SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement across Kansas continue to see drivers traveling well above the posted speed limit.

On Sunday morning, a driver in a big hurry to make it to church was caught doing 112mph in a 60mph zone on Kellogg near Greenwich, according to a social media report from the Sedgwick County Sheriff.

On Saturday night, the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a driver in Southwestern Kansas for traveling 109mph in a posted 65mhp zone. The individual was found to have a Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC) of a .169 on the Intoxilyzer 9000. That is more than twice the legal limit. 

"Driving at that speed, while impaired, puts countless lives at risk. Please slow down and drive sober. Lives depend on it."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746440256000.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement across Kansas continue to see drivers traveling well above the posted speed limit.On Sunday morning, a driver in a big hurry to make it to church was caught doing 112mph in a 60mph zone on Kellogg near Greenwich, according to a social media report from the Sedgwick County Sheriff.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746440372833.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On Saturday night, the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a driver in Southwestern Kansas for traveling 109mph in a posted 65mhp zone. The individual was found to have a Breath Alcohol Concentration (BrAC) of a .169 on the Intoxilyzer 9000. That is more than twice the legal limit. "Driving at that speed, while impaired, puts countless lives at risk. Please slow down and drive sober. Lives depend on it."

 112 mph in a 60 mph zone to get to church on time

JOHNSON COUNTY — A suspect arrested in connection with the death of a Kansas woman in her home is set to face a judge Monday.

Just after 4:30p.m. Friday police booked 47-year-old Dartanan Hudgens into the Johnson County jail in connection with the death of 75-year-old Karen M. Peterson.

On Thursday, police reported they were conducting a homicide investigation in Olathe and identified the victim sa Peterson, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.

Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to the 400 block of North Persimmon Drive in Olathe to check on the welfare of Peterson according to&nbsp;Officer Sean Wilkes. At the home, first responders found her deceased inside the residence.&nbsp; Police have not released how she died.

Hudgens, who has no permanent address, according the arrest report, is being held on a $1 million dollar bond on requested charges of premeditated first-degree murder, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746403139992.png" alt="Hudgens photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hudgens photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY — A suspect arrested in connection with the death of a Kansas woman in her home is set to face a judge Monday.Just after 4:30p.m. Friday police booked 47-year-old Dartanan Hudgens into the Johnson County jail in connection with the death of 75-year-old Karen M. Peterson.On Thursday, police reported they were conducting a homicide investigation in Olathe and identified the victim sa Peterson, according to Police Sergeant John Moncayo.Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to the 400 block of North Persimmon Drive in Olathe to check on the welfare of Peterson according to&nbsp;Officer Sean Wilkes. At the home, first responders found her deceased inside the residence.&nbsp; Police have not released how she died.Hudgens, who has no permanent address, according the arrest report, is being held on a $1 million dollar bond on requested charges of premeditated first-degree murder, according to online jail records.

Suspect accused of killing 75-year-old Kansas woman 

GASCONADE COUNTY— people were injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Saturday in Gasconade County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Freightliner M Line Shuttle bus driven by a 45-year-old Herrman, Missouri man was westbound on MO 100 just west of Eagle Nest Driver. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the road. The driver overcorrected and the bus traveled off the left side of the road and struck a&nbsp; ditch.

The driver, who was wearing a seat belt, was air-lifted to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

EMS transported 31 others on board to area hospitals. Eighteen were sent to Herrman Area District Hospital.&nbsp; The occupants were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP.&nbsp; Herrman, Missouri is approximately 200 miles east of Kansas City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746404891051.png" alt="Photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>GASCONADE COUNTY— people were injured in an accident just before 11a.m. Saturday in Gasconade County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Freightliner M Line Shuttle bus driven by a 45-year-old Herrman, Missouri man was westbound on MO 100 just west of Eagle Nest Driver. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the road. The driver overcorrected and the bus traveled off the left side of the road and struck a&nbsp; ditch.The driver, who was wearing a seat belt, was air-lifted to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries.EMS transported 31 others on board to area hospitals. Eighteen were sent to Herrman Area District Hospital.&nbsp; The occupants were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP.&nbsp; Herrman, Missouri is approximately 200 miles east of Kansas City.

32 hospitalized after shuttle bus crash in Missouri

BOSTON (AP) — Former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;on Sunday repeatedly invoked the Constitution and said it is what “binds us all together” after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

Pence received the award for his refusal to go along with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election. The award recognizes Pence “for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021,” the JFK Library Foundation said.

“To forge a future together, we have to find common ground,” Pence said. “I hope in some small way my presence here tonight is a reminder that whatever differences we may have as Americans, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand. It’s what binds us across time and generations. .... It’s what makes us one people.”

His comments came hours after an interview with Trump aired in which he was asked whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Trump was noncommittal.

“I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” Trump said when pressed in an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. It was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday.

Pence never mentioned Trump during his 10-minute speech but made several references to the Trump administration.

Referencing what he called “these divided times, in these anxious days,” he acknowledged that he probably had differences with the Democrats in the room but also with his own Republican Party “on spending, tariffs and my belief that America is the leader of the free world and must stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secured.”

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-united-states-government-and-politics-liz-cheney-b9f4cbbcb9d4b5fc1abbdf1f016d38ac">pressured Pence</a>&nbsp;to reject election results from swing states where the Republican president falsely claimed the vote was marred by fraud. Pence refused, saying he lacked such authority. When&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the Capitol, some chanted that they wanted to “hang Mike Pence.” Pence was whisked away by Secret Service agents, narrowly avoiding a confrontation with the rioters.

“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump wrote at the time on X, formerly Twitter, as rioters moved through the Capitol and Pence was in hiding with his family, aides and security detail inside the building.

Pence rejected the Secret Service’s advice that he leave the Capitol, staying to continue the ceremonial election certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory once rioters were cleared.

In describing his role, Pence told the audience that “by God’s grace I did my duty that day to support the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America.”

“Jan. 6 was a tragic day but it became a triumph of freedom. History will record that our institutions held,” he said in his speech. “Leaders in both chambers, in both political parties reconvened the very same day and finished democracy’s work under the Constitution.”

JFK’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, who along with his grandson Jack Schlossberg presented the award, said Pence’s actions that day were a reminder that you cannot take democracy for granted.

“At the time I thought Vice President Pence was just doing his job,” she said. “Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our government and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now.”

The Profile in Courage Award, named for a book Kennedy published in 1957 before he became president, honors public officials who take principled stands despite the potential political or personal consequences. Previous recipients of the award include former Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

Pence has emerged as one of the few Republicans willing to take on the Trump administration.

