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John Hanna

@apjdhanna.bsky.social
110 followers 15 following 35 posts

Reporter for The Associated Press in Topeka, Kansas, since 1986. I cover politics, state government and breaking news in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri. University of Kansas graduate. Proud father of a (now grown) theater kid.

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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
States are justifying mid-decade redistricting as fair because other states are doing it and say it will maintain partisan balance in the US House. It could reduce power for minority communities and leave fewer distinct voices in DC. apnews.com/article/redi...
apnews.com
As gerrymandering battles sweep country, supporters say partisan dominance is 'fair'
State officials engaged in unusual mid-decade redistricting are pushing a new definition of what it means to have “fair maps” for Congress.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
apnews.com/article/nati...  Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation faces outrage from fellow Native Americans after new tribal business signed nearly $30M federal contract involving immigrant detention centers. Tribe now says it's trying to get out of it.
apnews.com
Some Native Americans draw shocked response over contract to design immigration detention centers
The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation that was uprooted from the Great Lakes region in the 1830s is facing widespread outrage over plans to profit from another forced removal.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
U.S. Supreme Court allows TX to use its new, more-GOP-favoring congressional map in 2026 elections. Candidate filing deadline there is Monday, because the primary is in early March. apnews.com/article/supr...  Supreme Court allows Texas to use a congressional map favorable to Republicans in 2026
apnews.com
Supreme Court allows Texas to use a congressional map favorable to Republicans in 2026
The Supreme Court is allowing the challenged Texas congressional redistricting plan to be used in next year’s election, despite a lower-court ruling that the map likely discriminates on the basis of r...
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
apnews.com/article/redi...  Panel of federal judges, in 2-1 decision, blocks TX from using new congressional map, enacted this year to give GOP five more US House seats there, which touched off state-by-state fight over mid-decade redistricting. TX promises a swift appeal to the US Supreme Court.
apnews.com
Federal judges block Texas from using its new US House map in the 2026 midterms
A panel of three federal judges has blocked Texas from using a new congressional map that Republicans drew in hopes of picking up five U.S. House seats.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
apnews.com/article/redi...  Different needs but similar fears arise in communities on both ends of Missouri's redistricting. A look at the effects of the rush to redraw America's political maps.
apnews.com
Different needs but similar fears arise in communities on both ends of Missouri's redistricting
The rush to redraw America's congressional maps has put a historically Black neighborhood in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and a mostly white farming community 100 miles away in the same district.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
A raid on the Marion County Record sparked outrage in August 2023. The county has agreed to pay a little more than $3 million and apologize to the paper, its publisher, employees, the estate of the publisher's mother and a former City Council member. apnews.com/article/kans...
apnews.com
A Kansas county agrees to pay $3 million and apologize over a raid on a small-town newspaper
A rural Kansas county has agreed to pay more than $3 million and apologize over a law enforcement raid on a small-town weekly newspaper in 2023.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
A special US House election in Houston: Harris County's top civil attorney and a former Houston City Council member are headed to a runoff to fill the seat held by the late Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner. Both candidates are Democrats. apnews.com/article/cong...
apnews.com
Texas Democrats Menefee and Edwards advance to runoff for vacant US House seat
A Houston official and a former City Council member are headed to a runoff for the vacant U.S. House seat in a heavily Democratic district.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
An expansive, GOP-backed plan to change voting procedures in Maine (it included a voter ID law) fails at the polls. In Texas, voters approve a state constitutional amendment against noncitizen voting. Kansas will have a similar measure on its ballot in November 2026. apnews.com/article/vote...
apnews.com
Maine voters reject new GOP-backed voter ID requirement while Texans approve citizenship proposal
Voters in Maine and Texas have considered Republican-backed proposals that proponents say would safeguard elections, but opponents believe are intended to make voting more difficult.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
UPDATE: After Kansas House speaker announces that there will be no special session on redistricting, Senate president promises it will be a top priority when lawmakers convene their next annual session in January. Speaker says most Republicans want a conversation. apnews.com/article/redi...
apnews.com
Kansas legislators won't have a special session to join the US redistricting battle
The Kansas House's top Republican has given up for now on forcing a special session of the Legislature to redraw the state’s U.S.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
apnews.com/article/redi... Republicans drop push to enter nation's widening redistricting battle
apnews.com
Kansas Republicans drop push to enter nation's widening redistricting battle
Top Kansas Republicans have given up for now on forcing a special session of the Legislature to redraw the state’s U.S.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
apnews.com/article/elec...  Maine and Texas are the latest fronts in voting battles, with voter ID, citizenship on the ballot. The Texas question is similar to ones that will be on the ballot in Kansas and South Dakota in November 2026.
