KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.

Just after 6:30a.m. Monday, crews responded to a reported house fire in the 4000 block of E. 70th Street, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

Upon arrival, crews reported smoke and fire showing from a two-story house.

During the primary search of the structure crews found a trapped occupant in the rear of the structure and were quickly able to remove them from the home. 

The occupant was evaluated on scene but refused any additional medical care.&nbsp;&nbsp;No other injuries were reported at this incident, civilian or firefighter, according to Hopkins.

KANSAS CITY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a house fire in Kansas City. Just after 6:30a.m. Monday, crews responded to a reported house fire in the 4000 block of E. 70th Street, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.Upon arrival, crews reported smoke and fire showing from a two-story house.During the primary search of the structure crews found a trapped occupant in the rear of the structure and were quickly able to remove them from the home. The occupant was evaluated on scene but refused any additional medical care.&nbsp;&nbsp;No other injuries were reported at this incident, civilian or firefighter, according to Hopkins.

Crews rescue occupant trapped in Kansas City house fire

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal pedestrian accident in Topeka have identified the victim as 72-year-old Emmett Leatherwood of Topeka.

Just after 6p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a reported injury accident involving a vehicle and pedestrian near the 1900 Block of SE Adams, according to Police LT Jason Schumacher.

American Medical Response transported Leatherwood to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732158195188.png" alt="Police on the scene near the fatal incident.-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene near the fatal incident.-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal pedestrian accident in Topeka have identified the victim as 72-year-old Emmett Leatherwood of Topeka.Just after 6p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a reported injury accident involving a vehicle and pedestrian near the 1900 Block of SE Adams, according to Police LT Jason Schumacher.American Medical Response transported Leatherwood to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

Police release the name of Kan. man who died in pedestrian accident

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a shooting on Halloween that left a 13-year-old boy dead have a second suspect in custody.

On Monday, 19-year-old Jermall Campbell turned himself in, according to the Wichita Police Department.&nbsp;Campbell has been charged with Felony Murder, Aggravated Battery, and multiple counts of Aggravated Assault in connection to the homicide.&nbsp;

Just after 10:30p.m. October 31, police responded to a report of gunfire at the QuikTrip located at Central and Oliver in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.

Officers discovered evidence of a shooting and the convenience store. Simultaneously, a walk-in report was received from a local hospital indicating that a private vehicle had transported victims of this incident for treatment.

The victims included a 15-year-old boy from Wichita, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, and a 13-year-old boy who sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival at the hospital.

Initial investigations reveal that a disturbance occurred in the QuikTrip parking lot, leading to the suspect firing at a crowd, which tragically resulted in injuries to the two victims.

On November 6, police arrested a 19-year-old&nbsp;Carrice Profit, Campbell's cousin in connection with the killing, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.&nbsp;

Profit was charged with 1st degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office..

Campbell is being held on a&nbsp;$1,000,000.00 bond, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732583489717.png" alt="Campbell photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Campbell photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a shooting on Halloween that left a 13-year-old boy dead have a second suspect in custody.On Monday, 19-year-old Jermall Campbell turned himself in, according to the Wichita Police Department.&nbsp;Campbell has been charged with Felony Murder, Aggravated Battery, and multiple counts of Aggravated Assault in connection to the homicide.&nbsp;Just after 10:30p.m. October 31, police responded to a report of gunfire at the QuikTrip located at Central and Oliver in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.Officers discovered evidence of a shooting and the convenience store. Simultaneously, a walk-in report was received from a local hospital indicating that a private vehicle had transported victims of this incident for treatment.The victims included a 15-year-old boy from Wichita, who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg, and a 13-year-old boy who sustained a fatal gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival at the hospital.Initial investigations reveal that a disturbance occurred in the QuikTrip parking lot, leading to the suspect firing at a crowd, which tragically resulted in injuries to the two victims.On November 6, police arrested a 19-year-old&nbsp;Carrice Profit, Campbell's cousin in connection with the killing, according to Wichita Police spokesman Andrew Ford.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730979564649.png" alt="Profit photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Profit photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Profit was charged with 1st degree murder and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office..Campbell is being held on a&nbsp;$1,000,000.00 bond, according to online jail records.

Suspect in Halloween killing of 13-year-old Kan. boy turns himself in

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

The Kansas Highway Patrol apprehended an escaped suspect on Thursday after a hunt in the rural area near Walker.

At about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper observed a silver Honda Pilot traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 at a high rate of speed near Walker, said&nbsp;Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Heilman.

The trooper made a traffic stop and found that a female passenger, 27-year-old Yury Alexandra Agudelo-Forero, had two active warrants out of Colorado for charges of burglary,&nbsp;Heilman said.

The trooper took the suspect into custody, placed her in handcuffs, placed her in the front seat of his vehicle and seatbelted her into the vehicle,&nbsp;Heilman said.

The trooper then returned to the stopped vehicle to assist the other trooper on the scene and assure his safety,&nbsp;Heilman said.

The suspect unbuckled the seatbelt, opened the door and fled,&nbsp;Heilman said.

A search for the suspect ensued, including troopers on the ground and a Kansas Highway Patrol plane in the air.

A witness reported seeing the suspect in a field near Gorham. The suspect, who was still in handcuffs, was taken back into custody without further incident at that location at about 10:05 p.m.,&nbsp;Heilman said.

The suspect was taken to HaysMed for examination because of her exposure to cold weather conditions. She was seen, released by the hospital and booked into the Ellis County Jail.

"No one was in danger of any harm," Heilman said. "She was just trying to get away from us."

Agudelo-Forero was still in custody at the Ellis County Jail as of Monday morning.

Heilman said the burglary case concerning her warrants is still under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732569160168.png" alt="Agudelo-Forero-photo Ellis Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Agudelo-Forero-photo Ellis Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Kansas Highway Patrol apprehended an escaped suspect on Thursday after a hunt in the rural area near Walker.At about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, a Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper observed a silver Honda Pilot traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 at a high rate of speed near Walker, said&nbsp;Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Tod Heilman.The trooper made a traffic stop and found that a female passenger, 27-year-old Yury Alexandra Agudelo-Forero, had two active warrants out of Colorado for charges of burglary,&nbsp;Heilman said.The trooper took the suspect into custody, placed her in handcuffs, placed her in the front seat of his vehicle and seatbelted her into the vehicle,&nbsp;Heilman said.The trooper then returned to the stopped vehicle to assist the other trooper on the scene and assure his safety,&nbsp;Heilman said.The suspect unbuckled the seatbelt, opened the door and fled,&nbsp;Heilman said.A search for the suspect ensued, including troopers on the ground and a Kansas Highway Patrol plane in the air.A witness reported seeing the suspect in a field near Gorham. The suspect, who was still in handcuffs, was taken back into custody without further incident at that location at about 10:05 p.m.,&nbsp;Heilman said.The suspect was taken to HaysMed for examination because of her exposure to cold weather conditions. She was seen, released by the hospital and booked into the Ellis County Jail."No one was in danger of any harm," Heilman said. "She was just trying to get away from us."Agudelo-Forero was still in custody at the Ellis County Jail as of Monday morning.Heilman said the burglary case concerning her warrants is still under investigation.

