BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>

WASHINGTON — Voters are determining whether the next president enters office with a friendly Congress or a hostile one set on blocking their policies and nominees — and as the election roars into its last moments it’s still very unclear what the makeup of the House and Senate might be.

Most House races are not competitive. But House leaders are closely watching about two dozen toss-up contests to see whether Democrats or Republicans end up with the magic 218 lawmakers needed to control the speaker’s gavel, the agenda and the floor schedule.

The GOP’s razor-thin majority during the last two years created significant obstacles for leadership’s legislative goals and ended Kevin McCarthy’s speakership.

Neither political party is expected to gain a large House majority during the next Congress, set to begin in January. There’s even a possibility the majority party has less wiggle room than the 220-212 split that currently exists, along with three vacancies. Experts warn it may not be known on election night or for some time who’s won the House.

Senate leaders have been equally focused on hard-fought and close campaigns in Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Any one of them could deliver control of the upper chamber.

Republicans are favored to turn over the West Virginia seat occupied by Joe Manchin III, potentially pushing them past the 50-member benchmark if they hold onto seats occupied by incumbents Ted Cruz in Texas, Deb Fischer in Nebraska and Rick Scott in Florida.

If Democrats keep 50 seats, that would mean whichever party holds the vice presidency controls the Senate, making even just one pickup in either direction a priority for both political parties.

The outcome in both the House and Senate will have sweeping implications for the country’s future, including whether the GOP overhauls Obamacare, how lawmakers address core aspects of Republicans’ 2017 tax law set to expire in the coming months and whether the country defaults on its debts for the first time in history.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings" target="_blank">rates</a>&nbsp;four Senate races as toss-ups, meaning there’s a relatively even chance for Democrats or Republicans to win.

While the campaigns have shifted around a bit during the last few months, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are all considered neck and neck heading into Election Day.

Arizona and Nevada are categorized as leaning toward Democrats and Montana is expected to lean toward a Republican pickup, potentially giving the GOP its 51st seat and a narrow majority.

It’s also possible there could be upsets in Republican-held states traditionally considered safer, like Florida, Nebraska and Texas.That could alter the math for both Democrats and Republicans, depending on how things shake out after all the votes are counted, recounts finalized and lawsuits settled in the days and weeks following Nov. 5.

Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and Governors at the Cook Political Report, said in a statement released Friday the “battle for the Senate fundamentally ends where the cycle began — with an overwhelmingly favorable map that very likely portends a GOP majority.”

Her projections show the GOP picking up two to five seats, giving the party a majority between 51 and 54 members.

A narrower majority, Taylor said, would allow “moderates like Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins to wield outsized influence in the next Congress.”

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said during an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?539651-1/sen-gary-peters-discusses-senate-races" target="_blank">interview</a>&nbsp;with Washington Post Live in late October that he expects voters in Montana and Ohio will split their tickets.

He acknowledged getting voters to support Democratic Sens. Jon Tester in Montana and Sherrod Brown in Ohio, while also voting for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, will be much more challenging than in the past.

“Certainly, it’s not easy if there’s a lot of political gravity,” Peters said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat that in any way.”

But, he said, both Tester and Brown have been consistently polling within the margin of error against their GOP challengers.

“It’s about who’s going to get their voters out and do the kind of ground campaign necessary to win,” Peters said. “We’re doing that in Montana. We’re doing that in Ohio as well.”

The Senate is more important to the next president than the House, since the upper chamber is responsible for vetting and confirming the next commander-in-chief’s selections for their Cabinet as well as judicial nominees.

A GOP Senate would be a gift for Trump but likely tough for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The opposite could also be true — a Democratic majority in the Senate could put the brakes on many of Trump’s plans for a second term, while it would aid Harris in setting up her administration and potentially confirming a Supreme Court justice or two.

The Senate is the more bipartisan of the two chambers, thanks to the legislative filibuster — the rule requiring at least 60 senators agree to advance legislation toward final passage.

Without bipartisan support, bills and some nominees will be stuck in limbo, regardless of which party runs the Senate or controls the White House.

Philip Wallach, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, said a Harris administration and a Republican Senate would need to work out an agreement quickly “or risk going into some kind of protracted standoff over executive branch nominations.”

Both Trump and President Joe Biden had the luxury of same-party Senate control during their full terms and former President Barack Obama had a Democratic Senate during his first six years in office. Harris possibly having to work with the opposing party to establish her Cabinet would be especially challenging, Wallach said in an interview.

“I would expect Republicans to try to come up with some pretty concrete asks as a conference: To say, ‘If we’re going to put any of your nominees up for a vote, here’s what we want in return, and here’s what kind of nominees we will accept.’ And, you know, I expect that would play out as a fairly heated public confrontation,” he said.

Trump and a Republican Senate would likely agree on some nominees and policy goals, though there would be significant differences over issues like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-vows-levy-horrible-tariffs-imports-rejecting-fears-inflation-spike" target="_blank">tariffs</a>.

“I think there are a lot of Republican senators who want to see some real limits to that, who still think of themselves as basically in favor of free trade and making sure that American businesses don’t find themselves on the wrong end of a trade war,” Wallach said. “Especially in the Senate, I just don’t think they’re that eager to just march to Trump’s tune.”

A Trump administration, he said, could also disagree with GOP lawmakers on the specific details of how to address tax policy.

“I think it’s a very live possibility that there could be a much more confrontational kind of dynamic this time around, in part, because Trump and some of the people right around him have this idea that playing nicely in 2017 was a big mistake,” Wallach said.

Control of the 435-member House is more uncertain than the Senate, with 22 races&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="_blank">rated as toss-ups</a>&nbsp;by the Cook Political Report.

Twelve of those are held by Republicans, while 10 are occupied by Democratic lawmakers. At the moment, 205 House seats are at least leaning toward a Democratic win, with 208 districts at least leaning toward Republicans.

The Cook Political Report’s final projections range from Republicans adding five seats to their majority to Democrats picking up 10 seats and taking over the majority again.

“The race for control of the U.S. House remains as close as it’s ever been,”

Erin Covey, editor for the House at CPR, said in a written statement.

“The battleground is confined to a few dozen seats, with neither party having a clear advantage in a majority of seats,” Covey added. “And with several competitive races in West Coast states that take longer to count their ballots, it’s highly possible we won’t know which party has control on election night.”

The House is essential to turning bills into law, though it doesn’t have any role in confirming presidential nominees. And unlike the Senate, there’s no legislative filibuster, which means the majority party can approve any bills it wants without buy-in from the minority party, as long as the leaders in the majority have the votes from their own members.

Republican control of at least one chamber of Congress and a Harris victory would force significant bipartisan compromise on must-pass legislation, like the dozen annual government funding bills and the defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act.

It could also lead to the types of bipartisan legislation that Biden made a hallmark of his term in office, including the bipartisan infrastructure law.

That type of divided government is unlikely to produce the sweeping changes to home ownership, prescription drug prices, price gouging and reproductive rights that Harris has highlighted throughout her campaign.

But it could lead Republicans and Democrats to resurrect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/bipartisan-border-bill-loses-support-fails-procedural-vote-us-senate" target="_blank">the bipartisan immigration and border security bill</a>&nbsp;that Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema agreed to earlier this year.

Trump in the White House and Democrats holding onto at least one chamber in Congress could also force bipartisan compromise, though likely with a far different tone and approach than under a Harris-Republican Congress scenario.

Trump regaining the presidency along with GOP control of Congress would give the party at least two chances to use the complex budget reconciliation process to pass certain legislation.

The party would likely use one of those opportunities to address provisions in the 2017 Republican tax law that have expired or are about to.

The budget reconciliation process, which has considerable rules and restrictions, is how Republicans passed the tax bill during Trump’s first term in office.

It doesn’t require at least 60 senators to advance the bill. But it does include something known as a vote-a-rama, where the Senate holds dozens of votes on amendments to the bill. The process typically lasts throughout the night and gives the party not in power a chance to force their colleagues across the aisle to vote on tough issues.

Budget reconciliation is the process Republicans used to try to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law that’s often referred to as the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, during Trump’s first term in office.

Speaker Mike Jonson, R-La., said in late October on Fox Business that some of his<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/speaker-johnson-criticizes-obamacare-promises-massive-reform-trump-win-rcna177853" target="_blank">&nbsp;prior comments</a>&nbsp;about overhauling the ACA were taken out of context and that he wants to make changes to the program, but not entirely end it.

“I said the ACA, unfortunately, is deeply ingrained in our health care system now,” he said. “Do we need further improvements? Absolutely. We need to expand quality of care, access to care and obviously lower the cost of health care.”

Johnson said during the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRGW9IVOaP4" target="_blank">interview</a>&nbsp;that he was “convinced” Republicans would gain unified control of government following the election and that he had compiled a “two-hour slide show presentation” detailing what the GOP would do with that power.

“We will secure the border on day one with a President Trump executive order and then legislation to follow, and we will turn immediately to the economy,” Johnson said. “Energy policy will be the center of that as well.”

