KANSAS CITY—Two Texas men made their initial appearances after a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment on charges related to stolen merchandise, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, Gerald Ditz, 31, and Michael Alaniz, 35, both of El Paso, Texas, are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property, one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, one count of mail and wire fraud conspiracy, and one count of mail fraud.

Between May 2023 and May 2024, Ditz and Alaniz are accused of using their employment at a freight-contracting company that serves a train station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to unlawfully obtain Garmin brand watches that were in transit to Garmin’s warehouse in Olathe, Kansas. Ditz and Alaniz allegedly sold dozens of the stolen Garmin watches over the Internet to unwitting buyers.

According to the indictment, in addition to the watches allegedly associated with or sold by Ditz and Alaniz, other watches stolen from the Garmin shipping container have registrations that appear to be connected to more than a dozen individuals (approximately fifteen percent of the workforce) assigned or formerly assigned at the Santa Teresa train station.

Ditz made his initial court appearance on July 29, 2024, before a Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Texas. Alaniz made his initial court appearance July 30, 2024, before a Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Texas.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722457994982.png" alt="Photo Garmin" />
 <figcaption>Photo Garmin</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Two Texas men made their initial appearances after a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment on charges related to stolen merchandise, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, Gerald Ditz, 31, and Michael Alaniz, 35, both of El Paso, Texas, are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property, one count of interstate transportation of stolen property, one count of mail and wire fraud conspiracy, and one count of mail fraud.Between May 2023 and May 2024, Ditz and Alaniz are accused of using their employment at a freight-contracting company that serves a train station in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to unlawfully obtain Garmin brand watches that were in transit to Garmin’s warehouse in Olathe, Kansas. Ditz and Alaniz allegedly sold dozens of the stolen Garmin watches over the Internet to unwitting buyers.According to the indictment, in addition to the watches allegedly associated with or sold by Ditz and Alaniz, other watches stolen from the Garmin shipping container have registrations that appear to be connected to more than a dozen individuals (approximately fifteen percent of the workforce) assigned or formerly assigned at the Santa Teresa train station.Ditz made his initial court appearance on July 29, 2024, before a Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Texas. Alaniz made his initial court appearance July 30, 2024, before a Magistrate Judge in the Western District of Texas.The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case

Two accused of selling watches stolen from Kan. based company

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-1e96aa530e88013ed6f577feaf89ccb6">false assertions about her race</a>&nbsp;were the “same old show" as she emphasized the need for Black women to organize for his defeat this November.

Addressing the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. — one of "Divine Nine" historically Black fraternities and sororities — in Houston, Harris told the crowd, "When I look out at everyone here, I see family.”

She drew knowing chuckles from the audience as she mentioned Trump’s comments earlier in the day at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists. Trump said Harris,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-vice-president-f86d6be83bf83fe9b823ae7e21f94796">the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president</a>, had in the past promoted only her Indian heritage.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-c84311a4e3bec3fe3052236151597d81">addressing the NABJ in Chicago</a>.

Harris responded briefly during her address to the sorority, saying Trump's display was "the same old show: the divisiveness and the disrespect.”

She added: “And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better.”

“Our differences do not divide us, they are an essential source of our strength,” Harris said.

Referencing the combative tone of Trump's interview at the NABJ convention, she said, “The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts.”

Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Speaking to Sigma Gamma Rho members, Harris said, “Our nation is counting on you" to register people to vote and ensure they go to the polls. “When we organize, mountains move," she said.

Black Greek life is often seen as a lifelong involvement, leading many members to return to regular gatherings — or “boulés” in the organizations’ phrasing — that gather tens of thousands of members each. Harris has attended three such events in the last month, including the boulé for her own sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.

The Divine Nine organizations, which are officially apolitical, emphasize public service as a mission and have deep networks in politics, business and media.

June Penny, 66, of Georgia, an attendee at Harris' speech in Houston, said Trump’s comments about Harris’ race reminded her of how he tried to discredit then-President Barack Obama.

“I’m not surprised he would try to find something like that,” Penny said.

She said Trump’s views don’t reflect the reality of race in the country, noting, “I have biracial grandchildren” -- her son-in-law is white -- “and the world views them as black.”

More than 30 members of Congress are affiliated with a Black Greek letter organization. Close advisers to President Joe Biden, including Stephen Benjamin, Cedric Richmond and Keisha Lance Bottoms, are members of Divine Nine organizations. Harris has welcomed such connections to staff her operation and build her own network in Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that former President Donald Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-1e96aa530e88013ed6f577feaf89ccb6">false assertions about her race</a>&nbsp;were the “same old show" as she emphasized the need for Black women to organize for his defeat this November.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">VP <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> reacts to former President Trump: &quot;The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/1tqNGPIpLo">pic.twitter.com/1tqNGPIpLo</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818817157704061039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Addressing the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. — one of "Divine Nine" historically Black fraternities and sororities — in Houston, Harris told the crowd, "When I look out at everyone here, I see family.”She drew knowing chuckles from the audience as she mentioned Trump’s comments earlier in the day at the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists. Trump said Harris,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-vice-president-f86d6be83bf83fe9b823ae7e21f94796">the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president</a>, had in the past promoted only her Indian heritage.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump on Vice President Kamala Harris: &quot;She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RpEuRq6p5m">pic.twitter.com/RpEuRq6p5m</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818717916285509891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-c84311a4e3bec3fe3052236151597d81">addressing the NABJ in Chicago</a>.Harris responded briefly during her address to the sorority, saying Trump's display was "the same old show: the divisiveness and the disrespect.”She added: “And let me just say, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve better.”“Our differences do not divide us, they are an essential source of our strength,” Harris said.Referencing the combative tone of Trump's interview at the NABJ convention, she said, “The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts.”Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.Speaking to Sigma Gamma Rho members, Harris said, “Our nation is counting on you" to register people to vote and ensure they go to the polls. “When we organize, mountains move," she said.Black Greek life is often seen as a lifelong involvement, leading many members to return to regular gatherings — or “boulés” in the organizations’ phrasing — that gather tens of thousands of members each. Harris has attended three such events in the last month, including the boulé for her own sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha.The Divine Nine organizations, which are officially apolitical, emphasize public service as a mission and have deep networks in politics, business and media.June Penny, 66, of Georgia, an attendee at Harris' speech in Houston, said Trump’s comments about Harris’ race reminded her of how he tried to discredit then-President Barack Obama.“I’m not surprised he would try to find something like that,” Penny said.She said Trump’s views don’t reflect the reality of race in the country, noting, “I have biracial grandchildren” -- her son-in-law is white -- “and the world views them as black.”More than 30 members of Congress are affiliated with a Black Greek letter organization. Close advisers to President Joe Biden, including Stephen Benjamin, Cedric Richmond and Keisha Lance Bottoms, are members of Divine Nine organizations. Harris has welcomed such connections to staff her operation and build her own network in Washington.

🎥Vice President Harris blasts Trump’s claim that she 'became Black'

SEDGWICK COUNTY —One person is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Wichita.

Just before&nbsp; 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, police officers conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of Hillside, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford.

