it is forbidden. The state is arguing that because it is not expressly forbidden, it is allowed.That case is scheduled for a trial Nov. 12 before Limbaugh.The federal case, scheduled for a trial Nov. 25 in St. Louis, asks for an order blocking the referendum. Hanaway argues that the federal constitution makes legislatures responsible for the district lines, subject only to Congressional oversight.&nbsp;“Defendants therefore have no legal basis to proceed with their referendum,” the state’s petition states. “This court should declare that such a referendum would violate both the U.S. and Missouri Constitutions.”In the news release sent in advance of Monday’s postponed hearing, People Not Politicians said the delays and attempts to block the referendum in court will fail. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that laws intended to prevent a referendum drive from starting before a petition is certified are unconstitutional.“The Supreme Court was unambiguous: the people’s right to petition cannot be undermined by bureaucratic delay or political gamesmanship,” said Richard von Glahn, director of the People Not Politicians campaign. “That same principle applies here. The law is on our side, and so are the people of Missouri.”

Illness delays hearing on referendum to overturn gerrymandered Missouri map

The divisive and powerful 9/11-era vice president was also a devoted husband, avid outdoorsman and close advisor to his daughter, Liz Cheney.

by&nbsp;<a href="https://wyofile.com/author/katie-klingsporn/">Katie Klingsporn</a> <a href="https://wyofile.com/">WyoFile</a>

Dick Cheney, the Wyoming oilman and politician who was widely considered to be the most powerful vice president in America’s history, died on Monday. He was 84.&nbsp;

Cheney, who grew up largely in Casper, served as Wyoming’s sole U.S. representative in Congress from 1979-1989. It was among his many roles in Washington. At age 34, he became the youngest presidential chief of staff in history when President Gerald Ford appointed him to the post. He served as secretary of defense under George H.W. Bush, and years later joined the ticket of George W. Bush to become vice president, serving two terms.

He and his wife of 61 years, Lynne, continued to live part-time in Jackson, and often hosted family there. Later in his life, Cheney became a close political advisor to his eldest daughter, Liz Cheney, who followed in his footsteps with a career in politics —&nbsp;and one that also grew polarizing.

Cheney was famously in D.C. as terrorists attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001, the defining event of his career. With President Bush in Florida that day, Cheney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/files/declassification/iscap/pdf/2012-163-doc-1-release-material.pdf">presided over the chaotic and terrifying early hours of the attack</a>&nbsp;from the Presidential Emergency Operations Center located underneath the White House — authorizing military force against civilian airplanes. He later became the chief architect of the war on terror.&nbsp;

While Cheney had admirers who respected his clear-eyed decisiveness, formidable intelligence and enduring patriotism, he also had detractors. The latter camp decried the surveillance and interrogation tactics implemented under his leadership as blatant civil liberties violations, and portrayed him as a Darth-Vaderesque figure — a sinister, secretive force orchestrating behind the scenes of the Bush administration.&nbsp;

In a nod to that, Cheney once showed up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66FRAcBu9PA">dressed as the “Star Wars” villain for a “Tonight Show” interview with Jay Leno</a>. That, friends say, is an example of his sense of humor and proof that he was far more complicated than he was portrayed to be.

“He was fun and he could be funny, but he was also very serious,” said Judy Legerski of Lander, who has known Cheney since she worked on his first congressional campaign. “He was just a good, solid person. And a real guy.”

Friends remember Cheney as a cool-headed man of steely loyalty and deep consideration for others. He was a devoted husband and father, an avid fisherman and an accomplished outdoorsman. (He did find himself the subject of jokes after accidentally shooting an acquaintance during a 2006 hunting trip.) He wasn’t one for small talk, but if engaged on the right topic, he would expound at length.&nbsp;

“Dick’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known in my life,” Legerski said. “His abilities of analysis were remarkable. You could ask a question, and he’d answer it like he’d done a research study on the topic two days before.”

Cheney was even-keeled and straightforward, a scholar of American history who loved dogs and was never one for the drama.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“He looked you right in the face if you had something to say,” remembers John McConnell, who was Cheney’s speechwriter in the White House. “He kind of had a way of tilting his head and listening to you, and he just was always great to work with. He was the most considerate and appreciative person I’ve ever worked for.”

