KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with an aggravated assault and pursuit in an Amazon delivery vehicle.

Just after 6:30p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a disturbance in the 8800 Block of NE 110th Street in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.&nbsp;&nbsp;First responders found two victims who had suffered from bodily trauma with critical injuries. 

The suspect fled the scene prior to the arrival of the officers, however he was located a short distance away. Officers attempted to take him into custody when he presented a firearm and began firing shots. 

The suspect entered an Amazon delivery truck and the vehicle left the area. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, however the driver continued to flee. A vehicle pursuit was authorized due to the assault and the significant danger towards the public. 

Additional shots were fired at officers during the course of the pursuit. The suspect exited the Amazon vehicle and attempted to run near the area of southbound Interstate 35 and 152 Highway. 

The subject was quickly taken into custody without incident and sustained no injuries. The Amazon delivery driver and responding officers were also uninjured during the course of the incident, according to Becchina. No officers fired their weapons at any time.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the suspect or possible charges.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect in connection with an aggravated assault and pursuit in an Amazon delivery vehicle.Just after 6:30p.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a disturbance in the 8800 Block of NE 110th Street in Kansas City, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina.&nbsp;&nbsp;First responders found two victims who had suffered from bodily trauma with critical injuries. The suspect fled the scene prior to the arrival of the officers, however he was located a short distance away. Officers attempted to take him into custody when he presented a firearm and began firing shots. The suspect entered an Amazon delivery truck and the vehicle left the area. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, however the driver continued to flee. A vehicle pursuit was authorized due to the assault and the significant danger towards the public. Additional shots were fired at officers during the course of the pursuit. The suspect exited the Amazon vehicle and attempted to run near the area of southbound Interstate 35 and 152 Highway. The subject was quickly taken into custody without incident and sustained no injuries. The Amazon delivery driver and responding officers were also uninjured during the course of the incident, according to Becchina. No officers fired their weapons at any time.&nbsp; Police have not released the name of the suspect or possible charges.----------

KCPD: Assault suspect captured after chase in Amazon delivery truck

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kris-kristofferson-retires-313554b2e5d8a5be66fae061a819bc39">Kristofferson</a>&nbsp;died at his home on Maui, Hawaii on Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88.

McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No cause was given. He was 88.

Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas native wrote such classics standards as “Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” "For the Good Times" and "Me and Bobby McGee." Kristofferson was a singer himself, but many of his songs were best known as performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning “For the Good Times” or Janis Joplin belting out “Me and Bobby McGee.”

He also starred opposite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-ellen-burstyn-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-956734980eacaa201f440af076eed2a7">Ellen Burstyn</a>&nbsp;in director Martin Scorsese's 1974 film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 “A Star Is Born,” and acted alongside Wesley Snipes in Marvel’s “Blade” in 1998.

Kristofferson, who could recite William Blake from memory, wove intricate folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music. With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a new breed of country songwriters along with such peers as Willie Nelson,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-john-prine-obituaries-music-772a23ead9edf026cde1bbab60124772">John Prine</a>&nbsp;and Tom T. Hall.

"There's no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson," Nelson said during a November 2009 award ceremony for Kristofferson held by BMI. "Everything he writes is a standard and we're all just going to have to live with that."

He was a Golden Gloves boxer and football player in college, received a master’s degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford in England and turned down an appointment to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, to pursue songwriting in Nashville. Hoping to break into the industry, he worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966 when Dylan recorded tracks for the seminal “Blonde on Blonde” double album.

At times, the legend of Kristofferson was larger than real life. Johnny Cash liked to tell a mostly exaggerated story of how Kristofferson, a former U.S. Army pilot, landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn to give him a tape of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” with a beer in one hand. Over the years in interviews, Kristofferson said with all respect to Cash, while he did land a helicopter at Cash’s house, the Man in Black wasn’t even home at the time, the demo tape was a song that no one ever actually cut and he certainly couldn’t fly a helicopter holding a beer.

In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he said he might not have had a career without Cash.

“Shaking his hand when I was still in the Army backstage at the Grand Ole Opry was the moment I’d decided I’d come back,” Kristofferson said. “It was electric. He kind of took me under his wing before he cut any of my songs. He cut my first record that was record of the year. He put me on stage the first time.”

One of his most recorded songs, “Me and Bobby McGee,” was written based on a recommendation from Monument Records founder Fred Foster. Foster had a song title in his head called “Me and Bobby McKee,” named after a female secretary in his building. Kristofferson said in an interview in the magazine, “Performing Songwriter,” that he was inspired to write the lyrics about a man and woman on the road together after watching the Frederico Fellini film, “La Strada.”

Joplin, who had a close relationship with Kristofferson, changed the lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man and cut her version just days before she died in 1970 from a drug overdose. The recording became a posthumous No. 1 hit for Joplin.

Hits that Kristofferson recorded include “Why Me,” “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do),” “Watch Closely Now,” “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “A Song I’d Like to Sing” and “Jesus Was a Capricorn.”

In 1973, he married fellow songwriter Rita Coolidge and together they had a successful duet career that earned them two Grammy awards. They divorced in 1980.

He retired from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727650141368.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kris-kristofferson-retires-313554b2e5d8a5be66fae061a819bc39">Kristofferson</a>&nbsp;died at his home on Maui, Hawaii on Saturday, family spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88.McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No cause was given. He was 88.Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas native wrote such classics standards as “Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night,” "For the Good Times" and "Me and Bobby McGee." Kristofferson was a singer himself, but many of his songs were best known as performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning “For the Good Times” or Janis Joplin belting out “Me and Bobby McGee.”He also starred opposite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-ellen-burstyn-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-956734980eacaa201f440af076eed2a7">Ellen Burstyn</a>&nbsp;in director Martin Scorsese's 1974 film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 “A Star Is Born,” and acted alongside Wesley Snipes in Marvel’s “Blade” in 1998.Kristofferson, who could recite William Blake from memory, wove intricate folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music. With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a new breed of country songwriters along with such peers as Willie Nelson,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-john-prine-obituaries-music-772a23ead9edf026cde1bbab60124772">John Prine</a>&nbsp;and Tom T. Hall."There's no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson," Nelson said during a November 2009 award ceremony for Kristofferson held by BMI. "Everything he writes is a standard and we're all just going to have to live with that."He was a Golden Gloves boxer and football player in college, received a master’s degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford in England and turned down an appointment to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, to pursue songwriting in Nashville. Hoping to break into the industry, he worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966 when Dylan recorded tracks for the seminal “Blonde on Blonde” double album.At times, the legend of Kristofferson was larger than real life. Johnny Cash liked to tell a mostly exaggerated story of how Kristofferson, a former U.S. Army pilot, landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn to give him a tape of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” with a beer in one hand. Over the years in interviews, Kristofferson said with all respect to Cash, while he did land a helicopter at Cash’s house, the Man in Black wasn’t even home at the time, the demo tape was a song that no one ever actually cut and he certainly couldn’t fly a helicopter holding a beer.In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he said he might not have had a career without Cash.“Shaking his hand when I was still in the Army backstage at the Grand Ole Opry was the moment I’d decided I’d come back,” Kristofferson said. “It was electric. He kind of took me under his wing before he cut any of my songs. He cut my first record that was record of the year. He put me on stage the first time.”One of his most recorded songs, “Me and Bobby McGee,” was written based on a recommendation from Monument Records founder Fred Foster. Foster had a song title in his head called “Me and Bobby McKee,” named after a female secretary in his building. Kristofferson said in an interview in the magazine, “Performing Songwriter,” that he was inspired to write the lyrics about a man and woman on the road together after watching the Frederico Fellini film, “La Strada.”Joplin, who had a close relationship with Kristofferson, changed the lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man and cut her version just days before she died in 1970 from a drug overdose. The recording became a posthumous No. 1 hit for Joplin.Hits that Kristofferson recorded include “Why Me,” “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do),” “Watch Closely Now,” “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “A Song I’d Like to Sing” and “Jesus Was a Capricorn.”In 1973, he married fellow songwriter Rita Coolidge and together they had a successful duet career that earned them two Grammy awards. They divorced in 1980.He retired from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage.

Kris Kristofferson, singer-songwriter and actor, dies at 88

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Authorities investigating a fatal accident that occurred just after 10p.m. Friday in Shawnee County have identified the man who died as Bryan S. Meyer, 37, of Topeka, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian.

A Ford Ranger driven by Meyer was westbound on 62nd Street at U.S. 75 Highway. It appears the driver failed to stop at the stop sign, according to Christian. A southbound jeep with two occupants struck the pickup.