 During the stop, the officers told the rear-seat passenger, who was a suspect, that he was going to be detained and asked him to get out of the vehicle. 

The suspect refused multiple verbal commands, leading to a struggle. The suspect was able to free himself from the officers while still seated in the vehicle and then produced a firearm. 

The officers retreated to the rear of the vehicle while shouting "gun, gun, gun."&nbsp; As they did so, a gunshot was heard from inside the vehicle. This caused the officers to fear for their safety, prompting them to return fire inside the vehicle, striking the suspect. 

The suspect was pronounced dead on scene at 11:26p.m. by Sedgwick County EMS.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722508150709.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —One person is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Wichita.Just before&nbsp; 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, police officers conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of Hillside, according to police spokesman Andrew Ford. During the stop, the officers told the rear-seat passenger, who was a suspect, that he was going to be detained and asked him to get out of the vehicle. The suspect refused multiple verbal commands, leading to a struggle. The suspect was able to free himself from the officers while still seated in the vehicle and then produced a firearm. The officers retreated to the rear of the vehicle while shouting "gun, gun, gun."&nbsp; As they did so, a gunshot was heard from inside the vehicle. This caused the officers to fear for their safety, prompting them to return fire inside the vehicle, striking the suspect. The suspect was pronounced dead on scene at 11:26p.m. by Sedgwick County EMS.The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is in charge of the investigation.

Man dead after Kansas officer-involved shooting

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent knife attack outside a gentlemen's club in Derby.

At approximately 2:18 a.m. on Wednesday, police were dispatched to a cutting call at 1430 N. Nelson Drive in Derby, according to a media release.

On arrival, officers made contact with two 29-year-old men in a vehicle in the parking lot. Both had injuries consistent with those from a knife. The victims reported being in an altercation in the parking lot of Michelle’s Beach House in the 200 block of W. Greenway. 

The victims were transported to Wesley Hospital. One was treated and released; the other was still in the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

Detectives and police officers conducted further investigation, interviews and evidence collection. All individuals involved have been contacted and interviewed.&nbsp; A 21-year-old woman from Newton identified as Kayndal Jo Peck, according to arrest records, was taken into custody.&nbsp;

A knife was found in a vehicle associated with Peck, according to Police. Derby Detectives are following up with any potential witnesses. Peck is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery on a $75,000 bond, according to online jail records.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Derby Police Department at 316-788-1557 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722509132457.png" alt="Peck-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Peck-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent knife attack outside a gentlemen's club in Derby.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722453695356.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>At approximately 2:18 a.m. on Wednesday, police were dispatched to a cutting call at 1430 N. Nelson Drive in Derby, according to a media release.On arrival, officers made contact with two 29-year-old men in a vehicle in the parking lot. Both had injuries consistent with those from a knife. The victims reported being in an altercation in the parking lot of Michelle’s Beach House in the 200 block of W. Greenway. The victims were transported to Wesley Hospital. One was treated and released; the other was still in the hospital Wednesday afternoon.Detectives and police officers conducted further investigation, interviews and evidence collection. All individuals involved have been contacted and interviewed.&nbsp; A 21-year-old woman from Newton identified as Kayndal Jo Peck, according to arrest records, was taken into custody.&nbsp;A knife was found in a vehicle associated with Peck, according to Police. Derby Detectives are following up with any potential witnesses. Peck is being held on requested charges of aggravated battery on a $75,000 bond, according to online jail records.All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.Anyone with information is asked to call the Derby Police Department at 316-788-1557 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.

Kan. woman jailed for stabbing outside gentlemen's club

JOHNSON COUNTY, Mo. —Fire crews 60 miles southeast of Kansas City made a daring rescue this week.

On Tuesday afternoon,&nbsp; the Warrensburg Fire Department responded to a mutual aid request from the Higginsville Fire Protection District to rescue of a worker that was stuck on the side of a water tower due to a safety equipment malfunction, according to a media release.

 The worker was in a safety harness with fall protection devices.  One of the devices locked or seized up.  The worker was stranded approximately 100 feet off the ground.

 Crews responded in a tower ladder truck with technical rescue equipment and were able to quickly remove him from the side of the water tower. 

 From arrival on scene to the patient being transferred to EMS care was 18 minutes. 

The Warrensburg Fire Department wrote, "We are glad we could assist our neighboring department and bring the situation to a positive outcome. "

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722473584826.png" alt="Photo Warrensburg Fire Dept." />
 <figcaption>Photo Warrensburg Fire Dept.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY, Mo. —Fire crews 60 miles southeast of Kansas City made a daring rescue this week.On Tuesday afternoon,&nbsp; the Warrensburg Fire Department responded to a mutual aid request from the Higginsville Fire Protection District to rescue of a worker that was stuck on the side of a water tower due to a safety equipment malfunction, according to a media release. The worker was in a safety harness with fall protection devices. One of the devices locked or seized up. The worker was stranded approximately 100 feet off the ground.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722473823597.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> Crews responded in a tower ladder truck with technical rescue equipment and were able to quickly remove him from the side of the water tower. From arrival on scene to the patient being transferred to EMS care was 18 minutes. The Warrensburg Fire Department wrote, "We are glad we could assist our neighboring department and bring the situation to a positive outcome. "

 Firefighters rescue stranded utility worker trapped on water tower

KYIV (AP)— <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;has received the first F-16 fighter jets that it has sought for months to fight back against an onslaught of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russian</a>&nbsp;missile strikes, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press.

A Ukrainian lawmaker also confirmed Ukraine had received a small number of F-16 fighter jets. The two officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak on the subject publicly.

Ukraine has been pushing its Western allies for F-16s for Ukraine for months, saying they were critically needed to fight back against the onslaught of missiles Russia has fired against it. The F-16 is specialized in suppressing enemy air defenses. The West has hesitantly moved toward providing the jets, after previous concerns that arming Ukraine with advanced weaponry would further escalate the war with Russia.

The U.S. has also been training Ukrainian pilots on how to fly the jets and has already graduated the first group of pilots on its operation.

During his visit to Washington earlier this month for the NATO summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed NATO allies to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-summit-ukraine-russia-china-biden-66656f03cd5e203d4074bdb2ead8abd8">remove all limitations</a>&nbsp;on how Western-provided weapons are used, specifically allowing Ukraine to fire Western-provided weapons against an expanded set of Russian targets.

It’s not clear how many jets were provided in the first tranche or which nations provided them. The Ukrainian government has not confirmed receipt of the jets.

U.S. President Joe Biden authorized sending the U.S.-built warplanes to Ukraine in August 2023. That came after months of pressure from Kyiv and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-f16-decision-russia-64538af7c10489d7c2243dadbad31008">internal debate</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. administration where officials feared the move could escalate tensions with the Kremlin.

Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway — all NATO members — have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 planes. That number is dwarfed by the Russian jet fighter fleet, which is estimated to be around 10 times larger.

Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-offensive-aid-16e276766b7100485fe97b674700ac6c">needs at least 130</a>&nbsp;F-16 fighter jets to neutralize Russian air power, Ukrainian officials say. F-16s can fly up to twice the speed of sound and have a maximum range of more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers).