He was hard-working and deeply committed to serving the country, said Steve Hadley, who served with Cheney at the Pentagon then in the White House as national security adviser.&nbsp;

“I would hope that [Americans] would recognize him as a man of integrity and talent, who loved the country, who put service to the country as his top priority, and was a terrific vice president in being supportive of the president and doing what the president needed him to do in order to keep this country safe,” Hadley said.

Cheney is survived by his wife, Lynne, daughters Liz and Mary, and several grandchildren.

Richard Bruce Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on Jan. 30, 1941 to a family of New Deal Democrats. His father was quiet, his mother high-spirited and convivial. His family moved to Casper when he was 13 after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service reassigned his father to a new post.

As an adolescent, he played sports, explored the high plains with his brother, Bob, and developed a fishing addiction. Though a voracious reader of history, he was never a great student. In high school, he met and fell in love with Lynne Vincent, a bright and pretty student who was the state champion baton twirler. During their senior year at Natrona County High School, he was class president and she was homecoming queen. (The school’s football field&nbsp;<a href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/vicepresident/vpphotoessay/cheneyalumnifield/peindex.html">now bears his name</a>.)

Though a bit aimless, Cheney was advised by Casper oilman Tom Stroock to apply to Yale. Stroock assured Cheney the elite East Coast university was interested in geographic diversity. Cheney was accepted and awarded a full scholarship.&nbsp;

But after arriving in New Haven, Cheney fell in with a group of boys more interested in a good time than good grades, according to his memoir, “In My Time.” After two false starts, Cheney failed out.&nbsp;

He returned to Wyoming to “work in the tools” as a union member on jobs like installing electrical transmission lines. The work, which was physical and could be dangerous, paid well, but Cheney fell deeper into drinking with his work buddies. He was arrested twice for driving under the influence. The second arrest became a crucial fulcrum point in his life.

“Lynne, after spending a semester in Europe, had graduated summa cum laude from Colorado College,” Cheney recalled in his memoir. “And I was sleeping off a hangover in the Rock Springs jail.”

Determined to turn his life around, he stopped frequenting bars and enrolled at the University of Wyoming. In 1964, Lynne accepted his marriage proposal. They were married in August that year, and Cheney turned his focus to a career and fatherhood.

Cheney studied political science at UW, and got his first taste of political machinations as an intern in the Wyoming Legislature. Though he and Lynne had both planned to become college professors, his interests led him instead into politics. His first job came during the Nixon administration in 1969, when then-Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity Donald Rumsfeld hired Cheney as a congressional relations aide. That was the beginning of a decades-long mentorship and working relationship with Rumsfeld.&nbsp;

When Rumsfeld became President Gerald Ford’s chief of staff in 1974, Cheney acted as his deputy. And when Rumsfeld was bumped to secretary of defense in 1975, Cheney was promoted to fill the chief of staff vacancy.&nbsp;

After Ford lost his re-election bid to Jimmy Carter in 1976, Cheney decided to run for office himself. Not long after he moved Lynne and their two daughters back to Casper, he set his sights on the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. That’s when Legerski met him.&nbsp;

“Dick and two others were running on the Republican primary, and at the time, I was, for whatever reason, a hot political commodity around here,” Legerski said. “So each of these three people came and talked to me, and after talking to them, I determined that Dick was the guy I would support.”

She was impressed with his intellect and demeanor, she said.

That first primary, when Cheney vied against Ed Witzenburger and Jack Gage for the GOP nomination, was the toughest of his six campaigns for House, Cheney recalled in his memoir. After many previous years in D.C., one of his major tasks was convincing residents that he was in touch with them. He embarked on a dizzying tour of Wyoming diners, radio stations and town halls.&nbsp;

He was campaigning in Cheyenne in June 1978 when he awoke in the middle of the night with tingling in his left hand. Cheney, 37 at the time, was having a heart attack.&nbsp;

He was treated and released with instructions to rest. He quit smoking and began to eat healthier. Meanwhile, Lynne filled in on his campaign events. After winning the primary, he beat the Democratic challenger.&nbsp;

Cheney was re-elected five times, serving until 1989.&nbsp;

He honed his national security knowledge, assembled a team of Wyoming staffers and worked alongside Republicans such as Newt Gingrich and Phil Gramm. Cheney served as House Minority Whip and chairman of the House Republican Conference.

