With Kansas lawmakers hoping to lure the Chiefs and Royals, Gov. Mike Parson expects Missouri to put forward a plan to keep the teams by the end of the year

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Monday he doesn’t think the Kansas City Chiefs want to leave Arrowhead Stadium for Kansas, though he acknowledged he hasn’t actually talked to the team’s owners.

Speaking to reporters after a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-gov-mike-parson-signs-tax-break-for-kc-nuclear-weapons-manufacturer/">bill signing in Kansas City</a>, Parson said he thought the reigning Super Bowl champion wasn’t that interested in building a new domed football stadium.

“I think they really want Arrowhead to stay,” Parson said. “I think it’s a unique arena.”

Parson’s remarks came after he spent the afternoon meeting with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and other area officials to discuss how to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/20/missouri-lawmakers-criticize-kansas-attempt-to-poach-royals-chiefs/" target="_blank">keep the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals in Missouri</a>.

Both teams have&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/17/chiefs-royals-ask-kansas-for-incentives-to-allow-teams-to-leave-missouri/" target="_blank">publicly considered the possibility of leaving for Kansas</a>&nbsp;after Jackson County voters rejected a proposal to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax to help finance a downtown Kansas City baseball stadium for the Royals and upgrades to Arrowhead.&nbsp;

Last month, Kansas lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/18/kansas-house-passes-incentive-bill-to-lure-kansas-city-chiefs-royals/" target="_blank">expanded a state tax incentive program</a>&nbsp;in the hopes of convincing one or both teams to relocate.

“I’m not too worried about Kansas at this point,” Parson said.

Parson, who leaves office in January, said he expected to see Missouri put forward a plan to keep the teams by the end of the year. Missouri’s plan, he said, could be just as good for the teams —&nbsp;if not better.

First, he said, information on the teams’ plans —&nbsp;including location of stadiums, costs of the project and details of any entertainment district or other development planned around it — needs to be made public.&nbsp;

With Parson’s impending departure from office, Missouri’s next governor could be left to finalize any plan to keep the teams. Two of the three top&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/05/candidates-for-missouri-governor-split-on-offering-incentives-to-keep-chiefs-from-moving/">candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination say they would oppose</a>&nbsp;any incentive package for the Chiefs and Royals.&nbsp;

Asked if that affects negotiations, Parson said the state has tools at its disposal even now while the Missouri General Assembly is not in session “if we knew what the plan was.”&nbsp;

“The conversation needs to be had with the Royals —&nbsp;where are you going to put a stadium?” Parson said. “How much money do you need? What’s it going to cost for this? How are we going to pay for this? What incentives does the city have?”

Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson — who will likely become the next speaker of the House — told the Kansas City Star Monday that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article289866274.html#storylink=mainstage_lead" target="_blank">he expects Jackson County residents will wind up voting again over the stadium sales tax</a>. He also told The Star, following conversations with both the Chiefs and Royals, that it was clear both teams wanted to stay in Missouri.

After Kansas lawmakers passed legislation designed to relocate the teams, Patterson told The Star he thought a second Jackson County vote would be successful.

“I think now with the Kansas option staring us, staring us right in the face, I think that changed the dynamic, and it would be a different vote next time around,” he said.

Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. said in a statement after meetings with Parson that the two had a “productive conversation centered on the pride these teams bring to our community and the importance of developing a fair and sustainable plan for the future.” Before White can support a new stadium proposal, he said, “it must offer clear and significant benefits to the taxpayers of Jackson County,” something he argues the sales tax does not.

White said he’s hopeful that the state will continue to support the effort to keep the teams in Missouri even after Parson leaves office.

“Together, we can find a solution that ensures the Chiefs and Royals remain a proud part of Jackson County without compromising the financial well-being of our community,” White said.

The Royals’ Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead sit next to each other and share the parking lot of the Truman Sports Complex in east Kansas City.

The teams’ plans for the Jackson County sales tax were criticized by some, including White, as vague and incomplete.&nbsp;

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But Kansas lawmakers saw in the failed Jackson County vote a chance to lure the teams across the state line. They claimed Missouri had “dropped the ball” and it was up to Kansas to keep the teams in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

Last month, Kansas lawmakers expanded the state’s Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond to help finance up to 70% of the cost for one or both teams to move to Kansas. The expanded program could yield hundreds of millions of dollars for the stadiums.

STAR Bonds are issued to help pay the construction costs and then repaid by the sales tax collected at the project site. Normally, STAR Bonds, which are meant to help build tourist and entertainment venues, are limited to 50% of the project costs.&nbsp;

The legislation,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/21/kansas-gov-kelly-signs-bill-to-poach-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-from-missouri/" target="_blank">signed by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly last month</a>, was criticized by Missouri officials who considered it a violation of an agreement Kelly and Parson reached in 2019 to stop using economic incentives to move companies and jobs back and forth across the state line.

Neither the Chiefs nor the Royals were available to comment

<h2>With Kansas lawmakers hoping to lure the Chiefs and Royals, Gov. Mike Parson expects Missouri to put forward a plan to keep the teams by the end of the year</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/allison-kite/">ALLISON KITE</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said Monday he doesn’t think the Kansas City Chiefs want to leave Arrowhead Stadium for Kansas, though he acknowledged he hasn’t actually talked to the team’s owners.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, we met with Mayor Lucas, Jackson County Executive White, and Clay County leaders to discuss our commitment to keeping the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri. We look forward to continued coordination with our local partners to formulate a plan for Missouri’s teams. <a href="https://t.co/F0hoHGxj8J">pic.twitter.com/F0hoHGxj8J</a>&mdash; Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovParsonMO/status/1810477996953804862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking to reporters after a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-gov-mike-parson-signs-tax-break-for-kc-nuclear-weapons-manufacturer/">bill signing in Kansas City</a>, Parson said he thought the reigning Super Bowl champion wasn’t that interested in building a new domed football stadium.“I think they really want Arrowhead to stay,” Parson said. “I think it’s a unique arena.”Parson’s remarks came after he spent the afternoon meeting with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and other area officials to discuss how to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/20/missouri-lawmakers-criticize-kansas-attempt-to-poach-royals-chiefs/" target="_blank">keep the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals in Missouri</a>.Both teams have&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/17/chiefs-royals-ask-kansas-for-incentives-to-allow-teams-to-leave-missouri/" target="_blank">publicly considered the possibility of leaving for Kansas</a>&nbsp;after Jackson County voters rejected a proposal to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax to help finance a downtown Kansas City baseball stadium for the Royals and upgrades to Arrowhead.&nbsp;Last month, Kansas lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/18/kansas-house-passes-incentive-bill-to-lure-kansas-city-chiefs-royals/" target="_blank">expanded a state tax incentive program</a>&nbsp;in the hopes of convincing one or both teams to relocate.“I’m not too worried about Kansas at this point,” Parson said.Parson, who leaves office in January, said he expected to see Missouri put forward a plan to keep the teams by the end of the year. Missouri’s plan, he said, could be just as good for the teams —&nbsp;if not better.First, he said, information on the teams’ plans —&nbsp;including location of stadiums, costs of the project and details of any entertainment district or other development planned around it — needs to be made public.&nbsp;With Parson’s impending departure from office, Missouri’s next governor could be left to finalize any plan to keep the teams. Two of the three top&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/05/candidates-for-missouri-governor-split-on-offering-incentives-to-keep-chiefs-from-moving/">candidates for the GOP gubernatorial nomination say they would oppose</a>&nbsp;any incentive package for the Chiefs and Royals.&nbsp;Asked if that affects negotiations, Parson said the state has tools at its disposal even now while the Missouri General Assembly is not in session “if we knew what the plan was.”&nbsp;“The conversation needs to be had with the Royals —&nbsp;where are you going to put a stadium?” Parson said. “How much money do you need? What’s it going to cost for this? How are we going to pay for this? What incentives does the city have?”Missouri House Majority Leader Jonathan Patterson — who will likely become the next speaker of the House — told the Kansas City Star Monday that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article289866274.html#storylink=mainstage_lead" target="_blank">he expects Jackson County residents will wind up voting again over the stadium sales tax</a>. He also told The Star, following conversations with both the Chiefs and Royals, that it was clear both teams wanted to stay in Missouri.After Kansas lawmakers passed legislation designed to relocate the teams, Patterson told The Star he thought a second Jackson County vote would be successful.“I think now with the Kansas option staring us, staring us right in the face, I think that changed the dynamic, and it would be a different vote next time around,” he said.Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. said in a statement after meetings with Parson that the two had a “productive conversation centered on the pride these teams bring to our community and the importance of developing a fair and sustainable plan for the future.” Before White can support a new stadium proposal, he said, “it must offer clear and significant benefits to the taxpayers of Jackson County,” something he argues the sales tax does not.White said he’s hopeful that the state will continue to support the effort to keep the teams in Missouri even after Parson leaves office.“Together, we can find a solution that ensures the Chiefs and Royals remain a proud part of Jackson County without compromising the financial well-being of our community,” White said.The Royals’ Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead sit next to each other and share the parking lot of the Truman Sports Complex in east Kansas City.The teams’ plans for the Jackson County sales tax were criticized by some, including White, as vague and incomplete.&nbsp;GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOXSUBSCRIBEBut Kansas lawmakers saw in the failed Jackson County vote a chance to lure the teams across the state line. They claimed Missouri had “dropped the ball” and it was up to Kansas to keep the teams in the Kansas City metropolitan area.Last month, Kansas lawmakers expanded the state’s Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond to help finance up to 70% of the cost for one or both teams to move to Kansas. The expanded program could yield hundreds of millions of dollars for the stadiums.STAR Bonds are issued to help pay the construction costs and then repaid by the sales tax collected at the project site. Normally, STAR Bonds, which are meant to help build tourist and entertainment venues, are limited to 50% of the project costs.&nbsp;The legislation,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/21/kansas-gov-kelly-signs-bill-to-poach-kansas-city-chiefs-royals-from-missouri/" target="_blank">signed by Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly last month</a>, was criticized by Missouri officials who considered it a violation of an agreement Kelly and Parson reached in 2019 to stop using economic incentives to move companies and jobs back and forth across the state line.Neither the Chiefs nor the Royals were available to comment

