TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-cuts-kansas-special-session-veto-budget-339faf3ca10448ca7b8ef36a7b2845ac">a proposal for broad tax cuts,</a>&nbsp;setting up a high-stakes election-year tussle with the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature that one GOP leader called “spiteful.”

It was the third time this year Kelly has vetoed a plan for cutting income, sales and property taxes by a total of $1.45 billion or more over the next three years. GOP leaders have grown increasingly frustrated as they've made what they see as major concessions, including giving up on moving Kansas from three personal income tax rates to just one.

The Legislature adjourned its annual session May 1 and therefore cannot try to override her latest veto. Kelly promised to call a special legislative session to try to get a tax plan more to her liking and said she'll announce next week when it will start.

“Kansas is being noticed for its sense of responsibility. Don’t toss all that,” Kelly said in her message. “The Legislature cannot overpromise tax cuts without considering the overall cost to the state for future years."

All 40 Senate seats and 125 House seats are on the ballot in this year’s elections, and Democrats hope to break the Republican supermajorities in both chambers. Both parties believe voters will be upset if there is no broad tax relief after surplus funds piled up in the state’s coffers.

GOP leaders have accused Kelly of shifting on what's acceptable to her in a tax plan, and even before Kelly's veto, Republicans were criticizing her over the extra session’s potential cost, more than $200,000 for just three days.

"It seems her laser focus has shifted solely to wasting your money on a needless and spiteful special session,” House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement addressing taxpayers.

Republicans were unable to override Kelly's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/income-tax-cuts-kansas-state-budget-immigration-44e6e4a592c8483d3b102664611a97fd">previous vetoes</a>&nbsp;of big tax bills because three GOP dissidents formed a solid bloc in the Senate with its 11 Democrats to leave GOP leaders one vote short of the 27 votes required.

And so Republicans have trimmed back both the total cost of their tax cuts and given up on enacting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-income-tax-cuts-budget-8fbaf4d7aa99b0b23f38daddd7dc2c28">a “flat,” single-rate personal income tax</a>&nbsp;that they view as fair but Kelly argued would benefit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-income-tax-cuts-budget-veto-kelly-1c321169e87d69480efe91db0ef55f28">the “super wealthy.”</a>

Kelly and Republican leaders have agreed on eliminating state income taxes on retirees’ Social Security benefits, which kick in when they earn $75,000 a year. They also agree on reducing a state property tax for schools and eliminating the state’s already set-to-expire 2% sales tax on groceries six months early, on July 1.

But almost half of the cuts in the latest bill were tied to changes in the personal income tax. The state's highest tax rate would have been 5.57%, instead of the current 5.7%.

Kelly's veto message focused mostly on her belief that the latest plan still would cause future budget problems even though the state expects to end June with $2.6 billion in unspent, surplus funds in its main bank account.

Before lawmakers adjourned their annual session, Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes, of Lenexa, circulated projections showing that those surplus funds would dwindle to nothing by July 2028 under the bill Kelly vetoed, as spending outpaced the state's reduced tax collections.

“In the next couple of years, we’re going to have to go back and the very people that we’re trying to help are going to have the rug pulled out from under them,” Sykes said in an interview Thursday.

However, if tax collections were to grow a little more or spending, a little bit less — or both at the same time — than Sykes projected, the picture in July 2028 looks significantly better.

Nor is the $2.6 billion in surplus funds in the state's main bank account the only fiscal cushion. Kansas has another $1.7 billion socked away in a separate rainy day fund, and Republicans argued that the extra stockpile is another reason for Kelly to have accepted the last tax plan.

“Her shifting reasons for vetoing tax relief have now morphed into the absurd," Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said in a statement.

TOPEKA—&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed House Substitute for Senate Bill 37, House Bill 2096, and House Bill 2097, according to a statement from her office.

“I recognize that Kansans desperately need tax relief. I will be working with legislative leaders to come to a compromise, forging a bipartisan tax cuts plan that will responsibly provide tax relief for all Kansans without threatening our state’s future fiscal stability,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;

“Next week, I will be announcing the date of a special legislative session so we can deliver comprehensive, sustainable tax cuts. If we all work together, an affordable, bipartisan tax plan can be passed in less than a day.”

The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of House Substitute for Senate Bill 37, House Bill 2096, and House Bill 2097:

“Kansans need responsible, comprehensive tax relief. As I said in my last veto statement of the Legislature’s nearly identical tax bill, ‘I cannot sign into law a bill that jeopardizes our state's future fiscal stability.’

“I have given the Legislature several roadmaps to fiscally responsible tax cuts since January. Instead, they played political games with reckless tax policies, and I vetoed them. I said irresponsible tax policies would lead to a special session.

“So here we are. While I applaud the spirit of bipartisanship, this tax cut package, passed at the 11th&nbsp;hour of the last day of the Legislative session, misses the mark. Its proposed cuts and the excessive spending by the Legislature endanger all the progress we’ve made in restoring services for Kansans, funding our public schools, and investing in our infrastructure.

“Additionally, to favor a specific business, a tax abatement scheme was floated to put taxpayer dollars into that business’ pocket at the expense of local government services. That’s wrong. Taxpayer dollars should not be diverted to political donors under the guise of tax cuts.

“Kansans expect us to map a responsible future because we have come a long way, together. Our financial ratings have been upgraded. We have paid down debt. We paid $224 million for new projects in cash, saving Kansans $90 million in interest that would have otherwise accumulated through bonds. Education is being funded. We went from zero to a reasonable rainy-day fund for the inevitable emergencies we will face. Kansas is being noticed for its sense of responsibility. Don’t toss all that.

“The lack of a fiscally responsible tax cut bill jeopardizes other tax policy passed before adjournment, such as legislation to support Kansas’ film and digital media industry. The Legislature cannot overpromise tax cuts without considering the overall cost to the state for future years. We cannot start with our expenses and then look at our income. Families and businesses do not budget like that; neither should Kansas.

“Therefore, pursuant to Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Kansas Constitution, I hereby veto House Substitute for Senate Bill 37, House Bill 2096, and House Bill 2097.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1713015977836.png" alt="File photo&nbsp; by Sherman Smith" />
 <figcaption>File photo&nbsp; by Sherman Smith</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tax-cuts-kansas-special-session-veto-budget-339faf3ca10448ca7b8ef36a7b2845ac">a proposal for broad tax cuts,</a>&nbsp;setting up a high-stakes election-year tussle with the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature that one GOP leader called “spiteful.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Governor Kelly&#39;s Special Session of Spite- She&#39;s Laser- Focused on Wasting Your Money and Denying You Bi-Partisan Tax Relief<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://t.co/WhXEfK2scZ">pic.twitter.com/WhXEfK2scZ</a>&mdash; Dan Hawkins (@DanHawkinsKS) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanHawkinsKS/status/1791224590376517971?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>It was the third time this year Kelly has vetoed a plan for cutting income, sales and property taxes by a total of $1.45 billion or more over the next three years. GOP leaders have grown increasingly frustrated as they've made what they see as major concessions, including giving up on moving Kansas from three personal income tax rates to just one.The Legislature adjourned its annual session May 1 and therefore cannot try to override her latest veto. Kelly promised to call a special legislative session to try to get a tax plan more to her liking and said she'll announce next week when it will start.“Kansas is being noticed for its sense of responsibility. Don’t toss all that,” Kelly said in her message. “The Legislature cannot overpromise tax cuts without considering the overall cost to the state for future years."All 40 Senate seats and 125 House seats are on the ballot in this year’s elections, and Democrats hope to break the Republican supermajorities in both chambers. Both parties believe voters will be upset if there is no broad tax relief after surplus funds piled up in the state’s coffers.GOP leaders have accused Kelly of shifting on what's acceptable to her in a tax plan, and even before Kelly's veto, Republicans were criticizing her over the extra session’s potential cost, more than $200,000 for just three days."It seems her laser focus has shifted solely to wasting your money on a needless and spiteful special session,” House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement addressing taxpayers.Republicans were unable to override Kelly's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/income-tax-cuts-kansas-state-budget-immigration-44e6e4a592c8483d3b102664611a97fd">previous vetoes</a>&nbsp;of big tax bills because three GOP dissidents formed a solid bloc in the Senate with its 11 Democrats to leave GOP leaders one vote short of the 27 votes required.And so Republicans have trimmed back both the total cost of their tax cuts and given up on enacting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-income-tax-cuts-budget-8fbaf4d7aa99b0b23f38daddd7dc2c28">a “flat,” single-rate personal income tax</a>&nbsp;that they view as fair but Kelly argued would benefit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-income-tax-cuts-budget-veto-kelly-1c321169e87d69480efe91db0ef55f28">the “super wealthy.”</a>Kelly and Republican leaders have agreed on eliminating state income taxes on retirees’ Social Security benefits, which kick in when they earn $75,000 a year. They also agree on reducing a state property tax for schools and eliminating the state’s already set-to-expire 2% sales tax on groceries six months early, on July 1.But almost half of the cuts in the latest bill were tied to changes in the personal income tax. The state's highest tax rate would have been 5.57%, instead of the current 5.7%.Kelly's veto message focused mostly on her belief that the latest plan still would cause future budget problems even though the state expects to end June with $2.6 billion in unspent, surplus funds in its main bank account.Before lawmakers adjourned their annual session, Senate Democratic Leader Dinah Sykes, of Lenexa, circulated projections showing that those surplus funds would dwindle to nothing by July 2028 under the bill Kelly vetoed, as spending outpaced the state's reduced tax collections.“In the next couple of years, we’re going to have to go back and the very people that we’re trying to help are going to have the rug pulled out from under them,” Sykes said in an interview Thursday.However, if tax collections were to grow a little more or spending, a little bit less — or both at the same time — than Sykes projected, the picture in July 2028 looks significantly better.Nor is the $2.6 billion in surplus funds in the state's main bank account the only fiscal cushion. Kansas has another $1.7 billion socked away in a separate rainy day fund, and Republicans argued that the extra stockpile is another reason for Kelly to have accepted the last tax plan.“Her shifting reasons for vetoing tax relief have now morphed into the absurd," Senate President Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican, said in a statement.TOPEKA—&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly on Thursday vetoed House Substitute for Senate Bill 37, House Bill 2096, and House Bill 2097, according to a statement from her office.“I recognize that Kansans desperately need tax relief. I will be working with legislative leaders to come to a compromise, forging a bipartisan tax cuts plan that will responsibly provide tax relief for all Kansans without threatening our state’s future fiscal stability,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“Next week, I will be announcing the date of a special legislative session so we can deliver comprehensive, sustainable tax cuts. If we all work together, an affordable, bipartisan tax plan can be passed in less than a day.”The following veto message is from Governor Kelly regarding her veto of House Substitute for Senate Bill 37, House Bill 2096, and House Bill 2097:“Kansans need responsible, comprehensive tax relief. As I said in my last veto statement of the Legislature’s nearly identical tax bill, ‘I cannot sign into law a bill that jeopardizes our state's future fiscal stability.’“I have given the Legislature several roadmaps to fiscally responsible tax cuts since January. Instead, they played political games with reckless tax policies, and I vetoed them. I said irresponsible tax policies would lead to a special session.“So here we are. While I applaud the spirit of bipartisanship, this tax cut package, passed at the 11th&nbsp;hour of the last day of the Legislative session, misses the mark. Its proposed cuts and the excessive spending by the Legislature endanger all the progress we’ve made in restoring services for Kansans, funding our public schools, and investing in our infrastructure.“Additionally, to favor a specific business, a tax abatement scheme was floated to put taxpayer dollars into that business’ pocket at the expense of local government services. That’s wrong. Taxpayer dollars should not be diverted to political donors under the guise of tax cuts.“Kansans expect us to map a responsible future because we have come a long way, together. Our financial ratings have been upgraded. We have paid down debt. We paid $224 million for new projects in cash, saving Kansans $90 million in interest that would have otherwise accumulated through bonds. Education is being funded. We went from zero to a reasonable rainy-day fund for the inevitable emergencies we will face. Kansas is being noticed for its sense of responsibility. Don’t toss all that.“The lack of a fiscally responsible tax cut bill jeopardizes other tax policy passed before adjournment, such as legislation to support Kansas’ film and digital media industry. The Legislature cannot overpromise tax cuts without considering the overall cost to the state for future years. We cannot start with our expenses and then look at our income. Families and businesses do not budget like that; neither should Kansas.“Therefore, pursuant to Article 2, Section 14(a) of the Kansas Constitution, I hereby veto House Substitute for Senate Bill 37, House Bill 2096, and House Bill 2097.”

