MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– One of the greatest players in school history will return to lead the Wildcats on the sidelines, as Collin Klein has been named the next head football coach at Kansas State, athletics director&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/staff-directory/gene-taylor/1">Gene Taylor</a>&nbsp;announced Thursday.

A 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist and member of K-State Football's Ring of Honor, Klein is now in his 12th year in coaching, nine of which have come at K-State. 

Klein will be introduced to the public Friday in a welcome event at Morgan Family Arena. Doors open at 3 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at 4 p.m. It will also be streamed live on ESPN+."We are excited to welcome one of our all-time greats back home to Manhattan," Taylor said. 

"Collin is a tremendous leader who cares deeply about his players. The grit, toughness and aggression he displayed as a player still fuels him today as a coach, and he is determined to carry on the tremendous success this program has achieved. 

As we know, college football has changed, and I am confident that Collin is ready to embrace this new model while maintaining the culture that we know as K-State Football. 

Welcome home, Collin, Shalin, Beric, Rhett, Trek and Briar."

Klein, the 36th head football coach in school history, has agreed to a five-year contract with an average base salary of $4.3 million to lead his alma mater. 

He served as K-State's offensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023 and currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&amp;M, a role that he will continue in during the Aggies' postseason run."My family and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to come home," Klein said. 

"Thank you to President Linton and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/staff-directory/gene-taylor/1">Gene Taylor</a>&nbsp;for believing in us to lead the Cats into a new era. The position of Head Coach at Kansas State has a long legacy of service, hard work, determination, and competitive greatness that I am honored to carry forward.

This is Family business, and we cannot wait to get to work!

"The first K-State alum to serve as head football coach since Ellis Rainsberger from 1975-77,&nbsp; Klein helped the Wildcats to 51 wins and five bowl appearances during his tenure as a full-time assistant coach. 

He helped guide Kansas State to a 19-8 mark and a Big 12 Championship during his two-year run as offensive coordinator.His first full season as K-State offensive coordinator in 2022 was a success as he led an offense that ranked in the top 10 in school history in 11 categories, including ranking second in offensive yards (5,863) and plays (958), fourth in rushing yards (2,916) and fifth in yards per game (418.8).

The Wildcats finished the 2022 season with 421.6 total yards per game – their most since 2014 – while their 32.3 points per game were the most by the squad since 2017. K-State improved its production in Klein's second season at the offensive controls, as its 37.1 points per game ranked 10th nationally and sixth in school history, while it was the highest average by a K-State team since Klein's senior season of 2012 (38.9 points per game). 

Kansas State produced 445.2 total yards per game in 2023 to rank second in school history.In Klein's offense, running back Deuce Vaughn became the second player in school history to twice earn Consensus All-America honors, while Cooper Beebe became the first offensive lineman in school history to earn Consensus All-America honors.

Prior to serving as K-State's offensive coordinator, Klein was the Wildcats' quarterbacks coach in 2017, 2019 and 2021, while he was a co-offensive coordinator in 2018. 

He earned his first full-time coaching position tutoring the quarterbacks at Northern Iowa in 2016, which was just a year hiatus from Manhattan as he worked as an assistant director of recruiting and defensive quality control coach for the Wildcats in 2014 and an offensive graduate assistant in 2015.

The 2012 Johnny Unitas Award winner, Klein finished his K-State career ranking in the school's top 10 in 34 different game, season and career record categories. He was the first quarterback from a Power 5 school since 1998 to rush for at least 20 touchdowns and pass for 10 scores in consecutive seasons by doing so in 2011 and 2012.

Klein led the Wildcats to a combined 21-5 record as the starting quarterback in 2011 and 2012, which culminated with a No. 1 national ranking, Big 12 Championship and Fiesta Bowl berth in 2012.

Serving as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&amp;M the last two seasons, Klein has helped the Aggies to an 11-1 record this season and a possible berth into the College Football Playoff, which will be announced on Sunday. 

