WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Monday it had transferred 11 Yemeni men to Oman this week after holding them for more than two decades without charge at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The transfer was the latest and biggest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guantanamo-bay-kenya-detainee-al-qaida-september-11-f338868542168098fb19bce9373b6720">push by the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;in its final weeks to clear Guantanamo of the last remaining detainees there who were never charged with a crime.

The latest release brings the total number of men detained at Guantanamo to 15. That’s the fewest since 2002, when President George W. Bush’s administration turned Guantanamo into a detention site for the mostly Muslim men taken into custody around the world in what the U.S. called its “war on terror.” The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and military and covert operations elsewhere followed the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks.

The men in the latest transfer included Shaqawi al Hajj, who had undergone repeated hunger strikes and hospitalizations at Guantanamo to protest his 21 years in prison, preceded by two years of detention and torture in CIA custody, according to the U.S.-based Center for Constitutional Rights.

Rights groups and some lawmakers have pushed successive U.S. administrations to close Guantanamo or, failing that, release all those detainees never charged with a crime. Guantanamo held about 800 detainees at its peak.

The Biden administration and administrations before it said they were working on lining up suitable countries willing to take those never-charged detainees. Many of those stuck at Guantanamo were from Yemen, a country split by war, with its capital held by the Iranian-allied Houthi militant group.

The sultanate of Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, did not acknowledge taking in the prisoners early Tuesday. Officials in the country did not respond to questions from The Associated Press. The key Western ally has taken in some 30 prisoners in the past since the founding of the prison.

However, those prisoners have since been released in circumstances unexplained by Oman.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghan-prisoners-released-guantanamo-taliban-kabul-c29cf85fc9b2e8c40497dd707d446c07">Two Afghans once held by Oman returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in February</a>. One Yemeni died in Oman after being told he and 27 others would be repatriated to Yemen, the British activist group CAGE International said.

“Faced with little choice, 26 of the men and their families returned to Yemen after being pressured by the Omani government, which offered each $70,000 as compensation,” the group said. It wasn’t immediately clear what happened to the 28th prisoner.

The transfer announced Monday leaves six never-charged men still being held at Guantanamo, two convicted and sentenced inmates, and seven others charged with the 2001 attacks, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, and 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia.

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582841644461.jpeg" alt="Photo Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon said Monday it had transferred 11 Yemeni men to Oman this week after holding them for more than two decades without charge at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.The transfer was the latest and biggest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guantanamo-bay-kenya-detainee-al-qaida-september-11-f338868542168098fb19bce9373b6720">push by the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;in its final weeks to clear Guantanamo of the last remaining detainees there who were never charged with a crime.The latest release brings the total number of men detained at Guantanamo to 15. That’s the fewest since 2002, when President George W. Bush’s administration turned Guantanamo into a detention site for the mostly Muslim men taken into custody around the world in what the U.S. called its “war on terror.” The U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and military and covert operations elsewhere followed the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida attacks.The men in the latest transfer included Shaqawi al Hajj, who had undergone repeated hunger strikes and hospitalizations at Guantanamo to protest his 21 years in prison, preceded by two years of detention and torture in CIA custody, according to the U.S.-based Center for Constitutional Rights.Rights groups and some lawmakers have pushed successive U.S. administrations to close Guantanamo or, failing that, release all those detainees never charged with a crime. Guantanamo held about 800 detainees at its peak.The Biden administration and administrations before it said they were working on lining up suitable countries willing to take those never-charged detainees. Many of those stuck at Guantanamo were from Yemen, a country split by war, with its capital held by the Iranian-allied Houthi militant group.The sultanate of Oman, on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, did not acknowledge taking in the prisoners early Tuesday. Officials in the country did not respond to questions from The Associated Press. The key Western ally has taken in some 30 prisoners in the past since the founding of the prison.However, those prisoners have since been released in circumstances unexplained by Oman.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghan-prisoners-released-guantanamo-taliban-kabul-c29cf85fc9b2e8c40497dd707d446c07">Two Afghans once held by Oman returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in February</a>. One Yemeni died in Oman after being told he and 27 others would be repatriated to Yemen, the British activist group CAGE International said.“Faced with little choice, 26 of the men and their families returned to Yemen after being pressured by the Omani government, which offered each $70,000 as compensation,” the group said. It wasn’t immediately clear what happened to the 28th prisoner.The transfer announced Monday leaves six never-charged men still being held at Guantanamo, two convicted and sentenced inmates, and seven others charged with the 2001 attacks, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, and 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia.<h2>___</h2>Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Biden admin. releases more detainees from Guantanamo Bay 

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security.

Speaking to reporters less than two weeks before he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-security-a3df8ed878f2c0587f7038d68a0447f6">takes office on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;and as a delegation of aides and advisers that includes Donald Trump Jr. is in Greenland, Trump left open the use of the American military to secure both territories. Trump's intention marks a rejection of decades of U.S. policy that has prioritized self-determination over territorial expansion.

“I’m not going to commit to that," Trump said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military. "It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” He added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes."

Greenland, home to a large U.S. military base, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO. Trump cast doubts on the legitimacy of Denmark's claim to Greenland.

The Panama Canal has been solely controlled by the eponymous country for more than 25 years. The U.S. returned the Panama Canal Zone to the country in 1979 and ended its joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway in 1999.

Earlier, Trump posted a video of his private plane landing in Nuuk, the Arctic territory’s capital, in a landscape of snow-capped peaks and fjords.

“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”

In a statement, Greenland’s government said Donald Trump Jr.’s visit was taking place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him.

Trump, a Republican, has also floated having Canada join the United States, but he said he would not use military force to do that, saying he would rely on “economic force."

Promising a “Golden age of America," Trump also said he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” saying that has a “beautiful ring to it.”

Trump also used his press conference to complain that President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;was undermining his transition to power a day after the incumbent moved to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-offshore-drilling-trump-florida-atlantic-pacific-aa26f50e158fd4f9c24d368898244dce">ban offshore energy drilling</a>&nbsp;in most federal waters.

Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, used his authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and natural gas leasing. All told, about 625 million acres of federal waters were withdrawn from energy exploration by Biden in a move that may require an act of Congress to undo.

“I’m going to put it back on day one," Trump told reporters. He pledged to take it to the courts “if we need to."

Trump said Biden's effort — part of a series of final actions in office by the Democrat's administration — was undermining his plans for once he's in office.

“You know, they told me that, we’re going to do everything possible to make this transition to the new administration very smooth," Trump said. “It’s not smooth.”

But Biden's team has extended access and courtesies to the Trump team that the Republican former president initially denied Biden after his 2020 election victory. Trump incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles told Axios in an interview published Monday that Biden chief of staff&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-zients">Jeff Zients</a>&nbsp;had been “has been very helpful.”

In extended remarks, Trump also railed against the work of special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jack-smith">Jack Smith</a>, who oversaw now-dropped prosecutions over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and possession of of classified documents after he left office in 2021. The Justice Department is expected to soon release a report from Smith summarizing his investigation after the criminal cases were forced to an end by Trump's victory in November.

