By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a>

WASHINGTON — States must now provide “justification” that federal child care funds they receive are spent on “legitimate” providers in order to get those dollars, President Donald Trump’s administration announced.&nbsp;

The Tuesday shift in policy came following<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/12/31/minnesota-child-care-providers-say-trumps-funding-freeze-will-shut-down-their-businesses/" target="_blank">&nbsp;allegations of fraud in Minnesota’s child care programs,&nbsp;</a>which prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to freeze all child care payments to the state.&nbsp;

HHS could not offer many specifics on how the review process will play out for other states, but clarified that the money in question is provided through the multibillion-dollar federal Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF.&nbsp;

“States will be required to provide documentation, such as written justification, receipts, or photographic evidence, demonstrating that funds are supporting legitimate child care providers,” Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for HHS, said in a statement to States Newsroom on Wednesday.&nbsp;

CCDF provides federal funding to states, territories and tribes to help low-income families obtain child care.&nbsp;

The program, administered within the Office of Child Care under HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, combines funding from the Child Care and Development Block Grant, or CCDBG, and the Child Care Entitlement to States, or CCES.&nbsp;

Funding for CCDF in&nbsp;<a href="https://acf.gov/occ/data/gy-2025-ccdf-allocations-based-appropriations" target="_blank">fiscal year 2025</a>&nbsp;stood at roughly $12.3 billion — comprising $8.75 billion from CCDBG and $3.55 billion from CCES.&nbsp;

Head Start — a separate program that provides early childhood education, nutritious meals, health screenings and other support services to low-income families — does not appear to be affected.&nbsp;

In a Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/HHS_Jim/status/2006136004294664464" target="_blank">social media post</a>&nbsp;announcing the move, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said he had “activated our defend the spend system for all ACF payments” and “starting today, all ACF payments across America will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state.”&nbsp;

He clarified in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/HHS_Jim/status/2006152183863972241" target="_blank">separate post</a>&nbsp;shortly after that “funds will be released only when states prove they are being spent legitimately.”&nbsp;

“Federal funding enables millions of parents in every state and Congressional district to access and afford quality child care,” Sarah Rittling, executive director of First Five Years Fund, a federal advocacy group, said in a Wednesday statement.&nbsp;

Rittling added that “these funds are essential to the nation’s well-being, allowing parents to work while ensuring their children are cared for and safe.”   

She also described the reports of potential fraud as “deeply concerning” and pointed out that “state oversight through regular audits is required by law to ensure that every dollar intended to protect and support young children is used properly and effectively.”&nbsp;

“At the same time, we must ensure that nothing takes away from making sure funds for child care continue to reach the children and families who depend on them,” she said.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767093694484.png" alt="DHS agents going door to door investigating fraud in Minnesota -image from Homeland Security video" />
                        <figcaption>DHS agents going door to door investigating fraud in Minnesota -image from Homeland Security video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">Shauneen Miranda</a></p><p>WASHINGTON — States must now provide “justification” that federal child care funds they receive are spent on “legitimate” providers in order to get those dollars, President Donald Trump’s administration announced.&nbsp;</p><p>The Tuesday shift in policy came following<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/12/31/minnesota-child-care-providers-say-trumps-funding-freeze-will-shut-down-their-businesses/" target="_blank">&nbsp;allegations of fraud in Minnesota’s child care programs,&nbsp;</a>which prompted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to freeze all child care payments to the state.&nbsp;</p><p>HHS could not offer many specifics on how the review process will play out for other states, but clarified that the money in question is provided through the multibillion-dollar federal Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF.&nbsp;</p><p>“States will be required to provide documentation, such as written justification, receipts, or photographic evidence, demonstrating that funds are supporting legitimate child care providers,” Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for HHS, said in a statement to States Newsroom on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p><p>CCDF provides federal funding to states, territories and tribes to help low-income families obtain child care.&nbsp;</p><p>The program, administered within the Office of Child Care under HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, combines funding from the Child Care and Development Block Grant, or CCDBG, and the Child Care Entitlement to States, or CCES.&nbsp;</p><p>Funding for CCDF in&nbsp;<a href="https://acf.gov/occ/data/gy-2025-ccdf-allocations-based-appropriations" target="_blank">fiscal year 2025</a>&nbsp;stood at roughly $12.3 billion — comprising $8.75 billion from CCDBG and $3.55 billion from CCES.&nbsp;</p><p>Head Start — a separate program that provides early childhood education, nutritious meals, health screenings and other support services to low-income families — does not appear to be affected.&nbsp;</p><p>In a Tuesday&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/HHS_Jim/status/2006136004294664464" target="_blank">social media post</a>&nbsp;announcing the move, Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said he had “activated our defend the spend system for all ACF payments” and “starting today, all ACF payments across America will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state.”&nbsp;</p><p>He clarified in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/HHS_Jim/status/2006152183863972241" target="_blank">separate post</a>&nbsp;shortly after that “funds will be released only when states prove they are being spent legitimately.”&nbsp;</p><h2>Funds undergo ‘regular audits’</h2><p>“Federal funding enables millions of parents in every state and Congressional district to access and afford quality child care,” Sarah Rittling, executive director of First Five Years Fund, a federal advocacy group, said in a Wednesday statement.&nbsp;</p><p>Rittling added that “these funds are essential to the nation’s well-being, allowing parents to work while ensuring their children are cared for and safe.”   </p><p>She also described the reports of potential fraud as “deeply concerning” and pointed out that “state oversight through regular audits is required by law to ensure that every dollar intended to protect and support young children is used properly and effectively.”&nbsp;</p><p>“At the same time, we must ensure that nothing takes away from making sure funds for child care continue to reach the children and families who depend on them,” she said.&nbsp;</p>

After Minnesota fraud allegations, HHS orders states to justify child care spending

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767463872878.png" alt="Secretary of State Marco Rubio answers questions during the Saturday press conference-image from White House video" />
                        <figcaption>Secretary of State Marco Rubio answers questions during the Saturday press conference-image from White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump Holds a Press Conference, Jan. 3, 2026 <a href="https://t.co/5ykCqSNuNa">https://t.co/5ykCqSNuNa</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2007491873586250190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="qme" dir="ltr">🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/MLcLIZHRRt">pic.twitter.com/MLcLIZHRRt</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2007514565303755189?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump: &quot;Late last night and early today, at my direction, the United States armed forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/qYHf5VmYOg">pic.twitter.com/qYHf5VmYOg</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2007494277178310768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We&#39;re going to make sure it&#39;s run properly. We&#39;re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure... We&#39;re going to make sure the people that were forced out of Venezuela by this thug are also taken care of.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/NB6J9UJdhr">pic.twitter.com/NB6J9UJdhr</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007502600757805259?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/thejointstaff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thejointstaff</a> Chairman Gen. Dan Caine details the historic operation to capture Nicolás Maduro <a href="https://t.co/sbWKHZ3mwK">pic.twitter.com/sbWKHZ3mwK</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007503096478363828?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on Venezuela: &quot;We&#39;re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nUS9VSUkE7">pic.twitter.com/nUS9VSUkE7</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2007494379141730753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Secretary Hegseth: &quot;Nicolás Maduro had his chance...He f&#39;ed around and he found out.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YRKlFYR4k4">pic.twitter.com/YRKlFYR4k4</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2007499109008069046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Secretary Rubio: &quot;The 47th president of the United States is not a game player. When he tells you that he’s going to do something...he means it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/eQ7EICBsrD">pic.twitter.com/eQ7EICBsrD</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2007503347939508291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a>: &quot;We called members of Congress immediately after... at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice... it&#39;s just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify because it endangers the mission.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/OD7lImhrsB">pic.twitter.com/OD7lImhrsB</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007503983401652499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Colombian President Gustavo Petro: &quot;He&#39;s making cocaine. They&#39;re sending it into the United States — so he does have to watch his ass.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mRqOsouW8V">https://t.co/mRqOsouW8V</a> <a href="https://t.co/aJeFDbuylk">pic.twitter.com/aJeFDbuylk</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007503466319720708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gen. Dan &quot;Razin&quot; Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: &quot;This operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, was discreet, precise, and... the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal — an operation that, frankly, only the United States military could undertake.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VdcL5kbu7j">pic.twitter.com/VdcL5kbu7j</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007500681394200855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a>: &quot;Words can barely capture the bravery, and the power, and the precision of this historic operation... What all of us witnessed last night was sheer guts, and grit, gallantry and glory of the American warrior.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/SwUiWl0JNU">pic.twitter.com/SwUiWl0JNU</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007500075602227425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Other Presidents may have lacked the courage — or whatever — to defend America, but I will never allow terrorists or criminals to operate with impunity against the United States.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/CcNi7zAXw4">pic.twitter.com/CcNi7zAXw4</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007499073964966176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Venezuela unilaterally seized and stole American oil, American assets, and American platforms, costing us billions and billions of dollars... This constituted one of the largest thefts of American property in the history of our country.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jYI7t4FKzs">pic.twitter.com/jYI7t4FKzs</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007497940495986995?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The gangs that they sent raped, tortured, and murdered American women and children... they were sent by Maduro to terrorize our people, and now, Maduro will never again be able to threaten an American citizen or anybody from Venezuela.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/23AxVuM6bj">pic.twitter.com/23AxVuM6bj</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007497186737525019?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script</div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been a bust for a long period of time... We&#39;re going to have our very large United States oil companies go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, and start making money for the country. <a href="https://t.co/XWgtcZaGLF">pic.twitter.com/XWgtcZaGLF</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007495637596553608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a>: &quot;We called members of Congress immediately after... at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice... it&#39;s just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify because it endangers the mission.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/OD7lImhrsB">pic.twitter.com/OD7lImhrsB</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007503983401652499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We&#39;re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/VkfaCbg3su">pic.twitter.com/VkfaCbg3su</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007495016751436194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I want to thank the men and women of our military... These highly trained warriors, operating in collaboration with U.S. law enforcement, caught them in a very ready position... They were completely overwhelmed and very quickly incapacitated.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/u8Lcn7UGI9">pic.twitter.com/u8Lcn7UGI9</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007494818692509854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday... all Venezuelan military capacities were rendered powerless as the men and women of our military, working with U.S. law enforcement, successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/a0NwP4yDQn">pic.twitter.com/a0NwP4yDQn</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007493979034571019?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;At my direction, the United States Armed Forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela... This was one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iq1KhqF7iU">pic.twitter.com/iq1KhqF7iU</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007493496396230797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;We want to surround ourself with good neighbors. We want to surround ourself with stability. We want to surround ourself with energy... we need that for ourselves, we need that for the world—and we want to make sure we can protect it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/6qlVe6TqJo">pic.twitter.com/6qlVe6TqJo</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007505948517032072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump on Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado: &quot;It would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn&#39;t have the support within or the respect within the country, she&#39;s a very nice woman but she doesn&#39;t have the respect.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/zHw44QHNmc">pic.twitter.com/zHw44QHNmc</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2007510868158714173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump: &quot;We&#39;re not afraid of boots on the ground.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/pSyt8sekSp">pic.twitter.com/pSyt8sekSp</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2007507536656691441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 Details on how the US captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro

