KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a road-rage shooting.

Just after 4a.m. onn July 21, someone shot into the silver vehicle near 16th and Lawn in Kansas City, according to a social media report from Kansas City Police.&nbsp; The driver was injured.

Assault detectives are searching for the suspect. If you have any information regarding the violent criminal responsible, you can help and remain anonymous. <a href="https://www.kccrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?ID=452&amp;">Click here to report&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722604625686.png" alt="Photo Kansas City, Missouri Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas City, Missouri Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a road-rage shooting.Just after 4a.m. onn July 21, someone shot into the silver vehicle near 16th and Lawn in Kansas City, according to a social media report from Kansas City Police.&nbsp; The driver was injured.Assault detectives are searching for the suspect. If you have any information regarding the violent criminal responsible, you can help and remain anonymous. <a href="https://www.kccrimestoppers.com/sitemenu.aspx?ID=452&amp;">Click here to report&nbsp;</a>

KCPD looking for help to locate road-rage shooting suspect

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles earned her seventh Olympic gold medal by soaring to victory in the women's vault final at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games">Paris Games</a>&nbsp;on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Biles averaged 15.300 for her signature Yurchenko double pike and Cheng vaults to claim a second gold on the event eight years after she triumphed in Rio de Janeiro.

Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who finished runner-up to Biles in the all-around final on Thursday, took silver, just ahead of American Jade Carey, who captured the bronze.

Biles is the second woman to win vault twice, joining Vera Casalavska of Czechoslovakia as a two-time gold medalist on the vault. Casalavska went back to back in 1964 and 1968. Biles now has 10 Olympic medals in her career, tied for the third most by a female gymnast. She also boosted her medal count at major international competitions to 40, the most by any gymnast.

The crowd inside a packed Bercy Arena roared when Biles was introduced. Wearing a sequined red leotard, she delivered another show-stopping performance in what could be the last vault competition of her life.

She drilled her Yurchenko double pike, exploding off the block and then flipping backward twice with her hands clasped behind her knees. She landed with a big bounce — a nod to the energy she generates — with her right foot on the out-of-bounds line.

The judges dinged her a tenth of a point for that. It hardly mattered. Her score of 15.700 meant she merely needed to avoid disaster on her second vault to win. Instead, she almost stuck her Cheng, which requires a roundoff onto the springboard, then a half twist onto the block followed by 1 1/2 twists while doing a forward somersault.

The ensuing 14.900 meant the rest of the eight-woman field was going for second.

Andrade, the vault champion in Tokyo, put together two excellent vaults to claim silver and her third medal of the Games after a silver in the all-around and a bronze in the team final. Andrade's average of 14.966 was well clear of everyone else.

Carey, who slipped during the women's vault final in Tokyo and finished eighth, earned her third Olympic medal to go with the floor exercise gold she won in Tokyo and the team gold she captured with Biles on Tuesday.

Biles will have two more chances to boost her medal haul in Paris. She will compete in the balance beam and floor exercise finals on Monday.

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles earned her seventh Olympic gold medal by soaring to victory in the women's vault final at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games">Paris Games</a>&nbsp;on Saturday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MAKE THAT 7️⃣!<a href="https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Simone_Biles</a> takes home her seventh Olympic Gold Medal with a victory on Vault at the Paris Games! 🐐 <a href="https://t.co/utgqy5nFwZ">pic.twitter.com/utgqy5nFwZ</a>&mdash; USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAGym/status/1819754969483956454?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The 27-year-old Biles averaged 15.300 for her signature Yurchenko double pike and Cheng vaults to claim a second gold on the event eight years after she triumphed in Rio de Janeiro.Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, who finished runner-up to Biles in the all-around final on Thursday, took silver, just ahead of American Jade Carey, who captured the bronze.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">JADE CAREY GETS HER VAULT MEDAL! 🥉<a href="https://twitter.com/jadeacarey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jadeacarey</a> is taking home Bronze in the Women&#39;s Olympic Vault Final! <a href="https://t.co/qZF82czjby">pic.twitter.com/qZF82czjby</a>&mdash; USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAGym/status/1819756359933456541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biles is the second woman to win vault twice, joining Vera Casalavska of Czechoslovakia as a two-time gold medalist on the vault. Casalavska went back to back in 1964 and 1968. Biles now has 10 Olympic medals in her career, tied for the third most by a female gymnast. She also boosted her medal count at major international competitions to 40, the most by any gymnast.The crowd inside a packed Bercy Arena roared when Biles was introduced. Wearing a sequined red leotard, she delivered another show-stopping performance in what could be the last vault competition of her life.She drilled her Yurchenko double pike, exploding off the block and then flipping backward twice with her hands clasped behind her knees. She landed with a big bounce — a nod to the energy she generates — with her right foot on the out-of-bounds line.The judges dinged her a tenth of a point for that. It hardly mattered. Her score of 15.700 meant she merely needed to avoid disaster on her second vault to win. Instead, she almost stuck her Cheng, which requires a roundoff onto the springboard, then a half twist onto the block followed by 1 1/2 twists while doing a forward somersault.The ensuing 14.900 meant the rest of the eight-woman field was going for second.Andrade, the vault champion in Tokyo, put together two excellent vaults to claim silver and her third medal of the Games after a silver in the all-around and a bronze in the team final. Andrade's average of 14.966 was well clear of everyone else.Carey, who slipped during the women's vault final in Tokyo and finished eighth, earned her third Olympic medal to go with the floor exercise gold she won in Tokyo and the team gold she captured with Biles on Tuesday.Biles will have two more chances to boost her medal haul in Paris. She will compete in the balance beam and floor exercise finals on Monday.

Simone Biles captures her 7th Olympic gold by winning vault

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

Advocacy organizations affirm deep divisions on health care rights of Kansans

OVERLAND PARK — Advocacy organizations with diametrically opposing views on abortion rights Friday marked the two-year anniversary of Kansas voters’ rejection of an anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution by offering distinct perspectives on the aftermath of that landslide decision.

The Republican-led Kansas Legislature had worked with anti-abortion lobbyists to craft the proposed amendment and then decided the vote would occur during the August 2022 primary election. After it was set in stone, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that for about 50 years had provided a national foundation for protection of abortion rights.

Abandonment of that legal precedent contributed to rejection of the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">Kansas constitutional amendment, which was opposed by 59% of voters</a>&nbsp;in the state, and helped spark a broader campaign to protect women’s reproductive rights and a family’s ability to make private health care decisions.

“This week marks the second anniversary of a historic vote,” said Ashley All, president of Kansas Coalition for Common Sense. “Voters made clear in August 2022 that Kansans deserve the right to privacy and to make our own personal medical decisions about contraception, fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion. Elected leaders should listen.”

Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for Kansans for Life, reflected on defeat of the 2022 amendment that was a centerpiece of KFL’s lobbying campaign. She alleged, without evidence, that Kansas voters were “deeply misled” by individuals and organizations that said Kansas health clinics providing abortion services would remain heavily regulated if the amendment failed.

“Now the truth is unfolding,” Underwood said. “Abortion clinics are being allowed to operate without safety and sanitation standards or even medical oversight while the number of women traveling to Kansas for abortions skyrockets.”

In July, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/26/717449336/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">Kansas Supreme Court affirmed its 2019 decision</a>&nbsp;that women in the state had a fundamental constitutional right to end a pregnancy. The j<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/05/kansas-supreme-court-strikes-down-state-law-banning-second-trimester-abortion-procedure">ustices struck down a state law banning a second-trimester abortion method</a>. In a separate decision from the state Supreme Court in July, a collection of state regulations imposed on abortion providers and clinics were declared unconstitutional because the Kansas law exceeded requirements for medical professionals providing comparable health services.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported a record number of out-of-state abortion patients in 2022 that was attributed to enhanced restrictions on the procedure in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and other states. The number of nonresident patients doubled to nearly 8,500 from 2022 compared to 2021. The number of Kansas abortions in 2022 provided to residents of the state fell to 3,843 — a decline of nearly 100 from the previous year.

In an Overland Park coffee shop on Friday morning, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of the 3rd District in Kansas and six members of the Kansas Legislature who also embraced reproductive rights discussed the constitutional amendment vote and how the political landscape had shifted since then.

Davids, who is seeking reelection but doesn’t have a primary opponent, said it was ironic U.S. House members who argued it was important to return jurisdiction over abortion to the states by overturning Roe v. Wad had continued to introduce federal legislation to restrict access to abortion.

“Every single one of us knows that our state has spoken loud and clear,” Davids said. “To continue to have to push back against these things at the federal level is not only frustrating, it’s unacceptable. It flies in the face of the voters’ will. I’m always going to fight for protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care. Now, we have to talk about things like IVF, contraception and abortion.”

Davids endorsed the&nbsp;<a href="https://shariceforcongress.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2cca6f7b74e705ee1bdd4aa3c&amp;id=f6f6b084ac&amp;e=46ef3ccf75" target="_blank">Women’s Health Protection Act</a>, which would guarantee abortion access in all states across the country.

State Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, a Lenexa Democrat, said she recalled celebrating the vote two years ago that protected the state Supreme Court decision that said the right of women to end a pregnancy was embedded in the state constitution’s Bill of Rights.

She said states with abortion bans had placed physicians in jeopardy while women’s lives were left to hang in the balance.