The arrival of the jets was first reported by Bloomberg.

Andrew Meldrum in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this story.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718381433841.png" alt="File photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>File photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22TARA%20COPP%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By TARA COPP&nbsp;</a>KYIV (AP)— <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;has received the first F-16 fighter jets that it has sought for months to fight back against an onslaught of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russian</a>&nbsp;missile strikes, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press.A Ukrainian lawmaker also confirmed Ukraine had received a small number of F-16 fighter jets. The two officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak on the subject publicly.Ukraine has been pushing its Western allies for F-16s for Ukraine for months, saying they were critically needed to fight back against the onslaught of missiles Russia has fired against it. The F-16 is specialized in suppressing enemy air defenses. The West has hesitantly moved toward providing the jets, after previous concerns that arming Ukraine with advanced weaponry would further escalate the war with Russia.The U.S. has also been training Ukrainian pilots on how to fly the jets and has already graduated the first group of pilots on its operation.During his visit to Washington earlier this month for the NATO summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed NATO allies to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nato-summit-ukraine-russia-china-biden-66656f03cd5e203d4074bdb2ead8abd8">remove all limitations</a>&nbsp;on how Western-provided weapons are used, specifically allowing Ukraine to fire Western-provided weapons against an expanded set of Russian targets.It’s not clear how many jets were provided in the first tranche or which nations provided them. The Ukrainian government has not confirmed receipt of the jets.U.S. President Joe Biden authorized sending the U.S.-built warplanes to Ukraine in August 2023. That came after months of pressure from Kyiv and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-f16-decision-russia-64538af7c10489d7c2243dadbad31008">internal debate</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. administration where officials feared the move could escalate tensions with the Kremlin.Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway — all NATO members — have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 planes. That number is dwarfed by the Russian jet fighter fleet, which is estimated to be around 10 times larger.Ukraine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-offensive-aid-16e276766b7100485fe97b674700ac6c">needs at least 130</a>&nbsp;F-16 fighter jets to neutralize Russian air power, Ukrainian officials say. F-16s can fly up to twice the speed of sound and have a maximum range of more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers).The arrival of the jets was first reported by Bloomberg.—-Andrew Meldrum in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this story.

Ukraine finally has  American-made F-16 jets to fight Russia

KANSAS CITY—One person died in standing outside a vehicle after accident&nbsp; Wednesday in Kansas City.

 A Ram 1500 was westbound on 210 Highway and had stopped in traffic and just prior to the light at North Norfleet, according to KCPD Officer&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez

A westbound Hyundai Accent was unable to stop in time and rear-ended f the Ram 1500. Both drivers exited their vehicles and 9-1-1 was called. 

While waiting for the Police to arrive, the driver of the Hyundai was standing by his driver's door, on the yellow line, south shoulder of the roadway. 

Just after 6a.m., the driver of a westbound Chevy Silverado did not see the flashers on the Hyundai until the last second.&nbsp; The Silverado swerved to the left and struck the driver of the Hyundai.&nbsp;

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Chevy Silverado was not injured in the collision. All lanes of westbound 210 Highway were closed for about 3 1/2 hours. This is traffic death 55 in 2024 compared to 51 at this time last year, according to Gonzalez.

KANSAS CITY—One person died in standing outside a vehicle after accident&nbsp; Wednesday in Kansas City. A Ram 1500 was westbound on 210 Highway and had stopped in traffic and just prior to the light at North Norfleet, according to KCPD Officer&nbsp;Officer Alayna GonzalezA westbound Hyundai Accent was unable to stop in time and rear-ended f the Ram 1500. Both drivers exited their vehicles and 9-1-1 was called. While waiting for the Police to arrive, the driver of the Hyundai was standing by his driver's door, on the yellow line, south shoulder of the roadway. Just after 6a.m., the driver of a westbound Chevy Silverado did not see the flashers on the Hyundai until the last second.&nbsp; The Silverado swerved to the left and struck the driver of the Hyundai.&nbsp;He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Chevy Silverado was not injured in the collision. All lanes of westbound 210 Highway were closed for about 3 1/2 hours. This is traffic death 55 in 2024 compared to 51 at this time last year, according to Gonzalez.

KCPD: Man waiting outside car after crash is struck, killed 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the mastermind of al-Qaida’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed">Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The development points to a long-delayed resolution in an attack that killed thousands and altered the course of the United States and much of the Middle East.

Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to enter the pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as next week.

Defense lawyers have requested the men receive life sentences in exchange for the guilty pleas, according to letters from the federal government received by relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 people killed outright on the morning of Sept. 11.

Terry Strada, the head of one group of families of the nearly 3,000 direct victims of the 9/11 attacks, invoked the dozens of relatives who have died while awaiting justice for the killings when she heard news of the plea agreement.

“They were cowards when they planned the attack," she said of the defendants. "And they’re cowards today."

Pentagon officials declined to immediately release the full terms of the plea bargains.

The U.S. agreement with the men comes more than 16 years after their prosecution began for al-Qaida's attack. It comes more than 20 years after militants commandeered four commercial airliners to use as fuel-filled missiles, flying them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

Al-Qaida hijackers headed a fourth plane to Washington, but crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit, and the plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

The attack triggered what President George W. Bush's administration called its war on terror, prompting the U.S. military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and years of U.S. operations against armed extremist groups elsewhere in the Middle East.

The attack and U.S. retaliation brought the overthrow of two governments outright, devastated communities and countries caught in the battle, and played a role in inspiring the 2011 Arab Spring popular uprisings against authoritarian Middle East governments.

At home, the attacks inspired a sharply more militaristic and nationalist turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/911-20-years-world-affairs-cc497f11743fcbd48b0b3e0c3ed2da5f">American society and culture</a>.

U.S. authorities point to Mohammed as the source of the idea to use planes as weapons. He allegedly received approval from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, whom U.S. forces killed in 2011, to craft what became the 9/11 hijackings and killings.

Authorities captured Mohammed in 2003. Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding 183 times while in CIA custody before coming to Guantanamo, and targeted by other forms of torture and coercive questioning.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guantanamo-detainees-un-investigator-d79ecc69131ea790d95ac901fecb581c">use of torture has proven one of the most formidable obstacles in U.S. efforts</a>&nbsp;to try the men in the military commission at Guantanamo, owing to the inadmissibility of evidence linked to abuse.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/al-qaida-politics-united-states-government-belize-cuba-6037c1e52408df0576ef4e502fda01a4">Torture</a>&nbsp;has accounted for much of the delay of the proceedings, along with the courtroom's location a plane ride away from the United States.

Daphne Eviatar, a director at the Amnesty International USA rights group, said Wednesday she welcomed news of some accountability in the attacks.

She urged the Biden administration to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which holds people taken into custody in the so-called war on terror. Many have since been cleared, but are awaiting approval to leave for other countries.

Additionally, Eviatar said, “the Biden administration must also take all necessary measures to ensure that a program of state-sanctioned enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment will never be perpetrated by the United States again."

Strada, national chairperson of a group of families of victims called 9/11 Families United, had been at Manhattan federal court for a hearing on one of many civil lawsuits when she heard news of the plea agreement.

