BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secured Senate confirmation Thursday to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, overcoming concerns about dozens of false or misleading statements he has made regarding vaccine safety.

<a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00052.htm" target="_blank">The 52-48 vote</a>&nbsp;puts Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has no background in health care or running a major organization, at the helm of one of the largest federal departments. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only member of the GOP to oppose Kennedy’s confirmation.

HHS receives more than $1.7 trillion in government funding annually and houses some of the nation’s most prominent agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, Indian Health Service, National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Many GOP senators were skeptical of Kennedy’s nomination during hearings in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rfk-jr-turnabout-vaccines-abortion-slammed-hhs-confirmation-hearing" target="_blank">Finance</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-members-us-senate-probe-rfk-jr-his-history-vaccine-denial" target="_blank">Health, Education, Labor and Pensions</a>&nbsp;committees, but ultimately voted to confirm him.

Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the HELP Committee,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rfk-jr-nomination-health-secretary-approved-key-us-senate-panel" target="_blank">gave a floor speech detailing multiple commitments</a>&nbsp;from Kennedy and President Donald Trump that ultimately led Cassidy to support the nomination.

Among the assurances are that Kennedy will work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems and not establish parallel systems, maintain the CDC advisory committee on immunization practices recommendations without changes and keep statements on the CDC’s website that state vaccines do not cause autism.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced Wednesday in a social media post that she would support Kennedy’s confirmation, though she wrote she continued “to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies, which initially caused my misgivings about his nomination.”

“Vaccines have saved millions of lives, and I sought assurance that, as HHS Secretary, he would do nothing to make it difficult for people to take vaccines or discourage vaccination efforts,” Murkowski wrote.

‘We cannot take this man at his word’

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., urged Republicans to vote against Kennedy, saying that a vote to confirm him would indicate to Americans that Congress supports his false statements about vaccines and the other conspiracy theories he’s elevated over the years.

“If you ignore the warning signs and confirm RFK Jr., then when the wheels fall off the wagon, you may try to tell yourself you were lied to. But you knew who you were dealing with,” Murray said.

She urged her GOP colleagues not to be “fooled” by commitments and promises Kennedy has made about what he will or won’t do once confirmed.

“We cannot take this man at his word, something he has changed and gone back and forth on time and time again,” Murray said. “But we can take him on his record, which is that he has consistently undermined vaccine confidence, And, by the way, he profited from that.”

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden told Republican senators that if they voted against confirming Kennedy, they would help stop the spread of vaccine misinformation and keep children safe.

“When disease rates for illnesses that have effective vaccines start to rise across the country and death tolls mount again, we will see Republicans say this is something that could have been prevented,” Wyden said.

GOP senators who voted to confirm Kennedy, he said, “will be responsible for every child that dies as a result of not being vaccinated because it seems they care more about staying in the good graces of Donald Trump than they do about protecting the lives of kids.”

McConnell, a polio survivor, with his vote against Kennedy marked the third time he’s opposed a Trump nominee.

The former Senate Republican leader, who has clashed repeatedly with the president over the years, previously voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

McConnell wrote in a statement explaining his vote that “a record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions does not entitle Mr. Kennedy to lead these important efforts.”

“Mr. Kennedy failed to prove he is the best possible person to lead America’s largest health agency,” McConnell wrote. “As he takes office, I sincerely hope Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division but to restore trust in our public health institutions.”

Senators repeatedly asked Kennedy during his two confirmation hearings about statements on vaccine safety and other conspiracy theories.

Maryland Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks raised concerns during the HELP Committee hearing about Kennedy saying he wanted to remove the “bad scientists” and replace them with “good scientists” at the NIH.

“The question is really whether you intend, as you said, to substitute your judgment for the judgment of these professional scientists and doctors,” Alsobrooks said.

Kennedy testified he wouldn’t “substitute” his judgment for science.&nbsp;

Alsobrooks also asked Kennedy about comments he made in 2021 when he said: “We should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that’s given to whites because their immune system is better than ours.”

Kennedy said that he was referencing studies that suggested “Blacks need fewer antigens.”

Alsobrooks told Kennedy his confirmation would be “dangerous” since parents would look to him for advice about whether to vaccinate their children.

“Your views are dangerous to our state and to our country,” Alsobrooks said.

During the Finance Committee’s hearing, Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet asked a series of questions about previous statements Kennedy has made on various public health issues.

“Mr. Kennedy, did you say that COVID-19 was a genetically engineered bioweapon that targets Black and white people, but spared Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people?” Bennet asked.

Kennedy responded that he “didn’t say it was deliberately targeted.”

Kennedy said he “probably” had made comments that Lyme disease was a military engineered bioweapon.

Kennedy said he wasn’t sure if he had written in one of his books that it is “undeniable that African AIDS is an entirely different disease from Western AIDS,” following a question from Bennet.

Kennedy, however, denied making statements that pesticides cause children to become transgender.

Bennet said he would have those prior Kennedy statements entered into the committee’s official record.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739461653845.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, (center) gives the thumbs up vote for Kennedy on Thursday morning-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, (center) gives the thumbs up vote for Kennedy on Thursday morning-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secured Senate confirmation Thursday to become secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, overcoming concerns about dozens of false or misleading statements he has made regarding vaccine safety.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/12/1734461763733.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall will help lead the Make America Health Again Committee" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall will help lead the Make America Health Again Committee</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00052.htm" target="_blank">The 52-48 vote</a>&nbsp;puts Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has no background in health care or running a major organization, at the helm of one of the largest federal departments. Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was the only member of the GOP to oppose Kennedy’s confirmation.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Congratulations to my good friend, <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RobertKennedyJr</a>, on his confirmation as our new Secretary of HHS! For over 40 years — 25 of them as a doctor — I’ve been committed to Making America Healthy Again. I look forward to working alongside such an incredible visionary to achieve… <a href="https://t.co/GpJ3L0NCox">pic.twitter.com/GpJ3L0NCox</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1890077008870223953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>HHS receives more than $1.7 trillion in government funding annually and houses some of the nation’s most prominent agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, Indian Health Service, National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.<h2>Most Republicans fall in line</h2>Many GOP senators were skeptical of Kennedy’s nomination during hearings in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rfk-jr-turnabout-vaccines-abortion-slammed-hhs-confirmation-hearing" target="_blank">Finance</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-members-us-senate-probe-rfk-jr-his-history-vaccine-denial" target="_blank">Health, Education, Labor and Pensions</a>&nbsp;committees, but ultimately voted to confirm him.Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, chairman of the HELP Committee,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rfk-jr-nomination-health-secretary-approved-key-us-senate-panel" target="_blank">gave a floor speech detailing multiple commitments</a>&nbsp;from Kennedy and President Donald Trump that ultimately led Cassidy to support the nomination.Among the assurances are that Kennedy will work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems and not establish parallel systems, maintain the CDC advisory committee on immunization practices recommendations without changes and keep statements on the CDC’s website that state vaccines do not cause autism.Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, announced Wednesday in a social media post that she would support Kennedy’s confirmation, though she wrote she continued “to have concerns about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines and his selective interpretation of scientific studies, which initially caused my misgivings about his nomination.”“Vaccines have saved millions of lives, and I sought assurance that, as HHS Secretary, he would do nothing to make it difficult for people to take vaccines or discourage vaccination efforts,” Murkowski wrote.<h2>‘We cannot take this man at his word’</h2>Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., urged Republicans to vote against Kennedy, saying that a vote to confirm him would indicate to Americans that Congress supports his false statements about vaccines and the other conspiracy theories he’s elevated over the years.“If you ignore the warning signs and confirm RFK Jr., then when the wheels fall off the wagon, you may try to tell yourself you were lied to. But you knew who you were dealing with,” Murray said.She urged her GOP colleagues not to be “fooled” by commitments and promises Kennedy has made about what he will or won’t do once confirmed.“We cannot take this man at his word, something he has changed and gone back and forth on time and time again,” Murray said. “But we can take him on his record, which is that he has consistently undermined vaccine confidence, And, by the way, he profited from that.”Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden told Republican senators that if they voted against confirming Kennedy, they would help stop the spread of vaccine misinformation and keep children safe.“When disease rates for illnesses that have effective vaccines start to rise across the country and death tolls mount again, we will see Republicans say this is something that could have been prevented,” Wyden said.GOP senators who voted to confirm Kennedy, he said, “will be responsible for every child that dies as a result of not being vaccinated because it seems they care more about staying in the good graces of Donald Trump than they do about protecting the lives of kids.”McConnell, a polio survivor, with his vote against Kennedy marked the third time he’s opposed a Trump nominee.The former Senate Republican leader, who has clashed repeatedly with the president over the years, previously voted against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.McConnell wrote in a statement explaining his vote that “a record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions does not entitle Mr. Kennedy to lead these important efforts.”“Mr. Kennedy failed to prove he is the best possible person to lead America’s largest health agency,” McConnell wrote. “As he takes office, I sincerely hope Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division but to restore trust in our public health institutions.”<h2>Kennedy probed on vaccine safety</h2>Senators repeatedly asked Kennedy during his two confirmation hearings about statements on vaccine safety and other conspiracy theories.Maryland Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks raised concerns during the HELP Committee hearing about Kennedy saying he wanted to remove the “bad scientists” and replace them with “good scientists” at the NIH.“The question is really whether you intend, as you said, to substitute your judgment for the judgment of these professional scientists and doctors,” Alsobrooks said.Kennedy testified he wouldn’t “substitute” his judgment for science.&nbsp;Alsobrooks also asked Kennedy about comments he made in 2021 when he said: “We should not be giving Black people the same vaccine schedule that’s given to whites because their immune system is better than ours.”Kennedy said that he was referencing studies that suggested “Blacks need fewer antigens.”Alsobrooks told Kennedy his confirmation would be “dangerous” since parents would look to him for advice about whether to vaccinate their children.“Your views are dangerous to our state and to our country,” Alsobrooks said.<h2>Conspiracy theories</h2>During the Finance Committee’s hearing, Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet asked a series of questions about previous statements Kennedy has made on various public health issues.“Mr. Kennedy, did you say that COVID-19 was a genetically engineered bioweapon that targets Black and white people, but spared Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people?” Bennet asked.Kennedy responded that he “didn’t say it was deliberately targeted.”Kennedy said he “probably” had made comments that Lyme disease was a military engineered bioweapon.Kennedy said he wasn’t sure if he had written in one of his books that it is “undeniable that African AIDS is an entirely different disease from Western AIDS,” following a question from Bennet.Kennedy, however, denied making statements that pesticides cause children to become transgender.Bennet said he would have those prior Kennedy statements entered into the committee’s official record.&nbsp;