Kan. governor vetoes third plan for cutting taxes. One GOP leader calls it 'spiteful'

WASHINGTON (AP) —A bronze sculpture of the late Rev. Billy Graham&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/billy-graham-statue-capital-ceremony-ec14b84226662fb265ae9c721bcbf2f1">was unveiled</a>&nbsp;at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, with Christianity's most prolific evangelist once known as “America’s Pastor” immortalized in the halls of Congress on behalf of his native North Carolina.

Graham's likeness, depicting the Charlotte-born minister with his archetypal gesture toward an open Bible in his hand, was revealed inside National Statuary Hall during a gathering attended by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gov. Roy Cooper, former Vice President Mike Pence, state congressional and legislative members and Graham's family.

The 7-foot (2.13-meter) tall statue is one of two that North Carolina and each state get to place on display inside the hall or elsewhere in the Capitol to honor notables in their history. The process for Graham's statue to replace one of North Carolina's began nine years ago.

“Billy Graham finally takes his rightful place on these hallowed grounds of American democracy,” Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana said at the dedication ceremony. As with other speakers, Johnson recalled the personal importance that Graham’s ministry of preaching the Christian gospel had on them and their families: “Billy Graham is such a towering figure in my life, and he is in all of our lives.”

Graham, who lived most of his adult life in the mountain community of Montreat,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0a4d7954c8d34c3291cb93c995789913">died in 2018 at age 99.</a>&nbsp;Graham was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, preaching in person to nearly 215 million people worldwide, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His last large-scale meetings, known as crusades, were held in New York in 2005.

An adviser of presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush, Graham influenced both the political and spiritual realm during his ministry career. As a symbol of that nexus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9aa8f2523bdd4bba8ce7f7b0b679b4f1">Graham’s body had lied in honor</a>&nbsp;in the Capitol Rotunda after his death, marking just the fourth private citizen at that time to receive the distinction.

The North Carolina General Assembly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/5218c8c2b8ce44edb18b4ad7a0575d8f">approved legislation in 2015</a>&nbsp;asking a congressional committee to eventually approve a likeness of Graham for display in the hall. Rules say a person’s statue can only be installed posthumously.

Ceremony speakers focused on Graham’s commitment to preaching the Christian message, his humility and integrity, and a legacy of service for future generations.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, the evangelist's son, said his father would have been a little uncomfortable with all of the attention had he been there Thursday "because he would want the focus to be on the one that he preached. He’d want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ."

The Graham statue replaces one of early 20th-century North Carolina Gov. Charles Aycock, who, while known as an education advocate, has fallen from favor because of his ties to the white supremacy movement at the time.

While not a social activist, Graham integrated his Southern crusades in 1953, a year before the Supreme Court’s school integration ruling. And he long refused to visit South Africa while its white regime insisted on racially segregated meetings. Graham said later in life that he regretted that he didn’t battle for civil rights more forcefully.

“We acknowledge that he is a better representation of our state than the statue it replaces, which brought memories of a painful history of racism,” said Cooper, a Democrat, who recalled hearing Graham as a youth at a Raleigh stadium. “Not that Rev. Graham was perfect. He would have been the first to tell us that ... but he believed, as many of us do, that there is redemption."

The Graham sculpture was created by Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan and bronzed in the state. The base, also created from local granite, is inscribed with two verses from the Book of John that highlight Graham's evangelistic ministry.

The other North Carolina statue commissioned for the National Statuary Hall is a likeness of Civil War-era Gov. Zebulon Vance, who was also a Confederate military officer and U.S. senator.

Graham helped build evangelicalism into a force in American life during the 20th century while forging powerful connections to Christian believers worldwide, including those in communist countries. His ministry was marked by the use of mass media, including a daily newspaper column, network radio and prime-time telecasts of his crusades.

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said that he hopes that Graham's ability to bridge differences will filter down today to elected officials.

“I hope when members of Congress walk by his statue, they reflect on the standards of faith, ethics and decency that he exemplified throughout his extraordinary life,” Tillis said. “I believe that his presence here in the Capitol can help us find opportunities to unite around what makes our nation great.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —A bronze sculpture of the late Rev. Billy Graham&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/billy-graham-statue-capital-ceremony-ec14b84226662fb265ae9c721bcbf2f1">was unveiled</a>&nbsp;at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, with Christianity's most prolific evangelist once known as “America’s Pastor” immortalized in the halls of Congress on behalf of his native North Carolina.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> and others unveil the statue of Rev. Billy Graham, representing the state of North Carolina in U.S. Capitol Statuary Hall. <a href="https://t.co/Ukm8lZ04Ln">pic.twitter.com/Ukm8lZ04Ln</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1791128804800319512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Graham's likeness, depicting the Charlotte-born minister with his archetypal gesture toward an open Bible in his hand, was revealed inside National Statuary Hall during a gathering attended by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Gov. Roy Cooper, former Vice President Mike Pence, state congressional and legislative members and Graham's family.The 7-foot (2.13-meter) tall statue is one of two that North Carolina and each state get to place on display inside the hall or elsewhere in the Capitol to honor notables in their history. The process for Graham's statue to replace one of North Carolina's began nine years ago.“Billy Graham finally takes his rightful place on these hallowed grounds of American democracy,” Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana said at the dedication ceremony. As with other speakers, Johnson recalled the personal importance that Graham’s ministry of preaching the Christian gospel had on them and their families: “Billy Graham is such a towering figure in my life, and he is in all of our lives.”Graham, who lived most of his adult life in the mountain community of Montreat,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0a4d7954c8d34c3291cb93c995789913">died in 2018 at age 99.</a>&nbsp;Graham was the most widely heard Christian evangelist in history, preaching in person to nearly 215 million people worldwide, according to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. His last large-scale meetings, known as crusades, were held in New York in 2005.An adviser of presidents from Dwight Eisenhower to George W. Bush, Graham influenced both the political and spiritual realm during his ministry career. As a symbol of that nexus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/9aa8f2523bdd4bba8ce7f7b0b679b4f1">Graham’s body had lied in honor</a>&nbsp;in the Capitol Rotunda after his death, marking just the fourth private citizen at that time to receive the distinction.The North Carolina General Assembly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/5218c8c2b8ce44edb18b4ad7a0575d8f">approved legislation in 2015</a>&nbsp;asking a congressional committee to eventually approve a likeness of Graham for display in the hall. Rules say a person’s statue can only be installed posthumously.Ceremony speakers focused on Graham’s commitment to preaching the Christian message, his humility and integrity, and a legacy of service for future generations.The Rev. Franklin Graham, the evangelist's son, said his father would have been a little uncomfortable with all of the attention had he been there Thursday "because he would want the focus to be on the one that he preached. He’d want the focus to be on the Lord Jesus Christ."The Graham statue replaces one of early 20th-century North Carolina Gov. Charles Aycock, who, while known as an education advocate, has fallen from favor because of his ties to the white supremacy movement at the time.While not a social activist, Graham integrated his Southern crusades in 1953, a year before the Supreme Court’s school integration ruling. And he long refused to visit South Africa while its white regime insisted on racially segregated meetings. Graham said later in life that he regretted that he didn’t battle for civil rights more forcefully.“We acknowledge that he is a better representation of our state than the statue it replaces, which brought memories of a painful history of racism,” said Cooper, a Democrat, who recalled hearing Graham as a youth at a Raleigh stadium. “Not that Rev. Graham was perfect. He would have been the first to tell us that ... but he believed, as many of us do, that there is redemption."The Graham sculpture was created by Charlotte-based artist Chas Fagan and bronzed in the state. The base, also created from local granite, is inscribed with two verses from the Book of John that highlight Graham's evangelistic ministry.The other North Carolina statue commissioned for the National Statuary Hall is a likeness of Civil War-era Gov. Zebulon Vance, who was also a Confederate military officer and U.S. senator.Graham helped build evangelicalism into a force in American life during the 20th century while forging powerful connections to Christian believers worldwide, including those in communist countries. His ministry was marked by the use of mass media, including a daily newspaper column, network radio and prime-time telecasts of his crusades.U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said that he hopes that Graham's ability to bridge differences will filter down today to elected officials.“I hope when members of Congress walk by his statue, they reflect on the standards of faith, ethics and decency that he exemplified throughout his extraordinary life,” Tillis said. “I believe that his presence here in the Capitol can help us find opportunities to unite around what makes our nation great.”

