JEWELL COUNTY— Law enforcement and animal rescue agencies assisted Jewell County Sheriff's Deputies seize multiple dogs at a residence in the rural community of Esbon April 25, according to a social media report from the sheriff's office.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Authorities found the dogs in "unimaginable conditions," according to the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. Dozes of other animals were already dead.&nbsp; The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City took in 40 of the dogs.&nbsp; The Hutchinson Animal Shelter also took dogs.&nbsp; Authorities have not reported possible charges in the case.

The sheriff's office encouraged the public to help.&nbsp; If you would like to make a donation to help support the shelter in getting food and proper equipment for the animals that they hold, please send to:

Hutchison Animal Shelter, 1501 S. Severance Stteet, Hutchison, KS 67501

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746065749869.png" alt="Photo Humane Society of Greater Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Photo Humane Society of Greater Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>JEWELL COUNTY— Law enforcement and animal rescue agencies assisted Jewell County Sheriff's Deputies seize multiple dogs at a residence in the rural community of Esbon April 25, according to a social media report from the sheriff's office.&nbsp;&nbsp;Authorities found the dogs in "unimaginable conditions," according to the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. Dozes of other animals were already dead.&nbsp; The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City took in 40 of the dogs.&nbsp; The Hutchinson Animal Shelter also took dogs.&nbsp; Authorities have not reported possible charges in the case.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FHSGKCOfficial%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02sgHgkRrWqcTnLAds33qmnwgQeQZj6H3rhXVvqiQ8414EHo6FPme68jSHDVSeNhMil&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="931" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>The sheriff's office encouraged the public to help.&nbsp; If you would like to make a donation to help support the shelter in getting food and proper equipment for the animals that they hold, please send to:Hutchison Animal Shelter, 1501 S. Severance Stteet, Hutchison, KS 67501

Dogs rescued, more found dead in north-central Kansas 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Donald Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.

Trump announced the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">far-reaching tariffs</a>&nbsp;on nearly all U.S. trading partners April 2 and then reversed himself a few days later after a market meltdown, suspending the import taxes for 90 days. Amid the uncertainty for both U.S. consumers and businesses, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the U.S. economy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-trump-gdp-tariffs-inflation-trade-28a0da24c803c4796eb32704cd0244cc">shrank 0.3% from January through March</a>, the first drop in three years.

The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-tariffs-trump-republicans-a45b4d4da013e4ce1ce434b81337e3ec">approved a resolution</a>&nbsp;that would have have thwarted Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada. Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.

Sen. Mitch McConnell — who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote — and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.

Democrats said their primary aim was to put Republicans on the record either way and to try to reassert congressional powers.

“The Senate cannot be an idle spectator in the tariff madness,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a lead sponsor of the resolution.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the dismal economic numbers should be a “wakeup call” to Republicans.

Wary of a rebuke to Trump, GOP leaders encouraged their conference not to vote for the resolution, even as many of them remain unconvinced about the tariffs. Vice President JD Vance attended a Senate GOP luncheon Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who assured senators that the administration is making progress toward trade deals with individual countries.

Collins said the close vote “demonstrates that there is unease with the president’s plan.”

“It’s partially the president’s plan is still evolving but many of us are hearing from employers back home about the impact of the tariffs in a negative way,” she said.

Some Republicans argued that the vote was a political stunt. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he backs separate legislation by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley that would give Congress increased power over determining tariffs but would voted on the resolution, which he said is only about “making a point.”

Several Republicans defended Trump's tariffs — and said they were willing to give him time to figure it out.

“People are willing to give the president an opportunity to prove that the new system works,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn said the vote shows that senators “believe that the President’s policies deserve to be tried and see if they’re successful.”

Democrats say the Republicans’ failure to stand up to Trump could have dire consequences. “The only thing Donald Trump’s tariffs have succeeded in is raising the odds of recession and sending markets into a tailspin,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “Today, they have to choose – stick with Trump or stand with your states.”

The Democratic resolution forced a vote under a statute that allows them to try to terminate the national economic emergency Trump used to levy the tariffs.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it a “fake” emergency that Trump is using to impose his “on again, off again, red light, green light tariffs.”

The tariffs “are pushing our economy off a cliff,” Warren said.

Republicans held a procedural vote after the tied vote to ensure that Democrats could not bring the resolution up again, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters afterward. Vice President J.D. Vance came to the Capitol to break the tie and ensure they dismissed the resolution for good.

The Republican president has tried to reassure voters that his tariffs will not provoke a recession as his administration has focused on China, raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% even as he paused the others. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-economy-tariffs-gdp-7494825851dcef94ec81475124f9326f">told his Cabinet Wednesday</a>&nbsp;morning that his tariffs meant China was “having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business.”

Trump said the U.S. does not really need imports from the world’s dominant manufacturer. “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” he said. “So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1743626000304.png" alt="White House file photo-President Trump announcing his tariff plan April 2" />
 <figcaption>White House file photo-President Trump announcing his tariff plan April 2</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Donald Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.Trump announced the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-liberation-day-2a031b3c16120a5672a6ddd01da09933">far-reaching tariffs</a>&nbsp;on nearly all U.S. trading partners April 2 and then reversed himself a few days later after a market meltdown, suspending the import taxes for 90 days. Amid the uncertainty for both U.S. consumers and businesses, the Commerce Department said Wednesday that the U.S. economy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-trump-gdp-tariffs-inflation-trade-28a0da24c803c4796eb32704cd0244cc">shrank 0.3% from January through March</a>, the first drop in three years.The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-tariffs-trump-republicans-a45b4d4da013e4ce1ce434b81337e3ec">approved a resolution</a>&nbsp;that would have have thwarted Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada. Kansas U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall voted against the measure.Sen. Mitch McConnell — who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote — and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.Democrats said their primary aim was to put Republicans on the record either way and to try to reassert congressional powers.“The Senate cannot be an idle spectator in the tariff madness,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a lead sponsor of the resolution.Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the dismal economic numbers should be a “wakeup call” to Republicans.Wary of a rebuke to Trump, GOP leaders encouraged their conference not to vote for the resolution, even as many of them remain unconvinced about the tariffs. Vice President JD Vance attended a Senate GOP luncheon Tuesday with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who assured senators that the administration is making progress toward trade deals with individual countries.Collins said the close vote “demonstrates that there is unease with the president’s plan.”“It’s partially the president’s plan is still evolving but many of us are hearing from employers back home about the impact of the tariffs in a negative way,” she said.Some Republicans argued that the vote was a political stunt. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he backs separate legislation by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley that would give Congress increased power over determining tariffs but would voted on the resolution, which he said is only about “making a point.”Several Republicans defended Trump's tariffs — and said they were willing to give him time to figure it out.“People are willing to give the president an opportunity to prove that the new system works,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.Texas Sen. John Cornyn said the vote shows that senators “believe that the President’s policies deserve to be tried and see if they’re successful.”Democrats say the Republicans’ failure to stand up to Trump could have dire consequences. “The only thing Donald Trump’s tariffs have succeeded in is raising the odds of recession and sending markets into a tailspin,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “Today, they have to choose – stick with Trump or stand with your states.”The Democratic resolution forced a vote under a statute that allows them to try to terminate the national economic emergency Trump used to levy the tariffs.Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren called it a “fake” emergency that Trump is using to impose his “on again, off again, red light, green light tariffs.”The tariffs “are pushing our economy off a cliff,” Warren said.Republicans held a procedural vote after the tied vote to ensure that Democrats could not bring the resolution up again, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters afterward. Vice President J.D. Vance came to the Capitol to break the tie and ensure they dismissed the resolution for good.The Republican president has tried to reassure voters that his tariffs will not provoke a recession as his administration has focused on China, raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% even as he paused the others. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-economy-tariffs-gdp-7494825851dcef94ec81475124f9326f">told his Cabinet Wednesday</a>&nbsp;morning that his tariffs meant China was “having tremendous difficulty because their factories are not doing business.”Trump said the U.S. does not really need imports from the world’s dominant manufacturer. “Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls,” he said. “So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”

Moran, Marshall help Senate kill resolution to block global tariffs

KANSAS CITY —The Kansas City Fire Department is investigating the cause of a building fire at 1716 East 8th Street.