Deeply conservative House bills might not garner the support needed to overcome the Senate’s legislative filibuster.

Unified Republican control of Congress and the White House would challenge the GOP to address the nation’s debt limit mostly on its own during the first half of next year after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-sends-biden-debt-limit-legislation-ahead-monday-default-deadline" target="_blank">the current law</a>&nbsp;expires.

A default on the nation’s debt is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-hit-debt-limit-much-sooner-expected-thrusting-congress-showdown" target="_blank">vastly different from a partial government shutdown</a>, which takes place when Congress doesn’t pass an appropriations package on time.

Failing to either raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit, before what’s known as extraordinary measures runs out, would likely cause a global financial crisis.

The GOP has been extremely vocal about cutting government spending, but that is separate from addressing the nation’s debt limit, which gives the Treasury Department the borrowing authority to ensure all of the country’s bills are paid in full and on time.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720316487639.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>WASHINGTON — Voters are determining whether the next president enters office with a friendly Congress or a hostile one set on blocking their policies and nominees — and as the election roars into its last moments it’s still very unclear what the makeup of the House and Senate might be.Most House races are not competitive. But House leaders are closely watching about two dozen toss-up contests to see whether Democrats or Republicans end up with the magic 218 lawmakers needed to control the speaker’s gavel, the agenda and the floor schedule.The GOP’s razor-thin majority during the last two years created significant obstacles for leadership’s legislative goals and ended Kevin McCarthy’s speakership.Neither political party is expected to gain a large House majority during the next Congress, set to begin in January. There’s even a possibility the majority party has less wiggle room than the 220-212 split that currently exists, along with three vacancies. Experts warn it may not be known on election night or for some time who’s won the House.Senate leaders have been equally focused on hard-fought and close campaigns in Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Any one of them could deliver control of the upper chamber.Republicans are favored to turn over the West Virginia seat occupied by Joe Manchin III, potentially pushing them past the 50-member benchmark if they hold onto seats occupied by incumbents Ted Cruz in Texas, Deb Fischer in Nebraska and Rick Scott in Florida.If Democrats keep 50 seats, that would mean whichever party holds the vice presidency controls the Senate, making even just one pickup in either direction a priority for both political parties.The outcome in both the House and Senate will have sweeping implications for the country’s future, including whether the GOP overhauls Obamacare, how lawmakers address core aspects of Republicans’ 2017 tax law set to expire in the coming months and whether the country defaults on its debts for the first time in history.<h2>Four tense toss-ups in the Senate</h2>The nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/senate-race-ratings" target="_blank">rates</a>&nbsp;four Senate races as toss-ups, meaning there’s a relatively even chance for Democrats or Republicans to win.While the campaigns have shifted around a bit during the last few months, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are all considered neck and neck heading into Election Day.Arizona and Nevada are categorized as leaning toward Democrats and Montana is expected to lean toward a Republican pickup, potentially giving the GOP its 51st seat and a narrow majority.It’s also possible there could be upsets in Republican-held states traditionally considered safer, like Florida, Nebraska and Texas.That could alter the math for both Democrats and Republicans, depending on how things shake out after all the votes are counted, recounts finalized and lawsuits settled in the days and weeks following Nov. 5.Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and Governors at the Cook Political Report, said in a statement released Friday the “battle for the Senate fundamentally ends where the cycle began — with an overwhelmingly favorable map that very likely portends a GOP majority.”Her projections show the GOP picking up two to five seats, giving the party a majority between 51 and 54 members.A narrower majority, Taylor said, would allow “moderates like Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Maine Sen. Susan Collins to wield outsized influence in the next Congress.”<h2>Will some voters split their tickets?</h2>Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said during an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?539651-1/sen-gary-peters-discusses-senate-races" target="_blank">interview</a>&nbsp;with Washington Post Live in late October that he expects voters in Montana and Ohio will split their tickets.He acknowledged getting voters to support Democratic Sens. Jon Tester in Montana and Sherrod Brown in Ohio, while also voting for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, will be much more challenging than in the past.“Certainly, it’s not easy if there’s a lot of political gravity,” Peters said. “I’m not going to sugarcoat that in any way.”But, he said, both Tester and Brown have been consistently polling within the margin of error against their GOP challengers.“It’s about who’s going to get their voters out and do the kind of ground campaign necessary to win,” Peters said. “We’re doing that in Montana. We’re doing that in Ohio as well.”The Senate is more important to the next president than the House, since the upper chamber is responsible for vetting and confirming the next commander-in-chief’s selections for their Cabinet as well as judicial nominees.A GOP Senate would be a gift for Trump but likely tough for Vice President Kamala Harris.The opposite could also be true — a Democratic majority in the Senate could put the brakes on many of Trump’s plans for a second term, while it would aid Harris in setting up her administration and potentially confirming a Supreme Court justice or two.The Senate is the more bipartisan of the two chambers, thanks to the legislative filibuster — the rule requiring at least 60 senators agree to advance legislation toward final passage.Without bipartisan support, bills and some nominees will be stuck in limbo, regardless of which party runs the Senate or controls the White House.<h2>Possible standoff</h2>Philip Wallach, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, said a Harris administration and a Republican Senate would need to work out an agreement quickly “or risk going into some kind of protracted standoff over executive branch nominations.”Both Trump and President Joe Biden had the luxury of same-party Senate control during their full terms and former President Barack Obama had a Democratic Senate during his first six years in office. Harris possibly having to work with the opposing party to establish her Cabinet would be especially challenging, Wallach said in an interview.“I would expect Republicans to try to come up with some pretty concrete asks as a conference: To say, ‘If we’re going to put any of your nominees up for a vote, here’s what we want in return, and here’s what kind of nominees we will accept.’ And, you know, I expect that would play out as a fairly heated public confrontation,” he said.Trump and a Republican Senate would likely agree on some nominees and policy goals, though there would be significant differences over issues like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-vows-levy-horrible-tariffs-imports-rejecting-fears-inflation-spike" target="_blank">tariffs</a>.“I think there are a lot of Republican senators who want to see some real limits to that, who still think of themselves as basically in favor of free trade and making sure that American businesses don’t find themselves on the wrong end of a trade war,” Wallach said. “Especially in the Senate, I just don’t think they’re that eager to just march to Trump’s tune.”A Trump administration, he said, could also disagree with GOP lawmakers on the specific details of how to address tax policy.“I think it’s a very live possibility that there could be a much more confrontational kind of dynamic this time around, in part, because Trump and some of the people right around him have this idea that playing nicely in 2017 was a big mistake,” Wallach said.<h2>House ‘as close as it’s ever been’</h2>Control of the 435-member House is more uncertain than the Senate, with 22 races&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings" target="_blank">rated as toss-ups</a>&nbsp;by the Cook Political Report.Twelve of those are held by Republicans, while 10 are occupied by Democratic lawmakers. At the moment, 205 House seats are at least leaning toward a Democratic win, with 208 districts at least leaning toward Republicans.The Cook Political Report’s final projections range from Republicans adding five seats to their majority to Democrats picking up 10 seats and taking over the majority again.“The race for control of the U.S. House remains as close as it’s ever been,”Erin Covey, editor for the House at CPR, said in a written statement.“The battleground is confined to a few dozen seats, with neither party having a clear advantage in a majority of seats,” Covey added. “And with several competitive races in West Coast states that take longer to count their ballots, it’s highly possible we won’t know which party has control on election night.”The House is essential to turning bills into law, though it doesn’t have any role in confirming presidential nominees. And unlike the Senate, there’s no legislative filibuster, which means the majority party can approve any bills it wants without buy-in from the minority party, as long as the leaders in the majority have the votes from their own members.Republican control of at least one chamber of Congress and a Harris victory would force significant bipartisan compromise on must-pass legislation, like the dozen annual government funding bills and the defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act.It could also lead to the types of bipartisan legislation that Biden made a hallmark of his term in office, including the bipartisan infrastructure law.That type of divided government is unlikely to produce the sweeping changes to home ownership, prescription drug prices, price gouging and reproductive rights that Harris has highlighted throughout her campaign.But it could lead Republicans and Democrats to resurrect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/bipartisan-border-bill-loses-support-fails-procedural-vote-us-senate" target="_blank">the bipartisan immigration and border security bill</a>&nbsp;that Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema agreed to earlier this year.Trump in the White House and Democrats holding onto at least one chamber in Congress could also force bipartisan compromise, though likely with a far different tone and approach than under a Harris-Republican Congress scenario.<h2>GOP trifecta?</h2>Trump regaining the presidency along with GOP control of Congress would give the party at least two chances to use the complex budget reconciliation process to pass certain legislation.The party would likely use one of those opportunities to address provisions in the 2017 Republican tax law that have expired or are about to.The budget reconciliation process, which has considerable rules and restrictions, is how Republicans passed the tax bill during Trump’s first term in office.It doesn’t require at least 60 senators to advance the bill. But it does include something known as a vote-a-rama, where the Senate holds dozens of votes on amendments to the bill. The process typically lasts throughout the night and gives the party not in power a chance to force their colleagues across the aisle to vote on tough issues.Budget reconciliation is the process Republicans used to try to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law that’s often referred to as the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, during Trump’s first term in office.Speaker Mike Jonson, R-La., said in late October on Fox Business that some of his<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/speaker-johnson-criticizes-obamacare-promises-massive-reform-trump-win-rcna177853" target="_blank">&nbsp;prior comments</a>&nbsp;about overhauling the ACA were taken out of context and that he wants to make changes to the program, but not entirely end it.“I said the ACA, unfortunately, is deeply ingrained in our health care system now,” he said. “Do we need further improvements? Absolutely. We need to expand quality of care, access to care and obviously lower the cost of health care.”Johnson said during the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRGW9IVOaP4" target="_blank">interview</a>&nbsp;that he was “convinced” Republicans would gain unified control of government following the election and that he had compiled a “two-hour slide show presentation” detailing what the GOP would do with that power.“We will secure the border on day one with a President Trump executive order and then legislation to follow, and we will turn immediately to the economy,” Johnson said. “Energy policy will be the center of that as well.”Deeply conservative House bills might not garner the support needed to overcome the Senate’s legislative filibuster.Unified Republican control of Congress and the White House would challenge the GOP to address the nation’s debt limit mostly on its own during the first half of next year after&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-sends-biden-debt-limit-legislation-ahead-monday-default-deadline" target="_blank">the current law</a>&nbsp;expires.A default on the nation’s debt is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-hit-debt-limit-much-sooner-expected-thrusting-congress-showdown" target="_blank">vastly different from a partial government shutdown</a>, which takes place when Congress doesn’t pass an appropriations package on time.Failing to either raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit, before what’s known as extraordinary measures runs out, would likely cause a global financial crisis.The GOP has been extremely vocal about cutting government spending, but that is separate from addressing the nation’s debt limit, which gives the Treasury Department the borrowing authority to ensure all of the country’s bills are paid in full and on time.