Among his legislative achievements, he was particularly proud of the 1984 Wyoming Wilderness Act, which added nearly 1 million acres to the state’s wilderness areas. Cheney worked closely with fellow Wyoming congressmen Alan Simpson and Malcolm Wallop to pass the legislation.

The campaign heart attack, however, would be the first of a string of health troubles to plague Cheney. He experienced a second heart attack in 1984, and a third in 1988. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery, suffered a fourth attack in 2000 and received a ventricular assist device implant in 2010. In 2012, at the age of 71, he received a heart transplant, which bought him several more years of life.

Cheney left the House in 1989 after President H.W. Bush appointed him secretary of defense. In that post, he oversaw Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm — key phases of the Gulf War. After Bill Clinton’s presidential election, Cheney took the opportunity to do some fishing, plying blue-ribbon waters from British Columbia to Oregon and New Zealand.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Then he went into the private sector, working as chairman and CEO of the energy juggernaut Halliburton, headquartered in Dallas. The proximity allowed him to get to know George W. Bush, who was governor of Texas. Bush’s camp first asked Cheney to run Bush’s presidential campaign, which he declined.&nbsp;

They came back with a new request: help search for a veep. Cheney agreed. Early efforts, however, were fruitless. Bush eventually persuaded Cheney to accept the post.&nbsp;