Anti-vaccine crusader, conspiracy theorist RFK Jr. confirmed as nation’s health chief

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

An attorney for Tom Keating, who volunteered for the nonprofit that has paid for Mayor Quinton Lucas’ Super Bowl trips, is demanding an apology and threatening further legal action

The whistleblower who revealed financial transactions he felt were potentially unlawful by a nonprofit that bankrolled travel and entertainment for Kansas City’s mayor says he is now being targeted with defamation and retaliation.

Tom Keating has worked on ethics compliance for political campaigns for two decades, including for Lucas’ campaign and for a nonprofit called the Mayors Corps of Progress for a Greater Kansas City.

Late last year, Keating provided documents to The Independent detailing how the Mayors Corps was used to finance travel, meals and Kansas City Chiefs tickets for Mayor Quinton Lucas. The records revealed that the Mayors Corps spent more than $23,000 for Lucas, a staffer and security personnel to attend the Super Bowl in 2023.

A day after the game, the Mayors Corps took in $24,000 from a politically connected trade group — a move critics said&nbsp; could violate the city’s gift rules, which require elected officials to disclose any gifts they receive worth more than $200 and bans gifts worth more than $1,000.

Lucas has denied any wrongdoing, saying the spending was reviewed by legal counsel and fits within the Mayors Corps’ mission to help him promote the city. He has also suggested in interviews and in a letter from his general counsel that Keating was responsible for the finances of Mayors Corps and that Keating provided slanted information to The Independent.&nbsp;

Keating responded to the mayor’s accusations in a letter written last week by his attorney, Max Kautsch, accusing Lucas of retaliating against Keating for serving as a source for the coverage and attacking his First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

Kautsch gave Lucas’ office until Monday to apologize.

“The city can expect a demand from Mr. Keating in the future specifying monetary compensation for his injuries,” Kautsch says in the letter. “The nature of that demand will depend in large part on whether the city apologizes to Mr. Keating as outlined above.”

He adds: “Thank you for your assistance in correcting this flagrant constitutional violation.”

The mayor did not apologize by Monday evening. Neither his office nor an outside law firm that has represented Mayors Corps returned requests for comment.&nbsp;

In December, The Independent reported that, during Lucas’ first term in office, Mayors Corps spent more than $35,000 on travel, meals and entertainment for him and a top aide, including the Super Bowl trip.&nbsp;

The reporting was based on documents provided by Keating, who volunteered to do compliance for the nonprofit.

Keating raised concerns to Lucas and a top aide at the time of the 2023 Super Bowl trip. He suggested returning the $24,000 donation, reimbursing the nonprofit for the cost of the trip and paying for the flights, tickets and accommodations through United We Stand PAC, a political action committee that supports Lucas.

Last year, Keating came forward with the documents and concerns about how Mayors Corps funds were being used, saying he had agonized about whether or not to speak up since his departure from the nonprofit in October 2023.&nbsp;

“The real question about the Mayors Corps paying for Mayor Lucas and staff to attend the 2023 Super Bowl has never been, as Mayor Lucas has suggested, about if the mayor should attend a Super Bowl the Kansas City Chiefs are playing in,” Keating said in a statement Monday. “The real question is how it should be paid for and if the public has a right to know who is picking up the tab.”

Lucas also attended Sunday’s Super Bowl using funds from the Mayors Corps. His office and attorneys associated with Mayors Corps did not identify recent donors to the nonprofit.

While volunteering for Mayors Corps, Keating was also working on behalf of United We Stand PAC on compliance issues. He was asked at that time by the mayor’s then chief of staff, Morgan Said, to alter descriptions of two expenses on the PAC’s quarterly filing to make them more vague, according to a transcribed, recorded phone call provided by Keating.

Keating saw that as an attempt to obscure information about the organization’s spending from the public.

One of the expenses, which Said requested be labeled “inaugural reimbursement,” was for $1,694.42 at Halls, a high-end department store in Kansas City, for a tuxedo for Lucas’ second inauguration. The other, which Said asked be labeled only as “research,” was a $9,500 payment to Bold Decision Consulting LLC for a poll of 300 Clay County voters that showed 70% were opposed to the idea of a new sales tax to fund a Kansas City Royals baseball stadium in North Kansas City.

At the time the poll was released, it was not clear who paid for it. It was seen by many as an attempt to scuttle any hope of a Clay County stadium deal to ensure the team would land in Jackson County.&nbsp;

Following The Independent’s stories, both Keating and news organizations in Missouri received letters from either attorneys for the mayor or Mayors Corps that Kautsch calls&nbsp;“a coordinated attack on First Amendment rights.”&nbsp;

Kautsch says the letters are “rife with misstatements” and ruinous to Keating’s livelihood and reputation.

Keating received a letter on Dec. 18 from Jon Berkon of the Elias Law Group on behalf of the Mayors Corps. The letter claims it was Keating who approved the 2023 Super Bowl expenditures and that Lucas had offered to meet with him to discuss any concerns he had raised. Keating did not take Lucas up on that offer, Berkon writes, and “decided to leak confidential financial materials to the press” and “attack the mayor and his staff publicly.”

In an email, Keating called the insinuation that he didn’t make any efforts to meet with Lucas ridiculous. Lucas offered to meet, Keating said, but never followed up with suggested times for a meeting to take place.

Berkon also wrote that Keating was “the person with the authority” to approve expenses.&nbsp;

That’s not true, Kautsch said, since Keating “never had any decision-making authority.”

Kautsch, in his letter to the mayor’s office, wrote that Lucas also appeared on a Kansas City talk radio show after the coverage and “insinuated that Mr. Keating was solely responsible for making financial decisions for the organizations at issue.”&nbsp;

Berkon also accuses Keating of accosting a Kansas City staffer in public.