Just after 7p.m., crews from fire station 10 noticed a column of smoke one block to the north in the area of 8th&nbsp;and Woodland, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

They responded and on arrival they reported heavy fire from a two-story vacant building and requested a working fire response. 

Interior operations were initiated but crews quickly had to evacuate and assume defensive operations and continued working to get the fire completely under control.&nbsp; Determining the cause of the fire will be difficult due to the amount of damage, according to Hopkins.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746009155201.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The Kansas City Fire Department is investigating the cause of a building fire at 1716 East 8th Street.Just after 7p.m., crews from fire station 10 noticed a column of smoke one block to the north in the area of 8th&nbsp;and Woodland, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.They responded and on arrival they reported heavy fire from a two-story vacant building and requested a working fire response. Interior operations were initiated but crews quickly had to evacuate and assume defensive operations and continued working to get the fire completely under control.&nbsp; Determining the cause of the fire will be difficult due to the amount of damage, according to Hopkins.

Crews work large building fire in downtown Kansas City

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 8:30a.m. Wednesday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2025 Honda Civic driven by&nbsp;Kaiden Jimenez, 18, Lawrence, was&nbsp;eastbound on Interstate 70 near the Service Area in Leavenworth County on the Kansas Turnpike. 

The Honda traveled off the road to the left,&nbsp;bounced off two drain tubes, continued eastbound through the ditch, entered westbound Interstate 70&nbsp; crossed over both lanes and struck a 2023 Mercedes-Benz van driven by Jonathan Brown, 34, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on.

After impact the Honda rotated and rolled into the south ditch. The van continued westbound after rotating and slid backwards through the ditch.&nbsp; struck a slight embankment and overturned onto the driver's side.

A passenger in the van identified as Shane Greiner, 28, Kansas City, Kansas, was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Brown to Overland Park Regional Medical Center and Jimenez to Stormont Vail in Topeka. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 8:30a.m. Wednesday in Leavenworth County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2025 Honda Civic driven by&nbsp;Kaiden Jimenez, 18, Lawrence, was&nbsp;eastbound on Interstate 70 near the Service Area in Leavenworth County on the Kansas Turnpike. The Honda traveled off the road to the left,&nbsp;bounced off two drain tubes, continued eastbound through the ditch, entered westbound Interstate 70&nbsp; crossed over both lanes and struck a 2023 Mercedes-Benz van driven by Jonathan Brown, 34, Kansas City, Missouri, head-on.After impact the Honda rotated and rolled into the south ditch. The van continued westbound after rotating and slid backwards through the ditch.&nbsp; struck a slight embankment and overturned onto the driver's side.A passenger in the van identified as Shane Greiner, 28, Kansas City, Kansas, was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported Brown to Overland Park Regional Medical Center and Jimenez to Stormont Vail in Topeka. All three were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after I-70 head-on crash

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been been sentenced to life in prison without parole for his involvement in a fatal shooting that killed two people in northeast Kansas City in 2021.&nbsp;

Earl Dunn III, 21,&nbsp; was convicted of two counts of 1st Degree Murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and three counts of Armed Criminal Action in January, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's office.

Last week, a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2608/Earl-Dunn-Judgement-21cr4744_Redacted_FINAL">sentenced</a>&nbsp;Dunn to life without parole for the two murder charges, 30 years for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and 10 years on each count of Armed Criminal Action.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2606/DunnEarl---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the area of Anderson and Norton avenues on March 11, 2021, and found a vehicle on fire with two victims inside. There were several spent shell casings on the street two blocks west of the accident and gunshot damage to the vehicle. &nbsp;

Detectives collected footage from area surveillance cameras, which captured another vehicle pursuing the victims in the neighborhood shortly before the victims’ vehicle crashed.

Information recovered from cell tower and mapping tools revealed the Dunn to be in contact with one of the victims and in the same area of the crime scene during the same time of the crime. The DNA profile from a cigar butt inside the suspect vehicle also matched Dunn.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634213429981.png" alt="Dunn photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Dunn photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man has been been sentenced to life in prison without parole for his involvement in a fatal shooting that killed two people in northeast Kansas City in 2021.&nbsp;Earl Dunn III, 21,&nbsp; was convicted of two counts of 1st Degree Murder, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and three counts of Armed Criminal Action in January, according to the Jackson County Prosecutor's office.Last week, a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2608/Earl-Dunn-Judgement-21cr4744_Redacted_FINAL">sentenced</a>&nbsp;Dunn to life without parole for the two murder charges, 30 years for Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and 10 years on each count of Armed Criminal Action.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2606/DunnEarl---PC-Statement_Redacted">According to court records</a>, Kansas City police were dispatched to the area of Anderson and Norton avenues on March 11, 2021, and found a vehicle on fire with two victims inside. There were several spent shell casings on the street two blocks west of the accident and gunshot damage to the vehicle. &nbsp;Detectives collected footage from area surveillance cameras, which captured another vehicle pursuing the victims in the neighborhood shortly before the victims’ vehicle crashed.Information recovered from cell tower and mapping tools revealed the Dunn to be in contact with one of the victims and in the same area of the crime scene during the same time of the crime. The DNA profile from a cigar butt inside the suspect vehicle also matched Dunn.

Life in prison: Victims in Kansas City found shot, left in burning car

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesday signed off on a deal that will give Washington access to Ukraine's vast critical minerals and natural resources, finalizing an agreement weeks in the making to compensate the U.S. for its help in repelling Russia’s invasion.

The two sides offered only barebone details about the structure of the deal, which they called the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund. But it is expected to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-deal-minerals-ukraine-investment-fund-d8e03ddc86510cd4c4acca1fcb6fe253">valuable rare earth minerals</a>&nbsp;while providing Kyiv a measure of assurance about continued American support in its grinding war with Russia.

“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 said in a statement. “President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine.”

The announcement comes at a critical moment in the three-year war as Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with both sides. The signing comes two months after a different but similar 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 President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump has long criticized Zelenskyy, saying he didn’t “have the cards” to win the war and blaming him for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-london-4f35dc70f521e2363218f4c40748caba">prolonging the killing</a>&nbsp;by not giving up Crimea, but in recent days has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-fb61625d2dee8b1917bb3522e73c2166">rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;as well, saying he was complicating negotiations with “very bad timing” in launching deadly strikes on Kyiv.

Trump said Wednesday night on NewsNation that the deal, “in theory,” means that the U.S. will get more from Ukraine than it contributed. “I wanted to be protected,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to be looking “foolish” by not getting money back for the investment.

Ukraine praises signing as an ‘equal and good international deal’

For Ukraine, the agreement is seen as key to ensuring its access to future U.S. military aid.

“Truly, this is a strategic deal for the creation of an investment partner fund,” said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. “This is truly an equal and good international deal on joint investment in the development and restoration of Ukraine between the governments of the United States and Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s economy minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesday to help finalize the deal.

“Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment to our country,” she said in a post on X after the signing.

White House had raised doubts that agreement was ready

Earlier Wednesday, Bessent said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House — hours after Ukrainian officials indicated a deal was nearly finalized — that there was still work to do.

“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes," Bessent said when asked about reports that Ukraine was ready to agree to the pact. "We’re sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.”

He didn't elaborate as to the late changes he said Ukraine made.

The U.S. has been seeking access to more than 20 raw materials deemed strategically critical to its interests, including some non-minerals such as oil and natural gas. Among them are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-trump-united-states-ukraine-minerals-57c6c566b330c8941a3ba6a7d5f8dd2f">Ukraine's deposits of titanium</a>, which is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. Ukraine also has lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.

After Kyiv felt the initial U.S. draft of the deal disproportionately favored American interests, it introduced new provisions aimed at addressing those concerns.

According to Shmyhal, the latest version would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to a joint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S. military aid would count toward the American share. Assistance provided before the agreement was signed would not be counted. Unlike an earlier draft, the deal would not conflict with Ukraine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-union-united-nations-trump-russia-ukraine-02dadb854440861864733211e687b9b5">path toward European Union membership</a>&nbsp;— a key provision for Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Cabinet approved the agreement Wednesday, empowering Svyrydenko to sign it in Washington. The deal still needs to be ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament before it can take effect.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Ukraine announced on Wednesday an economic agreement after a weekslong press by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-meeting-stocks-detainees-rubio-musk-3fdf4f5019bf5b578c466e32aee2ae79">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Ukraine to compensate Washington for billions in military and economic assistance to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a video posted to X that “this partnership allows the United States to invest alongside Ukraine, to unlock Ukraine’s growth assets, mobilize American talent, capital and governance standards that will improve Ukraine’s investment climate and accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery.”

