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.

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.

<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.

🎥3 newly freed Americans are back on US soil after prisoner exchange with Russia

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly drive-by shooting have identified the teen who died as&nbsp;17-year-old Therrell K. "TJ" Jackson of Kansas City, Missouri.

Just after 9p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; multiple 911 callers reported the sound of shots fired, according to a statement from the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Shortly thereafter, a caller reported someone had been shot in the 3200 block of N.E. Excelsior Street in the north Kansas City community of Avondale. EMS transported Jackson to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

Detectives spoke to witnesses and gathered evidence. The Kansas City Police Crime Scene Investigations Unit is helping process the scene. Initially, it appears a drive-by shooting took place.

Investigators have identified a suspect vehicle.

The vehicle appears to be a dark blue or black 1996-98 Chevy Silverado Z71 4x4 with the driver’s side headlight out.

If anyone has any information that can help solve this case, please contact the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722545705390.png" alt="Therrell K. 'TJ' Jackson -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Therrell K. 'TJ' Jackson -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating a deadly drive-by shooting have identified the teen who died as&nbsp;17-year-old Therrell K. "TJ" Jackson of Kansas City, Missouri.Just after 9p.m. Tuesday,&nbsp; multiple 911 callers reported the sound of shots fired, according to a statement from the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Shortly thereafter, a caller reported someone had been shot in the 3200 block of N.E. Excelsior Street in the north Kansas City community of Avondale. EMS transported Jackson to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We&#39;re investigating an apparent drive-by shooting that resulted in the death of a teenager in Avondale about 9 p.m. tonight. This is the suspect vehicle. Contact <a href="https://twitter.com/KCCrimeStop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KCCrimeStop</a> @ 816-474-TIPS with any info. that could help us solve this. More: <a href="https://t.co/U9sq7dbtRR">https://t.co/U9sq7dbtRR</a> <a href="https://t.co/5LrGs3msvG">pic.twitter.com/5LrGs3msvG</a>&mdash; Clay County, Missouri Sheriff (@SheriffClayCo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SheriffClayCo/status/1818505232189378894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Detectives spoke to witnesses and gathered evidence. The Kansas City Police Crime Scene Investigations Unit is helping process the scene. Initially, it appears a drive-by shooting took place.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722545482919.png" alt="The Sheriff released an additional image of the&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The Sheriff released an additional image of the&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators have identified a suspect vehicle.The vehicle appears to be a dark blue or black 1996-98 Chevy Silverado Z71 4x4 with the driver’s side headlight out.If anyone has any information that can help solve this case, please contact the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Sheriff IDs teen who died in KC area drive-by shooting

KANSAS CITY, Kan. —A Kansas man is going to prison for a deadly shooting in April of 2020.

A Jackson County judge sentenced 37-year-old Ivan D. Mock of Kansas City, Kansas to 40 years in prison for the murder of Daniel Washington.&nbsp; Police found Washington with a fatal gunshot wound in a vehicle near 39th and Main, according to court records.&nbsp;Witnesses identified Mock as the shooter.

The judge imposed a 30-year sentence for Mock's second-degree murder conviction and an additional ten years for his conviction of armed criminal action, with the sentences to run consecutively.

Mock was convicted during a trial in January.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705251290620.png" alt="Mock photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Mock photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. —A Kansas man is going to prison for a deadly shooting in April of 2020.A Jackson County judge sentenced 37-year-old Ivan D. Mock of Kansas City, Kansas to 40 years in prison for the murder of Daniel Washington.&nbsp; Police found Washington with a fatal gunshot wound in a vehicle near 39th and Main, according to court records.&nbsp;Witnesses identified Mock as the shooter.The judge imposed a 30-year sentence for Mock's second-degree murder conviction and an additional ten years for his conviction of armed criminal action, with the sentences to run consecutively.Mock was convicted during a trial in January..

Witnesses ID Kan. man in murder that will send him to prison

PAWNEE COUNTY– Rhonda Hudson-McNutt, 46 of Garfield, appeared in custody Thursday morning in the Pawnee County District Court before Magistrate Judge Kenton Gleason for Felony First Appearance, according to Pawnee Co. Attorney Dough McNett.

On July 29, Hudson-McNutt was arrested on probable cause following an ongoing investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department. 

She is charged with Blackmail, Breach of Privacy, to wit: disseminating nude images, Identity Theft, (Interference with Law Enforcement, to wit: falsely reporting a felony crime,&nbsp; Interference with Law Enforcement, to wit: falsely reporting information in a felony investigation, and&nbsp; Criminal False Communication. She is also charged in a separate criminal complaint with misdemeanor Trespass.

Hudson-McNutt is being held in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff in lieu of $15,000 cash or surety bond. A Preliminary Hearing has been scheduled for August 14, 2024.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722530095728.png" alt="Hudson-McNutt " />
 <figcaption>Hudson-McNutt </figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY– Rhonda Hudson-McNutt, 46 of Garfield, appeared in custody Thursday morning in the Pawnee County District Court before Magistrate Judge Kenton Gleason for Felony First Appearance, according to Pawnee Co. Attorney Dough McNett.On July 29, Hudson-McNutt was arrested on probable cause following an ongoing investigation by the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department. She is charged with Blackmail, Breach of Privacy, to wit: disseminating nude images, Identity Theft, (Interference with Law Enforcement, to wit: falsely reporting a felony crime,&nbsp; Interference with Law Enforcement, to wit: falsely reporting information in a felony investigation, and&nbsp; Criminal False Communication. She is also charged in a separate criminal complaint with misdemeanor Trespass.Hudson-McNutt is being held in the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff in lieu of $15,000 cash or surety bond. A Preliminary Hearing has been scheduled for August 14, 2024.