“We’ve had the two years to watch what’s happened in the states with dangerous abortion bans,” Hoye said. “We have seen husbands pleading for care for their wives. We’ve seen women having miscarriages in hospital bathrooms being denied life-saving care. Kansas women can help by continuing our big fight and setting a model to those states.”

Several of the Democrats at the coffee shop raised objections about the anniversary statement of Kansans for Life, the state’s most prominent anti-abortion group.

Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, said the commentary from Kansans for Life incorrectly characterized the regulatory climate for abortion clinics.

“There are standards in place,” she said. “Once again, it’s the fearmongering. Obviously, the people out there — the general public — don’t know the standards. It’s very easy to make those claims.”

State Rep. Mari-Lynn Poskin, D-Lenexa, said she recalled the Legislature’s deliberations in 2021 about language of the proposed anti-abortion constitutional amendment. She was struck by votes of Republican legislators who rejected attempts to amend the text to provide an exemption to protect the life of a pregnant woman.

“I witnessed every single Republican, in both chambers, vote ‘no’ to exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother in the August 2nd amendment,” she said. “That’s when I knew that they did not, in fact, value women.”

Underwood, the Kansans for Life spokeswoman, said the development of 23 pregnancy resource centers in Kansas and $2 million appropriated by the Legislature to the centers showed there were people in Kansas who would “never abandon women and babies” and would serve as a counterweight to the “profit-driven abortion industry.”

In the last two state legislative sessions, about 20 bills were introduced each year that would in some way limit opportunities for families to make decisions about reproductive health.

During the 2024 legislative session, at least 110 House or Senate members voted against abortion-rights legislation. Sixty-six of those lawmakers voted against the will of voters in their districts as expressed in the 2022 amendment to the constitution.

State Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat who serves as the Senate’s minority leader, said the flood of anti-abortion legislation would continue in the upcoming 2025 session.

“I think next year they will be more emboldened,” she said. “They want to ban abortion and take away women’s rights. I think the majority of people who are bringing these bills want to eliminate contraception.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722689387032.png" alt="U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, left, a Kansas Democrat, discusses with members of the Kansas Legislature the 2022 rejection by Kansas voters of a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would restrict access to abortion rights. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, left, a Kansas Democrat, discusses with members of the Kansas Legislature the 2022 rejection by Kansas voters of a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would restrict access to abortion rights. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Advocacy organizations affirm deep divisions on health care rights of Kansans</h2>OVERLAND PARK — Advocacy organizations with diametrically opposing views on abortion rights Friday marked the two-year anniversary of Kansas voters’ rejection of an anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution by offering distinct perspectives on the aftermath of that landslide decision.The Republican-led Kansas Legislature had worked with anti-abortion lobbyists to craft the proposed amendment and then decided the vote would occur during the August 2022 primary election. After it was set in stone, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision that for about 50 years had provided a national foundation for protection of abortion rights.Abandonment of that legal precedent contributed to rejection of the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">Kansas constitutional amendment, which was opposed by 59% of voters</a>&nbsp;in the state, and helped spark a broader campaign to protect women’s reproductive rights and a family’s ability to make private health care decisions.“This week marks the second anniversary of a historic vote,” said Ashley All, president of Kansas Coalition for Common Sense. “Voters made clear in August 2022 that Kansans deserve the right to privacy and to make our own personal medical decisions about contraception, fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion. Elected leaders should listen.”Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for Kansans for Life, reflected on defeat of the 2022 amendment that was a centerpiece of KFL’s lobbying campaign. She alleged, without evidence, that Kansas voters were “deeply misled” by individuals and organizations that said Kansas health clinics providing abortion services would remain heavily regulated if the amendment failed.“Now the truth is unfolding,” Underwood said. “Abortion clinics are being allowed to operate without safety and sanitation standards or even medical oversight while the number of women traveling to Kansas for abortions skyrockets.”In July, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/04/26/717449336/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">Kansas Supreme Court affirmed its 2019 decision</a>&nbsp;that women in the state had a fundamental constitutional right to end a pregnancy. The j<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/05/kansas-supreme-court-strikes-down-state-law-banning-second-trimester-abortion-procedure">ustices struck down a state law banning a second-trimester abortion method</a>. In a separate decision from the state Supreme Court in July, a collection of state regulations imposed on abortion providers and clinics were declared unconstitutional because the Kansas law exceeded requirements for medical professionals providing comparable health services.The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported a record number of out-of-state abortion patients in 2022 that was attributed to enhanced restrictions on the procedure in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and other states. The number of nonresident patients doubled to nearly 8,500 from 2022 compared to 2021. The number of Kansas abortions in 2022 provided to residents of the state fell to 3,843 — a decline of nearly 100 from the previous year.<h2>Two years later</h2>In an Overland Park coffee shop on Friday morning, U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of the 3rd District in Kansas and six members of the Kansas Legislature who also embraced reproductive rights discussed the constitutional amendment vote and how the political landscape had shifted since then.Davids, who is seeking reelection but doesn’t have a primary opponent, said it was ironic U.S. House members who argued it was important to return jurisdiction over abortion to the states by overturning Roe v. Wad had continued to introduce federal legislation to restrict access to abortion.“Every single one of us knows that our state has spoken loud and clear,” Davids said. “To continue to have to push back against these things at the federal level is not only frustrating, it’s unacceptable. It flies in the face of the voters’ will. I’m always going to fight for protecting access to the full range of reproductive health care. Now, we have to talk about things like IVF, contraception and abortion.”Davids endorsed the&nbsp;<a href="https://shariceforcongress.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2cca6f7b74e705ee1bdd4aa3c&amp;id=f6f6b084ac&amp;e=46ef3ccf75" target="_blank">Women’s Health Protection Act</a>, which would guarantee abortion access in all states across the country.State Rep. Jo Ella Hoye, a Lenexa Democrat, said she recalled celebrating the vote two years ago that protected the state Supreme Court decision that said the right of women to end a pregnancy was embedded in the state constitution’s Bill of Rights.She said states with abortion bans had placed physicians in jeopardy while women’s lives were left to hang in the balance.“We’ve had the two years to watch what’s happened in the states with dangerous abortion bans,” Hoye said. “We have seen husbands pleading for care for their wives. We’ve seen women having miscarriages in hospital bathrooms being denied life-saving care. Kansas women can help by continuing our big fight and setting a model to those states.”Several of the Democrats at the coffee shop raised objections about the anniversary statement of Kansans for Life, the state’s most prominent anti-abortion group.Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, said the commentary from Kansans for Life incorrectly characterized the regulatory climate for abortion clinics.“There are standards in place,” she said. “Once again, it’s the fearmongering. Obviously, the people out there — the general public — don’t know the standards. It’s very easy to make those claims.”<h2>Valuing women</h2>State Rep. Mari-Lynn Poskin, D-Lenexa, said she recalled the Legislature’s deliberations in 2021 about language of the proposed anti-abortion constitutional amendment. She was struck by votes of Republican legislators who rejected attempts to amend the text to provide an exemption to protect the life of a pregnant woman.“I witnessed every single Republican, in both chambers, vote ‘no’ to exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother in the August 2nd amendment,” she said. “That’s when I knew that they did not, in fact, value women.”Underwood, the Kansans for Life spokeswoman, said the development of 23 pregnancy resource centers in Kansas and $2 million appropriated by the Legislature to the centers showed there were people in Kansas who would “never abandon women and babies” and would serve as a counterweight to the “profit-driven abortion industry.”In the last two state legislative sessions, about 20 bills were introduced each year that would in some way limit opportunities for families to make decisions about reproductive health.During the 2024 legislative session, at least 110 House or Senate members voted against abortion-rights legislation. Sixty-six of those lawmakers voted against the will of voters in their districts as expressed in the 2022 amendment to the constitution.State Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat who serves as the Senate’s minority leader, said the flood of anti-abortion legislation would continue in the upcoming 2025 session.“I think next year they will be more emboldened,” she said. “They want to ban abortion and take away women’s rights. I think the majority of people who are bringing these bills want to eliminate contraception.”

Anniversary of historic Kansas abortion rights vote highlights lingering political gap

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash into a house on Thursday in Topeka have identified the man who died as&nbsp; 36-year-old Troy L. Fields, Jr. of Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

Just after 11:30p.m. Thursday, first responders found a vehicle that struck a home near SW Huntoon and SW Plass in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Sgt. Shawn Doiron.

Officers located a passenger later identified as Fields who had been ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries and later pronounced deceased. Police continue investigating the crash and released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722626501404.png" alt="Photo by Cole Hermesch courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cole Hermesch courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal crash into a house on Thursday in Topeka have identified the man who died as&nbsp; 36-year-old Troy L. Fields, Jr. of Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.Just after 11:30p.m. Thursday, first responders found a vehicle that struck a home near SW Huntoon and SW Plass in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Sgt. Shawn Doiron.Officers located a passenger later identified as Fields who had been ejected from the vehicle. He was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries and later pronounced deceased. Police continue investigating the crash and released no additional details.

Police ID Kansas man who died after crash into a house

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region, the Pentagon said Friday, beefing up the American military presence to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and safeguard U.S. troops.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions and is taking steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defense weapons there, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday evening.

The shifts make good on a promise President Joe Biden made to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a call Thursday afternoon, Biden discussed new U.S. military deployments to protect against possible attacks from ballistic missiles and drones, according to the White House. In April, U.S. forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran against Israel and helped down nearly all of them.