Strada said many families have just wanted to see the men admit guilt.

“For me personally, I wanted to see a trial,” she said. “And they just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment.”

Michael Burke, one of the family members receiving the government notice of the plea bargain, condemned the long wait for justice, and the outcome.

“It took months or a year at the Nuremberg trials,” said Burke, whose fire captain brother Billy died in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. “To me, it always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks, or the crime. I never understood how it took so long.”

“I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, ‘Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison," he said.

Burke’s brother, New York City fire captain Billy Burke, ordered his men out but remained on the 27th floor of the North Tower with two men who’d stayed behind: a quadriplegic who, because the elevators had gone out, was essentially stuck there in his wheelchair and that man’s friend.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722465359811.jpeg" alt="FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the mastermind of al-Qaida’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/9-11-a-world-changed">Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The development points to a long-delayed resolution in an attack that killed thousands and altered the course of the United States and much of the Middle East.Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to enter the pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as next week.Defense lawyers have requested the men receive life sentences in exchange for the guilty pleas, according to letters from the federal government received by relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 people killed outright on the morning of Sept. 11.Terry Strada, the head of one group of families of the nearly 3,000 direct victims of the 9/11 attacks, invoked the dozens of relatives who have died while awaiting justice for the killings when she heard news of the plea agreement.“They were cowards when they planned the attack," she said of the defendants. "And they’re cowards today."Pentagon officials declined to immediately release the full terms of the plea bargains.The U.S. agreement with the men comes more than 16 years after their prosecution began for al-Qaida's attack. It comes more than 20 years after militants commandeered four commercial airliners to use as fuel-filled missiles, flying them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.Al-Qaida hijackers headed a fourth plane to Washington, but crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit, and the plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field.The attack triggered what President George W. Bush's administration called its war on terror, prompting the U.S. military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and years of U.S. operations against armed extremist groups elsewhere in the Middle East.The attack and U.S. retaliation brought the overthrow of two governments outright, devastated communities and countries caught in the battle, and played a role in inspiring the 2011 Arab Spring popular uprisings against authoritarian Middle East governments.At home, the attacks inspired a sharply more militaristic and nationalist turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/911-20-years-world-affairs-cc497f11743fcbd48b0b3e0c3ed2da5f">American society and culture</a>.U.S. authorities point to Mohammed as the source of the idea to use planes as weapons. He allegedly received approval from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, whom U.S. forces killed in 2011, to craft what became the 9/11 hijackings and killings.Authorities captured Mohammed in 2003. Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding 183 times while in CIA custody before coming to Guantanamo, and targeted by other forms of torture and coercive questioning.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guantanamo-detainees-un-investigator-d79ecc69131ea790d95ac901fecb581c">use of torture has proven one of the most formidable obstacles in U.S. efforts</a>&nbsp;to try the men in the military commission at Guantanamo, owing to the inadmissibility of evidence linked to abuse.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/al-qaida-politics-united-states-government-belize-cuba-6037c1e52408df0576ef4e502fda01a4">Torture</a>&nbsp;has accounted for much of the delay of the proceedings, along with the courtroom's location a plane ride away from the United States.Daphne Eviatar, a director at the Amnesty International USA rights group, said Wednesday she welcomed news of some accountability in the attacks.She urged the Biden administration to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which holds people taken into custody in the so-called war on terror. Many have since been cleared, but are awaiting approval to leave for other countries.Additionally, Eviatar said, “the Biden administration must also take all necessary measures to ensure that a program of state-sanctioned enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment will never be perpetrated by the United States again."Strada, national chairperson of a group of families of victims called 9/11 Families United, had been at Manhattan federal court for a hearing on one of many civil lawsuits when she heard news of the plea agreement.Strada said many families have just wanted to see the men admit guilt.“For me personally, I wanted to see a trial,” she said. “And they just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment.”Michael Burke, one of the family members receiving the government notice of the plea bargain, condemned the long wait for justice, and the outcome.“It took months or a year at the Nuremberg trials,” said Burke, whose fire captain brother Billy died in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. “To me, it always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks, or the crime. I never understood how it took so long.”“I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, ‘Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison," he said.Burke’s brother, New York City fire captain Billy Burke, ordered his men out but remained on the 27th floor of the North Tower with two men who’d stayed behind: a quadriplegic who, because the elevators had gone out, was essentially stuck there in his wheelchair and that man’s friend.

9/11 alleged mastermind and 2 other terrorists reach plea deal

DOUGLAS COUNTY —A Kansas woman has admitted selling drugs in 2022.

Last week, Angela Lynn Johnson, 52, of Lawrence, pleaded guilty to five counts of unlawful distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.

“We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to halt the flow of dangerous narcotics coming into our community,” District Attorney Valdez said. Charges stemmed from a multi-agency law enforcement investigation led by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722110685233.png" alt="Johnson photo Douglas County" />
 <figcaption>Johnson photo Douglas County</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —A Kansas woman has admitted selling drugs in 2022.Last week, Angela Lynn Johnson, 52, of Lawrence, pleaded guilty to five counts of unlawful distribution of methamphetamine and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.“We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to halt the flow of dangerous narcotics coming into our community,” District Attorney Valdez said. Charges stemmed from a multi-agency law enforcement investigation led by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in 2022.

Kansas woman admits selling methamphetamine

CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;suggested&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;had misled voters about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-election-black-asian-multiracial-b57f251022d549e38b3c17946347f025">her race</a>&nbsp;as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile.

The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-vice-president-f86d6be83bf83fe9b823ae7e21f94796">the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president</a>, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-c84311a4e3bec3fe3052236151597d81">addressing the group's annual convention</a>.

Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues’ legislation to strengthen voting rights and reforming policing.

Trump has leveled a wide range of criticism at Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the likely Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.

Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris' campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power.”

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in," Tyler said. "Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during her briefing with reporters on Wednesday about Trump's remarks and responded with disbelief, initially murmuring, “Wow.”

Jean-Pierre, who is Black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are how they identify.”

Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was not born in the United States. “Birtherism,” as it became known, was just the start of Trump’s history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of Black politicians.

During this year’s Republican primary, he once referred to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”

Trump's appearance Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black journalists immediately became heated, with the former president sparring with interviewer Rachel Scott of ABC News and accusing her of giving him a “very rude introduction” with a tough first question about his past criticism of Black people and Black journalists, his attack on Black prosecutors who have pursued cases against him and the dinner he had at his Florida club with a white supremacist.

“I think it’s disgraceful," Trump said. "I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country."

Trump continued his attacks on Scott's network, ABC News, which he has been arguing should not host the next presidential debate, despite his earlier agreement with the Biden campaign. He also several times described her tone and questions as “nasty,” a word he used in the past when describing women, including Hillary Clinton and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.

The Republican also repeated his false claim that immigrants in the country illegally are “taking Black jobs.” When pushed by Scott on what constituted a “Black job,” Trump responded by saying "a Black job is anybody that has a job," drawing groans from the room.

At one point, he said, "I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”

The audience responded with a mix of boos and some applause.