Mo. governor on Kansas City Chiefs: ‘I’m not too worried about Kansas at this point’

KANSAS CITY (AP)—A Missouri man accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-arrests-kidnapping-missouri-fb3dd5739aaa2a2d037f858163adb322">keeping a woman hidden in his basement</a>&nbsp;while repeatedly sexually assaulting her was indicted Tuesday for allegedly murdering another woman.

Clay County, Missouri Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said Timothy M. Haslett was charged with murder in connection with 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale’s death, adding that she was killed “by an act of homicidal violence.” He said her remains showed impact wounds consistent with a gunshot.

Haslett, of Excelsior Springs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indictments-child-endangerment-missouri-crime-kidnapping-e666d09d04a08170ca843eb6863a080e">previously was indicted</a>&nbsp;on one count of rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of second-degree assault and one count each of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child.

He is being held in the Clay County Detention Center on $5 million bond.

Haslett’s public defender, Tiffany Leuty, did not immediately return an Associated Press call and email seeking comment Tuesday.

Police arrested Haslett in October 2022 after a woman told law enforcement that she had escaped from weeks of torture in his locked basement, according to a probable cause statement. She fled to a neighbor's house wearing a trash bag, a padlocked collar around her neck, and duct tape.

The survivor said Haslett had offered her money, and she agreed to go with him to his home. Once she was in his pickup truck, the woman told law enforcement that he held a gun to her, raped her and forced her to take narcotics.

He then took her to his basement, restrained her arms and legs, and raped, whipped, tortured and choked her every day for weeks, according to the probable cause statement. She escaped after slipping out of the chains while she believed he was taking his child to school.

The woman who survived also told authorities that Haslett had described killing two other women he previously kidnapped: one by suffocating her with a gas mask, and another who died after violent sexual torture.

He told her “if she did not listen to him, he would suffocate her and put her in a barrel like the rest of 'them,” according to the probable cause statement.

Thompson had said law enforcement officers followed more than 100 leads and spent more than 1,200 hours on the case, including searching for Crosdale and posting a missing person billboard with her photo in Kansas City.

Police made progress after kayakers in June 2023 found a blue, 30-gallon barrel with a skeleton inside while camping off the Missouri River in Saline County, according to police.

The remains were identified as Crosdale in July 2023, the Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article277830363.html#storylink=cpy">reported</a>.

The charges filed Tuesday are based on the evidence authorities currently have, Thompson said. He said the investigation is ongoing, and he urged anyone with information to come forward.

“Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families and our community,” he said. “The physical, psychological and sexual torture described by the defendant’s surviving victim is brutal and barbaric.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665352038142.png" alt="Haslett-photo Clay County" />
 <figcaption>Haslett-photo Clay County</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUMMER BALLENTINE&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP)—A Missouri man accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-arrests-kidnapping-missouri-fb3dd5739aaa2a2d037f858163adb322">keeping a woman hidden in his basement</a>&nbsp;while repeatedly sexually assaulting her was indicted Tuesday for allegedly murdering another woman.Clay County, Missouri Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said Timothy M. Haslett was charged with murder in connection with 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale’s death, adding that she was killed “by an act of homicidal violence.” He said her remains showed impact wounds consistent with a gunshot.Haslett, of Excelsior Springs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indictments-child-endangerment-missouri-crime-kidnapping-e666d09d04a08170ca843eb6863a080e">previously was indicted</a>&nbsp;on one count of rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of second-degree assault and one count each of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child.He is being held in the Clay County Detention Center on $5 million bond.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720608172237.png" alt="Charges listed against Haslett as listed by the Clay County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Charges listed against Haslett as listed by the Clay County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Haslett’s public defender, Tiffany Leuty, did not immediately return an Associated Press call and email seeking comment Tuesday.Police arrested Haslett in October 2022 after a woman told law enforcement that she had escaped from weeks of torture in his locked basement, according to a probable cause statement. She fled to a neighbor's house wearing a trash bag, a padlocked collar around her neck, and duct tape.The survivor said Haslett had offered her money, and she agreed to go with him to his home. Once she was in his pickup truck, the woman told law enforcement that he held a gun to her, raped her and forced her to take narcotics.He then took her to his basement, restrained her arms and legs, and raped, whipped, tortured and choked her every day for weeks, according to the probable cause statement. She escaped after slipping out of the chains while she believed he was taking his child to school.The woman who survived also told authorities that Haslett had described killing two other women he previously kidnapped: one by suffocating her with a gas mask, and another who died after violent sexual torture.He told her “if she did not listen to him, he would suffocate her and put her in a barrel like the rest of 'them,” according to the probable cause statement.Thompson had said law enforcement officers followed more than 100 leads and spent more than 1,200 hours on the case, including searching for Crosdale and posting a missing person billboard with her photo in Kansas City.Police made progress after kayakers in June 2023 found a blue, 30-gallon barrel with a skeleton inside while camping off the Missouri River in Saline County, according to police.The remains were identified as Crosdale in July 2023, the Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article277830363.html#storylink=cpy">reported</a>.The charges filed Tuesday are based on the evidence authorities currently have, Thompson said. He said the investigation is ongoing, and he urged anyone with information to come forward.“Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families and our community,” he said. “The physical, psychological and sexual torture described by the defendant’s surviving victim is brutal and barbaric.”

Man accused of imprisoning, torturing a woman indicted for murder

KANSAS CITY —During the Independence holiday weekend, three officers helped save a woman's life, the Kansas City Police Department reported Tuesday.

For 30 minutes, they talked with a woman who was threatening to jump from a downtown building. The officers listened to her, relating with her until she agreed to let them help her to safety. 

The KCPD recognized the officers, "well done, Sergeant Stephanie Chandler, Officer Joseph Wright and Officer Hayden Miller."&nbsp; If you or someone you know is in crisis or emotional distress, there is help. You can call or text 988.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720562990636.png" alt="Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —During the Independence holiday weekend, three officers helped save a woman's life, the Kansas City Police Department reported Tuesday.For 30 minutes, they talked with a woman who was threatening to jump from a downtown building. The officers listened to her, relating with her until she agreed to let them help her to safety. The KCPD recognized the officers, "well done, Sergeant Stephanie Chandler, Officer Joseph Wright and Officer Hayden Miller."&nbsp; If you or someone you know is in crisis or emotional distress, there is help. You can call or text 988.&nbsp;

KCPD officers save woman threatening to jump from building

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

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said NATO “is more powerful than ever” in remarks Tuesday to honor the 75th anniversary of the alliance and reaffirm allied support for Ukraine one day after Russian missile strikes on a children’s hospital&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/07/08/nx-s1-5033075/russia-ukraine-war-missile-strike-childrens-hospital-kyiv" target="_blank">killed</a>&nbsp;dozens in Kyiv.

