WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will release $1.3 billion in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-education-summer-school-english-language-grants-fac670e8f60fab397fbd68dfed866ea1">previously withheld grant money</a>&nbsp;for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Trump administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states.

President Donald Trump’s administration on July 1 withheld more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, adult literacy and English language instruction, part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities.

In a letter sent Wednesday, Republican senators said the withheld money supported programs that had longstanding bipartisan support and were critical to local communities. The money had been appropriated by Congress in a bill that was signed by Trump.

“We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-education-grant-funding-immigration-093aa36735f5d50de7406ee8465e1729">radical left-wing programs</a>,” the senators wrote to the Office of Management and Budget. “However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.”

The administration's review of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which support after-school and summer programming, has been completed, a senior official said Friday. The person declined to be identified so they could share progress from the review. That funding will be released to states, the official said. The rest of the withheld grants, close to $5 billion, continues to be reviewed for bias by the Office of Management and Budget.

Without the money, school districts and nonprofits such as the YMCA and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boys-girls-club-trump-grant-freeze-6f5bd3204d2973784d466e3f0fdb38b4">Boys and Girls Club of America</a>&nbsp;had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall.

The money being released Friday pays for free programming before and after school and during the summer. The programs provide child care so low-income parents can work, and they give options to families who live in rural areas with few other child care providers. Beyond just child care, kids receive reading and math help at the programs, along with enrichment in science and the arts.

Despite the money's release Friday, schools and nonprofits have already been disrupted by two weeks of uncertainty. Some programs have made plans to close, and others have fallen behind on hiring and contracting for the fall.

“While we are thrilled the funds will be made available," said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, “the administration’s inexplicable delay in disbursing them caused massive chaos and harm." Many after-school programs had canceled plans to open in the fall, she said.

On Monday, more than 20 states had filed a lawsuit challenging the $6 billion funding freeze, including the money for English language instruction, teacher development and adult literacy that remains on hold. The lawsuit, led by California, argued withholding the money was unconstitutional and many low-income families would lose access to critical after-school care if the grants were not released.

David Schuler, executive director of AASA, an association of school superintendents, praised the release of after-school money but said that the remaining education funding should not be withheld.

“Districts should not be in this impossible position where the Administration is denying funds that had already been appropriated to our public schools, by Congress,” Schuler said in a statement. “The remaining funds must be released immediately — America’s children are counting on it.”

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees education spending, led the letter sent this week by Republican senators, protesting the funding freeze. The letter called for the rest of the money to be released, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language.

“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states,” the senators wrote. “This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent.”

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, called on the White House to release the rest of the money.

“At this very moment, schools nationwide are crunching the numbers to figure out how many teachers they will need to lay off as Trump continues to hold up billions in funding,” Murray said Friday in a statement. “Every penny of this funding must flow immediately.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752591280762.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will release $1.3 billion in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-education-summer-school-english-language-grants-fac670e8f60fab397fbd68dfed866ea1">previously withheld grant money</a>&nbsp;for after-school programs, days after 10 Republican senators sent a letter imploring the Trump administration to allow frozen education money to be sent to states.President Donald Trump’s administration on July 1 withheld more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, adult literacy and English language instruction, part of a review to ensure spending aligned with the White House’s priorities.In a letter sent Wednesday, Republican senators said the withheld money supported programs that had longstanding bipartisan support and were critical to local communities. The money had been appropriated by Congress in a bill that was signed by Trump.“We share your concern about taxpayer money going to fund&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-education-grant-funding-immigration-093aa36735f5d50de7406ee8465e1729">radical left-wing programs</a>,” the senators wrote to the Office of Management and Budget. “However, we do not believe that is happening with these funds.”The administration's review of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which support after-school and summer programming, has been completed, a senior official said Friday. The person declined to be identified so they could share progress from the review. That funding will be released to states, the official said. The rest of the withheld grants, close to $5 billion, continues to be reviewed for bias by the Office of Management and Budget.Without the money, school districts and nonprofits such as the YMCA and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boys-girls-club-trump-grant-freeze-6f5bd3204d2973784d466e3f0fdb38b4">Boys and Girls Club of America</a>&nbsp;had said they would have to close or scale back educational offerings this fall.The money being released Friday pays for free programming before and after school and during the summer. The programs provide child care so low-income parents can work, and they give options to families who live in rural areas with few other child care providers. Beyond just child care, kids receive reading and math help at the programs, along with enrichment in science and the arts.Despite the money's release Friday, schools and nonprofits have already been disrupted by two weeks of uncertainty. Some programs have made plans to close, and others have fallen behind on hiring and contracting for the fall.“While we are thrilled the funds will be made available," said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, “the administration’s inexplicable delay in disbursing them caused massive chaos and harm." Many after-school programs had canceled plans to open in the fall, she said.On Monday, more than 20 states had filed a lawsuit challenging the $6 billion funding freeze, including the money for English language instruction, teacher development and adult literacy that remains on hold. The lawsuit, led by California, argued withholding the money was unconstitutional and many low-income families would lose access to critical after-school care if the grants were not released.David Schuler, executive director of AASA, an association of school superintendents, praised the release of after-school money but said that the remaining education funding should not be withheld.“Districts should not be in this impossible position where the Administration is denying funds that had already been appropriated to our public schools, by Congress,” Schuler said in a statement. “The remaining funds must be released immediately — America’s children are counting on it.”Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees education spending, led the letter sent this week by Republican senators, protesting the funding freeze. The letter called for the rest of the money to be released, including funds for adult education and teaching English as a second language.“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states,” the senators wrote. “This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent.”Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, called on the White House to release the rest of the money.“At this very moment, schools nationwide are crunching the numbers to figure out how many teachers they will need to lay off as Trump continues to hold up billions in funding,” Murray said Friday in a statement. “Every penny of this funding must flow immediately.”

Education Department will release some frozen grants supporting after-school, summer programs

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela on Friday released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-deportation-venezuela-tren-de-aragua-trump-0d3485e0985b9d30d493c9da0adf73ef">deported by the United States</a>&nbsp;to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, officials said.

The complex, three-country arrangement represents a diplomatic achievement for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, helps President Donald Trump in his goal of bringing home Americans jailed abroad and lands Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele a swap that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-bukele-maduro-venezuela-prisoners-6728d1df2445d85bd16c6ab8a85056a8">he proposed months ago</a>.

“Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement in which he thanked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-bukele-el-salvador-crackdown-dissent-el-faro-7e54e98156ec1954f7de7c578ca94427">Bukele, a Trump ally</a>.

Bukele said El Salvador had handed over all the Venezuelan nationals in its custody. Maduro described Friday as “a day of blessings and good news for Venezuela." He called it “the perfect day for Venezuela.”

Venezuelans leave El Salvador's mega-prison

Central to the deal are more than 250 Venezuelan migrants freed by El Salvador, which in March&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportations-salvador-tren-aragua-64e72142a171ea57c869c3b35eeecce7">agreed to a $6 million</a>&nbsp;payment from the Trump administration to house them in its notorious prison.

That arrangement drew immediate blowback when Trump invoked an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alien-enemies-trump-immigration-deportations-21a62ede23b8c493b60d00a9c125722f">18th century wartime law</a>, the Alien Enemies Act, to quickly remove the men that his administration had accused of belonging to the violent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-alien-enemies-act-venezuela-tren-de-aragua-gabbard-d818cc58962ba90cd2c94ca1b494d4fd">Tren de Aragua</a>&nbsp;street gang,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-deportations-el-salvador-9988b667199e1b02fc0a6a83570225c1">teeing up a legal fight</a>&nbsp;that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The administration did not provide evidence to back up those claims.

The Venezuelans had been held in a mega-prison known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-trump-prison-immigrants-4ab3fc3c0474efb308084604b61f8a37">the Terrorism Confinement Center</a>, or CECOT, which was built to hold alleged gang members in Bukele’s war on the country’s gangs. Human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-gangs-prison-nayib-bukele-a9e7cae418f5de74837bd666cdeabe98">cases of torture</a>&nbsp;inside its walls.

Lawyers have little access to those in the prison, which is heavily guarded, and information has been locked tight, other than heavily produced state propaganda videos showing tattooed men packed behind bars.

Photos and videos released by El Salvador’s government on Friday showed shackled Venezuelans sitting in a fleet of buses and boarding planes surrounded by officers in riot gear. One man looked up and pointed toward the sky as he climbed aboard a plane, while another made an obscene gesture toward police.

After arriving in Venezuela, some of the migrants crossed themselves, cried and hugged one another. They wore face masks and street clothes.