“If you have substantive concerns that you would like to address, please reach out to us,” Berkon writes. “We are happy to discuss them on behalf of the mayor and entities for which he fundraises, but the mayor takes the safety and wellbeing of staff seriously; we will not tolerate this ongoing conduct, and if it continues, we reserve all rights to take legal action to stop it.”&nbsp;

Kautsch’s response says Berkon “fails to give even a hint of detail about the basis for such an allegation” of Keating accosting city staff. Kautsch suggests Berkon is hinting at a “chance meeting” between Keating and City Manager Brian Platt at a restaurant in Kansas City.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to emails Keating sent Platt at the time, a mutual friend had invited them to the same restaurant and Keating introduced himself to Platt. Keating says in the email that he wants to give Platt “the opportunity to know the entire story and defend yourself because this is a public matter.”&nbsp;

Kautsch said emails from Keating to Platt following the encounter strike a conciliatory tone.

“There is simply no evidence that this interaction, or any other my client may have had with city officials, was anything other than protected expression under the First Amendment,” Kautsch wrote. “To suggest, without evidence, that Mr. Keating is somehow a threat when his motive is to simply promote government transparency, shows retaliatory animus.”

Kautsch also takes issue with a letter the mayor’s taxpayer-funded general counsel, Gavriel&nbsp;Schreiber, sent to&nbsp;The Independent and KCUR, which republished the stories about the Mayors Corps and United We Stand.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Schreiber’s letter, which was also sent on Dec. 18, was shared with numerous members of the media as an attempt to “shift the blame for the Super Bowl reimbursement from Mayor Lucas to Mr. Keating,” Kautsch wrote, “and suggesting that anyone involved in bringing Mr. Keating’s concerns to light would be subject to legal action.”

Schreiber’s letter accuses The Independent of inaccuracies in its reporting and requests corrections and an apology. Schreiber claims the stories rely on a “single biased source and demonstrate such reckless disregard for the truth as to potentially constitute actual malice.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The mayor’s general counsel also accuses Keating — without providing any evidence —&nbsp; of posting comments on the articles under a social media handle Kautsch says Keating has never used.

The letter requests, in a footnote, that The Independent preserve its communications with Keating. Kautsch calls that a “baseless implication that a defamation lawsuit related to the critical coverage spurred by Mr. Keating’s communication was in the offing.”

“Singling out Mr. Keating is further evidence of the city’s true intent in sending the letter to The Independent and KCUR: to retaliate against Mr. Keating,” Kautsch wrote.

The Independent replied to Schreiber’s letter on Dec. 20 through its attorney, Eric Weslander, who said the letter “can be constructed only as an attempt to blame the messenger, divert attention from the central issues raised by my client’s reporting and deter practitioners of ground-breaking, important investigative journalism from doing further digging into the mayor’s affairs.”

Crucially, Weslander wrote, the mayor’s office did not challenge any of the facts about spending by the nonprofit or the PAC that were central to The Independent’s stories, instead focusing on “highly technical distinctions” such as the makeup of the Mayors Corps’ board of directors and whether the mayor formally denied knowledge of who paid for the Clay County poll at the time it was released.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I understand that you may have a wide range of responsibilities in the mayor’s office,” Weslander wrote, “but impinging on First Amendment freedoms should not be one of them.”

He added: “My client stands behind its work.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739466545525.png" alt=" Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers his State of the City address in February 2024 (photo courtesy of the City of Kansas City)." />
 <figcaption> Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas delivers his State of the City address in February 2024 (photo courtesy of the City of Kansas City).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a><h2>An attorney for Tom Keating, who volunteered for the nonprofit that has paid for Mayor Quinton Lucas’ Super Bowl trips, is demanding an apology and threatening further legal action</h2>The whistleblower who revealed financial transactions he felt were potentially unlawful by a nonprofit that bankrolled travel and entertainment for Kansas City’s mayor says he is now being targeted with defamation and retaliation.Tom Keating has worked on ethics compliance for political campaigns for two decades, including for Lucas’ campaign and for a nonprofit called the Mayors Corps of Progress for a Greater Kansas City.Late last year, Keating provided documents to The Independent detailing how the Mayors Corps was used to finance travel, meals and Kansas City Chiefs tickets for Mayor Quinton Lucas. The records revealed that the Mayors Corps spent more than $23,000 for Lucas, a staffer and security personnel to attend the Super Bowl in 2023.A day after the game, the Mayors Corps took in $24,000 from a politically connected trade group — a move critics said&nbsp; could violate the city’s gift rules, which require elected officials to disclose any gifts they receive worth more than $200 and bans gifts worth more than $1,000.Lucas has denied any wrongdoing, saying the spending was reviewed by legal counsel and fits within the Mayors Corps’ mission to help him promote the city. He has also suggested in interviews and in a letter from his general counsel that Keating was responsible for the finances of Mayors Corps and that Keating provided slanted information to The Independent.&nbsp;Keating responded to the mayor’s accusations in a letter written last week by his attorney, Max Kautsch, accusing Lucas of retaliating against Keating for serving as a source for the coverage and attacking his First Amendment right to freedom of speech.Kautsch gave Lucas’ office until Monday to apologize.“The city can expect a demand from Mr. Keating in the future specifying monetary compensation for his injuries,” Kautsch says in the letter. “The nature of that demand will depend in large part on whether the city apologizes to Mr. Keating as outlined above.”He adds: “Thank you for your assistance in correcting this flagrant constitutional violation.”The mayor did not apologize by Monday evening. Neither his office nor an outside law firm that has represented Mayors Corps returned requests for comment.&nbsp;<h2>Super Bowl trips</h2>In December, The Independent reported that, during Lucas’ first term in office, Mayors Corps spent more than $35,000 on travel, meals and entertainment for him and a top aide, including the Super Bowl trip.&nbsp;The reporting was based on documents provided by Keating, who volunteered to do compliance for the nonprofit.Keating raised concerns to Lucas and a top aide at the time of the 2023 Super Bowl trip. He suggested returning the $24,000 donation, reimbursing the nonprofit for the cost of the trip and paying for the flights, tickets and accommodations through United We Stand PAC, a political action committee that supports Lucas.Last year, Keating came forward with the documents and concerns about how Mayors Corps funds were being used, saying he had agonized about whether or not to speak up since his departure from the nonprofit in October 2023.&nbsp;“The real question about the Mayors Corps paying for Mayor Lucas and staff to attend the 2023 Super Bowl has never been, as Mayor Lucas has suggested, about if the mayor should attend a Super Bowl the Kansas City Chiefs are playing in,” Keating said in a statement Monday. “The real question is how it should be paid for and if the public has a right to know who is picking up the tab.”Lucas also attended Sunday’s Super Bowl using funds from the Mayors Corps. His office and attorneys associated with Mayors Corps did not identify recent donors to the nonprofit.While volunteering for Mayors Corps, Keating was also working on behalf of United We Stand PAC on compliance issues. He was asked at that time by the mayor’s then chief of staff, Morgan Said, to alter descriptions of two expenses on the PAC’s quarterly filing to make them more vague, according to a transcribed, recorded phone call provided by Keating.Keating saw that as an attempt to obscure information about the organization’s spending from the public.One of the expenses, which Said requested be labeled “inaugural reimbursement,” was for $1,694.42 at Halls, a high-end department store in Kansas City, for a tuxedo for Lucas’ second inauguration. The other, which Said asked be labeled only as “research,” was a $9,500 payment to Bold Decision Consulting LLC for a poll of 300 Clay County voters that showed 70% were opposed to the idea of a new sales tax to fund a Kansas City Royals baseball stadium in North Kansas City.At the time the poll was released, it was not clear who paid for it. It was seen by many as an attempt to scuttle any hope of a Clay County stadium deal to ensure the team would land in Jackson County.&nbsp;Following The Independent’s stories, both Keating and news organizations in Missouri received letters from either attorneys for the mayor or Mayors Corps that Kautsch calls&nbsp;“a coordinated attack on First Amendment rights.”&nbsp;Kautsch says the letters are “rife with misstatements” and ruinous to Keating’s livelihood and reputation.Keating received a letter on Dec. 18 from Jon Berkon of the Elias Law Group on behalf of the Mayors Corps. The letter claims it was Keating who approved the 2023 Super Bowl expenditures and that Lucas had offered to meet with him to discuss any concerns he had raised. Keating did not take Lucas up on that offer, Berkon writes, and “decided to leak confidential financial materials to the press” and “attack the mayor and his staff publicly.”In an email, Keating called the insinuation that he didn’t make any efforts to meet with Lucas ridiculous. Lucas offered to meet, Keating said, but never followed up with suggested times for a meeting to take place.Berkon also wrote that Keating was “the person with the authority” to approve expenses.&nbsp;That’s not true, Kautsch said, since Keating “never had any decision-making authority.”Kautsch, in his letter to the mayor’s office, wrote that Lucas also appeared on a Kansas City talk radio show after the coverage and “insinuated that Mr. Keating was solely responsible for making financial decisions for the organizations at issue.”&nbsp;Berkon also accuses Keating of accosting a Kansas City staffer in public.“If you have substantive concerns that you would like to address, please reach out to us,” Berkon writes. “We are happy to discuss them on behalf of the mayor and entities for which he fundraises, but the mayor takes the safety and wellbeing of staff seriously; we will not tolerate this ongoing conduct, and if it continues, we reserve all rights to take legal action to stop it.”&nbsp;Kautsch’s response says Berkon “fails to give even a hint of detail about the basis for such an allegation” of Keating accosting city staff. Kautsch suggests Berkon is hinting at a “chance meeting” between Keating and City Manager Brian Platt at a restaurant in Kansas City.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to emails Keating sent Platt at the time, a mutual friend had invited them to the same restaurant and Keating introduced himself to Platt. Keating says in the email that he wants to give Platt “the opportunity to know the entire story and defend yourself because this is a public matter.”&nbsp;Kautsch said emails from Keating to Platt following the encounter strike a conciliatory tone.“There is simply no evidence that this interaction, or any other my client may have had with city officials, was anything other than protected expression under the First Amendment,” Kautsch wrote. “To suggest, without evidence, that Mr. Keating is somehow a threat when his motive is to simply promote government transparency, shows retaliatory animus.”<h2>First Amendment freedoms</h2>Kautsch also takes issue with a letter the mayor’s taxpayer-funded general counsel, Gavriel&nbsp;Schreiber, sent to&nbsp;The Independent and KCUR, which republished the stories about the Mayors Corps and United We Stand.&nbsp;&nbsp;Schreiber’s letter, which was also sent on Dec. 18, was shared with numerous members of the media as an attempt to “shift the blame for the Super Bowl reimbursement from Mayor Lucas to Mr. Keating,” Kautsch wrote, “and suggesting that anyone involved in bringing Mr. Keating’s concerns to light would be subject to legal action.”Schreiber’s letter accuses The Independent of inaccuracies in its reporting and requests corrections and an apology. Schreiber claims the stories rely on a “single biased source and demonstrate such reckless disregard for the truth as to potentially constitute actual malice.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The mayor’s general counsel also accuses Keating — without providing any evidence —&nbsp; of posting comments on the articles under a social media handle Kautsch says Keating has never used.The letter requests, in a footnote, that The Independent preserve its communications with Keating. Kautsch calls that a “baseless implication that a defamation lawsuit related to the critical coverage spurred by Mr. Keating’s communication was in the offing.”“Singling out Mr. Keating is further evidence of the city’s true intent in sending the letter to The Independent and KCUR: to retaliate against Mr. Keating,” Kautsch wrote.The Independent replied to Schreiber’s letter on Dec. 20 through its attorney, Eric Weslander, who said the letter “can be constructed only as an attempt to blame the messenger, divert attention from the central issues raised by my client’s reporting and deter practitioners of ground-breaking, important investigative journalism from doing further digging into the mayor’s affairs.”Crucially, Weslander wrote, the mayor’s office did not challenge any of the facts about spending by the nonprofit or the PAC that were central to The Independent’s stories, instead focusing on “highly technical distinctions” such as the makeup of the Mayors Corps’ board of directors and whether the mayor formally denied knowledge of who paid for the Clay County poll at the time it was released.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I understand that you may have a wide range of responsibilities in the mayor’s office,” Weslander wrote, “but impinging on First Amendment freedoms should not be one of them.”He added: “My client stands behind its work.”