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Question on Greenland and Panama Canal: &quot;Can you assure the world that as you try to get control of these areas you are not going to use military or economic coercion? President-Elect Trump: &quot;No...I can&#39;t assure you on either of those two. We need them for economic security...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/zJ8Fb67ZrX">pic.twitter.com/zJ8Fb67ZrX</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1876678479053259091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">President-elect Trump: &quot;We&#39;re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America...what a beautiful name. It&#39;s appropriate.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ZspLXgkgcZ">pic.twitter.com/ZspLXgkgcZ</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1876674752741314677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking to reporters less than two weeks before he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-security-a3df8ed878f2c0587f7038d68a0447f6">takes office on Jan. 20</a>&nbsp;and as a delegation of aides and advisers that includes Donald Trump Jr. is in Greenland, Trump left open the use of the American military to secure both territories. Trump's intention marks a rejection of decades of U.S. policy that has prioritized self-determination over territorial expansion.“I’m not going to commit to that," Trump said, when asked if he would rule out the use of the military. "It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country.” He added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes."Greenland, home to a large U.S. military base, is an autonomous territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally and a founding member of NATO. Trump cast doubts on the legitimacy of Denmark's claim to Greenland.The Panama Canal has been solely controlled by the eponymous country for more than 25 years. The U.S. returned the Panama Canal Zone to the country in 1979 and ended its joint partnership in controlling the strategic waterway in 1999.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President-Elect Trump pardoning January 6th defendants: &quot;We&#39;re be looking at the whole thing, but yes I&#39;ll be making major pardons, yes.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/arHvANly7j">pic.twitter.com/arHvANly7j</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1876679962188468655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Earlier, Trump posted a video of his private plane landing in Nuuk, the Arctic territory’s capital, in a landscape of snow-capped peaks and fjords.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736263303205.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Greenland is beautiful!!! 🇬🇱 <a href="https://t.co/PKoeeCafPz">pic.twitter.com/PKoeeCafPz</a>&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1876631282635186587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a statement, Greenland’s government said Donald Trump Jr.’s visit was taking place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him.Trump, a Republican, has also floated having Canada join the United States, but he said he would not use military force to do that, saying he would rely on “economic force."Promising a “Golden age of America," Trump also said he would move to try to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” saying that has a “beautiful ring to it.”Trump also used his press conference to complain that President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;was undermining his transition to power a day after the incumbent moved to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-offshore-drilling-trump-florida-atlantic-pacific-aa26f50e158fd4f9c24d368898244dce">ban offshore energy drilling</a>&nbsp;in most federal waters.Biden, whose term expires in two weeks, used his authority under the federal Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to protect offshore areas along the East and West coasts, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea from future oil and natural gas leasing. All told, about 625 million acres of federal waters were withdrawn from energy exploration by Biden in a move that may require an act of Congress to undo.“I’m going to put it back on day one," Trump told reporters. He pledged to take it to the courts “if we need to."Trump said Biden's effort — part of a series of final actions in office by the Democrat's administration — was undermining his plans for once he's in office.“You know, they told me that, we’re going to do everything possible to make this transition to the new administration very smooth," Trump said. “It’s not smooth.”But Biden's team has extended access and courtesies to the Trump team that the Republican former president initially denied Biden after his 2020 election victory. Trump incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles told Axios in an interview published Monday that Biden chief of staff&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-zients">Jeff Zients</a>&nbsp;had been “has been very helpful.”In extended remarks, Trump also railed against the work of special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jack-smith">Jack Smith</a>, who oversaw now-dropped prosecutions over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and possession of of classified documents after he left office in 2021. The Justice Department is expected to soon release a report from Smith summarizing his investigation after the criminal cases were forced to an end by Trump's victory in November.

🎥Trump on Panama Canal, renaming Gulf of Mexico and pardons

KANSAS CITY—Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a waste disposal maintenance facility.

Just after 5:30a.m. Tuesday, crews responded to a reported fire in the 900 block of Blueridge in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

First responding crews reported a fully involved fire in the single-story building. Defensive operations were established using aerial ladder fly-pipe operations. The facility contained bulk oil storage for maintenance purposes. That oil leaked from the structure. KCFD Hazmat crews used diking procedures to contain the oil. The Missouri Department of Natural resources was working to determine the appropriate steps for cleanup.

KCFD had to stretch hydrant supply lines across the railroad tracks to the west of the property to establish water supply. This resulted in the rail lines needing to be shutdown for a couple of hours.&nbsp;No injuries were reported at this incident, according to Hopkins.

KANSAS CITY—Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire at a waste disposal maintenance facility.Just after 5:30a.m. Tuesday, crews responded to a reported fire in the 900 block of Blueridge in Kansas City, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.First responding crews reported a fully involved fire in the single-story building. Defensive operations were established using aerial ladder fly-pipe operations. The facility contained bulk oil storage for maintenance purposes. That oil leaked from the structure. KCFD Hazmat crews used diking procedures to contain the oil. The Missouri Department of Natural resources was working to determine the appropriate steps for cleanup.KCFD had to stretch hydrant supply lines across the railroad tracks to the west of the property to establish water supply. This resulted in the rail lines needing to be shutdown for a couple of hours.&nbsp;No injuries were reported at this incident, according to Hopkins.

Crews battle fire at bulk oil storage facility in Kansas City

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A Kansas legislator renewed attempts to rid the state of daylight saving time under a bill filed ahead of the state’s 2025 legislative session, which begins later this month.

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb1/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 1</a>, which was prefiled Friday, seeks to exempt Kansas from participating in the national practice of switching clocks back an hour every November and forward again every March.

Sen. Kenny Titus, a Wamego Republican who was elected to the Senate in November after serving a term in the House, is sponsoring the bill that would create year-round standard time beginning November 2025.

“Every year I get asked by constituents why the state doesn’t do something about switching clocks back and forth,” Titus said. “Most often I hear from folks that they don’t really care if we are on daylight saving or standard time, they just want to keep it consistent throughout the year.”

Recent attempts to put an end to the time changes at state and federal levels have failed. The last attempt in Kansas was in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/02/14/clock-is-ticking-ditch-the-switch-for-year-round-standard-or-daylight-saving-time/">2021</a>&nbsp;when Rep. Shannon Francis, a Republican from Liberal, drafted a resolution asking Congress to eradicate standard time and stick with daylight time year-round.

Only Arizona, Hawaii and the U.S.’s unincorporated territories are exempt from the switch.

In 2022, the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/15/u-s-senate-backs-shift-to-permanent-daylight-saving-time/">Senate</a>&nbsp;passed a bill that would’ve made daylight saving time permanent, but the U.S. House declined to take it up.&nbsp;

Despite the U.S. House’s resistance, Titus said, “it shows there is popular support to at least talk about making a change.”

A 2021 AP-NORC&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/dislike-for-changing-the-clocks-persists/" target="_blank">poll</a>&nbsp;found that 75% of Americans want to stop switching their clocks, and studies have shown switching clocks can be detrimental to sleep habits and overall&nbsp;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7954020/" target="_blank">health</a>.&nbsp;

“When I compared the arguments for daylight saving time and standard time, the primary benefit of daylight saving time was increased consumer spending (because there is more daylight in the evening for shopping and activities) compared to the increased health benefits of standard time with more daylight in the morning

In comparing year-round daylight saving time to standard time, Titus found increased consumer spending was the primary benefit because of more daylight in the evening for shopping and activities. More daylight in the morning with year-round standard time, on the other hand, can lead to health benefits, he said.

“For me, it was a no-brainer to prioritize the health of Kansans,” Titus said.

President-elect Donald Trump vowed last month in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1867686000711155989" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;to social media platform X that the Republican Party would attempt to eliminate daylight saving time, calling it “inconvenient” and “costly.” Titus’ bill provides for the possibility of Congress taking its own action.

His is the only Senate bill to be prefiled so far.&nbsp;

“The primary issue is fairly straightforward, so I thought it was best to get the conversation started before committee calendars are filled up with other topics,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736271143458.jpeg" alt=" Sen. Kenny Titus, a Wamego Republican, prefiled a bill that would eradicate daylight saving time in Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Sen. Kenny Titus, a Wamego Republican, prefiled a bill that would eradicate daylight saving time in Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A Kansas legislator renewed attempts to rid the state of daylight saving time under a bill filed ahead of the state’s 2025 legislative session, which begins later this month.<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb1/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 1</a>, which was prefiled Friday, seeks to exempt Kansas from participating in the national practice of switching clocks back an hour every November and forward again every March.Sen. Kenny Titus, a Wamego Republican who was elected to the Senate in November after serving a term in the House, is sponsoring the bill that would create year-round standard time beginning November 2025.“Every year I get asked by constituents why the state doesn’t do something about switching clocks back and forth,” Titus said. “Most often I hear from folks that they don’t really care if we are on daylight saving or standard time, they just want to keep it consistent throughout the year.”Recent attempts to put an end to the time changes at state and federal levels have failed. The last attempt in Kansas was in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/02/14/clock-is-ticking-ditch-the-switch-for-year-round-standard-or-daylight-saving-time/">2021</a>&nbsp;when Rep. Shannon Francis, a Republican from Liberal, drafted a resolution asking Congress to eradicate standard time and stick with daylight time year-round.Only Arizona, Hawaii and the U.S.’s unincorporated territories are exempt from the switch.In 2022, the U.S.&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/15/u-s-senate-backs-shift-to-permanent-daylight-saving-time/">Senate</a>&nbsp;passed a bill that would’ve made daylight saving time permanent, but the U.S. House declined to take it up.&nbsp;Despite the U.S. House’s resistance, Titus said, “it shows there is popular support to at least talk about making a change.”A 2021 AP-NORC&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/dislike-for-changing-the-clocks-persists/" target="_blank">poll</a>&nbsp;found that 75% of Americans want to stop switching their clocks, and studies have shown switching clocks can be detrimental to sleep habits and overall&nbsp;<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7954020/" target="_blank">health</a>.&nbsp;“When I compared the arguments for daylight saving time and standard time, the primary benefit of daylight saving time was increased consumer spending (because there is more daylight in the evening for shopping and activities) compared to the increased health benefits of standard time with more daylight in the morningIn comparing year-round daylight saving time to standard time, Titus found increased consumer spending was the primary benefit because of more daylight in the evening for shopping and activities. More daylight in the morning with year-round standard time, on the other hand, can lead to health benefits, he said.“For me, it was a no-brainer to prioritize the health of Kansans,” Titus said.President-elect Donald Trump vowed last month in a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1867686000711155989" target="_blank">post</a>&nbsp;to social media platform X that the Republican Party would attempt to eliminate daylight saving time, calling it “inconvenient” and “costly.” Titus’ bill provides for the possibility of Congress taking its own action.His is the only Senate bill to be prefiled so far.&nbsp;“The primary issue is fairly straightforward, so I thought it was best to get the conversation started before committee calendars are filled up with other topics,” he said.

