&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

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 4p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.

A gold Ford F150 was eastbound on 31st Street, according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.&nbsp; Just east of Mersington Street, an adult male pedestrian ran into the roadway from the grassy area located next to the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store.

The pickup struck the pedestrian who was thrown to the pavement. The driver of the pickup stopped immediately, remained at the scene, cooperated fully with the investigation, and was not impaired. 

KCFD EMS transported the pedestrian to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The pedestrian was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff shortly after arrival. This is fatality #52 compared to #73 at this time last year, according to Becchina.

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 4p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.A gold Ford F150 was eastbound on 31st Street, according to KCPD Sergeant Jake Becchina.&nbsp; Just east of Mersington Street, an adult male pedestrian ran into the roadway from the grassy area located next to the parking lot of the Family Dollar Store.The pickup struck the pedestrian who was thrown to the pavement. The driver of the pickup stopped immediately, remained at the scene, cooperated fully with the investigation, and was not impaired. KCFD EMS transported the pedestrian to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The pedestrian was subsequently pronounced deceased by hospital staff shortly after arrival. This is fatality #52 compared to #73 at this time last year, according to Becchina.

Man killed running into street from KC store parking area

KANSAS CITY—A Kansas City area man faces felony charges for the stabbing and attempted robbery of a man hired to clean a city-owned park.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2740/Lewis-Austin-Complaint-Packet_Redacted">Austin R. Lewis</a>, 30, is charged with 1st Degree Attempted Robbery, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and 1st Degree Assault, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.

On October 5, Kansas City police were dispatched to an area near the National WWI Museum and Memorial regarding a reported cutting, a<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2739/Austin-Lewis-Statement-of-Probable-Cause_Redacted">ccording to court records</a>. Based on witness reports, detectives determined that Lewis approached the victim, a worker cleaning the sidewalks, and asked for a dollar. When the victim, who did not speak English, did not respond, Lewis stabbed him with a knife in full view of witnesses before fleeing the scene.&nbsp;

The victim is alive and in stable condition.&nbsp;

Officers located Lewis a few minutes after responding to the scene and took him into custody. He declined to speak with detectives.&nbsp;

Lewis is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759845288270.png" alt="Lewis photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Lewis photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—A Kansas City area man faces felony charges for the stabbing and attempted robbery of a man hired to clean a city-owned park.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2740/Lewis-Austin-Complaint-Packet_Redacted">Austin R. Lewis</a>, 30, is charged with 1st Degree Attempted Robbery, two counts of Armed Criminal Action, and 1st Degree Assault, according to&nbsp;Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.On October 5, Kansas City police were dispatched to an area near the National WWI Museum and Memorial regarding a reported cutting, a<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2739/Austin-Lewis-Statement-of-Probable-Cause_Redacted">ccording to court records</a>. Based on witness reports, detectives determined that Lewis approached the victim, a worker cleaning the sidewalks, and asked for a dollar. When the victim, who did not speak English, did not respond, Lewis stabbed him with a knife in full view of witnesses before fleeing the scene.&nbsp;The victim is alive and in stable condition.&nbsp;Officers located Lewis a few minutes after responding to the scene and took him into custody. He declined to speak with detectives.&nbsp;Lewis is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond.&nbsp;

Police: Man attacked worker hired to clean KC owned park

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations.&nbsp;

Just after 12:30p.m.&nbsp;October 5, a K-9 Unit with the Shawnee County Sheriff's office conducted a traffic stop on a gray Dodge Durango with a stolen license plate in the 2000 block of SE California Avenue, according to Sheriff's Deputy Abigail Christian.

During the investigation, illegal narcotics and multiple stolen items were located.

Deputies arrested 47-year-old Tashara D. Yeargin-Charles of Topeka and she was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of&nbsp; identity theft, Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into the human body, Possession of stolen property, Vehicles; display plate not assigned, Vehicle liability insurance and Operate a motor vehicle without a valid license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759850096982.png" alt="Yeargin-Charles photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Yeargin-Charles photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations.&nbsp;Just after 12:30p.m.&nbsp;October 5, a K-9 Unit with the Shawnee County Sheriff's office conducted a traffic stop on a gray Dodge Durango with a stolen license plate in the 2000 block of SE California Avenue, according to Sheriff's Deputy Abigail Christian.During the investigation, illegal narcotics and multiple stolen items were located.Deputies arrested 47-year-old Tashara D. Yeargin-Charles of Topeka and she was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of&nbsp; identity theft, Possession of an opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Use/possess with intent to use drug paraphernalia into the human body, Possession of stolen property, Vehicles; display plate not assigned, Vehicle liability insurance and Operate a motor vehicle without a valid license.

