PLATTE COUNTY—The unidentified body found Monday in a wooded area near NE 194th Terrace in rural Missouri has been identified as&nbsp;25-year-old Josiah Papa of Leavenworth, according to a statement from Smithville Police.

On July 22, police responded to a report of the body of a white male in a densely vegetated area, according to police.

During the initial investigation, a search warrant was obtained for a nearby residence. The search warrant was executed with assistance of the Clay County Sheriff and Kansas City Police. Papa was reported missing on July 12. Anyone with information on the disappearance of Papa is urged to contact police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721989550945.png" alt="Josiah Papa photo Smithville. Police" />
 <figcaption>Josiah Papa photo Smithville. Police</figcaption>
 </figure>PLATTE COUNTY—The unidentified body found Monday in a wooded area near NE 194th Terrace in rural Missouri has been identified as&nbsp;25-year-old Josiah Papa of Leavenworth, according to a statement from Smithville Police.On July 22, police responded to a report of the body of a white male in a densely vegetated area, according to police.During the initial investigation, a search warrant was obtained for a nearby residence. The search warrant was executed with assistance of the Clay County Sheriff and Kansas City Police. Papa was reported missing on July 12. Anyone with information on the disappearance of Papa is urged to contact police.

Police ID body found as missing Kansas man

DOUGLAS COUNTY—Authorities are investigating a crash that occurred just after 1:30p.m. Thursday in the city of Lawrence.

A driverless semi rolled about 300 feet from 11th and Maine, through a 4-foot retaining wall, over a patio, between two houses, and came to rest against a home’s foundation, according to a social media report from the Lawrence Police Department.&nbsp; &nbsp;Considering the journey, the crash caused little damage and there were no injuries.

 The semi’s driver told police he put the cab and trailer brakes on before leaving it and, once he saw it moving, tried to catch up but didn't.

 The trailer of the semi was empty. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical was on scene to extinguish a small fire.  The truck came to rest between two houses in the 1000 block of Maine.  One resident was home in the house that was not damaged.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721991127798.png" alt="Photo Douglas County Fire and Medical" />
 <figcaption>Photo Douglas County Fire and Medical</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY—Authorities are investigating a crash that occurred just after 1:30p.m. Thursday in the city of Lawrence.A driverless semi rolled about 300 feet from 11th and Maine, through a 4-foot retaining wall, over a patio, between two houses, and came to rest against a home’s foundation, according to a social media report from the Lawrence Police Department.&nbsp; &nbsp;Considering the journey, the crash caused little damage and there were no injuries. The semi’s driver told police he put the cab and trailer brakes on before leaving it and, once he saw it moving, tried to catch up but didn't. The trailer of the semi was empty. Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical was on scene to extinguish a small fire. The truck came to rest between two houses in the 1000 block of Maine. One resident was home in the house that was not damaged.

Semi with no driver crashes between 2 Kansas homes

KANSAS CITY— Crews continued searching Thursday for a man who is missing in the Missouri River in Kansas City.

Just before 9p.m. Wednesday, the Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to a possible water rescue on the Missouri River, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. 

The police department received a call just before 9:00 p.m. from a third party stating that someone had entered the water nearly six hours earlier and was possible stranded on one of many rock outcroppings along the river.

The fire department deployed their Rescue Division with three boats along with two drones. On arrival crews began searching for the possible victim on the river from the boat ramp at River Front Park and areas east all the way to the city limits and shortly beyond. Using manual search techniques in conjunction with the drones' thermal imaging capabilities the river, both banks, out-croppings, strainers and islands were checked. 

The drones identified multiple areas of interest for boat crews to investigate, but physical searches of those areas came back negative. The KCFD spent just over four hours search the river and surrounding area before ceasing operations just after 1:00 a.m.&nbsp;

Early Thursday, the victim was identified as a 25-year-old man, according to Hopkins.&nbsp; Friends reported he entered the water to swim and could not return to the shore due to the current. The last contact was late afternoon near a rock out cropping offshore from the ramp, according to Hopkins.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721952217492.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— Crews continued searching Thursday for a man who is missing in the Missouri River in Kansas City.Just before 9p.m. Wednesday, the Kansas City Fire Department&nbsp;responded to a possible water rescue on the Missouri River, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins. The police department received a call just before 9:00 p.m. from a third party stating that someone had entered the water nearly six hours earlier and was possible stranded on one of many rock outcroppings along the river.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721952186275.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>The fire department deployed their Rescue Division with three boats along with two drones. On arrival crews began searching for the possible victim on the river from the boat ramp at River Front Park and areas east all the way to the city limits and shortly beyond. Using manual search techniques in conjunction with the drones' thermal imaging capabilities the river, both banks, out-croppings, strainers and islands were checked. The drones identified multiple areas of interest for boat crews to investigate, but physical searches of those areas came back negative. The KCFD spent just over four hours search the river and surrounding area before ceasing operations just after 1:00 a.m.&nbsp;Early Thursday, the victim was identified as a 25-year-old man, according to Hopkins.&nbsp; Friends reported he entered the water to swim and could not return to the shore due to the current. The last contact was late afternoon near a rock out cropping offshore from the ramp, according to Hopkins.

Search continues for man swept away in river near Kansas City

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are moving quickly to emphasize Vice President Kamala Harris's role in the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, passing a resolution Thursday that condemns her performance in the job.

The resolution, which is purely symbolic, echoes an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-charlotte-north-carolina-harris-7c7e6e405fecc8927a63763c76f2db1e">attack line that Republican Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has taken against Harris since she rose to become the likely Democratic presidential nominee. The Kansas GOP delegation joined all other House Republicans and six Democrats in tough reelection races to vote for the resolution.

President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3400f56255e000547d1ca3ce1aa6b8e9">tasked Harris early in his administration</a>&nbsp;with addressing the root causes of migration. Border crossings eventually became a major political liability for Biden when they reached historic levels. Since June, when Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-asylum-migration-immigration-mexico-border-dec5f83b468b5795479bf1f5e49799d5#:~:text=President%20Joe%20Biden%20says%20he's,political%20liability%20before%20November's%20elections.">announced significant restrictions</a>&nbsp;on asylum applications at the border, arrests for illegal crossings have fallen.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said migrant encounters between U.S. ports of entry have dropped more than 55% and are now lower on average than they were at the end of Trump's term.

It remains to be seen whether the border will become a political liability for Harris as it was for Biden. But Republicans say Harris did not do enough to clamp down on illegal immigration in a role they characterized as “border czar.”

“The result of her inaction has been record high illegal crossings, overwhelmed communities, and an evisceration of the rule of law,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Trump, if elected president, has pledged deport millions of people and has made anti-immigration rhetoric a central focus of his campaign.

The House vote showed some early signs of cracks in the confidence that Democrats have so far bestowed on Harris.

The six Democrats who voted for the resolution — Reps. Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state — were all members from battleground districts and had previously been critical of Biden on the border. The measure called for "elected officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the border and who will execute the policies to fix the border crisis.”

“This isn’t about any one person — it’s about our border not being secure and fentanyl destroying Alaska communities,” Peltola said in a statement.

Caraveo endorsed Harris this week, but the congresswoman emphasized her own independence in a statement after the vote, saying she was sent to Washington to be "an independent voice who will stand up to party leaders when they’re wrong.”

As vice president, Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts to deal with issues spurring migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders. The Biden administration wanted to develop and put in place a long-term strategy that gets at the root causes of migration from those countries.

Most House Democrats tried to defend how Harris has handled the job.

Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said the resolution was “fake and fraudulent" and that Harris was never appointed “border czar,” as the measure stated.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, who is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Harris “was narrowly tasked with developing agreements that could help bring government and private sector investments to those countries that are sending migrants to the United States.”

Jayapal said Harris successfully recruited “billions” of dollars in investments for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

Democrats also repeatedly pointed out that Republicans rejected a border and immigration deal that the White House negotiated with Senate GOP leadership earlier this year.

Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, who won a special election this year on a campaign that focused on border security, said Harris has some potential strengths on the issue. He said Harris' relationship with Mexico’s president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Harris' past as a prosecutor could prove to be assets when it comes to the border.

