Former NICWC board member
Grace Johnson, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is the new director of training and education for the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition (NICWC).&nbsp;

Johnson joined NICWC on Sept. 25 and hit the ground running by supporting an advanced Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) training, developed and led by NICWC Tribal Liaison Kitty Washburn.&nbsp;


Johnson offered valuable insights throughout the training sessions that included site visits to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Red Cloud Indian School, and the Indian Health Service Hospital in Pine Ridge, S.D., as well as a session for the Nebraska Department of
 Health and Human Services.&nbsp;


Johnson comes to NICWC after serving for nearly two years with the Nebraska Attorney General’s office as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Tribal Liaison.&nbsp;


“We are thrilled to have Grace join our team,” said Deborah Dancer, executive director of NICWC.&nbsp;&nbsp;


“Grace brings healing to every part of her work and delivers it with care and intention.&nbsp; We are looking forward to how she collectively leads training and education at NICWC.”&nbsp;


Dancer added, “Everyone who knows Grace speaks highly of her and as someone who has worked with her previously, I too can attest!&nbsp; We thank her for her board service and warmly welcome her to this new role.”&nbsp;
Johnson grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and has dedicated her life to working for the betterment of Native Americans.&nbsp;&nbsp;


"I am looking forward to working with the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition,” Johnson said. “I feel the work NICWC does is incredibly important to helping Native children and families in the foster care system by maintaining ties to their culture and
 advocating for their rights.”&nbsp;


She is a Qualified Expert Witness for ICWA law and has worked as an outreach and family support worker in the foster care system.&nbsp;


Johnson is a dual-licensed mental health therapist and drug and alcohol counselor and previously served as the director of behavioral health and the Umon’hon Nation Alcohol and Drug Program at the Carl T. Curtis Health Education Center for the Omaha Tribe of
 Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;


Johnson sits on the Omaha Mayor’s Native American Advisory Council. She owns her own business Red Nation Healing and is an adjunct professor at Nebraska Indian Community College.&nbsp;&nbsp;


“We are delighted to welcome Grace to our team,” said Liz Lovejoy Brown, NICWC Board President. “We are confident that her expertise will contribute significantly to the continued success of this organization.”&nbsp;


The vision of the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition is to ensure that all Native American children are raised by loving Indian families, surrounded by the people, culture and heritage that they know best.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759936689013.jpeg" alt="Grace Johnson (NICWC)" />
 <figcaption>Grace Johnson (NICWC)</figcaption>
 </figure> Former NICWC board member
Grace Johnson, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is the new director of training and education for the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition (NICWC).&nbsp;
Johnson joined NICWC on Sept. 25 and hit the ground running by supporting an advanced Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) training, developed and led by NICWC Tribal Liaison Kitty Washburn.&nbsp;
Johnson offered valuable insights throughout the training sessions that included site visits to the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Red Cloud Indian School, and the Indian Health Service Hospital in Pine Ridge, S.D., as well as a session for the Nebraska Department of
 Health and Human Services.&nbsp;
Johnson comes to NICWC after serving for nearly two years with the Nebraska Attorney General’s office as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Tribal Liaison.&nbsp;
“We are thrilled to have Grace join our team,” said Deborah Dancer, executive director of NICWC.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FNebraskaICWC%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02jg8HFWSpVPGehJHvjXRhiTftCCo6PrzPQQ9ZqBtK6AoN3RkV8FbomegHNB4qYh2Ql&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="731" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“Grace brings healing to every part of her work and delivers it with care and intention.&nbsp; We are looking forward to how she collectively leads training and education at NICWC.”&nbsp;
Dancer added, “Everyone who knows Grace speaks highly of her and as someone who has worked with her previously, I too can attest!&nbsp; We thank her for her board service and warmly welcome her to this new role.”&nbsp;
Johnson grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and has dedicated her life to working for the betterment of Native Americans.&nbsp;&nbsp;
"I am looking forward to working with the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition,” Johnson said. “I feel the work NICWC does is incredibly important to helping Native children and families in the foster care system by maintaining ties to their culture and
 advocating for their rights.”&nbsp;
She is a Qualified Expert Witness for ICWA law and has worked as an outreach and family support worker in the foster care system.&nbsp;
Johnson is a dual-licensed mental health therapist and drug and alcohol counselor and previously served as the director of behavioral health and the Umon’hon Nation Alcohol and Drug Program at the Carl T. Curtis Health Education Center for the Omaha Tribe of
 Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Johnson sits on the Omaha Mayor’s Native American Advisory Council. She owns her own business Red Nation Healing and is an adjunct professor at Nebraska Indian Community College.&nbsp;&nbsp;
“We are delighted to welcome Grace to our team,” said Liz Lovejoy Brown, NICWC Board President. “We are confident that her expertise will contribute significantly to the continued success of this organization.”&nbsp;
The vision of the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition is to ensure that all Native American children are raised by loving Indian families, surrounded by the people, culture and heritage that they know best.

Grace Johnson Joins NICWC as Training and Education Director

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to two felony charges Wednesday in federal court in Virginia, in response to an indictment that followed an extraordinary pressure campaign from President Donald Trump.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia,&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.1.0_3.pdf" target="_blank">indicted</a>&nbsp;Comey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-indicted-2-federal-charges-after-trump-urged-prosecution" target="_blank">in September</a>&nbsp;on one charge of making false statements to Congress during testimony in 2020 and another of obstructing a proceeding of Congress. Prosecutors had sought an additional charge of making false statements, but the grand jury&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.3.0.pdf" target="_blank">returned</a>&nbsp;only the two charges.&nbsp;

Comey faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each charge.

<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/comey-says-hes-standing-donald-trump-while-trump-calls-more-retribution" target="_blank">The indictment</a>&nbsp;came just days before the statute of limitations ran out.

A trial is set for early January.&nbsp;Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said he plans to file two batches of motions this month, including one alleging vindictive and selective prosecution.&nbsp;

“Our view is this prosecution was brought by President Trump,” Fitzgerald said.

Trump told his AG: ‘We can’t delay any longer’

Trump has long targeted Comey for his role leading the FBI during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump fired him after pressuring him to end the investigation and failing.&nbsp;

Trump and Comey have publicly sparred since his dismissal. Comey has denied wrongdoing.

Trump in September&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;on social media urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other political enemies, demanding retribution for his own prosecutions.

“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,’” Trump wrote. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT.”

The president then forced out the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia when he declined to pursue charges against Comey. Trump replaced the office’s top prosecutor with former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who swiftly obtained an indictment.

Comey’s legal team plans to fight Halligan’s appointment as unlawful.

Classified information expected to be included

U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the Eastern District of Virginia agreed to Comey’s request for a trial in January, after there were no objections from the government to schedule the proceeding beyond the Dec. 17 speedy trial deadline.

Fitzgerald’s challenge to Halligan’s appointment will be heard by a judge outside the Eastern District of Virginia according to standard protocol, Nachmanoff said, adding the separate track will have no bearing on Comey’s case schedule.

Nachmanoff, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, ordered the parties to swiftly agree on obtaining security clearances for Comey and Fitzgerald, as the government contends some of the evidence may be classified.

“We haven’t seen a single piece of discovery to date,” Fitzgerald told Nachmanoff, adding he had not received communication from government prosecutors until Tuesday.

Government prosecutor Nathaniel Lemons said he expects a “large amount” of discovery will be classified. Discovery is the process of exchanging information about witnesses and evidence in a legal case.

“We’re just getting our hands around the discovery as well,” Lemons said.

Nachmanoff responded he is “a little skeptical.”

“This does not appear to be a particularly complex case,” Nachmanoff said during the roughly 30-minute arraignment.

Fitzgerald told the judge the defense is “a bit confused” about the government’s slow movement on producing discovery.

“Frankly, we feel in this case the cart has been put before the horse,” Fitzgerald said.

Nachmanoff ordered the parties to come to a discovery agreement by week’s end, or risk the court setting one for them.

“I want to get this resolved promptly. … There should be no reason this case gets off track because of the existence of classified information,” he said.

Fitzgerald, who served as the U.S. attorney in Chicago for over a decade during the George W. Bush administration, is known for his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/osc/documents/2005_10_28_fitzgerald_press_conference.pdf" target="_blank">role</a>&nbsp;as Special Counsel in 2005 during the CIA leak case against Lewis “Scooter” Libby.

Fitzgerald told Nachmanoff that representing Comey is “the honor of my life.”

Several of Comey’s family members attended the arraignment at the Eastern District’s Albert V. Bryan Courthouse, including his daughter, Maureen Comey, who was fired earlier this year from her role as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan.&nbsp;

Comey’s son-in-law, Troy Edwards Jr., was also in attendance. Edwards resigned from his position as prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia immediately after Comey was indicted last month.&nbsp;

Oral arguments are set for Nov. 19 and Dec. 9. A trial is set for Jan. 5.