U.S. leaders worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in response to recent attacks by Israel on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haniyeh-shukur-israel-lebanon-hamas-5d3ec9b048ef77b6b8196c6c08755dbd">triggered threats of retaliation</a>. Iran also has threatened to respond after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-ismail-haniyeh-killed-tehran-hamas-2d16ae7ed668b954ac0e7a53eaf92671">Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh</a>&nbsp;was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-strike-beirut-52c2a1711e274859b60daf8d2db3e0e2">senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur</a>&nbsp;was killed in Beirut.

Israel has vowed to kill Hamas leaders over the group’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack</a>, which sparked the war in Gaza.

Austin is ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is in the Gulf of Oman but scheduled to come home later this summer. That decision suggests the Pentagon has decided to keep a carrier consistently in the region as a deterrent against Iran at least until next year.

The Pentagon did not say where the fighter jet squadron was coming from or where it would be based in the Middle East. A number of allies in the region are often willing to base U.S. military forces but don’t want it made public.

The Pentagon has options to provide additional land-based ballistic missile defense, such as the Patriot or the terminal high altitude area defense, known as THAAD, both of which launch interceptor missiles from specialized trailer-based mobile launching systems. The Pentagon did not identify what system it would be deploying to augment defenses in the region.

The White House in a statement said Biden “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”

Earlier Friday, Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that moves were in the works. She said Austin “will be directing multiple” force movements to provide additional support to Israel and increase protection for U.S. troops in the region.

Military and defense officials have been considering a wide array of options, from additional ships and fighter aircraft squadrons to added air defense systems or unmanned weapons. In many cases the U.S. does not provide details because host nations are very sensitive about the presence of additional U.S. forces and don’t want those movements made public.

It’s unclear what new ships would move to the Middle East.

The U.S. has had a consistent warship presence there and in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, including two Navy destroyers, the USS Roosevelt and the USS Bulkeley, as well as the USS Wasp and the USS New York. The Wasp and the New York are part of the amphibious ready group and carry a Marine expeditionary unit that could be used if any evacuation of U.S. personnel is required.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722637536757.png" alt="An F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34, lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the USCENTCOM Area of Operations to support maritime security and stability.-photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>An F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 34, lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Theodore Roosevelt is deployed to the USCENTCOM Area of Operations to support maritime security and stability.-photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will move a fighter jet squadron to the Middle East and maintain an aircraft carrier in the region, the Pentagon said Friday, beefing up the American military presence to help defend Israel from possible attacks by Iran and its proxies and safeguard U.S. troops.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the European and Middle East regions and is taking steps to send more land-based ballistic missile defense weapons there, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday evening.The shifts make good on a promise President Joe Biden made to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a call Thursday afternoon, Biden discussed new U.S. military deployments to protect against possible attacks from ballistic missiles and drones, according to the White House. In April, U.S. forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran against Israel and helped down nearly all of them.U.S. leaders worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in response to recent attacks by Israel on Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/haniyeh-shukur-israel-lebanon-hamas-5d3ec9b048ef77b6b8196c6c08755dbd">triggered threats of retaliation</a>. Iran also has threatened to respond after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-ismail-haniyeh-killed-tehran-hamas-2d16ae7ed668b954ac0e7a53eaf92671">Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh</a>&nbsp;was assassinated in Tehran on Wednesday, a day after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-strike-beirut-52c2a1711e274859b60daf8d2db3e0e2">senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur</a>&nbsp;was killed in Beirut.Israel has vowed to kill Hamas leaders over the group’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack</a>, which sparked the war in Gaza.Austin is ordering the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, which is in the Gulf of Oman but scheduled to come home later this summer. That decision suggests the Pentagon has decided to keep a carrier consistently in the region as a deterrent against Iran at least until next year.The Pentagon did not say where the fighter jet squadron was coming from or where it would be based in the Middle East. A number of allies in the region are often willing to base U.S. military forces but don’t want it made public.The Pentagon has options to provide additional land-based ballistic missile defense, such as the Patriot or the terminal high altitude area defense, known as THAAD, both of which launch interceptor missiles from specialized trailer-based mobile launching systems. The Pentagon did not identify what system it would be deploying to augment defenses in the region.The White House in a statement said Biden “reaffirmed his commitment to Israel’s security against all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”Earlier Friday, Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that moves were in the works. She said Austin “will be directing multiple” force movements to provide additional support to Israel and increase protection for U.S. troops in the region.Military and defense officials have been considering a wide array of options, from additional ships and fighter aircraft squadrons to added air defense systems or unmanned weapons. In many cases the U.S. does not provide details because host nations are very sensitive about the presence of additional U.S. forces and don’t want those movements made public.It’s unclear what new ships would move to the Middle East.The U.S. has had a consistent warship presence there and in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, including two Navy destroyers, the USS Roosevelt and the USS Bulkeley, as well as the USS Wasp and the USS New York. The Wasp and the New York are part of the amphibious ready group and carry a Marine expeditionary unit that could be used if any evacuation of U.S. personnel is required.

US sending fighter jet squadron to boost military presence in Mideast

JOHNSON COUNTY—A Kansas man on trial for child sex crimes is going to prison.

On Monday, a jury found 36-year-old Timothy Ryan Hugo guilty of two counts of aggravated indecent liberty, two counts of rape of a child under 14 and aggravated sodomy, according to the Johnson County District attorney's office.

Hugo is scheduled for sentencing October 21.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722275116463.png" alt="Hugo photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hugo photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—A Kansas man on trial for child sex crimes is going to prison.On Monday, a jury found 36-year-old Timothy Ryan Hugo guilty of two counts of aggravated indecent liberty, two counts of rape of a child under 14 and aggravated sodomy, according to the Johnson County District attorney's office.Hugo is scheduled for sentencing October 21.

Jury: Kansas man guilty of violent child sex crimes

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday overrode a plea agreement reached earlier this week for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-guantanamo-76a2dc11440cf9c4c287ee69bd742aa3">accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;and two other defendants, reinstating them as death penalty cases.

The move comes two days after the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced it had reached plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accused accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, in the attacks.

Letters sent to families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the al-Qaida attacks said the plea agreement stipulated the three would serve life sentences.

Some families of the attack’s victims condemned the deal for cutting off any possibility of full trials and possible death penalties. Republicans were quick to fault the Biden administration for the deal, although the White House said after it was announced it had no knowledge of it.

<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Aug/02/2003517325/-1/-1/1/Secretary-of-Defense-Memorandum-for-Convening-Authority-for-Military-Commissions.PDF">Austin wrote in an order</a>&nbsp;released Friday night that “in light of the significance of the decision,” he had decided that the authority to make a decision on accepting the plea agreements was his. He nullified the agreements.

Mohammed and the other defendants had been expected to formally enter their pleas under the deal as soon as next week.

The U.S. military commission overseeing the cases of five defendants in the Sept. 11 attacks have been stuck in pre-trial hearings and other preliminary court action since 2008. The torture that the defendants underwent while in CIA custody has slowed the cases and left the prospect of full trials and verdicts still uncertain, in part because of the inadmissibility of evidence linked to the torture.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722465359811.jpeg" alt="FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday overrode a plea agreement reached earlier this week for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sept-11-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-guantanamo-76a2dc11440cf9c4c287ee69bd742aa3">accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks</a>&nbsp;and two other defendants, reinstating them as death penalty cases.The move comes two days after the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced it had reached plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accused accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, in the attacks.Letters sent to families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the al-Qaida attacks said the plea agreement stipulated the three would serve life sentences.Some families of the attack’s victims condemned the deal for cutting off any possibility of full trials and possible death penalties. Republicans were quick to fault the Biden administration for the deal, although the White House said after it was announced it had no knowledge of it.<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Aug/02/2003517325/-1/-1/1/Secretary-of-Defense-Memorandum-for-Convening-Authority-for-Military-Commissions.PDF">Austin wrote in an order</a>&nbsp;released Friday night that “in light of the significance of the decision,” he had decided that the authority to make a decision on accepting the plea agreements was his. He nullified the agreements.Mohammed and the other defendants had been expected to formally enter their pleas under the deal as soon as next week.The U.S. military commission overseeing the cases of five defendants in the Sept. 11 attacks have been stuck in pre-trial hearings and other preliminary court action since 2008. The torture that the defendants underwent while in CIA custody has slowed the cases and left the prospect of full trials and verdicts still uncertain, in part because of the inadmissibility of evidence linked to the torture.

Shocking reversal: Defense Sec. revokes plea deal for accused 9/11 terrorists 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Friday in Shawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz driven by Travis Coledin&nbsp; Moore, 18, Kendall, Kansas, was southbound on U.S. 75 just north of 35th Street.

The Hyundai struck a southbound 2021 Kia Soul driven by Matthew Andrew&nbsp;Tetuan, 35, Topeka.&nbsp; After impact the Kia&nbsp; and the Hyundia struck a southbound 2014 Ford Edge driven by Judson Timothy Williams, 25, Hoyt, who was stopped in traffic.