“I think now she has to emphasize the fact that she recognizes that the southern border is a problem,” Suozzi said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are moving quickly to emphasize Vice President Kamala Harris's role in the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico, passing a resolution Thursday that condemns her performance in the job.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">In 2021 President Biden named Vice President Harris as the Administration’s border czar. I could say a lot, but I think the disaster at the border speaks for itself. Today, I voted to disapprove of VP Harris’ failed management of our nation’s borders.&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1816491123495628873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The resolution, which is purely symbolic, echoes an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-charlotte-north-carolina-harris-7c7e6e405fecc8927a63763c76f2db1e">attack line that Republican Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;has taken against Harris since she rose to become the likely Democratic presidential nominee. The Kansas GOP delegation joined all other House Republicans and six Democrats in tough reelection races to vote for the resolution.President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-3400f56255e000547d1ca3ce1aa6b8e9">tasked Harris early in his administration</a>&nbsp;with addressing the root causes of migration. Border crossings eventually became a major political liability for Biden when they reached historic levels. Since June, when Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-asylum-migration-immigration-mexico-border-dec5f83b468b5795479bf1f5e49799d5#:~:text=President%20Joe%20Biden%20says%20he's,political%20liability%20before%20November's%20elections.">announced significant restrictions</a>&nbsp;on asylum applications at the border, arrests for illegal crossings have fallen.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said migrant encounters between U.S. ports of entry have dropped more than 55% and are now lower on average than they were at the end of Trump's term.It remains to be seen whether the border will become a political liability for Harris as it was for Biden. But Republicans say Harris did not do enough to clamp down on illegal immigration in a role they characterized as “border czar.”“The result of her inaction has been record high illegal crossings, overwhelmed communities, and an evisceration of the rule of law,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.Trump, if elected president, has pledged deport millions of people and has made anti-immigration rhetoric a central focus of his campaign.The House vote showed some early signs of cracks in the confidence that Democrats have so far bestowed on Harris.The six Democrats who voted for the resolution — Reps. Yadira Caraveo of Colorado, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Jared Golden of Maine, Mary Peltola of Alaska and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state — were all members from battleground districts and had previously been critical of Biden on the border. The measure called for "elected officials who understand the gravity of the crisis at the border and who will execute the policies to fix the border crisis.”“This isn’t about any one person — it’s about our border not being secure and fentanyl destroying Alaska communities,” Peltola said in a statement.Caraveo endorsed Harris this week, but the congresswoman emphasized her own independence in a statement after the vote, saying she was sent to Washington to be "an independent voice who will stand up to party leaders when they’re wrong.”As vice president, Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts to deal with issues spurring migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders. The Biden administration wanted to develop and put in place a long-term strategy that gets at the root causes of migration from those countries.Most House Democrats tried to defend how Harris has handled the job.Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said the resolution was “fake and fraudulent" and that Harris was never appointed “border czar,” as the measure stated.Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, who is the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Harris “was narrowly tasked with developing agreements that could help bring government and private sector investments to those countries that are sending migrants to the United States.”Jayapal said Harris successfully recruited “billions” of dollars in investments for Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.Democrats also repeatedly pointed out that Republicans rejected a border and immigration deal that the White House negotiated with Senate GOP leadership earlier this year.Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, who won a special election this year on a campaign that focused on border security, said Harris has some potential strengths on the issue. He said Harris' relationship with Mexico’s president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Harris' past as a prosecutor could prove to be assets when it comes to the border.“I think now she has to emphasize the fact that she recognizes that the southern border is a problem,” Suozzi said.

Kan. lawmakers vote to rebuke Kamala Harris over handling of border policy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada is one of the most notorious drug traffickers in the world and known for running the cartel’s smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile.

A Mexican federal official told The Associated Press that Zambada and Guzmán López arrived in the United States on a private plane and turned themselves in to authorities. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized discuss the matter.

The U.S. government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dea.gov/fugitives/ismael-zambada-garcia">had offered a reward</a>&nbsp;of up to $15 million for information leading to the capture of Zambada, who eluded authorities for decades.

Zambada and Guzmán López oversaw the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said, adding that now they will "face justice in the United States.”

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Mexican authorities didn't immediately comment on the arrests.

U.S. officials have been seeking Zambada's capture for years, and he has been charged in a number of U.S. cases. He was charged in February in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to manufacture and distribute the synthetic opioid. Prosecutors said he was continuing to lead the Sinaloa cartel, “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the cartel's strategist, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2b16e1b751b044f3a7581df96ed41ef3">sentenced to life in prison</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. in 2019 and is the father of Guzmán López.

Zambada is an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada has fought those who challenged him, he is known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention.

In an April 2010 interview with the Mexican magazine Proceso, he acknowledged that he lived in constant fear of going to prison and would contemplate suicide rather than be captured.

“I’m terrified of being incarcerated,” Zambada said. “I’d like to think that, yes, I would kill myself.”

The interview was surprising for a kingpin known for keeping his head down, but he gave strict instructions on where and when the encounter would take place, and the article gave no hint of his whereabouts.

Zambada reputedly won the loyalty of locals in his home state of Sinaloa and neighboring Durango through his largess, sponsoring local farmers and distributing money and beer in his birthplace of El Alamo.

Although little is known about Zambada’s early life, he is believed to have gotten his start as an enforcer in the 1970s.

By the early 1990s, he was a major player in the Juarez cartel, transporting tons of cocaine and marijuana.

Zambada started gaining the trust of Colombian traffickers, allegiances that helped him come out on top in the cartel world of ever-shifting alliances. Eventually he became so powerful that he broke off from the Juarez cartel, but still managed to keep strong ties with the gang and avoided a turf war. He also developed a partnership with “El Chapo” Guzman that would take him to the top of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Zambada’s detention follows some important arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another son of “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ovidio Guzmán López. Zambada's son pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being a leader in the Sinaloa cartel.

In recent years, Guzman’s sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or “Chapitos” that has been identified as a main exporter of fentanyl to the U.S. market.

They were seen as more violent and flamboyant than Zambada.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-sinaloa-cartel-suspect-fentanyl-nini-acbb34ece668e5fd6ddc2baa9276d1d1">Their security chief was arrested</a>&nbsp;by Mexican authorities in November.

Ovidio Guzmán López was arrested and extradited to the U.S. last year.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-chapo-son-charged-chicago-aa87d44a1290b6473006d4caf6220908">He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking</a>&nbsp;charges in Chicago in September.

Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the DEA, said Zambada’s arrest is important but unlikely to have much impact on the flow of drugs to the U.S. Joaquín Guzmán López was the least influential of the four sons who made up the Chapitos, Vigil said.

“This is a great blow for the rule of law, but is it going to have an impact on the cartel? I don’t think so,” Vigil said.

“It’s not going to have a dent on the drug trade because somebody from within the cartel is going to replace him,” Vigil said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada was known for running the cartel’s smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile.

The U.S. government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dea.gov/fugitives/ismael-zambada-garcia">had offered a reward</a>&nbsp;of up to $15 million for information leading to his capture.

Zambada and Guzmán López are facing multiple charges “for leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks," Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Garland said in a statement.

Zambada’s detention follows some important arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another one of Guzmán’s. Guzmán López was also a son of “El Chapo” Guzmán.

In recent years, Guzman’s sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or “Chapitos” that has been identified as one of the main exporters of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, to the U.S. market.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2b16e1b751b044f3a7581df96ed41ef3">“El Chapo” Guzmán was sentenced</a>&nbsp;to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019.

One of them, Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. last year.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-chapo-son-charged-chicago-aa87d44a1290b6473006d4caf6220908">He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking</a>&nbsp;charges in Chicago in September.

In February, Zambada was charged in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. Prosecutors described him as continuing to lead the Sinaloa cartel, “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”

A son of Zambada’s pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being a leader in the Sinaloa cartel.

Ismael Zambada Imperial admitted in a plea agreement to being a major coordinator in the trafficking operation, including importing and distributing tons of cocaine, heroin and marijuana from Mexico into the U.S.

Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the strategist of the Sinaloa cartel, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, whois serving a life sentence in the United States.

Strong ties to Colombian cocaine suppliers and his cells across the United States made Zambada one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world. He had been among the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel since the 1970s, with their principal livelihood being the sale of narcotics in the United States, according to a U.S. Justice Department.

Zambada was an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada fought those who challenged him, he was known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention.

Although little is known about Zambada’s early life, he is believed to have gotten his start in drug trafficking as an enforcer in the 1970s.