Sheriff: Kansas woman jailed for alleged ID theft

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

RENO COUNTY— Authorities have identified the two who died as a result of the head-on collision on Monday in Reno County. According to the Reno County Sheriff, 31-year-old Nicholas Brilhart of Sterling and 66-year-old Sharon Davis of Weston, West Virginia died in the crash that occurred just after 10.m. in the 8200 block of N K14 Hwy. Two of the other three individuals involved are still being treated at Wichita area hospitals. The third was treated and released.&nbsp;

According to the Reno County Sheriff a northbound silver Subaru SUV crossed the center line in the 8200 block of North K-14/96 and veered into the southbound lane. A southbound Ford F-150 attempted to avoid the crash by pulling onto the right shoulder, but the Subaru also moved onto the same shoulder, and the two vehicles collided head-on.

The Subaru carried four occupants. Two of them,&nbsp;31-year-old Nicholas Brilhart of Sterling and 66-year-old Sharon Davis of Weston, West Virginia were pronounced dead at the scene. An infant and another passenger were taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center and later transferred to a Wichita hospital. The driver of the Ford pickup, the sole occupant, was transported by private vehicle to Lyons Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

First responders arriving on the scene found citizens already performing lifesaving efforts, which were continued by emergency crews.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759787040428.jpeg" alt="Photo by Marc Jacobs Hutch Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Marc Jacobs Hutch Post</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY— Authorities have identified the two who died as a result of the head-on collision on Monday in Reno County. According to the Reno County Sheriff, 31-year-old Nicholas Brilhart of Sterling and 66-year-old Sharon Davis of Weston, West Virginia died in the crash that occurred just after 10.m. in the 8200 block of N K14 Hwy. Two of the other three individuals involved are still being treated at Wichita area hospitals. The third was treated and released.&nbsp;According to the Reno County Sheriff a northbound silver Subaru SUV crossed the center line in the 8200 block of North K-14/96 and veered into the southbound lane. A southbound Ford F-150 attempted to avoid the crash by pulling onto the right shoulder, but the Subaru also moved onto the same shoulder, and the two vehicles collided head-on.The Subaru carried four occupants. Two of them,&nbsp;31-year-old Nicholas Brilhart of Sterling and 66-year-old Sharon Davis of Weston, West Virginia were pronounced dead at the scene. An infant and another passenger were taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center and later transferred to a Wichita hospital. The driver of the Ford pickup, the sole occupant, was transported by private vehicle to Lyons Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.First responders arriving on the scene found citizens already performing lifesaving efforts, which were continued by emergency crews.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sheriff IDs man and woman who died in Kansas head-on crash

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 

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement in Riley County are investigating a suspect on new allegations after an investigation and arrest in Shawnee County.

Just after 11a.m. Monday, police arrested Nichole Morehead, 22, of Ogden in the 1000 block of Seth Child Road on a Riley County District Court warrant for probation violation. 

This arrest stems from original charges of distribution of fentanyl, unlawful use of a telecommunication facility to distribute fentanyl, and theft. Morehead was issued no bond and remains confined in the Riley County Jail at the time of this report.&nbsp; She was arrested in Shawnee County on Friday, according to online jail records and later transferred to Riley County.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759854534088.png" alt="Morehead from her arrest in Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Morehead from her arrest in Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement in Riley County are investigating a suspect on new allegations after an investigation and arrest in Shawnee County.Just after 11a.m. Monday, police arrested Nichole Morehead, 22, of Ogden in the 1000 block of Seth Child Road on a Riley County District Court warrant for probation violation. This arrest stems from original charges of distribution of fentanyl, unlawful use of a telecommunication facility to distribute fentanyl, and theft. Morehead was issued no bond and remains confined in the Riley County Jail at the time of this report.&nbsp; She was arrested in Shawnee County on Friday, according to online jail records and later transferred to Riley County.

Police: Kansas woman accused of selling fentanyl

DOUGLAS COUNTY—A Kansas High School student is being hailed as a hero for taking action to save a woman's life.

Adrian Mendoza, a senior from Free State High School in Lawrence has attended the Lawrence Kansas&nbsp; Police Department's Teen Police Academy the last two summers, according to a social media report from Lawrence Police.