The United States successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country, according to the White House. "This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. " Members of Congress including Nebraska Senator Deb Fisher and Congressman Don Bacon are among lawmakers expressing opinions on the news.&nbsp;

<p>The United States successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country, according to the White House. "This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. " Members of Congress including Nebraska Senator Deb Fisher and Congressman Don Bacon are among lawmakers expressing opinions on the news.&nbsp;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Maduro was an indicted dictator for crimes of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. I understand he is now in U.S. custody and will answer for his crimes. Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and our brave troops for this successful military operation to carry out a legal action.</p>&mdash; Senator Deb Fischer (@SenatorFischer) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorFischer/status/2007462159106646231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Maduro and his predecessor took Venezuela from the richest to the poorest country in South America, and destroyed its democracy. The operations last night are great for the future of Venezuelans and the region. My main concern is now Russia will use this to justify their illegal…</p>&mdash; Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ (@RepDonBacon) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDonBacon/status/2007462335242289166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">President Trump made a promise to the American people that he would secure our borders from chaos and cut off threats to us and our children at the source. Venezuela ignored the call to stop running lethal drugs to the America.<br><br>Our children are safer at home because of bold…</p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/2007453825255264758?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a>, and the brave members of our military who led the operation that successfully CAPTURED narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro.<br><br>A new day is here for Venezuela and Latin America. The United States and our hemisphere are safer because of President… <a href="https://t.co/VL4bnsbGVZ">https://t.co/VL4bnsbGVZ</a></p>&mdash; Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/2007399340457775262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. <br><br>Kudos to our brave… <a href="https://t.co/b1fqkdbB4x">pic.twitter.com/b1fqkdbB4x</a></p>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/2007447083909841398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There is no justification for the United States to be at war with Venezuela.<br><br>I lived through the consequences of an illegal war sold to the American people with lies. We swore we would never repeat those mistakes. Yet here we are again.<br><br>The American people did not ask for this,…</p>&mdash; Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRubenGallego/status/2007433155477717121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The White House is confirming U.S. military operations in Venezuela tonight. Let us be clear: these strikes are illegal. The President does not have the authority to declare war or undertake large-scale military operations without Congress. Congress must act to rein him in.… <a href="https://t.co/KsbxS6TbSp">pic.twitter.com/KsbxS6TbSp</a></p>&mdash; Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rep_Stansbury/status/2007385713818714191?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela.<br><br>He says we don’t have enough money for healthcare for Americans—but somehow we have unlimited funds for war??</p>&mdash; Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMcGovern/status/2007381598912819213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…</p>&mdash; Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2007428087143686611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bold move by ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a>⁩ taking out convicted NARCO TERRORIST and DICTATOR of Venezuela Maduro. <a href="https://t.co/JGFtpq5GG4">pic.twitter.com/JGFtpq5GG4</a></p>&mdash; Tim Burchett (@timburchett) <a href="https://twitter.com/timburchett/status/2007443476900671516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nicolas Maduro wasn’t just an illegitimate dictator; he also ran a vast drug-trafficking operation. That’s why he was indicted in U.S. court nearly six years ago for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. I just spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a>, who confirmed that Maduro is in U.S. custody and…</p>&mdash; Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/2007419529048007012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If this action were constitutionally sound, the Attorney General wouldn’t be tweeting that they’ve arrested the President of a sovereign country and his wife for possessing guns in violation of a 1934 U.S. firearm law.</p>&mdash; Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepThomasMassie/status/2007469970364539092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I have spoken in the last several hours with <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Hegseth, and the nation will hear from <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> in his address at 11am ET.<br><br>Today’s military action in Venezuela was a decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives.<br><br>Nicolas Maduro is…</p>&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/2007468765718384961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Nebraska lawmakers react to U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/072d2ceeK8">pic.twitter.com/072d2ceeK8</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007381949229478015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.… <a href="https://t.co/sFa5OC4ZrZ">pic.twitter.com/sFa5OC4ZrZ</a></p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2007396973758816564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755651756653.png" alt="<br>" />
                        <figcaption><br></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…</p>&mdash; Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/2007428087143686611?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. <br><br>Kudos to our brave… <a href="https://t.co/b1fqkdbB4x">pic.twitter.com/b1fqkdbB4x</a></p>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/2007447083909841398?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro: &quot;The team did an incredible job... There&#39;s no other country on Earth that can do such a maneuver.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/sbfEyVDgUf">pic.twitter.com/sbfEyVDgUf</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2007455806631903249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

U.S. launches ‘large scale’ attack on Venezuela, captures Nicolas Maduro 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –&nbsp;A Mint Hill, North Caroina man that allegedly planned to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant&nbsp;in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. 

The criminal complaint was filed on December 31, 2025, and was unsealed today after Christian Sturdivant, 18, appeared in federal court in Charlotte.

James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.

“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”

“The accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “It is essential to work closely with our law enforcement partners and to quickly share information about potential threats, as demonstrated in this case. The message from the FBI is clear—anyone who supports ISIS or other terrorist groups cannot hide and will be held accountable in our justice system.”

"As alleged, Sturdivant aspired to become a ‘martyr’ for ISIS and was in the final stages of planning a mass-casualty attack on New Year’s Eve. Notes recovered from his home appear to reflect intent to harm as many people as possible and terrorize the Nation,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “We commend the extraordinary work of our partners in neutralizing this threat.”

“Americans deserve to celebrate New Year’s Eve without worrying about their personal safety,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “That is why we worked non-stop to thwart this alleged violent terrorist attack. I am proud of the work done here and thankful for the time spent by law enforcement away from their families during the holidays to ensure public safety.”

“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people, and this case demonstrates our dedication to do everything we can to protect the residents of North Carolina. We worked closely with the Department of Justice, NYPD, Mint Hill Police Department, and our FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force partners to investigate and disrupt this serious threat of a violent attack. We will never stop working to hold people accountable who seek to harm and terrorize our community,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Barnacle.

“Christian Sturdivant allegedly swore allegiance to an international terrorist organization and plotted deadly attacks in its name,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “But the New York City Police Department has a long reach, and our undercover cybersecurity investigators once again identified threats of extremist behavior and thwarted them before they could be carried out. Public safety knows no borders, and we will continue to work with all our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to pursue and hold accountable anyone who seeks to spread fear and violence.”

“Now more than ever, partnerships between law enforcement agencies are paramount,” said Chief Joseph Hatley of the Mint Hill Police Department. “This disruption is a testament to all involved, working as one to thwart an attack and hold accountable anyone planning such a horrific act of violence against our community.”

According to allegations in the arrest affidavit, on December 18, 2025, the FBI in Charlotte received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. In early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.” The post is allegedly consistent with ISIS’s rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS’s extreme ideology.

The criminal complaint alleges that on or about December 12, 2025, Sturdivant began communicating with an online covert employee, or “OC,” whom Sturdivant thought was an ISIS member. Sturdivant told the OC, “I will do jihad soon,” and proclaimed he was “a soldier of the state,” meaning ISIS. On December 14, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’s propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in western countries. The same article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.

In addition, on December 19, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging “Bayat,” a loyalty oath to ISIS.

On December 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Years Attack 2026.” The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack. It also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21. The note also included a section labeled as “martyrdom op,” that described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr.

The complaints alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative, who secured knives and hammers away so Sturdivant could not use them for harm. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant’s bed. These items appear to be the same as the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC.

Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack.

Sturdivant remains in federal custody. If convicted, Sturdivant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.&nbsp;A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Matthews Police Department, the Monroe Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the assistance of the NYPD, additional FBI Field Offices, the FBI Counterterrorism Division, and the Mint Hill Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Gleason for the Western District of North Carolina and DOJ Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat with the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