Zambada started gaining the trust of Colombian traffickers, allegiances that helped him come out on top in the cartel world of ever-shifting alliances. Eventually, he became so powerful that he broke off from the Juarez cartel, but still managed to keep strong ties with the gang and avoided a turf war. He also developed a partnership with “El Chapo” Guzman that would take him to the top of the Sinaloa Cartel.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721959099303.png" alt="Zambada photo U.S. State Department" />
 <figcaption>Zambada photo U.S. State Department</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada is one of the most notorious drug traffickers in the world and known for running the cartel’s smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721959210147.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>A Mexican federal official told The Associated Press that Zambada and Guzmán López arrived in the United States on a private plane and turned themselves in to authorities. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized discuss the matter.The U.S. government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dea.gov/fugitives/ismael-zambada-garcia">had offered a reward</a>&nbsp;of up to $15 million for information leading to the capture of Zambada, who eluded authorities for decades.Zambada and Guzmán López oversaw the trafficking of “tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said, adding that now they will "face justice in the United States.”“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.Mexican authorities didn't immediately comment on the arrests.U.S. officials have been seeking Zambada's capture for years, and he has been charged in a number of U.S. cases. He was charged in February in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to manufacture and distribute the synthetic opioid. Prosecutors said he was continuing to lead the Sinaloa cartel, “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the cartel's strategist, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2b16e1b751b044f3a7581df96ed41ef3">sentenced to life in prison</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. in 2019 and is the father of Guzmán López.Zambada is an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada has fought those who challenged him, he is known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention.In an April 2010 interview with the Mexican magazine Proceso, he acknowledged that he lived in constant fear of going to prison and would contemplate suicide rather than be captured.“I’m terrified of being incarcerated,” Zambada said. “I’d like to think that, yes, I would kill myself.”The interview was surprising for a kingpin known for keeping his head down, but he gave strict instructions on where and when the encounter would take place, and the article gave no hint of his whereabouts.Zambada reputedly won the loyalty of locals in his home state of Sinaloa and neighboring Durango through his largess, sponsoring local farmers and distributing money and beer in his birthplace of El Alamo.Although little is known about Zambada’s early life, he is believed to have gotten his start as an enforcer in the 1970s.By the early 1990s, he was a major player in the Juarez cartel, transporting tons of cocaine and marijuana.Zambada started gaining the trust of Colombian traffickers, allegiances that helped him come out on top in the cartel world of ever-shifting alliances. Eventually he became so powerful that he broke off from the Juarez cartel, but still managed to keep strong ties with the gang and avoided a turf war. He also developed a partnership with “El Chapo” Guzman that would take him to the top of the Sinaloa Cartel.Zambada’s detention follows some important arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another son of “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ovidio Guzmán López. Zambada's son pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being a leader in the Sinaloa cartel.In recent years, Guzman’s sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or “Chapitos” that has been identified as a main exporter of fentanyl to the U.S. market.They were seen as more violent and flamboyant than Zambada.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-sinaloa-cartel-suspect-fentanyl-nini-acbb34ece668e5fd6ddc2baa9276d1d1">Their security chief was arrested</a>&nbsp;by Mexican authorities in November.Ovidio Guzmán López was arrested and extradited to the U.S. last year.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-chapo-son-charged-chicago-aa87d44a1290b6473006d4caf6220908">He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking</a>&nbsp;charges in Chicago in September.Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the DEA, said Zambada’s arrest is important but unlikely to have much impact on the flow of drugs to the U.S. Joaquín Guzmán López was the least influential of the four sons who made up the Chapitos, Vigil said.“This is a great blow for the rule of law, but is it going to have an impact on the cartel? I don’t think so,” Vigil said.“It’s not going to have a dent on the drug trade because somebody from within the cartel is going to replace him,” Vigil said.___WASHINGTON (AP) — Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a historic leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of another infamous cartel leader, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.A leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel for decades alongside Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, Zambada was known for running the cartel’s smuggling operations while keeping a lower profile.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721959210147.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dea.gov/fugitives/ismael-zambada-garcia">had offered a reward</a>&nbsp;of up to $15 million for information leading to his capture.Zambada and Guzmán López are facing multiple charges “for leading the cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks," Attorney General Merrick Garland said.“Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Garland said in a statement.Zambada’s detention follows some important arrests of other Sinaloa cartel figures, including one of his sons and another one of Guzmán’s. Guzmán López was also a son of “El Chapo” Guzmán.In recent years, Guzman’s sons have led a faction of the cartel known as the little Chapos, or “Chapitos” that has been identified as one of the main exporters of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid, to the U.S. market.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2b16e1b751b044f3a7581df96ed41ef3">“El Chapo” Guzmán was sentenced</a>&nbsp;to life in prison in the U.S. in 2019.They were seen as more violent and flamboyant than Zambada.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-sinaloa-cartel-suspect-fentanyl-nini-acbb34ece668e5fd6ddc2baa9276d1d1">Their security chief was arrested</a>&nbsp;by Mexican authorities in November.One of them, Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. last year.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/el-chapo-son-charged-chicago-aa87d44a1290b6473006d4caf6220908">He pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking</a>&nbsp;charges in Chicago in September.In February, Zambada was charged in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to manufacture and distribute fentanyl. Prosecutors described him as continuing to lead the Sinaloa cartel, “one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world.”A son of Zambada’s pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court in San Diego in 2021 to being a leader in the Sinaloa cartel.Ismael Zambada Imperial admitted in a plea agreement to being a major coordinator in the trafficking operation, including importing and distributing tons of cocaine, heroin and marijuana from Mexico into the U.S.Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the strategist of the Sinaloa cartel, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, whois serving a life sentence in the United States.Strong ties to Colombian cocaine suppliers and his cells across the United States made Zambada one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world. He had been among the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel since the 1970s, with their principal livelihood being the sale of narcotics in the United States, according to a U.S. Justice Department.Zambada was an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada fought those who challenged him, he was known for concentrating on the business side of trafficking and avoiding gruesome cartel violence that would draw attention.In an April 2010 interview with the Mexican magazine Proceso, he acknowledged that he lived in constant fear of going to prison and would contemplate suicide rather than be captured.“I’m terrified of being incarcerated,” Zambada said. “I’d like to think that, yes, I would kill myself.”The interview was surprising for a kingpin known for keeping his head down, but he gave strict instructions on where and when the encounter would take place, and the article gave no hint of his whereabouts.Zambada reputedly won the loyalty of locals in his home state of Sinaloa and neighboring Durango through his largess, sponsoring local farmers and distributing money and beer in his birthplace of El Alamo.Although little is known about Zambada’s early life, he is believed to have gotten his start in drug trafficking as an enforcer in the 1970s.By the early 1990s, he was a major player in the Juarez cartel, transporting tons of cocaine and marijuana.Zambada started gaining the trust of Colombian traffickers, allegiances that helped him come out on top in the cartel world of ever-shifting alliances. Eventually, he became so powerful that he broke off from the Juarez cartel, but still managed to keep strong ties with the gang and avoided a turf war. He also developed a partnership with “El Chapo” Guzman that would take him to the top of the Sinaloa Cartel.

$15 million reward: Mexican drug lord captured in the U.S.

JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man is going to prison for a deadly DUI crash.

Last week, Judge Thomas K. Ryan sentenced 33-year-old Matthew J. Ryan to almost 10-years in&nbsp; prison, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office. In May, a jury found him guilty of reckless 2nd degree murder in the wrong-way crash death of&nbsp; Karl Wurtenberger, 42, of Independence, Missouri.

In December of 2022, a vehicle driven by Ryan was westbound on Interstate 435 in the eastbound lanes and struck a vehicle.&nbsp;After impact, Ryan's vehicle continued westbound and collided with another vehicle, driven by Wurtenberge, head-on near Quivira Road. Wurtenberger was pronounced dead at the scene.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721482163122.png" alt="Ryan photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Ryan photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man is going to prison for a deadly DUI crash.Last week, Judge Thomas K. Ryan sentenced 33-year-old Matthew J. Ryan to almost 10-years in&nbsp; prison, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office. In May, a jury found him guilty of reckless 2nd degree murder in the wrong-way crash death of&nbsp; Karl Wurtenberger, 42, of Independence, Missouri.In December of 2022, a vehicle driven by Ryan was westbound on Interstate 435 in the eastbound lanes and struck a vehicle.&nbsp;After impact, Ryan's vehicle continued westbound and collided with another vehicle, driven by Wurtenberge, head-on near Quivira Road. Wurtenberger was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prison for Kansas man in fatal wrong-way interstate crash

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

Second District candidates for U.S. House to face off in Aug. 6 primary

TOPEKA — Second District congressional candidate Matt Kleinmann wants to tamp down gun violence by closing legal loopholes that enable private sales without background checks and by repealing a federal law that chilled lawsuits against firearm manufacturers and retailers.

