LONDON (AP) — Britain put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/king-charles-iii/">King Charles III</a>, a military parade that marked the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/princess-of-wales/">Princess of Wales</a>&nbsp;’ first appearance at a public event since her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-middleton-health-cancer-16a5eb5facb79fb1226def11931d41d8">cancer diagnosis</a>&nbsp;early this year.

The annual event was also a show of stability by the monarchy after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/britain-charles-kate-cancer-timeline-e59954ef4d8a4ea84cee23b497426dbe">a testing few months</a>&nbsp;in which both the king and Kate, wife of heir to the throne&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/prince-william">Prince William</a>, have been sidelined by cancer treatment.

In a symbolic display of unity, Charles, Queen Camilla, William, Kate and their children were joined by other members of the royal family on a Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the King’s Birthday Parade. The family waved to the gathered crowd as they watched a flyby of military aircraft to cap ceremonies marking the monarch’s official birthday.

It was Kate's first appearance at a public event since December. She disclosed in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer.

“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” Kate said in a statement released Friday, adding that she faces “a few more months” of treatment.

Kate said she is “not out of the woods yet” and officials stress that Saturday’s engagement doesn't herald a full return to public life.

Huge crowds turn out each June to watch the birthday parade, also known as Trooping the Color, which begins with a procession involving horses, musicians and hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniform from Buckingham Palace.

The 42-year-old princess traveled in a horse-drawn carriage from the palace down the grand avenue known as the Mall with her children George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and 6-year-old Louis. Bystanders cheered as they caught a glimpse of Kate, dressed in a white dress by designer Jenny Packham and wide-brimmed Philip Treacy hat.

She watched the ceremony with the children from the window of a building overlooking Horse Guards Parade, a ceremonial parade ground in central London. Louis yawned broadly at one point in proceedings, but mostly watched intently, even dancing along to the military music.

William, in military dress uniform, rode on horseback for the ceremony, in which troops parade past the king with their regimental flag, or “color.” The display of precision marching and martial music stems from the days when a regiment’s flag was an essential rallying point in the fog of battle.

Charles, who also is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, traveled in a carriage with Queen Camilla, rather than on horseback as he did last year. The king inspected the troops from a dais on the parade ground, saluting as elite regiments of Foot Guards marched past.

Five regiments take it in turns to parade their color, and this year it was the turn of a company of the Irish Guards, which has Kate as its honorary colonel. The troops in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats were led onto the parade ground by their mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Seamus.

Charles, 75, disclosed his cancer in February, and has recently eased back into public duties. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-d-day-80th-anniversary-0689b939d9cec69a025dbb3606f5bcaf">attended commemorations last week</a>&nbsp;for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dday-wwii-france-normandy-media-fd4cb6c41e48b2624c3bb85b024bb332">Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe</a>&nbsp;on June 6, 1944.

In one of the many quirks of British royal convention, Saturday is not the king’s real birthday — that’s in November. Like his mother Queen Elizabeth II before him, Charles has an official birthday on the second Saturday in June. The date was chosen because the weather is generally good, though early sunshine on Saturday gave way to a blustery, rainy day in London.

The rain held off for most of the ceremony but began pelting down as the massed troops escorted the royal carriages back to Buckingham Palace past soggy but enthusiastic crowds.

Blue sky briefly returned as the family emerged onto the balcony to watch a flyby that included the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, trailing red, white and blue plumes of vapor.

Thousands of royal fans in raincoats and umbrellas cheered, as a smattering of anti-monarchist protesters chanted “Not my king.”

Spectator Joseph Afrane, 60, said that he was happy to see Kate return — and to get a “big wave” as she passed by.

“It was fantastic when I heard it on the news yesterday," he said. “I thought, ‘God, I thank you for bringing Kate back,’ because she’s very hardworking.”

Spectators who braved the volatile weather were treated to a display of pomp and precision involving 1,400 soldiers, 250 military musicians and more than 200 horses. The equine participants included Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish, three of the five military horses who sparked mayhem in April when they bolted and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/injured-horses-running-loose-through-london-recovering-76ba93d53e8365e129da01c8297acb0d">ran loose through central London</a>, crashing into vehicles and causing chaos during the morning rush hour.

The army says the other two horses are recovering well and are also expected to return to duty.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718467999902.png" alt="Prince William, and Kate Princess of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with their children Prince George, left, Prince Louis, front centre, and Princess Charlotte wave to the crowds after the Trooping the Color ceremony, in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Trooping the Color is the King's Birthday Parade and one of the nation's most impressive and iconic annual events attended by almost every member of the Royal Family. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)" />
 <figcaption>Prince William, and Kate Princess of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with their children Prince George, left, Prince Louis, front centre, and Princess Charlotte wave to the crowds after the Trooping the Color ceremony, in London, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Trooping the Color is the King's Birthday Parade and one of the nation's most impressive and iconic annual events attended by almost every member of the Royal Family. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Britain put on a display of birthday pageantry Saturday for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/king-charles-iii/">King Charles III</a>, a military parade that marked the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/princess-of-wales/">Princess of Wales</a>&nbsp;’ first appearance at a public event since her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kate-middleton-health-cancer-16a5eb5facb79fb1226def11931d41d8">cancer diagnosis</a>&nbsp;early this year.The annual event was also a show of stability by the monarchy after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/britain-charles-kate-cancer-timeline-e59954ef4d8a4ea84cee23b497426dbe">a testing few months</a>&nbsp;in which both the king and Kate, wife of heir to the throne&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/prince-william">Prince William</a>, have been sidelined by cancer treatment.In a symbolic display of unity, Charles, Queen Camilla, William, Kate and their children were joined by other members of the royal family on a Buckingham Palace balcony at the end of the King’s Birthday Parade. The family waved to the gathered crowd as they watched a flyby of military aircraft to cap ceremonies marking the monarch’s official birthday.It was Kate's first appearance at a public event since December. She disclosed in March that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer.“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are good days and bad days,” Kate said in a statement released Friday, adding that she faces “a few more months” of treatment.Kate said she is “not out of the woods yet” and officials stress that Saturday’s engagement doesn't herald a full return to public life.Huge crowds turn out each June to watch the birthday parade, also known as Trooping the Color, which begins with a procession involving horses, musicians and hundreds of soldiers in ceremonial uniform from Buckingham Palace.The 42-year-old princess traveled in a horse-drawn carriage from the palace down the grand avenue known as the Mall with her children George, 10, Charlotte, 9, and 6-year-old Louis. Bystanders cheered as they caught a glimpse of Kate, dressed in a white dress by designer Jenny Packham and wide-brimmed Philip Treacy hat.She watched the ceremony with the children from the window of a building overlooking Horse Guards Parade, a ceremonial parade ground in central London. Louis yawned broadly at one point in proceedings, but mostly watched intently, even dancing along to the military music.William, in military dress uniform, rode on horseback for the ceremony, in which troops parade past the king with their regimental flag, or “color.” The display of precision marching and martial music stems from the days when a regiment’s flag was an essential rallying point in the fog of battle.Charles, who also is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, traveled in a carriage with Queen Camilla, rather than on horseback as he did last year. The king inspected the troops from a dais on the parade ground, saluting as elite regiments of Foot Guards marched past.Five regiments take it in turns to parade their color, and this year it was the turn of a company of the Irish Guards, which has Kate as its honorary colonel. The troops in scarlet tunics and bearskin hats were led onto the parade ground by their mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Seamus.Charles, 75, disclosed his cancer in February, and has recently eased back into public duties. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-d-day-80th-anniversary-0689b939d9cec69a025dbb3606f5bcaf">attended commemorations last week</a>&nbsp;for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dday-wwii-france-normandy-media-fd4cb6c41e48b2624c3bb85b024bb332">Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe</a>&nbsp;on June 6, 1944.In one of the many quirks of British royal convention, Saturday is not the king’s real birthday — that’s in November. Like his mother Queen Elizabeth II before him, Charles has an official birthday on the second Saturday in June. The date was chosen because the weather is generally good, though early sunshine on Saturday gave way to a blustery, rainy day in London.The rain held off for most of the ceremony but began pelting down as the massed troops escorted the royal carriages back to Buckingham Palace past soggy but enthusiastic crowds.Blue sky briefly returned as the family emerged onto the balcony to watch a flyby that included the Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, trailing red, white and blue plumes of vapor.Thousands of royal fans in raincoats and umbrellas cheered, as a smattering of anti-monarchist protesters chanted “Not my king.”Spectator Joseph Afrane, 60, said that he was happy to see Kate return — and to get a “big wave” as she passed by.“It was fantastic when I heard it on the news yesterday," he said. “I thought, ‘God, I thank you for bringing Kate back,’ because she’s very hardworking.”Spectators who braved the volatile weather were treated to a display of pomp and precision involving 1,400 soldiers, 250 military musicians and more than 200 horses. The equine participants included Trojan, Tennyson, and Vanquish, three of the five military horses who sparked mayhem in April when they bolted and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/injured-horses-running-loose-through-london-recovering-76ba93d53e8365e129da01c8297acb0d">ran loose through central London</a>, crashing into vehicles and causing chaos during the morning rush hour.The army says the other two horses are recovering well and are also expected to return to duty.

Princess Kate makes first public appearance since cancer diagnosis 

OSAGE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

Just after 4:30 p.m. June 12, an Osage County Sheriff’s K-9 unit conducted a traffic stop on U.S. 75 Highway for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, illegal narcotics were located.

The driver of the vehicle, James R. Wright, 59, of Topeka was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges that include Possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, Driving while license suspended, Illegal registration and for No insurance

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718141352777.png" alt="Wright photo Osage County" />
 <figcaption>Wright photo Osage County</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Just after 4:30 p.m. June 12, an Osage County Sheriff’s K-9 unit conducted a traffic stop on U.S. 75 Highway for a traffic violation, according to Sheriff Chris Wells. During the stop, illegal narcotics were located.The driver of the vehicle, James R. Wright, 59, of Topeka was taken into custody and transported to the Osage County Jail Facility on requested charges that include Possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, Driving while license suspended, Illegal registration and for No insurance

Kan. sheriff's K9 unit found meth during traffic stop

BARI, Italy (AP) — Pope Francis challenged&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2024-biden-meloni-italy-g7-ukraine-e36094c259482bc2a58c21035bf58fb4">leaders of the world’s wealthy democracies on Frida</a>&nbsp;y to keep human dignity foremost in developing and using artificial intelligence, warning that such powerful technology risks turning human relations themselves into mere algorithms.