Kansas City mayor accused of retaliating against whistleblower who revealed nonprofit spending

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Kansas City.

Just after 4p.m. Wednesday,&nbsp;patrol officers responded to the area of 11th and Elmwood in Kansas City on a suspicious activity call regarding an individual possibly involved in an armed carjacking, according to KCPD&nbsp; Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

At 9th and Van Brunt officers located the individual. There was an interaction between officers and the subject that led to an exchange of gunfire between the subject and officers.

The subject ran from the scene and entered a vehicle. Officers initiated a vehicle pursuit as the subject fled the area. The pursuit concluded at the Lewis and Clark Viaduct. A subject was taken into custody without incident, pending further investigation.

No injuries were reported, according to DiMartino.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739411840602.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating an officer-involved shooting in Kansas City.Just after 4p.m. Wednesday,&nbsp;patrol officers responded to the area of 11th and Elmwood in Kansas City on a suspicious activity call regarding an individual possibly involved in an armed carjacking, according to KCPD&nbsp; Sergeant Phil DiMartino.At 9th and Van Brunt officers located the individual. There was an interaction between officers and the subject that led to an exchange of gunfire between the subject and officers.The subject ran from the scene and entered a vehicle. Officers initiated a vehicle pursuit as the subject fled the area. The pursuit concluded at the Lewis and Clark Viaduct. A subject was taken into custody without incident, pending further investigation.No injuries were reported, according to DiMartino.

Carjacking suspect fires at Kansas City police

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 7p.m. Wednesday in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Ford utility truck driven by John Carr, 75, Batavia, Illinois, was traveling from Interstate 635 to eastbound Interstate 70. 

The truck traveled off the the roadway to the left, traveled through the gore area, continued in the ditch, vaulted and landed front first on the right ditch of Interstate 635 Southbound and rolled onto its top on Interstate 635 Southbound.

EMS transported the driver and a passenger Judy Carr, 74, Batavia, Illinois, to KU Medical Center where he died. Both were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 7p.m. Wednesday in Wyandotte County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Ford utility truck driven by John Carr, 75, Batavia, Illinois, was traveling from Interstate 635 to eastbound Interstate 70. The truck traveled off the the roadway to the left, traveled through the gore area, continued in the ditch, vaulted and landed front first on the right ditch of Interstate 635 Southbound and rolled onto its top on Interstate 635 Southbound.EMS transported the driver and a passenger Judy Carr, 74, Batavia, Illinois, to KU Medical Center where he died. Both were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Man dies after violent rollover crash on Kansas highway

IRAQ—&nbsp;Iraqi Security Forces enabled by U.S. forces, conducted precision airstrikes in the vicinity of Kirkuk, Iraq, killing two ISIS operatives on Monday, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

An initial post-strike clearance found the dead ISIS operatives, an explosive suicide belt, explosive material, and components of weapons destroyed in the strike.

"The Iraqi Security Forces-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS' capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. Coalition Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) enabled ISF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence."

IRAQ—&nbsp;Iraqi Security Forces enabled by U.S. forces, conducted precision airstrikes in the vicinity of Kirkuk, Iraq, killing two ISIS operatives on Monday, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.An initial post-strike clearance found the dead ISIS operatives, an explosive suicide belt, explosive material, and components of weapons destroyed in the strike."The Iraqi Security Forces-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS' capabilities, dismantle their attack networks, and ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. Coalition Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) enabled ISF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence."

U.S. forces help with deadly attack on ISIS operatives

KANSAS CITY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol on Wednesday night&nbsp; issued an Amber Alert following an active Amber Alert from Wisconsin.

 Sophia Franklin, 16,&nbsp; was last seen at her residence at 9:00p.m. February 2, according to the Alert.

She is believed to be with Gary F. Day. He was last seen at her residence just before 8a.m. February 3. There is a no contact order for Gary and Sophia. Sophia is 3 months pregnant.

 ﻿ Officials say they believe she is traveling south to Arkansas. ﻿ ﻿ If you see them call police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739412488707.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The Missouri State Highway Patrol on Wednesday night&nbsp; issued an Amber Alert following an active Amber Alert from Wisconsin. Sophia Franklin, 16,&nbsp; was last seen at her residence at 9:00p.m. February 2, according to the Alert.She is believed to be with Gary F. Day. He was last seen at her residence just before 8a.m. February 3. There is a no contact order for Gary and Sophia. Sophia is 3 months pregnant. ﻿ Officials say they believe she is traveling south to Arkansas. ﻿ ﻿ If you see them call police.

 Amber Alert: Abducted pregnant teen may be traveling through KC

KANSAS CITY – Two Mexican nationals in the Kansas City area have been charged in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to stage numerous armed robberies so that the purported victims of these crimes, who were immigrants to the United States, could use their status as crime victims to apply for visas, according to the United State's Attorney.