Meyer was pronounced dead at the scene. American Medical Response transported two in the jeep to a local hospital. The accident remains under investigation.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details early Saturday. Check the&nbsp; Post for more information as it becomes available.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Authorities investigating a fatal accident that occurred just after 10p.m. Friday in Shawnee County have identified the man who died as Bryan S. Meyer, 37, of Topeka, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian.A Ford Ranger driven by Meyer was westbound on 62nd Street at U.S. 75 Highway. It appears the driver failed to stop at the stop sign, according to Christian. A southbound jeep with two occupants struck the pickup.Meyer was pronounced dead at the scene. American Medical Response transported two in the jeep to a local hospital. The accident remains under investigation.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details early Saturday. Check the&nbsp; Post for more information as it becomes available.

Sheriff IDs Kansas man who died in pickup, Jeep crash

TOPEKA— A Georgia man who is charged with identity theft, criminal use of a financial card, and conspiracy to commit criminal use of a financial card, entered his first appearance in a Kansas courtroom last week, according to Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Demetrius Odom, 30, waived an extradition hearing to face charges related to retail crime in Lyon County. With an alleged co-conspirator, Odom allegedly stole from a series of liquor stores throughout Kansas. 

His co-defendant, Dwayne Rhoden, was arrested in July in Kentucky on unrelated felony charges. Rhoden refused to waive extradition, and the state is seeking a Governor’s warrant.

The case marks the first organized retail crime prosecution by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.&nbsp; In 2023, the Kansas Legislature passed a new law that allows prosecutors to seek felony charges in retail crimes and organized retail crime cases rather than pursuing minor theft charges.“

Fortunately, the legislature gave the Office of the Attorney General the authority to go after this pervasive form of crime. This prosecution is a significant milestone," Kobach said. The court will conduct a preliminary hearing on Odom's charges at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Lyon County Courthouse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727466874322.png" alt="Odom-photo Lyon County" />
 <figcaption>Odom-photo Lyon County</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA— A Georgia man who is charged with identity theft, criminal use of a financial card, and conspiracy to commit criminal use of a financial card, entered his first appearance in a Kansas courtroom last week, according to Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.Demetrius Odom, 30, waived an extradition hearing to face charges related to retail crime in Lyon County. With an alleged co-conspirator, Odom allegedly stole from a series of liquor stores throughout Kansas. His co-defendant, Dwayne Rhoden, was arrested in July in Kentucky on unrelated felony charges. Rhoden refused to waive extradition, and the state is seeking a Governor’s warrant.The case marks the first organized retail crime prosecution by the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.&nbsp; In 2023, the Kansas Legislature passed a new law that allows prosecutors to seek felony charges in retail crimes and organized retail crime cases rather than pursuing minor theft charges.“Fortunately, the legislature gave the Office of the Attorney General the authority to go after this pervasive form of crime. This prosecution is a significant milestone," Kobach said. The court will conduct a preliminary hearing on Odom's charges at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Lyon County Courthouse.

Georgia man  stole from a series of liquor stores throughout Kansas

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and believes that an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided.

“It has to be,” Biden told reporters as he boarded Air Force One for Washington. “We really have to avoid it.”

The president’s statements come as Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed dozens of people on Sunday. He would not say when he planned to speak with Netanyahu.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah sustained a string of deadly blows to its command structure, including the killing of its overall leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-nasrallah-lebanon-israel-airstrikes-haret-hreik-7d89051bb420991cee29398243c250fe">Hassan Nasrallah</a>, as part of a wave of increasingly brazen Israeli strikes meant to undercut the group’s capacity to attack its territory.

Tens of thousands of Israelis and Lebanese have been forced to evacuate near the Israel-Lebanon border as Hezbollah has launched near-daily rocket volleys at Israel over the past 11 months and Israel has countered with its own strikes.

With tens of thousands of civilians displaced on both sides, the Biden administration has tried to bring about a negotiated resolution that would allow them to return home and prevent a wider regional conflict.

Earlier Sunday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Israel has “wiped out” Hezbollah’s command structure with a barrage of airstrikes that has taken out Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of the group’s leaders..

But Kirby warned Hezbollah will work to rebuild quickly.

“I think people are safer without him walking around,” said Kirby, referring to Friday’s strike killing Nasrallah. “But they will try to recover. We’re watching to see what they do to try to fill this leadership vacuum. It’s going to be tough.”

Kirby sidestepped questions about whether the administration agreed with how the Israelis are going about targeting Hezbollah leaders, who the Israelis say have built command structures and other facilities adjacent to or underneath civilian sites. The strikes, according to Lebanese officials, have also killed many innocent civilians.

The White House continues to call on Israel and Hezbollah to agree to a 21-day temporary cease-fire that was floated by the U.S., France and other countries last week as world leaders gathered for the U.N. General Assembly.

“If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course,” Kirby said.

He made the comments during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727691434816.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and believes that an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided.“It has to be,” Biden told reporters as he boarded Air Force One for Washington. “We really have to avoid it.”The president’s statements come as Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed dozens of people on Sunday. He would not say when he planned to speak with Netanyahu.The Iran-backed Hezbollah sustained a string of deadly blows to its command structure, including the killing of its overall leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-nasrallah-lebanon-israel-airstrikes-haret-hreik-7d89051bb420991cee29398243c250fe">Hassan Nasrallah</a>, as part of a wave of increasingly brazen Israeli strikes meant to undercut the group’s capacity to attack its territory.Tens of thousands of Israelis and Lebanese have been forced to evacuate near the Israel-Lebanon border as Hezbollah has launched near-daily rocket volleys at Israel over the past 11 months and Israel has countered with its own strikes.With tens of thousands of civilians displaced on both sides, the Biden administration has tried to bring about a negotiated resolution that would allow them to return home and prevent a wider regional conflict.Earlier Sunday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Israel has “wiped out” Hezbollah’s command structure with a barrage of airstrikes that has taken out Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of the group’s leaders..But Kirby warned Hezbollah will work to rebuild quickly.“I think people are safer without him walking around,” said Kirby, referring to Friday’s strike killing Nasrallah. “But they will try to recover. We’re watching to see what they do to try to fill this leadership vacuum. It’s going to be tough.”Kirby sidestepped questions about whether the administration agreed with how the Israelis are going about targeting Hezbollah leaders, who the Israelis say have built command structures and other facilities adjacent to or underneath civilian sites. The strikes, according to Lebanese officials, have also killed many innocent civilians.The White House continues to call on Israel and Hezbollah to agree to a 21-day temporary cease-fire that was floated by the U.S., France and other countries last week as world leaders gathered for the U.N. General Assembly.“If you want to get those folks back home safely and sustainably, we believe that a diplomatic path is the right course,” Kirby said.He made the comments during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Biden issues statement as Middle East conflict continues to grow

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A woman accused in a deadly shooting has made her first court appearance in the case.

Mercedes Muldrew, 35 of Wichita, is charged with 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Just after 5:30p.m. September 22, police were dispatched to a shooting at an apartment complex in 3500 block of Inwood in Wichita, according to&nbsp; Ford.

Officers learned that a verbal altercation had taken place between 38-year-old Daryl Clark and a female suspect later identified as 35-year-old Mercedes Muldrew. The argument escalated when she reportedly began physically assaulting him, according to Wichita Police spokesperson Andrew Ford.

The situation further escalated when the Muldrew brandished a handgun and fired one shot, striking Clark in the chest.&nbsp; &nbsp;EMS transported him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 6:22 p.m. Police arrested Muldrew. Her&nbsp;next court appearance is scheduled for October 8. She remains in jail on a $750,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727111287181.png" alt="MULDREW -photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>MULDREW -photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A woman accused in a deadly shooting has made her first court appearance in the case.Mercedes Muldrew, 35 of Wichita, is charged with 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Just after 5:30p.m. September 22, police were dispatched to a shooting at an apartment complex in 3500 block of Inwood in Wichita, according to&nbsp; Ford.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727129407850.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers learned that a verbal altercation had taken place between 38-year-old Daryl Clark and a female suspect later identified as 35-year-old Mercedes Muldrew. The argument escalated when she reportedly began physically assaulting him, according to Wichita Police spokesperson Andrew Ford.The situation further escalated when the Muldrew brandished a handgun and fired one shot, striking Clark in the chest.&nbsp; &nbsp;EMS transported him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 6:22 p.m. Police arrested Muldrew. Her&nbsp;next court appearance is scheduled for October 8. She remains in jail on a $750,000 bond.

Kansas woman charged in attack that killed man

BY&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jonel-aleccia">JONEL ALECCIA</a> Associated Press

Obesity is high and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-us-news-ap-top-news-obesity-a2154b643d53afae2a3654f722a9b60a">holding steady</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., but the proportion of those with severe obesity — especially women — has climbed since a decade ago, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm" target="_blank">new government research</a>.