Kansas Highway Patrol arrests escapee in NW Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/s.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">return to the White House</a>&nbsp;will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">criminal prosecution.</a>&nbsp;Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term.

Trump emerges indisputably victorious, having successfully delayed the investigations through legal maneuvers and then winning re-election despite indictments that described his actions as a threat to the country's constitutional foundations.

“I persevered, against all odds, and WON," Trump exulted in a post on Truth Social, his social media website.

He also said that “these cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.”

The outcome makes it clear that, when it comes to a president and criminal accusations, nothing supersedes the voters' own verdict. In court filings, Smith's team emphasized that the move to end their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief.

“That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” prosecutors said in one of their filings.

They wrote that Trump’s return to the White House “sets at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: on the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law.”

In this situation, “the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” they concluded.

Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.”

Steven Cheung, Trump's incoming White House communications director, said Americans “want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.”

Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will start his second term free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead.

The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat</a>&nbsp;to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters' violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House.

The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial.

The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden.

In asking for the election case to be dismissed, prosecutors requested that Chutkan do it “without prejudice,” raising the possibility that they could try to bring charges against Trump again after he leaves office. But such a move may be barred by the statute of limitations, and Trump may also try to pardon himself while in office.

The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency.

The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.

The case quickly became snarled by delays, with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings.

In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort.

Trump faced two other state prosecutions while running for president. One them, a New York case involving hush money payments,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">resulted in a conviction</a>&nbsp;on felony charges of falsifying business records. It was the first time a former president had been found guilty of a crime.

The sentencing in that case is on hold as Trump's lawyers try to have the conviction dismissed before he takes office, arguing that letting the verdict stand will interfere with his presidential transition and duties.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is fighting the dismissal but has indicated that it would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-case-stormy-daniels-8793ae086092c64325d38a380851e23a">open to delaying sentencing</a>&nbsp;until Trump leaves office. Bragg, a Democrat, has said the solution needs to balance the obligations of the presidency with “the sanctity of the jury verdict."

Trump was also indicted in Georgia along with 18 others accused of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election there.

Any trial appears unlikely there while Trump holds office. The prosecution already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fani-willis-georgia-election-indictment-31ca3234b244126cbe412dc279fd0562">was on hold</a>&nbsp;after an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fani-willis-nathan-wade-trump-indictment-493165c4614761d4b965923696134c09">romantic relationship</a>&nbsp;with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.

Four defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730919256483.png" alt="File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/s.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">return to the White House</a>&nbsp;will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">criminal prosecution.</a>&nbsp;Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term.Trump emerges indisputably victorious, having successfully delayed the investigations through legal maneuvers and then winning re-election despite indictments that described his actions as a threat to the country's constitutional foundations.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">These cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought. Over $100 Million Dollars of Taxpayer Dollars has been wasted in the Democrat Party’s fight against their Political Opponent, ME. Nothing like…&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1861148158128169007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I persevered, against all odds, and WON," Trump exulted in a post on Truth Social, his social media website.He also said that “these cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.”The outcome makes it clear that, when it comes to a president and criminal accusations, nothing supersedes the voters' own verdict. In court filings, Smith's team emphasized that the move to end their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief.“That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” prosecutors said in one of their filings.They wrote that Trump’s return to the White House “sets at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: on the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law.”In this situation, “the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” they concluded.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison. These prosecutions were always political. Now it&#39;s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again. <a href="https://t.co/18dB65naNG">https://t.co/18dB65naNG</a>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1861122371093930365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.”Steven Cheung, Trump's incoming White House communications director, said Americans “want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.”Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will start his second term free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead.The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat</a>&nbsp;to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters' violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House.The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial.The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden.In asking for the election case to be dismissed, prosecutors requested that Chutkan do it “without prejudice,” raising the possibility that they could try to bring charges against Trump again after he leaves office. But such a move may be barred by the statute of limitations, and Trump may also try to pardon himself while in office.The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency.The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.The case quickly became snarled by delays, with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings.In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort.Trump faced two other state prosecutions while running for president. One them, a New York case involving hush money payments,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">resulted in a conviction</a>&nbsp;on felony charges of falsifying business records. It was the first time a former president had been found guilty of a crime.The sentencing in that case is on hold as Trump's lawyers try to have the conviction dismissed before he takes office, arguing that letting the verdict stand will interfere with his presidential transition and duties.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is fighting the dismissal but has indicated that it would be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-case-stormy-daniels-8793ae086092c64325d38a380851e23a">open to delaying sentencing</a>&nbsp;until Trump leaves office. Bragg, a Democrat, has said the solution needs to balance the obligations of the presidency with “the sanctity of the jury verdict."Trump was also indicted in Georgia along with 18 others accused of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election there.Any trial appears unlikely there while Trump holds office. The prosecution already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fani-willis-georgia-election-indictment-31ca3234b244126cbe412dc279fd0562">was on hold</a>&nbsp;after an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fani-willis-nathan-wade-trump-indictment-493165c4614761d4b965923696134c09">romantic relationship</a>&nbsp;with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.Four defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty.

Trump responds after Special Counsel drops cases against him

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a shooting involving an Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who shot and killed a suspect who was armed inside home in Kansas City on Monday, according to a media release from the FBI.

Just after 10a.m., the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was trying to serve a warrant at the residence&nbsp; in the 3000 block of NW 73rd Street.

Law enforcement officers knocked on a door, and when nobody answered, they went inside the home where they encountered the armed suspect, according to the release.

That person was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; The agency did not report any additional injuries. The FBI Inspection Division is investigating the shooting.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732573238997.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a shooting involving an Federal Bureau of Investigation agent who shot and killed a suspect who was armed inside home in Kansas City on Monday, according to a media release from the FBI.Just after 10a.m., the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was trying to serve a warrant at the residence&nbsp; in the 3000 block of NW 73rd Street.Law enforcement officers knocked on a door, and when nobody answered, they went inside the home where they encountered the armed suspect, according to the release.That person was shot and pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; The agency did not report any additional injuries. The FBI Inspection Division is investigating the shooting.&nbsp; Check the Post for additional details as they become available.

Fatal officer shooting during investigation at Kansas City home 

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose Monday, with those benefiting the most from lower interest rates and a stronger economy leading the way.

The S&amp;P 500 climbed 0.3% to pull closer to its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 440 points, or 1%, to its own record set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%.

Treasury yields also eased in the bond market amid what some analysts called a “Bessent bounce” after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasury-trump-biden-finance-elections-bessent-transition-8df8be88e4c83df4b9f3c4238966e79d">Scott Bessent</a>, a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary.