The announcement comes at a critical moment in the war as Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with leaders of Russia and Ukraine with the brutal fighting dragging on.

The American president has criticized his Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for steps that he said were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-london-4f35dc70f521e2363218f4c40748caba">prolonging the killing,</a>&nbsp;and he has rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin for complicating negotiations with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-fb61625d2dee8b1917bb3522e73c2166">“very bad timing”</a>&nbsp;in launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-strike-913ca4a6b4e624ed50e6c1018576a8ad">deadly strikes</a>&nbsp;on Kyiv.

Trump on Saturday met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral.

Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko in a post on X celebrated the breakthrough.

“Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment to our country," she said.

The two sides offered only barebone details about the structure of the deal, but it is expected to give the U.S. access to its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-deal-minerals-ukraine-investment-fund-d8e03ddc86510cd4c4acca1fcb6fe253">valuable rare minerals</a>&nbsp;in the hopes of ensuring&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-europe-rare-earth-russia-war-9af06a9f17dbaa49a05dcba3a3363977">continued American support</a>&nbsp;for Kyiv in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">grinding war with Russia</a>.

Ukraine's economy minister and deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesday to help finalize the deal, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during an appearance on Ukrainian television. Although the main part of the agreement had been settled, there were still hurdles to overcome, said a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

“Truly, this is a strategic deal for the creation of an investment partner fund,” Shmyhal said. "This is truly an equal and good international deal on joint investment in the development and restoration of Ukraine between the governments of the United States and Ukraine.”

Trump began his push for a deal in February that he wanted access to Ukraine’s rare earth materials as a condition for continued U.S. support in the war, describing it as reimbursement for the billions of dollars in aid the U.S. has given to Kyiv.

But talks stalled after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-security-guarantees-trump-meeting-washington-eebdf97b663c2cdc9e51fa346b09591d">tense Oval Office meeting</a>&nbsp;of U.S. and Ukrainian leaders, and reaching an agreement since then has proven difficult and strained relations between Washington and Kyiv.

Negotiations appeared to drag on till shortly before the two sides confirmed an agreement had been signed off on the deal.

The Ukrainian Cabinet approved the agreement Wednesday, empowering Svyrydenko to sign it in Washington. Once signed by both sides, the deal would need to be ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament before it could take effect.

Putin wants answers before committing to a ceasefire

The negotiations come amid rocky progress in Washington's push to stop the war.

Putin backs calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, “but before it’s done, it’s necessary to answer a few questions and sort out a few nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin is also ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal, he added.

“We realize that Washington wants to achieve quick progress, but we hope for understanding that the Ukrainian crisis settlement is far too complex to be done quickly,” Peskov said during his daily conference call with reporters.

Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-gaza-russia-100-days-ad7af3502370f1743e28690ac0ce2a17">expressed frustration</a>&nbsp;over the slow pace of progress in negotiations aimed at stopping the war. Western European leaders have accused Putin of stalling while his forces seek to grab more Ukrainian land. Russia has captured nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory since Moscow's forces launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

Trump has long dismissed the war as a waste of lives and American taxpayer money — a complaint he repeated Wednesday during his Cabinet meeting. That could spell an end to crucial military help for Ukraine and heavier economic sanctions on Russia.

The U.S. State Department on Tuesday tried again to push both sides to move more quickly and warned that the U.S. could pull out of the negotiations if there's no progress.

“We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict," department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce quoted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as telling her.

Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt to Ukraine’s mobilization effort and Western arms supplies to Kyiv.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Wednesday that Ukraine had accepted an unconditional truce only because it was being pushed back on the battlefield, where the bigger Russian forces have the upper hand.

UN says Ukrainian civilian casualties are on the rise

Meanwhile, Ukrainian civilians have been killed or wounded in attacks every day this year, according to a U.N. report presented Tuesday in New York.

The U.N. Human Rights Office said in the report that in the first three months of this year, it had verified 2,641 civilian casualties in Ukraine. That was almost 900 more than during the same period last year.

Also, between April 1-24, civilian casualties in Ukraine were up 46% from the same weeks in 2024, it said.

The daily grind of the war shows no sign of letting up. A nighttime Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kharkiv">second-largest city, Kharkiv,</a>&nbsp;wounded at least 45 civilians, Ukrainian officials said.