His political action group, Advancing American Freedom, campaigned against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivered speeches urging the president to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-marc-fogel-prisoner-swap-98418693957b1fa0189ee8ac4e8b4f2d">stand with longtime foreign allies</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Mike_Pence/status/1890887398461948057" target="_blank">posted an article he penned more than a decade ago</a>&nbsp;on the limits of presidential power after&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114009179225169296" target="_blank">Trump claimed</a>&nbsp;that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609956651601.png" alt="Vice President Mike Pence during the electoral college vote certification on Jan. 6, 2021-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Mike Pence during the electoral college vote certification on Jan. 6, 2021-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BOSTON (AP) — Former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/michael-pence">Mike Pence</a>&nbsp;on Sunday repeatedly invoked the Constitution and said it is what “binds us all together” after receiving the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.Pence received the award for his refusal to go along with President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump’s</a>&nbsp;efforts to remain in office after losing the 2020 election. The award recognizes Pence “for putting his life and career on the line to ensure the constitutional transfer of presidential power on Jan. 6, 2021,” the JFK Library Foundation said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746408998768.png" alt="Caroline Kennedy presented the award to Mike Pence Sunday night-image from the JFK Library and Foundation video" />
 <figcaption>Caroline Kennedy presented the award to Mike Pence Sunday night-image from the JFK Library and Foundation video</figcaption>
 </figure>“To forge a future together, we have to find common ground,” Pence said. “I hope in some small way my presence here tonight is a reminder that whatever differences we may have as Americans, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand. It’s what binds us across time and generations. .... It’s what makes us one people.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">2025 profiles in courage award — VP Mike Pence for upholding his oath and saving America on January 6 2021 <a href="https://t.co/MSYcIQVT1P">pic.twitter.com/MSYcIQVT1P</a>&mdash; Jack Schlossberg (@JBKSchlossberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/JBKSchlossberg/status/1919235316591845880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>His comments came hours after an interview with Trump aired in which he was asked whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Trump was noncommittal.“I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” Trump said when pressed in an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. It was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday.Pence never mentioned Trump during his 10-minute speech but made several references to the Trump administration.Referencing what he called “these divided times, in these anxious days,” he acknowledged that he probably had differences with the Democrats in the room but also with his own Republican Party “on spending, tariffs and my belief that America is the leader of the free world and must stand with Ukraine until the Russian invasion is repelled and a just and lasting peace is secured.”Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-donald-trump-united-states-government-and-politics-liz-cheney-b9f4cbbcb9d4b5fc1abbdf1f016d38ac">pressured Pence</a>&nbsp;to reject election results from swing states where the Republican president falsely claimed the vote was marred by fraud. Pence refused, saying he lacked such authority. When&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">a mob of Trump supporters</a>&nbsp;stormed the Capitol, some chanted that they wanted to “hang Mike Pence.” Pence was whisked away by Secret Service agents, narrowly avoiding a confrontation with the rioters.“Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify,” Trump wrote at the time on X, formerly Twitter, as rioters moved through the Capitol and Pence was in hiding with his family, aides and security detail inside the building.Pence rejected the Secret Service’s advice that he leave the Capitol, staying to continue the ceremonial election certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential victory once rioters were cleared.In describing his role, Pence told the audience that “by God’s grace I did my duty that day to support the peaceful transfer of power under the Constitution of the United States of America.”“Jan. 6 was a tragic day but it became a triumph of freedom. History will record that our institutions held,” he said in his speech. “Leaders in both chambers, in both political parties reconvened the very same day and finished democracy’s work under the Constitution.”JFK’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, who along with his grandson Jack Schlossberg presented the award, said Pence’s actions that day were a reminder that you cannot take democracy for granted.“At the time I thought Vice President Pence was just doing his job,” she said. “Only later did I realize that his act of courage saved our government and warned us about what could happen and is happening right now.”The Profile in Courage Award, named for a book Kennedy published in 1957 before he became president, honors public officials who take principled stands despite the potential political or personal consequences. Previous recipients of the award include former Presidents Barack Obama, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford.Pence has emerged as one of the few Republicans willing to take on the Trump administration.His political action group, Advancing American Freedom, campaigned against the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the nation’s health agencies. He’s delivered speeches urging the president to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-us-marc-fogel-prisoner-swap-98418693957b1fa0189ee8ac4e8b4f2d">stand with longtime foreign allies</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/Mike_Pence/status/1890887398461948057" target="_blank">posted an article he penned more than a decade ago</a>&nbsp;on the limits of presidential power after&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114009179225169296" target="_blank">Trump claimed</a>&nbsp;that, “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

🎥Former VP Pence receives JFK Courage Award for actions on Jan. 6

HONG KONG (AP) —&nbsp; Oil prices fell after the OPEC+ group of oil producing nations said it plans to boost output.

U.S. benchmark crude oil fell as much as 4% early in the day. By late Monday in Asia it had shed $1.15 or 2% to $57.14 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $1.14 to $60.15 per barrel.

During the weekend, the OPEC+ group of eight nations announced it will raise its output by 411,000 barrels per day as of June 1, stepping up production increases.

The group said strong fundamentals were behind the decision, though analysts also speculated that it might reflect a desire to curry favor with U.S. President Donald Trump before he makes a visit to the Middle East later this month.

Prices have fallen nearly 20% in the past three months as traders have factored in the likely impact of Trump's trade policies on the global economy. Trump has made delivering lower gas prices one of his talking points.

“Washington wants cheap energy, and Gulf producers still lean on U.S. security guarantees; the White House bears down, they listen,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

“In that sense the U.S. president has become an unofficial swing vote inside OPEC+,” he said.

U.S. crude oil is down about 17% for the year. According to AAA, gasoline is selling for an average of about $3.17 per gallon, down from $3.66 per gallon a year ago.

But prices are falling to a point where many producers can no longer turn a profit.

HONG KONG (AP) —&nbsp; Oil prices fell after the OPEC+ group of oil producing nations said it plans to boost output.U.S. benchmark crude oil fell as much as 4% early in the day. By late Monday in Asia it had shed $1.15 or 2% to $57.14 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $1.14 to $60.15 per barrel.During the weekend, the OPEC+ group of eight nations announced it will raise its output by 411,000 barrels per day as of June 1, stepping up production increases.The group said strong fundamentals were behind the decision, though analysts also speculated that it might reflect a desire to curry favor with U.S. President Donald Trump before he makes a visit to the Middle East later this month.Prices have fallen nearly 20% in the past three months as traders have factored in the likely impact of Trump's trade policies on the global economy. Trump has made delivering lower gas prices one of his talking points.“Washington wants cheap energy, and Gulf producers still lean on U.S. security guarantees; the White House bears down, they listen,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.“In that sense the U.S. president has become an unofficial swing vote inside OPEC+,” he said.U.S. crude oil is down about 17% for the year. According to AAA, gasoline is selling for an average of about $3.17 per gallon, down from $3.66 per gallon a year ago.But prices are falling to a point where many producers can no longer turn a profit.

Oil prices down sharply as OPEC+ announces output increase 

KANSAS CITY– A Kansas City&nbsp; man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint for child pornography offenses.

Jeffrey Lynn Petrie, 40,&nbsp; was charged in a two-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, on April 25, according to the United State's Attorney.

The federal criminal complaint charges Petrie with one count of distributing child pornography over the internet in May 2024, and one count of possessing child pornography from Dec. 9, 2024, to April 24, 2025.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, law enforcement officers received a Cybertip reporting that a user, “kinkypopper69,” was uploading video files depicting child sexual abuse materials. Petrie was later identified as the user “kinkypopper69.”

On Thursday, April 24, the FBI conducted a search at Petrie’s residence and seized a cell phone. Petrie is a registered sex offender in Missouri based on prior convictions for child molestation in the 2nd degree.

The charges contained in this complaint 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.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745699870377.png" alt="Petrie photo Sex Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Petrie photo Sex Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY– A Kansas City&nbsp; man has been charged in a federal criminal complaint for child pornography offenses.Jeffrey Lynn Petrie, 40,&nbsp; was charged in a two-count criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, on April 25, according to the United State's Attorney.The federal criminal complaint charges Petrie with one count of distributing child pornography over the internet in May 2024, and one count of possessing child pornography from Dec. 9, 2024, to April 24, 2025.According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, law enforcement officers received a Cybertip reporting that a user, “kinkypopper69,” was uploading video files depicting child sexual abuse materials. Petrie was later identified as the user “kinkypopper69.”On Thursday, April 24, the FBI conducted a search at Petrie’s residence and seized a cell phone. Petrie is a registered sex offender in Missouri based on prior convictions for child molestation in the 2nd degree.The charges contained in this complaint 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.

Cyber tip led to arrest of KC sex offender 'kinkypopper69'

ELLSWORTH COUNTY—A Kansas man died in a small plane crash just after 1:30p.m. Sunday in Ellsworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1946 Piper Fixed Wing aircraft piloted by&nbsp;Thompson, Ronnie D.&nbsp;Thompson, 77, Goddard, was flying from Lucas back to Wichita.

Witness told the patrol the plane went down for no apparent reason near 4th Road and Avenue D, two miles east of Kansas 232.&nbsp; Thompson was pronounced&nbsp; dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp; Parsons Funeral Home.&nbsp; The FAA and NTSB will investigate the incident.

ELLSWORTH COUNTY—A Kansas man died in a small plane crash just after 1:30p.m. Sunday in Ellsworth County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1946 Piper Fixed Wing aircraft piloted by&nbsp;Thompson, Ronnie D.&nbsp;Thompson, 77, Goddard, was flying from Lucas back to Wichita.Witness told the patrol the plane went down for no apparent reason near 4th Road and Avenue D, two miles east of Kansas 232.&nbsp; Thompson was pronounced&nbsp; dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp; Parsons Funeral Home.&nbsp; The FAA and NTSB will investigate the incident.

Kansas man dies in small plane crash

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on multiple allegations after an arrest at a Kansas home.

On May 1,&nbsp; members of the Topeka Police Department’s Investigations and Patrol Bureaus served a search warrant in the 1300 block of SW 16th Street, Topeka, according to Police&nbsp;Commander Aaron Jones.

