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# Kansas daily brief
- URL: https://www.citizenjournal.us/kansas-daily-brief-working-link/
- Published: 2025-12-18T15:05:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-04T02:34:10.000Z
- Description: Kansas and US news for busy people - Dec 18, 2025 edition
- Author: Greg Loving
- Tags: hcj, email, #summary

## 🌾Kansas

**High winds up to 60 mph** prompted fire warnings and I-70 closure between Colby and Goodland, with Goodland recording an 84 mph gust in the same area as this year's 70-car dust storm pile-up.

**Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation terminated its $29.9M ICE detention center design contract** after public backlash, firing LLC leadership and exiting all ICE-related projects.

**U.S. government accepted fault for Reagan Airport collision** that killed 67, including Wichita passengers, after Army helicopter flew with tracking technology off; Senate then passed restrictions on military flights near airports.

**McPherson CBD store owner is suing Kansas officials** over an October raid that seized $7,000 in cash and products, arguing the state's testing can't distinguish legal hemp from illegal substances.

[Top 5 Kansas news storiesDecember 18 2025![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/icon/favicon-3809.ico)citizen journalGreg Loving![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/thumbnail/Image-60-2.jpeg)](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-kansas-news-stories-85/)

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## 🇺🇸 US

**Venezuela Oil Blockade:** Maduro ordered Venezuelan naval escorts for oil tankers to defy Trump's blockade, risking direct confrontation with the U.S. as sanctioned vessels carrying 70% of Venezuela's oil exports (worth $8 billion annually) attempt to reach Asian buyers.

**Defense Bill Passage:** Senate approved a $900 billion defense bill with 77-20 bipartisan support, funding weapons modernization and 3.8% military pay raises while mandating Pentagon transparency on boat strikes and blocking troop withdrawals from Europe.

**Trump Economic Address:** Trump delivered a prime-time speech defending his economic record and announced $1,776 "warrior dividend" checks for active-duty military members, funded by tariff revenue, claiming he's "fixing the mess" he inherited.

**Brown University Shooting:** Five days after a shooting killed two and injured nine at Brown University, the gunman remains at large with authorities stating "he could be anywhere" while pursuing DNA evidence and a second person of interest.

**Taiwan Arms Deal:** Trump administration proposed an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan—exceeding all Biden-era sales and including HIMARS, howitzers, and kamikaze drones—signaling commitment to the island amid China tensions.

[Top 5 US news storiesDecember 18 2025![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/icon/favicon-3808.ico)citizen journalGreg Loving![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/thumbnail/Image-59.jpeg)](https://www.citizenjournal.us/top-5-us-news-stories-81/)

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## Weather

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f7/e6/f7e66a8b-8f27-493f-8b7e-664ecefd4c3d/content/images/2025/12/Image-55-1.jpeg)

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### December 18, 1620: Mayflower arrives at Plymouth Harbor

The famous Mayflower story began in 1606, when a group of reform-minded Separatists in Nottinghamshire, England, founded their own church, separate from the state-sanctioned Church of England. Accused of treason, they were forced to leave the country and settle in the more tolerant Netherlands. After 12 years of struggling to adapt and make a decent living, the group sought financial backing from some London merchants to set up a colony in America. On September 6, 1620, 102 passengers—dubbed Pilgrims by William Bradford, a passenger who would become the first governor of Plymouth Colony—crowded on the Mayflower to begin the long, hard journey to a new life in the New World.