Will control of Congress shift? The results hinge on a handful of states and races

DICKINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a wanted Kansas felon on multiple allegations after a chase and arrest.

Just after 9:30p.m. Sunday, a sheriff's deputy observed a red Chevrolet pickup in the area of East 6th Street and Pine in Solomon, according to Dickinson County Undersheriff&nbsp;Jeff Vaughan.

The pickup was traveling without any lights and failed to stop at a stop sign. The Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop with the vehicle. The driver accelerated and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. The vehicle eventually came to a stop in the area of Old Highway 40 and Deer Road in Dickinson County.

The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody without further incident and identified as Carlito Luis Morales, 34, of Salina. 

It was discovered that Morales had a warrant out of Saline County for his arrest. Morales was transported to the Dickinson County Detention Facility.

Just before 10:30;.m. a Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a call for service regarding damage to property in the 200 Block of West 4th Street in Solomon. It was reported a vehicle earlier in the evening had driven through a yard of a residence, spinning its tires causing damage to the lawn. During the investigation, Morales was developed as the suspect in this case.

Morales is being held in the the Dickinson County Detention Facility for the warrant out of Saline County and requested charges of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, mIgnition Interlock Device; Operate a vehicle without a required device, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Criminal Damage to Property

Morales has previous convictions for burglary, aggravated battery, criminal threat, battery and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730742266349.png" alt="Morales has previous convictions for burglary, aggravated battery, criminal threat, battery and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Dickinson County" />
 <figcaption>Morales has previous convictions for burglary, aggravated battery, criminal threat, battery and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Dickinson County</figcaption>
 </figure>DICKINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a wanted Kansas felon on multiple allegations after a chase and arrest.Just after 9:30p.m. Sunday, a sheriff's deputy observed a red Chevrolet pickup in the area of East 6th Street and Pine in Solomon, according to Dickinson County Undersheriff&nbsp;Jeff Vaughan.The pickup was traveling without any lights and failed to stop at a stop sign. The Sheriff’s Deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop with the vehicle. The driver accelerated and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. The vehicle eventually came to a stop in the area of Old Highway 40 and Deer Road in Dickinson County.The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody without further incident and identified as Carlito Luis Morales, 34, of Salina. It was discovered that Morales had a warrant out of Saline County for his arrest. Morales was transported to the Dickinson County Detention Facility.Just before 10:30;.m. a Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a call for service regarding damage to property in the 200 Block of West 4th Street in Solomon. It was reported a vehicle earlier in the evening had driven through a yard of a residence, spinning its tires causing damage to the lawn. During the investigation, Morales was developed as the suspect in this case.Morales is being held in the the Dickinson County Detention Facility for the warrant out of Saline County and requested charges of Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Police Officer, mIgnition Interlock Device; Operate a vehicle without a required device, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Criminal Damage to PropertyMorales has previous convictions for burglary, aggravated battery, criminal threat, battery and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections&nbsp;

Wanted Kansas felon jailed after police chase

BARTON COUNTY —Authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed a barn in rural Barton County.

Just before 5p.m. Friday, Barton County Fire District #2 responded to a barn fire around just east of Hoisington, according to a social media report.

Crews found an old cattle barn fully involved and partially collapsed. Due to the size of the shed and the partial collapse, firemen went into defensive mode protecting any surrounding structures and to keep the fire from spreading.&nbsp;

The fire was contained and put out after about two hours.&nbsp; The scene was monitored for any hot spots.&nbsp;The structure was a total loss.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported.

Due to the location and size of the structure, mutual aid was requested from Great Bend Fire Department and Claflin Fire Department to bring tanker trucks to help shuttle water.

Barton County Fire District #2 was assisted by Barton County Dispatch, Great Bend Fire Department, Claflin Fire Department, Barton County Sheriffs Department and Western Cooperative Electric.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730739850026.png" alt="-Photo courtesy Barton Co. Fire District 2" />
 <figcaption>-Photo courtesy Barton Co. Fire District 2</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —Authorities are investigating a fire that destroyed a barn in rural Barton County.Just before 5p.m. Friday, Barton County Fire District #2 responded to a barn fire around just east of Hoisington, according to a social media report.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730731240752.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Crews found an old cattle barn fully involved and partially collapsed. Due to the size of the shed and the partial collapse, firemen went into defensive mode protecting any surrounding structures and to keep the fire from spreading.&nbsp;The fire was contained and put out after about two hours.&nbsp; The scene was monitored for any hot spots.&nbsp;The structure was a total loss.&nbsp; There were no injuries reported.Due to the location and size of the structure, mutual aid was requested from Great Bend Fire Department and Claflin Fire Department to bring tanker trucks to help shuttle water.Barton County Fire District #2 was assisted by Barton County Dispatch, Great Bend Fire Department, Claflin Fire Department, Barton County Sheriffs Department and Western Cooperative Electric.

Cause of fire that destroyed rural Kan. barn under investigation

JOHNSON COUNTY —Two people are dead and a suspect is in custody after a weekend standoff at a Kansas home.&nbsp;

Just before 8:30p.m. Friday, police responded on the report of an armed disturbance at a home in the 7900 block of Hallet in the city of Lenexa, according to a media release. As officers arrived, they heard multiple gunshots coming from the area of the residence.

Lenexa officers spoke on the phone with the individual suspected of firing shots and learned 53-year-old Todd M. Donovan was inside his residence on Hallet.

Donovan refused to comply with officer’s requests to come outside peacefully and the Lenexa Tactical Team and crisis negotiators responded on the barricade operation. Negotiators spoke with Donovan for nearly two hours before he discontinued dialogue.

Just before 2a.m. Saturday., members of the Lenexa Tactical Team entered the residence and took Donovan into custody. He was taken to an area hospital due to a possible overdose.

Officers located two individuals later identified as Donovan's wife 52-year-old Sheila Donovan and his son 22-year-old Tyler Donovan deceased inside the home. The preliminary investigation indicates that both were shot. As part of this investigation, it was also learned that a neighbor's dog was shot and killed around the same time that officers responded on the initial call.

&nbsp;The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office has charged Donovan with two counts of First-Degree Murder. The deceased victims are related to Donovan. He is scheduled to make a court appearance on Monday afternoon, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730686002368.png" alt="Donovan photo Johnson County" />
 <figcaption>Donovan photo Johnson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Two people are dead and a suspect is in custody after a weekend standoff at a Kansas home.&nbsp;Just before 8:30p.m. Friday, police responded on the report of an armed disturbance at a home in the 7900 block of Hallet in the city of Lenexa, according to a media release. As officers arrived, they heard multiple gunshots coming from the area of the residence.Lenexa officers spoke on the phone with the individual suspected of firing shots and learned 53-year-old Todd M. Donovan was inside his residence on Hallet.Donovan refused to comply with officer’s requests to come outside peacefully and the Lenexa Tactical Team and crisis negotiators responded on the barricade operation. Negotiators spoke with Donovan for nearly two hours before he discontinued dialogue.Just before 2a.m. Saturday., members of the Lenexa Tactical Team entered the residence and took Donovan into custody. He was taken to an area hospital due to a possible overdose.Officers located two individuals later identified as Donovan's wife 52-year-old Sheila Donovan and his son 22-year-old Tyler Donovan deceased inside the home. The preliminary investigation indicates that both were shot. As part of this investigation, it was also learned that a neighbor's dog was shot and killed around the same time that officers responded on the initial call.&nbsp;The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office has charged Donovan with two counts of First-Degree Murder. The deceased victims are related to Donovan. He is scheduled to make a court appearance on Monday afternoon, according to online jail records.