Fitzgerald initially argued for a Jan. 12 trial date, but Nachmanoff denied the request.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759946542778.png" alt="Protesters demonstrated outside the Eastern District of Virginia federal courthouse in Alexandria ahead of the arraignment of former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)" />
 <figcaption>Protesters demonstrated outside the Eastern District of Virginia federal courthouse in Alexandria ahead of the arraignment of former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty to two felony charges Wednesday in federal court in Virginia, in response to an indictment that followed an extraordinary pressure campaign from President Donald Trump.A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia,&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.1.0_3.pdf" target="_blank">indicted</a>&nbsp;Comey&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-fbi-director-comey-indicted-2-federal-charges-after-trump-urged-prosecution" target="_blank">in September</a>&nbsp;on one charge of making false statements to Congress during testimony in 2020 and another of obstructing a proceeding of Congress. Prosecutors had sought an additional charge of making false statements, but the grand jury&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136/gov.uscourts.vaed.582136.3.0.pdf" target="_blank">returned</a>&nbsp;only the two charges.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1758848907803.png" alt="Comey from his Instagram message responding to the indictment" />
 <figcaption>Comey from his Instagram message responding to the indictment</figcaption>
 </figure>Comey faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each charge.<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/comey-says-hes-standing-donald-trump-while-trump-calls-more-retribution" target="_blank">The indictment</a>&nbsp;came just days before the statute of limitations ran out.A trial is set for early January.&nbsp;Comey’s lawyer, Patrick Fitzgerald, said he plans to file two batches of motions this month, including one alleging vindictive and selective prosecution.&nbsp;“Our view is this prosecution was brought by President Trump,” Fitzgerald said.<h2>Trump told his AG: ‘We can’t delay any longer’</h2>Trump has long targeted Comey for his role leading the FBI during an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.Trump fired him after pressuring him to end the investigation and failing.&nbsp;Trump and Comey have publicly sparred since his dismissal. Comey has denied wrongdoing.Trump in September&nbsp;<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115239044548033727" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;on social media urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against Comey and other political enemies, demanding retribution for his own prosecutions.“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action. Nothing is being done,’” Trump wrote. “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice, and indicted me (5 times!), OVER NOTHING. JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! President DJT.”The president then forced out the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia when he declined to pursue charges against Comey. Trump replaced the office’s top prosecutor with former personal lawyer Lindsey Halligan, who swiftly obtained an indictment.Comey’s legal team plans to fight Halligan’s appointment as unlawful.<h2>Classified information expected to be included</h2>U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff for the Eastern District of Virginia agreed to Comey’s request for a trial in January, after there were no objections from the government to schedule the proceeding beyond the Dec. 17 speedy trial deadline.Fitzgerald’s challenge to Halligan’s appointment will be heard by a judge outside the Eastern District of Virginia according to standard protocol, Nachmanoff said, adding the separate track will have no bearing on Comey’s case schedule.Nachmanoff, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, ordered the parties to swiftly agree on obtaining security clearances for Comey and Fitzgerald, as the government contends some of the evidence may be classified.“We haven’t seen a single piece of discovery to date,” Fitzgerald told Nachmanoff, adding he had not received communication from government prosecutors until Tuesday.Government prosecutor Nathaniel Lemons said he expects a “large amount” of discovery will be classified. Discovery is the process of exchanging information about witnesses and evidence in a legal case.“We’re just getting our hands around the discovery as well,” Lemons said.Nachmanoff responded he is “a little skeptical.”“This does not appear to be a particularly complex case,” Nachmanoff said during the roughly 30-minute arraignment.Fitzgerald told the judge the defense is “a bit confused” about the government’s slow movement on producing discovery.“Frankly, we feel in this case the cart has been put before the horse,” Fitzgerald said.Nachmanoff ordered the parties to come to a discovery agreement by week’s end, or risk the court setting one for them.“I want to get this resolved promptly. … There should be no reason this case gets off track because of the existence of classified information,” he said.<h2>Comey’s family accompanies him</h2>Fitzgerald, who served as the U.S. attorney in Chicago for over a decade during the George W. Bush administration, is known for his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/osc/documents/2005_10_28_fitzgerald_press_conference.pdf" target="_blank">role</a>&nbsp;as Special Counsel in 2005 during the CIA leak case against Lewis “Scooter” Libby.Fitzgerald told Nachmanoff that representing Comey is “the honor of my life.”Several of Comey’s family members attended the arraignment at the Eastern District’s Albert V. Bryan Courthouse, including his daughter, Maureen Comey, who was fired earlier this year from her role as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan.&nbsp;Comey’s son-in-law, Troy Edwards Jr., was also in attendance. Edwards resigned from his position as prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia immediately after Comey was indicted last month.&nbsp;Oral arguments are set for Nov. 19 and Dec. 9. A trial is set for Jan. 5.Fitzgerald initially argued for a Jan. 12 trial date, but Nachmanoff denied the request.

Former FBI director faces a judge on federal charges of lying to Congress

On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of  29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.

The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht's started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day -- a blaze that eventually turned into one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, causing death and widespread destruction.

Among the evidence that was collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city.

While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy.

Rinderknecht's initial appearance is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. District Court in Orlando. Rinderknecht is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759939153486.png" alt="Palisades fire -photo FAA" />
 <figcaption>Palisades fire -photo FAA</figcaption>
 </figure>On Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January.The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht's started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year's Day -- a blaze that eventually turned into one of the most destructive fires in Los Angeles history, causing death and widespread destruction.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759941697774.png" alt="Rinderknecht photo U.S. Dept. of Justice" />
 <figcaption>Rinderknecht photo U.S. Dept. of Justice</figcaption>
 </figure>Among the evidence that was collected from his digital devices was an image he generated on ChatGPT depicting a burning city.While we cannot undo the damage and destruction that was done, we hope his arrest and the charges against him bring some measure of justice to the victims of this horrific tragedy.Rinderknecht's initial appearance is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. District Court in Orlando. Rinderknecht is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Man arrested, accused of starting wildfire that leveled LA neighborhood

Rep. Sharice Davids seeks extension of health tax credit used by 160K Kansans

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

TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall diagnosed the ongoing shutdown of the federal government as a malignancy infecting Democratic lawmakers.

The Kansas Republican, who was a physician in an obstetrics practice before elected to Congress, said Democrats at the Capitol were infected with “Trump derangement syndrome.”

“They have a hatred for President Trump that I’ve never seen,” Marshall said on a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Marshall, who was among lawmakers skeptical of President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020, said an underlying issue was Democrats had yet to accept outcome of 2024 elections that placed Republicans in control of the House, Senate and White House.

“If you want to continue your liberal socialist policies, Democrats, win an election,” Marshall said.

He accused Democrats of using the shutdown that began Oct. 1 to play hypocritical games with U.S. health care policy. The most “failed system” and “biggest waste of money” is the Medicaid system that has enrolled about 400,000 Kansans, he said. The senator said Democrats were complicit in creating financial challenges that threaten rural hospitals in Kansas and other states.

The six-person Kansas congressional delegation — five Republicans, one Democrat — have shared views on the weeklong shutdown tied to failure to pass a short-term funding bill to finance government operations. Democrats conditioned support for a bill on extension of health subsidies that lowered the consumer cost of Affordable Care Act plans. Republicans say the shutdown must end before working on the tax credits for health insurance.

The House adopted a temporary funding bill, but the Senate hasn’t voted for a comparable bill allowing the government to function until Nov. 21.

“This is not a shutdown that makes any sense at all,” said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas. “The American people — Kansans — deserve something different from the U.S. Senate. Every city council or commission, every school board, every local government office in my state passes a budget and then lives within that budget every year. Every local unit of government can figure this out, and the U.S. Senate is failing one more time.”

Moran, who has voted with Marshall to break the Senate’s deadlock, said the federal government shutdown “means uncertainty. A shutdown means dysfunction.”

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the lone Democrat in the delegation, said Democrats in Congress were fighting to extend availability of ACA tax credits to keep health care affordable. More than 160,000 Kansans relied last year on tax credits the 3rd District representative said should be made permanent.

“Because congressional Republicans have refused to extend them, premiums could rise by $700 next year, putting thousands of Kansans at risk of paying more or losing coverage,” Davids said.

She said the shutdown would harm hardworking Kansans and the moment called for Republicans and Democrats to work together on a solution.

U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt, a Republican serving the 2nd District in eastern Kansas, said the Senate ought to get behind the House-passed bipartisan bill. The approach would get the wheels of government moving and create time for the House and Senate to work on full-year appropriations bills, he said.

“Regrettably,” Schmidt said, “Senate Democrats are insisting on the inclusion of a $1.5 trillion wish list of additional reckless spending instead of passing the House’s continuing resolution. This shutdown is entirely the result of those unreasonable demands.”

U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican in the mostly rural 1st District, said the shutdown was triggered by Democrats who wanted taxpayers to “pay for health care for illegal immigrants and authorize trillions of new dollars in federal spending.”

He complained Democrats would rather see Trump fail than work in a bipartisan manner to operate government.

“I understand that some in Washington prefer to grandstand and try to score political points rather than do what’s best for the country, but it is time to stop the political theater and work together to get our fiscal house in order,” Mann said.

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, the 4th District congressman serving the Wichita area, said he had his congressional pay withheld due to the shutdown. He blamed U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and his allies for the impasse.