Also Wednesday, the Ukrainian Security Service claimed its drones struck the Murom Instrument Engineering Plant in Russia’s Vladimir region overnight, causing five explosions and a fire at the military facility. The claim could not be independently verified.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1745670044084.png" alt="President Trump met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City Saturday morning.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Trump met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City Saturday morning.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Ukraine on Wednesday signed off on a deal that will give Washington access to Ukraine's vast critical minerals and natural resources, finalizing an agreement weeks in the making to compensate the U.S. for its help in repelling Russia’s invasion.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>’s tireless efforts to secure a lasting peace, I am glad to announce the signing of today’s historic economic partnership agreement between the United States and Ukraine establishing the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund to help… <a href="https://t.co/N1jPa35DYh">pic.twitter.com/N1jPa35DYh</a>&mdash; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent/status/1917697018551754802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The two sides offered only barebone details about the structure of the deal, which they called the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund. But it is expected to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-deal-minerals-ukraine-investment-fund-d8e03ddc86510cd4c4acca1fcb6fe253">valuable rare earth minerals</a>&nbsp;while providing Kyiv a measure of assurance about continued American support in its grinding war with Russia.“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 said in a statement. “President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine.”The announcement comes at a critical moment in the three-year war as Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with both sides. The signing comes two months after a different but similar 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 President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.Trump has long criticized Zelenskyy, saying he didn’t “have the cards” to win the war and blaming him for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-london-4f35dc70f521e2363218f4c40748caba">prolonging the killing</a>&nbsp;by not giving up Crimea, but in recent days has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-fb61625d2dee8b1917bb3522e73c2166">rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin</a>&nbsp;as well, saying he was complicating negotiations with “very bad timing” in launching deadly strikes on Kyiv.Trump said Wednesday night on NewsNation that the deal, “in theory,” means that the U.S. will get more from Ukraine than it contributed. “I wanted to be protected,” he said, adding that he didn’t want to be looking “foolish” by not getting money back for the investment.<h2>Ukraine praises signing as an ‘equal and good international deal’</h2>For Ukraine, the agreement is seen as key to ensuring its access to future U.S. military aid.“Truly, this is a strategic deal for the creation of an investment partner fund,” said Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. “This is truly an equal and good international deal on joint investment in the development and restoration of Ukraine between the governments of the United States and Ukraine.”Ukraine’s economy minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesday to help finalize the deal.“Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment to our country,” she said in a post on X after the signing.<h2>White House had raised doubts that agreement was ready</h2>Earlier Wednesday, Bessent said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House — hours after Ukrainian officials indicated a deal was nearly finalized — that there was still work to do.“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes," Bessent said when asked about reports that Ukraine was ready to agree to the pact. "We’re sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.”He didn't elaborate as to the late changes he said Ukraine made.The U.S. has been seeking access to more than 20 raw materials deemed strategically critical to its interests, including some non-minerals such as oil and natural gas. Among them are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-trump-united-states-ukraine-minerals-57c6c566b330c8941a3ba6a7d5f8dd2f">Ukraine's deposits of titanium</a>, which is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. Ukraine also has lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.After Kyiv felt the initial U.S. draft of the deal disproportionately favored American interests, it introduced new provisions aimed at addressing those concerns.According to Shmyhal, the latest version would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to a joint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S. military aid would count toward the American share. Assistance provided before the agreement was signed would not be counted. Unlike an earlier draft, the deal would not conflict with Ukraine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-union-united-nations-trump-russia-ukraine-02dadb854440861864733211e687b9b5">path toward European Union membership</a>&nbsp;— a key provision for Kyiv.The Ukrainian Cabinet approved the agreement Wednesday, empowering Svyrydenko to sign it in Washington. The deal still needs to be ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament before it can take effect.WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Ukraine announced on Wednesday an economic agreement after a weekslong press by President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-meeting-stocks-detainees-rubio-musk-3fdf4f5019bf5b578c466e32aee2ae79">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Ukraine to compensate Washington for billions in military and economic assistance to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a video posted to X that “this partnership allows the United States to invest alongside Ukraine, to unlock Ukraine’s growth assets, mobilize American talent, capital and governance standards that will improve Ukraine’s investment climate and accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery.”The announcement comes at a critical moment in the war as Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with leaders of Russia and Ukraine with the brutal fighting dragging on.The American president has criticized his Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for steps that he said were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-peace-talks-london-4f35dc70f521e2363218f4c40748caba">prolonging the killing,</a>&nbsp;and he has rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin for complicating negotiations with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-fb61625d2dee8b1917bb3522e73c2166">“very bad timing”</a>&nbsp;in launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-strike-913ca4a6b4e624ed50e6c1018576a8ad">deadly strikes</a>&nbsp;on Kyiv.Trump on Saturday met with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral.Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko in a post on X celebrated the breakthrough.“Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment to our country," she said.The two sides offered only barebone details about the structure of the deal, but it is expected to give the U.S. access to its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-zelenskyy-deal-minerals-ukraine-investment-fund-d8e03ddc86510cd4c4acca1fcb6fe253">valuable rare minerals</a>&nbsp;in the hopes of ensuring&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-europe-rare-earth-russia-war-9af06a9f17dbaa49a05dcba3a3363977">continued American support</a>&nbsp;for Kyiv in its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">grinding war with Russia</a>.Ukraine's economy minister and deputy prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, flew to Washington on Wednesday to help finalize the deal, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said during an appearance on Ukrainian television. Although the main part of the agreement had been settled, there were still hurdles to overcome, said a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.For Ukraine, the agreement is seen as key to ensuring its access to future U.S. military aid.“Truly, this is a strategic deal for the creation of an investment partner fund,” Shmyhal said. "This is truly an equal and good international deal on joint investment in the development and restoration of Ukraine between the governments of the United States and Ukraine.”Trump began his push for a deal in February that he wanted access to Ukraine’s rare earth materials as a condition for continued U.S. support in the war, describing it as reimbursement for the billions of dollars in aid the U.S. has given to Kyiv.But talks stalled after a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-security-guarantees-trump-meeting-washington-eebdf97b663c2cdc9e51fa346b09591d">tense Oval Office meeting</a>&nbsp;of U.S. and Ukrainian leaders, and reaching an agreement since then has proven difficult and strained relations between Washington and Kyiv.Negotiations appeared to drag on till shortly before the two sides confirmed an agreement had been signed off on the deal.Earlier Wednesday, Bessent said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House — hours after Ukrainian officials indicated a deal was nearly finalized — that there was still work to do.“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes," Bessent said when asked about reports that Ukraine was ready to agree to the pact. "We’re sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.”He didn't elaborate as to the late changes he said Ukraine made.The U.S. has been seeking access to more than 20 raw materials deemed strategically critical to its interests, including some non-minerals such as oil and natural gas. Among them are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-trump-united-states-ukraine-minerals-57c6c566b330c8941a3ba6a7d5f8dd2f">Ukraine's deposits of titanium</a>, which is used for making aircraft wings and other aerospace manufacturing, and uranium, which is used for nuclear power, medical equipment and weapons. Ukraine also has lithium, graphite and manganese, which are used in electric vehicle batteries.After Kyiv felt the initial U.S. draft of the deal disproportionately favored American interests, it introduced new provisions aimed at addressing those concerns.According to Shmyhal, the latest version would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to a joint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S. military aid would count toward the American share. Assistance provided before the agreement was signed would not be counted. Unlike an earlier draft, the deal would not conflict with Ukraine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-union-united-nations-trump-russia-ukraine-02dadb854440861864733211e687b9b5">path toward European Union membership</a>&nbsp;— a key provision for Kyiv.The Ukrainian Cabinet approved the agreement Wednesday, empowering Svyrydenko to sign it in Washington. Once signed by both sides, the deal would need to be ratified by the Ukrainian Parliament before it could take effect.<h2>Putin wants answers before committing to a ceasefire</h2>The negotiations come amid rocky progress in Washington's push to stop the war.Putin backs calls for a ceasefire before peace negotiations, “but before it’s done, it’s necessary to answer a few questions and sort out a few nuances,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin is also ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions to seek a peace deal, he added.“We realize that Washington wants to achieve quick progress, but we hope for understanding that the Ukrainian crisis settlement is far too complex to be done quickly,” Peskov said during his daily conference call with reporters.Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ukraine-gaza-russia-100-days-ad7af3502370f1743e28690ac0ce2a17">expressed frustration</a>&nbsp;over the slow pace of progress in negotiations aimed at stopping the war. Western European leaders have accused Putin of stalling while his forces seek to grab more Ukrainian land. Russia has captured nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory since Moscow's forces launched a full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.Trump has long dismissed the war as a waste of lives and American taxpayer money — a complaint he repeated Wednesday during his Cabinet meeting. That could spell an end to crucial military help for Ukraine and heavier economic sanctions on Russia.<h2>US wants both sides to speed things up</h2>The U.S. State Department on Tuesday tried again to push both sides to move more quickly and warned that the U.S. could pull out of the negotiations if there's no progress.“We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict," department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce quoted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as telling her.Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day ceasefire, making it conditional on a halt to Ukraine’s mobilization effort and Western arms supplies to Kyiv.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Wednesday that Ukraine had accepted an unconditional truce only because it was being pushed back on the battlefield, where the bigger Russian forces have the upper hand.<h2>UN says Ukrainian civilian casualties are on the rise</h2>Meanwhile, Ukrainian civilians have been killed or wounded in attacks every day this year, according to a U.N. report presented Tuesday in New York.The U.N. Human Rights Office said in the report that in the first three months of this year, it had verified 2,641 civilian casualties in Ukraine. That was almost 900 more than during the same period last year.Also, between April 1-24, civilian casualties in Ukraine were up 46% from the same weeks in 2024, it said.The daily grind of the war shows no sign of letting up. A nighttime Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kharkiv">second-largest city, Kharkiv,</a>&nbsp;wounded at least 45 civilians, Ukrainian officials said.Also Wednesday, the Ukrainian Security Service claimed its drones struck the Murom Instrument Engineering Plant in Russia’s Vladimir region overnight, causing five explosions and a fire at the military facility. The claim could not be independently verified.___

 🎥Ukraine signs deal to give US access to rare minerals

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have been fined $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 as a result of Ulbrich’s son participating in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shedeur-sanders-prank-call-atlanta-falcons-b411537e3601f970ca8abc5b7c0b524d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">prank call to Shedeur Sanders</a>&nbsp;during the NFL draft.

The NFL confirmed the fines on Wednesday for the roles the Falcons and Ulbrich played in failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club ahead of the draft.

The Falcons, who disclosed the role of Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son Jax in the prank call as the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was waiting for his name to be called in the draft, said they accept the discipline from the league.

At a news conference, Jeff Ulbrich apologized to Shedeur Sanders, his family, Falcons owner Arthur Blank and the rest of the organization.

“My actions — my actions — of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable," Ulbrich said. "My son's actions were absolutely inexcusable, and for that we are both deeply sorry. The NFL has taken action and I fully respect the punishment. We take full responsibility, my son and myself, and we will not be appealing the fine in any way. Going forward I promise my son and I will work hard to demonstrate we are better than this.”

The Falcons said in a statement that they appreciated the NFL's “swift and thorough review” of the matter.

“We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization," the statement said. "We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises.”

The Falcons also said the Ulbrich family “is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter."

On Sunday, the Falcons said in a statement that Jax Ulbrich “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call.”

Jax Ulbrich was sitting beside an unidentified friend who actually made the call to Sanders on Friday, the second day of the draft. Sanders, a standout quarterback from Colorado, is the son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, who began his NFL career with the Falcons.

Sanders, who entered the draft expecting to be a first-round pick, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-draft-sanders-ward-browns-e2b80fcf289da3a6b68ca1e45ef270ab">selected Saturday in the fifth round</a>&nbsp;by the Cleveland Browns.

The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. He said he made the Falcons aware of the situation and then got hold of the Sanders family to apologize.

“The Sanders family, Shedeur and Coach Sanders, were amazingly gracious. More gracious than they needed to be in a moment like this,” Ulbrich said.

