WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden" target="_blank">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday said it was “stunning” that Congress has not yet approved tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Ukraine, as his administration warned of dire consequences for Kyiv — and a “gift” to Russia’s Vladimir Putin — if lawmakers don’t act.

Speaking at the White House, Biden said Republicans who are insisting on border policy changes as a condition for voting for the aid “are playing chicken with our national security,” even as he expressed openness to some policy changes.

“Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for,” Biden said, saying American credibility was on the line both with other would-be aggressors and with its allies. “Any disruption in our ability to supply Ukraine clearly strengthen’s Putin’s position.”

“If we don’t support Ukraine, what is the rest of the world going to do?” he added.

Biden’s address comes hours after he huddled with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/Volodymyr-Zelenskyy" target="_blank">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;and leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, which have staunchly supported Ukraine against Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Biden has asked Congress for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb" target="_blank">nearly $106 billion</a>&nbsp;to fund the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs, but has faced stiff resistance on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans have grown tired of providing support to Ukraine after the U.S. has already sent $111 billion, and other GOP lawmakers are insisting on stiff changes to U.S. border policy as a condition of voting for the measure.

Biden said he supports more funding for border security. “I am willing to make significant compromises on the border,” he said. “We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken.” He added that he’s ”ready to change policy as well,” but accused Republicans of wanting a political issue more than bipartisan compromise.

“Republicans think they get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise,” Biden said. “Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.”

But Biden has not publicly said what policy changes he would embrace.

The White House has sent increasingly sharp warnings to lawmakers of what would happen if they don’t approve the measure before the end of the year, saying Ukraine’s military would be stalled, or worse.

“We’re the reason Putin hasn’t totally overrun Ukraine,” Biden said.

On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats were trying to advance the aid package later Wednesday, but the legislation had no way forward as Republicans vowed to withhold support unless it includes changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329" target="_blank">U.S. border policy</a>. Negotiations over the legislation all but collapsed this week.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been an ardent supporter of aid to Ukraine, has told fellow Republicans to vote against the security package advancing.

“Legislation that doesn’t include policy changes to secure our borders will not pass the Senate,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “The situation unfolding at our southern border on President Biden’s watch is a crisis of historic proportions.”

Republicans pointed to the record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border and argued it posed a security threat because border authorities cannot adequately screen them. But their demand that Congress pass significant changes to U.S. border policy interjects into the debate an issue that lawmakers have grappled over for decades with little success.

By holding the test vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is daring his Republican counterparts to vote against the cause of Ukraine funding that most have previously supported. He said in a speech the Senate is facing a question that “goes to the actual preservation of Western and democratic values in the world.”

Democrats were also making their case through a series of events on Capitol Hill with Ukrainian officials, including the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament.

The pressure appeared to have little affect on the GOP’s stance. But senators expressed some hope that Biden’s remarks would revive the talks over border security policy.

“This kind of thorny, difficult problem is exactly what Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell have worked on before. And we could use their help and their leadership on this,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., one of the senators involved in negotiations over border policy.

As they look past the test vote, GOP senators have prepared a proposal for the bipartisan group in the talks. So far, senators have found some agreement on raising the initial standard for migrants to enter the asylum system but were stuck over placing limitations on humanitarian parole, a program that allows the executive branch to temporarily admit migrants.

“We’re clearly engaging in the negotiations, trying to be able to solve this,” said Sen. James Lankford, a Republican of Oklahoma who is involved in the talks.

But even if senators somehow find a way forward on the aid package, it still faces significant obstacles in the House. Hardline conservatives who control the chamber have vowed to block it unless it tacks to a broad set of hard-line border and immigration policies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, already deeply skeptical of funding for Ukraine, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-border-security-zelenskyy-bf932727abd5e8ff3cf5c9c848a3cf78" target="_blank">signaled he won’t support the aid package</a>&nbsp;if it does not adhere to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-immigration-bill-255921c69678468580d0d106282623f0" target="_blank">H.R. 2</a>, a bill that would remake the U.S. immigration system with conservative priorities. It passed the House on a party-line vote in May, but has been rejected by Senate Democrats.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is expected to announce&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-weapons-funding-24735694f4f93e5a571f30004957e1a9" target="_blank">a $175 million package</a>&nbsp;of military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, according to U.S. officials.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday there is about $1.1 billion left in funding to replenish U.S. military stockpiles for weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine. And he said there is roughly $4.8 billion in drawdown authority still available.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden" target="_blank">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday said it was “stunning” that Congress has not yet approved tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Ukraine, as his administration warned of dire consequences for Kyiv — and a “gift” to Russia’s Vladimir Putin — if lawmakers don’t act.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1420064122200539%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=3" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Speaking at the White House, Biden said Republicans who are insisting on border policy changes as a condition for voting for the aid “are playing chicken with our national security,” even as he expressed openness to some policy changes.“Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for,” Biden said, saying American credibility was on the line both with other would-be aggressors and with its allies. “Any disruption in our ability to supply Ukraine clearly strengthen’s Putin’s position.”“If we don’t support Ukraine, what is the rest of the world going to do?” he added.Biden’s address comes hours after he huddled with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/Volodymyr-Zelenskyy" target="_blank">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy</a>&nbsp;and leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, which have staunchly supported Ukraine against Russia’s ongoing invasion.Biden has asked Congress for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-ukraine-israel-budget-3762a0bdf00653e3c8a38175d3c3d3cb" target="_blank">nearly $106 billion</a>&nbsp;to fund the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs, but has faced stiff resistance on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans have grown tired of providing support to Ukraine after the U.S. has already sent $111 billion, and other GOP lawmakers are insisting on stiff changes to U.S. border policy as a condition of voting for the measure.Biden said he supports more funding for border security. “I am willing to make significant compromises on the border,” he said. “We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken.” He added that he’s ”ready to change policy as well,” but accused Republicans of wanting a political issue more than bipartisan compromise.“Republicans think they get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise,” Biden said. “Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.”But Biden has not publicly said what policy changes he would embrace.The White House has sent increasingly sharp warnings to lawmakers of what would happen if they don’t approve the measure before the end of the year, saying Ukraine’s military would be stalled, or worse.“We’re the reason Putin hasn’t totally overrun Ukraine,” Biden said.On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats were trying to advance the aid package later Wednesday, but the legislation had no way forward as Republicans vowed to withhold support unless it includes changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-congress-zelenskyy-border-security-8592ddcb1627fc6d0b43349bac3fe329" target="_blank">U.S. border policy</a>. Negotiations over the legislation all but collapsed this week.Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been an ardent supporter of aid to Ukraine, has told fellow Republicans to vote against the security package advancing.“Legislation that doesn’t include policy changes to secure our borders will not pass the Senate,” McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday. “The situation unfolding at our southern border on President Biden’s watch is a crisis of historic proportions.”Republicans pointed to the record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border and argued it posed a security threat because border authorities cannot adequately screen them. But their demand that Congress pass significant changes to U.S. border policy interjects into the debate an issue that lawmakers have grappled over for decades with little success.By holding the test vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is daring his Republican counterparts to vote against the cause of Ukraine funding that most have previously supported. He said in a speech the Senate is facing a question that “goes to the actual preservation of Western and democratic values in the world.”Democrats were also making their case through a series of events on Capitol Hill with Ukrainian officials, including the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament.The pressure appeared to have little affect on the GOP’s stance. But senators expressed some hope that Biden’s remarks would revive the talks over border security policy.“This kind of thorny, difficult problem is exactly what Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell have worked on before. And we could use their help and their leadership on this,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., one of the senators involved in negotiations over border policy.As they look past the test vote, GOP senators have prepared a proposal for the bipartisan group in the talks. So far, senators have found some agreement on raising the initial standard for migrants to enter the asylum system but were stuck over placing limitations on humanitarian parole, a program that allows the executive branch to temporarily admit migrants.“We’re clearly engaging in the negotiations, trying to be able to solve this,” said Sen. James Lankford, a Republican of Oklahoma who is involved in the talks.But even if senators somehow find a way forward on the aid package, it still faces significant obstacles in the House. Hardline conservatives who control the chamber have vowed to block it unless it tacks to a broad set of hard-line border and immigration policies.House Speaker Mike Johnson, already deeply skeptical of funding for Ukraine, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-border-security-zelenskyy-bf932727abd5e8ff3cf5c9c848a3cf78" target="_blank">signaled he won’t support the aid package</a>&nbsp;if it does not adhere to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-border-immigration-bill-255921c69678468580d0d106282623f0" target="_blank">H.R. 2</a>, a bill that would remake the U.S. immigration system with conservative priorities. It passed the House on a party-line vote in May, but has been rejected by Senate Democrats.Meanwhile, the U.S. is expected to announce&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-weapons-funding-24735694f4f93e5a571f30004957e1a9" target="_blank">a $175 million package</a>&nbsp;of military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, according to U.S. officials.Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday there is about $1.1 billion left in funding to replenish U.S. military stockpiles for weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine. And he said there is roughly $4.8 billion in drawdown authority still available.

🎥Biden pushes for Ukraine aid, offers border security compromises

By ALLISON KITE,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/04/evergy-regulators-near-deal-on-kansas-electric-rates/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Utilities in Kansas and Missouri would have to pull&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/20/time-bomb-lead-pipes-set-to-be-removed-but-first-water-utilities-have-to-find-them/">hundreds of thousands of lead pipes</a>&nbsp;out of the ground within 10 years under a proposed rule the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.

The EPA announced a proposed update to the lead and copper rule strengthening President Joe Biden’s earlier goal of eradicating lead pipes. The proposed rule also would lower the limit on lead in water by one-third.

