BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take the stage next week in the only planned debate between the respective Democratic and GOP presidential candidates between now and November.

It’s the first presidential debate since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race following his own disastrous debate performance in late June against Trump. Biden, who faced mounting calls to resign,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pass-torch-biden-addresses-nation-why-he-wont-seek-second-term" target="_blank">passed the torch</a>&nbsp;to Harris back in July.

The veep has embarked on an unprecedented and expedited campaign as she and Trump vie for the Oval Office. The election is just two months away.

Though the Harris and Trump campaigns clashed over debate procedures in recent weeks, both candidates have agreed to the finalized rules. ABC News, host of the debate, released the rules Wednesday.

The debate will be Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 9 p.m. Eastern time at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate will be 90 minutes long and include two commercial breaks,&nbsp;<a href="https://abc.com/news/5e38600c-4732-4cd2-a99c-3dedfa81beb0/category/1138628" target="_blank">according to ABC</a>.

The Keystone State — where both Harris and Trump have spent a lot of time campaigning — could determine the outcome of the presidential election. The battleground state has narrowly flip-flopped in recent elections, with Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">turning Pennsylvania blue</a>&nbsp;in 2020 after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">secured a red win</a>&nbsp;in 2016.

The debate will air live on ABC News and will also be streaming on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.

ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the debate.

Harris and Trump will each have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes to give rebuttals. They will also be granted one additional minute to clarify or follow up on anything.

Microphones will be muted when it’s not a candidate’s turn to speak, just like the previous debate between Biden and Trump in June.

The candidates will not give opening statements. Trump won a coin flip to determine the order of closing statements and podium placement. Trump, who selected the statement order, will give the final closing statement.

Each closing statement will be two minutes long.

Harris and Trump are not allowed to bring any props or prewritten notes to the debate stage. They will each receive a pen, a pad of paper and a water bottle.

There will be no live audience at the National Constitution Center, as was the case in the last presidential debate.

Harris and Trump are not permitted to interact with their campaign staff during the two commercial breaks.

Trump went on the attack over the details of the debate, telling&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/town-hall-no-questions-trump-grouses-about-polls-attacks-debate-host" target="_blank">Fox News’ Sean Hannity</a>&nbsp;during an interview Wednesday in Pennsylvania that “ABC is the worst network in terms of fairness” and “the most dishonest network, the meanest, the nastiest.”

He accused the network of releasing poor polls on purpose ahead of a previous election to drive down voter turnout.

Trump also claimed, without evidence, that Harris would get the questions in advance of the debate. ABC’s debate rules state that no candidates or campaigns will receive any topics or questions ahead of the event.

Meanwhile, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance will battle it out at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mark-your-calendar-vp-candidates-walz-and-vance-debate-oct-1" target="_blank">vice presidential debate</a>&nbsp;hosted by CBS News on Oct. 1 in New York City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724867447394.png" alt="Photo Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Photo Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will take the stage next week in the only planned debate between the respective Democratic and GOP presidential candidates between now and November.It’s the first presidential debate since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race following his own disastrous debate performance in late June against Trump. Biden, who faced mounting calls to resign,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pass-torch-biden-addresses-nation-why-he-wont-seek-second-term" target="_blank">passed the torch</a>&nbsp;to Harris back in July.The veep has embarked on an unprecedented and expedited campaign as she and Trump vie for the Oval Office. The election is just two months away.Though the Harris and Trump campaigns clashed over debate procedures in recent weeks, both candidates have agreed to the finalized rules. ABC News, host of the debate, released the rules Wednesday.<h2>When and where is the debate?</h2>The debate will be Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 9 p.m. Eastern time at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The debate will be 90 minutes long and include two commercial breaks,&nbsp;<a href="https://abc.com/news/5e38600c-4732-4cd2-a99c-3dedfa81beb0/category/1138628" target="_blank">according to ABC</a>.The Keystone State — where both Harris and Trump have spent a lot of time campaigning — could determine the outcome of the presidential election. The battleground state has narrowly flip-flopped in recent elections, with Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/2020-election/results/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">turning Pennsylvania blue</a>&nbsp;in 2020 after Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president/pennsylvania/" target="_blank">secured a red win</a>&nbsp;in 2016.<h2>How can I watch the debate?</h2>The debate will air live on ABC News and will also be streaming on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu.ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the debate.Harris and Trump will each have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes to give rebuttals. They will also be granted one additional minute to clarify or follow up on anything.<h2>Will the mics be muted?</h2>Microphones will be muted when it’s not a candidate’s turn to speak, just like the previous debate between Biden and Trump in June.The candidates will not give opening statements. Trump won a coin flip to determine the order of closing statements and podium placement. Trump, who selected the statement order, will give the final closing statement.Each closing statement will be two minutes long.Harris and Trump are not allowed to bring any props or prewritten notes to the debate stage. They will each receive a pen, a pad of paper and a water bottle.<h2>Will there be a live audience?</h2>There will be no live audience at the National Constitution Center, as was the case in the last presidential debate.Harris and Trump are not permitted to interact with their campaign staff during the two commercial breaks.<h2>Trump slams ABC ahead of debate</h2>Trump went on the attack over the details of the debate, telling&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/town-hall-no-questions-trump-grouses-about-polls-attacks-debate-host" target="_blank">Fox News’ Sean Hannity</a>&nbsp;during an interview Wednesday in Pennsylvania that “ABC is the worst network in terms of fairness” and “the most dishonest network, the meanest, the nastiest.”He accused the network of releasing poor polls on purpose ahead of a previous election to drive down voter turnout.Trump also claimed, without evidence, that Harris would get the questions in advance of the debate. ABC’s debate rules state that no candidates or campaigns will receive any topics or questions ahead of the event.Meanwhile, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance will battle it out at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mark-your-calendar-vp-candidates-walz-and-vance-debate-oct-1" target="_blank">vice presidential debate</a>&nbsp;hosted by CBS News on Oct. 1 in New York City.