The charges against the defendant are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767391410084.png" alt="Sturdivant-Gaston County" />
                        <figcaption>Sturdivant-Gaston County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>CHARLOTTE, N.C. –&nbsp;A Mint Hill, North Caroina man that allegedly planned to use knives and hammers to execute a deadly New Year’s Eve attack at a grocery store and a fast food restaurant&nbsp;in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. </p><p>The criminal complaint was filed on December 31, 2025, and was unsealed today after Christian Sturdivant, 18, appeared in federal court in Charlotte.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FBI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FBI</a> thwarted a potential terrorist attack on New Year&#39;s Eve in North Carolina. The subject was directly inspired to act by ISIS. A federal criminal complaint alleges 18-year-old Christian Sturdivant planned a violent attack at a grocery store in Mint Hill. SAC Barnacle… <a href="https://t.co/njn7XBQTAC">pic.twitter.com/njn7XBQTAC</a></p>&mdash; FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBICharlotte/status/2007145724538921377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Federal officials in Charlotte, NC hold a news conference on an attempted attack in the area that was thwarted by the FBI. The alleged suspect was reportedly inspired by ISIS and planned to carry out an attack on New Year&#39;s Eve in Mint Hill, NC. <a href="https://t.co/YSpplyrVjp">pic.twitter.com/YSpplyrVjp</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2007171448004063589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767391817051.png" alt="Handwritten document titled “New Years Attack 2026”" />
                        <figcaption>Handwritten document titled “New Years Attack 2026”</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>“This successful collaboration between federal and local law enforcement saved American lives from a horrific terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The Department of Justice remains vigilant in our pursuit of evil ISIS sympathizers — anyone plotting to commit such depraved attacks will face the full force of the law.”</p><p>“The accused allegedly wanted to be a soldier for ISIS and made plans to commit a violent attack on New Year’s Eve in support of that terrorist group, but the FBI and our partners put a stop to that,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “It is essential to work closely with our law enforcement partners and to quickly share information about potential threats, as demonstrated in this case. The message from the FBI is clear—anyone who supports ISIS or other terrorist groups cannot hide and will be held accountable in our justice system.”</p><p>"As alleged, Sturdivant aspired to become a ‘martyr’ for ISIS and was in the final stages of planning a mass-casualty attack on New Year’s Eve. Notes recovered from his home appear to reflect intent to harm as many people as possible and terrorize the Nation,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “We commend the extraordinary work of our partners in neutralizing this threat.”</p><p>“Americans deserve to celebrate New Year’s Eve without worrying about their personal safety,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “That is why we worked non-stop to thwart this alleged violent terrorist attack. I am proud of the work done here and thankful for the time spent by law enforcement away from their families during the holidays to ensure public safety.”</p><p>“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people, and this case demonstrates our dedication to do everything we can to protect the residents of North Carolina. We worked closely with the Department of Justice, NYPD, Mint Hill Police Department, and our FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force partners to investigate and disrupt this serious threat of a violent attack. We will never stop working to hold people accountable who seek to harm and terrorize our community,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Barnacle.</p><p>“Christian Sturdivant allegedly swore allegiance to an international terrorist organization and plotted deadly attacks in its name,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch. “But the New York City Police Department has a long reach, and our undercover cybersecurity investigators once again identified threats of extremist behavior and thwarted them before they could be carried out. Public safety knows no borders, and we will continue to work with all our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to pursue and hold accountable anyone who seeks to spread fear and violence.”</p><p>“Now more than ever, partnerships between law enforcement agencies are paramount,” said Chief Joseph Hatley of the Mint Hill Police Department. “This disruption is a testament to all involved, working as one to thwart an attack and hold accountable anyone planning such a horrific act of violence against our community.”</p><p>According to allegations in the arrest affidavit, on December 18, 2025, the FBI in Charlotte received information that an individual later identified as Sturdivant was making multiple social media posts in support of ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization. In early December 2025, Sturdivant posted an image depicting two miniature figurines of Jesus with the on-screen text that read, “May Allah curse the cross worshipers.” The post is allegedly consistent with ISIS’s rhetoric calling for the extermination of all non-believers, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims who do not agree with ISIS’s extreme ideology.</p><p>The criminal complaint alleges that on or about December 12, 2025, Sturdivant began communicating with an online covert employee, or “OC,” whom Sturdivant thought was an ISIS member. Sturdivant told the OC, “I will do jihad soon,” and proclaimed he was “a soldier of the state,” meaning ISIS. On December 14, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent an online message to the OC with an image of two hammers and a knife. This is significant because an article in the 2016 issue of ISIS’s propaganda magazine promoted the use of knives to conduct terror attacks in western countries. The same article inspired actual attacks in other countries. Later, Sturdivant told the OC that he planned to attack a specific grocery store in North Carolina. Sturdivant also told the OC about his plans to purchase a firearm to use along with the knives during the attack, according to the arrest affidavit.</p><p>In addition, on December 19, 2025, Sturdivant allegedly sent the OC a voice recording of Sturdivant pledging “Bayat,” a loyalty oath to ISIS.</p><p>On December 29, 2025, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Sturdivant’s residence, where they discovered handwritten documents, one of which was titled “New Years Attack 2026.” The document listed items such as a vest, mask, tactical gloves, and two knives allegedly to be used in the attack. It also described a goal of stabbing as many civilians as possible, with the total number of victims to be as high as 20 to 21. The note also included a section labeled as “martyrdom op,” that described a plan to attack police responding to the site of the attack so Sturdivant would die a martyr.</p><p>The complaints alleges that Sturdivant lived with a relative, who secured knives and hammers away so Sturdivant could not use them for harm. Yet, law enforcement seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a blue hammer, a wooden handled hammer, and two butcher knives which appeared hidden underneath the defendant’s bed. These items appear to be the same as the ones depicted in the online message Sturdivant previously sent to the OC.</p><p>Law enforcement also seized from Sturdivant’s bedroom a list of targets, as well as tactical gloves and a vest, acquired as part of the defendant’s planned attack.</p><p>Sturdivant remains in federal custody. If convicted, Sturdivant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.&nbsp;A federal district court judge will determine the ultimate sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.</p><p>The investigation was conducted by the FBI Charlotte Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Matthews Police Department, the Monroe Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, with the assistance of the NYPD, additional FBI Field Offices, the FBI Counterterrorism Division, and the Mint Hill Police Department.</p><p>The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Gleason for the Western District of North Carolina and DOJ Trial Attorney Elisa Poteat with the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.</p><p>The charges against the defendant are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.</p>

FBI disrupted a New Year's Eve attack plan inspired by ISIS

Washington, D.C.– On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the next phase in the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA), the eligible commodity per-acre payment rates. As announced earlier this month by President Trump and Secretary Rollins, $12 billion will be paid to American farmers in 2026. Of that amount, $11 billion consists of one-time FBA program payments. This is in response to four years of disastrous Biden administration policies that created record-high input and production costs, zero new trade deals, and a forgotten rural America.

“President Trump committed to increase certainty in the farm economy, and farmers can count on these payment rate calculations when going to the bank as they plan for the spring planting season. Putting Farmers First means delivering real relief when it matters. Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments in their bank accounts by February 28, 2026,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “These one-time payments give farmers the bridge to continue to feed and clothe America and the world while the Trump Administration continues opening new markets and strengthening the farm safety net. &nbsp;USDA is making this process as simple and seamless as possible so producers can focus on what they do best – feeding and fueling our nation.”

Eligible Row Crop Commodities and Payment Rates:&nbsp;

Below are the payment rates for the FBA eligible commodities that triggered a payment. &nbsp;

• Barley: $20.51• Canola: $23.57• Chickpeas (Large): $26.46• Chickpeas (Small): $33.36• Corn: $44.36• Cotton: $117.35• Flax: $8.05• Lentils: $23.98• Mustard: $23.21• Oats: $81.75• Peanuts: $55.65• Peas: $19.60• Rice: $132.89• Safflower: $24.86• Sesame: $13.68• Sorghum: $48.11• Soybeans: $30.88• Sunflower: $17.32• Wheat: $39.35

Eligibility, Program Applications, and Crop Insurance Linkage&nbsp;

FBA payments are based on 2025 planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production, and the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate Report. Double crop acres, including all initial and subsequently planted crops, are eligible. Prevent plant acres are not eligible.&nbsp;

All intended row crop uses are eligible for FBA except grazing, volunteer stands, experimental, green manure, crops left standing and abandoned or cover crops.&nbsp;

Crop insurance linkage is not required; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new risk management tools provided for in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) to best protect against future price risk and volatility. The OBBBA federal crop insurance improvements include expanding benefits for beginning farmers and ranchers, increasing coverage options, and making crop insurance more affordable.&nbsp;

Of the $12 billion being provided by the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, up to $11 billion is being directed to eligible row crop producers and the remaining $1 billion of the $12 billion in assistance is reserved for specialty crops and sugar. Timelines for payments to producers of these crops are still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs. Producers, including specialty crop producers and stakeholder groups, can submit questions to <a href="mailto:farmerbridge@usda.gov" target="_blank">farmerbridge@usda.gov</a>.&nbsp;

More information FBA is available online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/fba" target="_blank">https://www.fsa.usda.gov/fba</a>&nbsp;or you can contact your local USDA FSA county office.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1767278821674.png" alt="Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins in the Oval Office -image White House" />
                        <figcaption>Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins in the Oval Office -image White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Washington, D.C.– On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the next phase in the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program (FBA), the eligible commodity per-acre payment rates. As announced earlier this month by President Trump and Secretary Rollins, $12 billion will be paid to American farmers in 2026. Of that amount, $11 billion consists of one-time FBA program payments. This is in response to four years of disastrous Biden administration policies that created record-high input and production costs, zero new trade deals, and a forgotten rural America.</p><p>“President Trump committed to increase certainty in the farm economy, and farmers can count on these payment rate calculations when going to the bank as they plan for the spring planting season. Putting Farmers First means delivering real relief when it matters. Farmers who qualify for the FBA Program can expect payments in their bank accounts by February 28, 2026,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “These one-time payments give farmers the bridge to continue to feed and clothe America and the world while the Trump Administration continues opening new markets and strengthening the farm safety net. &nbsp;USDA is making this process as simple and seamless as possible so producers can focus on what they do best – feeding and fueling our nation.”</p><p>Eligible Row Crop Commodities and Payment Rates:&nbsp;</p><p>Below are the payment rates for the FBA eligible commodities that triggered a payment. &nbsp;</p><p>Commodity, Per Acre Payment Rates</p><p>• Barley: $20.51• Canola: $23.57• Chickpeas (Large): $26.46• Chickpeas (Small): $33.36• Corn: $44.36• Cotton: $117.35• Flax: $8.05• Lentils: $23.98• Mustard: $23.21• Oats: $81.75• Peanuts: $55.65• Peas: $19.60• Rice: $132.89• Safflower: $24.86• Sesame: $13.68• Sorghum: $48.11• Soybeans: $30.88• Sunflower: $17.32• Wheat: $39.35</p><p>Eligibility, Program Applications, and Crop Insurance Linkage&nbsp;</p><p>FBA payments are based on 2025 planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production, and the World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimate Report. Double crop acres, including all initial and subsequently planted crops, are eligible. Prevent plant acres are not eligible.&nbsp;</p><p>All intended row crop uses are eligible for FBA except grazing, volunteer stands, experimental, green manure, crops left standing and abandoned or cover crops.&nbsp;</p><p>Crop insurance linkage is not required; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the new risk management tools provided for in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) to best protect against future price risk and volatility. The OBBBA federal crop insurance improvements include expanding benefits for beginning farmers and ranchers, increasing coverage options, and making crop insurance more affordable.&nbsp;</p><p>Specialty Crop Assistance&nbsp;</p><p>Of the $12 billion being provided by the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act, up to $11 billion is being directed to eligible row crop producers and the remaining $1 billion of the $12 billion in assistance is reserved for specialty crops and sugar. Timelines for payments to producers of these crops are still under development and require additional understanding of market impacts and economic needs. Producers, including specialty crop producers and stakeholder groups, can submit questions to <a href="mailto:farmerbridge@usda.gov" target="_blank">farmerbridge@usda.gov</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>More Information&nbsp;</p><p>More information FBA is available online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/fba" target="_blank">https://www.fsa.usda.gov/fba</a>&nbsp;or you can contact your local USDA FSA county office.&nbsp;</p>

Farmers can now learn how much aid they will get from USDA

The nation’s capital&nbsp; is celebrating the transition to a new year in a historic way.