🎥Rev. Billy Graham immortalized in a statue unveiled at the US Capitol

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged back from their record heights Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly topped the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dow-jones-industrial-average-record-rally-22aaf53da73b4550af35e7c40cf30214">40,000 level</a>&nbsp;for the first time.

The Dow slipped 38.62 points, or 0.1%, to 39,869.38. The S&amp;P 500 index, which is much more widely followed on Wall Street, dipped 11.05, or 0.2%, to 5,297.10, and the Nasdaq composite fell 44.07, or 0.3%, to 16,698.32. All three indexes had rallied on Wednesday to all-time highs.

Deere weighed on the market and sank 4.7% despite reporting stronger profit for its latest quarter than expected. It&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deere-farmer-inflation-7cf9c7adf1d4f2f05b995fced9eeef7b">cut its forecast for upcoming profit</a>&nbsp;this fiscal year, below analysts’ estimates, as farmers buy fewer tractors and other equipment.

Homebuilders also helped drag the market lower following a weaker-than-expected report on the housing industry. They gave back some of their big gains from the day before, when hopes for lower mortgage rates had sent them sharply higher. D.R. Horton sank 4.2%, Lennar fell 3.3% and PulteGroup dropped 2.8%.

Also sinking were GameStop and AMC Entertainment, which slid for a second straight day following their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meme-stocks-wall-street-gamestop-amc-f56af9d8853d77180548028a1a7f3f0f">jaw-dropping starts to the week</a>. They’ve been moving more on excitement drummed up by investors than any changes to their financial prospects.

GameStop fell 30%, though it’s still up nearly 59% for the week so far. AMC Entertainment lost 15.3%.

Such drops helped offset a 7% jump for Walmart, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/walmart-firstquarter-earnings-inflation-economy-2dc446f6df16aa8c1cfc76df81a9ae1f">reported stronger profit</a>&nbsp;for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The retailer also said its revenue for the year could top the forecasted range it had earlier given.

Walmart's strength could be an encouraging signal for the broader economy. Worries have been rising about whether U.S. households can keep up with still-high inflation and more expensive credit-card payments, particularly households at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-low-income-squeeze-profits-93d0614a3a0d0a93cf9e15e0985a7271">the lower end of the income spectrum</a>.

Target, which reports its quarterly results next week, climbed following Walmart's report, along with other retailers like Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Each added at least 2%.

Chubb rose 4.7% after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/berkshire-hathaway-warren-buffett-chubb-stock-c84b893df510c5655a02272f1a41c913">Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed</a>&nbsp;it had built an ownership stake in the insurer.

Under Armour swung between losses and gains after it warned that its revenue will be likely down by “a low double-digit percentage rate” this upcoming fiscal year, citing weaker demand from wholesalers and “inconsistent execution across our business.”

The company announced a restructuring plan to cut costs and also announced a program to buy back up to $500 million of its stock. It dropped 1.3%.

Stronger-than-expected profit reports have been one of the main reasons U.S. stock indexes have broadly jumped through May to records following a tough April. Another has been revived hopes that the Federal Reserve will be able to cut its main interest rate at least once this year. The Fed has been keeping its federal funds rate at the highest level in more than two decades.

A string of worse-than-expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-f54d6af95e3eef434bddb72d25e3decf">reports on inflation</a>&nbsp;at the start of the year had put the potential for such cuts in jeopardy, but some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-rates-economy-federal-reserve-biden-d86c5a3a91a61687496f4a985e6bf362">more encouraging data</a>&nbsp;has since arrived.

Treasury yields have largely eased in May as hopes rose that the economy could hit the hoped-for sweet spot, where it cools enough because of high interest rates to stifle inflation but not so much that it causes a bad recession.

Yields rose Thursday following some mixed data on the economy, including the report that hurt homebuilder stocks, which showed the industry broke ground on fewer projects than expected.

One report showed slightly more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unemployment-benefits-jobless-claims-layoffs-labor-9622d319ed92d48634e87e2ecf12de15">workers applied for unemployment</a>&nbsp;benefits last week than economists expected, though the number remains low compared with history. Others said manufacturing growth in the mid-Atlantic region was weaker than hoped and import prices rose more than forecast.

“Today’s numbers were in line with the overall theme of the week — nothing dramatic, but showing signs of a steady-to-cooling economy,” said Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.37% from 4.35% late Wednesday. The two-year yield, which moves more closely with expectations for action by the Fed, rose to 4.79% from 4.72%.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were modestly lower in much of Europe after mostly rising in Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.6% after reopening following a holiday, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.4%.

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 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged back from their record heights Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly topped the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dow-jones-industrial-average-record-rally-22aaf53da73b4550af35e7c40cf30214">40,000 level</a>&nbsp;for the first time.The Dow slipped 38.62 points, or 0.1%, to 39,869.38. The S&amp;P 500 index, which is much more widely followed on Wall Street, dipped 11.05, or 0.2%, to 5,297.10, and the Nasdaq composite fell 44.07, or 0.3%, to 16,698.32. All three indexes had rallied on Wednesday to all-time highs.Deere weighed on the market and sank 4.7% despite reporting stronger profit for its latest quarter than expected. It&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deere-farmer-inflation-7cf9c7adf1d4f2f05b995fced9eeef7b">cut its forecast for upcoming profit</a>&nbsp;this fiscal year, below analysts’ estimates, as farmers buy fewer tractors and other equipment.Homebuilders also helped drag the market lower following a weaker-than-expected report on the housing industry. They gave back some of their big gains from the day before, when hopes for lower mortgage rates had sent them sharply higher. D.R. Horton sank 4.2%, Lennar fell 3.3% and PulteGroup dropped 2.8%.Also sinking were GameStop and AMC Entertainment, which slid for a second straight day following their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/meme-stocks-wall-street-gamestop-amc-f56af9d8853d77180548028a1a7f3f0f">jaw-dropping starts to the week</a>. They’ve been moving more on excitement drummed up by investors than any changes to their financial prospects.GameStop fell 30%, though it’s still up nearly 59% for the week so far. AMC Entertainment lost 15.3%.Such drops helped offset a 7% jump for Walmart, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/walmart-firstquarter-earnings-inflation-economy-2dc446f6df16aa8c1cfc76df81a9ae1f">reported stronger profit</a>&nbsp;for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The retailer also said its revenue for the year could top the forecasted range it had earlier given.Walmart's strength could be an encouraging signal for the broader economy. Worries have been rising about whether U.S. households can keep up with still-high inflation and more expensive credit-card payments, particularly households at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-low-income-squeeze-profits-93d0614a3a0d0a93cf9e15e0985a7271">the lower end of the income spectrum</a>.Target, which reports its quarterly results next week, climbed following Walmart's report, along with other retailers like Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Each added at least 2%.Chubb rose 4.7% after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/berkshire-hathaway-warren-buffett-chubb-stock-c84b893df510c5655a02272f1a41c913">Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed</a>&nbsp;it had built an ownership stake in the insurer.Under Armour swung between losses and gains after it warned that its revenue will be likely down by “a low double-digit percentage rate” this upcoming fiscal year, citing weaker demand from wholesalers and “inconsistent execution across our business.”The company announced a restructuring plan to cut costs and also announced a program to buy back up to $500 million of its stock. It dropped 1.3%.Stronger-than-expected profit reports have been one of the main reasons U.S. stock indexes have broadly jumped through May to records following a tough April. Another has been revived hopes that the Federal Reserve will be able to cut its main interest rate at least once this year. The Fed has been keeping its federal funds rate at the highest level in more than two decades.A string of worse-than-expected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-election-federal-reserve-rates-economy-f54d6af95e3eef434bddb72d25e3decf">reports on inflation</a>&nbsp;at the start of the year had put the potential for such cuts in jeopardy, but some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-rates-economy-federal-reserve-biden-d86c5a3a91a61687496f4a985e6bf362">more encouraging data</a>&nbsp;has since arrived.Treasury yields have largely eased in May as hopes rose that the economy could hit the hoped-for sweet spot, where it cools enough because of high interest rates to stifle inflation but not so much that it causes a bad recession.Yields rose Thursday following some mixed data on the economy, including the report that hurt homebuilder stocks, which showed the industry broke ground on fewer projects than expected.One report showed slightly more&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/unemployment-benefits-jobless-claims-layoffs-labor-9622d319ed92d48634e87e2ecf12de15">workers applied for unemployment</a>&nbsp;benefits last week than economists expected, though the number remains low compared with history. Others said manufacturing growth in the mid-Atlantic region was weaker than hoped and import prices rose more than forecast.“Today’s numbers were in line with the overall theme of the week — nothing dramatic, but showing signs of a steady-to-cooling economy,” said Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley.The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.37% from 4.35% late Wednesday. The two-year yield, which moves more closely with expectations for action by the Fed, rose to 4.79% from 4.72%.In stock markets abroad, indexes were modestly lower in much of Europe after mostly rising in Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 1.6% after reopening following a holiday, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.4%.