“Lead in drinking water is a generational public health issue, and EPA’s proposal will accelerate progress towards President Biden’s goal of replacing every lead pipe across America once and for all,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a news release.

For much of the 20th Century, utilities were permitted to install lead service lines, the pipes that carry water from water mains under the street into homes. The EPA banned them in 1986, but utilities have never been required to remove existing pipes.

In fact, some utility companies don’t know where the remaining lead service lines are.

Estimates as to how many remain vary widely. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/06/epa-estimates-more-than-200000-lead-pipes-remain-in-missouri/">EPA estimates Missouri</a>&nbsp;has 202,112 remaining lead service lines while the environmental nonprofit the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates more than 330,000.

In&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/known-to-be-toxic-for-a-century-lead-still-poisons-thousands-of-midwestern-kids/">Kansas, the EPA estimates</a>&nbsp;54,107 lead pipes remain while the NRDC believes there are more than 160,000.

Lead is a neurotoxin that in high doses can be fatal. It was in pipes, gasoline and household paint for most of the last century, exposing generations of children to its effects.

Even at low levels, exposure to lead can hinder children’s brain development and cause behavioral problems and learning difficulties. Lead-poisoned children can have trouble with language processing, memory, attention and impulsivity. Later in life, it raises the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

While the rate of lead poisoning has plummeted compared to the mid-20th century when leaded gasoline fumes exposed children in droves, thousands of children in Kansas and Missouri are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/known-to-be-toxic-for-a-century-lead-still-poisons-thousands-of-midwestern-kids/">found with elevated blood lead levels every year</a>.

For older children, water makes up about 20% of lead exposure, but for bottle-fed infants, it’s the primary source of poisoning.

The NRDC estimated replacing lead service lines would lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in avoided health expenses, primarily from reduced cardiovascular disease.

“This is an urgent public health crisis, as tens of millions of people essentially drink water from a lead straw, unaware of the big risk to their health,” said Erik Olson, the NRDC’s senior strategic director for health.

The EPA will hold&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/proposed-lead-and-copper-rule-improvements?utm_source=utm_source%3Dpressrelease&amp;utm_medium=utm_medium%3Demail&amp;utm_campaign=utm_campaign%3Deparegion7">public information and listening sessions</a>&nbsp;and accept comments into the new year. It plans to finalize the rule by October.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701782911687.png" alt=" An individual holds a lead pipe, a steel pipe and a lead pipe treated with protective orthophosphate. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule requiring water utilities to remove lead pipes decades after new ones were banned. (EPA)" />
 <figcaption> An individual holds a lead pipe, a steel pipe and a lead pipe treated with protective orthophosphate. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule requiring water utilities to remove lead pipes decades after new ones were banned. (EPA)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ALLISON KITE,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/04/evergy-regulators-near-deal-on-kansas-electric-rates/">Kansas Reflector</a>Utilities in Kansas and Missouri would have to pull&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/06/20/time-bomb-lead-pipes-set-to-be-removed-but-first-water-utilities-have-to-find-them/">hundreds of thousands of lead pipes</a>&nbsp;out of the ground within 10 years under a proposed rule the Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.The EPA announced a proposed update to the lead and copper rule strengthening President Joe Biden’s earlier goal of eradicating lead pipes. The proposed rule also would lower the limit on lead in water by one-third.“Lead in drinking water is a generational public health issue, and EPA’s proposal will accelerate progress towards President Biden’s goal of replacing every lead pipe across America once and for all,” EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a news release.For much of the 20th Century, utilities were permitted to install lead service lines, the pipes that carry water from water mains under the street into homes. The EPA banned them in 1986, but utilities have never been required to remove existing pipes.In fact, some utility companies don’t know where the remaining lead service lines are.Estimates as to how many remain vary widely. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/04/06/epa-estimates-more-than-200000-lead-pipes-remain-in-missouri/">EPA estimates Missouri</a>&nbsp;has 202,112 remaining lead service lines while the environmental nonprofit the Natural Resources Defense Council estimates more than 330,000.In&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/known-to-be-toxic-for-a-century-lead-still-poisons-thousands-of-midwestern-kids/">Kansas, the EPA estimates</a>&nbsp;54,107 lead pipes remain while the NRDC believes there are more than 160,000.Lead is a neurotoxin that in high doses can be fatal. It was in pipes, gasoline and household paint for most of the last century, exposing generations of children to its effects.Even at low levels, exposure to lead can hinder children’s brain development and cause behavioral problems and learning difficulties. Lead-poisoned children can have trouble with language processing, memory, attention and impulsivity. Later in life, it raises the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.While the rate of lead poisoning has plummeted compared to the mid-20th century when leaded gasoline fumes exposed children in droves, thousands of children in Kansas and Missouri are&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2022/04/11/known-to-be-toxic-for-a-century-lead-still-poisons-thousands-of-midwestern-kids/">found with elevated blood lead levels every year</a>.For older children, water makes up about 20% of lead exposure, but for bottle-fed infants, it’s the primary source of poisoning.The NRDC estimated replacing lead service lines would lead to hundreds of billions of dollars in avoided health expenses, primarily from reduced cardiovascular disease.“This is an urgent public health crisis, as tens of millions of people essentially drink water from a lead straw, unaware of the big risk to their health,” said Erik Olson, the NRDC’s senior strategic director for health.The EPA will hold&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/proposed-lead-and-copper-rule-improvements?utm_source=utm_source%3Dpressrelease&amp;utm_medium=utm_medium%3Demail&amp;utm_campaign=utm_campaign%3Deparegion7">public information and listening sessions</a>&nbsp;and accept comments into the new year. It plans to finalize the rule by October.

Kansas and Missouri have 256,000 lead pipes. EPA wants them removed within 10 years.

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Tuesday introduced the&nbsp;Rural Emergency Hospital Adjustment Act&nbsp;that would allow previously closed rural hospitals to potentially re-open and apply for the Rural Emergency Hospital designation if they can demonstrate they met all eligibility requirements between Jan. 1, 2015 and Dec. 27, 2020, according to a media release from the Senator's office.

The REH designation was created as part of the&nbsp;Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021&nbsp;to enable certain hospitals to convert to the new Medicare provider designation, which helps rural hospitals to continue operating with limited services rather than closing. Currently, hospitals are only eligible for the designation if they met the requirements when the legislation was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020.

&nbsp;“Access to outpatient and emergency services often determines if a rural community can survive,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“More than 100 rural hospitals have closed since 2015, and this legislation will allow these hospitals an opportunity to re-open and serve their communities.”

The&nbsp;Rural Emergency Hospital Adjustment Act&nbsp;would extend the eligibility date back to Jan. 1, 2015, for hospitals that were either critical access hospitals or rural hospitals with no more than 50 beds.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701812369181.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON&nbsp;– U.S. Senator Jerry Moran Tuesday introduced the&nbsp;Rural Emergency Hospital Adjustment Act&nbsp;that would allow previously closed rural hospitals to potentially re-open and apply for the Rural Emergency Hospital designation if they can demonstrate they met all eligibility requirements between Jan. 1, 2015 and Dec. 27, 2020, according to a media release from the Senator's office.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I urge Congress to pass <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JerryMoran</a>&#39;s proposal to help rural hospitals stay open and able to care for Kansans. Meanwhile, I&#39;ll continue to fight to expand Medicaid, because we must do absolutely everything we can to make healthcare more accessible and affordable across Kansas. <a href="https://t.co/drFt2wwVAG">https://t.co/drFt2wwVAG</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1732178361533821350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The REH designation was created as part of the&nbsp;Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021&nbsp;to enable certain hospitals to convert to the new Medicare provider designation, which helps rural hospitals to continue operating with limited services rather than closing. Currently, hospitals are only eligible for the designation if they met the requirements when the legislation was signed into law on Dec. 27, 2020.&nbsp;“Access to outpatient and emergency services often determines if a rural community can survive,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“More than 100 rural hospitals have closed since 2015, and this legislation will allow these hospitals an opportunity to re-open and serve their communities.”The&nbsp;Rural Emergency Hospital Adjustment Act&nbsp;would extend the eligibility date back to Jan. 1, 2015, for hospitals that were either critical access hospitals or rural hospitals with no more than 50 beds.

Gov. supports Moran's bill to help recently-closed rural hospitals reopen

WABAUNSEE COUNTY  —Law enforcement authorities are investigating additional reports of cattle theft in Kansas.

On November 17, 2023, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office took a report of five black Angus cattle allegedly stolen from the 17000 block of Onaga Road, Onaga, Kansas, according to a media release.

The cattle are branded on their left hip and also had white ear tags. All five of the stolen cows had calves, and the calves were still present but not the cows. They could have been taken anytime between May 15, 2023, and November 2, 2023. There were approximately 80 head in the pasture at the time of the crime.

In October, a dozen calves and a cow were stolen from from rancher Dan Oeding approximately 5 miles southeast of Wamego, according to the Wabaunsee County Sheriff. Livestock missing include Black Angus or Wagyu calves, one red calf and one Black Angus cow.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Wabaunsee County Sheriff at 785-765-3323. There is a reward offered&nbsp; for information that leads to the arrest of those who stole the cattle.

In August, Reno County Sheriff's Office said Circle H Cattle Company reported fifteen 400 to 500 pound calves stolen from the area of US 50 and Sterling Road, according to a social media report. The cattle went missing sometime between July 29, and August 6.

In mid-July, the Kansas Livestock Associated reported 17-head of 200-350 pound calves were stolen ten miles northeast of Atwood, according to a media release from the Rawlins County sheriff's office. The calves&nbsp; carried fresh brands of V arrow high on the right hip.

In April, the Sheridan County Sheriff's Department asked for the public's assistance in a case involving eighty 80 head of cattle missing from South of Hoxie, Kansas.

WABAUNSEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating additional reports of cattle theft in Kansas.On November 17, 2023, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office took a report of five black Angus cattle allegedly stolen from the 17000 block of Onaga Road, Onaga, Kansas, according to a media release.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701883144873.png" alt="Cattle brand on the left hip-photo Pottawatomie Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Cattle brand on the left hip-photo Pottawatomie Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>The cattle are branded on their left hip and also had white ear tags. All five of the stolen cows had calves, and the calves were still present but not the cows. They could have been taken anytime between May 15, 2023, and November 2, 2023. There were approximately 80 head in the pasture at the time of the crime.In October, a dozen calves and a cow were stolen from from rancher Dan Oeding approximately 5 miles southeast of Wamego, according to the Wabaunsee County Sheriff. Livestock missing include Black Angus or Wagyu calves, one red calf and one Black Angus cow.Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Wabaunsee County Sheriff at 785-765-3323. There is a reward offered&nbsp; for information that leads to the arrest of those who stole the cattle.In August, Reno County Sheriff's Office said Circle H Cattle Company reported fifteen 400 to 500 pound calves stolen from the area of US 50 and Sterling Road, according to a social media report. The cattle went missing sometime between July 29, and August 6.In mid-July, the Kansas Livestock Associated reported 17-head of 200-350 pound calves were stolen ten miles northeast of Atwood, according to a media release from the Rawlins County sheriff's office. The calves&nbsp; carried fresh brands of V arrow high on the right hip.In April, the Sheridan County Sheriff's Department asked for the public's assistance in a case involving eighty 80 head of cattle missing from South of Hoxie, Kansas.

More cattle thefts under investigation in Kansas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two months after his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">historic ouster</a>&nbsp;as House speaker, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy announced Wednesday that he is resigning from his congressional seat in California.

His announcement capped a stunning end for the one-time deli owner from Bakersfield, who ascended through state and national politics to become second in line to the presidency before a contingent of hard-right conservatives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-kevin-mccarthy-ousted-house-republicans-f93cbd2c7f6f8f32dbb9cddf7905efa3">engineered his removal</a>&nbsp;in October.

McCarthy is the only speaker in history to be voted out of the job.

“No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing," McCarthy wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, announcing his decision.

“It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” he wrote.

His toppling from the chamber’s top post was fueled by grievances from his party’s hard-right flank, including over his decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open</a>&nbsp;rather than risk a shutdown.

McCarthy, 58, arrived in the House in January 2007 after a stint in the California Assembly, where he served as minority leader. In Congress, he maneuvered through his party’s hierarchy — serving as majority whip and Republican leader along the way — before being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">elected speaker</a>&nbsp;in January 2023.

The dayslong floor fight that preceded his elevation to the House’s top job foreshadowed a stormy tenure, at a time when former President Donald Trump remained the de facto leader of the party and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-donald-trump-united-states-government-2022-midterm-elections-77c6e337644955bc3e64e1f7e3a094e5">deep divisions</a>&nbsp;within the GOP raised serious questions about the party’s ability to govern.

It took a record 15 votes over four days for McCarthy to line up the support he needed to win the post he had long coveted, finally prevailing on a 216-212 vote with Democrats backing leader Hakeem Jeffries and six Republican holdouts voting present. Not since the Civil War era has a speaker’s vote dragged through so many rounds of counting.

McCarthy emerged from the fight weakened, especially considering Republicans held only a fragile margin in the chamber after a predicted “red wave” failed to materialize in the 2022 elections.

Once installed as speaker, his well-known savvy for fundraising and political glad-handing appeared ill-suited for corralling his party’s disputatious hard-right faction. And deals he cut to become speaker — including a rules change that allowed any single lawmaker to file a motion to remove him — left him vulnerable.

When he became speaker, “he faced new challenges that required a different skill set,” said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney, a one-time domestic policy analyst for House Republicans. And “the deals he made to become speaker made it almost impossible for him to succeed as speaker.”

McCarthy, the son of a firefighter and a homemaker, has long depicted himself as an unflagging battler. He is fond of quoting his father, who told him, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673356695369.png" alt="Rep. Kevin McCarthy on the night in January he was finally elected Speaker of the House" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Kevin McCarthy on the night in January he was finally elected Speaker of the House</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two months after his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">historic ouster</a>&nbsp;as House speaker, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy announced Wednesday that he is resigning from his congressional seat in California.His announcement capped a stunning end for the one-time deli owner from Bakersfield, who ascended through state and national politics to become second in line to the presidency before a contingent of hard-right conservatives&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-kevin-mccarthy-ousted-house-republicans-f93cbd2c7f6f8f32dbb9cddf7905efa3">engineered his removal</a>&nbsp;in October.McCarthy is the only speaker in history to be voted out of the job.“No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing," McCarthy wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, announcing his decision.“It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” he wrote.His toppling from the chamber’s top post was fueled by grievances from his party’s hard-right flank, including over his decision&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">to work with Democrats to keep the federal government open</a>&nbsp;rather than risk a shutdown.McCarthy, 58, arrived in the House in January 2007 after a stint in the California Assembly, where he served as minority leader. In Congress, he maneuvered through his party’s hierarchy — serving as majority whip and Republican leader along the way — before being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-us-republican-party-0938c7358f41c83759246f8949ac7c15">elected speaker</a>&nbsp;in January 2023.The dayslong floor fight that preceded his elevation to the House’s top job foreshadowed a stormy tenure, at a time when former President Donald Trump remained the de facto leader of the party and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-donald-trump-united-states-government-2022-midterm-elections-77c6e337644955bc3e64e1f7e3a094e5">deep divisions</a>&nbsp;within the GOP raised serious questions about the party’s ability to govern.It took a record 15 votes over four days for McCarthy to line up the support he needed to win the post he had long coveted, finally prevailing on a 216-212 vote with Democrats backing leader Hakeem Jeffries and six Republican holdouts voting present. Not since the Civil War era has a speaker’s vote dragged through so many rounds of counting.McCarthy emerged from the fight weakened, especially considering Republicans held only a fragile margin in the chamber after a predicted “red wave” failed to materialize in the 2022 elections.Once installed as speaker, his well-known savvy for fundraising and political glad-handing appeared ill-suited for corralling his party’s disputatious hard-right faction. And deals he cut to become speaker — including a rules change that allowed any single lawmaker to file a motion to remove him — left him vulnerable.When he became speaker, “he faced new challenges that required a different skill set,” said Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney, a one-time domestic policy analyst for House Republicans. And “the deals he made to become speaker made it almost impossible for him to succeed as speaker.”McCarthy, the son of a firefighter and a homemaker, has long depicted himself as an unflagging battler. He is fond of quoting his father, who told him, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy resigns 2 months after ouster as House Speaker

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/Christopher-Wray" target="_blank">Christopher Wray</a>&nbsp;called Tuesday for the reauthorization of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-congress-surveillance-terrorism-1c89e362e82aefc36e029f29d0ec5c7f" target="_blank">U.S. government surveillance tool</a>&nbsp;set to expire at the end of the year, warning Senate lawmakers that there would be “devastating” consequences for public safety if the program is allowed to lapse.

At issue is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners outside the United States. Law enforcement and intelligence officials see the program as vital to combating terror attacks, cyber intrusions, espionage and other foreign threats.

The program, created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, is due to expire at the end of this month unless Congress votes to reauthorize it. But Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have balked at renewing the program in its current form, recommending a slew of reforms in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-terrorism-congress-white-house-003e477ed7cc220b021084bd2210d472" target="_blank">competing legislative proposals</a>&nbsp;that are aimed at better safeguarding civil liberties and that are jockeying for support in the coming weeks.

The thorny path to reauthorization was laid bare during Tuesday’s hearing, when lawmakers from both parties questioned Wray, at times aggressively, over periodic misuse of the program by FBI employees seeking out information about Americans. Though the program enables surveillance only of foreigners located outside the U.S, it also can capture the communications of American citizens and others in the U.S. when those people are in contact with those targeted foreigners.

Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, said that during his 13 years on the committee, he’d pressed multiple FBI directors about civil liberties violations associated with the surveillance program and had repeatedly been given false reassurances about the reforms being put in place.

“Every darn one of them has told me the same thing: ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ve got this taken care of it, we’ve got new procedures, it’s going to be different now’,” Lee said. “It’s never different. You haven’t changed.”

He added: “We have no reason to trust you because you haven’t behaved in a manner that is trustworthy.”

The fact that Wray devoted a significant portion of his prepared remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee to the issue underscores its importance to the FBI, particularly at a time when the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;has drawn heightened concern about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-hamas-attack-isis-bb1ceb7ce51cfc05ed751d2ce7983fcd" target="_blank">possibility of extremist violence on U.S. soil</a>&nbsp;and contributed to threats being at a “whole other level” since the Oct. 7 attacks.

“I think blinding us through either allowing 702 to lapse or amending it in a way that guts its effectiveness would be reckless at best and dangerous and irresponsible at worst,” Wray said.

Calling the authority indispensable, he told the committee, “702 allows us to stay a step ahead of foreign actors located outside the United States who pose a threat to national security. And the expiration of our 702 authorities would be devastating to the FBI’s ability to protect Americans from those threats.”

Wray, who took over as director in 2017, said that what made the current climate unique is that “so many of the threats are all elevated at the same time.”

But the 702 program has come under scrutiny in the last year following revelations that FBI analysts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-foreign-surveillance-section-702-a804ea3ee688d8670aa19610e6fa8494" target="_blank">improperly searched</a>&nbsp;the database of intelligence, including for information about people tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and the racial justice protests of 2020.