The U.S. obesity rate is about 40%, according to a 2021-2023 survey of about 6,000 people. Nearly 1 in 10 of those surveyed reported severe obesity, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to report severe obesity.

The overall obesity rate appeared to tick down vs. the 2017-2020 survey, but the change wasn’t considered statistically significant; the numbers are small enough that there’s mathematical chance they didn’t truly decline.

That means it’s too soon to know whether&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mounjaro-wegovy-ozempic-obesity-weight-loss-bd0e037cc5981513487260d40636752a">new treatments</a>&nbsp;for obesity, including blockbuster weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound, can help ease the epidemic of the chronic disease linked to a host of health problems, according to Dr. Samuel Emmerich, the CDC public health officer who led the latest study.

“We simply can’t see down to that detailed level to prescription medication use and compare that to changes in obesity prevalence,” Emmerich said. “Hopefully that is something we can see in the future.”

Most telling though, the results that show that the overall obesity rate in the U.S. has not changed significantly in a decade, even as the rate of severe obesity climbed from nearly 8% in the 2013-2014 survey to nearly 10% in the most recent one. Before that, obesity had increased rapidly in the U.S. since the 1990s, federal surveys showed.

Measures of obesity and severe obesity are determined according to body mass index, a calculation based on height and weight. People with a BMI of 30 are considered to have obesity; those with a BMI of 40 or higher have severe obesity. BMI is regarded as a flawed tool but remains widely used by doctors to screen for obesity.

“Seeing increases in severe obesity is even more alarming because that’s the level of obesity that’s most highly associated with some of the highest levels of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and lower quality of life,” said Solveig Cunningham, an Emory University global health professor who specializes in obesity.

Cunningham, who was not involved in the new study, said it’s not clear why rates of severe obesity are going up, or why they were higher among women. Factors could include the effects of hormones, the impact of childbearing or other causes that require further study, she said.

The new study also found that obesity rates varied by education. Almost 32% of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher reported having obesity, compared with about 45% of those with some college or a high school diploma or less.

The new report follows the release&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/php/data-research/adult-obesity-prevalence-maps.html" target="_blank">earlier this month</a>&nbsp;of data from U.S. states and territories that showed that in 2023, the rate of obesity ranged widely by place, from a high of more than 41% of adults in West Virginia to a low of less than 24% of adults in Washington, D.C. Rates were highest in the Midwest and the South.

All U.S. states and territories posted obesity rates higher than 20%. In 23 states, more than 1 in 3 adults had obesity, the data showed. Before 2013, no state had a rate that high, said Dr. Alyson Goodman, who leads a CDC team focused on population health.

Color-coded U.S. maps tracking the change have gradually shifted from green and yellow, the hues associated with lower obesity rates, to orange and dark red, linked to higher prevalence.

“Sometimes, when you look at all that red, it’s really discouraging,” Goodman said.

But, she added, recent emphasis on understanding obesity as a metabolic disease and new interventions, such as the new class of weight-loss drugs, gives her hope.

The key is preventing obesity in the first place, starting in early childhood, Cunningham said. Even when people develop obesity, preventing additional weight gain should be the goal.

“It’s really hard to get obesity to reverse at the individual level and at the population level,” Cunningham said. “I guess it’s not surprising that we’re not seeing downward shifts in the prevalence of obesity.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727613532530.png" alt="-Significantly different from ages 20–39 (p &lt; 0.05).2Significantly different from age 60 and older (p &lt; 0.05).NOTE: Age-adjusted estimates for adults age 20 and older are 40.3% for the total population, 39.3% for&nbsp;men, and 41.4% for women and were age adjusted by the direct method to the U.S. Census 2000 population using age groups 20–39, 40–59, and 60 and older.SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, August 2021–August 2023." />
 <figcaption>-Significantly different from ages 20–39 (p &lt; 0.05).2Significantly different from age 60 and older (p &lt; 0.05).NOTE: Age-adjusted estimates for adults age 20 and older are 40.3% for the total population, 39.3% for&nbsp;men, and 41.4% for women and were age adjusted by the direct method to the U.S. Census 2000 population using age groups 20–39, 40–59, and 60 and older.SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, August 2021–August 2023.</figcaption>
 </figure>BY&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jonel-aleccia">JONEL ALECCIA</a> Associated PressObesity is high and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-us-news-ap-top-news-obesity-a2154b643d53afae2a3654f722a9b60a">holding steady</a>&nbsp;in the U.S., but the proportion of those with severe obesity — especially women — has climbed since a decade ago, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm" target="_blank">new government research</a>.The U.S. obesity rate is about 40%, according to a 2021-2023 survey of about 6,000 people. Nearly 1 in 10 of those surveyed reported severe obesity, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. Women were nearly twice as likely as men to report severe obesity.The overall obesity rate appeared to tick down vs. the 2017-2020 survey, but the change wasn’t considered statistically significant; the numbers are small enough that there’s mathematical chance they didn’t truly decline.That means it’s too soon to know whether&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mounjaro-wegovy-ozempic-obesity-weight-loss-bd0e037cc5981513487260d40636752a">new treatments</a>&nbsp;for obesity, including blockbuster weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound, can help ease the epidemic of the chronic disease linked to a host of health problems, according to Dr. Samuel Emmerich, the CDC public health officer who led the latest study.“We simply can’t see down to that detailed level to prescription medication use and compare that to changes in obesity prevalence,” Emmerich said. “Hopefully that is something we can see in the future.”Most telling though, the results that show that the overall obesity rate in the U.S. has not changed significantly in a decade, even as the rate of severe obesity climbed from nearly 8% in the 2013-2014 survey to nearly 10% in the most recent one. Before that, obesity had increased rapidly in the U.S. since the 1990s, federal surveys showed.Measures of obesity and severe obesity are determined according to body mass index, a calculation based on height and weight. People with a BMI of 30 are considered to have obesity; those with a BMI of 40 or higher have severe obesity. BMI is regarded as a flawed tool but remains widely used by doctors to screen for obesity.“Seeing increases in severe obesity is even more alarming because that’s the level of obesity that’s most highly associated with some of the highest levels of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and lower quality of life,” said Solveig Cunningham, an Emory University global health professor who specializes in obesity.Cunningham, who was not involved in the new study, said it’s not clear why rates of severe obesity are going up, or why they were higher among women. Factors could include the effects of hormones, the impact of childbearing or other causes that require further study, she said.The new study also found that obesity rates varied by education. Almost 32% of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher reported having obesity, compared with about 45% of those with some college or a high school diploma or less.The new report follows the release&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/php/data-research/adult-obesity-prevalence-maps.html" target="_blank">earlier this month</a>&nbsp;of data from U.S. states and territories that showed that in 2023, the rate of obesity ranged widely by place, from a high of more than 41% of adults in West Virginia to a low of less than 24% of adults in Washington, D.C. Rates were highest in the Midwest and the South.All U.S. states and territories posted obesity rates higher than 20%. In 23 states, more than 1 in 3 adults had obesity, the data showed. Before 2013, no state had a rate that high, said Dr. Alyson Goodman, who leads a CDC team focused on population health.Color-coded U.S. maps tracking the change have gradually shifted from green and yellow, the hues associated with lower obesity rates, to orange and dark red, linked to higher prevalence.“Sometimes, when you look at all that red, it’s really discouraging,” Goodman said.But, she added, recent emphasis on understanding obesity as a metabolic disease and new interventions, such as the new class of weight-loss drugs, gives her hope.The key is preventing obesity in the first place, starting in early childhood, Cunningham said. Even when people develop obesity, preventing additional weight gain should be the goal.“It’s really hard to get obesity to reverse at the individual level and at the population level,” Cunningham said. “I guess it’s not surprising that we’re not seeing downward shifts in the prevalence of obesity.”<h2>___</h2>

Severe obesity is on the rise in the US

State’s highest court orders new trial with different judge in Reno County

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously ordered a new trial for a Hutchinson man because a Reno County District Court judge violated the defendant’s constitutional right to assistance of an attorney during a 2019 murder trial.

The justices found Judge Trish Rose’s order that defendant Brennan Trass had to assume responsibility for his own defense violated the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Trass, 40, was accused of shooting to death Jose Morales during a 2015 methamphetamine transaction. It took more than three years to go to trial, in part, because 11 attorneys assigned to defend Trass were excused after clashing with Trass or due to a lawyer’s conflict of interest.

Rose, frustrated with pace of the case, issued an order that left Trass to defend himself at trial. He challenged that order in district court before he was convicted of felony murder in 2019 and subsequently through a direct appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court decided Rose was wrong to declare Trass forfeited his right to a court-appointed attorney. In addition, the Supreme Court said Rose failed to advise Trass of the disadvantages of self-representation or to allow Trass an opportunity to modify his behavior to meet an acceptable standard.

