KANSAS CITY (AP) —Thousands of United Methodists are gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, for their big denominational meeting, known as General Conference.

It’s a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congregations-leaving-united-methodist-church-lgbtq-bans-70b8c89ea49174597f4548c249bab24f">much-anticipated gathering</a>. Typically it is held every four years, but church leaders delayed the 2020 gathering until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, the 11-day gathering runs from April 23 to May 3. Among those assembling are hundreds of voting delegates — the United Methodists from across the globe who were elected to represent their regional church body — though as many as one-quarter of international delegates are not confirmed as able to attend. The delegates, half clergy and half lay Methodists, are the decision makers at General Conference.

General Conference — the only entity that can speak for the entire denomination — is a business meeting where delegates set policy, pass budgets and address other church-wide matters. It’s the only body that can amend the United Methodist Book of Discipline, which includes church law. It also includes Social Principles, which are non-binding declarations on social and ethical issues. There’s worship and fellowship, too.

IS THERE SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THIS YEAR’S MEETING?

Yes. This will be the first General Conference since more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodist-congregations-leaving-lgbtq-bans-dbd315f329e4cfec4ba78916668ab50b">7,600 mostly conservative congregations left</a>&nbsp;the United Methodist Church between 2019 and 2023 because the denomination essentially stopped enforcing its bans on same-sex marriage and having “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” serving as clergy and bishops.

WILL THE GENERAL CONFERENCE LIFT THOSE LGBTQ-RELATED BANS THIS YEAR?

It’s possible. The delegates in Charlotte are expected to vote on whether to eliminate them. Similar efforts have failed in years past, but with the election of more progressive delegates and the departure of many conservatives, supporters of removing the bans are optimistic.

WHAT OTHER KEY ISSUES ARE UP FOR CONSIDERATION?

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodists-schism-disaffiliation-lgbtq-44fd14d471124d23e1fd5677a8f2b1d9">Disaffiliations</a>: The rules that allowed U.S. congregations to leave between 2019 and 2023. It allowed them to leave with their properties, held in trust for the denomination, under friendlier-than-normal legal terms. Some want similar conditions for international churches and for U.S. churches that missed the 2023 deadline.

—Regionalization: A proposal to restructure the denomination into regional conferences around the world, rather than having distinct names for U.S. and other jurisdictions. It would define the role of regions more precisely and put American congregations into their own regional body. Under this proposal, all regions would be able to adapt church policies to their local contexts, including those on marriage and ordination.

—Budgets: Because of all the disaffiliations, the conference will vote on a much-reduced budget proposal for the coming years.

New York Area Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the denomination’s Council of Bishops, addressed the recent schism head-on in feisty remarks during Tuesday's opening worship, which included music and Communion.

Bickerton spoke of his recent visit to a Texas conference that had lost more than half its churches and said those remaining were committed to rebuilding the church. He said those at the General Conference should be doing the same – not continuing the controversy.

“Are you committed to the revitalization of the United Methodist Church?” Bickerton said to applause. “Are you here to work for a culture marked by compassion, courage, and companionship? … If you can’t agree to that, what are you doing here anyway? Maybe, just maybe, you’re in the wrong place.”

He alluded to criticism of the denomination during the disaffiliation debates and said it was holding on to its core beliefs.

“Don’t you tell us that we don’t believe in Scripture,” he said. “Don’t you tell us that we don’t believe in the doctrine of the church. And Lord have mercy, don’t tell us that we don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. … We have got to rebuild the church and we’ve got to do it together.”

Though thousands of Methodists with be attending the conference, there are only 862 official voting delegates, from the following regions of the church:

• 1.5% from concordant (affiliated) churches

No. As of last week, only about three-quarters of international delegates were confirmed as able to attend, the Commission on the General Conference reported Thursday. The other quarter includes 27 delegates unable to get visas or passports, others who couldn’t attend for various reasons, and 62 delegates still unconfirmed. African groups have strongly criticized denominational officials, faulting them for delays in providing necessary paperwork and information and raising questions about whether&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/methodists-lgbtq-samesex-marriage-conservatives-africa-1319aea6e1d2ad8755a905a8c4b1bf79">African conferences</a>&nbsp;will accept voting results from the conference.

That varies widely, but those long active in the movement to repeal LGBTQ bans are focused strongly on the conference. First United Methodist Church in Pittsburgh, for example, held a commissioning service on April 14 for three members attending the conference in varying capacities. “It will be deeply meaningful for me personally to vote for those changes,” said member Tracy Merrick, who will be a delegate.

They’re part of a larger worldwide family of Methodists and other groups in the tradition of 18th century British Protestant revivalist John Wesley, who emphasized evangelism, holy living and social service. They hold many beliefs in common with other Christians, with some distinct doctrines. United Methodists traditionally ranged from liberal to conservative. They were until recently the third largest and most widespread U.S. denomination. Methodist missionaries planted churches worldwide, which grew dramatically, especially in Africa. Some became independent, but churches on four continents remain part of the United Methodist Church.

5.4 million in the United States as of 2022, but that will decline significantly due to 2023 disaffiliations.

4.6 million in Africa, Asia and Europe. That’s lower than earlier estimates but reflects more recent denominational reports.

SOURCES: General Council on Finance and Administration and other United Methodist entities.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Thousands of United Methodists are gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, for their big denominational meeting, known as General Conference.It’s a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congregations-leaving-united-methodist-church-lgbtq-bans-70b8c89ea49174597f4548c249bab24f">much-anticipated gathering</a>. Typically it is held every four years, but church leaders delayed the 2020 gathering until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.This year, the 11-day gathering runs from April 23 to May 3. Among those assembling are hundreds of voting delegates — the United Methodists from across the globe who were elected to represent their regional church body — though as many as one-quarter of international delegates are not confirmed as able to attend. The delegates, half clergy and half lay Methodists, are the decision makers at General Conference.WHAT HAPPENS AT GENERAL CONFERENCE?General Conference — the only entity that can speak for the entire denomination — is a business meeting where delegates set policy, pass budgets and address other church-wide matters. It’s the only body that can amend the United Methodist Book of Discipline, which includes church law. It also includes Social Principles, which are non-binding declarations on social and ethical issues. There’s worship and fellowship, too.IS THERE SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THIS YEAR’S MEETING?Yes. This will be the first General Conference since more than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodist-congregations-leaving-lgbtq-bans-dbd315f329e4cfec4ba78916668ab50b">7,600 mostly conservative congregations left</a>&nbsp;the United Methodist Church between 2019 and 2023 because the denomination essentially stopped enforcing its bans on same-sex marriage and having “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” serving as clergy and bishops.WILL THE GENERAL CONFERENCE LIFT THOSE LGBTQ-RELATED BANS THIS YEAR?It’s possible. The delegates in Charlotte are expected to vote on whether to eliminate them. Similar efforts have failed in years past, but with the election of more progressive delegates and the departure of many conservatives, supporters of removing the bans are optimistic.WHAT OTHER KEY ISSUES ARE UP FOR CONSIDERATION?—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodists-schism-disaffiliation-lgbtq-44fd14d471124d23e1fd5677a8f2b1d9">Disaffiliations</a>: The rules that allowed U.S. congregations to leave between 2019 and 2023. It allowed them to leave with their properties, held in trust for the denomination, under friendlier-than-normal legal terms. Some want similar conditions for international churches and for U.S. churches that missed the 2023 deadline.—Regionalization: A proposal to restructure the denomination into regional conferences around the world, rather than having distinct names for U.S. and other jurisdictions. It would define the role of regions more precisely and put American congregations into their own regional body. Under this proposal, all regions would be able to adapt church policies to their local contexts, including those on marriage and ordination.—Budgets: Because of all the disaffiliations, the conference will vote on a much-reduced budget proposal for the coming years.HOW IS THE CONFERENCE STARTING OFF?New York Area Bishop Thomas Bickerton, president of the denomination’s Council of Bishops, addressed the recent schism head-on in feisty remarks during Tuesday's opening worship, which included music and Communion.Bickerton spoke of his recent visit to a Texas conference that had lost more than half its churches and said those remaining were committed to rebuilding the church. He said those at the General Conference should be doing the same – not continuing the controversy.“Are you committed to the revitalization of the United Methodist Church?” Bickerton said to applause. “Are you here to work for a culture marked by compassion, courage, and companionship? … If you can’t agree to that, what are you doing here anyway? Maybe, just maybe, you’re in the wrong place.”He alluded to criticism of the denomination during the disaffiliation debates and said it was holding on to its core beliefs.“Don’t you tell us that we don’t believe in Scripture,” he said. “Don’t you tell us that we don’t believe in the doctrine of the church. And Lord have mercy, don’t tell us that we don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. … We have got to rebuild the church and we’ve got to do it together.”WHERE ARE THE DELEGATES COMING FROM?Though thousands of Methodists with be attending the conference, there are only 862 official voting delegates, from the following regions of the church:• 55.9% from the U.S.• 32% from Africa• 6% from the Philippines• 4.6% from Europe• 1.5% from concordant (affiliated) churchesWILL THEY ALL BE THERE?No. As of last week, only about three-quarters of international delegates were confirmed as able to attend, the Commission on the General Conference reported Thursday. The other quarter includes 27 delegates unable to get visas or passports, others who couldn’t attend for various reasons, and 62 delegates still unconfirmed. African groups have strongly criticized denominational officials, faulting them for delays in providing necessary paperwork and information and raising questions about whether&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/methodists-lgbtq-samesex-marriage-conservatives-africa-1319aea6e1d2ad8755a905a8c4b1bf79">African conferences</a>&nbsp;will accept voting results from the conference.HOW ARE CONGREGATIONS PREPARING?That varies widely, but those long active in the movement to repeal LGBTQ bans are focused strongly on the conference. First United Methodist Church in Pittsburgh, for example, held a commissioning service on April 14 for three members attending the conference in varying capacities. “It will be deeply meaningful for me personally to vote for those changes,” said member Tracy Merrick, who will be a delegate.WHAT ARE UNITED METHODISTS, ANYWAY?They’re part of a larger worldwide family of Methodists and other groups in the tradition of 18th century British Protestant revivalist John Wesley, who emphasized evangelism, holy living and social service. They hold many beliefs in common with other Christians, with some distinct doctrines. United Methodists traditionally ranged from liberal to conservative. They were until recently the third largest and most widespread U.S. denomination. Methodist missionaries planted churches worldwide, which grew dramatically, especially in Africa. Some became independent, but churches on four continents remain part of the United Methodist Church.HOW MANY UNITED METHODISTS ARE THERE?5.4 million in the United States as of 2022, but that will decline significantly due to 2023 disaffiliations.4.6 million in Africa, Asia and Europe. That’s lower than earlier estimates but reflects more recent denominational reports.___SOURCES: General Council on Finance and Administration and other United Methodist entities.___

