<b>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a><br></b><b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/"></a></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate president said Thursday a meeting with bipartisan legislative leadership would be called July 7 to extend the deadline for the Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals to accept an offer of financial support for construction of professional sports stadiums in Kansas.

Senate President Ty Masterson said the Republican-dominated Legislative Coordinating Council, which conducts state business when the Legislature isn’t in session, would consider an extension of the one-year&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/21/kansas-gov-kelly-signs-bill-to-poach-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-from-missouri/">STAR bond deadline enacted in July 2024</a>. Masterson didn’t indicate how lengthy the extension could be.

Masterson said Mark Donovan, president of the Chiefs, asked Kansas officials to alter the deadline “in light of substantial progress the Chiefs have made in discussions” with the Kansas Department of Commerce on an NFL development on the Kansas side of the border with Missouri.

Those discussions have included building of a stadium, headquarters, practice facility and related business developments, Donovan said.

“The letter from Mark Donovan indicates that the drive to bring this historic project to Kansas is moving down the field,” Masterson said. “Now that we are in the red zone, this extension will provide stakeholders sufficient time to ensure the ball crosses the goal line.”

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill last year authorizing issuance of bonds that would cover up to 70% of stadium construction, but the law set the deadline for making a deal at June 30, 2025.

Last month, Missouri Gov. Mike&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-kansas-city-stadium-funding-st-louis-disaster-aid/" target="_blank">Kehoe signed legislation&nbsp;</a>that would finance up to 50% of the cost to renovate or build new stadiums for the Royals and Chiefs. Missouri’s commitment of tax revenue would be capped at $1.5 billion.

The NFL and MLB franchises play at facilities in Kansas City, Missouri, that were built in the early 1970s. Owners of the teams have encouraged formation of public funding packages that would support replacement of those stadiums. Debate about the future of both franchises has rekindled the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/26/missouri-or-kansas-business-leaders-dont-care-as-long-as-chiefs-and-royals-stay-near-kc/">economic border war between Missouri and Kansas</a>.

The Legislative Coordinating Council would take up the measure altering the deadline at 2 p.m. July 7 in Topeka.

“The complexity and scale of the project, and the importance of crafting a structure that works for all stakeholders, make it clear that more time is needed to bring the effort to full fruition,” Donovan said in a letter to Masterson.

He said the Chiefs had engaged in multiple rounds of dialogue about stadium proposals with the state Department of Commerce. The Chiefs hadn’t received a response to the franchise’s latest proposal in six weeks, he said.

“Extending the secretary’s authority will allow that process to continue productively and will preserve Kansas’ ability to secure the most significant economic development initiative in its history,” Donovan’s letter said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1748263709817.png" alt="GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent)." />
                        <figcaption>GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, is pictured on Sat. Feb. 8 (Anna Spoerre/The Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p><b>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a><br></b><b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/"></a></b><a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/"><i>Kansas Reflector</i></a></p><p>TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate president said Thursday a meeting with bipartisan legislative leadership would be called July 7 to extend the deadline for the Kansas City Chiefs or Kansas City Royals to accept an offer of financial support for construction of professional sports stadiums in Kansas.</p><p>Senate President Ty Masterson said the Republican-dominated Legislative Coordinating Council, which conducts state business when the Legislature isn’t in session, would consider an extension of the one-year&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/21/kansas-gov-kelly-signs-bill-to-poach-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-from-missouri/">STAR bond deadline enacted in July 2024</a>. Masterson didn’t indicate how lengthy the extension could be.</p><p>Masterson said Mark Donovan, president of the Chiefs, asked Kansas officials to alter the deadline “in light of substantial progress the Chiefs have made in discussions” with the Kansas Department of Commerce on an NFL development on the Kansas side of the border with Missouri.</p><p>Those discussions have included building of a stadium, headquarters, practice facility and related business developments, Donovan said.</p><p>“The letter from Mark Donovan indicates that the drive to bring this historic project to Kansas is moving down the field,” Masterson said. “Now that we are in the red zone, this extension will provide stakeholders sufficient time to ensure the ball crosses the goal line.”</p><p>Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill last year authorizing issuance of bonds that would cover up to 70% of stadium construction, but the law set the deadline for making a deal at June 30, 2025.</p><p>Last month, Missouri Gov. Mike&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-kansas-city-stadium-funding-st-louis-disaster-aid/" target="_blank">Kehoe signed legislation&nbsp;</a>that would finance up to 50% of the cost to renovate or build new stadiums for the Royals and Chiefs. Missouri’s commitment of tax revenue would be capped at $1.5 billion.</p><p>The NFL and MLB franchises play at facilities in Kansas City, Missouri, that were built in the early 1970s. Owners of the teams have encouraged formation of public funding packages that would support replacement of those stadiums. Debate about the future of both franchises has rekindled the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/06/26/missouri-or-kansas-business-leaders-dont-care-as-long-as-chiefs-and-royals-stay-near-kc/">economic border war between Missouri and Kansas</a>.</p><p>The Legislative Coordinating Council would take up the measure altering the deadline at 2 p.m. July 7 in Topeka.</p><p>“The complexity and scale of the project, and the importance of crafting a structure that works for all stakeholders, make it clear that more time is needed to bring the effort to full fruition,” Donovan said in a letter to Masterson.</p><p>He said the Chiefs had engaged in multiple rounds of dialogue about stadium proposals with the state Department of Commerce. The Chiefs hadn’t received a response to the franchise’s latest proposal in six weeks, he said.</p><p>“Extending the secretary’s authority will allow that process to continue productively and will preserve Kansas’ ability to secure the most significant economic development initiative in its history,” Donovan’s letter said.</p>

Kansas prepares to extend deadline for Chiefs, Royals to claim incentive for stadium construction

&nbsp;U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers met for the first time&nbsp;

The seven-member panel reviewed the “cumulative effect” of the&nbsp;children’s vaccine schedule&nbsp;— the list of immunizations given at different times throughout childhood.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750899322024.png" alt="Dr. Martin Kulldorf speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices at the CDC image from CDC video" />
                        <figcaption>Dr. Martin Kulldorf speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices at the CDC image from CDC video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers met for the first time&nbsp;</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2PnYYb_xj3U?si=YvZGpeJ1tIySjBaL&amp;start=932" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>The seven-member panel reviewed the “cumulative effect” of the&nbsp;children’s vaccine schedule&nbsp;— the list of immunizations given at different times throughout childhood.</p>

🎥RFK Jr.’s CDC vaccine panel held first meeting to review long-approved shots 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal. hit-and-run and have made an arrest.

Just after 10:30a.m. Wednesday, a midsize SUV was westbound on Barry Road from N Boardwalk, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

The SUV struck a construction worker and left the scene. A few minutes later, KC Fire Department paramedics pronounced the pedestrian deceased. The driver of the vehicle was apprehended shortly after, according to Gonzalez.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750897462101.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
                        <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal. hit-and-run and have made an arrest.</p><p>Just after 10:30a.m. Wednesday, a midsize SUV was westbound on Barry Road from N Boardwalk, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.</p><p>The SUV struck a construction worker and left the scene. A few minutes later, KC Fire Department paramedics pronounced the pedestrian deceased. The driver of the vehicle was apprehended shortly after, according to Gonzalez.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the victim.</p>

KCPD: Driver arrested after SUV struck, killed construction worker

KANSAS CITY– Ten Mexican nationals, one Guatemalan national, and two United States citizens have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine as well as numerous counts of distribution of those controlled substances, illegal possession of machine guns, alien in possession of firearms, felon in possession of firearms, and illegal reentry of removed aliens, according to the United State's Attorney.

The investigation began in January of 2024 and continued through June of 2025, during which time investigators seized approximately 40 kilograms of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, and 11 firearms, three of which had been equipped with machine gun conversion devices and functioned as fully automatic weapons.

A law enforcement operation conducted on June 18, 2025, resulted in nine arrests. Three defendants were already in custody, and one defendant remains at large. More than a dozen law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation which also resulted in the seizure of nine additional firearms.

Uriel Lopez-Farias, 31, a Mexican national; Jesus Adrian Meza-Meza, 42, a Mexican national; Walter Fernandez, 34, of Kansas City, Mo.; Carlos R. Lepe-Virgen, 52, a Mexico national; Pedro Ivan Roldan-Minjares, 44, a Mexican national; Joel Armando Guillen-Rodriguez, 31, a Mexican national; Jose Rodriguez-Vasquez, 44, a Mexican national; Jose Aroldo Troches-Reyes, 33, a Guatemalan national; Adalberto Meza-Meza, 37, a Mexican national; Maximiliano Oliva-Verdin, 30, a Mexican national; Osvaldo Chiapas-Aguilar, 38, a Mexican national; Jesus Alvarez-Giron, 23, a Mexican national; and Kenneth Baez, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., were charged in a forty-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on June 11, 2025.&nbsp; The federal indictment was unsealed and made public Friday following the initial appearances of those in custody.

Lopez-Farias is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a machine gun, distribution and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

J. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Fernandez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Lepe-Virgen is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Roldan-Minjares is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Guillen-Rodriguez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Rodriguez-Vasquez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Troches-Reyes is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

A. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Oliva-Verdin is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Chiapas-Aguilar is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Alvarez-Giron is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.

Baez is charged with illegal possession of a machine gun and felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole for this charge.

