Kansas
Kansas City Chiefs kicker defends controversial commencement speech
In his first public comments following a controversial speech at a recent college commencement, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker defended his address and emphasized his Catholic faith.
“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” Butker said during a speech at the “Courage Under Fire” gala in Nashville on Friday night.
The Nashville speech was posted to X by right-wing media outlet The Daily Wire.
This is the first time the three-time Super Bowl champion has spoken publicly about his commencement address at Benedictine College, a small Catholic college in Kansas, on May 11. During his address, Butker made comments interpreted by many as homophobic and sexist, including calling Pride Month a “deadly sin” and saying that a woman’s accomplishments in the home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals, among other things.
Friday night’s gala was hosted by Regina Caeli Academy – a hybrid campus/homeschool Catholic school group with several locations across the country. The gala boasted several other speakers including right-wing media personality and host at the Daily Wire, Matt Walsh.
“Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe,” Butker, who is on the school’s board of directors, said.
Regina Caeli Academy did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
“At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate. But as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion,” Butker said Friday.
Butker reaffirmed his commitment to his Catholic faith, saying, “Our love for Jesus and thus our desire to speak out should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world.”
During his speech, Butker referred to Saint Daniel, the biblical prophet who was thrown into a lion’s den for committing to prayer to God, despite a law that condemned worshipers to death.
“I can’t help but tremble at the thought of the courage many saints have shown in their lives,” Butker said.
Daniel was spared by God due to his commitment to faith, according to the Old Testament.
“Would I be so bold if the repercussion was what Daniel faced in being fed to lions? In reality, any courage I’ve shown will lead to some small suffering. And it will lead to some people maybe never liking me, but that could be God’s will,” the Chiefs kicker said.
The NFL issued a statement earlier this month, saying Butker’s comments don’t reflect the views of the league.
Butker’s May 11 speech sparked criticism from LGBT advocacy organization GLAAD, which called his comments “a clear miss” and “woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women.”
The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica monastery, a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College, also distanced themselves from Butker’s message. “The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested,” they said in a statement. “Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division.”
Fellow Chiefs star, Travis Kelce, recently responded to the commencement address, saying he does not agree with “just about any” of Butker’s views but values him as a teammate.
“I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat (Mahomes) said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate,” Kelce said on the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast he hosts with his brother, Jason.
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KATV) — A few members of Little Rock Police’s Mounted Patrol Unit had a field trip this past month, traveling to Kansas City to assist with public safety during FIFA World Cup matches.
In a statement, police said these officers “provided high-visibility patrol, supported crowd management, and engaged with fans from around the world.”
They posted these pictures to their Facebook page:
Little Rock mounted police assist with public safety at Kansas City World Cup matches (Photo LRPD via Facebook)
Little Rock mounted police assist with public safety at Kansas City World Cup matches (Photo LRPD via Facebook)
Little Rock mounted police assist with public safety at Kansas City World Cup matches (Photo LRPD via Facebook)
“We are proud of our Mounted Patrol Unit for representing the Little Rock Police Department with professionalism, dedication, and excellence while helping provide a safe and welcoming environment for everyone attending this world-class event,” the Department said.
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.
By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:
Kansas Lottery Headquarters
128 N Kansas Avenue
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Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.
When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) – The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Kansas over a law giving undocumented immigrants in-state college tuition rates.
But Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is not going down without a fight. She says she filed a motion to intervene in the case the same day.
Kelly argues that Attorney General Kris Kobach is refusing to defend a law that Kansans – and their elected representatives – chose to keep.
What the Federal Government Is Arguing
The DOJ’s complaint, filed Wednesday, June 24, targets Kansas Statute 76-731a – a law signed by then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius on May 20, 2004, that took effect July 1 of that year.
The law allows certain undocumented immigrants who attend Kansas high schools for at least three years and graduate, or earn a GED in Kansas, to qualify for in-state tuition at Kansas colleges and universities.
The law provides that the undocumented immigrant file an affidavit stating they have applied or will apply to legalize their immigration status.
Federal prosecutors argue that the arrangement violates federal law – specifically, part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
The federal law bars states from offering in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants unless that same benefit is available to all U.S. citizens, regardless of where they live.
The DOJ says Kansas is giving undocumented immigrants a tuition break that out-of-state American citizens cannot get.
The Tuition Gap
For the 2025-2026 school year, the Kansas Board of Regents revealed that in-state tuition per semester at Kansas universities ranged from around $2,450 at Fort Hays State to $5,650 at the University of Kansas.
The Regents noted that out-of-state students paid dramatically more – from $6,930 at Emporia State to $15,000 at KU per semester.