EMS transported Tetuan to Stormont Vail where he died. Moore, Williams and passengers in their vehicles were not injured. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Friday in Shawnee County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz driven by Travis Coledin&nbsp; Moore, 18, Kendall, Kansas, was southbound on U.S. 75 just north of 35th Street.The Hyundai struck a southbound 2021 Kia Soul driven by Matthew Andrew&nbsp;Tetuan, 35, Topeka.&nbsp; After impact the Kia&nbsp; and the Hyundia struck a southbound 2014 Ford Edge driven by Judson Timothy Williams, 25, Hoyt, who was stopped in traffic.EMS transported Tetuan to Stormont Vail where he died. Moore, Williams and passengers in their vehicles were not injured. All were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies from injuries after 3-vehicle crash

RAWLINS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident during a police pursuit just before 3p.m. Friday in Rawlins County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported law enforcement were in pursuit of a 2012 Dodge Journey driven by Kayla Vonae&nbsp;Williams, 36, Omaha, Nebraska, northbound Kansas 117 six miles north of the U.S. 36 Junction at a high rate of speed. 

The SUV traveled off the roadway to the left, struck a large dirt embankment, became disabled and caught on fire.

EMS transported&nbsp; Williams to the Rawlins County Health Center. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.&nbsp; Authorities did not report what prompted the chase.

RAWLINS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident during a police pursuit just before 3p.m. Friday in Rawlins County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported law enforcement were in pursuit of a 2012 Dodge Journey driven by Kayla Vonae&nbsp;Williams, 36, Omaha, Nebraska, northbound Kansas 117 six miles north of the U.S. 36 Junction at a high rate of speed. The SUV traveled off the roadway to the left, struck a large dirt embankment, became disabled and caught on fire.EMS transported&nbsp; Williams to the Rawlins County Health Center. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.&nbsp; Authorities did not report what prompted the chase.

Woman hospitalized after crash, fire during Kan. police chase

WASHINGTON —Three weeks after the assassination attempt on Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler,&nbsp; Pennsylvania, the new acting director of the Secret Service&nbsp;Ronald Rowe  held a press conference.&nbsp; Video of some of the highlights are below.

Earlier this week in testimony before Senators, Rowe said&nbsp;he was “ashamed”&nbsp;after the July 13 attack that wounded Trump and killed a&nbsp;former fire chief who was attending the rally.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720972888448.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAn" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAn</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —Three weeks after the assassination attempt on Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler,&nbsp; Pennsylvania, the new acting director of the Secret Service&nbsp;Ronald Rowe held a press conference.&nbsp; Video of some of the highlights are below.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe provides a timeline leading up to the assassination attempt of former President Trump in Butler, PA. <a href="https://t.co/qvTSav7sZU">pic.twitter.com/qvTSav7sZU</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1819437596667158877?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe: &quot;In no way should any state or local agency supporting us in Butler on July 13th be held responsible for a Secret Service failure.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/xFGfAE81DI">pic.twitter.com/xFGfAE81DI</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1819436815733960996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe: &quot;The Secret Service takes full responsibility for the tragic events of July 13th.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PcYQX1kEqQ">pic.twitter.com/PcYQX1kEqQ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1819436676768239780?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Earlier this week in testimony before Senators, Rowe said&nbsp;he was “ashamed”&nbsp;after the July 13 attack that wounded Trump and killed a&nbsp;former fire chief who was attending the rally.

🎥Secret Service shares new information on Trump assassination attempt

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man who admitted stealing and destroying a Jackie Robinson statue from a Wichita Park was sentenced Friday afternoon.

&nbsp;Judge Tyler Roush sentenced 45-year-old Ricky Alderete of Wichita, to 15-years in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;&nbsp;The judge imposed a sentence of 162 months on one count of Aggravated Burglary and 18 months on one count of Aggravated Criminal Damage to property in connection with the destruction of the Jackie Robinson statute for a total of 180 months or 15-years in prison.

In May, Alderete pled guilty to the theft of the statue from League 42, according to the district attorney's office.

On January 26, police learned the statue was cut at the ankles to be removed. All that remained of the statue were Robinson's feet.&nbsp;

Alerete, who was in custody after an arrest on&nbsp;February 1, for a probation violation, burglary, kidnapping and criminal damage to property unrelated to the theft of the statue,&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=251468">according to online jail records</a>&nbsp;was charged with the crime.

Wichita police detectives conducted over 100 interviews both within and outside Sedgwick County to resolve the case.

On January 28, officers from the Wichita Police Department Field Community Response Team located a suspect vehicle used in the theft, unoccupied, at an apartment complex in Wichita.

On January 30, the Wichita Fire Department discovered parts of the statue in a trash can at Garvey Park while responding to a fire call.

The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime, instead, police believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal, according to Moses.&nbsp;

Alderete has been the only suspect apprehended in the statue’s destruction.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707844320270.png" alt="Alderete photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Alderete photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man who admitted stealing and destroying a Jackie Robinson statue from a Wichita Park was sentenced Friday afternoon.&nbsp;Judge Tyler Roush sentenced 45-year-old Ricky Alderete of Wichita, to 15-years in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;&nbsp;The judge imposed a sentence of 162 months on one count of Aggravated Burglary and 18 months on one count of Aggravated Criminal Damage to property in connection with the destruction of the Jackie Robinson statute for a total of 180 months or 15-years in prison.In May, Alderete pled guilty to the theft of the statue from League 42, according to the district attorney's office.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706214143377.png" alt="Photo City of Wichita" />
 <figcaption>Photo City of Wichita</figcaption>
 </figure>On January 26, police learned the statue was cut at the ankles to be removed. All that remained of the statue were Robinson's feet.&nbsp;Alerete, who was in custody after an arrest on&nbsp;February 1, for a probation violation, burglary, kidnapping and criminal damage to property unrelated to the theft of the statue,&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/InmateSearch/Details.aspx?Id=251468">according to online jail records</a>&nbsp;was charged with the crime.Wichita police detectives conducted over 100 interviews both within and outside Sedgwick County to resolve the case.On January 28, officers from the Wichita Police Department Field Community Response Team located a suspect vehicle used in the theft, unoccupied, at an apartment complex in Wichita.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706641670170.png" alt="-Parts of the burned statue found in a trash bin-photo courtesy KAKE" />
 <figcaption>-Parts of the burned statue found in a trash bin-photo courtesy KAKE</figcaption>
 </figure>On January 30, the Wichita Fire Department discovered parts of the statue in a trash can at Garvey Park while responding to a fire call.The investigation has not revealed any evidence indicating that this was a hate-motivated crime, instead, police believe this theft was motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal, according to Moses.&nbsp;Alderete has been the only suspect apprehended in the statue’s destruction.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Prison for Kan. man who stole Jackie Robinson statue from park

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>

Vice President Kamala Harris is the only candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, the Democratic National Committee announced this week.

Harris was the only person to reach the threshold of 300 delegates petitioning for her to become the party’s nominee after President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/president-joe-biden-bows-out-reelection-campaign-harris-vows-win-nomination-8" target="_blank">dropped his bid for reelection</a>, setting her up to officially become the party’s nominee during a virtual roll call scheduled to begin Thursday, according to a DNC press release.

The DNC allowed party delegates to petition for a new nominee after Biden’s withdrawal. After sweeping primaries and caucuses, Biden had secured the vast majority of the 3,949 pledged delegates in the Democratic nominating process. Most of those delegates quickly declared their support for Harris following Biden’s exit.

About 84% of Democratic delegates submitted a signature during the petition phase, with 99% of those supporting Harris. A total of 3,923 Democratic delegates petitioned for Harris to be the presidential nominee, according to the release, which called Harris the presumptive Democratic nominee.

“Democratic delegates from across the nation made their voices heard, overwhelmingly backing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and Democratic National Convention Committee Chair Minyon Moore said in the statement.

Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/vp-harris-cites-bidens-legacy-accomplishment-endorsements-pile-her-bid" target="_blank">won the backing</a>&nbsp;of many state parties, elected officials and other party leaders within hours of Biden bowing out of the race and endorsing her. Candidates rumored to harbor their own presidential ambitions quickly fell in line with Harris, with a few still thought to be under consideration for Harris’ running mate.

Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democrats-approve-virtual-vote-delegates-pick-presidential-nominee" target="_blank">virtual roll call</a>&nbsp;– a departure from the traditional roll call at the party convention initially designed to ensure the party’s nominee was on the ballot in Ohio despite an early deadline that has since been changed – will begin 9 a.m. Eastern on Thursday and wrap up at 6 p.m. on Aug. 5, the DNC release said.

Harris will campaign on Aug. 6, the day after the virtual roll call concludes, with her yet-to-be-named running mate in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/kamala-harris-to-campaign-in-philadelphia-next-week-with-her-still-unnamed-running-mate/" target="_blank">confirmed</a>&nbsp;Tuesday.

The commonwealth is perhaps the most important battleground in the presidential race and Gov. Josh Shapiro is reportedly on Harris’ short list for vice president. The first-term governor and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stumped for Harris at a&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/swing-state-governors-shapiro-and-whitmer-rally-philadelphia-area-voters-for-a-harris-presidency/" target="_blank">Monday rally</a>&nbsp;in the Philadelphia area.