The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan A. Baker and Heather Siegele.&nbsp; It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Jackson County Drug Task Force in conjunction with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Wednesday’s law enforcement operation included the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, Jackson County (MO) Drug Task Force, Johnson County (KS) Drug Task Force, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Kansas City Kansas Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Lee’s Summit Police Department, Sugar Creek Police Department, Wyandotte County (KS) Sheriff’s Department, St. Joseph (MO) Police Department, Buchanan County (MO) Drug Strike Force, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750512078192.png" alt="Meza-Meza from an earlier arrest in Wyandotte Co." />
                        <figcaption>Meza-Meza from an earlier arrest in Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>KANSAS CITY– Ten Mexican nationals, one Guatemalan national, and two United States citizens have been indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine as well as numerous counts of distribution of those controlled substances, illegal possession of machine guns, alien in possession of firearms, felon in possession of firearms, and illegal reentry of removed aliens, according to the United State's Attorney.</p><p>The investigation began in January of 2024 and continued through June of 2025, during which time investigators seized approximately 40 kilograms of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, and 11 firearms, three of which had been equipped with machine gun conversion devices and functioned as fully automatic weapons.</p><p>A law enforcement operation conducted on June 18, 2025, resulted in nine arrests. Three defendants were already in custody, and one defendant remains at large. More than a dozen law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation which also resulted in the seizure of nine additional firearms.</p><p>Uriel Lopez-Farias, 31, a Mexican national; Jesus Adrian Meza-Meza, 42, a Mexican national; Walter Fernandez, 34, of Kansas City, Mo.; Carlos R. Lepe-Virgen, 52, a Mexico national; Pedro Ivan Roldan-Minjares, 44, a Mexican national; Joel Armando Guillen-Rodriguez, 31, a Mexican national; Jose Rodriguez-Vasquez, 44, a Mexican national; Jose Aroldo Troches-Reyes, 33, a Guatemalan national; Adalberto Meza-Meza, 37, a Mexican national; Maximiliano Oliva-Verdin, 30, a Mexican national; Osvaldo Chiapas-Aguilar, 38, a Mexican national; Jesus Alvarez-Giron, 23, a Mexican national; and Kenneth Baez, 25, of Kansas City, Mo., were charged in a forty-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on June 11, 2025.&nbsp; The federal indictment was unsealed and made public Friday following the initial appearances of those in custody.</p><p>Lopez-Farias is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm, illegal possession of a machine gun, distribution and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>J. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine, alien in possession of a firearm and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Fernandez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Lepe-Virgen is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Roldan-Minjares is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Guillen-Rodriguez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Rodriguez-Vasquez is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of methamphetamine and reentry of a removed alien. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Troches-Reyes is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and attempted distribution of cocaine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>A. Meza-Meza is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Oliva-Verdin is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Chiapas-Aguilar is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Alvarez-Giron is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of methamphetamine. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to life imprisonment for these charges.</p><p>Baez is charged with illegal possession of a machine gun and felon in possession of a firearm. Under federal statutes, the defendant is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole for this charge.</p><p>The maximum statutory sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.</p><p>The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.</p><p>This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan A. Baker and Heather Siegele.&nbsp; It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Jackson County Drug Task Force in conjunction with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.</p><p>Wednesday’s law enforcement operation included the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Postal Service, the Internal Revenue Service, Jackson County (MO) Drug Task Force, Johnson County (KS) Drug Task Force, Kansas City Missouri Police Department, Kansas City Kansas Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Lee’s Summit Police Department, Sugar Creek Police Department, Wyandotte County (KS) Sheriff’s Department, St. Joseph (MO) Police Department, Buchanan County (MO) Drug Strike Force, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Western District of Missouri and the District of Kansas.</p>

FBI: 10 Mexican nationals accused of operating large KC crime ring

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750886425538.png" alt="Image from White House video at the NATO summit" />
                        <figcaption>Image from White House video at the NATO summit</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/oyaW33UB6x">pic.twitter.com/oyaW33UB6x</a></p>&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1937982998470926687?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/s6RBYpIQJt">pic.twitter.com/s6RBYpIQJt</a></p>&mdash; DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) <a href="https://twitter.com/DODResponse/status/1937925674309931368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Last weekend, the United States successfully carried out a massive precision strike on Iran&#39;s nuclear enrichment facilities... this incredible exercise of American strength has paved the way for peace, with a historic ceasefire agreement.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/F9gFmK4VW5">pic.twitter.com/F9gFmK4VW5</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937874739432931517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump reads Israel assessment on U.S. strikes: &quot;The devastating U.S. strike on Fordow destroyed the site&#39;s critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility totally inoperable.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jgLkRoDUGU">pic.twitter.com/jgLkRoDUGU</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1937885146193051910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Q: &quot;What&#39;s your reaction to intelligence reports saying that Iranian nuclear sites are only partially devastated?&quot;<br> <br>President Trump: &quot;We hear it was obliteration. It was a virtual obliteration.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ppCvPzTntf">pic.twitter.com/ppCvPzTntf</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1937876171464577525?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">New intelligence confirms what <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> has stated numerous times: Iran&#39;s nuclear facilities have been destroyed. If the Iranians chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do.<br><br>The…</p>&mdash; DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) <a href="https://twitter.com/DNIGabbard/status/1937934899710710170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Debate continues over early US intelligence report on airstrikes in Iran

Missouri is one of only two states in which judges can unilaterally impose the death penalty when a jury can’t agree on whether the defendant should be sentenced to death. In most other states, a deadlocked jury results in a sentence of life without parole

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a>

A Missouri man who was sentenced to death by a trial judge in 2009 despite a jury deadlocking on whether he should be executed has been scheduled to undergo lethal injection in October.&nbsp;

The Missouri Supreme Court last week issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SC90286WARRANT.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209718" target="_blank">warrant</a>&nbsp;for the execution of Lance Shockley, who recently exhausted his state and federal appeals and was convicted of the 2005 murder of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr.&nbsp;

The court announced the execution date on Tuesday afternoon.

Graham was shot and killed in his rural Carter County driveway. Graham had been investigating Shockley’s role in a fatal drunk driving accident, which the prosecution argued gave Shockley the motive to kill him. Shockley has insisted he’s innocent.

A jury in 2009 found Shockley guilty of first-degree murder. But&nbsp;in the punishment phase of Shockley’s trial, the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on whether he should be executed.&nbsp;

In most states with active death penalty laws, that deadlock would have resulted in the defendant being sentenced to life without parole.&nbsp;

But under Missouri law, Shockley’s penalty case then got handed off to a Carter County circuit judge who, after independent review, sentenced him to death.

Only Missouri and Indiana give judges the authority to unilaterally decide on the death penalty, a fact that&nbsp;<a href="https://philadelphia.citybuzz.co/article/483510/dla-piper-files-amicus-brief-with-us-supreme-court-in-missouri-capital-case" target="_blank">over the years</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-missouri-lets-judges-impose-death-sentences-if-juries-dont-that-should-change/article_b6c15e00-4cc4-11ee-bd57-8b920a2a85f0.html" target="_blank">has drawn scrutiny</a>&nbsp;from those who believe it places too much power in the hands of one person and denies defendants their constitutional rights to trial by jury and protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

In 2023 Amber McLaughlin was executed because of the unilateral decision of a trial judge.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article270281972.html" target="_blank">S</a><a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article270281972.html" target="_blank">everal retired judges&nbsp;</a>opposed the execution in a letter to then-Gov. Mike Parson, calling it a “flaw in Missouri’s capital sentencing scheme.”

An&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pogo.org/analysis/who-should-make-decision-on-life-and-death" target="_blank">analysis included in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court organized by the national nonprofit watchdog group Project on Government Oversight&nbsp;</a>found Missouri judges, who are elected in most parts of the state, have been more likely than juries to impose death sentences.&nbsp;

In cases without jury deadlock, from 2000 to 2018, the jury imposed a death sentence in 64% of cases. But in deadlocked cases with a trial judge making the decision, the death penalty was imposed in 86% of cases, according to the brief.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/10/group-of-republican-lawmakers-raise-concerns-about-missouri-death-penalty/">in recent years have filed legislation&nbsp;</a>to eliminate judge-imposed executions, but the proposals have made little progress.

Shockley has denied his involvement in Graham’s death, citing the lack of physical evidence or eyewitnesses. His attorneys&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/APPELLANT%20LANCE%20SHOCKLEYS%20SUR-REPLY%20IN%20OPPOSITION%20TO%20THE%20STATES%20MOTION%20TO%20SET%20AN%20EXECUTION%20DATE.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209165" target="_blank">have tried</a>&nbsp;unsuccessfully to get evidence from the crime scene tested for DNA and have argued the police failed to investigate other possible suspects.

“Shockley’s defense at trial was that he was not the one who killed Sgt. Graham,” his attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/APPELLANT%20LANCE%20SHOCKLEYS%20SUR-REPLY%20IN%20OPPOSITION%20TO%20THE%20STATES%20MOTION%20TO%20SET%20AN%20EXECUTION%20DATE.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209165" target="_blank">wrote in a brief last month.</a>&nbsp;“Shockley has never wavered in that position.”&nbsp;

His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The prosecution said Shockley borrowed a relative’s car the afternoon of Graham’s death and the car matched the description witnesses gave of one parked near Graham’s house the afternoon of his murder. Prosecutors also argued the recovered bullets may have been consistent with the caliber of a rifle Shockley owned. No murder weapon was found.

The Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/missouri/supreme-court/2013/sc90286.html" target="_blank">Supreme Court</a>, responding to the defense’s argument that the death penalty was excessive or disproportionate punishment for a case relying on circumstantial proof, said courts have previously upheld death sentences in cases hinging on strong circumstantial evidence and here, “the circumstantial evidence was strong.”

Shockley would be the first person executed in Missouri this year, barring intervention from Gov. Mike Kehoe or the U.S. Supreme Court.&nbsp;

Last year, Missouri executed four people. It was one of four states responsible for 76% of executions that year,&nbsp;<a href="https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/DPI-2024-Year-End-Report.pdf?dm=1735847939" target="_blank">according to the Death Penalty Information Center.&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750874127475.png" alt="Shockley photo MODOC" />
                        <figcaption>Shockley photo MODOC</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Missouri is one of only two states in which judges can unilaterally impose the death penalty when a jury can’t agree on whether the defendant should be sentenced to death. In most other states, a deadlocked jury results in a sentence of life without parole</h2><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/cbates/">CLARA BATES</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a></p><p>A Missouri man who was sentenced to death by a trial judge in 2009 despite a jury deadlocking on whether he should be executed has been scheduled to undergo lethal injection in October.&nbsp;</p><p>The Missouri Supreme Court last week issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SC90286WARRANT.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209718" target="_blank">warrant</a>&nbsp;for the execution of Lance Shockley, who recently exhausted his state and federal appeals and was convicted of the 2005 murder of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr.&nbsp;</p><p>The court announced the execution date on Tuesday afternoon.</p><p>Graham was shot and killed in his rural Carter County driveway. Graham had been investigating Shockley’s role in a fatal drunk driving accident, which the prosecution argued gave Shockley the motive to kill him. Shockley has insisted he’s innocent.</p><p>A jury in 2009 found Shockley guilty of first-degree murder. But&nbsp;in the punishment phase of Shockley’s trial, the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision on whether he should be executed.&nbsp;</p><p>In most states with active death penalty laws, that deadlock would have resulted in the defendant being sentenced to life without parole.&nbsp;</p><p>But under Missouri law, Shockley’s penalty case then got handed off to a Carter County circuit judge who, after independent review, sentenced him to death.</p><p>Only Missouri and Indiana give judges the authority to unilaterally decide on the death penalty, a fact that&nbsp;<a href="https://philadelphia.citybuzz.co/article/483510/dla-piper-files-amicus-brief-with-us-supreme-court-in-missouri-capital-case" target="_blank">over the years</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/editorial/editorial-missouri-lets-judges-impose-death-sentences-if-juries-dont-that-should-change/article_b6c15e00-4cc4-11ee-bd57-8b920a2a85f0.html" target="_blank">has drawn scrutiny</a>&nbsp;from those who believe it places too much power in the hands of one person and denies defendants their constitutional rights to trial by jury and protection against cruel and unusual punishment.</p><p>In 2023 Amber McLaughlin was executed because of the unilateral decision of a trial judge.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article270281972.html" target="_blank">S</a><a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article270281972.html" target="_blank">everal retired judges&nbsp;</a>opposed the execution in a letter to then-Gov. Mike Parson, calling it a “flaw in Missouri’s capital sentencing scheme.”</p><p>An&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pogo.org/analysis/who-should-make-decision-on-life-and-death" target="_blank">analysis included in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court organized by the national nonprofit watchdog group Project on Government Oversight&nbsp;</a>found Missouri judges, who are elected in most parts of the state, have been more likely than juries to impose death sentences.&nbsp;</p><p>In cases without jury deadlock, from 2000 to 2018, the jury imposed a death sentence in 64% of cases. But in deadlocked cases with a trial judge making the decision, the death penalty was imposed in 86% of cases, according to the brief.</p><p>A bipartisan group of lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/01/10/group-of-republican-lawmakers-raise-concerns-about-missouri-death-penalty/">in recent years have filed legislation&nbsp;</a>to eliminate judge-imposed executions, but the proposals have made little progress.</p><p>Shockley has denied his involvement in Graham’s death, citing the lack of physical evidence or eyewitnesses. His attorneys&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/APPELLANT%20LANCE%20SHOCKLEYS%20SUR-REPLY%20IN%20OPPOSITION%20TO%20THE%20STATES%20MOTION%20TO%20SET%20AN%20EXECUTION%20DATE.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209165" target="_blank">have tried</a>&nbsp;unsuccessfully to get evidence from the crime scene tested for DNA and have argued the police failed to investigate other possible suspects.</p><p>“Shockley’s defense at trial was that he was not the one who killed Sgt. Graham,” his attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/APPELLANT%20LANCE%20SHOCKLEYS%20SUR-REPLY%20IN%20OPPOSITION%20TO%20THE%20STATES%20MOTION%20TO%20SET%20AN%20EXECUTION%20DATE.PDF?courtCode=SC&amp;di=209165" target="_blank">wrote in a brief last month.</a>&nbsp;“Shockley has never wavered in that position.”&nbsp;</p><p>His attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.</p><p>The prosecution said Shockley borrowed a relative’s car the afternoon of Graham’s death and the car matched the description witnesses gave of one parked near Graham’s house the afternoon of his murder. Prosecutors also argued the recovered bullets may have been consistent with the caliber of a rifle Shockley owned. No murder weapon was found.</p><p>The Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://law.justia.com/cases/missouri/supreme-court/2013/sc90286.html" target="_blank">Supreme Court</a>, responding to the defense’s argument that the death penalty was excessive or disproportionate punishment for a case relying on circumstantial proof, said courts have previously upheld death sentences in cases hinging on strong circumstantial evidence and here, “the circumstantial evidence was strong.”</p><p>Shockley would be the first person executed in Missouri this year, barring intervention from Gov. Mike Kehoe or the U.S. Supreme Court.&nbsp;</p><p>Last year, Missouri executed four people. It was one of four states responsible for 76% of executions that year,&nbsp;<a href="https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/DPI-2024-Year-End-Report.pdf?dm=1735847939" target="_blank">according to the Death Penalty Information Center.&nbsp;</a></p>

Execution date set for man sentenced to die by a Mo. judge over 2005 murder

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals illegally in the United States over the weekend. ICE also arrested a U.S. citizen who threatened to kill ICE law enforcement while harboring an illegal alien from Iran. The weekend arrests reflect the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.

“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.” 

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782397107.png" alt="Ribvar Karimi -photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Ribvar Karimi -photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals illegally in the United States over the weekend. ICE also arrested a U.S. citizen who threatened to kill ICE law enforcement while harboring an illegal alien from Iran. The weekend arrests reflect the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security.</p><p>“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.” </p><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, ICE Atlanta arrested&nbsp;Ribvar Karimi&nbsp;in Locust, Alabama. Karimi reportedly served as an&nbsp;Iranian Army sniper&nbsp;from 2018 to 2021 and at the time of his arrest, in his possession, he had an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card. He entered the U.S. on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.uscis.gov/family/family-of-us-citizens/visas-for-fiancees-of-us-citizens" target="_blank">K-1 visa</a>, which is reserved for aliens engaged to be married to American citizens, in October 2024 under the Biden administration. Karimi never adjusted his status — a legal requirement — and is removable from the United States. He’s currently in ICE custody, where he’ll remain pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, ICE Houston officials arrested&nbsp;Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, an alien with a final order of removal, who was&nbsp;carrying a loaded 9mm pistol&nbsp;at the time of his arrest. Sepehrian entered the U.S. in Houston on Dec. 9, 2016, on an&nbsp;<a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html" target="_blank">F-1 student visa</a>. On Aug. 19, 2017, Harris County police&nbsp;arrested him for assaulting a family member by impeding breathing; his wife told the local assistant district attorney that Sepehrian was threatening her and obtained a restraining order against him. She also alleged he was threatening her family in Iran. On July 23, 2018, the University of Texas terminated Sepehrian’s status after he was placed on academic suspension. An immigration judge ordered him removed on Oct. 10, 2019, after he was released on an immigration bond; he filed a motion to reopen his case, which a Department of Justice immigration judge denied. Sepehrian is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782459722.png" alt="Nejad-photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Nejad-photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>Also in Houston, ICE arrested&nbsp;Hamid Reza Bayat, an Iranian national an immigration judge&nbsp;ordered removed nearly 20 years ago, on Aug. 4, 2005. Twice&nbsp;convicted of drug crimes&nbsp;and once convicted of driving on a suspended license, Bayat served time before receiving his final order of removal. He’s now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782512971.png" alt="Bayat photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Bayat photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in Tempe — a Phoenix, Arizona suburb — ICE agents arrested&nbsp;Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, an Iranian citizen with a final order of removal&nbsp;convicted of threatening a law enforcement officer&nbsp;and being an alien in&nbsp;possession of a firearm. Eidivand entered the U.S. in San Ysidro, California, in June 2012. In August 2013, an immigration judge granted him a voluntary departure, which allows an alien to leave the country without a formal ICE removal, but he never left. Eidivand will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782589954.png" alt="Eidivand photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Eidivand photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>At the same residence, officials arrested&nbsp;Linet Vartaniann, a United States citizen, for threatening a law enforcement officer and harboring Eidivand, an illegal alien. Vartaniann&nbsp;threatened to open fire on ICE officials&nbsp;if they entered her home, then said she would go outside and “shoot ICE officers in the head.” ICE officials obtained a search warrant for the residence and arrested the pair, who are now charged with federal crimes.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782653736.png" alt="Vartaniann-photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Vartaniann-photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in Gluckstadt, Mississippi, ICE officers and agents arrested&nbsp;Yousef Mehridehno, an Iranian national and former lawful permanent resident. The U.S. government terminated Mehridehno’s residency in October 2017 after determining he&nbsp;lied on his original visa application and committed potential marriage fraud.&nbsp;In February, Mehridehno was listed as a&nbsp;known or suspected terrorist, and he’s now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782701962.png" alt="Mehridehno-photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Mehridehno-photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in Colorado Springs, ICE officials arrested&nbsp;Mahmoud Shafiei&nbsp;and&nbsp;Mehrdad Mehdipour&nbsp;— two illegally present Iranian nationals living together. Immigration officials first encountered Shafiei in Seattle, Washington, in January 1981; a judge ordered him removed in January 1987. His criminal history includes&nbsp;state and federal convictions for drug crimes and arrests for assault and child abuse. U.S. Border Patrol encountered Mehdipour in June 2023 during the Biden administration near Rio Grande Valley, Texas, and processed him as an expedited removal. Both men are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782773266.png" alt="Shafiei photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Shafiei photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782817364.png" alt="Mehdipour photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Mehdipour photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, in St. Paul, Minnesota, ICE arrested&nbsp;Mehran Makari Saheli, a 56-year-old Iranian national. He was&nbsp;convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm&nbsp;in Minneapolis, where he was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He is a former member of off the&nbsp;Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with admitted connections to Hezbollah.&nbsp;An immigration judge ordered him removed June 28, 2022, under the Biden administration, but he illegally remained in the U.S. Saheli is now in ICE custody pending removal.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782876316.png" alt="Saheli photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Saheli photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 22, ICE San Francisco arrested&nbsp;Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani, a 62-year-old Iranian national, with a&nbsp;criminal history&nbsp;that includes a 1994&nbsp;conviction for petty theft&nbsp;and a 1995&nbsp;conviction of possession of a controlled substance for sale. Asfestani was&nbsp;sentenced to 10 years in state prison for the drug conviction&nbsp;and is now in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750782924349.png" alt="Asfestani photo Homeland Security" />
                        <figcaption>Asfestani photo Homeland Security</figcaption>
                    </figure><ul>
                        <li>On June 23, ICE Buffalo arrested&nbsp;Mohammad Rafikian, a 65-year-old Iranian national&nbsp;convicted of grand larceny,&nbsp;schemes to defraud, criminal impersonation and practicing as an attorney.  </li><li>On the same date, ICE San Diego arrested&nbsp;Arkavan Babk Moirokorli, a 57-year-old Iranian national&nbsp;convicted of forging an official seal. Both are in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.</li>
                    </ul>