Daylight saving time would end in Kansas under senator’s prefiled bill

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Peter Yarrow,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/music">the singer-songwriter</a>&nbsp;best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war, has died. He was 86.

Yarrow, who also co-wrote the group's most enduring song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” died Tuesday in New York, publicist Ken Sunshine said. Yarrow had bladder cancer for the past four years.

“Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest,” his daughter Bethany said in a statement.

During an incredible run of success spanning the 1960s, Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers released six Billboard Top 10 singles, two No. 1 albums and won five Grammys.

They also brought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-music-aafbc7b40c864f2289f52c3a4eb8fb9b">early exposure to Bob Dylan</a>&nbsp;by turning two of his songs, “Don't Think Twice, It's All Right” and “Blowin' in the Wind,” into Billboard Top 10 hits as they helped lead an American renaissance in folk music. They performed “Blowin’ in the Wind” at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-washington-1963-martin-luther-king-6e4aa7bb8cdbcafd09218557cc0ea842">1963 March on Washington</a>&nbsp;at which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

After an eight-year hiatus to pursue solo careers, the trio reunited in 1978 for a “Survival Sunday,” an anti-nuclear-power concert that Yarrow had organized in Los Angeles. They would remain together until Travers' death in 2009. Upon her passing, Yarrow and Stookey continued to perform both separately and together.

Born May 31, 1938, in New York, Yarrow was raised in an upper middle class family he said placed high value on art and scholarship. He took violin lessons as a child, later switching to guitar as he came to embrace the work of such folk-music icons as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.

Upon graduating from Cornell University in 1959, he returned to New York, where he worked as a struggling Greenwich Village musician until connecting with Stookey and Travers. Although his degree was in psychology, he had found his true calling in folk music at Cornell when he worked as a teaching assistant for a class in American folklore his senior year.

“I did it for the money because I wanted to wash dishes less and play guitar more,” he told the late record company executive Joe Smith. But as he led the class in song, he began to discover the emotional impact music could have on an audience.

“I saw these young people at Cornell who were basically very conservative in their backgrounds opening their hearts up and singing with an emotionality and a concern through this vehicle called folk music,” he said. “It gave me a clue that the world was on its way to a certain kind of movement, and that folk music might play a part in it and that I might play a part in folk music.”

Soon after returning to New York, he met impresario Albert Grossman, who would go on to manage Dylan, Janis Joplin and others and who at the time was looking to put together a group that would rival the Kingston Trio, which in 1958 had a hit version of the traditional folk ballad “Tom Dooley.”

But Grossman wanted a trio with a female singer and a member who could be funny enough to keep an audience engaged with comic patter. For the latter, Yarrow suggested a guitar-strumming Greenwich Village comic he’d seen named Noel Stookey.

Stookey, who would use his middle name as a member of the group, happened to be a friend of Travers, who as a teenager had performed and recorded with Pete Seeger and others. Gripped by stage fright, she was reluctant to join the pair at first, changing her mind after she heard how well her contralto voice melded with Yarrow’s tenor and Stookey’s baritone.

“We called Noel up. He was there,” Yarrow said, recalling the first time the three performed together. “We mentioned a bunch of folk songs, which he didn’t know because he didn’t have a real folk-music background, and wound up singing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb.’ And it was immediately great, was just as clear as a bell, and we started working.”

After months of rehearsal the three became an overnight sensation when their first album, 1962’s eponymous “Peter, Paul and Mary,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Their second, “In the Wind,” reached No. 4 and their third, “Moving,” put them back at No. 1.

From their earliest albums, the trio sang out against war and injustice in songs like Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have all the Flowers Gone,” Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “When the Ship Comes In” and Yarrow’s own “Day is Done.”

They could also show a soft and poignant side, particularly on “Puff the Magic Dragon,” which Yarrow had written during his Cornell years with college friend Leonard Lipton.

It tells the tale of Jackie Paper, a young boy who embarks on countless adventures with his make-believe dragon friend until he outgrows such childhood fantasies and leaves a sobbing, heartbroken Puff behind. As Yarrow explains: “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys.”

Some insisted they heard drug references in the song, a contention at the heart of a famous scene in the film “Meet the Parents,” when Ben Stiller angers his girlfriend’s tightly wound father (Robert De Niro) by saying “puff” refers to marijuana smoke. Yarrow maintained it reflected the loss of childhood innocence and nothing more.

After recording their last No. 1 hit, a 1969 cover of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” the trio split up the following year to pursue solo careers.

That same year Yarrow had pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a 14-year-old girl who had come to his hotel room with her older sister to ask for autographs. The pair found him naked when he answered the door and let them in. Yarrow, who resumed his career after serving three months in jail, was pardoned by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-carter-life-story-8bbd6eec95b0ba820e1ebf6219760946">President Jimmy Carter</a>&nbsp;in 1981. Over the decades, he apologized repeatedly.

“I fully support the current movements demanding equal rights for all and refusing to allow continued abuse and injury — most particularly of a sexual nature, of which I am, with great sorrow, guilty,” he told The New York Times in 2019 after being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0f5e16818c5b47bc98b9ed57d55f14f4">disinvited from a festival over the sentence.</a>

Over the years, Yarrow continued to write and co-write songs, including the 1976 hit “Torn Between Two Lovers” for Mary MacGregor. He received an Emmy nomination in 1979 for the animated film “Puff the Magic Dragon.”

Later songs include the civil rights anthem “No Easy Walk to Freedom,” co-written with Margery Tabankin, and “Light One Candle,” calling for peace in Lebanon.

Yarrow, who with Travers and Stookey had supported Democratic Sen. Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential bid, met the Minnesota senator’s niece, Mary Beth McCarthy, at a campaign event. The couple married the following year. They had two children before divorcing.

In addition to his ex-wife and daughter, he is survived by a son, Christopher, and a granddaughter, Valentina.

AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy contributed reporting from New York. Rogers, the principal writer of this obituary, retired from The Associated Press in 2021.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736271813697.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Peter Yarrow,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/music">the singer-songwriter</a>&nbsp;best known as one-third of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk-music trio whose impassioned harmonies transfixed millions as they lifted their voices in favor of civil rights and against war, has died. He was 86.Yarrow, who also co-wrote the group's most enduring song, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” died Tuesday in New York, publicist Ken Sunshine said. Yarrow had bladder cancer for the past four years.“Our fearless dragon is tired and has entered the last chapter of his magnificent life. The world knows Peter Yarrow the iconic folk activist, but the human being behind the legend is every bit as generous, creative, passionate, playful, and wise as his lyrics suggest,” his daughter Bethany said in a statement.During an incredible run of success spanning the 1960s, Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers released six Billboard Top 10 singles, two No. 1 albums and won five Grammys.They also brought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-music-aafbc7b40c864f2289f52c3a4eb8fb9b">early exposure to Bob Dylan</a>&nbsp;by turning two of his songs, “Don't Think Twice, It's All Right” and “Blowin' in the Wind,” into Billboard Top 10 hits as they helped lead an American renaissance in folk music. They performed “Blowin’ in the Wind” at the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-washington-1963-martin-luther-king-6e4aa7bb8cdbcafd09218557cc0ea842">1963 March on Washington</a>&nbsp;at which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.After an eight-year hiatus to pursue solo careers, the trio reunited in 1978 for a “Survival Sunday,” an anti-nuclear-power concert that Yarrow had organized in Los Angeles. They would remain together until Travers' death in 2009. Upon her passing, Yarrow and Stookey continued to perform both separately and together.Born May 31, 1938, in New York, Yarrow was raised in an upper middle class family he said placed high value on art and scholarship. He took violin lessons as a child, later switching to guitar as he came to embrace the work of such folk-music icons as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.Upon graduating from Cornell University in 1959, he returned to New York, where he worked as a struggling Greenwich Village musician until connecting with Stookey and Travers. Although his degree was in psychology, he had found his true calling in folk music at Cornell when he worked as a teaching assistant for a class in American folklore his senior year.“I did it for the money because I wanted to wash dishes less and play guitar more,” he told the late record company executive Joe Smith. But as he led the class in song, he began to discover the emotional impact music could have on an audience.“I saw these young people at Cornell who were basically very conservative in their backgrounds opening their hearts up and singing with an emotionality and a concern through this vehicle called folk music,” he said. “It gave me a clue that the world was on its way to a certain kind of movement, and that folk music might play a part in it and that I might play a part in folk music.”Soon after returning to New York, he met impresario Albert Grossman, who would go on to manage Dylan, Janis Joplin and others and who at the time was looking to put together a group that would rival the Kingston Trio, which in 1958 had a hit version of the traditional folk ballad “Tom Dooley.”But Grossman wanted a trio with a female singer and a member who could be funny enough to keep an audience engaged with comic patter. For the latter, Yarrow suggested a guitar-strumming Greenwich Village comic he’d seen named Noel Stookey.Stookey, who would use his middle name as a member of the group, happened to be a friend of Travers, who as a teenager had performed and recorded with Pete Seeger and others. Gripped by stage fright, she was reluctant to join the pair at first, changing her mind after she heard how well her contralto voice melded with Yarrow’s tenor and Stookey’s baritone.“We called Noel up. He was there,” Yarrow said, recalling the first time the three performed together. “We mentioned a bunch of folk songs, which he didn’t know because he didn’t have a real folk-music background, and wound up singing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb.’ And it was immediately great, was just as clear as a bell, and we started working.”After months of rehearsal the three became an overnight sensation when their first album, 1962’s eponymous “Peter, Paul and Mary,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Their second, “In the Wind,” reached No. 4 and their third, “Moving,” put them back at No. 1.From their earliest albums, the trio sang out against war and injustice in songs like Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have all the Flowers Gone,” Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “When the Ship Comes In” and Yarrow’s own “Day is Done.”They could also show a soft and poignant side, particularly on “Puff the Magic Dragon,” which Yarrow had written during his Cornell years with college friend Leonard Lipton.It tells the tale of Jackie Paper, a young boy who embarks on countless adventures with his make-believe dragon friend until he outgrows such childhood fantasies and leaves a sobbing, heartbroken Puff behind. As Yarrow explains: “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys.”Some insisted they heard drug references in the song, a contention at the heart of a famous scene in the film “Meet the Parents,” when Ben Stiller angers his girlfriend’s tightly wound father (Robert De Niro) by saying “puff” refers to marijuana smoke. Yarrow maintained it reflected the loss of childhood innocence and nothing more.After recording their last No. 1 hit, a 1969 cover of John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” the trio split up the following year to pursue solo careers.That same year Yarrow had pleaded guilty to taking indecent liberties with a 14-year-old girl who had come to his hotel room with her older sister to ask for autographs. The pair found him naked when he answered the door and let them in. Yarrow, who resumed his career after serving three months in jail, was pardoned by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-carter-life-story-8bbd6eec95b0ba820e1ebf6219760946">President Jimmy Carter</a>&nbsp;in 1981. Over the decades, he apologized repeatedly.“I fully support the current movements demanding equal rights for all and refusing to allow continued abuse and injury — most particularly of a sexual nature, of which I am, with great sorrow, guilty,” he told The New York Times in 2019 after being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0f5e16818c5b47bc98b9ed57d55f14f4">disinvited from a festival over the sentence.</a>Over the years, Yarrow continued to write and co-write songs, including the 1976 hit “Torn Between Two Lovers” for Mary MacGregor. He received an Emmy nomination in 1979 for the animated film “Puff the Magic Dragon.”Later songs include the civil rights anthem “No Easy Walk to Freedom,” co-written with Margery Tabankin, and “Light One Candle,” calling for peace in Lebanon.Yarrow, who with Travers and Stookey had supported Democratic Sen. Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential bid, met the Minnesota senator’s niece, Mary Beth McCarthy, at a campaign event. The couple married the following year. They had two children before divorcing.In addition to his ex-wife and daughter, he is survived by a son, Christopher, and a granddaughter, Valentina.___AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy contributed reporting from New York. Rogers, the principal writer of this obituary, retired from The Associated Press in 2021.

Peter Yarrow of folk-music trio Peter, Paul and Mary dies at 86

LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

Just after 10a.m. January 4, police were executing a search warrant at 917 Lawrence Street in Emporia as part of a narcotics investigation, according to Police Captain Ray Matta.

&nbsp;While the officers were attempting to execute the search warrant an unknown person in the house barricaded themselves in the house.

Officers did not know if the person was armed at the time. Officers also noticed pedestrians in the area and asked for shelter-in-place for the safety of the citizens in the area. The barricade was handled without any injuries to any parties. The shelter-in-place was then canceled.

Police arrested 27-year-old Rafael Munuz Garcia on requested charges of&nbsp;Distribute opiate/narc/certain stim/heroin; distribution of methamphetamines;&nbsp; Interference with LEO; unknown circumstance; felony&nbsp;Possession of marijuana and&nbsp;Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736205999099.png" alt="Garcia photo Lyon Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>Garcia photo Lyon Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Just after 10a.m. January 4, police were executing a search warrant at 917 Lawrence Street in Emporia as part of a narcotics investigation, according to Police Captain Ray Matta.&nbsp;While the officers were attempting to execute the search warrant an unknown person in the house barricaded themselves in the house.Officers did not know if the person was armed at the time. Officers also noticed pedestrians in the area and asked for shelter-in-place for the safety of the citizens in the area. The barricade was handled without any injuries to any parties. The shelter-in-place was then canceled.Police arrested 27-year-old Rafael Munuz Garcia on requested charges of&nbsp;Distribute opiate/narc/certain stim/heroin; distribution of methamphetamines;&nbsp; Interference with LEO; unknown circumstance; felony&nbsp;Possession of marijuana and&nbsp;Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body, according to online jail records.

Police jail alleged drug dealer after standoff at Kansas home

WASHINGTON (AP) —President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;told residents of Greenland that “we’re going to treat you well" as his oldest son visited the mineral-rich Danish territory that’s home to a large U.S. military base, heightening speculation that the incoming U.S. administration could seek to acquire it.

Trump posted a video showing a plane emblazoned with the word TRUMP landing in Nuuk, the Arctic territory's capital, in a landscape of snow-capped peaks and fjords.

“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” Supporters later posted video of Trump speaking by phone to locals.

In a statement, Greenland's government said Donald Trump Jr.'s visit was taking place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him.

Trump Jr. was in Greenland for a day trip to shoot video content for podcasting, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly. Trump’s eldest son has become a prominent player in his father’s political movement and has served on his presidential transition team.

Mininguaq Kleist, permanent secretary of the ministry of statehood and foreign affairs, told The Associated Press that authorities were informed that Trump Jr. would stay for about four to five hours. Neither Trump Jr.'s delegation nor Greenlandic government officials had requested a meeting, Kleist said.

The visit nonetheless had political overtones. The president-elect has voiced a desire — also expressed during his first presidency — to acquire the territory in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/arctic">the Arctic</a>, an area of strategic importance for the U.S, China, Russia and others.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that the future of Greenland would be decided by Greenland, and called the United States Denmark’s most important ally. “Greenland is not for sale,” Frederiksen said, adding that “we need to stay calm and stick to our principles”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-arctic-8e2d4e38c5b64997b26da54d8ea7c7ef">world’s largest island</a>, Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and is 80% covered by an ice sheet. The autonomous territory has some 56,000 residents, most of them Indigenous Inuit people.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for independence from Denmark, saying in a New Year’s speech that it would be a way for Greenland to free itself from its colonial past. But Egede has also said he has no interest in Greenland becoming part of the United States, insisting that the island is not for sale.

Independence has become a key issue ahead of an election for the Greenlandic parliament. A date hasn't been set, but it must take place no later than April 6.

A former colony of Denmark, Greenland in 1979 gained self-rule, which is exercises through its parliament. Copenhagen still exercises control over Greenland's foreign and defense policy. A treaty with the United States, with the U.S. base, also gives Washington say over the territory's defense.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/denmark-queen-king-margrethe-frederik-abdication-22d9356ab4bad4b058b2305fa8730a27">Denmark’s King Frederik X</a>&nbsp;has been asserting the kingdom's rights to Greenland as well as the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean. The king's power is mostly symbolic.

Last month, the king by royal decree changed Denmark's coat of arms to include fields that represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is represented by a silver bear with red tongue. The royal announcement noted that since 1194, the royal coat of arms “visually symbolized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch.”

“We are all united and each of us committed for the Kingdom of Denmark,” the king said in his New Year’s address, adding: “all the way to Greenland.”

The idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland — located near the North American landmass — is not new, with early attempts in the late 19th century.

During his first term, Trump mused about purchasing Greenland. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-denmark-2f589698d5424dbda4be8d3acdf7ce6e">canceled a scheduled trip to Denmark in August 2019</a>&nbsp;after the prime minister dismissed the idea.