This season, Texas A&amp;M holds an 11-1 record as the Aggies rank in the top 30 nationally in scoring offense (16th; 36.3 points per game), total offense (20th; 454.4 yards per game), rushing offense (26th; 192.7 yards per game), passing offense (32nd; 261.8 yards per game), tackles for loss allowed (1st; 2.83 per game), fourth down percentage (2nd; 75.0%), sacks allowed (11th; 1.00 per game), passing yards per completion (11th; 14.09), time of possession (15th; 32:24) and first downs (29th; 272). 

Texas A&amp;M has hit the 400-yard mark in total offense 10 times in 12 games thus far in 2025.A 2025 Broyles Award Semifinalist, Klein has guided Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed to top-15 individual marks this season in passing yards per completion (7th; 14.03), points responsible for (13th; 186) and passing touchdowns (14th; 25).

In his first season at Texas A&amp;M in 2024, Klein helped guide the Aggies to a 5-0 start in SEC play, marking the program's best start in SEC action and its best conference start since 1998. Texas A&amp;M boasted the No. 2 rushing offense in the SEC, ranking 26th nationally (195.5 yards per game), and the offensive line ranked 10th in the country by allowing just 51.0 tackles for loss on the year.

Klein obtained his undergraduate degree from K-State in December 2011 in business financial services and controllership, while he received his master's degree in academic advising in December 2019. He is married to the former Shalin Spani, a former Wildcat women's basketball player. The couple has three sons, Beric, Rhett and Trek, and one daughter, Briar.

Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

K-State confirms return of Colin Klein as head coach of the 'Cats

DICKINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a vehicle theft and have taken a Kansas teen into custody.

On December 2, 2025, at approximately 12:30 PM, a deputy with the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office located a Toyota Avalon in the area of East 1st Street and Bonebrake Street that had been reported stolen out of Nebraska. The vehicle was unoccupied at the time it was recovered. The vehicle was processed and evidence was collected. The vehicle was towed for safekeeping until it can be returned to the owner.

Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office continued the investigation and developed a suspect the following day. The investigation led to the arrest of 19-year-old&nbsp; Christopher Madison Bryant of Abilene on a requested charge of theft of the vehicle.

Kan. teen arrested after reported stolen car recovered

Celebrate the spirit of Christmas with Friends of the Milford Nature Center and the Knights of Columbus this Friday and Saturday night with the&nbsp; Isle of Lights! 

We invite you to drive through the Milford State Park and see our 2025 Isle of Lights this weekend&nbsp;December 5th and 6th from 5-8pm. Alongside the festive displays, you can meet Santa while enjoying hot cocoa and cookies from 6-8pm. Located at the Prairie View Campground at Milford State Park. 

Santa and refreshments are located at the Sprung Hut at the South Boat Ramp and will be available from 6-8pm. A Park Pass is required | $10+ suggested donation per vehicle | No registration is required | All ages are welcome.&nbsp;

Last Weekend to see the Isle of Lights at Milford State Park

Help for the homeless in Junction City drew extensive discussion at this week's city commission meeting. A motion to provide $10,000 in short&nbsp; term funding to the Magdaline Project to pay for motel rooms for the homeless failed on a 3-2 vote. Instead city staff have been directed to develop a plan to address the issue. They will evaluate the problem, talk to people and put a plan together.&nbsp;

The arrival of cold weather has brought the issue to the forefront.

--In other business commissoners learned that there&nbsp; is an effort to lower water rates in 2026. An initial study estimated $4 per ratepayer per month, but that is not definite. More study is continuing on the procccess. The goal in 2026&nbsp; is to lower the rates but&nbsp; it's not a promise at this point.

--Shop With a Cop is this Saturday. A total of 64 children are signed up for the event which includes breakfast and funds for the children to shop at Walmart for Christmas gifts.

--Commissioners approved a bid to Central National Bank for banking services for a five year term beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

City Commissioners address multiple topics

Junction City Little Theater is performing Irving Berlin’s White Christmas Musical this weekend at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City.&nbsp;

Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil's former army commander. With a dazzling score featuring well-known standards including “Blue Skies,” “I Love A Piano,” “How Deep Is the Ocean” and the perennial title song, White Christmas is an uplifting, wholesome musical that will delight audiences of all ages.​

The musical is Directed by Marie Gazelle and the Music Directed is Mary Louise Stahl.&nbsp;

Show times are December 4-6 at 7:30 pm and December 7 at 2:00 pm.