The judge did have a standby attorney in the courtroom at trial, who was called upon at close of the trial when Trass asked to sit out the remainder of the proceeding in jail.

“The district court violated Trass’ right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Justice Melissa Standridge said in the court’s opinion. “Because this violation constitutes structural error affecting the trial mechanism, we reverse his convictions for first-degree felony murder and criminal possession of a firearm and remand for a new trial before a different judge.”

The opinion said violation of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel was an issue of fundamental fairness and required automatic reversal of the conviction.

Meanwhile, the state Supreme Court established precedent in the opinion by declaring a defendant in Kansas could forfeit the right to counsel by engaging in extraordinary misconduct.

“Although we have never held as a matter of law that a criminal defendant in Kansas can forfeit the right to counsel through misconduct, we do so today,” the opinion said.

In doing so, the state appellate court said Trass’ conduct didn’t rise to the level necessary to warrant denial of counsel. The justices said Trass’ actions didn’t amount to egregious misconduct or a course of disruption designed to thwart judicial proceedings.

“Forfeiture is an extreme sanction in response to extreme conduct that jeopardizes the integrity or safety of court proceedings and should be used only under extraordinary circumstances as a last resort in response to the most serious and deliberate misconduct,” Standridge wrote.

Prior to trial in March 2019, the opinion said, Rose told Trass “that I’m finding that you have waived your right to appointed counsel by your conduct. I am finding that appointment of new counsel would be an exercise in futility.” She directed attorney Bobby Hiebert to be Trass’ standby counsel.

Reno County prosecutors filed a motion asking the judge to formally “advise the defendant of the pitfalls of representing himself.” At a subsequent pre-trial hearing, Rose declined to outline potential disadvantages of self-representation or explore Trass’ readiness to proceed in district court.

Before the trial started, Trass denied he forfeited or knowingly waived his right to counsel. He admitted to the shooting, but made the argument it was self-defense.

“Trass did not expressly waive his right to counsel, so he could only implicitly waive the right through conduct or by forfeiting the right,” the Supreme Court said. “A review of the record reflects Trass did not implicitly waive his right to counsel based on his conduct.”

The opinion also said: “The court’s failure to advise Trass about the disadvantages of self-representation — even after the state encouraged the court to hold a hearing to do so — precludes a finding that Trass knowingly, voluntarily and intentionally chose to relinquish his right to counsel.”

In another finding by the Supreme Court, the justices said the lengthy period between the 2015 homicide and the 2019 trial didn’t violate Trass’ right to a speedy trial.

The justices also said evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support the conviction of Trass on charges of felony murder and possession of a firearm. Originally, Trass was sentenced to more than 50 years in prison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727457645666.jpeg" alt="Brennan Trass photo Reno Co." />
 <figcaption>Brennan Trass photo Reno Co.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>State’s highest court orders new trial with different judge in Reno County</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court unanimously ordered a new trial for a Hutchinson man because a Reno County District Court judge violated the defendant’s constitutional right to assistance of an attorney during a 2019 murder trial.The justices found Judge Trish Rose’s order that defendant Brennan Trass had to assume responsibility for his own defense violated the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Trass, 40, was accused of shooting to death Jose Morales during a 2015 methamphetamine transaction. It took more than three years to go to trial, in part, because 11 attorneys assigned to defend Trass were excused after clashing with Trass or due to a lawyer’s conflict of interest.Rose, frustrated with pace of the case, issued an order that left Trass to defend himself at trial. He challenged that order in district court before he was convicted of felony murder in 2019 and subsequently through a direct appeal to the Supreme Court.The Supreme Court decided Rose was wrong to declare Trass forfeited his right to a court-appointed attorney. In addition, the Supreme Court said Rose failed to advise Trass of the disadvantages of self-representation or to allow Trass an opportunity to modify his behavior to meet an acceptable standard.The judge did have a standby attorney in the courtroom at trial, who was called upon at close of the trial when Trass asked to sit out the remainder of the proceeding in jail.“The district court violated Trass’ right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” Justice Melissa Standridge said in the court’s opinion. “Because this violation constitutes structural error affecting the trial mechanism, we reverse his convictions for first-degree felony murder and criminal possession of a firearm and remand for a new trial before a different judge.”The opinion said violation of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel was an issue of fundamental fairness and required automatic reversal of the conviction.Meanwhile, the state Supreme Court established precedent in the opinion by declaring a defendant in Kansas could forfeit the right to counsel by engaging in extraordinary misconduct.“Although we have never held as a matter of law that a criminal defendant in Kansas can forfeit the right to counsel through misconduct, we do so today,” the opinion said.In doing so, the state appellate court said Trass’ conduct didn’t rise to the level necessary to warrant denial of counsel. The justices said Trass’ actions didn’t amount to egregious misconduct or a course of disruption designed to thwart judicial proceedings.“Forfeiture is an extreme sanction in response to extreme conduct that jeopardizes the integrity or safety of court proceedings and should be used only under extraordinary circumstances as a last resort in response to the most serious and deliberate misconduct,” Standridge wrote.Prior to trial in March 2019, the opinion said, Rose told Trass “that I’m finding that you have waived your right to appointed counsel by your conduct. I am finding that appointment of new counsel would be an exercise in futility.” She directed attorney Bobby Hiebert to be Trass’ standby counsel.Reno County prosecutors filed a motion asking the judge to formally “advise the defendant of the pitfalls of representing himself.” At a subsequent pre-trial hearing, Rose declined to outline potential disadvantages of self-representation or explore Trass’ readiness to proceed in district court.Before the trial started, Trass denied he forfeited or knowingly waived his right to counsel. He admitted to the shooting, but made the argument it was self-defense.“Trass did not expressly waive his right to counsel, so he could only implicitly waive the right through conduct or by forfeiting the right,” the Supreme Court said. “A review of the record reflects Trass did not implicitly waive his right to counsel based on his conduct.”The opinion also said: “The court’s failure to advise Trass about the disadvantages of self-representation — even after the state encouraged the court to hold a hearing to do so — precludes a finding that Trass knowingly, voluntarily and intentionally chose to relinquish his right to counsel.”In another finding by the Supreme Court, the justices said the lengthy period between the 2015 homicide and the 2019 trial didn’t violate Trass’ right to a speedy trial.The justices also said evidence presented at trial was sufficient to support the conviction of Trass on charges of felony murder and possession of a firearm. Originally, Trass was sentenced to more than 50 years in prison.

Kansas Supreme Court says trial judge violated constitutional right of murder defendant

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY (JASO) —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

Shortly before 8a.m. Sept. 26, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2003 Acura LT on U.S. Hwy 75 and 214th Road near Holton for multiple alleged traffic infractions, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Upon contacting the occupants of the vehicle, the driver was identified as Paula Louise Michael, 61, of Topeka, Kansas. During the course of the traffic stop a Jackson County Sheriff’s K9 alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics within the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia.

Michael was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, a hallucinogenic drug, and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727468514804.png" alt="Michael-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Michael-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY (JASO) —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Shortly before 8a.m. Sept. 26, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2003 Acura LT on U.S. Hwy 75 and 214th Road near Holton for multiple alleged traffic infractions, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Upon contacting the occupants of the vehicle, the driver was identified as Paula Louise Michael, 61, of Topeka, Kansas. During the course of the traffic stop a Jackson County Sheriff’s K9 alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics within the vehicle. A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted and resulted in the discovery of illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia.Michael was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, a hallucinogenic drug, and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;

Kansas sheriff's K9 found drugs during traffic stop

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — With the clock ticking on former President Donald Trump’s signature 2017 tax law, and high housing, food and child care costs darkening Americans’ mood, tax cuts have become the star of the 2024 presidential contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump wants to overall extend his tax provisions beyond the 2025 expiration date and then some, promising to lower the corporate tax rate even further and lift the cap on the state and local taxes deduction.

He argues the loss in federal revenue will be made up by imposing steep tariffs on imported goods.

Tariff is a “beautiful word,” he told a crowd in Savannah, Georgia, Tuesday night, “one of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard.”

“We will take in hundreds of billions of dollars into our treasury and use that money to benefit the American citizens,” he said.

Harris is running on an “opportunity economy” platform that keeps the Biden administration’s promises to not raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 and enact a “billionaire” tax.

The vice president has also vowed to give tax deductions and credits to budding entrepreneurs and first-time homebuyers, and permanently expand the Child Tax Credit.

“Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a middle-class tax break that includes $6,000 for new parents during the first year of their child’s life,” Harris said Wednesday at a campaign speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Whoever wins the Oval Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/racing-toward-election-day-control-us-senate-and-house-grabs%C2%A0" target="_blank">will need</a>&nbsp;a cooperative Congress to enact these policies — with the exception of tariffs, over which the president enjoys wide&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11030" target="_blank">latitude</a>.

The barrage of proposals has kept economists busy with near-constant and evolving&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/issue-area/us-budget-watch-2024" target="_blank">analyses</a>&nbsp;of how much the&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">tax</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/federal-tax/2024-tax-plans/?utm_content=308246052&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">promises</a>&nbsp;would add to the nation’s ballooning federal deficit and change the economy.

Both candidates’ plans come with a price tag in the trillions of dollars, though Trump’s is the more expensive of the two.

Models released in late August by the Penn Wharton Budget Model project Trump’s plan&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">would add</a>&nbsp;up to $5.8 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, while Harris’ plan would&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">increase</a>&nbsp;the deficit by up to $2 trillion over the same time period.

“I think that both candidates are missing the mark when it comes to fiscal responsibility and economic responsibility,” the Tax Foundation’s Erica York told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.

“Neither of them have really outlined a plan that would get us on a sustainable path in terms of debt and deficits, nor that would boost growth and opportunity in the economy. Both are likely to have a negative impact on the economy,” said York, senior economist and research director for the foundation, which generally favors lower taxes.

Trump, followed by Harris, has proposed to nix taxes on tipped workers — though Harris has suggested limiting the benefit to workers in the service and hospitality industries who earn less than $75,000.

She has also said the tax break would not apply to payroll taxes, meaning the contribution workers pay toward Social Security and Medicare. Trump has not detailed any limits on his proposal for tipped workers.

Economists across the board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-floats-plan-end-taxes-tips-though-experts-raise-doubts" target="_blank">warn</a>&nbsp;Trump’s plan could incentivize more tipped work. They also question whether Trump and Harris’ proposals would actually benefit low-income workers.

After all, tax benefits for lower income workers who have children phase in as the person earns income. Reporting less income means those taxpayers could ultimately see less help from the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit.

“If you work and you report income, you get these provisions. But if you don’t, you don’t get these provisions. Well, you add exemptions into the tax code that reduces the amount of earned income that you report to the IRS, you could potentially reduce the value of these credits for very low-income households,” Kyle Pomerleau, senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.

For instance, a tipped worker who has one child and earns $24,000 annually, half of which comes from tips, could see a $300 decrease in refundable tax credits under this policy, Pomerleau and senior AEI fellows Alex Brill and Stan Veuger&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aei.org/economics/a-tip-exemption-is-not-sound-tax-policy/" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;in August.

The same principle for lower income taxpayers applies to Trump’s recent promise to eliminate taxes on overtime.

“There could be a negative effect there, depending on how this is structured,” Pomerleau said Monday.

The nonpartisan watchdog Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-end-taxes-overtime" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;an elimination of taxes on all overtime would cost the country $1.7 trillion in lost revenue over 10 years. With no guardrails preventing workers switching from salaried to hourly, the price tag could reach up to $6 trillion in the most extreme case, CRFB estimates.

Economists monitoring the nation’s Social Security coffers continue to sound alarm bells on the program’s solvency — with little reaction on the campaign trail.

The fund that provides money to senior citizens and people with disabilities is on track to be depleted by 2035, and recipients would face an immediate 17% cut in benefits, as the Tax Foundation’s Alex Durante&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/social-security-reform-options/?utm_content=309361439&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;Tuesday.

Trump has mentioned Social Security during campaign rallies and on his social media platform, but in the context of eliminating taxes on the benefit payments.

While low-income recipients do not pay taxes on their benefits, others do and are projected to contribute $94 billion this year back into the fund.

Nixing those taxes could speed up Social Security’s insolvency by one year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-suggestion-end-taxation-social-security-benefits" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Promise: New corporate tax rates and tariffs

Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which cleared Congress strictly along party lines, permanently lowered the top corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%.

Harris has vowed, if elected, she will bump the rate up to 28%.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-proposal-raise-corporate-tax-rate-28" target="_blank">Analyses</a>&nbsp;from the CFRB, the Tax Foundation, Penn Wharton and the Yale Budget Lab estimate the increase would raise roughly $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade.

The former president wants to&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;the rate even further to 15%, a&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/historical-corporate-tax-rates-brackets/" target="_blank">level</a>&nbsp;not seen in the U.S. since the 1930s. Economists&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-lower-corporate-tax-rate-15" target="_blank">estimate</a>&nbsp;the cut would reduce revenue anywhere from $460 billion to $673 billion over 10 years.

“Here is the deal that I will be offering to every major company and manufacturer on Earth: I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet, but only if you make your product here in America,” Trump said in Georgia Tuesday.

Trump has big plans for products imported into the U.S. He’s planning to impose up to 20% tariffs on most imports, reaching as high as 60% on Chinese goods and 100% on countries that turn away from the U.S. dollar.

That could cost the typical American household about $2,600 a year as costs on consumer goods would shift to the customer, particularly affecting those with lower incomes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/2024/trumps-bigger-tariff-proposals-would-cost-typical-american-household-over?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to economists Kimberly Clausing and Mary Lovely at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Speaking at a farming roundtable in Pennsylvania Monday, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538599-1/president-trump-speaks-farming-roundtable-smithton-pennsylvania" target="_blank">publicly warned</a>&nbsp;John Deere that if the company moves manufacturing to Mexico, he’ll impose a 200% tariff on tractors coming back over the border.

Experts warn another downside is that the policy invites foreign retaliation.

“So if we are, say, exporting Kentucky bourbon to China, China may say, well, to retaliate for the 60% tax on imports, we’re going to place taxes on this export, and that’s going to have a direct impact on the incomes of Americans and make us poorer,” Pomerleau said.

A familiar refrain from Harris and the Biden administration is that billionaires and wealthy corporations should pay their “fair share.”

The U.S. individual tax rate already progresses with an earner’s income, meaning that the higher your income, the higher your tax rate.

Both Harris and Trump want to keep individual tax rates that were lowered across the board in the 2017 law, but Harris is seeking to increase taxes on long-term capital gains, and levy a minimum tax on unrealized capital gains for very high earners.

For those earning upwards of $1 million a year, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">proposed</a>&nbsp;raising taxes to 28%, up from 20%, on profits made from the sale of an asset, like stocks, bonds, or real estate, that have been held by the owner for more than a year.

The vice president also proposes quadrupling the&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/how-the-u-s-taxes-stock-buybacks-and-dividends/" target="_blank">stock buyback tax</a>&nbsp;to 4%, up from 1%.

For ultra-wealthy households that have more than $100 million in assets, Harris follows Biden in proposing a 25% tax rate — sometimes referred to as the “billionaire tax.”

Those high-wealth individuals would need to calculate their regular income tax liability and compare it to their total net worth, meaning income plus unrealized capital gains, multiplied by 25%.

“Whichever is greater you pay,” Pomerleau explains. “So if you are in a situation where you have a low effective tax rate relative to this broader definition of income, the minimum tax will kick in and you’ll start paying increments.”

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-plan-taxing-capital-income" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the plan could raise $750 billion in revenue over ten years.

Ahead of a mid-September campaign rally on Long Island, New York, Trump pledged to abandon the cap in his 2017 law on the state and local tax deduction — simply known in tax parlance as SALT.

As the law stands now, taxpayers can only deduct up to $10,000 of their state and local tax bill from their federal tax liability.

A full SALT deduction is more valuable for higher income taxpayers, and prior to the 2017 cap, 91% of taxpayers who claimed it lived in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania, according to an&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/salt-deduction/" target="_blank">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Foundation.

Eliminating the cap would cut taxes by an average of more than $140,000 for the highest earning 0.1% of households, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/repealing-salt-cap-would-overwhelmingly-benefit-those-high-incomes" target="_blank">modeling</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Policy Center, a collaboration between the left-leaning Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.