Kleinmann, a Wyandotte County community organizer and former University of Kansas basketball player, said if elected to Kansas’ open U.S. House seat that he would vote to repeal the nearly 20-year-old Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

“I know that everybody on the Democrat and Republican side believes in the Second Amendment right to own and bear firearms,” he said on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju8gDMS6kxE&amp;t=960s" target="_blank">WIBW-TV’s candidate forum</a>&nbsp;with Democratic opponent Nancy Boyda. “However, it’s not right that only one industry in our entire country, the gun industry, is immune from lawsuits and prosecution. It’s only fair that the gun industry includes safety mechanisms in the products they sell.”

Kleinmann said he understood what it was like to live in a community and hear gunshots at night, and imposing universal background checks on sellers had the potential to disrupt gangs or cartels buying guns illegally.

Boyda, who served one term in the U.S. House after elected to the 2nd District seat in 2006, said guns were the leading cause of death among children.

“It’s not just a factoid. These are our children,” she said.

Rather than grapple with Kleinmann’s perspective on background checks and firearm liability, Boyda took aim at former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. He’s the frontrunner in the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/17/kansas-2nd-district-gop-candidate-forum-features-marriage-proposal-devotional-silence/">five-candidate Republican primary in the 2nd District</a>. Boyda objected to positions taken by Schmidt that earned him an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association’s political action committee.

“I believe that is just a radical position that is contrary to what 75% of Kansans believe,” she said. “His double-A rating with the NRA, that’s more important to him than the safety of our children.”

Kleinmann said he entered the race for the congressional seat to be&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/congress-has-taken-a-toll-u-s-rep-jake-laturner-of-kansas-wont-seek-reelection/">vacated by GOP U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner</a>&nbsp;because the state needed an advocate in Washington for working class Kansans seeking affordable housing, access to health care and investments in their quality of life. Kansans want to be represented by elected officials interested in protecting individual rights — including voting, civil and reproductive rights, he said.

“We need a champion in Congress who is going to fight for everyday working Kansans,” Kleinmann said. “I know as Democrats that when we stand together, as a unified party, we can win this race. I mean it. This is a race about our future. I believe I am the best champion to carry that torch forward.”

Boyda, who defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun in 2006, reminded WIBW-TV viewers no other Democrat in the past 30 years had won a campaign in the 2nd District. Indeed, Boyda lost her first campaign in 2004 to Ryun and her 2008 reelection campaign against GOP nominee Lynn Jenkins.

“I’m in the race because I’m deeply concerned about our country,” Boyda said. “I believe Matt is a great guy, but I believe that I’m the only one … who could bring this home in November. The fact is&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/16/fec-reports-reveal-sharice-davids-derek-schmidt-to-be-magnets-for-kansas-campaign-donations/">(Kansas Democratic U.S. Rep.) Sharice Davids</a>&nbsp;and I are the only two who have come out of the Republican buzzsaw and lived to tell about it. Why am I running? I like Matt, but he doesn’t have a chance to come out of the election as a winner.”

Kleinmann and Boyda were asked whether experience in politics — Kleinmann is a first-time candidate, while this is Boyda’s fourth campaign for Congress — should be a consideration among voters.

“Well, experience absolutely does matter,” Boyda said. “I’m the only one who’s been in Congress. I have the widest breadth of experience across so many areas.”

In addition to working on Capitol Hill, she was employed in the pharmaceutical industry, served as a pastor and chaplain, and was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense in the administration of President Barack Obama. She owns a small farm near Baldwin City.

“It depends on what kind of political experience you’re talking about,” Kleinmann said. “Leadership is an action, not a position. I’ve been a leader in my community for the last 10 years. There are a lot of folks who are running for this office, many of whom are career politicians and bureaucrats. I am not a career politician. I repeat. I am not a career politician.”

“I am running this race so that we can build a movement that restores faith in our democracy and make sure we fight back against extremism,” he said.

Boyda and Kleinmann found common ground on the challenge of gaining control of the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Both said if elected to Congress they would seek to improve security on the border. Boyda, sounding as if she was in a general election campaign instead of the Democratic primary, criticized Schmidt for opposing a requirement that companies use the web-based E-Verify system to confirm employment eligibility of job applicants.

“Border security — that’s where it has to start,” Boyda said. “We have to do something about E-Verify. We need to have a path to citizenship once we get the border secure.”

Kleinmann said there was bipartisan consensus on the need for improved border security, but he criticized “extreme politicians” who skuttled a bipartisan immigration bill. In February, hard-right House Republicans spiked an immigration bill at behest of former President Donald Trump.

“That’s because politicians want to have a broken immigration system so they can win elections. I don’t think that’s right,” Kleinmann said. “We need a smart border security system. Not a dumb wall that people can get over with a ladder or underneath with a tunnel. What that’s going to take is more investment in surveillance, border personnel.”

Touching on a flashpoint in the nation’s culture wars, Boyda renewed an objection to transgender women participating in organized sports programs designated for females. She said the debate changed when transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won an NCAA championship in the 500-yard freestyle event. Thomas was later barred from competing in women’s competitions by World Aquatics, the international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

“When it comes to trans girls in sports, it’s no longer this personal, private decision anymore. In fact, it becomes an issue of fairness,” said Boyda, who accused Kleinmann of asserting she was “anti-gay.”

Kleinmann, who played basketball for the KU Jayhawks from 2005 to 2009, has been endorsed by the LGBTQ+ caucus of the Kansas Democratic Party.