Tickets can be purchased at the C.L. Hoover Box office, or&nbsp;<a href="https://prod3.agileticketing.net/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=960611"> online here.&nbsp;</a>

JCLT's White Christmas Musical has performances Thursday-Sunday

Kansas I-70 Association Receives Tourism Marketing Grant

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland today announced that $100,000 has been awarded to support 20 new tourism marketing projects across Kansas. These projects will help communities elevate their advertising efforts and inspire new visitors to explore the Sunflower State.“

Tourism is a powerful driver of economic growth — and these grants help communities market attractions that tell unique stories in ways that bring more visitors and create new opportunities,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Last year, tourism contributed $8.2 billion in visitor spending to the state’s economy — and we’re committed to supporting our local partners who are working to strengthen communities by expanding Kansas’ visibility.”

In total, the 20 grant recipients will invest more than $177,000 in matching funds towards approved marketing projects.

Several standout initiatives from this year’s awardees showcase the creativity and collaboration happening across Kansas:

These projects – along with many others – demonstrate the innovative approaches communities are taking to inspire travel and elevate tourism in Kansas.&nbsp;

“Through these grants, we’re able to help communities bring fresh ideas forward and shine a spotlight on what makes them unique,” Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe said. “Each project individually reflects the dedication of our partners, and together we’re inviting new audiences to discover the remarkable experiences found across the state.”

&nbsp;About the Kansas I-70 Association:

Kansas I-70 Association, Inc. was established in 1989 in Abilene, Kansas and has since grown to include 17 member communities along the Kansas I-70 corridor.

The association works to boost economic benefit for these communities by inspiring travelers to stop, explore, and experience more of Kansas during their journey. Through collective marketing and strategic outreach, the organization encourages travelers to discover the attractions, hospitality, and unique experiences found in the communities along I-70.

Kansas I-70 Association Receives Tourism Marketing Grant

The Junction City High School fall marketing class has completed their annual trip to Eagle Media to record radio ads for JCHS, which will be played in the following months. According to marketing teacher Ms. Christina Amerin, the students have worked hard this semester, learning about basic marketing and target markets, wants/needs, and how marketers help a product develop. 

The students have also done work with brand recognition and ethics in marketing. Now they are putting their knowledge to work in real life, in partnership with Eagle Media. The students will round out the semester by learning how to pitch ideas and close a sale.

Ads are airing on Eagle Media stations in both Junction City and Manhattan. Ads can be heard on 107.9 FM / 1420 AM KJCK, Power Hits 97.5. Q-Country 103.5, and 92.7 Country Rewind.&nbsp;

JCHS Marketing studios record Radio Ads to air on Eagle Media Stations

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a violent robbery in Manhattan.

Just before 5:30p.m. Wednesday, officers filed a report of aggravated robbery in the 700 block of Allen Road, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

A 23-year-old man reported three men beat him and stole a handgun worth $150. 

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

RCPD: 3 suspects attacked man, stole handgun

Guests are invited to join Fort Riley, the 1st Infantry Division and the Fourth District, State of Kansas, Veterans of Foreign Wars and VFW Auxiliary as they "Remember the fallen and honor those who serve at the Post Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Dec. 13.

There will be a wreath placement immediately following the ceremony.&nbsp;

Wreaths Across America Wreath Laying Ceremony at Fort Riley Post Cemetery

The Junction City High School FFA Chapter Ag Issues team was honored for placing in the top-16 at the 98th National FFA Convention &amp; Expo.

 The team, which consisted of Brittney Dibben, Hannah Huddleston, Kayleigh Goggins, Kennedy Moreland and Jacob Roeser, as well as 2025 JCHS graduates, Shevy Olson and Makayla Smith, advanced to the semifinals in Indianapolis, Ind., marking the highest finish for the Blue Jays at nationals since 2022.&nbsp;

Junction City High School FFA Honored On Tuesday night

The Junction City Public Works Department has announced that the following areas may experience little to no water, Friday December 5, from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

-- 2nd St., Washington St. to Franklin St.- Franklin St.