For the first time ever, the Washington Monument was&nbsp; illuminated on all four sides with a large-scale projection light show that began New Year’s Eve. The display kicked off celebrations for America’s 250th birthday.

<p>The nation’s capital&nbsp; is celebrating the transition to a new year in a historic way.</p><p>For the first time ever, the Washington Monument was&nbsp; illuminated on all four sides with a large-scale projection light show that began New Year’s Eve. The display kicked off celebrations for America’s 250th birthday.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WATCH IN FULL: <a href="https://twitter.com/250Freedom_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@250Freedom_</a> presents &quot;The Illumination of America&quot; at the Washington Monument, celebrating 250 years of the United States of America — and looking forward to our next incredible chapter.<br><br>GOD BLESS AMERICA! 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/xe5XOzUjmC">pic.twitter.com/xe5XOzUjmC</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2006525083590803664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NOW on the National Mall: <a href="https://twitter.com/250Freedom_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@250Freedom_</a> presents &quot;The Illumination of America,&quot; kicking off the 250th birthday year of our great country 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/uV1ndQVVgw">pic.twitter.com/uV1ndQVVgw</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2006518231264006370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;The pioneer spirit of the American People brought us across oceans, established a nation in liberty, drew us across a continent, and raised us into the clouds... We&#39;re the United States of America — there is no frontier too far, no dream too bold, no horizon beyond our reach.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/yZpsUvfPIP">pic.twitter.com/yZpsUvfPIP</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2006523469249630607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥 DC light show kicked off America's 250th birthday 

On Dec. 30, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy.

These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels. Following the engagements, the U.S. Southern Command immediately notified the Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system.

On Dec. 31, at the direction of&nbsp; Secretary Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.

Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second

<p>On Dec. 30, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Dec. 30, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy. These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence… <a href="https://t.co/NHRNIzcrFS">pic.twitter.com/NHRNIzcrFS</a></p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2006474817076330557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes. Three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel were killed in the first engagement. The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels. Following the engagements, the U.S. Southern Command immediately notified the Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system.</p><p>On Dec. 31, at the direction of&nbsp; Secretary Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Dec. 31, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and… <a href="https://t.co/4AE5u4cEff">pic.twitter.com/4AE5u4cEff</a></p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2006531145844867143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions - three in the first vessel and two in the second</p>

🎥US military strikes more drug boats killing 8 'narco-terrorists'

<i>By Allison Peck | North Platte Post/Sandhills Post</i>

<i>Listen to the full interview with Derek Beck on our Kubota Podcast</i>

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Derek Beck, Operations Manager at Eagle Media in North Platte, will be leaving the company effective January 1 after purchasing Your Ag Network from longtime broadcaster Monte James.

Beck confirmed his departure during a recent on-air announcement, noting he gave Eagle Media his notice about two months ago. His final day with the company is December 31.

Beck, along with business partner Parker James, has purchased Your Ag Network, an agricultural radio network that provides market and farm reports across much of the Midwest. Beck said the partnership will be a 50-50 ownership arrangement.

Your Ag Network airs on approximately 83 stations throughout the region, including Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Colorado, with plans to expand into Kansas.

Beck said one of the network’s key features is its overnight trading coverage, reflecting the global nature of today’s agricultural markets.

“One of the few networks that offers an overnight trading report,” he said. “The markets are global now… things happen overnight.”

As part of his new role, Beck will personally take over early morning market reports, with his first report airing at 6 a.m. He will also continue producing and expanding rodeo-related content, including the popular Territorial Rodeo Update.

Beck has worked closely with Monte James for several years, serving as a producer for the Territorial Rodeo Update and other reports. James will continue contributing content, including the Hot Barn Report, while stepping back from ownership.

“He’s been one of my best buds for 20-some years,” Beck said. “This opportunity, in some ways, came out of nowhere, but in a lot of ways it’s been in the background for a long time.”

Beck said the move represents a long-held goal of business ownership for himself and his wife, Carla, who will remain employed at Eagle Media.

“We’ve wanted to own our own business for years,” Beck said. “Radio makes me really happy… and this is something new.”

Although he is leaving his day-to-day role at Eagle Media, Beck said he is not leaving North Platte.

“We’re not moving. We’re not leaving town,” he said. “One of the cool things about this new gig is I don’t have to leave to do it.”

Beck described his time at Eagle Media as a highlight of his radio career and said the departure is bittersweet.

“This has really been a highlight for me at Eagle,” he said. “As I leave, it’s a little bittersweet because this was a really good stop on my radio career here with Eagle in North Platte.”

<p><i>By Allison Peck | North Platte Post/Sandhills Post</i></p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1767199539913.png" alt="Derek Beck and Parker James become 50/50 partners in Your Ag Network. The company was bought from Monte James and the deal finalized on December 30, 2025. (Left to Right: Parker James, Derek Beck, Monte James | Photo Derek Beck)" />
                        <figcaption>Derek Beck and Parker James become 50/50 partners in Your Ag Network. The company was bought from Monte James and the deal finalized on December 30, 2025. (Left to Right: Parker James, Derek Beck, Monte James | Photo Derek Beck)</figcaption>
                    </figure><div><iframe title="Rising Up: Derek Beck Begins Ag Network Journey" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=2urz3-1a06d8e-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Times%20New%20Roman&skin=3ab278&font-color=ffffff&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=1b1b1b" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><p><i>Listen to the full interview with Derek Beck on our Kubota Podcast</i></p><p>NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — Derek Beck, Operations Manager at Eagle Media in North Platte, will be leaving the company effective January 1 after purchasing Your Ag Network from longtime broadcaster Monte James.</p><p>Beck confirmed his departure during a recent on-air announcement, noting he gave Eagle Media his notice about two months ago. His final day with the company is December 31.</p><p>Beck, along with business partner Parker James, has purchased Your Ag Network, an agricultural radio network that provides market and farm reports across much of the Midwest. Beck said the partnership will be a 50-50 ownership arrangement.</p><p>Your Ag Network airs on approximately 83 stations throughout the region, including Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Colorado, with plans to expand into Kansas.</p><p>Beck said one of the network’s key features is its overnight trading coverage, reflecting the global nature of today’s agricultural markets.</p><p>“One of the few networks that offers an overnight trading report,” he said. “The markets are global now… things happen overnight.”</p><p>As part of his new role, Beck will personally take over early morning market reports, with his first report airing at 6 a.m. He will also continue producing and expanding rodeo-related content, including the popular Territorial Rodeo Update.</p><p>Beck has worked closely with Monte James for several years, serving as a producer for the Territorial Rodeo Update and other reports. James will continue contributing content, including the Hot Barn Report, while stepping back from ownership.</p><p>“He’s been one of my best buds for 20-some years,” Beck said. “This opportunity, in some ways, came out of nowhere, but in a lot of ways it’s been in the background for a long time.”</p><p>Beck said the move represents a long-held goal of business ownership for himself and his wife, Carla, who will remain employed at Eagle Media.</p><p>“We’ve wanted to own our own business for years,” Beck said. “Radio makes me really happy… and this is something new.”</p><p>Although he is leaving his day-to-day role at Eagle Media, Beck said he is not leaving North Platte.</p><p>“We’re not moving. We’re not leaving town,” he said. “One of the cool things about this new gig is I don’t have to leave to do it.”</p><p>Beck described his time at Eagle Media as a highlight of his radio career and said the departure is bittersweet.</p><p>“This has really been a highlight for me at Eagle,” he said. “As I leave, it’s a little bittersweet because this was a really good stop on my radio career here with Eagle in North Platte.”</p>

🎙️Derek Beck Fulfills Ownership Dream in New Chapter With Purchase of Your Ag Network

The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday announced that all 50 states will receive awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation (Public Law 119-21) to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country, according to a statement from CMS.&nbsp;

In 2026, states will receive first-year awards from CMS averaging $200 million within a range of $147 million to $281 million. Nebraska will receive $218,529,075. Missouri received $216,276,818 and Kansas&nbsp;$221,898,008.

&nbsp;This unprecedented federal investment will help states expand access to care in rural communities, strengthen the rural health workforce, modernize rural facilities and technology, and support innovative models that bring high-quality, dependable care closer to home.&nbsp;

“More than 60 million Americans living in rural areas have the right to equal access to quality care,”&nbsp;said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This historic investment puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ healthcare. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, rural Americans will now have affordable healthcare close to home, free from bureaucratic obstacles.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for rural health in America,”&nbsp;said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Thanks to Congress establishing this investment and President Trump for his leadership, states are stepping forward with bold, creative plans to expand rural access, strengthen their workforces, modernize care, and support the communities that keep our nation running. CMS is proud to partner with every state to turn their ideas into lasting improvements for rural families.”

A Nationwide Commitment to Strengthen Rural Health Care

The Rural Health Transformation Program is a national commitment to improving the health and well-being of rural communities across the country. With this funding, states will implement comprehensive strategies to improve care delivery, support providers, and advance new approaches to coordinating health care services across rural communities. Across the country, many states are planning efforts that will:

States will advance Make Rural America Healthy Again goals by expanding preventive, primary, maternal, and behavioral health services and creating new access points that bring care closer to home and help preserve strong local health systems. Many states are implementing evidence-based, outcomes-driven strategies—such as physical fitness and nutrition programs, food-as-medicine initiatives, and chronic disease prevention models—to address root causes of diseases and manage chronic conditions. States will also strengthen rural emergency care through improved emergency medical services (EMS) communication, treat-in-place options, and coordinated transfers.

States will support clinical workforce training, residencies, recruitment and retention incentives, and new pathways that help students begin health care careers in their own communities. States are also investing in programs to train and support the existing clinical workforce and build futures close to home.&nbsp;

Investments will modernize rural facilities and equipment; strengthen cybersecurity and interoperability; and expand telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and digital tools that enable timely access to care. States are also exploring the use of technology such as AI scribes and clinical workflow improvement tools to reduce burdens on clinicians.&nbsp;

States will prioritize streamlining operations, empowering providers to enhance coordination of care and resources, and building partnerships across the state with the goal of keeping care local. This includes establishing specialized hub-and-spoke models, rural regional centers of excellence, comprehensive data-sharing platforms, and rural clinically integrated networks.

States will test new primary care and value-based care models, strengthen partnerships among rural and other providers, and promote regional collaboration that improves health sustainability and patient outcomes.