5 things to know about the Harris-Trump presidential debate  

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal crash involving two vehicles in Shawnee County on Sunday have identified the victim as 45-year-old&nbsp; Julie A. Tibbits of Topeka.

According to Deputy Abigail Christian, a southbound Dodge sedan with two occupants and a Buick SUV with four occupants collided at NE Kincaid Road and 62nd Street.&nbsp;

Tibbits was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to Deputy Christian. American Medical Response transported four others to a local hospital.&nbsp; The crash remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725840465323.png" alt="View of the fatal crash scene -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>View of the fatal crash scene -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating a fatal crash involving two vehicles in Shawnee County on Sunday have identified the victim as 45-year-old&nbsp; Julie A. Tibbits of Topeka.According to Deputy Abigail Christian, a southbound Dodge sedan with two occupants and a Buick SUV with four occupants collided at NE Kincaid Road and 62nd Street.&nbsp;Tibbits was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to Deputy Christian. American Medical Response transported four others to a local hospital.&nbsp; The crash remains under investigation.

Sheriff IDs Kan. woman who died in crash that injured 4 others

By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday over whether an abortion-rights amendment should go before voters this year.

The proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution is expected to widely undo the state’s 2022 near-total abortion ban if passed. The state’s highest court has mere hours Tuesday to issue what will likely be the final say on the measure before a deadline to make changes to the November ballot.

Mary Catherine Martin, a lawyer for a group of GOP lawmakers and abortion opponents suing to remove the amendment, told judges that Missouri’s law requires petition signers “to be fully informed” and argued that the initiative petition “misled voters” by not listing all the laws restricting abortion that it would effectively repeal.

But removing the measure would step on Missouri voters' rights to sidestep the legislature and enact laws and constitutional amendments by the ballot, abortion-rights campaign lawyer Chuck Hatfield argued.

“The court will send a message today,” Hatfield said, “about whether in our little corner of the democracy, the government will honor the will of the people or whether we will have it snatched away.”

Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who opposes abortion, decertified the measure Monday, removing it from the ballot himself following a county circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-constitutional-amendment-4f40c97177cdeaea6aec3fca59c2f99e">judge’s ruling Friday</a>. Ashcroft's move appears symbolic, although lawyers for his office argued it made the appeal moot.

The amendment is part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">national push to have voters</a>&nbsp;weigh in on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Missouri banned almost all abortions immediately after.

At least nine other states will consider constitutional amendments&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-election-2024-roe-ballot-4403190b898e501b0834053c3417d072">enshrining abortion rights</a>, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota. Most would guarantee a right to abortion until fetal viability and allow it later for the health of the pregnant woman, which is what the Missouri proposal would do.