Maduro alleged that some of them were subjected to various forms of abuse at the Salvadoran prison, and one of them even lost a kidney “due to the beatings he received.”

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told reporters the men would undergo medical tests and background checks before they can go home.

One of the men is reportedly Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist who fled Venezuela last year and was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at a border crossing in San Diego before eventually being flown to El Salvador.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., posted on social media Friday night: “We have been in touch with Andry Hernández Romero’s legal team and they have confirmed he is out of CECOT and back in Venezuela. We are grateful he is alive and are engaged with both the State Department and his team.”

In April, Bukele proposed exchanging the Venezuelans for the same number of what he called “political prisoners” held by Maduro. The suggestion provoked a harsh response from Venezuelan authorities, who called his comments “cynical” and referred to Bukele as a “neofascist."

Families say the Americans released are innocent

The State Department office responsible for negotiating the release of American detainees posted a photo Friday evening of the newly released prisoners smiling for the camera inside an airplane bringing them home, some clutching an unfurled American flag.

A plane carrying the freed Americans arrived late Friday evening at Joint Base San Antonio, with some waving flags and rushing to embrace welcomers after they landed.

Among those released was 37-year-old Lucas Hunter, whose family says he was kidnapped in January by Venezuelan border guards from inside Colombia, where he was vacationing.

“We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from the ordeal,” his younger sister Sophie Hunter said.

Venezuelan authorities detained nearly a dozen U.S. citizens in the second half of 2024 and linked them to alleged plots to destabilize the country.

“We have prayed for this day for almost a year. My brother is an innocent man who was used as a political pawn by the Maduro regime," said a statement from Christian Castaneda, whose brother Wilbert, a Navy SEAL, was arrested in his Caracas hotel room last year.

Global Reach, a nonprofit organization that had advocated for his release and that of several other Americans, said Venezuelan officials initially and falsely accused him of being involved in a coup but backed off that claim.

The three-country swap gives Maduro a boost

The release of the Venezuelans, meanwhile, is an invaluable win for Maduro as he presses his efforts to assert himself as president despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-election-tally-sheets-actas-oas-carter-center-41d1000926d0ab99e522e53bf6c2b916">credible evidence that he lost reelection</a>&nbsp;last year.

Long accused of human rights abuses, Maduro for months has used the migrants' detention in El Salvador to flip the script on the U.S. government, forcing even some of his strongest political opponents to agree with his condemnation of the migrants’ treatment.

Their return will allow Maduro to reaffirm support within his shrinking base, while demonstrating that even if the Trump administration and other nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-oil-license-chevron-opposition-edmundo-4fe1b86da38a46b67f2090c2155a9b10">see him as an illegitimate president</a>, he is still firmly in power.

Just a week ago, the U.S. State Department reiterated its policy of shunning Maduro government officials and recognizing only the National Assembly elected in 2015 as the legitimate government of the country. Signed by Rubio, the cable said U.S. officials are free to meet and have discussions with National Assembly members “but cannot engage with Maduro regime representatives unless cleared by the Department of State.”

Maduro's crackdown on dissent spurs detentions

The Americans were among dozens of people, including activists, opposition members and union leaders, that Venezuela’s government took into custody in its brutal campaign to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-election-maduro-opposition-human-rights-abuses-dd6d0b103adbf88f00fe60b0d781a873">crack down on dissent</a>&nbsp;in the 11 months since Maduro claimed to win reelection.

Besides the U.S., several other Western nations also do not recognize Maduro’s claim to victory. They instead point to tally sheets collected by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-machado-biden-gonzalez-a625eb01979bc9cf5570d03242f198b1">opposition coalition</a>&nbsp;showing that its candidate,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-edmundo-opposition-presidential-election-reward-arrest-5b6bf23e53642db059304bef14d2f4ff">Edmundo González</a>, won the July 2024 election by a more than a two-to-one margin.

The dispute over results prompted immediate protests, and the government responded by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-election-arrests-repression-prison-opposition-c07ddb20770f02139e4f4a05d7bc4f60">detaining more than 2,000 people</a>, mostly poor young men. González fled into exile in Spain to avoid arrest.

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have migrated since 2013, when its oil-dependent economy came undone and Maduro became president. Most settled in Latin America and the Caribbean, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, many saw the U.S. as their best chance to improve their living conditions.

The US and Venezuela have agreed on other releases

Despite the U.S. not recognizing Maduro, the two governments have carried out other recent exchanges.

In May,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-national-freed-detention-272f5262f22808ae11ac0e06183a3219">Venezuela freed a U.S. Air Force veteran</a>&nbsp;after about six months in detention. Joseph St. Clair's family has said the language specialist, who served four tours in Afghanistan, had traveled to South America to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Three months earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-envoy-migrants-grenell-edfa58920c0a76f0bbe9de995a07d1a3">six other Americans</a>&nbsp;whom the U.S. government considered wrongfully detained in Venezuela were released after Richard Grenell, Trump’s envoy for special missions, met with Maduro at the presidential palace.

Grenell, during the meeting in Caracas, urged Maduro to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the U.S. Hundreds of Venezuelans have since been deported to their home country.

Maduro’s government had accused the Trump administration of “kidnapping” the children by placing them in foster care after their parents were deported.

This story has been corrected to reflect that the last name of the brother of the Navy SEAL jailed in Venezuela is Castaneda, not Castenada.