Police: Kan. man killed wife, son and dog during standoff

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JULIE%20MARCH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JULIE MARCH Associated Press</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is hoping to win Kansas and its six electoral votes for the third consecutive presidential election on Nov. 5. He is running against Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>, who faces an uphill battle in a state that hasn't backed a Democratic presidential candidate for 60 years.

Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats and three of the four U.S. House seats in the state. Neither Senate seat is on the ballot but three incumbent representatives are up for reelection. Rep. Jake LaTurner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-republican-laturner-retiring-4b080bfe5bd79168c44f6690dc892762">announced his retirement</a>&nbsp;earlier this year so the 2nd Congressional District seat is open.

Despite the run of Republican victories for presidential candidates in Kansas, several Democrats have been elected governor in recent decades, including two-term Gov. Laura Kelly, who isn’t up for election this year.

Trump won 56% of the vote in 2020 and 57% in 2016, sweeping nearly every county in the state.

In the state Legislature, Republicans vastly outnumber Democrats in the state Senate and state House, enough to override any vetoes by Kelly, but Democrats could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/states-legislature-supermajority-election-kansas-f8c35cefd07aed6e34c8ddfd313117cf">break the GOP supermajority</a>&nbsp;by flipping just a few seats in either chamber. All 40 state Senate seats and 125 state House seats are up for election in November.

Voters will also decide several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-nebraska-public-school-teaching-dei-crt-84fb99b50f1e64740016c1d7f0bf665c">races for the State Board of Education</a>. Three of the five races are in open seats, while two Democratic incumbents seek reelection. In District 2, Democratic Melanie Haas faces Republican Fred Postlewait, while Democrat Betty Arnold has Republican Jason Carmichael challenging her bid for another term.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it has determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 election in Kansas:

7 p.m. local time. Kansas covers two time zones, so most of the state will start reporting results while some voters in western counties are casting ballots until 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET).

President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (independent).

U.S. House, state Senate, state House and state Board of Education.

2020: Trump (R) 56%, Biden (D) 42%, AP race call: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, 9:59 p.m. ET.

Registered voters: 1,994,621 (as of Sep. 2024). About 26% Democrats, about 45% Republicans, about 28% unaffiliated.

Voter turnout in 2020 presidential election: 71% of registered voters.

Votes cast before Election Day 2020: about 61% of the total vote.

Votes cast before Election Day 2022: about 40% of the total vote.

Votes cast before Election Day 2024: See AP&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/2024-early-voting-tracker/">Advance Vote tracker</a>.

First votes reported, Nov. 3, 2020: 8:07 p.m. ET.

By midnight ET: about 87% of total votes cast were reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730677370347.png" alt="Photos courtesy Johnson Co. election office" />
 <figcaption>Photos courtesy Johnson Co. election office</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JULIE%20MARCH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JULIE MARCH Associated Press</a>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is hoping to win Kansas and its six electoral votes for the third consecutive presidential election on Nov. 5. He is running against Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>, who faces an uphill battle in a state that hasn't backed a Democratic presidential candidate for 60 years.Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats and three of the four U.S. House seats in the state. Neither Senate seat is on the ballot but three incumbent representatives are up for reelection. Rep. Jake LaTurner&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-kansas-republican-laturner-retiring-4b080bfe5bd79168c44f6690dc892762">announced his retirement</a>&nbsp;earlier this year so the 2nd Congressional District seat is open.Despite the run of Republican victories for presidential candidates in Kansas, several Democrats have been elected governor in recent decades, including two-term Gov. Laura Kelly, who isn’t up for election this year.Trump won 56% of the vote in 2020 and 57% in 2016, sweeping nearly every county in the state.In the state Legislature, Republicans vastly outnumber Democrats in the state Senate and state House, enough to override any vetoes by Kelly, but Democrats could&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/states-legislature-supermajority-election-kansas-f8c35cefd07aed6e34c8ddfd313117cf">break the GOP supermajority</a>&nbsp;by flipping just a few seats in either chamber. All 40 state Senate seats and 125 state House seats are up for election in November.Voters will also decide several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-nebraska-public-school-teaching-dei-crt-84fb99b50f1e64740016c1d7f0bf665c">races for the State Board of Education</a>. Three of the five races are in open seats, while two Democratic incumbents seek reelection. In District 2, Democratic Melanie Haas faces Republican Fred Postlewait, while Democrat Betty Arnold has Republican Jason Carmichael challenging her bid for another term.The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it has determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730677338424.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 election in Kansas:<h2>Election Day</h2>Nov. 5.<h2>Poll closing time</h2>7 p.m. local time. Kansas covers two time zones, so most of the state will start reporting results while some voters in western counties are casting ballots until 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET).<h2>Presidential electoral votes</h2>6 awarded to statewide winner.<h2>Key races and candidates</h2>President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (independent).<h2>Other races of interest</h2>U.S. House, state Senate, state House and state Board of Education.<h2>Past presidential results</h2>2020: Trump (R) 56%, Biden (D) 42%, AP race call: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, 9:59 p.m. ET.<h2>Voter registration and turnout</h2>Registered voters: 1,994,621 (as of Sep. 2024). About 26% Democrats, about 45% Republicans, about 28% unaffiliated.Voter turnout in 2020 presidential election: 71% of registered voters.<h2>Pre-Election Day voting</h2>Votes cast before Election Day 2020: about 61% of the total vote.Votes cast before Election Day 2022: about 40% of the total vote.Votes cast before Election Day 2024: See AP&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2024/2024-early-voting-tracker/">Advance Vote tracker</a>.<h2>How long does vote-counting take?</h2>First votes reported, Nov. 3, 2020: 8:07 p.m. ET.By midnight ET: about 87% of total votes cast were reported.

 What to expect in Kansas on Election Day

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man who admitted his role in a gunfight at a funeral in Wichita is scheduled for sentencing on Monday.

In August, 19-year-old Demetrious Carter pled guilty to aggravated endangering of a child, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He had&nbsp; originally been charged with with two counts of aggravated assault.

On June 16, 2023.&nbsp; police were dispatched to a shooting call at Life Center Church in the 1100 block of North Oliver in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

First responders encountered a chaotic scene and a crowd of more than 50 people running in different directions. During the initial response officers located an 18-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to his right forearm and provided life-saving measures. The 18-year-old victim later identified as Carter was treated for his serious but not life-threatening injuries.

The investigation revealed that several suspects arrived at the parking lot of the church and confronted a large group of people attending a funeral right outside the main door.

After a brief verbal altercation between both groups, an unknown number of people from both groups started to shoot at each other. After initial interviews, officers arrested Carter and transported him to investigations for further questioning before an arrest.

During the incident, several vehicles, and residences around and in front of the church’s parking lot were hit with gunfire. Police also recovered several firearms from the scene.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687431619099.png" alt="Carter photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Carter photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man who admitted his role in a gunfight at a funeral in Wichita is scheduled for sentencing on Monday.In August, 19-year-old Demetrious Carter pled guilty to aggravated endangering of a child, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; He had&nbsp; originally been charged with with two counts of aggravated assault.On June 16, 2023.&nbsp; police were dispatched to a shooting call at Life Center Church in the 1100 block of North Oliver in Wichita, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727350888967.png" alt="First responders at the church -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the church -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>First responders encountered a chaotic scene and a crowd of more than 50 people running in different directions. During the initial response officers located an 18-year-old victim with a gunshot wound to his right forearm and provided life-saving measures. The 18-year-old victim later identified as Carter was treated for his serious but not life-threatening injuries.The investigation revealed that several suspects arrived at the parking lot of the church and confronted a large group of people attending a funeral right outside the main door.After a brief verbal altercation between both groups, an unknown number of people from both groups started to shoot at each other. After initial interviews, officers arrested Carter and transported him to investigations for further questioning before an arrest.During the incident, several vehicles, and residences around and in front of the church’s parking lot were hit with gunfire. Police also recovered several firearms from the scene.&nbsp;

Sentencing Day for gunfight outside funeral in Kansas

LITITZ, Pa. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;delivered a profane and conspiracy-laden speech two days before Tuesday's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">presidential election</a>, talking about reporters being shot and suggesting he “shouldn't have left” the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.

In remarks Sunday that bore little resemblance to the speech he's been delivering at his recent rallies, the former president repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and resurrected old grievances after trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">overturn his 2020 election defeat</a>. Trump intensified his verbal attacks on what he cast as a “demonic” Democratic Party and the American media, steering his rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at one point to the topic of violence against members of the press.