Kansas woman accused of blackmail, identity theft

TOPEKA&nbsp;– The State of Kansas ended July 2024 with total tax collections at $660.3 million. That is $6.4 million, or 1.0%, below the estimate. Total tax collections are down 3.0% from July 2023, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue.

Click&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY29udGVudC5nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeS5jb20vYXR0YWNobWVudHMvS1NPRy8yMDI0LzA4LzAxL2ZpbGVfYXR0YWNobWVudHMvMjk1NDI4Mi8wMV9KdWx5X1JldmVudWVfRlkyMDI1XzA4LTAxLTIwMjRfRmluYWwucGRmIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDgwMS45ODQ0ODAwMSJ9.Wt_2ht_5X4_7NnbSphw0D0sdv2cnydJfdtTompV_m10/s/1303160919/br/246761078494-l">here</a>&nbsp;to view the July 2024 revenue numbers.

Individual income tax collections were $308.5 million, which is $8.5 million, or 2.8% above the estimate and down 1.7% from July 2023. Corporate income tax collections were $34.3 million, which is $15.7 million, or 31.4%, below the estimate and down 23.3% from July 2023.

Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $305.1 million, which is $4.1 million, or 1.4% above the estimate, and down $10.1 million, or 3.2%, from July 2023. Retail sales tax receipts are 3.7% less than the July 2023 collections as Kansans continue to save money on groceries from the reduced state food sales tax rate.

TOPEKA&nbsp;– The State of Kansas ended July 2024 with total tax collections at $660.3 million. That is $6.4 million, or 1.0%, below the estimate. Total tax collections are down 3.0% from July 2023, according to a media release from the Kansas Department of Revenue.Click&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vY29udGVudC5nb3ZkZWxpdmVyeS5jb20vYXR0YWNobWVudHMvS1NPRy8yMDI0LzA4LzAxL2ZpbGVfYXR0YWNobWVudHMvMjk1NDI4Mi8wMV9KdWx5X1JldmVudWVfRlkyMDI1XzA4LTAxLTIwMjRfRmluYWwucGRmIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDI0MDgwMS45ODQ0ODAwMSJ9.Wt_2ht_5X4_7NnbSphw0D0sdv2cnydJfdtTompV_m10/s/1303160919/br/246761078494-l">here</a>&nbsp;to view the July 2024 revenue numbers.Individual income tax collections were $308.5 million, which is $8.5 million, or 2.8% above the estimate and down 1.7% from July 2023. Corporate income tax collections were $34.3 million, which is $15.7 million, or 31.4%, below the estimate and down 23.3% from July 2023.Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $305.1 million, which is $4.1 million, or 1.4% above the estimate, and down $10.1 million, or 3.2%, from July 2023. Retail sales tax receipts are 3.7% less than the July 2023 collections as Kansans continue to save money on groceries from the reduced state food sales tax rate.

July total tax collections in Kansas slightly below estimate

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

TOPEKA — A Wichita man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to hate crimes by waving a gun and using racial slurs to threaten two Black juveniles entering a convenience store and to prevent a Black adult from intervening on behalf of the minors.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said Austin Schoemann’s “hate-fueled crime spree” led to pleas on two counts of interference with federally protected activities, two counts of interstate threats and one count of interference with housing. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2023.

“This defendant committed serious hate crimes when he used guns and death threats to terrorize two Black children and an adult who came to their aid,” Clarke said. “Racially motivated threats and violence, in any form, are unacceptable in our society.”

Schoemann acknowledged that from January to August 2022 he interfered with federally protected housing rights of a white woman by making threats to shoot or kill any Black people who visited her home. He admitted to sending videos and messages to the woman’s family members and others that included threats to harm Black people.

“Racially based violence and threats of violence should never be tolerated,” said Kate Brubacher, the U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas. “The Justice Department will defend civil rights and prosecute anyone who harasses and threatens people based on their race.”

A federal judge scheduled sentencing of Schoemann for Oct. 16. The plea agreement says he could be sentenced to 63 months to 84 months in prison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1685477437664.png" alt="Schoemann is being held in Butler County" />
 <figcaption>Schoemann is being held in Butler County</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A Wichita man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to hate crimes by waving a gun and using racial slurs to threaten two Black juveniles entering a convenience store and to prevent a Black adult from intervening on behalf of the minors.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said Austin Schoemann’s “hate-fueled crime spree” led to pleas on two counts of interference with federally protected activities, two counts of interstate threats and one count of interference with housing. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2023.“This defendant committed serious hate crimes when he used guns and death threats to terrorize two Black children and an adult who came to their aid,” Clarke said. “Racially motivated threats and violence, in any form, are unacceptable in our society.”Schoemann acknowledged that from January to August 2022 he interfered with federally protected housing rights of a white woman by making threats to shoot or kill any Black people who visited her home. He admitted to sending videos and messages to the woman’s family members and others that included threats to harm Black people.“Racially based violence and threats of violence should never be tolerated,” said Kate Brubacher, the U.S. attorney for the District of Kansas. “The Justice Department will defend civil rights and prosecute anyone who harasses and threatens people based on their race.”A federal judge scheduled sentencing of Schoemann for Oct. 16. The plea agreement says he could be sentenced to 63 months to 84 months in prison.

Kan. man pleads guilty to series of federal hate crimes, faces 5 to 7 years in prison

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles remains peerless. Even when she's not quite perfect.