History: Wall Street edges back after Dow briefly tops 40,000

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's Newsroom

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00168.htm">46-49 vote</a>&nbsp;on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of “obligation” as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.

Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Department’s change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to “pull a fast one” on Congress.

“Treasury’s attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars,” Schmitt said.

The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with “revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic” and the law clearly stated that “all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.”

The interim final rule that the Treasury Department&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Obligation_Interim_Final_Rule_2023.pdf">released</a>&nbsp;around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for “administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements,” he said.

“This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats,” Schmitt said.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.

“Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost,” Wyden said. “This one is one of the most unusual votes that I’ve seen recently, a true head scratcher.”

Wyden said he didn’t “see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nation’s infrastructure in a state of disrepair.”

Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.

“Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored,” Schmitt said. “What this says is that you can’t extend that out into ‘25 and ‘26. That was never the congressional intent here.”

Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it “illegal spending.”

“The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again,” Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.

Schmitt introduced the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/57/text">two-page CRA resolution</a>&nbsp;in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.

The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.

“The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity,” the statement read.

The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Department’s interim final rule “recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.”

The White House&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SAP-SJR57.pdf">released</a>&nbsp;a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.

The CRA resolution, it said, “could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.”

“Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation,” the SAP read. “S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasury’s ability to address ongoing implementation issues.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715876185403.png" alt="Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)." />
 <figcaption>Missouri Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall stands at the left and Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson is on the right (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's NewsroomWASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The pandemic is over, but the Biden Administration is going to great lengths to circumvent the rules to keep their COVID slush fund flowing. Under the false pretense of COVID, Joe Biden sidesteps the law to continue its spending spree that is costing $1,200 per family. <a href="https://t.co/HRE1XCZlQb">pic.twitter.com/HRE1XCZlQb</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1790867794126364695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00168.htm">46-49 vote</a>&nbsp;on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of “obligation” as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt said during floor debate that the Treasury Department’s change in guidance, which was released in November, was trying to “pull a fast one” on Congress.“Treasury’s attempted sleight of hand to keep the COVID spending spigot on is an insult to Congress and those who believe in our Constitution, as well as a complete misuse of taxpayer dollars,” Schmitt said.The fund for state and local governments, Schmitt said, was intended to assist with “revenue shortfalls tied to the COVID-19 pandemic” and the law clearly stated that “all costs incurred with money from this fund must be incurred by Dec. 31, 2024.”The interim final rule that the Treasury Department&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/Obligation_Interim_Final_Rule_2023.pdf">released</a>&nbsp;around Thanksgiving extended that deadline by two years for “administrative and legal costs, such as compliance costs and internal control requirements,” he said.“This rule ensures that funding does not go to bridges or broadband, but to bureaucrats,” Schmitt said.<h2>Projects affected in multiple states</h2>Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.“Nationwide there could be thousands of projects closed. Tens or even hundreds of jobs lost,” Wyden said. “This one is one of the most unusual votes that I’ve seen recently, a true head scratcher.”Wyden said he didn’t “see a good reason for the United States Senate to backtrack on solid, bipartisan progress and have this chamber act in a way that leaves more of our nation’s infrastructure in a state of disrepair.”Schmitt said during a press conference before the vote that the claim the CRA resolution would have impacted projects already underway was a lie.“Essentially the obligations that are committed before the end of 2024, according to existing law, will be honored,” Schmitt said. “What this says is that you can’t extend that out into ‘25 and ‘26. That was never the congressional intent here.”Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, also speaking at the GOP press conference, said the CRA resolution would claw back about $13 billion and went as far as calling it “illegal spending.”“The clock is going to run out, but Joe Biden is trying to circumvent the law once again,” Marshall said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic is over and spending from those laws needs to wind down.<h2>Counties, cities opposed</h2>Schmitt introduced the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/57/text">two-page CRA resolution</a>&nbsp;in February along with Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Marshall and Rick Scott of Florida.The National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities and the Government Finance Officers Association urged lawmakers to vote against the CRA in a written statement released Wednesday before the vote.“The $350 billion SLFRF provided $65.1 billion to every city and county in America, and since 2021, localities have used these crucial resources to meet the unique needs of residents and support long-term economic prosperity,” the statement read.The three organizations wrote that the Treasury Department’s interim final rule “recognized the importance of flexibility in facilitating the effective rollout of recovery funds, including our ability to use funds for certain personnel costs and to re-obligate funds where necessary.”The White House&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/SAP-SJR57.pdf">released</a>&nbsp;a Statement of Administration Policy on Wednesday, saying that President Joe Biden would veto the CRA had it reached his desk.The CRA resolution, it said, “could result in projects being canceled midstream, reduced project management and oversight, and higher costs as state and local governments are forced to contract out programs.”“Nearly all SLFRF funds have been committed to projects, including infrastructure and disaster relief projects made eligible by bipartisan legislation,” the SAP read. “S.J. Res. 57 would create unnecessary uncertainty for recipients that are executing on projects, jeopardize important work underway, and inappropriately constrain Treasury’s ability to address ongoing implementation issues.”

🎥Senate GOP try to block states from spending some COVID relief cash

PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) —A new abortion clinic will open in southeast Kansas this fall, bolstering the state’s role as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-missouri-birth-control-8172dc0f46feaa8dd48e73b8aafd3ada">regional hub</a>&nbsp;for reproductive health services whose neighbors have severely restricted access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains announced Tuesday that Pittsburg, Kansas, will be home to a new facility providing abortion procedures and pills, as well as pregnancy services, contraception, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

After the Roe reversal, Kansas was the first state where voters weighed in on abortion at the ballot box,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">resoundingly rejecting</a>&nbsp;a constitutional amendment that could have led to an abortion ban in August 2022.

Since then, the state — which prohibits abortions after 21 weeks of pregnancy — has become a destination for people from more restrictive nearby states seeking abortion.

In March 2023, 44% of abortion patients at Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas traveled more than 250 miles (402 kilometers), compared with just 1% two years earlier, according to the organization. More than half of abortion patients are now from Texas, and some have come from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ban-9509a806453e1eab50d118aaecffa2f1#:~:text=(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Florida's%20ban%20on,access%20to%20needed%20health%20care.">as far as Florida</a>&nbsp;in recent weeks, said Emily Wales, president and chief executive officer of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains.

“You walk across the state line from Missouri to Kansas and you automatically become a freer person who can actually take care of your medical needs in a different way,” Wales said. “We see it on the faces of patients who literally breathe easier when they get into Kansas.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-dobbs-leak-arizona-florida-kansas-9ee070c3540cb730b251d707e5f98ffc">abortion landscape</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. has been in flux after the Supreme Court's June 2022 decision that revoked a constitutional right to abortion nationwide.

New bans or restrictions have taken effect in most Republican-led states, including 14 where abortion is now outlawed in all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, and three more where it’s banned after about six weeks of pregnancy – often before women realize they’re pregnant.

For people from those states seeking to end their pregnancies, the main options are either getting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-prescription-medication-survey-7cfe1b8e69c5de936360f2687cb410c4">abortion pills via telehealth</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-help-navigators-pills-roe-v-wade-f760b2817126d56e6cfa5144c9f7e547">underground networks</a>, or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-ban-north-carolina-clinics-fa6ffb1e0627547356c55a85fb3a715e">traveling out of state</a>&nbsp;for abortion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-ban-south-virginia-travel-1641c3a3a5f340054d79efd43ec0c7b3">pills or procedures</a>.

There were roughly as many in-state residents as out-of-state residents seeking abortions in Kansas in the years before the Supreme Court decision, according to statistics reported to and published by the state's health department. That's largely because Kansas City, Kansas, is easily accessible from Missouri, which historically has been limited in providers of abortion services.