“Republicans have done our job,” Estes said. “I hope my Democrat colleagues will put Americans first and end this shutdown soon.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/9/1759235271107.png" alt="U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, says Democrats interrupted federal government operations due to a "derangement syndrome" tied to opposition of President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Marshall referred to the weeklong shutdown as a "cynical political" effort to comply with "radical left-wing extremists." (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, says Democrats interrupted federal government operations due to a "derangement syndrome" tied to opposition of President Donald Trump.&nbsp;Marshall referred to the weeklong shutdown as a "cynical political" effort to comply with "radical left-wing extremists." (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Rep. Sharice Davids seeks extension of health tax credit used by 160K Kansans</h2>By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall diagnosed the ongoing shutdown of the federal government as a malignancy infecting Democratic lawmakers.The Kansas Republican, who was a physician in an obstetrics practice before elected to Congress, said Democrats at the Capitol were infected with “Trump derangement syndrome.”“They have a hatred for President Trump that I’ve never seen,” Marshall said on a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate.Marshall, who was among lawmakers skeptical of President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in 2020, said an underlying issue was Democrats had yet to accept outcome of 2024 elections that placed Republicans in control of the House, Senate and White House.“If you want to continue your liberal socialist policies, Democrats, win an election,” Marshall said.He accused Democrats of using the shutdown that began Oct. 1 to play hypocritical games with U.S. health care policy. The most “failed system” and “biggest waste of money” is the Medicaid system that has enrolled about 400,000 Kansans, he said. The senator said Democrats were complicit in creating financial challenges that threaten rural hospitals in Kansas and other states.The six-person Kansas congressional delegation — five Republicans, one Democrat — have shared views on the weeklong shutdown tied to failure to pass a short-term funding bill to finance government operations. Democrats conditioned support for a bill on extension of health subsidies that lowered the consumer cost of Affordable Care Act plans. Republicans say the shutdown must end before working on the tax credits for health insurance.The House adopted a temporary funding bill, but the Senate hasn’t voted for a comparable bill allowing the government to function until Nov. 21.“This is not a shutdown that makes any sense at all,” said U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas. “The American people — Kansans — deserve something different from the U.S. Senate. Every city council or commission, every school board, every local government office in my state passes a budget and then lives within that budget every year. Every local unit of government can figure this out, and the U.S. Senate is failing one more time.”Moran, who has voted with Marshall to break the Senate’s deadlock, said the federal government shutdown “means uncertainty. A shutdown means dysfunction.”U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the lone Democrat in the delegation, said Democrats in Congress were fighting to extend availability of ACA tax credits to keep health care affordable. More than 160,000 Kansans relied last year on tax credits the 3rd District representative said should be made permanent.“Because congressional Republicans have refused to extend them, premiums could rise by $700 next year, putting thousands of Kansans at risk of paying more or losing coverage,” Davids said.She said the shutdown would harm hardworking Kansans and the moment called for Republicans and Democrats to work together on a solution.U.S. Rep. Derek Schmidt, a Republican serving the 2nd District in eastern Kansas, said the Senate ought to get behind the House-passed bipartisan bill. The approach would get the wheels of government moving and create time for the House and Senate to work on full-year appropriations bills, he said.“Regrettably,” Schmidt said, “Senate Democrats are insisting on the inclusion of a $1.5 trillion wish list of additional reckless spending instead of passing the House’s continuing resolution. This shutdown is entirely the result of those unreasonable demands.”U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican in the mostly rural 1st District, said the shutdown was triggered by Democrats who wanted taxpayers to “pay for health care for illegal immigrants and authorize trillions of new dollars in federal spending.”He complained Democrats would rather see Trump fail than work in a bipartisan manner to operate government.“I understand that some in Washington prefer to grandstand and try to score political points rather than do what’s best for the country, but it is time to stop the political theater and work together to get our fiscal house in order,” Mann said.U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, the 4th District congressman serving the Wichita area, said he had his congressional pay withheld due to the shutdown. He blamed U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and his allies for the impasse.“Republicans have done our job,” Estes said. “I hope my Democrat colleagues will put Americans first and end this shutdown soon.”

U.S. Senator Marshall points to ‘Trump derangement syndrome’ as culprit in shutdown

&nbsp;Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a combative Senate Judiciary hearing on Tuesday. with questions on the Epstein files and other controversial issues.

&nbsp;Attorney General Pam Bondi faced a combative Senate Judiciary hearing on Tuesday. with questions on the Epstein files and other controversial issues.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a>&#39;s opening remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee: &quot;We learned the former FBI secretly investigated you and your colleagues... this is the kind of conduct that shatters the American people&#39;s faith in our law enforcement system. We will work to earn that back… <a href="https://t.co/Y5ZiXCTCPD">pic.twitter.com/Y5ZiXCTCPD</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1975563351452246212?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">&quot;Your city has a murder rate five times higher than New. York&#39;s — 571 homicides last year,&quot; says <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> to the insufferable <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorDurbin</a> on the National Guard in Chicago. &quot;We&#39;re there to help make America safe and Illinois safe — whether or not you want to.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/qgbZIryITP">pic.twitter.com/qgbZIryITP</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1975568173291515944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. SCHIFF: You’ve refused to answer questions about ethics, the Qatari plane, the Epstein files, Tom Homan’s alleged bribery, political prosecutions, military authorization… Bondi: *tries interrupting* Schiff: Excuse me. This is an oversight hearing. We demand answers. <a href="https://t.co/GSeAoMtcf4">pic.twitter.com/GSeAoMtcf4</a>&mdash; Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryDems/status/1975669931955134611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a> cooks <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorDurbin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenatorDurbin</a>: &quot;I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump — and currently, the National Guard are on the way to Chicago. If you&#39;re not going to protect your citizens, President Trump will.&quot; 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/4CoNdH5w4p">pic.twitter.com/4CoNdH5w4p</a>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1975561272919015731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. DURBIN: Why was the FBI directed to flag Donald Trump’s name in the Epstein files? Bondi: I&#39;m not going to discuss anything related to these files. Durbin: Eventually, you&#39;re going to have to answer. <a href="https://t.co/OEUJEaReeM">pic.twitter.com/OEUJEaReeM</a>&mdash; Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryDems/status/1975621594841305544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. KLOBUCHAR: Do you support raising the age to 21 to purchase assault weapons? Bondi: I won’t discuss pending litigation. Sen. KLOBUCHAR: Your views are not pending litigation. <a href="https://t.co/RpCItcSjf5">pic.twitter.com/RpCItcSjf5</a>&mdash; Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryDems/status/1975625224537378969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Some highlights of AG Pam Bondi's fiery Senate hearing

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaclairevollers/">Anna Claire Vollers</a>

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a case that could reverse or solidify state laws across the country that ban a controversial counseling practice for LGBTQ+ youth.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-539">Click here to listen</a>&nbsp;to a replay of the oral argument

The case challenges a 2019 Colorado law that bans “conversion therapy” for children and teens. Conversion therapy is a catchall term for efforts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ+ people. Sometimes called “reparative therapy,” it can range from talk therapy and religious counseling to&nbsp;<a href="https://hls.harvard.edu/today/human-rights-program-hosts-un-expert-consultation-on-so-called-conversion-therapy-practices/#:~:text=an%20umbrella%20term%20referring%20to%20practices%20ranging%20from%20talk%20therapy%20to%20emotion%20suppression%20to%20electrical%20shocks%20that%20aim%20to%20change%20a%20person%E2%80%99s%20sexual%20orientation%20and/or%20gender%20identity." target="_blank">electrical shocks</a>, pain-inducing&nbsp;<a href="https://hls.harvard.edu/today/human-rights-program-hosts-un-expert-consultation-on-so-called-conversion-therapy-practices/#:~:text=an%20umbrella%20term%20referring%20to%20practices%20ranging%20from%20talk%20therapy%20to%20emotion%20suppression%20to%20electrical%20shocks%20that%20aim%20to%20change%20a%20person%E2%80%99s%20sexual%20orientation%20and/or%20gender%20identity." target="_blank">aversion therapy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nursingoutlook.org/article/S0029-6554(15)00125-6/pdf" target="_blank">physical isolation</a>. The therapy has been widely discredited by medical groups.

<a href="https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/conversion_therapy" target="_blank">More than half of states</a>&nbsp;— including some led by Republicans — have banned or restricted the practice for children and teens since California became the first to do so in 2012, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a left-leaning nonprofit research organization that tracks LGBTQ+-related laws and policies.

In recent years, however, Republicans in several states have worked to reverse bans, with some success. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2025/6/16/voters-strongly-oppose-so-called-conversion-therapy-think-supreme-court-should-allow-state-bans" target="_blank">poll</a>&nbsp;in June by Data for Progress, a liberal think tank, found that although less than half of Republican voters, 43%, support or strongly support conversion therapy, more than half — 56% — said the Supreme Court ought to allow states to ban it.

A decision in the Colorado case, expected next year, could have far-reaching ramifications&nbsp;for dozens of other states.

“I think we’re all really worried about the implications,” said Cliff Rosky, a professor of law at the University of Utah. Rosky helped draft&nbsp;<a href="https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/HB0228.html" target="_blank">Utah’s 2023 law</a>&nbsp;prohibiting licensed professionals from practicing conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ youth. That measure&nbsp;<a href="https://legiscan.com/UT/bill/HB0228/2023" target="_blank">unanimously passed</a>&nbsp;the Republican-controlled legislature.