The American gymnastics star edged Brazil's Rebeca Andrade during a tense&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/simone-biles-olympics-gymnastics-updates">Olympic all-around final</a>&nbsp;Thursday. Biles' total of 59.131 was just over a point ahead of Andrade at 57.932, one of the closest calls Biles has ever endured at a major international event.

Sunisa Lee, the Tokyo Olympics champion, earned bronze despite spending much of the last 15 months dealing with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-suni-lee-gymnastics-paris-7405ae9182a808aa95941e16add839a5">multiple kidney diseases</a>&nbsp;that left her return to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games">Games</a>&nbsp;very much in doubt.

Still, the meet ended just like all the ones Biles has started and finished over the last 11 years: with hugs and gold on the way.

The margin was the smallest in a major international event since Biles captured the third of her record six world championships in 2015.

She was a teenager then. She's an icon now.

The 27-year-old who is redefining what a gymnast can do — and just as notably, for how long she can do it — became the third woman to become a two-time Olympic champion, joining Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union in 1956 and 1960 and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in 1964 and 1968.

Biles also is the oldest woman to claim the biggest title in her sport since then 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya of the Soviet Union won the first-ever Olympic all-around in Melbourne in 1952.

Yet the sixth gold and ninth overall medal — the same as Romanian great Nadia Comaneci, who was among the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-simone-basketball-db19a0714f946fd14d82e1940a50daa0">star-studded crowd that included the U.S. men's basketball team</a>&nbsp;— of Biles' unparalleled career did not come as easy as so many that came before.

She misjudged a transition on uneven bars, the weakest of her four events, letting go of the upper bar too soon and forcing her to reach for a larger-than-expect gap.

While she didn't fall — Biles muscled her way back into the routine — it blunted her momentum and led to major deductions that left her trailing Andrade through two rotations.

Biles responded with a largely wobble-free 14.566 on the balance beam, the highest of the night among the 24 finalists, while Andrade was forced to do a major balance check during her slightly easier set that dropped her down to second heading into floor exercise, Biles' signature event.

Andrade, the silver medalist behind Lee in 2021, needed the best floor set of her life to catch Biles. It didn't quite happen. Andrade stepped out of bounds at one point, a minor problem but enough to create plenty of wiggle room for Biles.

Biles incorporated music from pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyonce into her current routine, a 75-second set that began with the opening bars of Swift's hit “Ready For It?" and featured the hardest tumbling done by a woman in the history of the sport.

When she was done — sealing gold that served as a redemption of sorts three years after pulling out of multiple finals in Tokyo to focus on her mental health — Biles sprinted to hug Lee just off the podium and blew kisses to the cameras that have become fixtures wherever she goes under the Olympic rings.

After the final score was announced, Biles and Lee — both Olympic champions — bolted onto the floor, waving an American flag. Lee, the Tokyo winner with Biles sidelined, is the first to win gold in all-around one Games then earn another medal in the next since Comaneci in 1976 and '80.

While there may be more medals on the way — Biles is in three event finals later in the Games — the all-around puts her into the conversation as perhaps the greatest American Olympian ever.

Biles is no longer the prodigy who triumphed in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago.

She's married and a vocal advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and the importance of proper mental health. She openly volunteered after the Americans won gold in the team final on Tuesday that she met with her personal therapist that morning to help get her in the right mindset.

Biles relied on the internal work she's done over the years after that rocky bars routine. She sat with her legs crossed on a chair in her blue sequined leotard and closed her eyes, immune to the cameras that followed her every move.

When she opened them, she was ready to move on.

It's what she does. She has said repeatedly over the last three years that what happened in Tokyo is a part of her past, not a part of her present, and if critics have a problem with it, that's their issue, not hers.

She's moved on to bigger things. Like setting a standard that may never be reached.