Reviving the issue in a statement last month as he announced his pick for U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote: “For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —The eldest son of President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;arrived in Greenland on Tuesday for a private visit that heightened speculation that the incoming U.S. administration could seek to take control of the mineral-rich Danish territory that's home to a large U.S. military base.

The Danish state broadcaster reported that Donald Trump Jr.'s plane landed in Nuuk, capital of the vast and icy Arctic territory that has some 57,000 residents. Local media broadcast footage of him walking across a snowy tarmac.

In a statement, Greenland's government said Trump Jr.'s visit would take place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit and that Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him. Greenland is an autonomous territory that’s part of Denmark.

Trump Jr. is in Greenland for a day trip to shoot video content for podcasting, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Mininguaq Kleist, permanent secretary for the Greenland foreign affairs department, told The Associated Press that authorities were informed that Trump Jr. would stay for about four to five hours.

Neither Trump Jr.'s delegation nor Greenlandic government officials had requested a meeting, Kleist said.

The visit nonetheless had political overtones. The president-elect recently voiced a desire — also expressed during his first presidency — to acquire the territory in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/arctic">the Arctic</a>, an area of strategic importance for the U.S, China, Russia and others.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-arctic-8e2d4e38c5b64997b26da54d8ea7c7ef">world’s largest island</a>, Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and is 80% covered by an ice sheet.

“I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA.’ My son, Don Jr., and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights,” the president-elect posted on his social media site Monday night, referring to his “Make America Great Again” movement.

“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our nation,” Trump wrote. “We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside world. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that the future of Greenland would be decided by Greenland, and called the United States Denmark’s most important ally.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/denmark-queen-king-margrethe-frederik-abdication-22d9356ab4bad4b058b2305fa8730a27">Denmark’s King Frederik X</a>&nbsp;has been asserting the kingdom's rights to Greenland as well as the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Last month, the king changed Denmark's coat of arms to include fields that represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is represented by a silver bear with red tongue. The royal announcement noted that since 1194, the royal coat of arms “visually symbolized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch.”

During his first term, the U.S. president-elect mused about purchasing Greenland, which gained home rule from Denmark in 1979. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-denmark-2f589698d5424dbda4be8d3acdf7ce6e">canceled a scheduled trip to Denmark in August 2019</a>&nbsp;after its prime minister dismissed the idea.

Trump’s eldest son has become a prominent player in his father’s political movement and has served on his presidential transition team, helping to select the people who will staff the incoming White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) —President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;told residents of Greenland that “we’re going to treat you well" as his oldest son visited the mineral-rich Danish territory that’s home to a large U.S. military base, heightening speculation that the incoming U.S. administration could seek to acquire it.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Greenland is beautiful!!! 🇬🇱 <a href="https://t.co/PKoeeCafPz">pic.twitter.com/PKoeeCafPz</a>&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1876631282635186587?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Greenland coming in hot… well, actually, really really cold!!!! <a href="https://t.co/IhLKVOfYVM">pic.twitter.com/IhLKVOfYVM</a>&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1876624138174976459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump posted a video showing a plane emblazoned with the word TRUMP landing in Nuuk, the Arctic territory's capital, in a landscape of snow-capped peaks and fjords.“Don Jr. and my Reps landing in Greenland,” Trump wrote. “The reception has been great. They, and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” Supporters later posted video of Trump speaking by phone to locals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736263303205.png" alt="Trump" />
 <figcaption>Trump</figcaption>
 </figure>In a statement, Greenland's government said Donald Trump Jr.'s visit was taking place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit, and Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him.Trump Jr. was in Greenland for a day trip to shoot video content for podcasting, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly. Trump’s eldest son has become a prominent player in his father’s political movement and has served on his presidential transition team.Mininguaq Kleist, permanent secretary of the ministry of statehood and foreign affairs, told The Associated Press that authorities were informed that Trump Jr. would stay for about four to five hours. Neither Trump Jr.'s delegation nor Greenlandic government officials had requested a meeting, Kleist said.The visit nonetheless had political overtones. The president-elect has voiced a desire — also expressed during his first presidency — to acquire the territory in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/arctic">the Arctic</a>, an area of strategic importance for the U.S, China, Russia and others.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that the future of Greenland would be decided by Greenland, and called the United States Denmark’s most important ally. “Greenland is not for sale,” Frederiksen said, adding that “we need to stay calm and stick to our principles”The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-arctic-8e2d4e38c5b64997b26da54d8ea7c7ef">world’s largest island</a>, Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and is 80% covered by an ice sheet. The autonomous territory has some 56,000 residents, most of them Indigenous Inuit people.Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for independence from Denmark, saying in a New Year’s speech that it would be a way for Greenland to free itself from its colonial past. But Egede has also said he has no interest in Greenland becoming part of the United States, insisting that the island is not for sale.Independence has become a key issue ahead of an election for the Greenlandic parliament. A date hasn't been set, but it must take place no later than April 6.A former colony of Denmark, Greenland in 1979 gained self-rule, which is exercises through its parliament. Copenhagen still exercises control over Greenland's foreign and defense policy. A treaty with the United States, with the U.S. base, also gives Washington say over the territory's defense.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/denmark-queen-king-margrethe-frederik-abdication-22d9356ab4bad4b058b2305fa8730a27">Denmark’s King Frederik X</a>&nbsp;has been asserting the kingdom's rights to Greenland as well as the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean. The king's power is mostly symbolic.Last month, the king by royal decree changed Denmark's coat of arms to include fields that represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is represented by a silver bear with red tongue. The royal announcement noted that since 1194, the royal coat of arms “visually symbolized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch.”“We are all united and each of us committed for the Kingdom of Denmark,” the king said in his New Year’s address, adding: “all the way to Greenland.”The idea of the U.S. purchasing Greenland — located near the North American landmass — is not new, with early attempts in the late 19th century.During his first term, Trump mused about purchasing Greenland. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-denmark-2f589698d5424dbda4be8d3acdf7ce6e">canceled a scheduled trip to Denmark in August 2019</a>&nbsp;after the prime minister dismissed the idea.Reviving the issue in a statement last month as he announced his pick for U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote: “For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”-------------WASHINGTON (AP) —The eldest son of President-elect&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;arrived in Greenland on Tuesday for a private visit that heightened speculation that the incoming U.S. administration could seek to take control of the mineral-rich Danish territory that's home to a large U.S. military base.The Danish state broadcaster reported that Donald Trump Jr.'s plane landed in Nuuk, capital of the vast and icy Arctic territory that has some 57,000 residents. Local media broadcast footage of him walking across a snowy tarmac.In a statement, Greenland's government said Trump Jr.'s visit would take place “as a private individual” and not as an official visit and that Greenlandic representatives would not meet with him. Greenland is an autonomous territory that’s part of Denmark.Trump Jr. is in Greenland for a day trip to shoot video content for podcasting, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.Mininguaq Kleist, permanent secretary for the Greenland foreign affairs department, told The Associated Press that authorities were informed that Trump Jr. would stay for about four to five hours.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736263303205.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Neither Trump Jr.'s delegation nor Greenlandic government officials had requested a meeting, Kleist said.The visit nonetheless had political overtones. The president-elect recently voiced a desire — also expressed during his first presidency — to acquire the territory in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/arctic">the Arctic</a>, an area of strategic importance for the U.S, China, Russia and others.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-arctic-8e2d4e38c5b64997b26da54d8ea7c7ef">world’s largest island</a>, Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and is 80% covered by an ice sheet.“I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA.’ My son, Don Jr., and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights,” the president-elect posted on his social media site Monday night, referring to his “Make America Great Again” movement.“Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our nation,” Trump wrote. “We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside world. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!”Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede has called for independence from Denmark, saying in a New Year’s speech that it would be a way for Greenland to free itself from its colonial past. But Egede has also said he has no interest in Greenland becoming part of the United States, insisting that the island is not for sale.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday that the future of Greenland would be decided by Greenland, and called the United States Denmark’s most important ally.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/denmark-queen-king-margrethe-frederik-abdication-22d9356ab4bad4b058b2305fa8730a27">Denmark’s King Frederik X</a>&nbsp;has been asserting the kingdom's rights to Greenland as well as the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago located between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean.Last month, the king changed Denmark's coat of arms to include fields that represent Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland is represented by a silver bear with red tongue. The royal announcement noted that since 1194, the royal coat of arms “visually symbolized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the state and the monarch.”“We are all united and each of us committed for the Kingdom of Denmark,” the king said in his New Year’s address, adding: “all the way to Greenland.”During his first term, the U.S. president-elect mused about purchasing Greenland, which gained home rule from Denmark in 1979. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-international-news-greenland-denmark-2f589698d5424dbda4be8d3acdf7ce6e">canceled a scheduled trip to Denmark in August 2019</a>&nbsp;after its prime minister dismissed the idea.Reviving the issue in a statement last month as he announced his pick for U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote: “For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”Trump’s eldest son has become a prominent player in his father’s political movement and has served on his presidential transition team, helping to select the people who will staff the incoming White House.