The team also offered “sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family.” And Jax Ulbrich posted a public apology on social media.

The NFL continues to investigate prank calls made to other players during the NFL draft. The Associated Press reported Tuesday the call to Shedeur Sanders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-draft-prank-call-shedeur-sanders-027749fcb71bafa5ff44b73bd4a03d03?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">wasn’t related</a>&nbsp;to the other prank calls.

Abdul Carter, Tyler Warren, Kyle McCord, Mason Graham and Chase Lundt also have reported receiving prank calls.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746050034324.png" alt="At a news conference, Jeff Ulbrich apologized to Shedeur Sanders, his family, Falcons owner Arthur Blank and the rest of the organization.&nbsp;-image from Falcons video" />
 <figcaption>At a news conference, Jeff Ulbrich apologized to Shedeur Sanders, his family, Falcons owner Arthur Blank and the rest of the organization.&nbsp;-image from Falcons video</figcaption>
 </figure>ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have been fined $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been fined $100,000 as a result of Ulbrich’s son participating in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shedeur-sanders-prank-call-atlanta-falcons-b411537e3601f970ca8abc5b7c0b524d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">prank call to Shedeur Sanders</a>&nbsp;during the NFL draft.The NFL confirmed the fines on Wednesday for the roles the Falcons and Ulbrich played in failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club ahead of the draft.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746049847458.png" alt="Shedeur Sanders image courtesy University of Colorado video" />
 <figcaption>Shedeur Sanders image courtesy University of Colorado video</figcaption>
 </figure>The Falcons, who disclosed the role of Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son Jax in the prank call as the son of Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was waiting for his name to be called in the draft, said they accept the discipline from the league.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich said he was “shocked” and tried to get in touch with Sanders family when he learned his son was involved in prank call. Sanders family “ were amazingly gracious… More gracious than they needed to be in a moment like this” <a href="https://t.co/RYH4pzUjeD">pic.twitter.com/RYH4pzUjeD</a>&mdash; Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachKleinWSB/status/1917641898547687689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>At a news conference, Jeff Ulbrich apologized to Shedeur Sanders, his family, Falcons owner Arthur Blank and the rest of the organization.“My actions — my actions — of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable," Ulbrich said. "My son's actions were absolutely inexcusable, and for that we are both deeply sorry. The NFL has taken action and I fully respect the punishment. We take full responsibility, my son and myself, and we will not be appealing the fine in any way. Going forward I promise my son and I will work hard to demonstrate we are better than this.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746050693321.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Falcons said in a statement that they appreciated the NFL's “swift and thorough review” of the matter.“We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization," the statement said. "We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises.”The Falcons also said the Ulbrich family “is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter."On Sunday, the Falcons said in a statement that Jax Ulbrich “unintentionally came across the draft contact phone number for Shedeur Sanders off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call.”Jax Ulbrich was sitting beside an unidentified friend who actually made the call to Sanders on Friday, the second day of the draft. Sanders, a standout quarterback from Colorado, is the son of Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, who began his NFL career with the Falcons.Sanders, who entered the draft expecting to be a first-round pick, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-draft-sanders-ward-browns-e2b80fcf289da3a6b68ca1e45ef270ab">selected Saturday in the fifth round</a>&nbsp;by the Cleveland Browns.The Falcons said Jeff Ulbrich was unaware of the data exposure or the prank until after the fact. He said he made the Falcons aware of the situation and then got hold of the Sanders family to apologize.“The Sanders family, Shedeur and Coach Sanders, were amazingly gracious. More gracious than they needed to be in a moment like this,” Ulbrich said.The team also offered “sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family.” And Jax Ulbrich posted a public apology on social media.The NFL continues to investigate prank calls made to other players during the NFL draft. The Associated Press reported Tuesday the call to Shedeur Sanders&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-draft-prank-call-shedeur-sanders-027749fcb71bafa5ff44b73bd4a03d03?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">wasn’t related</a>&nbsp;to the other prank calls.Abdul Carter, Tyler Warren, Kyle McCord, Mason Graham and Chase Lundt also have reported receiving prank calls.___

🎥NFL: Massive fines for prank call during NFL draft

WASHINGTON (AP) —Chinese state media reported Wednesday that some Chinese toy exporters have been notified by Walmart and Target to resume partial shipments and that the U.S. businesses have agreed to shoulder the extra tariff costs.

The report came after Beijing in March summoned Walmart executives for allegedly pressuring Chinese suppliers to absorb tariff costs. One Chinese exporter named Cheng Zhengren told Beijing News he expects to make a shipment in a week or so.

“Without us, what do they have to sell?” the Chinese exporter told the newspaper. “Their shelves would be empty.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —Chinese state media reported Wednesday that some Chinese toy exporters have been notified by Walmart and Target to resume partial shipments and that the U.S. businesses have agreed to shoulder the extra tariff costs.The report came after Beijing in March summoned Walmart executives for allegedly pressuring Chinese suppliers to absorb tariff costs. One Chinese exporter named Cheng Zhengren told Beijing News he expects to make a shipment in a week or so.“Without us, what do they have to sell?” the Chinese exporter told the newspaper. “Their shelves would be empty.”

Walmart and Target agree to absorb tariffs, ask suppliers to resume shipments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The only Black, all-female unit to serve in Europe during World War II, known as the “Six Triple Eight,” was honored Tuesday with the Congressional Gold Medal, following a long-running campaign to recognize their efforts.

The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was credited with solving a growing mail crisis during its stint in England and, upon their return, serving as a role model to generations of Black women who joined the military.

They cleared out a backlog of about 17 million pieces of mail in three months, twice as fast as projected. The battalion would go on to serve in France before returning home. And like many Black units during World War II, their exploits never got the attention afforded their white counterparts — until now.

House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-recess-congress-no-town-halls-de45284c77fbc54a13c7090f75994674">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;presented the medal to the family of the unit commander, Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, during a ceremony in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center. More than 300 descendants of the women who served in the battalion were in attendance.

“This ceremony reflects one of the highest and most cherished traditions of our republic, one that's roots stretch back all the way to General George Washington,” Johnson said.

“The Six Triple Eight are great American patriots, loyal to a nation that, for far too long, failed to return the favor. And I’m glad to say that’s changing, and we’re doing that here today," he said.

Stanley Earley III, the son of the battalion’s commander, was among the speakers at the ceremony. He called the women who served “true examples of American excellence.”

“These soldiers exemplified determination in the face of adversity and demonstrated the ability to go beyond what was thought to be possible," Earley said.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://history.army.mil/html/topics/afam/6888thPBn/index.html">6888th</a>&nbsp;was sent overseas in 1945, a time when there was growing pressure from African American organizations to include Black women in what was called the Women’s Army Corps, and allow them to join their white counterparts overseas.

The 6888th toiled around the clock, processing about 65,000 pieces of mail in each of the three shifts. They created a system using locator cards with service members’ names and unit numbers to ensure mail was delivered.

“I don’t know if any of the letters between my mom and dad passed through the hands of the Six Triple Eight, but I do know that the work they did made it possible for millions of young men like my dad to keep up the fight,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, who recounted meeting five of the battalion members in 2018. Moran, a Republican from Kansas, co-sponsored the medal legislation in the Senate.

“When these women returned home, there was no parade to greet them. No one lined the streets to thank them for their service. That ain’t right. And we’re trying to correct it today,” Moran said.

The unit’s story has gained wider recognition in recent years. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.womenofthe6888th.org/the-6888th-monument">monument was erected in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth</a>, Kansas, to honor them, and the 6888th was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019. A documentary&nbsp;<a href="http://lincolnpennyfilms.com/index.php/the-six-triple-eight/">“The Six Triple Eight”</a>&nbsp;was made about their exploits. In 2024,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tyler-perry">Tyler Perry</a>&nbsp;directed a movie for Netflix about the unit,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/kerry-washington-tyler-perry-washington-movies-3e2958bcd5d5433ab1d9fcc475f5bf37">starring Kerry Washington.</a>

The Senate voted to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal, its highest honor, on the 6888th in 2021, and the House followed in early 2022. Reflecting wide bipartisan support, leaders of both parties spoke at Tuesday's ceremony.

Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore, who co-sponsored the legislation to award the medal, called the recognition long overdue.

