WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Britain struck 18&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthi</a>&nbsp;targets in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/yemen">Yemen</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-yemen-houthi-hamas-war-gaza-strip-216c0bde5f79ed857f1f5ef7f157a66b">set fire to a cargo vessel.</a>

According to U.S. officials, American and British fighter jets hit sites in eight locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and air defense systems. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide early details of an ongoing military operation.

This is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-iran-syria-jordan-strikes-us-2f235ac0d00edc266576ef0d76fa33e4">the fourth time that the U.S. and British militaries</a>&nbsp;have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since Jan. 12. But the U.S. has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch.

The U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Red Sea, officials said.

“The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks.”

The Houthis denounced the “US-British aggression” and vowed to keep up its military operation in response. “The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that they will confront the US-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arabian Seas in defense of our country, our people and our nation,” it said in a statement.

The U.S., U.K., and other allies said in a statement the “necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across 8 locations in Yemen” that also included underground storage facilities, radar and a helicopter.

U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said RAF Typhoon jets engaged in “precision strikes” aimed at degrading Houthi drones and launchers. Shapps said it came after “severe Houthi attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including against the British-owned MV Islander and the MV Rubymar, which forced the crew to abandon ship.” It’s the fourth time Britain has joined in the U.S.-led strikes.

The strikes have support from the wider coalition, which includes Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

President Joe Biden and other senior leaders have repeatedly warned that the U.S. won’t tolerate the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping. But the counterattacks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">haven’t appeared to diminish</a>&nbsp;the Houthis’ campaign against shipping in the region, which the militants say is over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip.

“Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but we will once again reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in the face of continued threats,” said the Saturday statement.

The Houthis have launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19, and the pace has picked up in recent days.

“We’ve certainly seen in the past 48, 72 hours an increase in attacks from the Houthis,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a briefing Thursday. And she acknowledged that the Houthis have not been deterred.

“We never said we’ve wiped off the map all of their capabilities,” she told reporters. “We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal. They are very capable. They have sophisticated weapons, and that’s because they continue to get them from Iran.”

There have been at least 32 U.S. strikes in Yemen over the past month and a half; a few were conducted with allied involvement. In addition, U.S. warships have taken out dozens of incoming missiles, rockets and drones targeting commercial and other Navy vessels.

Earlier Saturday, the destroyer USS Mason downed an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said, adding that the missile was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a U.S.-Flagged, owned, and operated chemical and oil tanker.

The U.S. attacks on the Houthis have targeted more than 120 launchers, more than 10 surface-to-air-missiles, 40 storage and support building, 15 drone storage building, more than 20 unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles, several underground storage areas and a few other facilities.

The rebels’ supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced this past week an “escalation in sea operations” conducted by his forces as part of what they describe as a pressure campaign to end Israel’s war on Hamas.

But while the group says the attacks are aimed at stopping that war, the Houthis' targets have grown more random, endangering a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments traveling from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe.

During normal operations, about 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. While the Houthi attacks have only actually struck a small number of vessels, the persistent targeting and near misses that have been shot down by the U.S. and allies have prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels from the Red Sea.

Instead, they have sent them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope — a much longer, costlier and less efficient passage. The threats also have led the U.S. and its allies to set up a joint mission where warships from participating nations provide a protective umbrella of air defense for ships as they travel between the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

In Thursday’s attack in the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis fired two missiles at a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander, according to Central Command said. A European naval force in the region said the attack sparked a fire and wounded a sailor on board the vessel, though the ship continued on its way.

Central Command launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that the military said were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea.

Central Command also said Saturday that a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on Feb. 18 caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick and the. military warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel’s cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-67cf1acc17f4e17d04075a99688e4da8">was attacked</a>&nbsp;while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer, according to a Central Command statement.

The Associated Press, relying on satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the stricken vessel, reported Tuesday that the vessel was leaking oil in the Red Sea.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Saturday called for other countries and maritime-protection organizations to quickly address the oil slick and avert “a significant environmental disaster.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Britain struck more than a dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthi</a>&nbsp;targets in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/yemen">Yemen</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-yemen-houthi-hamas-war-gaza-strip-216c0bde5f79ed857f1f5ef7f157a66b">set fire to a cargo vessel.</a>

According to U.S. officials, American and British fighter jets hit about 18 sites across multiple locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and unmanned surface and underwater vehicles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide early details of an ongoing military operation.

The U.S. fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Red Sea.

The group has launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19, and the pace has picked up in recent days.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708813391502.png" alt="F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower supporting strikes against on Iranian-Backed Houthi Targets on Feb. 24.- photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower supporting strikes against on Iranian-Backed Houthi Targets on Feb. 24.- photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Britain struck 18&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthi</a>&nbsp;targets in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/yemen">Yemen</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-yemen-houthi-hamas-war-gaza-strip-216c0bde5f79ed857f1f5ef7f157a66b">set fire to a cargo vessel.</a>According to U.S. officials, American and British fighter jets hit sites in eight locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and air defense systems. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide early details of an ongoing military operation.This is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-iran-syria-jordan-strikes-us-2f235ac0d00edc266576ef0d76fa33e4">the fourth time that the U.S. and British militaries</a>&nbsp;have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since Jan. 12. But the U.S. has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch.The U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Red Sea, officials said.“The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. “We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks.”The Houthis denounced the “US-British aggression” and vowed to keep up its military operation in response. “The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that they will confront the US-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arabian Seas in defense of our country, our people and our nation,” it said in a statement.The U.S., U.K., and other allies said in a statement the “necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across 8 locations in Yemen” that also included underground storage facilities, radar and a helicopter.U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said RAF Typhoon jets engaged in “precision strikes” aimed at degrading Houthi drones and launchers. Shapps said it came after “severe Houthi attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including against the British-owned MV Islander and the MV Rubymar, which forced the crew to abandon ship.” It’s the fourth time Britain has joined in the U.S.-led strikes.The strikes have support from the wider coalition, which includes Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand.President Joe Biden and other senior leaders have repeatedly warned that the U.S. won’t tolerate the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping. But the counterattacks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">haven’t appeared to diminish</a>&nbsp;the Houthis’ campaign against shipping in the region, which the militants say is over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip.“Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but we will once again reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in the face of continued threats,” said the Saturday statement.The Houthis have launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19, and the pace has picked up in recent days.“We’ve certainly seen in the past 48, 72 hours an increase in attacks from the Houthis,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a briefing Thursday. And she acknowledged that the Houthis have not been deterred.“We never said we’ve wiped off the map all of their capabilities,” she told reporters. “We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal. They are very capable. They have sophisticated weapons, and that’s because they continue to get them from Iran.”There have been at least 32 U.S. strikes in Yemen over the past month and a half; a few were conducted with allied involvement. In addition, U.S. warships have taken out dozens of incoming missiles, rockets and drones targeting commercial and other Navy vessels.Earlier Saturday, the destroyer USS Mason downed an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said, adding that the missile was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a U.S.-Flagged, owned, and operated chemical and oil tanker.The U.S. attacks on the Houthis have targeted more than 120 launchers, more than 10 surface-to-air-missiles, 40 storage and support building, 15 drone storage building, more than 20 unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles, several underground storage areas and a few other facilities.The rebels’ supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced this past week an “escalation in sea operations” conducted by his forces as part of what they describe as a pressure campaign to end Israel’s war on Hamas.But while the group says the attacks are aimed at stopping that war, the Houthis' targets have grown more random, endangering a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments traveling from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe.During normal operations, about 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. While the Houthi attacks have only actually struck a small number of vessels, the persistent targeting and near misses that have been shot down by the U.S. and allies have prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels from the Red Sea.Instead, they have sent them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope — a much longer, costlier and less efficient passage. The threats also have led the U.S. and its allies to set up a joint mission where warships from participating nations provide a protective umbrella of air defense for ships as they travel between the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.In Thursday’s attack in the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis fired two missiles at a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander, according to Central Command said. A European naval force in the region said the attack sparked a fire and wounded a sailor on board the vessel, though the ship continued on its way.Central Command launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that the military said were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea.Central Command also said Saturday that a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on Feb. 18 caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick and the. military warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel’s cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-67cf1acc17f4e17d04075a99688e4da8">was attacked</a>&nbsp;while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer, according to a Central Command statement.The Associated Press, relying on satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the stricken vessel, reported Tuesday that the vessel was leaking oil in the Red Sea.Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Saturday called for other countries and maritime-protection organizations to quickly address the oil slick and avert “a significant environmental disaster.------------WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Britain struck more than a dozen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/houthis">Houthi</a>&nbsp;targets in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/yemen">Yemen</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, answering a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, including a missile strike this past week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-yemen-houthi-hamas-war-gaza-strip-216c0bde5f79ed857f1f5ef7f157a66b">set fire to a cargo vessel.</a>According to U.S. officials, American and British fighter jets hit about 18 sites across multiple locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones and unmanned surface and underwater vehicles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to provide early details of an ongoing military operation.This is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iraq-iran-syria-jordan-strikes-us-2f235ac0d00edc266576ef0d76fa33e4">the fourth time that the U.S. and British militaries</a>&nbsp;have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since Jan. 12. But the U.S. has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch.The U.S. fighter jets launched from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which is currently in the Red Sea.President Joe Biden and other senior leaders have repeatedly warned that the U.S. won’t tolerate the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping. But the counterattacks&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-red-sea-israel-hamas-6ac2a1bf5032ed0531258816907cfe2c">haven’t appeared to diminish</a>&nbsp;the Houthis’ campaign against shipping in the region, which the militants say is over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel’s war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;in the Gaza Strip.The group has launched at least 57 attacks on commercial and military ships in the the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19, and the pace has picked up in recent days.“We’ve certainly seen in the past 48, 72 hours an increase in attacks from the Houthis,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a briefing Thursday. And she acknowledged that the Houthis have not been deterred.“We never said we’ve wiped off the map all of their capabilities,” she told reporters. “We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal. They are very capable. They have sophisticated weapons, and that’s because they continue to get them from Iran.”There have been at least 32 U.S. strikes in Yemen over the past month and a half; a few were conducted with allied involvement. In addition, U.S. warships have taken out dozens of incoming missiles, rockets and drones targeting commercial and other Navy vessels.Earlier Saturday, the destroyer USS Mason downed an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from Houthi-held areas in Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said, adding that the missile was likely targeting MV Torm Thor, a U.S.-Flagged, owned, and operated chemical and oil tanker.The U.S. attacks on the Houthis have targeted more than 120 launchers, more than 10 surface-to-air-missiles, 40 storage and support building, 15 drone storage building, more than 20 unmanned air, surface and underwater vehicles, several underground storage areas and a few other facilities.The rebels’ supreme leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, announced this past week an “escalation in sea operations” conducted by his forces as part of what they describe as a pressure campaign to end Israel’s war on Hamas.But while the group says the attacks are aimed at stopping that war, the Houthis' targets have grown more random, endangering a vital waterway for cargo and energy shipments traveling from Asia and the Middle East onward to Europe.During normal operations, about 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. While the Houthi attacks have only actually struck a small number of vessels, the persistent targeting and near misses that have been shot down by the U.S. and allies have prompted shipping companies to reroute their vessels from the Red Sea.Instead, they have sent them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope — a much longer, costlier and less efficient passage. The threats also have led the U.S. and its allies to set up a joint mission where warships from participating nations provide a protective umbrella of air defense for ships as they travel between the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.In Thursday’s attack in the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis fired two missiles at a Palau-flagged cargo ship named Islander, according to Central Command said. A European naval force in the region said the attack sparked a fire and wounded a sailor on board the vessel, though the ship continued on its way.Central Command launched attacks on Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Friday, destroying seven mobile anti-ship cruise missiles that the military said were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea.Central Command also said Saturday that a Houthi attack on a Belize-flagged ship on Feb. 18 caused an 18-mile (29-kilometer) oil slick and the. military warned of the danger of a spill from the vessel’s cargo of fertilizer. The Rubymar, a British-registered, Lebanese-operated cargo vessel,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-rebels-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-67cf1acc17f4e17d04075a99688e4da8">was attacked</a>&nbsp;while sailing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.The missile attack forced the crew to abandon the vessel, which had been on its way to Bulgaria after leaving Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. It was transporting more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer, according to a Central Command statement.The Associated Press, relying on satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the stricken vessel, reported Tuesday that the vessel was leaking oil in the Red Sea.Yemen’s internationally recognized government on Saturday called for other countries and maritime-protection organizations to quickly address the oil slick and avert “a significant environmental disaster.