Francis brought his moral authority to bear on the Group of Seven, invited by host Italy to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g7-summit-2024-italy-ukraine-live-fc5fe5c0f07e82c607cdae50a6fb6b36">address a special session at their annual summit</a>&nbsp;on the perils and promises of AI. In doing so, he became the first pope to attend the G7, offering an ethical take on an issue that is increasingly on the agenda of international summits, government policy and corporate boards alike.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?536372-1/pope-francis-addresses-7-outreach-countries-working-group">Click here to watch</a> the Pope's full address to the G7.

Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines.

“We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people’s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines,” he said. “We need to ensure and safeguard a space for proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programs: Human dignity itself depends on it.”

The G7 final statement largely reflected his concerns.

The leaders vowed to better coordinate the governance and regulatory frameworks surrounding AI to keep it “human-centered.” At the same time, they acknowledged the potential impacts on the labor markets of machines taking the place of human workers and on the justice system of algorithms predicting recidivism.

“We will pursue an inclusive, human-centered, digital transformation that underpins economic growth and sustainable development, maximizes benefits, and manages risks, in line with our shared democratic values and respect for human rights,” they said.

By attending the summit, Francis joined a chorus of countries and global bodies pushing for stronger guardrails on AI following the boom in generative AI kickstarted by OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.

The Argentine pope used his annual peace message this year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-ai-artificial-intelligence-9805fec11681adbf88d3a7c73bdf47de">call for an international treaty to ensure AI</a>&nbsp;is developed and used ethically. In it, he argued that a technology lacking human values of compassion, mercy, morality and forgiveness is too perilous to develop unchecked.

He didn't repeat that call explicitly in his speech Friday, but he made clear the onus is on politicians to lead on the issue. He also urged them to ultimately ban the use of lethal autonomous weapons, colloquially known as “killer robots.”

“No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being,” he said.

On the weapons issue, the G7 leaders said they recognized the impact of AI in the military domain “and the need for a framework for responsible development and use.” They encouraged states to make sure “military use of AI is responsible, complies with applicable international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and enhances international security.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/giorgia-meloni">Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni</a>&nbsp;had invited Francis and announced his participation, knowing the potential impact of his star power and moral authority on the G7. Those seated at the table seemed duly awed, and the boisterous buzz in the room went absolutely quiet when Francis arrived.

“The pope is, well, a very special kind of a celebrity,” said John Kirton, a political scientist at the University of Toronto who directs the G7 Research Group think tank.

Kirton recalled the last summit that had this kind of star power, that then translated into action, was the 2005 meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland. There, world leaders decided to wipe out the $40 billion of the debts owed by 18 of the world’s poorest countries to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

That summit was preceded by a Live 8 concert in London that featured Sting, The Who and a reformed Pink Floyd and drew over a million people in a show of solidarity against hunger and poverty in Africa.

“Gleneagles actually hit a home run and for some it’s one of the most successful summits,” Kirton said.

No such popular pressure was being applied to G7 leaders in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-puglia-venue-g7-6d7470ac1e5118938d3269820fd2f161">Italian region of Puglia</a>, but Francis knew he could wield his own moral authority to renew his demands for safeguards for AI and highlight the threats to peace and society it poses if human ethics are left to the side.

“To speak of technology is to speak of what it means to be human and thus of our singular status as beings who possess both freedom and responsibility,” he said. “This means speaking about ethics.”

Generative AI technology has dazzled the world with its capabilities to produce humanlike-responses, but it’s also sparked fears about AI safety and led to a jumble of global efforts to rein it in.

Some worry about catastrophic but far off risks to humanity because of its potential for creating new bioweapons and supercharging disinformation. Others fret about its effect on everyday life, through algorithmic bias that results in discrimination or AI systems that eliminate jobs.

In his peace message, Francis echoed those concerns and raised others. He said AI must keep foremost concerns about guaranteeing fundamental human rights, promoting peace and guarding against disinformation, discrimination and distortion.

On the regulation front, Francis was in some ways preaching to the converted as the G7 members have been at the forefront of the debate on AI oversight.

Japan, which held the G7’s rotating presidency last year, launched its Hiroshima AI process to draw up international guiding principles and a code of conduct for AI developers. Adding to those efforts, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oecd-ai-japan-kishida-artificial-intelligence-023ac08e04db5a2109cf35f8b8c9b102">unveiled a framework for global regulation</a>&nbsp;of generative AI, which are systems that can quickly churn out new text, images, video, audio in response to prompts and commands.

The European Union was one of the first movers with its wide-ranging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-act-european-union-chatbots-155157e2be2e42d0f1acca33983d8c82">AI Act that’s set to take effect over the next two years</a>&nbsp;and could act as a global model. The act targets any AI product or service offered in the bloc’s 27 nations, with restrictions based on the level of risk they pose.

In the United States, President Joe Biden issued an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-executive-order-cb86162000d894f238f28ac029005059">executive order on AI safeguards</a>&nbsp;and called for legislation to strengthen it, while some states like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-artificial-intelligence-regulations-4d94c4c18167ee624ddb193d4fcd7394">California</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-bias-discrimination-regulation-ai-ff1d0860663723079aac3666b38f2320">Colorado</a>&nbsp;have been trying to pass their own AI bills, with mixed results.

Britain kickstarted a global dialogue on reining in AI’s most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risks-uk-summit-kamala-harris-885d09550b0ad19f7a1cdfbd6e2b910b">extreme dangers with a summit last fall</a>. At a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-seoul-ai-summit-uk-2cc2b297872d860edc60545d5a5cf598">followup meeting</a>&nbsp;in Seoul, companies pledged to develop the technology safely. France is set to host another meeting in the series early next year. The United Nations has also weighed in with its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-artificial-intelligence-safety-resolution-vote-8079fe83111cced0f0717fdecefffb4d">first resolution</a>&nbsp;on AI.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718390089588.png" alt="President Biden greeted Pope Francis&nbsp; at the G7 conference-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Biden greeted Pope Francis&nbsp; at the G7 conference-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BARI, Italy (AP) — Pope Francis challenged&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2024-biden-meloni-italy-g7-ukraine-e36094c259482bc2a58c21035bf58fb4">leaders of the world’s wealthy democracies on Frida</a>&nbsp;y to keep human dignity foremost in developing and using artificial intelligence, warning that such powerful technology risks turning human relations themselves into mere algorithms.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Pope Francis greets G-7 leaders, including President Biden. Full video here: <a href="https://t.co/sZy0ThKyOE">https://t.co/sZy0ThKyOE</a> <a href="https://t.co/9z2vElUoSr">pic.twitter.com/9z2vElUoSr</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1801618502177943575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Francis brought his moral authority to bear on the Group of Seven, invited by host Italy to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g7-summit-2024-italy-ukraine-live-fc5fe5c0f07e82c607cdae50a6fb6b36">address a special session at their annual summit</a>&nbsp;on the perils and promises of AI. In doing so, he became the first pope to attend the G7, offering an ethical take on an issue that is increasingly on the agenda of international summits, government policy and corporate boards alike.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?536372-1/pope-francis-addresses-7-outreach-countries-working-group">Click here to watch</a> the Pope's full address to the G7.Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines.“We would condemn humanity to a future without hope if we took away people’s ability to make decisions about themselves and their lives, by dooming them to depend on the choices of machines,” he said. “We need to ensure and safeguard a space for proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programs: Human dignity itself depends on it.”The G7 final statement largely reflected his concerns.The leaders vowed to better coordinate the governance and regulatory frameworks surrounding AI to keep it “human-centered.” At the same time, they acknowledged the potential impacts on the labor markets of machines taking the place of human workers and on the justice system of algorithms predicting recidivism.“We will pursue an inclusive, human-centered, digital transformation that underpins economic growth and sustainable development, maximizes benefits, and manages risks, in line with our shared democratic values and respect for human rights,” they said.By attending the summit, Francis joined a chorus of countries and global bodies pushing for stronger guardrails on AI following the boom in generative AI kickstarted by OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot.The Argentine pope used his annual peace message this year to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-pope-ai-artificial-intelligence-9805fec11681adbf88d3a7c73bdf47de">call for an international treaty to ensure AI</a>&nbsp;is developed and used ethically. In it, he argued that a technology lacking human values of compassion, mercy, morality and forgiveness is too perilous to develop unchecked.He didn't repeat that call explicitly in his speech Friday, but he made clear the onus is on politicians to lead on the issue. He also urged them to ultimately ban the use of lethal autonomous weapons, colloquially known as “killer robots.”“No machine should ever choose to take the life of a human being,” he said.On the weapons issue, the G7 leaders said they recognized the impact of AI in the military domain “and the need for a framework for responsible development and use.” They encouraged states to make sure “military use of AI is responsible, complies with applicable international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and enhances international security.”<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/giorgia-meloni">Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni</a>&nbsp;had invited Francis and announced his participation, knowing the potential impact of his star power and moral authority on the G7. Those seated at the table seemed duly awed, and the boisterous buzz in the room went absolutely quiet when Francis arrived.“The pope is, well, a very special kind of a celebrity,” said John Kirton, a political scientist at the University of Toronto who directs the G7 Research Group think tank.Kirton recalled the last summit that had this kind of star power, that then translated into action, was the 2005 meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland. There, world leaders decided to wipe out the $40 billion of the debts owed by 18 of the world’s poorest countries to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.That summit was preceded by a Live 8 concert in London that featured Sting, The Who and a reformed Pink Floyd and drew over a million people in a show of solidarity against hunger and poverty in Africa.“Gleneagles actually hit a home run and for some it’s one of the most successful summits,” Kirton said.No such popular pressure was being applied to G7 leaders in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/italy-puglia-venue-g7-6d7470ac1e5118938d3269820fd2f161">Italian region of Puglia</a>, but Francis knew he could wield his own moral authority to renew his demands for safeguards for AI and highlight the threats to peace and society it poses if human ethics are left to the side.“To speak of technology is to speak of what it means to be human and thus of our singular status as beings who possess both freedom and responsibility,” he said. “This means speaking about ethics.”Generative AI technology has dazzled the world with its capabilities to produce humanlike-responses, but it’s also sparked fears about AI safety and led to a jumble of global efforts to rein it in.Some worry about catastrophic but far off risks to humanity because of its potential for creating new bioweapons and supercharging disinformation. Others fret about its effect on everyday life, through algorithmic bias that results in discrimination or AI systems that eliminate jobs.In his peace message, Francis echoed those concerns and raised others. He said AI must keep foremost concerns about guaranteeing fundamental human rights, promoting peace and guarding against disinformation, discrimination and distortion.On the regulation front, Francis was in some ways preaching to the converted as the G7 members have been at the forefront of the debate on AI oversight.Japan, which held the G7’s rotating presidency last year, launched its Hiroshima AI process to draw up international guiding principles and a code of conduct for AI developers. Adding to those efforts, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oecd-ai-japan-kishida-artificial-intelligence-023ac08e04db5a2109cf35f8b8c9b102">unveiled a framework for global regulation</a>&nbsp;of generative AI, which are systems that can quickly churn out new text, images, video, audio in response to prompts and commands.The European Union was one of the first movers with its wide-ranging&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ai-act-european-union-chatbots-155157e2be2e42d0f1acca33983d8c82">AI Act that’s set to take effect over the next two years</a>&nbsp;and could act as a global model. The act targets any AI product or service offered in the bloc’s 27 nations, with restrictions based on the level of risk they pose.In the United States, President Joe Biden issued an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-ai-artificial-intelligence-executive-order-cb86162000d894f238f28ac029005059">executive order on AI safeguards</a>&nbsp;and called for legislation to strengthen it, while some states like&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-artificial-intelligence-regulations-4d94c4c18167ee624ddb193d4fcd7394">California</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-bias-discrimination-regulation-ai-ff1d0860663723079aac3666b38f2320">Colorado</a>&nbsp;have been trying to pass their own AI bills, with mixed results.Britain kickstarted a global dialogue on reining in AI’s most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-risks-uk-summit-kamala-harris-885d09550b0ad19f7a1cdfbd6e2b910b">extreme dangers with a summit last fall</a>. At a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-seoul-ai-summit-uk-2cc2b297872d860edc60545d5a5cf598">followup meeting</a>&nbsp;in Seoul, companies pledged to develop the technology safely. France is set to host another meeting in the series early next year. The United Nations has also weighed in with its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-artificial-intelligence-safety-resolution-vote-8079fe83111cced0f0717fdecefffb4d">first resolution</a>&nbsp;on AI.