“This ceremony is a fitting end to a long journey to make sure that we do not forget their service," said Moore, who represents one of the two living members of the battalion.

“They did it for the love of country. And the story reminds us so much that while there’s much that divides our country today, there’s even more than joins us together, like a commitment to service, a commitment to doing something bigger than yourself, to live and volunteer, to go into service in a war zone, even in the face of segregation at home,” Moore said.

The AP&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-congress-a801e5e329c274efac243fcdaf1984e4">spoke with</a>&nbsp;one of the women who served in the battalion, Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, after the congressional vote in 2022. McClendon joined the Air Force after the military was integrated and retired in 1971. She was the first female to command an all-male squadron with the Strategic Air Command.

“It’s overwhelming,” McClendon said of the medal. “It’s something I never even thought about it.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746031462108.png" alt="FILE - In this image provided by the National Archives, members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-female, all-Black unit formed during World War II, are shown in an undated Department of Defense photo. (National Archives via AP, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - In this image provided by the National Archives, members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-female, all-Black unit formed during World War II, are shown in an undated Department of Defense photo. (National Archives via AP, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The only Black, all-female unit to serve in Europe during World War II, known as the “Six Triple Eight,” was honored Tuesday with the Congressional Gold Medal, following a long-running campaign to recognize their efforts.The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion was credited with solving a growing mail crisis during its stint in England and, upon their return, serving as a role model to generations of Black women who joined the military.They cleared out a backlog of about 17 million pieces of mail in three months, twice as fast as projected. The battalion would go on to serve in France before returning home. And like many Black units during World War II, their exploits never got the attention afforded their white counterparts — until now.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/41dH-Ghf5xI?si=QYjTZCU0ojfebW0r&amp;start=1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Yesterday, a Congressional Gold Medal was presented to the members of the Women’s Army Corps who were assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the “Six Triple Eight.” <a href="https://t.co/8WgFMxzDQb">pic.twitter.com/8WgFMxzDQb</a>&mdash; United States Mint (@usmint) <a href="https://twitter.com/usmint/status/1917596382891835397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/republicans-recess-congress-no-town-halls-de45284c77fbc54a13c7090f75994674">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;presented the medal to the family of the unit commander, Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, during a ceremony in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center. More than 300 descendants of the women who served in the battalion were in attendance.“This ceremony reflects one of the highest and most cherished traditions of our republic, one that's roots stretch back all the way to General George Washington,” Johnson said.“The Six Triple Eight are great American patriots, loyal to a nation that, for far too long, failed to return the favor. And I’m glad to say that’s changing, and we’re doing that here today," he said.Stanley Earley III, the son of the battalion’s commander, was among the speakers at the ceremony. He called the women who served “true examples of American excellence.”“These soldiers exemplified determination in the face of adversity and demonstrated the ability to go beyond what was thought to be possible," Earley said.The&nbsp;<a href="https://history.army.mil/html/topics/afam/6888thPBn/index.html">6888th</a>&nbsp;was sent overseas in 1945, a time when there was growing pressure from African American organizations to include Black women in what was called the Women’s Army Corps, and allow them to join their white counterparts overseas.The 6888th toiled around the clock, processing about 65,000 pieces of mail in each of the three shifts. They created a system using locator cards with service members’ names and unit numbers to ensure mail was delivered.“I don’t know if any of the letters between my mom and dad passed through the hands of the Six Triple Eight, but I do know that the work they did made it possible for millions of young men like my dad to keep up the fight,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, who recounted meeting five of the battalion members in 2018. Moran, a Republican from Kansas, co-sponsored the medal legislation in the Senate.“When these women returned home, there was no parade to greet them. No one lined the streets to thank them for their service. That ain’t right. And we’re trying to correct it today,” Moran said.The unit’s story has gained wider recognition in recent years. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.womenofthe6888th.org/the-6888th-monument">monument was erected in 2018 at Fort Leavenworth</a>, Kansas, to honor them, and the 6888th was given the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 2019. A documentary&nbsp;<a href="http://lincolnpennyfilms.com/index.php/the-six-triple-eight/">“The Six Triple Eight”</a>&nbsp;was made about their exploits. In 2024,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tyler-perry">Tyler Perry</a>&nbsp;directed a movie for Netflix about the unit,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/kerry-washington-tyler-perry-washington-movies-3e2958bcd5d5433ab1d9fcc475f5bf37">starring Kerry Washington.</a>The Senate voted to bestow the Congressional Gold Medal, its highest honor, on the 6888th in 2021, and the House followed in early 2022. Reflecting wide bipartisan support, leaders of both parties spoke at Tuesday's ceremony.Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore, who co-sponsored the legislation to award the medal, called the recognition long overdue.“This ceremony is a fitting end to a long journey to make sure that we do not forget their service," said Moore, who represents one of the two living members of the battalion.“They did it for the love of country. And the story reminds us so much that while there’s much that divides our country today, there’s even more than joins us together, like a commitment to service, a commitment to doing something bigger than yourself, to live and volunteer, to go into service in a war zone, even in the face of segregation at home,” Moore said.The AP&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-congress-a801e5e329c274efac243fcdaf1984e4">spoke with</a>&nbsp;one of the women who served in the battalion, Maj. Fannie Griffin McClendon, after the congressional vote in 2022. McClendon joined the Air Force after the military was integrated and retired in 1971. She was the first female to command an all-male squadron with the Strategic Air Command.“It’s overwhelming,” McClendon said of the medal. “It’s something I never even thought about it.”

🎥Kan. U.S. Senator honors women of “Six Triple Eight” with Congressional Gold Medal

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has begun shedding new light on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-f1-visa-revoked-college-f12320b435b6bf9cf723f1e8eb8c67ae">crackdown on international students</a>, spelling out how it targeted thousands of people and laying out the grounds for terminating their legal status.

The new details emerged in lawsuits filed by some of the students who suddenly had their status canceled in recent weeks with little explanation.

In the past month, foreign students around the U.S. have been rattled to learn their records had been removed from a student database maintained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-visa-status-restraining-order-64a97b4fabc5264ed20b179952cdabff">went into hiding</a>&nbsp;for fear of deportation or abandoned their studies to return home.

On Friday, after mounting court challenges, federal officials said the government was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-status-restored-9e8a7cb90f4193ec52bf06edc5094cd9">restoring international students’ legal status</a>&nbsp;while it developed a framework to guide future terminations. In a court filing Monday, it shared the new policy: a document issued over the weekend with guidance on a range of reasons students’ status can be canceled, including the revocation of the visas they used to enter the U.S.

Brad Banias, an immigration attorney representing a student whose status was terminated, said the new guidelines vastly expand ICE’s authority beyond previous policy, which did not count visa revocation as grounds for losing legal status. In the past, if a student had their visa revoked, they could stay in the U.S. to finish their studies — they simply would not be able to reenter if they left the country.

“This just gave them carte blanche to have the State Department revoke a visa and then deport those students even if they’ve done nothing wrong,” Banias said.

Many of the students who had visas revoked or lost their legal status said they had only minor infractions on their record, including traffic violations. Some did not know why they were targeted at all.

Lawyers for the government provided some explanation at a hearing Tuesday in the case of Banias’ client Akshar Patel, an international student studying information systems in Texas. Patel’s status was terminated — and then reinstated — this month, and he is seeking a preliminary court ruling to keep him from being deported.

In court filings and in the hearing, Department of Homeland Security officials said they ran the names of student visa holders through the National Crime Information Center, an FBI-run database that contains reams of information related to crimes. It includes the names of suspects, missing persons and people who have been arrested, even if they have never been charged with a crime or had charges dropped.

In total, about 6,400 students were identified in the database search, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said in the hearing Tuesday. One of the students was Patel, who had been pulled over and charged with reckless driving in 2018. The charge was ultimately dropped — information that is also in NCIC.

Patel appears in a spreadsheet with 734 students whose names had come up in NCIC. That spreadsheet was forwarded to a Homeland Security official, who, within 24 hours of receiving it, replied: “Please terminate all in SEVIS.” That’s a different database listing foreigners who have legal status as students in the U.S.

Reyes said the short time frame suggested that no one had reviewed the records individually to find out why the students’ names came up in NCIC.