Biden spoke at the annual North American Treaty Organization’s summit happening this week in Washington, D.C., where the 12 original member nations signed the Washington Treaty in 1949.

Heads of state fanned out across Washington, visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday afternoon. Ukraine is not one of the 32 NATO member nations, but the country is in discussions to join and the alliance has sided with Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“It’s a pleasure to host you all in this milestone year, to look back with pride on all we’ve achieved and look ahead to our shared future with strength and resolve,” Biden said during the opening ceremony.

Biden’s 15-minute address came after a dozen days of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/texas-us-house-member-calls-biden-withdraw-amid-debate-fallout" target="_blank">near</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congressional-dems-urge-more-robust-biden-campaign-trail-few-openly-revolt" target="_blank">constant</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/united-their-objections-trump-congressional-dems-largely-close-ranks-behind-biden" target="_blank">focus</a>&nbsp;on his health and mental acuity after he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/golf-abortion-jan-6-and-felonies-biden-and-trumps-memorable-debate-moments" target="_blank">flubbed</a>&nbsp;his June 27 presidential debate performance against former President Donald Trump, whose criticism of NATO is well documented.

Biden spoke forcefully about the alliance’s history from the stage in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where world leaders and hundreds of dignitaries from NATO’s 32 member nations gathered, joined by other partner nations.

“Together we rebuilt Europe from the ruins of war, held high the torch of liberty during long decades of the Cold War. When former adversaries became fellow democracies, we welcomed them into the alliance,” Biden said.

“When war broke out in the Balkans, we intervened to restore peace and stop ethnic cleansing,” Bidden added. “When the United States was attacked on September 11, our NATO allies, all of you, stood with us, invoking Article Five for the first time in NATO history, treating an attack on us as an attack on all of us. A breathtaking display of friendship that the American people will never, ever, ever forget.”

Biden used the remarks to announce a joint package of air defense systems for Ukraine in conjunction with Germany, Romania, the Netherlands and Italy. The package is expected to include donations of advanced missile launching systems known as Patriot batteries as well as other equipment, according to a joint statement issued by the White House shortly after Biden’s speech.

Biden described Russian President Vladimir Putin as NATO’s primary antagonist.

He praised the alliance for moving “swiftly” after Putin further invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and said “the war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country.” Putin previously annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula by force in 2014.

“Before this war, Putin thought NATO was going to break. Today, NATO is stronger than it’s ever been in its history,” Biden declared.

Biden concluded the ceremony by honoring NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said NATO “is more powerful than ever” in remarks Tuesday to honor the 75th anniversary of the alliance and reaffirm allied support for Ukraine one day after Russian missile strikes on a children’s hospital&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/07/08/nx-s1-5033075/russia-ukraine-war-missile-strike-childrens-hospital-kyiv" target="_blank">killed</a>&nbsp;dozens in Kyiv.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;Today, NATO is stronger than it&#39;s ever been in its history.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EhgUZP5x1V">pic.twitter.com/EhgUZP5x1V</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1810803125348958208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden spoke at the annual North American Treaty Organization’s summit happening this week in Washington, D.C., where the 12 original member nations signed the Washington Treaty in 1949.Heads of state fanned out across Washington, visiting lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson Wednesday afternoon. Ukraine is not one of the 32 NATO member nations, but the country is in discussions to join and the alliance has sided with Ukraine in its war with Russia.“It’s a pleasure to host you all in this milestone year, to look back with pride on all we’ve achieved and look ahead to our shared future with strength and resolve,” Biden said during the opening ceremony.Biden’s 15-minute address came after a dozen days of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/texas-us-house-member-calls-biden-withdraw-amid-debate-fallout" target="_blank">near</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/congressional-dems-urge-more-robust-biden-campaign-trail-few-openly-revolt" target="_blank">constant</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/united-their-objections-trump-congressional-dems-largely-close-ranks-behind-biden" target="_blank">focus</a>&nbsp;on his health and mental acuity after he&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/golf-abortion-jan-6-and-felonies-biden-and-trumps-memorable-debate-moments" target="_blank">flubbed</a>&nbsp;his June 27 presidential debate performance against former President Donald Trump, whose criticism of NATO is well documented.Biden spoke forcefully about the alliance’s history from the stage in the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where world leaders and hundreds of dignitaries from NATO’s 32 member nations gathered, joined by other partner nations.“Together we rebuilt Europe from the ruins of war, held high the torch of liberty during long decades of the Cold War. When former adversaries became fellow democracies, we welcomed them into the alliance,” Biden said.“When war broke out in the Balkans, we intervened to restore peace and stop ethnic cleansing,” Bidden added. “When the United States was attacked on September 11, our NATO allies, all of you, stood with us, invoking Article Five for the first time in NATO history, treating an attack on us as an attack on all of us. A breathtaking display of friendship that the American people will never, ever, ever forget.”<h2>Military aid</h2>Biden used the remarks to announce a joint package of air defense systems for Ukraine in conjunction with Germany, Romania, the Netherlands and Italy. The package is expected to include donations of advanced missile launching systems known as Patriot batteries as well as other equipment, according to a joint statement issued by the White House shortly after Biden’s speech.Biden described Russian President Vladimir Putin as NATO’s primary antagonist.He praised the alliance for moving “swiftly” after Putin further invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and said “the war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country.” Putin previously annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula by force in 2014.“Before this war, Putin thought NATO was going to break. Today, NATO is stronger than it’s ever been in its history,” Biden declared.Biden concluded the ceremony by honoring NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S.

🎥Biden commends NATO strength, pledges more aid for Ukraine 

KANSAS CITY (AP) — An appellate court has ordered the release of a Missouri woman whose murder conviction was overturned after she served 43 years in prison, but the state attorney general is still trying to keep her behind bars as the case is reviewed.

Monday's ruling by a panel of appeals court judges comes after a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-sandra-hemme-conviction-overturned-killing-3cb4c9ae74b2e95cb076636d52453228">ruled that Sandra Hemme's</a>&nbsp;attorneys had established “clear and convincing evidence" of “actual innocence." Judge Ryan Horsman said on June 14 that she must be freed within 30 days&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-sandra-hemme-conviction-overturned-killing-82e6f4b98905df1386352a33ac82cf14">unless prosecutors decide to retry her</a>.

The appeals court granted Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey's request to review Horsman's decision, but told Horsman meanwhile to establish her bail terms and set her free.

The attorney general's office, which almost always objects to wrongful conviction claims, then asked the appellate court to reconsider, saying the court didn't give them enough time to argue against her release. Bailey's office also argued that Hemme was sentenced decades ago to 12 years for violence in prison, and she would start serving that penalty now. Her attorneys responded Tuesday that keeping her incarcerated any longer would be a “draconian outcome.”

Hemme, now 64, has been serving a life sentence at a prison northeast of Kansas City after she was twice convicted of murder in the death of library worker Patricia Jeschke. She's now the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.

<a href="https://innocenceproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Hemme-Judgment-23LVCC00008.pdf">After an extensive review,</a>&nbsp;Horsman found that Hemme was heavily sedated and in a “malleable mental state” when investigators repeatedly questioned her in a psychiatric hospital. Police ignored evidence pointing to a discredited fellow officer who died in 2015, and the prosecution wasn't told about FBI results that could have cleared her, so it was never disclosed before her trials.

The prosecutor at her trial agreed, four decades later, that nothing linked her to the crime other than her confession, which followed multiple contradictory statements, the judge noted.

Her attorneys described her ultimate confession in a court filing as “often monosyllabic responses to leading questions.”

“She is the victim of a manifest injustice,” Horsman concluded in his 118-page ruling. "This Court finds that the totality of the evidence supports a finding of actual innocence.”

But Bailey then sought a&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/In%20part,%20he%20didn't%20want%20her%20released%20on%20bond%20while%20the%20litigation%20plays%20out.">delay</a>&nbsp;in Hemme's release to allow an appellate court review, saying she represents a safety risk to herself or others, citing a 1990s attack on a prison worker and statements she made decades ago about enjoying violence, and arguing that the evidence she presented is not “newly discovered,” so “Hemme did not meet the actual innocence standard as a matter of law."

The Buchanan County prosecutor's office, which tried the case, didn't respond to requests for comment.

Hemme was arrested weeks after the death of Jeschke, a 31-year-old library worker who lived in St. Joseph, Missouri. After Jeschke missed work on Nov. 13, 1980, her worried mother climbed through an apartment window and discovered her daughter’s nude body on the floor, surrounded by blood, with her hands tied behind her back and a telephone cord and a pair of pantyhose wrapped around her throat. A knife was under her head.