United Methodists open 1st conference since breakup over LGBTQ inclusion

Washington, D.C.&nbsp;— U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Tuesday joined 26 of his Senate Republican colleagues in&nbsp;calling on&nbsp;Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona&nbsp;to restore order to university campuses that have been effectively shut down by anti-Semitic&nbsp;groups&nbsp;that are targeting Jewish students, according to a Statement from Moran's office.

The senators requested Attorney General Garland and Secretary Cardona provide an update on efforts to protect Jewish students by Wednesday, April 24.

“President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of anti-Semitism,”&nbsp;the senators wrote. “If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments.”

“Rioting violates federal law,”&nbsp;the senators wrote. “Violence or attempted violence against anyone because of their Jewish heritage violates federal law. School administrators’ failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination or harassment violates federal law and is grounds for those schools losing access to federal funds. Espousing support for terrorists such as Hamas violates federal immigration law and is grounds for deportation.”

Sen. Moran joined&nbsp;Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.),&nbsp;John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Full text of the letter may be found&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e/5/e5617560-bce0-4145-89d1-61f14b40fa60/1BFC1455170A0755AD531AF38ED50510.garland-letter2.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713893853332.jpeg" alt="The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)" />
 <figcaption>The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)</figcaption>
 </figure>Washington, D.C.&nbsp;— U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Tuesday joined 26 of his Senate Republican colleagues in&nbsp;calling on&nbsp;Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona&nbsp;to restore order to university campuses that have been effectively shut down by anti-Semitic&nbsp;groups&nbsp;that are targeting Jewish students, according to a Statement from Moran's office.The senators requested Attorney General Garland and Secretary Cardona provide an update on efforts to protect Jewish students by Wednesday, April 24.“President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of anti-Semitism,”&nbsp;the senators wrote. “If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments.”“Rioting violates federal law,”&nbsp;the senators wrote. “Violence or attempted violence against anyone because of their Jewish heritage violates federal law. School administrators’ failure to protect Jewish students from discrimination or harassment violates federal law and is grounds for those schools losing access to federal funds. Espousing support for terrorists such as Hamas violates federal immigration law and is grounds for deportation.”Sen. Moran joined&nbsp;Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.),&nbsp;John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).Full text of the letter may be found&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/e/5/e5617560-bce0-4145-89d1-61f14b40fa60/1BFC1455170A0755AD531AF38ED50510.garland-letter2.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;

Moran joins call for crack down on campus anti-semitism

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that’s expected to face legal challenges and disrupt the lives of content creators who rely on the short-form video app for income.

The TikTok legislation was included as part of a larger $95 billion package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel and was passed 79-18. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said in a statement immediately after passage that he will sign it Wednesday.

A decision made by House Republicans last week to attach the TikTok bill to the high-priority package helped expedite its passage in Congress and came after negotiations with the Senate, where an earlier version of the bill had stalled. That version had given TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, six months to divest its stakes in the platform. But it drew skepticism from some key lawmakers concerned it was too short of a window for a complex deal that could be worth tens of billions of dollars.

The revised legislation extends the deadline, giving ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok, and a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress. The bill would also bar the company from controlling TikTok’s secret sauce: the algorithm that feeds users videos based on their interests and has made the platform a trendsetting phenomenon.

TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday night.

The passage of the legislation is a culmination of long-held bipartisan fears in Washington over Chinese threats and the ownership of TikTok, which is used by 170 million Americans. For years, lawmakers and administration officials have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok.

“Congress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok or any other individual company," Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said. "Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.”

Opponents of the bill say the Chinese government could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through commercial data brokers that traffic in personal information. The foreign aid package includes a provision that makes it illegal for data brokers to sell or rent “personally identifiable sensitive data” to North Korea, China, Russia, Iran or entities in those countries. But it has encountered some pushback, including from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the language is written too broadly and could sweep in journalists and others who publish personal information.

Many opponents of the TikTok measure argue the best way to protect U.S. consumers is through implementing a comprehensive federal data privacy law that targets all companies regardless of their origin. They also note the U.S. has not provided public evidence that shows TikTok sharing U.S. user information with Chinese authorities, or that Chinese officials have ever tinkered with its algorithm.

“Banning TikTok would be an extraordinary step that requires extraordinary justification,” said Becca Branum, a deputy director at the Washington-based Center for Democracy &amp; Technology, which advocates for digital rights. “Extending the divestiture deadline neither justifies the urgency of the threat to the public nor addresses the legislation’s fundamental constitutional flaws.”

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat who voted for the legislation, said he has concerns about TikTok, but he's also worried the bill could have negative effects on free speech, doesn't do enough to protect consumer privacy and could potentially be abused by a future administration to violate First Amendment rights.

“I plan to watchdog how this legislation is implemented,” Wyden said in a statement.

China has previously said it would oppose a forced sale of TikTok, and has signaled its opposition this time around. TikTok, which has long denied it’s a security threat, is also preparing a lawsuit to block the legislation.

“At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge,” Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, wrote in a memo sent to employees on Saturday and obtained by The Associated Press.

“This is the beginning, not the end of this long process," Beckerman wrote.

The company has seen some success with court challenges in the past, but it has never sought to prevent federal legislation from going into effect.

In November,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/montana-tiktok-ban-25c561396e85fee8926309daf4ad4b4f">a federal judge blocked a Montana law</a>&nbsp;that would ban TikTok use across the state after the company and five content creators who use the platform sued. Three years before that, federal courts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-a526c144fad9f0ebc37bf2d49a97740a">blocked</a>&nbsp;an executive order issued by then-President Donald Trump to ban TikTok after the company sued on the grounds that the order violated free speech and due process rights.

The Trump administration then brokered a deal that had U.S. corporations Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok. But the sale never went through.

Trump, who is running for president again this year, now says he opposes the potential ban.

Since then, TikTok has been in negotiations about its future with the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a little-known government agency tasked with investigating corporate deals for national security concerns.

On Sunday, Erich Andersen, a top attorney for ByteDance who led talks with the U.S. government for years, told his team that he was stepping down from his role.

“As I started to reflect some months ago on the stresses of the last few years and the new generation of challenges that lie ahead, I decided that the time was right to pass the baton to a new leader,” Andersen wrote in an internal memo that was obtained by the AP. He said the decision to step down was entirely his and was decided months ago in a discussion with the company’s senior leaders.

Meanwhile, TikTok content creators who rely on the app have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-reaction-influencers-4ae88afbc344630b2c1091a4a1784078">trying to make their voices heard</a>. Earlier Tuesday, some creators congregated in front the Capitol building to speak out against the bill and carry signs that read “I’m 1 of the 170 million Americans on TikTok," among other things.