Those concerns have united longtime vocal champions of civil liberties, including Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, as well as Republican supporters of former President Donald Trump who are still angry over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/russia-probe-report-spurs-calls-for-fbi-surveillance-changes-9d79f3d1beb1e552d57e0a17d9cd8e28" target="_blank">surveillance missteps</a>&nbsp;made during the Russia investigation of 2016.

Wray and the White House have balked at the idea that the FBI should be required to get a warrant before searching the intelligence database for information about Americans and others inside the The FBI director said such a requirement would be both legally unnecessary and would hold up the bureau in trying to disrupt fast-moving national security threats.

If a warrant requirement is the path chosen, Wray said, “What if there were a terrorist attack that we had a shot to prevent, but couldn’t take it, because the FBI was deprived of the ability under 702 to look at key information already sitting in our holdings?”

One bipartisan proposal from Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the two leaders of the Senate intelligence committee, would impose a more limited requirement, mandating a court order for when the FBI wants to conduct queries on Americans to find evidence of a crime but not for when the FBI is searching the intelligence database for foreign intelligence information.

Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who said he had not yet made up his mind on how he’d vote, asked Wray whether that more narrow proposal might be more acceptable. The FBI director said that that proposal might provide a viable path forward, but noted that searches of the database for the sole purpose of finding evidence of a crime were very rare.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, summed up the issue by telling Wray that though “there was no question” that Section 702 was a “critical tool for collecting foreign intelligence” he would encourage significant reforms to protect the privacy of “innocent Americans.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701820707420.png" alt="“I think blinding us through either allowing 702 to lapse or amending it in a way that guts its effectiveness would be reckless at best and dangerous and irresponsible at worst,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.-photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>“I think blinding us through either allowing 702 to lapse or amending it in a way that guts its effectiveness would be reckless at best and dangerous and irresponsible at worst,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.-photo courtesy CSPAN&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/Christopher-Wray" target="_blank">Christopher Wray</a>&nbsp;called Tuesday for the reauthorization of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-congress-surveillance-terrorism-1c89e362e82aefc36e029f29d0ec5c7f" target="_blank">U.S. government surveillance tool</a>&nbsp;set to expire at the end of the year, warning Senate lawmakers that there would be “devastating” consequences for public safety if the program is allowed to lapse.At issue is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the U.S. government to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners outside the United States. Law enforcement and intelligence officials see the program as vital to combating terror attacks, cyber intrusions, espionage and other foreign threats.The program, created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, is due to expire at the end of this month unless Congress votes to reauthorize it. But Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have balked at renewing the program in its current form, recommending a slew of reforms in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-surveillance-terrorism-congress-white-house-003e477ed7cc220b021084bd2210d472" target="_blank">competing legislative proposals</a>&nbsp;that are aimed at better safeguarding civil liberties and that are jockeying for support in the coming weeks.The thorny path to reauthorization was laid bare during Tuesday’s hearing, when lawmakers from both parties questioned Wray, at times aggressively, over periodic misuse of the program by FBI employees seeking out information about Americans. Though the program enables surveillance only of foreigners located outside the U.S, it also can capture the communications of American citizens and others in the U.S. when those people are in contact with those targeted foreigners.Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, said that during his 13 years on the committee, he’d pressed multiple FBI directors about civil liberties violations associated with the surveillance program and had repeatedly been given false reassurances about the reforms being put in place.“Every darn one of them has told me the same thing: ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ve got this taken care of it, we’ve got new procedures, it’s going to be different now’,” Lee said. “It’s never different. You haven’t changed.”He added: “We have no reason to trust you because you haven’t behaved in a manner that is trustworthy.”The fact that Wray devoted a significant portion of his prepared remarks to the Senate Judiciary Committee to the issue underscores its importance to the FBI, particularly at a time when the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;has drawn heightened concern about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-hamas-attack-isis-bb1ceb7ce51cfc05ed751d2ce7983fcd" target="_blank">possibility of extremist violence on U.S. soil</a>&nbsp;and contributed to threats being at a “whole other level” since the Oct. 7 attacks.“I think blinding us through either allowing 702 to lapse or amending it in a way that guts its effectiveness would be reckless at best and dangerous and irresponsible at worst,” Wray said.Calling the authority indispensable, he told the committee, “702 allows us to stay a step ahead of foreign actors located outside the United States who pose a threat to national security. And the expiration of our 702 authorities would be devastating to the FBI’s ability to protect Americans from those threats.”Wray, who took over as director in 2017, said that what made the current climate unique is that “so many of the threats are all elevated at the same time.”But the 702 program has come under scrutiny in the last year following revelations that FBI analysts&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fbi-foreign-surveillance-section-702-a804ea3ee688d8670aa19610e6fa8494" target="_blank">improperly searched</a>&nbsp;the database of intelligence, including for information about people tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and the racial justice protests of 2020.Those concerns have united longtime vocal champions of civil liberties, including Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, as well as Republican supporters of former President Donald Trump who are still angry over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/russia-probe-report-spurs-calls-for-fbi-surveillance-changes-9d79f3d1beb1e552d57e0a17d9cd8e28" target="_blank">surveillance missteps</a>&nbsp;made during the Russia investigation of 2016.Wray and the White House have balked at the idea that the FBI should be required to get a warrant before searching the intelligence database for information about Americans and others inside the The FBI director said such a requirement would be both legally unnecessary and would hold up the bureau in trying to disrupt fast-moving national security threats.If a warrant requirement is the path chosen, Wray said, “What if there were a terrorist attack that we had a shot to prevent, but couldn’t take it, because the FBI was deprived of the ability under 702 to look at key information already sitting in our holdings?”One bipartisan proposal from Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the two leaders of the Senate intelligence committee, would impose a more limited requirement, mandating a court order for when the FBI wants to conduct queries on Americans to find evidence of a crime but not for when the FBI is searching the intelligence database for foreign intelligence information.Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who said he had not yet made up his mind on how he’d vote, asked Wray whether that more narrow proposal might be more acceptable. The FBI director said that that proposal might provide a viable path forward, but noted that searches of the database for the sole purpose of finding evidence of a crime were very rare.Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, summed up the issue by telling Wray that though “there was no question” that Section 702 was a “critical tool for collecting foreign intelligence” he would encourage significant reforms to protect the privacy of “innocent Americans.”

Ominous warning: FBI chief wants renewal of controversial spy program 

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal October shooting moved a suspect who had been the subject of search over the past month to a jail in Topeka.

On Nov. 29, police in Kansas City, Kansas located 29-year-old&nbsp; Tremale M. Serrano after police asked the&nbsp;public for help to find him for the death of 23-year-old&nbsp; Jackson E. Danner of Topeka. He is being held on a $1million dollar bond on charges of second degree murder. He is also accused of a violation of a protection order of abuse and harass by telephone, according to online jail records.

On October 15, police responded to a report of an individual laying in the front yard of a home in the 1600 block of SW 21st Street in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

First responders located. Danner who was pronounced deceased at the scene.

On November 14, police booked 33-year-old Aaron Serrano into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections in connection with Danner's death. He remains jailed on a $1 million bond for the alleged murder and faces accusations of aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery, theft and criminal damage to property, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701366750026.png" alt="Tremale Serrano Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Tremale Serrano Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal October shooting moved a suspect who had been the subject of search over the past month to a jail in Topeka.On Nov. 29, police in Kansas City, Kansas located 29-year-old&nbsp; Tremale M. Serrano after police asked the&nbsp;public for help to find him for the death of 23-year-old&nbsp; Jackson E. Danner of Topeka. He is being held on a $1million dollar bond on charges of second degree murder. He is also accused of a violation of a protection order of abuse and harass by telephone, according to online jail records.On October 15, police responded to a report of an individual laying in the front yard of a home in the 1600 block of SW 21st Street in Topeka, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700082583370.png" alt="Aaron Serrano" />
 <figcaption>Aaron Serrano</figcaption>
 </figure>First responders located. Danner who was pronounced deceased at the scene.On November 14, police booked 33-year-old Aaron Serrano into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections in connection with Danner's death. He remains jailed on a $1 million bond for the alleged murder and faces accusations of aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery, theft and criminal damage to property, according to online jail records.

Suspect in October killing moved to different Kansas jail

NEW YORK (AP) — Is the year of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>&nbsp;over now? Not yet.

Time Magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spotify-2023-music-taylor-swift-bad-bunny-376192a822c7b1d38387a0f3b17e963f">Spotify announced</a>&nbsp;she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform.

Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie, King Charles III, and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, among others.

“While her popularity has grown across the decades, this is the year that Swift, 33, achieved a kind of nuclear fusion: shooting art and commerce together to release an energy of historic force,” Time said&nbsp;<a href="https://time.com/6342816/person-of-the-year-2023-taylor-swift-choice/">about her selection</a>.