The Committee for a Responsible Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/salt-cap-expiration-could-be-costly-mistake#:~:text=Some%20policymakers%20have%20suggested%20allowing,%241.2%20trillion%20over%20a%20decade." target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the move could cost $1.2 trillion over a ten-year budget window.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724867447394.png" alt="Photo Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Photo Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — With the clock ticking on former President Donald Trump’s signature 2017 tax law, and high housing, food and child care costs darkening Americans’ mood, tax cuts have become the star of the 2024 presidential contest between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.Trump wants to overall extend his tax provisions beyond the 2025 expiration date and then some, promising to lower the corporate tax rate even further and lift the cap on the state and local taxes deduction.He argues the loss in federal revenue will be made up by imposing steep tariffs on imported goods.Tariff is a “beautiful word,” he told a crowd in Savannah, Georgia, Tuesday night, “one of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard.”“We will take in hundreds of billions of dollars into our treasury and use that money to benefit the American citizens,” he said.Harris is running on an “opportunity economy” platform that keeps the Biden administration’s promises to not raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 and enact a “billionaire” tax.The vice president has also vowed to give tax deductions and credits to budding entrepreneurs and first-time homebuyers, and permanently expand the Child Tax Credit.“Under my plan, more than 100 million Americans will get a middle-class tax break that includes $6,000 for new parents during the first year of their child’s life,” Harris said Wednesday at a campaign speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Whoever wins the Oval Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/racing-toward-election-day-control-us-senate-and-house-grabs%C2%A0" target="_blank">will need</a>&nbsp;a cooperative Congress to enact these policies — with the exception of tariffs, over which the president enjoys wide&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11030" target="_blank">latitude</a>.<h2>What would it cost?</h2>The barrage of proposals has kept economists busy with near-constant and evolving&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/issue-area/us-budget-watch-2024" target="_blank">analyses</a>&nbsp;of how much the&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">tax</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/federal-tax/2024-tax-plans/?utm_content=308246052&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">promises</a>&nbsp;would add to the nation’s ballooning federal deficit and change the economy.Both candidates’ plans come with a price tag in the trillions of dollars, though Trump’s is the more expensive of the two.Models released in late August by the Penn Wharton Budget Model project Trump’s plan&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/trump-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">would add</a>&nbsp;up to $5.8 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, while Harris’ plan would&nbsp;<a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2024/8/26/harris-campaign-policy-proposals-2024?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">increase</a>&nbsp;the deficit by up to $2 trillion over the same time period.“I think that both candidates are missing the mark when it comes to fiscal responsibility and economic responsibility,” the Tax Foundation’s Erica York told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.“Neither of them have really outlined a plan that would get us on a sustainable path in terms of debt and deficits, nor that would boost growth and opportunity in the economy. Both are likely to have a negative impact on the economy,” said York, senior economist and research director for the foundation, which generally favors lower taxes.<h2>Promise: No taxes on tips, overtime</h2>Trump, followed by Harris, has proposed to nix taxes on tipped workers — though Harris has suggested limiting the benefit to workers in the service and hospitality industries who earn less than $75,000.She has also said the tax break would not apply to payroll taxes, meaning the contribution workers pay toward Social Security and Medicare. Trump has not detailed any limits on his proposal for tipped workers.Economists across the board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-floats-plan-end-taxes-tips-though-experts-raise-doubts" target="_blank">warn</a>&nbsp;Trump’s plan could incentivize more tipped work. They also question whether Trump and Harris’ proposals would actually benefit low-income workers.After all, tax benefits for lower income workers who have children phase in as the person earns income. Reporting less income means those taxpayers could ultimately see less help from the Child Tax Credit or the Earned Income Tax Credit.“If you work and you report income, you get these provisions. But if you don’t, you don’t get these provisions. Well, you add exemptions into the tax code that reduces the amount of earned income that you report to the IRS, you could potentially reduce the value of these credits for very low-income households,” Kyle Pomerleau, senior fellow at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, told States Newsroom in an interview Monday.For instance, a tipped worker who has one child and earns $24,000 annually, half of which comes from tips, could see a $300 decrease in refundable tax credits under this policy, Pomerleau and senior AEI fellows Alex Brill and Stan Veuger&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aei.org/economics/a-tip-exemption-is-not-sound-tax-policy/" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;in August.The same principle for lower income taxpayers applies to Trump’s recent promise to eliminate taxes on overtime.“There could be a negative effect there, depending on how this is structured,” Pomerleau said Monday.The nonpartisan watchdog Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-end-taxes-overtime" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;an elimination of taxes on all overtime would cost the country $1.7 trillion in lost revenue over 10 years. With no guardrails preventing workers switching from salaried to hourly, the price tag could reach up to $6 trillion in the most extreme case, CRFB estimates.<h2>Promise: No taxes on Social Security</h2>Economists monitoring the nation’s Social Security coffers continue to sound alarm bells on the program’s solvency — with little reaction on the campaign trail.The fund that provides money to senior citizens and people with disabilities is on track to be depleted by 2035, and recipients would face an immediate 17% cut in benefits, as the Tax Foundation’s Alex Durante&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/social-security-reform-options/?utm_content=309361439&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-16686673" target="_blank">wrote</a>&nbsp;Tuesday.Trump has mentioned Social Security during campaign rallies and on his social media platform, but in the context of eliminating taxes on the benefit payments.While low-income recipients do not pay taxes on their benefits, others do and are projected to contribute $94 billion this year back into the fund.Nixing those taxes could speed up Social Security’s insolvency by one year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-suggestion-end-taxation-social-security-benefits" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to an analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.<h2>Promise: New corporate tax rates and tariffs</h2>Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which cleared Congress strictly along party lines, permanently lowered the top corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%.Harris has vowed, if elected, she will bump the rate up to 28%.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-proposal-raise-corporate-tax-rate-28" target="_blank">Analyses</a>&nbsp;from the CFRB, the Tax Foundation, Penn Wharton and the Yale Budget Lab estimate the increase would raise roughly $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade.The former president wants to&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">cut</a>&nbsp;the rate even further to 15%, a&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/historical-corporate-tax-rates-brackets/" target="_blank">level</a>&nbsp;not seen in the U.S. since the 1930s. Economists&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/donald-trumps-proposal-lower-corporate-tax-rate-15" target="_blank">estimate</a>&nbsp;the cut would reduce revenue anywhere from $460 billion to $673 billion over 10 years.“Here is the deal that I will be offering to every major company and manufacturer on Earth: I will give you the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burden and free access to the best and biggest market on the planet, but only if you make your product here in America,” Trump said in Georgia Tuesday.Trump has big plans for products imported into the U.S. He’s planning to impose up to 20% tariffs on most imports, reaching as high as 60% on Chinese goods and 100% on countries that turn away from the U.S. dollar.That could cost the typical American household about $2,600 a year as costs on consumer goods would shift to the customer, particularly affecting those with lower incomes,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.piie.com/research/piie-charts/2024/trumps-bigger-tariff-proposals-would-cost-typical-american-household-over?te=1&amp;nl=the-morning&amp;emc=edit_nn_20240903" target="_blank">according</a>&nbsp;to economists Kimberly Clausing and Mary Lovely at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.Speaking at a farming roundtable in Pennsylvania Monday, Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?538599-1/president-trump-speaks-farming-roundtable-smithton-pennsylvania" target="_blank">publicly warned</a>&nbsp;John Deere that if the company moves manufacturing to Mexico, he’ll impose a 200% tariff on tractors coming back over the border.Experts warn another downside is that the policy invites foreign retaliation.“So if we are, say, exporting Kentucky bourbon to China, China may say, well, to retaliate for the 60% tax on imports, we’re going to place taxes on this export, and that’s going to have a direct impact on the incomes of Americans and make us poorer,” Pomerleau said.<h2>Promise: A billionaire tax</h2>A familiar refrain from Harris and the Biden administration is that billionaires and wealthy corporations should pay their “fair share.”The U.S. individual tax rate already progresses with an earner’s income, meaning that the higher your income, the higher your tax rate.Both Harris and Trump want to keep individual tax rates that were lowered across the board in the 2017 law, but Harris is seeking to increase taxes on long-term capital gains, and levy a minimum tax on unrealized capital gains for very high earners.For those earning upwards of $1 million a year, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/09/05/trump-promotes-raising-tariffs-corporate-tax-cut-in-battle-over-economy-with-harris/" target="_blank">proposed</a>&nbsp;raising taxes to 28%, up from 20%, on profits made from the sale of an asset, like stocks, bonds, or real estate, that have been held by the owner for more than a year.The vice president also proposes quadrupling the&nbsp;<a href="https://bipartisanpolicy.org/explainer/how-the-u-s-taxes-stock-buybacks-and-dividends/" target="_blank">stock buyback tax</a>&nbsp;to 4%, up from 1%.For ultra-wealthy households that have more than $100 million in assets, Harris follows Biden in proposing a 25% tax rate — sometimes referred to as the “billionaire tax.”Those high-wealth individuals would need to calculate their regular income tax liability and compare it to their total net worth, meaning income plus unrealized capital gains, multiplied by 25%.“Whichever is greater you pay,” Pomerleau explains. “So if you are in a situation where you have a low effective tax rate relative to this broader definition of income, the minimum tax will kick in and you’ll start paying increments.”The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/kamala-harris-plan-taxing-capital-income" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the plan could raise $750 billion in revenue over ten years.<h2>Promise: No SALT cap</h2>Ahead of a mid-September campaign rally on Long Island, New York, Trump pledged to abandon the cap in his 2017 law on the state and local tax deduction — simply known in tax parlance as SALT.As the law stands now, taxpayers can only deduct up to $10,000 of their state and local tax bill from their federal tax liability.A full SALT deduction is more valuable for higher income taxpayers, and prior to the 2017 cap, 91% of taxpayers who claimed it lived in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania, according to an&nbsp;<a href="https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/salt-deduction/" target="_blank">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Foundation.Eliminating the cap would cut taxes by an average of more than $140,000 for the highest earning 0.1% of households, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/repealing-salt-cap-would-overwhelmingly-benefit-those-high-incomes" target="_blank">modeling</a>&nbsp;by the Tax Policy Center, a collaboration between the left-leaning Urban Institute and Brookings Institution.The Committee for a Responsible Budget&nbsp;<a href="https://www.crfb.org/blogs/salt-cap-expiration-could-be-costly-mistake#:~:text=Some%20policymakers%20have%20suggested%20allowing,%241.2%20trillion%20over%20a%20decade." target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;the move could cost $1.2 trillion over a ten-year budget window.