There, he learned life-saving techniques that he used when there were needed.  Adrian was serving food at a local independent living facility where he saw someone choking and another person struggling to help.  He says he doesn't even remember thinking about it.  His training took over and he performed the Heimlich maneuver the officers taught him. A chicken bone dislodged in her throat and the woman is fine today.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759801520261.png" alt="Adrian Mendoza courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Adrian Mendoza courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—A Kansas High School student is being hailed as a hero for taking action to save a woman's life.Adrian Mendoza, a senior from Free State High School in Lawrence has attended the Lawrence Kansas&nbsp; Police Department's Teen Police Academy the last two summers, according to a social media report from Lawrence Police.There, he learned life-saving techniques that he used when there were needed. Adrian was serving food at a local independent living facility where he saw someone choking and another person struggling to help. He says he doesn't even remember thinking about it. His training took over and he performed the Heimlich maneuver the officers taught him. A chicken bone dislodged in her throat and the woman is fine today.

Kan. high school student takes action to save a woman's life

‘This is nothing more than an attempt to harass (Planned Parenthood) and should not be permitted by the court,’ attorneys for the clinics wrote in a court filing opposing the subpoena

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is demanding health records of Planned Parenthood abortion patients in an effort to argue in favor of keeping in place several regulations that limit access to the procedure.

The office is asking for patient medical records, incident reports, “adverse event documentation” and communications about patient care,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Corrected%20Motion%20to%20Quash%20State%20Defendants%20Subpoenas,%20Enforce%20Rule%2057.03,%20and%20Extend%20Protective%20Order%20and%20Suggestions%20in%20Support.PDF?courtCode=16&amp;di=28975693" target="_blank">according to court records</a>. Also requested through a subpoena were operational and clinical protocols, equipment patient records, contractual arrangements and documentation of compliance.&nbsp;

“Despite the Missouri attorney general’s blatant attempts to overturn the will of the people, all patients expect and have the right for their medical records to be private,” leadership with Planned Parenthood Great Plains, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and the ACLU of Missouri said in a joint statement. “Politicians have no place in the exam room with patients and their medical providers, and that’s why we will keep fighting for patients and their rights.”

The attorney general’s office, newly&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/09/catherine-hanaway-missouri-attorney-general-andrew-bailey/">under the leadership of Catherine Hanaway,</a>&nbsp;did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.&nbsp;

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office also subpoenaed two former Planned Parenthood Great Rivers board members, one physician contracted by Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, who was handed a subpoena during recess of a court hearing related to abortion access on Sept. 10.

“This is nothing more than an attempt to harass (Planned Parenthood) and should not be permitted by the court,” attorneys for the clinics wrote in a court filing asking Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang to throw out the subpoenas.&nbsp;

Last November, Missourians voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">codify the right to reproductive health care</a>, including abortion up to the point of fetal viability, in the state constitution. A day later, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/06/missouri-abortion-access-planned-parenthood-lawsuit-amendment-3/">sued the state in an effort to take down several abortion regulations&nbsp;</a>that remain part of state statute, arguing that those regulations are now unconstitutional because they burden abortion patients and providers.&nbsp;

That lawsuit is set to go to trial in January. Until then, Zhang temporarily enjoined —&nbsp;or struck down —&nbsp;some of the regulations,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/03/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-trumps-most-restrictions-judge-rules/">allowing Planned Parenthood to begin offering procedural abortions again</a>.&nbsp;

Planned Parenthood is also awaiting a decision from Zhang after asking her to enjoin even more state regulations that the clinic argues are preventing clinics from prescribing mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used in medication abortions. As of Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/11/laws-regulations-medication-abortion-mifepristone-misoprostol-missouri/">Missourians could not access medication abortion&nbsp;</a>from an in-state provider because of these regulations.

Planned Parenthood is currently offering procedural abortions at its clinics in Kansas City,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/04/abortion-returns-columbia-missouri-planned-parenthood-clinic/">Columbia</a>&nbsp;and St. Louis.&nbsp;

Last month, the Missouri Court of Appeals gave the green light for the attorney general’s office to subpoena patient health information in a separate case involving the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/16/appeals-court-gives-missouri-ag-pathway-to-transgender-center-patient-records/">Washington University Transgender Center.</a>&nbsp;But it has to be done under more stringent parameters, the court ruled.&nbsp;

The attorney general’s office initially requested “all electronic health records of (the center’s) clients” and a list of all the center’s patients. The higher court is now requiring that only the minimum required health information be turned over.