Bessent has argued for reducing the U.S. government’s deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through taxes and other revenue. Such an approach could soothe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-deficit-trump-harris-kamala-debt-1ee3ff65e22ccf19d19b792ee22c46da">worries on Wall Street</a>&nbsp;that Trump’s policies may lead to a much bigger deficit, which in turn would put upward pressure on Treasury yields.

After climbing above 4.44% immediately after Trump’s election, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell back to 4.26% Monday, down from 4.41% late Friday. That’s a notable move, and lower yields make it cheaper for all kinds of companies and households to borrow money. They also give a boost to prices for stocks and other investments.

That helped stocks of smaller companies lead the way, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped 1.5%. It finished just shy of its all-time high, which was set three years ago. Smaller companies can feel bigger boosts from lower borrowing costs because of the need for many to borrow to grow.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks the market’s expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with overnight interest rates, also eased sharply.

The Fed began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-election-inflation-trump-economy-prices-e6b837fd85cff5ad71d4e40939b97237">cutting its main interest rate</a>&nbsp;just a couple months ago from a two-decade high, hoping to keep the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-election-economy-inflation-unemployment-presidential-dcf54cd3b40f01ca78bccf86cd8e13d5">job market humming</a>&nbsp;after bringing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-e4ff4b6745ea1c8badd6a0502f372f25">inflation nearly all the way down</a>&nbsp;to its 2% target. But immediately after Trump’s victory, traders had reduced bets for how many cuts the Fed may deliver next year. They were worried Trump’s preference for lower tax rates and higher spending on the border would balloon the national debt.

A report coming on Wednesday could influence how much the Fed may cut rates. Economists expect it to show that an underlying inflation trend the Fed prefers to use accelerated to 2.8% last month from 2.7% in September. Higher inflation would make the Fed more reluctant to cut rates as deeply or as quickly as it would otherwise.

Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle expects that to slow by the end of next year to 2.4%, but he said inflation would be even lower if not for expected tariff increases on imports from China and autos favored by Trump.

In the stock market,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bath-body-works-retail-consumer-6be086021fb190b678f13263bbd315fc">Bath &amp; Body Works</a>&nbsp;jumped 16.5% after delivering stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The seller of personal care products and home fragrances also raised its financial forecasts for the full year, even though it still sees a “volatile retail environment” and a shorter holiday shopping season this year.

Much focus has been on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. Last week, two major retailers sent mixed messages.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/target-third-quarter-earnings-inflation-3d089d122d04937ac700cfcf70619f4c">Target tumbled</a>&nbsp;after giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/walmart-third-quarter-earnings-economy-inflation-ca8742036a5d077a172e864b5186e1b5">Walmart</a>, which gave a much more encouraging outlook.

Another big retailer, Macy’s, said Monday its sales for the latest quarter were in line with its expectations, but it will delay the release of its full financial results. It found a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/macys-accounting-quarter-b1cb0927d9b6a58ee4396838df7973c9">single employee had intentionally hid up to $154 million in delivery expenses,</a>&nbsp;and it needs more time to complete its investigation.

Among the market’s leaders were several companies related to the housing industry. Monday’s drop in Treasury yields could translate into easier mortgage rates, which could spur activity for housing. Builders FirstSource, a supplier or building materials, rose 5.9%. Homebuilders, D.R. Horton, PulteGroup and Lennar all rose at least 5.6%.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 18.03 points to 5,987.37. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 440.06 to 44,736.57, and the Nasdaq composite gained 51.18 to 19,054.84.

In stock markets abroad, indexes moved modestly across much of Europe after finishing mixed in Asia.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose Monday, with those benefiting the most from lower interest rates and a stronger economy leading the way.The S&amp;P 500 climbed 0.3% to pull closer to its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 440 points, or 1%, to its own record set on Friday, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.3%.Treasury yields also eased in the bond market amid what some analysts called a “Bessent bounce” after President-elect Donald Trump said he wants&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/treasury-trump-biden-finance-elections-bessent-transition-8df8be88e4c83df4b9f3c4238966e79d">Scott Bessent</a>, a hedge fund manager, to be his Treasury Secretary.Bessent has argued for reducing the U.S. government’s deficit, which is how much more it spends than it takes in through taxes and other revenue. Such an approach could soothe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/budget-deficit-trump-harris-kamala-debt-1ee3ff65e22ccf19d19b792ee22c46da">worries on Wall Street</a>&nbsp;that Trump’s policies may lead to a much bigger deficit, which in turn would put upward pressure on Treasury yields.After climbing above 4.44% immediately after Trump’s election, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell back to 4.26% Monday, down from 4.41% late Friday. That’s a notable move, and lower yields make it cheaper for all kinds of companies and households to borrow money. They also give a boost to prices for stocks and other investments.That helped stocks of smaller companies lead the way, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped 1.5%. It finished just shy of its all-time high, which was set three years ago. Smaller companies can feel bigger boosts from lower borrowing costs because of the need for many to borrow to grow.The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks the market’s expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with overnight interest rates, also eased sharply.The Fed began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-election-inflation-trump-economy-prices-e6b837fd85cff5ad71d4e40939b97237">cutting its main interest rate</a>&nbsp;just a couple months ago from a two-decade high, hoping to keep the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-election-economy-inflation-unemployment-presidential-dcf54cd3b40f01ca78bccf86cd8e13d5">job market humming</a>&nbsp;after bringing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-e4ff4b6745ea1c8badd6a0502f372f25">inflation nearly all the way down</a>&nbsp;to its 2% target. But immediately after Trump’s victory, traders had reduced bets for how many cuts the Fed may deliver next year. They were worried Trump’s preference for lower tax rates and higher spending on the border would balloon the national debt.A report coming on Wednesday could influence how much the Fed may cut rates. Economists expect it to show that an underlying inflation trend the Fed prefers to use accelerated to 2.8% last month from 2.7% in September. Higher inflation would make the Fed more reluctant to cut rates as deeply or as quickly as it would otherwise.Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle expects that to slow by the end of next year to 2.4%, but he said inflation would be even lower if not for expected tariff increases on imports from China and autos favored by Trump.In the stock market,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bath-body-works-retail-consumer-6be086021fb190b678f13263bbd315fc">Bath &amp; Body Works</a>&nbsp;jumped 16.5% after delivering stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The seller of personal care products and home fragrances also raised its financial forecasts for the full year, even though it still sees a “volatile retail environment” and a shorter holiday shopping season this year.Much focus has been on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. Last week, two major retailers sent mixed messages.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/target-third-quarter-earnings-inflation-3d089d122d04937ac700cfcf70619f4c">Target tumbled</a>&nbsp;after giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/walmart-third-quarter-earnings-economy-inflation-ca8742036a5d077a172e864b5186e1b5">Walmart</a>, which gave a much more encouraging outlook.Another big retailer, Macy’s, said Monday its sales for the latest quarter were in line with its expectations, but it will delay the release of its full financial results. It found a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/macys-accounting-quarter-b1cb0927d9b6a58ee4396838df7973c9">single employee had intentionally hid up to $154 million in delivery expenses,</a>&nbsp;and it needs more time to complete its investigation.Macy’s stock fell 2.2%.Among the market’s leaders were several companies related to the housing industry. Monday’s drop in Treasury yields could translate into easier mortgage rates, which could spur activity for housing. Builders FirstSource, a supplier or building materials, rose 5.9%. Homebuilders, D.R. Horton, PulteGroup and Lennar all rose at least 5.6%.All told, the S&amp;P 500 rose 18.03 points to 5,987.37. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 440.06 to 44,736.57, and the Nasdaq composite gained 51.18 to 19,054.84.In stock markets abroad, indexes moved modestly across much of Europe after finishing mixed in Asia.