Scott asked Trump about his pledge to pardon people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and specifically whether he would pardon those who assaulted police officers.

Trump said, “Oh, absolutely I would,” and said, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”

Scott pointed out they have been convicted and therefore are not innocent.

“Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system,” he said.

At one point, when he was defending his supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he said, “Nothing is perfect in life.”

He compared the 2021 insurrection to the protests in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-protests-us-news-arrests-minnesota-burglary-bb2404f9b13c8b53b94c73f818f6a0b7">Minneapolis and other cities in 2020</a>&nbsp;following the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-gaza-war-congress-joint-session-9a7885972989b2397b49e5b971ffe0e0">more recent protests at the Capitol last week</a>&nbsp;by demonstrators opposed to the war in Gaza. Trump falsely claiming that no one was arrested in those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.

As Trump made the comparison, a man in the back of the room shouted out: “Sir, have you no shame?”

The former president’s invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among NABJ that spilled online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.

As he campaigns for the White House a third time, Trump has sought to appear outside his traditional strongholds of support and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over Black Americans, who have been Democrats’ most committed voting bloc.

His campaign has emphasized his messages on the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his outreach has played on racial stereotypes, including the suggestion that African Americans would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-conservative-south-carolina-primary-aa1155c31bfc3b397a32b33eff04ada8">empathize with the criminal charges he has faced</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sneakers-sneaker-con-philadelphia-4de093eda6f8d1c68baf8fe8095f777b">promotion of branded sneakers</a>.

Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” to describe Black women journalists.

The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it was in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.

Trump posted on his social media network that he was told he could not do the event virtually.

“She declined, and I am getting ready to land in Chicago in order to be there,” Trump wrote. “Now I am told that she is doing the Event on ZOOM. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?”

Trump later Wednesday is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 6 p.m. EDT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722460473060.png" alt="Image from CSPAN video" />
 <figcaption>Image from CSPAN video</figcaption>
 </figure>CHICAGO (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;suggested&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;had misled voters about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-election-black-asian-multiracial-b57f251022d549e38b3c17946347f025">her race</a>&nbsp;as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump on Vice President Kamala Harris: &quot;She was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person. I think somebody should look into that.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/RpEuRq6p5m">pic.twitter.com/RpEuRq6p5m</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818717916285509891?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-vice-president-f86d6be83bf83fe9b823ae7e21f94796">the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president</a>, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage.“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-journalists-convention-nabj-c84311a4e3bec3fe3052236151597d81">addressing the group's annual convention</a>.Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues’ legislation to strengthen voting rights and reforming policing.Trump has leveled a wide range of criticism at Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the likely Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris' campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power.”“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in," Tyler said. "Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during her briefing with reporters on Wednesday about Trump's remarks and responded with disbelief, initially murmuring, “Wow.”Jean-Pierre, who is Black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are how they identify.”Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was not born in the United States. “Birtherism,” as it became known, was just the start of Trump’s history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of Black politicians.During this year’s Republican primary, he once referred to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”Trump's appearance Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black journalists immediately became heated, with the former president sparring with interviewer Rachel Scott of ABC News and accusing her of giving him a “very rude introduction” with a tough first question about his past criticism of Black people and Black journalists, his attack on Black prosecutors who have pursued cases against him and the dinner he had at his Florida club with a white supremacist.“I think it’s disgraceful," Trump said. "I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country."Trump continued his attacks on Scott's network, ABC News, which he has been arguing should not host the next presidential debate, despite his earlier agreement with the Biden campaign. He also several times described her tone and questions as “nasty,” a word he used in the past when describing women, including Hillary Clinton and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.The Republican also repeated his false claim that immigrants in the country illegally are “taking Black jobs.” When pushed by Scott on what constituted a “Black job,” Trump responded by saying "a Black job is anybody that has a job," drawing groans from the room.At one point, he said, "I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”The audience responded with a mix of boos and some applause.Scott asked Trump about his pledge to pardon people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and specifically whether he would pardon those who assaulted police officers.Trump said, “Oh, absolutely I would,” and said, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”Scott pointed out they have been convicted and therefore are not innocent.“Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system,” he said.At one point, when he was defending his supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he said, “Nothing is perfect in life.”He compared the 2021 insurrection to the protests in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-protests-us-news-arrests-minnesota-burglary-bb2404f9b13c8b53b94c73f818f6a0b7">Minneapolis and other cities in 2020</a>&nbsp;following the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-netanyahu-gaza-war-congress-joint-session-9a7885972989b2397b49e5b971ffe0e0">more recent protests at the Capitol last week</a>&nbsp;by demonstrators opposed to the war in Gaza. Trump falsely claiming that no one was arrested in those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.As Trump made the comparison, a man in the back of the room shouted out: “Sir, have you no shame?”The former president’s invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among NABJ that spilled online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.As he campaigns for the White House a third time, Trump has sought to appear outside his traditional strongholds of support and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over Black Americans, who have been Democrats’ most committed voting bloc.His campaign has emphasized his messages on the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his outreach has played on racial stereotypes, including the suggestion that African Americans would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-black-conservative-south-carolina-primary-aa1155c31bfc3b397a32b33eff04ada8">empathize with the criminal charges he has faced</a>&nbsp;and his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sneakers-sneaker-con-philadelphia-4de093eda6f8d1c68baf8fe8095f777b">promotion of branded sneakers</a>.Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” to describe Black women journalists.The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it was in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.Trump posted on his social media network that he was told he could not do the event virtually.“She declined, and I am getting ready to land in Chicago in order to be there,” Trump wrote. “Now I am told that she is doing the Event on ZOOM. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?”Trump later Wednesday is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at 6 p.m. EDT.

🎥Trump answers whether Kamala Harris is a DEI hire

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged animal cruelty in southeast Kansas.

On July 26, deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 109 E. Bell Street in Wayside, Kansas, in connection with an animal cruelty investigation, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

First responders removed nine dogs and two horses from the property.&nbsp; The animals were exhibiting signs of malnourishment and injuries. The deputies took custody of the animals and arranged for their treatment by a local veterinarian. Subsequently, the animals were transported to a predetermined location for continued care.

The sheriff's office has not reported an arrest or additional details.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged animal cruelty in southeast Kansas.On July 26, deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 109 E. Bell Street in Wayside, Kansas, in connection with an animal cruelty investigation, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.First responders removed nine dogs and two horses from the property.&nbsp; The animals were exhibiting signs of malnourishment and injuries. The deputies took custody of the animals and arranged for their treatment by a local veterinarian. Subsequently, the animals were transported to a predetermined location for continued care.The sheriff's office has not reported an arrest or additional details.

Alleged animal cruelty: Kan. deputies remove dogs, horses from property

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH&nbsp;</a>

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A woman who was denied an abortion at a Kansas hospital after suffering a pregnancy complication that her attorneys say put her at risk of sepsis and even death is suing in a case that already prompted a federal investigation.

Mylissa Farmer, of Joplin, Missouri, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court against the University of Kansas Health System and the public oversight body that governs its operations.