Oscar Gutierrez, 35, of Independence, Mo., and Jose Luis Morales Salgado, 36, of Kansas City, Mo., both of whom are citizens of Mexico, were charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Jan. 30. The federal criminal complaint, which was unsealed and made public following Salgado’s arrest and initial court appearance, charges both men with participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration visas. Gutierrez is already in custody on state charges in a separate case.

The complaint alleges that immigrants contacted Salgado to arrange for themselves to become “victims” of staged robberies so they could submit applications for U-Visas, which are granted to crime victims. These immigrants, who were either illegally present in the United States or in the United States legally through work visas, paid Salgado thousands of dollars to participate. In exchange, Salgado directed them to the location of a planned staged robbery on a particular day and time.

Salgado allegedly recruited individuals to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those individuals. One of the persons Salgado recruited to pose as a robber, says the complaint, was Gutierrez.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, each incident involved immigrants who later told police they had car trouble and pulled over and got out of their vehicle to diagnose the car trouble. Soon after stopping, another vehicle would arrive and park next to, or in front of, the purported victim’s vehicle. The robber, wearing a medical mask over his face and brandishing a firearm, would strike the purported victims in the head or face, take their cash, and typically fire two rounds into the purported victim’s vehicle.

Investigators with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department initially identified 11 incidents in which the reported robberies followed this pattern. These cases were linked to each other, based in part, on leads generated from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN utilized ballistic imaging technology to compare cartridge case markings on the expended cartridges from each crime scene.&nbsp; Detectives determined there was likely one firearm used in the commission of all of the robberies. Detectives gathered information from city cameras and license plate readers to identify the vehicles used in the robberies, the affidavit says, which led them to Gutierrez.

Salgado allegedly instructed the immigrants to falsely report to law enforcement officials how the robberies occurred, and advised them how to make these false reports in an effort to bolster their applications for U-Visas.

The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute certain crimes while also protecting victims of crimes who are willing to help law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. Foreign nationals are eligible for a U-Visa if they were the victim of qualifying criminal activity, suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a victim of the criminal activity, possessed information about the criminal activity, and were likely to be helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.

According to the affidavit, a source told investigators the number of purported victims involved in the scheme was well over 100. The complaint specifically cites 11 robberies involving 33 purported victims that occurred as part of the conspiracy between Dec. 29, 2021, and July 13, 2024.&nbsp; Of those 33 immigrants, 18 have submitted U-Visa applications claiming to be victims of violent crimes.

KANSAS CITY – Two Mexican nationals in the Kansas City area have been charged in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to stage numerous armed robberies so that the purported victims of these crimes, who were immigrants to the United States, could use their status as crime victims to apply for visas, according to the United State's Attorney.Oscar Gutierrez, 35, of Independence, Mo., and Jose Luis Morales Salgado, 36, of Kansas City, Mo., both of whom are citizens of Mexico, were charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Jan. 30. The federal criminal complaint, which was unsealed and made public following Salgado’s arrest and initial court appearance, charges both men with participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration visas. Gutierrez is already in custody on state charges in a separate case.The complaint alleges that immigrants contacted Salgado to arrange for themselves to become “victims” of staged robberies so they could submit applications for U-Visas, which are granted to crime victims. These immigrants, who were either illegally present in the United States or in the United States legally through work visas, paid Salgado thousands of dollars to participate. In exchange, Salgado directed them to the location of a planned staged robbery on a particular day and time.Salgado allegedly recruited individuals to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those individuals. One of the persons Salgado recruited to pose as a robber, says the complaint, was Gutierrez.According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, each incident involved immigrants who later told police they had car trouble and pulled over and got out of their vehicle to diagnose the car trouble. Soon after stopping, another vehicle would arrive and park next to, or in front of, the purported victim’s vehicle. The robber, wearing a medical mask over his face and brandishing a firearm, would strike the purported victims in the head or face, take their cash, and typically fire two rounds into the purported victim’s vehicle.Investigators with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department initially identified 11 incidents in which the reported robberies followed this pattern. These cases were linked to each other, based in part, on leads generated from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN utilized ballistic imaging technology to compare cartridge case markings on the expended cartridges from each crime scene.&nbsp; Detectives determined there was likely one firearm used in the commission of all of the robberies. Detectives gathered information from city cameras and license plate readers to identify the vehicles used in the robberies, the affidavit says, which led them to Gutierrez.Salgado allegedly instructed the immigrants to falsely report to law enforcement officials how the robberies occurred, and advised them how to make these false reports in an effort to bolster their applications for U-Visas.The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute certain crimes while also protecting victims of crimes who are willing to help law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. Foreign nationals are eligible for a U-Visa if they were the victim of qualifying criminal activity, suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a victim of the criminal activity, possessed information about the criminal activity, and were likely to be helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.According to the affidavit, a source told investigators the number of purported victims involved in the scheme was well over 100. The complaint specifically cites 11 robberies involving 33 purported victims that occurred as part of the conspiracy between Dec. 29, 2021, and July 13, 2024.&nbsp; Of those 33 immigrants, 18 have submitted U-Visa applications claiming to be victims of violent crimes.

2 immigrants accused of staging crimes in KC to fraudulently obtain visas

JOHNSON COUNTY —Police are investigating the death of two women at a home in Lenexa.

Just after 5a.m. Wednesday,&nbsp; police responded to a residence in the 15400 block of W. 90th Street in Lenexa to conduct a welfare check after receiving information that individuals inside may have been shot.

Upon entering the home, officers located two women who were deceased. The two women are believed to be related. Police took a man believed to be related to the victims into custody.

The Johnson County Crime Lab is assisting Lenexa detectives with the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739394165041.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Police are investigating the death of two women at a home in Lenexa.Just after 5a.m. Wednesday,&nbsp; police responded to a residence in the 15400 block of W. 90th Street in Lenexa to conduct a welfare check after receiving information that individuals inside may have been shot.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739394112183.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Upon entering the home, officers located two women who were deceased. The two women are believed to be related. Police took a man believed to be related to the victims into custody.The Johnson County Crime Lab is assisting Lenexa detectives with the investigation.

Homicide: Two women found dead in Kansas home

CALLAWAY COUNTY—A child died in an accident just after 7a.m. Wednesday in Callaway County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Ford Explorer driven by a 29-year-old Holts Summit man was on the eastbound U.S. 54 exit ramp to Simon Boulevard.&nbsp; The SUV slid off the road, struck a tree and overturned.

A 3-year-old girl in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Boone County Medical Examiner's office.&nbsp; The driver and a baby girl were transported to Capital Region Medical Center.&nbsp; The driver and the children were not properly restrained, according to the MSHP.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol no longer releases identity of accident victims.

CALLAWAY COUNTY—A child died in an accident just after 7a.m. Wednesday in Callaway County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Ford Explorer driven by a 29-year-old Holts Summit man was on the eastbound U.S. 54 exit ramp to Simon Boulevard.&nbsp; The SUV slid off the road, struck a tree and overturned.A 3-year-old girl in the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Boone County Medical Examiner's office.&nbsp; The driver and a baby girl were transported to Capital Region Medical Center.&nbsp; The driver and the children were not properly restrained, according to the MSHP.The Missouri State Highway Patrol no longer releases identity of accident victims.

3-year-old Mo. girl dies after SUV strikes tree, overturns

WASHINGTON —The Philadelphia Eagles spoiled the Kansas City Chiefs bid for a three-peat, winning the Super Bowl on Sunday.&nbsp; Now Kansas elected officials who made friendly wagers with colleagues are paying up.

On Sunday, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall used his social media account to share his wager.&nbsp; "The bet is on - If the Chiefs win, Senator McCormick of Pennsylvania will bring me a Yuengling beer, and Senator Fetterman&nbsp;will have to wear Chiefs gear. 