PARIS (AP) — Simone Biles remains peerless. Even when she's not quite perfect.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">SHE&#39;S DONE IT! 🐐<a href="https://twitter.com/Simone_Biles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Simone_Biles</a> becomes the first Woman to win two Olympic All-Around Titles since Vera Caslavska in 1964 and 1968! <a href="https://t.co/NzjVWSdoSB">pic.twitter.com/NzjVWSdoSB</a>&mdash; USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAGym/status/1819078159523893394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The American gymnastics star edged Brazil's Rebeca Andrade during a tense&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/simone-biles-olympics-gymnastics-updates">Olympic all-around final</a>&nbsp;Thursday. Biles' total of 59.131 was just over a point ahead of Andrade at 57.932, one of the closest calls Biles has ever endured at a major international event.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">DUO GOING DOWN IN HISTORY 🇺🇸<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParisOlympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ParisOlympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/A3YOvrvuG3">pic.twitter.com/A3YOvrvuG3</a>&mdash; Team USA (@TeamUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamUSA/status/1819088067355201564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Sunisa Lee, the Tokyo Olympics champion, earned bronze despite spending much of the last 15 months dealing with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-suni-lee-gymnastics-paris-7405ae9182a808aa95941e16add839a5">multiple kidney diseases</a>&nbsp;that left her return to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games">Games</a>&nbsp;very much in doubt.Still, the meet ended just like all the ones Biles has started and finished over the last 11 years: with hugs and gold on the way.The margin was the smallest in a major international event since Biles captured the third of her record six world championships in 2015.She was a teenager then. She's an icon now.The 27-year-old who is redefining what a gymnast can do — and just as notably, for how long she can do it — became the third woman to become a two-time Olympic champion, joining Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union in 1956 and 1960 and Vera Caslavska of Czechoslovakia in 1964 and 1968.Biles also is the oldest woman to claim the biggest title in her sport since then 30-year-old Maria Gorokhovskaya of the Soviet Union won the first-ever Olympic all-around in Melbourne in 1952.Yet the sixth gold and ninth overall medal — the same as Romanian great Nadia Comaneci, who was among the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-simone-basketball-db19a0714f946fd14d82e1940a50daa0">star-studded crowd that included the U.S. men's basketball team</a>&nbsp;— of Biles' unparalleled career did not come as easy as so many that came before.She misjudged a transition on uneven bars, the weakest of her four events, letting go of the upper bar too soon and forcing her to reach for a larger-than-expect gap.While she didn't fall — Biles muscled her way back into the routine — it blunted her momentum and led to major deductions that left her trailing Andrade through two rotations.The deficit didn't last.Biles responded with a largely wobble-free 14.566 on the balance beam, the highest of the night among the 24 finalists, while Andrade was forced to do a major balance check during her slightly easier set that dropped her down to second heading into floor exercise, Biles' signature event.Andrade, the silver medalist behind Lee in 2021, needed the best floor set of her life to catch Biles. It didn't quite happen. Andrade stepped out of bounds at one point, a minor problem but enough to create plenty of wiggle room for Biles.Biles incorporated music from pop icons Taylor Swift and Beyonce into her current routine, a 75-second set that began with the opening bars of Swift's hit “Ready For It?" and featured the hardest tumbling done by a woman in the history of the sport.When she was done — sealing gold that served as a redemption of sorts three years after pulling out of multiple finals in Tokyo to focus on her mental health — Biles sprinted to hug Lee just off the podium and blew kisses to the cameras that have become fixtures wherever she goes under the Olympic rings.After the final score was announced, Biles and Lee — both Olympic champions — bolted onto the floor, waving an American flag. Lee, the Tokyo winner with Biles sidelined, is the first to win gold in all-around one Games then earn another medal in the next since Comaneci in 1976 and '80.While there may be more medals on the way — Biles is in three event finals later in the Games — the all-around puts her into the conversation as perhaps the greatest American Olympian ever.Biles is no longer the prodigy who triumphed in Rio de Janeiro eight years ago.She's married and a vocal advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and the importance of proper mental health. She openly volunteered after the Americans won gold in the team final on Tuesday that she met with her personal therapist that morning to help get her in the right mindset.Biles relied on the internal work she's done over the years after that rocky bars routine. She sat with her legs crossed on a chair in her blue sequined leotard and closed her eyes, immune to the cameras that followed her every move.When she opened them, she was ready to move on.It's what she does. She has said repeatedly over the last three years that what happened in Tokyo is a part of her past, not a part of her present, and if critics have a problem with it, that's their issue, not hers.She's moved on to bigger things. Like setting a standard that may never be reached.In her sport. And maybe all others, too.

Simone Biles wins Olympic all-around gymnastics title

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — Though the Biden administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;extending federal protections for LGBTQ students went into effect nationwide Thursday, a slew of legal challenges has temporarily blocked over half of all states from enforcing the updated regulations.

After the Department of Education&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">released the final rule</a>&nbsp;in April, 26 states — all with GOP attorneys general — rushed to challenge the measure. Given the myriad legal challenges, the updated regulations only went into effect Thursday in 24 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, celebrated the final rule on Thursday during a briefing.

Cardona said the updated regulations “are the culmination of a lengthy and thorough process that included unprecedented public input from students, parents, educators, administrators, experts and other stakeholders.”

“These regulations make crystal clear that everyone has the right to schools that respect their rights and offer safe, welcoming learning environments,” he added.

Lhamon said it’s “a very fluid legal environment” and the department continues “to defend the rule we believe in in these cases, with the Department of Justice as our counsel in the courts.”

“We anticipated this moment when we were finalizing the 2024 regulations, and we know they are legally sound,” she said, noting that the department has appealed the injunctions that have so far been issued and sought clarification of their application.

“While the appeals of these rulings are pending, we have asked the United States Supreme Court to allow the unchallenged provisions — which are the bulk of the final rule —&nbsp; to take effect in the enjoined states as scheduled,” Lhamon said.

But the Supreme Court has yet to decide on that emergency request, which came in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A78/319569/20240722154922885_Title%20IX%20Louisiana%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">pair</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A79/319576/20240722155838924_Title%20IX%20Tennessee%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">filings</a>&nbsp;from U.S. Solicitor General&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/07/federal-government-asks-court-to-allow-enforcement-of-title-ix-rule/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Prelogar</a>&nbsp;last week.

The final rule “protects against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” per the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-final-title-ix-regulations-providing-vital-protections-against-sex-discrimination" target="_blank">department</a>. The updated regulations are also aimed at “restoring and strengthening full protection from sexual violence and other sex-based harassment.”

The administration initially&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/appeals-court-blocks-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-kids-reversing-alabama-federal-judge-0" target="_blank">scored a legal win</a>&nbsp;Tuesday when an Alabama federal judge rejected an attempt by Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to halt enforcement of the final rule. But a federal appeals court granted the states’ request for an administrative injunction Wednesday, which temporarily blocked the final rule from taking effect in those Southern states.

Judge Jodi W. Dishman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma also&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841.48.0.pdf" target="_blank">halted the final rule</a>&nbsp;from taking effect in the state on Wednesday after the state individually sued the administration back in May.

The final rule is temporarily blocked in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

But the challenges to Title IX span beyond the 26 states that initially sued the administration —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scag.gov/media/pskl4phx/ks-v-u-s-dept-of-education-list-of-schools-enjoined.pdf" target="_blank">affecting schools</a>&nbsp;across the country.