“We certainly hope the court will uphold the right of states to regulate the behavior of therapists that it licenses and protect children from a lethal public health threat,” he told Stateline.

The impact on other states’ laws would depend on the scope of the high court’s ruling. But most of those laws are similar to Colorado’s, Rosky said.

“Certainly, a broad ruling against Colorado’s law would jeopardize the constitutionality of all the other laws.”

In Chiles v. Salazar, a licensed counselor in Colorado Springs, Kaley Chiles,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2025/24-539" target="_blank">sued state officials</a>&nbsp;in 2022 over a law that bars licensed mental health professionals from conducting conversion therapy on clients under 18. She argues the law violates her First Amendment right to free speech and interferes with her ability to practice counseling in a way that aligns with her religious convictions. Chiles is represented by conservative religious law firm Alliance Defending Freedom.

“The government has no business censoring private conversations between clients and counselors,” Jim Campbell, chief legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom,&nbsp;<a href="https://adflegal.org/press-release/supreme-court-weighs-whether-the-government-belongs-in-the-counseling-room/" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;in a news release when the group filed its opening brief in June. “Colorado’s law harms these young people by depriving them of caring and compassionate conversations with a counselor who helps them pursue the goals they desire.”

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, said in an August&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/2025/08/19/supreme-court-colorado-weiser-conversion-therapy/" target="_blank">news conference</a>&nbsp;that the law doesn’t prohibit a provider from sharing information or viewpoints with a patient, and that therapists are still allowed to talk with patients about conversion practices offered by religious groups.

But he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1AEZ79eDJ7/" target="_blank">called</a>&nbsp;conversion therapy a “substandard, discredited practice.” Conversion therapy has been denounced by major medical organizations including the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/conversion-therapy-issue-brief.pdf" target="_blank">American Medical Association</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/lgbtq/sexual-orientation-change#:~:text=Sexual%20orientation%20and%20gender%20identity%20(SOGI)%20change%20efforts%20commonly%20use%20an%20array%20of%20psychosocially%20harmful%20techniques%2C%20including%20public%20shaming%20or%20inducing%20adverse%20physiological%20reactions." target="_blank">American Psychological Association</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/getattachment/3d23f2f4-1497-4537-b4de-fe32fe8761bf/Position-Conversion-Therapy.pdf" target="_blank">American Psychiatric Association</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aacap.org/aacap/Policy_Statements/2018/Conversion_Therapy.aspx#:~:text=Furthermore%2C%20based%20on,children%20and%20adolescents" target="_blank">American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry</a>.

“This practice has been used in the past to try to force patients to change their sexual orientation or their gender identity,” Weiser said. “The science, however, says that this practice is harmful. It doesn’t work.

“Regardless of how it’s performed, there can be real harms from this practice. And those harms can include depression, self-hatred, loss of faith, even suicide.”

The key question in the case is whether Colorado’s law regulates professional standards of conduct and speech, or whether it attempts to regulate the right to free speech, said Marie-Amélie George, a legal historian who has published extensively on LGBTQ+ rights and is a professor of law at Wake Forest University School of Law.

“What is really interesting about these laws is that most licensed health professionals don’t offer conversion therapy because professional associations across the board have condemned it as extremely harmful,” George told Stateline. After the mainstream mental health community disavowed efforts to change people’s sexual orientation by the late 1980s, conversion therapy “became primarily the province of religious and lay ministers,” she said.

State laws like Colorado’s don’t restrict clergy and lay ministers from engaging in conversion therapy, she said. They address only the small subset of state-licensed mental health professionals who wish to use it.

In August, attorneys general in 20 states and the District of Columbia filed an amicus brief&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mass.gov/doc/colorado-conversion-therapy-amicus/download" target="_blank">supporting Colorado’s law</a>. They argue the First Amendment doesn’t shield mental health practices from regulation when the state deems them dangerous or ineffective, and that states have a long and established history of regulating professional standards of care.

The decision in this case will probably affect all of the conversion therapy bans in this country.

– Marie-Amélie George, Wake Forest University School of Law professor

Colorado isn’t the only recent battleground over conversion therapy, as conservative majorities in the courts, state legislatures and at the federal level have opened the door for Republican lawmakers and conservative Christian groups to reinstate the practice.

Earlier this year, Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a&nbsp;<a href="https://legiscan.com/KY/bill/HB495/2025" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;canceling Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/09/18/beshear-signs-order-banning-conversion-therapy-on-kentucky-minors/" target="_blank">2024 executive order</a>&nbsp;that banned conversion therapy for minors. Beshear promptly vetoed the bill, but the legislature&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2025/03/27/conversion-therapy-protected-in-kentucky-as-legislature-overrides-beshear-veto/" target="_blank">overrode his veto</a>&nbsp;in March.

In April, a coalition of Republican attorneys general from 11 states, led by Iowa and South Carolina,&nbsp;<a href="https://michiganadvance.com/briefs/republican-ags-ask-federal-appeals-panel-to-overturn-michigans-conversion-therapy-ban/" target="_blank">appealed</a>&nbsp;a January decision by a U.S. district court judge to uphold&nbsp;<a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2023/07/26/michigan-becomes-22nd-state-to-ban-conversion-therapy-for-lgbtq-youth/" target="_blank">a 2023 Michigan law</a>&nbsp;that’s similar to Colorado’s. It prohibits mental health professionals from trying to alter a minor’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The case began when Catholic Charities of three Michigan counties&nbsp;<a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2024/07/15/lawsuit-seeks-to-overturn-michigans-ban-on-conversion-therapy-for-minors/" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit targeting Michigan’s law in 2024</a>&nbsp;on behalf of a licensed therapist.

In July, a Virginia court partially struck down the state’s 2020 ban on conversion therapy for minors. Republican lawmakers in Michigan introduced a&nbsp;<a href="https://legiscan.com/MI/bill/HB4752/2025" target="_blank">bill</a>&nbsp;in July to repeal their state’s ban,&nbsp;while Missouri’s Republican attorney general&nbsp;<a href="https://ago.mo.gov/attorney-general-bailey-files-suit-against-jackson-county-to-protect-free-speech-in-counseling-offices/" target="_blank">sued</a>&nbsp;to overturn local conversion therapy bans.

From the mid-1990s until the mid-2010s, LGBTQ+ rights advocates won a lot of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, said George, the Wake Forest professor.

“But in the years since, the Supreme Court has been more hostile to LGBTQ+ rights claims,” she said. “I think, with the political environment of the court, it will be interesting to see what they do given how they have treated other LGBTQ+ rights cases in recent years.

“States are extremely similar in the laws they have enacted, so the decision in this case will probably affect all of the conversion therapy bans in this country.”

Stateline reporter Anna Claire Vollers can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:avollers@stateline.org">avollers@stateline.org</a>.

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/10/06/conversion-therapy-for-lgbtq-minors-goes-before-the-supreme-court/" target="_blank">Stateline</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Missouri Independent, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

🎧 Conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ minors goes before the US Supreme Court

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration may try to interpret a law enacted during his first term in office differently than it did following the last government shutdown, potentially denying back pay to hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers.&nbsp;

The change in stance, outlined in a memo from the Office of Management and Budget that was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/trump-memo-furloughed-federal-workers-backpay" target="_blank">first reported by Axios</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday and confirmed to States Newsroom by a White House official, would drastically change the stakes of the ongoing funding lapse, which began Oct. 1.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump didn’t clearly say how he personally views the law during an afternoon press conference in the Oval Office, though he indicated he doesn’t intend to provide back pay to all federal workers.&nbsp;

“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said. “I can tell you this: the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy. But it really depends on who you’re talking about. But for the most part we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

Trump said he will likely announce mass layoffs of federal employees in the next week and opened the door to canceling funding approved by Congress if the shutdown persists.&nbsp;

“I’ll be able to tell you that in four or five days if this keeps going on,” Trump said. “If this keeps going on it’ll be substantial and a lot of those jobs will never come back.”

OPM earlier said workers would receive back pay

Reinterpreting the law would go against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/reference-materials/guidance-for-shutdown-furloughs-sep-28-2025/?" target="_blank">guidance</a>&nbsp;the Office of Personnel Management released in late September, which stated that after “the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were furloughed as the result of the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those furlough periods.”

During the 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term, Congress approved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/24" target="_blank">a bill</a>&nbsp;titled the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 that guaranteed back pay for both exempt and furloughed federal workers. Trump signed the legislation into law himself.&nbsp;

Before the law, Congress typically voted following each funding lapse to ensure back pay for all federal employees.&nbsp;

The Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/about-750000-federal-workers-will-be-furloughed-shutdown-nonpartisan-cbo-projects" target="_blank">projected</a>&nbsp;750,000 federal workers would be furloughed in the current shutdown.&nbsp;

Democrats on Capitol Hill rebuffed the memo on Tuesday, arguing it is another example of Trump attempting to circumvent the law.&nbsp;

“The letter of the law is as plain as can be—federal workers, including furloughed workers, are entitled to their backpay following a shutdown,” Senate Appropriations ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote on social media. “Another baseless attempt to try and scare &amp; intimidate workers by an administration run by crooks and cowards.”