Tucker reported from Washington and Janetsky from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Seung Min Kim in Washington and photographer Salvador Melendez in San Salvador, El Salvador, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752970350311.jpeg" alt="This photo released by the El Salvador's presidential press office shows men, who El Salvador's government identify as Venezuelans who the U.S. government detained and flew to El Salvador months ago, boarding a Venezuelan plane bound for Venezuela at the Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, Friday, July 18, 2025. (El Salvador's presidential press office via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This photo released by the El Salvador's presidential press office shows men, who El Salvador's government identify as Venezuelans who the U.S. government detained and flew to El Salvador months ago, boarding a Venezuelan plane bound for Venezuela at the Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, Friday, July 18, 2025. (El Salvador's presidential press office via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela on Friday released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-deportation-venezuela-tren-de-aragua-trump-0d3485e0985b9d30d493c9da0adf73ef">deported by the United States</a>&nbsp;to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, officials said.The complex, three-country arrangement represents a diplomatic achievement for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, helps President Donald Trump in his goal of bringing home Americans jailed abroad and lands Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele a swap that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-bukele-maduro-venezuela-prisoners-6728d1df2445d85bd16c6ab8a85056a8">he proposed months ago</a>.“Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement in which he thanked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-bukele-el-salvador-crackdown-dissent-el-faro-7e54e98156ec1954f7de7c578ca94427">Bukele, a Trump ally</a>.Bukele said El Salvador had handed over all the Venezuelan nationals in its custody. Maduro described Friday as “a day of blessings and good news for Venezuela." He called it “the perfect day for Venezuela.”<h2>Venezuelans leave El Salvador's mega-prison</h2>Central to the deal are more than 250 Venezuelan migrants freed by El Salvador, which in March&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportations-salvador-tren-aragua-64e72142a171ea57c869c3b35eeecce7">agreed to a $6 million</a>&nbsp;payment from the Trump administration to house them in its notorious prison.That arrangement drew immediate blowback when Trump invoked an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alien-enemies-trump-immigration-deportations-21a62ede23b8c493b60d00a9c125722f">18th century wartime law</a>, the Alien Enemies Act, to quickly remove the men that his administration had accused of belonging to the violent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-alien-enemies-act-venezuela-tren-de-aragua-gabbard-d818cc58962ba90cd2c94ca1b494d4fd">Tren de Aragua</a>&nbsp;street gang,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-deportations-el-salvador-9988b667199e1b02fc0a6a83570225c1">teeing up a legal fight</a>&nbsp;that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The administration did not provide evidence to back up those claims.The Venezuelans had been held in a mega-prison known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-trump-prison-immigrants-4ab3fc3c0474efb308084604b61f8a37">the Terrorism Confinement Center</a>, or CECOT, which was built to hold alleged gang members in Bukele’s war on the country’s gangs. Human rights groups have documented hundreds of deaths as well as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-gangs-prison-nayib-bukele-a9e7cae418f5de74837bd666cdeabe98">cases of torture</a>&nbsp;inside its walls.Lawyers have little access to those in the prison, which is heavily guarded, and information has been locked tight, other than heavily produced state propaganda videos showing tattooed men packed behind bars.Photos and videos released by El Salvador’s government on Friday showed shackled Venezuelans sitting in a fleet of buses and boarding planes surrounded by officers in riot gear. One man looked up and pointed toward the sky as he climbed aboard a plane, while another made an obscene gesture toward police.After arriving in Venezuela, some of the migrants crossed themselves, cried and hugged one another. They wore face masks and street clothes.Maduro alleged that some of them were subjected to various forms of abuse at the Salvadoran prison, and one of them even lost a kidney “due to the beatings he received.”Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told reporters the men would undergo medical tests and background checks before they can go home.One of the men is reportedly Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist who fled Venezuela last year and was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at a border crossing in San Diego before eventually being flown to El Salvador.Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., posted on social media Friday night: “We have been in touch with Andry Hernández Romero’s legal team and they have confirmed he is out of CECOT and back in Venezuela. We are grateful he is alive and are engaged with both the State Department and his team.”In April, Bukele proposed exchanging the Venezuelans for the same number of what he called “political prisoners” held by Maduro. The suggestion provoked a harsh response from Venezuelan authorities, who called his comments “cynical” and referred to Bukele as a “neofascist."<h2>Families say the Americans released are innocent</h2>The State Department office responsible for negotiating the release of American detainees posted a photo Friday evening of the newly released prisoners smiling for the camera inside an airplane bringing them home, some clutching an unfurled American flag.A plane carrying the freed Americans arrived late Friday evening at Joint Base San Antonio, with some waving flags and rushing to embrace welcomers after they landed.Among those released was 37-year-old Lucas Hunter, whose family says he was kidnapped in January by Venezuelan border guards from inside Colombia, where he was vacationing.“We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from the ordeal,” his younger sister Sophie Hunter said.Venezuelan authorities detained nearly a dozen U.S. citizens in the second half of 2024 and linked them to alleged plots to destabilize the country.“We have prayed for this day for almost a year. My brother is an innocent man who was used as a political pawn by the Maduro regime," said a statement from Christian Castaneda, whose brother Wilbert, a Navy SEAL, was arrested in his Caracas hotel room last year.Global Reach, a nonprofit organization that had advocated for his release and that of several other Americans, said Venezuelan officials initially and falsely accused him of being involved in a coup but backed off that claim.<h2>The three-country swap gives Maduro a boost</h2>The release of the Venezuelans, meanwhile, is an invaluable win for Maduro as he presses his efforts to assert himself as president despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-election-tally-sheets-actas-oas-carter-center-41d1000926d0ab99e522e53bf6c2b916">credible evidence that he lost reelection</a>&nbsp;last year.Long accused of human rights abuses, Maduro for months has used the migrants' detention in El Salvador to flip the script on the U.S. government, forcing even some of his strongest political opponents to agree with his condemnation of the migrants’ treatment.Their return will allow Maduro to reaffirm support within his shrinking base, while demonstrating that even if the Trump administration and other nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-oil-license-chevron-opposition-edmundo-4fe1b86da38a46b67f2090c2155a9b10">see him as an illegitimate president</a>, he is still firmly in power.Just a week ago, the U.S. State Department reiterated its policy of shunning Maduro government officials and recognizing only the National Assembly elected in 2015 as the legitimate government of the country. Signed by Rubio, the cable said U.S. officials are free to meet and have discussions with National Assembly members “but cannot engage with Maduro regime representatives unless cleared by the Department of State.”<h2>Maduro's crackdown on dissent spurs detentions</h2>The Americans were among dozens of people, including activists, opposition members and union leaders, that Venezuela’s government took into custody in its brutal campaign to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-election-maduro-opposition-human-rights-abuses-dd6d0b103adbf88f00fe60b0d781a873">crack down on dissent</a>&nbsp;in the 11 months since Maduro claimed to win reelection.Besides the U.S., several other Western nations also do not recognize Maduro’s claim to victory. They instead point to tally sheets collected by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-machado-biden-gonzalez-a625eb01979bc9cf5570d03242f198b1">opposition coalition</a>&nbsp;showing that its candidate,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-edmundo-opposition-presidential-election-reward-arrest-5b6bf23e53642db059304bef14d2f4ff">Edmundo González</a>, won the July 2024 election by a more than a two-to-one margin.The dispute over results prompted immediate protests, and the government responded by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-election-arrests-repression-prison-opposition-c07ddb20770f02139e4f4a05d7bc4f60">detaining more than 2,000 people</a>, mostly poor young men. González fled into exile in Spain to avoid arrest.More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have migrated since 2013, when its oil-dependent economy came undone and Maduro became president. Most settled in Latin America and the Caribbean, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, many saw the U.S. as their best chance to improve their living conditions.<h2>The US and Venezuela have agreed on other releases</h2>Despite the U.S. not recognizing Maduro, the two governments have carried out other recent exchanges.In May,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-us-national-freed-detention-272f5262f22808ae11ac0e06183a3219">Venezuela freed a U.S. Air Force veteran</a>&nbsp;after about six months in detention. Joseph St. Clair's family has said the language specialist, who served four tours in Afghanistan, had traveled to South America to seek treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.Three months earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-maduro-envoy-migrants-grenell-edfa58920c0a76f0bbe9de995a07d1a3">six other Americans</a>&nbsp;whom the U.S. government considered wrongfully detained in Venezuela were released after Richard Grenell, Trump’s envoy for special missions, met with Maduro at the presidential palace.Grenell, during the meeting in Caracas, urged Maduro to take back deported migrants who have committed crimes in the U.S. Hundreds of Venezuelans have since been deported to their home country.Maduro’s government had accused the Trump administration of “kidnapping” the children by placing them in foster care after their parents were deported.___This story has been corrected to reflect that the last name of the brother of the Navy SEAL jailed in Venezuela is Castaneda, not Castenada.___Tucker reported from Washington and Janetsky from Mexico City. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Seung Min Kim in Washington and photographer Salvador Melendez in San Salvador, El Salvador, contributed to this report.

Venezuela releases jailed Americans in deal that frees migrants deported to El Salvador by US

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a performance venue along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people and leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said.

The driver was later found to have been shot, according to police, who were searching for a suspected gunman who fled the scene along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood.

It was not immediately clear if the driver was shot before or after the crash or why he drove into the crowd, a police spokesperson said.

Twenty-three victims were taken to hospitals and trauma centers, according to police. Seven were in critical condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.

Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen said a line of people — mostly female — were waiting to enter Vermont Hollywood when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a food vending cart and valet stand. “This was a very chaotic scene,” said VanGerpen, a public information officer.

People inside came out to help victims in the minutes before emergency crews arrived, he said.

The driver, whose gunshot wound was found by paramedics, was also taken to a hospital. Police did not identify him or disclose his condition.

The person suspected of shooting him was described as a man in a blue jersey with a silver revolver.

“This is under police investigation,” VanGerpen said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”

Vermont Hollywood was hosting a reggae-hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar. There was no immediate response to a phone message left with the business.

A fight broke out outside the venue beforehand, according to Maria Medrano, who with her husband was there selling hot dogs. Shortly afterward, she said, the car hit the people, and the couple narrowly escaped when it crushed their stand.

“The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand, it got stuck there,” Medrano told The Associated Press from the hospital. “If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell” the story.

After the crash she heard what sounded like gunshots.

“Everyone started running,” Medrano said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752969831746.jpeg" alt="An area is roped off after a vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, July 19, 2025, injuring several people. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)" />
 <figcaption>An area is roped off after a vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a nightclub along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, July 19, 2025, injuring several people. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a performance venue along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people and leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said.The driver was later found to have been shot, according to police, who were searching for a suspected gunman who fled the scene along Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood.It was not immediately clear if the driver was shot before or after the crash or why he drove into the crowd, a police spokesperson said.Twenty-three victims were taken to hospitals and trauma centers, according to police. Seven were in critical condition, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen said a line of people — mostly female — were waiting to enter Vermont Hollywood when they were struck by a Nissan Versa that also hit a food vending cart and valet stand. “This was a very chaotic scene,” said VanGerpen, a public information officer.People inside came out to help victims in the minutes before emergency crews arrived, he said.The driver, whose gunshot wound was found by paramedics, was also taken to a hospital. Police did not identify him or disclose his condition.The person suspected of shooting him was described as a man in a blue jersey with a silver revolver.“This is under police investigation,” VanGerpen said. “This will be a large investigation with the LAPD.”Vermont Hollywood was hosting a reggae-hip hop event from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., according to its online calendar. There was no immediate response to a phone message left with the business.A fight broke out outside the venue beforehand, according to Maria Medrano, who with her husband was there selling hot dogs. Shortly afterward, she said, the car hit the people, and the couple narrowly escaped when it crushed their stand.“The car stopped once it hit the hot dog stand, it got stuck there,” Medrano told The Associated Press from the hospital. “If not, I wouldn’t be here to tell” the story.After the crash she heard what sounded like gunshots.“Everyone started running,” Medrano said.