🎥Biden embraces Pope Francis before Pontiff's alarming speech on AI at G7 summit

Maughan’s disciplinary penalty to last 12 months, while Samsel’s was set at two years

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court suspended Friday the law licenses of a current and a former member of the Kansas House based on evidence they violated of rules of professional conduct for attorneys.

The state’s highest court determined the license of Rep. Carl Maughan, R-Colwich, should be suspended for one year after engaging in a conflict of interest while representing in Sedgwick County the intoxicated driver of a vehicle that killed two disabled men in a 2016 traffic accident in Wichita.

A state disciplinary panel responsible for monitoring licensed attorneys in Kansas originally proposed a six-month suspension of Maughan’s license, which would have been converted to probation if he complied with a rehabilitation program.

Alice Walker, the state’s deputy disciplinary administrator, recommended the Supreme Court impose a 12-month suspension of Maughan’s license. During Supreme Court oral argument in May, Walker said the harsher penalty was warranted because Maughan had refused since December to cooperate with the office of disciplinary administration. He also failed to attend, due to a claim of car trouble, the Supreme Court’s hearing in May on his disciplinary case.

“At this time,” Walker said, “I don’t believe that Mr. Maughan is able to comply with a probation plan.”

Maughan, who has been a licensed attorney in Kansas since 1997, agreed he engaged in conflicts of interest that undermined representation of his client, Bret Blevins, who was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Dusty Atterbery and Dirk MacMillan. Evidence presented at trial indicated Blevins was intoxicated and consumed methamphetamine before running a stop sign in a residential neighborhood and steering a Cadillac Escalade broadside into a van carrying the men who died.

Blevins’ girlfriend Tammy Akers was the only other person in the vehicle. Akers was a longtime client of Maughan, and she offered to help pay $30,000 to Maughan to defend Blevins. During legal proceedings involving Blevins, Maughan asserted he secured conflict-of-interest waivers from Blevins and Akers. Part of Maughan’s strategy in defending Blevins was to argue Akers was driving the Cadillac at the time of the accident. Akers pointed a finger at Blevins.

Maughan represented Akers in a separate legal matter while serving as counsel to Blevins in the deadly traffic accident case, court records show.

After a trial in Sedgwick County District Court, Blevins was found guilty of 14 criminal offenses and sentenced to more than 725 months in prison. At the direction of the Kansas Court of Appeals, a hearing was conducted in Sedgwick County District Court to determine whether Maughan had a conflict of interest that undercut his ability to properly represent Blevins.

A Sedgwick County judge said there was no such conflict. At that time, Maughan’s wife was a sitting judge in the Sedgwick County District Court.

In 2021, the Kansas Court of Appeals issued a decision reversing the district court and affirming Blevins’ claim of inadequate counsel by Maughan. The case was returned for retrial in Wichita. In March, Blevins was resentenced to 205 months of incarceration.

The Court of Appeals had this to say about Maughan’s concurrent representation of Akers and Blevins: “It is not hard to imagine the significant risk of conflicting pressures upon an attorney when representing both a longtime client who is not only paying his bill but also implicated in the very crime with which his new client is charged, along with a new client whose only defense is to incriminate the attorney’s former client.”

At several junctures in the legal drama, Maughan claimed he secured oral or written waivers from Blevins and Akers. Maughan said those waivers allowed him to “zealously, diligently” represent Blevins in the murder case. The state Court of Appeals, however, concluded Blevins “did not waive his right to a conflict-free attorney.”

Maughan conceded during the state’s disciplinary investigation that he hadn’t obtained waivers from Blevins or Akers regarding his conflicts of interest.

“Even if he had not,” the Supreme Court’s decision said, “the evidence before the hearing panel clearly established the charged misconduct.”

Maughan was found by the justices to have engaged in conflict of interest, conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice and other infractions of professional conduct.

To return to legal practice in Kansas, the Supreme Court decided, Maughan must undergo a reinstatement hearing prior to that court considering restoration of his license.

Maughan is on the ballot for reelection to the Kansas House despite an assertion that his campaign was suspended two months ago.

In March, he was arrested in Shawnee County on suspicion of driving while drunk. The charging affidavit related to the DUI said Maughan had a loaded semi-automatic handgun, an empty bottle of Fireball whiskey and an opened case of beer in the vehicle when pulled over by an officer of the Topeka Police Department.

In response to his arrest in the DUI case, Maughan said his actions set a poor example for his family, constituents in the 90th District and citizens of Kansas.

“I made a grave error in judgment and apologize and accept responsibility for my actions,” he said.

Former Rep. Mark Samsel, a Wellsville Republican elected in 2018 and reelected in 2020, had his law license suspended by the Supreme Court for two years. That suspension was stayed pending his completion of a two-year probationary period that would include treatment for a mental health disorder, the order said.

In April 2021, Samsel was working as a substitute teacher at Wellsville High School when he kicked and shoved a student and grabbed another student by the shoulders. He was arrested on three counts of battery, but entered a guilty plea in September 2021 to three counts of disorderly conduct. He was instructed to serve one year of probation, seek mental health treatment and avoid interaction with social media.

The episode in the Wellsville classroom included comments by Samsel about suicide, sex, masturbation, God, the Bible, foster care and homosexuality. Students captured Samsel’s remarks on video. The video included the moment Samsel gave students permission to kick one of their classmates in the groin. He warned a male student that he was in jeopardy of receiving “the wrath of God.”

“Do you believe me when I tell you that God has been speaking to me?” Samsel said on video. “Who likes making babies? That feels good, doesn’t it? Procreate. You haven’t masturbated? Don’t answer that question. God already knows.”

Samsel lost his reelection campaign to Carrie Barth, a Baldwin City Republican who currently serves that Kansas House district. Samsel left office two years ago.

The Supreme Court took note of evidence Samsel attempted to preserve his substitute teaching license by sending a letter on official Kansas House letterhead to the Kansas State Department of Education. In that letter, Samsel expressed a desire to resolve his teaching license problem so the Department of Education could continue to work effectively with the Legislature. In the end, he voluntarily surrendered his teaching license.

He also signed an agreement with the Office of the Disciplinary Administrator in which he conceded his conduct violated rules of professional conduct for an attorney and that his misconduct was the result of an untreated mental health disorder. He agreed his criminal acts reflected adversely on his fitness to practice law and that he had improperly implied an ability to dictate legislative policy on public education.