<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/03/kansas-judge-issues-injunction-blocking-new-federal-anti-discrimination-rules-in-education/">Judge John Broomes</a>&nbsp;of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">expanded the temporary blockage</a>&nbsp;to also include “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty.”

These groups sued alongside Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming earlier this year.

Congressional Republicans have fiercely opposed the final rule.

In July, the GOP-controlled House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">passed a measure</a>&nbsp;to reverse the updated regulations under the Congressional Review Act — a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.

But the measure is unlikely to find success in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.

LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have pushed back against GOP-led efforts to block the final rule from taking effect.

“Every student in this country deserves access to an education without fear of bullying and discrimination,” Brandon Wolf, national press secretary for the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, said in an emailed statement to States Newsroom.

“But MAGA politicians, promoting blatant discrimination, have fueled eight preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of the Biden administration’s new Title IX rules in 26 states.”

Wolf added that “we must continue to fight for LGBTQ+ students across the country because everyone deserves a safe educational experience — full stop.”

Meanwhile, the department has yet to decide on a separate rule establishing new criteria regarding transgender athletes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711150983660.png" alt="File photo U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and University of Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod during a visit to the campus in 2023-photo KU" />
 <figcaption>File photo U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and University of Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod during a visit to the campus in 2023-photo KU</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;WASHINGTON — Though the Biden administration’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;extending federal protections for LGBTQ students went into effect nationwide Thursday, a slew of legal challenges has temporarily blocked over half of all states from enforcing the updated regulations.After the Department of Education&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">released the final rule</a>&nbsp;in April, 26 states — all with GOP attorneys general — rushed to challenge the measure. Given the myriad legal challenges, the updated regulations only went into effect Thursday in 24 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, celebrated the final rule on Thursday during a briefing.Cardona said the updated regulations “are the culmination of a lengthy and thorough process that included unprecedented public input from students, parents, educators, administrators, experts and other stakeholders.”“These regulations make crystal clear that everyone has the right to schools that respect their rights and offer safe, welcoming learning environments,” he added.Lhamon said it’s “a very fluid legal environment” and the department continues “to defend the rule we believe in in these cases, with the Department of Justice as our counsel in the courts.”“We anticipated this moment when we were finalizing the 2024 regulations, and we know they are legally sound,” she said, noting that the department has appealed the injunctions that have so far been issued and sought clarification of their application.“While the appeals of these rulings are pending, we have asked the United States Supreme Court to allow the unchallenged provisions — which are the bulk of the final rule —&nbsp; to take effect in the enjoined states as scheduled,” Lhamon said.But the Supreme Court has yet to decide on that emergency request, which came in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A78/319569/20240722154922885_Title%20IX%20Louisiana%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">pair</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24A79/319576/20240722155838924_Title%20IX%20Tennessee%20Stay%20Application.pdf" target="_blank">filings</a>&nbsp;from U.S. Solicitor General&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/07/federal-government-asks-court-to-allow-enforcement-of-title-ix-rule/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Prelogar</a>&nbsp;last week.<h2>Discrimination protection</h2>The final rule “protects against discrimination based on sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics,” per the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-final-title-ix-regulations-providing-vital-protections-against-sex-discrimination" target="_blank">department</a>. The updated regulations are also aimed at “restoring and strengthening full protection from sexual violence and other sex-based harassment.”The administration initially&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/appeals-court-blocks-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-kids-reversing-alabama-federal-judge-0" target="_blank">scored a legal win</a>&nbsp;Tuesday when an Alabama federal judge rejected an attempt by Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to halt enforcement of the final rule. But a federal appeals court granted the states’ request for an administrative injunction Wednesday, which temporarily blocked the final rule from taking effect in those Southern states.Judge Jodi W. Dishman of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma also&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841/gov.uscourts.okwd.126841.48.0.pdf" target="_blank">halted the final rule</a>&nbsp;from taking effect in the state on Wednesday after the state individually sued the administration back in May.The final rule is temporarily blocked in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.<h2>Challenges affect more schools</h2>But the challenges to Title IX span beyond the 26 states that initially sued the administration —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scag.gov/media/pskl4phx/ks-v-u-s-dept-of-education-list-of-schools-enjoined.pdf" target="_blank">affecting schools</a>&nbsp;across the country.<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/03/kansas-judge-issues-injunction-blocking-new-federal-anti-discrimination-rules-in-education/">Judge John Broomes</a>&nbsp;of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">expanded the temporary blockage</a>&nbsp;to also include “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty.”These groups sued alongside Kansas, Alaska, Utah and Wyoming earlier this year.<h2>House GOP tries to stop rule</h2>Congressional Republicans have fiercely opposed the final rule.In July, the GOP-controlled House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gop-plan-reverse-final-title-ix-rule-passes-us-house-biden-says-hed-veto%C2%A0%C2%A0" target="_blank">passed a measure</a>&nbsp;to reverse the updated regulations under the Congressional Review Act — a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.But the measure is unlikely to find success in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.<h2>LGBTQ+ students</h2>LGBTQ+ advocacy groups have pushed back against GOP-led efforts to block the final rule from taking effect.“Every student in this country deserves access to an education without fear of bullying and discrimination,” Brandon Wolf, national press secretary for the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, said in an emailed statement to States Newsroom.“But MAGA politicians, promoting blatant discrimination, have fueled eight preliminary injunctions blocking enforcement of the Biden administration’s new Title IX rules in 26 states.”Wolf added that “we must continue to fight for LGBTQ+ students across the country because everyone deserves a safe educational experience — full stop.”Meanwhile, the department has yet to decide on a separate rule establishing new criteria regarding transgender athletes.