Car strikes crowd outside Los Angeles venue, injuring 30. Bystanders attack driver, who was shot

In several states, a renter has to make $20 or more an hour to afford apartments being leased at Fair Market Value. Nearly half of Americans don’t make enough money to afford a one-bedroom rental.

By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/naomi-delkamiller-1">Jessica Meza</a> <a href="https://www.kcur.org/">KCUR</a>

Personal stories about struggling to make ends meet appear throughout the report, “Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing.”

Vee, from Missouri, said her small wage increases don’t make a dent in rising rent costs.

“Everything is going up, but the paycheck,” a woman named Detrese from Maryland told the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which authored the report.

The report focuses on the housing wage, defined as the full-time hourly wage needed for workers to afford “a decent rental home that doesn’t occupy more than 30% of their wage.”

On the national level, the data shows, a renter needs to earn about $28 an hour to afford a modest one-bedroom rental without spending 30% of their income to pay for housing. Half of working Americans earn less than that, according to the report.

Published on Thursday, the report begins with an open letter from Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri that warns about the ongoing affordable housing and homelessness crisis in the U.S.

“I know these challenges firsthand. As a child, my family and I lived in public housing. We relied on it to put a roof over our heads, and to make sure there was enough money to put food on the table,” Cleaver writes.

In at least four Midwestern states, minimum wage is not enough to afford a two-bedroom rental at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hud.loans/hud-loans-blog/what-is-fair-market-rent/" target="_blank">Fair Market Value</a>.

Renters in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri need to make at least $20 an hour to afford a two-bedroom rental. Minimum wage earners would need to work several full time jobs to afford it.

Costs are even higher in Illinois, where it takes earnings of almost $30 an hour to afford the same size of dwelling.

“People have lower incomes in those places, so the housing might be more affordable, you know, nominally, but not necessarily, relative to people's incomes,” said Dan Emmanuel, the coalition's director of research.

According to the NILHC report, only one out of four prospective renters eligible for housing assistance are able to receive that aid, and&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/resource/house-appropriations-committee-releases-draft-fy26-spending-bill-cutting-hud-funding" target="_blank">budget cuts</a>&nbsp;to federal programs proposed by Congress will drastically impact those who need it.

Under the 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development measure, almost a billion dollars could be cut from HUD, an amount which the NILHC acknowledges is not as high as&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/resource/house-appropriations-committee-releases-draft-fy26-spending-bill-cutting-hud-funding" target="_blank">originally proposed</a>.

In remarks at a July&nbsp;<a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/news/remarks/cole-remarks-fy26-transportation-housing-and-urban-development-and-related-agencies-0" target="_blank">Appropriations Committee session</a>, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who chairs the committee, said:

"The bill empowers local housing and community development decision-making through Community Development Block Grants and NeighborWorks—capacity-building activities that leverage private housing investment dollars.”

Emmanuel said many people will lose their housing and could become homeless as a result of proposed cuts.

“(HUD) won't be able to serve the same amount of people as in 2025,” Emmanuel said.

Tina Murray, vice president of housing at&nbsp;<a href="https://togetheromaha.org/welcome.html" target="_blank">Together Omaha</a>, a food and housing advocacy group, is worried about the ending of housing programs. She said there is already a big shift in housing affordability in Omaha due to the end of pandemic era federal funds and predicts a gradual rise in evictions after the federal funding is no longer available.

“What we're seeing now are a lot of individuals that I believe will not be able to afford where they're living, or be able to be re-house,” Murray said.

Omaha is one of the most expensive areas for renters in Nebraska. The housing wage in the state’s largest city is about $24, while the state housing wage is $21.57. The average Nebraskan renter earns $17.71 an hour, only about four dollars above the state minimum wage.

According to the report, Kendall County, in the Chicago metropolitan region, is one of the most expensive areas for renters in Illinois. The housing wage there is $36.27, higher than the state’s housing wage of $29.81. The average Illinois renter makes $23.01 an hour, about seven dollars above the minimum wage.

Vikki from Illinois shares her story in the report, describing feeling trapped, as her only housing options to relocate with her son are in "unacceptable conditions."

Emmanual said people of color are disproportionately impacted by the rising cost of rent, lack of affordable housing and low wages.

In comparison to white people, people of color face higher rates of housing, employment and income discrimination. Latina women face the biggest&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1O4WgwKwVJDm0QWRUf2U6r_p7Tm6ibz7D" target="_blank">wage gap</a>, earning nearly 11 dollars per hour&nbsp;less than white men. The unemployment rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives was 6.6%, nearly double the rate for white people.

“There is a long, long history of housing discrimination. Either through red line exclusionary zoning or predatory lending. And some of those practices are even persistent in the present," said Emmanuel.

In his introductory letter to the report, Cleaver sums up many factors contributing to what the NILHC calls an “affordability crisis” in housing.

“While the stories and circumstances are unique, the root causes of housing instability are not: there are not enough decent, affordable, and accessible homes in communities, and wages have not kept pace with the ever-increasing cost of rent,” Cleaver writes.

The NILHC says another factor causing lack of affordable housing is the practice of&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/resource/new-study-examines-filtering-dynamics-us-housing-supply" target="_blank">upward filtering</a>, in which landlords and developers renovate old buildings and rent the units at higher prices.

The authors of “Out of Reach” say solutions to the affordability crisis are available.

The report urges Congress to protect housing programs and expand the existing assistance. One of its suggestions is continuing the Emergency Housing Voucher program created through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

“Congress must not only protect existing housing programs but significantly strengthen them through sustained investment, expanded rental assistance, and policies that eliminate barriers to housing access,” the report says.

The NILHC points to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opportunityhome.org/take-action/bipartisan-family-stability-and-opportunity-vouchers-act/" target="_blank">Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act</a>&nbsp;as a step in the right direction. The bipartisan measure would provide 250,000 housing vouchers to families with young children to increase housing stability and offer them more choice in where they live.