Politico&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/30/harris-first-rally-running-mate-tuesday-philadelphia-00171999" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that the Harris campaign swing will also include western Wisconsin; Detroit; Raleigh, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Las Vegas; and Phoenix.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/kamala-harris-needs-vp-candidate-could-governor-fit-bill" target="_blank">top candidates for Harris’ running mate include</a>&nbsp;Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also under consideration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721587655391.png" alt="File -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>File -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>Vice President Kamala Harris is the only candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, the Democratic National Committee announced this week.Harris was the only person to reach the threshold of 300 delegates petitioning for her to become the party’s nominee after President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/president-joe-biden-bows-out-reelection-campaign-harris-vows-win-nomination-8" target="_blank">dropped his bid for reelection</a>, setting her up to officially become the party’s nominee during a virtual roll call scheduled to begin Thursday, according to a DNC press release.The DNC allowed party delegates to petition for a new nominee after Biden’s withdrawal. After sweeping primaries and caucuses, Biden had secured the vast majority of the 3,949 pledged delegates in the Democratic nominating process. Most of those delegates quickly declared their support for Harris following Biden’s exit.About 84% of Democratic delegates submitted a signature during the petition phase, with 99% of those supporting Harris. A total of 3,923 Democratic delegates petitioned for Harris to be the presidential nominee, according to the release, which called Harris the presumptive Democratic nominee.“Democratic delegates from across the nation made their voices heard, overwhelmingly backing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and Democratic National Convention Committee Chair Minyon Moore said in the statement.Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/vp-harris-cites-bidens-legacy-accomplishment-endorsements-pile-her-bid" target="_blank">won the backing</a>&nbsp;of many state parties, elected officials and other party leaders within hours of Biden bowing out of the race and endorsing her. Candidates rumored to harbor their own presidential ambitions quickly fell in line with Harris, with a few still thought to be under consideration for Harris’ running mate.Democrats’&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democrats-approve-virtual-vote-delegates-pick-presidential-nominee" target="_blank">virtual roll call</a>&nbsp;– a departure from the traditional roll call at the party convention initially designed to ensure the party’s nominee was on the ballot in Ohio despite an early deadline that has since been changed – will begin 9 a.m. Eastern on Thursday and wrap up at 6 p.m. on Aug. 5, the DNC release said.<h2>Harris and running mate to Philadelphia</h2>Harris will campaign on Aug. 6, the day after the virtual roll call concludes, with her yet-to-be-named running mate in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/kamala-harris-to-campaign-in-philadelphia-next-week-with-her-still-unnamed-running-mate/" target="_blank">confirmed</a>&nbsp;Tuesday.The commonwealth is perhaps the most important battleground in the presidential race and Gov. Josh Shapiro is reportedly on Harris’ short list for vice president. The first-term governor and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stumped for Harris at a&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/election-2024/swing-state-governors-shapiro-and-whitmer-rally-philadelphia-area-voters-for-a-harris-presidency/" target="_blank">Monday rally</a>&nbsp;in the Philadelphia area.Politico&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/30/harris-first-rally-running-mate-tuesday-philadelphia-00171999" target="_blank">reported</a>&nbsp;that the Harris campaign swing will also include western Wisconsin; Detroit; Raleigh, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Las Vegas; and Phoenix.Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/kamala-harris-needs-vp-candidate-could-governor-fit-bill" target="_blank">top candidates for Harris’ running mate include</a>&nbsp;Arizona U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also under consideration.

Harris is the sole candidate for Dem presidential nomination on virtual roll call

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation after two bodies were located near the 300 Block of River Road in rural Sumner County, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp; &nbsp;In May, the Sheriff’s Office reported they identified several suspects in the case. Authorities have not reported an arrest and detectives are waiting for some information to come back, according to Gibbs.

 One of the bodies was located on May 10,&nbsp; the other on May 13.&nbsp; Both bodies were transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center for further testing and examination. &nbsp;

On May 17, the sheriff's office received confirmation through DNA testing on the identities of the two deceased individuals as 30-year-old Monica R. Williams and 24-year-old Kevin M. Ledesma. Both had been reporteed missing and were last seen&nbsp;at a residence in the 9500 block South Hydraulic in Wichita on January 1, 2024. The sheriff's office also reported there were homicide victims.

The circumstances in which Williams and Ledesma were killed remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715979738614.png" alt="Williams photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Williams photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sumner County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation after two bodies were located near the 300 Block of River Road in rural Sumner County, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff's Lt. Nathan Gibbs.&nbsp; &nbsp;In May, the Sheriff’s Office reported they identified several suspects in the case. Authorities have not reported an arrest and detectives are waiting for some information to come back, according to Gibbs. One of the bodies was located on May 10,&nbsp; the other on May 13.&nbsp; Both bodies were transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center for further testing and examination. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715980197399.png" alt="Kevin Ledesma-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Kevin Ledesma-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>On May 17, the sheriff's office received confirmation through DNA testing on the identities of the two deceased individuals as 30-year-old Monica R. Williams and 24-year-old Kevin M. Ledesma. Both had been reporteed missing and were last seen&nbsp;at a residence in the 9500 block South Hydraulic in Wichita on January 1, 2024. The sheriff's office also reported there were homicide victims.The circumstances in which Williams and Ledesma were killed remains under investigation.

Still no arrests 2 months after bodies found in rural Kansas

SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita firefighter who died in the line of duty on Thursday has been identified as 27-year-old Ty Voth, according to Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow.

Ty was a 5 year veteran of the Wichita Fire Department. "He was selfless, dedicated and always put others before himself. Authorities&nbsp;will share details on honoring Ty as they become available.

On Friday, Snow released no additional details.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Wichita Firefighter who was injured at the scene of a fire on Thursday has died, according to Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow. She did not release the name of the firefighter.

Just after 3p.m. crews responded to a fire at a home in the&nbsp;9800 block of South Laura near Haysville after a driver on the Kansas Turnpike reported the fire to 911, according to Sedgwick County Fire Marshall Brad Crisp.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Crews brought the fire under control and the firefighter who died was the only reported injury.&nbsp; Snow is expected to release additional details on the fatal incident Friday.&nbsp; The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office and Sedgwick County Fire officials are investigating.

Crews from Sedgwick County, Derby and McConnell Air Force Base also responded to the fire.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722607741656.png" alt="Ty Voth died while fighting a fire on Thursday- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Ty Voth died while fighting a fire on Thursday- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —The Wichita firefighter who died in the line of duty on Thursday has been identified as 27-year-old Ty Voth, according to Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow.Ty was a 5 year veteran of the Wichita Fire Department. "He was selfless, dedicated and always put others before himself. Authorities&nbsp;will share details on honoring Ty as they become available.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwichitafiredepartment%2Fvideos%2F3715334432018954%2F&show_text=false&width=267&t=40" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>On Friday, Snow released no additional details.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722555190304.png" alt="Firefighters on the scene of the fire Thursday afternoon-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Firefighters on the scene of the fire Thursday afternoon-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>---------------SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Wichita Firefighter who was injured at the scene of a fire on Thursday has died, according to Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow. She did not release the name of the firefighter.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fwichitafiredepartment%2Fvideos%2F3715334432018954%2F&show_text=false&width=267&t=40" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Just after 3p.m. crews responded to a fire at a home in the&nbsp;9800 block of South Laura near Haysville after a driver on the Kansas Turnpike reported the fire to 911, according to Sedgwick County Fire Marshall Brad Crisp.&nbsp; &nbsp;Crews brought the fire under control and the firefighter who died was the only reported injury.&nbsp; Snow is expected to release additional details on the fatal incident Friday.&nbsp; The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office and Sedgwick County Fire officials are investigating.Crews from Sedgwick County, Derby and McConnell Air Force Base also responded to the fire.

Chief IDs firefighter killed after battling a Kansas house fire 

GEARY COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just after 11a.m. Thursday in Geary County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 KTM RC390 motorcycle driven by&nbsp;Brycen Chance&nbsp;Ronk, 21, Fort Riley, was traveling onto eastbound Interstate 70 at Grandview Plaza. 

The motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed on the on ramp and passed a vehicle on the right shoulder of the ramp. 

The motorcycle swerved back into the eastbound lane of Interstate 70, continued to swerve and crossed through the center line entering the westbound lanes of the Interstate and struck a 2022 International semi driven by Brian Lynn Plyer, 51, Bellvue, Nebraska, head-on.

Ronk was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Frontier Medical. Plyer was not injured and properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722538918870.png" alt="Traffic backed up Thursday in Geary County due to the fatal crash-image KanDrive" />
 <figcaption>Traffic backed up Thursday in Geary County due to the fatal crash-image KanDrive</figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just after 11a.m. Thursday in Geary County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 KTM RC390 motorcycle driven by&nbsp;Brycen Chance&nbsp;Ronk, 21, Fort Riley, was traveling onto eastbound Interstate 70 at Grandview Plaza. The motorcycle was traveling at a high rate of speed on the on ramp and passed a vehicle on the right shoulder of the ramp. The motorcycle swerved back into the eastbound lane of Interstate 70, continued to swerve and crossed through the center line entering the westbound lanes of the Interstate and struck a 2022 International semi driven by Brian Lynn Plyer, 51, Bellvue, Nebraska, head-on.Ronk was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Frontier Medical. Plyer was not injured and properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after wrong-way, head-on I-70 crash 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Thursday in Shawnee County.

First responders found a vehicle that struck a home near SW Huntoon and SW Plass in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Sgt. Shawn Doiron.