ICE arrests Iranian nationals in US amid fears of secret terror cells

President Donald Trump responded to a U.S. intelligence report suggests that&nbsp;Iran’s nuclear program was set back only a few months after weekend U.S. strikes.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750848409452.png" alt="President Trump at the NATO summit on Wednesday-Image courtesy White House" />
                        <figcaption>President Trump at the NATO summit on Wednesday-Image courtesy White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>President Donald Trump responded to a U.S. intelligence report suggests that&nbsp;Iran’s nuclear program was set back only a few months after weekend U.S. strikes.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;This was an unbelievable hit by genius pilots and genius people in the military, and they&#39;re not being given credit for it because we have scum... CNN is scum. MSDNC is scum. The New York Times is scum.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/IrRhwgqQaK">pic.twitter.com/IrRhwgqQaK</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937800789356896343?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> sets the record straight for the Fake News: &quot;These leakers are professional stabbers... There&#39;s no way Iran comes to the table if somehow nothing had happened. This was a complete and total obliteration... They are way behind today compared to where they were just 7… <a href="https://t.co/V3wrIjic8F">pic.twitter.com/V3wrIjic8F</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937800084621558011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We hear it was obliteration... I believe they didn&#39;t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast.&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecDef</a>: &quot;They landed precisely where they were supposed to. It was a flawless mission... it was devastation underneath Fordow.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/29AT9hj8w7">pic.twitter.com/29AT9hj8w7</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937798413472399483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Trump pushes back on assessment critical of Iran attack success

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750787876972.png" alt="Sherman" />
                        <figcaption>Sherman</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLSmV0HJ8n9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLSmV0HJ8n9/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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Bobby Sherman, '60s teen idol, dies at 81

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen policy changes from Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” after successfully arguing before the chamber’s parliamentarian that the elements didn’t comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill.

Removed is language&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-tries-ease-pain-states-sharing-costs-snap-benefits" target="_blank">that would have transferred some of the cost</a>&nbsp;of running the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to state governments, potentially leaving states on the hook for billions in added spending on the food aid program for lower-income people.

Democrats also fended off a proposal to eliminate funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which fields complaints on banking and other financial institutions, and another that sought to bar federal district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.&nbsp;

Among the contested items that remained, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley announced in a social media post that his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/radiation-exposure-fund-backed-missouris-hawley-included-us-senate-mega-bill" target="_blank">years-long effort to reauthorize</a>&nbsp;the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, or RECA, passed what’s known on Capitol Hill as the “Byrd bath” test.

“Terrific news for Missouri, radiation survivors, and MAHA: RECA has passed the ‘Byrd bath’ – Democrats did not strip it – and will be in the final bill,” Hawley wrote, referring to the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again slogan. “Huge step forward #MAHA.”

Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., has cheered many of the parliamentarian’s rulings, though Republican committee chairs say they’ll look for ways to rewrite the various proposals.

“Today, we were advised by the Senate Parliamentarian that several more provisions in this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill will be subject to the Byrd Rule — and Democrats plan to challenge every part of this bill that hurts working families and violates this process,” Merkley wrote in a statement released Saturday night. “Republicans’ relentless attack on middle class families in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires is a slap in the face to working families everywhere, and Democrats are fighting back.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

The changes could create several issues for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and eventually for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who need nearly every GOP lawmaker in Congress to vote for the sweeping tax and spending cuts package in order for it to become law.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">voted 215-214 to approve</a>&nbsp;its version of the bill in May, but since the Senate is making substantial changes, the House will have to vote on the measure again before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature. GOP leaders hope to complete all that before the Fourth of July.

Republicans are using reconciliation, instead of moving the bill through the regular legislative process, to avoid needing Democratic votes to get past the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.

But the lower threshold for passing a reconciliation bill comes with several requirements, including that all of the proposals in the package have an impact on spending or revenues that’s not “merely incidental.”

The Senate parliamentarian, the chamber’s official scorekeeper who holds a detailed understanding of the rules and procedures, examines each of those policies and hears from both Republicans and Democrats before issuing the rulings.

The Byrd bath began last week behind closed doors and will continue for at least several more days. Once it concludes, Senate GOP leaders can move the bill to the floor, where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/both-parties-prep-mega-bill-marathon-us-senate-vote-rama" target="_blank">members of both parties can call for votes on as many amendments as they want</a>.

Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., released a written statement defending&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep/press/release/chairman-boozman-releases-agriculture-nutrition-and-forestry-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">his committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;after the parliamentarian ruled several provisions must go to comply with the rules.

“To rein in federal spending and protect taxpayer dollars the committee is pursuing meaningful reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve efficiency, accountability and integrity,” Boozman wrote. “We are continuing to examine options that comply with Senate rules to achieve savings through budget reconciliation to ensure SNAP serves those who truly need it while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

The parliamentarian ruled the committee erred in including language that would have shifted some of the cost of the SNAP program to state governments if they didn’t meet an efficiency benchmark before 2028.

A proposal to eliminate SNAP eligibility for “immigrants who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents, with certain exceptions,” was also determined not to comply with the rules, according to a press release from Merkley.

Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ranking member on the committee, wrote the parliamentarian’s ruling “made clear that Senate Republicans cannot use their partisan budget to shift major nutrition assistance costs to the states that would have inevitably led to major cuts.

“While Republicans’ proposed cuts to SNAP will still be devastating to families, farmers, and independent grocers across the country, we will keep fighting to protect families in need. Instead of a rushed partisan process, Republicans should work with us to lower costs for Americans and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that works for all farmers and rural America.”

Consumer financial agency victory for Dems

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/scott-releases-banking-committee-provisions-for-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">proposal to eliminate funding</a>&nbsp;for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48295/R48295.8.pdf" target="_blank">established</a>&nbsp;in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, also doesn’t comply with the rules, under the parliamentarian’s ruling.

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, ranking member on the panel, wrote in a statement that the GOP’s proposal for the CFPB represented “a reckless, dangerous attack on consumers and would lead to more Americans being tricked and trapped by giant financial institutions and put the stability of our entire financial system at risk–all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires.”

But committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., wrote in a separate statement that he remains “committed to advancing legislation that cuts waste and duplication in our federal government and saves taxpayer dollars.”

Scott listed provisions that he said will remain.

“As it stands now, the Banking Committee’s reconciliation provisions will delay the implementation of Section 1071 of Dodd-Frank, which reduces CFPB spending and protects the privacy and data of small business owners; rescind unused funds earmarked for green initiatives to give HUD discretion in funding critical housing programs; and save taxpayer dollars by eliminating an unnecessary reserve fund at the SEC,” Scott wrote. “My colleagues and I remain committed to cutting wasteful spending at the CFPB and will continue working with the Senate parliamentarian on the Committee’s provisions.”