Much-attacked final Title IX rule goes into effect while still blocked in 26 states

SEDGWICK COUNTY —City Manager Robert Layton declared that Wichita is moving to Stage 2 of the City’s drought response plan, according to a statement released Thursday.

 In July, levels at Cheney Reservoir dropped below the original Stage 2 trigger of a 12-month average of Cheney conservation pool water levels below 69% full.

Staff determined that the most prudent action at this time is to enact Stage 2 restrictions for two months to get the City past prime irrigation season with a goal to reduce community-wide usage by 10%. The City will monitor levels and will extend Stage 2 into the fall months if necessary.

Beginning August 5, all City of Wichita water customers, including residential users, businesses, wholesale and commercial customers, will be limited to watering their lawns to once a week, based on their location.

Outdoor water usage is limited to one day per week, determined by location:

o Monday - Northwest of Central and Broadway intersection

o Tuesday - Northeast of Central and Broadway intersection

o Wednesday - Southwest of Central and Broadway intersection

o Thursday - Southeast of Central and Broadway intersection

o Friday, Saturday, Sunday - no outdoor water usage allowed

Some exemptions for businesses dependent on water use for their operations such as nurseries, hospitals, car washes and more are applicable. Wichita Public Works staff will monitor accounts of excessive water users and send a warning letter should water use continue to be high throughout Stage 2 restrictions. 

If high water use continues after they receive a letter, water users will be levied a $50 penalty the next time they exceed their average winter consumption, and a $100 penalty for each subsequent violation.

Consumers with water usage or drought concerns may report them on the Wichita Report app or by contacting the call center at (316) 942-4482.

Residents on well water or who use well water for irrigation are encouraged to continue to conserve water but are exempt from outdoor watering restrictions.

The City enacted Stage 2 water restrictions for its operations voluntarily in 2023. Stage 3 would be discussed should water levels within Cheney’s conservation pool reach a 12-month average of below 50%.

<a href="https://www.wichita.gov/499/Save-Wichita-Water">Click here for more</a> tips and information on Wichita’s drought response.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722530622759.png" alt="Stage 2 drought watering schedule-image city of Wichita" />
 <figcaption>Stage 2 drought watering schedule-image city of Wichita</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —City Manager Robert Layton declared that Wichita is moving to Stage 2 of the City’s drought response plan, according to a statement released Thursday. In July, levels at Cheney Reservoir dropped below the original Stage 2 trigger of a 12-month average of Cheney conservation pool water levels below 69% full.Staff determined that the most prudent action at this time is to enact Stage 2 restrictions for two months to get the City past prime irrigation season with a goal to reduce community-wide usage by 10%. The City will monitor levels and will extend Stage 2 into the fall months if necessary.Beginning August 5, all City of Wichita water customers, including residential users, businesses, wholesale and commercial customers, will be limited to watering their lawns to once a week, based on their location.Outdoor water usage is limited to one day per week, determined by location:o Monday - Northwest of Central and Broadway intersectiono Tuesday - Northeast of Central and Broadway intersectiono Wednesday - Southwest of Central and Broadway intersectiono Thursday - Southeast of Central and Broadway intersectiono Friday, Saturday, Sunday - no outdoor water usage allowedSome exemptions for businesses dependent on water use for their operations such as nurseries, hospitals, car washes and more are applicable. Wichita Public Works staff will monitor accounts of excessive water users and send a warning letter should water use continue to be high throughout Stage 2 restrictions. If high water use continues after they receive a letter, water users will be levied a $50 penalty the next time they exceed their average winter consumption, and a $100 penalty for each subsequent violation.Consumers with water usage or drought concerns may report them on the Wichita Report app or by contacting the call center at (316) 942-4482.Residents on well water or who use well water for irrigation are encouraged to continue to conserve water but are exempt from outdoor watering restrictions.The City enacted Stage 2 water restrictions for its operations voluntarily in 2023. Stage 3 would be discussed should water levels within Cheney’s conservation pool reach a 12-month average of below 50%.<a href="https://www.wichita.gov/499/Save-Wichita-Water">Click here for more</a> tips and information on Wichita’s drought response.

Mandatory water restrictions set to begin in Wichita 

KANSAS CITY —A man and woman have been charged with failing to protect a toddler from substantial risk, resulting&nbsp;&nbsp;in the death of the child, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Moses Lee Bass, 31, and Destiny Leeann Randle, 29, of both of Independence each faced the class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree.

According to court records, on the morning of July 29, police officers in&nbsp; responded to a call that an infant had fallen from an apartment window, eight stories above the ground.

Officers arrived as fire crews were conducting life-saving measures on the child, located on the ground next to children's toys. 

The father of the child told police he had left the child with his girlfriend and gone to take the dog out. Randle told police she was in a bedroom in the apartment and the window that the child fell from was closed and secured. She told police she knew the window did not properly lock. She and Bass usually secure it with a blue pole, she stated.&nbsp; When officers checked the room they saw no blue pole. Three children were placed in custody of Children's Division and transported to the Child Protection Center for forensic interviews. Defendants told police they knew of the safety hazards with the window that couldn't be kept closed or locked.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722474041203.png" alt="Bass photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Bass photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A man and woman have been charged with failing to protect a toddler from substantial risk, resulting&nbsp;&nbsp;in the death of the child, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Moses Lee Bass, 31, and Destiny Leeann Randle, 29, of both of Independence each faced the class A felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the 1st Degree.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722283328393.png" alt="Independence Towers where the tragedy occurred -Google image" />
 <figcaption>Independence Towers where the tragedy occurred -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>According to court records, on the morning of July 29, police officers in&nbsp; responded to a call that an infant had fallen from an apartment window, eight stories above the ground.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1722474098361.png" alt="Randle photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Randle photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers arrived as fire crews were conducting life-saving measures on the child, located on the ground next to children's toys. The father of the child told police he had left the child with his girlfriend and gone to take the dog out. Randle told police she was in a bedroom in the apartment and the window that the child fell from was closed and secured. She told police she knew the window did not properly lock. She and Bass usually secure it with a blue pole, she stated.&nbsp; When officers checked the room they saw no blue pole. Three children were placed in custody of Children's Division and transported to the Child Protection Center for forensic interviews. Defendants told police they knew of the safety hazards with the window that couldn't be kept closed or locked.Prosecutors requested a $100,000 bond.