Federal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/emtala-know-your-rights.pdf">law requires emergency rooms</a>&nbsp;to treat or stabilize patients who are in active labor and provide a medical transfer to another hospital if they don’t have the staff or resources to treat them. Medical facilities must comply with the law if they accept Medicare funding.

But Farmer's suit alleges that the hospital in Kansas City, Kansas, broke that law and a state anti-discrimination act. A hospital spokeswoman said that attorneys are reviewing the lawsuit and that a statement might be issued later.

The suit said Farmer was “overjoyed” to be pregnant before her water broke on Aug. 2, 2022. She was just shy of 18 weeks' gestation.

It was the worst possible timing: Roe v. Wade had been overturned five weeks earlier, and that very day, Kansas residents were voting on a measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright.

The race had just been called and the measure had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">rejected</a>&nbsp;by the time she showed up at the University of Kansas Hospital. She'd already been to Freeman Health System in Joplin, Missouri, earlier that day. But a Missouri abortion ban had just taken effect. The ban provides exceptions in medical emergencies and when necessary to save the life of the mother,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-missouri-columbia-fef01a409b24991a4e56cc70c874f0bd">but that summer doctors were still struggling</a>&nbsp;to understand what qualified as an exception.

A federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emergency-abortion-law-hospitals-kansas-missouri-emtala-2f993d2869fa801921d7e56e95787567">investigation</a>&nbsp;found that doctors at both hospitals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-business-missouri-joplin-4204d1c9c7e9b83a93c833603e55a588">told Farmer that her fetus would not survive</a>, that her amniotic fluid had emptied and that she was at risk for serious infection or losing her uterus. But the investigation found neither hospital would terminate the pregnancy because a fetal heartbeat was still detectable.

The suit said the doctors at Freeman cited the statewide abortion ban.

A doctor at the University of Kansas initially suggested ending the pregnancy by inducing labor so she would have a chance to hold and say goodbye to her daughter, whom she and her now-husband already had named Maeve. But the suit said that doctor later returned and said that her medical judgment had been overridden and that she could not induce labor because it would be too “risky” in the “heated” “political” environment.

The suit alleged that the University of Kansas Hospital “deserted Ms. Farmer in her time of crisis.” It said she was turned away "with no treatment whatsoever — not even antibiotics or Tylenol.” The suit said that staff didn't check her temperatures or her pain.

She then returned to the hospital in Joplin, where she was admitted for observation as her health “continued to deteriorate,” the suit said. Freeman Health System was not named as a defendant.

On Aug. 4, she drove several hours to a clinic in Illinois while in labor and underwent an abortion there.

But the suit said the prolonged miscarriage had caused a preventable infection. She was unable to work for many months and lost her home because of the lost wages, the suit said.

Farmer said previously that the experience was so traumatic that she got her tubes tied.

The suit said the woman thought the University of Kansas Hospital would be “her lifeline.”

“Instead, hospital staff told her that, while they had the ability to provide life-saving care, and thought it was necessary, they would not do so," the suit said. As a result, she then endured hours of agonizing labor in her car, terrified that her miscarriage would not only end her pregnancy but also take her life."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1655836007623.png" alt="Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22HEATHER%20HOLLINGSWORTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH&nbsp;</a>MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A woman who was denied an abortion at a Kansas hospital after suffering a pregnancy complication that her attorneys say put her at risk of sepsis and even death is suing in a case that already prompted a federal investigation.Mylissa Farmer, of Joplin, Missouri, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court against the University of Kansas Health System and the public oversight body that governs its operations.Federal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/emtala-know-your-rights.pdf">law requires emergency rooms</a>&nbsp;to treat or stabilize patients who are in active labor and provide a medical transfer to another hospital if they don’t have the staff or resources to treat them. Medical facilities must comply with the law if they accept Medicare funding.But Farmer's suit alleges that the hospital in Kansas City, Kansas, broke that law and a state anti-discrimination act. A hospital spokeswoman said that attorneys are reviewing the lawsuit and that a statement might be issued later.The suit said Farmer was “overjoyed” to be pregnant before her water broke on Aug. 2, 2022. She was just shy of 18 weeks' gestation.It was the worst possible timing: Roe v. Wade had been overturned five weeks earlier, and that very day, Kansas residents were voting on a measure that would have allowed the Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten restrictions or ban the procedure outright.The race had just been called and the measure had been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">rejected</a>&nbsp;by the time she showed up at the University of Kansas Hospital. She'd already been to Freeman Health System in Joplin, Missouri, earlier that day. But a Missouri abortion ban had just taken effect. The ban provides exceptions in medical emergencies and when necessary to save the life of the mother,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-missouri-columbia-fef01a409b24991a4e56cc70c874f0bd">but that summer doctors were still struggling</a>&nbsp;to understand what qualified as an exception.A federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/emergency-abortion-law-hospitals-kansas-missouri-emtala-2f993d2869fa801921d7e56e95787567">investigation</a>&nbsp;found that doctors at both hospitals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-business-missouri-joplin-4204d1c9c7e9b83a93c833603e55a588">told Farmer that her fetus would not survive</a>, that her amniotic fluid had emptied and that she was at risk for serious infection or losing her uterus. But the investigation found neither hospital would terminate the pregnancy because a fetal heartbeat was still detectable.The suit said the doctors at Freeman cited the statewide abortion ban.A doctor at the University of Kansas initially suggested ending the pregnancy by inducing labor so she would have a chance to hold and say goodbye to her daughter, whom she and her now-husband already had named Maeve. But the suit said that doctor later returned and said that her medical judgment had been overridden and that she could not induce labor because it would be too “risky” in the “heated” “political” environment.The suit alleged that the University of Kansas Hospital “deserted Ms. Farmer in her time of crisis.” It said she was turned away "with no treatment whatsoever — not even antibiotics or Tylenol.” The suit said that staff didn't check her temperatures or her pain.She then returned to the hospital in Joplin, where she was admitted for observation as her health “continued to deteriorate,” the suit said. Freeman Health System was not named as a defendant.On Aug. 4, she drove several hours to a clinic in Illinois while in labor and underwent an abortion there.But the suit said the prolonged miscarriage had caused a preventable infection. She was unable to work for many months and lost her home because of the lost wages, the suit said.Farmer said previously that the experience was so traumatic that she got her tubes tied.The suit said the woman thought the University of Kansas Hospital would be “her lifeline.”“Instead, hospital staff told her that, while they had the ability to provide life-saving care, and thought it was necessary, they would not do so," the suit said. As a result, she then endured hours of agonizing labor in her car, terrified that her miscarriage would not only end her pregnancy but also take her life."

Woman denied abortion at a Kan. hospital sues, alleging her life was put at risk

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday set the stage for the central bank's first rate cut in four years, citing greater progress toward lower inflation as well as a cooler job market that no longer threatens to overheat the economy.

Still, the Fed kept its key interest rate unchanged at a 23-year high of 5.3%, despite calls from some economists and Democratic politicians to implement a cut Wednesday. Instead, Powell said that, if inflation continues to cool, “a rate cut could be on the table" when it meets next Sept. 17-18.

“We’re getting closer to the point at which it’ll be appropriate to reduce our policy rate,” Powell said, “but we’re not quite at that point.”