The parliamentarian told lawmakers that various elements of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-releases-senate-judiciary-committee-text-of-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">the Judiciary Committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;don’t comply with the rules, including an attempt to block federal district court judges from issuing nationwide preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders.

The issue has become a thorn in Trump’s side during the past few months as he’s watched the courts block several of his executive orders and other unilateral administration actions.

The Judiciary Committee’s reconciliation bill cannot block the Department of Justice from awarding Byrne JAG and COPS grants to “sanctuary cities.” The bill also can’t send funding to local and state governments for the purpose of “apprehending aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States.”

Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, did not respond to a request for comment, but a committee spokesperson wrote in an email to States Newsroom that “Democrats are clinging to their radical open borders legacy by fighting to keep criminal migrants in the United States.

“Republicans are committed to enforcing the rule of law, and will continue using all available avenues to secure our borders, clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous policies and ensure courts operate according to lawful and constitutional standards.”

Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, ranking member on the committee, issued a statement calling the bill’s policies “an attempted power grab by our Republican colleagues that we would not stand for.”

“Here’s what Senate Republicans attempted to sneak into their so-called Big, Beautiful Bill: a provision intended to limit the ability of individuals and organizations to challenge lawless Trump Administration executive actions by putting those potential plaintiffs on the hook for millions of dollars; and a provision conditioning grant eligibility on a state or locality’s compliance with federal immigration policies,” Durbin wrote.

The parliamentarian didn’t, however, remove all of the proposals contested by Democrats.

Language that would prevent local and state governments from regulating artificial intelligence for the next decade if those jurisdictions want to receive money from a $500 million fund does meet the reconciliation requirements and can remain in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/6/chairman-cruz-releases-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s bill</a>.

But that doesn’t mean the provision will stay in the bill moving forward, since several GOP lawmakers have expressed concern about potentially tying the hands of local and state governments when it comes to AI.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1929946902566494653" target="_blank">wrote in a social media post</a>&nbsp;after she voted for the House’s bill that she had no idea about the AI provision. That chamber’s package barred state and local AI regulation for a decade without tying it to any funding stream.

“We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states hands is potentially dangerous,” Greene wrote. “This needs to be stripped out in the Senate.

“When the OBBB comes back to the House for approval after Senate changes, I will not vote for it with this in it.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750772403338.png" alt=" At a farm market in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 14, 2012, SNAP recipients were able to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards for food. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA)." />
                        <figcaption> At a farm market in St. Petersburg, Florida, on April 14, 2012, SNAP recipients were able to use their Electronic Benefits Transfer cards for food. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>&nbsp;</p><p>WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats have succeeded in eliminating more than a dozen policy changes from Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” after successfully arguing before the chamber’s parliamentarian that the elements didn’t comply with the strict rules that go along with writing a budget reconciliation bill.</p><p>Removed is language&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-gop-tries-ease-pain-states-sharing-costs-snap-benefits" target="_blank">that would have transferred some of the cost</a>&nbsp;of running the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to state governments, potentially leaving states on the hook for billions in added spending on the food aid program for lower-income people.</p><p>Democrats also fended off a proposal to eliminate funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which fields complaints on banking and other financial institutions, and another that sought to bar federal district court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions.&nbsp;</p><p>Among the contested items that remained, Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley announced in a social media post that his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/radiation-exposure-fund-backed-missouris-hawley-included-us-senate-mega-bill" target="_blank">years-long effort to reauthorize</a>&nbsp;the Radiation Exposure Compensation Fund, or RECA, passed what’s known on Capitol Hill as the “Byrd bath” test.</p><p>“Terrific news for Missouri, radiation survivors, and MAHA: RECA has passed the ‘Byrd bath’ – Democrats did not strip it – and will be in the final bill,” Hawley wrote, referring to the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again slogan. “Huge step forward #MAHA.”</p><h2>Democrats to continue challenges</h2><p>Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., has cheered many of the parliamentarian’s rulings, though Republican committee chairs say they’ll look for ways to rewrite the various proposals.</p><p>“Today, we were advised by the Senate Parliamentarian that several more provisions in this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill will be subject to the Byrd Rule — and Democrats plan to challenge every part of this bill that hurts working families and violates this process,” Merkley wrote in a statement released Saturday night. “Republicans’ relentless attack on middle class families in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires is a slap in the face to working families everywhere, and Democrats are fighting back.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The changes could create several issues for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and eventually for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who need nearly every GOP lawmaker in Congress to vote for the sweeping tax and spending cuts package in order for it to become law.</p><p>The House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-house-republicans-push-through-massive-tax-and-spending-bill-slashing-medicaid" target="_blank">voted 215-214 to approve</a>&nbsp;its version of the bill in May, but since the Senate is making substantial changes, the House will have to vote on the measure again before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature. GOP leaders hope to complete all that before the Fourth of July.</p><p>Republicans are using reconciliation, instead of moving the bill through the regular legislative process, to avoid needing Democratic votes to get past the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster.</p><p>But the lower threshold for passing a reconciliation bill comes with several requirements, including that all of the proposals in the package have an impact on spending or revenues that’s not “merely incidental.”</p><p>The Senate parliamentarian, the chamber’s official scorekeeper who holds a detailed understanding of the rules and procedures, examines each of those policies and hears from both Republicans and Democrats before issuing the rulings.</p><p>The Byrd bath began last week behind closed doors and will continue for at least several more days. Once it concludes, Senate GOP leaders can move the bill to the floor, where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/both-parties-prep-mega-bill-marathon-us-senate-vote-rama" target="_blank">members of both parties can call for votes on as many amendments as they want</a>.</p><h2>SNAP program</h2><p>Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., released a written statement defending&nbsp;<a href="https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/newsroom/rep/press/release/chairman-boozman-releases-agriculture-nutrition-and-forestry-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">his committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;after the parliamentarian ruled several provisions must go to comply with the rules.</p><p>“To rein in federal spending and protect taxpayer dollars the committee is pursuing meaningful reforms to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to improve efficiency, accountability and integrity,” Boozman wrote. “We are continuing to examine options that comply with Senate rules to achieve savings through budget reconciliation to ensure SNAP serves those who truly need it while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.”</p><p>The parliamentarian ruled the committee erred in including language that would have shifted some of the cost of the SNAP program to state governments if they didn’t meet an efficiency benchmark before 2028.</p><p>A proposal to eliminate SNAP eligibility for “immigrants who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents, with certain exceptions,” was also determined not to comply with the rules, according to a press release from Merkley.</p><p>Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ranking member on the committee, wrote the parliamentarian’s ruling “made clear that Senate Republicans cannot use their partisan budget to shift major nutrition assistance costs to the states that would have inevitably led to major cuts.</p><p>“While Republicans’ proposed cuts to SNAP will still be devastating to families, farmers, and independent grocers across the country, we will keep fighting to protect families in need. Instead of a rushed partisan process, Republicans should work with us to lower costs for Americans and pass a bipartisan Farm Bill that works for all farmers and rural America.”</p><h2>Consumer financial agency victory for Dems</h2><p>The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/majority/scott-releases-banking-committee-provisions-for-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">proposal to eliminate funding</a>&nbsp;for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Congress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48295/R48295.8.pdf" target="_blank">established</a>&nbsp;in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, also doesn’t comply with the rules, under the parliamentarian’s ruling.</p><p>Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, ranking member on the panel, wrote in a statement that the GOP’s proposal for the CFPB represented “a reckless, dangerous attack on consumers and would lead to more Americans being tricked and trapped by giant financial institutions and put the stability of our entire financial system at risk–all to hand out tax breaks to billionaires.”</p><p>But committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., wrote in a separate statement that he remains “committed to advancing legislation that cuts waste and duplication in our federal government and saves taxpayer dollars.”</p><p>Scott listed provisions that he said will remain.</p><p>“As it stands now, the Banking Committee’s reconciliation provisions will delay the implementation of Section 1071 of Dodd-Frank, which reduces CFPB spending and protects the privacy and data of small business owners; rescind unused funds earmarked for green initiatives to give HUD discretion in funding critical housing programs; and save taxpayer dollars by eliminating an unnecessary reserve fund at the SEC,” Scott wrote. “My colleagues and I remain committed to cutting wasteful spending at the CFPB and will continue working with the Senate parliamentarian on the Committee’s provisions.”</p><h2>Judges and injunctions</h2><p>The parliamentarian told lawmakers that various elements of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-releases-senate-judiciary-committee-text-of-the-one-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank">the Judiciary Committee’s bill</a>&nbsp;don’t comply with the rules, including an attempt to block federal district court judges from issuing nationwide preliminary injunctions or temporary restraining orders.</p><p>The issue has become a thorn in Trump’s side during the past few months as he’s watched the courts block several of his executive orders and other unilateral administration actions.</p><p>The Judiciary Committee’s reconciliation bill cannot block the Department of Justice from awarding Byrne JAG and COPS grants to “sanctuary cities.” The bill also can’t send funding to local and state governments for the purpose of “apprehending aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States.”</p><p>Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, did not respond to a request for comment, but a committee spokesperson wrote in an email to States Newsroom that “Democrats are clinging to their radical open borders legacy by fighting to keep criminal migrants in the United States.</p><p>“Republicans are committed to enforcing the rule of law, and will continue using all available avenues to secure our borders, clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris administration’s disastrous policies and ensure courts operate according to lawful and constitutional standards.”</p><p>Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, ranking member on the committee, issued a statement calling the bill’s policies “an attempted power grab by our Republican colleagues that we would not stand for.”</p><p>“Here’s what Senate Republicans attempted to sneak into their so-called Big, Beautiful Bill: a provision intended to limit the ability of individuals and organizations to challenge lawless Trump Administration executive actions by putting those potential plaintiffs on the hook for millions of dollars; and a provision conditioning grant eligibility on a state or locality’s compliance with federal immigration policies,” Durbin wrote.</p><h2>Artificial intelligence and states</h2><p>The parliamentarian didn’t, however, remove all of the proposals contested by Democrats.</p><p>Language that would prevent local and state governments from regulating artificial intelligence for the next decade if those jurisdictions want to receive money from a $500 million fund does meet the reconciliation requirements and can remain in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/6/chairman-cruz-releases-budget-reconciliation-text" target="_blank">the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation’s bill</a>.</p><p>But that doesn’t mean the provision will stay in the bill moving forward, since several GOP lawmakers have expressed concern about potentially tying the hands of local and state governments when it comes to AI.</p><p>Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1929946902566494653" target="_blank">wrote in a social media post</a>&nbsp;after she voted for the House’s bill that she had no idea about the AI provision. That chamber’s package barred state and local AI regulation for a decade without tying it to any funding stream.</p><p>“We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states hands is potentially dangerous,” Greene wrote. “This needs to be stripped out in the Senate.</p><p>“When the OBBB comes back to the House for approval after Senate changes, I will not vote for it with this in it.”</p>