Between 2010 and 2021 alone, the complaint states that at least 5,140 undocumented immigrants used the Kansas law to enroll at state postsecondary institutions.
The Unusual Twist: AG Kobach Agreed to Settle – Immediately
Hours after the DOJ filed its complaint, justice officials indicated that AG Kris Kobach jointly filed a motion for entry of consent judgment, asking the court to:
- Declare the law as preempted by federal law and therefore invalid
- Issue a permanent injunction barring Kansas and all of its officers, employees and agents from enforcing the law
Both sides said they agreed they would each bear their own legal costs.
The speed of the agreement – filed the same day as the lawsuit – is at the center of Governor Kelly’s objection.
Kobach had already telegraphed his position: in Attorney General Opinion 2026-5, issued Feb. 10, 202, he concluded the Kansas law was preempted by federal law and invalid, though it remained in effect at the time.
Governor Kelly Steps In
Kelly wasted no time. She said her office filed a motion to intervene the same day, arguing Kobach’s willingness to immediately agree to a consent judgment amounts to a “backdoor” attempt to legislate through courts rather than through the democratic process.
“Without any substantive briefing, this is a collaborative attempt by DOJ and Attorney General Kobach to backdoor-legislate through non-adversarial litigation,” the motion states.
Kelly’s legal team argues she has both the constitutional authority and the legal obligation to step in.
Under the Kansas Constitution, the governor is “responsible for the enforcement of the laws of this state.”
Her attorneys also cited K.S.A. 75-108, a state statute that allows the governor to hire outside counsel when the attorney general is “interested adversely to the state” – which, they argue, Kobach is.
The Legislative Context
The fight over this law did not start with the federal lawsuit.
During the 2026 Kansas legislative session, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 254, which would have repealed the law in question. Kelly vetoed it.
The Legislature did not override her veto – meaning the law remained intact through the democratic process just months before the DOJ sued.
Kelly’s motion argues that allowing a consent judgment without full legal briefing “disregards the democratic process by which the Kansas state law was enacted.”
What Kelly Is Saying
In a statement, Kelly framed the issue around the students affected – many of whom were brought to the U.S. as children:
What Federal Officials Are Saying
DOJ officials framed the lawsuit as part of a broader national effort to enforce federal immigration law and protect American citizens from what they call preferential treatment for undocumented immigrants.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward pointed to Kansas’s history with the law, arguing the state has long favored undocumented immigrants over American citizens in higher education.
“For decades, the Kansas legislature gave preferential treatment to illegal aliens over American citizens,” Woodward said. “We encourage all States to follow the commonsense correction of Attorney General Kobach, ceasing any policy that rewards illegal entry into our nation with educational opportunities not available to U.S. citizens.”
The DOJ noted that the Kansas lawsuit is part of a pattern of legal wins it claims it has secured in similar cases across the country.
Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said the department has no plans to stop.
“Kansas’s unconstitutional and un-American laws should never have been passed in the first place and are prohibited by federal law,” Shumate added. “The Department of Justice has won on this exact issue in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Nebraska, and we will take this fight to any states that fail to put American citizens first.”
The swift agreement between the DOJ and Kobach drew praise from federal prosecutors in Kansas.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser for the District of Kansas called it a model of cooperation between state and federal leaders.
“This proposed consent decree demonstrates the quality of partnership between Kansas state leaders and the Department of Justice for the shared purpose of ensuring that federal tax dollars are not used to discriminate against Kansas’s lawful citizens,” Kriegshauser concluded.
The Broader National Picture
The Kansas lawsuit is the 10th in a series of DOJ actions targeting state in-state tuition laws for undocumented immigrants.
The department said it has already secured favorable court orders in Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Nebraska. Lawsuits against Illinois, Minnesota, Virginia, California and New Jersey remain pending.
However, the legal landscape is not entirely settled.
A federal judge in Minnesota ruled in March 2026 that the same federal statute does not preempt Minnesota’s similar in-state tuition law, finding that Minnesota’s law does not determine eligibility on the basis of residency in the same way.
The DOJ has appealed that ruling to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals – the same circuit that covers Kansas.
What Happens Next
The consent judgment proposed by the DOJ and Kobach still requires court approval.
Governor Kelly’s motion to intervene, if granted, would give her office the ability to argue against the consent judgment and force full legal briefing on the merits of the case.
The court has not yet ruled on Kelly’s motion.
If the judge allows her to intervene, the case could become a full legal battle – pitting the federal government and the state’s own attorney general against the governor’s office over a law that has been on the books for more than 20 years.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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