He noted the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vance-north-carolina-60de08931c1a964e8e1fb21d3778d35e">ballistic glass</a>&nbsp;that is used to protect him at outdoor events after a gunman's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/attempted-assassination-of-donald-trump">assassination attempt</a>&nbsp;in July and pointed to openings between the panels.

“I have this piece of glass here,” he said. “But all we have really over here is the fake news. And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much.”

It was the second time in recent days that Trump has talked about guns being pointed at people he considers enemies. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-trump-cheney-war-hawk-14e2037b4fd8d22acf64c8b888ce296d">suggested</a>&nbsp;former Rep. Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic, wouldn’t be willing to support foreign wars if she had “nine barrels shooting at her.”

Facing criticism for suggesting violence against the media, Trump's campaign later played down his comments.

“The President’s statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. Instead he claimed that Trump was suggesting that reporters were in “great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!”

Trump also revived falsehoods about elections and argued that he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is cheated, even though polls suggest a very tight race.

“It’s a crooked country," Trump railed to his crowd on a chilly airport tarmac, returning to the grievance that had defined the early days of his campaign. “They’ll want to put you in jail because you want to make it straight. Think of it, think of it. They cheat in elections and you call them on it and they want to put you in jail.”

Trump was indicted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in both Washington and Georgia.

Some of his allies, notably former chief strategist Steve Bannon, have encouraged Trump to prematurely declare victory on Tuesday night after polls close even if the race is too early to call. That's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-day-2-takeaways-5194979c436b3ee567e0dd20c7cc2f2d">what Trump did</a>&nbsp;four years ago, kicking off months of denial and lies that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

For much of this year, Trump had run a relatively disciplined campaign, emphasizing the issues his aides believe can deliver him victory, even as he clung to false theories about voter fraud and frequently went on digressions, stirring controversy. But that discipline is increasingly collapsing.

Trump in recent weeks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-arnold-palmer-closing-arguments-latrobe-pennsylvania-2bea9620c523e531a55259200215284e">has joked about</a>&nbsp;golfer Arnold Palmer's genitalia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-women-harris-closing-message-gender-gap-c4ba3f564e981aec7cd12f24d390aced">continued using gendered or sexist language</a>&nbsp;in his efforts to win over women and staged a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden with speakers who made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-madison-square-garden-new-york-election-fcfe75be7f8281fde7bffa3adb3bba5d">crude and racist insults</a>&nbsp;that continue to dominate the headlines.

The darker and more profane tone of his campaign has comes as the former president, who has long been a fan of the masculine pageantry of the WWE, has been entering his rallies to the ominous tolling bell music once used by the wrestler known as “The Undertaker."

Trump had nonetheless been delivering what was a fairly consistent stump speech most days, aided by a series of videos that kept him on script, even as he veered from subject to subject in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/inside-the-weave-how-donald-trumps-rhetoric-has-grown-darker-and-windier/">discursive style he has labeled “the weave.”</a>&nbsp;But outside the Lancaster airport, he completely abandoned his planned remarks, skipping his usual points on the economy, immigration and rote criticisms of Harris.

Trump's remarks in Pennsylvania were not planned according to a person familiar with them, who noted Trump is known to ad-lib. While it was unclear exactly what had set Trump off, his campaign had released a memo earlier in the day criticizing new polling from The New York Times again showing the race extremely close in the seven major swing states.

Trump had spoken by phone before he took the stage with two reporters who had mentioned polling, including one who had asked him&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-tells-abc-expects-winner-declared-election-night/story?id=115438086">if he thought there was any way he could lose</a>.

Trump has been frustrated that the campaign remains locked in a close fight to the finish. He thinks Harris is an unworthy opponent and he cannot understand why he isn't dominating, said one Republican familiar with the dynamics of the campaign who, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss it.

Another Republican blamed last-minute anxiety -- and Trump having to trust a system that he believes is rigged against him.

Still, several Trump allies applauded his speech, saying that they were glad he was shining a light on concerns about fraud in the race's final stretch.

Harris pushed back at Trump's characterizations of U.S. elections, telling reporters on Sunday that Trump's comments are “meant to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country.” Those “good systems” were in place in 2020, Harris said, and “he lost.”

The vice president said she trusts the upcoming vote tally and urged voters, “in particular people who have not yet voted to not fall for this tactic, which I think includes suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote won't matter.”

Trump, for his part, acknowledged that he was sidestepping his usual approach with his conspiratorial speech. He repeatedly talked about disregarding the advice of his aides, repeating their feedback in a mocking voice and insisting that he had to talk about election fraud despite their objections.

In his next appearance a few hours later at an airport in Kinston, North Carolina, Trump returned to much of his usual script, alternating between prepared remarks and familiar stories.

At one point, he said, “hopefully, we get rid of Mitch McConnell pretty soon,” undercutting the Senate Republican leader who endorsed Trump earlier this year despite blaming him for the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

“Can you believe he endorsed me?” Trump added a minute later with a laugh. “That must have been a painful day in his life.”

He took the stage a third time Sunday night in Macon, Georgia, sticking more closely to his prepared remarks and focusing heavily on immigration.

Trump told his supporters that in two days, they were going to “save our country" and that they were “on the verge of the four greatest years in American history.”

“You watch. It’s going to be so good. It’s going to be so much fun. It’ll be nasty a little bit at times, and maybe at the beginning, in particular," he said. “But it’s going to be something.”

Cooper reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Darlene Superville in Detroit, Jeff Amy in Macon, Georgia, and Michelle L. Price and Bill Barrow in Washington contributed to this report

LITITZ, Pa. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;delivered a profane and conspiracy-laden speech two days before Tuesday's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024">presidential election</a>, talking about reporters being shot and suggesting he “shouldn't have left” the White House after his 2020 loss to Democrat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump on bulletproof glass: &quot;To get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don&#39;t mind that so much.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/4ZgDiRPNds">pic.twitter.com/4ZgDiRPNds</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1853233590936772686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In remarks Sunday that bore little resemblance to the speech he's been delivering at his recent rallies, the former president repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the vote and resurrected old grievances after trying to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">overturn his 2020 election defeat</a>. Trump intensified his verbal attacks on what he cast as a “demonic” Democratic Party and the American media, steering his rally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at one point to the topic of violence against members of the press.He noted the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-vance-north-carolina-60de08931c1a964e8e1fb21d3778d35e">ballistic glass</a>&nbsp;that is used to protect him at outdoor events after a gunman's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/attempted-assassination-of-donald-trump">assassination attempt</a>&nbsp;in July and pointed to openings between the panels.“I have this piece of glass here,” he said. “But all we have really over here is the fake news. And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much.”It was the second time in recent days that Trump has talked about guns being pointed at people he considers enemies. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-trump-cheney-war-hawk-14e2037b4fd8d22acf64c8b888ce296d">suggested</a>&nbsp;former Rep. Liz Cheney, a prominent Republican critic, wouldn’t be willing to support foreign wars if she had “nine barrels shooting at her.”Facing criticism for suggesting violence against the media, Trump's campaign later played down his comments.“The President’s statement about protective glass placement has nothing to do with the Media being harmed, or anything else,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. Instead he claimed that Trump was suggesting that reporters were in “great danger themselves, and should have had a glass protective shield, also. There can be no other interpretation of what was said. He was actually looking out for their welfare, far more than his own!”Trump also revived falsehoods about elections and argued that he can only lose to Democrat Kamala Harris if he is cheated, even though polls suggest a very tight race.“It’s a crooked country," Trump railed to his crowd on a chilly airport tarmac, returning to the grievance that had defined the early days of his campaign. “They’ll want to put you in jail because you want to make it straight. Think of it, think of it. They cheat in elections and you call them on it and they want to put you in jail.”Trump was indicted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in both Washington and Georgia.Some of his allies, notably former chief strategist Steve Bannon, have encouraged Trump to prematurely declare victory on Tuesday night after polls close even if the race is too early to call. That's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-day-2-takeaways-5194979c436b3ee567e0dd20c7cc2f2d">what Trump did</a>&nbsp;four years ago, kicking off months of denial and lies that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.For much of this year, Trump had run a relatively disciplined campaign, emphasizing the issues his aides believe can deliver him victory, even as he clung to false theories about voter fraud and frequently went on digressions, stirring controversy. But that discipline is increasingly collapsing.Trump in recent weeks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-arnold-palmer-closing-arguments-latrobe-pennsylvania-2bea9620c523e531a55259200215284e">has joked about</a>&nbsp;golfer Arnold Palmer's genitalia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-women-harris-closing-message-gender-gap-c4ba3f564e981aec7cd12f24d390aced">continued using gendered or sexist language</a>&nbsp;in his efforts to win over women and staged a rally at New York's Madison Square Garden with speakers who made&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-madison-square-garden-new-york-election-fcfe75be7f8281fde7bffa3adb3bba5d">crude and racist insults</a>&nbsp;that continue to dominate the headlines.The darker and more profane tone of his campaign has comes as the former president, who has long been a fan of the masculine pageantry of the WWE, has been entering his rallies to the ominous tolling bell music once used by the wrestler known as “The Undertaker."Trump had nonetheless been delivering what was a fairly consistent stump speech most days, aided by a series of videos that kept him on script, even as he veered from subject to subject in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2024/inside-the-weave-how-donald-trumps-rhetoric-has-grown-darker-and-windier/">discursive style he has labeled “the weave.”</a>&nbsp;But outside the Lancaster airport, he completely abandoned his planned remarks, skipping his usual points on the economy, immigration and rote criticisms of Harris.Trump's remarks in Pennsylvania were not planned according to a person familiar with them, who noted Trump is known to ad-lib. While it was unclear exactly what had set Trump off, his campaign had released a memo earlier in the day criticizing new polling from The New York Times again showing the race extremely close in the seven major swing states.Trump had spoken by phone before he took the stage with two reporters who had mentioned polling, including one who had asked him&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-tells-abc-expects-winner-declared-election-night/story?id=115438086">if he thought there was any way he could lose</a>.Trump has been frustrated that the campaign remains locked in a close fight to the finish. He thinks Harris is an unworthy opponent and he cannot understand why he isn't dominating, said one Republican familiar with the dynamics of the campaign who, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss it.Another Republican blamed last-minute anxiety -- and Trump having to trust a system that he believes is rigged against him.Still, several Trump allies applauded his speech, saying that they were glad he was shining a light on concerns about fraud in the race's final stretch.Harris pushed back at Trump's characterizations of U.S. elections, telling reporters on Sunday that Trump's comments are “meant to distract from the fact that we have and support free and fair elections in our country.” Those “good systems” were in place in 2020, Harris said, and “he lost.”The vice president said she trusts the upcoming vote tally and urged voters, “in particular people who have not yet voted to not fall for this tactic, which I think includes suggesting to people that if they vote, their vote won't matter.”Trump, for his part, acknowledged that he was sidestepping his usual approach with his conspiratorial speech. He repeatedly talked about disregarding the advice of his aides, repeating their feedback in a mocking voice and insisting that he had to talk about election fraud despite their objections.In his next appearance a few hours later at an airport in Kinston, North Carolina, Trump returned to much of his usual script, alternating between prepared remarks and familiar stories.At one point, he said, “hopefully, we get rid of Mitch McConnell pretty soon,” undercutting the Senate Republican leader who endorsed Trump earlier this year despite blaming him for the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.“Can you believe he endorsed me?” Trump added a minute later with a laugh. “That must have been a painful day in his life.”He took the stage a third time Sunday night in Macon, Georgia, sticking more closely to his prepared remarks and focusing heavily on immigration.Trump told his supporters that in two days, they were going to “save our country" and that they were “on the verge of the four greatest years in American history.”“You watch. It’s going to be so good. It’s going to be so much fun. It’ll be nasty a little bit at times, and maybe at the beginning, in particular," he said. “But it’s going to be something.”___Cooper reported from Phoenix. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Darlene Superville in Detroit, Jeff Amy in Macon, Georgia, and Michelle L. Price and Bill Barrow in Washington contributed to this report