U.S. launches fourth round of airstrikes against Iran-backed terrorists

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

TOPEKA — Raymond Kapaun never met the uncle who served as a U.S. Army chaplain and died of malnutrition and pneumonia at a prison camp during the Korean War.

This nephew, born in 1957 and now a resident of Coupeville, Washington, became the beneficiary of family stories and military documentation attesting to the heroism, compassion and selflessness of Father Kapaun, who perished in 1951.

“I never personally met my uncle,” Raymon Kapaun told the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee. “Father Emil was a priest, a soldier, a chaplain, a hero, but more than anything else he was a Kansas native through and through.”

On Wednesday, the Kansas Senate agreed. Senators voted 40-0 for Senate Bill 431, which would require the Capitol Preservation Committee to develop plans for a permanent memorial honoring the life of Emil Kapaun. The legislation sent to the Kansas House would set up the framework for the state to accept grants, gifts, contributions or bequests to finance creation and construction of a memorial inside the Capitol.

Michael Kelly, a 34-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a member of the Kansas council of the Military Officers Association of America, said Kapaun deserved to be further recognized for his physical and moral courage.

“His unrelenting courage and miraculous displays of selflessness under the most extreme conditions in the face of a hostile enemy force are shining beacons of positive character values that must never be lost to history,” Kelly said. “Chaplain Kapaun kept the faith and led many other soldiers to survive their ordeal as prisoners of war.”

Kapaun was born in 1916 on a farm near Pilsen, a community in Marion County. In 1940, he was ordained a Catholic priest in Wichita. He graduated from the U.S. Army chaplain school in 1944 and was assigned to Camp Wheeler in Georgia. He was posted after World War II to India and promoted to captain before released from active duty. In 1948, he returned to the Army and was assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division in Japan.

He deployed to South Korea less than one month after North Korea invaded South Korea. He earned a Bronze Star Medal for helping save the life of a wounded soldier pinned down by enemy fire. As the U.S. Army pushed north, he earned a reputation for ministering with an improvised alter on the hood of a Jeep. Intervention by Chinese troops on North Korea’s behalf forced a U.S. retreat, but Kapaun stayed with 800 men of the 3rd Battalion ordered to slow the Chinese onslaught.

Kapaun braved enemy fire to rescue nearly 40 men, for which President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Kapaun the Medal of Honor in 2013. Kapaun was taken prison and marched to a camp in North Korea. He stole food for starving soldiers and smuggled dysentery drugs to fellow prisoners.

He led a final Easter service on March 25, 1951, before prison guards moved him to a building where he died May 23, 1951. His remains were eventually returned to the United States and buried in Hawaii. His remains were disinterred and positively identified in 2021. He was reburied in Park City, near Wichita.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, advocated for a change in federal law to require the U.S. Department of Defense and Obama to consider awarding Kapaun the Medal of Honor. Moran also worked to get Kapaun’s remains identified and returned to Kansas.

“By erecting a statue of Father Kapaun within the Kansas state Capitol, we not only pay tribute to a local hero but also celebrate the values that define our state and our nation,” Moran said. “His story is a powerful example of how one individual’s actions can make a profound difference.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1614944899732.png" alt="Father Kapaun courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Father Kapaun courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Raymond Kapaun never met the uncle who served as a U.S. Army chaplain and died of malnutrition and pneumonia at a prison camp during the Korean War.This nephew, born in 1957 and now a resident of Coupeville, Washington, became the beneficiary of family stories and military documentation attesting to the heroism, compassion and selflessness of Father Kapaun, who perished in 1951.“I never personally met my uncle,” Raymon Kapaun told the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee. “Father Emil was a priest, a soldier, a chaplain, a hero, but more than anything else he was a Kansas native through and through.”On Wednesday, the Kansas Senate agreed. Senators voted 40-0 for Senate Bill 431, which would require the Capitol Preservation Committee to develop plans for a permanent memorial honoring the life of Emil Kapaun. The legislation sent to the Kansas House would set up the framework for the state to accept grants, gifts, contributions or bequests to finance creation and construction of a memorial inside the Capitol.Michael Kelly, a 34-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a member of the Kansas council of the Military Officers Association of America, said Kapaun deserved to be further recognized for his physical and moral courage.“His unrelenting courage and miraculous displays of selflessness under the most extreme conditions in the face of a hostile enemy force are shining beacons of positive character values that must never be lost to history,” Kelly said. “Chaplain Kapaun kept the faith and led many other soldiers to survive their ordeal as prisoners of war.”Kapaun was born in 1916 on a farm near Pilsen, a community in Marion County. In 1940, he was ordained a Catholic priest in Wichita. He graduated from the U.S. Army chaplain school in 1944 and was assigned to Camp Wheeler in Georgia. He was posted after World War II to India and promoted to captain before released from active duty. In 1948, he returned to the Army and was assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division in Japan.He deployed to South Korea less than one month after North Korea invaded South Korea. He earned a Bronze Star Medal for helping save the life of a wounded soldier pinned down by enemy fire. As the U.S. Army pushed north, he earned a reputation for ministering with an improvised alter on the hood of a Jeep. Intervention by Chinese troops on North Korea’s behalf forced a U.S. retreat, but Kapaun stayed with 800 men of the 3rd Battalion ordered to slow the Chinese onslaught.Kapaun braved enemy fire to rescue nearly 40 men, for which President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Kapaun the Medal of Honor in 2013. Kapaun was taken prison and marched to a camp in North Korea. He stole food for starving soldiers and smuggled dysentery drugs to fellow prisoners.He led a final Easter service on March 25, 1951, before prison guards moved him to a building where he died May 23, 1951. His remains were eventually returned to the United States and buried in Hawaii. His remains were disinterred and positively identified in 2021. He was reburied in Park City, near Wichita.U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, advocated for a change in federal law to require the U.S. Department of Defense and Obama to consider awarding Kapaun the Medal of Honor. Moran also worked to get Kapaun’s remains identified and returned to Kansas.“By erecting a statue of Father Kapaun within the Kansas state Capitol, we not only pay tribute to a local hero but also celebrate the values that define our state and our nation,” Moran said. “His story is a powerful example of how one individual’s actions can make a profound difference.”

Kan. Senate unanimously endorses plan for Capitol memorial to Father Emil Kapaun

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas man has pleaded guilty to smashing into a Kansas City, Missouri, patrol car last year and killing an officer, his K-9 partner and a pedestrian.

Jerron Lightfoot of Tonganoxie, Kansas, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and admitted speeding through a red light before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/accidents-kansas-city-dogs-4bb23017bb67413c7b1f7c8fc98cc6d1">the crash</a>, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article285869891.html?tbref=hp">Kansas City Star</a>. Officer James Muhlbauer, 42, Jesse Eckes, 52, and Champ the dog were all killed.

Lightfoot told the judge that he got lost that night last February while he was driving back toward Kansas.

Prosecutors have said Lightfoot was traveling at least 85 mph just before the collision.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend no more than 10 years in prison, though Assistant Prosecutor Lauren Whiston said she anticipated that Lightfoot's lawyers would ask for a much more lenient sentence when the 20-year-old returns to court in April.