<h2>In several states, a renter has to make $20 or more an hour to afford apartments being leased at Fair Market Value. Nearly half of Americans don’t make enough money to afford a one-bedroom rental.</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752852307231.png" alt="A banner advertising apartments for rent on display in St. Louis. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, more people than ever in the Midwest and nationwide are not earning enough money to afford the rent.&nbsp;Eric Lee/St. Louis Public Radio" />
 <figcaption>A banner advertising apartments for rent on display in St. Louis. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, more people than ever in the Midwest and nationwide are not earning enough money to afford the rent.&nbsp;Eric Lee/St. Louis Public Radio</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/naomi-delkamiller-1">Jessica Meza</a> <a href="https://www.kcur.org/">KCUR</a>Personal stories about struggling to make ends meet appear throughout the report, “Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing.”Vee, from Missouri, said her small wage increases don’t make a dent in rising rent costs.“Everything is going up, but the paycheck,” a woman named Detrese from Maryland told the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which authored the report.The report focuses on the housing wage, defined as the full-time hourly wage needed for workers to afford “a decent rental home that doesn’t occupy more than 30% of their wage.”On the national level, the data shows, a renter needs to earn about $28 an hour to afford a modest one-bedroom rental without spending 30% of their income to pay for housing. Half of working Americans earn less than that, according to the report.Published on Thursday, the report begins with an open letter from Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri that warns about the ongoing affordable housing and homelessness crisis in the U.S.“I know these challenges firsthand. As a child, my family and I lived in public housing. We relied on it to put a roof over our heads, and to make sure there was enough money to put food on the table,” Cleaver writes.In at least four Midwestern states, minimum wage is not enough to afford a two-bedroom rental at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hud.loans/hud-loans-blog/what-is-fair-market-rent/" target="_blank">Fair Market Value</a>.Renters in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri need to make at least $20 an hour to afford a two-bedroom rental. Minimum wage earners would need to work several full time jobs to afford it.Costs are even higher in Illinois, where it takes earnings of almost $30 an hour to afford the same size of dwelling.“People have lower incomes in those places, so the housing might be more affordable, you know, nominally, but not necessarily, relative to people's incomes,” said Dan Emmanuel, the coalition's director of research.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752852495720.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Nowhere to go&nbsp;</h2>According to the NILHC report, only one out of four prospective renters eligible for housing assistance are able to receive that aid, and&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/resource/house-appropriations-committee-releases-draft-fy26-spending-bill-cutting-hud-funding" target="_blank">budget cuts</a>&nbsp;to federal programs proposed by Congress will drastically impact those who need it.Under the 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development measure, almost a billion dollars could be cut from HUD, an amount which the NILHC acknowledges is not as high as&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/resource/house-appropriations-committee-releases-draft-fy26-spending-bill-cutting-hud-funding" target="_blank">originally proposed</a>.In remarks at a July&nbsp;<a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/news/remarks/cole-remarks-fy26-transportation-housing-and-urban-development-and-related-agencies-0" target="_blank">Appropriations Committee session</a>, Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who chairs the committee, said:"The bill empowers local housing and community development decision-making through Community Development Block Grants and NeighborWorks—capacity-building activities that leverage private housing investment dollars.”Emmanuel said many people will lose their housing and could become homeless as a result of proposed cuts.“(HUD) won't be able to serve the same amount of people as in 2025,” Emmanuel said.Tina Murray, vice president of housing at&nbsp;<a href="https://togetheromaha.org/welcome.html" target="_blank">Together Omaha</a>, a food and housing advocacy group, is worried about the ending of housing programs. She said there is already a big shift in housing affordability in Omaha due to the end of pandemic era federal funds and predicts a gradual rise in evictions after the federal funding is no longer available.“What we're seeing now are a lot of individuals that I believe will not be able to afford where they're living, or be able to be re-house,” Murray said.Omaha is one of the most expensive areas for renters in Nebraska. The housing wage in the state’s largest city is about $24, while the state housing wage is $21.57. The average Nebraskan renter earns $17.71 an hour, only about four dollars above the state minimum wage.According to the report, Kendall County, in the Chicago metropolitan region, is one of the most expensive areas for renters in Illinois. The housing wage there is $36.27, higher than the state’s housing wage of $29.81. The average Illinois renter makes $23.01 an hour, about seven dollars above the minimum wage.Vikki from Illinois shares her story in the report, describing feeling trapped, as her only housing options to relocate with her son are in "unacceptable conditions."Emmanual said people of color are disproportionately impacted by the rising cost of rent, lack of affordable housing and low wages.In comparison to white people, people of color face higher rates of housing, employment and income discrimination. Latina women face the biggest&nbsp;<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/u/2/folders/1O4WgwKwVJDm0QWRUf2U6r_p7Tm6ibz7D" target="_blank">wage gap</a>, earning nearly 11 dollars per hour&nbsp;less than white men. The unemployment rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives was 6.6%, nearly double the rate for white people.“There is a long, long history of housing discrimination. Either through red line exclusionary zoning or predatory lending. And some of those practices are even persistent in the present," said Emmanuel.<h2>Causes, solutions</h2>In his introductory letter to the report, Cleaver sums up many factors contributing to what the NILHC calls an “affordability crisis” in housing.“While the stories and circumstances are unique, the root causes of housing instability are not: there are not enough decent, affordable, and accessible homes in communities, and wages have not kept pace with the ever-increasing cost of rent,” Cleaver writes.The NILHC says another factor causing lack of affordable housing is the practice of&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/resource/new-study-examines-filtering-dynamics-us-housing-supply" target="_blank">upward filtering</a>, in which landlords and developers renovate old buildings and rent the units at higher prices.The authors of “Out of Reach” say solutions to the affordability crisis are available.The report urges Congress to protect housing programs and expand the existing assistance. One of its suggestions is continuing the Emergency Housing Voucher program created through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.“Congress must not only protect existing housing programs but significantly strengthen them through sustained investment, expanded rental assistance, and policies that eliminate barriers to housing access,” the report says.The NILHC points to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opportunityhome.org/take-action/bipartisan-family-stability-and-opportunity-vouchers-act/" target="_blank">Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act</a>&nbsp;as a step in the right direction. The bipartisan measure would provide 250,000 housing vouchers to families with young children to increase housing stability and offer them more choice in where they live.

Minimum wage not enough to afford to rent 'decent' housing in Midwest, report says

Republican majorities in both houses of Congress have now approved President Donald Trump’s clawback of about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid that lawmakers had appropriated. 

The cuts now await Trump's signature, and the White House suggests more efforts to overrule congressional spending authority. 

Trump meanwhile is threatening to sue the Wall Street Journal for reporting that he once contributed a sexually suggestive birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein. 

And fans of Steven Colbert are dismayed that CBS is cancelling ‘The Late Show.’ That announcement swiftly followed a monologue where Colbert described the parent company's $16 million settlement offer to Trump as a “big fat bribe.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752511088132.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Associated PressRepublican majorities in both houses of Congress have now approved President Donald Trump’s clawback of about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid that lawmakers had appropriated. The cuts now await Trump's signature, and the White House suggests more efforts to overrule congressional spending authority. Trump meanwhile is threatening to sue the Wall Street Journal for reporting that he once contributed a sexually suggestive birthday note to Jeffrey Epstein. And fans of Steven Colbert are dismayed that CBS is cancelling ‘The Late Show.’ That announcement swiftly followed a monologue where Colbert described the parent company's $16 million settlement offer to Trump as a “big fat bribe.”

House approves Trump’s $9 billion cut to public broadcasting, foreign aid

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Anyone firing up the grill this summer already knows hamburger patties and steaks are expensive, but the latest numbers show prices have climbed increasingly fast.

And experts say consumers shouldn't expect much relief soon either.

The average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $6.12 in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago, according to U.S. government data. The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8% to $11.49 per pound.

But this is not a recent phenomenon. Beef prices have been steadily rising over the past 20 years because the supply of cattle remains tight while beef remains popular.

In fact, the U.S. cattle herd has been steadily shrinking for decades. As of Jan. 1, the U.S. had 86.7 million cattle and calves, down 8% from the most recent peak in 2019. That’s the lowest number of cattle since 1951, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Many factors including drought and cattle prices have contributed to that decline. And now the emergence of a pesky parasite in Mexico and the prospect of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-donald-trump-tariffs-agriculture-china-d5674c21e240acdc72cde76e474f172a">widespread tariffs</a>&nbsp;may further reduce supply and raise prices.

Here's a look at what's causing the price of beef to rise.

The American beef industry has gotten better at breeding larger animals, so ranchers can provide the same amount of beef with fewer cattle, said David Anderson, a livestock economist at Texas A&amp;M.

Then in 2020, a three-year drought began that dried out pastures and raised the cost of feed for cattle, according to the American Farm Bureau. Drought has continued to be a problem across the West since then, and the price of feed has put more pressure on ranchers who already operate on slim profit margins.

In response, many farmers slaughtered more female cattle than usual, which helped beef supplies in the short term but lowered the size of future herds. Lower cattle supplies has raised prices.

In recent years cattle prices have soared, so that now animals are selling for thousands of dollars apiece. Recent prices show cattle selling for more than $230 per hundredweight, or hundred pounds.

Those higher prices give ranchers more incentive to sell cows now to capture profits instead of hanging onto them for breeding given that prices for those calves in the years ahead may decrease, Anderson said.

“For them, the balance is, ‘Do I sell that animal now and take this record high check?’ Or ‘do I keep her to realize her returns over her productive life when she’s having calves?’” Anderson said. “And so it’s this balancing act and so far the side that’s been winning is to sell her and get the check.”

The emergence of a flesh-eating pest in cattle herds in Mexico has put extra pressure on supply because officials cut off all imports of cattle from south of the border last year. Some 4% of the cattle the U.S. feeds to slaughter for beef comes from Mexico.

The pest is the New World screwworm fly, and female cows lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals. The larvae that hatch are unusual among flies for feeding on live flesh and fluids instead of dead material. American officials worry that if the fly reaches Texas, its flesh-eating maggots could cause large economic losses as they did decades ago before the U.S. eradicated the pest.

Agricultural economist Bernt Nelson with the Farm Bureau said the loss of that much cattle is putting additional pressure on supply that is helping drive prices higher.

President Donald Trump's tariffs have yet to have a major impact on beef prices but they could be another factor that drives prices higher because the U.S. imports more than 4 million pounds of beef every year.

Much of what is imported is lean beef trimmings that meatpackers mix with fattier beef produced in the U.S. to produce the varieties of ground beef that domestic consumers want. Much of that lean beef comes from Australia and New Zealand that have only seen a 10% tariff, but some of it comes from Brazil where Trump has threatened tariffs as high as 50%.

If the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/beef-tariffs-cattle-rancher-prices-china-exports-55330afb6276c51015ef4e312686cba1">tariffs remain in place long-term</a>, meat processors will have to pay higher prices on imported lean beef. It wouldn't be easy for U.S. producers to replace because the country's system is geared toward producing fattier beef known for marbled steaks.

It's the height of grilling season and demand in the U.S. for beef remains strong, which Kansas State agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor said will help keep prices higher.

If prices remain this high, shoppers will likely start to buy more hamburger meat and fewer steaks, but that doesn't appear to be happening broadly yet — and people also don't seem to be buying chicken or pork instead of beef.