These and other details were released to the media by the St. Joseph police chief, Robert Hayes, as the crime prompted a massive investigation.

Meanwhile, the department took only a cursory look at Michael Holman, a since discredited St. Joseph police officer who was being investigated for insurance fraud and burglaries, and ended that investigation after evidence cast doubt on his alibi. Holman's plea deal included a promise not to prosecute him for any other “criminal matters now under investigation.” He died in 2015, according to the judge's finding of facts.

Hemme wasn't on anyone's radar until she showed up more than two weeks after the killing at the home of a nurse who once treated her, carrying a knife and refusing to leave. Police took her back to St. Joseph’s Hospital, the latest in a string of hospitalizations that began when she started hearing voices at the age of 12, and she was heavily sedated.

It turned out that Hemme had been discharged from the hospital and hitchhiked out of town hours before Jeschke was last seen alive. She showed up that evening at her parents home, more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the east.

Police interviewed the initial driver who provided her alibi, but this wasn't shared with the jury, the judge found.

Investigators began interrogating her as the psychiatric hospital treated her with antipsychotic drugs that triggered involuntary muscle spasms. She complained that her eyes were rolling back in her head. Detectives said Hemme seemed “mentally confused” and not fully able to comprehend their questions, her attorneys argued.

Hemme ultimately pleaded guilty to murder to avoid the death penalty, and after her plea was thrown out on appeal, she was convicted again in 1985 after a one-day trial. The prosecutor told Horsman that police never shared exculpatory evidence, including FBI tests that ruled out any connection between Hemme and crime scene evidence.

Police also didn't share key evidence pointing to their fellow officer, even though his pickup truck was seen outside the victim's apartment, he tried to use her credit card and her earrings were found in his home.

When Holman couldn't be ruled out as the source of a palm print detected on a TV antenna cable found next to the victim’s body, the FBI asked for clearer prints. Police, however, didn't follow up. An FBI report also found that a hair found on the victim’s bedsheet had “microscopic characteristics similar to Holman’s head hair samples and he could not be eliminated as the source.”

Jurors never heard these details because the police never shared them with prosecutors, the judge found.

“This Court finds that the evidence shows that Ms. Hemme’s statements to police are so unreliable and that the evidence pointing to Michael Holman as the perpetrator of the crime (is) so objective and probative that no reasonable juror would find Ms. Hemme guilty," Horsman concluded.

The judge also noted how police had showed Hemme crime scene photos and other details that a prosecutor later falsely told jurors only the killer would know. Chief Hayes — who died in 2010 after serving time for involuntary manslaughter — also was unusually involved, the judge noted, participating in questioning the victim's father as he described buying his daughter a pair of gold horseshoe-shaped earrings.

That those earrings were found in Holman's home is another fact the jury never heard.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687623288901.png" alt="Sandra Hemme-photo courtesy The Innocence Project" />
 <figcaption>Sandra Hemme-photo courtesy The Innocence Project</figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH&nbsp;KANSAS CITY (AP) — An appellate court has ordered the release of a Missouri woman whose murder conviction was overturned after she served 43 years in prison, but the state attorney general is still trying to keep her behind bars as the case is reviewed.Monday's ruling by a panel of appeals court judges comes after a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-sandra-hemme-conviction-overturned-killing-3cb4c9ae74b2e95cb076636d52453228">ruled that Sandra Hemme's</a>&nbsp;attorneys had established “clear and convincing evidence" of “actual innocence." Judge Ryan Horsman said on June 14 that she must be freed within 30 days&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-sandra-hemme-conviction-overturned-killing-82e6f4b98905df1386352a33ac82cf14">unless prosecutors decide to retry her</a>.The appeals court granted Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey's request to review Horsman's decision, but told Horsman meanwhile to establish her bail terms and set her free.The attorney general's office, which almost always objects to wrongful conviction claims, then asked the appellate court to reconsider, saying the court didn't give them enough time to argue against her release. Bailey's office also argued that Hemme was sentenced decades ago to 12 years for violence in prison, and she would start serving that penalty now. Her attorneys responded Tuesday that keeping her incarcerated any longer would be a “draconian outcome.”Hemme, now 64, has been serving a life sentence at a prison northeast of Kansas City after she was twice convicted of murder in the death of library worker Patricia Jeschke. She's now the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project.<a href="https://innocenceproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Hemme-Judgment-23LVCC00008.pdf">After an extensive review,</a>&nbsp;Horsman found that Hemme was heavily sedated and in a “malleable mental state” when investigators repeatedly questioned her in a psychiatric hospital. Police ignored evidence pointing to a discredited fellow officer who died in 2015, and the prosecution wasn't told about FBI results that could have cleared her, so it was never disclosed before her trials.The prosecutor at her trial agreed, four decades later, that nothing linked her to the crime other than her confession, which followed multiple contradictory statements, the judge noted.Her attorneys described her ultimate confession in a court filing as “often monosyllabic responses to leading questions.”“She is the victim of a manifest injustice,” Horsman concluded in his 118-page ruling. "This Court finds that the totality of the evidence supports a finding of actual innocence.”But Bailey then sought a&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/In%20part,%20he%20didn't%20want%20her%20released%20on%20bond%20while%20the%20litigation%20plays%20out.">delay</a>&nbsp;in Hemme's release to allow an appellate court review, saying she represents a safety risk to herself or others, citing a 1990s attack on a prison worker and statements she made decades ago about enjoying violence, and arguing that the evidence she presented is not “newly discovered,” so “Hemme did not meet the actual innocence standard as a matter of law."The Buchanan County prosecutor's office, which tried the case, didn't respond to requests for comment.Hemme was arrested weeks after the death of Jeschke, a 31-year-old library worker who lived in St. Joseph, Missouri. After Jeschke missed work on Nov. 13, 1980, her worried mother climbed through an apartment window and discovered her daughter’s nude body on the floor, surrounded by blood, with her hands tied behind her back and a telephone cord and a pair of pantyhose wrapped around her throat. A knife was under her head.These and other details were released to the media by the St. Joseph police chief, Robert Hayes, as the crime prompted a massive investigation.Meanwhile, the department took only a cursory look at Michael Holman, a since discredited St. Joseph police officer who was being investigated for insurance fraud and burglaries, and ended that investigation after evidence cast doubt on his alibi. Holman's plea deal included a promise not to prosecute him for any other “criminal matters now under investigation.” He died in 2015, according to the judge's finding of facts.Hemme wasn't on anyone's radar until she showed up more than two weeks after the killing at the home of a nurse who once treated her, carrying a knife and refusing to leave. Police took her back to St. Joseph’s Hospital, the latest in a string of hospitalizations that began when she started hearing voices at the age of 12, and she was heavily sedated.It turned out that Hemme had been discharged from the hospital and hitchhiked out of town hours before Jeschke was last seen alive. She showed up that evening at her parents home, more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the east.Police interviewed the initial driver who provided her alibi, but this wasn't shared with the jury, the judge found.Investigators began interrogating her as the psychiatric hospital treated her with antipsychotic drugs that triggered involuntary muscle spasms. She complained that her eyes were rolling back in her head. Detectives said Hemme seemed “mentally confused” and not fully able to comprehend their questions, her attorneys argued.Hemme ultimately pleaded guilty to murder to avoid the death penalty, and after her plea was thrown out on appeal, she was convicted again in 1985 after a one-day trial. The prosecutor told Horsman that police never shared exculpatory evidence, including FBI tests that ruled out any connection between Hemme and crime scene evidence.Police also didn't share key evidence pointing to their fellow officer, even though his pickup truck was seen outside the victim's apartment, he tried to use her credit card and her earrings were found in his home.When Holman couldn't be ruled out as the source of a palm print detected on a TV antenna cable found next to the victim’s body, the FBI asked for clearer prints. Police, however, didn't follow up. An FBI report also found that a hair found on the victim’s bedsheet had “microscopic characteristics similar to Holman’s head hair samples and he could not be eliminated as the source.”Jurors never heard these details because the police never shared them with prosecutors, the judge found.“This Court finds that the evidence shows that Ms. Hemme’s statements to police are so unreliable and that the evidence pointing to Michael Holman as the perpetrator of the crime (is) so objective and probative that no reasonable juror would find Ms. Hemme guilty," Horsman concluded.The judge also noted how police had showed Hemme crime scene photos and other details that a prosecutor later falsely told jurors only the killer would know. Chief Hayes — who died in 2010 after serving time for involuntary manslaughter — also was unusually involved, the judge noted, participating in questioning the victim's father as he described buying his daughter a pair of gold horseshoe-shaped earrings.That those earrings were found in Holman's home is another fact the jury never heard.