Her year included the wildly popular Eras Tour and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-movie-review-2f409c638d2a9ea827f72c61b6b0d60a">concert movie</a>, the release of her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-a4002b50f70b5899a846baf3e20de5ab">reimagined ‘1989’ album</a>, and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-chiefs-packers-2a1a9e791afbf7a3cb86ec458b1aae67">closely watched relationship</a>&nbsp;with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. She's even the subject of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-rick-ross-law-school-courses-fd00b458405b36acf281a5ab586ad320">college courses</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1695606865962.png" alt="File photo Taylor Swift inside Arrowhead Stadium during the first half of a game between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)" />
 <figcaption>File photo Taylor Swift inside Arrowhead Stadium during the first half of a game between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, in Kansas City (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Is the year of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>&nbsp;over now? Not yet.Time Magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spotify-2023-music-taylor-swift-bad-bunny-376192a822c7b1d38387a0f3b17e963f">Spotify announced</a>&nbsp;she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Taylor Swift (<a href="https://twitter.com/taylorswift13?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@taylorswift13</a>) is TIME&#39;s 2023 Person of the Year <a href="https://t.co/oyjR55azCZ">https://t.co/oyjR55azCZ</a> <a href="https://t.co/m2qbIbd5TX">pic.twitter.com/m2qbIbd5TX</a>&mdash; TIME (@TIME) <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME/status/1732379462644220275?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie, King Charles III, and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, among others.“While her popularity has grown across the decades, this is the year that Swift, 33, achieved a kind of nuclear fusion: shooting art and commerce together to release an energy of historic force,” Time said&nbsp;<a href="https://time.com/6342816/person-of-the-year-2023-taylor-swift-choice/">about her selection</a>.Her year included the wildly popular Eras Tour and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-movie-review-2f409c638d2a9ea827f72c61b6b0d60a">concert movie</a>, the release of her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-1989-taylors-version-a4002b50f70b5899a846baf3e20de5ab">reimagined ‘1989’ album</a>, and her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-chiefs-packers-2a1a9e791afbf7a3cb86ec458b1aae67">closely watched relationship</a>&nbsp;with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. She's even the subject of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-rick-ross-law-school-courses-fd00b458405b36acf281a5ab586ad320">college courses</a>.

Taylor Swift is named Time Magazine's person of the year

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with such topical hits as "All in the Family" and “Maude” and propelled political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101.

Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said Lara Bergthold, a spokesperson for his family.

A liberal activist with an eye for mainstream entertainment, Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies that were embraced by TV sitcom viewers who long had to watch the evening news to find out what was going on in the world. His shows helped define prime time comedy in the 1970s and after, launched the careers of such young performers as Rob Reiner and Valerie Bertinelli and made Carroll O'Connor, Bea Arthur and Redd Foxx among others into middle-aged superstars.

His signature production was “All in the Family,” which was immersed in the headlines of the day, while also drawing upon Lear's childhood memories of his tempestuous father. Racism, feminism, and the Vietnam War were flashpoints in the sitcom featuring blue collar conservative Archie Bunker, played by O'Connor, and liberal son-in-law Mike Stivic (Reiner). Jean Stapleton co-starred as Archie’s befuddled, but good-hearted wife, Edith, and Sally Struthers played the Bunkers' daughter, Gloria, who often clashed with Archie on behalf of her husband.

At the start of the 1970s, top-rated shows still included such old-fashioned programs as “Here’s Lucy,” “Ironside” and “Gunsmoke,” although the industry was beginning to change. CBS, Lear’s primary network, would soon enact its “rural purge” and cancel such standbys as “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Green Acres.” The groundbreaking sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” about a single career woman in Minneapolis, debuted on CBS in Sept. 1970, just months before “All in the Family” started.

But ABC passed on “All in the Family” twice and CBS was initially reluctant to take on the daring series, Lear would say. When the network finally aired “All in the Family,” it began with a disclaimer: “The program you are about to see is ‘All in the Family.’ It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are.”

By the end of 1971, “All In the Family” was No. 1 in the ratings and Archie Bunker was a pop culture fixture, with President Richard Nixon among his fans. Some of his putdowns became catchphrases, whether calling his son-in-law “Meathead,” or his wife “Dingbat.” He would also snap at anyone who dared occupy his faded orange-yellow wing chair, the centerpiece of the Bunker home in the New York City borough of Queens and eventually an artifact in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

Even the show’s opening segment was innovative: Instead of an off-screen theme song, Archie and Edith are seated at the piano in their living room, belting out a nostalgic number, “Those Were the Days,” with Edith screeching off-key and Archie crooning such lines “Didn’t need no welfare state” and “Girls were girls and men were men.”

“All in the Family,” based on the British sitcom, “Til Death Us Do Part,” was the No. 1-rated series for an unprecedented five years in a row and earned four Emmy Awards as best comedy series, finally eclipsed by five-time winner “Frasier” in 1998.

Hits continued for Lear and then-partner Bud Yorkin, including “Maude” and “The Jeffersons,” both spinoffs from “All in the Family” and both the same winning combination of one-liners and social conflict. In a 1972 two-part episode of “Maude,” the title character (played by Arthur) became the first on television to have an abortion, drawing a surge of protests along with the show’s high ratings. Nixon himself objected to an “All in the Family” episode about a close friend of Archie’s who turns out to be gay, privately fuming to White House aides that the show “glorified” same-sex relationships.

“Controversy suggests people are thinking about something. But there’d better be laughing first and foremost or it’s a dog,” Lear said in a 1994 interview with The Associated Press.

Lear and Yorkin also created “Good Times,” about a working class Black family in Chicago; “Sanford &amp; Son,” a showcase for Foxx as junkyard dealer Fred Sanford; and “One Day at a Time,” starring Bonnie Franklin as a single mother and Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips as her daughters. In the 1974-75 season, Lear and Yorkin produced five of the top 10 shows. Around the same time, “All in the Family” led off one of TV’s greatest evening lineups, a Saturday slate from CBS that also featured the non-Lear hits “M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.”

The late Paddy Chayefsky, a leading writer of television’s early “golden age,” once said that Lear “took television away from dopey wives and dumb fathers, from the pimps, hookers, hustlers, private eyes, junkies, cowboys and rustlers that constituted television chaos, and in their place he put the American people.”

Lear’s series reflected his ardent political beliefs, which his business success allowed him to express in grand fashion. In 2000, he and a partner bought a copy of the Declaration of Independence for $8.14 million and sent it on a cross-country tour.

He founded the nonprofit, liberal advocacy group People for the American Way in 1980 in response to the growing strength of conservative religious groups. In a 1992 interview with Commonweal magazine, Lear said he acted because he felt people such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson were “abusing religion.”

“And I started to say, This is not my America. You don’t mix politics and religion this way,” Lear said. He also was an active donor to Democratic candidates.

With this wry smile and impish boat hat, Lear remained a youthful presence for much of life and continued creating television well into his 90s, rebooting “One Day at a Time” for Netflix in 2017 and exploring income inequality for the documentary series “America Divided” in 2016. He was also featured in two documentaries: 2016’s “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,” and HBO’s 2017 look at active nonagenarians such as Lear and Rob Reiner’s father, Carl Reiner, “If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast.”

In 1984, he was lauded as the “innovative writer who brought realism to television” when he became one of the first seven people inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame. He later received a National Medal of Arts and was honored at the Kennedy Center. In 2020, he won an Emmy as executive producer of “Live In Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All In the Family’ and ‘Good Times’.’”

Lear managed to beat the tough TV odds to an astounding degree. At least one of his shows placed in prime-time’s top 10 for 11 consecutive years (1971-82). But Lear had flops as well.

Shows including “Hot L Baltimore,” “Palmerstown” and “a.k.a. Pablo,” a rare Hispanic series, drew critical favor but couldn’t find an audience; others, such as “All That Glitters” and “The Nancy Walker Show,” earned neither. He also faced resistance from cast members, including “Good Times” stars John Amos and Esther Rolle, who often objected to the scripts as racially insensitive, and endured a mid-season walkout by Foxx, who missed eight episodes in 1973-74 because of a contract dispute.

In the 1990s, the comedy “704 Hauser,” which returned to the Bunker house with a new family, and the political satire “The Powers that Be” were both short-lived.

Lear’s business moves, meanwhile, were almost consistently fruitful.

Lear started T.A.T. Communications in 1974 to be “sole creative captain of his ship,” his former business partner Jerry Perenchio told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. The company became a major TV producer with shows including “One Day at a Time” and the soap-opera spoof “Mary Hartman Mary Hartman,” which Lear distributed himself after it was rejected by the networks.

In 1982, Lear and Perenchio bought Avco-Embassy Pictures and formed Embassy Communications as T.A.T.’s successor, becoming successfully involved in movies, home video, pay TV and cable ownership. In 1985, Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy to Coca-Cola for $485 million. They had sold their cable holdings the year before, reportedly for a hefty profit.

By 1986, Lear was on Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 richest people in America, with an estimated net worth of $225 million. He didn’t make the cut the next year after a $112 million divorce settlement for his second wife, Frances. They had been married 29 years and had two daughters.

He married his third wife, psychologist Lyn Davis, in 1987 and the couple had three children. (Frances Lear, who went on to found the now-defunct Lear’s magazine with her settlement, died in 1996 at age 73.)

Lear was born in New Haven, Conn. on July 27, 1922, to Herman Lear, a securities broker who for a time went to prison for selling fake bonds, and Jeanette, a homemaker who helped inspire Edith Bunker. Norman Lear would remember family life as a kind of sitcom, full of quirks and grudges, “a group of people living at the ends of their nerves and the tops of their lungs,” he explained during a 2004 appearance at the John F. Kennedy Presidential LIbrary in Boston.

His political activism had deep roots. In a 1984 interview with The New York Times, Lear recalled how, at age 10, he went to live with his Russian immigrant grandfather for two years. His job was to mail Shia Seicol’s letters, which began “My dearest darling Mr. President,” to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sometimes a reply came.

“That my grandfather mattered made me feel every citizen mattered,” he said. By age 15, Lear was sending his own messages to Congress via Western Union.

He dropped out of Emerson College 1942 to enlist in the Air Force and was awarded a Decorated Air Medal. He worked in public relations in New York after the war, then moved to California.

Lear began his writing career in the early 1950s on shows including “The Colgate Comedy Hour” and working for such comedians as Martha Raye and George Gobel. In 1959, Lear and Yorkin founded Tandem Productions, which produced films including “Come Blow Your Horn,” “Start the Revolution Without Me” and “Divorce American Style.” Lear also directed the satire “Cold Turkey,” a 1971 release starring Dick Van Dyke about a small town that takes on a tobacco company’s offer of $25 million to quit smoking for 30 days.