Muhlbauer, who was married and a father, was a 20-year veteran of the force. Champ had been a K-9 with the force for a year.

Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves attended Friday's plea hearing along with several uniformed police officers, but she didn't comment on the case

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676902567063.png" alt="Officer James Muhlbauer and K-9 Officer Champ-photo courtesy KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Officer James Muhlbauer and K-9 Officer Champ-photo courtesy KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas man has pleaded guilty to smashing into a Kansas City, Missouri, patrol car last year and killing an officer, his K-9 partner and a pedestrian.Jerron Lightfoot of Tonganoxie, Kansas, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and admitted speeding through a red light before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/accidents-kansas-city-dogs-4bb23017bb67413c7b1f7c8fc98cc6d1">the crash</a>, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article285869891.html?tbref=hp">Kansas City Star</a>. Officer James Muhlbauer, 42, Jesse Eckes, 52, and Champ the dog were all killed.Lightfoot told the judge that he got lost that night last February while he was driving back toward Kansas.Prosecutors have said Lightfoot was traveling at least 85 mph just before the collision.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676644200134.png" alt="Lightfoot-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Lightfoot-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend no more than 10 years in prison, though Assistant Prosecutor Lauren Whiston said she anticipated that Lightfoot's lawyers would ask for a much more lenient sentence when the 20-year-old returns to court in April.Muhlbauer, who was married and a father, was a 20-year veteran of the force. Champ had been a K-9 with the force for a year.Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves attended Friday's plea hearing along with several uniformed police officers, but she didn't comment on the case

Kan. man admits causing crash that killed officer, pedestrian and K-9

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump trounced Nikki Haley on Saturday in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-nikki-haley-south-carolina-primary-republicans-13237d287ce770e0a45e9bccee78e8ee">South Carolina primary</a>, a victory that emphatically punctuated the depth and breadth of his support among Republican primary voters as he vanquished his lone remaining major opponent in her home state.

Trump did not even have to mount a vigorous campaign, making few appearances and spending relatively little money. Haley has vowed to stay in the race and planned to visit Michigan, the site of the next primary, on Sunday. But the loss further eroded the rationale for her candidacy, barring something unforeseen that would derail the former president.

Here are some takeaways from the South Carolina leg of the campaign:

Haley talked up her chances in “my sweet state of South Carolina” for months. Twice elected governor, initially as a tea party candidate in 2010, she was universally known in her state, and mostly for positive reasons. She had even served as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. Her conservative record was clear.

And yet her credentials were no match for Trump's hold on the party.

Trump has now won with ease in the Midwest, the Northeast and the South, bulldozing any regional differences that had existed in the party before his rise.

Haley talked in 2024 about her successes recruiting industry to South Carolina and signing tax cuts and voter ID laws. She promoted her international experience. She excoriated Trump as too risky, too old, too busy fending off indictments, too close to Vladimir Putin and not close enough to NATO allies. Voters were not swayed.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-voted-how-south-carolina-primary-trump-haley-86a0c7960e5c3c7f88ec1c9a330be53e">AP VoteCast data</a>&nbsp;reflected her challenge, especially on foreign policy. The survey found that about half of South Carolina primary voters wanted the U.S. to take a less active role in the world, while about 6 out of 10 opposed continuing aid to Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion. They were instead strongly aligned with Trump's vision.

Everything Haley tried reinforced the dynamics: To most Trump loyalists she sounded like just another politician offering establishment positions and trying to topple their champion.

HALEY STILL HAS NO OBVIOUS OR EVEN LIKELY WINS

Haley repeated that she plans to stick around. The Michigan primary is Feb. 27. Haley already has campaigned there and run advertising. The big prize follows, Super Tuesday on March 5, when about a third of Republicans’ 2,429 total delegates are at stake across primaries and caucuses in 15 states and one territory. Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, notes often that many states that follow South Carolina have the same open primary rules. But not all of them. And that didn’t translate into a win at home anyway.

California, a majority-Democratic state, does not have open primaries. So Trump, even in a state where he’s not broadly popular, will be the favorite in a Republicans-only setting. Michigan does have an open primary. But that’s a state where progressives and Arab American voters are pushing voters to cast “uncommitted” ballots as a protest against President Joe Biden’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war. Biden’s campaign is countering. So that gives Democrats their own fight, with no incentive to cross over.

In short, if Haley couldn’t win in South Carolina, her chances of victories ahead are slim.

WHAT REALLY FORCES CANDIDATES TO DROP OUT

Presidential campaigns rarely end directly because of primary losses and delegates counts. They end when a candidate can’t keep the lights on anymore. And sometimes donors keep giving long after the scoreboard says it’s practically over.

Often, that’s the case when there is a real ideological fight within a party — see Bernie Sanders in 2016, when the democratic socialist was the vessel for progressive anger at Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party old guard. This time, for Republicans, it is a blend of personality, identity and ideology. Haley is the stand-in for all Republican check writers who loathe Trump and his version of the GOP.

And it's these anti-Trump Republicans who keep paying her campaign’s bills. It isn’t about delegates. So when Haley insists she is staying through to Super Tuesday, it’s because she has the resources to do so. At some point, if she doesn't have a dramatic reversal, those resources will dry up.

But this campaign has a major asterisk. Trump is facing more than 90 criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions, injecting unparalleled uncertainty into the race.

SPEECHES AND SPIN ASIDE, IT’S ABOUT DELEGATES

Haley's determination aside, the ultimate numbers that matter are not on her fundraising reports. It's the delegate math. And Trump was on pace to win all 50 delegates in South Carolina, widening his lead and making it increasingly clear that he will reach the 1,215-delegate majority long before the end of the primary calendar in late spring.

VP AUDITION HOUR, FEATURING SEN. TIM SCOTT

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who dropped his own presidential bid in November, enjoyed an extended spotlight in the unofficial contest to become Trump's running mate. First appointed to the Senate in 2012 by Haley, he was Trump's most visible surrogate in South Carolina, often heaping praise on a former president who can never seem to get too much validation.

“He’s been such a great advocate,” Trump said at a Fox News town hall with Scott beside him. “He has been much better for me than he was for himself. I watched his campaign and he doesn’t like talking about himself, but boy, does he talk about Trump.”

Scott would give Trump loyalty and effective advocacy, without upstaging a former president who is always the headliner. Scott, as the only Black Republican in the Senate, also could appeal to Trump in his quest to increase GOP support from non-white voters.

But Trump has been known to flatter those who fawn over him, then make another choice.

Haley never explicitly asked Democrats to help her against Trump, but she might as well have. She often reminded South Carolinians, who do not have to register by party, that the primary was open to all voters except the 125,000-plus who already had cast Democratic primary ballots Feb. 3.

She needed some of the remaining South Carolina Democrats, plus independents, to essentially give her a GOP version of the coalition Biden assembled against Trump in 2020. In a South Carolina Republican primary that would mean heavy support from wealthier, more moderate, college-educated white voters, especially around Columbia and Charleston. But Haley also needed at least some backing from Black voters in those areas and across small-town South Carolina.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;won South Carolina’s Republican primary on Saturday, beating former U.N. Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;in her home state and further consolidating his path to a third straight GOP nomination.

Trump has now swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, with wins already in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The former president’s latest victory will likely increase pressure on Haley, who was Trump’s former representative to the U.N. and South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, to leave the race.

A 2020 general rematch between Trump and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is becoming increasingly inevitable. Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least the batch of primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday, but was unable to dent Trump’s momentum in her home state despite holding far more campaign events and arguing that the indictments against Trump will hamstring him against Biden.

South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary has historically been a reliable bellwether for Republicans. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the party’s nominee. The lone exception was Newt Gingrich in 2012.

Haley said in recent days that she would head straight to Michigan for its Tuesday primary, the last major contest before Super Tuesday. She faces questions about where she might be able to win a contest or be competitive.

Trump and Biden are already behaving like they expect to face off in November.

Trump and his allies argue Biden has made the U.S. weaker and point to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;and Russia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-second-anniversary-65088ba9eb9bd729cf8c677e2115cb35">decision to launch a full-scale invasion</a>&nbsp;of Ukraine. Trump has also repeatedly attacked Biden over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-election-2024-eggs-trump-6690e93b2817f28ebc314c088cbec267">high inflation earlier in the president’s term</a>&nbsp;and his handling of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-crossings-mexico-biden-18ac91ef502e0c5433f74de6cc629b32">record-high migrant crossings</a>&nbsp;at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump has questioned — often in harshly personal terms — whether the 81-year-old Biden is too old to serve a second term. Biden’s team in turn has highlighted the 77-year-old Trump’s own flubs on the campaign trail.

Biden has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-obama-clinton-campaign-fundraisers-new-york-41f5efe969dfc3617cffd36a26a9bf96">stepped up his recent fundraising trips around the country</a>&nbsp;and increasingly attacked Trump directly. He’s called Trump and his “Make America Great Again” movement dire threats to the nation’s founding principles, and the president’s reelection campaign has lately focused most of its attention on Trump suggesting he’d use the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hannity-dictator-authoritarian-presidential-election-f27e7e9d7c13fabbe3ae7dd7f1235c72">first day of a second presidency as a dictator</a>&nbsp;and that he’d&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-nato-foreign-aid-russia-2b8054a9fe185eec34c2c541cece655d">tell Russia to attack NATO allies</a>&nbsp;who fail to keep up with defense spending obligations mandated by the alliance.

Haley also criticized Trump on his NATO comments and also for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-donald-trump-michael-haley-d76d4f858a92c0fedfc0723655195319">questioning why her husband wasn’t on the campaign trail</a>&nbsp;with her — even as former first lady Melania Trump hasn’t appeared with him. Maj. Michael Haley is deployed in the Horn of Africa on a mission with the South Carolina Army National Guard.