Tiffany Cianci, a content creator who has more than 140,000 followers on the platform and had encouraged people to show up, said she spent Monday night picking up creators from airports in the D.C. area. Some came from as far as Nevada and California. Others drove overnight from South Carolina or took a bus from upstate New York.

Cianci says she believes TikTok is the safest platform for users right now because of Project Texas, TikTok's $1.5 billion mitigation plan to store U.S. user data on servers owned and maintained by the tech giant Oracle.

“If our data is not safe on TikTok," she said. “I would ask&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-campaign-tiktok-young-voters-security-concerns-4fbb665f37d830fe9d950d614cb3810c">why the president is on TikTok</a>.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708714541315.png" alt="Image from President Biden's TikTok account" />
 <figcaption>Image from President Biden's TikTok account</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that’s expected to face legal challenges and disrupt the lives of content creators who rely on the short-form video app for income.The TikTok legislation was included as part of a larger $95 billion package that provides foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel and was passed 79-18. It now goes to President Joe Biden, who said in a statement immediately after passage that he will sign it Wednesday.A decision made by House Republicans last week to attach the TikTok bill to the high-priority package helped expedite its passage in Congress and came after negotiations with the Senate, where an earlier version of the bill had stalled. That version had given TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, six months to divest its stakes in the platform. But it drew skepticism from some key lawmakers concerned it was too short of a window for a complex deal that could be worth tens of billions of dollars.The revised legislation extends the deadline, giving ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok, and a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress. The bill would also bar the company from controlling TikTok’s secret sauce: the algorithm that feeds users videos based on their interests and has made the platform a trendsetting phenomenon.TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment Tuesday night.The passage of the legislation is a culmination of long-held bipartisan fears in Washington over Chinese threats and the ownership of TikTok, which is used by 170 million Americans. For years, lawmakers and administration officials have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content on TikTok.“Congress is not acting to punish ByteDance, TikTok or any other individual company," Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell said. "Congress is acting to prevent foreign adversaries from conducting espionage, surveillance, maligned operations, harming vulnerable Americans, our servicemen and women, and our U.S. government personnel.”Opponents of the bill say the Chinese government could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through commercial data brokers that traffic in personal information. The foreign aid package includes a provision that makes it illegal for data brokers to sell or rent “personally identifiable sensitive data” to North Korea, China, Russia, Iran or entities in those countries. But it has encountered some pushback, including from the American Civil Liberties Union, which says the language is written too broadly and could sweep in journalists and others who publish personal information.Many opponents of the TikTok measure argue the best way to protect U.S. consumers is through implementing a comprehensive federal data privacy law that targets all companies regardless of their origin. They also note the U.S. has not provided public evidence that shows TikTok sharing U.S. user information with Chinese authorities, or that Chinese officials have ever tinkered with its algorithm.“Banning TikTok would be an extraordinary step that requires extraordinary justification,” said Becca Branum, a deputy director at the Washington-based Center for Democracy &amp; Technology, which advocates for digital rights. “Extending the divestiture deadline neither justifies the urgency of the threat to the public nor addresses the legislation’s fundamental constitutional flaws.”Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat who voted for the legislation, said he has concerns about TikTok, but he's also worried the bill could have negative effects on free speech, doesn't do enough to protect consumer privacy and could potentially be abused by a future administration to violate First Amendment rights.“I plan to watchdog how this legislation is implemented,” Wyden said in a statement.China has previously said it would oppose a forced sale of TikTok, and has signaled its opposition this time around. TikTok, which has long denied it’s a security threat, is also preparing a lawsuit to block the legislation.“At the stage that the bill is signed, we will move to the courts for a legal challenge,” Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, wrote in a memo sent to employees on Saturday and obtained by The Associated Press.“This is the beginning, not the end of this long process," Beckerman wrote.The company has seen some success with court challenges in the past, but it has never sought to prevent federal legislation from going into effect.In November,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/montana-tiktok-ban-25c561396e85fee8926309daf4ad4b4f">a federal judge blocked a Montana law</a>&nbsp;that would ban TikTok use across the state after the company and five content creators who use the platform sued. Three years before that, federal courts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-courts-a526c144fad9f0ebc37bf2d49a97740a">blocked</a>&nbsp;an executive order issued by then-President Donald Trump to ban TikTok after the company sued on the grounds that the order violated free speech and due process rights.The Trump administration then brokered a deal that had U.S. corporations Oracle and Walmart take a large stake in TikTok. But the sale never went through.Trump, who is running for president again this year, now says he opposes the potential ban.Since then, TikTok has been in negotiations about its future with the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a little-known government agency tasked with investigating corporate deals for national security concerns.On Sunday, Erich Andersen, a top attorney for ByteDance who led talks with the U.S. government for years, told his team that he was stepping down from his role.“As I started to reflect some months ago on the stresses of the last few years and the new generation of challenges that lie ahead, I decided that the time was right to pass the baton to a new leader,” Andersen wrote in an internal memo that was obtained by the AP. He said the decision to step down was entirely his and was decided months ago in a discussion with the company’s senior leaders.Meanwhile, TikTok content creators who rely on the app have been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-reaction-influencers-4ae88afbc344630b2c1091a4a1784078">trying to make their voices heard</a>. Earlier Tuesday, some creators congregated in front the Capitol building to speak out against the bill and carry signs that read “I’m 1 of the 170 million Americans on TikTok," among other things.Tiffany Cianci, a content creator who has more than 140,000 followers on the platform and had encouraged people to show up, said she spent Monday night picking up creators from airports in the D.C. area. Some came from as far as Nevada and California. Others drove overnight from South Carolina or took a bus from upstate New York.Cianci says she believes TikTok is the safest platform for users right now because of Project Texas, TikTok's $1.5 billion mitigation plan to store U.S. user data on servers owned and maintained by the tech giant Oracle.“If our data is not safe on TikTok," she said. “I would ask&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-campaign-tiktok-young-voters-security-concerns-4fbb665f37d830fe9d950d614cb3810c">why the president is on TikTok</a>.”

Congress passes bill forcing TikTok to sell or face ban

MIAMI COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on multiple allegations after a weekend arrest.

&nbsp;Just after 6.m. Saturday, a landowner reported turkeys being poached off his property in rural Miami County, according to a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens.

The Miami County Sheriff's Office responded and located the vehicle. Game Warden Falls and K-9 Indy were notified and responded as well. 

Deputies and Game Warden Falls spoke with the two individuals at the scene and worked through a language barrier.&nbsp; The Game Warden seized two turkeys, one Tom and one Hen, three .22 rifles, and an air rifle.

The shooter was arrested for multiple wildlife violations. After the scene was cleared and everyone had left, Indy started into an area search for any more evidence. Shortly after that, another suspect came out of the woods with his hands up. 

That suspect was also arrested and taken to jail. Indy was sent back out to search and located another freshly dead hen turkey in the woods. Kansas Game Wardens are thankful for the observant landowner making the call and quick response by the Miami County Sheriff's Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713890763399.png" alt="Photos Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens" />
 <figcaption>Photos Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens</figcaption>
 </figure>MIAMI COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on multiple allegations after a weekend arrest.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713890739743.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Just after 6.m. Saturday, a landowner reported turkeys being poached off his property in rural Miami County, according to a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Game Wardens.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713890779089.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Miami County Sheriff's Office responded and located the vehicle. Game Warden Falls and K-9 Indy were notified and responded as well. Deputies and Game Warden Falls spoke with the two individuals at the scene and worked through a language barrier.&nbsp; The Game Warden seized two turkeys, one Tom and one Hen, three .22 rifles, and an air rifle.The shooter was arrested for multiple wildlife violations. After the scene was cleared and everyone had left, Indy started into an area search for any more evidence. Shortly after that, another suspect came out of the woods with his hands up. That suspect was also arrested and taken to jail. Indy was sent back out to search and located another freshly dead hen turkey in the woods. Kansas Game Wardens are thankful for the observant landowner making the call and quick response by the Miami County Sheriff's Office.

Kansas game warden's K9 finds hidden turkey poacher

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide near Kansas City International Airport.

Just before 11:30 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a hotel in the 11800 block of NW Plaza Circle, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

First responders found a man later identified as 38-year-old Jeremy Hills with gunshot wounds inside a room at the Orangewood Inn &amp; Suites.

A second man, also suffering from gunshots, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. A person of interest was taken into custody.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide near Kansas City International Airport.Just before 11:30 p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a hotel in the 11800 block of NW Plaza Circle, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'. First responders found a man later identified as 38-year-old Jeremy Hills with gunshot wounds inside a room at the Orangewood Inn &amp; Suites.A second man, also suffering from gunshots, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. A person of interest was taken into custody.&nbsp; Police released no additional details.

Homicide: Police ID victim found in KC airport area hotel room

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-gaza-taiwan-c0645ad3f47f9d919c8988a98593e887">$95 billion in war aid</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.