If the Eagles win, I’ll bring KC BBQ and wear Eagles gear. "

Wednesday morning, Marshall removed his suit jacket on the Senate floor to show he was wearing an Eagles football jersey.&nbsp; The Junior Senator from Kansas did not indicate what Kansas City BBQ he is going to bring to Washington.&nbsp; Marshall is the first taking action to pay up following the championship game.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739377603921.png" alt="Senator Roger Marshall on the Senate floor Wednesday morning during the vote count&nbsp; to confirm Tulsi Gabbard&nbsp; as director of National Intelligence-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Senator Roger Marshall on the Senate floor Wednesday morning during the vote count&nbsp; to confirm Tulsi Gabbard&nbsp; as director of National Intelligence-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —The Philadelphia Eagles spoiled the Kansas City Chiefs bid for a three-peat, winning the Super Bowl on Sunday.&nbsp; Now Kansas elected officials who made friendly wagers with colleagues are paying up.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">Kansas City Chiefs fan Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) loses bet to Pennsylvania Senators -- shows up on Senate floor wearing Philadelphia Eagles jersey ... <a href="https://t.co/b8u8rK72gH">pic.twitter.com/b8u8rK72gH</a>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href="https://twitter.com/HowardMortman/status/1889734003743191543?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>On Sunday, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall used his social media account to share his wager.&nbsp; "The bet is on - If the Chiefs win, Senator McCormick of Pennsylvania will bring me a Yuengling beer, and Senator Fetterman&nbsp;will have to wear Chiefs gear. 

If the Eagles win, I’ll bring KC BBQ and wear Eagles gear. "<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A bet is a bet. <a href="https://twitter.com/SenFettermanPA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenFettermanPA</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zexv7lGkPI">pic.twitter.com/Zexv7lGkPI</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1889720550840217915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Wednesday morning, Marshall removed his suit jacket on the Senate floor to show he was wearing an Eagles football jersey.&nbsp; The Junior Senator from Kansas did not indicate what Kansas City BBQ he is going to bring to Washington.&nbsp; Marshall is the first taking action to pay up following the championship game.

Kan. U.S. Senator lost bet, forced to wear Eagles jersey at work

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The governor didn’t include $300 million needed to meet the higher targets set by the state’s foundation formula

The debate over how much to spend on public schools could turn into the first big disagreement between Gov. Mike Kehoe and the GOP-dominated Missouri General Assembly.

Kehoe, a Republican who took office in January, refused to recommend a $300 million boost to public school funding in his first budget proposal. But education advocates in the legislature, and the State Board of Education, are defending the request and pushing for it to be funded as lawmakers rewrite Kehoe’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">$54 billion spending plan</a>.

During a House Budget Committee hearing Monday, GOP state Rep. Ed Lewis spent a lot of time defending the law that generated the request. He did so, Lewis said in an interview, because the committee has many new members who need to learn that the question of how much money schools require is not just a question of how much lawmakers are willing to spend.

Of the 31 lawmakers on the committee, nine are new to the panel, including its vice chairman, state Rep. Bishop Davidson, a Republican from Republic.

“I am trying to do that because there are a lot of newbies, and the person who’s sitting next to me has never been there, and now he’s the vice chair and the chair of education appropriations,” said Lewis, a former educator from Moberly who chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. “I think it’s my job to make sure that the things I’ve learned over the last four years are understood by some of those people that have never done this before.”

At one point in the hearing, Lewis told his colleagues that if they don’t provide the money, the state Senate will when it gets the budget later this year.

“The question is, do we want to, as the House of Representatives, think we want to go beyond the governor’s recommendation or leave that for the Senate to do?” Lewis said.

The budget committee is in the middle of hearings on department budgets. Any decisions on what will be in, and what will be out, of Kehoe’s recommended budget will be made next month in markup sessions.

The foundation formula, as the public school funding mechanism is known, is costing taxpayers $3.8 billion in the current year.&nbsp;

The amount required to fund it is determined by a variety of factors, including the amount spent in districts that do well on state achievement tests and expected attendance.

To meet that obligation, lawmakers use money from the state lottery, casino taxes and the general revenue fund.

Kehoe agreed to fund changes to the formula included last year in a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-468m-education-bill-that-boosts-teacher-pay-expands-charters/">major education bill</a>&nbsp;that will add $200 million to the total cost. What Kehoe doesn’t want to fund is the new, higher basic spending requirement determined by annual evaluation under the Missouri School Improvement Program, or MSIP.

If lawmakers accept Kehoe’s recommendation, it would be the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri/articles/2017-04-25/missouri-senate-votes-to-up-funding-for-public-k-12-schools" target="_blank">first time since fiscal 2018</a>&nbsp;that the budget doesn’t fully fund the formula.

“While we are committed to making good on the funding commitments passed by the legislature&nbsp;last year,” Kehoe said in his State of the State Address last month, “this budget does not include the additional $300 million liability that was imposed by an administrative body.”

That “administrative body” is the&nbsp; State Board of Education, which met Tuesday for the first time since Kehoe presented his budget proposal. Board President Charlie Shields, who helped write the foundation formula in 2005 when he was a state legislator, said he understands Kehoe’s position even if he doesn’t like it.

The state general revenue fund must provide the $300 million, if appropriated, and it is also being tapped for money to replace shortfalls in revenue from gambling on the lottery and in casinos. Kehoe’s budget proposal increases general revenue spending for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by $464 million, Shields noted.

“In my time, in both the legislature and on the State Board of Education, I have not seen those levels of increases in education funding,” Shields said in an interview.

He has not spoken to Kehoe about the budget proposal, Shields said, or Kehoe’s call to rewrite the formula.&nbsp;

“We’re cognizant that (the education department) sits within, you know, 14 other state departments, and there’s limited resources,” Shields said. “The legislature will make decisions about that, but I don’t think we have any question of either defending or explaining why we put in the request that we did.”

Missouri has a substantial balance in the general revenue fund — $4.3 billion at the end of January — and Kehoe’s budget projects a $2.6 billion surplus at the end of the fiscal year in June.

But state revenues are falling so far this fiscal year, and Kehoe wants&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/24/gov-mike-kehoe-holds-to-tax-cut-pledge-as-he-forecasts-a-tighter-missouri-budget/">a big income tax cut</a>. That is putting pressure both on the governor and the legislature to limit new spending.

The key figure driving the increase for the foundation formula is called the State Adequacy Target, determined by the cost of education in districts that do well on the MSIP evaluation. Far fewer districts met the standards of the newly revised MSIP, and they tended to be districts with more property wealth and fewer students in poverty or having special needs.

Over the past two years, the adequacy target has increased from $6,375 per student to $7,145. But the figure was nearly static for nearly two decades prior to that, increasing from $6,117 in 2005 to $6,375 in 2020, where it remained for four years.

The reluctance to fund the higher target, which has increased 17% since it was created while inflation has increased prices by 65%, has drawn fire from Democrats.

“It’s very concerning that when the foundation formula remained flat for year after year after year, as inflation was just climbing through the roof, we didn’t have a problem with the formula,” state Rep. Kathy Steinhoff said when Kehoe unveiled his budget.

Steinhoff is a Columbia Democrat and former teacher.&nbsp;

“But now that the formula is starting to work and the student adequacy target is starting to gain and getting more money into our schools,” she said, “now all of a sudden we’re looking at it.”

If lawmakers don’t include the $300 million for the increased adequacy target, the board of education can adjust it so spending matches the appropriated amount.

The education department didn’t design the new MSIP evaluation to increase the cost of the formula, Kari Monsees, deputy commissioner of education, told the House Budget Committee on Monday.

“The office of quality schools had no inside baseball on what the impact would be of the MSIP criteria that were established,” Monsees said.

During the state board meeting, members said they want legislators to consider what the state needs, not how much it will cost.

“I would just, again, put in a plea to our legislators that if we want to have a high quality workforce for tomorrow, we have to invest today,” said Carol Halquist of Kansas City, vice president of the state board.

While he expects the money to get into the spending plan, Lewis said, politics may have a bigger role in the decision than anything else.

“Is there a reason that we aren’t going to fund it other than just raw money?” Lewis said. “By doing it right now, in his first year, kind of obligates you to continue to do that in future years.”