-- 3rd St. and 4th St. east of Franklin St.&nbsp;

Please call Junction City Public Works with any questions at (785) 238-7142.

Junction City Water Maintenance Alert

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A man found guilty in the murder of a woman in Wichita is going to prison.

On Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Goering sentenced 25-year-old Jose Velazquez-Carillo to&nbsp;165 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. He must also serve 3-years of post release supervision and pay $16,000 in restitution

 In October, a jury convicted Velazquez-Carillo of second degree murder.

Just after 4p..m. February 15, 2024, police responded to a shooting in the 1400 block of South George Washington Blvd. in&nbsp; Wichita, according to Police Lt. Aaron Moses.

The victim, identified as 42-year-old Candace Amack of Wichita, was found outside of a residence, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. She was&nbsp; was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Employing FLOCK, cutting-edge technology, Wichita Police Officers were able to identify a possible suspect vehicle leaving the area after the reported shooting.

Officers quickly identified and located the vehicle at a residence in the 1300 block of North Jackson in Wichita.&nbsp; Just before 8p.m., in collaboration with the Kansas Highway Patrol air section, the Wichita Police Department coordinated efforts resulting in the safe apprehension of&nbsp; Velazquez-Carillo and 33-year-old Martin Velazquez-Villa during a vehicle stop near 13th and Hydraulic.

Prison: Man killed Kan. woman in broad daylight at her home

Streamlining reflects nuance in student enrollment, inflation in operational costs

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

TOPEKA — Wichita State University president Richard Muma alerted faculty Thursday to prepare for a minimum 3% budget reduction and likely dismissal of campus employees despite celebrating the overall highest enrollment in university history.

Muma said in a message to the university community that nearly six months of internal debate on the budget centered on ramifications of a crash in international student enrollment, the nationwide decline in high school graduates, failure of state funding to keep pace with rising operational costs, the increasingly competitive fight for research funding and surging monetary demands of collegiate athletics.

He indicated budget adjustments at WSU would be targeted and occur in the current fiscal year as well as the the fiscal year starting July 1, 2026. The Kansas Board of Regents, which has authority over WSU and other public state universities in Kansas, submitted a reduced budget request to the 2026 Kansas Legislature in response to political pressure to hold down expenditures in the upcoming fiscal year.

“We are projecting a minimum 3% general use budget reduction,” Muma said. “While the specific steps will differ across (WSU’s) divisions, this will likely require a reduction in our workforce in some areas.”

Muma’s disclosures about WSU’s budget follow statements by University of Kansas chancellor Doug Girod about plans to cut spending by $32 million on the Lawrence campus and reduce spending by $39 million on the KU Medical Center campus in Kansas City, Kansas.

Approximately half of the reduction on the Lawrence campus would be rolled into bringing compensation for some faculty or staff closer to market rates of pay, he said. For example, he said, the Board of Regents approved KU’s proposal to provide maintenance workers on the main campus in Lawrence and a satellite campus in Overland Park with at least a 4% pay raise.

Girod said the 2026 session of the Legislature would be important, and early indications were that it would result in another tight budget year for state universities in Kansas.

The announcement by Muma came on heels of Wichita State’s Oct. 1 report that touted “record-breaking enrollment this fall, continuing a decade of extraordinary growth.” He said the student headcount at WSU and WSU Tech hit 25,147 this fall. He said the tally reflected five consecutive years of growth at WSU.

“This surge in enrollment reflects what we’ve known all along,” Muma said two months ago. “When you prioritize access, affordability and student success, students will choose Wichita State.”

In Thursday’s statement, however, Muma said the reality of higher enrollment was “headcount alone does not always translate into revenue growth.” He said WSU wasn’t the only university in the region experiencing comparable challenges.

In the commentary shared with WSU personnel, Muma emphasized the erosion of international student enrollment at WSU and linked it to problems with securing student visas. WSU typically enrolled graduate students from about 100 countries but recently placed an emphasis on recruiting engineering students from India.

“Because of changes in the way student visas are issued, we have experienced declines in international students and are predicting an acceleration of this dynamic for the foreseeable future,” Muma said.