The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late Tuesday after the House had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;Saturday. Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran voted with the majority. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall and Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt voted against the bill.

Biden, who worked with congressional leaders to win support, is expected to quickly sign the legislation and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">start the process of sending weapons to Ukraine</a>, which has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-aid-package-5b2cfac8351bff94d8c1ead8704110a3">struggling to hold its front lines</a>&nbsp;against Russia. The legislation would also send $26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel and humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza, and $8 billion to counter Chinese threats in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. officials said about $1 billion of the aid could be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-pentagon-weapons-congress-54045b0755b1711d0e22beaedf137cab">on its way shortly</a>, with the bulk following in coming weeks.

In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that if Congress hadn’t passed the aid, “America would have paid a price economically, politically, militarily."

“Very few things we have done have risen to this level of historic importance,” he said.

On the Senate floor, Schumer said the Senate was sending a message to U.S. allies: “We will stand with you.”

Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made passage of the legislation a top priority, agreeing to tie the Ukraine and Israel aid to help ensure passage and arguing there could be dire consequences for the United States and many of its global allies if Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression is left unchecked. They worked with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, to overcome seemingly intractable Republican opposition to the Ukraine aid, in particular — eventually winning large majorities in both chambers.

McConnell said in a separate interview before the vote that it "is one of the biggest days in the time that I’ve been here.”

“At least on this episode, I think we turned the tables on the isolationists," McConnell said.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;in a series of four votes on Saturday, with the Ukraine portion passing 311-112.

The $61 billion for Ukraine comes as the war-torn country desperately needs new firepower and as Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his attacks. Ukrainian soldiers have struggled as Russia has seized the momentum on the battlefield and gained significant territory.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-national-security-aid-russia-b172cb344d5c7867ed1370246c863794">told</a>&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday the U.S. will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">send</a>&nbsp;badly needed air defense weaponry as soon as the legislation is passed.

“The President has assured me that the package will be approved quickly and that it will be powerful, strengthening our air defense as well as long-range and artillery capabilities,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Monday.

In an effort to gain more votes, Republicans in the House majority also added a bill to the foreign aid package that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-sale-china-congress-de12b4d22aa8095e62cb0982a6e62235">could ban the social media app TikTok</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. if its Chinese owners do not sell their stake within a year. That legislation had wide bipartisan support in both chambers.

The TikTok bill was one of several tweaks Johnson to the package the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-5fdcf8cb1964681dcce0f4fe7b9a0f86">Senate passed in February</a>&nbsp;as he tried to move the bill through the House despite significant opposition within his conference. Other additions include a stipulation that $9 billion of the economic assistance to Ukraine is in the form of “forgivable loans"; provisions that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; and bills to impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime hawk who voted against the foreign aid package in February because it wasn’t paired with legislation to stem migration at the border, was one of the Republicans who switched their votes. “If we don't help Ukraine now, this war will spread, and Americans who are not involved will be involved,” Graham said.

The package has had broad congressional support since Biden first requested the money last summer. But congressional leaders had to navigate strong opposition from a growing number of conservatives who question U.S. involvement in foreign wars and argue that Congress should be focused instead on the surge of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican who is a close ally to Donald Trump, said that despite the strong showing of support for funding Ukraine’s defense, opposition is growing among Republicans.

“The United States is spread too thin," Vance said, "And that that argument I think, is winning the American people and it’s slowly winning the Senate, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”

The growing fault line in the GOP between those conservatives who are skeptical of the aid and the more traditional, “Reagan Republicans" who strongly support it may prove to be career-defining for the two top Republican leaders.

McConnell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-ukraine-republicans-senate-c5217d686c85837d2b9708aa197843f9">who has made the Ukraine aid a top priority</a>, said last month that he would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366">step down from leadership</a>&nbsp;after becoming increasingly distanced from many in his conference on the Ukraine aid and other issues. Johnson, who said he put the bills on the floor after praying for guidance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">faces threats of an ouster</a>&nbsp;after a majority of Republicans voted against the aid to Ukraine.

Johnson said after House passage that “we did our work here, and I think history will judge it well."

Opponents in the Senate, like the House, included some left-wing senators who are opposed to aiding Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bombarded Gaza and killed thousands of civilians. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, voted against the package.

“We must end our complicity in this terrible war,” Sanders said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713922038193.png" alt="Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (center right) on the Senate floor during the vote count Tuesday night-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (center right) on the Senate floor during the vote count Tuesday night-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-gaza-taiwan-c0645ad3f47f9d919c8988a98593e887">$95 billion in war aid</a>&nbsp;to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late Tuesday after the House had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;Saturday. Kansas U.S. Senator Jerry Moran voted with the majority. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall and Missouri Senators Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt voted against the bill.Biden, who worked with congressional leaders to win support, is expected to quickly sign the legislation and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">start the process of sending weapons to Ukraine</a>, which has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-us-aid-package-5b2cfac8351bff94d8c1ead8704110a3">struggling to hold its front lines</a>&nbsp;against Russia. The legislation would also send $26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel and humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza, and $8 billion to counter Chinese threats in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713922352534.png" alt="During a weekend meeting in Ukraine, Massachusetts Congressman Will Keating showing President Zelenskyy the members of the House who approved the $60 Billion in funding.-courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>During a weekend meeting in Ukraine, Massachusetts Congressman Will Keating showing President Zelenskyy the members of the House who approved the $60 Billion in funding.-courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tonight I will vote against sending an additional $60 billion to Ukraine. No more blank checks. <a href="https://t.co/TaDkwDhJPi">pic.twitter.com/TaDkwDhJPi</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1782929534968308141?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>U.S. officials said about $1 billion of the aid could be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-pentagon-weapons-congress-54045b0755b1711d0e22beaedf137cab">on its way shortly</a>, with the bulk following in coming weeks.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The challenges we face will not resolve themselves &amp; the preservation of freedom requires enormous effort. Today we have an opportunity to deliver on that effort – to live up to our responsibilities as Americans; to be a steadfast and reliable partner.&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1782901299861733670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In an interview with The Associated Press shortly before the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that if Congress hadn’t passed the aid, “America would have paid a price economically, politically, militarily."“Very few things we have done have risen to this level of historic importance,” he said.On the Senate floor, Schumer said the Senate was sending a message to U.S. allies: “We will stand with you.”Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made passage of the legislation a top priority, agreeing to tie the Ukraine and Israel aid to help ensure passage and arguing there could be dire consequences for the United States and many of its global allies if Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression is left unchecked. They worked with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, to overcome seemingly intractable Republican opposition to the Ukraine aid, in particular — eventually winning large majorities in both chambers.McConnell said in a separate interview before the vote that it "is one of the biggest days in the time that I’ve been here.”“At least on this episode, I think we turned the tables on the isolationists," McConnell said.The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">approved the package</a>&nbsp;in a series of four votes on Saturday, with the Ukraine portion passing 311-112.The $61 billion for Ukraine comes as the war-torn country desperately needs new firepower and as Russian President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his attacks. Ukrainian soldiers have struggled as Russia has seized the momentum on the battlefield and gained significant territory.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Biden</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-national-security-aid-russia-b172cb344d5c7867ed1370246c863794">told</a>&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday the U.S. will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-weapons-russia-congress-aid-a28f463da6df2f144e3bbdbf47254ece">send</a>&nbsp;badly needed air defense weaponry as soon as the legislation is passed.“The President has assured me that the package will be approved quickly and that it will be powerful, strengthening our air defense as well as long-range and artillery capabilities,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Monday.In an effort to gain more votes, Republicans in the House majority also added a bill to the foreign aid package that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-us-ban-sale-china-congress-de12b4d22aa8095e62cb0982a6e62235">could ban the social media app TikTok</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. if its Chinese owners do not sell their stake within a year. That legislation had wide bipartisan support in both chambers.The TikTok bill was one of several tweaks Johnson to the package the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-congress-senate-5fdcf8cb1964681dcce0f4fe7b9a0f86">Senate passed in February</a>&nbsp;as he tried to move the bill through the House despite significant opposition within his conference. Other additions include a stipulation that $9 billion of the economic assistance to Ukraine is in the form of “forgivable loans"; provisions that allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; and bills to impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl.South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime hawk who voted against the foreign aid package in February because it wasn’t paired with legislation to stem migration at the border, was one of the Republicans who switched their votes. “If we don't help Ukraine now, this war will spread, and Americans who are not involved will be involved,” Graham said.The package has had broad congressional support since Biden first requested the money last summer. But congressional leaders had to navigate strong opposition from a growing number of conservatives who question U.S. involvement in foreign wars and argue that Congress should be focused instead on the surge of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a Republican who is a close ally to Donald Trump, said that despite the strong showing of support for funding Ukraine’s defense, opposition is growing among Republicans.“The United States is spread too thin," Vance said, "And that that argument I think, is winning the American people and it’s slowly winning the Senate, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”The growing fault line in the GOP between those conservatives who are skeptical of the aid and the more traditional, “Reagan Republicans" who strongly support it may prove to be career-defining for the two top Republican leaders.McConnell,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcconnell-ukraine-republicans-senate-c5217d686c85837d2b9708aa197843f9">who has made the Ukraine aid a top priority</a>, said last month that he would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down-ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366">step down from leadership</a>&nbsp;after becoming increasingly distanced from many in his conference on the Ukraine aid and other issues. Johnson, who said he put the bills on the floor after praying for guidance,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">faces threats of an ouster</a>&nbsp;after a majority of Republicans voted against the aid to Ukraine.Johnson said after House passage that “we did our work here, and I think history will judge it well."Opponents in the Senate, like the House, included some left-wing senators who are opposed to aiding Israel as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bombarded Gaza and killed thousands of civilians. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, voted against the package.“We must end our complicity in this terrible war,” Sanders said.