The question, Lewis acknowledged, could come down to whether lawmakers are ready to buck Kehoe so soon after his election.&nbsp;

“It’s his first budget, right?” Lewis noted. “Do you want to stomp on the first budget?”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739387068156.png" alt=" Gov. Mike Kehoe, shown Jan. 28 delivering his State of the State Address, is getting resistance over his budget recommendation for school funding (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption> Gov. Mike Kehoe, shown Jan. 28 delivering his State of the State Address, is getting resistance over his budget recommendation for school funding (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a><h2>The governor didn’t include $300 million needed to meet the higher targets set by the state’s foundation formula</h2>The debate over how much to spend on public schools could turn into the first big disagreement between Gov. Mike Kehoe and the GOP-dominated Missouri General Assembly.Kehoe, a Republican who took office in January, refused to recommend a $300 million boost to public school funding in his first budget proposal. But education advocates in the legislature, and the State Board of Education, are defending the request and pushing for it to be funded as lawmakers rewrite Kehoe’s&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/28/gov-mike-kehoe-dips-deeply-into-surplus-as-missouri-budget-grows-to-nearly-54-billion/">$54 billion spending plan</a>.During a House Budget Committee hearing Monday, GOP state Rep. Ed Lewis spent a lot of time defending the law that generated the request. He did so, Lewis said in an interview, because the committee has many new members who need to learn that the question of how much money schools require is not just a question of how much lawmakers are willing to spend.Of the 31 lawmakers on the committee, nine are new to the panel, including its vice chairman, state Rep. Bishop Davidson, a Republican from Republic.“I am trying to do that because there are a lot of newbies, and the person who’s sitting next to me has never been there, and now he’s the vice chair and the chair of education appropriations,” said Lewis, a former educator from Moberly who chairs the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. “I think it’s my job to make sure that the things I’ve learned over the last four years are understood by some of those people that have never done this before.”At one point in the hearing, Lewis told his colleagues that if they don’t provide the money, the state Senate will when it gets the budget later this year.“The question is, do we want to, as the House of Representatives, think we want to go beyond the governor’s recommendation or leave that for the Senate to do?” Lewis said.The budget committee is in the middle of hearings on department budgets. Any decisions on what will be in, and what will be out, of Kehoe’s recommended budget will be made next month in markup sessions.The foundation formula, as the public school funding mechanism is known, is costing taxpayers $3.8 billion in the current year.&nbsp;The amount required to fund it is determined by a variety of factors, including the amount spent in districts that do well on state achievement tests and expected attendance.To meet that obligation, lawmakers use money from the state lottery, casino taxes and the general revenue fund.Kehoe agreed to fund changes to the formula included last year in a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-signs-468m-education-bill-that-boosts-teacher-pay-expands-charters/">major education bill</a>&nbsp;that will add $200 million to the total cost. What Kehoe doesn’t want to fund is the new, higher basic spending requirement determined by annual evaluation under the Missouri School Improvement Program, or MSIP.If lawmakers accept Kehoe’s recommendation, it would be the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri/articles/2017-04-25/missouri-senate-votes-to-up-funding-for-public-k-12-schools" target="_blank">first time since fiscal 2018</a>&nbsp;that the budget doesn’t fully fund the formula.“While we are committed to making good on the funding commitments passed by the legislature&nbsp;last year,” Kehoe said in his State of the State Address last month, “this budget does not include the additional $300 million liability that was imposed by an administrative body.”That “administrative body” is the&nbsp; State Board of Education, which met Tuesday for the first time since Kehoe presented his budget proposal. Board President Charlie Shields, who helped write the foundation formula in 2005 when he was a state legislator, said he understands Kehoe’s position even if he doesn’t like it.The state general revenue fund must provide the $300 million, if appropriated, and it is also being tapped for money to replace shortfalls in revenue from gambling on the lottery and in casinos. Kehoe’s budget proposal increases general revenue spending for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by $464 million, Shields noted.“In my time, in both the legislature and on the State Board of Education, I have not seen those levels of increases in education funding,” Shields said in an interview.He has not spoken to Kehoe about the budget proposal, Shields said, or Kehoe’s call to rewrite the formula.&nbsp;“We’re cognizant that (the education department) sits within, you know, 14 other state departments, and there’s limited resources,” Shields said. “The legislature will make decisions about that, but I don’t think we have any question of either defending or explaining why we put in the request that we did.”Missouri has a substantial balance in the general revenue fund — $4.3 billion at the end of January — and Kehoe’s budget projects a $2.6 billion surplus at the end of the fiscal year in June.But state revenues are falling so far this fiscal year, and Kehoe wants&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/01/24/gov-mike-kehoe-holds-to-tax-cut-pledge-as-he-forecasts-a-tighter-missouri-budget/">a big income tax cut</a>. That is putting pressure both on the governor and the legislature to limit new spending.The key figure driving the increase for the foundation formula is called the State Adequacy Target, determined by the cost of education in districts that do well on the MSIP evaluation. Far fewer districts met the standards of the newly revised MSIP, and they tended to be districts with more property wealth and fewer students in poverty or having special needs.Over the past two years, the adequacy target has increased from $6,375 per student to $7,145. But the figure was nearly static for nearly two decades prior to that, increasing from $6,117 in 2005 to $6,375 in 2020, where it remained for four years.The reluctance to fund the higher target, which has increased 17% since it was created while inflation has increased prices by 65%, has drawn fire from Democrats.“It’s very concerning that when the foundation formula remained flat for year after year after year, as inflation was just climbing through the roof, we didn’t have a problem with the formula,” state Rep. Kathy Steinhoff said when Kehoe unveiled his budget.Steinhoff is a Columbia Democrat and former teacher.&nbsp;“But now that the formula is starting to work and the student adequacy target is starting to gain and getting more money into our schools,” she said, “now all of a sudden we’re looking at it.”If lawmakers don’t include the $300 million for the increased adequacy target, the board of education can adjust it so spending matches the appropriated amount.The education department didn’t design the new MSIP evaluation to increase the cost of the formula, Kari Monsees, deputy commissioner of education, told the House Budget Committee on Monday.“The office of quality schools had no inside baseball on what the impact would be of the MSIP criteria that were established,” Monsees said.During the state board meeting, members said they want legislators to consider what the state needs, not how much it will cost.“I would just, again, put in a plea to our legislators that if we want to have a high quality workforce for tomorrow, we have to invest today,” said Carol Halquist of Kansas City, vice president of the state board.While he expects the money to get into the spending plan, Lewis said, politics may have a bigger role in the decision than anything else.“Is there a reason that we aren’t going to fund it other than just raw money?” Lewis said. “By doing it right now, in his first year, kind of obligates you to continue to do that in future years.”The question, Lewis acknowledged, could come down to whether lawmakers are ready to buck Kehoe so soon after his election.&nbsp;“It’s his first budget, right?” Lewis noted. “Do you want to stomp on the first budget?”

Budget battle brewing over Gov. Mike Kehoe’s school funding proposal

&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp; governor Laura Kelly on Tuesday vetoed a proposed Republican-backed ban on&nbsp;gender-affirming care for transgender minors.&nbsp;

On social media, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall criticized the governor's action. "Disgraceful veto, Laura Kelly."

"Yet again, putting her radical liberal ideology above the safety of Kansas kids. Child mutilation is not a parental right and on the contrary, should be criminal. "I look forward to the legislature overriding this insane veto."

At least 26 other states have restricted gender-affirming care for minors.

In her veto message Governor Kelly wrote, “Right now, the Legislature should be focused on ways to help Kansans cope with rising prices. That is the most important issue for Kansans. That is where my focus is.

“Infringing on parental rights is not appropriate, nor is it a Kansas value. As I’ve said before, it is not the job of politicians to stand between a parent and a child who needs medical care of any kind. This legislation will also drive families, businesses, and health care workers out of our state, stifling our economy and exacerbating our workforce shortage issue.&nbsp; "

“It is disappointing that the Legislature continues to push for government interference in Kansans’ private medical decisions instead of focusing on issues that improve all Kansans’ lives. "

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/2/1739326142226.png" alt="File photo Gov. Laura Kelly during the State of the State address last month" />
 <figcaption>File photo Gov. Laura Kelly during the State of the State address last month</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp; governor Laura Kelly on Tuesday vetoed a proposed Republican-backed ban on&nbsp;gender-affirming care for transgender minors.&nbsp;On social media, Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall criticized the governor's action. "Disgraceful veto, Laura Kelly.""Yet again, putting her radical liberal ideology above the safety of Kansas kids. Child mutilation is not a parental right and on the contrary, should be criminal. "I look forward to the legislature overriding this insane veto."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The governor&#39;s devotion to extreme left-wing ideology knows no bounds, vetoing a bipartisan bill that prevents the mutilation of minors. The Senate stands firmly on the side of protecting Kansas children and will swiftly override her veto before the ink from her pen is dry.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://t.co/bceVn9mnce">pic.twitter.com/bceVn9mnce</a>&mdash; Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson (@sentymasterson) <a href="https://twitter.com/sentymasterson/status/1889453021647552586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>At least 26 other states have restricted gender-affirming care for minors.In her veto message Governor Kelly wrote, “Right now, the Legislature should be focused on ways to help Kansans cope with rising prices. That is the most important issue for Kansans. That is where my focus is.“Infringing on parental rights is not appropriate, nor is it a Kansas value. As I’ve said before, it is not the job of politicians to stand between a parent and a child who needs medical care of any kind. This legislation will also drive families, businesses, and health care workers out of our state, stifling our economy and exacerbating our workforce shortage issue.&nbsp; "“It is disappointing that the Legislature continues to push for government interference in Kansans’ private medical decisions instead of focusing on issues that improve all Kansans’ lives. "

Kan. lawmakers rip governor's veto of gender-affirming care ban for minors

At the core of the argument, judges will have to decide whether a transgender boy can be considered male under the state’s human rights act

BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri’s highest court heard arguments Tuesday over whether a school district’s denial of multi-stall bathrooms and locker rooms to a transgender student is a form of sex discrimination.