Court orders release of woman whose murder conviction was reversed

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas teen accused in a deadly hit-and run accident made her first court appearance in the case on Monday.

Peyton Allart, 19, Wichita, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash, transporting an open container of alcohol and purchase or consumption of alcohol by a minor, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; The crash killed 28-year-old Jaz Brooks from Wichita.

Just after 3a.m. June 23, police responded to a vehicule collision at the intersection of Central and Mclean in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.

First responders discovered a dark-colored Saturn involved in the incident. The passenger, identified as Brooks, was found trapped inside the vehicle and pronounced deceased. The driver of the Saturn received an evaluation by EMS for non-lifethreatening injuries at the scene.

Preliminary investigations revealed that a black Ford F-150 had collided with the Saturn on its passenger side and fled prior to law enforcement's arrival. Officers successfully located the suspect identified as Allart and the vehicle several hours later.&nbsp; &nbsp;

She is scheduled to return to court on July 24 and is free after meeting the requirements for bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719242864860.png" alt="Allart photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Allart photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas teen accused in a deadly hit-and run accident made her first court appearance in the case on Monday.Peyton Allart, 19, Wichita, was charged with leaving the scene of a crash, transporting an open container of alcohol and purchase or consumption of alcohol by a minor, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; The crash killed 28-year-old Jaz Brooks from Wichita.Just after 3a.m. June 23, police responded to a vehicule collision at the intersection of Central and Mclean in Wichita, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.First responders discovered a dark-colored Saturn involved in the incident. The passenger, identified as Brooks, was found trapped inside the vehicle and pronounced deceased. The driver of the Saturn received an evaluation by EMS for non-lifethreatening injuries at the scene.Preliminary investigations revealed that a black Ford F-150 had collided with the Saturn on its passenger side and fled prior to law enforcement's arrival. Officers successfully located the suspect identified as Allart and the vehicle several hours later.&nbsp; &nbsp;She is scheduled to return to court on July 24 and is free after meeting the requirements for bond.

Kan. teen accused in fatal hit-and-run makes court appearance

KANSAS CITY—The Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium wants your help to name the new giraffe calf. Last week the zoo announced a&nbsp;female Masai giraffe was born to mom Makali on June 30.

The calf weighed in at 125 pounds and already stands 5 feet 6 inches tall.&nbsp;

The animal care specialists have narrowed the name options down to five for the growing girl. The deadline to vote is 4pm on Friday, July 12, and you may vote only once.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansascityzoo.org/form/name-the-baby-giraffe/">Click here to view the name </a>options and cast your vote.

It will be a while before this adorable girl makes her public debut, but the zoo will keep fans updated on the Zoo’s social media pages.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720043510469.png" alt="Photo KC Zoo and Aquarium&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo KC Zoo and Aquarium&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—The Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium wants your help to name the new giraffe calf. Last week the zoo announced a&nbsp;female Masai giraffe was born to mom Makali on June 30.The calf weighed in at 125 pounds and already stands 5 feet 6 inches tall.&nbsp;The animal care specialists have narrowed the name options down to five for the growing girl. The deadline to vote is 4pm on Friday, July 12, and you may vote only once.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansascityzoo.org/form/name-the-baby-giraffe/">Click here to view the name </a>options and cast your vote.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Makali’s calf has been officially introduced to the other giraffe gals, and we can confirm these four are <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SquadGoals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SquadGoals</a>. If you haven’t voted on a name for the calf yet, be sure to visit <a href="https://t.co/fZLflY9jNK">https://t.co/fZLflY9jNK</a>! 📸 Katie M. <a href="https://t.co/hVoHu86AOM">pic.twitter.com/hVoHu86AOM</a>&mdash; Kansas City Zoo &amp; Aquarium (@KansasCityZoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/KansasCityZoo/status/1810779640471929171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>It will be a while before this adorable girl makes her public debut, but the zoo will keep fans updated on the Zoo’s social media pages.

Vote: Kansas City Zoo wants you to name the baby giraffe

JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 9:30p.m. July 7,&nbsp;a police officer in the city of Hoyt conducted a traffic stop on 2000 Ford Econoline van for various traffic infractions, near the intersection of 1st&nbsp;Street and Eastern Ave. in the city of Hoyt, according to Police Chief Dan Wentling.

The driver of the van, David Eugene Savard, 36, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, felony interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, Identity Theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, driving while suspended, transporting an open container, illegal registration, and no proof of insurance.

A passenger in the van, Julieanna Dean Corbett, 23, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container.

Another passenger in the van, Nathan Paul Leonard, 24, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for transporting an open container. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrests.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720433678524.png" alt="Savard photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Savard photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspect on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 9:30p.m. July 7,&nbsp;a police officer in the city of Hoyt conducted a traffic stop on 2000 Ford Econoline van for various traffic infractions, near the intersection of 1st&nbsp;Street and Eastern Ave. in the city of Hoyt, according to Police Chief Dan Wentling.The driver of the van, David Eugene Savard, 36, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, felony interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, Identity Theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana, driving while suspended, transporting an open container, illegal registration, and no proof of insurance.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720433718697.png" alt="Corbett photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Corbett photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>A passenger in the van, Julieanna Dean Corbett, 23, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on a requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, possession of THC, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720433781363.png" alt="Leonard-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Leonard-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Another passenger in the van, Nathan Paul Leonard, 24, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail for transporting an open container. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrests.

3 jailed in Kansas for drinking and driving, transporting drugs

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jill-biden">Jill Biden</a>&nbsp;on Monday declared herself “all in” on President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;bid to remain as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, despite calls by some Democrats for him to drop out after his damaging debate performance against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;shook their confidence in him.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?536838-1/lady-jill-biden-campaigns-wilmington-nc">Click here to watch</a> Jill Biden's campaign appearance

The president himself has brushed aside those calls and insisted anew on Monday that he isn’t leaving the race.

“For all the talk out there about this race, Joe has made it clear that he’s all in,” the first lady told a military crowd in Wilmington, North Carolina, the first of three battleground states she was visiting.

“That’s the decision that he’s made, and just as he has always supported my career, I am all in too,” said Jill Biden, who teaches English and writing as a community college professor.

Later Monday, in remarks at an American Legion post in Tampa, Florida, she said her husband considers support of the military and veterans a “sacred obligation” that she contended contrasts with Trump.

“As commander in chief, President Biden wakes up every morning ready to work for you,” Jill Biden said. “Donald Trump wakes up every morning thinking of one person and one person only: himself.”

Danny Fuqua, president of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida, said Biden’s ties to the military make him the clear choice in November.

“The Bidens are a military family. They are one of us. They not only see the uniform, they see the person in it,” Fuqua said.

Jill Biden was headed next to an event in Columbus, Georgia, home of the Army’s sprawling Fort Moore.

Her daylong tour was part of the Biden campaign’s broader effort to rebound from the president’s halting performance against Trump in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-debate-age-democrats-b93d7ffaad75fd423ea3953fe16287f0">last month’s debate</a>.

The debate led some congressional Democrats and others to call on him to let another candidate challenge Trump because they no longer believe the 81-year-old president is mentally and physically capable of defeating the former Republican president in November.

Jill Biden also announced the formation of an organizing group, Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris at her Tampa stop.

“We can’t take anything for granted. We have to meet this moment because our freedoms are at risk,” she said.

The president has insisted since the June 27 debate that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-campaign-wisconsin-abc-news-e4657f86f5e82b10a5fefb526bc49b08">he is staying in the race</a>. He did so again on Monday in a letter to congressional Democrats and during an on-air telephone interview with MSNBC.

Jill Biden used her appearance to draw contrasts between her husband’s and Trump’s attitudes toward U.S. service members, veterans and their families.

The president’s late son&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d8f69eb645d74b7886387f713981b739">Beau</a>&nbsp;served in Iraq as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard, and the first lady’s father was a Navy signalman during World War II.

“This is personal to us,” she said, describing the waits to connect by phone with a service member stationed overseas or having to smile through a loved one’s absence on holidays.

“Let me ask you this ... Does Donald Trump know what it’s like?” she said.

The first lady mentioned reports that Trump, during a 2018 trip to France, referred to service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-politics-europe-edf5d17c4d41cfb69117f0cf97ef6ac6">“suckers” and “losers.”</a>&nbsp;Trump denies making the comments.