Taxes: Where do Trump and Harris stand?

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Authorities on Friday reported they positively identified the human remains found on September 11 in the yard of a home in the city of Rose Hill as&nbsp;Kennedy Jean Schroer, according to Rose Hill Police Chief Taylor Parlier.

"We understand that many in the public might be confused how an arrest in this case has not been made, that is completely understandable, Parlier stated in a media release.

"What we would like to convey is that we have one chance to gather as much information as possible, to find out what happened to this child and to tell her story. While we understand the desire to hold persons accountable, we need to get this correct and not fast. Releasing too much information might appear to implicate a person or persons who were not involved, so in our search for the truth we need to equally work to protect peoples’ rights."

Kennedy Jean Schroer, born on July 14, 2014, was adopted by Crystina and Joe Schroer in November 2018 and is believed to have died in late 2020, according to a statement from Rose Hill, Kansas Police Chief Taylor Parlier.

The remains were brought to the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center for the postmortem. Due to the advanced level of decomposition, the medical examiner was unable to identify a cause of death. Their preliminary report gave findings that no visible injuries were observed, nor were any healing or healed injuries observable, according to the police chief.

"Through our investigation we believe the time of death occurred within the month of November 2020. The medical examiner has not released the full report of the postmortem but has confirmed Kennedy’s identity through DNA analysis," Parlier stated.

"This investigation is ongoing. Officers, Detectives, surrounding law enforcement agencies, social workers, mental health professionals, and many others are hard at work to find answers. What we can assure anyone interested in this case, Kennedy is the center of our universe and will remain so until we have answers."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727450427639.png" alt="-Kennedy Jean Schroer-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>-Kennedy Jean Schroer-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Authorities on Friday reported they positively identified the human remains found on September 11 in the yard of a home in the city of Rose Hill as&nbsp;Kennedy Jean Schroer, according to Rose Hill Police Chief Taylor Parlier."We understand that many in the public might be confused how an arrest in this case has not been made, that is completely understandable, Parlier stated in a media release."What we would like to convey is that we have one chance to gather as much information as possible, to find out what happened to this child and to tell her story. While we understand the desire to hold persons accountable, we need to get this correct and not fast. Releasing too much information might appear to implicate a person or persons who were not involved, so in our search for the truth we need to equally work to protect peoples’ rights."Kennedy Jean Schroer, born on July 14, 2014, was adopted by Crystina and Joe Schroer in November 2018 and is believed to have died in late 2020, according to a statement from Rose Hill, Kansas Police Chief Taylor Parlier.The remains were brought to the Sedgwick County Forensic Science Center for the postmortem. Due to the advanced level of decomposition, the medical examiner was unable to identify a cause of death. Their preliminary report gave findings that no visible injuries were observed, nor were any healing or healed injuries observable, according to the police chief."Through our investigation we believe the time of death occurred within the month of November 2020. The medical examiner has not released the full report of the postmortem but has confirmed Kennedy’s identity through DNA analysis," Parlier stated."This investigation is ongoing. Officers, Detectives, surrounding law enforcement agencies, social workers, mental health professionals, and many others are hard at work to find answers. What we can assure anyone interested in this case, Kennedy is the center of our universe and will remain so until we have answers."

Police Chief on why no arrest after remains found in yard of Kan. home

BEIRUT (AP) — In Syria, 37 militants affiliated to the extremist Islamic State group and an al-Qaeda-linked group were killed in two strikes, the United States military said Sunday.

Two of the dead were senior militants, it said.

U.S. Central Command said it struck northwestern Syria on Tuesday, targeting a senior militant from the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen group and eight others. They say he was responsible for overseeing military operations.

They also announced a strike from earlier this month on Sept. 16, where they conducted a “large-scale airstrike” on an IS training camp in a remote undisclosed location in central Syria. That attack killed 28 militants, including “at least four Syrian leaders.”

“The airstrike will disrupt ISIS’ capability to conduct operations against U.S. interests, as well as our allies and partners,” the statement read.

There are some 900 U.S. forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors, mostly trying to prevent any comeback by the extremist IS group, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.

U.S. forces advise and assist their key allies in northeastern Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, located not far from strategic areas where Iran-backed militant groups are present, including a key border crossing with Iraq.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708813391502.png" alt="File photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>File photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>BEIRUT (AP) — In Syria, 37 militants affiliated to the extremist Islamic State group and an al-Qaeda-linked group were killed in two strikes, the United States military said Sunday.Two of the dead were senior militants, it said.U.S. Central Command said it struck northwestern Syria on Tuesday, targeting a senior militant from the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen group and eight others. They say he was responsible for overseeing military operations.They also announced a strike from earlier this month on Sept. 16, where they conducted a “large-scale airstrike” on an IS training camp in a remote undisclosed location in central Syria. That attack killed 28 militants, including “at least four Syrian leaders.”“The airstrike will disrupt ISIS’ capability to conduct operations against U.S. interests, as well as our allies and partners,” the statement read.There are some 900 U.S. forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors, mostly trying to prevent any comeback by the extremist IS group, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.U.S. forces advise and assist their key allies in northeastern Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, located not far from strategic areas where Iran-backed militant groups are present, including a key border crossing with Iraq.

U.S. airstrikes on Syria kill 37 militants affiliated with extremist groups

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is off for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">the campaign season</a>, as lawmakers from one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-santos-ukraine-border-mccarthy-speaker-johnson-dda73a13a198293803e386976cf3414d">most chaotic and unproductive legislative sessions</a>&nbsp;in modern times try to persuade voters to keep them on the job.

The House Republicans led the tumult — painstakingly electing their speaker in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">bitter public feud</a>&nbsp;then swiftly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">booting him from office</a>, something never before seen. But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-elections-texas-florida-cruz-scott-tester-f22d2f79790478a41f486e3957cfe4be">deeply divided Senate</a>&nbsp;was not immune from the inaction, lumbering through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-ivf-vote-trump-harris-1bb3d09855a23802045fe7e6a5696561">a modest agenda</a>.

Taken together, the lack of big-ticket accomplishments is underscoring a volatile November election season with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-congress-house-senate-trump-harris-ae84dca1bfe82a270912ae0788d3b437">control of Congress</a>&nbsp;a toss-up.

“The good thing is Congress didn’t allow much to go through law," said Rep. Ryan Zinke, a former Trump administration Cabinet secretary who is now running for re-election to his House seat in Montana. “But what it didn’t do, either, is it didn’t reach its potential.”

House Republicans blocked not only the Biden-Harris priorities of the Democrats, he said, but “in many ways, we blocked our own agenda.”

The situation the lawmakers find themselves in, particularly the House Republicans trying to preserve their slim majority control, is not academic. The House Republicans now have to face the voters who sent them to Washington on their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-kevin-mccarthy-newt-gingrich-border-security-97f04b6997ea980a868b8d7628378824">“Commitment to America”</a>&nbsp;two years ago having come up well short.

New House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;remains upbeat that Republicans will not only stay in control but win more seats to bolster their ranks, but it’s been an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mike-johnson-donald-trump-b4f6b6d733a3b625ef44405ae4b5d591">uphill slog</a>&nbsp;for him during a tight election year.

“It’s almost impossible,” said Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, adding he would have little patience for hearing out the “idiots” he said Johnson has to contend with in leading a slim four-seat majority.

“You had a group grow up in the House Republican Party who think that voting no and getting nothing done is a victory," Gingrich said Friday at the Capitol. “You’ve got to find a way to break up this idea that being a nihilist and getting nothing done is a success. It’s not.”