But South Carolina’s Republican voters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-voted-how-south-carolina-primary-trump-haley-86a0c7960e5c3c7f88ec1c9a330be53e">line up with Trump on having lukewarm feelings</a>&nbsp;about NATO and continued U.S. support for Ukraine, according to AP VoteCast data from Saturday’s primary. About 6 in 10 oppose continuing aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Only about a third described America’s participation in NATO as “very good,” with more saying it’s only “somewhat good.”

Haley has raised copious amounts of campaign money and is scheduled to begin a cross-country campaign swing on Sunday in Michigan ahead of Super Tuesday on&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/5%20Super%20Tuesday">March 5</a>, when many delegate-rich states hold primaries.

But it’s unclear how she can stop Trump from clinching enough delegates to become the party’s presumptive nominee for the third time.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., complimented Haley while speaking to reporters at Trump’s election night party in Columbia but suggested it was time for her to drop out.

“I think the sooner she does, the better for her, the better for the party,” Graham said.

Trump’s political strength has endured despite facing&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">91 criminal charges</a>&nbsp;related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden, the discovery of classified documents in his Florida residence and allegations that he secretly arranged payoffs to a porn actress.

The former president’s first criminal trial is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-new-york-criminal-case-fbdff18df40920b75873b3a40317f5ee">set to begin on March 25</a>&nbsp;in New York, where he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in the closing weeks of his 2016 presidential campaign.

Biden won South Carolina’s Democratic primary earlier this month and faces only one remaining challenger, Dean Phillips. The Minnesota Democratic congressman has continued to campaign in Michigan ahead of the Democratic primary there, despite having little chance of actually beating Biden.

Though Biden is expected to cruise to his party’s renomination, he faces criticism from some Democrats for providing military backing to Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Some in his party support a ceasefire as the death toll in Israel’s war has reached 30,000 people,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-19-2024-81c2d362340b611a98e4b929b4b5d0a4">two-thirds of them women and children</a>. The war could hurt the president’s general election chances in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-gaza-protest-hamas-michigan-election-5bf3f88529d625a129e786bab29c4fde">swing states like Michigan</a>, which is home to a large Arab American population.

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump trounced Nikki Haley on Saturday in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-nikki-haley-south-carolina-primary-republicans-13237d287ce770e0a45e9bccee78e8ee">South Carolina primary</a>, a victory that emphatically punctuated the depth and breadth of his support among Republican primary voters as he vanquished his lone remaining major opponent in her home state.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Donald Trump South Carolina primary night remarks: &quot;This was a little sooner than we anticipated. An even bigger win than we anticipated. I was just informed that we got double the number of votes that has ever been received in the great state of South Carolina. <a href="https://t.co/T4EdzUJr4r">pic.twitter.com/T4EdzUJr4r</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1761552438761328692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump did not even have to mount a vigorous campaign, making few appearances and spending relatively little money. Haley has vowed to stay in the race and planned to visit Michigan, the site of the next primary, on Sunday. But the loss further eroded the rationale for her candidacy, barring something unforeseen that would derail the former president.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Congratulations to President Trump for his landslide victory in South Carolina. It&#39;s past time for the GOP to end this political primary charade and unite behind the clear nominee, Donald J. Trump. 🇺🇸🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/WaR9qKklF5">https://t.co/WaR9qKklF5</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1761566340723138756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Here are some takeaways from the South Carolina leg of the campaign:ALL (REPUBLICAN) POLITICS IS NATIONALHaley talked up her chances in “my sweet state of South Carolina” for months. Twice elected governor, initially as a tea party candidate in 2010, she was universally known in her state, and mostly for positive reasons. She had even served as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations. Her conservative record was clear.And yet her credentials were no match for Trump's hold on the party.Trump has now won with ease in the Midwest, the Northeast and the South, bulldozing any regional differences that had existed in the party before his rise.Haley talked in 2024 about her successes recruiting industry to South Carolina and signing tax cuts and voter ID laws. She promoted her international experience. She excoriated Trump as too risky, too old, too busy fending off indictments, too close to Vladimir Putin and not close enough to NATO allies. Voters were not swayed.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-voted-how-south-carolina-primary-trump-haley-86a0c7960e5c3c7f88ec1c9a330be53e">AP VoteCast data</a>&nbsp;reflected her challenge, especially on foreign policy. The survey found that about half of South Carolina primary voters wanted the U.S. to take a less active role in the world, while about 6 out of 10 opposed continuing aid to Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion. They were instead strongly aligned with Trump's vision.Everything Haley tried reinforced the dynamics: To most Trump loyalists she sounded like just another politician offering establishment positions and trying to topple their champion.HALEY STILL HAS NO OBVIOUS OR EVEN LIKELY WINSHaley repeated that she plans to stick around. The Michigan primary is Feb. 27. Haley already has campaigned there and run advertising. The big prize follows, Super Tuesday on March 5, when about a third of Republicans’ 2,429 total delegates are at stake across primaries and caucuses in 15 states and one territory. Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, notes often that many states that follow South Carolina have the same open primary rules. But not all of them. And that didn’t translate into a win at home anyway.California, a majority-Democratic state, does not have open primaries. So Trump, even in a state where he’s not broadly popular, will be the favorite in a Republicans-only setting. Michigan does have an open primary. But that’s a state where progressives and Arab American voters are pushing voters to cast “uncommitted” ballots as a protest against President Joe Biden’s approach to the Israel-Hamas war. Biden’s campaign is countering. So that gives Democrats their own fight, with no incentive to cross over.In short, if Haley couldn’t win in South Carolina, her chances of victories ahead are slim.WHAT REALLY FORCES CANDIDATES TO DROP OUTPresidential campaigns rarely end directly because of primary losses and delegates counts. They end when a candidate can’t keep the lights on anymore. And sometimes donors keep giving long after the scoreboard says it’s practically over.Often, that’s the case when there is a real ideological fight within a party — see Bernie Sanders in 2016, when the democratic socialist was the vessel for progressive anger at Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party old guard. This time, for Republicans, it is a blend of personality, identity and ideology. Haley is the stand-in for all Republican check writers who loathe Trump and his version of the GOP.And it's these anti-Trump Republicans who keep paying her campaign’s bills. It isn’t about delegates. So when Haley insists she is staying through to Super Tuesday, it’s because she has the resources to do so. At some point, if she doesn't have a dramatic reversal, those resources will dry up.But this campaign has a major asterisk. Trump is facing more than 90 criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions, injecting unparalleled uncertainty into the race.SPEECHES AND SPIN ASIDE, IT’S ABOUT DELEGATESHaley's determination aside, the ultimate numbers that matter are not on her fundraising reports. It's the delegate math. And Trump was on pace to win all 50 delegates in South Carolina, widening his lead and making it increasingly clear that he will reach the 1,215-delegate majority long before the end of the primary calendar in late spring.VP AUDITION HOUR, FEATURING SEN. TIM SCOTT<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708812713486.png" alt="Trump and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Trump and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who dropped his own presidential bid in November, enjoyed an extended spotlight in the unofficial contest to become Trump's running mate. First appointed to the Senate in 2012 by Haley, he was Trump's most visible surrogate in South Carolina, often heaping praise on a former president who can never seem to get too much validation.Trump certainly noticed.“He’s been such a great advocate,” Trump said at a Fox News town hall with Scott beside him. “He has been much better for me than he was for himself. I watched his campaign and he doesn’t like talking about himself, but boy, does he talk about Trump.”Scott would give Trump loyalty and effective advocacy, without upstaging a former president who is always the headliner. Scott, as the only Black Republican in the Senate, also could appeal to Trump in his quest to increase GOP support from non-white voters.But Trump has been known to flatter those who fawn over him, then make another choice.THE BIDEN COALITION DID NOT SAVE HALEYHaley never explicitly asked Democrats to help her against Trump, but she might as well have. She often reminded South Carolinians, who do not have to register by party, that the primary was open to all voters except the 125,000-plus who already had cast Democratic primary ballots Feb. 3.She needed some of the remaining South Carolina Democrats, plus independents, to essentially give her a GOP version of the coalition Biden assembled against Trump in 2020. In a South Carolina Republican primary that would mean heavy support from wealthier, more moderate, college-educated white voters, especially around Columbia and Charleston. But Haley also needed at least some backing from Black voters in those areas and across small-town South Carolina.It didn’t happen.----------------CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;won South Carolina’s Republican primary on Saturday, beating former U.N. Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;in her home state and further consolidating his path to a third straight GOP nomination.Trump has now swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, with wins already in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The former president’s latest victory will likely increase pressure on Haley, who was Trump’s former representative to the U.N. and South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, to leave the race.A 2020 general rematch between Trump and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;is becoming increasingly inevitable. Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least the batch of primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday, but was unable to dent Trump’s momentum in her home state despite holding far more campaign events and arguing that the indictments against Trump will hamstring him against Biden.South Carolina’s first-in-the-South primary has historically been a reliable bellwether for Republicans. In all but one primary since 1980, the Republican winner in South Carolina has gone on to be the party’s nominee. The lone exception was Newt Gingrich in 2012.Haley said in recent days that she would head straight to Michigan for its Tuesday primary, the last major contest before Super Tuesday. She faces questions about where she might be able to win a contest or be competitive.Trump and Biden are already behaving like they expect to face off in November.Trump and his allies argue Biden has made the U.S. weaker and point to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;and Russia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-second-anniversary-65088ba9eb9bd729cf8c677e2115cb35">decision to launch a full-scale invasion</a>&nbsp;of Ukraine. Trump has also repeatedly attacked Biden over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inflation-election-2024-eggs-trump-6690e93b2817f28ebc314c088cbec267">high inflation earlier in the president’s term</a>&nbsp;and his handling of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-crossings-mexico-biden-18ac91ef502e0c5433f74de6cc629b32">record-high migrant crossings</a>&nbsp;at the U.S.-Mexico border.Trump has questioned — often in harshly personal terms — whether the 81-year-old Biden is too old to serve a second term. Biden’s team in turn has highlighted the 77-year-old Trump’s own flubs on the campaign trail.Biden has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-obama-clinton-campaign-fundraisers-new-york-41f5efe969dfc3617cffd36a26a9bf96">stepped up his recent fundraising trips around the country</a>&nbsp;and increasingly attacked Trump directly. He’s called Trump and his “Make America Great Again” movement dire threats to the nation’s founding principles, and the president’s reelection campaign has lately focused most of its attention on Trump suggesting he’d use the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hannity-dictator-authoritarian-presidential-election-f27e7e9d7c13fabbe3ae7dd7f1235c72">first day of a second presidency as a dictator</a>&nbsp;and that he’d&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-nato-foreign-aid-russia-2b8054a9fe185eec34c2c541cece655d">tell Russia to attack NATO allies</a>&nbsp;who fail to keep up with defense spending obligations mandated by the alliance.Haley also criticized Trump on his NATO comments and also for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nikki-haley-donald-trump-michael-haley-d76d4f858a92c0fedfc0723655195319">questioning why her husband wasn’t on the campaign trail</a>&nbsp;with her — even as former first lady Melania Trump hasn’t appeared with him. Maj. Michael Haley is deployed in the Horn of Africa on a mission with the South Carolina Army National Guard.But South Carolina’s Republican voters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/who-voted-how-south-carolina-primary-trump-haley-86a0c7960e5c3c7f88ec1c9a330be53e">line up with Trump on having lukewarm feelings</a>&nbsp;about NATO and continued U.S. support for Ukraine, according to AP VoteCast data from Saturday’s primary. About 6 in 10 oppose continuing aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Only about a third described America’s participation in NATO as “very good,” with more saying it’s only “somewhat good.”Haley has raised copious amounts of campaign money and is scheduled to begin a cross-country campaign swing on Sunday in Michigan ahead of Super Tuesday on&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/5%20Super%20Tuesday">March 5</a>, when many delegate-rich states hold primaries.But it’s unclear how she can stop Trump from clinching enough delegates to become the party’s presumptive nominee for the third time.Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., complimented Haley while speaking to reporters at Trump’s election night party in Columbia but suggested it was time for her to drop out.“I think the sooner she does, the better for her, the better for the party,” Graham said.Trump’s political strength has endured despite facing&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">91 criminal charges</a>&nbsp;related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden, the discovery of classified documents in his Florida residence and allegations that he secretly arranged payoffs to a porn actress.The former president’s first criminal trial is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-new-york-criminal-case-fbdff18df40920b75873b3a40317f5ee">set to begin on March 25</a>&nbsp;in New York, where he faces 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels in the closing weeks of his 2016 presidential campaign.Biden won South Carolina’s Democratic primary earlier this month and faces only one remaining challenger, Dean Phillips. The Minnesota Democratic congressman has continued to campaign in Michigan ahead of the Democratic primary there, despite having little chance of actually beating Biden.Though Biden is expected to cruise to his party’s renomination, he faces criticism from some Democrats for providing military backing to Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Some in his party support a ceasefire as the death toll in Israel’s war has reached 30,000 people,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-19-2024-81c2d362340b611a98e4b929b4b5d0a4">two-thirds of them women and children</a>. The war could hurt the president’s general election chances in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-gaza-protest-hamas-michigan-election-5bf3f88529d625a129e786bab29c4fde">swing states like Michigan</a>, which is home to a large Arab American population.___