The Rural Health Transformation Program’s $50 billion in funds will be allocated to approved states over five years, with $10 billion available each year from 2026 through 2030. As directed by Public Law 119-21:

CMS made funding awards to all 50 states.&nbsp;

<p>The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday announced that all 50 states will receive awards under the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion initiative established under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation (Public Law 119-21) to strengthen and modernize health care in rural communities across the country, according to a statement from CMS.&nbsp;</p><p>In 2026, states will receive first-year awards from CMS averaging $200 million within a range of $147 million to $281 million. Nebraska will receive $218,529,075. Missouri received $216,276,818 and Kansas&nbsp;$221,898,008.</p><p>&nbsp;This unprecedented federal investment will help states expand access to care in rural communities, strengthen the rural health workforce, modernize rural facilities and technology, and support innovative models that bring high-quality, dependable care closer to home.&nbsp;</p><p>“More than 60 million Americans living in rural areas have the right to equal access to quality care,”&nbsp;said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This historic investment puts local hospitals, clinics, and health workers in control of their communities’ healthcare. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, rural Americans will now have affordable healthcare close to home, free from bureaucratic obstacles.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for rural health in America,”&nbsp;said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “Thanks to Congress establishing this investment and President Trump for his leadership, states are stepping forward with bold, creative plans to expand rural access, strengthen their workforces, modernize care, and support the communities that keep our nation running. CMS is proud to partner with every state to turn their ideas into lasting improvements for rural families.”</p><p>A Nationwide Commitment to Strengthen Rural Health Care</p><p>The Rural Health Transformation Program is a national commitment to improving the health and well-being of rural communities across the country. With this funding, states will implement comprehensive strategies to improve care delivery, support providers, and advance new approaches to coordinating health care services across rural communities. Across the country, many states are planning efforts that will:</p><ul>
                        <li>Bring More Care Within Reach</li>
                    </ul><p>States will advance Make Rural America Healthy Again goals by expanding preventive, primary, maternal, and behavioral health services and creating new access points that bring care closer to home and help preserve strong local health systems. Many states are implementing evidence-based, outcomes-driven strategies—such as physical fitness and nutrition programs, food-as-medicine initiatives, and chronic disease prevention models—to address root causes of diseases and manage chronic conditions. States will also strengthen rural emergency care through improved emergency medical services (EMS) communication, treat-in-place options, and coordinated transfers.</p><ul>
                        <li>Strengthen and Sustain the Rural Clinical Workforce</li>
                    </ul><p>States will support clinical workforce training, residencies, recruitment and retention incentives, and new pathways that help students begin health care careers in their own communities. States are also investing in programs to train and support the existing clinical workforce and build futures close to home.&nbsp;</p><ul>
                        <li>Modernize Rural Health Infrastructure and Technology</li>
                    </ul><p>Investments will modernize rural facilities and equipment; strengthen cybersecurity and interoperability; and expand telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and digital tools that enable timely access to care. States are also exploring the use of technology such as AI scribes and clinical workflow improvement tools to reduce burdens on clinicians.&nbsp;</p><ul>
                        <li>Driving Structural Efficiency &amp; Empowering the Community Providers</li>
                    </ul><p>States will prioritize streamlining operations, empowering providers to enhance coordination of care and resources, and building partnerships across the state with the goal of keeping care local. This includes establishing specialized hub-and-spoke models, rural regional centers of excellence, comprehensive data-sharing platforms, and rural clinically integrated networks.</p><ul>
                        <li>Advance Innovative Care Models and Payment Reform</li>
                    </ul><p>States will test new primary care and value-based care models, strengthen partnerships among rural and other providers, and promote regional collaboration that improves health sustainability and patient outcomes.</p><p>Awardees and Funding Amounts</p><p>The Rural Health Transformation Program’s $50 billion in funds will be allocated to approved states over five years, with $10 billion available each year from 2026 through 2030. As directed by Public Law 119-21:</p><ul>
                        <li>50% of the funding is distributed equally among all approved states. This provides states with a strong foundation to begin implementing their Rural Health Transformation Plans; and</li><li>50% is allocated based on a variety of factors.&nbsp;As described in the&nbsp;<a href="https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/360442">Notice of Funding Opportunity</a>, those factors include individual state metrics around rurality and a state’s rural health system, current or proposed state policy actions that enhance access and quality of care in rural communities, and application initiatives or activities that reflect the greatest potential for, and scale of, impact on the health of rural communities. All scoring factors are outlined further in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.</li>
                    </ul><p>CMS made funding awards to all 50 states.&nbsp;</p>

Nebraska secures $218 Million in 2026 from Rural Healthcare Transformation Fund

On Dec. 29, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters, according to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command.

 Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed. No U.S. military forces were harmed.&nbsp;

<p>On Dec. 29, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters, according to a statement from the U.S. Southern Command.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">On Dec. 29, at the direction of <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecWar</a> Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known… <a href="https://t.co/69ywxXk30N">pic.twitter.com/69ywxXk30N</a></p>&mdash; U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/Southcom/status/2005776276100207032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p> Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed. No U.S. military forces were harmed.&nbsp;</p>

🎥2 dead following new U.S. strike on a drug boat

<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Mar-a-Lago 🇺🇸🇺🇦 <a href="https://t.co/aRbMAiKGSF">pic.twitter.com/aRbMAiKGSF</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005346794012889166?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> delivers remarks upon meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZelenskyyUa</a> at Mar-a-Lago: &quot;We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin... and I do think we&#39;re getting a lot closer.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/tIHjR0wko2">pic.twitter.com/tIHjR0wko2</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005397981361566190?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/WnFGloJw2e">pic.twitter.com/WnFGloJw2e</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005320250330632410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Russia-Ukraine peace talks: &quot;We could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues... but I think we&#39;re doing very well. We made a lot of progress today.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/fci939K17q">pic.twitter.com/fci939K17q</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005399260355825824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;Everybody wants [the war] ended... I want it ended because I don&#39;t want to see so many people dying.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/pQ4q4lPhzy">pic.twitter.com/pQ4q4lPhzy</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400040559284280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Q: &quot;What are the thorniest issues still unresolved?&quot;<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The land. Some of that land has been taken... You&#39;re better off making a deal now.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/X21Zz3Tt5E">pic.twitter.com/X21Zz3Tt5E</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400349428027582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on the possibility of traveling to Ukraine: &quot;I&#39;m not sure that it would be really necessary, but if it would help save 25,000 lives a month... I would certainly be willing to do that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Xxc0sEHJnE">pic.twitter.com/Xxc0sEHJnE</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005400678156394499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">REPORTER: How long will it take to get this last little bit finished? <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other... it&#39;s been a very difficult negotiation.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/iflQTfTAar">pic.twitter.com/iflQTfTAar</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401647707484432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on his call with Putin: &quot;I saw a very interesting President Putin today... I think we&#39;re going to get there... I was on the phone with him for almost two-and-a-half hours. We discussed a lot of things. We didn&#39;t talk about the weather.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/DUilLAh6lc">pic.twitter.com/DUilLAh6lc</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005401716943106558?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;I really believe we&#39;re probably, Mr. President, closer than — by far — closer than ever before with both parties.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ML9lMRRIIc">pic.twitter.com/ML9lMRRIIc</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005402344352346296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &quot;The working group is going to be composed of Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, General &quot;Razin&quot; Caine, Marco Rubio, and a few other people... I think Pete Hegseth should be on that working group.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/K1dnmVq7aO">pic.twitter.com/K1dnmVq7aO</a></p>&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2005403021757325422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

🎥Takeaways from Trump’s Ukraine peace talks with Zelensky in Florida

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/bernard-j-wolfson-kff-health-news/">Bernard J. Wolfson,<br>&nbsp;KFF Health News</a>-

As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">helped millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.

California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">five other states</a>&nbsp;have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles and other health-related expenses.

Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.

The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2025-2026/" target="_blank">more than $900 billion</a>&nbsp;over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" target="_blank">10 million people</a>. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.

Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">California and Oregon</a>&nbsp;can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.

“Are we going to say, ‘That’s OK’? Or are we going to say, ‘Well, you exceeded the target. We’re still going to penalize you for that’?” said Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a member of the California Office of Health Care Affordability’s board. “That has not yet been decided.”

The California Hospital Association, the industry’s main state lobbying group,&nbsp;<a href="https://calhospital.org/file/ohca-petition-for-writ-of-mandate/?_cldee=A8GhrcOY_cTuDPfqPGEYnuTgoZXm3szCgl31GFGm7Rb9gSK_2LWVhcwpQwK8EuuJ&amp;recipientid=contact-e10e51f96e20eb11a813000d3a375a4d-5668c9ec73c54063bd98803095e124ac&amp;esid=7bd201ea-8aa4-f011-bbd3-6045bd03d69a" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in October asking a state court to strike down the spending caps, which it argued fail to account for all the cost pressures hospitals face. Those pressures, it said, include an aging, sicker population; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Health-Care-Worker-Minimum-Wage-FAQ.htm" target="_blank">rising cost</a>&nbsp;of labor; expensive advances in medical technology; large capital outlays on required seismic retrofitting; and changes in federal policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital group’s lawsuit also asserted that the state affordability office, by hastily imposing ill-considered cost-cutting targets, was undermining its other key mission of improving health care access, quality and equity.

California’s affordability office last year set a&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-california-annual-health-spending-caps/" target="_blank">five-year target</a>&nbsp;to cap statewide spending growth, starting at 3.5% in 2025 and declining to 3% by 2029. The annual caps apply to a wide range of health care entities, including hospitals, medical groups, insurers and other payers.

Earlier this year, it imposed much lower spending growth caps — starting at 1.8% in 2026 and declining to 1.6% by 2029 — for&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Update-to-Draft-Motions-Presented-April-2025.pdf" target="_blank">seven “high-cost” hospitals</a>.

“The spending caps set by politically appointed bureaucrats could force cuts that result in many Californians traveling farther for care, facing longer emergency room wait times, experiencing more overcrowding and losing access to critical services,” Carmela Coyle, the hospital association’s president and CEO, said in an October press release.

The California attorney general’s office, which will represent the affordability agency, has not yet filed a response to the hospital group’s complaint and did not respond to a request for comment.

California is not the only state taking a close look at hospital prices, which are widely considered a&nbsp;<a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/research/who-pays-rising-health-care-prices-evidence-hospital-mergers" target="_blank">primary driver</a>&nbsp;of health care costs.