In 2022, the figure for out-of-state residents given consent forms more than doubled to 8,475, state data shows.

Pittsburg, Kansas, is more than 100 miles south of Kansas City, and 150 miles east of Wichita. That means the new clinic location will be hours closer to patients who may be traveling from Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma — and even as far as Louisiana or Texas — where the procedure is restricted.

Pittsburg itself has a dearth of providers for contraception and other sexual health services, Wales said, but it has the “added benefit of being so closely located to neighboring states.” The Pittsburg facility will later provide gender-affirming services as well.

Clinics are shifting to accommodate out-of-state demand elsewhere, too.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-michelle-lujan-grisham-new-mexico-275e9af532929a198f12e65e7e049c96">New Mexico has pledged</a>&nbsp;$10 million to a new facility in Las Cruces, near the Texas border; a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maryland-abortion-clinic-west-virginia-647cbd9eccfaaa740e523a5c39208b19">clinic opened last year in Western Maryland</a>, a few miles from West Virginia; and two new clinics have opened in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-bans-illinois-clinic-south-travel-demand-a30afcbd022cdeeb92b9aa5788421687">southern Illinois city of Carbondale</a>.

Ingrid Duran, director of state legislation for National Right to Life, said it's not surprising to see new clinics pop up to meet out-of-state demand because of the financial opportunity for providers, she said.

“And it's not surprising to know that people who want to get abortions would travel out of the state if it's not being offered there,” she said. She said states should also offer resources that “hopefully persuade abortion-minded women to choose something different."

Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who researches abortion policies, said she’s counted 78 abortion facilities opening across the U.S. between May 1, 2022, and April 1 of this year. That number includes 10 moved from another location in the same state, seven that moved across state lines and 61 new providers.

The growth in providers situated near state lines has generated new efforts from those opposed to abortion to restrict the practice, calling it “abortion trafficking.”

A Texas man is trying to force his former partner to say who helped her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-ban-82c929271a33ee23962958127be59e3e">obtain an out-of-state abortion</a>&nbsp;in a step toward civil enforcement of the Texas abortion ban.

Lawmakers in at least two states have taken aim at people who help minors access abortion without parental consent. Tennessee legislators last month passed a bill that would make it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-tennessee-ban-republican-dcb87d15d489d32868b5ba36d750d316">illegal to help minors obtain abortions</a>&nbsp;without parental consent; Republican Gov. Bill Lee has not yet taken action on it. Idaho adopted a similar law last year, though a federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-abortion-trafficking-travel-ban-270a403d7b4a5e99e566433556614728">judge has blocked enforcement</a>&nbsp;while its constitutionality is questioned.

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is a strong supporter of abortion rights, but the GOP-controlled Legislature has veto-proof majorities and strong contingents opposed to abortion.

This year, the Legislature passed bills — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ban-law-states-kansas-lousiana-81e9da53aaa0903fdd958421bd941a3a">later overrode Kelly's vetoes</a>&nbsp;— for statutes that will require abortion providers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kansas-reporting-patients-data-3025f009a076868f7c31dc2cd67860fe">to ask patients</a>&nbsp;why they are terminating their pregnancies and report the answers to the state, and that will make it a specific crime&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-abortion-coercion-5fad478f4164c22f7f81b72268aa6f68">to coerce someone</a>&nbsp;into having an abortion.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715825090651.png" alt="Planned Parenthood Great Plains" />
 <figcaption>Planned Parenthood Great Plains</figcaption>
 </figure>PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) —A new abortion clinic will open in southeast Kansas this fall, bolstering the state’s role as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-missouri-birth-control-8172dc0f46feaa8dd48e73b8aafd3ada">regional hub</a>&nbsp;for reproductive health services whose neighbors have severely restricted access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains announced Tuesday that Pittsburg, Kansas, will be home to a new facility providing abortion procedures and pills, as well as pregnancy services, contraception, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.After the Roe reversal, Kansas was the first state where voters weighed in on abortion at the ballot box,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">resoundingly rejecting</a>&nbsp;a constitutional amendment that could have led to an abortion ban in August 2022.Since then, the state — which prohibits abortions after 21 weeks of pregnancy — has become a destination for people from more restrictive nearby states seeking abortion.In March 2023, 44% of abortion patients at Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas traveled more than 250 miles (402 kilometers), compared with just 1% two years earlier, according to the organization. More than half of abortion patients are now from Texas, and some have come from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-abortion-ban-9509a806453e1eab50d118aaecffa2f1#:~:text=(AP)%20%E2%80%94%20Florida's%20ban%20on,access%20to%20needed%20health%20care.">as far as Florida</a>&nbsp;in recent weeks, said Emily Wales, president and chief executive officer of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains.“You walk across the state line from Missouri to Kansas and you automatically become a freer person who can actually take care of your medical needs in a different way,” Wales said. “We see it on the faces of patients who literally breathe easier when they get into Kansas.”The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-dobbs-leak-arizona-florida-kansas-9ee070c3540cb730b251d707e5f98ffc">abortion landscape</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. has been in flux after the Supreme Court's June 2022 decision that revoked a constitutional right to abortion nationwide.New bans or restrictions have taken effect in most Republican-led states, including 14 where abortion is now outlawed in all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, and three more where it’s banned after about six weeks of pregnancy – often before women realize they’re pregnant.For people from those states seeking to end their pregnancies, the main options are either getting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-prescription-medication-survey-7cfe1b8e69c5de936360f2687cb410c4">abortion pills via telehealth</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-help-navigators-pills-roe-v-wade-f760b2817126d56e6cfa5144c9f7e547">underground networks</a>, or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-ban-north-carolina-clinics-fa6ffb1e0627547356c55a85fb3a715e">traveling out of state</a>&nbsp;for abortion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-florida-ban-south-virginia-travel-1641c3a3a5f340054d79efd43ec0c7b3">pills or procedures</a>.There were roughly as many in-state residents as out-of-state residents seeking abortions in Kansas in the years before the Supreme Court decision, according to statistics reported to and published by the state's health department. That's largely because Kansas City, Kansas, is easily accessible from Missouri, which historically has been limited in providers of abortion services.In 2022, the figure for out-of-state residents given consent forms more than doubled to 8,475, state data shows.Pittsburg, Kansas, is more than 100 miles south of Kansas City, and 150 miles east of Wichita. That means the new clinic location will be hours closer to patients who may be traveling from Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma — and even as far as Louisiana or Texas — where the procedure is restricted.Pittsburg itself has a dearth of providers for contraception and other sexual health services, Wales said, but it has the “added benefit of being so closely located to neighboring states.” The Pittsburg facility will later provide gender-affirming services as well.Clinics are shifting to accommodate out-of-state demand elsewhere, too.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-michelle-lujan-grisham-new-mexico-275e9af532929a198f12e65e7e049c96">New Mexico has pledged</a>&nbsp;$10 million to a new facility in Las Cruces, near the Texas border; a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/maryland-abortion-clinic-west-virginia-647cbd9eccfaaa740e523a5c39208b19">clinic opened last year in Western Maryland</a>, a few miles from West Virginia; and two new clinics have opened in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-bans-illinois-clinic-south-travel-demand-a30afcbd022cdeeb92b9aa5788421687">southern Illinois city of Carbondale</a>.Ingrid Duran, director of state legislation for National Right to Life, said it's not surprising to see new clinics pop up to meet out-of-state demand because of the financial opportunity for providers, she said.“And it's not surprising to know that people who want to get abortions would travel out of the state if it's not being offered there,” she said. She said states should also offer resources that “hopefully persuade abortion-minded women to choose something different."Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who researches abortion policies, said she’s counted 78 abortion facilities opening across the U.S. between May 1, 2022, and April 1 of this year. That number includes 10 moved from another location in the same state, seven that moved across state lines and 61 new providers.The growth in providers situated near state lines has generated new efforts from those opposed to abortion to restrict the practice, calling it “abortion trafficking.”A Texas man is trying to force his former partner to say who helped her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-ban-82c929271a33ee23962958127be59e3e">obtain an out-of-state abortion</a>&nbsp;in a step toward civil enforcement of the Texas abortion ban.Lawmakers in at least two states have taken aim at people who help minors access abortion without parental consent. Tennessee legislators last month passed a bill that would make it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-tennessee-ban-republican-dcb87d15d489d32868b5ba36d750d316">illegal to help minors obtain abortions</a>&nbsp;without parental consent; Republican Gov. Bill Lee has not yet taken action on it. Idaho adopted a similar law last year, though a federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/idaho-abortion-trafficking-travel-ban-270a403d7b4a5e99e566433556614728">judge has blocked enforcement</a>&nbsp;while its constitutionality is questioned.Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is a strong supporter of abortion rights, but the GOP-controlled Legislature has veto-proof majorities and strong contingents opposed to abortion.This year, the Legislature passed bills — and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ban-law-states-kansas-lousiana-81e9da53aaa0903fdd958421bd941a3a">later overrode Kelly's vetoes</a>&nbsp;— for statutes that will require abortion providers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kansas-reporting-patients-data-3025f009a076868f7c31dc2cd67860fe">to ask patients</a>&nbsp;why they are terminating their pregnancies and report the answers to the state, and that will make it a specific crime&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-abortion-coercion-5fad478f4164c22f7f81b72268aa6f68">to coerce someone</a>&nbsp;into having an abortion.___

New Kan. abortion clinic will help meet demand from restrictive neighboring states

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bank robbery that occurred just before noon Wednesday&nbsp; at a U.S. Bank Branch, 6161 Northwest Barry Road in Kansas City.