🎥 Trump slams the media during one of three rallies on Sunday

LOS ANGELES (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/quincy-jones">Quincy Jones</a>, the multi-talented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson's historic "Thriller" album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, has died at 91.

Jones' publicist, Arnold Robinson, says he died Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, surrounded by his family.

“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing," the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”

Jones rose from running with gangs on the South Side of Chicago to the very heights of show business, becoming one of the first Black executives to thrive in Hollywood and amassing an extraordinary musical catalog that includes some of the richest moments of American rhythm and song. For years, it was unlikely to find a music lover who did not own at least one record with his name on it, or a leader in the entertainment industry and beyond who did not have some connection to him.

Jones kept company with presidents and foreign leaders, movie stars and musicians, philanthropists and business leaders. He toured with Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, arranged records for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, composed the soundtracks for "Roots" and "In the Heat of the Night," organized President Bill Clinton's first inaugural celebration and oversaw the all-star recording of “We Are the World,” the 1985 charity record for famine relief in Africa.

Lionel Richie, who co-wrote “We Are the World" and was among the featured singers, would call Jones “the master orchestrator.”

In a career which began when records were still played on vinyl at 78 rpm, top honors likely go to his productions with Jackson: “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” were albums near-universal in their style and appeal. Jones’ versatility and imagination helped set off the explosive talents of Jackson as he transformed from child star to the “King of Pop.” On such classic tracks as “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Jones and Jackson fashioned a global soundscape out of disco, funk, rock, pop, R&amp;B and jazz and African chants. For “Thriller,” some of the most memorable touches originated with Jones, who recruited Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on the genre-fusing “Beat It” and brought in Vincent Price for a ghoulish voiceover on the title track.

“Thriller” sold more than 20 million copies in 1983 alone and has contended with the Eagles’ “Greatest Hits 1971-1975” among others as the best-selling album of all time.

“If an album doesn’t do well, everyone says ‘it was the producers fault’; so if it does well, it should be your ‘fault,’ too,” Jones said in an interview with the Library of Congress in 2016. “The tracks don’t just all of a sudden appear. The producer has to have the skill, experience and ability to guide the vision to completion.”

The list of his honors and awards fills 18 pages in his 2001 autobiography “Q”, including 27 Grammys at the time (now 28), an honorary Academy Award (now two) and an Emmy for “Roots.” He also received France’s Legion d’Honneur, the Rudolph Valentino Award from the Republic of Italy and a Kennedy Center tribute for his contributions to American culture. He was the subject of a 1990 documentary, “Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones” and a 2018 film by daughter Rashida Jones. His memoir made him a best-selling author.

Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones would cite the hymns his mother sang around the house as the first music he could remember. But he looked back sadly on his childhood, once telling Oprah Winfrey that “There are two kinds of people: those who have nurturing parents or caretakers, and those who don’t. Nothing’s in between.” Jones’ mother suffered from emotional problems and was eventually institutionalized, a loss that made the world seem “senseless” for Quincy. He spent much of his time in Chicago on the streets, with gangs, stealing and fighting.

“They nailed my hand to a fence with a switchblade, man,” he told the AP in 2018, showing a scar from his childhood.

Music saved him. As a boy, he learned that a Chicago neighbor owned a piano and he soon played it constantly himself. His father moved to Washington state when Quincy was 10 and his world changed at a neighborhood recreation center. Jones and some friends had broken into the kitchen and helped themselves to lemon meringue pie when Jones noticed a small room nearby with a stage. On the stage was a piano.

“I went up there, paused, stared, and then tinkled on it for a moment,” he wrote in his autobiography. “That’s where I began to find peace. I was 11. I knew this was it for me. Forever.”

Within a few years he was playing trumpet and befriending a young blind musician named Ray Charles, who became a lifelong friend. He was gifted enough to win a scholarship at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out when Hampton invited him to tour with his band. Jones went on to work as a freelance composer, conductor, arranger and producer. As a teen, he backed Billie Holiday. By his mid-20s, he was touring with his own band.

“We had the best jazz band on the planet, and yet we were literally starving,” Jones later told Musician magazine. “That’s when I discovered that there was music, and there was the music business. If I were to survive, I would have to learn the difference between the two.”

As a music executive, he overcame racial barriers by becoming a vice president at Mercury Records in the early ’60s. In 1971, he became the first Black musical director for the Academy Awards ceremony. The first movie he produced, “The Color Purple,” received 11 Oscar nominations in 1986. (But, to his great disappointment, no wins). In a partnership with Time Warner, he created Quincy Jones Entertainment, which included the pop-culture magazine Vibe and Qwest Broadcasting. The company was sold for $270 million in 1999.

“My philosophy as a businessman has always come from the same roots as my personal credo: take talented people on their own terms and treat them fairly and with respect, no matter who they are or where they come from,” Jones wrote in his autobiography.

He was at ease with virtually every form of American music, whether setting Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” to a punchy, swinging rhythm and wistful flute or opening his production of Charles’ soulful “In the Heat of the Night” with a lusty tenor sax solo. He worked with jazz giants (Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington), rappers (Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J), crooners (Sinatra, Tony Bennett), pop singers (Lesley Gore) and rhythm and blues stars (Chaka Khan, rapper and singer Queen Latifah).

On “We are the World” alone, performers included Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen. He co-wrote hits for Jackson – “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing” – and Donna Summer – “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) – and had songs sampled by Tupac Shakur, Kanye West and other rappers. He even composed the theme song for the sitcom “Sanford and Son.”

Jones was a facilitator and maker of the stars. He gave Will Smith a key break in the hit TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which Jones produced, and through “The Color Purple” he introduced Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg to filmgoers. Starting in the 1960s, he composed more than 35 film scores, including for “The Pawnbroker,” “In the Heat of the Night” and “In Cold Blood.”

He called scoring “a multifaceted process, an abstract combination of science and soul.”

Jones’ work on the soundtrack for “The Wiz” led to his partnership with Jackson, who starred in the 1978 movie. In an essay published in Time magazine after Jackson’s death, in 2009, Jones remembered that the singer kept slips of paper on him that contained thoughts by famous thinkers. When Jones asked about the origins of one passage, Jackson answered “Socrates,” but pronounced it “SO-crayts.” Jones corrected him, “Michael, it’s SOCK-ra-tees.”