The search revealed firearms, firearms accessories, Methamphetamine, Marijuana, drug paraphernalia and an explosive device.

As a result, Thomas Lathrom 34, of Topeka, was taken into custody and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of&nbsp;Criminal possession of a firearm by convicted felon, Distribution of methamphetamine within 1000 feet of school, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, Criminal possession of explosives, Aggravated Endangerment of a child and Felony interference with a law enforcement officer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746222576644.png" alt="Lathrom photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Lathrom photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on multiple allegations after an arrest at a Kansas home.On May 1,&nbsp; members of the Topeka Police Department’s Investigations and Patrol Bureaus served a search warrant in the 1300 block of SW 16th Street, Topeka, according to Police&nbsp;Commander Aaron Jones.The search revealed firearms, firearms accessories, Methamphetamine, Marijuana, drug paraphernalia and an explosive device.As a result, Thomas Lathrom 34, of Topeka, was taken into custody and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of&nbsp;Criminal possession of a firearm by convicted felon, Distribution of methamphetamine within 1000 feet of school, Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, Criminal possession of explosives, Aggravated Endangerment of a child and Felony interference with a law enforcement officer.

Police found drugs, children and explosives at Kansas home

NEW YORK (AP)—It felt much longer, but the U.S. stock market needed just a few weeks to roar all the way back to where it was on President Donald Trump's “Liberation Day.” That's when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-52dbb020a4c41122e31669c2da236d67">he shocked Wall Street</a>&nbsp;by announcing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">much steeper tariffs</a>&nbsp;than expected on nearly all U.S. trading partners.

Those tariffs unveiled on April 2 were so severe that they raised fears Trump did not worry about causing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-us-world-reaction-5b8411d056e013015a0df6227b41dd5b">a recession</a>&nbsp;in his attempt to reshape the global economy. Within just four days, the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-china-trump-b686ef0259c2f4894f9fcd1f3649a956">fell about 12%</a>, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost nearly 4,600 points, or about 11%.

This past Friday, though, the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-market-rates-trump-tariffs-7849168ab82e0abfb26c6b6ed18267f9">rallied 1.5% for a ninth straight gain</a>&nbsp;and pulled back to where it was on April 2.

Of course, the index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is still more than 7% below its all-time high set earlier this year. And stocks could easily fall again as uncertainty remains high about what Trump's tariffs will ultimately do to the economy. But the run for U.S. stocks back upward has been just as wild and unexpected as its fall. Here's a look at what happened:

On April 9, Trump announced on social media a “90-day PAUSE” for most of the tariffs he’d announced a week earlier, except those against China. The S&amp;P 500 soared 9.5% for one of its best days ever. Even that good news came with a bit of controversy, however:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-truth-social-djt-tesla-musk-tariffs-pause-fccfa6b06c8f1ec0cd7844641ca52669">hours before he announced the pause</a>, Trump proclaimed on Truth Social that “this is a great time to buy."

The weeks after the pause were a roller coaster. Trump talked about negotiating tariffs with the trading partners while also using tariffs to force companies to move manufacturing to the U.S., two goals seemingly at odds with one another. The market did find relief in what the Treasury secretary referred to as de-escalation between the U.S. and China. Investors also welcomed Trump’s moves to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-automakers-factories-relief-25a400c98e02c01c8c54502384e267e1">tariffs on autos</a>&nbsp;as well as smartphones and other electronics.

The severity of the U.S. stock market's fall after Liberation Day surprised some market watchers. They had assumed Trump would backtrack on policies that hurt the Dow Jones Industrial Average. This is a president, after all, who crowed repeatedly during his first term about how the Dow was doing.

But it was fear in other financial markets that may have forced Trump's hand. Tumbling prices for U.S. government bonds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">raised worries</a>&nbsp;that the U.S. Treasury market was losing its status as the world's safest place to keep cash. The value of the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c108fd36a3122f85872ad34ba5f5d977">dollar also sank</a>&nbsp;in another signal of diminishing faith in the United States as a safe haven for investors.

Trump himself said he had noticed how bond investors were “getting a little queasy” before he paused his tariffs.

Economists and investors had to reconcile contradictory signals about the economy. Surveys of consumers showed declining confidence, largely due to the uncertainty created by the Trump trade policy. But what investors call “hard data,” such as employment numbers, indicated the economy was still doing OK. As of Friday, when the government said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jobs-economy-tariffs-unemployment-inflation-5f06fd466b4e05da30d1d6e5ce222790">employers had added 177,000 jobs</a>&nbsp;in April, the hard numbers appeared to have a advantage over the weak sentiment.

The Federal Reserve cut rates three times at the end of 2024, but then implemented a pause of its own by keeping rates steady, in part to assess the impact of the Trump trade policy. The strong jobs report seemed to give the Fed clearance to keep rates where they are for now — despite Trump repeating his call for cuts — but the market is still looking for 3 cuts before the end of the year.

Through all the market's tumult, U.S. companies have continued to deliver profit reports for the start of the year that have topped analysts' expectations. Stock prices tend to follow profits over the long term, and that's given the market a notable boost.

Three out of every four companies in the S&amp;P 500 have beaten analysts' expectations for profits in recent weeks, including such market heavyweights as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-trump-ed03cfc78cd7d7d988573ef72301d11a">Microsoft and Meta Platforms</a>. They're on track to deliver growth of nearly 13% from a year earlier, according to FactSet.

Even as companies have delivered fatter profits than expected,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-companies-forecasts-gm-harley-a96f45b51ca0dd0fe812541bc9c5dadb">many have also warned they're unsure</a>&nbsp;whether it can last. CEOs have been either lowering or withdrawing their financial forecasts for the year given all the uncertainty around how Trump's tariffs will end up.

United Airlines even made the unusual move of offering two separate forecasts for the year: one if there’s a recession, and one if not.

Trump’s off-again-on-again approach to tariffs had made this the most volatile period for the market since the onset of the pandemic. The pause is in its fourth week and the administration has yet to announce an agreement with any of the U.S.’s trading partners. Based on his recent comments, Trump is still all-in on tariffs, so the pause could prove to be just that.