Legerski remembers where she was — riding the elevator at Little America in Salt Lake — when Cheney called to give her the news. “And I said, ‘Dick, I remember you telling me you were never hitching your wagon onto someone else’s star.’ And he said, ‘When your president asks, the only answer is yes,’” she said. “And that’s the kind of guy he was.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762260671709.png" alt="then-U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, in Cody July 30, 2022. photo by Dewey Vanderhoff" />
 <figcaption>then-U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, in Cody July 30, 2022. photo by Dewey Vanderhoff</figcaption>
 </figure>The divisive and powerful 9/11-era vice president was also a devoted husband, avid outdoorsman and close advisor to his daughter, Liz Cheney.by&nbsp;<a href="https://wyofile.com/author/katie-klingsporn/">Katie Klingsporn</a> <a href="https://wyofile.com/">WyoFile</a>Dick Cheney, the Wyoming oilman and politician who was widely considered to be the most powerful vice president in America’s history, died on Monday. He was 84.&nbsp;Cheney, who grew up largely in Casper, served as Wyoming’s sole U.S. representative in Congress from 1979-1989. It was among his many roles in Washington. At age 34, he became the youngest presidential chief of staff in history when President Gerald Ford appointed him to the post. He served as secretary of defense under George H.W. Bush, and years later joined the ticket of George W. Bush to become vice president, serving two terms.He and his wife of 61 years, Lynne, continued to live part-time in Jackson, and often hosted family there. Later in his life, Cheney became a close political advisor to his eldest daughter, Liz Cheney, who followed in his footsteps with a career in politics —&nbsp;and one that also grew polarizing.Cheney was famously in D.C. as terrorists attacked America on Sept. 11, 2001, the defining event of his career. With President Bush in Florida that day, Cheney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/files/declassification/iscap/pdf/2012-163-doc-1-release-material.pdf">presided over the chaotic and terrifying early hours of the attack</a>&nbsp;from the Presidential Emergency Operations Center located underneath the White House — authorizing military force against civilian airplanes. He later became the chief architect of the war on terror.&nbsp;While Cheney had admirers who respected his clear-eyed decisiveness, formidable intelligence and enduring patriotism, he also had detractors. The latter camp decried the surveillance and interrogation tactics implemented under his leadership as blatant civil liberties violations, and portrayed him as a Darth-Vaderesque figure — a sinister, secretive force orchestrating behind the scenes of the Bush administration.&nbsp;In a nod to that, Cheney once showed up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66FRAcBu9PA">dressed as the “Star Wars” villain for a “Tonight Show” interview with Jay Leno</a>. That, friends say, is an example of his sense of humor and proof that he was far more complicated than he was portrayed to be.“He was fun and he could be funny, but he was also very serious,” said Judy Legerski of Lander, who has known Cheney since she worked on his first congressional campaign. “He was just a good, solid person. And a real guy.”Friends remember Cheney as a cool-headed man of steely loyalty and deep consideration for others. He was a devoted husband and father, an avid fisherman and an accomplished outdoorsman. (He did find himself the subject of jokes after accidentally shooting an acquaintance during a 2006 hunting trip.) He wasn’t one for small talk, but if engaged on the right topic, he would expound at length.&nbsp;“Dick’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known in my life,” Legerski said. “His abilities of analysis were remarkable. You could ask a question, and he’d answer it like he’d done a research study on the topic two days before.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/11/1762260606545.png" alt="Vice President Dick Cheney in the President’s Emergency Operations Center on Sept. 11, 2001. (U.S. National Archives)" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Dick Cheney in the President’s Emergency Operations Center on Sept. 11, 2001. (U.S. National Archives)</figcaption>
 </figure>Cheney was even-keeled and straightforward, a scholar of American history who loved dogs and was never one for the drama.&nbsp;&nbsp;“He looked you right in the face if you had something to say,” remembers John McConnell, who was Cheney’s speechwriter in the White House. “He kind of had a way of tilting his head and listening to you, and he just was always great to work with. He was the most considerate and appreciative person I’ve ever worked for.”He was hard-working and deeply committed to serving the country, said Steve Hadley, who served with Cheney at the Pentagon then in the White House as national security adviser.&nbsp;“I would hope that [Americans] would recognize him as a man of integrity and talent, who loved the country, who put service to the country as his top priority, and was a terrific vice president in being supportive of the president and doing what the president needed him to do in order to keep this country safe,” Hadley said.Cheney is survived by his wife, Lynne, daughters Liz and Mary, and several grandchildren.