“I certainly believe that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. Full stop,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721938059393.png" alt="Nancy Boyda and Matt Kleinmann, candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 2nd congressional district, spoke about their views on gun violence, immigration and LGBTQ issues during an appearance on WIBW-TV. The primary election is Aug. 6. (Sherman Smith and Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Nancy Boyda and Matt Kleinmann, candidates for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 2nd congressional district, spoke about their views on gun violence, immigration and LGBTQ issues during an appearance on WIBW-TV. The primary election is Aug. 6. (Sherman Smith and Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Second District candidates for U.S. House to face off in Aug. 6 primary</h2>TOPEKA — Second District congressional candidate Matt Kleinmann wants to tamp down gun violence by closing legal loopholes that enable private sales without background checks and by repealing a federal law that chilled lawsuits against firearm manufacturers and retailers.Kleinmann, a Wyandotte County community organizer and former University of Kansas basketball player, said if elected to Kansas’ open U.S. House seat that he would vote to repeal the nearly 20-year-old Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.“I know that everybody on the Democrat and Republican side believes in the Second Amendment right to own and bear firearms,” he said on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju8gDMS6kxE&amp;t=960s" target="_blank">WIBW-TV’s candidate forum</a>&nbsp;with Democratic opponent Nancy Boyda. “However, it’s not right that only one industry in our entire country, the gun industry, is immune from lawsuits and prosecution. It’s only fair that the gun industry includes safety mechanisms in the products they sell.”Kleinmann said he understood what it was like to live in a community and hear gunshots at night, and imposing universal background checks on sellers had the potential to disrupt gangs or cartels buying guns illegally.Boyda, who served one term in the U.S. House after elected to the 2nd District seat in 2006, said guns were the leading cause of death among children.“It’s not just a factoid. These are our children,” she said.Rather than grapple with Kleinmann’s perspective on background checks and firearm liability, Boyda took aim at former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. He’s the frontrunner in the&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/17/kansas-2nd-district-gop-candidate-forum-features-marriage-proposal-devotional-silence/">five-candidate Republican primary in the 2nd District</a>. Boyda objected to positions taken by Schmidt that earned him an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association’s political action committee.“I believe that is just a radical position that is contrary to what 75% of Kansans believe,” she said. “His double-A rating with the NRA, that’s more important to him than the safety of our children.”<h2>Big question: Why running?</h2>Kleinmann said he entered the race for the congressional seat to be&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/congress-has-taken-a-toll-u-s-rep-jake-laturner-of-kansas-wont-seek-reelection/">vacated by GOP U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner</a>&nbsp;because the state needed an advocate in Washington for working class Kansans seeking affordable housing, access to health care and investments in their quality of life. Kansans want to be represented by elected officials interested in protecting individual rights — including voting, civil and reproductive rights, he said.“We need a champion in Congress who is going to fight for everyday working Kansans,” Kleinmann said. “I know as Democrats that when we stand together, as a unified party, we can win this race. I mean it. This is a race about our future. I believe I am the best champion to carry that torch forward.”Boyda, who defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun in 2006, reminded WIBW-TV viewers no other Democrat in the past 30 years had won a campaign in the 2nd District. Indeed, Boyda lost her first campaign in 2004 to Ryun and her 2008 reelection campaign against GOP nominee Lynn Jenkins.“I’m in the race because I’m deeply concerned about our country,” Boyda said. “I believe Matt is a great guy, but I believe that I’m the only one … who could bring this home in November. The fact is&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/07/16/fec-reports-reveal-sharice-davids-derek-schmidt-to-be-magnets-for-kansas-campaign-donations/">(Kansas Democratic U.S. Rep.) Sharice Davids</a>&nbsp;and I are the only two who have come out of the Republican buzzsaw and lived to tell about it. Why am I running? I like Matt, but he doesn’t have a chance to come out of the election as a winner.”Kleinmann and Boyda were asked whether experience in politics — Kleinmann is a first-time candidate, while this is Boyda’s fourth campaign for Congress — should be a consideration among voters.“Well, experience absolutely does matter,” Boyda said. “I’m the only one who’s been in Congress. I have the widest breadth of experience across so many areas.”In addition to working on Capitol Hill, she was employed in the pharmaceutical industry, served as a pastor and chaplain, and was appointed deputy assistant secretary of defense in the administration of President Barack Obama. She owns a small farm near Baldwin City.“It depends on what kind of political experience you’re talking about,” Kleinmann said. “Leadership is an action, not a position. I’ve been a leader in my community for the last 10 years. There are a lot of folks who are running for this office, many of whom are career politicians and bureaucrats. I am not a career politician. I repeat. I am not a career politician.”“I am running this race so that we can build a movement that restores faith in our democracy and make sure we fight back against extremism,” he said.<h2>Immigration, LGBTQ+</h2>Boyda and Kleinmann found common ground on the challenge of gaining control of the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Both said if elected to Congress they would seek to improve security on the border. Boyda, sounding as if she was in a general election campaign instead of the Democratic primary, criticized Schmidt for opposing a requirement that companies use the web-based E-Verify system to confirm employment eligibility of job applicants.“Border security — that’s where it has to start,” Boyda said. “We have to do something about E-Verify. We need to have a path to citizenship once we get the border secure.”Kleinmann said there was bipartisan consensus on the need for improved border security, but he criticized “extreme politicians” who skuttled a bipartisan immigration bill. In February, hard-right House Republicans spiked an immigration bill at behest of former President Donald Trump.“That’s because politicians want to have a broken immigration system so they can win elections. I don’t think that’s right,” Kleinmann said. “We need a smart border security system. Not a dumb wall that people can get over with a ladder or underneath with a tunnel. What that’s going to take is more investment in surveillance, border personnel.”Touching on a flashpoint in the nation’s culture wars, Boyda renewed an objection to transgender women participating in organized sports programs designated for females. She said the debate changed when transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won an NCAA championship in the 500-yard freestyle event. Thomas was later barred from competing in women’s competitions by World Aquatics, the international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee.“When it comes to trans girls in sports, it’s no longer this personal, private decision anymore. In fact, it becomes an issue of fairness,” said Boyda, who accused Kleinmann of asserting she was “anti-gay.”Kleinmann, who played basketball for the KU Jayhawks from 2005 to 2009, has been endorsed by the LGBTQ+ caucus of the Kansas Democratic Party.“I certainly believe that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. Full stop,” he said.

Kan. Democrats Matt Kleinmann, Nancy Boyda joust on gun violence, immigration, LGBTQ+ issues

DALLAS (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-lowers-outlook-hedge-fund-a8cfdb619410757b96f108b45565ca1b">Southwest Airlines</a>&nbsp;plans to drop its tradition of more than 50 years and start assigning seats and selling premium seating for customers who want more legroom.

The airline said Thursday that it has been studying seating options and is making the changes because passenger preferences have shifted. The moves could also generate revenue and boost financial performance.

Southwest made the announcement on the same day that both it and American Airlines reported a steep drop in second-quarter profit despite higher revenue.

Airlines are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/delta-air-lines-results-travel-airlines-44611dd08ceeb9c5f1bdb030bad7a652">struggling with higher costs</a>&nbsp;and reduced pricing power, especially on flights within the United States, as the industry adds flights faster than the growth in travel demand.

Southwest, based in Dallas, said its second-quarter profit fell 46% from a year earlier, to $367 million, as higher costs for labor, fuel and other expenses outstripped an increase in revenue. The results met Wall Street expectations.

American Airlines also reported a 46% drop in profit, to $717 million, and said it would break even in the third quarter — well below Wall Street expectations of 48 cents per share profit in the July-through-September period.

American “did not perform to our initial expectations” because of a since-abandoned sales strategy and an oversupply of domestic flights, CEO Robert Isom said. He said the airline was responding with a strategy that boosts profits and “makes it easy for customers to do business with American.”

Southwest's unusual boarding process started decades ago as a way for the airline to save money by reducing the amount of time it took for a plane to land, load new passengers, and take off again — turn time, as it is called in the business.

Most airlines assign each passenger to a seat when they buy a ticket. Southwest requires customers to check in exactly 24 hours before departure unless they pay extra to guarantee a better place in the boarding line. Those who hate it call it a “cattle call” but many Southwest loyalists love it.

However, as flights have become more full it has gotten harder to score a window or aisle seat without paying extra. Also, some passengers appear to game the system: They use a wheelchair to get to the gate, where they are given priority in boarding, then miraculously walk off the plane without assistance after the flight.

The airline said in surveys 80% of its customers — and 86% of “potential” customers — want an assigned seat. It said open seating is the top reason that travelers stop flying Southwest and choose another airline.

Southwest also said it will offer redeye flights for the first time.

Southwest said that its first overnight, redeye flights will land on Feb. 14, 2025, on nonstop routes including Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore. It plans to add more redeyes over time.

The changes in seating policy and redeye flights come as Southwest is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-poison-pill-elliott-jordan-2ba470fedf48c56c22984b416bdb7592">under pressure from Elliott Investment Management</a>. The hedge fund argues that the airline lags rivals in financial performance and has failed to change with the times. It wants to replace CEO Robert Jordan and Chairman Gary Kelly.

The airline said it will provide more details about its upcoming changes at an investor day in September.