“We’ve already seen how financial markets will react if the administration moves forward with their initial tariff plan, so unless they take a different tack in July when the 90-day pause expires, we will see market action similar to the first week of April,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1734122864215.png" alt="File photo CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP)—It felt much longer, but the U.S. stock market needed just a few weeks to roar all the way back to where it was on President Donald Trump's “Liberation Day.” That's when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-52dbb020a4c41122e31669c2da236d67">he shocked Wall Street</a>&nbsp;by announcing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">much steeper tariffs</a>&nbsp;than expected on nearly all U.S. trading partners.Those tariffs unveiled on April 2 were so severe that they raised fears Trump did not worry about causing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-us-world-reaction-5b8411d056e013015a0df6227b41dd5b">a recession</a>&nbsp;in his attempt to reshape the global economy. Within just four days, the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-tariffs-china-trump-b686ef0259c2f4894f9fcd1f3649a956">fell about 12%</a>, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost nearly 4,600 points, or about 11%.This past Friday, though, the S&amp;P 500&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-market-rates-trump-tariffs-7849168ab82e0abfb26c6b6ed18267f9">rallied 1.5% for a ninth straight gain</a>&nbsp;and pulled back to where it was on April 2.Of course, the index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is still more than 7% below its all-time high set earlier this year. And stocks could easily fall again as uncertainty remains high about what Trump's tariffs will ultimately do to the economy. But the run for U.S. stocks back upward has been just as wild and unexpected as its fall. Here's a look at what happened:<h2>The pause</h2>On April 9, Trump announced on social media a “90-day PAUSE” for most of the tariffs he’d announced a week earlier, except those against China. The S&amp;P 500 soared 9.5% for one of its best days ever. Even that good news came with a bit of controversy, however:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-truth-social-djt-tesla-musk-tariffs-pause-fccfa6b06c8f1ec0cd7844641ca52669">hours before he announced the pause</a>, Trump proclaimed on Truth Social that “this is a great time to buy."<h2>De-escalation</h2>The weeks after the pause were a roller coaster. Trump talked about negotiating tariffs with the trading partners while also using tariffs to force companies to move manufacturing to the U.S., two goals seemingly at odds with one another. The market did find relief in what the Treasury secretary referred to as de-escalation between the U.S. and China. Investors also welcomed Trump’s moves to ease&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-automakers-factories-relief-25a400c98e02c01c8c54502384e267e1">tariffs on autos</a>&nbsp;as well as smartphones and other electronics.<h2>Bonds and the buck</h2>The severity of the U.S. stock market's fall after Liberation Day surprised some market watchers. They had assumed Trump would backtrack on policies that hurt the Dow Jones Industrial Average. This is a president, after all, who crowed repeatedly during his first term about how the Dow was doing.But it was fear in other financial markets that may have forced Trump's hand. Tumbling prices for U.S. government bonds&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0">raised worries</a>&nbsp;that the U.S. Treasury market was losing its status as the world's safest place to keep cash. The value of the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c108fd36a3122f85872ad34ba5f5d977">dollar also sank</a>&nbsp;in another signal of diminishing faith in the United States as a safe haven for investors.Trump himself said he had noticed how bond investors were “getting a little queasy” before he paused his tariffs.<h2>The economy</h2>Economists and investors had to reconcile contradictory signals about the economy. Surveys of consumers showed declining confidence, largely due to the uncertainty created by the Trump trade policy. But what investors call “hard data,” such as employment numbers, indicated the economy was still doing OK. As of Friday, when the government said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jobs-economy-tariffs-unemployment-inflation-5f06fd466b4e05da30d1d6e5ce222790">employers had added 177,000 jobs</a>&nbsp;in April, the hard numbers appeared to have a advantage over the weak sentiment.<h2>The Fed</h2>The Federal Reserve cut rates three times at the end of 2024, but then implemented a pause of its own by keeping rates steady, in part to assess the impact of the Trump trade policy. The strong jobs report seemed to give the Fed clearance to keep rates where they are for now — despite Trump repeating his call for cuts — but the market is still looking for 3 cuts before the end of the year.<h2>Plenty of profits</h2>Through all the market's tumult, U.S. companies have continued to deliver profit reports for the start of the year that have topped analysts' expectations. Stock prices tend to follow profits over the long term, and that's given the market a notable boost.Three out of every four companies in the S&amp;P 500 have beaten analysts' expectations for profits in recent weeks, including such market heavyweights as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-tariffs-trump-ed03cfc78cd7d7d988573ef72301d11a">Microsoft and Meta Platforms</a>. They're on track to deliver growth of nearly 13% from a year earlier, according to FactSet.<h2>To be sure</h2>Even as companies have delivered fatter profits than expected,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-companies-forecasts-gm-harley-a96f45b51ca0dd0fe812541bc9c5dadb">many have also warned they're unsure</a>&nbsp;whether it can last. CEOs have been either lowering or withdrawing their financial forecasts for the year given all the uncertainty around how Trump's tariffs will end up.United Airlines even made the unusual move of offering two separate forecasts for the year: one if there’s a recession, and one if not.Trump’s off-again-on-again approach to tariffs had made this the most volatile period for the market since the onset of the pandemic. The pause is in its fourth week and the administration has yet to announce an agreement with any of the U.S.’s trading partners. Based on his recent comments, Trump is still all-in on tariffs, so the pause could prove to be just that.“We’ve already seen how financial markets will react if the administration moves forward with their initial tariff plan, so unless they take a different tack in July when the 90-day pause expires, we will see market action similar to the first week of April,” said Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer for Northlight Asset Management.

How the stock market made back all its losses after Trump escalated the trade war

WICHITA, Kansas. –&nbsp;Royce Lee Timmons, a minimum-custody resident of the Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF), has been apprehended.

Timmons was taken into custody Sunday morning, May 4, 2025, after surrendering himself at the facility. He was arrested without incident.

Timmons was convicted in Sedgwick County for 29 months of incarceration for criminal possession of firearms while on parole. He was on parole for March 2011 aggravated robbery convictions.

Timmons &nbsp;was placed on escape status after not returning to the facility Saturday, May 3, 2025.

WICHITA, Kansas. –&nbsp;Kansas Department of Corrections placed inmate Royce Lee Timmons on escape status at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, according to a statement from the KDOC.&nbsp; Timmons did not return to the Wichita Work Release Facility.

Timmons, 42, was reported missing when he could not be located at the minimum-security unit. This walkaway does not impact the security or operations of the medium-maximum secure compound.

Timmons is described as 5-feet-11, 224 pounds with an athletic build. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black shorts, a grey hoodie shirt and blue hat.

Anyone with information on Timmons should call the Kansas Department of Corrections at 316-779-5814, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911.

The walk-away is being investigated. The KDOC released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746322993604.png" alt="-Timmons as seen in a 2022 photo from the Kansas Department of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>-Timmons as seen in a 2022 photo from the Kansas Department of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kansas. –&nbsp;Royce Lee Timmons, a minimum-custody resident of the Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF), has been apprehended.Timmons was taken into custody Sunday morning, May 4, 2025, after surrendering himself at the facility. He was arrested without incident.Timmons was convicted in Sedgwick County for 29 months of incarceration for criminal possession of firearms while on parole. He was on parole for March 2011 aggravated robbery convictions.Timmons &nbsp;was placed on escape status after not returning to the facility Saturday, May 3, 2025.------------WICHITA, Kansas. –&nbsp;Kansas Department of Corrections placed inmate Royce Lee Timmons on escape status at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, according to a statement from the KDOC.&nbsp; Timmons did not return to the Wichita Work Release Facility.Timmons, 42, was reported missing when he could not be located at the minimum-security unit. This walkaway does not impact the security or operations of the medium-maximum secure compound.Timmons is described as 5-feet-11, 224 pounds with an athletic build. He has black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black shorts, a grey hoodie shirt and blue hat.Timmons was convicted in Sedgwick County for 29 months of incarceration for criminal possession of firearms while on parole. He was on parole for March 2011 aggravated robbery convictions.Anyone with information on Timmons should call the Kansas Department of Corrections at 316-779-5814, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911.The walk-away is being investigated. The KDOC released no additional details.

Escaped Kan. inmate turns himself in at work release facility

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts appears to hold the key vote over whether the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;will allow the nation's first publicly funded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-religious-catholic-charter-school-unconstitutional-oklahoma-e4ef414605094313331a39cc645ede8a">religious charter school</a>&nbsp;in Oklahoma.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2024/24-394">Click here to listen to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral arguments

Roberts was the only justice whose vote seemed in doubt after the court heard more than two hours of arguments Wednesday in a major culture-war clash involving the separation of church and state.

The court seemed otherwise deeply divided.

Four other conservative justices seemed firmly on the side of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and the state charter school board that approved it.

“They’re not asking for special treatment, not asking for favoritism,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said. “They’re just saying, ’Don’t treat us worse because we’re religious.”

The three liberal justices seemed just as likely to vote to affirm an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that held that the taxpayer-funded school would entangle church and state in violation of the First Amendment.

“Charter schools are in every respect equivalent to regular public schools,” Justice Elena Kagan said.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself without explanation. Barrett previously taught law at Notre Dame and is close friends with Notre Dame law professor Nicole Garnett, a leading proponent of publicly funded religious charter schools.

If Roberts sides with the liberals, the court would be tied 4-4, an outcome that would leave the state court decision in place, but would leave the issue unresolved nationally.

If he joins his conservative colleagues, on the other hand, the court could find that the taxpayer-funded school is in line with a string of high court decisions that have allowed public funds to flow to religious entities. Those rulings were based on a different part of the First Amendment that protects religious freedom.

Roberts wrote the last three of those decisions. He acknowledged at one point that the court had previously ruled that states “couldn't exclude religious participants,” suggesting support for St. Isidore.

But he also said the state's involvement in this case is “much more comprehensive” than in the earlier ones, a point that could lead him in the other direction.

St. Isidore, a K-12 online school, had planned to start classes for its first 200 enrollees last fall, with part of its mission to evangelize its students in the Catholic faith.

Opponents warn a decision to allow the school to open would sap money from public schools and possibly upend the rules governing charter schools in almost every state.

Greg Garre, the lawyer defending the Oklahoma decision, repeatedly urged the justices to consider the broad impact of a ruling for the school.

“This is going to have a dramatic effect on charter schools across the country,” Garre said.

Representing the state charter school board, lawyer James Campbell said Oklahoma's charter school law discriminates against religion by encouraging diversity, but “deeming religion to be the wrong kind of diversity.”

The case comes to the court amid efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Those include a challenged Louisiana requirement that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-ten-commandments-displayed-classrooms-571a2447906f7bbd5a166d53db005a62">the Ten Commandments</a>&nbsp;be posted in classrooms and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-bible-schools-religion-ryan-walters-d15be2f74df2ffbbdfdc549569d06c4e">a mandate</a>&nbsp;from Oklahoma’s state schools superintendent that the Bible be placed in public school classrooms.