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who represents a considerable number of federal workers, said during a brief interview he doesn’t believe lawmakers need to clarify the law in any way, calling it “crystal clear.”&nbsp;

“This is a bill that (former) Senator (Ben) Cardin and I introduced back during that shutdown,” Van Hollen said. “And I looked at it again today after the White House comments, and they’re blowing smoke. This is part of their effort to scare. So this is all part of their fearmongering. That’s what it’s about.”&nbsp;

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., asked about the memo during a morning press conference, said he hadn’t seen it or spoken with anyone in the White House, but he didn’t seem to take issue with its change of course.&nbsp;

“I’m sure there will be a lot of discussion about that. But there are legal analysts who think that is not something that government should do,” Johnson said. “If that is true, that should turn up the urgency and the necessity of the Democrats doing the right thing here.”&nbsp;

Pressed by another reporter about the principle involved with possibly not adhering to the law, Johnson said he hopes that furloughed federal workers do receive their back pay.

“I can tell you the president believes that as well. He and I have talked about this personally. He doesn’t want people to go without back pay,” Johnson said. “And that’s why he pleaded with Chuck Schumer to do the right thing and vote to keep the government open. We don’t want this to happen.”&nbsp;

Johnson didn’t clarify why — if Trump believes furloughed workers should receive back pay consistent with the 2019 law — the White House budget office prepared a memo stating the opposite.

Johnson’s&nbsp;<a href="https://mikejohnson.house.gov/services/government-shutdown.htm" target="_blank">official House website</a>&nbsp;explains that during a shutdown “federal employees will either be furloughed, or in some cases required to work without pay. Under federal law, employees are entitled to back pay upon the government reopening.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said during an afternoon press conference he expects furloughed workers will receive their back pay once the shutdown ends.&nbsp;

“I haven’t looked at the memo specifically yet. My assumption is that furloughed workers will get back pay,” Thuen said. “But that being said, this is very simple — open up the government and this is a nonissue.”

The Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/government-shutdown-enters-day-six-talks-over-health-care-impasse" target="_blank">has deadlocked five times</a>&nbsp;on a stopgap government funding bill that passed the House in mid-September. The upper chamber is expected to vote at least one more time this week.

Democrats call for negotiations on shutdown

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said during a morning floor speech that Johnson “has become a massive roadblock to progress,” though he didn’t address the possibility of no back pay for furloughed workers.&nbsp;

“Ending this shutdown will require Donald Trump to step in and push Speaker Johnson to negotiate because without the president’s involvement, Speaker Johnson and MAGA Republicans in the House are increasingly dug in,” Schumer said.&nbsp;

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, &nbsp;a New York Democrat, said during a morning press conference the White House was incorrect in its new interpretation.&nbsp;

“The law is clear — every single furloughed employee is entitled to pay back. Period. Full stop,” Jeffries said. “The law is clear and we will make sure that that law is followed.”

American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley wrote in a statement the “frivolous argument that federal employees are not guaranteed backpay under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act is an obvious misinterpretation of the law.&nbsp;

“It is also inconsistent with the Trump administration’s own guidance from mere days ago, which clearly and correctly states that furloughed employees will receive retroactive pay for the time they were out of work as quickly as possible once the shutdown is over.”

&nbsp;Shauneen Miranda and Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759875394137.png" alt="A sign advising that the Capitol Visitors Center in the U.S. Capitol is closed, in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Oct. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)." />
 <figcaption>A sign advising that the Capitol Visitors Center in the U.S. Capitol is closed, in Washington, D.C., is pictured on Oct. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">Jennifer Shutt</a>WASHINGTON — The Trump administration may try to interpret a law enacted during his first term in office differently than it did following the last government shutdown, potentially denying back pay to hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal workers.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Q: &quot;Is it the White House&#39;s position that furloughed workers should be paid for their back-pay?&quot; President Trump: &quot;I would say it depends on who we&#39;re talking about. I can tell you this, the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy, but it really depends on… <a href="https://t.co/dbftoc2vC2">pic.twitter.com/dbftoc2vC2</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1975596357172802032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The change in stance, outlined in a memo from the Office of Management and Budget that was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/trump-memo-furloughed-federal-workers-backpay" target="_blank">first reported by Axios</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday and confirmed to States Newsroom by a White House official, would drastically change the stakes of the ongoing funding lapse, which began Oct. 1.&nbsp;President Donald Trump didn’t clearly say how he personally views the law during an afternoon press conference in the Oval Office, though he indicated he doesn’t intend to provide back pay to all federal workers.&nbsp;“I would say it depends on who we’re talking about,” Trump said. “I can tell you this: the Democrats have put a lot of people in great risk and jeopardy. But it really depends on who you’re talking about. But for the most part we’re going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”Trump said he will likely announce mass layoffs of federal employees in the next week and opened the door to canceling funding approved by Congress if the shutdown persists.&nbsp;“I’ll be able to tell you that in four or five days if this keeps going on,” Trump said. “If this keeps going on it’ll be substantial and a lot of those jobs will never come back.”<h2>OPM earlier said workers would receive back pay</h2>Reinterpreting the law would go against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/reference-materials/guidance-for-shutdown-furloughs-sep-28-2025/?" target="_blank">guidance</a>&nbsp;the Office of Personnel Management released in late September, which stated that after “the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were furloughed as the result of the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those furlough periods.”During the 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term, Congress approved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/24" target="_blank">a bill</a>&nbsp;titled the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 that guaranteed back pay for both exempt and furloughed federal workers. Trump signed the legislation into law himself.&nbsp;Before the law, Congress typically voted following each funding lapse to ensure back pay for all federal employees.&nbsp;The Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/about-750000-federal-workers-will-be-furloughed-shutdown-nonpartisan-cbo-projects" target="_blank">projected</a>&nbsp;750,000 federal workers would be furloughed in the current shutdown.&nbsp;Democrats on Capitol Hill rebuffed the memo on Tuesday, arguing it is another example of Trump attempting to circumvent the law.&nbsp;“The letter of the law is as plain as can be—federal workers, including furloughed workers, are entitled to their backpay following a shutdown,” Senate Appropriations ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., wrote on social media. “Another baseless attempt to try and scare &amp; intimidate workers by an administration run by crooks and cowards.”Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who represents a considerable number of federal workers, said during a brief interview he doesn’t believe lawmakers need to clarify the law in any way, calling it “crystal clear.”&nbsp;“This is a bill that (former) Senator (Ben) Cardin and I introduced back during that shutdown,” Van Hollen said. “And I looked at it again today after the White House comments, and they’re blowing smoke. This is part of their effort to scare. So this is all part of their fearmongering. That’s what it’s about.”&nbsp;<h2>‘That should turn up the urgency’</h2>Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., asked about the memo during a morning press conference, said he hadn’t seen it or spoken with anyone in the White House, but he didn’t seem to take issue with its change of course.&nbsp;“I’m sure there will be a lot of discussion about that. But there are legal analysts who think that is not something that government should do,” Johnson said. “If that is true, that should turn up the urgency and the necessity of the Democrats doing the right thing here.”&nbsp;Pressed by another reporter about the principle involved with possibly not adhering to the law, Johnson said he hopes that furloughed federal workers do receive their back pay.“I can tell you the president believes that as well. He and I have talked about this personally. He doesn’t want people to go without back pay,” Johnson said. “And that’s why he pleaded with Chuck Schumer to do the right thing and vote to keep the government open. We don’t want this to happen.”&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759875311575.png" alt="U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s website on Oct. 7, 2025, stating, “Under federal law, employees are entitled to back pay upon the government reopening.” (States Newsroom screenshot)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s website on Oct. 7, 2025, stating, “Under federal law, employees are entitled to back pay upon the government reopening.” (States Newsroom screenshot)</figcaption>
 </figure>Johnson didn’t clarify why — if Trump believes furloughed workers should receive back pay consistent with the 2019 law — the White House budget office prepared a memo stating the opposite.Johnson’s&nbsp;<a href="https://mikejohnson.house.gov/services/government-shutdown.htm" target="_blank">official House website</a>&nbsp;explains that during a shutdown “federal employees will either be furloughed, or in some cases required to work without pay. Under federal law, employees are entitled to back pay upon the government reopening.”Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said during an afternoon press conference he expects furloughed workers will receive their back pay once the shutdown ends.&nbsp;“I haven’t looked at the memo specifically yet. My assumption is that furloughed workers will get back pay,” Thuen said. “But that being said, this is very simple — open up the government and this is a nonissue.”The Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/government-shutdown-enters-day-six-talks-over-health-care-impasse" target="_blank">has deadlocked five times</a>&nbsp;on a stopgap government funding bill that passed the House in mid-September. The upper chamber is expected to vote at least one more time this week.<h2>Democrats call for negotiations on shutdown</h2>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said during a morning floor speech that Johnson “has become a massive roadblock to progress,” though he didn’t address the possibility of no back pay for furloughed workers.&nbsp;“Ending this shutdown will require Donald Trump to step in and push Speaker Johnson to negotiate because without the president’s involvement, Speaker Johnson and MAGA Republicans in the House are increasingly dug in,” Schumer said.&nbsp;House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, &nbsp;a New York Democrat, said during a morning press conference the White House was incorrect in its new interpretation.&nbsp;“The law is clear — every single furloughed employee is entitled to pay back. Period. Full stop,” Jeffries said. “The law is clear and we will make sure that that law is followed.”American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley wrote in a statement the “frivolous argument that federal employees are not guaranteed backpay under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act is an obvious misinterpretation of the law.&nbsp;“It is also inconsistent with the Trump administration’s own guidance from mere days ago, which clearly and correctly states that furloughed employees will receive retroactive pay for the time they were out of work as quickly as possible once the shutdown is over.”&nbsp;Shauneen Miranda and Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.