“It’s disgraceful, but it’s not surprising,” she said. And, noting that the Supreme Court has said presidents are immune from prosecution for acts committed while in office, the first lady said “our democracy cannot withstand a Trump president with virtually no limits.”

“Members of our military honor their oath to support and defend the Constitution. We cannot trust Donald Trump to do the same,” she said. “You deserve a commander in chief who serves with integrity and wisdom and character, and that’s my husband, Joe Biden.”

A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

During the debate, Biden and Trump argued over who cares the most about veterans. Biden noted that he recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-election-france-451275981e578163c51b5a2562ae6694">visited an American military cemetery in France</a>, the final resting place for U.S. soldiers who fought in World War I, which Trump notably skipped on his 2018 trip.

Trump asserted during the debate that the Democratic president is coddling migrants while neglecting the needs of veterans and service members, and he faulted Biden for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720484737607.png" alt="First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the campaign rally Monday -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the campaign rally Monday -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>TAMPA, Fla. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jill-biden">Jill Biden</a>&nbsp;on Monday declared herself “all in” on President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;bid to remain as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, despite calls by some Democrats for him to drop out after his damaging debate performance against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;shook their confidence in him.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?536838-1/lady-jill-biden-campaigns-wilmington-nc">Click here to watch</a> Jill Biden's campaign appearanceThe president himself has brushed aside those calls and insisted anew on Monday that he isn’t leaving the race.“For all the talk out there about this race, Joe has made it clear that he’s all in,” the first lady told a military crowd in Wilmington, North Carolina, the first of three battleground states she was visiting.“That’s the decision that he’s made, and just as he has always supported my career, I am all in too,” said Jill Biden, who teaches English and writing as a community college professor.Later Monday, in remarks at an American Legion post in Tampa, Florida, she said her husband considers support of the military and veterans a “sacred obligation” that she contended contrasts with Trump.“As commander in chief, President Biden wakes up every morning ready to work for you,” Jill Biden said. “Donald Trump wakes up every morning thinking of one person and one person only: himself.”Danny Fuqua, president of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida, said Biden’s ties to the military make him the clear choice in November.“The Bidens are a military family. They are one of us. They not only see the uniform, they see the person in it,” Fuqua said.Jill Biden was headed next to an event in Columbus, Georgia, home of the Army’s sprawling Fort Moore.Her daylong tour was part of the Biden campaign’s broader effort to rebound from the president’s halting performance against Trump in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-debate-age-democrats-b93d7ffaad75fd423ea3953fe16287f0">last month’s debate</a>.The debate led some congressional Democrats and others to call on him to let another candidate challenge Trump because they no longer believe the 81-year-old president is mentally and physically capable of defeating the former Republican president in November.Jill Biden also announced the formation of an organizing group, Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris at her Tampa stop.“We can’t take anything for granted. We have to meet this moment because our freedoms are at risk,” she said.The president has insisted since the June 27 debate that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/president-joe-biden-campaign-wisconsin-abc-news-e4657f86f5e82b10a5fefb526bc49b08">he is staying in the race</a>. He did so again on Monday in a letter to congressional Democrats and during an on-air telephone interview with MSNBC.Jill Biden used her appearance to draw contrasts between her husband’s and Trump’s attitudes toward U.S. service members, veterans and their families.The president’s late son&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d8f69eb645d74b7886387f713981b739">Beau</a>&nbsp;served in Iraq as a member of the Delaware Army National Guard, and the first lady’s father was a Navy signalman during World War II.“This is personal to us,” she said, describing the waits to connect by phone with a service member stationed overseas or having to smile through a loved one’s absence on holidays.“Let me ask you this ... Does Donald Trump know what it’s like?” she said.The first lady mentioned reports that Trump, during a 2018 trip to France, referred to service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-politics-europe-edf5d17c4d41cfb69117f0cf97ef6ac6">“suckers” and “losers.”</a>&nbsp;Trump denies making the comments.“It’s disgraceful, but it’s not surprising,” she said. And, noting that the Supreme Court has said presidents are immune from prosecution for acts committed while in office, the first lady said “our democracy cannot withstand a Trump president with virtually no limits.”“Members of our military honor their oath to support and defend the Constitution. We cannot trust Donald Trump to do the same,” she said. “You deserve a commander in chief who serves with integrity and wisdom and character, and that’s my husband, Joe Biden.”A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.During the debate, Biden and Trump argued over who cares the most about veterans. Biden noted that he recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-election-france-451275981e578163c51b5a2562ae6694">visited an American military cemetery in France</a>, the final resting place for U.S. soldiers who fought in World War I, which Trump notably skipped on his 2018 trip.Trump asserted during the debate that the Democratic president is coddling migrants while neglecting the needs of veterans and service members, and he faulted Biden for the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.<h2>___</h2>

🎥Jill Biden says she’s ‘all in’ on Joe's reelection 

KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent attack that sent two children to a hospital.

Just after 1a.m. Tuesday, police responded to a domestic violence incident at a home near the intersection of 38th and Indiana in Kansas City, according to KCPD.

First responders heard what sounded like an argument coming from inside the house. Officers entered the house and found two children including a boy under the age of 10 with a laceration and a girl under the age of 15 with a stab wound.&nbsp; EMS transported them to a local hospital.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Police took a man at the home into custody for questioning.

KANSAS CITY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a violent attack that sent two children to a hospital.Just after 1a.m. Tuesday, police responded to a domestic violence incident at a home near the intersection of 38th and Indiana in Kansas City, according to KCPD.First responders heard what sounded like an argument coming from inside the house. Officers entered the house and found two children including a boy under the age of 10 with a laceration and a girl under the age of 15 with a stab wound.&nbsp; EMS transported them to a local hospital.&nbsp;&nbsp;Police took a man at the home into custody for questioning.

2 children hospitalized after knife attack at Kansas City home

Departures at HeadQuarters tied to staff rebellion, alleged misuse of grants

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

LAWRENCE — The interim executive director and the board of directors at the suicide prevention organization HeadQuarters Kansas resigned amid an uprising by employees and volunteers, allegations grant money was misappropriated and anxiety about potential loss of state and county funding.

Headquarters Kansas, which is based in Lawrence, operates the 988 suicide crisis call center for all 105 counties in the state. It is affiliated with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

The departure Monday of Ruby Johnson, interim executive director; Michelle Fales, chair of the board of directors; and the recent resignation of five other board members was the culmination of months of management turmoil.

“We created new structures of accountability in our relationships with funders, partners and each other,” said Johnson, who agreed in April to assume the role of interim executive director and step down from the board of directors. “The agency faces new challenges, but it falls to others to address them. I am moving on with pride in the work done, secure in having navigated challenges with integrity and with love for those who exemplify the mission of building resilience and preventing suicide.”

Johnson replaced interim director Becky Price, who held the top job from February to April. Price was hired after the sudden departure in January of Steve Devore, who had been president and CEO of the organization since 2019.

In a memorandum to HeadQuarters Kansas staff, Fales said she tendered her resignation Monday after enduring months of “lies and threats” from individuals more interested in provoking controversy than achieving results. She assumed the role of board chair in November and initiated a survey of employees, board members and community partners in conjunction with the overdue employee evaluation of Devore’s work.

“These surveys opened up a can of worms, including the misuse of grant funds,” Fales said. “Management giving bonuses that were not permitted under the grant. Buying family golf memberships with grant funds. Buying over $5,000 in items for a ‘therapy’ dog.”

She asserted three administrative employees at HeadQuarters Kansas were responsible for oversight of an estimated $206,000 in expenditures from 2021 to 2023 that may not have complied with grant guidelines. The spending was embedded in budget documents in ways that made it difficult for the board to track, she said.

In 2022, Fales said, she had asked for clarity about bonuses given certain employees and was allegedly misled by Devore.

Fales said the board of directors eventually decided to seek the resignation or termination of two staff members, which included Devore.

Fales also complained that Andrew Brown, deputy secretary of programs at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, had been advising dissident staff and advocating for her to resign from the board. Prior to working at KDADS, Brown was executive director of HeadQuarters Kansas.

“The board has been slandered, threatened, intimidated, harassed while continuing to work in the best interest of keeping the organization solvent and clean up the messes made by prior management,” Fales said. “It has become abundantly clear that while most of the individuals working at HeadQuarters Kansas Inc. might be in the mental health arena, they have no desire to talk constructively with anyone that differs from their own opinions.”

The defection of Fales, Johnson and the other board members meant an attorney would likely be appointed to coordinate appointment of a new board of directors.