“States, armed with information that points to payments to hospitals as a driver of what is way beyond affordable commercial premiums, have begun to take increasingly targeted actions focused on commercial hospital prices,” said Michael Bailit, founder of the Needham, Massachusetts-based consultancy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bailit-health.com/team/michael-bailit.php" target="_blank">Bailit Health</a>, which has advised multiple states, including California, on ways to tame health care spending. “It is not surprising that the hospital industry is going to oppose such state actions.”

In its lawsuit, the California Hospital Association said the affordability office’s own report showed that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are largely responsible for high costs.

Hospitals in some states with cost growth limits, including&nbsp;<a href="https://cthosp.org/advocacy/healthcare-legislation-and-policy/healthcare-cost-growth-benchmarking/" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mhalink.org/mondayreport/is-benchmark-good-too-weak-or-irrelevant/" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, have expressed objections similar to the ones raised in the California lawsuit. They could follow their counterparts in California if their lawsuit succeeds, said Peter Lee, who led California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California, for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/09/16/peter-v-lee-to-leave-as-executive-director-of-covered-california-after-10-years-leading-the-nations-largest-state-based-marketplace/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>&nbsp;and is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cerc/about/affiliates-advisors.html" target="_blank">senior scholar</a>&nbsp;at Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.

Lee said the work of California’s affordability office and similar agencies in other states is just about the only systemwide effort being made to cut health care costs. They are basically saying, “‘Look, health care is taking money away from education, it is taking money away from the environment, it is taking money away from everything in the public sector, and in the private sector it is taking money away from wages,’” he said. “‘We don’t know how you, the health system, are going to do it, but it is your job not just to provide quality but to lower costs. Here’s the target.’”

To be sure, achieving the cost savings that California and those other states are seeking is no easy lift. It will ultimately require persuading large, financially powerful players that compete fiercely for health care dollars to adopt a different mindset and begin cooperating to reduce costs instead. And that, in many cases, will mean lower revenue.

But the status quo, as many people know all too well, means continued financial pain for millions.

In early 2020, Estevan Rodriguez, a bartender at California’s Monterey Beach Hotel, had surgery for a staph infection in his leg. The bill came to nearly $168,000. His insurance paid most of it, but he still owed $5,665, which took him two years to pay, more than $200 every month. “It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me,” Rodriguez said.

He said he dropped his Hulu subscription, switched to a lower-cost cellphone, and got cheaper car insurance. He started going to food banks rather than the grocery store, he said, and had a lot less time with his kids, because he was constantly working to pay off the hospital bill.

<a href="https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/community-hospital-monterey-peninsula/" target="_blank">Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula</a>, where Rodriguez had his surgery, is one of the seven hospitals identified by California’s affordability office as high-cost. A&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County-1.pdf" target="_blank">study by the office</a>&nbsp;attributed high hospital prices in Monterey County to a lack of market competition “rather than higher operating costs or superior quality of care.”

The Monterey hospital referred a request for comment about its “high-cost” designation to the California Hospital Association. CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea declined to comment beyond the language of the lawsuit and Coyle’s press release statement.

Health care analysts worry the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce market competition even further by stressing already weak hospitals, leading some to shut services, merge with larger health systems, or close. One study estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2838483" target="_blank">338 rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;are at risk of closing nationwide.

Less competition, in addition to fewer Medicaid dollars and an increase in uninsured patients, will only strengthen the incentive of health systems with the requisite market clout to raise their commercial prices, increasing premiums for employers and individuals.

“We think commercial prices will continue to increase as health care providers, and hospitals in particular, will seek to preserve or increase their revenue,” said Rachel Block, a program officer at the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that focuses on health equity.

That in turn could pose a challenge to state affordability regulators tasked with overseeing compliance with growth targets for health care spending.

California’s affordability office is required to consider mitigating factors, including changes in federal and state laws. But some of its board members have expressed skepticism about letting hospitals offset Medicaid losses with higher commercial prices.

“There’s a lot of talk about using HR 1 and other federal policies as an excuse to raise prices on commercial payers,” Ian Lewis, an affordability office board member and policy director for UNITE HERE Local 2, a hospitality workers union in the Bay Area, said at the agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKO4RfH2Y4" target="_blank">July board meeting</a>, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill. “There’s no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.”

<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF</a>.

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/12/26/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-complicates-state-health-care-affordability-efforts/" target="_blank">Stateline</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/2025/12/1766884539415.jpg" alt="Pixaby" />
                        <figcaption>Pixaby</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/bernard-j-wolfson-kff-health-news/">Bernard J. Wolfson,<br>&nbsp;KFF Health News</a>-</p><p>As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">helped millions</a>&nbsp;of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.</p><p>California, Massachusetts, Connecticut and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">five other states</a>&nbsp;have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles and other health-related expenses.</p><p>Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.</p><p>The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/medicaid-enrollment-spending-growth-fy-2025-2026/" target="_blank">more than $900 billion</a>&nbsp;over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/uninsured/how-will-the-2025-reconciliation-law-affect-the-uninsured-rate-in-each-state/" target="_blank">10 million people</a>. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.</p><p>Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only&nbsp;<a href="https://www.milbank.org/publications/beyond-public-reporting-strengthening-accountability-to-states-cost-growth-targets-and-leveraging-targets-in-health-care-oversight/" target="_blank">California and Oregon</a>&nbsp;can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.</p><p>“Are we going to say, ‘That’s OK’? Or are we going to say, ‘Well, you exceeded the target. We’re still going to penalize you for that’?” said Richard Pan, a former state lawmaker and a member of the California Office of Health Care Affordability’s board. “That has not yet been decided.”</p><p>The California Hospital Association, the industry’s main state lobbying group,&nbsp;<a href="https://calhospital.org/file/ohca-petition-for-writ-of-mandate/?_cldee=A8GhrcOY_cTuDPfqPGEYnuTgoZXm3szCgl31GFGm7Rb9gSK_2LWVhcwpQwK8EuuJ&amp;recipientid=contact-e10e51f96e20eb11a813000d3a375a4d-5668c9ec73c54063bd98803095e124ac&amp;esid=7bd201ea-8aa4-f011-bbd3-6045bd03d69a" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in October asking a state court to strike down the spending caps, which it argued fail to account for all the cost pressures hospitals face. Those pressures, it said, include an aging, sicker population; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Health-Care-Worker-Minimum-Wage-FAQ.htm" target="_blank">rising cost</a>&nbsp;of labor; expensive advances in medical technology; large capital outlays on required seismic retrofitting; and changes in federal policy, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The hospital group’s lawsuit also asserted that the state affordability office, by hastily imposing ill-considered cost-cutting targets, was undermining its other key mission of improving health care access, quality and equity.</p><p>California’s affordability office last year set a&nbsp;<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-brief-california-annual-health-spending-caps/" target="_blank">five-year target</a>&nbsp;to cap statewide spending growth, starting at 3.5% in 2025 and declining to 3% by 2029. The annual caps apply to a wide range of health care entities, including hospitals, medical groups, insurers and other payers.</p><p>Earlier this year, it imposed much lower spending growth caps — starting at 1.8% in 2026 and declining to 1.6% by 2029 — for&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Update-to-Draft-Motions-Presented-April-2025.pdf" target="_blank">seven “high-cost” hospitals</a>.</p><p>“The spending caps set by politically appointed bureaucrats could force cuts that result in many Californians traveling farther for care, facing longer emergency room wait times, experiencing more overcrowding and losing access to critical services,” Carmela Coyle, the hospital association’s president and CEO, said in an October press release.</p><p>The California attorney general’s office, which will represent the affordability agency, has not yet filed a response to the hospital group’s complaint and did not respond to a request for comment.</p><h2>Hospitals’ pushback</h2><p>California is not the only state taking a close look at hospital prices, which are widely considered a&nbsp;<a href="https://tobin.yale.edu/research/who-pays-rising-health-care-prices-evidence-hospital-mergers" target="_blank">primary driver</a>&nbsp;of health care costs.</p><p>“States, armed with information that points to payments to hospitals as a driver of what is way beyond affordable commercial premiums, have begun to take increasingly targeted actions focused on commercial hospital prices,” said Michael Bailit, founder of the Needham, Massachusetts-based consultancy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bailit-health.com/team/michael-bailit.php" target="_blank">Bailit Health</a>, which has advised multiple states, including California, on ways to tame health care spending. “It is not surprising that the hospital industry is going to oppose such state actions.”</p><p>In its lawsuit, the California Hospital Association said the affordability office’s own report showed that pharmaceutical and insurance companies are largely responsible for high costs.</p><p>Hospitals in some states with cost growth limits, including&nbsp;<a href="https://cthosp.org/advocacy/healthcare-legislation-and-policy/healthcare-cost-growth-benchmarking/" target="_blank">Connecticut</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mhalink.org/mondayreport/is-benchmark-good-too-weak-or-irrelevant/" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, have expressed objections similar to the ones raised in the California lawsuit. They could follow their counterparts in California if their lawsuit succeeds, said Peter Lee, who led California’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Covered California, for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coveredca.com/newsroom/news-releases/2021/09/16/peter-v-lee-to-leave-as-executive-director-of-covered-california-after-10-years-leading-the-nations-largest-state-based-marketplace/" target="_blank">over a decade</a>&nbsp;and is now a&nbsp;<a href="https://med.stanford.edu/cerc/about/affiliates-advisors.html" target="_blank">senior scholar</a>&nbsp;at Stanford Medicine’s Clinical Excellence Research Center.</p><p>Lee said the work of California’s affordability office and similar agencies in other states is just about the only systemwide effort being made to cut health care costs. They are basically saying, “‘Look, health care is taking money away from education, it is taking money away from the environment, it is taking money away from everything in the public sector, and in the private sector it is taking money away from wages,’” he said. “‘We don’t know how you, the health system, are going to do it, but it is your job not just to provide quality but to lower costs. Here’s the target.’”</p><p>To be sure, achieving the cost savings that California and those other states are seeking is no easy lift. It will ultimately require persuading large, financially powerful players that compete fiercely for health care dollars to adopt a different mindset and begin cooperating to reduce costs instead. And that, in many cases, will mean lower revenue.</p><p>But the status quo, as many people know all too well, means continued financial pain for millions.</p><p>In early 2020, Estevan Rodriguez, a bartender at California’s Monterey Beach Hotel, had surgery for a staph infection in his leg. The bill came to nearly $168,000. His insurance paid most of it, but he still owed $5,665, which took him two years to pay, more than $200 every month. “It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me,” Rodriguez said.</p><p>He said he dropped his Hulu subscription, switched to a lower-cost cellphone, and got cheaper car insurance. He started going to food banks rather than the grocery store, he said, and had a lot less time with his kids, because he was constantly working to pay off the hospital bill.</p><p><a href="https://www.montagehealth.org/locations/profile/community-hospital-monterey-peninsula/" target="_blank">Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula</a>, where Rodriguez had his surgery, is one of the seven hospitals identified by California’s affordability office as high-cost. A&nbsp;<a href="https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County-1.pdf" target="_blank">study by the office</a>&nbsp;attributed high hospital prices in Monterey County to a lack of market competition “rather than higher operating costs or superior quality of care.”</p><p>The Monterey hospital referred a request for comment about its “high-cost” designation to the California Hospital Association. CHA spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea declined to comment beyond the language of the lawsuit and Coyle’s press release statement.</p><h2>Reduced competition</h2><p>Health care analysts worry the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will reduce market competition even further by stressing already weak hospitals, leading some to shut services, merge with larger health systems, or close. One study estimates&nbsp;<a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2838483" target="_blank">338 rural hospitals</a>&nbsp;are at risk of closing nationwide.</p><p>Less competition, in addition to fewer Medicaid dollars and an increase in uninsured patients, will only strengthen the incentive of health systems with the requisite market clout to raise their commercial prices, increasing premiums for employers and individuals.</p><p>“We think commercial prices will continue to increase as health care providers, and hospitals in particular, will seek to preserve or increase their revenue,” said Rachel Block, a program officer at the Milbank Memorial Fund, a foundation that focuses on health equity.</p><p>That in turn could pose a challenge to state affordability regulators tasked with overseeing compliance with growth targets for health care spending.</p><p>California’s affordability office is required to consider mitigating factors, including changes in federal and state laws. But some of its board members have expressed skepticism about letting hospitals offset Medicaid losses with higher commercial prices.</p><p>“There’s a lot of talk about using HR 1 and other federal policies as an excuse to raise prices on commercial payers,” Ian Lewis, an affordability office board member and policy director for UNITE HERE Local 2, a hospitality workers union in the Bay Area, said at the agency’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEKO4RfH2Y4" target="_blank">July board meeting</a>, referring to the One Big Beautiful Bill. “There’s no more blood to be squeezed from this stone.”</p><p><a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF Health News</a>&nbsp;is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — an independent source of health policy research, polling and journalism. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/about-us" target="_blank">KFF</a>.</p><p>This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/12/26/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-complicates-state-health-care-affordability-efforts/" target="_blank">Stateline</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.</p>