The case may decide if the Missouri Human Rights Act covers legal sex, such as when a birth certificate is amended after gender transition, or is limited to sex as assigned at birth. The MHRA makes it illegal to deny public accommodations on the basis of sex, among other restrictions.

The case was brought by a former student of the Blue Springs School District, referred to as his initials R.M.A. in court proceedings, who was barred from boys’ bathrooms and locker rooms at his high school.&nbsp;

R.M.A. is transgender and has gotten his birth certificate amended to reflect his identity as a man.

The case has an extensive history, dating back to an original complaint to the Missouri Human Rights Commission in 2014.

The parties have already visited the&nbsp;<a href="https://casetext.com/case/v-blue-springs-r-iv-sch-dist-blue-springs-sch-dist-bd-of-educ-1" target="_blank">Missouri Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;once before, arguing over a trial court’s dismissal of R.M.A.’s petition. The judges ruled that he had a right to a jury trial, and in 2021, a jury in Jackson County Circuit Court awarded R.M.A. over $4 million in damages.

Circuit Court Judge Cory Atkins threw out the jury’s decision after the school district asked for him to overrule it. Atkins found “the verdict to be against the weight of the evidence in that the sole and uncontradicted evidence at trial was the school district made its decisions based on genitalia, not sex.”

R.M.A. is appealing that decision, asking to revert to the jury’s decision. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=55996" target="_blank">argues</a>&nbsp;that being a man with female genitalia is covered under court precedent protecting sex characteristics, citing&nbsp;<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/490/228/" target="_blank">a 1989 case</a>&nbsp;where a woman was denied a promotion because she was “macho.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=47051" target="_blank">school district sees it differently</a>, saying this argument would mean the MHRA protects transgender status. The Missouri Supreme Court ruling in 2019 acknowledged that R.M.A alleged discrimination on the basis of sex, not transgender status.

Another key difference between the two sides is understanding of R.M.A.’s sex. His doctor testified in prior proceedings that he is a male, as his amended birth certificate reflects. But the school district’s attorney, Mark Katz, said definitions of sex, which look at reproductive organs and chromosomes, would label R.M.A. a female — regardless of his male gender identity.

Missouri Supreme Court Judge Zel Fischer, who wrote the dissenting opinion on the court’s prior ruling favoring R.M.A., asked Tuesday about the distinction.

“Is the element that he is a male, is that a question of fact or question of law?” Fischer asked R.M.A.’s attorney, Alexander Edelman. “What evidence is there that your client is a male?”

Edelman said the only expert testimony in trial court was R.M.A.’s doctor, who said he was a male.

<h2>At the core of the argument, judges will have to decide whether a transgender boy can be considered male under the state’s human rights act</h2>BY:&nbsp;ANNELISE HANSHAW <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/09/21/missouri-judge-once-again-delays-decision-on-closing-agape-boarding-school/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri’s highest court heard arguments Tuesday over whether a school district’s denial of multi-stall bathrooms and locker rooms to a transgender student is a form of sex discrimination.The case may decide if the Missouri Human Rights Act covers legal sex, such as when a birth certificate is amended after gender transition, or is limited to sex as assigned at birth. The MHRA makes it illegal to deny public accommodations on the basis of sex, among other restrictions.The case was brought by a former student of the Blue Springs School District, referred to as his initials R.M.A. in court proceedings, who was barred from boys’ bathrooms and locker rooms at his high school.&nbsp;R.M.A. is transgender and has gotten his birth certificate amended to reflect his identity as a man.The case has an extensive history, dating back to an original complaint to the Missouri Human Rights Commission in 2014.The parties have already visited the&nbsp;<a href="https://casetext.com/case/v-blue-springs-r-iv-sch-dist-blue-springs-sch-dist-bd-of-educ-1" target="_blank">Missouri Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;once before, arguing over a trial court’s dismissal of R.M.A.’s petition. The judges ruled that he had a right to a jury trial, and in 2021, a jury in Jackson County Circuit Court awarded R.M.A. over $4 million in damages.Circuit Court Judge Cory Atkins threw out the jury’s decision after the school district asked for him to overrule it. Atkins found “the verdict to be against the weight of the evidence in that the sole and uncontradicted evidence at trial was the school district made its decisions based on genitalia, not sex.”R.M.A. is appealing that decision, asking to revert to the jury’s decision. He&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=55996" target="_blank">argues</a>&nbsp;that being a man with female genitalia is covered under court precedent protecting sex characteristics, citing&nbsp;<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/490/228/" target="_blank">a 1989 case</a>&nbsp;where a woman was denied a promotion because she was “macho.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=47051" target="_blank">school district sees it differently</a>, saying this argument would mean the MHRA protects transgender status. The Missouri Supreme Court ruling in 2019 acknowledged that R.M.A alleged discrimination on the basis of sex, not transgender status.Another key difference between the two sides is understanding of R.M.A.’s sex. His doctor testified in prior proceedings that he is a male, as his amended birth certificate reflects. But the school district’s attorney, Mark Katz, said definitions of sex, which look at reproductive organs and chromosomes, would label R.M.A. a female — regardless of his male gender identity.Missouri Supreme Court Judge Zel Fischer, who wrote the dissenting opinion on the court’s prior ruling favoring R.M.A., asked Tuesday about the distinction.“Is the element that he is a male, is that a question of fact or question of law?” Fischer asked R.M.A.’s attorney, Alexander Edelman. “What evidence is there that your client is a male?”Edelman said the only expert testimony in trial court was R.M.A.’s doctor, who said he was a male.In Edelman’s brief filed before oral arguments, he argues that the MHRA does not explicitly define sex as “biological sex.”“Even after (the district) was provided with an amended birth certificate stating that (R.M.A.) is male, it failed to stop discriminating against him,” he wrote.Edelman said the school discriminated against him because he wasn’t a stereotypical boy.“It’s very clear that the plaintiff’s sex was the reason for this discrimination,” he said to the court. “In that he was a male who was assigned female at birth and so he differed from other males.”Katz told the court that there has to be a basis for determining who belongs in sex-designated spaces, like bathrooms.“We have decided as a society that we will not allow girls in the boys’ room and boys in the girls’ room. That’s why you have to prove that you belong in the room,” he said. “In order to be in the boys’ room, you have to be a boy.”Judge Paul Wilson asked Katz about the sex stereotyping argument.“His theory is that you have to be a boy but that you don’t have to be the kind of boy (the district) likes,” Wilson said. “It can be a different kind of boy, right?”Katz said the definition of boy was misconstrued by the other side.“When it comes to sex, it is our belief that you turn to the dictionary,” he said. “The dictionary refers to biological and reproductive characteristics and traits, and those biological characteristics and traits are what makes a person a particular sex.”He repeated an argument from the school district’s brief that the school discriminated based on genitalia.“The school district was going based on anatomy because that was its understanding of what was appropriate and best for its students and protection of students,” Katz said.Edelman said no one has checked R.M.A. or other students to verify their anatomy. The birth certificate was the distinction, and Blue Springs School District had received a female birth certificate for R.M.A. prior.If the court rules in R.M.A.’s favor and upholds the jury’s verdict, he would be due the $4 million in punitive damages and $175,000 in compensatory damages. It could also set a precedent for other cases involving transgender students’ use of school facilities.