Moran yes, Marshall no: Senate Oks $95B aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

HUTCHINSON — A 61-year-old man is dead after being struck by a train Tuesday afternoon in Hutchinson.

Just before 2p.m. Tuesday police and Hutchinson Fire Department and Reno County EMS, responded to Avenue D and Washington Street in reference to a train versus pedestrian incident, according to a media release from&nbsp;Hutchinson Police Department.

First responders found Daniel L Raya injured on the railroad tracks. Officers attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful. Raya was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713899902793.jpeg" alt="A train blocking Main Street between the Frank Hart Crossing and Avenue A on Tuesday afternoon, April 23, 2024. Photo by Nick Gosnell." />
 <figcaption>A train blocking Main Street between the Frank Hart Crossing and Avenue A on Tuesday afternoon, April 23, 2024. Photo by Nick Gosnell.</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON — A 61-year-old man is dead after being struck by a train Tuesday afternoon in Hutchinson.Just before 2p.m. Tuesday police and Hutchinson Fire Department and Reno County EMS, responded to Avenue D and Washington Street in reference to a train versus pedestrian incident, according to a media release from&nbsp;Hutchinson Police Department.First responders found Daniel L Raya injured on the railroad tracks. Officers attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful. Raya was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel.

Man dies after struck by train in Hutchinson

DOUGLAS COUNTY - A Kansas pleaded no contest Friday to two counts of aggravated endangering of a child, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.

The charges against 26-year-old Lukas Armstrong of Baldwin City stemmed from an incident that occurred on September 13, 2019, when officers from the Lawrence Kansas Police Department were called to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Overland Park in relation to a two-year-old patient. Findings from the child’s exam were reported as being indicative of violent child abuse. Armstrong, who had often provided child care to the child, was the boyfriend of the child’s mother at the time.&nbsp;

“The safety of our youngest community members must always be a top priority,” District Attorney Valdez said. “As we observe National Child Abuse Awareness Month, we as a community must raise awareness, help children heal and continue to hold perpetrators accountable.”

Armstrong faces between 5 months to a maximum of 17 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for each conviction, according to Valdez.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713619394791.png" alt="Armstrong-photo Douglas County" />
 <figcaption>Armstrong-photo Douglas County</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY - A Kansas pleaded no contest Friday to two counts of aggravated endangering of a child, according to&nbsp;Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez.The charges against 26-year-old Lukas Armstrong of Baldwin City stemmed from an incident that occurred on September 13, 2019, when officers from the Lawrence Kansas Police Department were called to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Overland Park in relation to a two-year-old patient. Findings from the child’s exam were reported as being indicative of violent child abuse. Armstrong, who had often provided child care to the child, was the boyfriend of the child’s mother at the time.&nbsp;“The safety of our youngest community members must always be a top priority,” District Attorney Valdez said. “As we observe National Child Abuse Awareness Month, we as a community must raise awareness, help children heal and continue to hold perpetrators accountable.”Armstrong faces between 5 months to a maximum of 17 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for each conviction, according to Valdez.

Kan. man enters plea for child abuse of girlfriend's toddler

NEW YORK (AP) — A veteran tabloid publisher testified Tuesday that he pledged to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s “eyes and ears" during his 2016 presidential campaign, recounting how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress harmful stories and even arranged to purchase the silence of a doorman.

<a href="https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/transcripts/P.v%20Trump%20Transcript%20042244.pdf">Click here to read the </a>transcript of Day 1 in the historic Trump trial

The testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/david-pecker">David Pecker</a>&nbsp;was designed to bolster the prosecution's premise of a decades-long friendship between Trump and the former publisher of the National Enquirer that culminated in an agreement to give the candidate's lawyer a heads-up on negative tips and stories so they could be quashed.

The effort to suppress unflattering information was designed to illegally influence the election, prosecutors have alleged in striving to elevate the gravity of the first trial of a former American president and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">first of four criminal cases</a>&nbsp;against Trump to reach a jury.

Pecker is the first witness against Trump, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments meant to prevent harmful stories from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign.

With Trump sitting just feet away in the courtroom, Pecker detailed his intimate, behind-the-scenes involvement in Trump's rise from political novice to the Republican nomination and the White House. He explained how he and the National Enquirer parlayed rumor-mongering into splashy tabloid stories that smeared Trump's opponents and, just as crucially, leveraged his connections to suppress seamy stories about Trump, including a porn actor's claim of an extramarital sexual encounter a decade earlier.

Pecker traced the origins of their relationship to a 1980s meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and said the friendship bloomed alongside the success of the real estate developer's TV show “The Apprentice" and the program's subsequent celebrity version.

Their ties were solidified during a pivotal August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower involving Trump, his lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen, and another aide, Hope Hicks, in which Pecker was asked what he and the publications he led could do for the campaign.

Pecker said he volunteered to publish positive stories about Trump and negative stories about his opponents. But that wasn't all, he said, telling jurors how he told Trump: “I will be your eyes and ears.”

“I said that anything I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself, or if I hear about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen," so that the rights could be purchased and the stories could be killed.

“So they would not get published?” asked prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.

“So they would not get published,” Pecker replied.

To illustrate their point, prosecutors displayed a screenshot of various flattering headlines the National Enquirer published about Trump, including “Donald Dominates!’ and “World Exclusive: The Donald Trump Nobody Knows.” The jury was also shown disparaging and outlandish stories about Trump's opponents, including surgeon Ben Carson and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.

Pecker painted Cohen as a shadow editor of the National Enquirer’s pro-Trump coverage, directing the tabloid to go after whichever Republican candidate was gaining momentum.

“I would receive a call from Michael Cohen, and he would direct me and direct Dylan Howard which candidate and which direction we should go,” Pecker said, referring to the tabloid's then-editor.

Pecker said he underscored to Howard that the agreement with the Trump operation was “highly, highly confidential.” He said he wanted the tabloid’s bureau chiefs to be on the lookout for any stories involving Trump and said he wanted them to verify the stories before alerting Cohen.

“I did not want anyone else to know this agreement I had and what I wanted to do,” the ex-publisher added.

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to his role in the hush money payments. He was once a confidant of Trump's, but their relationship deteriorated in spectacular fashion. Cohen is expected to be a star government witness, and he routinely posts profane broadsides against Trump on social media.

Trump's lawyers are expected to make attacks on Cohen's credibility a foundation of their defense, but in opening with Pecker, prosecutors hoped to focus attention on a witness with a less volatile backstory. Besides maintaining that Trump is innocent, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors that Cohen cannot be trusted and has “an obsession with getting Trump.”

Pecker's testimony Tuesday followed a hearing earlier in the day in which prosecutors urged Judge Juan M. Merchan to hold Trump in contempt and fine him $1,000 for each of 10 social media posts that they say violated an earlier gag order barring attacks on witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case.

Merchan did not immediately rule, but he seemed skeptical of defense arguments that Trump was merely responding in his posts to others' attacks and had been trying to comply with the order.

Prosecutors allege that Trump sought to illegally influence the 2016 race through a practice known in the tabloid industry as “catch-and-kill” — catching a potentially damaging story by buying the rights to it and then killing it through agreements that prevent the paid person from telling the story to anyone else.

In this case, that included a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to silence her claims of an extramarital sexual encounter that Trump denies. Prosecutors also described other arrangements, including one that paid a former Playboy model $150,000 to suppress claims of a nearly yearlong affair with the married Trump, which Trump also denies.

In another instance, Pecker recounted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-united-states-government-f37ecfc4710b468db6a103a245146172">$30,000</a>&nbsp;payment from the National Enquirer to a Trump Tower doorman for the rights to a rumor that Trump had fathered a child with an employee at Trump World Tower. The tabloid concluded the story was not true, and the woman and Trump have denied the allegations.