According to the FBI in Kansas City, the suspect is described as a black male, potentially in his 30s, approximately 6 feet tall with a thin build.

He wore a black stocking cap/beanie, a surgical mask, a black hoodie and dark navy pants.

The suspect gave the teller a demand note. No weapons were displayed and no injuries were reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715819505619.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a bank robbery that occurred just before noon Wednesday&nbsp; at a U.S. Bank Branch, 6161 Northwest Barry Road in Kansas City.According to the FBI in Kansas City, the suspect is described as a black male, potentially in his 30s, approximately 6 feet tall with a thin build.He wore a black stocking cap/beanie, a surgical mask, a black hoodie and dark navy pants.The suspect gave the teller a demand note. No weapons were displayed and no injuries were reported.

Police: Kansas City bank robbery suspect wore a surgical mask

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts teen who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-one-chip-challenge-teen-death-5e421f73f5cc0e439ea05f228f4b8465">participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge</a>&nbsp;on social media died from eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect, according to an autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press.

Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died on Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the chip manufactured by Paqui. The cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration,” according to the autopsy from the Chief Office of the Medical Examiner.

Paqui,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teen-death-one-chip-challenge-tiktok-paqui-7382397136a285fd780f25f2fed16b9d">pulled the product</a>&nbsp;from store shelves shortly after Harris’ death. The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment Thursday to the Hershey Co., which owns Paqui.

The cause of death was determined on Feb. 27, and the death certificate was released to the city clerk’s office on March 5, according to Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

The Paqui chip, sold individually for about $10, came wrapped in foil in a coffin-shaped box containing the warning that it was intended for the “vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain.” The warning noted that the chip was for adult consumption only, and should be kept out of the reach of children.

Despite the warning, children have had no problem buying the chips. There have been reports from around the country of teens who have gotten sick after taking part in the chip-eating challenge, including three California high school students who were sent to a hospital. Paramedics were called to a Minnesota school in 2022 when seven students fell ill after taking part in the challenge.

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts teen who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-one-chip-challenge-teen-death-5e421f73f5cc0e439ea05f228f4b8465">participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge</a>&nbsp;on social media died from eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect, according to an autopsy report obtained by The Associated Press.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/zQqfVwgTGD">pic.twitter.com/zQqfVwgTGD</a>&mdash; Paqui Chips (@paquichips) <a href="https://twitter.com/paquichips/status/1699875802941145473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died on Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the chip manufactured by Paqui. The cause of death was listed as cardiopulmonary arrest “in the setting of recent ingestion of food substance with high capsaicin concentration,” according to the autopsy from the Chief Office of the Medical Examiner.Paqui,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teen-death-one-chip-challenge-tiktok-paqui-7382397136a285fd780f25f2fed16b9d">pulled the product</a>&nbsp;from store shelves shortly after Harris’ death. The Associated Press sent an email seeking comment Thursday to the Hershey Co., which owns Paqui.The cause of death was determined on Feb. 27, and the death certificate was released to the city clerk’s office on March 5, according to Elaine Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.The Paqui chip, sold individually for about $10, came wrapped in foil in a coffin-shaped box containing the warning that it was intended for the “vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain.” The warning noted that the chip was for adult consumption only, and should be kept out of the reach of children.Despite the warning, children have had no problem buying the chips. There have been reports from around the country of teens who have gotten sick after taking part in the chip-eating challenge, including three California high school students who were sent to a hospital. Paramedics were called to a Minnesota school in 2022 when seven students fell ill after taking part in the challenge.

Autopsy: Teen died after eating spicy chip, part of social media challenge

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer involved shooting that sent a man to the hospital with serious injuries.

Just after 11p.m. Tuesday, Wichita Police were investigating a previous complaint of domestic violence in the 1600 Block of North Wood Street in Wichita, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.

Officers arrived at the home and attempted to place a 42-year-old suspect into custody.&nbsp; He resisted arrest, retreated into the home, drew a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the officers.&nbsp;

An officer shot the man. Other officers then gave medical attention to the suspect and called for EMS who transported the suspect to a local hospital in serious condition.&nbsp;No shots were fired at officers.

The suspect is still in the hospital and will be arrested and booked into jail after he is released.&nbsp; When the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office shooting investigation is complete, the results will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715855828061.png" alt="View of the confrontation from police security camera released by the Sedgwick Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>View of the confrontation from police security camera released by the Sedgwick Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an officer involved shooting that sent a man to the hospital with serious injuries.Just after 11p.m. Tuesday, Wichita Police were investigating a previous complaint of domestic violence in the 1600 Block of North Wood Street in Wichita, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter.Officers arrived at the home and attempted to place a 42-year-old suspect into custody.&nbsp; He resisted arrest, retreated into the home, drew a gun from his waistband and pointed it at the officers.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715856200425.png" alt="View of the confrontation from police security camera released by the Sedgwick Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>View of the confrontation from police security camera released by the Sedgwick Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>An officer shot the man. Other officers then gave medical attention to the suspect and called for EMS who transported the suspect to a local hospital in serious condition.&nbsp;No shots were fired at officers.The suspect is still in the hospital and will be arrested and booked into jail after he is released.&nbsp; When the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office shooting investigation is complete, the results will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

Suspect in Kansas officer shooting remains hospitalized

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio of his interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-beau-special-counsel-80eaaee6de62c0c7b455c03d39502ecb">special counsel Robert Hur</a>&nbsp;that's at the center a Republican effort to hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;in contempt of Congress, the Justice Department told lawmakers in a letter publicly released on Thursday.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476201/biden1-copy.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;transcript of&nbsp;day 1 interview with President Biden.

<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476203/biden-2-copy.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;transcript of day 2 interview with President Biden

It comes as the the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Judiciary Committee are each expected to hold a hearing to recommend that the full House refer Garland to the Justice Department for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-congress-garland-contempt-7db112d63dd1e8159593c32981caa85d">the contempt charges</a>&nbsp;over the department's refusal to hand over the audio.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/report-from-special-counsel-robert-k-hur-february-2024.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>the 345 page report following the interview

Garland advised Biden in a letter on Thursday that the audio falls within the scope of executive privilege. Garland told the Democratic president that the “committee's needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that the production of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future."

Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte urged lawmakers not to proceed with the contempt effort to avoid “unnecessary and unwarranted conflict.”

“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the president's claim of executive privilege cannot be held in contempt of Congress,” Uriarte wrote.

White House Counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a separate, scathing letter to Congress on Thursday that lawmakers' effort to obtain the recording was absent any legitimate purpose and lays bare their likely goal — "to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes.”

The White House letter is a tacit admission that there are moments from the Hur interview it fears portray Biden in a negative light in an election year — and that could be exacerbated by the release, or selective release, of the audio.

The transcript of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">the Hur interview</a>&nbsp;showed Biden struggling to recall some dates and occasionally confusing some details — something longtime aides says he’s done for years in both public and private — but otherwise showing deep recall in other areas. Biden and his aides are particularly sensitive to questions about his age. At 81, he’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-birthday-81-age-trump-axelrod-polling-3325ad9d260c17be97d5608349378a91">the oldest ever president</a>, and he's seeking another four-year term.

Hur,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-robert-hur-special-counsel-biden-d715ffd26adc75f2ba740d1960936a09">a former senior official in the Trump administration Justice Department</a>, was appointed as a special counsel in January 2023 following the discovery of classified documents in multiple locations tied to Biden.

<a href="https://apnews.com/joe-biden-special-counsel-report">Hur’s report</a>&nbsp;said many of the documents recovered at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, in parts of Biden’s Delaware home and in his Senate papers at the University of Delaware were retained by “mistake.”

But investigators did find evidence of willful retention and disclosure related a subset of records found in Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, house, including in a garage, an office and a basement den.