State health care affordability pushes complicated by One Big Beautiful Bill

Luke Karg is the only Missouri student to qualify for the high school national bass fishing championship five times, including as an incoming freshman

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a>

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"><i></i></a>The water on Truman Lake was colder and muddier than normal this April, making for some tough fishing conditions.&nbsp;

Luke Karg, of House Springs, had one last shot before graduating to win the Missouri TBF High School Trail Super Tournament for bass fishing – which he and his then 16-year-old fishing partner, A.J. Massa, had won the year before.

It’s the last tournament of the season for the Missouri student program of The Bass Federation, and it’s also the final opportunity to earn enough points to be named Team of the Year — the top-scoring duo in the state.

“The tournament itself meant a lot to us, with it being our last state tournament together,” Karg said. “It was very tough. There was, at most, two inches of visibility in the water, but a lot of fishing is just adapting to the changes.”

Karg and Massa headed out on the water for two days for eight hours each. At the end of each day, they weighed their top five fish.&nbsp;

“The first day, they caught almost enough bass to win the tournament,” said Gary Foree, Karg’s mentor and family friend, who is a former professional fisherman. “They had almost 19 pounds, which is insane. There hasn’t been a tournament in three years over 17 pounds on Truman Lake.”

They brought in 16 pounds on the second day, which would have brought their total up to nearly 35 pounds. But unfortunately it didn’t count. Their boat malfunctioned, making them miss the weigh in.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” Karg said. “It was one of our best bags as a team on one of the most difficult days.”

Karg and Massa ended up taking second place at Truman Lake with one day’s worth of fish, and they still had enough points to be named Team of the Year, just as they were last year.

Karg has been part of the Team of the Year five years in a row, including as an incoming high-school freshman.&nbsp;

That title also sent the team to the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June.&nbsp;

Only the top two high-school teams from each state can compete, and Karg is the only person in Missouri to have qualified for that opportunity five years in a row, according to officials for the national championship.

“To be one of the top two teams in Missouri for five consecutive years is pretty freaking amazing,” said Karl Buck, who previously led the federation’s high school program in Missouri and was also Karg’s team leader. “I’m just so proud it’s unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe that I was involved in his upcoming as a fisherman.”

Karg began competitive fishing when he was 12 and participated in dozens of individual and team tournaments as a teen. Through it all, he struggled with an autoimmune illness that made him miss numerous days from school, he said, but he’s proud he still managed to graduate on time in May and continue fishing.

While it was grueling standing on a boat for hours under the hot sun, Karg said the national championship was exhilarating because some of the world’s top fishermen were watching.&nbsp;

“It’s the biggest tourn of the year, and a lot of people only get to go to it once, if even,” Karg said. “It really could be the biggest tournament of your life.”

Karg has loved to fish ever since he could hold a rod, said his father Rick Karg. Even as early as 5, he said Karg could catch fish when the adults around him were coming up empty.&nbsp;

“There’s a magic,” Rick said. “My scientific brain says, ‘Is there like a vibration from his heartbeat that travels down the line because he’s got his finger touching it, that the fish like?’”&nbsp;

Foree met Karg because of a life-changing promise he made to Karg’s mother, Becky Rumley.

Rumley was the nurse administering Foree’s chemotherapy treatment at St. Claire Hospital, and one day, she told him how much her nine-year-old son loved to fish. At the time, Foree thought he only had a few months to live.

“I ended up telling her that if I survive this, I’ll take him to Lake of the Ozarks and get him a five pounder because I used to be a [fishing] guide on the lake,” he said.

Foree did pull through, and when they went out fishing, Karg didn’t just catch one five-pound bass.&nbsp;

“I caught three five-pound bass and two six pounders, and like a bunch of big fish,” Karg said. “It is probably the best day of fishing in my life. And ever since then, he’s just dedicated a huge part of his life to help teach me and my partner.”

Foree was equally amazed after Karg pulled out nearly 40 pounds of fish that day.&nbsp;

“He just had the best day of fishing anybody could have,” Foree said. “That’s how I got him hooked on fishing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Over the years, Foree taught him about tracking fish through the different seasons and how to read the water and the banks. He also helped him get his first boat.

Now, Foree said, Karg’s instincts are his fishing superpower.&nbsp;

“So many times they won a tournament when the fishing was really tough, and Luke said, ‘Let’s try over here. That bank looks good,’” Foree said. “And they’ll go over, and they’ll catch enough fish on that bank to win the tournament.”

Karg believes his instincts have developed with the dozens of tournaments and countless hours of fishing.&nbsp;

“Over time, it’s become more of an instinct, than having to think about, ‘Oh, I should make a change,’” he said. “It just naturally comes.”

For instance, at both the Truman Lake and national championship, Karg said he was painting his own custom lures while he was on the boat.

At Truman, he made the decision to color a half-inch chartreuse line on his spinner bait, he said, and he ended up catching much bigger fish, but less fish. If his lure had a straight tail, the catch was better as well, he said.

“It’s all about how the bait works in the water,” he said. “The smallest little detail that can just trigger the fish to eat. That’s where a lot of the fun comes into it for me, is all the difficulties and fun little changes you can make. You can go from catching no fish for hours on end to catching your limit in a minute.”

Karl Buck remembers meeting Karg when he was about 12 on a dock at the Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville, where Karg’s grandparents have a lake house. Buck used to run a student program called the Owensville Anglers, and they were finishing up a tournament that day.

“When we were doing our weigh-in down at the dam, they came down to the boat ramp to inquire,” Buck said. “He’ll probably hate this, but he was the most bashful young man, super quiet and reserved.”&nbsp;

The Owensville Anglers is how Karg got his start with tournament fishing, which Buck says is much different than regular fishing.&nbsp;

In a tournament, Buck said the first rule is “find five.”&nbsp;

“You’re fishing for five fish,” Buck said. “Doesn’t matter what they weigh, they just got to be keepers,” meaning they are big enough to keep.

The fish go in the box where they’re kept alive and healthy, which is a standard conservation practice in the high-school tournaments.&nbsp;

“After you have five, then you’re going to change your game,” he said. “It’s now no longer about just catching fish. You’re looking to upgrade the fish that you already have. Big fish get big for a reason. They’re hard to catch.”

Big fish know how to hide, and that’s where casting skills come into play, Foree said. He called Karg’s casting skills “insane.”&nbsp;

“He can skip jigs and lures and put them in places nobody else can,” Foree said. “That’s why he’s so good.”

But he wasn’t always that good, Buck remembers, which is why Karg earned the nickname “Oops” after fishing with Buck and his son one day.

“Luke throws this cast — I believe it was a spinner bait — and it winds up on the roof of this dock, stuck,” Buck said. “So we go up and we get it. A little while later, he makes another cast and it gets stuck on somebody’s dock.”

After each time, Karg would just say, “Oops” and the nickname was born. Buck said when they fished together this past summer, he was blown away at his talent.&nbsp;

Karg and Massa ended up placing 56th out of more than 200 teams in the national championship in Oklahoma.&nbsp;

“We lost three three-pounders that came off the boat,” Karg said after the tournament finished. “That would have gotten us up to nine or 10 pounds. We would have been around 12th place probably.”

Karg said he’s proud of his accomplishment over this high school career, and he couldn’t have done it without his fishing partners Massa and previously Kyle Kannawurf, along with their boat captains.

“No one gives credit enough to our boat captains, which were both of our dads,” he said, “just giving the time to drive all the way out there and standing with us out the boat for eight hours straight a day.”

As boat captain, Rick said he was in “constant amazement” at his son’s skill.

“I’d just sit there and watch and think, ‘How in the world are you doing this?’” Rick said. “You’re like a super sharp shooter.”

Rick said he’s watched Karg fish for seven hours without catching anything, but he’d still have the focus and creativity change his strategy and get a big catch at the last minute. Karg’s humility and attitude are among the most impressive things about him, said Foree and Buck, particularly his ability to bounce back from setbacks.