The state board and the school are backed by an array of Republican-led states and religious and conservative groups, though the case has divided some of Oklahoma’s Republican leaders.

Gov. Kevin Stitt and Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters support using public funds for religious schools, while Attorney General Gentner Drummond has opposed the idea and sued to overturn the state board’s approval of St. Isidore.

A key issue in the case is whether the school is public or private. Charter schools are deemed public in Oklahoma and the other 45 states and the District of Columbia where they operate. North Dakota recently enacted legislation allowing for charter schools.

They are free and open to all, receive state funding, abide by antidiscrimination laws and submit to oversight of curriculum and testing. But they also are run by independent boards that are not part of local public school systems.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672235865420.png" alt="Supreme Court Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States" />
 <figcaption>Supreme Court Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts appears to hold the key vote over whether the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;will allow the nation's first publicly funded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-religious-catholic-charter-school-unconstitutional-oklahoma-e4ef414605094313331a39cc645ede8a">religious charter school</a>&nbsp;in Oklahoma.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2024/24-394">Click here to listen to a replay</a>&nbsp;of the oral argumentsRoberts was the only justice whose vote seemed in doubt after the court heard more than two hours of arguments Wednesday in a major culture-war clash involving the separation of church and state.The court seemed otherwise deeply divided.Four other conservative justices seemed firmly on the side of the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and the state charter school board that approved it.“They’re not asking for special treatment, not asking for favoritism,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said. “They’re just saying, ’Don’t treat us worse because we’re religious.”The three liberal justices seemed just as likely to vote to affirm an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that held that the taxpayer-funded school would entangle church and state in violation of the First Amendment.“Charter schools are in every respect equivalent to regular public schools,” Justice Elena Kagan said.Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself without explanation. Barrett previously taught law at Notre Dame and is close friends with Notre Dame law professor Nicole Garnett, a leading proponent of publicly funded religious charter schools.If Roberts sides with the liberals, the court would be tied 4-4, an outcome that would leave the state court decision in place, but would leave the issue unresolved nationally.If he joins his conservative colleagues, on the other hand, the court could find that the taxpayer-funded school is in line with a string of high court decisions that have allowed public funds to flow to religious entities. Those rulings were based on a different part of the First Amendment that protects religious freedom.Roberts wrote the last three of those decisions. He acknowledged at one point that the court had previously ruled that states “couldn't exclude religious participants,” suggesting support for St. Isidore.But he also said the state's involvement in this case is “much more comprehensive” than in the earlier ones, a point that could lead him in the other direction.St. Isidore, a K-12 online school, had planned to start classes for its first 200 enrollees last fall, with part of its mission to evangelize its students in the Catholic faith.Opponents warn a decision to allow the school to open would sap money from public schools and possibly upend the rules governing charter schools in almost every state.Greg Garre, the lawyer defending the Oklahoma decision, repeatedly urged the justices to consider the broad impact of a ruling for the school.“This is going to have a dramatic effect on charter schools across the country,” Garre said.Representing the state charter school board, lawyer James Campbell said Oklahoma's charter school law discriminates against religion by encouraging diversity, but “deeming religion to be the wrong kind of diversity.”The case comes to the court amid efforts, mainly in conservative-led states, to insert religion into public schools. Those include a challenged Louisiana requirement that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-ten-commandments-displayed-classrooms-571a2447906f7bbd5a166d53db005a62">the Ten Commandments</a>&nbsp;be posted in classrooms and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oklahoma-bible-schools-religion-ryan-walters-d15be2f74df2ffbbdfdc549569d06c4e">a mandate</a>&nbsp;from Oklahoma’s state schools superintendent that the Bible be placed in public school classrooms.St. Isidore, a K-12 online school, had planned to start classes for its first 200 enrollees last fall, with part of its mission to evangelize its students in the Catholic faith.Opponents warn a decision to allow the school to open would sap money from public schools and possibly upend the rules governing charter schools in almost every state.The state board and the school are backed by an array of Republican-led states and religious and conservative groups, though the case has divided some of Oklahoma’s Republican leaders.Gov. Kevin Stitt and Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters support using public funds for religious schools, while Attorney General Gentner Drummond has opposed the idea and sued to overturn the state board’s approval of St. Isidore.A key issue in the case is whether the school is public or private. Charter schools are deemed public in Oklahoma and the other 45 states and the District of Columbia where they operate. North Dakota recently enacted legislation allowing for charter schools.They are free and open to all, receive state funding, abide by antidiscrimination laws and submit to oversight of curriculum and testing. But they also are run by independent boards that are not part of local public school systems.

🎧 Will court allow first publicly funded religious charter school?

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-trump-peace-ce025ba11929ceff0c90f94c25a47624">signed a deal</a>&nbsp;that is expected to give Washington access to the country’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-trump-united-states-ukraine-minerals-57c6c566b330c8941a3ba6a7d5f8dd2f">critical minerals</a>&nbsp;and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.

According to Ukrainian officials, the version of the deal signed Wednesday is far more beneficial to Ukraine than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-deal-minerals-ukraine-investment-fund-d8e03ddc86510cd4c4acca1fcb6fe253">previous versions</a>, which they said reduced Kyiv to a junior partner and gave Washington unprecedented rights to the country's resources.

The agreement — which the Ukrainian parliament must ratify — would establish a reconstruction fund for Ukraine that Ukrainian officials hope will be a vehicle to ensure future American military assistance. A previous agreement was nearly signed before being derailed in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-security-guarantees-trump-meeting-washington-eebdf97b663c2cdc9e51fa346b09591d">tense Oval Office meeting</a>&nbsp;involving U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“We have formed a version of the agreement that provides mutually beneficial conditions for both countries. This is an agreement in which the United States notes its commitment to promoting long-term peace in Ukraine and recognizes the contribution that Ukraine has made to global security by giving up its nuclear arsenal,” Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who signed the deal for Ukraine, said in a post on Facebook.

The signing comes during what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-trump-844dc8747a63ef6921f0b1f0e3348ccd">a “very critical” week</a>&nbsp;for U.S.-led efforts to end the war that appear to have stalled. Ukraine sees the deal as a way to ensure that its biggest and most consequential ally stays engaged and doesn’t freeze military support, which has been key in its 3-year-old fight against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s full-scale invasion</a>.

“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who signed for the U.S., said in a statement.

The deal covers minerals, including rare earth elements, but also other valuable resources, including oil and natural gas, according to the text released by Ukraine's government.

It does not include resources that are already a source of revenue for the Ukrainian state. In other words, any profits under the deal are dependent on the success of new investments. Ukrainian officials have also noted that it does not refer to any debt obligations for Kyiv, meaning profits from the fund will likely not go toward the paying the U.S. back for its previous support.

Officials have also emphasized that the agreement ensures full ownership of the resources remains with Ukraine, and the state will determine what can be extracted and where.

The text of the deal lists 55 minerals but says more can be agreed to.

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in Ukraine's rare earth elements, and some of them are included in the list, as are other critical minerals, such as titanium, lithium and uranium.

They are a group of 17 elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.

China is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/01902a5df8bf4a13bd46f401e914b46b">world’s largest producer</a>&nbsp;of rare earth elements, and both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing, Trump’s chief geopolitical adversary.

They include elements such as lanthanum, cerium and scandium, which are listed in the deal.

The agreement establishes a reconstruction investment fund, and both the U.S. and Ukraine will have an equal say in its management, according to Svyrydenko.

The fund will be supported by the U.S. government through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation agency, which Ukraine hopes will attract investment and technology from American and European countries.

Ukraine is expected to contribute 50% of all future profits from government-owned natural resources into the fund. The United States will also contribute in the form of direct funds and equipment, including badly needed air defense systems and other military aid.

Contributions to the fund will be reinvested in projects related to mining, oil and gas as well as infrastructure.

No profits will not be taken from the fund for the first 10 years, Svyrydenko said.

Trump administration officials initially pushed for a deal in which Washington would receive $500 billion in profits from exploited minerals as compensation for its wartime support.

But Zelenskyy rejected the offer, saying he would not sign off on an agreement “that will be paid off by 10 generations of Ukrainians.”

What is the state of Ukraine's minerals industry?