Dow hits another record as stocks rise

WASHINGTON (AP) —A California infant has died and at least 10 other people have been sickened in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that include chicken feet, duck neck, beef shank and pork hock, federal health officials reported Friday.

<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/Recall-030-2024-EXP-Product-List.pdf">Click here to view the full product list</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/food_label_pdf/2024-11/Recall-030-2024-EXP-Labels.pdf">Click herre to view labels</a>.

Yu Shang Food, Inc., of Spartanburg, South Carolina,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/yu-shang-food-inc--recalls-ready-eat-meat-and-poultry-products-due-possible-0" target="_blank">has recalled</a>&nbsp;more than 72,000 pounds of meat and poultry products tied to the outbreak, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Some products were initially recalled on Nov. 9.

The foods were shipped to retail locations nationwide and available online, and illnesses have been reported in four states. The problem was discovered in October after routine tests detected listeria in the foods and the production environment.

Of the 11 people sickened, nine were hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said. A California woman who was pregnant with twins was sickened and both infants died, the CDC said, but listeria was only found in a sample from one of the infants, so that child and the mother were included in the count but the other infant wasn’t.

Interviews with people who were sickened and laboratory findings pointed to the Yu Shang Food products.

Although the foods have been recalled, some may still be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. The products should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase. Refrigerators, containers and other surfaces that may have touched the foods should be cleaned and sanitized.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcdonalds-boars-head-ecoli-listeria-food-safety-1256564e2ec8baf6a96b27c7102e833e">People get sick with listeria poisoning</a>&nbsp;when they eat foods contaminated with the bacteria. Symptoms can be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious illness can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.

Listeria poisoning is tricky, because symptoms can start quickly, within a few hours or days after eating contaminated food. But they also can take weeks or up to three months to show up. Those most vulnerable to getting sick include the very young, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.

A different listeria outbreak tied to recalled Boar’s Head deli meats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boars-head-deli-meat-listeria-208ee7005b36ba17242fc4872746b268">has ended, CDC officials said this week</a>. That outbreak killed 10 people this summer and sickened dozens of others.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732538527724.png" alt="Images from the FDA" />
 <figcaption>Images from the FDA</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —A California infant has died and at least 10 other people have been sickened in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry products that include chicken feet, duck neck, beef shank and pork hock, federal health officials reported Friday.<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media_file/documents/Recall-030-2024-EXP-Product-List.pdf">Click here to view the full product list</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/food_label_pdf/2024-11/Recall-030-2024-EXP-Labels.pdf">Click herre to view labels</a>.Yu Shang Food, Inc., of Spartanburg, South Carolina,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls-alerts/yu-shang-food-inc--recalls-ready-eat-meat-and-poultry-products-due-possible-0" target="_blank">has recalled</a>&nbsp;more than 72,000 pounds of meat and poultry products tied to the outbreak, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department. Some products were initially recalled on Nov. 9.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732538552072.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The foods were shipped to retail locations nationwide and available online, and illnesses have been reported in four states. The problem was discovered in October after routine tests detected listeria in the foods and the production environment.Of the 11 people sickened, nine were hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control said. A California woman who was pregnant with twins was sickened and both infants died, the CDC said, but listeria was only found in a sample from one of the infants, so that child and the mother were included in the count but the other infant wasn’t.Interviews with people who were sickened and laboratory findings pointed to the Yu Shang Food products.Although the foods have been recalled, some may still be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers. The products should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase. Refrigerators, containers and other surfaces that may have touched the foods should be cleaned and sanitized.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcdonalds-boars-head-ecoli-listeria-food-safety-1256564e2ec8baf6a96b27c7102e833e">People get sick with listeria poisoning</a>&nbsp;when they eat foods contaminated with the bacteria. Symptoms can be mild and include fever, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. More serious illness can include headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.Listeria poisoning is tricky, because symptoms can start quickly, within a few hours or days after eating contaminated food. But they also can take weeks or up to three months to show up. Those most vulnerable to getting sick include the very young, people older than 65 and those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.A different listeria outbreak tied to recalled Boar’s Head deli meats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boars-head-deli-meat-listeria-208ee7005b36ba17242fc4872746b268">has ended, CDC officials said this week</a>. That outbreak killed 10 people this summer and sickened dozens of others.<h2>___</h2>The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Infant dead, others sick in listeria outbreak tied to ready-to-eat meat and poultry

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden kicked off his final holiday season at the White House on Monday by issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in southern Minnesota.

The 82-year-old president welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles.

“It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on Jan. 20, 2025. That’s when power will transfer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, the man that Biden defeated four years ago and was battling again until he was pressured to bow out of the race amid concerns about his age and viability.

Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president’s home state of Delaware.

“The peach pie in my state is one of my favorites,” he said during remarks that were occasionally interrupted by Peach gobbling atop the table to Biden’s right. “Peach is making a last-minute plea,” Biden said at one point, drawing laughter from an overflow crowd that included Cabinet members, White House staff and their families, and students from 4H programs and Future Farmers of America chapters.

Peach and Blossom came from the farm of John Zimmerman, near the southern Minnesota city of Northfield. Zimmerman, who has raised about 4 million turkeys, is president of the National Turkey Federation, the group that has gifted U.S. presidents Thanksgiving turkeys since the Truman administration after World War II. President Harry Truman, however, preferred to eat the birds. Official pardon ceremonies did not become an annual White House tradition until the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1989.

With their presidential reprieve, Peach and Blossom will live out their days at Farmamerica, an agriculture interpretative center near Waseca in southern Minnesota. The center’s aim is to promote agriculture and educate future farmers and others about agriculture in America.

Later Monday, first lady Jill Biden will receive delivery of the official White House Christmas tree that will be on display in the Blue Room. Then the Bidens will travel to New York City for an evening “Friendsgiving” event at a Coast Guard station on Staten Island.

___ Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville in Washington and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732554053457.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden kicked off his final holiday season at the White House on Monday by issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in southern Minnesota.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Join me as I pardon the National Thanksgiving Turkey in a ceremony on the South Lawn. <a href="https://t.co/Ca54auHIgX">https://t.co/Ca54auHIgX</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1861078769647173867?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The 82-year-old president welcomed 2,500 guests to the South Lawn under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom” and sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency after a half-century in Washington power circles.“It’s been the honor of my life. I’m forever grateful,” Biden said, taking note of his impending departure on Jan. 20, 2025. That’s when power will transfer to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, the man that Biden defeated four years ago and was battling again until he was pressured to bow out of the race amid concerns about his age and viability.Biden relished the brief ceremony with the pardoned turkeys, named for the official flower of the president’s home state of Delaware.“The peach pie in my state is one of my favorites,” he said during remarks that were occasionally interrupted by Peach gobbling atop the table to Biden’s right. “Peach is making a last-minute plea,” Biden said at one point, drawing laughter from an overflow crowd that included Cabinet members, White House staff and their families, and students from 4H programs and Future Farmers of America chapters.Peach and Blossom came from the farm of John Zimmerman, near the southern Minnesota city of Northfield. Zimmerman, who has raised about 4 million turkeys, is president of the National Turkey Federation, the group that has gifted U.S. presidents Thanksgiving turkeys since the Truman administration after World War II. President Harry Truman, however, preferred to eat the birds. Official pardon ceremonies did not become an annual White House tradition until the administration of President George H.W. Bush in 1989.With their presidential reprieve, Peach and Blossom will live out their days at Farmamerica, an agriculture interpretative center near Waseca in southern Minnesota. The center’s aim is to promote agriculture and educate future farmers and others about agriculture in America.Later Monday, first lady Jill Biden will receive delivery of the official White House Christmas tree that will be on display in the Blue Room. Then the Bidens will travel to New York City for an evening “Friendsgiving” event at a Coast Guard station on Staten Island.___ Associated Press reporters Darlene Superville in Washington and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed.

🎥Biden pardons the last Thanksgiving turkeys of his presidency

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for alleged theft and forgery.

On November 22, the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office arrested Jessica R. Bennett, 38, of Topeka following an investigation regarding felony theft of checks. 

Bennett was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Forgery and Theft by deception

The Topeka Police Department assisted. This incident is still under investigation. The sheriff's office reminded the public, "we understand that this is a very busy time of year. Pay extra attention to your surroundings and personal belongings."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732380183179.png" alt="Bennett photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Bennett photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for alleged theft and forgery.On November 22, the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office arrested Jessica R. Bennett, 38, of Topeka following an investigation regarding felony theft of checks. Bennett was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Forgery and Theft by deceptionThe Topeka Police Department assisted. This incident is still under investigation. The sheriff's office reminded the public, "we understand that this is a very busy time of year. Pay extra attention to your surroundings and personal belongings."

Kansas woman accused of forgery using stolen checks 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/s.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">return to the White House</a>&nbsp;will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term.

In court filings, Smith's team emphasized that the move to abandon their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief.

“That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” the prosecutors wrote in one of their filings.

Steven Cheung, Trump's incoming White House communications director, welcomed the decision to drop the prosecutions against the president-elect, describing it as a “major victory for the rule of law.”

"The American People and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country,” Cheung said in a statement.

Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will re-enter the White House free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714517455009.png" alt="File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/s.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2">return to the White House</a>&nbsp;will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732563427933.png" alt="Trump" />
 <figcaption>Trump</figcaption>
 </figure>The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison. These prosecutions were always political. Now it&#39;s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again. <a href="https://t.co/18dB65naNG">https://t.co/18dB65naNG</a>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/1861122371093930365?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In court filings, Smith's team emphasized that the move to abandon their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief.“That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” the prosecutors wrote in one of their filings.Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.”Steven Cheung, Trump's incoming White House communications director, welcomed the decision to drop the prosecutions against the president-elect, describing it as a “major victory for the rule of law.”"The American People and President Trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country,” Cheung said in a statement.Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will re-enter the White House free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead.The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat</a>&nbsp;to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters' violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House.The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial.The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden.The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency.The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.The case quickly became snarled by delays, with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings.In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort.

Justice Dept. ending election interference, classified docs cases against Trump

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal hit-and-run crash have identified the driver who died as 44-year-old Terrell A. Willams, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.

Just before 9:30p.m. Tuesday, a silver Chevrolet Cruz was southbound on 71 Highway at a high rate of speed, according to KCPD&nbsp;&nbsp;Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

The Chevrolet rear-ended a Chrysler 200 that was stopped for the red traffic control signal at 59th and 71 Highway. 

The unrestrained driver of the Chrysler, later identified as Williams was pronounced deceased at the scene. The unrestrained front seat passenger of the Chevrolet was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries and was reported in critical condition, according to DiMartino. 

The driver and rear seat passenger of the Chevrolet ran from the crash the scene. 

This is fatality #83 compared to #89 at this time last year in KCMO, according to DiMartino. Police have not released the names of those involved or additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732114105245.png" alt="Police on the scene of the crash -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the crash -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal hit-and-run crash have identified the driver who died as 44-year-old Terrell A. Willams, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.Just before 9:30p.m. Tuesday, a silver Chevrolet Cruz was southbound on 71 Highway at a high rate of speed, according to KCPD&nbsp;&nbsp;Sergeant Phil DiMartino.The Chevrolet rear-ended a Chrysler 200 that was stopped for the red traffic control signal at 59th and 71 Highway. The unrestrained driver of the Chrysler, later identified as Williams was pronounced deceased at the scene. The unrestrained front seat passenger of the Chevrolet was transported to a local hospital with critical injuries and was reported in critical condition, according to DiMartino. The driver and rear seat passenger of the Chevrolet ran from the crash the scene. This is fatality #83 compared to #89 at this time last year in KCMO, according to DiMartino. Police have not released the names of those involved or additional details.

KCPD IDs victim after driver, passenger ran from fatal crash

JOHNSON COUNTY—A suspect accused in a sex assault and robbery made his first court appearance.

A man has been charged after a sexual assault Tuesday in Overland Park, Kansas.

On Nov. 21, Gabriel Pascaul Hernandez, 37, was charged with rape, two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated burglary and theft, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

The incident occurred&nbsp; just after 2:30a.m. November 19, in a home near W. 97th Street and Reeder in Overland Park, according to Overland Park Police Officer John Lacy.

The victim did not know the suspect but was able to provide a description as a stocky build, clean-shaven, late twenties to early thirties man. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a black beanie-style cap.

EMS transported the victim to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Overland Park Police Department, with the assistance of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department arrested the suspect.

Hernandez is due back in court December 5, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732041800750.png" alt="Photo Overland Park Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Overland Park Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—A suspect accused in a sex assault and robbery made his first court appearance.A man has been charged after a sexual assault Tuesday in Overland Park, Kansas.On Nov. 21, Gabriel Pascaul Hernandez, 37, was charged with rape, two counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated burglary and theft, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732275700821.png" alt="Hernandez-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hernandez-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The incident occurred&nbsp; just after 2:30a.m. November 19, in a home near W. 97th Street and Reeder in Overland Park, according to Overland Park Police Officer John Lacy.The victim did not know the suspect but was able to provide a description as a stocky build, clean-shaven, late twenties to early thirties man. He was last seen wearing a black jacket with a black beanie-style cap.EMS transported the victim to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.The Overland Park Police Department, with the assistance of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department arrested the suspect.Hernandez is due back in court December 5, according to online jail records.