As Pecker described receiving the tip in court, Trump shook his head.

Pecker said upon hearing the rumor, he immediately called Cohen, who said it was “absolutely not true” but that he would look into whether the people involved had indeed worked for Trump’s company.

“I made the decision to purchase the story because of the potential embarrassment it had to the campaign and to Mr. Trump,” Pecker said.

In response to the prosecutor’s question about who he understood the boss to be, Pecker replied: “Donald Trump.”

Explaining why he decided to have the National Enquirer foot the bill, Pecker testified: “This was going to be a very big story. I believe it was important that this story be removed from the marketplace.”

If he published the story, Pecker said it would be “probably the biggest sale of the National Enquirer since the death of Elvis Presley.”

Jurors viewed an internal Enquirer email and invoice describing the payments to the doorman to kill his story. One document describes the funds coming from the publication’s “corporate” account. An invoice references an “immediate” $30,000 bank transfer payment for “‘Trump’ non-published story.”

Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">34 felony counts</a>&nbsp;arise from reimbursements that prosecutors say Trump's company made to Cohen for hush money payments and that were falsely recorded as legal expenses.

The charges are punishable by up to four years in prison, though it’s unclear whether Merchan would seek to put him behind bars. A conviction would not preclude Trump from becoming president again, but because it is a state case, he would not be able to pardon himself if found guilty. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713921168558.png" alt="AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)" />
 <figcaption>AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, Pool)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — A veteran tabloid publisher testified Tuesday that he pledged to be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;'s “eyes and ears" during his 2016 presidential campaign, recounting how he promised the then-candidate that he would help suppress harmful stories and even arranged to purchase the silence of a doorman.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713916840023.png" alt="-The court system is taking the&nbsp;novel step of posting the daily transcripts of the trial proceedings. The transcript for each day is available before the end of the following business day." />
 <figcaption>-The court system is taking the&nbsp;novel step of posting the daily transcripts of the trial proceedings. The transcript for each day is available before the end of the following business day.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/transcripts/P.v%20Trump%20Transcript%20042244.pdf">Click here to read the </a>transcript of Day 1 in the historic Trump trialThe testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/david-pecker">David Pecker</a>&nbsp;was designed to bolster the prosecution's premise of a decades-long friendship between Trump and the former publisher of the National Enquirer that culminated in an agreement to give the candidate's lawyer a heads-up on negative tips and stories so they could be quashed.The effort to suppress unflattering information was designed to illegally influence the election, prosecutors have alleged in striving to elevate the gravity of the first trial of a former American president and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/">first of four criminal cases</a>&nbsp;against Trump to reach a jury.Pecker is the first witness against Trump, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments meant to prevent harmful stories from surfacing in the final days of the 2016 campaign.With Trump sitting just feet away in the courtroom, Pecker detailed his intimate, behind-the-scenes involvement in Trump's rise from political novice to the Republican nomination and the White House. He explained how he and the National Enquirer parlayed rumor-mongering into splashy tabloid stories that smeared Trump's opponents and, just as crucially, leveraged his connections to suppress seamy stories about Trump, including a porn actor's claim of an extramarital sexual encounter a decade earlier.Pecker traced the origins of their relationship to a 1980s meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and said the friendship bloomed alongside the success of the real estate developer's TV show “The Apprentice" and the program's subsequent celebrity version.Their ties were solidified during a pivotal August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower involving Trump, his lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen, and another aide, Hope Hicks, in which Pecker was asked what he and the publications he led could do for the campaign.Pecker said he volunteered to publish positive stories about Trump and negative stories about his opponents. But that wasn't all, he said, telling jurors how he told Trump: “I will be your eyes and ears.”“I said that anything I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself, or if I hear about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen," so that the rights could be purchased and the stories could be killed.“So they would not get published?” asked prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.“So they would not get published,” Pecker replied.To illustrate their point, prosecutors displayed a screenshot of various flattering headlines the National Enquirer published about Trump, including “Donald Dominates!’ and “World Exclusive: The Donald Trump Nobody Knows.” The jury was also shown disparaging and outlandish stories about Trump's opponents, including surgeon Ben Carson and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.Pecker painted Cohen as a shadow editor of the National Enquirer’s pro-Trump coverage, directing the tabloid to go after whichever Republican candidate was gaining momentum.“I would receive a call from Michael Cohen, and he would direct me and direct Dylan Howard which candidate and which direction we should go,” Pecker said, referring to the tabloid's then-editor.Pecker said he underscored to Howard that the agreement with the Trump operation was “highly, highly confidential.” He said he wanted the tabloid’s bureau chiefs to be on the lookout for any stories involving Trump and said he wanted them to verify the stories before alerting Cohen.“I did not want anyone else to know this agreement I had and what I wanted to do,” the ex-publisher added.Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to his role in the hush money payments. He was once a confidant of Trump's, but their relationship deteriorated in spectacular fashion. Cohen is expected to be a star government witness, and he routinely posts profane broadsides against Trump on social media.Trump's lawyers are expected to make attacks on Cohen's credibility a foundation of their defense, but in opening with Pecker, prosecutors hoped to focus attention on a witness with a less volatile backstory. Besides maintaining that Trump is innocent, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors that Cohen cannot be trusted and has “an obsession with getting Trump.”Pecker's testimony Tuesday followed a hearing earlier in the day in which prosecutors urged Judge Juan M. Merchan to hold Trump in contempt and fine him $1,000 for each of 10 social media posts that they say violated an earlier gag order barring attacks on witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case.Merchan did not immediately rule, but he seemed skeptical of defense arguments that Trump was merely responding in his posts to others' attacks and had been trying to comply with the order.Prosecutors allege that Trump sought to illegally influence the 2016 race through a practice known in the tabloid industry as “catch-and-kill” — catching a potentially damaging story by buying the rights to it and then killing it through agreements that prevent the paid person from telling the story to anyone else.In this case, that included a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to silence her claims of an extramarital sexual encounter that Trump denies. Prosecutors also described other arrangements, including one that paid a former Playboy model $150,000 to suppress claims of a nearly yearlong affair with the married Trump, which Trump also denies.In another instance, Pecker recounted a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-united-states-government-f37ecfc4710b468db6a103a245146172">$30,000</a>&nbsp;payment from the National Enquirer to a Trump Tower doorman for the rights to a rumor that Trump had fathered a child with an employee at Trump World Tower. The tabloid concluded the story was not true, and the woman and Trump have denied the allegations.As Pecker described receiving the tip in court, Trump shook his head.Pecker said upon hearing the rumor, he immediately called Cohen, who said it was “absolutely not true” but that he would look into whether the people involved had indeed worked for Trump’s company.“I made the decision to purchase the story because of the potential embarrassment it had to the campaign and to Mr. Trump,” Pecker said.In response to the prosecutor’s question about who he understood the boss to be, Pecker replied: “Donald Trump.”Explaining why he decided to have the National Enquirer foot the bill, Pecker testified: “This was going to be a very big story. I believe it was important that this story be removed from the marketplace.”If he published the story, Pecker said it would be “probably the biggest sale of the National Enquirer since the death of Elvis Presley.”Jurors viewed an internal Enquirer email and invoice describing the payments to the doorman to kill his story. One document describes the funds coming from the publication’s “corporate” account. An invoice references an “immediate” $30,000 bank transfer payment for “‘Trump’ non-published story.”Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">34 felony counts</a>&nbsp;arise from reimbursements that prosecutors say Trump's company made to Cohen for hush money payments and that were falsely recorded as legal expenses.The charges are punishable by up to four years in prison, though it’s unclear whether Merchan would seek to put him behind bars. A conviction would not preclude Trump from becoming president again, but because it is a state case, he would not be able to pardon himself if found guilty. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.___Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.___

Read transcript: Day 1 of historic Trump civil trial

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities have served a search warrant on a&nbsp; residence in the 400 block of East 6th Street in Holton Tuesday in connection with a cold case investigation, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.

The search warrant stems from a missing person investigation and an investigation into the death of another person.&nbsp; Russian immigrant Yulia Shevtensko Larrison went missing in 2001 and Elena Kristova Larrison, also a Russian immigrant, was killed in a reported accident in Holton in 2006.

 The incidents were previously investigated by the Holton Police Department.&nbsp; The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office re-opened investigations concerning both incidents in 2019.&nbsp; At this time, no arrests have been made.