Trump, Jr. in Greenland amid talk of U.S. buying island

NEW YORK (AP) —Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said Tuesday it's scrapping its third-party fact-checking program and replacing it with a Community Notes program written by users similar to the model used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/x-musk-twitter-misinformation-ccdh-0fa4fec0f703369b93be248461e8005d">Elon Musk's social media platform X</a>.

Starting in the U.S., Meta will end its fact-checking program with independent third parties. The company said it decided to end the program because expert fact checkers had their own biases and too much content ended up being fact checked.

Instead, it will pivot to a Community Notes model that uses crowdsourced fact-checking contributions from users.

“We’ve seen this approach work on X – where they empower their community to decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context,” Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan said in a blog post.

The social media company also said it plans to allow “more speech” by lifting some restrictions on some topics that are part of mainstream discussion in order to focus on illegal and “high severity violations" like terrorism, child sexual exploitation and drugs.

Meta said that its approach of building complex systems to manage content on its platforms has "gone too far" and has made “too many mistakes” by censoring too much content.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that the changes are in part sparked by political events including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-trump-election-certification-capitol-b8284b9b6b22f78ab7f23f8c8b3c3da3">Donald Trump's presidential election victory</a>.

“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg said in an online video.

Meta's quasi-independent Oversight Board, which was set up to act as a referee on controversial content decisions, said it welcomed the changes and looked forward to working with the company "to understand the changes in greater detail, ensuring its new approach can be as effective and speech-friendly as possible."

NEW YORK (AP) —Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said Tuesday it's scrapping its third-party fact-checking program and replacing it with a Community Notes program written by users similar to the model used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/x-musk-twitter-misinformation-ccdh-0fa4fec0f703369b93be248461e8005d">Elon Musk's social media platform X</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It&#39;s time to get back to our roots around free expression. We&#39;re replacing fact checkers with Community Notes, simplifying our policies and focusing on reducing mistakes. Looking forward to this next chapter. <a href="https://t.co/NRJdpN3Qxg">pic.twitter.com/NRJdpN3Qxg</a>&mdash; Mark Zuckerberg (@zuckerberg5143) <a href="https://twitter.com/zuckerberg5143/status/1876608937052811353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Starting in the U.S., Meta will end its fact-checking program with independent third parties. The company said it decided to end the program because expert fact checkers had their own biases and too much content ended up being fact checked.Instead, it will pivot to a Community Notes model that uses crowdsourced fact-checking contributions from users.“We’ve seen this approach work on X – where they empower their community to decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context,” Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan said in a blog post.The social media company also said it plans to allow “more speech” by lifting some restrictions on some topics that are part of mainstream discussion in order to focus on illegal and “high severity violations" like terrorism, child sexual exploitation and drugs.Meta said that its approach of building complex systems to manage content on its platforms has "gone too far" and has made “too many mistakes” by censoring too much content.CEO Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that the changes are in part sparked by political events including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-trump-election-certification-capitol-b8284b9b6b22f78ab7f23f8c8b3c3da3">Donald Trump's presidential election victory</a>.“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg said in an online video.Meta's quasi-independent Oversight Board, which was set up to act as a referee on controversial content decisions, said it welcomed the changes and looked forward to working with the company "to understand the changes in greater detail, ensuring its new approach can be as effective and speech-friendly as possible."

Meta ends fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating the death of a woman after finding her body on Monday.

Just before 10a.m. police and emergency crews&nbsp;responded to 2700 Clay Edwards Drive in North Kansas City, according to a media release.

First responders found a person who was pronounced deceased on the scene near North Kansas City Hospital. The victim was described as Black woman probably in her 60s. She did not appear to have any bodily trauma.

Police have not released the name of the victim or additional details.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating the death of a woman after finding her body on Monday.Just before 10a.m. police and emergency crews&nbsp;responded to 2700 Clay Edwards Drive in North Kansas City, according to a media release.First responders found a person who was pronounced deceased on the scene near North Kansas City Hospital. The victim was described as Black woman probably in her 60s. She did not appear to have any bodily trauma.Police have not released the name of the victim or additional details.

Police: Body of woman found near Kansas City hospital

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;told mourners in New Orleans on Monday that they are not alone as he paid tribute to victims of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-truck-attack-fbi-47fd819355e6d31475529e4f3b1328e5">deadly New Year’s attack</a>&nbsp;and channeled the pain felt by their loved ones.

Biden made the remarks at St. Louis Cathedral in the city's historic French Quarter. not far from the area where an Army veteran drove a truck into revelers last week, killing 14 and injuring 30 more.

Biden praised “so many that ran toward the chaos, trying to help save others," including first responders. He noted the city's enduring strength and resilience amid tragedy, invoking past devastation like Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“The city’s people get back up," Biden said. "That’s the spirit of America as well.”

Biden met privately with grieving families, survivors and first responders before the prayer service. He also stopped at a makeshift memorial where the attack had begun to unfold. It is being investigated as an act of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group.

Biden has made dozens of visits to sites of violence, natural disaster and other calamities during his four years in office. With two weeks left, Monday's visit to New Orleans could be his last such trip.

In his remarks Monday, Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memorial-wife-daughter-killed-accident-delaware-a00f53d572a90386a55f206f59c7ff3e">alluded to the personal loss in his own life</a>&nbsp;and recounted words of collective grief he’s delivered time and again as president. He acknowledged the searing loss the grieving families will feel at holidays and birthdays to come, along with the small details they will miss about their loved ones.

“We know what it’s like to lose a piece of our soul. The anger. The emptiness,” he said.

He told the grieving families that they will eventually reach a day when the memory of their loved ones will make them smile before it makes them cry.

“It will take time, but I promise you, it will come. I promise you," he said.

Before he met privately with the victims’ families, Biden and first lady Jill Biden made their first stop in the city at a memorial that sprung up on Bourbon Street at the spot where the attack started.

Flowers and messages were left at the bases of the crosses erected on the sidewalk. After Jill Biden placed white flowers at the memorial, she and the president stood in silence and bowed their heads.

At the public prayer service at the cathedral, a rendition of “Amazing Grace” was performed with a New Orleans jazz spin. The Bidens placed a candle at the altar. The president then returned to his seat in front pew, shutting his eyes tight in prayer.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Louisiana that Biden "believes this is also an important part of the job that he believes he needs to do as president.”

It's a grim task that presidents perform, though not every leader has embraced the role with such intimacy as the 82-year-old Biden, who has experienced a lot of personal tragedy in his own life. His first wife and baby daughter died in a car accident in the early 1970s, and his elder son, Beau,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d8f69eb645d74b7886387f713981b739">died of cancer</a>&nbsp;in 2015.

“I've been there. There’s nothing you can really say to somebody that’s just had such a tragic loss," Biden told reporters Sunday in a preview of his visit. "My message is going to be personal if I get to get them alone.”

Biden often&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-school-shooting-biden-visits-uvalde-5602203ec1088223e3b6aaed3d219136">takes the opportunity at such bleak occasions</a>&nbsp;to speak behind closed doors with the families, offer up his personal phone number in case people want to talk later on and talk about grief in stark, personal terms.

The Democratic president will continue on to California following his stop in New Orleans. With a snowstorm hitting the Washington region on Monday, Biden's trip began with Air Force One starting its takeoff from inside a large hangar instead of on the tarmac as thick snow covered the ground at Joint Base Andrews and snowplows worked to clear the runway.

In New Orleans on Jan. 1, the driver plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-bourbon-street-1685016388d65039ce62e720aab2ba14">Shamsud-Din Jabbar</a>, who steered his speeding truck around a barricade and plowed into the crowd, later was fatally shot in a firefight with police.

Jabbar,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-attack-bourbon-street-5bbf5fdc715c4d0d4c8764dd8da22720">an American citizen from Texas</a>, had posted five videos on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack in which he proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group and previewed the violence that he would soon unleash in the French Quarter.

Biden on Sunday pushed back against conspiracy theories surrounding the attack, and he urged New Orleans residents to ignore them.

“I spent literally 17, 18 hours with the intelligence community from the time this happened to establish exactly what happened, to establish beyond any reasonable doubt that New Orleans was the act of a single man who acted alone,” he said. “All this talk about conspiracies with other people, there’s not evidence of that — zero.”

The youngest victim was 18 years old, and the oldest was 63. Most victims were in their 20s. They came from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey and Great Britain.