Ukraine’s rare earth elements are largely untapped because of state policies regulating the industry, a lack of good information about deposits, and the war.

The industry’s potential is unclear since geological data is thin because mineral reserves are scattered across Ukraine, and existing studies are considered largely inadequate, according to businessmen and analysts.

In general, however, the outlook for Ukrainian natural resources is promising. The country's reserves of titanium, a key component for the aerospace, medical and automotive industries, are believed to be among Europe’s largest. Ukraine also holds some of Europe’s largest known reserves of lithium, which is required to produce batteries, ceramics and glass.

In 2021, the Ukrainian mineral industry accounted for 6.1% of the country’s gross domestic product and 30% of exports.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1740765031457.png" alt="President Trump greeting&nbsp; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. at the White House in April- photo courtesy the White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump greeting&nbsp; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. at the White House in April- photo courtesy the White House</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — After months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-putin-trump-peace-ce025ba11929ceff0c90f94c25a47624">signed a deal</a>&nbsp;that is expected to give Washington access to the country’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-trump-united-states-ukraine-minerals-57c6c566b330c8941a3ba6a7d5f8dd2f">critical minerals</a>&nbsp;and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.According to Ukrainian officials, the version of the deal signed Wednesday is far more beneficial to Ukraine than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-deal-minerals-ukraine-investment-fund-d8e03ddc86510cd4c4acca1fcb6fe253">previous versions</a>, which they said reduced Kyiv to a junior partner and gave Washington unprecedented rights to the country's resources.The agreement — which the Ukrainian parliament must ratify — would establish a reconstruction fund for Ukraine that Ukrainian officials hope will be a vehicle to ensure future American military assistance. A previous agreement was nearly signed before being derailed in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-security-guarantees-trump-meeting-washington-eebdf97b663c2cdc9e51fa346b09591d">tense Oval Office meeting</a>&nbsp;involving U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.“We have formed a version of the agreement that provides mutually beneficial conditions for both countries. This is an agreement in which the United States notes its commitment to promoting long-term peace in Ukraine and recognizes the contribution that Ukraine has made to global security by giving up its nuclear arsenal,” Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who signed the deal for Ukraine, said in a post on Facebook.The signing comes during what U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-trump-844dc8747a63ef6921f0b1f0e3348ccd">a “very critical” week</a>&nbsp;for U.S.-led efforts to end the war that appear to have stalled. Ukraine sees the deal as a way to ensure that its biggest and most consequential ally stays engaged and doesn’t freeze military support, which has been key in its 3-year-old fight against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s full-scale invasion</a>.“This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who signed for the U.S., said in a statement.Here is a look at the deal.<h2>What does the</h2><h2>deal include?</h2>The deal covers minerals, including rare earth elements, but also other valuable resources, including oil and natural gas, according to the text released by Ukraine's government.It does not include resources that are already a source of revenue for the Ukrainian state. In other words, any profits under the deal are dependent on the success of new investments. Ukrainian officials have also noted that it does not refer to any debt obligations for Kyiv, meaning profits from the fund will likely not go toward the paying the U.S. back for its previous support.Officials have also emphasized that the agreement ensures full ownership of the resources remains with Ukraine, and the state will determine what can be extracted and where.The text of the deal lists 55 minerals but says more can be agreed to.Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in Ukraine's rare earth elements, and some of them are included in the list, as are other critical minerals, such as titanium, lithium and uranium.<h2>What are rare earth elements?</h2>They are a group of 17 elements that are essential to many kinds of consumer technology, including cellphones, hard drives and electric and hybrid vehicles.China is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/01902a5df8bf4a13bd46f401e914b46b">world’s largest producer</a>&nbsp;of rare earth elements, and both the U.S and Europe have sought to reduce their dependence on Beijing, Trump’s chief geopolitical adversary.They include elements such as lanthanum, cerium and scandium, which are listed in the deal.<h2>How will the fund work?</h2>The agreement establishes a reconstruction investment fund, and both the U.S. and Ukraine will have an equal say in its management, according to Svyrydenko.The fund will be supported by the U.S. government through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation agency, which Ukraine hopes will attract investment and technology from American and European countries.Ukraine is expected to contribute 50% of all future profits from government-owned natural resources into the fund. The United States will also contribute in the form of direct funds and equipment, including badly needed air defense systems and other military aid.Contributions to the fund will be reinvested in projects related to mining, oil and gas as well as infrastructure.No profits will not be taken from the fund for the first 10 years, Svyrydenko said.Trump administration officials initially pushed for a deal in which Washington would receive $500 billion in profits from exploited minerals as compensation for its wartime support.But Zelenskyy rejected the offer, saying he would not sign off on an agreement “that will be paid off by 10 generations of Ukrainians.”<h2>What is the state of Ukraine's minerals industry?</h2>Ukraine’s rare earth elements are largely untapped because of state policies regulating the industry, a lack of good information about deposits, and the war.The industry’s potential is unclear since geological data is thin because mineral reserves are scattered across Ukraine, and existing studies are considered largely inadequate, according to businessmen and analysts.In general, however, the outlook for Ukrainian natural resources is promising. The country's reserves of titanium, a key component for the aerospace, medical and automotive industries, are believed to be among Europe’s largest. Ukraine also holds some of Europe’s largest known reserves of lithium, which is required to produce batteries, ceramics and glass.In 2021, the Ukrainian mineral industry accounted for 6.1% of the country’s gross domestic product and 30% of exports.

Read what the U.S., Ukraine minerals deal includes

With vaccine skepticism on the rise, immunization rates in decline and public funds disappearing, the country faces its largest measles outbreak since 2019

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">Suzanne King</a>

Amber Schmidtke, a microbiologist, remembers feeling a tinge of relief five years ago as COVID spread across communities.

“Measles is the most contagious disease we have,” said Schmidtke, who teaches at Kansas City University.

But now, she and other public health experts are watching with alarm as the largely preventable virus marches toward Kansas City in the nation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html" target="_blank">largest outbreak</a>&nbsp;since 2019.

So far this year, health officials have confirmed 884 cases across the country, including 46 in southwest Kansas. One Missouri case reported on April 18 involved a child visiting the Branson area.

Marvia Jones, director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health" target="_blank">Kansas City Health Department</a>, said her agency will be as prepared as possible when cases reach the metro. But there’s little doubt about whether they will come.

“It’s clear to us that measles is just a car ride away from Kansas Citians,” Jones said at an April 29 press conference that was called to urge people to get vaccinated before the virus gets here.

But rising vaccine skepticism, falling immunization rates and recent&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/02/massive-cuts-federal-health-care-grants-alarm-kansas-citys-health-departments/" target="_blank">major cuts</a>&nbsp;to federal public health funding are all working against efforts to quickly end the current measles outbreak, health officials said.

“This makes me heartsick,” said Lynelle Phillips, president of the&nbsp;<a href="https://moimmunize.org/" target="_blank">Missouri Immunization Coalition</a>. “I think more children will be struck down and killed by a completely preventable outbreak of measles. And I think the question to us as Americans is how many of these children will have to die before we realize the mistake we’ve made?”

Three deaths have been attributed to the outbreak so far, including two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico.

Unlike the start of COVID when there was no vaccine, a highly effective measles vaccine is widely available. Until recently it was also widely adopted.

By 2000, 37 years after the measles vaccine was introduced, United States health officials could declare measles&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html" target="_blank">eliminated</a>&nbsp;because there hadn’t been continuous spread for more than a year.

Now, that designation is in danger as measles cases spread. So far, the outbreak has reached 30 states. The largest cluster is in Texas, where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025" target="_blank">663 cases</a>&nbsp;have been confirmed since late January.

The rise in measles infections, health leaders said, can be directly linked to low vaccination rates.

Herd immunity for measles, when the virus is unlikely to spread, requires a vaccination rate of 95%. But communities and schools are increasingly slipping below that mark. And where that happens, an outbreak becomes much more likely.

In Kansas City, three ZIP codes fall below the 95% threshold, city health officials said.

Jones said these undervaccinated ZIP codes will get special attention as the city works to convince more people to let their kids get vaccines. The health department plans to hold community meetings in these areas in hopes of answering questions and easing hesitancy.

“We are doing all we can to add outreach and have real conversations,” Jones said.

The health department also will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health" target="_blank">extend the hours</a>&nbsp;it offers vaccinations. Beginning May 14, vaccines will be available at 2400 Troost Ave. until 7 p.m., and Saturday hours will begin May 17. For an appointment, people can call 311, but appointments are not required.