In April, 75 to 100 current and former employees and volunteers at HeadQuarters Kansas publicly demanded wholesale management change. In a letter to leaders of the organization Friday, the employee coalition vowed to initiate the equivalent of a strike if Fales and Johnson didn’t resign Monday.

The letter said HeadQuarters Kansas was in peril of losing state and county aid and the “unjust termination of our colleagues who voiced their concern or disapproval has changed our workplace culture from one of cooperation to one of fear and distrust.” There has been concern controversy at HeadQuarters Kansas could lead to loss of state funding for the 988 hotline, undermine appropriations from Douglas County and eventually force closure of the agency.

Hope Blankenship, vice president of operations at HeadQuarters Kansas, assumed the duties of executive director. Blankenship told the&nbsp;<a href="https://lawrencekstimes.com/2024/04/07/headquarters-kansas-in-crisis/" target="_blank">Lawrence Times</a>&nbsp;there had been no interruption in the organization’s call, text and chat services.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was implemented in Kansas during July 2022. In preparation for the launch, Kansas integrated HeadQuarters Kansas, COMCARE of Sedgwick County and Johnson County Crisis Line into the 988 network.&nbsp;The three centers operate with state funding and oversight from KDADS and the 988 Coordinating Council. In terms of the Lawrence facility, KDADS allocated $3.7 million to the agency during the 2023 fiscal year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720539289959.png" alt=" The entire board of directors and the executive director resigned from the Lawrence-based HeadQuarters Kansas, which operates the 988 suicide crisis call center for all 105 counties. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> The entire board of directors and the executive director resigned from the Lawrence-based HeadQuarters Kansas, which operates the 988 suicide crisis call center for all 105 counties. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Departures at HeadQuarters tied to staff rebellion, alleged misuse of grants</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>LAWRENCE — The interim executive director and the board of directors at the suicide prevention organization HeadQuarters Kansas resigned amid an uprising by employees and volunteers, allegations grant money was misappropriated and anxiety about potential loss of state and county funding.Headquarters Kansas, which is based in Lawrence, operates the 988 suicide crisis call center for all 105 counties in the state. It is affiliated with the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.The departure Monday of Ruby Johnson, interim executive director; Michelle Fales, chair of the board of directors; and the recent resignation of five other board members was the culmination of months of management turmoil.“We created new structures of accountability in our relationships with funders, partners and each other,” said Johnson, who agreed in April to assume the role of interim executive director and step down from the board of directors. “The agency faces new challenges, but it falls to others to address them. I am moving on with pride in the work done, secure in having navigated challenges with integrity and with love for those who exemplify the mission of building resilience and preventing suicide.”Johnson replaced interim director Becky Price, who held the top job from February to April. Price was hired after the sudden departure in January of Steve Devore, who had been president and CEO of the organization since 2019.In a memorandum to HeadQuarters Kansas staff, Fales said she tendered her resignation Monday after enduring months of “lies and threats” from individuals more interested in provoking controversy than achieving results. She assumed the role of board chair in November and initiated a survey of employees, board members and community partners in conjunction with the overdue employee evaluation of Devore’s work.“These surveys opened up a can of worms, including the misuse of grant funds,” Fales said. “Management giving bonuses that were not permitted under the grant. Buying family golf memberships with grant funds. Buying over $5,000 in items for a ‘therapy’ dog.”She asserted three administrative employees at HeadQuarters Kansas were responsible for oversight of an estimated $206,000 in expenditures from 2021 to 2023 that may not have complied with grant guidelines. The spending was embedded in budget documents in ways that made it difficult for the board to track, she said.In 2022, Fales said, she had asked for clarity about bonuses given certain employees and was allegedly misled by Devore.Fales said the board of directors eventually decided to seek the resignation or termination of two staff members, which included Devore.Fales also complained that Andrew Brown, deputy secretary of programs at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, had been advising dissident staff and advocating for her to resign from the board. Prior to working at KDADS, Brown was executive director of HeadQuarters Kansas.“The board has been slandered, threatened, intimidated, harassed while continuing to work in the best interest of keeping the organization solvent and clean up the messes made by prior management,” Fales said. “It has become abundantly clear that while most of the individuals working at HeadQuarters Kansas Inc. might be in the mental health arena, they have no desire to talk constructively with anyone that differs from their own opinions.”The defection of Fales, Johnson and the other board members meant an attorney would likely be appointed to coordinate appointment of a new board of directors.In April, 75 to 100 current and former employees and volunteers at HeadQuarters Kansas publicly demanded wholesale management change. In a letter to leaders of the organization Friday, the employee coalition vowed to initiate the equivalent of a strike if Fales and Johnson didn’t resign Monday.The letter said HeadQuarters Kansas was in peril of losing state and county aid and the “unjust termination of our colleagues who voiced their concern or disapproval has changed our workplace culture from one of cooperation to one of fear and distrust.” There has been concern controversy at HeadQuarters Kansas could lead to loss of state funding for the 988 hotline, undermine appropriations from Douglas County and eventually force closure of the agency.Hope Blankenship, vice president of operations at HeadQuarters Kansas, assumed the duties of executive director. Blankenship told the&nbsp;<a href="https://lawrencekstimes.com/2024/04/07/headquarters-kansas-in-crisis/" target="_blank">Lawrence Times</a>&nbsp;there had been no interruption in the organization’s call, text and chat services.The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was implemented in Kansas during July 2022. In preparation for the launch, Kansas integrated HeadQuarters Kansas, COMCARE of Sedgwick County and Johnson County Crisis Line into the 988 network.&nbsp;The three centers operate with state funding and oversight from KDADS and the 988 Coordinating Council. In terms of the Lawrence facility, KDADS allocated $3.7 million to the agency during the 2023 fiscal year.

Kan. suicide prevention nonprofit’s executive director, entire board of directors resign

HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. - Joseph S. Bonsall, 76, of Hendersonville, Tennessee passed on to Glory on July 9, 2024, from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, according to a media release.

He leaves behind his precious wife, Mary Ann, daughters Jennifer and Sabrina, granddaughter Breanne, grandson Luke, two great grandsons, Chance and Grey, and a sister, Nancy. He is preceded in death by his parents Joseph S. Bonsall Sr. and Lillie Bonsall.

As a 50-year member of the American music group The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame.

Joseph is also the author of 11 books including his latest, a memoir entitled I See Myself, which releases in November. Joe loved to sing. He loved to read. He loved to write. He loved to play banjo. He loved working on the farm. And he loved the Philadelphia Phillies. But Jesus and his family always came first—and we will see him again on the Promised Day.

At the request of Joe, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to <a href="https://www.als.org/support" target="_blank">The ALS Association</a> or to the <a href="https://www.vumc.org/neurology/vanderbilt-als-research-center" target="_blank">Vanderbilt Medical Center ALS and Neuroscience Research Center</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720544130790.png" alt="Bonsall, lower right, was 50-year member of the The Oak Ridge Boys" />
 <figcaption>Bonsall, lower right, was 50-year member of the The Oak Ridge Boys</figcaption>
 </figure>HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. - Joseph S. Bonsall, 76, of Hendersonville, Tennessee passed on to Glory on July 9, 2024, from complications of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, according to a media release.He leaves behind his precious wife, Mary Ann, daughters Jennifer and Sabrina, granddaughter Breanne, grandson Luke, two great grandsons, Chance and Grey, and a sister, Nancy. He is preceded in death by his parents Joseph S. Bonsall Sr. and Lillie Bonsall.As a 50-year member of the American music group The Oak Ridge Boys, Joe was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame.Joseph is also the author of 11 books including his latest, a memoir entitled I See Myself, which releases in November. Joe loved to sing. He loved to read. He loved to write. He loved to play banjo. He loved working on the farm. And he loved the Philadelphia Phillies. But Jesus and his family always came first—and we will see him again on the Promised Day.At the request of Joe, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to <a href="https://www.als.org/support" target="_blank">The ALS Association</a> or to the <a href="https://www.vumc.org/neurology/vanderbilt-als-research-center" target="_blank">Vanderbilt Medical Center ALS and Neuroscience Research Center</a>.The family is requesting privacy.

Joe Bonsall, Oak Ridge Boys singer, dies from ALS complications

DOUGLAS COUNTY —A teen driver was injured in an accident early Tuesday in Douglas County.

Just after 1:30a.m. a westbound driver on U.S. 56 Highway located a woman walking eastbound four miles east of the Osage County Line or in the 400 Block of N 300 Road, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's office.