Shares of all major airlines dipped before the opening bell Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. fell 6% and American Airlines Group Inc. fell 7%. Delta, JetBlue and United slipped more than 1%.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721915023549.png" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>DALLAS (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-lowers-outlook-hedge-fund-a8cfdb619410757b96f108b45565ca1b">Southwest Airlines</a>&nbsp;plans to drop its tradition of more than 50 years and start assigning seats and selling premium seating for customers who want more legroom.The airline said Thursday that it has been studying seating options and is making the changes because passenger preferences have shifted. The moves could also generate revenue and boost financial performance.Southwest made the announcement on the same day that both it and American Airlines reported a steep drop in second-quarter profit despite higher revenue.Airlines are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/delta-air-lines-results-travel-airlines-44611dd08ceeb9c5f1bdb030bad7a652">struggling with higher costs</a>&nbsp;and reduced pricing power, especially on flights within the United States, as the industry adds flights faster than the growth in travel demand.Southwest, based in Dallas, said its second-quarter profit fell 46% from a year earlier, to $367 million, as higher costs for labor, fuel and other expenses outstripped an increase in revenue. The results met Wall Street expectations.American Airlines also reported a 46% drop in profit, to $717 million, and said it would break even in the third quarter — well below Wall Street expectations of 48 cents per share profit in the July-through-September period.American “did not perform to our initial expectations” because of a since-abandoned sales strategy and an oversupply of domestic flights, CEO Robert Isom said. He said the airline was responding with a strategy that boosts profits and “makes it easy for customers to do business with American.”Southwest's unusual boarding process started decades ago as a way for the airline to save money by reducing the amount of time it took for a plane to land, load new passengers, and take off again — turn time, as it is called in the business.Most airlines assign each passenger to a seat when they buy a ticket. Southwest requires customers to check in exactly 24 hours before departure unless they pay extra to guarantee a better place in the boarding line. Those who hate it call it a “cattle call” but many Southwest loyalists love it.However, as flights have become more full it has gotten harder to score a window or aisle seat without paying extra. Also, some passengers appear to game the system: They use a wheelchair to get to the gate, where they are given priority in boarding, then miraculously walk off the plane without assistance after the flight.The airline said in surveys 80% of its customers — and 86% of “potential” customers — want an assigned seat. It said open seating is the top reason that travelers stop flying Southwest and choose another airline.Southwest also said it will offer redeye flights for the first time.Southwest said that its first overnight, redeye flights will land on Feb. 14, 2025, on nonstop routes including Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando; Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville; and Phoenix to Baltimore. It plans to add more redeyes over time.The changes in seating policy and redeye flights come as Southwest is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-poison-pill-elliott-jordan-2ba470fedf48c56c22984b416bdb7592">under pressure from Elliott Investment Management</a>. The hedge fund argues that the airline lags rivals in financial performance and has failed to change with the times. It wants to replace CEO Robert Jordan and Chairman Gary Kelly.The airline said it will provide more details about its upcoming changes at an investor day in September.Shares of all major airlines dipped before the opening bell Thursday. Southwest Airlines Co. fell 6% and American Airlines Group Inc. fell 7%. Delta, JetBlue and United slipped more than 1%.

Southwest Airlines breaks with 50-year tradition on seating

KANSAS CIY —A now former Kansas City police officer on Wednesday pleaded guilty to harassment of two citizens and a misdemeanor assault following a December 2023 vehicular encounter in south Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Jason Q. Moran pleaded guilty to Harassment in the 2nd Degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and Assault in the 4th Degree, another Class A misdemeanor. He was placed on probation for 1 year and agreed to special conditions, including his resignation from the Kansas City Police Department, the surrender of his police officer certification and to not contact victims in the case.

According to court records filed this week, on Dec. 5, 2023, three persons flagged down a police officer and reported that a black truck had followed them. The victims reported that the black truck was driving only 10 mph in a 40 mph zone at one point. 

They drove around the truck after it didn't move when a stop light turned green. Then the truck began to follow them. Eventually, the victims told police, the driver of the truck pointed a gun at them and struck one of them with the truck.

Moran, who was not on duty or in uniform, told police he was driving on State Line Road when he started to follow a vehicle that passed him. He followed them into an apartment complex and waited. He told police the citizens approached his truck. He drove away, then returned. One of them struck his vehicle window. He drew his firearm and pointed it at the group, got back in the truck and left again. 

Moran, who has resigned from the police department, called police. Officers observed Moran to be intoxicated. Two victims stated Moran pointed a gun at them, used the "n" word during his verbal confrontation with them and hit one of them with his truck. They added that he smelled like alcohol and his eyes were red. Video cameras in the area captured&nbsp; Moran's vehicle striking the victim.

KANSAS CIY —A now former Kansas City police officer on Wednesday pleaded guilty to harassment of two citizens and a misdemeanor assault following a December 2023 vehicular encounter in south Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Jason Q. Moran pleaded guilty to Harassment in the 2nd Degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and Assault in the 4th Degree, another Class A misdemeanor. He was placed on probation for 1 year and agreed to special conditions, including his resignation from the Kansas City Police Department, the surrender of his police officer certification and to not contact victims in the case.According to court records filed this week, on Dec. 5, 2023, three persons flagged down a police officer and reported that a black truck had followed them. The victims reported that the black truck was driving only 10 mph in a 40 mph zone at one point. They drove around the truck after it didn't move when a stop light turned green. Then the truck began to follow them. Eventually, the victims told police, the driver of the truck pointed a gun at them and struck one of them with the truck.Moran, who was not on duty or in uniform, told police he was driving on State Line Road when he started to follow a vehicle that passed him. He followed them into an apartment complex and waited. He told police the citizens approached his truck. He drove away, then returned. One of them struck his vehicle window. He drew his firearm and pointed it at the group, got back in the truck and left again. Moran, who has resigned from the police department, called police. Officers observed Moran to be intoxicated. Two victims stated Moran pointed a gun at them, used the "n" word during his verbal confrontation with them and hit one of them with his truck. They added that he smelled like alcohol and his eyes were red. Video cameras in the area captured&nbsp; Moran's vehicle striking the victim.

KCPD officer resigns, admits citizen harassment, misdemeanor assault

WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in a scathing speech to Congress to achieve “total victory” against Hamas and criticized American opponents of the war in Gaza as “idiots.”

His combative stance comes in a visit the Biden administration hopes can yield progress in negotiations to end the fighting. Netanyahu used the high-profile address on Wednesday to a joint meeting of Congress to emphasize longstanding and close ties between the United States and Israel. But the speech put in sharp relief the divisions in American society stirred by the war, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotting the address and thousands of protesters outside the Capitol condemning the war and the humanitarian crisis created by it.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721848957734.png" alt="Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu during the address Wednesday-image from the House Speaker's Office video" />
 <figcaption>Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu during the address Wednesday-image from the House Speaker's Office video</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in a scathing speech to Congress to achieve “total victory” against Hamas and criticized American opponents of the war in Gaza as “idiots.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Israel’s existence is non-negotiable, and our shared adversaries must not doubt the resolve of American support. <a href="https://t.co/awkBKuGEzy">pic.twitter.com/awkBKuGEzy</a>&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1816465076255064217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>His combative stance comes in a visit the Biden administration hopes can yield progress in negotiations to end the fighting. Netanyahu used the high-profile address on Wednesday to a joint meeting of Congress to emphasize longstanding and close ties between the United States and Israel. But the speech put in sharp relief the divisions in American society stirred by the war, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotting the address and thousands of protesters outside the Capitol condemning the war and the humanitarian crisis created by it.

🎥Kan. U.S. Senator responds to Israeli PM's fiery speech to Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024">attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is believed to have done a Google search one week before the shooting of “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday, revealing new details about a suspect he said had taken a keen interest in public figures but had otherwise not left behind clear clues of an ideological motive.

The July 6 online search, recovered from a laptop the FBI says is tied to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks,</a>&nbsp;is a reference to Lee Harvey Oswald, the shooter who killed President John F. Kennedy from a sniper's perch in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

"That's a search obviously that is significant in terms of his state of mind. That is the same day that it appears that he registered" for the Trump rally scheduled for July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, Wray told the House Judiciary Committee.

The FBI is investigating the shooting, which killed one rallygoer and seriously injured two others, as an act of domestic terrorism. The investigation has thrust the bureau into a political maelstrom months before the presidential election, with lawmakers and the public pressing for details about what may have motivated Crooks in the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">President Ronald Reagan was shot</a>&nbsp;in 1981.

The agency has built out a detailed timeline of Crooks' movements and online activity, but the precise motive — or why Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was singled out — remains elusive, Wray said. The FBI’s assessment continues to be that Crooks, who was killed by a Secret Service counter sniper, acted alone.

“We do not know the motive. That is obviously one of the central questions in our investigation, and it's been very frustrating to us that a lot of the usual kind of low-hanging-fruit places that we would find that have not yielded significant clues about his motive,” Wray said.

But, he added, the bureau has seen indications that he was interested in public figures — officials said at a private briefing last week that besides Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/.%20A%20lot%20of%20the%20usual,%20repositories%20of%20information%20have%20not%20yielded,%20[12:02:51]%20anything%20notable%20in%20terms%20of%20motive,%20or%20like%20ideology">Crooks also had photos on his phone of Democratic President Joe Biden and other prominent people</a>&nbsp;— and in the days before the shooting had appeared particularly consumed by Trump and the Butler rally

Crooks is believed to have visited the rally site a week before the event, staying for about 20 minutes, and then returned on the morning of July 13. More than two hours before the shooting, Wray said, Crooks flew a drone about 200 yards from the rally stage for about 11 minutes, using the device to livestream and watch footage.