“All of this could have been avoided if someone had taken a beat,” said Reyes, who was appointed by President Joe Biden. She said the government had demonstrated “an utter lack of concern for individuals who have come into this country.”

When colleges discovered the students no longer had legal status, it prompted chaos and confusion. In the past, college officials say, legal statuses typically were updated after colleges told the government the students were no longer studying at the school.

In some cases this spring, colleges told students to stop working or taking classes immediately and warned them they could be deported.

Still, government attorneys said the change in the database did not mean the students actually lost legal status, even though some of the students were labeled “failure to maintain status.” Instead, lawyers said, it was intended to be an “investigative red flag.”

“Mr. Patel is lawfully present in the U.S.,” Andre Watson of the Department of Homeland Security said. “He is not subject to immediate detention or removal.”

Reyes declined to issue a preliminary injunction and urged lawyers from both sides to come to a settlement to ensure Patel could stay in the U.S.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746019461996.png" alt="Student Visa image courtesy SUNY Schenectady" />
 <figcaption>Student Visa image courtesy SUNY Schenectady</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government has begun shedding new light on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-f1-visa-revoked-college-f12320b435b6bf9cf723f1e8eb8c67ae">crackdown on international students</a>, spelling out how it targeted thousands of people and laying out the grounds for terminating their legal status.The new details emerged in lawsuits filed by some of the students who suddenly had their status canceled in recent weeks with little explanation.In the past month, foreign students around the U.S. have been rattled to learn their records had been removed from a student database maintained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-visa-status-restraining-order-64a97b4fabc5264ed20b179952cdabff">went into hiding</a>&nbsp;for fear of deportation or abandoned their studies to return home.On Friday, after mounting court challenges, federal officials said the government was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/international-student-status-restored-9e8a7cb90f4193ec52bf06edc5094cd9">restoring international students’ legal status</a>&nbsp;while it developed a framework to guide future terminations. In a court filing Monday, it shared the new policy: a document issued over the weekend with guidance on a range of reasons students’ status can be canceled, including the revocation of the visas they used to enter the U.S.Brad Banias, an immigration attorney representing a student whose status was terminated, said the new guidelines vastly expand ICE’s authority beyond previous policy, which did not count visa revocation as grounds for losing legal status. In the past, if a student had their visa revoked, they could stay in the U.S. to finish their studies — they simply would not be able to reenter if they left the country.“This just gave them carte blanche to have the State Department revoke a visa and then deport those students even if they’ve done nothing wrong,” Banias said.Many of the students who had visas revoked or lost their legal status said they had only minor infractions on their record, including traffic violations. Some did not know why they were targeted at all.Lawyers for the government provided some explanation at a hearing Tuesday in the case of Banias’ client Akshar Patel, an international student studying information systems in Texas. Patel’s status was terminated — and then reinstated — this month, and he is seeking a preliminary court ruling to keep him from being deported.In court filings and in the hearing, Department of Homeland Security officials said they ran the names of student visa holders through the National Crime Information Center, an FBI-run database that contains reams of information related to crimes. It includes the names of suspects, missing persons and people who have been arrested, even if they have never been charged with a crime or had charges dropped.In total, about 6,400 students were identified in the database search, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said in the hearing Tuesday. One of the students was Patel, who had been pulled over and charged with reckless driving in 2018. The charge was ultimately dropped — information that is also in NCIC.Patel appears in a spreadsheet with 734 students whose names had come up in NCIC. That spreadsheet was forwarded to a Homeland Security official, who, within 24 hours of receiving it, replied: “Please terminate all in SEVIS.” That’s a different database listing foreigners who have legal status as students in the U.S.Reyes said the short time frame suggested that no one had reviewed the records individually to find out why the students’ names came up in NCIC.“All of this could have been avoided if someone had taken a beat,” said Reyes, who was appointed by President Joe Biden. She said the government had demonstrated “an utter lack of concern for individuals who have come into this country.”When colleges discovered the students no longer had legal status, it prompted chaos and confusion. In the past, college officials say, legal statuses typically were updated after colleges told the government the students were no longer studying at the school.In some cases this spring, colleges told students to stop working or taking classes immediately and warned them they could be deported.Still, government attorneys said the change in the database did not mean the students actually lost legal status, even though some of the students were labeled “failure to maintain status.” Instead, lawyers said, it was intended to be an “investigative red flag.”“Mr. Patel is lawfully present in the U.S.,” Andre Watson of the Department of Homeland Security said. “He is not subject to immediate detention or removal.”Reyes declined to issue a preliminary injunction and urged lawyers from both sides to come to a settlement to ensure Patel could stay in the U.S.____

US government has new policy for terminating international students’ legal status

TOPEKA —The Kansas Department of Health on Wednesday reported nine new case of measles over the past week in the state.&nbsp;

Kansas has 46 cases in eight counties in the southwest part of the state as of Wednesday, including Morton Stevens, Haskell, Kiowa, Grant, Finney, Ford and Gray counties.  One person remains hospitalized, according to the KDHE.

The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a">states with active outbreaks</a>&nbsp;— defined as three or more cases — include Indiana,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas</a>, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

North America has two other ongoing outbreaks. One in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/M/24/measles-ontario-epi-summary.pdf?rev=323859266e21469b8b97a294d6c6f98e&amp;sc_lang=en">1,020 cases</a>&nbsp;from mid-October through Wednesday. And as of Tuesday, the Mexican state of Chihuahua state had 761 measles cases and one death, according to data from the state health ministry. The World Health Organization has said cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON561">Mexico</a>&nbsp;are linked to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-measles-outbreak-rfk-jr-ben-edwards-2dd7c79d47c64ad2e6d4a4ac3c87ec1f">Texas outbreak</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">Measles</a>&nbsp;is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.

As the virus takes hold in other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">U.S. communities with low vaccination rates</a>, health experts fear the virus that the spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-outbreak-mmr-vaccine-6cfda9a944084c390bc70f0e7a37a426">could stretch on for a year</a>. Here's what else you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">need to know about measles in the U.S.</a>

How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?

Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 17 new cases of measles since Friday, bringing the total to 663&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">across 26 counties</a>&nbsp;— most of them in West Texas. The state also added 23 hospitalizations to its count Tuesday saying they were from earlier in the outbreak, for a total of 87 hospitalizations.

<a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025">State health officials estimated</a>&nbsp;about 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious.

Sixty percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 396 cases since late January — just over 1.5% of the county's residents.

The April 3 death in Texas was an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">8-year-old child,</a>&nbsp;according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health officials in Texas said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas</a>&nbsp;in late February — Kennedy said age 6.

New Mexico announced one new case Friday, bringing the state’s total to 66. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Three are in Eddy County and Chaves and Doña Ana counties have one each.

State health officials say the cases are linked to Texas’ outbreak based on genetic testing. New Mexico reported a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">measles-related death in an adult</a>&nbsp;on March 6.

Indiana confirmed two more cases April 21 in an outbreak that has sickened eight in Allen County in the northeast part of the state — five are unvaccinated minors and three are adults whose vaccination status is unknown. The cases have no known link to other outbreaks, the Allen County Department of Health said last week.

Montcalm County, near Grand Rapids in western Michigan, has four linked measles cases. State health officials say the cases are tied to Canada’s large outbreak in Ontario. The state has nine confirmed measles cases as of Friday, but the remaining four are not part of the Montcalm County outbreak.

Montana state health officials announced five cases April 17 in unvaccinated children and adults who had traveled out of state, and confirmed it was an outbreak on Monday. All five are isolating at home in Gallatin County in the southwest part of the state.

They are Montana’s first measles cases in 35 years. Health officials didn’t say whether the cases are linked to other outbreaks in North America.

The Ohio Department of Health confirmed 32 measles cases in the state Thursday, and one hospitalization. The state count includes only Ohio residents. There are 16 cases in Ashtabula County near Cleveland, 14 in Knox County and one each in Allen and Holmes counties.

Health officials in Knox County, in east-central Ohio, said there are a total of 20 people with measles, but seven of them do not live in the state.

Oklahoma added two cases Tuesday: 12 confirmed and three probable. The first two probable cases were “associated” with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks, the state health department said. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases, but Cleveland, Custer, Oklahoma and Sequoyah counties have had public exposures in the past couple of months.

How many cases are there in Pennsylvania?