🎥Trump wins South Carolina, easily beating Haley in her home state

POLK COUNTY, Iowa—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teacher and coach for alleged sex crimes with a student.

In late January 2024, the administration of the Ankeny School District notified the Ankeny Police Department about allegations of an inappropriate sexual relationship that occurred between a former student and a teacher/coach beginning in 2015, according to a media release.

This relationship continued for several years and was recently reported to the Ankeny School District by the victim.

The Ankeny Police Department immediately investigated these allegations. After this investigation, it was determined 34-year-old Rachel Whiteside, a teacher and coach with the Ankeny Community School District, engaged in a pattern of sexual conduct with the victim while they attended the Ankeny Community School District between the years of 2015 – 2018. &nbsp;

The victim's report claims Whiteside abused them on school district property, though they were in contact electronically as well. Court documents allege Whiteside "used her role as a teacher and coach to make the student feel comfortable and share intimate details of the student's life" and was "methodical in her actions".&nbsp;

"She’s a threat to children based on what she has done to me and should be monitored. I believe she is currently doing this to a former student of Ankeny Centennial as well," the victim's report reads in part.&nbsp;

Whiteside is being held on requested charges with Sex Abuse 3rd, Sexual Exploitation by a school employee (4 counts), and Lascivious contact with a Minor. &nbsp;Whiteside turned herself in this week at the Ankeny Police Department and was transported to the Polk Co. Jail. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708613515629.png" alt="Whiteside-photo Polk County jail" />
 <figcaption>Whiteside-photo Polk County jail</figcaption>
 </figure>POLK COUNTY, Iowa—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a teacher and coach for alleged sex crimes with a student.In late January 2024, the administration of the Ankeny School District notified the Ankeny Police Department about allegations of an inappropriate sexual relationship that occurred between a former student and a teacher/coach beginning in 2015, according to a media release.This relationship continued for several years and was recently reported to the Ankeny School District by the victim.The Ankeny Police Department immediately investigated these allegations. After this investigation, it was determined 34-year-old Rachel Whiteside, a teacher and coach with the Ankeny Community School District, engaged in a pattern of sexual conduct with the victim while they attended the Ankeny Community School District between the years of 2015 – 2018. &nbsp;The victim's report claims Whiteside abused them on school district property, though they were in contact electronically as well. Court documents allege Whiteside "used her role as a teacher and coach to make the student feel comfortable and share intimate details of the student's life" and was "methodical in her actions".&nbsp;"She’s a threat to children based on what she has done to me and should be monitored. I believe she is currently doing this to a former student of Ankeny Centennial as well," the victim's report reads in part.&nbsp;Whiteside is being held on requested charges with Sex Abuse 3rd, Sexual Exploitation by a school employee (4 counts), and Lascivious contact with a Minor. &nbsp;Whiteside turned herself in this week at the Ankeny Police Department and was transported to the Polk Co. Jail. &nbsp;

Police: Teacher sexually abused student in her classroom

PRATT COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after 11a.m. Saturday in Pratt County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Honda CRV driven by Uyel R. Martin, 90,&nbsp;Isabel, was eastbound on Kansas 42, approximately two miles east of the the U.S. 281 Junction, east of Sawyer.

The Honda rear-ended a 1978 Ford pickup that was stopped in the eastbound lane. The pickup driver Myburgh&nbsp;Hanekom, 31, Sawyer, was out of the pickup in the ditch.

Martin and a passenger identified as Dovie A Martin, 84, Isabel, were pronounced dead at the scene and were transported to Larrison Mortuary. Hanekom was not injured. Martin was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592389654778.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>PRATT COUNTY —Two people died in an accident just after 11a.m. Saturday in Pratt County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Honda CRV driven by Uyel R. Martin, 90,&nbsp;Isabel, was eastbound on Kansas 42, approximately two miles east of the the U.S. 281 Junction, east of Sawyer.The Honda rear-ended a 1978 Ford pickup that was stopped in the eastbound lane. The pickup driver Myburgh&nbsp;Hanekom, 31, Sawyer, was out of the pickup in the ditch.Martin and a passenger identified as Dovie A Martin, 84, Isabel, were pronounced dead at the scene and were transported to Larrison Mortuary. Hanekom was not injured. Martin was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas man, woman dead after SUV rear-ends pickup

WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment this week charging a Kansas man with drug trafficking and firearms crimes.

According to court documents, Horace R. Wright, 40, of Pittsburg is charged with one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708607664575.png" alt="Wright -photo Crawford Co." />
 <figcaption>Wright -photo Crawford Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment this week charging a Kansas man with drug trafficking and firearms crimes.According to court documents, Horace R. Wright, 40, of Pittsburg is charged with one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case

Kansas man accused of attempting to sell fentanyl

Kansas City — Eastern Airlines, a domestic and international cargo airline, announced this week that it has selected Kansas City as the location of its new headquarters, investing more than $4.7 million and creating 165 new jobs, according to a media release from the airline.

The company’s strategic move marks a significant milestone in its commitment to growth, innovation, and expanding its presence in the Midwest.

“We applaud Eastern Airlines’ decision to relocate to Kansas City and look forward to its growth in the area,” said Governor Mike Parson. “Our state’s advantages, including a strategic central location, low costs, and skilled workforce, continue to result in investments from leading companies. Eastern Airlines’ new headquarters is a complement to Kansas City’s new airport terminal and another example of our state’s ability to attract businesses that are creating new opportunities for Missourians.”

Eastern Airlines has had a presence in Kansas City since 2021, when it purchased Alta Aero Technic, a maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility, and formed Foxtrot Aero, a passenger-to-freighter design company. The company’s move of its headquarters will now consolidate all its operations to Kansas City.

“Eastern Air Holdings has had a great experience operating two other businesses at MCI, Alta Aero Technic and Foxtrot,” said Stephen Buscher, Eastern Airlines Chief Financial Officer. “Kansas City and its airport have a great legacy in our industry. We did look at a number of cities to rebase our headquarters, but the enthusiasm of Missouri and the city combined with the generous assistance of the Missouri Works program made our decision easy. The new terminal and our experience proved that it is a metropolitan area investing in its future, and we are proud to be a part of the new airport community.”

New jobs added as part of Eastern Airline’s relocation include a variety of positions, such as maintenance professionals, pilots, and flight operations personnel, and will pay an average salary well above the county average.

“We’re proud to support Eastern Airlines as it establishes its headquarters in Kansas City,” said Michelle Hataway, Acting Director of the Department of Economic Development. “This company’s relocation is a testament to our state’s economic strengths and the collaborative efforts of our incredible partners who are helping Missourians prosper.”