Officers located a passenger who had been ejected from the vehicle. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries and later pronounced deceased. Police continue investigating the crash and released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722626501404.png" alt="Photo by Cole Hermesch courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cole Hermesch courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Thursday in Shawnee County.First responders found a vehicle that struck a home near SW Huntoon and SW Plass in Topeka, according to Topeka Police Sgt. Shawn Doiron.Officers located a passenger who had been ejected from the vehicle. The victim was transported to a local hospital with life threatening injuries and later pronounced deceased. Police continue investigating the crash and released no additional details.

Police: Passenger dies after crash into Kansas home

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to expand the child tax credit and restore some tax breaks for businesses failed to advance in the Senate on Thursday as Republicans largely opposed the measure, arguing they would be in position to get a better deal next year.

Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/charles-schumer">Chuck Schumer</a>, D-N.Y., dared Republicans to vote against the tax cut package before lawmakers headed home for the month. He said they would be voting against tax cuts for many low-income families and local businesses.

The legislation fell far short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure, with a vote of 48 in favor and 44 opposed including both Senators from Kansas Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall.

Three Republicans — Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Rick Scott of Florida — joined with Democrats in support. Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, independents who caucus with Democrats, were opposed.

Both parties are trying to spotlight issues they believe will play well with voters in November. Schumer put the onus on Republicans to block tax cuts that were sought by the business community and that would financially help an estimated 16 million families when fully in effect. He was also looking to counter assertions from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, that Democrats are “anti-family."

“The question is, will Senate Republicans join us to give Americans a tax break or will they stand in the way?” Schumer said before the vote.

The roughly $79 billion package passed the House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-house-republicans-speaker-johnson-4da25a4188ad27693e9d8755e7481b76">overwhelmingly</a>&nbsp;in January by a 357-70 vote, but has stalled in the Senate. Republicans were calling for the bill to go through the Senate Finance Committee, in a process that would allow lawmakers to offer amendments to address their concerns, but that did not happen.

There were behind-the-scenes negotiations, but senators from both parties accused the other of not being serious.

The child tax credit is $2,000 per qualifying child. The bill aims to make the credit more fully available to low-income families by gradually making more of the credit refundable. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the changes amounted to “cash welfare instead of relief for working taxpayers."

“I’m not so certain the American people are impressed by message votes,” McConnell said. "And I don’t think they’ll give out points for incomplete work.”

The bill was fashioned through negotiations by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. It would restore full, immediate deductions that businesses can take for the purchase of new equipment and machinery, and for domestic research and development expenses. The tax breaks had lapsed as a cost-containment measure under provisions of the 2017 tax bill that Republicans approved under the Trump administration.

The changes in the child tax credit would lift as many as 500,000 out of poverty when the proposal was fully in effect, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank.

The bill would be paid for by speeding up the cutoff date by which companies could submit retroactive claims for employees they kept on the payrolls during the COVID-19 pandemic. The IRS has said a significant majority of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-covid-business-tax-credit-fraud-congress-226ea420bdb2c3a06e135d47ca140a8d">retroactive claims</a>&nbsp;are at a high risk of fraud.

With the bill seemingly lacking the support necessary to overcome procedural hurdles, Schumer had opted for months not to bring it up for a vote. But the election season presented an opportunity for Democrats to spotlight the issue — and Vance. Schumer even referenced “the junior senator from Ohio” when speaking on the Senate floor, leaving no doubt that Vance was part of their thinking in holding the vote.

Vance claimed in a Fox News interview that Vice President Kamala Harris, the leading candidate now to be the Democrats' White House nominee, was calling for an end to the child tax credit. But the Biden administration led the effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-business-poverty-208e9810a65197621b98cc51efd336eb">bolster the child tax credit</a>&nbsp;during the pandemic and tried unsuccessfully to continue the expansion, which temporarily increased the credit to $3,000 a year, added 17-year-olds and boosted the amount to $3,600 for children under age 6.

Schumer called Vance's claim “plain old nonsense” and said the 2021 expansion was one of the most significant achievements Democrats have had under the Biden-Harris administration.

Vance also suggested in 2021 that political leaders who did not have biological children “don’t really have a direct stake” in the country. He reaffirmed those remarks after clips of them resurfaced, saying this week on the SiriusXM radio program “The Megyn Kelly Show” that the Democratic Party had become “anti-family and anti-child.”

Vance was in Arizona visiting the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday and did not attend the vote. His office did not reply to a question of how he would have voted.

Wyden, meanwhile, said: “There’s always a lot of talk among Republicans about supporting families, competing with China, and cracking down on fraud in government programs, but they just rejected a bill that would accomplish all of that in one package."

Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, both in competitive races this fall, spoke on the Senate floor in support of the bill. But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called Thursday's action the latest in a series of “show votes” designed to fail but would provide Democrats “with a talking point or two on the campaign trail.”

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said there are good things in the legislation, but “if we're in a position to do this next year, it will be a much stronger bill.”

Thune said it won't be hard for Republicans to rebuff criticism that they were insufficiently supportive of tax relief for businesses and families.

“There are certain issues that voters instinctively know that Republicans are better on,” Thune said. “They may try to make that argument in a political ad, but I think it'll be hard to sustain when most voters know that it was the Republicans in 2017 that cut taxes and that next year it will be Republicans who extend those tax cuts if we have the majority.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722543700713.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (center) with a thumbs down on the bill Thursday -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (center) with a thumbs down on the bill Thursday -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A bill to expand the child tax credit and restore some tax breaks for businesses failed to advance in the Senate on Thursday as Republicans largely opposed the measure, arguing they would be in position to get a better deal next year.Majority Leader&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/charles-schumer">Chuck Schumer</a>, D-N.Y., dared Republicans to vote against the tax cut package before lawmakers headed home for the month. He said they would be voting against tax cuts for many low-income families and local businesses.The legislation fell far short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure, with a vote of 48 in favor and 44 opposed including both Senators from Kansas Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall.Three Republicans — Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma and Rick Scott of Florida — joined with Democrats in support. Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, independents who caucus with Democrats, were opposed.Both parties are trying to spotlight issues they believe will play well with voters in November. Schumer put the onus on Republicans to block tax cuts that were sought by the business community and that would financially help an estimated 16 million families when fully in effect. He was also looking to counter assertions from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, that Democrats are “anti-family."“The question is, will Senate Republicans join us to give Americans a tax break or will they stand in the way?” Schumer said before the vote.The roughly $79 billion package passed the House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credit-house-republicans-speaker-johnson-4da25a4188ad27693e9d8755e7481b76">overwhelmingly</a>&nbsp;in January by a 357-70 vote, but has stalled in the Senate. Republicans were calling for the bill to go through the Senate Finance Committee, in a process that would allow lawmakers to offer amendments to address their concerns, but that did not happen.There were behind-the-scenes negotiations, but senators from both parties accused the other of not being serious.The child tax credit is $2,000 per qualifying child. The bill aims to make the credit more fully available to low-income families by gradually making more of the credit refundable. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said the changes amounted to “cash welfare instead of relief for working taxpayers."“I’m not so certain the American people are impressed by message votes,” McConnell said. "And I don’t think they’ll give out points for incomplete work.”The bill was fashioned through negotiations by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. It would restore full, immediate deductions that businesses can take for the purchase of new equipment and machinery, and for domestic research and development expenses. The tax breaks had lapsed as a cost-containment measure under provisions of the 2017 tax bill that Republicans approved under the Trump administration.The changes in the child tax credit would lift as many as 500,000 out of poverty when the proposal was fully in effect, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal think tank.The bill would be paid for by speeding up the cutoff date by which companies could submit retroactive claims for employees they kept on the payrolls during the COVID-19 pandemic. The IRS has said a significant majority of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-covid-business-tax-credit-fraud-congress-226ea420bdb2c3a06e135d47ca140a8d">retroactive claims</a>&nbsp;are at a high risk of fraud.With the bill seemingly lacking the support necessary to overcome procedural hurdles, Schumer had opted for months not to bring it up for a vote. But the election season presented an opportunity for Democrats to spotlight the issue — and Vance. Schumer even referenced “the junior senator from Ohio” when speaking on the Senate floor, leaving no doubt that Vance was part of their thinking in holding the vote.Vance claimed in a Fox News interview that Vice President Kamala Harris, the leading candidate now to be the Democrats' White House nominee, was calling for an end to the child tax credit. But the Biden administration led the effort to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-business-poverty-208e9810a65197621b98cc51efd336eb">bolster the child tax credit</a>&nbsp;during the pandemic and tried unsuccessfully to continue the expansion, which temporarily increased the credit to $3,000 a year, added 17-year-olds and boosted the amount to $3,600 for children under age 6.Schumer called Vance's claim “plain old nonsense” and said the 2021 expansion was one of the most significant achievements Democrats have had under the Biden-Harris administration.Vance also suggested in 2021 that political leaders who did not have biological children “don’t really have a direct stake” in the country. He reaffirmed those remarks after clips of them resurfaced, saying this week on the SiriusXM radio program “The Megyn Kelly Show” that the Democratic Party had become “anti-family and anti-child.”Vance was in Arizona visiting the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday and did not attend the vote. His office did not reply to a question of how he would have voted.Wyden, meanwhile, said: “There’s always a lot of talk among Republicans about supporting families, competing with China, and cracking down on fraud in government programs, but they just rejected a bill that would accomplish all of that in one package."Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, both in competitive races this fall, spoke on the Senate floor in support of the bill. But Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called Thursday's action the latest in a series of “show votes” designed to fail but would provide Democrats “with a talking point or two on the campaign trail.”South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said there are good things in the legislation, but “if we're in a position to do this next year, it will be a much stronger bill.”Thune said it won't be hard for Republicans to rebuff criticism that they were insufficiently supportive of tax relief for businesses and families.“There are certain issues that voters instinctively know that Republicans are better on,” Thune said. “They may try to make that argument in a political ad, but I think it'll be hard to sustain when most voters know that it was the Republicans in 2017 that cut taxes and that next year it will be Republicans who extend those tax cuts if we have the majority.”