The administration of President Donald Trump made it more difficult to obtain a student visa in 2025, and the change had an influence on first-time graduate student enrollment in the United States. The Institute of International Education’s survey of 800 U.S. higher education institutions said enrollment by new international students fell 17% this fall.

Wichita State University president preparing campus for budget cuts, staff reductions

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Southern Command announced that it had conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, following a pause of almost three weeks.

It is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-caribbean-military-venezuela-timeline-2dd9d16f4f74d9dfa4aca76d3123678d">the 22nd strike the U.S. military</a>&nbsp;has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs.

There were four casualties in Thursday’s strike, according to the social media post, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people.

In a video that accompanied the announcement, a small boat can be seen moving across the water before it is suddenly consumed by a large explosion. The video then zooms out to show the boat covered in flames and billowing smoke.

The strike was conducted the same day Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-strikes-boats-drugs-caribbean-hegseth-congress-93c513e28f38688f5582150c7675c072">began an investigation</a>&nbsp;into the very first strike carried out by the military on Sept. 2. The sessions came after a report that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack that killed the survivors to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s demands.

Bradley told lawmakers there was no&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-hegseth-maduro-512c66b99b2a13e9d1a3ed2699e78228">“kill them all”</a>&nbsp;order from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pete-hegseth">Hegseth</a>, but a stark video of the entire series of attacks left some lawmakers with serious questions.

Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-survivors-hegseth-72b0a498ca08615b2589c772a1d9e642">laws of military warfare</a>.

Bradley spoke to lawmakers alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, in a classified session. His testimony provided fresh information at a crucial moment as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-hegseth-boat-strikes-e68621ec48c7886215359c0110d6d9ca">Hegseth’s leadership comes under scrutiny</a>, but it did little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;extraordinary campaign to use war powers against suspected drug smugglers.

Lawmakers offered differing accounts of what they saw on the video.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said he saw the survivors “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said, “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”

“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel,” he said, adding they “were killed by the United States.”

Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water — until the missiles come and kill them.”

🎥After 3 week pause, US military strikes another drug boat

WASHINGTON (AP) —President Trump on Thursday evening allowed first lady to light the National Christmas Tree.

“The first lady is going to do the honors,” Trump said.

He counted down from five to zero, and Melania Trump stepped forward and pressed a button that made the tree behind them sparkle with gold-toned lights.

In brief remarks, he touched on the peace deal signed earlier Thursday between Rwanda and Congo, mentioned false claims about the 2020 election being “rigged,” and said he’s happy his terms weren’t consecutive because he will be in office when the World Cup and the Summer Olympics are held in the United States next year.

Trump also offered thanks to those who serve people in need as well as police and other law enforcement officers, first responders and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents.

The president also discussed the two National Guard members who were shot, one fatally, near the White House the day before Thanksgiving.

First lady lights the National Christmas Tree

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an armed disturbance that left a woman seriously injured.

Just after 12:30 p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a grocery store in 14600 block of West 119th&nbsp;Street in Olathe, regarding an armed disturbance involving a blunt force object, according to Sergeant John Moncayo.

Upon arrival, officers located an 85-year-old woman with serious injuries. The woman was ultimately transported to an area hospital in serious condition. A suspect was located on scene and taken into custody.&nbsp; Christopher A. Brewer, 50,&nbsp; who according to court documents used a hammer in the attack, is being held on a $35,000 bond on charges of aggravated battery, reckless bodily harm. He made his first court appearance Monday afternoon and is due back in court Dec. 11, according ton online jail records.

Suspect accused of hammer attack on 85-year-old Kan. woman

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Thursday came to the rescue of Texas Republicans, allowing next year’s elections to be held under the state’s congressional redistricting plan favorable to the GOP and pushed by President Donald Trump despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-texas-map-blocked-lawsuit-trump-ab4dc519717c6661c63e116c9f26d899">a lower-court ruling</a>&nbsp;that the map likely discriminates on the basis of race.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26338616/25a608-order.pdf">Click here to read the 20 page </a>ruling

With conservative justices in the majority, the court acted on an emergency request from Texas for quick action because qualifying in the new districts already has begun, with primary elections in March.