Eastern Airlines will benefit from the Missouri Works program, a tool that helps companies expand and retain workers by providing access to capital through withholdings or tax credits for job creation. The company is also receiving assistance from Missouri One Start, a division of the Department of Economic Development. Missouri One Start assists eligible businesses with their recruitment and training needs.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700527555581.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy Kansas City International Airport" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Kansas City International Airport</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas City — Eastern Airlines, a domestic and international cargo airline, announced this week that it has selected Kansas City as the location of its new headquarters, investing more than $4.7 million and creating 165 new jobs, according to a media release from the airline.The company’s strategic move marks a significant milestone in its commitment to growth, innovation, and expanding its presence in the Midwest.“We applaud Eastern Airlines’ decision to relocate to Kansas City and look forward to its growth in the area,” said Governor Mike Parson. “Our state’s advantages, including a strategic central location, low costs, and skilled workforce, continue to result in investments from leading companies. Eastern Airlines’ new headquarters is a complement to Kansas City’s new airport terminal and another example of our state’s ability to attract businesses that are creating new opportunities for Missourians.”Eastern Airlines has had a presence in Kansas City since 2021, when it purchased Alta Aero Technic, a maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility, and formed Foxtrot Aero, a passenger-to-freighter design company. The company’s move of its headquarters will now consolidate all its operations to Kansas City.“Eastern Air Holdings has had a great experience operating two other businesses at MCI, Alta Aero Technic and Foxtrot,” said Stephen Buscher, Eastern Airlines Chief Financial Officer. “Kansas City and its airport have a great legacy in our industry. We did look at a number of cities to rebase our headquarters, but the enthusiasm of Missouri and the city combined with the generous assistance of the Missouri Works program made our decision easy. The new terminal and our experience proved that it is a metropolitan area investing in its future, and we are proud to be a part of the new airport community.”New jobs added as part of Eastern Airline’s relocation include a variety of positions, such as maintenance professionals, pilots, and flight operations personnel, and will pay an average salary well above the county average.“We’re proud to support Eastern Airlines as it establishes its headquarters in Kansas City,” said Michelle Hataway, Acting Director of the Department of Economic Development. “This company’s relocation is a testament to our state’s economic strengths and the collaborative efforts of our incredible partners who are helping Missourians prosper.”Eastern Airlines will benefit from the Missouri Works program, a tool that helps companies expand and retain workers by providing access to capital through withholdings or tax credits for job creation. The company is also receiving assistance from Missouri One Start, a division of the Department of Economic Development. Missouri One Start assists eligible businesses with their recruitment and training needs.

Eastern Airlines selects Kansas City for new headquarters creating 165 new jobs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hundreds of mourners attended a funeral mass Saturday for a Kansas City-area DJ who was killed when she was shot during a celebration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-chiefs-dynasty-kansas-city-d16a308684d97a6be2d269c8d56404be">Chiefs' Super Bowl victory.</a>

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-shooting-dj-victim-d96b8631a92af6682b77577c2c4e98c8">Lisa Lopez-Galvan</a>&nbsp;was one of about two dozen people who were shot when gunfire erupted Feb. 14 outside the city’s Union Station. She was remembered during the 90-minute service as a loving wife and mother whose smile could light up a room and who saw each day as a chance for excitement and laughter.

With her casket near the front of the Redemptorist Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri. mourners — some wearing Chiefs jerseys — also heard a mariachi band play and sing.

Along with her husband and young adult son, the 43-year-old had joined an estimated crowd of 1 million people for the parade and rally. As the festivities ended, a dispute over what authorities described as the belief that people in one group were staring at people in another group led to gunfire.

Lopez-Galvan, a music lover who played at weddings, quinceañeras and an American Legion bar and grill, was caught in the middle of it. Everyone else survived.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-celebration-shooting-charges-7cb29dc9956d325103df9bf766a0c407">Two men are charged</a>&nbsp;in her death, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-278e2d3e2cfece1cbe958511e54127ad">two juveniles</a>&nbsp;face gun charges. Her family responded to the charges this week with a statement expressing thanks to police and prosecutors.

“Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting,” the statement began.

Players and celebrities alike have reached out to her family.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Pop superstar Taylor Swift</a>, who is frequently in the stands during Chiefs games because she is dating tight end Travis Kelce,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-donation-chiefs-parade-shooting-299c357fb5d52c106b9c05b51b536f3c">donated $100,000 to Lopez-Galvan's family</a>.

And because she was wearing a Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker jersey at the celebration, he responded to requests on social media seeking help in obtaining a similar jersey — possibly so the mother of two could be laid to rest in it.

“While the family is mourning their loss and grappling with their numerous injuries, I will continue to pray for their healing and the repose of Lisa’s soul,” Butker said in a statement.

Rosa Izurieta and Martha Ramirez worked with Lopez-Galvan for about a year at a local staffing firm but had known her since childhood. They remembered her as an extrovert and a staunch Catholic who was devoted to her family, passionate about connecting job seekers with employment and ready to help anyone.

And, they said, working part time playing music allowed her to share her passion as one of the area’s few Latina DJs.

“This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community,” the radio station KKFI-FM, where she was the co-host of a program called “Taste of Tejano,” said in a statement.

Izurieta and Ramirez said Lopez-Galvan’s Kansas City roots run deep. Her father founded the city’s first mariachi group, Mariachi Mexico, in the 1980s, they said, and the family is well known and active in the Latino community. Her brother, Beto Lopez, is CEO of the Guadalupe Centers, which provides community services and runs charter schools for the Latino community.

Lopez-Galvan and her two children went to Bishop Miege, a Catholic high school in a suburb on the Kansas side, and she worked for years as a clerk in a police department there.

“This is another example of a real loving, real human whose life was taken tragically with a senseless act,” Beto Lopez said in an interview last week on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City area DJ who was killed during a celebration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-chiefs-dynasty-kansas-city-d16a308684d97a6be2d269c8d56404be">Chiefs' Super Bowl victory</a>&nbsp;was set to be remembered Saturday during funeral services attended by friends and family.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-shooting-dj-victim-d96b8631a92af6682b77577c2c4e98c8">Lisa Lopez-Galvan</a>&nbsp;was one of around two dozen people who were shot when gunfire erupted Feb. 14 outside the city’s Union Station.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708696422850.png" alt="<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-shooting-dj-victim-d96b8631a92af6682b77577c2c4e98c8">Lisa Lopez-Galvan</a>&nbsp;courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-shooting-dj-victim-d96b8631a92af6682b77577c2c4e98c8">Lisa Lopez-Galvan</a>&nbsp;courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hundreds of mourners attended a funeral mass Saturday for a Kansas City-area DJ who was killed when she was shot during a celebration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-chiefs-dynasty-kansas-city-d16a308684d97a6be2d269c8d56404be">Chiefs' Super Bowl victory.</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-shooting-dj-victim-d96b8631a92af6682b77577c2c4e98c8">Lisa Lopez-Galvan</a>&nbsp;was one of about two dozen people who were shot when gunfire erupted Feb. 14 outside the city’s Union Station. She was remembered during the 90-minute service as a loving wife and mother whose smile could light up a room and who saw each day as a chance for excitement and laughter.With her casket near the front of the Redemptorist Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri. mourners — some wearing Chiefs jerseys — also heard a mariachi band play and sing.Along with her husband and young adult son, the 43-year-old had joined an estimated crowd of 1 million people for the parade and rally. As the festivities ended, a dispute over what authorities described as the belief that people in one group were staring at people in another group led to gunfire.Lopez-Galvan, a music lover who played at weddings, quinceañeras and an American Legion bar and grill, was caught in the middle of it. Everyone else survived.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-celebration-shooting-charges-7cb29dc9956d325103df9bf766a0c407">Two men are charged</a>&nbsp;in her death, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-278e2d3e2cfece1cbe958511e54127ad">two juveniles</a>&nbsp;face gun charges. Her family responded to the charges this week with a statement expressing thanks to police and prosecutors.“Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting,” the statement began.Players and celebrities alike have reached out to her family.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Pop superstar Taylor Swift</a>, who is frequently in the stands during Chiefs games because she is dating tight end Travis Kelce,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-donation-chiefs-parade-shooting-299c357fb5d52c106b9c05b51b536f3c">donated $100,000 to Lopez-Galvan's family</a>.And because she was wearing a Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker jersey at the celebration, he responded to requests on social media seeking help in obtaining a similar jersey — possibly so the mother of two could be laid to rest in it.“While the family is mourning their loss and grappling with their numerous injuries, I will continue to pray for their healing and the repose of Lisa’s soul,” Butker said in a statement.Rosa Izurieta and Martha Ramirez worked with Lopez-Galvan for about a year at a local staffing firm but had known her since childhood. They remembered her as an extrovert and a staunch Catholic who was devoted to her family, passionate about connecting job seekers with employment and ready to help anyone.And, they said, working part time playing music allowed her to share her passion as one of the area’s few Latina DJs.“This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community,” the radio station KKFI-FM, where she was the co-host of a program called “Taste of Tejano,” said in a statement.Izurieta and Ramirez said Lopez-Galvan’s Kansas City roots run deep. Her father founded the city’s first mariachi group, Mariachi Mexico, in the 1980s, they said, and the family is well known and active in the Latino community. Her brother, Beto Lopez, is CEO of the Guadalupe Centers, which provides community services and runs charter schools for the Latino community.Lopez-Galvan and her two children went to Bishop Miege, a Catholic high school in a suburb on the Kansas side, and she worked for years as a clerk in a police department there.“This is another example of a real loving, real human whose life was taken tragically with a senseless act,” Beto Lopez said in an interview last week on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”-----------------------KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City area DJ who was killed during a celebration of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-chiefs-dynasty-kansas-city-d16a308684d97a6be2d269c8d56404be">Chiefs' Super Bowl victory</a>&nbsp;was set to be remembered Saturday during funeral services attended by friends and family.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-parade-shooting-dj-victim-d96b8631a92af6682b77577c2c4e98c8">Lisa Lopez-Galvan</a>&nbsp;was one of around two dozen people who were shot when gunfire erupted Feb. 14 outside the city’s Union Station.Along with her husband and young adult son, the 43-year-old had joined an estimated crowd of 1 million people for the parade and rally. As the festivities ended, a dispute over what authorities described as the belief that people in one group were staring at people in another group led to gunfire.Lopez-Galvan, a music lover who played at weddings, quinceañeras and an American Legion bar and grill, was caught in the middle of it. Everyone else survived.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-celebration-shooting-charges-7cb29dc9956d325103df9bf766a0c407">Two men are charged</a>&nbsp;in her death, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-super-bowl-parade-shooting-kansas-city-278e2d3e2cfece1cbe958511e54127ad">two juveniles</a>&nbsp;face gun charges. Her family responded to the charges this week with a statement expressing thanks to police and prosecutors.“Though it does not bring back our beloved Lisa, it is comforting,” the statement began.Players and celebrities alike have reached out to her family.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Pop superstar Taylor Swift</a>, who is frequently in the stands during Chiefs games because she is dating tight end Travis Kelce,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-donation-chiefs-parade-shooting-299c357fb5d52c106b9c05b51b536f3c">donated $100,000 to Lopez-Galvan's family</a>.And because she was wearing a Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker jersey at the celebration, he responded to requests on social media seeking help in obtaining a similar jersey — possibly so the mother of two could be laid to rest in it.“While the family is mourning their loss and grappling with their numerous injuries, I will continue to pray for their healing and the repose of Lisa’s soul,” Butker said in a statement.Rosa Izurieta and Martha Ramirez worked with Lopez-Galvan for about a year at a local staffing firm but had known her since childhood. They remembered her as an extrovert and a staunch Catholic who was devoted to her family, passionate about connecting job seekers with employment and ready to help anyone.And, they said, working part time playing music allowed her to share her passion as one of the area’s few Latina DJs.“This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community,” the radio station KKFI-FM, where she was the co-host of a program called “Taste of Tejano,” said in a statement.Izurieta and Ramirez said Lopez-Galvan’s Kansas City roots run deep. Her father founded the city’s first mariachi group, Mariachi Mexico, in the 1980s, they said, and the family is well known and active in the Latino community. Her brother, Beto Lopez, is CEO of the Guadalupe Centers, which provides community services and runs charter schools for the Latino community.Lopez-Galvan and her two children went to Bishop Miege, a Catholic high school in a suburb on the Kansas side, and she worked for years as a clerk in a police department there.“This is another example of a real loving, real human whose life was taken tragically with a senseless act,” Beto Lopez said in an interview last week on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Hundreds attend funeral for woman killed during Chiefs Super Bowl rally