“And the look he gave me then, it just prompted me to say, because I’d been impressed by all the things I saw in him during the rehearsal process, ‘I would love to take a shot at producing your album,’” Jones recalled. “And he went back and told the people at Epic Records, and they said, `No way — Quincy’s too jazzy.’ Michael was persistent, and he and his managers went back and said, `Quincy’s producing the album.’ And we proceeded to make ‘Off the Wall.’ Ironically, that was one of the biggest Black-selling albums at the time, and that album saved all the jobs of the people saying I was the wrong guy. That’s the way it works.”

Tensions emerged after Jackson’s death. In 2013,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7adb910007e4d705278bed1b7ecb5660">Jones sued Jackson’s estate</a>, claiming he was owed millions in royalties and production fees on some of the superstar’s greatest hits. In a 2018 interview with New York magazine, he called Jackson “as Machiavellian as they come” and alleged that he lifted material from others.

Jones was hooked on work and play, and at times suffered for it. He nearly died from a brain aneurysm in 1974 and became deeply depressed in the 1980s after “The Color Purple” was snubbed by Academy Awards voters; he never received a competitive Oscar. A father of seven children by five mothers, Jones described himself as a “dog” who had countless lovers around the world. He was married three times, his wives including the actor Peggy Lipton.

“To me, loving a woman is one of the most natural, blissful, life-enhancing — and dare I say, religious — acts in the world,” he wrote.

He was not an activist in his early years, but changed after attending the 1968 funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and later befriending the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jones was dedicated to philanthropy, saying “the best and only useful aspect of fame and celebrity is having a platform to help others.”

His causes included fighting HIV and AIDS, educating children and providing for the poor around the world. He founded the Quincy Jones Listen Up! Foundation to connect young people with music, culture and technology, and said he was driven throughout his life “by a spirit of adventure and a criminal level of optimism.”

“Life is like a dream, the Spanish poet and philosopher Federico Garcia Lorca said,” Jones wrote in his memoir. “Mine’s been in Technicolor, with full Dolby sound through THX amplification before they knew what these systems were.”

Along with Rashida, Jones is survived by daughters Jolie Jones Levine, Rachel Jones, Martina Jones, Kidada Jones and Kenya Kinski-Jones; son Quincy Jones III; brother Richard Jones and sisters Theresa Frank and Margie Jay.

AP Entertainment writer Andrew Dalton and former AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1730717531263.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) —<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/quincy-jones">Quincy Jones</a>, the multi-talented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson's historic "Thriller" album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, has died at 91.Jones' publicist, Arnold Robinson, says he died Sunday night at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles, surrounded by his family.“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing," the family said in a statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him.”Jones rose from running with gangs on the South Side of Chicago to the very heights of show business, becoming one of the first Black executives to thrive in Hollywood and amassing an extraordinary musical catalog that includes some of the richest moments of American rhythm and song. For years, it was unlikely to find a music lover who did not own at least one record with his name on it, or a leader in the entertainment industry and beyond who did not have some connection to him.Jones kept company with presidents and foreign leaders, movie stars and musicians, philanthropists and business leaders. He toured with Count Basie and Lionel Hampton, arranged records for Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, composed the soundtracks for "Roots" and "In the Heat of the Night," organized President Bill Clinton's first inaugural celebration and oversaw the all-star recording of “We Are the World,” the 1985 charity record for famine relief in Africa.Lionel Richie, who co-wrote “We Are the World" and was among the featured singers, would call Jones “the master orchestrator.”In a career which began when records were still played on vinyl at 78 rpm, top honors likely go to his productions with Jackson: “Off the Wall,” “Thriller” and “Bad” were albums near-universal in their style and appeal. Jones’ versatility and imagination helped set off the explosive talents of Jackson as he transformed from child star to the “King of Pop.” On such classic tracks as “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Jones and Jackson fashioned a global soundscape out of disco, funk, rock, pop, R&amp;B and jazz and African chants. For “Thriller,” some of the most memorable touches originated with Jones, who recruited Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo on the genre-fusing “Beat It” and brought in Vincent Price for a ghoulish voiceover on the title track.“Thriller” sold more than 20 million copies in 1983 alone and has contended with the Eagles’ “Greatest Hits 1971-1975” among others as the best-selling album of all time.“If an album doesn’t do well, everyone says ‘it was the producers fault’; so if it does well, it should be your ‘fault,’ too,” Jones said in an interview with the Library of Congress in 2016. “The tracks don’t just all of a sudden appear. The producer has to have the skill, experience and ability to guide the vision to completion.”The list of his honors and awards fills 18 pages in his 2001 autobiography “Q”, including 27 Grammys at the time (now 28), an honorary Academy Award (now two) and an Emmy for “Roots.” He also received France’s Legion d’Honneur, the Rudolph Valentino Award from the Republic of Italy and a Kennedy Center tribute for his contributions to American culture. He was the subject of a 1990 documentary, “Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones” and a 2018 film by daughter Rashida Jones. His memoir made him a best-selling author.Born in Chicago in 1933, Jones would cite the hymns his mother sang around the house as the first music he could remember. But he looked back sadly on his childhood, once telling Oprah Winfrey that “There are two kinds of people: those who have nurturing parents or caretakers, and those who don’t. Nothing’s in between.” Jones’ mother suffered from emotional problems and was eventually institutionalized, a loss that made the world seem “senseless” for Quincy. He spent much of his time in Chicago on the streets, with gangs, stealing and fighting.“They nailed my hand to a fence with a switchblade, man,” he told the AP in 2018, showing a scar from his childhood.Music saved him. As a boy, he learned that a Chicago neighbor owned a piano and he soon played it constantly himself. His father moved to Washington state when Quincy was 10 and his world changed at a neighborhood recreation center. Jones and some friends had broken into the kitchen and helped themselves to lemon meringue pie when Jones noticed a small room nearby with a stage. On the stage was a piano.“I went up there, paused, stared, and then tinkled on it for a moment,” he wrote in his autobiography. “That’s where I began to find peace. I was 11. I knew this was it for me. Forever.”Within a few years he was playing trumpet and befriending a young blind musician named Ray Charles, who became a lifelong friend. He was gifted enough to win a scholarship at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out when Hampton invited him to tour with his band. Jones went on to work as a freelance composer, conductor, arranger and producer. As a teen, he backed Billie Holiday. By his mid-20s, he was touring with his own band.“We had the best jazz band on the planet, and yet we were literally starving,” Jones later told Musician magazine. “That’s when I discovered that there was music, and there was the music business. If I were to survive, I would have to learn the difference between the two.”As a music executive, he overcame racial barriers by becoming a vice president at Mercury Records in the early ’60s. In 1971, he became the first Black musical director for the Academy Awards ceremony. The first movie he produced, “The Color Purple,” received 11 Oscar nominations in 1986. (But, to his great disappointment, no wins). In a partnership with Time Warner, he created Quincy Jones Entertainment, which included the pop-culture magazine Vibe and Qwest Broadcasting. The company was sold for $270 million in 1999.“My philosophy as a businessman has always come from the same roots as my personal credo: take talented people on their own terms and treat them fairly and with respect, no matter who they are or where they come from,” Jones wrote in his autobiography.He was at ease with virtually every form of American music, whether setting Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” to a punchy, swinging rhythm and wistful flute or opening his production of Charles’ soulful “In the Heat of the Night” with a lusty tenor sax solo. He worked with jazz giants (Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington), rappers (Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J), crooners (Sinatra, Tony Bennett), pop singers (Lesley Gore) and rhythm and blues stars (Chaka Khan, rapper and singer Queen Latifah).On “We are the World” alone, performers included Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen. He co-wrote hits for Jackson – “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing” – and Donna Summer – “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) – and had songs sampled by Tupac Shakur, Kanye West and other rappers. He even composed the theme song for the sitcom “Sanford and Son.”Jones was a facilitator and maker of the stars. He gave Will Smith a key break in the hit TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which Jones produced, and through “The Color Purple” he introduced Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg to filmgoers. Starting in the 1960s, he composed more than 35 film scores, including for “The Pawnbroker,” “In the Heat of the Night” and “In Cold Blood.”He called scoring “a multifaceted process, an abstract combination of science and soul.”Jones’ work on the soundtrack for “The Wiz” led to his partnership with Jackson, who starred in the 1978 movie. In an essay published in Time magazine after Jackson’s death, in 2009, Jones remembered that the singer kept slips of paper on him that contained thoughts by famous thinkers. When Jones asked about the origins of one passage, Jackson answered “Socrates,” but pronounced it “SO-crayts.” Jones corrected him, “Michael, it’s SOCK-ra-tees.”“And the look he gave me then, it just prompted me to say, because I’d been impressed by all the things I saw in him during the rehearsal process, ‘I would love to take a shot at producing your album,’” Jones recalled. “And he went back and told the people at Epic Records, and they said, `No way — Quincy’s too jazzy.’ Michael was persistent, and he and his managers went back and said, `Quincy’s producing the album.’ And we proceeded to make ‘Off the Wall.’ Ironically, that was one of the biggest Black-selling albums at the time, and that album saved all the jobs of the people saying I was the wrong guy. That’s the way it works.”Tensions emerged after Jackson’s death. In 2013,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7adb910007e4d705278bed1b7ecb5660">Jones sued Jackson’s estate</a>, claiming he was owed millions in royalties and production fees on some of the superstar’s greatest hits. In a 2018 interview with New York magazine, he called Jackson “as Machiavellian as they come” and alleged that he lifted material from others.Jones was hooked on work and play, and at times suffered for it. He nearly died from a brain aneurysm in 1974 and became deeply depressed in the 1980s after “The Color Purple” was snubbed by Academy Awards voters; he never received a competitive Oscar. A father of seven children by five mothers, Jones described himself as a “dog” who had countless lovers around the world. He was married three times, his wives including the actor Peggy Lipton.“To me, loving a woman is one of the most natural, blissful, life-enhancing — and dare I say, religious — acts in the world,” he wrote.He was not an activist in his early years, but changed after attending the 1968 funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and later befriending the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jones was dedicated to philanthropy, saying “the best and only useful aspect of fame and celebrity is having a platform to help others.”His causes included fighting HIV and AIDS, educating children and providing for the poor around the world. He founded the Quincy Jones Listen Up! Foundation to connect young people with music, culture and technology, and said he was driven throughout his life “by a spirit of adventure and a criminal level of optimism.”“Life is like a dream, the Spanish poet and philosopher Federico Garcia Lorca said,” Jones wrote in his memoir. “Mine’s been in Technicolor, with full Dolby sound through THX amplification before they knew what these systems were.”Along with Rashida, Jones is survived by daughters Jolie Jones Levine, Rachel Jones, Martina Jones, Kidada Jones and Kenya Kinski-Jones; son Quincy Jones III; brother Richard Jones and sisters Theresa Frank and Margie Jay.____AP Entertainment writer Andrew Dalton and former AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