Samsel and the disciplinary administration office had agreed to a one-year suspense of his law license, but the Supreme Court determined a two-year suspension was appropriate. The justices stayed the sanction pending Samsel’s completion of two years’ probation, which included monitoring and supervision of his practice of law.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718457256302.png" alt=" The Kansas Supreme Court issued a one-year suspension of the law license held by Rep. Carl Maughan, R-Colwich, for violating the professional code of conduct of attorneys for the way he represented in Sedgwick County District Court the driver of a vehicle that killed two disabled men in a 2016 traffic accident. He engaged in a conflict of interest by concurrently representing the defendant in the murder case, Bret Blevins, and the only other person in the vehicle, Tammy Akers, who Blevins claimed was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> The Kansas Supreme Court issued a one-year suspension of the law license held by Rep. Carl Maughan, R-Colwich, for violating the professional code of conduct of attorneys for the way he represented in Sedgwick County District Court the driver of a vehicle that killed two disabled men in a 2016 traffic accident. He engaged in a conflict of interest by concurrently representing the defendant in the murder case, Bret Blevins, and the only other person in the vehicle, Tammy Akers, who Blevins claimed was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Maughan’s disciplinary penalty to last 12 months, while Samsel’s was set at two years</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court suspended Friday the law licenses of a current and a former member of the Kansas House based on evidence they violated of rules of professional conduct for attorneys.The state’s highest court determined the license of Rep. Carl Maughan, R-Colwich, should be suspended for one year after engaging in a conflict of interest while representing in Sedgwick County the intoxicated driver of a vehicle that killed two disabled men in a 2016 traffic accident in Wichita.A state disciplinary panel responsible for monitoring licensed attorneys in Kansas originally proposed a six-month suspension of Maughan’s license, which would have been converted to probation if he complied with a rehabilitation program.Alice Walker, the state’s deputy disciplinary administrator, recommended the Supreme Court impose a 12-month suspension of Maughan’s license. During Supreme Court oral argument in May, Walker said the harsher penalty was warranted because Maughan had refused since December to cooperate with the office of disciplinary administration. He also failed to attend, due to a claim of car trouble, the Supreme Court’s hearing in May on his disciplinary case.“At this time,” Walker said, “I don’t believe that Mr. Maughan is able to comply with a probation plan.”Maughan, who has been a licensed attorney in Kansas since 1997, agreed he engaged in conflicts of interest that undermined representation of his client, Bret Blevins, who was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Dusty Atterbery and Dirk MacMillan. Evidence presented at trial indicated Blevins was intoxicated and consumed methamphetamine before running a stop sign in a residential neighborhood and steering a Cadillac Escalade broadside into a van carrying the men who died.Blevins’ girlfriend Tammy Akers was the only other person in the vehicle. Akers was a longtime client of Maughan, and she offered to help pay $30,000 to Maughan to defend Blevins. During legal proceedings involving Blevins, Maughan asserted he secured conflict-of-interest waivers from Blevins and Akers. Part of Maughan’s strategy in defending Blevins was to argue Akers was driving the Cadillac at the time of the accident. Akers pointed a finger at Blevins.Maughan represented Akers in a separate legal matter while serving as counsel to Blevins in the deadly traffic accident case, court records show.After a trial in Sedgwick County District Court, Blevins was found guilty of 14 criminal offenses and sentenced to more than 725 months in prison. At the direction of the Kansas Court of Appeals, a hearing was conducted in Sedgwick County District Court to determine whether Maughan had a conflict of interest that undercut his ability to properly represent Blevins.A Sedgwick County judge said there was no such conflict. At that time, Maughan’s wife was a sitting judge in the Sedgwick County District Court.In 2021, the Kansas Court of Appeals issued a decision reversing the district court and affirming Blevins’ claim of inadequate counsel by Maughan. The case was returned for retrial in Wichita. In March, Blevins was resentenced to 205 months of incarceration.The Court of Appeals had this to say about Maughan’s concurrent representation of Akers and Blevins: “It is not hard to imagine the significant risk of conflicting pressures upon an attorney when representing both a longtime client who is not only paying his bill but also implicated in the very crime with which his new client is charged, along with a new client whose only defense is to incriminate the attorney’s former client.”<h2>Misconduct ‘clearly established’</h2>At several junctures in the legal drama, Maughan claimed he secured oral or written waivers from Blevins and Akers. Maughan said those waivers allowed him to “zealously, diligently” represent Blevins in the murder case. The state Court of Appeals, however, concluded Blevins “did not waive his right to a conflict-free attorney.”Maughan conceded during the state’s disciplinary investigation that he hadn’t obtained waivers from Blevins or Akers regarding his conflicts of interest.“Even if he had not,” the Supreme Court’s decision said, “the evidence before the hearing panel clearly established the charged misconduct.”Maughan was found by the justices to have engaged in conflict of interest, conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice and other infractions of professional conduct.To return to legal practice in Kansas, the Supreme Court decided, Maughan must undergo a reinstatement hearing prior to that court considering restoration of his license.Maughan is on the ballot for reelection to the Kansas House despite an assertion that his campaign was suspended two months ago.In March, he was arrested in Shawnee County on suspicion of driving while drunk. The charging affidavit related to the DUI said Maughan had a loaded semi-automatic handgun, an empty bottle of Fireball whiskey and an opened case of beer in the vehicle when pulled over by an officer of the Topeka Police Department.In response to his arrest in the DUI case, Maughan said his actions set a poor example for his family, constituents in the 90th District and citizens of Kansas.“I made a grave error in judgment and apologize and accept responsibility for my actions,” he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619814603053.png" alt="The law license of former Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, was suspended for two years by the Kansas Supreme Court due to an incident in which he was arrested in 2021 for battery of Wellsville High School students. The Supreme court suspended the sanction while ordering supervision of Samsel’s legal work as he addressed a diagnosed mental illness. Samsel 's booking photo from Franklin County" />
 <figcaption>The law license of former Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, was suspended for two years by the Kansas Supreme Court due to an incident in which he was arrested in 2021 for battery of Wellsville High School students. The Supreme court suspended the sanction while ordering supervision of Samsel’s legal work as he addressed a diagnosed mental illness. Samsel 's booking photo from Franklin County</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Samsel’s disorderly conduct</h2>Former Rep. Mark Samsel, a Wellsville Republican elected in 2018 and reelected in 2020, had his law license suspended by the Supreme Court for two years. That suspension was stayed pending his completion of a two-year probationary period that would include treatment for a mental health disorder, the order said.In April 2021, Samsel was working as a substitute teacher at Wellsville High School when he kicked and shoved a student and grabbed another student by the shoulders. He was arrested on three counts of battery, but entered a guilty plea in September 2021 to three counts of disorderly conduct. He was instructed to serve one year of probation, seek mental health treatment and avoid interaction with social media.The episode in the Wellsville classroom included comments by Samsel about suicide, sex, masturbation, God, the Bible, foster care and homosexuality. Students captured Samsel’s remarks on video. The video included the moment Samsel gave students permission to kick one of their classmates in the groin. He warned a male student that he was in jeopardy of receiving “the wrath of God.”“Do you believe me when I tell you that God has been speaking to me?” Samsel said on video. “Who likes making babies? That feels good, doesn’t it? Procreate. You haven’t masturbated? Don’t answer that question. God already knows.”Samsel lost his reelection campaign to Carrie Barth, a Baldwin City Republican who currently serves that Kansas House district. Samsel left office two years ago.The Supreme Court took note of evidence Samsel attempted to preserve his substitute teaching license by sending a letter on official Kansas House letterhead to the Kansas State Department of Education. In that letter, Samsel expressed a desire to resolve his teaching license problem so the Department of Education could continue to work effectively with the Legislature. In the end, he voluntarily surrendered his teaching license.He also signed an agreement with the Office of the Disciplinary Administrator in which he conceded his conduct violated rules of professional conduct for an attorney and that his misconduct was the result of an untreated mental health disorder. He agreed his criminal acts reflected adversely on his fitness to practice law and that he had improperly implied an ability to dictate legislative policy on public education.Samsel and the disciplinary administration office had agreed to a one-year suspense of his law license, but the Supreme Court determined a two-year suspension was appropriate. The justices stayed the sanction pending Samsel’s completion of two years’ probation, which included monitoring and supervision of his practice of law.

Kan. Supreme Court suspends law licenses of state Rep. Maughan, former Rep. Samsel

JOHNSON COUNTY —Two people were injured in a fire early Friday in Johnson County.

Just after 5a.m., crews from Overland Park and Lenexa responded to a fire at a home near 95th and Knox, according to a media release. First responders found smoke showing from the two-story, single family home with one resident attempting to get out of the home.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Firefighters helped the man outside and were told of a second man inside.&nbsp; Firefighters located the second victim and a dog and helped both outside safely.

Firefighters then went to work attacking a fire in a bedroom on the second floor. It took about 20 minutes to bring the fire under control. Fire was contained to the room of origin and a hallway. The entire upstairs sustained moderate smoke damage. EMS transported both men to an area hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. The dog was not injured. The home did have working smoke alarms.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718393079356.png" alt="Image courtesy Overland Park Fire" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy Overland Park Fire</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Two people were injured in a fire early Friday in Johnson County.Just after 5a.m., crews from Overland Park and Lenexa responded to a fire at a home near 95th and Knox, according to a media release. First responders found smoke showing from the two-story, single family home with one resident attempting to get out of the home.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718392259501.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Firefighters helped the man outside and were told of a second man inside.&nbsp; Firefighters located the second victim and a dog and helped both outside safely.Firefighters then went to work attacking a fire in a bedroom on the second floor. It took about 20 minutes to bring the fire under control. Fire was contained to the room of origin and a hallway. The entire upstairs sustained moderate smoke damage. EMS transported both men to an area hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. The dog was not injured. The home did have working smoke alarms.

2 hospitalized, dog rescued after fire at Kansas home

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S.-built pier to bring food to Gaza is facing one of its most serious challenges yet — its humanitarian partner is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pier-aid-us-gaza-israel-pause-70283c86da47591cd5bc8b9c196d6dff">deciding if it can safely and ethically keep delivering supplies</a>&nbsp;arriving by the U.S. sea route to starving Palestinians.

The United Nations, the player with the widest reach delivering aid within Gaza, has paused its work with the pier after a June 8 operation by Israeli security forces that rescued four hostages and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-06-09-2024-61eb1be9a9d0cf2dbf250cd4a8ed4dbf">killed more than 270 Palestinians</a>. Adding to the troubles, two U.S. officials said Friday that the pier would be detached again because of rough seas to prevent it from breaking apart as it did in bad weather last month.

Rushing out a mortally wounded Israeli commando after the raid,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-hostages-casualties-1458f5a1dfe7bd4d908231bb7090a559">Israeli rescuers</a>&nbsp;opted against returning the way they came, across a land border, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters. Instead, they sped toward the beach and the site of the U.S. aid hub on Gaza’s coast, he said. An Israeli helicopter touched down near the U.S.-built pier and helped whisk away hostages and the commando, according to the U.S. and Israeli militaries.