🎥Trump floats plan to deny back pay to furloughed federal workers after shutdown

Tuesday night, October 7. Listen to #5 Ogallala (20-3) at Gothenburg (13-8). Kwik Stop Pregame around 7pm Central Time in Gothenburg on Flatrock 100.7 FM.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759865256529.png" alt="LISTEN ONLINE at <a href="https://flatrock1007.com/">www.flatrock1007.com</a>" />
 <figcaption>LISTEN ONLINE at <a href="https://flatrock1007.com/">www.flatrock1007.com</a></figcaption>
 </figure>Tuesday night, October 7. Listen to #5 Ogallala (20-3) at Gothenburg (13-8). Kwik Stop Pregame around 7pm Central Time in Gothenburg on Flatrock 100.7 FM.

High School Volleyball on Radio Tonight: #5 Ogallala at Gothenburg

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– An explosive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-toll-analysis-of-us-senators">FBI document</a>&nbsp;obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reveals the FBI targeted eight Republican senators’ personal cell phones for “tolling data” as part of its Arctic Frost investigation, according to a statement from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

One Republican member of the House of Representatives was also impacted. The Arctic Frost investigation formed the basis of Jack Smith’s elector case against President Donald Trump.

The FBI in 2023 sought and obtained data about the senators’ phone use from&nbsp;January 4 through January 7, 2021. That data shows when and to whom a call is made, as well as the duration and general location data of the call. The data does not include the content of the call.

This document was found in a Prohibited Access file in response to Grassley’s oversight requests. Grassley’s oversight&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-investigates-prohibited-access-files-at-fbi-demands-accountability-for-document-destruction-and-obstruction-in-mueller-investigation" target="_blank">exposed the existence</a>&nbsp;of Prohibited Access files, a file system the FBI uses to limit access to certain documents by making some files inaccessible to most FBI agents.

Read the FBI document&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-toll-analysis-of-us-senators">HERE</a>.

The FBI targeted the following Members of Congress:Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)

Grassley issued the following statement regarding today’s disclosure:

“Based on the evidence to-date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate.

“What I’ve uncovered today is disturbing and outrageous political conduct by the Biden FBI. The FBI’s actions were an unconstitutional breach, and Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel need to hold accountable those involved in this serious wrongdoing.

“I started the Arctic Frost investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/grassley-to-justice-dept-fbi_-political-bias" target="_blank">in July 2022</a>&nbsp;after hearing from whistleblowers. It’s taken years to get records and advance my investigation, but what the public is seeing now demonstrates the importance of congressional oversight and whistleblowers. My whistleblowers deserve great thanks for what they’ve helped expose. None of this would have been known without them.”

Background:The FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/exhibit-8-arctic-frost" target="_blank">opened in April 2022</a>&nbsp;by former anti-Trump agent Timothy Thibault. In November 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-bank-record-subpoenas" target="_blank">it was assigned</a>&nbsp;to Special Counsel Jack Smith.&nbsp;

Whistleblower disclosures to Grassley earlier this year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-johnson-release-records-showing-fbi-obtained-trump-pence-cell-phones-conducted-sweeping-interviews-to-advance-anti-trump-arctic-frost-investigation" target="_blank">revealed</a>&nbsp;the FBI acquired the government cell phones of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence during its Arctic Frost investigation. Officials in the Biden White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-johnson-release-additional-arctic-frost-records-detailing-sweeping-anti-trump-investigation" target="_blank">personally assisted</a>&nbsp;the FBI in securing Trump and Pence’s government phones. FBI agents used taxpayer dollars to travel the country and conduct dozens of interviews in support of the political probe.

Records Grassley made public last month&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-bank-record-subpoenas" target="_blank">showed</a>&nbsp;the FBI also placed 92 Republican-linked individuals and Republican groups – such as Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA – under Arctic Frost’s investigative scope.

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– An explosive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-toll-analysis-of-us-senators">FBI document</a>&nbsp;obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reveals the FBI targeted eight Republican senators’ personal cell phones for “tolling data” as part of its Arctic Frost investigation, according to a statement from the Senate Judiciary Committee.One Republican member of the House of Representatives was also impacted. The Arctic Frost investigation formed the basis of Jack Smith’s elector case against President Donald Trump.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This document shows the Biden FBI spied on 8 of my Republican Senate colleagues during its Arctic Frost investigation into &quot;election conspiracy&quot; Arctic Frost later became Jack Smith&#39;s elector case against Trump BIDEN FBI WEAPONIZATION = WORSE THAN WATERGATE <a href="https://t.co/V2JyiVlX48">pic.twitter.com/V2JyiVlX48</a>&mdash; Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckGrassley/status/1975297712712262100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a>: &quot;We learned that former FBI secretly investigated you and your colleagues. Why? They wanted to take President Trump off the playing field...This is the kind of conduct that shatters the American people&#39;s faith in our law enforcement system.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/FRr65KtHsH">pic.twitter.com/FRr65KtHsH</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1975590921082114532?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HawleyMO</a>: &quot;Who ordered the tapping of the phones of United States Senators?<a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AGPamBondi</a>: &quot;I cannot discuss the details of that right now for very good reason...We will be looking at all aspects of this and I have talked to Director Patel at length about this.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/8OEwJ24gsr">pic.twitter.com/8OEwJ24gsr</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1975610383051206995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The FBI in 2023 sought and obtained data about the senators’ phone use from&nbsp;January 4 through January 7, 2021. That data shows when and to whom a call is made, as well as the duration and general location data of the call. The data does not include the content of the call.This document was found in a Prohibited Access file in response to Grassley’s oversight requests. Grassley’s oversight&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-investigates-prohibited-access-files-at-fbi-demands-accountability-for-document-destruction-and-obstruction-in-mueller-investigation" target="_blank">exposed the existence</a>&nbsp;of Prohibited Access files, a file system the FBI uses to limit access to certain documents by making some files inaccessible to most FBI agents.Read the FBI document&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-toll-analysis-of-us-senators">HERE</a>.The FBI targeted the following Members of Congress:Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.)Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska)Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.)Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.)Grassley issued the following statement regarding today’s disclosure:“Based on the evidence to-date, Arctic Frost and related weaponization by federal law enforcement under Biden was arguably worse than Watergate.“What I’ve uncovered today is disturbing and outrageous political conduct by the Biden FBI. The FBI’s actions were an unconstitutional breach, and Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel need to hold accountable those involved in this serious wrongdoing.“I started the Arctic Frost investigation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/grassley-to-justice-dept-fbi_-political-bias" target="_blank">in July 2022</a>&nbsp;after hearing from whistleblowers. It’s taken years to get records and advance my investigation, but what the public is seeing now demonstrates the importance of congressional oversight and whistleblowers. My whistleblowers deserve great thanks for what they’ve helped expose. None of this would have been known without them.”Background:The FBI’s Arctic Frost investigation was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/exhibit-8-arctic-frost" target="_blank">opened in April 2022</a>&nbsp;by former anti-Trump agent Timothy Thibault. In November 2022,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-bank-record-subpoenas" target="_blank">it was assigned</a>&nbsp;to Special Counsel Jack Smith.&nbsp;Whistleblower disclosures to Grassley earlier this year&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-johnson-release-records-showing-fbi-obtained-trump-pence-cell-phones-conducted-sweeping-interviews-to-advance-anti-trump-arctic-frost-investigation" target="_blank">revealed</a>&nbsp;the FBI acquired the government cell phones of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence during its Arctic Frost investigation. Officials in the Biden White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/rep/releases/grassley-johnson-release-additional-arctic-frost-records-detailing-sweeping-anti-trump-investigation" target="_blank">personally assisted</a>&nbsp;the FBI in securing Trump and Pence’s government phones. FBI agents used taxpayer dollars to travel the country and conduct dozens of interviews in support of the political probe.Records Grassley made public last month&nbsp;<a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/download/arctic-frost-bank-record-subpoenas" target="_blank">showed</a>&nbsp;the FBI also placed 92 Republican-linked individuals and Republican groups – such as Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA – under Arctic Frost’s investigative scope.

Read the report: Biden's FBI spied on Republican U.S. Senators 

Table Rock, NE -&nbsp;When small-town Nebraska meets big-league recognition, you get a story like Den’s Country Meats. The family-owned business in Table Rock was named the 2025 Independent Processor of the Year by The National Provisioner, earning a spot among the nation’s most respected meat processors.