If anyone has any information regarding either of these two incidents, they are asked to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 785-364-2251 or the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME.&nbsp; Anonymous tips can be submitted online at https:www.kbi.ks.gov/sar

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713901671162.png" alt="-Yulia Shevtensko Larrison went missing in 2001-photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>-Yulia Shevtensko Larrison went missing in 2001-photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities have served a search warrant on a&nbsp; residence in the 400 block of East 6th Street in Holton Tuesday in connection with a cold case investigation, according to Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse.The search warrant stems from a missing person investigation and an investigation into the death of another person.&nbsp; Russian immigrant Yulia Shevtensko Larrison went missing in 2001 and Elena Kristova Larrison, also a Russian immigrant, was killed in a reported accident in Holton in 2006. The incidents were previously investigated by the Holton Police Department.&nbsp; The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office re-opened investigations concerning both incidents in 2019.&nbsp; At this time, no arrests have been made.If anyone has any information regarding either of these two incidents, they are asked to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 785-364-2251 or the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME.&nbsp; Anonymous tips can be submitted online at https:www.kbi.ks.gov/sar

Search warrant served in connection with Kansas cold case killing

FTC’s final rule will generate over 8,500 new businesses each year, raise worker wages, lower health care costs, and boost innovation

WASHINGTON —The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/noncompete-rule.pdf">issued a final rule</a>&nbsp;to promote competition by banning noncompetes nationwide, protecting the fundamental freedom of workers to change jobs, increasing innovation, and fostering new business formation, according to a statement from the agency.

“Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market.”

The FTC estimates that the final rule banning noncompetes will lead to new business formation growing by 2.7% per year, resulting in more than 8,500 additional new businesses created each year. The final rule is expected to result in higher earnings for workers, with estimated earnings increasing for the average worker by an additional $524 per year, and it is expected to lower health care costs by up to $194 billion over the next decade. In addition, the final rule is expected to help drive innovation, leading to an estimated average increase of 17,000 to 29,000 more patents each year for the next 10 years under the final rule.

Noncompetes are a widespread and often exploitative practice imposing contractual conditions that prevent workers from taking a new job or starting a new business. Noncompetes often force workers to either stay in a job they want to leave or bear other significant harms and costs, such as being forced to switch to a lower-paying field, being forced to relocate, being forced to leave the workforce altogether, or being forced to defend against expensive litigation. An estimated 30 million workers—nearly one in five Americans—are subject to a noncompete.

Under the FTC’s new rule, existing noncompetes for the vast majority of workers will no longer be enforceable after the rule’s effective date.&nbsp;Existing noncompetes for senior executives - who represent less than 0.75% of workers - can remain in force under the FTC’s final rule, but employers are banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives.&nbsp;Employers will be required to provide notice to workers other than senior executives who are bound by an existing noncompete that they will not be enforcing any noncompetes against them.

In January 2023, the FTC issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/01/ftc-proposes-rule-ban-noncompete-clauses-which-hurt-workers-harm-competition">proposed rule</a>&nbsp;which was subject to a 90-day public comment period. The FTC received more than 26,000 comments on the proposed rule, with over 25,000 comments in support of the FTC’s proposed ban on noncompetes. The comments informed the FTC’s final rulemaking process, with the FTC carefully reviewing each comment and making changes to the proposed rule in response to the public’s feedback.

In the final rule, the Commission has determined that it is an unfair method of competition, and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers and to enforce certain noncompetes.

The Commission found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in labor markets by inhibiting efficient matching between workers and employers. The Commission also found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in product and service markets, inhibiting new business formation and innovation. There is also evidence that noncompetes lead to increased market concentration and higher prices for consumers.

The Commission found that employers have several alternatives to noncompetes that still enable firms to protect their investments without having to enforce a noncompete.

Trade secret laws and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) both provide employers with well-established means to protect proprietary and other sensitive information. Researchers estimate that over 95% of workers with a noncompete already have an NDA.

The Commission also finds that instead of using noncompetes to lock in workers, employers that wish to retain employees can compete on the merits for the worker’s labor services by improving wages and working conditions.

Under the final rule, existing noncompetes for senior executives can remain in force. Employers, however, are prohibited from entering into or enforcing new noncompetes with senior executives. The final rule defines senior executives as workers earning more than $151,164 annually and who are in policy-making positions.

Additionally, the Commission has eliminated a provision in the proposed rule that would have required employers to legally modify existing noncompetes by formally rescinding them. That change will help to streamline compliance.

Instead, under the final rule, employers will simply have to provide notice to workers bound to an existing noncompete that the noncompete agreement will not be enforced against them in the future. To aid employers’ compliance with this requirement, the Commission has included<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/noncompete-rule">&nbsp;model language</a>&nbsp;in the final rule that employers can use to communicate to workers.&nbsp;

The Commission vote to approve the issuance of the final rule was 3-2 with Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Andrew N. Ferguson voting no. Commissioners’ written statements will follow at a later date.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;final rule will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register.

Once the rule is effective, market participants can report information about a suspected violation of the rule to the Bureau of Competition by emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:noncompete@ftc.gov">noncompete@ftc.gov</a>.&nbsp;

The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/office-policy-planning">develops policy initiatives</a>&nbsp;on issues that affect competition, consumers, and the U.S. economy. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize.&nbsp;Follow the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected/social-media">FTC on social media</a>, read&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts">consumer alerts</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog">business blog</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected">sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713903059519.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTC’s final rule will generate over 8,500 new businesses each year, raise worker wages, lower health care costs, and boost innovationWASHINGTON —The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/noncompete-rule.pdf">issued a final rule</a>&nbsp;to promote competition by banning noncompetes nationwide, protecting the fundamental freedom of workers to change jobs, increasing innovation, and fostering new business formation, according to a statement from the agency.“Noncompete clauses keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism, including from the more than 8,500 new startups that would be created a year once noncompetes are banned,” said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. “The FTC’s final rule to ban noncompetes will ensure Americans have the freedom to pursue a new job, start a new business, or bring a new idea to market.”The FTC estimates that the final rule banning noncompetes will lead to new business formation growing by 2.7% per year, resulting in more than 8,500 additional new businesses created each year. The final rule is expected to result in higher earnings for workers, with estimated earnings increasing for the average worker by an additional $524 per year, and it is expected to lower health care costs by up to $194 billion over the next decade. In addition, the final rule is expected to help drive innovation, leading to an estimated average increase of 17,000 to 29,000 more patents each year for the next 10 years under the final rule.Noncompetes are a widespread and often exploitative practice imposing contractual conditions that prevent workers from taking a new job or starting a new business. Noncompetes often force workers to either stay in a job they want to leave or bear other significant harms and costs, such as being forced to switch to a lower-paying field, being forced to relocate, being forced to leave the workforce altogether, or being forced to defend against expensive litigation. An estimated 30 million workers—nearly one in five Americans—are subject to a noncompete.Under the FTC’s new rule, existing noncompetes for the vast majority of workers will no longer be enforceable after the rule’s effective date.&nbsp;Existing noncompetes for senior executives - who represent less than 0.75% of workers - can remain in force under the FTC’s final rule, but employers are banned from entering into or attempting to enforce any new noncompetes, even if they involve senior executives.&nbsp;Employers will be required to provide notice to workers other than senior executives who are bound by an existing noncompete that they will not be enforcing any noncompetes against them.In January 2023, the FTC issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/01/ftc-proposes-rule-ban-noncompete-clauses-which-hurt-workers-harm-competition">proposed rule</a>&nbsp;which was subject to a 90-day public comment period. The FTC received more than 26,000 comments on the proposed rule, with over 25,000 comments in support of the FTC’s proposed ban on noncompetes. The comments informed the FTC’s final rulemaking process, with the FTC carefully reviewing each comment and making changes to the proposed rule in response to the public’s feedback.In the final rule, the Commission has determined that it is an unfair method of competition, and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers and to enforce certain noncompetes.The Commission found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in labor markets by inhibiting efficient matching between workers and employers. The Commission also found that noncompetes tend to negatively affect competitive conditions in product and service markets, inhibiting new business formation and innovation. There is also evidence that noncompetes lead to increased market concentration and higher prices for consumers.<h2>Alternatives to Noncompetes</h2>The Commission found that employers have several alternatives to noncompetes that still enable firms to protect their investments without having to enforce a noncompete.Trade secret laws and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) both provide employers with well-established means to protect proprietary and other sensitive information. Researchers estimate that over 95% of workers with a noncompete already have an NDA.The Commission also finds that instead of using noncompetes to lock in workers, employers that wish to retain employees can compete on the merits for the worker’s labor services by improving wages and working conditions.<h2>Changes from the NPRM</h2>Under the final rule, existing noncompetes for senior executives can remain in force. Employers, however, are prohibited from entering into or enforcing new noncompetes with senior executives. The final rule defines senior executives as workers earning more than $151,164 annually and who are in policy-making positions.Additionally, the Commission has eliminated a provision in the proposed rule that would have required employers to legally modify existing noncompetes by formally rescinding them. That change will help to streamline compliance.Instead, under the final rule, employers will simply have to provide notice to workers bound to an existing noncompete that the noncompete agreement will not be enforced against them in the future. To aid employers’ compliance with this requirement, the Commission has included<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/noncompete-rule">&nbsp;model language</a>&nbsp;in the final rule that employers can use to communicate to workers.&nbsp;The Commission vote to approve the issuance of the final rule was 3-2 with Commissioners Melissa Holyoak and Andrew N. Ferguson voting no. Commissioners’ written statements will follow at a later date.&nbsp;The&nbsp;final rule will become effective 120 days after publication in the Federal Register.Once the rule is effective, market participants can report information about a suspected violation of the rule to the Bureau of Competition by emailing&nbsp;<a href="mailto:noncompete@ftc.gov">noncompete@ftc.gov</a>.&nbsp;The Federal Trade Commission&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/office-policy-planning">develops policy initiatives</a>&nbsp;on issues that affect competition, consumers, and the U.S. economy. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize.&nbsp;Follow the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected/social-media">FTC on social media</a>, read&nbsp;<a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts">consumer alerts</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog">business blog</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/stay-connected">sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts</a>.