The files pertain to a troop surge in Afghanistan during the Obama administration that Biden had vigorously opposed. Biden kept records that documented his position, including a classified letter to Obama during the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday. Some of that information was shared with a ghostwriter with whom he published memoirs in 2007 and 2017.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715865284940.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio of his interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-beau-special-counsel-80eaaee6de62c0c7b455c03d39502ecb">special counsel Robert Hur</a>&nbsp;that's at the center a Republican effort to hold&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland">Attorney General Merrick Garland</a>&nbsp;in contempt of Congress, the Justice Department told lawmakers in a letter publicly released on Thursday.<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476201/biden1-copy.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;transcript of&nbsp;day 1 interview with President Biden.<a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24476203/biden-2-copy.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;transcript of day 2 interview with President BidenIt comes as the the House Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Judiciary Committee are each expected to hold a hearing to recommend that the full House refer Garland to the Justice Department for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-congress-garland-contempt-7db112d63dd1e8159593c32981caa85d">the contempt charges</a>&nbsp;over the department's refusal to hand over the audio.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/storage/report-from-special-counsel-robert-k-hur-february-2024.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>the 345 page report following the interview<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1707478982378.png" alt="Page from the special counsel's report that highlight's Biden's memory challenges.- U.S. Department of Justice" />
 <figcaption>Page from the special counsel's report that highlight's Biden's memory challenges.- U.S. Department of Justice</figcaption>
 </figure>Garland advised Biden in a letter on Thursday that the audio falls within the scope of executive privilege. Garland told the Democratic president that the “committee's needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that the production of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future."Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte urged lawmakers not to proceed with the contempt effort to avoid “unnecessary and unwarranted conflict.”“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the president's claim of executive privilege cannot be held in contempt of Congress,” Uriarte wrote.White House Counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a separate, scathing letter to Congress on Thursday that lawmakers' effort to obtain the recording was absent any legitimate purpose and lays bare their likely goal — "to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes.”The White House letter is a tacit admission that there are moments from the Hur interview it fears portray Biden in a negative light in an election year — and that could be exacerbated by the release, or selective release, of the audio.The transcript of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">the Hur interview</a>&nbsp;showed Biden struggling to recall some dates and occasionally confusing some details — something longtime aides says he’s done for years in both public and private — but otherwise showing deep recall in other areas. Biden and his aides are particularly sensitive to questions about his age. At 81, he’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-birthday-81-age-trump-axelrod-polling-3325ad9d260c17be97d5608349378a91">the oldest ever president</a>, and he's seeking another four-year term.Hur,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-is-robert-hur-special-counsel-biden-d715ffd26adc75f2ba740d1960936a09">a former senior official in the Trump administration Justice Department</a>, was appointed as a special counsel in January 2023 following the discovery of classified documents in multiple locations tied to Biden.<a href="https://apnews.com/joe-biden-special-counsel-report">Hur’s report</a>&nbsp;said many of the documents recovered at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, in parts of Biden’s Delaware home and in his Senate papers at the University of Delaware were retained by “mistake.”But investigators did find evidence of willful retention and disclosure related a subset of records found in Biden’s Wilmington, Delaware, house, including in a garage, an office and a basement den.The files pertain to a troop surge in Afghanistan during the Obama administration that Biden had vigorously opposed. Biden kept records that documented his position, including a classified letter to Obama during the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday. Some of that information was shared with a ghostwriter with whom he published memoirs in 2007 and 2017.

Why audio recording of Biden’s special counsel interview will not be released

KANSAS CITY—The Kansas City Mayor and the city apologized after a tweet from the city's official account about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.

&nbsp;Butker is getting attention for comments he made during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend in which he railed against Pride month along with President Biden’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his stance on abortion.

(click below to watch Butker's commencement address)

Butker also congratulated the women receiving degrees, but then said most were probably more excited to get married and have children.

“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” Butker said.

“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he said.

Butker said that his wife embraced “one of the most important titles of all. Homemaker."

He also criticized as disparaging to the Catholic Church an article by The Associated Press highlighting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/catholic-church-shift-orthodoxy-tradition-7638fa2013a593f8cb07483ffc8ed487">shift toward conservativism</a>&nbsp;in some parts of the church.

The three-time Super Bowl champion delivered his roughly 20-minute address Saturday at the Catholic private liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, which is located about 60 miles miles north of Kansas City. He received a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees.

Butker, 28, referred to a “deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it” in an oblique reference to Pride month. Butler also took aim at Biden's policies, including his condemnation of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court's reversal</a>&nbsp;of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and advocacy for freedom of choice — a key campaign issue in the 2024 presidential race.

Biden, who is Catholic, has a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-2024-reproductive-rights-harris-494af752992ba88fa6e3d53fbd54f716">fraught history</a>&nbsp;on the issue. He initially opposed the Roe v. Wade decision, saying it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonian.com/1974/06/01/joe-biden-kitty-kelley-1974-profile-death-and-the-all-american-boy/">went too far</a>. He also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6127591-biden77letter.html">opposed federal funding</a>&nbsp;for abortions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2023-abortion-amendment-ohio-strategy-610e427f753a6803e4a59b7af8aa744f">supported restrictions on abortions</a>&nbsp;later in pregnancy.

Butker also tackled Biden's response to COVID-19, which has killed nearly 1.2 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique,” he said. “Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder.”

Graduates had mixed views on the speech. ValerieAnne Volpe, 20, who graduated with an art degree, lauded Butker for saying things that “people are scared to say.”

“You can just hear that he loves his wife. You can hear that he loves his family,” she said.

Elle Wilbers, 22, who is heading to medical school, said she was shocked by Butker’s criticism of priests and bishops and his reference to the LGBTQ+ community, one that she described as “horrible.”

“We should have compassion for the people who have been told all their life that the person they love is like, it’s not OK to love that person,” Wilbers said.

Kassidy Neuner, 22, who will spend a gap year teaching before going to law school, said being a stay-at-home parent is “a wonderful decision.”

“And it’s also not for everybody,” Neuner added, saying, "I think that he should have addressed more that it’s not always an option. And, if it is your option in life, that’s amazing for you. But there’s also the option to be a mother and a career woman.”

The Chiefs declined to comment on Butker's commencement address.

The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech has become of the NFL's best kickers, breaking the Chiefs' franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022. Butker helped them win their first Super Bowl in 50 years in 2020, added a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023, and he kicked the field goal that forced overtime in a Super Bowl win over San Francisco in February.

-The Associated Press contributed to this article

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715857000440.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—The Kansas City Mayor and the city apologized after a tweet from the city's official account about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The City has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels.&mdash; Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1790920537511805434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>&nbsp;Butker is getting attention for comments he made during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend in which he railed against Pride month along with President Biden’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and his stance on abortion.(click below to watch Butker's commencement address)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-JS7RIKSaCc?si=Q1P_CN2_FTQ-1GMv" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Butker also congratulated the women receiving degrees, but then said most were probably more excited to get married and have children.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We apologies for our previous tweet. It was shared in error.&mdash; Kansas City (@KansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/KansasCity/status/1790915326944641269?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” Butker said.“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he said.Butker said that his wife embraced “one of the most important titles of all. Homemaker."He also criticized as disparaging to the Catholic Church an article by The Associated Press highlighting a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/catholic-church-shift-orthodoxy-tradition-7638fa2013a593f8cb07483ffc8ed487">shift toward conservativism</a>&nbsp;in some parts of the church.The three-time Super Bowl champion delivered his roughly 20-minute address Saturday at the Catholic private liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, which is located about 60 miles miles north of Kansas City. He received a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees.Butker, 28, referred to a “deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it” in an oblique reference to Pride month. Butler also took aim at Biden's policies, including his condemnation of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court's reversal</a>&nbsp;of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and advocacy for freedom of choice — a key campaign issue in the 2024 presidential race.Biden, who is Catholic, has a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-2024-reproductive-rights-harris-494af752992ba88fa6e3d53fbd54f716">fraught history</a>&nbsp;on the issue. He initially opposed the Roe v. Wade decision, saying it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonian.com/1974/06/01/joe-biden-kitty-kelley-1974-profile-death-and-the-all-american-boy/">went too far</a>. He also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6127591-biden77letter.html">opposed federal funding</a>&nbsp;for abortions and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2023-abortion-amendment-ohio-strategy-610e427f753a6803e4a59b7af8aa744f">supported restrictions on abortions</a>&nbsp;later in pregnancy.Butker also tackled Biden's response to COVID-19, which has killed nearly 1.2 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique,” he said. “Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder.”Graduates had mixed views on the speech. ValerieAnne Volpe, 20, who graduated with an art degree, lauded Butker for saying things that “people are scared to say.”“You can just hear that he loves his wife. You can hear that he loves his family,” she said.Elle Wilbers, 22, who is heading to medical school, said she was shocked by Butker’s criticism of priests and bishops and his reference to the LGBTQ+ community, one that she described as “horrible.”“We should have compassion for the people who have been told all their life that the person they love is like, it’s not OK to love that person,” Wilbers said.Kassidy Neuner, 22, who will spend a gap year teaching before going to law school, said being a stay-at-home parent is “a wonderful decision.”“And it’s also not for everybody,” Neuner added, saying, "I think that he should have addressed more that it’s not always an option. And, if it is your option in life, that’s amazing for you. But there’s also the option to be a mother and a career woman.”The Chiefs declined to comment on Butker's commencement address.The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech has become of the NFL's best kickers, breaking the Chiefs' franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022. Butker helped them win their first Super Bowl in 50 years in 2020, added a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023, and he kicked the field goal that forced overtime in a Super Bowl win over San Francisco in February.-The Associated Press contributed to this article

KC mayor, city apologize for tweet about Chiefs Harrison Butker

SEWARD COUNTY—Law enforcement canceled an Amber Alert late Wednesday for&nbsp;14-year-old Marisheila Luis De La Cruz, according to the Liberal Police Department.&nbsp; The teen was located by authorities in Texas and is safe.

Just before 7p.m. Wednesday, police reported&nbsp;De La Crus was seen at Mary Frame Park, 298 E Pancake Boulevard, in Liberal wearing a black shirt, blue jeans and pink sandals.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police reported she may have been abducted by a Hispanic male with black hair, a black shirt and black pants driving a black 2007 Tahoe with Texas tag TTJ8135.