Suspect charged in sex assault, robbery at Kansas home

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Just as there are good odds the turkey will taste dry, airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/thanksgiving">during Thanksgiving</a>&nbsp;week, a holiday period likely to end in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/summer-travel-airlines-tsa-bbd1f1dfb4b83466f66954134db8684a">another record day</a>&nbsp;for air travel in the United States.

The people responsible for keeping security lines,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-airlines-gate-lice-boarding-technology-907dfe7a751a0b8f19b8b0f6150c0b7b">boarding areas</a>&nbsp;and jetliners moving — from the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/buttigieg-airlines-regulations-trump-delta-southwest-e597e66af74f945e51fe71dc990248eb">transportation secretary and airline chiefs</a>&nbsp;on down the line — swear they are prepared for the crowds.

But a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-airport-workers-strike-3a00ed15aedfdd8b5e2383feab53cb5a">strike by service workers in Charlotte Douglas International Airport</a>&nbsp;threatens a hub in the Carolinas.

Airline passengers might get lucky like they did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thanksgiving-record-flights-travel-8f929993a5aa5c7e8c37c1af03e7265f">last year</a>, when relatively few flights were canceled during the holiday week. A repeat will require&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/northern-california-storm-rain-flooding-snow-590bac4e27f5ef91f3580561625d0f24">the weather's</a>&nbsp;cooperation. And even if skies are blue, a shortage of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-air-traffic-controllers-fatigue-aec011887fec03a8f2132bc1b66411e2">air traffic controllers</a>&nbsp;could create delays.

Auto club and insurance company AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday. Most of them will travel by car.

Drivers should get a slight break on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-prices-gasoline-israel-iran-6fb7f2e57072a09287374d67b4fda16a">gas prices</a>. The nationwide average price for gasoline was $3.06 a gallon on Sunday, down from $3.27 at this time last year.

The Transportation Security Administration expects&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/facial-recognition-tsa-airport-security-privacy-7b97462591c49184d1cb19cda9c95211">to screen</a>&nbsp;18.3 million people at U.S. airports during the same seven-day stretch. That would be 6% more than during the corresponding days last year but fit a pattern set throughout 2024.

The TSA predicts that 3 million people will pass through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/airport-security">airport security</a>&nbsp;checkpoints on Sunday; more than that could break the record of 3.01 million set on the Sunday after the July Fourth holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the next-busiest air travel days of Thanksgiving week.

“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “Fortunately, our staffing is also at the highest levels that they have ever been. We are ready.”

Pekoske said TSA will have enough screeners to keep general security lines under 30 minutes and lines for people who pay extra for PreCheck under 10 minutes.

Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport walked off the job to protest what they call unlivable wages.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials have said this holiday travel season is expected to be the busiest on record, with an estimated 1.02 million passengers departing the airport between last Thursday and the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Several hundred workers were expected to walk off the job and continue the work stoppage throughout Monday.

FAA staffing shortage could create delays

However, an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers could cause flight delays.

Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expects his agency to use special measures to deal with shortages at some facilities. In the past, that has included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-limits-new-york-flights-6992dfe968891b414901f5bd2fef9de7">airports in New York City</a>&nbsp;and Florida.

“If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” Whitaker said.

The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of controllers that airline officials expect will last for years, despite the agency's lofty hiring goals.

Thanksgiving Day takes place late this year, with the fourth Thursday of November falling on Nov. 28. That shortens the traditional shopping season and changes the rhythm of holiday travel.

With more time before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thanksgiving-grocery-prices-turkey-walmart-target-f1850209ebeac7d768efc4717efc57e5">the holiday</a>, people tend to spread out their outbound travel over more days, but everyone returns at the same time, said Andrew Watterson, the chief operating officer of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/southwest-airlines-co-dallas-national-ccd54018a9894e92bd3a651550177fb2">Southwest Airlines</a>.

“A late Thanksgiving leads to a big crush at the end — the Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving are usually very busy with Thanksgiving this late," Watterson said.

Airlines did a relatively good job of handling holiday crowds last year, when the weather was mild in most of the country. Fewer than 400 U.S. flights were canceled during Thanksgiving week in 2023 — about one of every 450 flights. So far in 2024, airlines have canceled about 1.3% of all flights.

The rise of remote work also has caused the Thanksgiving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-health-covid-business-50228cd2965b7f7d2f2a526249df62a5">travel period to expand</a>, AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said.

“The pandemic changed everything,” she said. “What we have seen is that post-pandemic, people are leaving at certain times, perhaps even leaving the weekend before Thanksgiving, working remotely from their destination a couple of days, and then enjoying time with their loved ones.”

Nightmares of Thanksgivings past have further shaped holiday traffic jams. Motorists who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thanksgiving-travel-tips-e2d9d9eb61dd0b1591560ff89b3e3c5e">learned to avoid</a>&nbsp;traveling the day before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving have created new bottlenecks on other days, according to Diaz.

“Because we warned for so long (that) Wednesday and Sunday are the worst days to travel, people were like, ‘OK, I’m going to leave on Tuesday and come back on Monday to avoid the rush,’" she said. “So now those two days are congested as well.”

Airport security officials are pleading with passengers to arrive early, not to put lithium-ion batteries in checked bags in case they overheat, and to keep guns out of carry-on bags. TSA has discovered more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-congresswoman-victoria-spartz-airport-firearm-charged-c0684e073b347f8ee5499c12675dc292">6,000 guns at checkpoints</a>&nbsp;this year, and most of them were loaded.

Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas bring out many infrequent travelers, and they often have questions about what they can bring on the plane.

TSA has a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all">list on its website</a>&nbsp;of items that are banned or restricted.

Drivers should know that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the worst times to travel by car, but it should be smooth sailing on freeways come Thanksgiving Day, according to transportation analytics company INRIX.

On the return home, the best travel times for motorists are before 1 p.m. on Sunday, and before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on Monday, the company said.