The use of the drone, which along with a controller were recovered from Crooks' car, so close to the rally site just hours before Trump took the stage add to the questions about the security lapses that preceded the shooting.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b">On the afternoon of the rally</a>, Crooks attracted law enforcement scrutiny because of odd behavior around the edges of the event, including shouldering a backpack and peering into the lens of a range finder toward the rooftops behind the stage where Trump would stand within the hour.

Using what Wray said was mechanical equipment on the ground and vertical piping, Crooks was able to hoist himself up onto the roof of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage. Crooks fired eight shots from an AR-style rifle before he was killed. (The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/appendix-10.html#purpose">Warren Commission report</a>&nbsp;that analyzed the Kennedy assassination assessed that Kennedy had been shot through the neck at a range of 174.9 feet to 190.8 feet, or about 53.3 meters to 58.1 meters.)

Trump’s campaign said the GOP nominee was doing “fine” after the shooting, which Trump said pierced the upper part of his right ear. Wray said his understanding was that either a bullet or some shrapnel “is what grazed his ear.”

He pledged that the FBI would “leave no stone unturned” in its investigation.

“I have been saying for some time now that we are living in an elevated threat environment, and tragically the Butler County assassination attempt is another example — a particularly heinous and very public one — of what I have been talking about,” Wray said.

He later added, “I think this is a moment where, in the most stark way possible, all of us as Americans can see how out of control political violence is in this country, and it's an opportunity for everyone to come together and to try to show that this is not the kind of thing we're going to tolerate in this country.”

The hearing had been scheduled well before the shooting as part of the committee’s routine oversight of the FBI and the Justice Department. Questions about the shooting dominated the session, but other topics included the FBI's diversity efforts, election interference,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the Jan 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;and whether Wray had personally observed any cognitive decline in meetings with Biden that preceded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">the president's announcement Sunday that he would not seek reelection.</a>

After Wray testified that his interactions had been “completely professional,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the FBI director he appointed in 2017 “has to resign, and NOW, for LYING TO CONGRESS!”

The FBI was not involved in ensuring security for the rally and has therefore avoided the same level of scrutiny directed at the Secret Service over the lapses that preceded the event. On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;resigned as the agency's director.

Even so, Wray was not entirely spared the politically charged and occasionally combative questions he typically receives from the Republican-led committee.

That's a reflection of the lingering perception among some GOP lawmakers that the FBI and Justice Department in the Biden administration have become politicized against Trump — something Wray has consistently denied.

That sentiment was made clear early in the hearing when the committee chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Wray, “I’m sure you understand that a significant portion of the country has a healthy skepticism regarding the FBI’s ability to conduct a fair, honest, open and transparent investigation.”

At the conclusion of the daylong hearing, he praised Wray for having “told us some things that weren't even prompted by questions.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The gunman in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/election-biden-trump-campaign-updates-07-13-2024">attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is believed to have done a Google search one week before the shooting of “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?” FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday, revealing new details about a suspect he said had taken a keen interest in public figures but had otherwise not left behind clear clues of an ideological motive.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">FBI Director Wray on Crooks&#39;: &quot;On July 6th, he did a Google search for &#39;How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?&#39; and so that&#39;s a search that obviously is significant in terms of his state of mind...that is the same day that it appears that he registered for the Butler rally.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bsygFiTLYu">pic.twitter.com/bsygFiTLYu</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1816149348134084794?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The July 6 online search, recovered from a laptop the FBI says is tied to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-assassination-attempt-thomas-matthew-crooks-shooter-881581c46c07025898027143fc9132e5">20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks,</a>&nbsp;is a reference to Lee Harvey Oswald, the shooter who killed President John F. Kennedy from a sniper's perch in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963."That's a search obviously that is significant in terms of his state of mind. That is the same day that it appears that he registered" for the Trump rally scheduled for July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, Wray told the House Judiciary Committee.The FBI is investigating the shooting, which killed one rallygoer and seriously injured two others, as an act of domestic terrorism. The investigation has thrust the bureau into a political maelstrom months before the presidential election, with lawmakers and the public pressing for details about what may have motivated Crooks in the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/reagan-assassination-attempt-trump-butler-gunman-bd3c038d706de55a64727f7d15dffbc8">President Ronald Reagan was shot</a>&nbsp;in 1981.The agency has built out a detailed timeline of Crooks' movements and online activity, but the precise motive — or why Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was singled out — remains elusive, Wray said. The FBI’s assessment continues to be that Crooks, who was killed by a Secret Service counter sniper, acted alone.“We do not know the motive. That is obviously one of the central questions in our investigation, and it's been very frustrating to us that a lot of the usual kind of low-hanging-fruit places that we would find that have not yielded significant clues about his motive,” Wray said.But, he added, the bureau has seen indications that he was interested in public figures — officials said at a private briefing last week that besides Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/.%20A%20lot%20of%20the%20usual,%20repositories%20of%20information%20have%20not%20yielded,%20[12:02:51]%20anything%20notable%20in%20terms%20of%20motive,%20or%20like%20ideology">Crooks also had photos on his phone of Democratic President Joe Biden and other prominent people</a>&nbsp;— and in the days before the shooting had appeared particularly consumed by Trump and the Butler rallyCrooks is believed to have visited the rally site a week before the event, staying for about 20 minutes, and then returned on the morning of July 13. More than two hours before the shooting, Wray said, Crooks flew a drone about 200 yards from the rally stage for about 11 minutes, using the device to livestream and watch footage.The use of the drone, which along with a controller were recovered from Crooks' car, so close to the rally site just hours before Trump took the stage add to the questions about the security lapses that preceded the shooting.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b">On the afternoon of the rally</a>, Crooks attracted law enforcement scrutiny because of odd behavior around the edges of the event, including shouldering a backpack and peering into the lens of a range finder toward the rooftops behind the stage where Trump would stand within the hour.Using what Wray said was mechanical equipment on the ground and vertical piping, Crooks was able to hoist himself up onto the roof of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) of the stage. Crooks fired eight shots from an AR-style rifle before he was killed. (The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/appendix-10.html#purpose">Warren Commission report</a>&nbsp;that analyzed the Kennedy assassination assessed that Kennedy had been shot through the neck at a range of 174.9 feet to 190.8 feet, or about 53.3 meters to 58.1 meters.)Trump’s campaign said the GOP nominee was doing “fine” after the shooting, which Trump said pierced the upper part of his right ear. Wray said his understanding was that either a bullet or some shrapnel “is what grazed his ear.”He pledged that the FBI would “leave no stone unturned” in its investigation.“I have been saying for some time now that we are living in an elevated threat environment, and tragically the Butler County assassination attempt is another example — a particularly heinous and very public one — of what I have been talking about,” Wray said.He later added, “I think this is a moment where, in the most stark way possible, all of us as Americans can see how out of control political violence is in this country, and it's an opportunity for everyone to come together and to try to show that this is not the kind of thing we're going to tolerate in this country.”The hearing had been scheduled well before the shooting as part of the committee’s routine oversight of the FBI and the Justice Department. Questions about the shooting dominated the session, but other topics included the FBI's diversity efforts, election interference,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the Jan 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;and whether Wray had personally observed any cognitive decline in meetings with Biden that preceded&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drops-out-2024-election-ddffde72838370032bdcff946cfc2ce6">the president's announcement Sunday that he would not seek reelection.</a>After Wray testified that his interactions had been “completely professional,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the FBI director he appointed in 2017 “has to resign, and NOW, for LYING TO CONGRESS!”The FBI was not involved in ensuring security for the rally and has therefore avoided the same level of scrutiny directed at the Secret Service over the lapses that preceded the event. On Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">Kimberly Cheatle</a>&nbsp;resigned as the agency's director.Even so, Wray was not entirely spared the politically charged and occasionally combative questions he typically receives from the Republican-led committee.That's a reflection of the lingering perception among some GOP lawmakers that the FBI and Justice Department in the Biden administration have become politicized against Trump — something Wray has consistently denied.That sentiment was made clear early in the hearing when the committee chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Wray, “I’m sure you understand that a significant portion of the country has a healthy skepticism regarding the FBI’s ability to conduct a fair, honest, open and transparent investigation.”At the conclusion of the daylong hearing, he praised Wray for having “told us some things that weren't even prompted by questions.”

🎥FBI Director reveals new details about Trump rally shooter

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man who officials say worked for one of North Korea’s military intelligence agencies has been indicted for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to hack American health care providers, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

A grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas indicted Rim Jong Hyok, who is accused of laundering ransom money and using the money to fund additional cyber attacks on defense, technology and government entities around the world. The hack on American hospitals on other health care providers disrupted the treatment of patients, officials said.