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, was asked on “Fox News Sunday” what the city was hoping for from Biden's visit.

“How can we not feel for both the families of those who die but also those who’ve been injured in their families?” he asked.

“The best thing that the city, the state, and the federal government can do is do their best to make sure that this does not happen again. And what we can do as a people is to make sure that we don’t live our lives in fear or in terror — but live our lives bravely and with liberty, and then support those families however they need support.”

Jean-Pierre said Monday that Biden was directing additional resources to help New Orleans with major upcoming events, including Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl, with both events being assigned the highest level of federal support for security measures.

Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill ordered on Monday an investigation into safety and security deficiencies in New Orleans, where an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-bourbon-street-63a1b43d615af365cb8ba6f5f0583eca">Army veteran sped around a police blockade</a>&nbsp;and raced down Bourbon Street, killing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-killed-crash-terrorist-attack-9f2fbcc3e48d8b391590f60969e80e61">14 New Year's revelers</a>.

“The People of Louisiana deserve answers,” Murrill said in a statement. “We are committed to getting a full and complete picture of what was done or not done, and more importantly, what needs to change so we can prevent this from ever happening again.”

President Joe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-new-orleans-attack-5c92619c079e2f104e42e1d7b8bea424">Biden visited New Orleans Monday</a>&nbsp;to meet with the families of those killed and first responders. He also directed additional resources to help New Orleans with major upcoming events, including Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl. Both have been upgraded and given the special event assessment rating of one, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

“The Biden-Harris administration has determined that these significant events require extensive federal interagency support, and we will use every tool available to fill local capability shortfalls to assure safe and secure events,” she told reporters traveling with Biden to New Orleans.

The attack last week was carried out by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-bourbon-street-1685016388d65039ce62e720aab2ba14">Shamsud-Din Jabbar</a>, a former U.S. Army soldier who had proclaimed his support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-crash-islamic-state-lone-wolves-4bb6446c484737fbe9dd1b9c26a899a9">the Islamic State militant group</a>. He was killed in a firefight with police.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-into-crowd-terrorist-attack-barriers-361d9acb509a37a7b7ec1253e32ec3ce">steel columns known as bollards</a>&nbsp;that had previously been installed to restrict vehicle access to Bourbon Street were in the process of being replaced ahead of the Super Bowl, which New Orleans will host on Feb. 9.

Murrill said she directed the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation to conduct a “full review” of security plans for New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl. The probe should “explore all aspects of the planning for and execution of security measures” for Jan. 1. That would include existing security assessments and recommendations; funding sources and the use of state, federal, and local funding for security measures; assets and allocations; operational failures; and state, local and federal coordination.

The New Orleans Chief of Police, District Attorney, Inspector General and City Council members have “pledged complete support and cooperation with this review," Murrill said.

“It’s my hope that our findings will help provide our law enforcement officers and the City of New Orleans with the tools and insight they need to best ensure the safety of the community and our many visitors,” Murrill said.

The additional federal assistance offered by Biden could include explosive detection, K-9 teams, and cyber risk assessments, screening of venues and field intelligence teams, and air security and tactical operations support.

“There’s no higher priority to the president than the safety and security of the American people,” Jean-Pierre said. “We will continue to ensure we do everything possible to get to the bottom of this horrific event, while also ensuring that this community has the resources they need in the wake of this tragedy.”

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;told mourners in New Orleans on Monday that they are not alone as he paid tribute to victims of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-truck-attack-fbi-47fd819355e6d31475529e4f3b1328e5">deadly New Year’s attack</a>&nbsp;and channeled the pain felt by their loved ones.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">CLIP: President Biden and <a href="https://twitter.com/firstlady?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FirstLady</a> Dr. Jill Biden pay respects in New Orleans to the 14 people who lost their lives in the Bourbon Street attack. <a href="https://t.co/ydeh2TfsNv">pic.twitter.com/ydeh2TfsNv</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1876421017838493807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Biden made the remarks at St. Louis Cathedral in the city's historic French Quarter. not far from the area where an Army veteran drove a truck into revelers last week, killing 14 and injuring 30 more.Biden praised “so many that ran toward the chaos, trying to help save others," including first responders. He noted the city's enduring strength and resilience amid tragedy, invoking past devastation like Hurricane Katrina in 2005.“The city’s people get back up," Biden said. "That’s the spirit of America as well.”Biden met privately with grieving families, survivors and first responders before the prayer service. He also stopped at a makeshift memorial where the attack had begun to unfold. It is being investigated as an act of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group.Biden has made dozens of visits to sites of violence, natural disaster and other calamities during his four years in office. With two weeks left, Monday's visit to New Orleans could be his last such trip.In his remarks Monday, Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-memorial-wife-daughter-killed-accident-delaware-a00f53d572a90386a55f206f59c7ff3e">alluded to the personal loss in his own life</a>&nbsp;and recounted words of collective grief he’s delivered time and again as president. He acknowledged the searing loss the grieving families will feel at holidays and birthdays to come, along with the small details they will miss about their loved ones.“We know what it’s like to lose a piece of our soul. The anger. The emptiness,” he said.He told the grieving families that they will eventually reach a day when the memory of their loved ones will make them smile before it makes them cry.“It will take time, but I promise you, it will come. I promise you," he said.Before he met privately with the victims’ families, Biden and first lady Jill Biden made their first stop in the city at a memorial that sprung up on Bourbon Street at the spot where the attack started.Flowers and messages were left at the bases of the crosses erected on the sidewalk. After Jill Biden placed white flowers at the memorial, she and the president stood in silence and bowed their heads.At the public prayer service at the cathedral, a rendition of “Amazing Grace” was performed with a New Orleans jazz spin. The Bidens placed a candle at the altar. The president then returned to his seat in front pew, shutting his eyes tight in prayer.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Louisiana that Biden "believes this is also an important part of the job that he believes he needs to do as president.”It's a grim task that presidents perform, though not every leader has embraced the role with such intimacy as the 82-year-old Biden, who has experienced a lot of personal tragedy in his own life. His first wife and baby daughter died in a car accident in the early 1970s, and his elder son, Beau,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-d8f69eb645d74b7886387f713981b739">died of cancer</a>&nbsp;in 2015.“I've been there. There’s nothing you can really say to somebody that’s just had such a tragic loss," Biden told reporters Sunday in a preview of his visit. "My message is going to be personal if I get to get them alone.”Biden often&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-school-shooting-biden-visits-uvalde-5602203ec1088223e3b6aaed3d219136">takes the opportunity at such bleak occasions</a>&nbsp;to speak behind closed doors with the families, offer up his personal phone number in case people want to talk later on and talk about grief in stark, personal terms.The Democratic president will continue on to California following his stop in New Orleans. With a snowstorm hitting the Washington region on Monday, Biden's trip began with Air Force One starting its takeoff from inside a large hangar instead of on the tarmac as thick snow covered the ground at Joint Base Andrews and snowplows worked to clear the runway.In New Orleans on Jan. 1, the driver plowed into a crowd on Bourbon Street.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-bourbon-street-1685016388d65039ce62e720aab2ba14">Shamsud-Din Jabbar</a>, who steered his speeding truck around a barricade and plowed into the crowd, later was fatally shot in a firefight with police.Jabbar,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-attack-bourbon-street-5bbf5fdc715c4d0d4c8764dd8da22720">an American citizen from Texas</a>, had posted five videos on his Facebook account in the hours before the attack in which he proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group and previewed the violence that he would soon unleash in the French Quarter.Biden on Sunday pushed back against conspiracy theories surrounding the attack, and he urged New Orleans residents to ignore them.“I spent literally 17, 18 hours with the intelligence community from the time this happened to establish exactly what happened, to establish beyond any reasonable doubt that New Orleans was the act of a single man who acted alone,” he said. “All this talk about conspiracies with other people, there’s not evidence of that — zero.”The youngest victim was 18 years old, and the oldest was 63. Most victims were in their 20s. They came from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey and Great Britain.Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, was asked on “Fox News Sunday” what the city was hoping for from Biden's visit.“How can we not feel for both the families of those who die but also those who’ve been injured in their families?” he asked.“The best thing that the city, the state, and the federal government can do is do their best to make sure that this does not happen again. And what we can do as a people is to make sure that we don’t live our lives in fear or in terror — but live our lives bravely and with liberty, and then support those families however they need support.”Jean-Pierre said Monday that Biden was directing additional resources to help New Orleans with major upcoming events, including Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl, with both events being assigned the highest level of federal support for security measures.___Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.--------------NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill ordered on Monday an investigation into safety and security deficiencies in New Orleans, where an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-bourbon-street-63a1b43d615af365cb8ba6f5f0583eca">Army veteran sped around a police blockade</a>&nbsp;and raced down Bourbon Street, killing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-killed-crash-terrorist-attack-9f2fbcc3e48d8b391590f60969e80e61">14 New Year's revelers</a>.“The People of Louisiana deserve answers,” Murrill said in a statement. “We are committed to getting a full and complete picture of what was done or not done, and more importantly, what needs to change so we can prevent this from ever happening again.”President Joe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-new-orleans-attack-5c92619c079e2f104e42e1d7b8bea424">Biden visited New Orleans Monday</a>&nbsp;to meet with the families of those killed and first responders. He also directed additional resources to help New Orleans with major upcoming events, including Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl. Both have been upgraded and given the special event assessment rating of one, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.“The Biden-Harris administration has determined that these significant events require extensive federal interagency support, and we will use every tool available to fill local capability shortfalls to assure safe and secure events,” she told reporters traveling with Biden to New Orleans.The attack last week was carried out by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-bourbon-street-1685016388d65039ce62e720aab2ba14">Shamsud-Din Jabbar</a>, a former U.S. Army soldier who had proclaimed his support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-crash-islamic-state-lone-wolves-4bb6446c484737fbe9dd1b9c26a899a9">the Islamic State militant group</a>. He was killed in a firefight with police.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-car-into-crowd-terrorist-attack-barriers-361d9acb509a37a7b7ec1253e32ec3ce">steel columns known as bollards</a>&nbsp;that had previously been installed to restrict vehicle access to Bourbon Street were in the process of being replaced ahead of the Super Bowl, which New Orleans will host on Feb. 9.Murrill said she directed the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation to conduct a “full review” of security plans for New Year’s Eve and the Sugar Bowl. The probe should “explore all aspects of the planning for and execution of security measures” for Jan. 1. That would include existing security assessments and recommendations; funding sources and the use of state, federal, and local funding for security measures; assets and allocations; operational failures; and state, local and federal coordination.The New Orleans Chief of Police, District Attorney, Inspector General and City Council members have “pledged complete support and cooperation with this review," Murrill said.“It’s my hope that our findings will help provide our law enforcement officers and the City of New Orleans with the tools and insight they need to best ensure the safety of the community and our many visitors,” Murrill said.The additional federal assistance offered by Biden could include explosive detection, K-9 teams, and cyber risk assessments, screening of venues and field intelligence teams, and air security and tactical operations support.“There’s no higher priority to the president than the safety and security of the American people,” Jean-Pierre said. “We will continue to ensure we do everything possible to get to the bottom of this horrific event, while also ensuring that this community has the resources they need in the wake of this tragedy.”