US Senate mega-bill drops requirement states help pay for SNAP program

OMAHA— A Nebraska State Trooper was injured just after 8:30p.m. Monday when the trooper’s patrol unit was struck by a large truck, according to a media release from the Nebraska State Patrol.

&nbsp;Troopers were performing traffic control on Interstate 80 near 50th&nbsp;Street as the Omaha Police Department was handling a single-vehicle crash in the area. The initial crash was blocking the shoulder and one lane of traffic. Troopers were assisting first responders by blocking the lane of traffic.

While the trooper’s unit was parked, with emergency lights activated, a box truck struck the cruiser. The trooper was inside the cruiser at the time and was injured. Additional troopers and Omaha police officers were on scene immediately and helped the trooper exit the vehicle safely.

 The trooper was transported to Bergan Mercy Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Nebraska State Patrol has asked the Omaha Police Department to investigate the crash.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750763197257.jpeg" alt="Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Injured Monday in Omaha when cruiser was struck by box truck on I-80-photo Nebraska State Patrol" />
                        <figcaption>Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Injured Monday in Omaha when cruiser was struck by box truck on I-80-photo Nebraska State Patrol</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>OMAHA— A Nebraska State Trooper was injured just after 8:30p.m. Monday when the trooper’s patrol unit was struck by a large truck, according to a media release from the Nebraska State Patrol.</p><p>&nbsp;Troopers were performing traffic control on Interstate 80 near 50th&nbsp;Street as the Omaha Police Department was handling a single-vehicle crash in the area. The initial crash was blocking the shoulder and one lane of traffic. Troopers were assisting first responders by blocking the lane of traffic.</p><p>While the trooper’s unit was parked, with emergency lights activated, a box truck struck the cruiser. The trooper was inside the cruiser at the time and was injured. Additional troopers and Omaha police officers were on scene immediately and helped the trooper exit the vehicle safely.</p><p> The trooper was transported to Bergan Mercy Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The Nebraska State Patrol has asked the Omaha Police Department to investigate the crash.</p>

State Trooper hospitalized after patrol car struck by large truck

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services&nbsp;(CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz today met with industry leaders to discuss their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahip.org/news/press-releases/health-plans-take-action-to-simplify-prior-authorization" target="_blank">pledge,</a>&nbsp;to streamline and improve the prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace® and commercial plans covering nearly eight out of 10 Americans, according to a media release from the agency.

(Click below to watch the full press conference.)

(Click below to watch Kan. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's statement)

In a roundtable discussion hosted by HHS, health insurers pledged six key reforms aimed at cutting red tape, accelerating care decisions, and enhancing transparency for patients and providers. Their commitments reinforce the role of CMS in monitoring outcomes and promoting accountability. Companies represented at the roundtable included Aetna, Inc., AHIP, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Centene Corporation, The Cigna Group, Elevance Health, GuideWell, Highmark Health, Humana, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare.

“Thank you to the insurance companies for making these commitments today. Americans shouldn’t have to negotiate with their insurer to get the care they need,”&nbsp;said Secretary Kennedy.&nbsp;“Pitting patients and their doctors against massive companies was not good for anyone. We are actively working with industry to make it easier to get prior authorization for common services such as diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, and outpatient surgery.”

“These commitments represent a step in the right direction toward restoring trust, easing burdens on providers, and helping patients receive timely, evidence-based care,”&nbsp;said Administrator Oz.&nbsp;“We applaud these voluntary actions by the private sector, which is how these types of issues should be solved. CMS will be evaluating progress and driving accountability toward our shared goals, as we continue to champion solutions that put patients first.”

Participating health insurers have pledged to:

Praise from members of Congress regarding today’s developments:

“It was an honor to attend this discussion with Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz,”&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) said.&nbsp;“This is an important topic that has continued to be an issue for far too long. I applaud the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and President Trump for bringing us all to the table to find solutions for our patients and providers.”

“Thank you to President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Administrator Oz for working to improve the prior authorization process for American patients,”&nbsp;Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and co-chair of the House GOP Doctors Caucus, said.&nbsp;“As a physician for over 30 years, I witnessed the ridiculous and ever-increasing obstructions caused by insurance companies to delay or deny care to patients. These bureaucratic hurdles end up hurting patients and those who care for them. Practices have had to hire many more staff just simply to fight with insurance companies. I have made reform a top priority of mine since coming to Congress. I am grateful for the collaborative effort by stakeholders to make commitments to streamline approvals and look forward to them delivering on this pledge.”

These private sector reforms complement ongoing regulatory efforts by CMS to improve prior authorization interoperability within Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace®.

CMS encourages continued innovation and collaboration but reserves the right to pursue additional regulatory actions if necessary.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750759207379.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall spoke at the press conference" />
                        <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall spoke at the press conference</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services&nbsp;(CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz today met with industry leaders to discuss their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ahip.org/news/press-releases/health-plans-take-action-to-simplify-prior-authorization" target="_blank">pledge,</a>&nbsp;to streamline and improve the prior authorization processes for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace® and commercial plans covering nearly eight out of 10 Americans, according to a media release from the agency.</p><p>(Click below to watch the full press conference.)</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xNgRQoegEPs?si=mF0kiTW6krdJ0w3v&amp;start=769" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>(Click below to watch Kan. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's statement)</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xNgRQoegEPs?si=WYiAgkHir103cICv&amp;start=1670" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>In a roundtable discussion hosted by HHS, health insurers pledged six key reforms aimed at cutting red tape, accelerating care decisions, and enhancing transparency for patients and providers. Their commitments reinforce the role of CMS in monitoring outcomes and promoting accountability. Companies represented at the roundtable included Aetna, Inc., AHIP, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Centene Corporation, The Cigna Group, Elevance Health, GuideWell, Highmark Health, Humana, Inc., Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare.</p><p>“Thank you to the insurance companies for making these commitments today. Americans shouldn’t have to negotiate with their insurer to get the care they need,”&nbsp;said Secretary Kennedy.&nbsp;“Pitting patients and their doctors against massive companies was not good for anyone. We are actively working with industry to make it easier to get prior authorization for common services such as diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, and outpatient surgery.”</p><p>“These commitments represent a step in the right direction toward restoring trust, easing burdens on providers, and helping patients receive timely, evidence-based care,”&nbsp;said Administrator Oz.&nbsp;“We applaud these voluntary actions by the private sector, which is how these types of issues should be solved. CMS will be evaluating progress and driving accountability toward our shared goals, as we continue to champion solutions that put patients first.”</p><p>Participating health insurers have pledged to:</p><ul>
                        <li>Standardize electronic prior authorization submissions using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR®)-based application programming interfaces.</li><li>Reduce the volume of medical services subject to prior authorization by January 1, 2026.</li><li>Honor existing authorizations during insurance transitions to ensure continuity of care.</li><li>Enhance transparency and communication around authorization decisions and appeals.</li><li>Expand real-time responses to minimize delays in care with real-time approvals for most requests by 2027.</li><li>Ensure medical professionals review all clinical denials.</li>
                    </ul><p>Praise from members of Congress regarding today’s developments:</p><p>“It was an honor to attend this discussion with Secretary Kennedy and CMS Administrator Dr. Oz,”&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) said.&nbsp;“This is an important topic that has continued to be an issue for far too long. I applaud the leadership of Secretary Kennedy and President Trump for bringing us all to the table to find solutions for our patients and providers.”</p><p>“Thank you to President Trump, Secretary Kennedy, and Administrator Oz for working to improve the prior authorization process for American patients,”&nbsp;Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and co-chair of the House GOP Doctors Caucus, said.&nbsp;“As a physician for over 30 years, I witnessed the ridiculous and ever-increasing obstructions caused by insurance companies to delay or deny care to patients. These bureaucratic hurdles end up hurting patients and those who care for them. Practices have had to hire many more staff just simply to fight with insurance companies. I have made reform a top priority of mine since coming to Congress. I am grateful for the collaborative effort by stakeholders to make commitments to streamline approvals and look forward to them delivering on this pledge.”</p><p>These private sector reforms complement ongoing regulatory efforts by CMS to improve prior authorization interoperability within Medicare Advantage, Medicaid Managed Care, Health Insurance Marketplace®.</p><p>CMS encourages continued innovation and collaboration but reserves the right to pursue additional regulatory actions if necessary.</p>

RFK Jr.: Health insurers promise to improve prior authorization process

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.

Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 3700 block of Flora on a reported shooting , according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. 

Officers observed a vehicle facing the wrong direction, parked on the curb. Inside the vehicle officers located a male victim, later identified as 17-year-old Camren A. English suffering from a gunshot wound. 

Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported the English to a local hospital where he died a short time later. Police initially indicated the incident was a death investigation. On Monday police reclassified the case to a homicide investigation, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Detectives are working to determine what led to shots being fired and the victim being struck.

<p>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.</p><p>Just after 6 a.m. Sunday, patrol officers were dispatched to the 3700 block of Flora on a reported shooting , according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino. </p><p>Officers observed a vehicle facing the wrong direction, parked on the curb. Inside the vehicle officers located a male victim, later identified as 17-year-old Camren A. English suffering from a gunshot wound. </p><p>Officers immediately began performing life saving measures and ordered EMS to the scene. Medics transported the English to a local hospital where he died a short time later. Police initially indicated the incident was a death investigation. On Monday police reclassified the case to a homicide investigation, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.</p><p>Detectives are working to determine what led to shots being fired and the victim being struck.</p>

KCPD: Teen's death reclassified to homicide investigation

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on Israel and Iran: &quot;We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/xrztmebALZ">pic.twitter.com/xrztmebALZ</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1937468807536169315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">⭕️&quot;In light of the severe violation of the ceasefire carried out by the Iranian regime, we will respond with force.&quot;<br><br>-The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir in a situational assessment now</p>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1937427038090006827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🚨 Sirens sounding in northern Israel due to missile fire from Iran 🚨 <a href="https://t.co/woGhqD7VCK">pic.twitter.com/woGhqD7VCK</a></p>&mdash; Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1937414143637639295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

=🎥Trump uses the 'f bomb' to describe Israel and Iran

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a>&nbsp;<br><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 — Two years after a motion-filled and filibuster-riddled 2023 session, Nebraska lawmakers in 2025 settled into a new rhythm as stall tactics again dominated legislative debate.

Throughout the 89-day session that concluded June 2, Nebraska lawmakers filed 347 motions, according to legislative records. It’s the second-highest tally for any session except 2023, when a record 1,160 motions were filed throughout the 88-day session. Similar to that year, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/nebraska-lawmakers-adjourn-but-break-will-be-short-lived-as-special-session-looms-this-summer/">again filed the most motions</a>.

In 2023, Cavanaugh filed 437 motions (38% of the total filed). In 2025, she filed 80 (23%).

The extent of filibustering also has changed — the procedural effort to extend debate to time limits as set by the speaker of the Legislature. At those limits, 33 votes are required to enact “cloture” to advance legislation, instead of the usual 25.

Since 2023, it has been more routine for legislative opponents to file all three kinds of filibuster motions ahead of debate — to&nbsp;<b>recommit</b>&nbsp;to committee, to&nbsp;<b>bracket</b>&nbsp;(or delay debate) to a set date or&nbsp;<b>indefinitely postpone&nbsp;</b>(or kill a bill).

Motions to&nbsp;<b>reconsider</b>&nbsp;those motions and various amendments also are common. Introducers have more frequently filed these “kill” motions to their own bills because they get the chance to introduce the motions and speak ahead of opponents trying to stop their proposals from advancing.

A total of 24 measures reached cloture votes in 2025, the second most in a “long” session behind only 2023, which had 58 separate votes held for cloture motions. This year, four bills fell to filibusters, compared to one in 2023.

In 2025, 47 of Nebraska’s 49 lawmakers had a bill reach the governor’s desk, whether on its own or after being folded into various legislative packages, including the budget. The two exceptions: State Sens. Rob Clements of Elmwood and Loren Lippincott of Central City.&nbsp;

Clements, chair of the Appropriations Committee, played an instrumental role in ushering several budget bills to passage, which ultimately faced no line-item vetoes from Gov. Jim Pillen&nbsp;over a gubernatorial attempt to trim $14.5 million in general fund spending, most of that to the Nebraska Supreme Court. Lippincott also serves on the Appropriations Committee.

The state will end with a final positive budget balance of $4.15 million for the next two fiscal years. Lawmakers started with a projected budget deficit of $432 million in January.

Speaker John Arch of La Vista has already warned senators to pay attention to changing fiscal dynamics, including in Congress, ahead of the 2026 legislative session, which begins Jan. 7.

2025 statistics — from 89 days in session

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750762609472.png" alt=" Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature John Arch of La Vista addresses state senators on the final day of the 2025 legislative session. June 2, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)" />
                        <figcaption> Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature John Arch of La Vista addresses state senators on the final day of the 2025 legislative session. June 2, 2025. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/zachwendling/">Zach Wendling</a>&nbsp;<br><a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/17/lincoln-senators-clash-over-nebraska-school-retirement-bill-as-school-leaders-weigh-in/">Nebraska Examiner</a></p><p>LINCOLN — Two years after a motion-filled and filibuster-riddled 2023 session, Nebraska lawmakers in 2025 settled into a new rhythm as stall tactics again dominated legislative debate.</p><p>Throughout the 89-day session that concluded June 2, Nebraska lawmakers filed 347 motions, according to legislative records. It’s the second-highest tally for any session except 2023, when a record 1,160 motions were filed throughout the 88-day session. Similar to that year, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/04/18/nebraska-lawmakers-adjourn-but-break-will-be-short-lived-as-special-session-looms-this-summer/">again filed the most motions</a>.</p><p>In 2023, Cavanaugh filed 437 motions (38% of the total filed). In 2025, she filed 80 (23%).</p><p>The extent of filibustering also has changed — the procedural effort to extend debate to time limits as set by the speaker of the Legislature. At those limits, 33 votes are required to enact “cloture” to advance legislation, instead of the usual 25.</p><p>Since 2023, it has been more routine for legislative opponents to file all three kinds of filibuster motions ahead of debate — to&nbsp;<b>recommit</b>&nbsp;to committee, to&nbsp;<b>bracket</b>&nbsp;(or delay debate) to a set date or&nbsp;<b>indefinitely postpone&nbsp;</b>(or kill a bill).</p><p>Motions to&nbsp;<b>reconsider</b>&nbsp;those motions and various amendments also are common. Introducers have more frequently filed these “kill” motions to their own bills because they get the chance to introduce the motions and speak ahead of opponents trying to stop their proposals from advancing.</p><p>A total of 24 measures reached cloture votes in 2025, the second most in a “long” session behind only 2023, which had 58 separate votes held for cloture motions. This year, four bills fell to filibusters, compared to one in 2023.</p><p>In 2025, 47 of Nebraska’s 49 lawmakers had a bill reach the governor’s desk, whether on its own or after being folded into various legislative packages, including the budget. The two exceptions: State Sens. Rob Clements of Elmwood and Loren Lippincott of Central City.&nbsp;</p><p>Clements, chair of the Appropriations Committee, played an instrumental role in ushering several budget bills to passage, which ultimately faced no line-item vetoes from Gov. Jim Pillen&nbsp;over a gubernatorial attempt to trim $14.5 million in general fund spending, most of that to the Nebraska Supreme Court. Lippincott also serves on the Appropriations Committee.</p><p>The state will end with a final positive budget balance of $4.15 million for the next two fiscal years. Lawmakers started with a projected budget deficit of $432 million in January.</p><p>Speaker John Arch of La Vista has already warned senators to pay attention to changing fiscal dynamics, including in Congress, ahead of the 2026 legislative session, which begins Jan. 7.</p><h2>2025 statistics — from 89 days in session</h2><ul>
                        <li>715 bills introduced, an average 15 per senator. An additional 18 constitutional amendments and six policy-based resolutions introduced.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>347 motions filed, about one-fourth (23%) from State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha (80). State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha followed with 29 motions.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>Top bill targeted:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59124" target="_blank">LB 316</a>, from State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, seeking to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/30/proposal-to-ban-most-thc-consumable-hemp-products-in-nebraska-delayed-until-at-least-2026/">ban most consumable hemp and other tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) products</a>&nbsp;(22 motions). The runner-up was&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59447&amp;docnum=LB258&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 258</a>, from State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, seeking to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/21/nebraska-minimum-wage-would-see-fixed-annual-increases-under-new-compromise-amendment/">weaken voter-approved minimum wage provisions</a>&nbsp;(17 motions).</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>Top senator targeted: State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha (55 motions).&nbsp;The runner-up was State Sen. Bob Hallstrom of Syracuse (33 motions).</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>24 bills were forced to maximum debate limits, or cloture. Four efforts to end debate failed: moving the state’s allocation of presidential electors to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/04/08/winner-take-all-bill-stalls-in-nebraska-legislature-a-blow-to-governor/">winner-take-all</a>&nbsp;(<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58830&amp;docnum=LB3&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 3</a>), reducing the state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://update.legislature.ne.gov/?p=38878" target="_blank">inheritance tax</a>&nbsp;(<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58985&amp;docnum=LB468&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 468</a>), adding&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/19/sales-tax-tobacco-tax-push-doom-nebraskas-one-big-beautiful-bill-for-property-tax-relief/">property tax relief</a>&nbsp;by expanding sales taxes (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59157&amp;docnum=LB170&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 170</a>) and providing clearer regulatory guardrails to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/20/absolute-failure-medical-cannabis-regulatory-bill-stalls-in-nebraska-legislature/">medical cannabis</a>&nbsp;(<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58979&amp;docnum=LB677&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 677</a>). Two more bills were pulled before they reached maximum debate, because they likely lacked the 33 votes needed to stop a filibuster — one to legalize online sports betting (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=58877&amp;docnum=LR20CA&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LR 20CA</a>) and the other to ban most consumable hemp or THC products (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59124&amp;docnum=LB316&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LB 316</a>).</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>204 bills passed — 177 laws and 27 accompanying appropriations bills. Two bills were vetoed.</li>
                    </ul><ul>
                        <li>One constitutional amendment passed —&nbsp;to ask voters in 2026 whether to extend lawmaker term limits to&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/05/28/nebraskans-to-decide-in-2026-whether-to-allow-three-four-year-terms-in-legislature/">three four-year terms</a>. They can currently serve up to two full terms (<a href="https://nebraskalegislature.gov/bills/view_bill.php?DocumentID=59458&amp;docnum=LR19CA&amp;leg=109" target="_blank">LR 19CA</a>).</li>
                    </ul>