Records: Father knew window was broken before toddler fell to his death

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A look at some of those released Thursday in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-gershkovich-whelan-d803e266cb4e60135ec5d668d684529f">largest East-West civilian prisoner swap</a>&nbsp;since the Cold War:

EVAN GERSHKOVICH,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evan-gershkovich-russia-espionage-trial-ef2e9fffc44570cf797e97aa6afa50a1">a Wall Street Journal reporter</a>, was detained in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in March 2023. Without providing evidence, authorities accused him of “gathering secret information” at the CIA’s behest about a military equipment factory — an allegation that Gershkovich, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently denied. Jailed since then, a court convicted Gershkovich, 32, of espionage in July after a closed trial and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.

PAUL WHELAN, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-politics-paul-whelan-united-states-government-russia-12269e0de0292a5cd590f034b2700b36">corporate security executive</a>&nbsp;from Michigan, was arrested in 2018 in Moscow, where he was attending a friend’s wedding. He was accused of espionage, convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Whelan, 54, has rejected the charges as fabricated.

ILYA YASHIN is a prominent Kremlin critic who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-moscow-ukraine-government-ilya-yashin-russia-2967e1e91816f74eaab8cb7cd661eec6">serving an 8 1/2-year sentence</a>&nbsp;for criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine. Yashin, a former member of a Moscow municipal council, was one of the few well-known opposition activists to stay in Russia since the war.

RICO KRIEGER,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/belarus-german-sentenced-krieger-lukashenko-krasikov-f7d3d4c18245487557623c27664aedaf">a German medical worker</a>, was convicted in Belarus of terrorism charges in June, and sentenced to death. He was pardoned Tuesday by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.

VADIM KRASIKOV was convicted in 2021 of shooting to death Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity, in a Berlin park. The German judges concluded it was an assassination ordered by the Russian security services.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vadim-krasikov-navalny-prisoner-swap-russia-germany-db84e1f39b8c5dc0cbeedf3bcd22860c">Krasikov, 58,</a>&nbsp;was sentenced to life imprisonment. President Vladimir Putin this year hinted at a possible swap for Krasikov.

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 former U.S. Marine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/paul-whelan">Paul Whelan</a>&nbsp;in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free, according to officials in Turkey, where the exchange took place.

The trade followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations 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>.

The sprawling deal, the latest in a series of prisoner swaps negotiated between Russia and the U.S. in the last two years but the first to require significant concessions from other countries. But the release of Americans has come at a price: Russia has secured the freedom of its own nationals convicted of serious crimes in the West by trading them for journalists, dissidents and other Westerners convicted and sentenced in a highly politicized legal system on charges the U.S. considers bogus.

In a statement posted online, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President and CEO Stephen Capus acknowledged media reports that a journalist working for the broadcaster,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-kurmasheva-crackdown-journalist-rferl-7a9bfe693edbfc8dd222e24d9baac46e">Alsu Kurmasheva</a>, would be released as part of the deal.

Capus said the broadcaster welcomed ’’news of Alsu’s imminent release and are grateful to the American government and all who worked tirelessly to end her unjust treatment by Russia.” Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was convicted in July of spreading false information about the Russian military, accusations her family and employer have rejected.

The deal would be the latest exchange in the last two years between Washington and Moscow, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-middle-east-united-states-government-and-politics-5b4736d2428014066683605731affa8a">a December 2022 trade that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner</a>&nbsp;back to the U.S. in exchange for notorious arms trafficker Viktor Bout and a swap earlier that year of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trevor-reed-russia-prisoner-marine-ukraine-bdfe9b245571f479c25a09d1872ac726">Marine veteran Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko</a>, a Russian pilot convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

President Joe 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 his Oval Office address to the American people discussing his recent decision to drop his bid for a second term, the Democrat said, “We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.”

Russia has long been interested in getting back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/belarus-german-sentenced-krieger-lukashenko-krasikov-f7d3d4c18245487557623c27664aedaf">Vadim Krasikov</a>, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 of killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years earlier, apparently on the orders of Moscow’s security services.

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 startingly quick trial and conviction for Gershkovich</a>&nbsp;that Washington regarded as a sham. He was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison.

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 the late Russian opposition leader Alexei 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 the country in 2017 to work for The Moscow Times newspaper before being hired by the Journal in 2022.

He had more than a dozen closed hearings over the extension of his pretrial detention or appeals for his release. He was taken to the courthouse in handcuffs and appeared in the defendants’ cage, often smiling for the many cameras.

U.S. officials last year made an offer to swap Gershkovich that was rejected by Russia, and Biden’s Democratic administration had not made public any possible deals since then.

Gershkovich was designated as wrongfully detained, as was Whelan, who was detained in December 2018 after traveling to Russia for a wedding. Whelan was convicted of espionage charges, which he and the U.S. have also said were false and trumped up, and he is serving a 16-year prison sentence.