Quincy Jones, musical titan and entertainment icon, dead at 91

DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Vice President Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;on Sunday declined to say how she voted on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-crime-ballot-initiative-signatures-theft-fentanyl-e4863b0eb0b8808ea8f5746c60780ba7">key ballot measure</a>&nbsp;in her home state of California that would reverse criminal justice reforms approved in recent years.

Harris punted on a question about the ballot initiative in comments to reporters while campaigning in the battleground state of Michigan. She also confirmed, two days before Election Day, that her mail-in ballot was “on its way to California.”

“I am not going to talk about the vote on that. Because honestly it’s the Sunday before the election and I don’t intend to create an endorsement one way or another around it," said Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator before she was elected vice president in 2020.

The decision by the Democratic nominee for president not to publicly stake out a position on the high-profile initiative could leave her open to criticism from Republican Donald Trump that she is being soft on crime and from some left-leaning voters who would like to see her speak out forcefully against what they perceive as draconian anticrime efforts.

The initiative, if passed, would make the crime of shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It also would give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment.

Proponents said the initiative is necessary to close loopholes in existing laws that have made it challenging for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.

Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately imprison poor people and those with substance use issues rather than target ringleaders who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/02/16/san-diego-county-woman-charged-as-ringleader-of-retail-scheme-involving-millions-in-stolen-beauty-products/">hire large groups of people to steal</a>&nbsp;goods for them to resell online.

California’s approach to crime is a central issue in this election cycle.

Beyond the ballot measure, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, is in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-mayor-reelection-ba594461c1dd3863e350960fedcafb38">a difficult reelection fight</a>&nbsp;against challengers who say she has allowed the city to spiral out of control.

The moderate Democratic mayor faces four main challengers on the Nov. 5 ballot, all fellow Democrats, who say Breed has squandered her six years in office. They say she allowed San Francisco to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-sports-business-health-lifestyle-538efc664e9da0d2f0831f3f3ed9a4d7">descend into chaos</a>&nbsp;and blamed others for her inability to rein in homelessness and erratic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-california-san-francisco-opioids-government-and-politics-54b7b35cdca54d4640c1d5dbf28f7b9a">street behavior</a>, all while burglarized businesses pleaded for help.

Meanwhile, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price faces a recall election, and Los Angeles District Attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-district-attorney-george-gascon-ea268049373d9ac27a02b4d08585dda7">George Gascón</a>&nbsp;is running against a rival who has criticized the incumbent’s progressive approach to crime and punishment.

Crime data shows the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles saw a steady increase in shoplifting between 2021 and 2022, according to a study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

Across the state, shoplifting rates rose during the same time period but were still lower than the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, while commercial burglaries and robberies have become more prevalent in urban counties, the study says.

Harris, in the final days of the 2024 campaign, has urging Americans in battleground states to make a voting plan to get themselves, friends and loved ones to the polls.

But the vice president, and her campaign team, until her comments Sunday, had avoided speaking in detail about when she would cast her ballot and had sidestepped questions about how she would vote on the California measure.

Last month, she suggested to reporters that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/10/16/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-before-air-force-two-departure-detroit-mi/">she would disclose</a>&nbsp;her position on the ballot measure.

DETROIT (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Vice President Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;on Sunday declined to say how she voted on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-crime-ballot-initiative-signatures-theft-fentanyl-e4863b0eb0b8808ea8f5746c60780ba7">key ballot measure</a>&nbsp;in her home state of California that would reverse criminal justice reforms approved in recent years.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/dsupervilleap?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dsupervilleap</a>: &quot;How did you vote on Prop 36?&quot; VP Harris: &quot;I&#39;m not going to talk about the vote on that because honestly it&#39;s the Sunday before the election and I don&#39;t intend to create an endorsement one way or another around it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/i3s4YwEJza">pic.twitter.com/i3s4YwEJza</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1853151482670886958?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Harris punted on a question about the ballot initiative in comments to reporters while campaigning in the battleground state of Michigan. She also confirmed, two days before Election Day, that her mail-in ballot was “on its way to California.”“I am not going to talk about the vote on that. Because honestly it’s the Sunday before the election and I don’t intend to create an endorsement one way or another around it," said Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general and U.S. senator before she was elected vice president in 2020.The decision by the Democratic nominee for president not to publicly stake out a position on the high-profile initiative could leave her open to criticism from Republican Donald Trump that she is being soft on crime and from some left-leaning voters who would like to see her speak out forcefully against what they perceive as draconian anticrime efforts.The initiative, if passed, would make the crime of shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders and increase penalties for some drug charges, including those involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. It also would give judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges to get treatment.Proponents said the initiative is necessary to close loopholes in existing laws that have made it challenging for law enforcement to punish shoplifters and drug dealers.Opponents, including Democratic state leaders and social justice groups, said the proposal would disproportionately imprison poor people and those with substance use issues rather than target ringleaders who&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2024/02/16/san-diego-county-woman-charged-as-ringleader-of-retail-scheme-involving-millions-in-stolen-beauty-products/">hire large groups of people to steal</a>&nbsp;goods for them to resell online.California’s approach to crime is a central issue in this election cycle.Beyond the ballot measure, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, is in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-mayor-reelection-ba594461c1dd3863e350960fedcafb38">a difficult reelection fight</a>&nbsp;against challengers who say she has allowed the city to spiral out of control.The moderate Democratic mayor faces four main challengers on the Nov. 5 ballot, all fellow Democrats, who say Breed has squandered her six years in office. They say she allowed San Francisco to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-sports-business-health-lifestyle-538efc664e9da0d2f0831f3f3ed9a4d7">descend into chaos</a>&nbsp;and blamed others for her inability to rein in homelessness and erratic&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-california-san-francisco-opioids-government-and-politics-54b7b35cdca54d4640c1d5dbf28f7b9a">street behavior</a>, all while burglarized businesses pleaded for help.Meanwhile, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price faces a recall election, and Los Angeles District Attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-district-attorney-george-gascon-ea268049373d9ac27a02b4d08585dda7">George Gascón</a>&nbsp;is running against a rival who has criticized the incumbent’s progressive approach to crime and punishment.Crime data shows the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles saw a steady increase in shoplifting between 2021 and 2022, according to a study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.Across the state, shoplifting rates rose during the same time period but were still lower than the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, while commercial burglaries and robberies have become more prevalent in urban counties, the study says.Harris, in the final days of the 2024 campaign, has urging Americans in battleground states to make a voting plan to get themselves, friends and loved ones to the polls.But the vice president, and her campaign team, until her comments Sunday, had avoided speaking in detail about when she would cast her ballot and had sidestepped questions about how she would vote on the California measure.Last month, she suggested to reporters that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/10/16/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-before-air-force-two-departure-detroit-mi/">she would disclose</a>&nbsp;her position on the ballot measure.“I’ve not voted yet and I’ve actually not read it yet,” Harris told reporters at the end of an Oct. 16 campaign stop in Detroit. “But I’ll let you know.”___