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a traffic stop.

Just 1a.m. Feb. 21, a&nbsp; Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a passenger vehicle near U.S. Highway 75 and 118th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

During the traffic stop the deputy discovered illegal drug contraband.&nbsp; Thomas Carl Schmitt, 54, of Topeka was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Schmitt has three or more convictions for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708606842016.png" alt="Schmitt-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Schmitt-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new allegations after a traffic stop.Just 1a.m. Feb. 21, a&nbsp; Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a passenger vehicle near U.S. Highway 75 and 118th&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.During the traffic stop the deputy discovered illegal drug contraband.&nbsp; Thomas Carl Schmitt, 54, of Topeka was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.Schmitt has three or more convictions for driving under influence of alcohol or drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kan. man with numerous DUI convictions caught with meth

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– U.S. Senators Jerry Moran&nbsp; and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joined their colleagues in calling on President Biden to delete his TikTok account, according to a media release from the Senator's office.

TikTok, owned by Chinese Company ByteDance, has been highlighted as a national security threat to the United States by members of Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House.

“Over the past several years, officials from both sides of the aisle have cautioned Americans against downloading TikTok and worked to eliminate national security risks posed by the app,”&nbsp;the senators wrote.&nbsp;“We urge you to delete your account and publicly acknowledge the national security threat posed by TikTok.”

In 2020, Sen. Moran&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/8/sens-moran-thune-call-on-ftc-to-investigate-tiktok-s-consumer-data-collection-processing-practices" target="_blank">called</a>&nbsp;on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate TikTok’s consumer data collection and processing practices. Sen. Moran later&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2023/2/sens-moran-blumenthal-call-for-restrictions-of-tiktok-s-operations-amid-concerns-over-national-security-and-consumer-privacy" target="_blank">raised concerns</a>&nbsp;over the risks TikTok poses to U.S. national security and consumer privacy and called for structural restrictions on TikTok’s American operations. Last year, Sen. Moran joined his colleagues in introducing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=706DA3C9-4A4A-45A4-95C3-C3AB51B8C576" target="_blank">RESTRICT Act,</a>&nbsp;comprehensive legislation that would address the ongoing threat posed by technology from foreign adversaries.

Joining the letter were Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Representatives Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.).

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/02.16.24-Rubio-et-al-letter-to-President-Biden-re-TikTok-account.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to read the full text of the letter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708714541315.png" alt="Image from the Biden TikTok account" />
 <figcaption>Image from the Biden TikTok account</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON&nbsp;– U.S. Senators Jerry Moran&nbsp; and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) joined their colleagues in calling on President Biden to delete his TikTok account, according to a media release from the Senator's office.TikTok, owned by Chinese Company ByteDance, has been highlighted as a national security threat to the United States by members of Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the White House.“Over the past several years, officials from both sides of the aisle have cautioned Americans against downloading TikTok and worked to eliminate national security risks posed by the app,”&nbsp;the senators wrote.&nbsp;“We urge you to delete your account and publicly acknowledge the national security threat posed by TikTok.”In 2020, Sen. Moran&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2020/8/sens-moran-thune-call-on-ftc-to-investigate-tiktok-s-consumer-data-collection-processing-practices" target="_blank">called</a>&nbsp;on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate TikTok’s consumer data collection and processing practices. Sen. Moran later&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2023/2/sens-moran-blumenthal-call-for-restrictions-of-tiktok-s-operations-amid-concerns-over-national-security-and-consumer-privacy" target="_blank">raised concerns</a>&nbsp;over the risks TikTok poses to U.S. national security and consumer privacy and called for structural restrictions on TikTok’s American operations. Last year, Sen. Moran joined his colleagues in introducing the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=706DA3C9-4A4A-45A4-95C3-C3AB51B8C576" target="_blank">RESTRICT Act,</a>&nbsp;comprehensive legislation that would address the ongoing threat posed by technology from foreign adversaries.Joining the letter were Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Representatives Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) Jack Bergman (R-Mich.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.).Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/02.16.24-Rubio-et-al-letter-to-President-Biden-re-TikTok-account.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to read the full text of the letter.

Moran calls for President Biden to delete TikTok account

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) —The Alabama Supreme Court earlier this&nbsp; month<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-supreme-court-from-embryos-161390f0758b04a7638e2ddea20df7ca" target="_blank">&nbsp;ruled</a>&nbsp;that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law, raising concerns about how the decision could affect in vitro fertilization, commonly known as IVF.

<a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343d203a-b13d-463a-8176-c46e3ae4f695/docketentrydocuments/e3d95592-3cbe-4384-afa6-063d4595aa1d">Click here to read</a> the ruling

The decision issued in wrongful death cases brought by couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident could potentially leave clinics vulnerable to lawsuits and restrict access to treatment.

The most immediate impact of the ruling was to leave&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-ruling-ivf-pause-3ea72dd4494cad3f65c57e751e4c5c3b">in vitro fertilization clinics in Alabama</a>&nbsp;potentially vulnerable to more lawsuits and reluctant to administer treatment

On Wednesday, the University of Alabama Birmingham hospital&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-pause-4cf5d3139e1a6cbc62bc5ad9946cc1b8" target="_blank">paused IVF treatments</a>&nbsp;while it considers the ruling’s significance.

On Thursday, Alabama Fertility Services said in a statement that it has “made the impossibly difficult decision to hold new IVF treatments due to the legal risk to our clinic and our embryologists.” The Center for Reproductive Medicine at Mobile Infirmary also decided to pause IVF treatment because of the ruling.

Here’s what to know about this increasingly common fertility treatment.

In vitro fertilization offers a possible solution when a woman has trouble getting pregnant. It involves retrieving her eggs and combining them in a lab dish with a man’s sperm to create a fertilized embryo, which is then transferred into the woman’s uterus in an attempt to create a pregnancy.

IVF is done in cycles and may take more than one to create a successful pregnancy, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The procedure can use a couple’s eggs and sperm or those from a donor.

The treatment often uses hormones to trigger ovulation so multiple eggs are produced and a needle is used to remove them from the ovaries, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said.

Eggs can be fertilized by adding the sperm to the eggs in a lab, or a single sperm can be injected into each egg.

“We culture that fertilized egg over a period of time — usually five to six days —- to create developmental stages called the blastocyst. And those are either transferred or stored for future use,” said Dr. Jason Griffith, a reproductive endocrinologist in Houston.

A blastocyst is the early stage of an embryo, which is defined as the state of development that starts at fertilization and lasts up to eight weeks.

Griffith said that on Day 3 after fertilization, an embryo is anywhere from six to 10 cells. By Day 6, it’s between 100 and 300 cells.

“So you’re talking about something that’s still microscopic,” he said, adding that a person contains more than a trillion cells.

The freezing process involves replacing the water in embryo cells with a protectant fluid and flash freezing with liquid nitrogen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Frozen embryos can be used for future pregnancies, and the vast majority survive the thawing process.