Congress has passed fewer substantive bills than is normal, putting this two-year session on track to be among the least productive sessions ever. The representatives and senators returned to Washington for a brief three-week September work period and essentially punted one of their most important tasks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-spending-bill-speaker-johnson-shutdown-7917f589502c40d4815f1b9583d3fa23">funding the federal government</a>, for a few more months, to December.

While Congress succeeded in avoiding a federal shutdown — which Johnson said would have been “malpractice” so close to the November election — it left town mid-week, several days earlier than scheduled, as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-florida-georgia-carolina-e5769b56dea81e40fae2161ad1b4e75d">hurricane bore down</a>&nbsp;on the Southern Gulf states. It won't return until mid-November.

“Can anyone in America name a single thing that House Republicans have done on their own to make life better for the American people?" asked Democratic leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hakeem-jeffries">Hakeem Jeffries</a>, who is in line to become House speaker if his party wins majority control. “The answer is no.”

Many lawmakers bristled at being lumped together with what transpired in their House GOP majority. There was the weeklong fight in January 2023 to elect Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. And the nearly month-long spectacle when a small number of far-right Republicans booted him from the speaker's office. And failed bills that never got off the House floor.

Those seeking re-election in some of the most hard-fought House districts offered a preview of the conversations they will have with voters.

Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said he would emphasize his work on constituent services and his voting record.

“I don’t know if you’re going to judge an individual member on how the body does collectively,” said Bean, a freshman. “I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. That is apples to apricots.”

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said the House has been a “firewall” against spending.

“What we’ve been able to stop is very significant,” he said.

“We haven’t necessarily gotten everything passed,” he added. “But what we have done is set a template for what needs to be done to fix these problems, whether it’s the border, the economy, national security, investing in our military, cutting taxes, reducing spending.”

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who is in a competitive race in New York, pointed to work he has done to secure needed infrastructure money for his district as well as his own various bills. One that passed the House and Senate this past week directs the U.S. Secret Service to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-butler-police-081e812f3569b2bdb9f3ffe322ea1619">protect Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and other major party presidential nominees by the same standards it does the president.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727575782850.png" alt="File photo 4th District Kansas Representative Ron Estes at the Kansas State Fair earlier this month- courtesy office of Rep. Estes" />
 <figcaption>File photo 4th District Kansas Representative Ron Estes at the Kansas State Fair earlier this month- courtesy office of Rep. Estes</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is off for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">the campaign season</a>, as lawmakers from one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-santos-ukraine-border-mccarthy-speaker-johnson-dda73a13a198293803e386976cf3414d">most chaotic and unproductive legislative sessions</a>&nbsp;in modern times try to persuade voters to keep them on the job.The House Republicans led the tumult — painstakingly electing their speaker in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">bitter public feud</a>&nbsp;then swiftly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">booting him from office</a>, something never before seen. But the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-elections-texas-florida-cruz-scott-tester-f22d2f79790478a41f486e3957cfe4be">deeply divided Senate</a>&nbsp;was not immune from the inaction, lumbering through&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-ivf-vote-trump-harris-1bb3d09855a23802045fe7e6a5696561">a modest agenda</a>.Taken together, the lack of big-ticket accomplishments is underscoring a volatile November election season with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-congress-house-senate-trump-harris-ae84dca1bfe82a270912ae0788d3b437">control of Congress</a>&nbsp;a toss-up.“The good thing is Congress didn’t allow much to go through law," said Rep. Ryan Zinke, a former Trump administration Cabinet secretary who is now running for re-election to his House seat in Montana. “But what it didn’t do, either, is it didn’t reach its potential.”House Republicans blocked not only the Biden-Harris priorities of the Democrats, he said, but “in many ways, we blocked our own agenda.”The situation the lawmakers find themselves in, particularly the House Republicans trying to preserve their slim majority control, is not academic. The House Republicans now have to face the voters who sent them to Washington on their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-kevin-mccarthy-newt-gingrich-border-security-97f04b6997ea980a868b8d7628378824">“Commitment to America”</a>&nbsp;two years ago having come up well short.New House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;remains upbeat that Republicans will not only stay in control but win more seats to bolster their ranks, but it’s been an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mike-johnson-donald-trump-b4f6b6d733a3b625ef44405ae4b5d591">uphill slog</a>&nbsp;for him during a tight election year.“It’s almost impossible,” said Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, adding he would have little patience for hearing out the “idiots” he said Johnson has to contend with in leading a slim four-seat majority.“You had a group grow up in the House Republican Party who think that voting no and getting nothing done is a victory," Gingrich said Friday at the Capitol. “You’ve got to find a way to break up this idea that being a nihilist and getting nothing done is a success. It’s not.”Congress has passed fewer substantive bills than is normal, putting this two-year session on track to be among the least productive sessions ever. The representatives and senators returned to Washington for a brief three-week September work period and essentially punted one of their most important tasks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-spending-bill-speaker-johnson-shutdown-7917f589502c40d4815f1b9583d3fa23">funding the federal government</a>, for a few more months, to December.While Congress succeeded in avoiding a federal shutdown — which Johnson said would have been “malpractice” so close to the November election — it left town mid-week, several days earlier than scheduled, as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-helene-florida-georgia-carolina-e5769b56dea81e40fae2161ad1b4e75d">hurricane bore down</a>&nbsp;on the Southern Gulf states. It won't return until mid-November.“Can anyone in America name a single thing that House Republicans have done on their own to make life better for the American people?" asked Democratic leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hakeem-jeffries">Hakeem Jeffries</a>, who is in line to become House speaker if his party wins majority control. “The answer is no.”Many lawmakers bristled at being lumped together with what transpired in their House GOP majority. There was the weeklong fight in January 2023 to elect Kevin McCarthy as House speaker. And the nearly month-long spectacle when a small number of far-right Republicans booted him from the speaker's office. And failed bills that never got off the House floor.Those seeking re-election in some of the most hard-fought House districts offered a preview of the conversations they will have with voters.Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said he would emphasize his work on constituent services and his voting record.“I don’t know if you’re going to judge an individual member on how the body does collectively,” said Bean, a freshman. “I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. That is apples to apricots.”Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said the House has been a “firewall” against spending.“What we’ve been able to stop is very significant,” he said.“We haven’t necessarily gotten everything passed,” he added. “But what we have done is set a template for what needs to be done to fix these problems, whether it’s the border, the economy, national security, investing in our military, cutting taxes, reducing spending.”Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who is in a competitive race in New York, pointed to work he has done to secure needed infrastructure money for his district as well as his own various bills. One that passed the House and Senate this past week directs the U.S. Secret Service to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-butler-police-081e812f3569b2bdb9f3ffe322ea1619">protect Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and other major party presidential nominees by the same standards it does the president.“So I have a record to run on that I’m certainly proud of," he said.Besides, Lawler asked, what about the Senate?“I mean there’s always a focus on the House," he said. "But if anybody looked down the hallway, Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats have done what? What exactly are they running on?"The Senate, historically a slower-moving body designed that way by the founders, plodded along at an even more leisurely pace this year, staying away from Washington many Mondays and almost all Fridays.Narrowly led by Democrats under Majority Leader Schumer, the Senate has succeeded in confirming a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-judges-trump-senate-200-confirmed-63b764d071d9c084b6669eabab527240">number of Biden’s judicial nominees</a>, particularly women and people of color, to create a judiciary more representative of the nation. But senators have not been able to land many other big priorities.In fact, one of the most talked about pieces of legislation in the campaign — the Senate's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-senate-vote-924f48912eecf1dc544dc648d757c3fe">bipartisan effort</a>&nbsp;to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and update some immigration laws — collapsed when Trump declined to support it.“This has been a very, very unproductive Congress,” said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, mentioning the appropriations bills and a farm bill reauthorization that are stalled. There's “plenty of blame to go around.”Oddly, as the Capitol emptied out, it briefly refilled Friday for the 30th anniversary of another Republican milestone — the 1994 Contract with America, the campaign promises that brought Gingrich and his party to power after four decades in the minority.Two years ago, McCarthy, who was in line to become speaker, gathered House Republicans at a manufacturing plant along the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania to unveil their own “Commitment to America” agenda that gave a nod to the Gingrich era. Rising stars of the GOP, including firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, were in the front row.McCarthy, Johnson and many others from today's House GOP were not around for Friday's ceremony, with its reception in the Capitol basement.Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, who was among the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-republican-lawmakers-house-opponents-33c7d984964916f29d548b5b1dfe508b">eight Republicans</a>&nbsp;who led the vote to oust McCarthy last year, said this was the House GOP majority's biggest accomplishment: "Not wrecking the country any further. We don’t need any more laws."___