In metropolitan areas like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, “traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day,” INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732540283441.png" alt="Image courtesy TSA" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy TSA</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Just as there are good odds the turkey will taste dry, airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/thanksgiving">during Thanksgiving</a>&nbsp;week, a holiday period likely to end in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/summer-travel-airlines-tsa-bbd1f1dfb4b83466f66954134db8684a">another record day</a>&nbsp;for air travel in the United States.The people responsible for keeping security lines,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-airlines-gate-lice-boarding-technology-907dfe7a751a0b8f19b8b0f6150c0b7b">boarding areas</a>&nbsp;and jetliners moving — from the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/buttigieg-airlines-regulations-trump-delta-southwest-e597e66af74f945e51fe71dc990248eb">transportation secretary and airline chiefs</a>&nbsp;on down the line — swear they are prepared for the crowds.But a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-airport-workers-strike-3a00ed15aedfdd8b5e2383feab53cb5a">strike by service workers in Charlotte Douglas International Airport</a>&nbsp;threatens a hub in the Carolinas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732540863185.png" alt="Photo TSA" />
 <figcaption>Photo TSA</figcaption>
 </figure>Airline passengers might get lucky like they did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thanksgiving-record-flights-travel-8f929993a5aa5c7e8c37c1af03e7265f">last year</a>, when relatively few flights were canceled during the holiday week. A repeat will require&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/northern-california-storm-rain-flooding-snow-590bac4e27f5ef91f3580561625d0f24">the weather's</a>&nbsp;cooperation. And even if skies are blue, a shortage of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-air-traffic-controllers-fatigue-aec011887fec03a8f2132bc1b66411e2">air traffic controllers</a>&nbsp;could create delays.<h2>Thanksgiving, by the numbers</h2>Auto club and insurance company AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday. Most of them will travel by car.Drivers should get a slight break on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-prices-gasoline-israel-iran-6fb7f2e57072a09287374d67b4fda16a">gas prices</a>. The nationwide average price for gasoline was $3.06 a gallon on Sunday, down from $3.27 at this time last year.The Transportation Security Administration expects&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/facial-recognition-tsa-airport-security-privacy-7b97462591c49184d1cb19cda9c95211">to screen</a>&nbsp;18.3 million people at U.S. airports during the same seven-day stretch. That would be 6% more than during the corresponding days last year but fit a pattern set throughout 2024.The TSA predicts that 3 million people will pass through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/airport-security">airport security</a>&nbsp;checkpoints on Sunday; more than that could break the record of 3.01 million set on the Sunday after the July Fourth holiday. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the next-busiest air travel days of Thanksgiving week.<h2>TSA says it's ready</h2>“This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said. “Fortunately, our staffing is also at the highest levels that they have ever been. We are ready.”Pekoske said TSA will have enough screeners to keep general security lines under 30 minutes and lines for people who pay extra for PreCheck under 10 minutes.<h2>“Strikesgiving”</h2>Service workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport walked off the job to protest what they call unlivable wages.Charlotte Douglas International Airport officials have said this holiday travel season is expected to be the busiest on record, with an estimated 1.02 million passengers departing the airport between last Thursday and the Monday after Thanksgiving.Several hundred workers were expected to walk off the job and continue the work stoppage throughout Monday.<h2>FAA staffing shortage could create delays</h2>However, an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers could cause flight delays.Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker said last week that he expects his agency to use special measures to deal with shortages at some facilities. In the past, that has included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-limits-new-york-flights-6992dfe968891b414901f5bd2fef9de7">airports in New York City</a>&nbsp;and Florida.“If we are short on staff, we will slow traffic as needed to keep the system safe,” Whitaker said.The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of controllers that airline officials expect will last for years, despite the agency's lofty hiring goals.<h2>Timing of holiday shapes travel patterns</h2>Thanksgiving Day takes place late this year, with the fourth Thursday of November falling on Nov. 28. That shortens the traditional shopping season and changes the rhythm of holiday travel.With more time before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thanksgiving-grocery-prices-turkey-walmart-target-f1850209ebeac7d768efc4717efc57e5">the holiday</a>, people tend to spread out their outbound travel over more days, but everyone returns at the same time, said Andrew Watterson, the chief operating officer of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/southwest-airlines-co-dallas-national-ccd54018a9894e92bd3a651550177fb2">Southwest Airlines</a>.“A late Thanksgiving leads to a big crush at the end — the Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving are usually very busy with Thanksgiving this late," Watterson said.Airlines did a relatively good job of handling holiday crowds last year, when the weather was mild in most of the country. Fewer than 400 U.S. flights were canceled during Thanksgiving week in 2023 — about one of every 450 flights. So far in 2024, airlines have canceled about 1.3% of all flights.<h2>Combining work and leisure</h2>The rise of remote work also has caused the Thanksgiving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/travel-health-covid-business-50228cd2965b7f7d2f2a526249df62a5">travel period to expand</a>, AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said.“The pandemic changed everything,” she said. “What we have seen is that post-pandemic, people are leaving at certain times, perhaps even leaving the weekend before Thanksgiving, working remotely from their destination a couple of days, and then enjoying time with their loved ones.”Nightmares of Thanksgivings past have further shaped holiday traffic jams. Motorists who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/thanksgiving-travel-tips-e2d9d9eb61dd0b1591560ff89b3e3c5e">learned to avoid</a>&nbsp;traveling the day before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving have created new bottlenecks on other days, according to Diaz.“Because we warned for so long (that) Wednesday and Sunday are the worst days to travel, people were like, ‘OK, I’m going to leave on Tuesday and come back on Monday to avoid the rush,’" she said. “So now those two days are congested as well.”<h2>Advice for travelers</h2>Airport security officials are pleading with passengers to arrive early, not to put lithium-ion batteries in checked bags in case they overheat, and to keep guns out of carry-on bags. TSA has discovered more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-congresswoman-victoria-spartz-airport-firearm-charged-c0684e073b347f8ee5499c12675dc292">6,000 guns at checkpoints</a>&nbsp;this year, and most of them were loaded.Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas bring out many infrequent travelers, and they often have questions about what they can bring on the plane.TSA has a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all">list on its website</a>&nbsp;of items that are banned or restricted.Drivers should know that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the worst times to travel by car, but it should be smooth sailing on freeways come Thanksgiving Day, according to transportation analytics company INRIX.On the return home, the best travel times for motorists are before 1 p.m. on Sunday, and before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on Monday, the company said.In metropolitan areas like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle and Washington, “traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day,” INRIX transportation analyst Bob Pishue said.

‘Busiest Thanksgiving ever’: How the TSA plans to handle record air travel

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Sunday in Kansas City.

Investigators determined, an ambulance was south on Broadway at West 32nd Street when an ATV, with no headlights, appeared on the roadway doing "tricks," according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

The driver of the ATV accelerated and lost control and crashed into the ambulance. The ATV driver was ejected off the vehicle and was struck by the ambulance. 

The ATV driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and front passenger in the ambulance were not injured. The patient in the back of the ambulance was not injured in the crash. Another ambulance responded and completed the patient transport. This is fatality #86 in KCMO if 2024, according to DiMartino.

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 3:30a.m. Sunday in Kansas City.Investigators determined, an ambulance was south on Broadway at West 32nd Street when an ATV, with no headlights, appeared on the roadway doing "tricks," according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.The driver of the ATV accelerated and lost control and crashed into the ambulance. The ATV driver was ejected off the vehicle and was struck by the ambulance. The ATV driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and front passenger in the ambulance were not injured. The patient in the back of the ambulance was not injured in the crash. Another ambulance responded and completed the patient transport. This is fatality #86 in KCMO if 2024, according to DiMartino.