<h2>Early life</h2>Richard Bruce Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on Jan. 30, 1941 to a family of New Deal Democrats. His father was quiet, his mother high-spirited and convivial. His family moved to Casper when he was 13 after the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service reassigned his father to a new post.As an adolescent, he played sports, explored the high plains with his brother, Bob, and developed a fishing addiction. Though a voracious reader of history, he was never a great student. In high school, he met and fell in love with Lynne Vincent, a bright and pretty student who was the state champion baton twirler. During their senior year at Natrona County High School, he was class president and she was homecoming queen. (The school’s football field&nbsp;<a href="https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/vicepresident/vpphotoessay/cheneyalumnifield/peindex.html">now bears his name</a>.)Though a bit aimless, Cheney was advised by Casper oilman Tom Stroock to apply to Yale. Stroock assured Cheney the elite East Coast university was interested in geographic diversity. Cheney was accepted and awarded a full scholarship.&nbsp;But after arriving in New Haven, Cheney fell in with a group of boys more interested in a good time than good grades, according to his memoir, “In My Time.” After two false starts, Cheney failed out.&nbsp;He returned to Wyoming to “work in the tools” as a union member on jobs like installing electrical transmission lines. The work, which was physical and could be dangerous, paid well, but Cheney fell deeper into drinking with his work buddies. He was arrested twice for driving under the influence. The second arrest became a crucial fulcrum point in his life.“Lynne, after spending a semester in Europe, had graduated summa cum laude from Colorado College,” Cheney recalled in his memoir. “And I was sleeping off a hangover in the Rock Springs jail.”Determined to turn his life around, he stopped frequenting bars and enrolled at the University of Wyoming. In 1964, Lynne accepted his marriage proposal. They were married in August that year, and Cheney turned his focus to a career and fatherhood.<h2>Politics&nbsp;</h2>Cheney studied political science at UW, and got his first taste of political machinations as an intern in the Wyoming Legislature. Though he and Lynne had both planned to become college professors, his interests led him instead into politics. His first job came during the Nixon administration in 1969, when then-Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity Donald Rumsfeld hired Cheney as a congressional relations aide. That was the beginning of a decades-long mentorship and working relationship with Rumsfeld.&nbsp;When Rumsfeld became President Gerald Ford’s chief of staff in 1974, Cheney acted as his deputy. And when Rumsfeld was bumped to secretary of defense in 1975, Cheney was promoted to fill the chief of staff vacancy.&nbsp;After Ford lost his re-election bid to Jimmy Carter in 1976, Cheney decided to run for office himself. Not long after he moved Lynne and their two daughters back to Casper, he set his sights on the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. That’s when Legerski met him.&nbsp;“Dick and two others were running on the Republican primary, and at the time, I was, for whatever reason, a hot political commodity around here,” Legerski said. “So each of these three people came and talked to me, and after talking to them, I determined that Dick was the guy I would support.”She was impressed with his intellect and demeanor, she said.That first primary, when Cheney vied against Ed Witzenburger and Jack Gage for the GOP nomination, was the toughest of his six campaigns for House, Cheney recalled in his memoir. After many previous years in D.C., one of his major tasks was convincing residents that he was in touch with them. He embarked on a dizzying tour of Wyoming diners, radio stations and town halls.&nbsp;He was campaigning in Cheyenne in June 1978 when he awoke in the middle of the night with tingling in his left hand. Cheney, 37 at the time, was having a heart attack.&nbsp;He was treated and released with instructions to rest. He quit smoking and began to eat healthier. Meanwhile, Lynne filled in on his campaign events. After winning the primary, he beat the Democratic challenger.&nbsp;Cheney was re-elected five times, serving until 1989.&nbsp;He honed his national security knowledge, assembled a team of Wyoming staffers and worked alongside Republicans such as Newt Gingrich and Phil Gramm. Cheney served as House Minority Whip and chairman of the House Republican Conference.Among his legislative achievements, he was particularly proud of the 1984 Wyoming Wilderness Act, which added nearly 1 million acres to the state’s wilderness areas. Cheney worked closely with fellow Wyoming congressmen Alan Simpson and Malcolm Wallop to pass the legislation.The campaign heart attack, however, would be the first of a string of health troubles to plague Cheney. He experienced a second heart attack in 1984, and a third in 1988. He underwent quadruple bypass surgery, suffered a fourth attack in 2000 and received a ventricular assist device implant in 2010. In 2012, at the age of 71, he received a heart transplant, which bought him several more years of life.<h2>Road to veep&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Cheney left the House in 1989 after President H.W. Bush appointed him secretary of defense. In that post, he oversaw Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm — key phases of the Gulf War. After Bill Clinton’s presidential election, Cheney took the opportunity to do some fishing, plying blue-ribbon waters from British Columbia to Oregon and New Zealand.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then he went into the private sector, working as chairman and CEO of the energy juggernaut Halliburton, headquartered in Dallas. The proximity allowed him to get to know George W. Bush, who was governor of Texas. Bush’s camp first asked Cheney to run Bush’s presidential campaign, which he declined.&nbsp;They came back with a new request: help search for a veep. Cheney agreed. Early efforts, however, were fruitless. Bush eventually persuaded Cheney to accept the post.&nbsp;Legerski remembers where she was — riding the elevator at Little America in Salt Lake — when Cheney called to give her the news. “And I said, ‘Dick, I remember you telling me you were never hitching your wagon onto someone else’s star.’ And he said, ‘When your president asks, the only answer is yes,’” she said. “And that’s the kind of guy he was.”The decision vaulted him into the national spotlight, where every aspect of his life was under scrutiny. That included his views on gay rights. Cheney’s daughter, Mary, had come out as gay to the family years before, and he supported her. When asked in a debate about gay marriage, he was careful, answering that while people should be free to enter any relationship they want, gay marriage should be left to individual states, not subject to federal policy.Famously, the Bush v. Gore election was controversial, with the U.S. Supreme Court settling the recount dispute in Bush’s favor in December 2000. It was a bumpy start for Cheney, who had suffered another heart attack during the prolonged recount process. It also foretold a difficult era.&nbsp;Less than a year later, terrorists attacked America on Sept. 11. That morning, a special agent burst through Cheney’s office door, hoisted him by his belt and hustled him down to the emergency operation room, telling Cheney an unidentified aircraft was heading toward the White House.&nbsp;As with the rest of the country, 9/11 left indelible impacts on Cheney. He became determined to quash terrorists and their supporters with whatever tools of national power were accessible.&nbsp;“I think that had a searing effect on him,” said Pete Williams, a former NBC news correspondent who worked as Cheney’s press secretary for seven years. “I think he felt that virtually anything that was conceivable to prosecute the war on terror, he was willing to consider.”Pete Williams sits on WyoFile’s board of directors.&nbsp;In the years that followed, Cheney was criticized for authorizing controversial counterterrorism policies, promoting the inaccurate claim that Iraq was linked to 9/11 and helping to expand executive power. Critics said Cheney committed war crimes, citing the country’s use of domestic spying, torture and indefinite detention.&nbsp;“He never flinched when the going got tough, or when the criticism became heated as it did,” McConnell said.&nbsp;The actions also stem from Cheney’s interpretation of the job, Hadley said. “I think he would say that the first responsibility of the president and vice president was to keep the nation secure, and he took that very seriously.”&nbsp;Other factors led to Cheney exerting power in ways beyond previous VPs, who had mainly been figureheads. Unlike Bush, Cheney possessed decades of foreign policy, White House and congressional experience. Bush delegated meaningful tasks to him, which meant he served as a kind of chief operating officer for the president, exerting major influence in policy decisions.As a vice president, Cheney divided the public in unprecedented fashion. People either viewed him with deep admiration, or as a secretive and corrupt man who orchestrated a dark chapter in America’s history — and not much in between.&nbsp;The latter view was made manifest in&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_(2018_film)">“Vice,” a 2018 film</a>&nbsp;starring Christian Bale as Cheney, a cunning and ruthlessly ambitious sociopath.&nbsp;<h2>Reconciling the man and the reputation&nbsp;</h2>Those who knew Cheney personally are adamant that the “Vice” character couldn’t be further from the truth.&nbsp;“The last thing I would describe him as is taciturn or sour,” said Williams. “He was thoughtful, he was serious, he was highly focused. I very quickly realized that Dick Cheney did not do small talk … but I found him to have a great sense of humor, a very self-deprecating sense of humor.”When it came to the war on terror, Williams said, “I think he felt that was the right thing to do to save the country.”Legerski can see why Cheney could come off as remote. “I think in some ways, his gravitas was off-putting to some people,” she said. But she remembers a warm and considerate family man. The first time Liz Cheney ran for Congress, Legerski remembers, one of the drawbacks was that she wouldn’t be available to chauffeur her daughter to rodeos.&nbsp;“So Dick got a truck, and he hauled [his granddaughter] and her horse to all the summer rodeos,” Legerski said. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/dick-cheney-embraces-the-darth-vader-meme-msna609146">adorned the pickup’s trailer hitch cover with an image of Darth Vader</a>.Cheney largely disappeared from the public eye until the aftermath of Jan. 6. Republican support of Cheney and Liz fractured after the younger&nbsp;<a href="https://wyofile.com/a-year-later-cheneys-jan-6-response-divides-wyoming/">Cheney became a prominent critic of Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;actions related to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/01/06/dick-cheney-liz-cheney-only-gop-january-6-house-floor-nr-sot-vpx.cnn">Cheney backed</a>&nbsp;his daughter.He had a refreshing straightforwardness, McConnell said.&nbsp;“He had high expectations, but he was always fair, easy to deal with in the sense that you knew where you stood with him,” he said. McConnell remembers getting irritated when Cheney would be attacked in the press. Cheney seemed to accept it as part of the gig, and was too busy doing his job to spend much effort refuting the flak. McConnell often wondered if Cheney took the heat so that Bush didn’t have to.“He wasn’t out there to improve his own image, he was there to serve the president and the country,” he said.In a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2014/02/dick-cheney-on-his-heart-transplant-its-the-gift-of-life-itself.html">2014 article in Stanford Medicine</a>&nbsp;about Cheney’s long-standing heart issues, Cheney told the publication that before his transplant, he had confronted his mortality.&nbsp;“I thought about it, I guess, I was at peace,” Cheney said in the article. “I had come to that point where I fully expected that I had lived a wonderful and remarkable life. I had a tremendous family. I had everything a man could ask for.”