Moran, Marshall vote to block tax cut bill which expands the child tax credit 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/evan-gershkovich">Evan Gershkovich</a>&nbsp;and fellow American&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/paul-whelan">Paul Whelan</a>, along with dissidents including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vladimir-kara-murza-pulitzer-commentary-column-writing-db7f9cf85d5843c99f287bb240d52389">Vladimir Kara-Murza</a>, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free.

Gershkovich, Whelan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-kurmasheva-crackdown-journalist-rferl-7a9bfe693edbfc8dd222e24d9baac46e">Alsu Kurmasheva</a>, a journalist with dual U.S.-Russia citizenship, arrived on American soil shortly before midnight for a joyful reunion with their families. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also were at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to greet them and dispense hugs all around.

The trade unfolded despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-joe-biden-business-europe-moscow-e88497e7e8d4ad178057b599cc9ec8f6">February 2022 invasion of Ukraine</a>.

Negotiators in backchannel talks at one point explored an exchange involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-navalny-prison-death-swap-ce214909b1088a1d67fa9cd323864f50">Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny</a>, but after his death in February ultimately stitched together a 24-person deal that required significant concessions from European allies, including the release of a Russian assassin, and secured freedom for a cluster of journalists, suspected spies, political prisoners and others.

Biden trumpeted the exchange, by far the largest in a series of swaps with Russia, as a diplomatic feat while welcoming families of the returning Americans to the White House. But the deal, like others before it, reflected an innate imbalance: The U.S. and allies gave up Russians charged or convicted of serious crimes in exchange for Russia releasing journalists, dissidents and others imprisoned by the country's highly politicized legal system on charges seen by the West as trumped-up.

“Deals like this one come with tough calls,” Biden said. He added, “There’s nothing that matters more to me than protecting Americans at home and abroad.”

Under the deal, Russia released Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who was jailed in 2023 and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evan-gershkovich-russia-espionage-trial-ef2e9fffc44570cf797e97aa6afa50a1#:~:text=YEKATERINBURG%2C%20Russia%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94,government%20have%20rejected%20as%20fabricated.">convicted in July of espionage charges</a>&nbsp;that he and the U.S. government vehemently denied. His family said in a statement released by the newspaper that “we can't wait to give him the biggest hug and see his sweet and brave smile up close." The paper's editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, called it a “joyous day.”

“While we waited for this momentous day, we were determined to be as loud as we could be on Evan’s behalf. We are so grateful for all the voices that were raised when his was silent. We can finally say, in unison, ‘Welcome home, Evan,’” she wrote in a letter posted online.

Also released was Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed since 2018, also on espionage charges he and Washington have denied, and Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist convicted in July of spreading false information about the Russian military, accusations her family and employer have rejected.

The three flew from Maryland to Texas and landed at Joint Base San Antonio early Friday to begin medical evaluations after spending some time with their family members. If they choose, they can receive treatment the military offers to wrongfully detained Americans.

The dissidents released included Kara-Murza, a Kremlin critic and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer serving 25 years on charges of treason widely seen as politically motivated, as well as multiple associates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alexei-navalny">of Navalny</a>. Freed Kremlin critics included Oleg Orlov, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-orlov-nobel-sentenced-8539517d8b2c846706607584ba5f9bbb">veteran human rights campaigner convicted of discrediting the Russian military</a>, and Ilya Yashin,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-prisoners-dissident-yashin-06e10d17e2552393b6c517e6022103cf">imprisoned for criticizing the war in Ukraine</a>.

The Russian side got&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/belarus-german-sentenced-krieger-lukashenko-krasikov-f7d3d4c18245487557623c27664aedaf">Vadim Krasikov</a>, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison for killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years earlier, apparently on the orders of Moscow’s security services. Throughout the negotiations, Moscow had been persistent in pressing for his release, with Putin himself raising it.

At the time of Navalny's death, officials were discussing a possible exchange involving Krasikov. But with that prospect erased, senior U.S. officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, made a fresh push to encourage Germany to release Krasikov. In the end, a handful of the prisoners Russia released were either German nationals or dual German-Russian nationals.

Russia also received two alleged sleeper agents jailed in Slovenia, as well as three men charged by federal authorities in the U.S., including Roman Seleznev,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c5bac679915f486bab26861bd991bc61">a convicted computer hacker and the son of a Russian lawmaker</a>, and Vadim Konoshchenok, a suspected Russian intelligence operative accused of providing American-made electronics and ammunition to the Russian military. Norway returned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norway-russia-brazilian-university-spy-1f93f5ddb7195f4b70fb394bf3403ef3">an academic arrested on suspicions of being a Russian spy</a>; Poland sent back a man it detained on espionage charges.

“Today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world,” Biden said.

All told, six countries released at least one prisoner and a seventh, Turkey, participated by hosting the location for the swap, in Ankara.

Biden placed securing the release of Americans held wrongfully overseas at the top of his foreign policy agenda for the six months before he leaves office. In an Oval Office address discussing his decision to drop his bid for a second term, Biden said, “We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.”

At one point Thursday, he grabbed the hand of Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, and said she had practically been living at the White House as the administration tried to free Paul. He then motioned for Kurmasheva’s daughter, Miriam, to come closer and took her hand, telling the room it was her 13th birthday. He asked everyone to sing “Happy Birthday” with him. She wiped tears from her eyes.

The Biden administration has now brought home more than 70 Americans detained in other countries as part of deals that have required the U.S. to give up a broad array of convicted criminals, including for drug and weapons offenses. The swaps, though celebrated with fanfare, have spurred criticism that they incentivize future hostage-taking and give adversaries leverage over the U.S. and its allies.

The U.S. government's top hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens, has sought to defend the deals by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostages-detainees-gershkovich-russia-venezuela-edeacd5736d0c9ce9c77bf68a6ccd7c8">saying the number of wrongfully detained Americans</a>&nbsp;has actually gone down even as swaps have increased.

Tucker, the Journal's editor-in-chief, acknowledged the debate, writing, “We know the U.S. government is keenly aware, as are we, that the only way to prevent a quickening cycle of arresting innocent people as pawns in cynical geopolitical games is to remove the incentive for Russia and other nations that pursue the same detestable practice."

Though she called for a change to the dynamic, “for now,” she wrote, “we are celebrating the return of Evan.”

Thursday’s swap of 24 prisoners surpassed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apnews.com/78e7f17b47bb445386bb36b92017a375/Spy-swap:-A-look-at-the-4-Russians-freed-in-2010-exchange">a deal involving 14 people</a>&nbsp;that was struck in 2010. In that exchange, Washington freed 10 Russians living in the U.S. as sleepers, while Moscow deported four Russians, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-acf8c155ad744f69aa5741177f0d9459">Sergei Skripal</a>, a double agent working with British intelligence. He and his daughter in 2018 were nearly killed in Britain by nerve agent poisoning blamed on Russian agents.

Speculation had mounted for weeks that a swap was near because of a confluence of unusual developments, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evan-gershkovich-russia-espionage-trial-ef2e9fffc44570cf797e97aa6afa50a1#:~:text=YEKATERINBURG%2C%20Russia%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94,government%20have%20rejected%20as%20fabricated.">a startlingly quick trial for Gershkovich</a>, which Washington regarded as a sham. He was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison.

In a trial that concluded in two days in secrecy in the same week as Gershkovich’s,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-kurmasheva-crackdown-journalist-rferl-7a9bfe693edbfc8dd222e24d9baac46e">Kurmasheva was convicted</a>&nbsp;on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military that her family, employer and U.S. officials rejected. Also in recent days,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-prisoners-dissident-yashin-06e10d17e2552393b6c517e6022103cf">several other figures imprisoned</a>&nbsp;in Russia for speaking out against the war in Ukraine or over their work with Navalny were moved from prison to unknown locations.