A rate cut by the Fed is unlikely to have much immediate impact because it is largely expected by financial markets. Yet over time, lower Fed rates should reduce borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, including mortgage and auto-loan rates.

Rate cuts could also bolster the economy and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-harris-biden-election-prices-wages-d4dc87e150e5c0b76b664ad7525e05a4">potentially improve</a>&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris' prospects. Former President Donald Trump has said the Fed shouldn't cut rates before the election. After September, the Fed's next meeting is two days after the election in November.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/business/inflation-general-news-31d83873be23c658d66526745482d572">a statement</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, the Fed said that “job gains have moderated” and acknowledged that the unemployment rate has risen. The Fed is required by Congress to pursue stable prices and maximum employment, and the statement said the central bank is “attentive to the risks” to both goals.

The focus on both inflation and employment is a major shift after several years of Fed officials focusing exclusively on combatting rising prices.

“They’re ready to cut, just as long as we don’t get an inflation suprise between now and September, which we won't," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "Better late than never.”

Before the Fed's decision, financial market traders had priced in 100% odds that the central bank will reduce its benchmark rate at its Sept. 17-18 meeting,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html">according to futures markets</a>. The Fed typically seeks to avoid surprising investors with its rate decisions.

Stocks added a bit to earlier gains and Treasury yields eased after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-interest-rates-04d2877f47f3913acc2f992d8ef1581b">the Federal Reserve</a>&nbsp;held its main interest rate at a two-decade high but gave some indication that an easing may soon be on the way. The S&amp;P 500 ended Wednesday up 1.6%.

The Fed is seeking to strike a delicate balance: It wants to keep rates high enough for long enough to quell inflation, which has fallen to 2.5% from a peak two years ago of 7.1%, according to its preferred measure. But it also wants to avoid keeping borrowing costs so high that it triggers a recession. So far, it is on track for a so-called “soft landing,” in which inflation falls to 2% without a recession.

Yet with the unemployment rate ticking higher for three months in a row, some economists have raised concerns that the Fed should have cut rates Wednesday or should cut them more quickly later this year.

“The finish line is in sight and it would be tragic for the Fed to stumble and fall, with one-tenth of a mile left in the marathon, which is what I think they would be doing if they don’t start cutting,” Bharat Ramamurti, an advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project and former economist in the Biden White House, said on a call with reporters.

Also Wednesday, three Democratic senators, led by Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts, urged Powell in a letter to cut rates. The letter charged that a failure to reduce borrowing costs soon would suggest the Fed is “giving in to bullying” and would itself be a political move.

In the latest piece of good news on price increases, last Friday the government said that yearly inflation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-d8d44ca753aace952831a8f0cb42b97c">fell to 2.5%</a>&nbsp;in July, according to the Fed’s preferred inflation measure. That is down from 2.6% the previous month and the lowest since February 2021, when inflation was just starting to accelerate.

At the same time, the unemployment rate has risen by nearly a half-percentage point this year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-c99bb206d61a2fb2e96156460849d006">to a still-low 4.1%</a>&nbsp;and hiring has slowed. Powell and other Fed officials have highlighted they are increasingly focused on the risk that the job market could falter, another reason markets expect rate cuts soon.

The government will issue the latest jobs numbers on Friday, and economists forecast that it will say employers added 175,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate remained 4.1%.

The Fed may be among the last of the major central banks to cut its benchmark rate. The European Central Bank reduced borrowing costs in June and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-central-bank-economy-inflation-95fccba0a7daad47f081edb1dbccf437">may do so again in September</a>. The Bank of England meets Thursday and may implement its first cut, though economists think it could also keep rates unchanged.

The Bank of Japan is in a different boat, as the country has long sought higher prices after decades of slow deflation. Its inflation rate has moved higher and the Bank of Japan responded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-rates-boj-yen-e00919b053412fabf7a800ed78a9ad7a">earlier Wednesday</a>&nbsp;by increasing its key rate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday set the stage for the central bank's first rate cut in four years, citing greater progress toward lower inflation as well as a cooler job market that no longer threatens to overheat the economy.Still, the Fed kept its key interest rate unchanged at a 23-year high of 5.3%, despite calls from some economists and Democratic politicians to implement a cut Wednesday. Instead, Powell said that, if inflation continues to cool, “a rate cut could be on the table" when it meets next Sept. 17-18.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on the Federal Reserve board&#39;s decision not to cut interest rates. <a href="https://t.co/LQ1DldwH2K">pic.twitter.com/LQ1DldwH2K</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1818733196982337989?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“We’re getting closer to the point at which it’ll be appropriate to reduce our policy rate,” Powell said, “but we’re not quite at that point.”A rate cut by the Fed is unlikely to have much immediate impact because it is largely expected by financial markets. Yet over time, lower Fed rates should reduce borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, including mortgage and auto-loan rates.Rate cuts could also bolster the economy and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-harris-biden-election-prices-wages-d4dc87e150e5c0b76b664ad7525e05a4">potentially improve</a>&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris' prospects. Former President Donald Trump has said the Fed shouldn't cut rates before the election. After September, the Fed's next meeting is two days after the election in November.In&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/business/inflation-general-news-31d83873be23c658d66526745482d572">a statement</a>&nbsp;Wednesday, the Fed said that “job gains have moderated” and acknowledged that the unemployment rate has risen. The Fed is required by Congress to pursue stable prices and maximum employment, and the statement said the central bank is “attentive to the risks” to both goals.The focus on both inflation and employment is a major shift after several years of Fed officials focusing exclusively on combatting rising prices.“They’re ready to cut, just as long as we don’t get an inflation suprise between now and September, which we won't," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. "Better late than never.”Before the Fed's decision, financial market traders had priced in 100% odds that the central bank will reduce its benchmark rate at its Sept. 17-18 meeting,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cmegroup.com/markets/interest-rates/cme-fedwatch-tool.html">according to futures markets</a>. The Fed typically seeks to avoid surprising investors with its rate decisions.Stocks added a bit to earlier gains and Treasury yields eased after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-interest-rates-04d2877f47f3913acc2f992d8ef1581b">the Federal Reserve</a>&nbsp;held its main interest rate at a two-decade high but gave some indication that an easing may soon be on the way. The S&amp;P 500 ended Wednesday up 1.6%.The Fed is seeking to strike a delicate balance: It wants to keep rates high enough for long enough to quell inflation, which has fallen to 2.5% from a peak two years ago of 7.1%, according to its preferred measure. But it also wants to avoid keeping borrowing costs so high that it triggers a recession. So far, it is on track for a so-called “soft landing,” in which inflation falls to 2% without a recession.Yet with the unemployment rate ticking higher for three months in a row, some economists have raised concerns that the Fed should have cut rates Wednesday or should cut them more quickly later this year.“The finish line is in sight and it would be tragic for the Fed to stumble and fall, with one-tenth of a mile left in the marathon, which is what I think they would be doing if they don’t start cutting,” Bharat Ramamurti, an advisor at the American Economic Liberties Project and former economist in the Biden White House, said on a call with reporters.Also Wednesday, three Democratic senators, led by Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts, urged Powell in a letter to cut rates. The letter charged that a failure to reduce borrowing costs soon would suggest the Fed is “giving in to bullying” and would itself be a political move.In the latest piece of good news on price increases, last Friday the government said that yearly inflation&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-d8d44ca753aace952831a8f0cb42b97c">fell to 2.5%</a>&nbsp;in July, according to the Fed’s preferred inflation measure. That is down from 2.6% the previous month and the lowest since February 2021, when inflation was just starting to accelerate.At the same time, the unemployment rate has risen by nearly a half-percentage point this year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-c99bb206d61a2fb2e96156460849d006">to a still-low 4.1%</a>&nbsp;and hiring has slowed. Powell and other Fed officials have highlighted they are increasingly focused on the risk that the job market could falter, another reason markets expect rate cuts soon.The government will issue the latest jobs numbers on Friday, and economists forecast that it will say employers added 175,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate remained 4.1%.The Fed may be among the last of the major central banks to cut its benchmark rate. The European Central Bank reduced borrowing costs in June and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/europe-central-bank-economy-inflation-95fccba0a7daad47f081edb1dbccf437">may do so again in September</a>. The Bank of England meets Thursday and may implement its first cut, though economists think it could also keep rates unchanged.The Bank of Japan is in a different boat, as the country has long sought higher prices after decades of slow deflation. Its inflation rate has moved higher and the Bank of Japan responded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-rates-boj-yen-e00919b053412fabf7a800ed78a9ad7a">earlier Wednesday</a>&nbsp;by increasing its key rate.