A relative said they saw De La Cruz inside the Tahoe with a man they did not recognize and say she was screaming and crying.&nbsp;

Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715856422516.png" alt="Photo Liberal Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Liberal Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SEWARD COUNTY—Law enforcement canceled an Amber Alert late Wednesday for&nbsp;14-year-old Marisheila Luis De La Cruz, according to the Liberal Police Department.&nbsp; The teen was located by authorities in Texas and is safe.Just before 7p.m. Wednesday, police reported&nbsp;De La Crus was seen at Mary Frame Park, 298 E Pancake Boulevard, in Liberal wearing a black shirt, blue jeans and pink sandals.&nbsp; &nbsp;Police reported she may have been abducted by a Hispanic male with black hair, a black shirt and black pants driving a black 2007 Tahoe with Texas tag TTJ8135.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/61owCqS7l0">pic.twitter.com/61owCqS7l0</a>&mdash; Kansas AMBER Alert (@ksamberalert) <a href="https://twitter.com/ksamberalert/status/1790933451119468731?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A relative said they saw De La Cruz inside the Tahoe with a man they did not recognize and say she was screaming and crying.&nbsp;Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

Kansas Amber Alert victim found safe in Texas

WASHINGTON —The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is investigating a roughly one-inch by one-inch zip lock bag with a small amount of a white powdery substance, which field tested positive for cocaine, according to a statement from the agenc.

The small bag was found on the floor of a hallway inside USCP headquarters.&nbsp;The hallway is on the second floor in an area that has been a staging spot for furniture and supplies. The area is heavily trafficked by various contractors and employees. It is also near offices such as&nbsp;Prisoner Processing, Crime Scene, Intel and Reports Processing.

The baggie was found in the middle of the floor just before 1:00 p.m. by an officer, who immediately reported it to a supervisor. The residue was field tested and came back positive for cocaine.&nbsp;The USCP Investigations Division has opened an investigation, which will include further testing, including DNA testing of the baggie.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715820270933.png" alt="Photo USCP" />
 <figcaption>Photo USCP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is investigating a roughly one-inch by one-inch zip lock bag with a small amount of a white powdery substance, which field tested positive for cocaine, according to a statement from the agenc.The small bag was found on the floor of a hallway inside USCP headquarters.&nbsp;The hallway is on the second floor in an area that has been a staging spot for furniture and supplies. The area is heavily trafficked by various contractors and employees. It is also near offices such as&nbsp;Prisoner Processing, Crime Scene, Intel and Reports Processing.The baggie was found in the middle of the floor just before 1:00 p.m. by an officer, who immediately reported it to a supervisor. The residue was field tested and came back positive for cocaine.&nbsp;The USCP Investigations Division has opened an investigation, which will include further testing, including DNA testing of the baggie.&nbsp;

Cocaine found in hallway of U.S. Capitol Police headquarters

SHAWNEE COUNTY—A firefighter was injured fighting a house fire Wednesday in Topeka.

Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported&nbsp; fire at a home at 726 SW Clay Street in Topeka, according to spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

They found smoke and&nbsp;flames coming from&nbsp; the two-story residence. As crews were working to suppress the fire, a firefighter fell through the floor. The firefighter was treated on scene for minor injuries. Crews were able to extinguish the fire.&nbsp;

All occupants were able to exit safely.&nbsp;No other injuries have been reported.&nbsp; The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials have not released a damage estimate or additional information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715820896579.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—A firefighter was injured fighting a house fire Wednesday in Topeka.Just after 11a.m. Wednesday, crews responded to a reported&nbsp; fire at a home at 726 SW Clay Street in Topeka, according to spokesperson Rosie Nichols.They found smoke and&nbsp;flames coming from&nbsp; the two-story residence. As crews were working to suppress the fire, a firefighter fell through the floor. The firefighter was treated on scene for minor injuries. Crews were able to extinguish the fire.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715820871721.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>All occupants were able to exit safely.&nbsp;No other injuries have been reported.&nbsp; The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Officials have not released a damage estimate or additional information.

Firefighter injured  battling two-story Kansas house fire

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.

The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after U.S. President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-deliveries-us-pier-dangers-israel-f7b351934c22d58d94a48eb6ca5d60ff">food and other supplies fail to make it</a>&nbsp;in as Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border.

Fraught with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-aid-port-eb8a701b3a7dc8f946422c04323ff913">logistical, weather and security challenges</a>, the maritime route is designed to bolster the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip, but it is not considered a substitute for far cheaper land-based deliveries that aid agencies say are much more sustainable. The boatloads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just southwest of Gaza City and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-aid-pier-us-military-e988256270fc0067d2f5524fd542a475">distributed by aid groups</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714471004272.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military finished installing a floating pier for the Gaza Strip on Thursday, with officials poised to begin ferrying badly needed humanitarian aid into the enclave besieged over seven months of intense fighting in the Israel-Hamas war.The final, overnight construction sets up a complicated delivery process more than two months after U.S. President Joe Biden ordered it to help Palestinians facing starvation as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-aid-deliveries-us-pier-dangers-israel-f7b351934c22d58d94a48eb6ca5d60ff">food and other supplies fail to make it</a>&nbsp;in as Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing in its push on that southern city on the Egyptian border.Fraught with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-aid-port-eb8a701b3a7dc8f946422c04323ff913">logistical, weather and security challenges</a>, the maritime route is designed to bolster the amount of aid getting into the Gaza Strip, but it is not considered a substitute for far cheaper land-based deliveries that aid agencies say are much more sustainable. The boatloads of aid will be deposited at a port facility built by the Israelis just southwest of Gaza City and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-aid-pier-us-military-e988256270fc0067d2f5524fd542a475">distributed by aid groups</a>.Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-hamas-rafah-palestinians-evacuees-refugees-2f4e37cb3e40560f4980d8a70baaa81e">Rafah</a>&nbsp;has displaced some 600,000 people, a quarter of Gaza’s population, U.N. officials say. Another 100,000 civilians have fled parts of northern Gaza now that the Israeli military has restarted combat operations there.Pentagon officials said the fighting in Gaza wasn’t threatening the new shoreline aid distribution area, but they have made it clear that security conditions will be monitored closely and could prompt a shutdown of the maritime route, even just temporarily. Already, the site has been targeted by mortar fire during its construction and Hamas has threatened to target any foreign forces who “occupy” the Gaza Strip.The “protection of U.S. forces participating is a top priority. And as such, in the last several weeks, the United States and Israel have developed an integrated security plan to protect all the personnel," said Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, a deputy commander at the U.S. military's Central Command. "We are confident in the ability of this security arrangement to protect those involved.”U.S. troops anchored the pier at 7:40 a.m. local time Thursday, the military's Central Command said, stressing that none of its forces entered the Gaza Strip and would not during the pier's operations.“Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days,” the command said. “The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza.”It wasn't immediately clear which U.N. agency would be involved.Israeli forces will be in charge of security on the shore, but there are also two U.S. Navy warships near the area in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius. Both ships are destroyers equipped with a wide range of weapons and capabilities to protect American troops off shore and allies on the beach.Aid agencies say they are running out of food in southern Gaza and fuel is dwindling, which will force hospitals to shut down critical operations and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-war-hamas-aid-trucks-unrwa-30173642b5c298c829f1457db357071e">halt truck deliveries of aid</a>. The U.N. and others have warned for weeks that an Israel assault on Rafah would cripple humanitarian operations and cause a disastrous surge in civilian casualties.More than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafah-israel-gaza-war-hamas-evacuation-e0754cdae0f3786982038e80feaa159e">1.4 million Palestinians — half of Gaza’s population —</a>&nbsp;have been sheltering in Rafah, most after fleeing Israel’s offensives elsewhere.The first cargo ship loaded with 475 pallets of food left Cyprus last week to rendezvous with a U.S. military ship, the Roy P. Benavidez, which is off the coast of Gaza. The pallets of aid on the MV Sagamore were moved onto the Benavidez. The Pentagon said moving the aid between ships was an effort to be ready so it could flow quickly once the pier and the causeway were installed.The installation of the pier several miles (kilometers) off the coast and of the causeway, which is now anchored to the beach, was delayed for nearly two weeks because of bad weather. The sea conditions made it too dangerous for U.S. and Israeli troops to secure the causeway to the shore, U.S. officials said.Military leaders have said the deliveries of aid will begin slowly to ensure the system works. They will start with about 90 truckloads of aid a day through the sea route, and that number will quickly grow to about 150 a day. But aid agencies say that isn't enough to avert impending famine in Gaza and must be just one part of a broader Israeli effort to open land corridors.Because land crossings could bring in all the needed aid if Israeli officials allowed, the U.S.-built pier-and-sea route “is a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist,” said Scott Paul, an associate director of the Oxfam humanitarian organization.Biden used his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-03-07-24-5657eedc005040694a9ab935ce3e39e5">State of the Union address</a>&nbsp;on March 7 to order the military to set up a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza, establishing a sea route to deliver food and other aid. Food shipments have been backed up at land crossings amid Israeli restrictions and intensifying fighting.Under the new sea route, humanitarian aid is dropped off in Cyprus where it will undergo inspection and security checks at Larnaca port. It is then loaded onto ships — mainly commercial vessels — and taken about 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the large floating pier built by the U.S. military off the Gaza coast.There, the pallets are transferred onto trucks, driven onto smaller Army boats and then shuttled several miles (kilometers) to the floating causeway, which has been anchored onto the beach by the Israeli military. The trucks, which are being&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/britain-gaza-pier-92b6986eed29cec9ab33e40584f22543">driven by personnel from another country</a>, will go down the causeway into a secure area on land where they will drop off the aid and immediately turn around and return to the boats.Aid groups will collect the supplies for distribution on shore, with the U.N. working with the U.S. Agency for International Development to set up the logistics hub on the beach.Sabrina Singh, Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-aid-gaza-us-port-pier-d4d9ea94550aed2d24a258dfd98d866e">project will cost at least $320 million</a>, including the transportation of the equipment and pier sections from the United States to the coast of Gaza, as well as the construction and aid delivery operations.