By the numbers: Nebraska’s 2025 legislative session

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/6/1750552826391.png" alt="File photo President Trump returning to the White House Saturday-image White House" />
                        <figcaption>File photo President Trump returning to the White House Saturday-image White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🚨 <a href="https://t.co/lzIfANo7sd">pic.twitter.com/lzIfANo7sd</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937271127958573387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!&quot; –President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/c5u6uneVBY">pic.twitter.com/c5u6uneVBY</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1937242445026050171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE...&quot; –President Donald J. Trump <a href="https://t.co/hLTBT34KnG">pic.twitter.com/hLTBT34KnG</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1937275983603597473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Peace through STRENGTH! <a href="https://t.co/ykFdscPAW6">https://t.co/ykFdscPAW6</a></p>&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1937277441778565233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/FvLK6djP9w">https://t.co/FvLK6djP9w</a> <a href="https://t.co/36Q8EJiqqq">pic.twitter.com/36Q8EJiqqq</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1937280247340388696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

President Trump says Israel, Iran agree to 'complete and total ceasefire'

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/sLix9I0PWO">pic.twitter.com/sLix9I0PWO</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937237851571134524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/AYbDjEBZWC">pic.twitter.com/AYbDjEBZWC</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937240686325006762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/y2PfbJGgZY">pic.twitter.com/y2PfbJGgZY</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1937238331009695862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Read President Trump's statement after Iran's strike on U.S. air base

Sara Smith, the new Children’s Division director, has moved away from her predecessor’s focus on shrinking the foster care system. The Independent sat down with her for an interview about her tenure so far and plans for the future

In the nearly two decades Sara Smith spent working at Missouri’s Department of Social Services, she remembers nine different people running the agency in charge of investigating child abuse and neglect.&nbsp;

In March, Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-social-services-agency-appoints-new-child-welfare-director/">took the helm</a>&nbsp;herself.&nbsp;

She hopes to provide more stability in leading the agency which has seen growing scrutiny over the last several years from nearly every direction — including lawmakers, judges, advocates and the media.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Children’s Division is Missouri’s child welfare agency and is responsible for overseeing foster care, working on frontline child abuse and neglect investigations and managing calls to the child abuse and neglect hotline.

There are&nbsp;<a href="https://dss.mo.gov/mis/clcounter/" target="_blank">over 11,000 Missouri children in foster care,</a>&nbsp;as of May, which is down from a peak of over 14,000 in 2021. The state continues to take kids into care at a rate higher than the national average,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/05/12/missouri-foster-care-parents-legal-representation/">and is slower to reunite families</a>&nbsp;than the national average.&nbsp;

Children’s Division is&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/kids-stay-in-foster-care-beyond-federal-standard-in-most-missouri-counties/">acting under a performance improvement plan&nbsp;</a>with the federal government over issues ranging from failure to provide timely permanent placements for kids to caseworkers failing to provide sufficient engagement with parents.&nbsp;

Lawmakers over the years have also raised concern about&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/30/federal-watchdog-finds-missouri-failed-to-adequately-report-protect-missing-foster-kids/">missing foster kids</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/05/06/furious-lawmakers-demand-answers-from-missouri-dss-for-undercount-of-abuse-reports/">unlicensed boarding schools</a>&nbsp;and severe&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/05/missouri-caseworkers-drowning-as-childrens-division-plagued-by-staff-shortages/">understaffing.</a>

In a brief sit-down with The Independent last week, Smith said she wants to bring Children’s Division back to the basics, which she defines as ensuring safety for children. She highlighted her long experience in the agency, beginning as a frontline child abuse and neglect investigator.

She took over from Darrell Missey, who was outspoken about what he felt was a needed course correction for the agency that was taking too many kids into foster care and keeping them there too long. Missey spent his career as a judge before leading Children’s Division, and his vision reflected a national trend toward family preservation efforts.

Smith, on the other hand, said she doesn’t see reducing the number of kids in foster care as an especially valuable metric. She highlighted several policies during the 30-minute interview, including:&nbsp;

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What do you think you bring to the role having spent decades in the agency?&nbsp;

Carrying a caseload as a frontline investigator really helped me understand. I remember the manila folders where I had files for each family, and I would carry those around and try to make sure — have I seen all the kids on this one? Have I seen all the kids on this one? And kind of triaging.

You could be down in Laclede County in Lebanon, and then get a report in Moniteau County and be in California, Missouri. That’s an hour and a half, two hours.

And so just knowing all of those factors, then you have to learn your partners, and every one of those circuits I needed to know law enforcement and courts and juvenile offices and city and county police officers, schools — and so just the importance of having those relationships is one of the things that I learned that I think adds value to getting to see the full picture.

Have the first three months on the job been what you expected?

I think it is more [than I expected], very honestly.

Having stepped away from Children’s Division for a couple of years and worked at Family Support Division, and then having an opportunity to work with some of our residential services, there are just different pieces. We have more team members than we did two years ago. We have different-sized caseloads than we had a couple years ago. Families, I think, coming out of COVID, have more unique sets of circumstances in some areas, with the service array available.&nbsp;

And so just being able to understand all that, to know how to help team members, has just been a little bit more challenging than I expected. It is definitely worth all of the time and effort though, that everybody’s putting into it.

Do you think that Children’s Division deserves the scrutiny and reputation that it’s gotten over the last few years?&nbsp;

I think there’s a lot to Children’s Division. Being in it for so long, it’s complicated, and it’s a space that — we respect families’ privacy, and we can only share certain things, and there’s a lot that we can’t share about the work that happens. And that’s really hard sometimes, because you want to be able to share all the complicating factors that are happening and the ins and outs of different pieces. But we can only talk about how the process should work in a best case scenario.&nbsp;

And I don’t think we should necessarily talk about case specifics, because that is a family’s right to privacy. A child’s right to his or her information being kept close to the vest for Children’s Division, but then having the opportunity to be transparent with our stakeholders about what’s happening, what the pain points are and using those systemic things and trends to be able to work with them to create some change.&nbsp;

Because I do think that lack of stability in the Children’s Division director role does play a part in the practice that people see and the partnerships. I think I’ve had nine [directors] since I started Children’s Division. And I’ve heard this from Children’s Division team members: ‘We’re just going to wait it out. There’ll be somebody else coming in with a different philosophical view.’ Or stakeholders that aren’t sure that you’re going to stay so they don’t take the time to really get to know you or what practice should look like.

Because we’re not adding anything new or different. It’s just following the policy and tools that we have already been provided by the legislators, and really helping support our team. And so I do think that in regard to the scrutiny, some of it is just building that trust factor. And that’s a really big part of our executive team, and I know the department as a whole, is being able to build trust with stakeholders.

You mentioned philosophical differences. What do you see as the main differences between you and former director Darrell Missey?&nbsp;

The director’s role is really hard as I mentioned. Being in this spot, everybody comes in with their plan about how to fix the broken system, or how to help support kids and families better.&nbsp;

And I don’t think that anybody would ever enter into this space and take on this role if they didn’t feel like they could make a difference. And so, for me, I think making sure that we are training really the basics, the back to basics.

We have a workforce that really wants to know at the end of the day what their job is from day to day, and not as much of the philosophical, the ‘why’ behind certain practices. They’re not in it for the social work degree, in most cases — they are here trying to keep kids safe on a day-to-day basis.

And they want to know the practical tools and what they need to enter into the system, when they should notify the court, when they should reach out to law enforcement.&nbsp;

So just having that expertise, coming from Children’s Division, I think that gives me just a little bit different lens, because I’ve worked in every single program area. And so being able to connect those pieces and know what the hand-off looks like, I think that gives me a little bit different flavor than some previous directors.&nbsp;