Gershkovich was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. The son of Soviet emigres who settled in New Jersey, he moved to Russia in 2017 to work for The Moscow Times newspaper before being hired by the Journal in 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722592597964.png" alt="President Biden welcomes Paul Whelan home-image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>President Biden welcomes Paul Whelan home-image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia completed their biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history on Thursday, with Moscow releasing journalist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/evan-gershkovich">Evan Gershkovich</a>&nbsp;and fellow American&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/paul-whelan">Paul Whelan</a>, along with dissidents including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vladimir-kara-murza-pulitzer-commentary-column-writing-db7f9cf85d5843c99f287bb240d52389">Vladimir Kara-Murza</a>, in a multinational deal that set two dozen people free.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Happening Now: President Biden and Vice President Harris greet Americans freed from Russia at Joint Base Andrews. <a href="https://t.co/Z1gP6RUAIW">https://t.co/Z1gP6RUAIW</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1819218084537761849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Gershkovich, Whelan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-kurmasheva-crackdown-journalist-rferl-7a9bfe693edbfc8dd222e24d9baac46e">Alsu Kurmasheva</a>, a journalist with dual U.S.-Russia citizenship, arrived on American soil shortly before midnight for a joyful reunion with their families. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also were at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to greet them and dispense hugs all around.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, three American citizens and one American green-card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home. Since taking office, President Biden and Vice President Harris have made clear that they will not stop working until every American wrongfully… <a href="https://t.co/ZvVVC2TuIh">pic.twitter.com/ZvVVC2TuIh</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1819186562766389632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The trade unfolded despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-joe-biden-business-europe-moscow-e88497e7e8d4ad178057b599cc9ec8f6">February 2022 invasion of Ukraine</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722593277039.png" alt="President Biden welcomes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/evan-gershkovich">Evan Gershkovich</a>&nbsp;home-image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>President Biden welcomes&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/evan-gershkovich">Evan Gershkovich</a>&nbsp;home-image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>Negotiators in backchannel talks at one point explored an exchange involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-navalny-prison-death-swap-ce214909b1088a1d67fa9cd323864f50">Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny</a>, but after his death in February ultimately stitched together a 24-person deal that required significant concessions from European allies, including the release of a Russian assassin, and secured freedom for a cluster of journalists, suspected spies, political prisoners and others.Biden trumpeted the exchange, by far the largest in a series of swaps with Russia, as a diplomatic feat while welcoming families of the returning Americans to the White House. But the deal, like others before it, reflected an innate imbalance: The U.S. and allies gave up Russians charged or convicted of serious crimes in exchange for Russia releasing journalists, dissidents and others imprisoned by the country's highly politicized legal system on charges seen by the West as trumped-up.“Deals like this one come with tough calls,” Biden said. He added, “There’s nothing that matters more to me than protecting Americans at home and abroad.”Under the deal, Russia released Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal who was jailed in 2023 and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evan-gershkovich-russia-espionage-trial-ef2e9fffc44570cf797e97aa6afa50a1#:~:text=YEKATERINBURG%2C%20Russia%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94,government%20have%20rejected%20as%20fabricated.">convicted in July of espionage charges</a>&nbsp;that he and the U.S. government vehemently denied. His family said in a statement released by the newspaper that “we can't wait to give him the biggest hug and see his sweet and brave smile up close." The paper's editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, called it a “joyous day.”“While we waited for this momentous day, we were determined to be as loud as we could be on Evan’s behalf. We are so grateful for all the voices that were raised when his was silent. We can finally say, in unison, ‘Welcome home, Evan,’” she wrote in a letter posted online.Also released was Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed since 2018, also on espionage charges he and Washington have denied, and Kurmasheva, a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist convicted in July of spreading false information about the Russian military, accusations her family and employer have rejected.The three flew from Maryland to Texas and landed at Joint Base San Antonio early Friday to begin medical evaluations after spending some time with their family members. If they choose, they can receive treatment the military offers to wrongfully detained Americans.The dissidents released included Kara-Murza, a Kremlin critic and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer serving 25 years on charges of treason widely seen as politically motivated, as well as multiple associates&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alexei-navalny">of Navalny</a>. Freed Kremlin critics included Oleg Orlov, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-orlov-nobel-sentenced-8539517d8b2c846706607584ba5f9bbb">veteran human rights campaigner convicted of discrediting the Russian military</a>, and Ilya Yashin,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-prisoners-dissident-yashin-06e10d17e2552393b6c517e6022103cf">imprisoned for criticizing the war in Ukraine</a>.The Russian side got&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/belarus-german-sentenced-krieger-lukashenko-krasikov-f7d3d4c18245487557623c27664aedaf">Vadim Krasikov</a>, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 and sentenced to life in prison for killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years earlier, apparently on the orders of Moscow’s security services. Throughout the negotiations, Moscow had been persistent in pressing for his release, with Putin himself raising it.At the time of Navalny's death, officials were discussing a possible exchange involving Krasikov. But with that prospect erased, senior U.S. officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, made a fresh push to encourage Germany to release Krasikov. In the end, a handful of the prisoners Russia released were either German nationals or dual German-Russian nationals.Russia also received two alleged sleeper agents jailed in Slovenia, as well as three men charged by federal authorities in the U.S., including Roman Seleznev,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-c5bac679915f486bab26861bd991bc61">a convicted computer hacker and the son of a Russian lawmaker</a>, and Vadim Konoshchenok, a suspected Russian intelligence operative accused of providing American-made electronics and ammunition to the Russian military. Norway returned&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/norway-russia-brazilian-university-spy-1f93f5ddb7195f4b70fb394bf3403ef3">an academic arrested on suspicions of being a Russian spy</a>; Poland sent back a man it detained on espionage charges.“Today is a powerful example of why it’s vital to have friends in this world,” Biden said.All told, six countries released at least one prisoner and a seventh, Turkey, participated by hosting the location for the swap, in Ankara.Biden placed securing the release of Americans held wrongfully overseas at the top of his foreign policy agenda for the six months before he leaves office. In an Oval Office address discussing his decision to drop his bid for a second term, Biden said, “We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.”At one point Thursday, he grabbed the hand of Whelan's sister, Elizabeth, and said she had practically been living at the White House as the administration tried to free Paul. He then motioned for Kurmasheva’s daughter, Miriam, to come closer and took her hand, telling the room it was her 13th birthday. He asked everyone to sing “Happy Birthday” with him. She wiped tears from her eyes.The Biden administration has now brought home more than 70 Americans detained in other countries as part of deals that have required the U.S. to give up a broad array of convicted criminals, including for drug and weapons offenses. The swaps, though celebrated with fanfare, have spurred criticism that they incentivize future hostage-taking and give adversaries leverage over the U.S. and its allies.The U.S. government's top hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens, has sought to defend the deals by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hostages-detainees-gershkovich-russia-venezuela-edeacd5736d0c9ce9c77bf68a6ccd7c8">saying the number of wrongfully detained Americans</a>&nbsp;has actually gone down even as swaps have increased.Tucker, the Journal's editor-in-chief, acknowledged the debate, writing, “We know the U.S. government is keenly aware, as are we, that the only way to prevent a quickening cycle of arresting innocent people as pawns in cynical geopolitical games is to remove the incentive for Russia and other nations that pursue the same detestable practice."Though she called for a change to the dynamic, “for now,” she wrote, “we are celebrating the return of Evan.”Thursday’s swap of 24 prisoners surpassed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apnews.com/78e7f17b47bb445386bb36b92017a375/Spy-swap:-A-look-at-the-4-Russians-freed-in-2010-exchange">a deal involving 14 people</a>&nbsp;that was struck in 2010. In that exchange, Washington freed 10 Russians living in the U.S. as sleepers, while Moscow deported four Russians, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-acf8c155ad744f69aa5741177f0d9459">Sergei Skripal</a>, a double agent working with British intelligence. He and his daughter in 2018 were nearly killed in Britain by nerve agent poisoning blamed on Russian agents.Speculation had mounted for weeks that a swap was near because of a confluence of unusual developments, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evan-gershkovich-russia-espionage-trial-ef2e9fffc44570cf797e97aa6afa50a1#:~:text=YEKATERINBURG%2C%20Russia%20(AP)%20%E2%80%94,government%20have%20rejected%20as%20fabricated.">a startlingly quick trial for Gershkovich</a>, which Washington regarded as a sham. He was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison.In a trial that concluded in two days in secrecy in the same week as Gershkovich’s,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-kurmasheva-crackdown-journalist-rferl-7a9bfe693edbfc8dd222e24d9baac46e">Kurmasheva was convicted</a>&nbsp;on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military that her family, employer and U.S. officials rejected. Also in recent days,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-prisoners-dissident-yashin-06e10d17e2552393b6c517e6022103cf">several other figures imprisoned</a>&nbsp;in Russia for speaking out against the war in Ukraine or over their work with Navalny were moved from prison to unknown locations.Gershkovich was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. The son of Soviet emigres who settled in New Jersey, he moved to Russia in 2017 to work for The Moscow Times newspaper before being hired by the Journal in 2022.Gershkovich was designated as wrongfully detained, as was Whelan, who was detained in December 2018 after traveling to Russia for a wedding.Whelan, who was serving a 16-year prison sentence, had been excluded from prior high-profile deals involving Russia, including the April 2022&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trevor-reed-russia-prisoner-marine-ukraine-bdfe9b245571f479c25a09d1872ac726">swap by Moscow of imprisoned Marine veteran Trevor Reed</a>&nbsp;for Konstantin Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy. That December, the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-freed-viktor-bout-swap-us-russia-ee51f5c14f35dc4d4cf21224a8e44eaa">released notorious arms trafficker Viktor Bout</a>&nbsp;in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner, who had been jailed on drug charges.“Paul Whelan is free. Our family is grateful to the United States government for making Paul’s freedom a reality,” his family said in a statement.On a warm and steamy night, the freed Americans lingered on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, soaking up the moment of their return to the U.S. They took selfies with family members and friends, shared hugs with Biden and Harris, and patted loved ones on the back and smothered them with kisses.At one point, Biden gave Whelan the flag pin off his own lapel.