The Supreme Court’s order puts the 2-1 ruling blocking the map on hold at least until after the high court issues a final decision in the case. Justice Samuel Alito had previously temporarily blocked the order while the full court considered the Texas appeal.

The justices cast doubt on the lower-court finding that race played a role in the new map, saying in an unsigned statement that Texas lawmakers had “avowedly partisan goals.”

In dissent, Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the three liberal justices that her colleagues should not have intervened at this point. Doing so, she wrote, “ensures that many Texas citizens, for no good reason, will be placed in electoral districts because of their race. And that result, as this Court has pronounced year in and year out, is a violation of the Constitution.”

The high court's vote “is a green light for there to be even more re-redistricting, and a strong message to lower courts to butt out,” Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California at Los Angeles law school, wrote on the Election Law Blog.

The justices have blocked past lower-court rulings in congressional redistricting cases, most recently in Alabama and Louisiana, that came several months before elections.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-redistricting-congressional-map-882eae23a280a68dd6e0fc5a3bf11a0d">The Texas congressional map</a>&nbsp;enacted last summer at Trump’s urging was engineered to give Republicans five additional House seats.

The effort to preserve a slim Republican majority in the House in next year’s elections touched off a nationwide redistricting battle.

Texas was the first state to meet Trump’s demands in what has become&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-redistricting-jd-vance-mike-braun-25e5f8245d54b42d39deb921cc857735">an expanding national battle</a>&nbsp;over redistricting. Republicans drew the state’s new map to give the GOP five additional seats, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-gerrymander-trump-missouri-936e8daecadb32556fcfbd2eb9f7457b">Missouri</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-congress-redistricting-trump-5dccfdf94253efb56c59bbb3d3e3a6d8">North Carolina</a>&nbsp;followed with new maps adding an additional Republican seat each. To counter those moves,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-redistricting-prop-50-gavin-newsom-839193bfc2a817086acca7365315f26f">California voters approved a ballot initiative</a>&nbsp;to give Democrats an additional five seats there.

The redrawn maps are facing court challenges in California and Missouri. A three-judge panel allowed the new North Carolina map to be used in the 2026 elections.

The Trump administration is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-redistricting-justice-department-lawsuit-025b00f0b3490a5fa8219c4376bcb9d2">suing to block the new California maps</a>, but it called for the Supreme Court to keep the redrawn Texas districts in place.

The justices are separately considering a case from Louisiana that could further limit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-voting-rights-louisiana-race-963c002fcb8a35afe36b2e14111cb88e">race-based districts</a>&nbsp;under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. It’s unclear how the current round of redistricting would be affected by the outcome in the Louisiana case.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Supreme Court's order "defended Texas’s fundamental right to draw a map that ensures we are represented by Republicans.” He called the redistricting law “the Big Beautiful Map.”

“Texas is paving the way as we take our country back, district by district, state by state,” Paxton said in a statement. “This map reflects the political climate of our state and is a massive win for Texas and every conservative who is tired of watching the left try to upend the political system with bogus lawsuits.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement saying: “We won! Texas is officially — and legally — more red."

Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin said in a statement that the court's decision “to allow Texas Republicans’ rigged, racially gerrymandered maps to go into effect is wrong — both morally and legally. Once again, the Supreme Court gave Trump exactly what he wanted: a rigged map to help Republicans avoid accountability in the midterms for turning their backs on the American people.”

In the Texas case, U.S. District Judges Jeffrey V. Brown and David Guaderrama concluded that the redistricting plan likely dilutes the political power of Black and Latino voters in violation of the Constitution. Trump appointed Brown in his first term while President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appointed Guaderrama.

“To be sure, politics played a role in drawing the 2025 Map,” Brown wrote. “But it was much more than just politics. Substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.”

The majority opinion provoked a vituperative dissent from Judge Jerry Smith, an appeals court judge on the panel.

Smith accused Brown of “pernicious judicial misbehavior” for not giving Smith sufficient time before issuing the majority opinion. Smith, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, also disagreed strenuously with the substance of the opinion, saying it would be a candidate for the “Nobel Prize for Fiction,” if there were such an award.