There are eight measles cases in Erie County in far northwest Pennsylvania, officials said Friday. The county declared an outbreak in mid-April. The state said Friday it has 13 cases overall in 2025, including international travel-related cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/documents/2025%20HAN/2025-787-3-13-ADV-%20Measles.pdf">Montgomery County and one in Philadelphia</a>.

Tennessee has six measles cases as of Thursday. Health department spokesman Bill Christian said all cases are the middle part of the state, and that “at least three of these cases are linked to each other” but declined to specify further. The state also did not say whether the cases were linked to other outbreaks or when Tennessee's outbreak started.

The state health department announced the state's first measles case March 21, three more on April 1 and the last two on April 17, but none of the news releases declared an outbreak. Tennessee is on a list of outbreak states in a Thursday CDC report.

Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?

There have been 884 cases in 2025 as of Friday, according to the CDC. Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-asia-measles-rates-unicef-who-report-2f888732cc297090238956986fd89cc4">someone who caught the disease abroad</a>. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.

What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?

The best way to avoid measles is to get the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vaccines/mmr.html">measles, mumps and rubella</a>&nbsp;vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.

People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because most children back then had measles and now have “presumptive immunity.”

In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”

But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. The U.S. saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-cdc-outbreak-chicago-mmr-vaccine-7ecdfef41e6dbd659c7ac8b80d5de38f">a rise in measles cases in 2024</a>, including an outbreak in Chicago that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-chicago-migrant-shelter-cdc-e58517c830f73e42266d45d45983c12b">sickened more than 60.</a>

Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.

The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746029051667.png" alt="KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA —The Kansas Department of Health on Wednesday reported nine new case of measles over the past week in the state.&nbsp;Kansas has 46 cases in eight counties in the southwest part of the state as of Wednesday, including Morton Stevens, Haskell, Kiowa, Grant, Finney, Ford and Gray counties. One person remains hospitalized, according to the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746027333296.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746025869424.png" alt="KDHE map" />
 <figcaption>KDHE map</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/4/1746026380664.png" alt="KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>The state's first reported case, identified in Stevens County on March 13, is linked to the Texas and New Mexico outbreaks based on genetic testing, a state health department spokesperson said. But health officials have not determined how the person was exposed.Other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a">states with active outbreaks</a>&nbsp;— defined as three or more cases — include Indiana,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/aP4Au/?v=3">Kansas</a>, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.North America has two other ongoing outbreaks. One in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/Documents/M/24/measles-ontario-epi-summary.pdf?rev=323859266e21469b8b97a294d6c6f98e&amp;sc_lang=en">1,020 cases</a>&nbsp;from mid-October through Wednesday. And as of Tuesday, the Mexican state of Chihuahua state had 761 measles cases and one death, according to data from the state health ministry. The World Health Organization has said cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON561">Mexico</a>&nbsp;are linked to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-measles-outbreak-rfk-jr-ben-edwards-2dd7c79d47c64ad2e6d4a4ac3c87ec1f">Texas outbreak</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-mmr-outbreak-vaccines-408371700e3ab548777bf0354e586549">Measles</a>&nbsp;is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.As the virus takes hold in other&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-vaccines-funding-cuts-5785985d6b74024b0502f6a2fc1576e2">U.S. communities with low vaccination rates</a>, health experts fear the virus that the spread&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-new-mexico-outbreak-mmr-vaccine-6cfda9a944084c390bc70f0e7a37a426">could stretch on for a year</a>. Here's what else you&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-rfk-vaccines-8cf4641b04731c713edb524ca943490c">need to know about measles in the U.S.</a><h2>How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?</h2>Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 17 new cases of measles since Friday, bringing the total to 663&nbsp;<a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sxSwi/?v=7">across 26 counties</a>&nbsp;— most of them in West Texas. The state also added 23 hospitalizations to its count Tuesday saying they were from earlier in the outbreak, for a total of 87 hospitalizations.<a href="https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/measles-outbreak-2025">State health officials estimated</a>&nbsp;about 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — are actively infectious.Sixty percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, population 22,892, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 396 cases since late January — just over 1.5% of the county's residents.The April 3 death in Texas was an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-texas-rfk-death-vaccine-4e28b0edf5cab47980b40b2d47f0ec50">8-year-old child,</a>&nbsp;according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Health officials in Texas said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of “what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.” A unvaccinated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-west-texas-death-rfk-41adc66641e4a56ce2b2677480031ab9">child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas</a>&nbsp;in late February — Kennedy said age 6.New Mexico announced one new case Friday, bringing the state’s total to 66. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Three are in Eddy County and Chaves and Doña Ana counties have one each.State health officials say the cases are linked to Texas’ outbreak based on genetic testing. New Mexico reported a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-death-new-mexico-texas-outbreak-b9aef6fdd51fbb4ebd1ce9ce28e33299">measles-related death in an adult</a>&nbsp;on March 6.<h2>How many cases are there in Indiana?</h2>Indiana confirmed two more cases April 21 in an outbreak that has sickened eight in Allen County in the northeast part of the state — five are unvaccinated minors and three are adults whose vaccination status is unknown. The cases have no known link to other outbreaks, the Allen County Department of Health said last week.<h2>How many cases are there in Michigan?</h2>Montcalm County, near Grand Rapids in western Michigan, has four linked measles cases. State health officials say the cases are tied to Canada’s large outbreak in Ontario. The state has nine confirmed measles cases as of Friday, but the remaining four are not part of the Montcalm County outbreak.<h2>How many cases are there in Montana?</h2>Montana state health officials announced five cases April 17 in unvaccinated children and adults who had traveled out of state, and confirmed it was an outbreak on Monday. All five are isolating at home in Gallatin County in the southwest part of the state.They are Montana’s first measles cases in 35 years. Health officials didn’t say whether the cases are linked to other outbreaks in North America.<h2>How many cases are there in Ohio?</h2>The Ohio Department of Health confirmed 32 measles cases in the state Thursday, and one hospitalization. The state count includes only Ohio residents. There are 16 cases in Ashtabula County near Cleveland, 14 in Knox County and one each in Allen and Holmes counties.Health officials in Knox County, in east-central Ohio, said there are a total of 20 people with measles, but seven of them do not live in the state.<h2>How many cases are there in Oklahoma?</h2>Oklahoma added two cases Tuesday: 12 confirmed and three probable. The first two probable cases were “associated” with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks, the state health department said. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases, but Cleveland, Custer, Oklahoma and Sequoyah counties have had public exposures in the past couple of months.<h2>How many cases are there in Pennsylvania?</h2>There are eight measles cases in Erie County in far northwest Pennsylvania, officials said Friday. The county declared an outbreak in mid-April. The state said Friday it has 13 cases overall in 2025, including international travel-related cases in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/health/documents/topics/documents/2025%20HAN/2025-787-3-13-ADV-%20Measles.pdf">Montgomery County and one in Philadelphia</a>.<h2>How many cases are there in Tennessee?</h2>Tennessee has six measles cases as of Thursday. Health department spokesman Bill Christian said all cases are the middle part of the state, and that “at least three of these cases are linked to each other” but declined to specify further. The state also did not say whether the cases were linked to other outbreaks or when Tennessee's outbreak started.The state health department announced the state's first measles case March 21, three more on April 1 and the last two on April 17, but none of the news releases declared an outbreak. Tennessee is on a list of outbreak states in a Thursday CDC report.<h2>Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?</h2>There have been 884 cases in 2025 as of Friday, according to the CDC. Measles cases also have been reported in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-asia-measles-rates-unicef-who-report-2f888732cc297090238956986fd89cc4">someone who caught the disease abroad</a>. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.<h2>What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine?</h2>The best way to avoid measles is to get the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vaccines/mmr.html">measles, mumps and rubella</a>&nbsp;vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said.People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don’t need the shots because most children back then had measles and now have “presumptive immunity.”In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. The U.S. saw&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-cdc-outbreak-chicago-mmr-vaccine-7ecdfef41e6dbd659c7ac8b80d5de38f">a rise in measles cases in 2024</a>, including an outbreak in Chicago that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/measles-chicago-migrant-shelter-cdc-e58517c830f73e42266d45d45983c12b">sickened more than 60.</a><h2>What are the symptoms of measles?</h2>Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/measles/signs-symptoms/index.html">dangerous complications</a>&nbsp;such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.<h2>How can you treat measles?</h2>