The story of Den’s began in 1985, when a 19-year-old Dennis Schaardt purchased the local meat locker in Table Rock. What started as a modest custom-processing shop has since grown into a full USDA-inspected operation offering retail meats, wild game services, and an extensive lineup of house-made products including sausages, jerky, and meat sticks. By 1995, Den’s moved into its current facility, allowing for expanded production and a growing customer base. Today, Dennis and his wife Kim work alongside their daughter Courtney Shreve and her husband Seth—making Den’s a true multigenerational business.

This year’s national recognition follows an extraordinary run of awards. Den’s Country Meats entered 72 products in the 2025 German Butchers Association and AAMP international competition, returning home with 62 gold, eight silver, and one bronze medal. The team also earned the prestigious “Cup of Honor” and placed first in both the ham and sausage divisions, as well as the overall top prize. Back home in Nebraska, Den’s received the Nebraska Association of Meat Processors’ Travelling Sweepstakes Award for overall excellence—a first for any processor in the state.

The company now produces more than 80 varieties of sausage and specialty meats and has built a loyal following that stretches well beyond Table Rock. Den’s products can be found in retail coolers across Nebraska and Kansas, including in Lincoln, Beatrice, and Sabetha, and their online store now ships nationwide.

For the Schaardt family, the success is rooted in dedication, craft, and community. Dennis, inducted into the AAMP Cured Meats Hall of Fame in 2024, continues to be active in local leadership, while Courtney calls the recognition “a meaningful honor” for the entire team.

In an industry dominated by large corporations, Den’s Country Meats stands as proof that family tradition and small-town pride can still earn national acclaim.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759848791740.png" alt="Pictured: Dennis Shaardt, wife Kim, daughter Courtney Shreve, and her husband Seth operate Den's Country Meats in Table Rock as a family-owned business. (Courtesy photo)" />
 <figcaption>Pictured: Dennis Shaardt, wife Kim, daughter Courtney Shreve, and her husband Seth operate Den's Country Meats in Table Rock as a family-owned business. (Courtesy photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>Table Rock, NE -&nbsp;When small-town Nebraska meets big-league recognition, you get a story like Den’s Country Meats. The family-owned business in Table Rock was named the 2025 Independent Processor of the Year by The National Provisioner, earning a spot among the nation’s most respected meat processors.The story of Den’s began in 1985, when a 19-year-old Dennis Schaardt purchased the local meat locker in Table Rock. What started as a modest custom-processing shop has since grown into a full USDA-inspected operation offering retail meats, wild game services, and an extensive lineup of house-made products including sausages, jerky, and meat sticks. By 1995, Den’s moved into its current facility, allowing for expanded production and a growing customer base. Today, Dennis and his wife Kim work alongside their daughter Courtney Shreve and her husband Seth—making Den’s a true multigenerational business.This year’s national recognition follows an extraordinary run of awards. Den’s Country Meats entered 72 products in the 2025 German Butchers Association and AAMP international competition, returning home with 62 gold, eight silver, and one bronze medal. The team also earned the prestigious “Cup of Honor” and placed first in both the ham and sausage divisions, as well as the overall top prize. Back home in Nebraska, Den’s received the Nebraska Association of Meat Processors’ Travelling Sweepstakes Award for overall excellence—a first for any processor in the state.The company now produces more than 80 varieties of sausage and specialty meats and has built a loyal following that stretches well beyond Table Rock. Den’s products can be found in retail coolers across Nebraska and Kansas, including in Lincoln, Beatrice, and Sabetha, and their online store now ships nationwide.For the Schaardt family, the success is rooted in dedication, craft, and community. Dennis, inducted into the AAMP Cured Meats Hall of Fame in 2024, continues to be active in local leadership, while Courtney calls the recognition “a meaningful honor” for the entire team.In an industry dominated by large corporations, Den’s Country Meats stands as proof that family tradition and small-town pride can still earn national acclaim.

Den’s Country Meats: A Nebraska Gem Earns National Acclaim 

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Walmart plans to remove synthetic food dyes and several other additives from its private-label food products by early 2027, part of a nationwide effort to simplify ingredient lists and respond to consumer demand for more transparent labeling.

The retailer announced that all Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and bettergoods products will be reformulated to eliminate petroleum-based color additives and about 30 other artificial ingredients. Walmart said roughly 90 percent of its store-brand foods are already free of synthetic dyes, with the remaining products expected to transition over the next two years.

The move aligns with broader industry trends and recent federal actions to reduce or eliminate certain food dyes. The Food and Drug Administration is phasing out the use of Red No. 3 in foods by 2027, following research linking the dye to potential health risks.

Walmart stated that reformulated products will begin appearing on shelves in the coming months, including at stores across Nebraska, with full implementation expected by 2027. The company also indicated it will continue reviewing additional ingredients such as artificial sweeteners and preservatives as part of its ongoing “clean label” initiative.

Similar commitments have been made by other major food companies, including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and Nestlé, as consumers increasingly seek products made without artificial coloring or unnecessary additives.

The changes are expected to affect hundreds of items under Walmart’s private-label lines, which account for a significant portion of the company’s grocery sales nationwide.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665773864149.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Walmart plans to remove synthetic food dyes and several other additives from its private-label food products by early 2027, part of a nationwide effort to simplify ingredient lists and respond to consumer demand for more transparent labeling.The retailer announced that all Great Value, Marketside, Freshness Guaranteed, and bettergoods products will be reformulated to eliminate petroleum-based color additives and about 30 other artificial ingredients. Walmart said roughly 90 percent of its store-brand foods are already free of synthetic dyes, with the remaining products expected to transition over the next two years.The move aligns with broader industry trends and recent federal actions to reduce or eliminate certain food dyes. The Food and Drug Administration is phasing out the use of Red No. 3 in foods by 2027, following research linking the dye to potential health risks.Walmart stated that reformulated products will begin appearing on shelves in the coming months, including at stores across Nebraska, with full implementation expected by 2027. The company also indicated it will continue reviewing additional ingredients such as artificial sweeteners and preservatives as part of its ongoing “clean label” initiative.Similar commitments have been made by other major food companies, including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, and Nestlé, as consumers increasingly seek products made without artificial coloring or unnecessary additives.The changes are expected to affect hundreds of items under Walmart’s private-label lines, which account for a significant portion of the company’s grocery sales nationwide.

Walmart to Remove Synthetic Dyes and Additives from Store Brands by 2027

LINCOLN, Neb. — Photographers across Nebraska have a chance to showcase the state’s natural beauty in the 2025 Nebraskaland Magazine Photo Contest, now open for submissions through October 31.

The contest invites photographers of all skill levels to submit their best shots taken in Nebraska. Entries are accepted in four categories: Wildlife, Scenic, Recreation, and Macro. All photographs must be original and captured within the state.

Winners will be featured in the January/February 2026 issue of Nebraskaland Magazine, with cash prizes for top entries. First-place winners in each category receive $150, second place earns $100, third place $50, and the overall Best in Show takes home $250.

“The contest is a great way to celebrate Nebraska’s landscapes, wildlife, and outdoor recreation,” said contest organizers. “Whether you’re an amateur snapping pictures on your phone or a professional photographer, this is your chance to share the beauty of our state.”

Photographers can submit entries online by following the guidelines at magazine.outdoornebraska.gov. All submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on October 31.

The contest provides an opportunity for Nebraskans to highlight the diversity and charm of their state, from sweeping plains and rivers to wildlife and outdoor adventures.

For more information and entry details, visit magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/about/submissions/photo-contest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759760573732.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. — Photographers across Nebraska have a chance to showcase the state’s natural beauty in the 2025 Nebraskaland Magazine Photo Contest, now open for submissions through October 31.The contest invites photographers of all skill levels to submit their best shots taken in Nebraska. Entries are accepted in four categories: Wildlife, Scenic, Recreation, and Macro. All photographs must be original and captured within the state.Winners will be featured in the January/February 2026 issue of Nebraskaland Magazine, with cash prizes for top entries. First-place winners in each category receive $150, second place earns $100, third place $50, and the overall Best in Show takes home $250.“The contest is a great way to celebrate Nebraska’s landscapes, wildlife, and outdoor recreation,” said contest organizers. “Whether you’re an amateur snapping pictures on your phone or a professional photographer, this is your chance to share the beauty of our state.”Photographers can submit entries online by following the guidelines at magazine.outdoornebraska.gov. All submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central Time on October 31.The contest provides an opportunity for Nebraskans to highlight the diversity and charm of their state, from sweeping plains and rivers to wildlife and outdoor adventures.For more information and entry details, visit magazine.outdoornebraska.gov/about/submissions/photo-contest.