The appeals court reversed a<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/08/judge-rules-missouri-ag-has-no-right-to-medical-records-of-transgender-minors-at-wash-u/">&nbsp;ruling last year&nbsp;</a>in which a district judge said the center did not have to turn over patient information protected by the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA.

In that case,&nbsp; the attorney general’s office argued that it qualifies as a<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Appellants%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=EA&amp;di=513469" target="_blank">&nbsp;“health oversight agency,”&nbsp;</a>and as such should be privy to patient information protected by HIPPA.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1746190042115.png" alt="An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>An abortion procedure room pictured on Monday, March 3, 2025, at Planned Parenthood in Columbia, Missouri (Anna Spoerre/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘This is nothing more than an attempt to harass (Planned Parenthood) and should not be permitted by the court,’ attorneys for the clinics wrote in a court filing opposing the subpoena</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>The Missouri Attorney General’s Office is demanding health records of Planned Parenthood abortion patients in an effort to argue in favor of keeping in place several regulations that limit access to the procedure.The office is asking for patient medical records, incident reports, “adverse event documentation” and communications about patient care,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Plaintiffs%20Corrected%20Motion%20to%20Quash%20State%20Defendants%20Subpoenas,%20Enforce%20Rule%2057.03,%20and%20Extend%20Protective%20Order%20and%20Suggestions%20in%20Support.PDF?courtCode=16&amp;di=28975693" target="_blank">according to court records</a>. Also requested through a subpoena were operational and clinical protocols, equipment patient records, contractual arrangements and documentation of compliance.&nbsp;“Despite the Missouri attorney general’s blatant attempts to overturn the will of the people, all patients expect and have the right for their medical records to be private,” leadership with Planned Parenthood Great Plains, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and the ACLU of Missouri said in a joint statement. “Politicians have no place in the exam room with patients and their medical providers, and that’s why we will keep fighting for patients and their rights.”The attorney general’s office, newly&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/09/catherine-hanaway-missouri-attorney-general-andrew-bailey/">under the leadership of Catherine Hanaway,</a>&nbsp;did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.&nbsp;The Missouri Attorney General’s Office also subpoenaed two former Planned Parenthood Great Rivers board members, one physician contracted by Planned Parenthood Great Rivers and the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, who was handed a subpoena during recess of a court hearing related to abortion access on Sept. 10.“This is nothing more than an attempt to harass (Planned Parenthood) and should not be permitted by the court,” attorneys for the clinics wrote in a court filing asking Jackson County Circuit Judge Jerri Zhang to throw out the subpoenas.&nbsp;Last November, Missourians voted to&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/05/missouri-voters-overturn-states-near-total-abortion-ban/">codify the right to reproductive health care</a>, including abortion up to the point of fetal viability, in the state constitution. A day later, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/11/06/missouri-abortion-access-planned-parenthood-lawsuit-amendment-3/">sued the state in an effort to take down several abortion regulations&nbsp;</a>that remain part of state statute, arguing that those regulations are now unconstitutional because they burden abortion patients and providers.&nbsp;That lawsuit is set to go to trial in January. Until then, Zhang temporarily enjoined —&nbsp;or struck down —&nbsp;some of the regulations,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/03/missouri-abortion-rights-amendment-trumps-most-restrictions-judge-rules/">allowing Planned Parenthood to begin offering procedural abortions again</a>.&nbsp;Planned Parenthood is also awaiting a decision from Zhang after asking her to enjoin even more state regulations that the clinic argues are preventing clinics from prescribing mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used in medication abortions. As of Monday,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/11/laws-regulations-medication-abortion-mifepristone-misoprostol-missouri/">Missourians could not access medication abortion&nbsp;</a>from an in-state provider because of these regulations.Planned Parenthood is currently offering procedural abortions at its clinics in Kansas City,&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/04/abortion-returns-columbia-missouri-planned-parenthood-clinic/">Columbia</a>&nbsp;and St. Louis.&nbsp;<h2>A separate battle for patient records</h2>Last month, the Missouri Court of Appeals gave the green light for the attorney general’s office to subpoena patient health information in a separate case involving the&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/16/appeals-court-gives-missouri-ag-pathway-to-transgender-center-patient-records/">Washington University Transgender Center.</a>&nbsp;But it has to be done under more stringent parameters, the court ruled.&nbsp;The attorney general’s office initially requested “all electronic health records of (the center’s) clients” and a list of all the center’s patients. The higher court is now requiring that only the minimum required health information be turned over.The appeals court reversed a<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/07/08/judge-rules-missouri-ag-has-no-right-to-medical-records-of-transgender-minors-at-wash-u/">&nbsp;ruling last year&nbsp;</a>in which a district judge said the center did not have to turn over patient information protected by the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA.In that case,&nbsp; the attorney general’s office argued that it qualifies as a<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/Appellants%20Brief.PDF?courtCode=EA&amp;di=513469" target="_blank">&nbsp;“health oversight agency,”&nbsp;</a>and as such should be privy to patient information protected by HIPPA.&nbsp;