Nelson said that recently the drought has eased — allowing pasture conditions to improve — and grain prices are down thanks to the drop in export demand for corn because of the tariffs. Those factors, combined with the high cattle prices might persuade more ranchers to keep their cows and breed them to expand the size of their herds.

Even if ranchers decided to raise more cattle to help replace those imports, it would take at least two years to breed and raise them. And it wouldn't be clear if that is happening until later this fall when ranchers typically make those decisions.

“We’ve still got a lot of barriers in the way to grow this herd,” Nelson said. Just consider that a young farmer who wants to add 25 bred heifers to his herd has to be prepared to spend more than $100,000 at auction at a time when borrowing costs remain high.

There is typically a seasonal decline in beef prices as grilling season slows down into the fall, but those price declines are likely to be modest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752789151182.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Anyone firing up the grill this summer already knows hamburger patties and steaks are expensive, but the latest numbers show prices have climbed increasingly fast.And experts say consumers shouldn't expect much relief soon either.The average price of a pound of ground beef rose to $6.12 in June, up nearly 12% from a year ago, according to U.S. government data. The average price of all uncooked beef steaks rose 8% to $11.49 per pound.But this is not a recent phenomenon. Beef prices have been steadily rising over the past 20 years because the supply of cattle remains tight while beef remains popular.In fact, the U.S. cattle herd has been steadily shrinking for decades. As of Jan. 1, the U.S. had 86.7 million cattle and calves, down 8% from the most recent peak in 2019. That’s the lowest number of cattle since 1951, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Many factors including drought and cattle prices have contributed to that decline. And now the emergence of a pesky parasite in Mexico and the prospect of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-donald-trump-tariffs-agriculture-china-d5674c21e240acdc72cde76e474f172a">widespread tariffs</a>&nbsp;may further reduce supply and raise prices.Here's a look at what's causing the price of beef to rise.<h2>Smaller herds</h2>The American beef industry has gotten better at breeding larger animals, so ranchers can provide the same amount of beef with fewer cattle, said David Anderson, a livestock economist at Texas A&amp;M.Then in 2020, a three-year drought began that dried out pastures and raised the cost of feed for cattle, according to the American Farm Bureau. Drought has continued to be a problem across the West since then, and the price of feed has put more pressure on ranchers who already operate on slim profit margins.In response, many farmers slaughtered more female cattle than usual, which helped beef supplies in the short term but lowered the size of future herds. Lower cattle supplies has raised prices.In recent years cattle prices have soared, so that now animals are selling for thousands of dollars apiece. Recent prices show cattle selling for more than $230 per hundredweight, or hundred pounds.Those higher prices give ranchers more incentive to sell cows now to capture profits instead of hanging onto them for breeding given that prices for those calves in the years ahead may decrease, Anderson said.“For them, the balance is, ‘Do I sell that animal now and take this record high check?’ Or ‘do I keep her to realize her returns over her productive life when she’s having calves?’” Anderson said. “And so it’s this balancing act and so far the side that’s been winning is to sell her and get the check.”<h2>Disease dilemma</h2>The emergence of a flesh-eating pest in cattle herds in Mexico has put extra pressure on supply because officials cut off all imports of cattle from south of the border last year. Some 4% of the cattle the U.S. feeds to slaughter for beef comes from Mexico.The pest is the New World screwworm fly, and female cows lay eggs in wounds on warm-blooded animals. The larvae that hatch are unusual among flies for feeding on live flesh and fluids instead of dead material. American officials worry that if the fly reaches Texas, its flesh-eating maggots could cause large economic losses as they did decades ago before the U.S. eradicated the pest.Agricultural economist Bernt Nelson with the Farm Bureau said the loss of that much cattle is putting additional pressure on supply that is helping drive prices higher.<h2>Tariff trouble</h2>President Donald Trump's tariffs have yet to have a major impact on beef prices but they could be another factor that drives prices higher because the U.S. imports more than 4 million pounds of beef every year.Much of what is imported is lean beef trimmings that meatpackers mix with fattier beef produced in the U.S. to produce the varieties of ground beef that domestic consumers want. Much of that lean beef comes from Australia and New Zealand that have only seen a 10% tariff, but some of it comes from Brazil where Trump has threatened tariffs as high as 50%.If the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/beef-tariffs-cattle-rancher-prices-china-exports-55330afb6276c51015ef4e312686cba1">tariffs remain in place long-term</a>, meat processors will have to pay higher prices on imported lean beef. It wouldn't be easy for U.S. producers to replace because the country's system is geared toward producing fattier beef known for marbled steaks.<h2>Prices will likely stay high</h2>It's the height of grilling season and demand in the U.S. for beef remains strong, which Kansas State agricultural economist Glynn Tonsor said will help keep prices higher.If prices remain this high, shoppers will likely start to buy more hamburger meat and fewer steaks, but that doesn't appear to be happening broadly yet — and people also don't seem to be buying chicken or pork instead of beef.Nelson said that recently the drought has eased — allowing pasture conditions to improve — and grain prices are down thanks to the drop in export demand for corn because of the tariffs. Those factors, combined with the high cattle prices might persuade more ranchers to keep their cows and breed them to expand the size of their herds.Even if ranchers decided to raise more cattle to help replace those imports, it would take at least two years to breed and raise them. And it wouldn't be clear if that is happening until later this fall when ranchers typically make those decisions.“We’ve still got a lot of barriers in the way to grow this herd,” Nelson said. Just consider that a young farmer who wants to add 25 bred heifers to his herd has to be prepared to spend more than $100,000 at auction at a time when borrowing costs remain high.There is typically a seasonal decline in beef prices as grilling season slows down into the fall, but those price declines are likely to be modest.

Beef prices have soared in the US — and not just during grilling season

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is allowing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bc0ebafd2c6604e2ac26c6ee219c35b4">vaping brand Juul</a>&nbsp;to keep its e-cigarettes on the market, providing relief to a company that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-tobacco-industry-regulation-2f60f6bf333fb96364540e469a7f17eb#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Embattled%20vaping,competition%20for%20its%20electronic%20cigarettes.">struggled for years</a>&nbsp;after being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-59fb698543959c226aa420975e30beb2">widely blamed</a>&nbsp;for sparking the teen vaping trend.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-public-tobacco-industry-regulation-6af0d635d7859bab914cc249ef43b6e2">FDA regulators</a>&nbsp;said Thursday that Juul's studies show its e-cigarettes are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/681b934cc43147ed8026dd8fdb1dae56">less harmful for adult smokers</a>, who can benefit from switching completely to vaping.

The FDA decision applies to both tobacco- and menthol-flavored versions of the reusable product, which works with nicotine-filled cartridges sold in two different strengths. Juul previously discontinued several fruit and candy flavors that helped drive its popularity but were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tobacco-industry-regulation-ia-state-wire-az-state-wire-ri-state-wire-public-health-c148a2866cd4e2948552402c8d3b62cc">favored by teens</a>.

Juul will be one of only two U.S. companies authorized to sell menthol-flavored vapes, which many adults prefer to tobacco flavor.

“This is an important milestone for the company and I think we made a scientifically sound case for the role that menthol can play in e-vapor,” Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite told The Associated Press.

Parents, politicians and anti-tobacco groups are certain to oppose FDA’s decision. They have argued for years that Juul products should be permanently banned due to their role in triggering a yearslong spike in underage vaping.

"It is a big step in the wrong direction to authorize sales of the product that was responsible for this public health crisis in the first place," said Yolonda Richardson, CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a statement.

Juul was once valued at over $13 billion and its small, sleek e-cigarettes revolutionized the image and technology of the vaping industry. But the company has since been forced to slash hundreds of jobs and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-lawsuits-connecticut-fce3fe4f92066a9068cf505ed1fb63b0">pay billions to settle lawsuits</a>&nbsp;over its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/66d00389118549abac8b7961971bbf8e">role in the rise of youth vaping</a>.

The FDA had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/juul-banned-fda-e41c58872a0e7a202ca5244442accb04">ordered the company</a>&nbsp;to remove its products from the market in June 2022. But then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-tobacco-industry-regulation-f0734a2149ac6578015901ee144ddc76">the agency abruptly reversed course</a>&nbsp;days later and agreed to reopen its scientific review of Juul’s application after the company pushed back in court.

Juul said that regulators had overlooked thousands of pages of scientific data critical to its submission.

Thursday’s announcement is not an approval or endorsement, and the FDA reiterated that people who do not smoke should not use Juul or any other e-cigarettes. The FDA determination indicates that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/681b934cc43147ed8026dd8fdb1dae56">smokers who switch</a>&nbsp;completely to Juul can reduce their exposure to deadly carcinogens and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes.