Parents, faced with an internet awash in inaccurate information about vaccinations in general and the measles vaccine specifically, are more often skipping routine childhood immunizations.

Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine are recommended for children. The first dose is recommended at about 1 year old, and a second dose when a child starts school, between 4 and 6 years old.

During the 2023-24 school year, immunization rates for kindergartners&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html#cdc_data_surveillance_section_7-mmr-vaccine-coverage-for-kindergarteners-by-school-year-2009%e2%80%932024" target="_blank">fell to 92.7%</a>&nbsp;nationwide, from 95.2% during the 2019-20 school year. In Missouri, the rate went from 94.6% in 2019-20 to 90.4% in 2023-24. In those same years, Kansas’ rate climbed slightly, from 90% to 90.4%.

Six metro counties showed MMR vaccination rates below 95% for kindergartners in the 2023-24 school year.

Schools require children to have the MMR and other vaccinations in order to attend kindergarten, but states allow exemptions for religious or medical reasons. And those exemptions have been&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">on the rise</a>.

The Staley Farms ZIP code’s religious exemption rate doubled to 14% last year from 7% in 2019, city officials said. According to state records, private schools in Clay County, where the ZIP code is located, had a religious exemption rate of 13.4% in 2023, compared with 5.4% in 2019.

In Kansas, the statewide&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/2016/Kindergarten-Immunization-Data" target="_blank">exemption rate</a>&nbsp;was just over 1% in the 2010-11 school year. But by the 2023-24 year, it was up to almost 3%. And Missouri’s&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">statewide rate</a>&nbsp;is getting close to 5%, said Dr. George Turabelidze, Missouri’s state epidemiologist.

Phillips said the increase can also be traced to a change in Missouri law that took effect at the beginning of 2024, lowering barriers for parents to get vaccine exemptions for their children. It’s now as simple as filling out a&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/wellness/immunizations/daycarerequirements.php" target="_blank">form online</a>&nbsp;and submitting it to the school.

“Prior to that, you would have to make an appointment at the health department and meet with a public health nurse,” Phillips said.

Parents who oppose vaccines objected to the state’s previous exemption requirements, saying they violated their speech and religious rights.

But Phillips said the added step of going to the health department gave parents an opportunity to learn about the health consequences of choosing to forgo their child’s vaccinations. And they also found out that children who are unvaccinated have to miss weeks of school if they are exposed — even if they don’t get sick.

Public health officials understand that a growing number of people are afraid of having their kids vaccinated. In part, they blame strong anti-vaccination views that took root during the COVID pandemic related to the vaccines developed to treat that virus.

“That (skepticism) spills over to other vaccines as well,” Turabelidze said.

In addition to fueling anti-vaccine views, the pandemic also led to more distrust of public health agencies, which became the face of shuttered schools and businesses and other restrictions that some people abhorred. That distrust has made it even harder to get accurate information to people who may be worried about unfounded claims about vaccines that flourish on the internet.

One of the most persistent myths — that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism — has been especially common, Turabelidze said.

“It’s been debunked so many times, I can’t even count,” he said. “But people keep repeating this myth.”

Now, many fear that the vaccine doubts have been given more credibility with the appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services.

As Missouri’s immunization rates have slipped, Turabelidze said the state Department of Health and Senior Services has been working to increase outreach and education efforts, especially to schools or communities with lower vaccination rates.

Those communities are sitting ducks for such a highly contagious virus, health experts said.

Nine out of 10 unvaccinated people exposed to measles will get sick. And the virus can infect people who don’t even come into contact with someone who has it. Measles spreads when people talk, cough or sneeze, but can linger in the air for three hours.

“If I had a person in my class that had measles and didn’t know it and they left, everyone who enters that classroom for the next several hours could get it,” Phillips said. “It’s really difficult to manage transmission when you realize just how infectious measles is.”

And the measles virus can be dangerous. One in five people who get the virus end up in the hospital, Dr. Susanne Luedtke, an infectious disease specialist at University Health, told reporters during the April 29 press conference hosted by the Kansas City Health Department.

One in 20 children contract pneumonia with measles. The disease can cause brain swelling and serious long-term side effects like seizures, hearing loss and a condition called immune amnesia, which can destroy a child’s immune response. And between one and three of every 1,000 children who get measles will die.

“Measles is not a rash and a fever,” Luedtke said. “It’s a serious disease with real risks.”

Before the measles vaccine came along in 1963, almost everyone came down with measles before they turned 15. The telltale rash would begin at the hairline and move down the torso and out to the extremities. A high fever developed, along with symptoms like a runny nose and cough.

Of course, most people recovered as they would from the flu or another viral infection. But before the vaccine, every year an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html" target="_blank">400 to 500 people died</a>, 48,000 were hospitalized and 1,000 developed encephalitis or brain swelling.

“This is not a disease you joke around with,” Turabelidze said. “It’s highly contagious. And it can put you in the hospital. We already have three persons dead in this country. And you can also have long-term consequences.”

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services operates a 24-hour helpline that doctors can call if they run into a potential case of measles. Turabelidze said calls have increased as doctors, many of whom have never run into a case of measles before, grow increasingly wary of unidentifiable rashes.

“More often it’s not really measles,” he said. “But we would rather have a consultation” than an undetected case.