Frozen embryos are stored in tanks containing liquid nitrogen at hospital labs or reproductive medicine centers. Griffith said they can also be kept in storage facilities that health care facilities contract with, especially when they are stored for many years. Frozen embryos can be safely preserved for a decade or more.

Griffith said conditions are monitored in these facilities and there are physical security mechanisms to safeguard the tanks and backup generators in case of power outages.

Dr. John Storment, a reproductive endocrinologist in Lafayette, Louisiana, said his state has a unique law that prohibits doctors from discarding any viable embryos that are still dividing — meaning they must be preserved and stored. So he and other doctors ship embryos out of state to a secure storage facility once a patient has finished using them for a particular IVF cycle.

“Whenever they’re ready for embryos again, they can just ship them back here,” he said. “But we don’t keep them stored here.”

In other states, he said, patients can choose to use them, discard them or donate them to other couples or for research.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0" target="_blank">overturn Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;in 2022 sparked speculation about how the ruling could lead to problems with fertility care, said Greer Donley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.

“This is one of the first places that is proving that,” she said.

Donley expects that IVF will remain available in Alabama but embryos will not be stored there. And moving them to other states for storage will increase the cost, logistical challenges and risk associated with the procedures.

“This opens up the possibility of using the child welfare laws more holistically for criminalizing doing anything that could harm the embryo,” Donley said.

Donley said that push could continue: “The future the anti-abortion movement wants to see is one in which fetuses have federal constitutional protections from the moment of conception.”

Since 2022, four states have amended their constitutions to protect access to abortion, and several others are considering ballot measures for this year. In many, the language goes beyond allowing abortion to give people rights to reproductive freedom more broadly, which could ensure access to IVF.

Doctors outside of Alabama are worried about possible national implications of the recent court decision.

It could “substantially restrict access to a very vital fertility treatment that has helped countless folks today expand their families,” Griffith said. “When you look at the percentage of pregnancies in the United States that result from in vitro fertilization, it’s around 2%.”

It could also increase the cost of IVF for many families — although it’s unclear by how much — because of things like additional storage fees and liability costs, he said. One cycle of IVF, including all embryos transferred, now costs about $15,000 to $25,000, Griffith said.

Another possible ramification is that there will be fewer IVF providers, he said.

“We’ve got to safeguard access to this very valuable treatment,” Griffith said.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) —The Alabama Supreme Court earlier this&nbsp; month<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-supreme-court-from-embryos-161390f0758b04a7638e2ddea20df7ca" target="_blank">&nbsp;ruled</a>&nbsp;that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law, raising concerns about how the decision could affect in vitro fertilization, commonly known as IVF.<a href="https://publicportal-api.alappeals.gov/courts/68f021c4-6a44-4735-9a76-5360b2e8af13/cms/case/343d203a-b13d-463a-8176-c46e3ae4f695/docketentrydocuments/e3d95592-3cbe-4384-afa6-063d4595aa1d">Click here to read</a> the rulingThe decision issued in wrongful death cases brought by couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident could potentially leave clinics vulnerable to lawsuits and restrict access to treatment.The most immediate impact of the ruling was to leave&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-ruling-ivf-pause-3ea72dd4494cad3f65c57e751e4c5c3b">in vitro fertilization clinics in Alabama</a>&nbsp;potentially vulnerable to more lawsuits and reluctant to administer treatmentOn Wednesday, the University of Alabama Birmingham hospital&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-frozen-embryos-pause-4cf5d3139e1a6cbc62bc5ad9946cc1b8" target="_blank">paused IVF treatments</a>&nbsp;while it considers the ruling’s significance.On Thursday, Alabama Fertility Services said in a statement that it has “made the impossibly difficult decision to hold new IVF treatments due to the legal risk to our clinic and our embryologists.” The Center for Reproductive Medicine at Mobile Infirmary also decided to pause IVF treatment because of the ruling.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708622911694.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Here’s what to know about this increasingly common fertility treatment.<h2>WHAT IS IVF?</h2>In vitro fertilization offers a possible solution when a woman has trouble getting pregnant. It involves retrieving her eggs and combining them in a lab dish with a man’s sperm to create a fertilized embryo, which is then transferred into the woman’s uterus in an attempt to create a pregnancy.IVF is done in cycles and may take more than one to create a successful pregnancy, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The procedure can use a couple’s eggs and sperm or those from a donor.<h2>HOW ARE EMBRYOS MADE?</h2>The treatment often uses hormones to trigger ovulation so multiple eggs are produced and a needle is used to remove them from the ovaries, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said.Eggs can be fertilized by adding the sperm to the eggs in a lab, or a single sperm can be injected into each egg.“We culture that fertilized egg over a period of time — usually five to six days —- to create developmental stages called the blastocyst. And those are either transferred or stored for future use,” said Dr. Jason Griffith, a reproductive endocrinologist in Houston.A blastocyst is the early stage of an embryo, which is defined as the state of development that starts at fertilization and lasts up to eight weeks.Griffith said that on Day 3 after fertilization, an embryo is anywhere from six to 10 cells. By Day 6, it’s between 100 and 300 cells.“So you’re talking about something that’s still microscopic,” he said, adding that a person contains more than a trillion cells.<h2>HOW ARE EMBRYOS FROZEN AND STORED?</h2>The freezing process involves replacing the water in embryo cells with a protectant fluid and flash freezing with liquid nitrogen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Frozen embryos can be used for future pregnancies, and the vast majority survive the thawing process.Frozen embryos are stored in tanks containing liquid nitrogen at hospital labs or reproductive medicine centers. Griffith said they can also be kept in storage facilities that health care facilities contract with, especially when they are stored for many years. Frozen embryos can be safely preserved for a decade or more.Griffith said conditions are monitored in these facilities and there are physical security mechanisms to safeguard the tanks and backup generators in case of power outages.Dr. John Storment, a reproductive endocrinologist in Lafayette, Louisiana, said his state has a unique law that prohibits doctors from discarding any viable embryos that are still dividing — meaning they must be preserved and stored. So he and other doctors ship embryos out of state to a secure storage facility once a patient has finished using them for a particular IVF cycle.“Whenever they’re ready for embryos again, they can just ship them back here,” he said. “But we don’t keep them stored here.”In other states, he said, patients can choose to use them, discard them or donate them to other couples or for research.<h2>HOW COULD THE ALABAMA RULING AFFECT IVF?</h2>The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0" target="_blank">overturn Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;in 2022 sparked speculation about how the ruling could lead to problems with fertility care, said Greer Donley, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.“This is one of the first places that is proving that,” she said.Donley expects that IVF will remain available in Alabama but embryos will not be stored there. And moving them to other states for storage will increase the cost, logistical challenges and risk associated with the procedures.“This opens up the possibility of using the child welfare laws more holistically for criminalizing doing anything that could harm the embryo,” Donley said.Donley said that push could continue: “The future the anti-abortion movement wants to see is one in which fetuses have federal constitutional protections from the moment of conception.”Since 2022, four states have amended their constitutions to protect access to abortion, and several others are considering ballot measures for this year. In many, the language goes beyond allowing abortion to give people rights to reproductive freedom more broadly, which could ensure access to IVF.<h2>WHAT ARE DOCTORS’ CONCERNS?</h2>Doctors outside of Alabama are worried about possible national implications of the recent court decision.It could “substantially restrict access to a very vital fertility treatment that has helped countless folks today expand their families,” Griffith said. “When you look at the percentage of pregnancies in the United States that result from in vitro fertilization, it’s around 2%.”It could also increase the cost of IVF for many families — although it’s unclear by how much — because of things like additional storage fees and liability costs, he said. One cycle of IVF, including all embryos transferred, now costs about $15,000 to $25,000, Griffith said.Another possible ramification is that there will be fewer IVF providers, he said.“We’ve got to safeguard access to this very valuable treatment,” Griffith said.Storment agreed that the Alabama decision could have a ripple effect across the entire country.“It’s one of the bigger things to happen in reproductive law in the last decade,” he said.‘VICTORY FOR LIFE’Some pro-life activists rejoiced at the ruling.It’s “a tremendous victory for life,” said the powerful Christian legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom. “A beautiful defense of life," said Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council.The Liberty Counsel filed a notice with the Florida Supreme Court, saying the Alabama decision — including Parker's concurrence — should be factored into a pending decision about a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would protect abortion rights.“Unborn life must be protected at every stage,” Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel's chairman, said in a statement.Still, Christian perspectives on IVF are mixed, and in some cases, undecided.While the Catholic Church condemns such reproductive technology as immoral, many Protestant churches and denominations do not have a firm stance against the practice.<a href="https://www.iwv.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/executive-summary-KAConsulting-poll-contraception.pdf">Kellyanne Conway,</a>&nbsp;the political consultant who worked for former President Donald Trump, lobbied GOP lawmakers in December to advocate for contraception and fertility treatments. She cited her firm’s finding that even anti-abortion evangelicals overwhelmingly support access to IVF.On Friday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-ivf-abortion-alabama-republicans-8215336740a5963b57bbd970b47bb3a7">Trump shared</a>&nbsp;his strong support for IVF in a post on his Truth Social network and called on Alabama lawmakers to protect access to the procedure.A SETBACK FOR THE SECULAR STATE?Because religious groups have different opinions about when life begins, “it’s quite problematic to see a judge essentially embedding a Christian view into state law,” said Greer Donley, an associate professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in bioethics and health.She said that other judges might increasingly apply religious thinking to their decisions.“It’s particularly notable that (Parker) is not trying to hide that, but even if judges were careful in their language, the result is essentially the same,” Donley said.Laser, of Americans United, said that even the Alabama court's majority decision — which does not explicitly reference religion — is problematic; it states that all participants in the case “agree that an unborn child is a genetically unique human being whose life begins at fertilization and ends at death.”“That is not taking into account everyone this policy is going to be imposed upon, including religious minorities, the nonreligious, Christians who have a different belief system,” Laser said. “It undermines true religious freedom.”<h2>___</h2>