“While North Korea uses these types of cyber crimes to circumvent international sanctions and fund its political and military ambitions, the impact of these wanton acts have a direct impact on the citizens of Kansas,” said Stephen A. Cyrus, an FBI agent based in Kansas City.

Online court records do not list an attorney for Hyok.

Justice Department officials said an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-crime-lisa-monaco-government-and-politics-1c8384b8ea7a4cbe7fc1550c2f2eb110">attack on a Kansas hospital</a>, which they did not identify, happened in May 2021 when hackers encrypted the medical center’s files and servers. The hospital paid about $100,000 in Bitcoin to get its data back.

The department said it recovered that ransom as well as a payment from a Colorado health care provider affected by the same Maui ransomware variant.

The Justice Department has brought multiple criminal cases related to North Korean hacking in recent years, often alleging a profit-driven motive that differentiates the activity from that of hackers in Russia and China.

In 2021, for instance, the department charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of global hacks, including a destructive attack targeting an American movie studio, and in the attempted theft and extortion of more than $1.3 billion from banks and companies.

Investigators said Hyok has been a member of the Andariel Unit of the North Korean government’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, a military intelligence agency. Hyok allegedly conspired to use ransomware software to conduct cyberespionage hacks against American hospitals and other government and technology entities in South Korea, and China.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721926052759.png" alt="A reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act." />
 <figcaption>A reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of any person who, while acting at the direction or under the control of a foreign government, engages in certain malicious cyber activities against U.S. critical infrastructure in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man who officials say worked for one of North Korea’s military intelligence agencies has been indicted for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to hack American health care providers, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.A grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas indicted Rim Jong Hyok, who is accused of laundering ransom money and using the money to fund additional cyber attacks on defense, technology and government entities around the world. The hack on American hospitals on other health care providers disrupted the treatment of patients, officials said.“While North Korea uses these types of cyber crimes to circumvent international sanctions and fund its political and military ambitions, the impact of these wanton acts have a direct impact on the citizens of Kansas,” said Stephen A. Cyrus, an FBI agent based in Kansas City.Online court records do not list an attorney for Hyok.Justice Department officials said an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-crime-lisa-monaco-government-and-politics-1c8384b8ea7a4cbe7fc1550c2f2eb110">attack on a Kansas hospital</a>, which they did not identify, happened in May 2021 when hackers encrypted the medical center’s files and servers. The hospital paid about $100,000 in Bitcoin to get its data back.The department said it recovered that ransom as well as a payment from a Colorado health care provider affected by the same Maui ransomware variant.The Justice Department has brought multiple criminal cases related to North Korean hacking in recent years, often alleging a profit-driven motive that differentiates the activity from that of hackers in Russia and China.In 2021, for instance, the department charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of global hacks, including a destructive attack targeting an American movie studio, and in the attempted theft and extortion of more than $1.3 billion from banks and companies.Investigators said Hyok has been a member of the Andariel Unit of the North Korean government’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, a military intelligence agency. Hyok allegedly conspired to use ransomware software to conduct cyberespionage hacks against American hospitals and other government and technology entities in South Korea, and China.__Goldberg reported from Minneapolis.

Man charged in Kan. for ransomware attacks on American hospitals

JOHNSON COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Kansas house fire. Just after 9 p.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a house fire at 180th and Canterbury Road, in south Overland Park, according to a media release.

First responders reported heavy smoke and fire visible from the two-story, single-family home. Neighbors reported that the homeowners were away and that no one was inside.

Because of a collapsing roof and unstable walls, crews were forced to fight the fire from outside the home. A second alarm was called for additional manpower. Once the bulk of the fire was knocked down, crews were able to get inside to begin overhaul operations and conduct a search to confirm that no one was inside.

It took firefighters about two hours to bring the fire under control. Crews remained on the scene overnight to extinguish hotspots. The home suffered significant fire damage.

No injuries are reported, however firefighters did find one deceased family cat. Another cat is still missing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721907603463.png" alt="Image Overland Park Fire" />
 <figcaption>Image Overland Park Fire</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Kansas house fire. Just after 9 p.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a house fire at 180th and Canterbury Road, in south Overland Park, according to a media release.First responders reported heavy smoke and fire visible from the two-story, single-family home. Neighbors reported that the homeowners were away and that no one was inside.Because of a collapsing roof and unstable walls, crews were forced to fight the fire from outside the home. A second alarm was called for additional manpower. Once the bulk of the fire was knocked down, crews were able to get inside to begin overhaul operations and conduct a search to confirm that no one was inside.It took firefighters about two hours to bring the fire under control. Crews remained on the scene overnight to extinguish hotspots. The home suffered significant fire damage.No injuries are reported, however firefighters did find one deceased family cat. Another cat is still missing.

2 alarm fire at Kansas home: 1 pet dead, another missing 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Wednesday to form a task force to investigate the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on July 13.

The vote underscores the bipartisan outrage over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vp-vance-rubio-7c7ba6b99b5f38d2d840ed95b2fdc3e5">shooting</a>&nbsp;at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump came within inches of losing his life. One rallygoer was killed and two others severely injured. Lawmakers have responded quickly with hearings and widespread calls for accountability.

The legislation passed by a vote of 416-0.

“Protecting the safety and security of our nation’s leaders is a responsibility that transcends party lines,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.

The task force will be composed of 13 members and is expected to include seven Republicans and six Democrats. It will be tasked with determining what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination and will make recommendations to prevent future security lapses. It will issue a final report before Dec. 13 and has the authority to issue subpoenas.

The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, whose hometown of Butler was the site of the shooting. Kelly was at the rally with his wife and other family members.

“I can tell you that my community is grieving,” Kelly said. “They are shocked by what happened in our backyard. The people of Butler and the people of the United States deserve answers.”

He said he was concerned when the site of the rally was picked because he thought it would be “a difficult place to have a rally of that size.” He called the task force a chance to build trust with Americans that lawmakers can work together to tackle a crisis.

House committees have already held three hearings focusing on the shooting. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">resigned</a>&nbsp;Tuesday, one day after she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-kimberly-cheatle-fabaf9a0e57d5545e5b60f0b2215778f">appeared</a>&nbsp;before a congressional committee and was berated for hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the security failures. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades, but she angered lawmakers by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.

Democrats also voiced support for the task force, saying what happened in Butler was a despicable attack that never should have happened.

“We need to know what happened. We need to get to the truth. We need to prevent this from ever, ever happening again,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720972888448.png" alt="Photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Wednesday to form a task force to investigate the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on July 13.The vote underscores the bipartisan outrage over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vp-vance-rubio-7c7ba6b99b5f38d2d840ed95b2fdc3e5">shooting</a>&nbsp;at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump came within inches of losing his life. One rallygoer was killed and two others severely injured. Lawmakers have responded quickly with hearings and widespread calls for accountability.The legislation passed by a vote of 416-0.“Protecting the safety and security of our nation’s leaders is a responsibility that transcends party lines,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.The task force will be composed of 13 members and is expected to include seven Republicans and six Democrats. It will be tasked with determining what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination and will make recommendations to prevent future security lapses. It will issue a final report before Dec. 13 and has the authority to issue subpoenas.The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, whose hometown of Butler was the site of the shooting. Kelly was at the rally with his wife and other family members.“I can tell you that my community is grieving,” Kelly said. “They are shocked by what happened in our backyard. The people of Butler and the people of the United States deserve answers.”He said he was concerned when the site of the rally was picked because he thought it would be “a difficult place to have a rally of that size.” He called the task force a chance to build trust with Americans that lawmakers can work together to tackle a crisis.House committees have already held three hearings focusing on the shooting. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-director-trump-rally-8b1b13cece2ff25590c81093032dceb4">resigned</a>&nbsp;Tuesday, one day after she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/secret-service-trump-rally-shooting-kimberly-cheatle-fabaf9a0e57d5545e5b60f0b2215778f">appeared</a>&nbsp;before a congressional committee and was berated for hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the security failures. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades, but she angered lawmakers by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.Democrats also voiced support for the task force, saying what happened in Butler was a despicable attack that never should have happened.“We need to know what happened. We need to get to the truth. We need to prevent this from ever, ever happening again,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.<h2>__</h2>