President, first lady pay respect to victims of New Orleans attack

KANSAS CITY —Authorities have identified the Jackson County employee who died in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Sunday as 61-year-old Everett Carter, according to Jackson County Executive Frank White.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 International dump truck driven by a 37-year-old Blue Springs man stopped on Ashland Avenue north of 20th Street to let a passenger later identified as Carter out of the vehicle.

The truck began to slide and struck Carter and a parked Honda CRV.

Carter, a resident of Independence, Missouri was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the truck driver to Centerpoint Hospital.

KANSAS CITY —Authorities have identified the Jackson County employee who died in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Sunday as 61-year-old Everett Carter, according to Jackson County Executive Frank White.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We are heartbroken to share the loss of Everett Carter, a 40-year <a href="https://twitter.com/JacksonCountyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JacksonCountyMO</a> associate &amp; valued Public Works team member. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues. Snow removal paused after the tragedy and resumed at 7am. Thank you for your patience. <a href="https://t.co/KT9PDne4En">pic.twitter.com/KT9PDne4En</a>&mdash; Frank White (@JCEFrankWhite) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCEFrankWhite/status/1876306078839054687?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2017 International dump truck driven by a 37-year-old Blue Springs man stopped on Ashland Avenue north of 20th Street to let a passenger later identified as Carter out of the vehicle.The truck began to slide and struck Carter and a parked Honda CRV.Carter, a resident of Independence, Missouri was pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported the truck driver to Centerpoint Hospital.

Snow removal employee struck, killed by sliding dump truck 

DAMASCUS —U.S. and partner forces conducted operations in Iraq and Syria over the past week in support of the ongoing Defeat ISIS (D-ISIS) campaign.

From December 30 to January 6, U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted multiple strikes in the Hamrin mountains of Iraq, targeting known ISIS locations, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.&nbsp; The operations served to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ ability to plan,  organize, and conduct attacks against civilians in the region, as well  as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and  beyond. 

 During the operations, ISIS fighters engaged Coalition forces  on several occasions, resulting in the employment of Coalition air  strikes, using F-16s, F-15s, and A-10s. The A-10s tasked to support ground forces in the area were successful in eliminating the ISIS fighters within a cave.

One Coalition member was killed and two were wounded from two different  nations. There were no injuries to U.S. personnel or damage to U.S.  equipment.

From January 2 to January 3, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), enabled by CENTCOM forces, conducted  a D-ISIS operation near Dayr az-Zawr, Syria, resulting in the capture  of an ISIS attack cell leader. 

"The  U.S. and members of the multinational Combined Joint Task Force –  Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF – OIR) maintain our ongoing commitment  to the fight against ISIS."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736212305306.png" alt="U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts photo U.S. Central Command&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts photo U.S. Central Command&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>DAMASCUS —U.S. and partner forces conducted operations in Iraq and Syria over the past week in support of the ongoing Defeat ISIS (D-ISIS) campaign.From December 30 to January 6, U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted multiple strikes in the Hamrin mountains of Iraq, targeting known ISIS locations, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.&nbsp; The operations served to disrupt and degrade ISIS’ ability to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against civilians in the region, as well as U.S. citizens, allies, and partners throughout the region and beyond. During the operations, ISIS fighters engaged Coalition forces on several occasions, resulting in the employment of Coalition air strikes, using F-16s, F-15s, and A-10s. The A-10s tasked to support ground forces in the area were successful in eliminating the ISIS fighters within a cave.One Coalition member was killed and two were wounded from two different nations. There were no injuries to U.S. personnel or damage to U.S. equipment.From January 2 to January 3, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), enabled by CENTCOM forces, conducted a D-ISIS operation near Dayr az-Zawr, Syria, resulting in the capture of an ISIS attack cell leader. "The U.S. and members of the multinational Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF – OIR) maintain our ongoing commitment to the fight against ISIS."

U.S. and task force attack in Syria captures ISIS cell leader 

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a dangerous situation involving a weapon.

Just after 6:30a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a disturbance involving gunfire near the intersection of 13th Street North and Estelle, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736174138009.png" alt="McCoy has previous convictions for burglary, robbery and driving while habitual violator, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Sedgwick County Jail" />
 <figcaption>McCoy has previous convictions for burglary, robbery and driving while habitual violator, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Sedgwick County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a dangerous situation involving a weapon.Just after 6:30a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a disturbance involving gunfire near the intersection of 13th Street North and Estelle, according to Officer Kris Gupilan.An individual made an initial 911 call to report that his friend, a female victim, had reached out to him for help because she was afraid for her safety. While on the phone with her, he heard gunshots in the background. He informed the 911 dispatchers that a male suspect, later identified as 46-year-old William McCoy was walking around the residence and shooting a gun.Officers were able to identify the location as being in the 1300 block of N. Estelle after hearing additional gunfire coming from the area.WPD officers quickly established a perimeter as gunshots were periodically heard coming from inside the home. Meanwhile, the victim provided updates to her friend via phone, which were then relayed to 911 dispatchers. These updates included critical information about when the suspect reloaded his firearm, allowing officers to coordinate their actions more effectively.Eventually, McCoy exited the home with the victim's assistance as she opened the door. Officers issued commands that McCoy followed, leading to his arrest without further incident.KHP troopers played a crucial role in this operation by helping to establish a perimeter and clearingMcCoy who is prohibited from possessing a firearm and was wearing an ankle monitor, has been booked on multiple requested charges related to this incident.McCoy has previous convictions for burglary, robbery and driving while habitual violator, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.Wichita Chief of Police Joe Sullivan praised the professionalism and restraint everyone involved in the incident demonstrated. He stated, “This situation could have ended in tragedy, but thanks to the exceptional work and collaboration between the Wichita Police Department and the Kansas Highway Patrol, it was resolved without any injuries. The de-escalation techniques and the restraint shown by the responding officers and troopers reflect their training and commitment to protecting our community. I want to commend everyone involved for their outstanding efforts personally.”Wichita Police thanked the Sedgwick County 911 Dispatchers for maintaining an open line and relaying critical information and updates to the officers on the scene. Police also appreciated the Kansas Highway Patrol for their partnership in helping us safely resolve this incident. This case highlights the importance of collaboration between agencies and the dedication of law enforcement professionals to ensure the safety of our community.