For the U.N. and independent humanitarian groups, the event made real one of their main doubts about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-humanitarian-aid-us-pier-77d0cf1c1bd420042dc4cb6f4ad76ccb">U.S. sea route</a>: whether aid workers could cooperate with the U.S. military-backed, Israeli military-secured project without violating core humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence and without risking aid workers becoming seen as U.S. and Israeli allies — and, in turn, targets in their own right.

Israel and the U.S. deny that any aspect of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-aid-us-pier-05-17-2024-336c810724d107a41bb6628c721aea7c">month-old U.S. pier</a>&nbsp;was used in the Israeli raid. They say an area near it was used to fly home the hostages.

The U.N. World Food Program, which works with the U.S. to transfer aid from the $230 million pier to warehouses and local aid teams for distribution within Gaza, suspended cooperation as it conducts a security review.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-pier-humanitarian-aid-gaza-israel-war-9fcba9b89df3bdfa3acf16f92565ad97">Aid has been piling up</a>&nbsp;on the beach since.

“You can be damn sure we are going to be very careful about what we assess and what we conclude,” U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said.

Griffiths told reporters at an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-06-11-2024-d3733d55c6a66222da1a4a051997094c">aid conference in Jordan</a>&nbsp;this week that determining that the Israeli raid improperly used either the beach or roads around the pier “would put at risk any future humanitarian engagement in that operation.”

The U.N. has to look at the facts as well as what the Palestinian public and militants believe about any U.S., pier or aid worker involvement in the raid, spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.

“Humanitarian aid must not be used and must not be perceived as taking any side in a conflict,” Haq said. “The safety of our humanitarian workers depends on all sides and the communities on the ground trusting their impartiality.”

Rumors have swirled on social media, deepening the danger to aid workers, humanitarian groups say.

“Whether or not we've seen the pier used for military purposes is almost irrelevant. Because the perception of people in Gaza, civilians and armed groups, is that humanitarian aid has been instrumentalized" by parties in the conflict, said Suze van Meegen, head of operations in Gaza for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Oxfam International and some other aid organizations said they are waiting for answers from the U.S. government because it's responsible for the agreements with the U.N. and other humanitarian groups on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-aid-us-pier-05-17-2024-336c810724d107a41bb6628c721aea7c">how the pier and aid deliveries function</a>.

Questions include whether the Israeli helicopters and security forces used what the U.S. had promised aid groups would be a no-go area for the Israeli military around the pier, said Scott Paul, an associate director at Oxfam.

The suspension of deliveries is only one of the problems that have hindered the pier, which President Joe Biden announced in March as an additional way to get aid to Palestinians. The U.S. has said the project was never a solution and have urged Israel to lift restrictions on aid shipments through land crossings as famine looms.

The first aid from the sea route rolled onto shore May 17, and work has been up and down since:

— May 18: Crowds overwhelmed aid trucks coming from the pier, stripping some of the trucks of their cargo.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-pier-gaza-famine-israel-1feae14dac670bb4de0467988799c5c6">The WFP suspended deliveries from the pier</a>&nbsp;for at least two days while it worked out alternate routes with the U.S. and Israel.

— May 24: A bit more than 1,000 metric tons of aid had been delivered to Gaza from the pier, and the U.S. Agency for International Development later said all of it was distributed within Gaza.

— May 25: High winds and heavy seas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-pier-damage-weather-seas-boats-f45634fb85e2ac6aec9b814c36ea3526">damaged the pier</a>&nbsp;and four U.S. Army vessels ran aground, injuring three service members, one critically. Crews towed away part of the floating dock in what became a two-week pause in operations.

— June 8: The U.S. military announced that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-pier-aid-palestinians-00e83d1b302a23b5920c72e859430c15">deliveries resumed</a>&nbsp;off the repaired and reinstalled dock. The Israeli military operation unfolded the same day.

— Sunday: World Food Program chief Cindy McCain announced a “pause” in cooperation with the U.S. pier, citing the previous day's “incident” and the rocketing of two WFP warehouses that injured a staffer.

— Friday: The pier will be detached&nbsp; to prevent damage during rough seas and allow the military to reattach it more quickly later, according to the U.S. Central Command.

The pier has brought to Gaza more than 2,500 metric tons (about 5.6 million pounds) of aid, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. About 1,000 metric tons of that was brought by ship Tuesday and Wednesday — after the WFP pause — and is being stored on the beach awaiting distribution.

“The WFP, of course, is taking the security measures that they need to do, and the reviews that they need to do, in order to feel safe and secure and to operate within Gaza,” Singh said.

Now, the question is whether the U.N. will rejoin the effort.

For aid workers who generally work without weapons or armed guards, and for those they serve, “the best guarantee of our security is the acceptance of communities” that aid workers are neutral, said Paul, the Oxfam official.

Palestinians already harbored deep doubts about the pier given the lead role of the U.S., which sends weapons and other support to its ally Israel, said Yousef Munayyer, a senior fellow at Washington's Arab Center, an independent organization researching Israeli-Arab issues.

Distrustful Palestinians suffering in the Israel-Hamas war are being asked to take America at its word, and that’s a hard sell, said Munayyer, an American of Palestinian heritage.

“So you know, perception matters a lot,” he said. “And for the people who are literally putting their lives on the line to get humanitarian aid moving around a war zone, perception gets you in danger.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718410108692.png" alt="Due to expected high seas, the temporary pier will be removed from its anchored position in Gaza and towed back to Ashdod, Israel. The safety of our service members is a top priority and temporarily relocating the pier will prevent structural damage caused by the heightened sea state.Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Due to expected high seas, the temporary pier will be removed from its anchored position in Gaza and towed back to Ashdod, Israel. The safety of our service members is a top priority and temporarily relocating the pier will prevent structural damage caused by the heightened sea state.Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S.-built pier to bring food to Gaza is facing one of its most serious challenges yet — its humanitarian partner is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pier-aid-us-gaza-israel-pause-70283c86da47591cd5bc8b9c196d6dff">deciding if it can safely and ethically keep delivering supplies</a>&nbsp;arriving by the U.S. sea route to starving Palestinians.The United Nations, the player with the widest reach delivering aid within Gaza, has paused its work with the pier after a June 8 operation by Israeli security forces that rescued four hostages and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-06-09-2024-61eb1be9a9d0cf2dbf250cd4a8ed4dbf">killed more than 270 Palestinians</a>. Adding to the troubles, two U.S. officials said Friday that the pier would be detached again because of rough seas to prevent it from breaking apart as it did in bad weather last month.Rushing out a mortally wounded Israeli commando after the raid,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-hostages-casualties-1458f5a1dfe7bd4d908231bb7090a559">Israeli rescuers</a>&nbsp;opted against returning the way they came, across a land border, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, told reporters. Instead, they sped toward the beach and the site of the U.S. aid hub on Gaza’s coast, he said. An Israeli helicopter touched down near the U.S.-built pier and helped whisk away hostages and the commando, according to the U.S. and Israeli militaries.For the U.N. and independent humanitarian groups, the event made real one of their main doubts about the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-humanitarian-aid-us-pier-77d0cf1c1bd420042dc4cb6f4ad76ccb">U.S. sea route</a>: whether aid workers could cooperate with the U.S. military-backed, Israeli military-secured project without violating core humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence and without risking aid workers becoming seen as U.S. and Israeli allies — and, in turn, targets in their own right.Israel and the U.S. deny that any aspect of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-aid-us-pier-05-17-2024-336c810724d107a41bb6628c721aea7c">month-old U.S. pier</a>&nbsp;was used in the Israeli raid. They say an area near it was used to fly home the hostages.The U.N. World Food Program, which works with the U.S. to transfer aid from the $230 million pier to warehouses and local aid teams for distribution within Gaza, suspended cooperation as it conducts a security review.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-pier-humanitarian-aid-gaza-israel-war-9fcba9b89df3bdfa3acf16f92565ad97">Aid has been piling up</a>&nbsp;on the beach since.“You can be damn sure we are going to be very careful about what we assess and what we conclude,” U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said.Griffiths told reporters at an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-06-11-2024-d3733d55c6a66222da1a4a051997094c">aid conference in Jordan</a>&nbsp;this week that determining that the Israeli raid improperly used either the beach or roads around the pier “would put at risk any future humanitarian engagement in that operation.”The U.N. has to look at the facts as well as what the Palestinian public and militants believe about any U.S., pier or aid worker involvement in the raid, spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.“Humanitarian aid must not be used and must not be perceived as taking any side in a conflict,” Haq said. “The safety of our humanitarian workers depends on all sides and the communities on the ground trusting their impartiality.”Rumors have swirled on social media, deepening the danger to aid workers, humanitarian groups say.“Whether or not we've seen the pier used for military purposes is almost irrelevant. Because the perception of people in Gaza, civilians and armed groups, is that humanitarian aid has been instrumentalized" by parties in the conflict, said Suze van Meegen, head of operations in Gaza for the Norwegian Refugee Council.Oxfam International and some other aid organizations said they are waiting for answers from the U.S. government because it's responsible for the agreements with the U.N. and other humanitarian groups on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-aid-us-pier-05-17-2024-336c810724d107a41bb6628c721aea7c">how the pier and aid deliveries function</a>.Questions include whether the Israeli helicopters and security forces used what the U.S. had promised aid groups would be a no-go area for the Israeli military around the pier, said Scott Paul, an associate director at Oxfam.The suspension of deliveries is only one of the problems that have hindered the pier, which President Joe Biden announced in March as an additional way to get aid to Palestinians. The U.S. has said the project was never a solution and have urged Israel to lift restrictions on aid shipments through land crossings as famine looms.The first aid from the sea route rolled onto shore May 17, and work has been up and down since:— May 18: Crowds overwhelmed aid trucks coming from the pier, stripping some of the trucks of their cargo.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-pier-gaza-famine-israel-1feae14dac670bb4de0467988799c5c6">The WFP suspended deliveries from the pier</a>&nbsp;for at least two days while it worked out alternate routes with the U.S. and Israel.— May 24: A bit more than 1,000 metric tons of aid had been delivered to Gaza from the pier, and the U.S. Agency for International Development later said all of it was distributed within Gaza.— May 25: High winds and heavy seas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-pier-damage-weather-seas-boats-f45634fb85e2ac6aec9b814c36ea3526">damaged the pier</a>&nbsp;and four U.S. Army vessels ran aground, injuring three service members, one critically. Crews towed away part of the floating dock in what became a two-week pause in operations.— June 8: The U.S. military announced that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-pier-aid-palestinians-00e83d1b302a23b5920c72e859430c15">deliveries resumed</a>&nbsp;off the repaired and reinstalled dock. The Israeli military operation unfolded the same day.— Sunday: World Food Program chief Cindy McCain announced a “pause” in cooperation with the U.S. pier, citing the previous day's “incident” and the rocketing of two WFP warehouses that injured a staffer.— Friday: The pier will be detached&nbsp; to prevent damage during rough seas and allow the military to reattach it more quickly later, according to the U.S. Central Command.The pier has brought to Gaza more than 2,500 metric tons (about 5.6 million pounds) of aid, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. About 1,000 metric tons of that was brought by ship Tuesday and Wednesday — after the WFP pause — and is being stored on the beach awaiting distribution.“The WFP, of course, is taking the security measures that they need to do, and the reviews that they need to do, in order to feel safe and secure and to operate within Gaza,” Singh said.Now, the question is whether the U.N. will rejoin the effort.For aid workers who generally work without weapons or armed guards, and for those they serve, “the best guarantee of our security is the acceptance of communities” that aid workers are neutral, said Paul, the Oxfam official.Palestinians already harbored deep doubts about the pier given the lead role of the U.S., which sends weapons and other support to its ally Israel, said Yousef Munayyer, a senior fellow at Washington's Arab Center, an independent organization researching Israeli-Arab issues.Distrustful Palestinians suffering in the Israel-Hamas war are being asked to take America at its word, and that’s a hard sell, said Munayyer, an American of Palestinian heritage.“So you know, perception matters a lot,” he said. “And for the people who are literally putting their lives on the line to get humanitarian aid moving around a war zone, perception gets you in danger.”