The FDA decision applies to Juul's original system, which is now roughly a decade old. Crosthwaite said the company hopes to win authorization for its next-generation device and is also considering applying to FDA for more flavors.

“It's critically important that American adults who use tobacco have regulated options,” Crosthwaite said.

In recent years, the FDA has authorized a handful of e-cigarettes to help adult smokers cut back on cigarettes. Juul's main competitors, Vuse and Njoy, each previously received FDA permission to remain on the market. Njoy sells the only other menthol-flavored e-cigarettes authorized by FDA.

To meet FDA requirements, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use them are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.

The brainchild of two Stanford University students, Juul launched in 2015 and within two years rocketed to the top of the vaping market.

Juul quickly outpaced older brands with its high-nicotine, fruity-flavored cartridges, sold in mango, mint and creme brulé. The company's small, discrete devices provided a more potent, user-friendly alternative to older, bulkier devices.

But the company’s rise was fueled by underage use, and e-cigarettes quickly became ubiquitous in U.S. schools. In 2019, the company was pressured into halting all advertising and eliminating most of its flavors, leaving only tobacco and menthol-flavored options.

By then the company was already the target of multiple investigations and lawsuits by federal, state and local officials as well as class action attorneys.

In 2022, the company paid $1.7 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits brought by families of Juul users, school districts, city governments and Native American tribes. The company separately agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle lawsuits or investigations from most U.S. states.

Juul is no longer the top-selling e-cigarette brand and now trails Vuse, which is sold by tobacco giant Reynolds American, which also makes Camel and Newport cigarettes.

Teens have shifted away from Juul amid a wider drop in vaping, according to the latest federal figures. The FDA reported last year that teen vaping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaping-teens-elf-bar-zyn-9d25127da2db9cbc2634fae13511ef09">dropped to a 10-year low</a>, after stepped up enforcement against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-80b2680a874d89b8d651c5e909e39e8f">unauthorized brands imported from China</a>, such as Elf Bar.

Unlike Juul, disposable e-cigarettes like Elf Bar still come in fruit and candy flavors, despite efforts by regulators to block their use.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is allowing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bc0ebafd2c6604e2ac26c6ee219c35b4">vaping brand Juul</a>&nbsp;to keep its e-cigarettes on the market, providing relief to a company that has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-business-tobacco-industry-regulation-2f60f6bf333fb96364540e469a7f17eb#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Embattled%20vaping,competition%20for%20its%20electronic%20cigarettes.">struggled for years</a>&nbsp;after being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-59fb698543959c226aa420975e30beb2">widely blamed</a>&nbsp;for sparking the teen vaping trend.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-public-tobacco-industry-regulation-6af0d635d7859bab914cc249ef43b6e2">FDA regulators</a>&nbsp;said Thursday that Juul's studies show its e-cigarettes are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/681b934cc43147ed8026dd8fdb1dae56">less harmful for adult smokers</a>, who can benefit from switching completely to vaping.The FDA decision applies to both tobacco- and menthol-flavored versions of the reusable product, which works with nicotine-filled cartridges sold in two different strengths. Juul previously discontinued several fruit and candy flavors that helped drive its popularity but were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tobacco-industry-regulation-ia-state-wire-az-state-wire-ri-state-wire-public-health-c148a2866cd4e2948552402c8d3b62cc">favored by teens</a>.Juul will be one of only two U.S. companies authorized to sell menthol-flavored vapes, which many adults prefer to tobacco flavor.“This is an important milestone for the company and I think we made a scientifically sound case for the role that menthol can play in e-vapor,” Juul CEO K.C. Crosthwaite told The Associated Press.Parents, politicians and anti-tobacco groups are certain to oppose FDA’s decision. They have argued for years that Juul products should be permanently banned due to their role in triggering a yearslong spike in underage vaping."It is a big step in the wrong direction to authorize sales of the product that was responsible for this public health crisis in the first place," said Yolonda Richardson, CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a statement.Juul was once valued at over $13 billion and its small, sleek e-cigarettes revolutionized the image and technology of the vaping industry. But the company has since been forced to slash hundreds of jobs and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-lawsuits-connecticut-fce3fe4f92066a9068cf505ed1fb63b0">pay billions to settle lawsuits</a>&nbsp;over its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/66d00389118549abac8b7961971bbf8e">role in the rise of youth vaping</a>.The FDA had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/juul-banned-fda-e41c58872a0e7a202ca5244442accb04">ordered the company</a>&nbsp;to remove its products from the market in June 2022. But then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-tobacco-industry-regulation-f0734a2149ac6578015901ee144ddc76">the agency abruptly reversed course</a>&nbsp;days later and agreed to reopen its scientific review of Juul’s application after the company pushed back in court.Juul said that regulators had overlooked thousands of pages of scientific data critical to its submission.Thursday’s announcement is not an approval or endorsement, and the FDA reiterated that people who do not smoke should not use Juul or any other e-cigarettes. The FDA determination indicates that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/681b934cc43147ed8026dd8fdb1dae56">smokers who switch</a>&nbsp;completely to Juul can reduce their exposure to deadly carcinogens and other chemicals found in traditional cigarettes.The FDA decision applies to Juul's original system, which is now roughly a decade old. Crosthwaite said the company hopes to win authorization for its next-generation device and is also considering applying to FDA for more flavors.“It's critically important that American adults who use tobacco have regulated options,” Crosthwaite said.In recent years, the FDA has authorized a handful of e-cigarettes to help adult smokers cut back on cigarettes. Juul's main competitors, Vuse and Njoy, each previously received FDA permission to remain on the market. Njoy sells the only other menthol-flavored e-cigarettes authorized by FDA.To meet FDA requirements, companies must show that their products benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use them are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.The brainchild of two Stanford University students, Juul launched in 2015 and within two years rocketed to the top of the vaping market.Juul quickly outpaced older brands with its high-nicotine, fruity-flavored cartridges, sold in mango, mint and creme brulé. The company's small, discrete devices provided a more potent, user-friendly alternative to older, bulkier devices.But the company’s rise was fueled by underage use, and e-cigarettes quickly became ubiquitous in U.S. schools. In 2019, the company was pressured into halting all advertising and eliminating most of its flavors, leaving only tobacco and menthol-flavored options.By then the company was already the target of multiple investigations and lawsuits by federal, state and local officials as well as class action attorneys.In 2022, the company paid $1.7 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits brought by families of Juul users, school districts, city governments and Native American tribes. The company separately agreed to pay $1.1 billion to settle lawsuits or investigations from most U.S. states.Juul is no longer the top-selling e-cigarette brand and now trails Vuse, which is sold by tobacco giant Reynolds American, which also makes Camel and Newport cigarettes.Teens have shifted away from Juul amid a wider drop in vaping, according to the latest federal figures. The FDA reported last year that teen vaping&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaping-teens-elf-bar-zyn-9d25127da2db9cbc2634fae13511ef09">dropped to a 10-year low</a>, after stepped up enforcement against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-80b2680a874d89b8d651c5e909e39e8f">unauthorized brands imported from China</a>, such as Elf Bar.Unlike Juul, disposable e-cigarettes like Elf Bar still come in fruit and candy flavors, despite efforts by regulators to block their use.

Juul gets FDA's OK to keep selling tobacco, menthol e-cigarettes

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating two homicides that occurred on Tuesday in Kansas City have identified the victims.

Just before noon, patrol officers responded to the 8700 block of Countryshire Lane on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

As officers arrived at an apartment building they were directed inside to an apartment. They located a woman, later identified as 24-year-old Jaida Perdue suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics responded and declared her deceased on scene

This is being investigated as a homicide. Preliminary investigation revealed there was an argument between two individuals that led to shots being fired and the victim being struck. On scene, a subject of interest was taken into custody pending further investigation.

About the same time, police were called to a reported shooting at an apartment complex in the 5200 block of Oak Leaf Drive, according to DiMartino.&nbsp;

Officers were directed to an apartment building within the complex. Inside of an apartment officers located a victim later identified as 36-year-Nicholas J. Carter&nbsp; suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD medics responded to the scene and pronounced Carter deceased.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752627140858.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating two homicides that occurred on Tuesday in Kansas City have identified the victims.Just before noon, patrol officers responded to the 8700 block of Countryshire Lane on a reported shooting, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752627065091.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>As officers arrived at an apartment building they were directed inside to an apartment. They located a woman, later identified as 24-year-old Jaida Perdue suffering from a gunshot wound. Paramedics responded and declared her deceased on sceneThis is being investigated as a homicide. Preliminary investigation revealed there was an argument between two individuals that led to shots being fired and the victim being struck. On scene, a subject of interest was taken into custody pending further investigation.About the same time, police were called to a reported shooting at an apartment complex in the 5200 block of Oak Leaf Drive, according to DiMartino.&nbsp;Officers were directed to an apartment building within the complex. Inside of an apartment officers located a victim later identified as 36-year-Nicholas J. Carter&nbsp; suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD medics responded to the scene and pronounced Carter deceased.