apnews.com
Maine and Texas are the latest fronts in voting battles, with voter ID, citizenship on the ballot
Maine and Texas are the latest states where Republicans are pushing ballot initiatives targeting noncitizen voting, which is rare.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
apnews.com/article/redi...  President Donald Trump has been pushing Republican state lawmakers across the U.S. to redraw congressional districts to help the GOP in the 2026 midterms, but the effort has met resistence in Indiana and Kansas.
apnews.com
Trump's redistricting push hits roadblocks in Indiana and Kansas as Republican lawmakers resist
Republicans in Indiana and Kansas are resisting pressure from President Donald Trump to redraw congressional districts.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
apnews.com/article/alam...  The CEO of the Alamo's historic site has resigned after a top Texas Republican criticized her.
apnews.com
The CEO of the Alamo's historic site has resigned after a top Texas Republican criticized her
The CEO of the nonprofit managing the Alamo has resigned after a powerful Republican state official criticized her and suggested she has views that are not compatible with the Texas shrine's history.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Vance dismisses outrage over racist, offensive Young GOP group chat as "pearl clutching," citing 2022 text by Dem AG candidate in VA suggesting a big Rep should be shot. apnews.com/article/vanc...  JD Vance dismisses bipartisan outrage over racist and offensive Young Republican group chat
apnews.com
JD Vance dismisses bipartisan outrage over racist and offensive Young Republican group chat
The public release of a Young Republican group chat that included racist language, jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers has prompted bipartisan calls for those involved to be remov...
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
As states consider redrawing their congressional district lines to favor one political party, some politicians warn that attempts to gerrymander can devolve into “dummymandering,” when partisan goals end up helping the opposing party in neighboring districts. apnews.com/article/redi...
apnews.com
States are redistricting to help one party but sometimes the move can backfire
An unprecedented number of states are considering redrawing their congressional district lines mid-decade.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
apnews.com/article/abor...  Abortion providers say Missouri's attorney general is trying to get patient records. Missouri's AG has subpoenaed five people, demanding documents, including patient records, according to court filings.
apnews.com
Abortion providers say Missouri's attorney general is trying to get patient records
Planned Parenthood officials say in court filings that Missouri's Republican attorney general is trying to get the medical records of patients who’ve had abortions.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Several months after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas dropped the state's membership in the National Governors Association, fellow Democratic Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois and Gavin Newsom of California are talking about leaving the group. apnews.com/article/news...
apnews.com
Bipartisan US governors' group faces division over Trump's deployment of troops to states
Democratic governors from California and Illinois are threatening to leave the National Governors Association unless it denounces President Donald Trump's troop deployments to states.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
A hearing on whether the new TX congressional map is an illegal and unconstitutional racial gerrymander has started in a federal courthouse in El Paso. apnews.com/article/redi...  A key court test begins for Texas' redrawn US House map that boosts the GOP
apnews.com
A key court test begins for Texas' redrawn US House map that boosts the GOP
A panel of three federal judges are considering whether Texas can use a redrawn congressional map that boosts Republicans and has launched a widening redistricting battle ahead of the 2026 midterm ele...
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
A look at various mid-decade redistricting efforts in various states. apnews.com/article/redi...
apnews.com
What to know about the congressional redistricting trend kick-started by Trump
President Donald Trump’s call to redraw U.S. House districts before the 2026 elections has led to a wave of political maneuvering among state-level Republicans and Democrats.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
apnews.com/article/trum...  Missouri legislators have redrawn the state's congressional districts so that the GOP can win a 7-1 margin in seats there. The 5th, represented by Emanuel Cleaver II, had much of KC's Black population. Now those residents are split among various districts.
apnews.com
Trump redistricting push threatens minority representation. Black voters worry about its impact
Republicans in Texas and Missouri have redrawn congressional districts to help their party in the 2026 midterm elections.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
apnews.com/article/poli... Kansas City, Kansas, police officer has died after being struck by a fleeing driver
apnews.com
A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer has died after being struck by a fleeing driver
A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer has died after a fleeing driver hit tire-deflating devices and veered into him, authorities said.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
apnews.com/article/poli...  A police officer died after a fleeing driver hit tire-deflating devices and veered into him, authorities said. His police chief said the death was “an intentional act of homicide.”
apnews.com
A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer has died after being struck by a fleeing driver
A Kansas City, Kansas, police officer has died after a fleeing driver hit tire-deflating devices and veered into him, authorities said.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
apnews.com/article/new-...  ICYMI: A Maryland man who traveled to El Salvador was diagnosed as having picked up the New World Screwworm fly's flesh-eating larvae. The man recovered and isn't believed to have spread it to animals.