Deputies determined the 18-year-old was the driver in a rollover crash that occurred earlier.&nbsp; Deputies located the driver's 2003 Dodge Caravan about 200 yards from the highway.

EMS transported the teen to Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of injuries not believed to be life-threatening.&nbsp; The Lawrence Humane Society took the teen's dog while she was taken for hospitalization.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details.

DOUGLAS COUNTY —A teen driver was injured in an accident early Tuesday in Douglas County.Just after 1:30a.m. a westbound driver on U.S. 56 Highway located a woman walking eastbound four miles east of the Osage County Line or in the 400 Block of N 300 Road, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's office.Deputies determined the 18-year-old was the driver in a rollover crash that occurred earlier.&nbsp; Deputies located the driver's 2003 Dodge Caravan about 200 yards from the highway.EMS transported the teen to Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of injuries not believed to be life-threatening.&nbsp; The Lawrence Humane Society took the teen's dog while she was taken for hospitalization.&nbsp; The sheriff's office released no additional details.

Teen, dog found walking on Kan. highway had been in rollover crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's terrible performance at the June 27&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-trump-biden-presidential-campaign-44e71c900a1c4af2bed93041fdfe923d">presidential debate</a>&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-interview-democrat-debate-abc-81d82d10698973be7e801abc16f93030">raised concerns</a>&nbsp;about his age, health and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-campaign-house-democrats-senate-16c222f825558db01609605b3ad9742a">ability to lead</a>&nbsp;the federal government.

Administration officials have blamed his confused and at times indecipherable answers at the debate with Republican Donald Trump on a head cold, jet lag and poor preparation at Camp David. But at 81, Biden has found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-biden-medical-emergency-5176f10443a286f581221fe994b5ad78">his health</a>&nbsp;to be a key issue for many voters going into November's election. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to address questions about the president's health at Monday's news briefing.

How often does the president see a doctor?

Biden has extensive yearly physical exams, Jean-Pierre said. She added that most Americans don't understand the extent of the medical care provided to the president, as many people are lucky if they get to see their doctors once or twice a year. By contrast, the president's medical unit is “just steps down from the residence” at the White House. “A couple times a week,” Biden does a “verbal check-in with his doctor while he's exercising,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that he had a check-in on Monday.

There has been confusion as to whether Biden saw his doctor about his cold after the presidential debate on June 27. The White House initially said there was no medical exam, but it later said there was a “short verbal check-in” and it was determined that no exam was needed.

“He has seen a neurologist three times,” said Jean-Pierre. “Not more than that.”

The White House spokesperson repeated the phrase “three times” in 17 instances during the Monday briefing. She stressed that all three meetings with a neurologist were tied to the president's annual physical exams. But Jean-Pierre declined to say where Biden had seen the neurologist — whether the visits were at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or elsewhere. “I don’t have anything to state as to location,” she said.

Have Biden's physical exams found signs of Parkinson's or other neurological diseases?

Not according to the report of the president's most recent physical, issued in February. Jean-Pierre cited that document Monday in response to reporters' questions.

That letter said “an extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring” in that there were no findings consistent with a stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's or ascending lateral sclerosis. The letter added that no tremors or “motor weakness” were detected. Written by Biden's physician, O'Connor, the letter added that Biden “demonstrates excellent fine motor dexterity.”

Why has a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's visited the White House?

Visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who has conducted research into Parkinson's, went to the White House eight times between July 2023 and this past March.

Jean-Pierre declined to confirm the name of the doctor or say why he was going to the White House. She told reporters this was due to security reasons and noted that the White House medical unit treats more people than just the president. “There are thousands of military personnel who come on to this White House,” Jean-Pierre said. “Many of them get the care from the White House medical unit and so we need to be super careful.”

Jean-Pierre encouraged the public to “connect the dots.”

Later Monday, O'Connor released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Letter7.8.24.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;with the permission of both Biden and Cannard and confirmed that Cannard had been the neurologist who evaluated the president at each of his three physicals since he took office.

But most of Cannard's visits to the White House were pursuant to his role as a specialist attached to the White House Medical Unit, treating patients there for a wide array of neurological issues over a dozen years, O'Connor said.

Cannard made similar trips to the White House during the Obama administration, according to visitor logs, and during the Trump administration — which did not publish visitor logs — according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Cannard did have one visit with Biden’s personal physician this January in the White House Residence clinic, weeks before the president’s physical in February. O'Connor repeated that the findings of that physical that didn't detect signs of any neurological disorder.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720133821321.png" alt="White House file photo" />
 <figcaption>White House file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's terrible performance at the June 27&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-trump-biden-presidential-campaign-44e71c900a1c4af2bed93041fdfe923d">presidential debate</a>&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-interview-democrat-debate-abc-81d82d10698973be7e801abc16f93030">raised concerns</a>&nbsp;about his age, health and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-campaign-house-democrats-senate-16c222f825558db01609605b3ad9742a">ability to lead</a>&nbsp;the federal government.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720526697169.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720526734368.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Administration officials have blamed his confused and at times indecipherable answers at the debate with Republican Donald Trump on a head cold, jet lag and poor preparation at Camp David. But at 81, Biden has found&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-misinformation-biden-medical-emergency-5176f10443a286f581221fe994b5ad78">his health</a>&nbsp;to be a key issue for many voters going into November's election. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to address questions about the president's health at Monday's news briefing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> Karine Jean-Pierre to <a href="https://twitter.com/edokeefe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@edokeefe</a>: &quot;It doesn&#39;t matter how hard you push me. It doesn&#39;t matter how angry you get with me. I&#39;m not going to confirm a name...What I can say share with you is that the president has seen a neurologist for his physical three times.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/oZQjMiIOPv">pic.twitter.com/oZQjMiIOPv</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1810397009150619756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><h2>How often does the president see a doctor?</h2>Biden has extensive yearly physical exams, Jean-Pierre said. She added that most Americans don't understand the extent of the medical care provided to the president, as many people are lucky if they get to see their doctors once or twice a year. By contrast, the president's medical unit is “just steps down from the residence” at the White House. “A couple times a week,” Biden does a “verbal check-in with his doctor while he's exercising,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that he had a check-in on Monday.There has been confusion as to whether Biden saw his doctor about his cold after the presidential debate on June 27. The White House initially said there was no medical exam, but it later said there was a “short verbal check-in” and it was determined that no exam was needed.<h2>Has the president seen a neurologist?</h2>“He has seen a neurologist three times,” said Jean-Pierre. “Not more than that.”The White House spokesperson repeated the phrase “three times” in 17 instances during the Monday briefing. She stressed that all three meetings with a neurologist were tied to the president's annual physical exams. But Jean-Pierre declined to say where Biden had seen the neurologist — whether the visits were at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or elsewhere. “I don’t have anything to state as to location,” she said.<h2>Have Biden's physical exams found signs of Parkinson's or other neurological diseases?</h2>Not according to the report of the president's most recent physical, issued in February. Jean-Pierre cited that document Monday in response to reporters' questions.That letter said “an extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring” in that there were no findings consistent with a stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's or ascending lateral sclerosis. The letter added that no tremors or “motor weakness” were detected. Written by Biden's physician, O'Connor, the letter added that Biden “demonstrates excellent fine motor dexterity.”<h2>Why has a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's visited the White House?</h2>Visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who has conducted research into Parkinson's, went to the White House eight times between July 2023 and this past March.Jean-Pierre declined to confirm the name of the doctor or say why he was going to the White House. She told reporters this was due to security reasons and noted that the White House medical unit treats more people than just the president. “There are thousands of military personnel who come on to this White House,” Jean-Pierre said. “Many of them get the care from the White House medical unit and so we need to be super careful.”Jean-Pierre encouraged the public to “connect the dots.”Later Monday, O'Connor released a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Letter7.8.24.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;with the permission of both Biden and Cannard and confirmed that Cannard had been the neurologist who evaluated the president at each of his three physicals since he took office.But most of Cannard's visits to the White House were pursuant to his role as a specialist attached to the White House Medical Unit, treating patients there for a wide array of neurological issues over a dozen years, O'Connor said.Cannard made similar trips to the White House during the Obama administration, according to visitor logs, and during the Trump administration — which did not publish visitor logs — according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.Cannard did have one visit with Biden’s personal physician this January in the White House Residence clinic, weeks before the president’s physical in February. O'Connor repeated that the findings of that physical that didn't detect signs of any neurological disorder.“President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical,” O'Connor said in his letter.<h2>Could Biden waive his rights and make his full medical records public?</h2>