Police ID 2 homicide victims in Kansas City

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/devi-shastri">DEVI SHASTRI</a> Associated Press

The 988 National Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline will stop providing tailored support options to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trans-rights-dei-6367d501717f1388677e128af277fe26">LGBTQ+ youth</a>&nbsp;and young adults on July 17, according to a statement on a federal agency’s website.

The decision preempts the Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal to cut funding for 988’s LGBTQ+ youth and young adult services, and is raising alarm bells among LGBTQ+ advocates.

Federal data shows the LGBTQ+ youth program has served nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/988/performance-metrics" target="_blank">1.3 million callers</a>&nbsp;since it started in September 2022. The services were accessible under the “Press 3” option on the phone or by replying “PRIDE” via text.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

The decision was was made to “no longer silo” the services and “to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hhs-addiction-mental-health-rfk-samsha-e83db20b4ef801971cd25d07eb41bcf9">Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)</a>&nbsp;said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/about/news-announcements/statements/2025/samhsa-statement-988-press-3-option" target="_blank">in a statement dated Tuesday</a>&nbsp;on its website.

News of the LGBTQ+ service shutting down comes as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-health-care-trump-79fc6f3bbdab2e92d6f0184201a468a9">U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday.

The Trevor Project said it received official notice Tuesday that the program was ending. The nonprofit is one of seven centers that provides 988 crisis support services for LGBTQ+ people — and serves nearly half of the people who contact the lifeline.

“&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/suicide-prevention-mental-health-23b0282c56074625fa1be182afd860bd">Suicide prevention</a>&nbsp;is about people, not politics,” Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement Wednesday. “The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible.”

In its statement on the 988 decision, SAMHSA referred to the “LGB+ youth services.”

Black called the omission of the “T” representing transgender people “callous.” “Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased,” he said.

The Trevor Project will continue to run its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/Get-Help/" target="_blank">24/7 mental health support services</a>, as will other organizations, and leaders of 988 say the hotline will serve anyone who calls with compassion.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-suicide-rate-cdc-c57bb0852adfb4d85b3670d465a8b890">there were 49,300 suicides in 2023</a>&nbsp;— about the highest level in the nation’s history, based on preliminary data.

Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk of suicide, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a6.htm#:~:text=An%20estimated%2040%25%20of%20transgender,marker%20for%20experiencing%20depressive%20symptoms." target="_blank">2024 analysis by the CDC</a>&nbsp;that found 26% transgender and gender-questioning students attempted suicide in the past year. That’s compared with 5% of cisgender male and 11% of cisgender female students.

Young transgender people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-rights-trump-title-ix-1b9d3a1d928ea78c21372da63600c6d1">flooded crisis hotlines</a>&nbsp;with calls after President Donald Trump was re-elected. Trump made anti-transgender themes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-transgender-politics-61cff97a64fac581ffc5f762be4c57d3">central to his campaign</a>&nbsp;and has since rolled back many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-passports-nonbinary-trump-policy-e5d13b6064c06619c654896fc0305983">civil rights protections</a>&nbsp;and access to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hhs-rfk-transgender-therapy-53c20e8ba65b2d9e4750d5c3314492cc">gender-affirming care</a>.

Trump signed the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2661" target="_blank">National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020</a>&nbsp;into law in October 2020.

The specific 988 subprogram for LGBTQ+ youth cost $33 million in fiscal year 2024, according to SAMHSA, and as of June 2025, more than $33 million has been spent on the services. The Trump administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2026-budget-in-brief.pdf" target="_blank">2026 budget proposal</a>&nbsp;called for keeping 988’s total budget at $520 million even while&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2026-aha-cj.pdf" target="_blank">eliminating the LGBTQ+ services</a>.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-robert-kennedy-vaccines-measles-steak-shake-9c970a1f6bdfd6ac4b4160480e996ac0">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;wants to wrap SAMHSA and other agencies into a new HHS office called Administration for a Healthy America, where it would coexist with employees from other agencies responsible for chemical exposures and work-related injuries.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1731521445068.png" alt="Photo (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline)" />
 <figcaption>Photo (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/devi-shastri">DEVI SHASTRI</a> Associated PressThe 988 National Suicide &amp; Crisis Lifeline will stop providing tailored support options to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trans-rights-dei-6367d501717f1388677e128af277fe26">LGBTQ+ youth</a>&nbsp;and young adults on July 17, according to a statement on a federal agency’s website.The decision preempts the Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal to cut funding for 988’s LGBTQ+ youth and young adult services, and is raising alarm bells among LGBTQ+ advocates.Federal data shows the LGBTQ+ youth program has served nearly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/988/performance-metrics" target="_blank">1.3 million callers</a>&nbsp;since it started in September 2022. The services were accessible under the “Press 3” option on the phone or by replying “PRIDE” via text.___EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.___The decision was was made to “no longer silo” the services and “to focus on serving all help seekers, including those previously served through the Press 3 option,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hhs-addiction-mental-health-rfk-samsha-e83db20b4ef801971cd25d07eb41bcf9">Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)</a>&nbsp;said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/about/news-announcements/statements/2025/samhsa-statement-988-press-3-option" target="_blank">in a statement dated Tuesday</a>&nbsp;on its website.News of the LGBTQ+ service shutting down comes as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-health-care-trump-79fc6f3bbdab2e92d6f0184201a468a9">U.S. Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday.The Trevor Project said it received official notice Tuesday that the program was ending. The nonprofit is one of seven centers that provides 988 crisis support services for LGBTQ+ people — and serves nearly half of the people who contact the lifeline.“&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/suicide-prevention-mental-health-23b0282c56074625fa1be182afd860bd">Suicide prevention</a>&nbsp;is about people, not politics,” Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black said in a statement Wednesday. “The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible.”In its statement on the 988 decision, SAMHSA referred to the “LGB+ youth services.”Black called the omission of the “T” representing transgender people “callous.” “Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased,” he said.The Trevor Project will continue to run its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thetrevorproject.org/Get-Help/" target="_blank">24/7 mental health support services</a>, as will other organizations, and leaders of 988 say the hotline will serve anyone who calls with compassion.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-suicide-rate-cdc-c57bb0852adfb4d85b3670d465a8b890">there were 49,300 suicides in 2023</a>&nbsp;— about the highest level in the nation’s history, based on preliminary data.Studies have shown that LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk of suicide, including a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a6.htm#:~:text=An%20estimated%2040%25%20of%20transgender,marker%20for%20experiencing%20depressive%20symptoms." target="_blank">2024 analysis by the CDC</a>&nbsp;that found 26% transgender and gender-questioning students attempted suicide in the past year. That’s compared with 5% of cisgender male and 11% of cisgender female students.Young transgender people&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-rights-trump-title-ix-1b9d3a1d928ea78c21372da63600c6d1">flooded crisis hotlines</a>&nbsp;with calls after President Donald Trump was re-elected. Trump made anti-transgender themes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-transgender-politics-61cff97a64fac581ffc5f762be4c57d3">central to his campaign</a>&nbsp;and has since rolled back many&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-passports-nonbinary-trump-policy-e5d13b6064c06619c654896fc0305983">civil rights protections</a>&nbsp;and access to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hhs-rfk-transgender-therapy-53c20e8ba65b2d9e4750d5c3314492cc">gender-affirming care</a>.Trump signed the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2661" target="_blank">National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020</a>&nbsp;into law in October 2020.The specific 988 subprogram for LGBTQ+ youth cost $33 million in fiscal year 2024, according to SAMHSA, and as of June 2025, more than $33 million has been spent on the services. The Trump administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2026-budget-in-brief.pdf" target="_blank">2026 budget proposal</a>&nbsp;called for keeping 988’s total budget at $520 million even while&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fy-2026-aha-cj.pdf" target="_blank">eliminating the LGBTQ+ services</a>.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-robert-kennedy-vaccines-measles-steak-shake-9c970a1f6bdfd6ac4b4160480e996ac0">Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>&nbsp;wants to wrap SAMHSA and other agencies into a new HHS office called Administration for a Healthy America, where it would coexist with employees from other agencies responsible for chemical exposures and work-related injuries.___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.