apnews.com
Maryland resident is diagnosed with New World screwworm. What to know about the parasite
A person in the U.S. who traveled to El Salvador has been diagnosed with New World screwworm.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
apnews.com/article/redi...  Even at the grocery store, Texas troopers don't let Democrats out of sight after walkout. The Texas House is set to vote Wednesday on a proposal for redrawing congressional districts, aiming to have the GOP pick up five seats there in 2026.
apnews.com
Even at the grocery store, Texas troopers don't let Democrats out of sight after walkout
Texas Democrats are joining a colleague who can't leave the state Capitol because she won't agree to having law enforcement officers shadow her.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
apnews.com/article/redi...  What to know about redistricting fights as Texas Democrats return and California starts work.
apnews.com
What to know about redistricting fights as Texas Democrats return and California starts work
Republicans can move ahead with redrawing Texas’ congressional districts now that Democratic lawmakers have returned to the state.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
apnews.com/article/fly-...  The US is planning to build a $750M fly factory in southern Texas to bulk up its capacity to put sterile male flies into the wild to stop the fly's flesh-eating larvae from getting to Texas and infesting cattle.
apnews.com
The US plans to build a $750M fly factory in Texas to stop a flesh-eating cattle parasite
The U.S. plans to build a $750 million factory in southern Texas to breed billions of sterile flies to ramp up its efforts to keep flesh-eating maggots now in Mexico from damaging the American cattle industry.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
apnews.com/article/texa...  Texas' Republican governor is now asking the all-GOP state Supreme Court to remove the Texas House's Democratic leader from office over a walkout that has blocked passage of a GOP congresisonal redistricting plan.
apnews.com
Texas governor asks court to remove House Democratic leader from office over walkout
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to remove from office a top state lawmaker he called the “ringleader” of Democrats who left the state to block a vote on a new congr...
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Here is a photo gallery. apnews.com/photo-galler...
apnews.com
Photos of Mexican ranchers struggling to adapt as screwworm ravages their cattle exports to the US
ZAMORA, Mexico (AP) — The U.S. has suspended live cattle imports from Mexico due to concerns about the New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite found in southern Mexico.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
apnews.com/article/mexi...  I've been following developments with the movement of a fly's flesh-eating larvae in Mexico. Here's an update.
apnews.com
Mexican ranchers struggle to adapt as a tiny parasite ravages their cattle exports to the US
The U.S. has suspended live cattle imports from Mexico due to concerns about the New World Screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite found in southern Mexico.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
apnews.com/article/redi...  Democrats are arguing that a Republican plan for redrawing districts in Texas to create more winnable U.S. House seats for the GOP is not only a power grab by President Donald Trump but also an attack on Black and Hispanic voters.
apnews.com
Democrats say a GOP plan to redraw House districts in Texas harms Black and Hispanic voters
Democrats are arguing that a Republican plan for redrawing districts in Texas to create more winnable U.S.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
apnews.com/article/texa...  Texas Republicans have unveiled their plan for redrawing the state's US House districts and meeting President Trump's goal of giving the GOP five more winnable seats in the state. |
apnews.com
Texas Republicans get a bigger House edge under a new map, meeting Trump's goals
Texas Republicans have proposed a new congressional map that creates five additional GOP-leaning districts as they brace for a challenging midterm election in 2026.
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
apnews.com/article/kans...  A 38-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man who previously served time in prison for aggravated robbery and other crimes has been charged with capital murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy.
apnews.com
A 38-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man is charged with capital murder over a deputy's fatal shooting
A 38-year-old man who previously served time in prison for aggravated robbery has been charged with capital murder in Kansas in connection with the fatal shooting of a sheriff’s deputy in Kansas City,...
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
apnews.com/article/okla...  In OK, local sheriff is investigating reports that explicit images flashed on a TV screen behind Ed Superintendent Ryan Walters during a meeting in his office last week. Oklahoma authorities investigate reports of explicit images on state education chief's TV
apnews.com
Oklahoma authorities investigate reports of explicit images on state education chief's TV
Authorities in Oklahoma have opened an investigation after two members of the State Board of Education said they saw images of naked women on a television screen in the office of state School Superint...
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John Hanna @apjdhanna.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
apnews.com/article/disa...  The landmark Americans with Disability Rights Act turned 35 on Saturday with disablity rights centers in each state facing the possibility of having the federal funds crucial to their work slashed. The centers fear losing more than 60% of those dollars.
apnews.com
As the ADA turns 35, groups fighting for disability rights could see their federal dollars slashed
Congress is considering proposals from President Donald Trump to slash funding for disability rights centers in each state, and advocates worry that they could lose more than 60% their federal dollars...
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