Whelan had been excluded from prior high-profile deals involving Russia, including those involving Reed and Griner.

Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia, and Lee from Mongolia. Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681820900687.png" alt="File photo Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)" />
 <figcaption>File photo Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the Moscow City Court, in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)</figcaption>
 </figure>TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A look at some of those released Thursday in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-gershkovich-whelan-d803e266cb4e60135ec5d668d684529f">largest East-West civilian prisoner swap</a>&nbsp;since the Cold War:<h2>Released by Russia and Belarus</h2>EVAN GERSHKOVICH,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/evan-gershkovich-russia-espionage-trial-ef2e9fffc44570cf797e97aa6afa50a1">a Wall Street Journal reporter</a>, was detained in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in March 2023. Without providing evidence, authorities accused him of “gathering secret information” at the CIA’s behest about a military equipment factory — an allegation that Gershkovich, his employer and the U.S. government vehemently denied. Jailed since then, a court convicted Gershkovich, 32, of espionage in July after a closed trial and sentenced him to 16 years in prison.PAUL WHELAN, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-politics-paul-whelan-united-states-government-russia-12269e0de0292a5cd590f034b2700b36">corporate security executive</a>&nbsp;from Michigan, was arrested in 2018 in Moscow, where he was attending a friend’s wedding. He was accused of espionage, convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Whelan, 54, has rejected the charges as fabricated.ILYA YASHIN is a prominent Kremlin critic who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/putin-moscow-ukraine-government-ilya-yashin-russia-2967e1e91816f74eaab8cb7cd661eec6">serving an 8 1/2-year sentence</a>&nbsp;for criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine. Yashin, a former member of a Moscow municipal council, was one of the few well-known opposition activists to stay in Russia since the war.RICO KRIEGER,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/belarus-german-sentenced-krieger-lukashenko-krasikov-f7d3d4c18245487557623c27664aedaf">a German medical worker</a>, was convicted in Belarus of terrorism charges in June, and sentenced to death. He was pardoned Tuesday by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko.<h2>Released by Germany</h2>VADIM KRASIKOV was convicted in 2021 of shooting to death Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen ethnicity, in a Berlin park. The German judges concluded it was an assassination ordered by the Russian security services.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vadim-krasikov-navalny-prisoner-swap-russia-germany-db84e1f39b8c5dc0cbeedf3bcd22860c">Krasikov, 58,</a>&nbsp;was sentenced to life imprisonment. President Vladimir Putin this year hinted at a possible swap for Krasikov.--------------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 former U.S. Marine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/paul-whelan">Paul Whelan</a>&nbsp;in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free, according to officials in Turkey, where the exchange took place.The trade followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations 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>.The sprawling deal, the latest in a series of prisoner swaps negotiated between Russia and the U.S. in the last two years but the first to require significant concessions from other countries. But the release of Americans has come at a price: Russia has secured the freedom of its own nationals convicted of serious crimes in the West by trading them for journalists, dissidents and other Westerners convicted and sentenced in a highly politicized legal system on charges the U.S. considers bogus.In a statement posted online, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President and CEO Stephen Capus acknowledged media reports that a journalist working for the broadcaster,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-kurmasheva-crackdown-journalist-rferl-7a9bfe693edbfc8dd222e24d9baac46e">Alsu Kurmasheva</a>, would be released as part of the deal.Capus said the broadcaster welcomed ’’news of Alsu’s imminent release and are grateful to the American government and all who worked tirelessly to end her unjust treatment by Russia.” Kurmasheva, a dual U.S.-Russian citizen, was convicted in July of spreading false information about the Russian military, accusations her family and employer have rejected.The deal would be the latest exchange in the last two years between Washington and Moscow, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-middle-east-united-states-government-and-politics-5b4736d2428014066683605731affa8a">a December 2022 trade that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner</a>&nbsp;back to the U.S. in exchange for notorious arms trafficker Viktor Bout and a swap earlier that year of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trevor-reed-russia-prisoner-marine-ukraine-bdfe9b245571f479c25a09d1872ac726">Marine veteran Trevor Reed for Konstantin Yaroshenko</a>, a Russian pilot convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy.President Joe 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 his Oval Office address to the American people discussing his recent decision to drop his bid for a second term, the Democrat said, “We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world.”Russia has long been interested in getting back&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/belarus-german-sentenced-krieger-lukashenko-krasikov-f7d3d4c18245487557623c27664aedaf">Vadim Krasikov</a>, who was convicted in Germany in 2021 of killing a former Chechen rebel in a Berlin park two years earlier, apparently on the orders of Moscow’s security services.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 startingly quick trial and conviction for Gershkovich</a>&nbsp;that Washington regarded as a sham. He was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison.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 the late Russian opposition leader Alexei 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 the country in 2017 to work for The Moscow Times newspaper before being hired by the Journal in 2022.He had more than a dozen closed hearings over the extension of his pretrial detention or appeals for his release. He was taken to the courthouse in handcuffs and appeared in the defendants’ cage, often smiling for the many cameras.U.S. officials last year made an offer to swap Gershkovich that was rejected by Russia, and Biden’s Democratic administration had not made public any possible deals since then.Gershkovich was designated as wrongfully detained, as was Whelan, who was detained in December 2018 after traveling to Russia for a wedding. Whelan was convicted of espionage charges, which he and the U.S. have also said were false and trumped up, and he is serving a 16-year prison sentence.Whelan had been excluded from prior high-profile deals involving Russia, including those involving Reed and Griner.____Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia, and Lee from Mongolia. Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

History: Reporter, ex-Marine free after massive U.S., Russia prisoner swap 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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