In his later years, Lear joined with Warren Buffett and James E. Burke to establish The Business Enterprise Trust, honoring businesses that take a long-term view of their effect on the country.

He also founded the Norman Lear Center, based at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, which explores the relationship between entertainment, commerce and society. In 2014, he published the memoir “Even This I Get to Experience.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701872361012.png" alt="Lear" />
 <figcaption>Lear</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with such topical hits as "All in the Family" and “Maude” and propelled political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101.Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los Angeles, said Lara Bergthold, a spokesperson for his family.A liberal activist with an eye for mainstream entertainment, Lear fashioned bold and controversial comedies that were embraced by TV sitcom viewers who long had to watch the evening news to find out what was going on in the world. His shows helped define prime time comedy in the 1970s and after, launched the careers of such young performers as Rob Reiner and Valerie Bertinelli and made Carroll O'Connor, Bea Arthur and Redd Foxx among others into middle-aged superstars.His signature production was “All in the Family,” which was immersed in the headlines of the day, while also drawing upon Lear's childhood memories of his tempestuous father. Racism, feminism, and the Vietnam War were flashpoints in the sitcom featuring blue collar conservative Archie Bunker, played by O'Connor, and liberal son-in-law Mike Stivic (Reiner). Jean Stapleton co-starred as Archie’s befuddled, but good-hearted wife, Edith, and Sally Struthers played the Bunkers' daughter, Gloria, who often clashed with Archie on behalf of her husband.At the start of the 1970s, top-rated shows still included such old-fashioned programs as “Here’s Lucy,” “Ironside” and “Gunsmoke,” although the industry was beginning to change. CBS, Lear’s primary network, would soon enact its “rural purge” and cancel such standbys as “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Green Acres.” The groundbreaking sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” about a single career woman in Minneapolis, debuted on CBS in Sept. 1970, just months before “All in the Family” started.But ABC passed on “All in the Family” twice and CBS was initially reluctant to take on the daring series, Lear would say. When the network finally aired “All in the Family,” it began with a disclaimer: “The program you are about to see is ‘All in the Family.’ It seeks to throw a humorous spotlight on our frailties, prejudices, and concerns. By making them a source of laughter we hope to show, in a mature fashion, just how absurd they are.”By the end of 1971, “All In the Family” was No. 1 in the ratings and Archie Bunker was a pop culture fixture, with President Richard Nixon among his fans. Some of his putdowns became catchphrases, whether calling his son-in-law “Meathead,” or his wife “Dingbat.” He would also snap at anyone who dared occupy his faded orange-yellow wing chair, the centerpiece of the Bunker home in the New York City borough of Queens and eventually an artifact in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.Even the show’s opening segment was innovative: Instead of an off-screen theme song, Archie and Edith are seated at the piano in their living room, belting out a nostalgic number, “Those Were the Days,” with Edith screeching off-key and Archie crooning such lines “Didn’t need no welfare state” and “Girls were girls and men were men.”“All in the Family,” based on the British sitcom, “Til Death Us Do Part,” was the No. 1-rated series for an unprecedented five years in a row and earned four Emmy Awards as best comedy series, finally eclipsed by five-time winner “Frasier” in 1998.Hits continued for Lear and then-partner Bud Yorkin, including “Maude” and “The Jeffersons,” both spinoffs from “All in the Family” and both the same winning combination of one-liners and social conflict. In a 1972 two-part episode of “Maude,” the title character (played by Arthur) became the first on television to have an abortion, drawing a surge of protests along with the show’s high ratings. Nixon himself objected to an “All in the Family” episode about a close friend of Archie’s who turns out to be gay, privately fuming to White House aides that the show “glorified” same-sex relationships.“Controversy suggests people are thinking about something. But there’d better be laughing first and foremost or it’s a dog,” Lear said in a 1994 interview with The Associated Press.Lear and Yorkin also created “Good Times,” about a working class Black family in Chicago; “Sanford &amp; Son,” a showcase for Foxx as junkyard dealer Fred Sanford; and “One Day at a Time,” starring Bonnie Franklin as a single mother and Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips as her daughters. In the 1974-75 season, Lear and Yorkin produced five of the top 10 shows. Around the same time, “All in the Family” led off one of TV’s greatest evening lineups, a Saturday slate from CBS that also featured the non-Lear hits “M(asterisk)A(asterisk)S(asterisk)H,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show.”The late Paddy Chayefsky, a leading writer of television’s early “golden age,” once said that Lear “took television away from dopey wives and dumb fathers, from the pimps, hookers, hustlers, private eyes, junkies, cowboys and rustlers that constituted television chaos, and in their place he put the American people.”Lear’s series reflected his ardent political beliefs, which his business success allowed him to express in grand fashion. In 2000, he and a partner bought a copy of the Declaration of Independence for $8.14 million and sent it on a cross-country tour.He founded the nonprofit, liberal advocacy group People for the American Way in 1980 in response to the growing strength of conservative religious groups. In a 1992 interview with Commonweal magazine, Lear said he acted because he felt people such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson were “abusing religion.”“And I started to say, This is not my America. You don’t mix politics and religion this way,” Lear said. He also was an active donor to Democratic candidates.With this wry smile and impish boat hat, Lear remained a youthful presence for much of life and continued creating television well into his 90s, rebooting “One Day at a Time” for Netflix in 2017 and exploring income inequality for the documentary series “America Divided” in 2016. He was also featured in two documentaries: 2016’s “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You,” and HBO’s 2017 look at active nonagenarians such as Lear and Rob Reiner’s father, Carl Reiner, “If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast.”In 1984, he was lauded as the “innovative writer who brought realism to television” when he became one of the first seven people inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame. He later received a National Medal of Arts and was honored at the Kennedy Center. In 2020, he won an Emmy as executive producer of “Live In Front of a Studio Audience: ‘All In the Family’ and ‘Good Times’.’”Lear managed to beat the tough TV odds to an astounding degree. At least one of his shows placed in prime-time’s top 10 for 11 consecutive years (1971-82). But Lear had flops as well.Shows including “Hot L Baltimore,” “Palmerstown” and “a.k.a. Pablo,” a rare Hispanic series, drew critical favor but couldn’t find an audience; others, such as “All That Glitters” and “The Nancy Walker Show,” earned neither. He also faced resistance from cast members, including “Good Times” stars John Amos and Esther Rolle, who often objected to the scripts as racially insensitive, and endured a mid-season walkout by Foxx, who missed eight episodes in 1973-74 because of a contract dispute.In the 1990s, the comedy “704 Hauser,” which returned to the Bunker house with a new family, and the political satire “The Powers that Be” were both short-lived.Lear’s business moves, meanwhile, were almost consistently fruitful.Lear started T.A.T. Communications in 1974 to be “sole creative captain of his ship,” his former business partner Jerry Perenchio told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. The company became a major TV producer with shows including “One Day at a Time” and the soap-opera spoof “Mary Hartman Mary Hartman,” which Lear distributed himself after it was rejected by the networks.In 1982, Lear and Perenchio bought Avco-Embassy Pictures and formed Embassy Communications as T.A.T.’s successor, becoming successfully involved in movies, home video, pay TV and cable ownership. In 1985, Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy to Coca-Cola for $485 million. They had sold their cable holdings the year before, reportedly for a hefty profit.By 1986, Lear was on Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 richest people in America, with an estimated net worth of $225 million. He didn’t make the cut the next year after a $112 million divorce settlement for his second wife, Frances. They had been married 29 years and had two daughters.He married his third wife, psychologist Lyn Davis, in 1987 and the couple had three children. (Frances Lear, who went on to found the now-defunct Lear’s magazine with her settlement, died in 1996 at age 73.)Lear was born in New Haven, Conn. on July 27, 1922, to Herman Lear, a securities broker who for a time went to prison for selling fake bonds, and Jeanette, a homemaker who helped inspire Edith Bunker. Norman Lear would remember family life as a kind of sitcom, full of quirks and grudges, “a group of people living at the ends of their nerves and the tops of their lungs,” he explained during a 2004 appearance at the John F. Kennedy Presidential LIbrary in Boston.His political activism had deep roots. In a 1984 interview with The New York Times, Lear recalled how, at age 10, he went to live with his Russian immigrant grandfather for two years. His job was to mail Shia Seicol’s letters, which began “My dearest darling Mr. President,” to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Sometimes a reply came.“That my grandfather mattered made me feel every citizen mattered,” he said. By age 15, Lear was sending his own messages to Congress via Western Union.He dropped out of Emerson College 1942 to enlist in the Air Force and was awarded a Decorated Air Medal. He worked in public relations in New York after the war, then moved to California.Lear began his writing career in the early 1950s on shows including “The Colgate Comedy Hour” and working for such comedians as Martha Raye and George Gobel. In 1959, Lear and Yorkin founded Tandem Productions, which produced films including “Come Blow Your Horn,” “Start the Revolution Without Me” and “Divorce American Style.” Lear also directed the satire “Cold Turkey,” a 1971 release starring Dick Van Dyke about a small town that takes on a tobacco company’s offer of $25 million to quit smoking for 30 days.In his later years, Lear joined with Warren Buffett and James E. Burke to establish The Business Enterprise Trust, honoring businesses that take a long-term view of their effect on the country.He also founded the Norman Lear Center, based at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication, which explores the relationship between entertainment, commerce and society. In 2014, he published the memoir “Even This I Get to Experience.”

Norman Lear, TV legend, dies at 101

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen on multiple allegations after an arrest.

Just after 6p.m. Sunday, police&nbsp;responded to the report of an armed robbery in the 9600 block of Monrovia in Lenexa, according to a media release.