🎥Federal Reserve Chair on decision not to cut interest rates

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>&nbsp;

Federal health officials are encouraging farm workers who tend livestock and poultry to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza to help prevent a bird flu mutation that might spark a pandemic in people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would devote up to $5 million to pay for the vaccinations, and that it will rely on states to implement the initiative.

There are 14 known human infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza that resulted from contact with infected dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and all but one has happened in the past four months.

The virus has been circulated by wild birds for more than two years and has sporadically transmitted to domestic birds. A variation of the virus has been infecting U.S. dairy cattle since December, and four people who worked closely with infected cattle also became ill.

In recent weeks, nine people in Colorado who were tasked with culling infected poultry contracted the virus.

The CDC has maintained that the virus’ risk to humans is low — those who have been infected so far had minor symptoms of respiratory illness or pinkeye, or both.

It has not been shown to transmit between people, but the virus has the potential to rapidly gain that ability if it infects someone who also has a seasonal flu virus.

“Such dual infections, while rare, could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between two different influenza viruses,” Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director for the CDC, said in a call with reporters Tuesday.

Shah said that “reassortment” process could pose a “significant public health concern” if bird flu gains the ability to spread person-to-person the way seasonal flu does, potentially resulting in a virus that spreads easily and causes severe symptoms.

Shah said the CDC will devote up to $10 million for farm workers’ health related to avian flu. Half will be spent educating and training farm workers about how to avoid being infected.

The other half will pay for seasonal flu vaccines for an estimated 200,000 farm workers who tend livestock and poultry. The CDC hopes to vaccinate all of them but acknowledges that less than half of the general population typically gets a flu shot.

How the voluntary vaccination effort will proceed is unclear. State health officials are expected to implement them, most immediately in the 13 states that have confirmed infections among cows.

That includes Iowa, where 13 dairy herds have been infected. However, no new infections have been reported in the state in the past month.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722448527185.png" alt="Cow Photo courtesy of Iowa State Dairy Association)." />
 <figcaption>Cow Photo courtesy of Iowa State Dairy Association).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jaredstrong/">JARED STRONG</a>&nbsp;Federal health officials are encouraging farm workers who tend livestock and poultry to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza to help prevent a bird flu mutation that might spark a pandemic in people.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would devote up to $5 million to pay for the vaccinations, and that it will rely on states to implement the initiative.There are 14 known human infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza that resulted from contact with infected dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and all but one has happened in the past four months.The virus has been circulated by wild birds for more than two years and has sporadically transmitted to domestic birds. A variation of the virus has been infecting U.S. dairy cattle since December, and four people who worked closely with infected cattle also became ill.In recent weeks, nine people in Colorado who were tasked with culling infected poultry contracted the virus.The CDC has maintained that the virus’ risk to humans is low — those who have been infected so far had minor symptoms of respiratory illness or pinkeye, or both.It has not been shown to transmit between people, but the virus has the potential to rapidly gain that ability if it infects someone who also has a seasonal flu virus.“Such dual infections, while rare, could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between two different influenza viruses,” Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director for the CDC, said in a call with reporters Tuesday.Shah said that “reassortment” process could pose a “significant public health concern” if bird flu gains the ability to spread person-to-person the way seasonal flu does, potentially resulting in a virus that spreads easily and causes severe symptoms.<h2>A new vaccination campaign</h2>Shah said the CDC will devote up to $10 million for farm workers’ health related to avian flu. Half will be spent educating and training farm workers about how to avoid being infected.The other half will pay for seasonal flu vaccines for an estimated 200,000 farm workers who tend livestock and poultry. The CDC hopes to vaccinate all of them but acknowledges that less than half of the general population typically gets a flu shot.How the voluntary vaccination effort will proceed is unclear. State health officials are expected to implement them, most immediately in the 13 states that have confirmed infections among cows.That includes Iowa, where 13 dairy herds have been infected. However, no new infections have been reported in the state in the past month.A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services — which presumably would coordinate with the CDC — did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.The vaccine will not protect the workers from contracting bird flu, Shah said, nor will it guarantee they won’t be infected by seasonal flu. But he said it’s an important component of the public health response to the new virus’ threat.“The risk here is a theoretical but important risk,” Shah said.<h2>Colorado has most recent infections</h2>The confirmations of new bird flu infections among cattle have waned significantly in most states, except for in Colorado. In the past 30 days, two-thirds of the nation’s 32 newly infected herds were in that state, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.Some of that might be due to Colorado’s&nbsp;<a href="https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/colorado-requiring-dairy-products-to-be-regularly-tested-for-bird-flu-amid-outbreak/" target="_blank">robust testing protocols</a>, but it’s also “a quirk of history and geography,” said Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA.The state has far fewer dairy farms than the leading milk-producing states, but most of them are concentrated in one county.“They are all in very close proximity to one another, and so there is a lot of sharing of equipment, a lot of sharing of personnel and a lot of movement on and off farms to adjacent farms,” Deeble said.The USDA has identified the movement of equipment and people between dairy farms as a primary vector for virus transmissions from herd to herd and from herd to flock.The virus has been identified in 172 dairy herds in the United States this year. Fifty of them are in Colorado. In Texas, where the infections originated, the virus was confirmed in 22 herds, although there were many that went untested because they recovered before bird flu&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/17/two-veterinarians-hundreds-of-miles-apart-solved-a-cow-sickness-whodunit/" target="_blank">was identified</a>&nbsp;as the culprit.This story was originally published by the&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/07/30/worried-about-bird-flu-mutation-feds-seek-livestock-worker-vaccinations/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, a States Newsroom affiliate.&nbsp;