“The main winners from Judge Brown’s opinion are George Soros and Gavin Newsom,” Smith wrote, referring to the liberal megadonor and California’s Democratic governor. “The obvious losers are the People of Texas and the Rule of Law.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed Thursday's Supreme Court stay, posting on X, “Federal courts have no right to interfere with a State’s decision to redraw legislative maps for partisan reasons.”

The new map eliminated five of the state’s nine “coalition” districts, where no minority group has a majority but together they outnumber non-Hispanic white voters. The total number of congressional districts in which minorities make up a majority of voting-age citizens dropped from 16 to 14.

Yet Republicans argued the map is better for minority voters. There’s a new, eighth Hispanic-majority district, and two Black-majority districts instead of none.

But critics consider that the Hispanic or Black majority in each district is so slim that white voters, who tend to turn out in larger percentages, will control election results.

Associated Press writer John Hanna contributed to this report from Topeka, Kansas.

Read the ruling: Supreme Court OKs Texas congressional map friendly to GOP 

By STEPHEN GROVES and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Navy admiral commanding the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-pentagon-drug-boats-caribbean-ae33b738a2481932ffefaf58e0a2d6ab">U.S. military strikes</a>&nbsp;on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that there was no&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-hegseth-maduro-512c66b99b2a13e9d1a3ed2699e78228">“kill them all”</a>&nbsp;order from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pete-hegseth">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth</a>, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-pentagon-drug-boats-caribbean-ae33b738a2481932ffefaf58e0a2d6ab">killed two survivors</a>.

Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-strikes-boats-drugs-caribbean-hegseth-congress-93c513e28f38688f5582150c7675c072">conduct an investigation</a>&nbsp;after a report that he ordered the follow-on attack that killed the survivors to comply with Hegesth’s demands. Legal experts have said such a strike could be a violation of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boat-strikes-survivors-hegseth-72b0a498ca08615b2589c772a1d9e642">laws of military warfare</a>.

“Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing.

While Cotton, R-Ark., defended the attack, Democrats who were also briefed and saw video of the survivors being killed questioned the Trump administration’s rationale and said the incident was deeply concerning.

“The order was basically: Destroy the drugs, kill the 11 people on the boat,” said Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Smith, who is demanding further investigation, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water — until the missiles come and kill them.”

The classified sessions with Bradley, alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, provided fresh information at a crucial moment as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-hegseth-boat-strikes-e68621ec48c7886215359c0110d6d9ca">Hegseth's leadership comes under scrutiny</a>. But they did little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">President Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;extraordinary campaign to use war powers against suspected drug smugglers. So far more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-caribbean-military-venezuela-timeline-2dd9d16f4f74d9dfa4aca76d3123678d">80 people have been killed in some 20 strikes</a>.

Lawmakers have not yet specifically authorized the use of military force against the alleged drug boats, and the Republican-controlled Congress has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cartels-war-power-congress-2c8c491f88836249801b6b15b19217b5">turned back attempts</a>&nbsp;to put a check on Trump’s power to engage in the missile campaign, which Hegseth has vowed will continue. Several Democrats have called for Hegseth to resign.

Congressional investigation gets underway

Lawmakers want a full accounting of the Sept. 2 strike, which was the first in what has become a monthslong series of U.S. military attacks on vessels believed to be ferrying drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific waters. The Washington Post had reported that Bradley ordered the follow-on attack on the survivors.

But lawmakers who lead the House and Senate's national security committees in Congress came away with different descriptions of what the two survivors were doing when they were killed.

Cotton said he saw them "trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”

He said there were “several minutes” between the first and second attacks, which consisted of four missile strikes. He said it was “gratifying” that the U.S. military was taking “the battle” to cartels.

But Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said, “what I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service.”

“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel," he said, and who "were killed by the United States."

The survivors did not issue any distress call or other communications, though lawmakers were told it appeared the people had a hand raised, “waving” at one point during the attacks, Smith said.

Smith acknowledged there was likely cocaine on the boat, but he objects to the Republican administration’s rationale for continued attacks on alleged drug runners who may or may not be heading to the United States. “That’s really the core of the problem with all of this,” he said. “That incredibly broad definition, I think, is what sets in motion all of these problems about using lethal force and using the military.”