The state also has added capacity for the state laboratory to conduct PCR tests for measles. That service, which began in March, will reduce the time test results take, which could make a big difference in quelling an outbreak.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1743085628490.png" alt="Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.png" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Tatiana Lanzieri Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.png</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>With vaccine skepticism on the rise, immunization rates in decline and public funds disappearing, the country faces its largest measles outbreak since 2019</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">Suzanne King</a>Amber Schmidtke, a microbiologist, remembers feeling a tinge of relief five years ago as COVID spread across communities.At least it wasn’t measles.“Measles is the most contagious disease we have,” said Schmidtke, who teaches at Kansas City University.But now, she and other public health experts are watching with alarm as the largely preventable virus marches toward Kansas City in the nation’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html" target="_blank">largest outbreak</a>&nbsp;since 2019.So far this year, health officials have confirmed 884 cases across the country, including 46 in southwest Kansas. One Missouri case reported on April 18 involved a child visiting the Branson area.Marvia Jones, director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health" target="_blank">Kansas City Health Department</a>, said her agency will be as prepared as possible when cases reach the metro. But there’s little doubt about whether they will come.“It’s clear to us that measles is just a car ride away from Kansas Citians,” Jones said at an April 29 press conference that was called to urge people to get vaccinated before the virus gets here.But rising vaccine skepticism, falling immunization rates and recent&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/04/02/massive-cuts-federal-health-care-grants-alarm-kansas-citys-health-departments/" target="_blank">major cuts</a>&nbsp;to federal public health funding are all working against efforts to quickly end the current measles outbreak, health officials said.“This makes me heartsick,” said Lynelle Phillips, president of the&nbsp;<a href="https://moimmunize.org/" target="_blank">Missouri Immunization Coalition</a>. “I think more children will be struck down and killed by a completely preventable outbreak of measles. And I think the question to us as Americans is how many of these children will have to die before we realize the mistake we’ve made?”Three deaths have been attributed to the outbreak so far, including two children in Texas and an adult in New Mexico.<h2>Declining immunization rates</h2>Unlike the start of COVID when there was no vaccine, a highly effective measles vaccine is widely available. Until recently it was also widely adopted.By 2000, 37 years after the measles vaccine was introduced, United States health officials could declare measles&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html" target="_blank">eliminated</a>&nbsp;because there hadn’t been continuous spread for more than a year.Now, that designation is in danger as measles cases spread. So far, the outbreak has reached 30 states. The largest cluster is in Texas, where&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025" target="_blank">663 cases</a>&nbsp;have been confirmed since late January.The rise in measles infections, health leaders said, can be directly linked to low vaccination rates.Herd immunity for measles, when the virus is unlikely to spread, requires a vaccination rate of 95%. But communities and schools are increasingly slipping below that mark. And where that happens, an outbreak becomes much more likely.In Kansas City, three ZIP codes fall below the 95% threshold, city health officials said.<ul>
 <li>64114 in the Waldo area has an immunization rate of 93%.</li><li>64151, where Lake Waukomis is located north of the river, is at 92%.</li><li>And 64155, where the upscale Staley Farms development is located, has a vaccination rate of only 84%.</li>
 </ul>Jones said these undervaccinated ZIP codes will get special attention as the city works to convince more people to let their kids get vaccines. The health department plans to hold community meetings in these areas in hopes of answering questions and easing hesitancy.“We are doing all we can to add outreach and have real conversations,” Jones said.The health department also will&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/city-hall/departments/health" target="_blank">extend the hours</a>&nbsp;it offers vaccinations. Beginning May 14, vaccines will be available at 2400 Troost Ave. until 7 p.m., and Saturday hours will begin May 17. For an appointment, people can call 311, but appointments are not required.<h2>Growing vaccine skepticism</h2>Parents, faced with an internet awash in inaccurate information about vaccinations in general and the measles vaccine specifically, are more often skipping routine childhood immunizations.Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine are recommended for children. The first dose is recommended at about 1 year old, and a second dose when a child starts school, between 4 and 6 years old.During the 2023-24 school year, immunization rates for kindergartners&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html#cdc_data_surveillance_section_7-mmr-vaccine-coverage-for-kindergarteners-by-school-year-2009%e2%80%932024" target="_blank">fell to 92.7%</a>&nbsp;nationwide, from 95.2% during the 2019-20 school year. In Missouri, the rate went from 94.6% in 2019-20 to 90.4% in 2023-24. In those same years, Kansas’ rate climbed slightly, from 90% to 90.4%.Six metro counties showed MMR vaccination rates below 95% for kindergartners in the 2023-24 school year.Schools require children to have the MMR and other vaccinations in order to attend kindergarten, but states allow exemptions for religious or medical reasons. And those exemptions have been&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">on the rise</a>.The Staley Farms ZIP code’s religious exemption rate doubled to 14% last year from 7% in 2019, city officials said. According to state records, private schools in Clay County, where the ZIP code is located, had a religious exemption rate of 13.4% in 2023, compared with 5.4% in 2019.In Kansas, the statewide&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/2016/Kindergarten-Immunization-Data" target="_blank">exemption rate</a>&nbsp;was just over 1% in the 2010-11 school year. But by the 2023-24 year, it was up to almost 3%. And Missouri’s&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">statewide rate</a>&nbsp;is getting close to 5%, said Dr. George Turabelidze, Missouri’s state epidemiologist.Phillips said the increase can also be traced to a change in Missouri law that took effect at the beginning of 2024, lowering barriers for parents to get vaccine exemptions for their children. It’s now as simple as filling out a&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/wellness/immunizations/daycarerequirements.php" target="_blank">form online</a>&nbsp;and submitting it to the school.“Prior to that, you would have to make an appointment at the health department and meet with a public health nurse,” Phillips said.Parents who oppose vaccines objected to the state’s previous exemption requirements, saying they violated their speech and religious rights.But Phillips said the added step of going to the health department gave parents an opportunity to learn about the health consequences of choosing to forgo their child’s vaccinations. And they also found out that children who are unvaccinated have to miss weeks of school if they are exposed — even if they don’t get sick.Public health officials understand that a growing number of people are afraid of having their kids vaccinated. In part, they blame strong anti-vaccination views that took root during the COVID pandemic related to the vaccines developed to treat that virus.“That (skepticism) spills over to other vaccines as well,” Turabelidze said.In addition to fueling anti-vaccine views, the pandemic also led to more distrust of public health agencies, which became the face of shuttered schools and businesses and other restrictions that some people abhorred. That distrust has made it even harder to get accurate information to people who may be worried about unfounded claims about vaccines that flourish on the internet.One of the most persistent myths — that the MMR vaccine is linked to autism — has been especially common, Turabelidze said.“It’s been debunked so many times, I can’t even count,” he said. “But people keep repeating this myth.”Now, many fear that the vaccine doubts have been given more credibility with the appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services.<h2>Highly contagious</h2>As Missouri’s immunization rates have slipped, Turabelidze said the state Department of Health and Senior Services has been working to increase outreach and education efforts, especially to schools or communities with lower vaccination rates.Those communities are sitting ducks for such a highly contagious virus, health experts said.Nine out of 10 unvaccinated people exposed to measles will get sick. And the virus can infect people who don’t even come into contact with someone who has it. Measles spreads when people talk, cough or sneeze, but can linger in the air for three hours.“If I had a person in my class that had measles and didn’t know it and they left, everyone who enters that classroom for the next several hours could get it,” Phillips said. “It’s really difficult to manage transmission when you realize just how infectious measles is.”And the measles virus can be dangerous. One in five people who get the virus end up in the hospital, Dr. Susanne Luedtke, an infectious disease specialist at University Health, told reporters during the April 29 press conference hosted by the Kansas City Health Department.One in 20 children contract pneumonia with measles. The disease can cause brain swelling and serious long-term side effects like seizures, hearing loss and a condition called immune amnesia, which can destroy a child’s immune response. And between one and three of every 1,000 children who get measles will die.“Measles is not a rash and a fever,” Luedtke said. “It’s a serious disease with real risks.”Before the measles vaccine came along in 1963, almost everyone came down with measles before they turned 15. The telltale rash would begin at the hairline and move down the torso and out to the extremities. A high fever developed, along with symptoms like a runny nose and cough.Of course, most people recovered as they would from the flu or another viral infection. But before the vaccine, every year an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/about/history.html" target="_blank">400 to 500 people died</a>, 48,000 were hospitalized and 1,000 developed encephalitis or brain swelling.“This is not a disease you joke around with,” Turabelidze said. “It’s highly contagious. And it can put you in the hospital. We already have three persons dead in this country. And you can also have long-term consequences.”The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services operates a 24-hour helpline that doctors can call if they run into a potential case of measles. Turabelidze said calls have increased as doctors, many of whom have never run into a case of measles before, grow increasingly wary of unidentifiable rashes.“More often it’s not really measles,” he said. “But we would rather have a consultation” than an undetected case.The state also has added capacity for the state laboratory to conduct PCR tests for measles. That service, which began in March, will reduce the time test results take, which could make a big difference in quelling an outbreak.“We wanted to have a very, very quick response time because measles is so highly contagious,” Turabelidze said.<h2>Importance of education</h2>When measles is detected, public health agencies play a crucial role in quickly locating anyone an infected person has been around. They also track down people who have shared an inside space where the infected person could have left behind the virus.Public health is critical in managing an outbreak. But for the system to work, experts said, the public needs to trust public health. And public health agencies need to be available to answer questions to assuage concerns, provide information to doctors and patients and offer easy access to the vaccine.“Vaccines in the refrigerator never yet prevented a single case of infection,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious disease at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “They have to be administered… This takes human beings and it takes time.”It also takes money. But recent federal funding cuts by the Trump administration have slashed support for public health outreach efforts.On March 24, the Missouri Immunization Coalition, Phillips’ organization, lost all of its funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That money funded the group’s entire budget, which means it is now “on life support,” Phillips said.And like other public health organizations that had relied on those funds, the work the coalition had been doing — educating people about vaccines, providing transportation and other resources to improve access — is hanging by a thread.“Vaccination rates are not going to raise themselves,” Phillips said. “The organizations involved with all of the education and logistics and support … have been dismantled. At a time when we’re witnessing a resurgence in measles, these are the ingredients of a perfect storm.”Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services lost a combined $255 million in the March 24 CDC cuts. That included $135 million in projects currently underway to support the state’s public health system and about $119 million for projects that hadn’t been determined.Turabelidze said it is unclear how the cuts will affect the state’s vaccine efforts.The Kansas City Health Department has seen federal cuts so far of about $3 million, money that was allocated to pay for adult vaccinations and outreach, enhanced laboratory capacity and community health workers.On April 25, the city&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2417/1746" target="_blank">announced</a>&nbsp;it had joined a coalition of other local governments and a labor union representing government workers in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funding cuts.In a statement announcing the lawsuit, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said, “It’s important that we as cities and people stand up for common sense and public health in the courts.”It’s also worth remembering, Schmidtke said, that eliminating outreach programs may save money in the short term. But if measles cases increase as a result, the ultimate cost will be much more. While each MMR vaccine dose costs around $2, she said, managing a case of someone who contracts measles can cost $50,000.“I know money isn’t everything,” Schmidtke said. “But when we don’t have enough money to get the outreach, to educate the public about the importance of vaccination, to educate them about where to find it, we run the risk of really expensive outbreaks that are hard to control.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/05/02/just-a-car-ride-away-as-a-measles-outbreak-creeps-toward-kansas-city/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.