Capture Nebraska’s Beauty: Nebraskaland Magazine Photo Contest Now Open

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/micah-drew/">Micah Drew</a> <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/">Daily Montanan</a>

Glacier National Park remains open to visitors during the federal government shutdown, which a former superintendent said could lead to trash pileup, a lack of communication for visitors and limited emergency response operations.&nbsp;

Last month, former Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow joined more than 40 former national park superintendents in signing a&nbsp;<a href="https://protectnps.org/2025/09/25/former-nps-superintendents-urge-secretary-burgum-to-close-national-parks-if-government-shuts-down/" target="_blank">letter urging</a>&nbsp;the federal government to close National Park Service sites in the event of a government shutdown.&nbsp;

“Past shutdowns in which gates remained open with limited staff have hurt our parks: Iconic symbols cut down and vandalized, trash piled up, habitats destroyed, and visitor safety jeopardized. If you don’t act now, history is not just doomed to repeat itself, the damage could in fact be much worse,” the letter states.&nbsp;

But when the calendar rolled over to October, the federal government shut down and roughly 750,000 federal workers were furloughed, but parks stayed open.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759774183360.png" alt="A webcam image of the entrance station to Glacier National Park shows blocked off lanes and shuttered windows on Oct. 3, 2025." />
 <figcaption>A webcam image of the entrance station to Glacier National Park shows blocked off lanes and shuttered windows on Oct. 3, 2025.</figcaption>
 </figure>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/micah-drew/">Micah Drew</a> <a href="https://dailymontanan.com/">Daily Montanan</a>Glacier National Park remains open to visitors during the federal government shutdown, which a former superintendent said could lead to trash pileup, a lack of communication for visitors and limited emergency response operations.&nbsp;Last month, former Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow joined more than 40 former national park superintendents in signing a&nbsp;<a href="https://protectnps.org/2025/09/25/former-nps-superintendents-urge-secretary-burgum-to-close-national-parks-if-government-shuts-down/" target="_blank">letter urging</a>&nbsp;the federal government to close National Park Service sites in the event of a government shutdown.&nbsp;“Past shutdowns in which gates remained open with limited staff have hurt our parks: Iconic symbols cut down and vandalized, trash piled up, habitats destroyed, and visitor safety jeopardized. If you don’t act now, history is not just doomed to repeat itself, the damage could in fact be much worse,” the letter states.&nbsp;But when the calendar rolled over to October, the federal government shut down and roughly 750,000 federal workers were furloughed, but parks stayed open.&nbsp;A bright red banner across the websites for Glacier and Yellowstone national parks states that national parks “remain as accessible as possible” during the shutdown, but services may be limited or unavailable. Visitors are directed to a Department of the Interior webpage that lists contingency plan documents for each agency group, which vaguely outline what operations can remain.&nbsp;However, those contingency plans are about the only communication given to the public about national park system operations, which Mow said adds to the uncertainty for visitors and staff alike.&nbsp;&nbsp;For example, Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road typically closes the third Monday of October, but that is contingent on weather conditions along the alpine stretches of the 50-mile scenic byway. The park superintendent has the ability to close the road if inclement weather hits, and typically, any winter-related closures are communicated through press releases, social media posts, and updates to the park’s website.&nbsp;But during a shutdown of the federal government, communication isn’t a top priority.&nbsp;According to Glacier’s official&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DPRm_7WDtq8/?hl=en" target="_blank">social media accounts</a>, the National Park Service “will continue to share critical information about park access, safety, and resources. Some services may be limited.”&nbsp;But Glacier’s communications specialist is among those furloughed, and cannot respond to emails or speak on behalf of the park. Emails sent to the National Park Service’s media office about what constitutes “critical information about park access” went unanswered.&nbsp;“If there’s a snowstorm that closes the Sun Road, will that show up on the website?” Mow said. “I don’t know. We’ll see how long it stays open.”There is currently a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mdt.mt.gov/_resources/pl/rdrpt.pl?rptname=Winter" target="_blank">winter storm warning</a>&nbsp;in place over the weekend for elevations over 5,500 feet — with four to eight inches of snow possible. Logan Pass has a 15% chance of receiving 10 inches, according to the National Weather Service.Mow served as Glacier’s superintendent during the last government shutdown, a 35-day long affair that stretched from December 2018 to January 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first administration.&nbsp;Back then, Mow said, Glacier was fully in winter mode — most roads into the park, including Going-to-the-Sun Road, were closed, and operations and programming were already parred down compared to peak season.&nbsp;Mow was among the employees furloughed during the last shutdown as a “nonessential” part of daily operations. He said one of the biggest concerns for the year-round staff who also ended up furloughed was the lack of communication — about what employees could still do, any timeline for returning to work, and whether to sign up for unemployment benefits.&nbsp;“It’s adding more of this uncertainty in their lives, and this administration has certainly done a lot to add uncertainty into federal employees’ lives,” Mow said.&nbsp;In 2018, Mow said there was an employee Facebook page where staff could post updates to communicate — furloughed staff can’t access their emails or government-issued devices — and they found ways to bring the staff together, including setting up work days at the local food bank to “maintain our community as employees of Glacier National Park,” Mow said.&nbsp;There is no indication how long the current shutdown will last. Friday, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate&nbsp;<a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2025/10/03/repub/government-shutdown-primed-to-roll-into-next-week-after-us-senate-deadlocks-again/" target="_blank">clashed again</a>&nbsp;and failed to advance measures to partially fund the government.&nbsp;The current shutdown comes amid one of the largest reductions in force across the National Park system. According to Politico, since Trump took office for his second term, the Park Service has lost roughly 35% of its staff, while the Interior Department as a whole is down around 14%.An internal memo from Glacier obtained by the Daily Montanan in May indicated that 20% of park positions were vacant, including almost half of dispatch positions.&nbsp;A shutdown further compounds problems from short staffing.&nbsp;“National parks are not designed to run with so little staff. I think that’s one of the things that differentiates us from other public lands — national parks are designed and staffed for high levels of visitation,” Mow said. “There’s lots of infrastructure, visitor information centers, and a response system for visitor safety issues. Our counterparts in FS and BLM, not so much, they depend more on local and county resources.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.doi.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025-09/doi-nps-lapse-plan2025930508.pdf" target="_blank">contingency plan</a>&nbsp;released by the park service late Tuesday said “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors.” However, parks without “accessible areas,” such as primarily indoor exhibitions, will be closed, and sites currently open could close if damage is done to park resources or garbage is building up, the plan says.For Glacier and Yellowstone, two massive parks where the main attractions are natural features more so than exhibitions, that means the public is free to roam.&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://montanafreepress.org/2025/10/02/gates-open-at-yellowstone-on-first-day-of-shutdown/" target="_blank">Montana Free Press</a>&nbsp;reported that Yellowstone’s entrance stations are open, concessionaire-run businesses including lodges and restaurants are operational, and private commercial guiding companies were still allowed to operate within open parts of the Park.&nbsp;In Glacier, private concessionaire Xanterra, which operates lodges, restaurants, gift shops, the iconic red bus tours, and crucially, restrooms, “will be open and welcoming guests and visitors from around the world,” according to their website.&nbsp;Andrew Heltzel, Chief Commercial Officer for Xanterra, said in an email that staffing has remained the same at both parks as the shutdown began, and the Park Service had shared that entrances and roads to the parks would remain open and accessible.“We are optimistic that our guests will continue to come and enjoy the incredible landscapes and experiences these parks offer. Travelers can book with confidence knowing that we are working closely with the National Park Service and we are committed to providing clear and timely communication to our guests,” Heltzel said.One entrance to Glacier, into the Two Medicine Valley, closed on Wednesday for pre-planned construction.Sarah Lundstrum, the Glacier program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, said the organization has also pushed for parks to close down if they aren’t being fulling staffed.“In previous years, we’ve seen vandalism, trees cut down, petroglyphs vandalized, people driving where they shouldn’t, trash, garbage and feces piling up in national parks,” Lundstrum said. “If there’s not going to be full staffing, parks shouldn’t be open.”The association is encouraging people to avoid going to parks, but if they do visit, do so responsibly.“Be prepared for not a lot of services. Recreate responsibly, leave no trace, take your garbage with you,” she said. “And be polite to the staff that are there — they’re under a lot of stress — so just be a good steward.”The National Park Service this week&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm" target="_blank">released an economic report</a>&nbsp;showing that Glacier and Yellowstone generated roughly $1.5 billion in economic output in nearby communities in 2024.&nbsp;While Glacier has largely entered its shoulder season and nearby communities aren’t relying on October visitation to bolster their bottom lines, other parks, including Yellowstone and those in warmer climates, such as Utah and southern California, are closer to peak season, Lundstrum said, and are preparing for much larger economic impacts of a shutdown.During the last shutdown, public lands across the country saw issues with garbage buildup and human waste as workers were unable to take out the trash and restock toilet paper.&nbsp;In Grand Teton, the Jackson Hole News &amp; Guide reported Wednesday that toilet paper ran out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/news/environmental/local/with-grand-teton-open-in-shutdown-tourists-seek-toilet-paper-as-staff-preps-for-furloughs/article_0df2c8e0-a2d8-4cda-9dce-9a798e322a1b.html" target="_blank">in just six hours</a>.&nbsp;“Whenever we go into these minimal-operations mode, things will suffer. Resources will suffer, staffing will suffer, visitor safety – if there are emergency response needs &nbsp;— they will probably suffer some,” Mow added. “Honestly, it should not be a goal for the National Park Service of ‘how to run a park during a shutdown.’ It’s not a contingency we prepare for.”Editor’s note: this article has been updated with comments from Xanterra and to reflect the closure of GTTSR.&nbsp;This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2025/10/03/as-federal-government-shuts-down-visitors-can-still-enter-glacier-yellowstone-national-parks/" target="_blank">Daily Montanan</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.