At the time of the attack, Bradley was the commander of Joint Special Operations Command, overseeing coordinated operations between the military's elite special operations units out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina. About a month after the strike, he was promoted to commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.

His military career, spanning more than three decades, was mostly spent serving in the elite Navy SEALs and commanding joint operations. He was among the first special forces officers to deploy to Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks. His latest promotion to admiral was approved by unanimous voice vote in the Senate this year, and Democratic and Republican senators praised his record.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has described Bradley as among those who are “rock solid” and “the most extraordinary people that have ever served in the military.”

But lawmakers like Tillis have also made it clear they expect a reckoning if it is found that survivors were targeted. “Anybody in the chain of command that was responsible for it, that had vision of it, needs to be held accountable,” he said.

Underpinning Trump’s campaign against suspected traffickers is his argument that drug cartels amount to armed combatants because their cargo poses a threat to American lives.

Democrats are demanding the release of the full video of the Sept. 2 attack, as well as written records of the orders and any directives about the mission from Hegseth. None of the written orders or audio of verbal commands was shared with the lawmakers.

A White House Office of Legal Counsel memo providing a rationale for the strikes was dated after the fact, on Sept. 5. That memo remains undisclosed, and Democrats want it released.

Obtaining further information, though, will largely depend on action from Republican lawmakers, who have majority control of the committees, a potentially painful prospect for them if it puts them at odds with the president.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said that he and the Senate Armed Services Committee chair, GOP Sen. Roger Wicker, have formally requested the executive orders authorizing the operations and the complete videos from the strikes, among other items. The Trump administration has repeatedly denied their requests for basic information about the operation, Reed said.

Republican lawmakers who are close to Trump have largely stood by Hegseth and the administration's decision to conduct the strikes.

Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

🎥Admiral tells lawmakers about Sept. drug boat attack survivors

WASHINGTON (AP) For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses.

But a vaccine advisory committee formed by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist before he became the nation’s top health official, is considering whether to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive, which would mark a return to a public health strategy that was abandoned more than three decades ago. The committee plans to vote Friday.&nbsp; They had originally planned to vote Thursday. They delayed a similar vote earlier this year.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal vaccine advisory committee this week is expected to discuss whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine — the first shot found to prevent cancer.

Federal health recommendations now suggest that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection in their first day of life, but U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s committee on Thursday is expected to change that — contradicting previous public health advice.

It’s not clear exactly what the committee is considering, but the American Academy of Pediatrics will still urge a birth dose, said the organization’s Dr. Sean O’Leary.

“We are going to continue to recommend it because it saves lives,” he said.

Here’s a look at the disease, the vaccine and the debate over changing the recommendations.

Liver disease can cause lifelong health issues

Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection that for most people lasts less than six months. But for some — especially infants and children — it can become a long-lasting problem that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer and scarring called cirrhosis.

In adults, the virus is spread through sex or through sharing needles during injection-drug use.

But it can also be passed from an infected mother to a baby. As many as 90% of infants who contract hepatitis B go on to have chronic infections, meaning their immune systems don’t completely clear the virus.

As many as 2.4 million people in the U.S. are estimated to have hepatitis B, and as many as half are unaware they are infected, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Baruch Blumberg, a federal scientist, identified the virus behind the infection in 1965. He won the Nobel Prize for the discovery, which led to tests and vaccines. The first hepatitis B vaccine was licensed in the U.S. in 1981.

Shots for newborns have been recommended for years

For decades, the nation’s vaccine guidance has been influenced by a government-appointed panel of experts, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Its recommendations have usually been adopted as national guidance that is widely heeded by doctors.

In 1991, the committee recommended an initial dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The guidance was modified a little over the years and currently suggests a dose within 24 hours of birth for all medically stable infants who weigh at least 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms), plus follow-up shots to be given at about 1 month and 6 months.

Why a dose right at birth? Health officials used to rely on screening expectant mothers to find babies that might have been exposed to the virus. But many cases were missed, experts say, because some women weren’t tested or test results were incorrect. Also, the virus can live on surfaces for more than seven days at room temperature, so unvaccinated children living with a person with a chronic infection can catch it.

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