ATV driver dies after crash with ambulance transporting a patient

NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara Taylor Bradford, a British journalist who became a publishing sensation in her 40s with the saga "A Woman of Substance" and wrote more than a dozen other novels that sold tens of millions of copies, has died. She was 91.

Bradford died Sunday at her home in New York City, a spokesperson said Monday.

Starting with "A Woman of Substance," published in 1979, Bradford averaged nearly a book a year as one of the world's most popular and wealthiest writers, her net worth estimated at more than $200 million and her fame so high that her image appeared on a postage stamp in 1999. In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II awarded her an OBE (The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).

Her books were published in 40 languages and sold more than 90 million copies around the world.

With titles like “Breaking the Rules'' and ”Act of Will,'' she specialized in stories of women fighting for love and power in a man's world. Her favorite among her books was "The Women In His Life," inspired by her husband's escape from the Nazis

Bradford was married for 56 years to German-born film producer Robert Bradford, who died in 2019.

A native of Leeds, West Yorkshire, she was an only child in a working class family who loved books early. As a girl, she had a story published in a local magazine. By age 16, she left school against her parents' wishes to become a reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Over the next 30 years, she would work as fashion editor of Woman's Own Magazine, cover a variety of beats for the London Evening News and, in the United States, write a syndicated column about interior design.

Although she wrote children's stories and advice books, novels were her dream. "A Woman of Substance" was a multi-generational chronicle of the travails and triumphs of retail baron Emma Harte, who would be featured in several other Bradford novels. The book has sold more than 30 million copies and was the basis of a 1984 television miniseries starring Jenny Seagrove as a young Emma and Deborah Kerr as Emma late in life.

“And if you want to meet the real Emma, meet me,” Bradford told the Telegraph of London in 2009. "Emma had to be tough and ruthless at times: but then so am I. I have to be, as a businesswoman. And I'm a bloody good businesswoman."

Bradford and Emma Harte were linked by more than money: both had family secrets. As a young woman, Emma became pregnant by a man who refused to marry her and gave birth to a daughter. Years later, Bradford learned through her biographer that her own mother had been born out of wedlock. It is now believed that Bradford’s maternal grandfather was Frederick Oliver Robinson, the second Marquess of Ripon and the owner of the Studley Royal estate.

Seagrove, who became friends with Bradford after starring in the miniseries, described her as a “powerhouse of glamour and warmth” and a “force of nature” who stayed true to her roots.

“Success never diluted her warmth and humor or her ability to relate to everyone she met, whether a cleaner or a princess,” Seagrove said. "She never, ever forgot that she was just a girl from Yorkshire that worked hard and made good. RIP dear friend.”

Bradford had a strict writing routine: at work behind her IBM Lexmark typewriter by 6 a.m., break around 1 p.m., then back to writing until 6 p.m., at the latest. According to an authorized 2006 biography, Piers Dudgeon's "The Woman of Substance," Bradford more than adapted to her midlife fortune, living in a 5,300 square foot apartment overlooking Manhattan's East River, collecting Impressionist art and enjoying refills of pink champagne poured by her Moroccan butler. When the Bradfords put their apartment up for sale in 2010, the asking price was just under $19 million. (They sold it to Uma Thurman in 2013 for $10 million).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732533691627.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Barbara Taylor Bradford, a British journalist who became a publishing sensation in her 40s with the saga "A Woman of Substance" and wrote more than a dozen other novels that sold tens of millions of copies, has died. She was 91.Bradford died Sunday at her home in New York City, a spokesperson said Monday.Starting with "A Woman of Substance," published in 1979, Bradford averaged nearly a book a year as one of the world's most popular and wealthiest writers, her net worth estimated at more than $200 million and her fame so high that her image appeared on a postage stamp in 1999. In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II awarded her an OBE (The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).Her books were published in 40 languages and sold more than 90 million copies around the world.With titles like “Breaking the Rules'' and ”Act of Will,'' she specialized in stories of women fighting for love and power in a man's world. Her favorite among her books was "The Women In His Life," inspired by her husband's escape from the NazisBradford was married for 56 years to German-born film producer Robert Bradford, who died in 2019.A native of Leeds, West Yorkshire, she was an only child in a working class family who loved books early. As a girl, she had a story published in a local magazine. By age 16, she left school against her parents' wishes to become a reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Over the next 30 years, she would work as fashion editor of Woman's Own Magazine, cover a variety of beats for the London Evening News and, in the United States, write a syndicated column about interior design.Although she wrote children's stories and advice books, novels were her dream. "A Woman of Substance" was a multi-generational chronicle of the travails and triumphs of retail baron Emma Harte, who would be featured in several other Bradford novels. The book has sold more than 30 million copies and was the basis of a 1984 television miniseries starring Jenny Seagrove as a young Emma and Deborah Kerr as Emma late in life.“And if you want to meet the real Emma, meet me,” Bradford told the Telegraph of London in 2009. "Emma had to be tough and ruthless at times: but then so am I. I have to be, as a businesswoman. And I'm a bloody good businesswoman."Bradford and Emma Harte were linked by more than money: both had family secrets. As a young woman, Emma became pregnant by a man who refused to marry her and gave birth to a daughter. Years later, Bradford learned through her biographer that her own mother had been born out of wedlock. It is now believed that Bradford’s maternal grandfather was Frederick Oliver Robinson, the second Marquess of Ripon and the owner of the Studley Royal estate.Seagrove, who became friends with Bradford after starring in the miniseries, described her as a “powerhouse of glamour and warmth” and a “force of nature” who stayed true to her roots.“Success never diluted her warmth and humor or her ability to relate to everyone she met, whether a cleaner or a princess,” Seagrove said. "She never, ever forgot that she was just a girl from Yorkshire that worked hard and made good. RIP dear friend.”Bradford had a strict writing routine: at work behind her IBM Lexmark typewriter by 6 a.m., break around 1 p.m., then back to writing until 6 p.m., at the latest. According to an authorized 2006 biography, Piers Dudgeon's "The Woman of Substance," Bradford more than adapted to her midlife fortune, living in a 5,300 square foot apartment overlooking Manhattan's East River, collecting Impressionist art and enjoying refills of pink champagne poured by her Moroccan butler. When the Bradfords put their apartment up for sale in 2010, the asking price was just under $19 million. (They sold it to Uma Thurman in 2013 for $10 million).Over the years, she met many other celebrities. Bradford befriended Sean Connery before he appeared in his first James Bond movie and remembered advising him, thankfully in vain, that he should lose his Scottish accent if he wanted to succeed.Around the same time, she met a fellow journalist at the Yorkshire Evening Post. He was “lanky and disheveled with acne,” and kept trying to talk to her even after she turned him down for a date at the movies.He was Peter O'Toole."Years later, (Evening Post editor) Keith Waterhouse and I were at an event where the producer Sam Spiegel introduced the star of his new movie," she told The Guardian in 2021. “Out walked the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, dressed as Lawrence of Arabia. Keith said: ‘Don’t you wish you’d gone to the pictures with him now?’ I never got over Peter’s transformation.”