US-built pier in Gaza is facing more challenges

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Kansas City, Kansas 911 dispatch received a number of calls, Wednesday regarding an a man exposing himself in public at, or near, Homefield Sports Complex near 92nd and State Avenue as well as a retail business in the 8100 block of Leavenworth Road, according to a statement from police.

 Social media posts about these incidents also began circulating at the same time. A short time later, police took a person of interest in these incidents into custody.&nbsp; The suspect's name has not been released.

Anyone who may have  witnessed these or similar incidents, is asked to reach out to detectives immediately to assist in their investigation. Please, call Detective D. Hopkins with KCKPD at 913-573-6012. All tips are kept confidential.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718388781475.png" alt="Rendering&nbsp; of the new facility courtesy Homefield LLC" />
 <figcaption>Rendering&nbsp; of the new facility courtesy Homefield LLC</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Kansas City, Kansas 911 dispatch received a number of calls, Wednesday regarding an a man exposing himself in public at, or near, Homefield Sports Complex near 92nd and State Avenue as well as a retail business in the 8100 block of Leavenworth Road, according to a statement from police. Social media posts about these incidents also began circulating at the same time. A short time later, police took a person of interest in these incidents into custody.&nbsp; The suspect's name has not been released.Anyone who may have witnessed these or similar incidents, is asked to reach out to detectives immediately to assist in their investigation. Please, call Detective D. Hopkins with KCKPD at 913-573-6012. All tips are kept confidential.

Man was exposing himself in public near Kan. youth sports complex

BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for allegedly skipping court.

Just after 7:30p.m. June 12, sheriff's deputies made a traffic stop in&nbsp;the vicinity of Kansas 20 and Kingfisher in rural Brown County, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

Deputies discovered the driver 24-year-old Mackenzie Blalock of Lawrence, had 2 outstanding Warrants&nbsp; from Douglas County for Failure to Appear.&nbsp; She was arrested and taken to the Brown County jail.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718308020462.png" alt="Blalock-photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Blalock-photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for allegedly skipping court.Just after 7:30p.m. June 12, sheriff's deputies made a traffic stop in&nbsp;the vicinity of Kansas 20 and Kingfisher in rural Brown County, according to Sheriff John Merchant.Deputies discovered the driver 24-year-old Mackenzie Blalock of Lawrence, had 2 outstanding Warrants&nbsp; from Douglas County for Failure to Appear.&nbsp; She was arrested and taken to the Brown County jail.

Deputies capture Kansas woman wanted on 2 warrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland will not be prosecuted for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/garland-contempt-congress-vote-biden-classified-documents-20f5e8f48cfd8390eb695d13079ca306">contempt of Congress</a>&nbsp;because his refusal to turn over audio of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">President Joe Biden’s interview in his classified documents case</a>&nbsp;“did not constitute a crime," the Justice Department said Friday.

The department's decision was revealed in a letter to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, citing the agency's “longstanding position and uniform practice” to not prosecute officials who don’t comply with subpoenas because of a president’s claim of executive privilege.

The Democratic president last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-robert-hur-classified-documents-justice-department-edf67af3810ab877c7c195956b49b3a6">asserted executive privilege</a>&nbsp;to block the release of the audio, which the White House says Republicans want only for political purposes. Republicans moved forward with the contempt effort anyway, voting Wednesday to punish Garland for refusing to provide the recording.

Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte noted that the Justice Department under presidents of both political parities has declined to prosecute in similar circumstances when the president has claimed executive privilege.

Accordingly, the department "will not bring the congressional contempt citation before a grand jury or take any other action to prosecute the Attorney General,” Uriarte said in the letter to Johnson. The letter did not specify who in Justice Department made the decision.

Republicans were incensed when special counsel Robert Hur&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-hur-biden-special-counsel-classified-documents-0f8e4a9d99f8b7d035f75f78e9b8d3d3">declined to prosecute</a>&nbsp;Biden over his handling of classified documents and quickly opened an investigation.

GOP lawmakers — led by Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer — sent a subpoena for audio of Hur’s interviews with Biden, but the Justice Department only turned over some of the records, leaving out audio of the interview with the president.

Republicans have accused the White House of suppressing the tape because they say the president is afraid to have voters hear it during an election year.

A 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 say 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.

The attorney general has said the Justice Department has gone to extraordinary lengths to provide information to the lawmakers about Hur’s investigation. However, Garland has said releasing the audio could jeopardize future sensitive investigations because witnesses might be less likely to cooperate if they know their interviews might become public.

In a letter last month detailing Biden’s decision to assert executive privilege, White House counsel Ed Siskel accused Republicans of seeking the recordings so they can “chop them up” and distort them to attack the president. Executive privilege gives presidents the right to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of decision-making, though it can be challenged in court.

The Justice Department noted that it also declined to prosecute&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-judiciary-north-america-d64338bc6606456d978c33f11d2cf2b4">Attorney General Bill Barr,</a>&nbsp;who was held in contempt in 2019. The Democratically controlled House voted to issue a referral against Barr after he refused to turn over documents related to a special counsel investigation into former President Donald Trump.

The Justice Department similarly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-peter-navarro-government-and-politics-subpoenas-8defd8645d6cb5cab67767650f6cc303">declined to prosecute</a>&nbsp;former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows after he was held in contempt of Congress for ceasing to cooperate with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-government-and-politics-capitol-siege-trump-impeachment-29f9dca497e443189dc0fde11bffbb9d">the Jan. 6 Committee</a>&nbsp;investigating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>.

Years before that, then-Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt related to the gun-running operation known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ab23eac5b2264f67a40b0c98ab17cdfd">Operation Fast and Furious</a>. The Justice Department also took no action against Holder.

Two former Trump White House officials, Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, were prosecuted for contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee. They were both found guilty at trial and sentenced to four months in prison. Navarro has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peter-navarro-jan-6-prison-congress-contempt-ea6f0e60dda1a7bcaef31012cd2c7678">behind bars since March</a>, and Bannon&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-contempt-jan-6-committee-prison-2da50bcf2f8ff8f3e01ef4bf2b1b845e">has been ordered to report to prison</a>&nbsp;by July 1.

The special counsel in Biden’s case, Hur, spent a year investigating the president’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-michael-pence-us-federal-bureau-of-investigation-9c2d7f472b8ff63f76f2c9fbb03dfde2">improper retention of classified documents</a>, from his time as a senator and as vice president. Hur said he found insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute a case in court.