“He never got rattled,” Foree said. “Oh, he’d get upset if he lost a big fish, but he’d just say, ‘Okay, I learned something from that,’ and go on to the next one. His ability to focus and stay focused in times of turmoil when he loses fish or the weather changes is very, very important in professional bass fishing.”

Karg&nbsp;has his own&nbsp;<a href="https://lukesboatservices.com/about-us" target="_blank">boat detail business</a>, and there are several career paths he’s interested in taking, including a professional fisherman.&nbsp;

“But for that, I would have to be away from home around 200 days of the year,” he said. “So the one I’m probably gonna go with is a natural environmentalist studying fresh water fish.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854627766.png" alt=" Luke Karg and his mentor Gary Foree fish together at Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville in 2021 (Photo submitted)." />
                        <figcaption> Luke Karg and his mentor Gary Foree fish together at Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville in 2021 (Photo submitted).</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Luke Karg is the only Missouri student to qualify for the high school national bass fishing championship five times, including as an incoming freshman</h2><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a><br><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"><i>Missouri Independent</i></a></p><p><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/"><i></i></a>The water on Truman Lake was colder and muddier than normal this April, making for some tough fishing conditions.&nbsp;</p><p>Luke Karg, of House Springs, had one last shot before graduating to win the Missouri TBF High School Trail Super Tournament for bass fishing – which he and his then 16-year-old fishing partner, A.J. Massa, had won the year before.</p><p>It’s the last tournament of the season for the Missouri student program of The Bass Federation, and it’s also the final opportunity to earn enough points to be named Team of the Year — the top-scoring duo in the state.</p><p>“The tournament itself meant a lot to us, with it being our last state tournament together,” Karg said. “It was very tough. There was, at most, two inches of visibility in the water, but a lot of fishing is just adapting to the changes.”</p><p>Karg and Massa headed out on the water for two days for eight hours each. At the end of each day, they weighed their top five fish.&nbsp;</p><p>“The first day, they caught almost enough bass to win the tournament,” said Gary Foree, Karg’s mentor and family friend, who is a former professional fisherman. “They had almost 19 pounds, which is insane. There hasn’t been a tournament in three years over 17 pounds on Truman Lake.”</p><p>They brought in 16 pounds on the second day, which would have brought their total up to nearly 35 pounds. But unfortunately it didn’t count. Their boat malfunctioned, making them miss the weigh in.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” Karg said. “It was one of our best bags as a team on one of the most difficult days.”</p><p>But it wasn’t all lost.&nbsp;</p><p>Karg and Massa ended up taking second place at Truman Lake with one day’s worth of fish, and they still had enough points to be named Team of the Year, just as they were last year.</p><p>Karg has been part of the Team of the Year five years in a row, including as an incoming high-school freshman.&nbsp;</p><p>That title also sent the team to the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June.&nbsp;</p><p>Only the top two high-school teams from each state can compete, and Karg is the only person in Missouri to have qualified for that opportunity five years in a row, according to officials for the national championship.</p><p>“To be one of the top two teams in Missouri for five consecutive years is pretty freaking amazing,” said Karl Buck, who previously led the federation’s high school program in Missouri and was also Karg’s team leader. “I’m just so proud it’s unbelievable. I mean, I can’t believe that I was involved in his upcoming as a fisherman.”</p><p>Karg began competitive fishing when he was 12 and participated in dozens of individual and team tournaments as a teen. Through it all, he struggled with an autoimmune illness that made him miss numerous days from school, he said, but he’s proud he still managed to graduate on time in May and continue fishing.</p><p>While it was grueling standing on a boat for hours under the hot sun, Karg said the national championship was exhilarating because some of the world’s top fishermen were watching.&nbsp;</p><p>“It’s the biggest tourn of the year, and a lot of people only get to go to it once, if even,” Karg said. “It really could be the biggest tournament of your life.”</p><h2>A promise</h2><p>Karg has loved to fish ever since he could hold a rod, said his father Rick Karg. Even as early as 5, he said Karg could catch fish when the adults around him were coming up empty.&nbsp;</p><p>“There’s a magic,” Rick said. “My scientific brain says, ‘Is there like a vibration from his heartbeat that travels down the line because he’s got his finger touching it, that the fish like?’”&nbsp;</p><p>Foree met Karg because of a life-changing promise he made to Karg’s mother, Becky Rumley.</p><p>Rumley was the nurse administering Foree’s chemotherapy treatment at St. Claire Hospital, and one day, she told him how much her nine-year-old son loved to fish. At the time, Foree thought he only had a few months to live.</p><p>“I ended up telling her that if I survive this, I’ll take him to Lake of the Ozarks and get him a five pounder because I used to be a [fishing] guide on the lake,” he said.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854595349.png" alt="Luke Karg stands with a paddlefish he caught in Owensville (Photo submitted)." />
                        <figcaption>Luke Karg stands with a paddlefish he caught in Owensville (Photo submitted).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Foree did pull through, and when they went out fishing, Karg didn’t just catch one five-pound bass.&nbsp;</p><p>“I caught three five-pound bass and two six pounders, and like a bunch of big fish,” Karg said. “It is probably the best day of fishing in my life. And ever since then, he’s just dedicated a huge part of his life to help teach me and my partner.”</p><p>Foree was equally amazed after Karg pulled out nearly 40 pounds of fish that day.&nbsp;</p><p>“He just had the best day of fishing anybody could have,” Foree said. “That’s how I got him hooked on fishing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Over the years, Foree taught him about tracking fish through the different seasons and how to read the water and the banks. He also helped him get his first boat.</p><p>Now, Foree said, Karg’s instincts are his fishing superpower.&nbsp;</p><p>“So many times they won a tournament when the fishing was really tough, and Luke said, ‘Let’s try over here. That bank looks good,’” Foree said. “And they’ll go over, and they’ll catch enough fish on that bank to win the tournament.”</p><p>Karg believes his instincts have developed with the dozens of tournaments and countless hours of fishing.&nbsp;</p><p>“Over time, it’s become more of an instinct, than having to think about, ‘Oh, I should make a change,’” he said. “It just naturally comes.”</p><p>For instance, at both the Truman Lake and national championship, Karg said he was painting his own custom lures while he was on the boat.</p><p>At Truman, he made the decision to color a half-inch chartreuse line on his spinner bait, he said, and he ended up catching much bigger fish, but less fish. If his lure had a straight tail, the catch was better as well, he said.</p><p>“It’s all about how the bait works in the water,” he said. “The smallest little detail that can just trigger the fish to eat. That’s where a lot of the fun comes into it for me, is all the difficulties and fun little changes you can make. You can go from catching no fish for hours on end to catching your limit in a minute.”</p><h2>‘Find five’</h2><p>Karl Buck remembers meeting Karg when he was about 12 on a dock at the Peaceful Valley Lake in Owensville, where Karg’s grandparents have a lake house. Buck used to run a student program called the Owensville Anglers, and they were finishing up a tournament that day.</p><p>“When we were doing our weigh-in down at the dam, they came down to the boat ramp to inquire,” Buck said. “He’ll probably hate this, but he was the most bashful young man, super quiet and reserved.”&nbsp;</p><p>The Owensville Anglers is how Karg got his start with tournament fishing, which Buck says is much different than regular fishing.&nbsp;</p><p>In a tournament, Buck said the first rule is “find five.”&nbsp;</p><p>“You’re fishing for five fish,” Buck said. “Doesn’t matter what they weigh, they just got to be keepers,” meaning they are big enough to keep.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1766854558899.png" alt="Luke Karg, left, and A.J. Massa hold up their top three fish at the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June (photo submitted)." />
                        <figcaption>Luke Karg, left, and A.J. Massa hold up their top three fish at the TBF Student Angler Federation High School National Championship, which was held at Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in June (photo submitted).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The fish go in the box where they’re kept alive and healthy, which is a standard conservation practice in the high-school tournaments.&nbsp;</p><p>“After you have five, then you’re going to change your game,” he said. “It’s now no longer about just catching fish. You’re looking to upgrade the fish that you already have. Big fish get big for a reason. They’re hard to catch.”</p><p>Big fish know how to hide, and that’s where casting skills come into play, Foree said. He called Karg’s casting skills “insane.”&nbsp;</p><p>“He can skip jigs and lures and put them in places nobody else can,” Foree said. “That’s why he’s so good.”</p><p>But he wasn’t always that good, Buck remembers, which is why Karg earned the nickname “Oops” after fishing with Buck and his son one day.</p><p>“Luke throws this cast — I believe it was a spinner bait — and it winds up on the roof of this dock, stuck,” Buck said. “So we go up and we get it. A little while later, he makes another cast and it gets stuck on somebody’s dock.”</p><p>After each time, Karg would just say, “Oops” and the nickname was born. Buck said when they fished together this past summer, he was blown away at his talent.&nbsp;</p><p>Karg and Massa ended up placing 56th out of more than 200 teams in the national championship in Oklahoma.&nbsp;</p><p>“We lost three three-pounders that came off the boat,” Karg said after the tournament finished. “That would have gotten us up to nine or 10 pounds. We would have been around 12th place probably.”</p><p>Karg said he’s proud of his accomplishment over this high school career, and he couldn’t have done it without his fishing partners Massa and previously Kyle Kannawurf, along with their boat captains.</p><p>“No one gives credit enough to our boat captains, which were both of our dads,” he said, “just giving the time to drive all the way out there and standing with us out the boat for eight hours straight a day.”</p><p>As boat captain, Rick said he was in “constant amazement” at his son’s skill.</p><p>“I’d just sit there and watch and think, ‘How in the world are you doing this?’” Rick said. “You’re like a super sharp shooter.”</p><p>Rick said he’s watched Karg fish for seven hours without catching anything, but he’d still have the focus and creativity change his strategy and get a big catch at the last minute. Karg’s humility and attitude are among the most impressive things about him, said Foree and Buck, particularly his ability to bounce back from setbacks.</p><p>“He never got rattled,” Foree said. “Oh, he’d get upset if he lost a big fish, but he’d just say, ‘Okay, I learned something from that,’ and go on to the next one. His ability to focus and stay focused in times of turmoil when he loses fish or the weather changes is very, very important in professional bass fishing.”</p><p>Karg&nbsp;has his own&nbsp;<a href="https://lukesboatservices.com/about-us" target="_blank">boat detail business</a>, and there are several career paths he’s interested in taking, including a professional fisherman.&nbsp;</p><p>“But for that, I would have to be away from home around 200 days of the year,” he said. “So the one I’m probably gonna go with is a natural environmentalist studying fresh water fish.”</p>