 The victim told officers she was preparing to unload items from her car after shopping when a masked individual approached her at the back of her car. The suspect pointed a handgun at the victim, demanding her phone and rifling through her pockets. The suspect fled the scene, however over the next several hours, police developed a potential suspect. 

At around midnight on December 4, officers took a 15-year-old boy&nbsp; into custody. Officers also recovered the victim's stolen property. The Johnson County District Attorney's Office has since charged this suspect with aggravated robbery and possession of a firearm.

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas teen on multiple allegations after an arrest.Just after 6p.m. Sunday, police&nbsp;responded to the report of an armed robbery in the 9600 block of Monrovia in Lenexa, according to a media release. The victim told officers she was preparing to unload items from her car after shopping when a masked individual approached her at the back of her car. The suspect pointed a handgun at the victim, demanding her phone and rifling through her pockets. The suspect fled the scene, however over the next several hours, police developed a potential suspect. At around midnight on December 4, officers took a 15-year-old boy&nbsp; into custody. Officers also recovered the victim's stolen property. The Johnson County District Attorney's Office has since charged this suspect with aggravated robbery and possession of a firearm.

Police: 15-year-old robbed Kansas woman at gunpoint

KINGMAN COUNTY —A Kansas sheriff's deputy was injured in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Tuesday in Kingman County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Dodge Durango driven by Kingman County Sheriff's Deputy Logan Richard Self, 33, Maize, was northbound in the 2700 Block of Main Street in Kingman, actively trying to catch up to in a pursuit with emergency equipment activated. 

The SUV slid thru th intersection, struck a ditch and rolled. EMS transported Self to Wesley Medical Center for treatment of a minor injury. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

KINGMAN COUNTY —A Kansas sheriff's deputy was injured in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Tuesday in Kingman County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Dodge Durango driven by Kingman County Sheriff's Deputy Logan Richard Self, 33, Maize, was northbound in the 2700 Block of Main Street in Kingman, actively trying to catch up to in a pursuit with emergency equipment activated. The SUV slid thru th intersection, struck a ditch and rolled. EMS transported Self to Wesley Medical Center for treatment of a minor injury. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas sheriff's deputy injured after crash during chase

&nbsp;By&nbsp;<a href="http://www.defense.gov/News/Author/42773/c-todd-lopez/">C. Todd Lopez</a>&nbsp;, Department of Defense

Following last week's CV-22A Osprey mishap off the shore of Yakushima Island, Japan, a search and rescue operation had been ongoing for any possible survivors. That operation has now transitioned to a search and recovery operation. At the same time, Air Force Special Operations Command has released the names of the eight deceased service members.

A news release explained that a change in mission from rescue to recovery happens when it's determined that it is unlikely there are any survivors.

"I am deeply saddened by the loss of eight American troops in a tragic aircraft crash off the coast of Japan," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III in a statement released today. "The entire Department of Defense mourns alongside the families and the loved ones of those who lost their lives today in the service of their country. My heart also goes out to those who were serving alongside these brave men and women in Japan."

During a news briefing today Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said all families of those airmen have now been notified.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and colleagues of these eight American airmen who are impacted by this tragic mishap and the immeasurable loss of life," said Ryder. "We want to thank the government of Japan for all of their assistance."

Ryder said the remains of three of the eight have been recovered. The remains of another three airmen have been located and are in the process of being recovered.

"The recovery operation will now focus on locating and recovering the remaining two airmen and aircraft debris," Ryder said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701862251778.png" alt="A CV-22A Osprey assigned to the 352d Special Operations Wing flies overhead during an Agile Combat Employment exercise at RAF Fairford, England, Sept. 13, 2021. The exercise enables U.S. forces in Europe to operate from locations with varying levels of capacity and support.&nbsp;Photo By:Senior Airman Eugene Oliver" />
 <figcaption>A CV-22A Osprey assigned to the 352d Special Operations Wing flies overhead during an Agile Combat Employment exercise at RAF Fairford, England, Sept. 13, 2021. The exercise enables U.S. forces in Europe to operate from locations with varying levels of capacity and support.&nbsp;Photo By:Senior Airman Eugene Oliver</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;By&nbsp;<a href="http://www.defense.gov/News/Author/42773/c-todd-lopez/">C. Todd Lopez</a>&nbsp;, Department of DefenseFollowing last week's CV-22A Osprey mishap off the shore of Yakushima Island, Japan, a search and rescue operation had been ongoing for any possible survivors. That operation has now transitioned to a search and recovery operation. At the same time, Air Force Special Operations Command has released the names of the eight deceased service members.A news release explained that a change in mission from rescue to recovery happens when it's determined that it is unlikely there are any survivors."I am deeply saddened by the loss of eight American troops in a tragic aircraft crash off the coast of Japan," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III in a statement released today. "The entire Department of Defense mourns alongside the families and the loved ones of those who lost their lives today in the service of their country. My heart also goes out to those who were serving alongside these brave men and women in Japan."During a news briefing today Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said all families of those airmen have now been notified."Our deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and colleagues of these eight American airmen who are impacted by this tragic mishap and the immeasurable loss of life," said Ryder. "We want to thank the government of Japan for all of their assistance."The deceased airmen are:<ul>
 <li>Air Force Maj. Jeffrey T. Hoernemann, 32, of Andover, Minnesota, was a CV-22 Osprey instructor pilot and officer in charge of training. He was assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan.</li><li>Air Force Maj. Eric V. Spendlove, 36, of St. George, Utah, was a residency trained flight surgeon and medical operations flight commander. He was assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan.</li><li>Air Force Maj. Luke A. Unrath, 34, of Riverside, California, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander. He was assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan.</li><li>Air Force Capt. Terrell K. Brayman, 32, of Pittsford, New York, was a CV-22 pilot and flight commander. He was assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan.</li><li>Air Force Tech. Sgt. Zachary E. Lavoy, 33, of Oviedo, Florida, was a medical operations flight chief. He was assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan.</li><li>Air Force Staff Sgt. Jake M. Turnage, 25, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was a flight engineer. He was assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan.</li><li>Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob M. Galliher, 24, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, was a direct support operator. He was assigned to the 43rd Intelligence Squadron, 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan.</li><li>Air Force Senior Airman Brian K. Johnson, 32, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, was a flight engineer. He was assigned to the 21st Special Operations Squadron, 353rd Special Operations Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan.​</li>
 </ul>Ryder said the remains of three of the eight have been recovered. The remains of another three airmen have been located and are in the process of being recovered."The recovery operation will now focus on locating and recovering the remaining two airmen and aircraft debris," Ryder said.

Air Force IDs 8 airmen who died in Osprey crash off Japan

BOSTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;told campaign donors Tuesday that he wasn’t sure he’d be running for reelection if Donald Trump wasn’t also in the race, warning that democracy is “more at risk in 2024” and that the former president and his allies are out to “destroy” democratic institutions.

The president was using a trio of fundraisers to caution against what might happen should his predecessor again claim control of the White House, noting that Trump has described himself as his supporters’ “retribution” and has vowed to root out “vermin” in the country.

“We’ve got to get it done, not because of me. ... If Trump wasn’t running I’m not sure I’d be running. We cannot let him win,” Biden said, hitting the last words slowly for emphasis.

Biden's forceful rhetoric came as Trump, the current GOP front-runner, who tried to overturn the 2020 election he lost and is facing criminal charges connected to those efforts,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-democracy-election-2024-f2f824f056ae9f81f4e688fe590f41b4">attempted over the weekend</a>&nbsp;to turn the tables by calling Biden the “destroyer of American democracy.”

Trump on Tuesday was asked by Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity to promise he "would never abuse power as retribution against anybody.”

“Except for day one,” Trump responded. “I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

"After that I’m not a dictator,” Trump added.

Biden, who said he is not alone in sounding the alarm over Trump, noted that Trump is the “only losing candidate” in U.S. history to not accept the results. Biden also said that on Jan. 6, 2021, as Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to stop the certification of the election results, Trump sat in his dining room just off the Oval Office, “watching them threaten his own vice president.”

Biden also highlighted recent warnings about Trump from former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., calling her a “powerful voice.”

“American democracy, I give you my word as a Biden, is at stake,” the president said at the first of three campaign fundraisers in the Boston area. Drawing some laughter from donors, Biden also mused: “He didn’t even show up at my inauguration. I can’t say I was disappointed, but he didn’t even show up.”

The warnings by Biden are increasingly part of his pitch to donors: that democracy is at stake if Trump were to win again and he must be defeated. The president is pushing to raise money for his reelection effort before the end of the year, appearing at seven events through Monday — with more to come. The events in Boston on Tuesday benefit his campaign and the broader Democratic Party.

They included an evening event in the city’s theater district featuring a concert by singer-songwriter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-taylor">James Taylor</a>, who helped kick off a White House event in 2022 celebrating&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/Inflation%20Reduction%20Act,">the Inflation Reduction Act</a>, a climate and health care bill that Biden signed into law.

Onstage, Biden joked to the packed theater audience that he wouldn't be long because he knew he was “the only thing standing” between the audience and the performance by Taylor.

“We’re always going to defend protect and fight for democracy," he said. "That’s why I’m running.”

November was the campaign's strongest grassroots fundraising month since Biden formally announced last April that he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-election-2024-president-democrats-trump-9c72115656855da89a41cac3f79aa65b">seeking a second term</a>, according to a campaign official who insisted on anonymity to discuss campaign finances before details are made public. The numbers will be released in January.

In October, Biden and the Democratic National Committee reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-democrats-election-2024-campaign-fundraising-trump-6d16c590a1f1fed055b6544e36c03b9a">raising more than $71 million for his reelection</a>&nbsp;in the three months ending Sept. 30, a sign that donors remained behind him going into the 2024 presidential race.