Hur cited limitations with Biden’s memory and the president’s cooperation with investigators that “could convince some jurors that he made an innocent mistake." Hur's report also described the president as “someone for whom jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland will not be prosecuted for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/garland-contempt-congress-vote-biden-classified-documents-20f5e8f48cfd8390eb695d13079ca306">contempt of Congress</a>&nbsp;because his refusal to turn over audio of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-age-trump-2024-4791639cc06cc0affee55aba80c7e6b3">President Joe Biden’s interview in his classified documents case</a>&nbsp;“did not constitute a crime," the Justice Department said Friday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">House GOP built a record of evidence proving that President Biden knew about and benefited from his family’s &amp; associate’s shady business deals. No one is above the law. I voted to hold AG Garland accountable for refusing to comply w/ subpoenas regarding our impeachment inquiry.&mdash; Tracey Mann (@RepMann) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMann/status/1801242799293047232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The department's decision was revealed in a letter to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, citing the agency's “longstanding position and uniform practice” to not prosecute officials who don’t comply with subpoenas because of a president’s claim of executive privilege.The Democratic president last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-robert-hur-classified-documents-justice-department-edf67af3810ab877c7c195956b49b3a6">asserted executive privilege</a>&nbsp;to block the release of the audio, which the White House says Republicans want only for political purposes. Republicans moved forward with the contempt effort anyway, voting Wednesday to punish Garland for refusing to provide the recording.Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte noted that the Justice Department under presidents of both political parities has declined to prosecute in similar circumstances when the president has claimed executive privilege.Accordingly, the department "will not bring the congressional contempt citation before a grand jury or take any other action to prosecute the Attorney General,” Uriarte said in the letter to Johnson. The letter did not specify who in Justice Department made the decision.Republicans were incensed when special counsel Robert Hur&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-hur-biden-special-counsel-classified-documents-0f8e4a9d99f8b7d035f75f78e9b8d3d3">declined to prosecute</a>&nbsp;Biden over his handling of classified documents and quickly opened an investigation.GOP lawmakers — led by Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer — sent a subpoena for audio of Hur’s interviews with Biden, but the Justice Department only turned over some of the records, leaving out audio of the interview with the president.Republicans have accused the White House of suppressing the tape because they say the president is afraid to have voters hear it during an election year.A 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 say 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.The attorney general has said the Justice Department has gone to extraordinary lengths to provide information to the lawmakers about Hur’s investigation. However, Garland has said releasing the audio could jeopardize future sensitive investigations because witnesses might be less likely to cooperate if they know their interviews might become public.In a letter last month detailing Biden’s decision to assert executive privilege, White House counsel Ed Siskel accused Republicans of seeking the recordings so they can “chop them up” and distort them to attack the president. Executive privilege gives presidents the right to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of decision-making, though it can be challenged in court.The Justice Department noted that it also declined to prosecute&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-judiciary-north-america-d64338bc6606456d978c33f11d2cf2b4">Attorney General Bill Barr,</a>&nbsp;who was held in contempt in 2019. The Democratically controlled House voted to issue a referral against Barr after he refused to turn over documents related to a special counsel investigation into former President Donald Trump.The Justice Department similarly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-peter-navarro-government-and-politics-subpoenas-8defd8645d6cb5cab67767650f6cc303">declined to prosecute</a>&nbsp;former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows after he was held in contempt of Congress for ceasing to cooperate with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-government-and-politics-capitol-siege-trump-impeachment-29f9dca497e443189dc0fde11bffbb9d">the Jan. 6 Committee</a>&nbsp;investigating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the attack on the U.S. Capitol</a>.Years before that, then-Attorney General Eric Holder was held in contempt related to the gun-running operation known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ab23eac5b2264f67a40b0c98ab17cdfd">Operation Fast and Furious</a>. The Justice Department also took no action against Holder.Two former Trump White House officials, Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, were prosecuted for contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee. They were both found guilty at trial and sentenced to four months in prison. Navarro has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/peter-navarro-jan-6-prison-congress-contempt-ea6f0e60dda1a7bcaef31012cd2c7678">behind bars since March</a>, and Bannon&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-contempt-jan-6-committee-prison-2da50bcf2f8ff8f3e01ef4bf2b1b845e">has been ordered to report to prison</a>&nbsp;by July 1.The special counsel in Biden’s case, Hur, spent a year investigating the president’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-michael-pence-us-federal-bureau-of-investigation-9c2d7f472b8ff63f76f2c9fbb03dfde2">improper retention of classified documents</a>, from his time as a senator and as vice president. Hur said he found insufficient evidence to successfully prosecute a case in court.Hur cited limitations with Biden’s memory and the president’s cooperation with investigators that “could convince some jurors that he made an innocent mistake." Hur's report also described the president as “someone for whom jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt.”

DOJ won't prosecute AG after House held him in contempt over Biden tapes

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Thanks to a tip, Police detectives in Lawrence arrested 18-year-old Cir Allen Keith Glover on a requested charge of second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Isaiah Neal. 

The tip led investigators to Miami County, Kansas where the Sheriff assisted Lawrence Police and Glover ultimately surrendered without incident.

Just after 1a.m. Thursday, police were called to 2406 Alabama Street in Lawrence where they found&nbsp; 17-year-old Isaiah Neal with multiple gunshot wounds and began performing life-saving aid until paramedics with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical arrived on scene.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

LDCFM paramedics transported Neal to the hospital where he later died.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718395261944.png" alt="Glover-photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Glover-photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Thanks to a tip, Police detectives in Lawrence arrested 18-year-old Cir Allen Keith Glover on a requested charge of second-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Isaiah Neal. The tip led investigators to Miami County, Kansas where the Sheriff assisted Lawrence Police and Glover ultimately surrendered without incident.Just after 1a.m. Thursday, police were called to 2406 Alabama Street in Lawrence where they found&nbsp; 17-year-old Isaiah Neal with multiple gunshot wounds and began performing life-saving aid until paramedics with Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical arrived on scene.&nbsp;&nbsp; LDCFM paramedics transported Neal to the hospital where he later died.

Accused shooter in death of Kan. teen surrenders to police

By NATE KING&nbsp;Salina Post

A Salina woman was scammed out of $7,400 in a Bitcoin phone scam on Thursday.

The victim, a 75-year-old Salina woman living in the 2000 block of Raymond Avenue, received a phone call from an individual claiming to be "James Williams" from the Saline County Sheriff's "Department." The caller informed her that she had failed to appear for jury duty and was in contempt of court on both state and federal levels.

"The caller told her that she had to make a full payment using Bitcoin to have the charges dropped," said SPD Lt. David Villanueva. "She went to her bank and got $7,400 in cash."

Villanueva said the victim then went to a Bitcoin machine where the caller gave her codes to put in the machine. The scammer provided her with specific codes to input into the machine, directing the payment to their account instead of to a legitimate one. The victim followed the caller's instructions, unaware she was being deceived.

The woman went to the Salina Police Department, where she realized the phone caller was scamming her.

"We reminded her, like we remind the public, that the sheriff's 'department' does not take payment over Bitcoin over the phone or anything," Villanueva said. "Nor would they ever call somebody and say you missed your jury duty and need to pay $7,400."

Villanueva said no, James Williams works at the Saline County Sheriff's Office.

"It is the Sheriff's Office, not the Sheriff's Department," Villanueva said. "If somebody calls you and says, 'Hey, you owe this or whatever.' Call the Sheriff's Office or Police Department themselves and say, 'Hey, is this true?' and you'll probably find out it's not."

The investigation is ongoing, but SPD acknowledges that recovering the funds will be difficult.

By NATE KING&nbsp;Salina PostA Salina woman was scammed out of $7,400 in a Bitcoin phone scam on Thursday.The victim, a 75-year-old Salina woman living in the 2000 block of Raymond Avenue, received a phone call from an individual claiming to be "James Williams" from the Saline County Sheriff's "Department." The caller informed her that she had failed to appear for jury duty and was in contempt of court on both state and federal levels."The caller told her that she had to make a full payment using Bitcoin to have the charges dropped," said SPD Lt. David Villanueva. "She went to her bank and got $7,400 in cash."Villanueva said the victim then went to a Bitcoin machine where the caller gave her codes to put in the machine. The scammer provided her with specific codes to input into the machine, directing the payment to their account instead of to a legitimate one. The victim followed the caller's instructions, unaware she was being deceived.The woman went to the Salina Police Department, where she realized the phone caller was scamming her."We reminded her, like we remind the public, that the sheriff's 'department' does not take payment over Bitcoin over the phone or anything," Villanueva said. "Nor would they ever call somebody and say you missed your jury duty and need to pay $7,400."Villanueva said no, James Williams works at the Saline County Sheriff's Office."It is the Sheriff's Office, not the Sheriff's Department," Villanueva said. "If somebody calls you and says, 'Hey, you owe this or whatever.' Call the Sheriff's Office or Police Department themselves and say, 'Hey, is this true?' and you'll probably find out it's not."The investigation is ongoing, but SPD acknowledges that recovering the funds will be difficult.

Kansas woman lost $7,400 in Bitcoin scam

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;made a triumphant return to Capitol Hill on Thursday, his first with lawmakers since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan.6, 2021</a>&nbsp;attacks, embraced by energized House and Senate Republicans who find themselves reinvigorated by his bid to retake the White House.

Despite pending federal charges against Trump for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">conspiring to overturn the 2020 election</a>, and his recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">guilty verdict</a>&nbsp;in an unrelated hush money trial, the Republican former president arrived emboldened as the party's presumptive nominee. He has successfully purged the GOP of critics, silenced most skeptics and enticed once-critical lawmakers aboard his MAGA-fueled campaign.

A packed room of House Republicans sang “Happy Birthday” to Trump in a private breakfast meeting at GOP campaign headquarters across the street from the Capitol. The lawmakers gave him a baseball and bat from the annual congressional game, and senators later presented an American flag cake with “45” candles — and then “47" — referring to the next presidency. Trump bragged that even his telephone rallies for lawmakers could draw bigger crowds than mega-popstar Taylor Swift, who has yet to make any endorsement.

In one remarkable moment, Trump and his most prominent Republican critic, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, shook hands, and fist-bumped.

“There's tremendous unity in the Republican Party," Trump said in brief remarks at Senate GOP headquarters.

Trump spent about an hour each with House and Senate Republicans delivering free-wheeling remarks, fielding questions and discussing issues — including Russia and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-border-immigration-aclu-lawsuits-237674f030ca808aa7b423821b8caf26">immigration</a>, tax cuts and other priorities for a potential second term.

During the morning session, Trump said House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;is doing a “terrific job,” according to a Republican in the private meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it. Trump asked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the speaker’s chief Republican critic, if she was being “nice” to Johnson, another Republican said.

“President Trump brought an extraordinary amount of energy, excitement and enthusiasm this morning,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">Johnson</a>&nbsp;said afterward, noting high fund-raising tallies since the guilty verdict. “We’re feeling good.”

The Republican speaker had demurred earlier over whether he’s asked Trump to respect the peaceful transfer of presidential power and commit to not doing another Jan. 6. “Of course he respects that, we all do, and we’ve all talked about it, ad nauseum.”

Many potential priorities for a new White House administration are being formulated by a constellation of outside groups, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-conservatives-trump-heritage-857eb794e505f1c6710eb03fd5b58981">Project 2025</a>, laying the groundwork for executive and legislative actions, though Trump has made clear he has his own agenda.

“Anybody who thought that this president was going to be down after the sham trial ... . It’s only giving him even more energy,” said Rep. Tom Emmer, the GOP whip. “Donald Trump is crushing this election.”

But Trump's private meetings with House and Senate Republicans so close to the Capitol were infused with the symbolism of his return as the U.S. president who threatened the American tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.

“It’s frustrating,” said former U.S. Capitol Police officer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-police-officer-jan-6-congress-harry-dunn-730a44a881057b2054242d415e57172d">Harry Dunn</a>, who made his own unsuccessful run for Congress as a Maryland Democrat in the aftermath of Jan. 6, the day when police engaged in hand-to-hand fighting to stop Trump supporters who stormed the building in an effort to overturn President Joe Biden's election.