New federal rule bans companies from enforcing noncompete agreements

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.&nbsp;

Just after 4:00p.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting in the 2700 block of Quincy, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

First responders located a victim in his late teens or early 20s in the street suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. Police have not reported suspect information or identified the victim.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713832575590.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.&nbsp;Just after 4:00p.m. Monday, police responded to a shooting in the 2700 block of Quincy, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.First responders located a victim in his late teens or early 20s in the street suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead. Police have not reported suspect information or identified the victim.

KCPD: Man found with fatal gunshot wound in the street 

Minnetonka, Minnesota (AP) —UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-cyberattack-hospitals-pharmacy-alphv-unitedhealthcare-521347eb9e8490dad695a7824ed11c41">the cyberattack</a>&nbsp;earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business.

The company said Monday after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify people who were affected.

UnitedHealth did say that some screen shots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.

The company is still monitoring the internet and dark web and said there has been no addition file publication. It has started&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/health-data-breach.html">a website</a>&nbsp;to answer questions and a call center. But the company said it won’t be able to offer specifics on the impact to individual data.

The company also is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for people affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-business-minnesota-us-department-of-justice-55f01b05097e6e57716d6263275a5e3d">that closed in 2022</a>&nbsp;after surviving a challenge from federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-us-department-of-justice-18499bf074c30f1d89fe0c26ca2e7b13">had sued earlier that year</a>&nbsp;to block the deal, arguing that it would hurt competition by putting too much information about health care claims in the hands of one company.

UnitedHealth said in February that a ransomware group had gained access to some of the systems of its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims.

The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor’s offices and health care systems.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-healthcare-cyberattack-federal-government-hhs-88ac99fc0c62e69dc60fc5c39682e859">Federal civil rights investigators</a>&nbsp;are already looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack.

UnitedHealth said Monday that it was still restoring services disrupted by the attack. It has been focused first on restoring those that affect patient access to care or medication.

The company said both pharmacy services and medical claims were back to near normal levels. It said payment process was back to about 86% of pre-attack levels.

UnitedHealth said last week when it reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-change-cyberattack-first-quarter-076a2bcbf0db3b5e6c4ffa27589c3692">first-quarter results</a>&nbsp;that the company has provided more than $6 billion in advance funding and interest-free loans to health care providers affected by the attack.

UnitedHealth took an $872 million hit from from the cyberattack in the first quarter, and company officials said that could grow beyond $1.5 billion for the year.

Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers. It also runs one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits management businesses, provides care and offers technology services.

Minnetonka, Minnesota (AP) —UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-cyberattack-hospitals-pharmacy-alphv-unitedhealthcare-521347eb9e8490dad695a7824ed11c41">the cyberattack</a>&nbsp;earlier this year on its Change Healthcare business.The company said Monday after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify people who were affected.UnitedHealth did say that some screen shots containing protected health information or personally identifiable information were posted for about a week online on the dark web, which standard browsers can’t access.The company is still monitoring the internet and dark web and said there has been no addition file publication. It has started&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/ns/health-data-breach.html">a website</a>&nbsp;to answer questions and a call center. But the company said it won’t be able to offer specifics on the impact to individual data.The company also is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for people affected by the attack.UnitedHealth bought Change Healthcare in a roughly $8 billion deal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-health-business-minnesota-us-department-of-justice-55f01b05097e6e57716d6263275a5e3d">that closed in 2022</a>&nbsp;after surviving a challenge from federal regulators. The U.S. Department of Justice&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-us-department-of-justice-18499bf074c30f1d89fe0c26ca2e7b13">had sued earlier that year</a>&nbsp;to block the deal, arguing that it would hurt competition by putting too much information about health care claims in the hands of one company.UnitedHealth said in February that a ransomware group had gained access to some of the systems of its Change Healthcare business, which provides technology used to submit and process insurance claims.The attack disrupted payment and claims processing around the country, stressing doctor’s offices and health care systems.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/change-healthcare-cyberattack-federal-government-hhs-88ac99fc0c62e69dc60fc5c39682e859">Federal civil rights investigators</a>&nbsp;are already looking into whether protected health information was exposed in the attack.UnitedHealth said Monday that it was still restoring services disrupted by the attack. It has been focused first on restoring those that affect patient access to care or medication.The company said both pharmacy services and medical claims were back to near normal levels. It said payment process was back to about 86% of pre-attack levels.UnitedHealth said last week when it reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unitedhealth-change-cyberattack-first-quarter-076a2bcbf0db3b5e6c4ffa27589c3692">first-quarter results</a>&nbsp;that the company has provided more than $6 billion in advance funding and interest-free loans to health care providers affected by the attack.UnitedHealth took an $872 million hit from from the cyberattack in the first quarter, and company officials said that could grow beyond $1.5 billion for the year.Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc. runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers. It also runs one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits management businesses, provides care and offers technology services.

UnitedHealth paid ransom to bad actors; patient data compromised

WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1782445733071004133&amp;redir_log=060098234643287" target="_blank">mobilize the National Guard</a>&nbsp;to protect Jewish American students in response to anti-Israel, pro-terrorist demonstrations that have broken out on college campuses.

"On college campuses across the United States, Jewish Americans are at risk&nbsp;[...]&nbsp;In your statement on Passover, you stated that 'in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.' Now, you must take action to match those words,"&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713893853332.jpeg" alt="The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)" />
 <figcaption>The New School students and pro-Palestinian supporters rally outside The New School University Center building, Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1782445733071004133&amp;redir_log=060098234643287" target="_blank">mobilize the National Guard</a>&nbsp;to protect Jewish American students in response to anti-Israel, pro-terrorist demonstrations that have broken out on college campuses.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713894040483.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>"On college campuses across the United States, Jewish Americans are at risk&nbsp;[...]&nbsp;In your statement on Passover, you stated that 'in recent days, we’ve seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant Antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous – and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country.' Now, you must take action to match those words,"&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.&nbsp;<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Eisenhower sent the 101st to Little Rock. It’s time for Biden to call out the National Guard at our universities to protect Jewish Americans&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1782400528988664103?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>"You must immediately mobilize the National Guard and any other authorities necessary to ensure the safety of Jewish American students and citizens,"&nbsp;Hawley continued.Last October, the Senate unanimously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fsenate-passes-hawley-resolution-condemning-antisemitism-college-campuses%2523%253a%257e%253atext%253dSenate%252520Passes%252520Hawley%252520Resolution%252520Condemning%252520Antisemitism%252520on%252520College%252520Campuses%252c-Thursday%25252C%252520October%25252026%2526text%253dToday%252520the%252520U.S.%252520Senate%252520passed%252c7%252520terrorist%252520attack%252520against%252520Israel.%26redir_log%3d854300373832101&amp;redir_log=943543390563546" target="_blank">passed</a>&nbsp;Senator Hawley's&nbsp;resolution&nbsp;condemning Hamas and the antisemitic rhetoric emanating from campus student groups, which have continued to celebrate the Oct. 7 terrorist&nbsp;attack against Israel. The passage of Senator Hawley's resolution came after Democrats initially&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2foutreach.senate.gov%2fiqextranet%2fiqClickTrk.aspx%3f%26cid%3dSenHawley%26crop%3d14502QQQ9087810QQQ7987650QQQ8019990%26report_id%3d%26redirect%3dhttps%253a%252f%252fwww.hawley.senate.gov%252fdemocrats-block-hawley-resolution-condemn-antisemitic-activities-college-campuses%26redir_log%3d591119202206791&amp;redir_log=235021319151988">blocked</a>&nbsp;the measure.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14718.9092084.7988699.8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsites%2fdefault%2ffiles%2f2024-04%2fHawley-Letter-to-Biden-re-Columbia_0.pdf&amp;redir_log=471072155468652" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to read the full letter from the Senator.