Missouri attorney general subpoenas Planned Parenthood for patient abortion records

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces multiple charges for a shooting at a home in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2734/Roscoe-COMPLAINTREDACTED">Nathan Roscoe</a>, 42,&nbsp;faces 1st Degree Assault, Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm charges.

<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2735/Roscoe-PCREDACTED-1">Click here to read the probable cause statement</a>

On September 27, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence regarding shots fired and located the victim who was alert and conscious. The victim had an obvious wound on his head and was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the head, a<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2735/Roscoe-PCREDACTED-1">ccording to court records</a>.

Based on witness reports, Roscoe was identified as the shooter and was still in the residence before complying with the deputies’ orders and being taken into custody.&nbsp;

Roscoe remains jailed on a $50,000 bond.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759709167606.png" alt="Roscoe photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Roscoe photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces multiple charges for a shooting at a home in Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2734/Roscoe-COMPLAINTREDACTED">Nathan Roscoe</a>, 42,&nbsp;faces 1st Degree Assault, Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm charges.<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2735/Roscoe-PCREDACTED-1">Click here to read the probable cause statement</a>On September 27, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence regarding shots fired and located the victim who was alert and conscious. The victim had an obvious wound on his head and was transported to a nearby hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the head, a<a href="https://www.jacksoncountyprosecutor.com/DocumentCenter/View/2735/Roscoe-PCREDACTED-1">ccording to court records</a>.Based on witness reports, Roscoe was identified as the shooter and was still in the residence before complying with the deputies’ orders and being taken into custody.&nbsp;Roscoe remains jailed on a $50,000 bond.&nbsp;

Victim survived after shot in the head by Kansas City felon

BUTLER COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a fatal shooting at a Butler County Lake.

Just after 4 a.m. Monday, Butler County Dispatch received a report of a shooting at a campsite in the Bluestem Point area of El Dorado Lake, according to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.

First responders found 57-year-old Rodney Logan of Augusta unresponsive from apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Deputies took a suspect into custody. The sheriff's office did not release his name. Investigators are working to determine what led up to the shooting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759784520481.png" alt="Photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a fatal shooting at a Butler County Lake.Just after 4 a.m. Monday, Butler County Dispatch received a report of a shooting at a campsite in the Bluestem Point area of El Dorado Lake, according to Butler County Undersheriff Daimon Cundiff.First responders found 57-year-old Rodney Logan of Augusta unresponsive from apparent gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Deputies took a suspect into custody. The sheriff's office did not release his name. Investigators are working to determine what led up to the shooting.

Sheriff: 57-year-old shot, killed at Kansas lake campground

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are currently investigating a vehicle theft from a Ford dealership in Salina.

On Friday, employees from the Long McArthur Ford dealership,&nbsp;3450 S 9th Street in Salina, reported that between 10:50 am and 11p.m. on September 28, a&nbsp;used&nbsp;red 2013 Camaro&nbsp;was stolen. The car possibly had an unknown dealer tag. Loss of value is $44,900.

The suspect appeared to be a male from surveillance footage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1759780825767.png" alt="Long McArthur Ford&nbsp; -Google image" />
 <figcaption>Long McArthur Ford&nbsp; -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are currently investigating a vehicle theft from a Ford dealership in Salina.On Friday, employees from the Long McArthur Ford dealership,&nbsp;3450 S 9th Street in Salina, reported that between 10:50 am and 11p.m. on September 28, a&nbsp;used&nbsp;red 2013 Camaro&nbsp;was stolen. The car possibly had an unknown dealer tag. Loss of value is $44,900.The suspect appeared to be a male from surveillance footage.

Police: $44,000 red Camaro stolen from Kansas car dealer

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.

<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.