Biden had only political events on his public schedule for Tuesday, which is rare. Presidents who are running for reelection typically include an official event, like a policy speech, on the schedule to help defray costs for their campaign.

Biden will also attend a fundraiser Wednesday near the White House and another one Monday in Philadelphia. He’ll headline fundraisers in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland later in December.

On Friday, Biden will head to Los Angeles for a big-dollar event that will be his first since strikes by writers and actors effectively ground his fundraising to a halt in the heart of the entertainment industry, which has long served as a major source of campaign money for Democrats.

The event is slated to be at the home of Michael Smith, a celebrity interior designer who decorated the White House for President Barack Obama, and Smith's partner, James Costos, a former HBO executive who was Obama’s ambassador to Spain. It is expected to raise millions of dollars and draw a crowd of celebrities. Rocker Lenny Kravitz is slated to perform.

Film director Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, who starred in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” are among the hosts of the event, as are recording industry mogul David Geffen, “Scandal” showrunner Shonda Rhimes and “This is Spinal Tap” director Rob Reiner, according to an invitation obtained by the AP.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is also a co-host. Barbra Streisand is set to attend.

As of the last fundraising reporting deadline at the end of September, Biden and his party&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-democrats-election-2024-campaign-fundraising-trump-6d16c590a1f1fed055b6544e36c03b9a">reported $91 million cash on hand.</a>&nbsp;He is helped by the fact that as the party’s leader he has entered into a joint fundraising agreement with the Democratic National Committee, as well as state parties, which enables him to receive a check from a single donor that is in the range of $1 million.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701832018325.png" alt="“We’ve got to get it done, not because of me. ... If Trump wasn’t running I’m not sure I’d be running. We cannot let him win,” Biden said, hitting the last words slowly for emphasis.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>“We’ve got to get it done, not because of me. ... If Trump wasn’t running I’m not sure I’d be running. We cannot let him win,” Biden said, hitting the last words slowly for emphasis.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BOSTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;told campaign donors Tuesday that he wasn’t sure he’d be running for reelection if Donald Trump wasn’t also in the race, warning that democracy is “more at risk in 2024” and that the former president and his allies are out to “destroy” democratic institutions.The president was using a trio of fundraisers to caution against what might happen should his predecessor again claim control of the White House, noting that Trump has described himself as his supporters’ “retribution” and has vowed to root out “vermin” in the country.“We’ve got to get it done, not because of me. ... If Trump wasn’t running I’m not sure I’d be running. We cannot let him win,” Biden said, hitting the last words slowly for emphasis.Biden's forceful rhetoric came as Trump, the current GOP front-runner, who tried to overturn the 2020 election he lost and is facing criminal charges connected to those efforts,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-biden-democracy-election-2024-f2f824f056ae9f81f4e688fe590f41b4">attempted over the weekend</a>&nbsp;to turn the tables by calling Biden the “destroyer of American democracy.”Trump on Tuesday was asked by Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity to promise he "would never abuse power as retribution against anybody.”“Except for day one,” Trump responded. “I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill.”"After that I’m not a dictator,” Trump added.Biden, who said he is not alone in sounding the alarm over Trump, noted that Trump is the “only losing candidate” in U.S. history to not accept the results. Biden also said that on Jan. 6, 2021, as Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to stop the certification of the election results, Trump sat in his dining room just off the Oval Office, “watching them threaten his own vice president.”Biden also highlighted recent warnings about Trump from former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., calling her a “powerful voice.”“American democracy, I give you my word as a Biden, is at stake,” the president said at the first of three campaign fundraisers in the Boston area. Drawing some laughter from donors, Biden also mused: “He didn’t even show up at my inauguration. I can’t say I was disappointed, but he didn’t even show up.”The warnings by Biden are increasingly part of his pitch to donors: that democracy is at stake if Trump were to win again and he must be defeated. The president is pushing to raise money for his reelection effort before the end of the year, appearing at seven events through Monday — with more to come. The events in Boston on Tuesday benefit his campaign and the broader Democratic Party.They included an evening event in the city’s theater district featuring a concert by singer-songwriter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-taylor">James Taylor</a>, who helped kick off a White House event in 2022 celebrating&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/Inflation%20Reduction%20Act,">the Inflation Reduction Act</a>, a climate and health care bill that Biden signed into law.Onstage, Biden joked to the packed theater audience that he wouldn't be long because he knew he was “the only thing standing” between the audience and the performance by Taylor.“We’re always going to defend protect and fight for democracy," he said. "That’s why I’m running.”November was the campaign's strongest grassroots fundraising month since Biden formally announced last April that he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-election-2024-president-democrats-trump-9c72115656855da89a41cac3f79aa65b">seeking a second term</a>, according to a campaign official who insisted on anonymity to discuss campaign finances before details are made public. The numbers will be released in January.In October, Biden and the Democratic National Committee reported&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-democrats-election-2024-campaign-fundraising-trump-6d16c590a1f1fed055b6544e36c03b9a">raising more than $71 million for his reelection</a>&nbsp;in the three months ending Sept. 30, a sign that donors remained behind him going into the 2024 presidential race.Biden had only political events on his public schedule for Tuesday, which is rare. Presidents who are running for reelection typically include an official event, like a policy speech, on the schedule to help defray costs for their campaign.Biden will also attend a fundraiser Wednesday near the White House and another one Monday in Philadelphia. He’ll headline fundraisers in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland later in December.On Friday, Biden will head to Los Angeles for a big-dollar event that will be his first since strikes by writers and actors effectively ground his fundraising to a halt in the heart of the entertainment industry, which has long served as a major source of campaign money for Democrats.The event is slated to be at the home of Michael Smith, a celebrity interior designer who decorated the White House for President Barack Obama, and Smith's partner, James Costos, a former HBO executive who was Obama’s ambassador to Spain. It is expected to raise millions of dollars and draw a crowd of celebrities. Rocker Lenny Kravitz is slated to perform.Film director Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, who starred in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” are among the hosts of the event, as are recording industry mogul David Geffen, “Scandal” showrunner Shonda Rhimes and “This is Spinal Tap” director Rob Reiner, according to an invitation obtained by the AP.Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is also a co-host. Barbra Streisand is set to attend.As of the last fundraising reporting deadline at the end of September, Biden and his party&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-democrats-election-2024-campaign-fundraising-trump-6d16c590a1f1fed055b6544e36c03b9a">reported $91 million cash on hand.</a>&nbsp;He is helped by the fact that as the party’s leader he has entered into a joint fundraising agreement with the Democratic National Committee, as well as state parties, which enables him to receive a check from a single donor that is in the range of $1 million.

Biden: 'If Trump wasn’t running I’m not sure I’d be running

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to five years in prison for having firearms while dealing illegal narcotics, according to the United States Attorney.

According to court documents, Alexander Schultz, 36, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

In February 2023, the Sedgwick County Sherriff’s Office (SCSO) learned that Schultz was selling narcotics at a hotel in Wichita. Through surveillance, SCSO detectives observed Schultz dealing out of his hotel room and from his car in front of the hotel. 

Law enforcement arrested Schultz on an outstanding warrant and searched his vehicle. Detectives discovered baggies with blue "M30" pills with later tested positive for fentanyl with a total net weight of 138.89 grams. Law enforcement also found methamphetamine (29.40 grams), two firearms, $2,878 in U.S. Currency, and several zipper bags containing raw marijuana inside the vehicle.

In Schultz’s hotel room, deputies found approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of crack cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. They also found a rifle under the mattress.

Schultz admitted the items located inside of the vehicle and hotel room were his, and that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl. He told investigators he had the firearms to protect himself and the drugs he was trafficking.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701797187515.png" alt="Schultz is being held in Butler Co." />
 <figcaption>Schultz is being held in Butler Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to five years in prison for having firearms while dealing illegal narcotics, according to the United States Attorney.According to court documents, Alexander Schultz, 36, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.In February 2023, the Sedgwick County Sherriff’s Office (SCSO) learned that Schultz was selling narcotics at a hotel in Wichita. Through surveillance, SCSO detectives observed Schultz dealing out of his hotel room and from his car in front of the hotel. Law enforcement arrested Schultz on an outstanding warrant and searched his vehicle. Detectives discovered baggies with blue "M30" pills with later tested positive for fentanyl with a total net weight of 138.89 grams. Law enforcement also found methamphetamine (29.40 grams), two firearms, $2,878 in U.S. Currency, and several zipper bags containing raw marijuana inside the vehicle.In Schultz’s hotel room, deputies found approximately 12 grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of crack cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. They also found a rifle under the mattress.Schultz admitted the items located inside of the vehicle and hotel room were his, and that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl. He told investigators he had the firearms to protect himself and the drugs he was trafficking.

Man admits selling fentanyl pills from Kansas hotel room

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a search by law enforcement.

Just before 5p.m. December 1, sheriff's deputies responded to the 9300 block of SW 61st Street following reports of shots being fired from a gray Dodge Challenger while traveling at a high rate of speed, according to Deputy Shayna Anderson.

 It was later learned that a house had been struck by a bullet.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1701711175299.png" alt="Clift-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Clift-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on multiple charges after a search by law enforcement.Just before 5p.m. December 1, sheriff's deputies responded to the 9300 block of SW 61st Street following reports of shots being fired from a gray Dodge Challenger while traveling at a high rate of speed, according to Deputy Shayna Anderson. It was later learned that a house had been struck by a bullet.Just after 10:30p.m. Sunday, an officer located the gray Dodge Challenger and arrested 21-year-old Isaiah S. Clift, 21, of Topeka.Clift was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of criminal discharge of a firearm at an unoccupied dwelling and criminal damage to property. Clift was also booked in on a traffic warrant through Shawnee County