Dunn spoke of the “irony” of Trump returning to the area and lawmakers now embracing him. “It just shows the lack of backbone they have when they’re truly putting party and person over country," he said. "And it’s sad.”

Biden was overseas Thursday attending a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g7-summit-2024-italy-ukraine-live-fc5fe5c0f07e82c607cdae50a6fb6b36">summit of the Group of Seven</a>&nbsp;leading industrialized nations, but the president’s campaign unveiled a new ad blaming Trump for lighting the “fire” of Jan. 6 and threatening democracy.

Many of those who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-trump-biden-insurrection-congress-690af49cbf1f7a5696545b1ebbe45c47">once stood up</a>&nbsp;to Trump are long gone from office and the Republicans who remain seem increasingly enthusiastic about the possibility of him retaking the White House, and the down-ballot windfall that could mean for their own GOP majorities in Congress.

Thursday afternoon offered the first encounter in years between Trump and McConnell, who once blamed Trump for the “disgraceful” attack that he called an “insurrection” but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-endorsement-donald-trump-super-tuesday-422a2ec6f19917b46804b4cf6ee40371">now endorses</a>&nbsp;the party’s presumptive nominee.

Trump addressed the situation directly, saying he intends to work with everyone and that McConnell had “done his best” as leader, said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., an ally of the former president.

According to Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who organized the conference meeting, after Trump addressed the group McConnell gave a thumbs up and the two approached each other and exchanged the fist-bump.

“We had a really positive meeting,” McConnell said. “He and I got a chance to talk a little bit, shook hands a few times.”

As democracies around the world come under threat from a far-rightward shift, some analysts warn that the U.S. system, once seemingly immune from authoritarian impulses, is at risk of populist and extremist forces like those that Trump inspired to sack the Capitol.

“This is just another example of House Republicans bending the knee to Donald Trump,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the chairman of the House Democratic caucus.

Making Jan. 6 a cornerstone of his reelection campaign, Trump celebrates those who stormed the Capitol as “warriors” and “patriots,” and he has vowed to pardon any number of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-criminal-cases-anniversary-bf436efe760751b1356f937e55bedaa5">more than 1,200 people</a>&nbsp;charged with crimes for the assault on the seat of U.S. democracy.

Moreover, Trump has vowed to seek retribution by ousting officials at the U.S. Justice Department, which is prosecuting him in a four-count indictment to overturn the election ahead of the Jan. 6 attack and another case over storing classified documents at his Mar-A-Largo home.

Republicans, particularly in the House but increasingly in the Senate, are vigorously following his lead, complaining of an unfair justice system. It's having noticeable results: the House and Senate GOP campaign arms scored some of their highest fundraising periods yet after a jury found him guilty in the New York hush money case.

When former GOP Speaker Paul Ryan on Fox News reiterated this week that he wouldn’t be voting for Trump and wished Republicans had another choice for president, he was immediately ostracized by Trump allies.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;made a triumphant return to Capitol Hill on Thursday, his first with lawmakers since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">Jan.6, 2021</a>&nbsp;attacks, embraced by energized House and Senate Republicans who find themselves reinvigorated by his bid to retake the White House.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump following meetings with Congressional Republicans: &quot;There&#39;s tremendous unity in the Republican Party.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/y17uU6WZl1">pic.twitter.com/y17uU6WZl1</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1801313517670150292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Despite pending federal charges against Trump for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">conspiring to overturn the 2020 election</a>, and his recent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0">guilty verdict</a>&nbsp;in an unrelated hush money trial, the Republican former president arrived emboldened as the party's presumptive nominee. He has successfully purged the GOP of critics, silenced most skeptics and enticed once-critical lawmakers aboard his MAGA-fueled campaign.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> blows out candles on his birthday cake that was given to him by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., left, during a meeting with Senate GOP members at the National Republican Senatorial Committee. <a href="https://t.co/YkEfy6Vtyb">pic.twitter.com/YkEfy6Vtyb</a>&mdash; Doug Mills (@dougmillsnyt) <a href="https://twitter.com/dougmillsnyt/status/1801366654305083478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A packed room of House Republicans sang “Happy Birthday” to Trump in a private breakfast meeting at GOP campaign headquarters across the street from the Capitol. The lawmakers gave him a baseball and bat from the annual congressional game, and senators later presented an American flag cake with “45” candles — and then “47" — referring to the next presidency. Trump bragged that even his telephone rallies for lawmakers could draw bigger crowds than mega-popstar Taylor Swift, who has yet to make any endorsement.In one remarkable moment, Trump and his most prominent Republican critic, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell, shook hands, and fist-bumped.“There's tremendous unity in the Republican Party," Trump said in brief remarks at Senate GOP headquarters.Trump spent about an hour each with House and Senate Republicans delivering free-wheeling remarks, fielding questions and discussing issues — including Russia and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-border-immigration-aclu-lawsuits-237674f030ca808aa7b423821b8caf26">immigration</a>, tax cuts and other priorities for a potential second term.During the morning session, Trump said House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;is doing a “terrific job,” according to a Republican in the private meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it. Trump asked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the speaker’s chief Republican critic, if she was being “nice” to Johnson, another Republican said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SpeakerJohnson</a> statement following meeting with former President Trump. <a href="https://t.co/t672UZ5QLG">pic.twitter.com/t672UZ5QLG</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1801271393599795601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“President Trump brought an extraordinary amount of energy, excitement and enthusiasm this morning,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">Johnson</a>&nbsp;said afterward, noting high fund-raising tallies since the guilty verdict. “We’re feeling good.”The Republican speaker had demurred earlier over whether he’s asked Trump to respect the peaceful transfer of presidential power and commit to not doing another Jan. 6. “Of course he respects that, we all do, and we’ve all talked about it, ad nauseum.”Many potential priorities for a new White House administration are being formulated by a constellation of outside groups, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2024-conservatives-trump-heritage-857eb794e505f1c6710eb03fd5b58981">Project 2025</a>, laying the groundwork for executive and legislative actions, though Trump has made clear he has his own agenda.“Anybody who thought that this president was going to be down after the sham trial ... . It’s only giving him even more energy,” said Rep. Tom Emmer, the GOP whip. “Donald Trump is crushing this election.”But Trump's private meetings with House and Senate Republicans so close to the Capitol were infused with the symbolism of his return as the U.S. president who threatened the American tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.“It’s frustrating,” said former U.S. Capitol Police officer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-police-officer-jan-6-congress-harry-dunn-730a44a881057b2054242d415e57172d">Harry Dunn</a>, who made his own unsuccessful run for Congress as a Maryland Democrat in the aftermath of Jan. 6, the day when police engaged in hand-to-hand fighting to stop Trump supporters who stormed the building in an effort to overturn President Joe Biden's election.Dunn spoke of the “irony” of Trump returning to the area and lawmakers now embracing him. “It just shows the lack of backbone they have when they’re truly putting party and person over country," he said. "And it’s sad.”Biden was overseas Thursday attending a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/g7-summit-2024-italy-ukraine-live-fc5fe5c0f07e82c607cdae50a6fb6b36">summit of the Group of Seven</a>&nbsp;leading industrialized nations, but the president’s campaign unveiled a new ad blaming Trump for lighting the “fire” of Jan. 6 and threatening democracy.Many of those who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-trump-biden-insurrection-congress-690af49cbf1f7a5696545b1ebbe45c47">once stood up</a>&nbsp;to Trump are long gone from office and the Republicans who remain seem increasingly enthusiastic about the possibility of him retaking the White House, and the down-ballot windfall that could mean for their own GOP majorities in Congress.Thursday afternoon offered the first encounter in years between Trump and McConnell, who once blamed Trump for the “disgraceful” attack that he called an “insurrection” but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-endorsement-donald-trump-super-tuesday-422a2ec6f19917b46804b4cf6ee40371">now endorses</a>&nbsp;the party’s presumptive nominee.Trump addressed the situation directly, saying he intends to work with everyone and that McConnell had “done his best” as leader, said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., an ally of the former president.According to Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who organized the conference meeting, after Trump addressed the group McConnell gave a thumbs up and the two approached each other and exchanged the fist-bump.“We had a really positive meeting,” McConnell said. “He and I got a chance to talk a little bit, shook hands a few times.”As democracies around the world come under threat from a far-rightward shift, some analysts warn that the U.S. system, once seemingly immune from authoritarian impulses, is at risk of populist and extremist forces like those that Trump inspired to sack the Capitol.“This is just another example of House Republicans bending the knee to Donald Trump,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the chairman of the House Democratic caucus.Making Jan. 6 a cornerstone of his reelection campaign, Trump celebrates those who stormed the Capitol as “warriors” and “patriots,” and he has vowed to pardon any number of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-criminal-cases-anniversary-bf436efe760751b1356f937e55bedaa5">more than 1,200 people</a>&nbsp;charged with crimes for the assault on the seat of U.S. democracy.Moreover, Trump has vowed to seek retribution by ousting officials at the U.S. Justice Department, which is prosecuting him in a four-count indictment to overturn the election ahead of the Jan. 6 attack and another case over storing classified documents at his Mar-A-Largo home.Republicans, particularly in the House but increasingly in the Senate, are vigorously following his lead, complaining of an unfair justice system. It's having noticeable results: the House and Senate GOP campaign arms scored some of their highest fundraising periods yet after a jury found him guilty in the New York hush money case.When former GOP Speaker Paul Ryan on Fox News reiterated this week that he wouldn’t be voting for Trump and wished Republicans had another choice for president, he was immediately ostracized by Trump allies.“Paul Ryan, you’re a piece of garbage," said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. "We should kick you out of the party.”Of the Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over Jan. 6 and convict him on the charge of inciting the insurrection, only a few remain in office.Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, had not been expected to attend Thursday's closed-door session with Trump. But Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, joined as did Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.Cassidy said he's attending the Trump meeting expecting "he’s going to be the next president, so you have to work” together.Asked if he was concerned about the direction of the Trump Republican Party, Cassidy said: “Let the day’s own troubles be sufficient for the day. You can fill yourself up with anxiety about tomorrow, but will it change a thing? No.”