New York also has a ballot measure that proponents say would protect abortion rights, though there’s a dispute about its impact.

Voting on the polarizing issue could draw more people to the polls, potentially impacting results for the presidency in swing states, control of Congress and the outcomes for closely contested state offices. Missouri Democrats, for instance, hope to get a boost from abortion-rights supporters during the November election.

Legal fights have sprung up across the country over whether to allow voters to decide these questions — and over the exact wording used on the ballots and explanatory material. In August, Arkansas’ highest court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-arkansas-supreme-court-48c208d49d82b467fbcc4b9c2724617a">upheld a decision</a>&nbsp;to keep an abortion rights initiative off the state’s November ballot, agreeing with election officials that the group behind the measure did not properly submit documentation regarding the signature gatherers it hired.

Voters in all seven states that have had abortion questions on their ballots since Roe was overturned have sided with abortion-rights supporters.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over whether an abortion-rights amendment should go before voters this year.

At issue is a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, along with the right for individuals to make other reproductive health care decisions. If enacted, the measure is widely expected to undo the state's 2022 near-total abortion ban.

The proposal had been slated for the November ballot. But Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft decertified the measure Monday, removing it from the ballot himself, following a county circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-constitutional-amendment-4f40c97177cdeaea6aec3fca59c2f99e">judge’s ruling Friday</a>&nbsp;that sided with abortion opponents and several Republican lawmakers who sought to have the amendment taken off the ballot.

Monday’s move by Ashcroft, who opposes abortion, is largely symbolic. The Supreme Court is expected to have the final say on the measure and faces a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to make changes to the November ballot. That gives the court mere hours to issue a ruling after the morning hearing.

Legal fights have sprung up across the country over whether to allow voters to decide these questions — and over the exact wording used on the ballots and explanatory material. In August, Arkansas’ highest court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-arkansas-supreme-court-48c208d49d82b467fbcc4b9c2724617a">upheld a decision</a>&nbsp;to keep an abortion-rights ballot initiative off the state’s November ballot, agreeing with election officials that the group behind the measure did not properly submit documentation regarding the signature gatherers it hired.

The legal challenge to Missouri's proposed amendment hinges on a state law requiring campaigns to inform voters during the petition signature-gathering process about any laws that proposed amendments would overturn.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in a court brief that Missouri's abortion-rights campaign “defrauded potential signers by failing to disclose any of the many, many provisions” of Missouri law it proposes to repeal, including the state's current ban.

Lawyers for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the abortion-rights campaign, wrote that the case is about “whether the people’s right to engage in direct democracy will be protected.”

“The circuit court’s decision threatens to grind our system of constitutional initiative petition to a halt at the last minute,” the attorneys wrote. “Hundreds of thousands have exercised their power as citizens, and want their fellow Missourians to vote on whether to change the Constitution with regard to abortion rights.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725989236561.png" alt=" Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, argues before the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 in Jefferson City as the court hears a case questioning whether an amendment to overturn the state’s abortion ban should remain on the November ballot (Pool photo by Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch)." />
 <figcaption> Chuck Hatfield, an attorney for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, argues before the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024 in Jefferson City as the court hears a case questioning whether an amendment to overturn the state’s abortion ban should remain on the November ballot (Pool photo by Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch).</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUMMER BALLENTINE Associated PressJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday over whether an abortion-rights amendment should go before voters this year.The proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution is expected to widely undo the state’s 2022 near-total abortion ban if passed. The state’s highest court has mere hours Tuesday to issue what will likely be the final say on the measure before a deadline to make changes to the November ballot.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725707612193.png" alt=" Mary Catherine Martin, an attorney with the Thomas Moore Society, represents a group of Missouri anti-abortion lawmakers and activists Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, during a trial at the Cole County Courthouse photo by Anna Spoerre" />
 <figcaption> Mary Catherine Martin, an attorney with the Thomas Moore Society, represents a group of Missouri anti-abortion lawmakers and activists Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, during a trial at the Cole County Courthouse photo by Anna Spoerre</figcaption>
 </figure>Mary Catherine Martin, a lawyer for a group of GOP lawmakers and abortion opponents suing to remove the amendment, told judges that Missouri’s law requires petition signers “to be fully informed” and argued that the initiative petition “misled voters” by not listing all the laws restricting abortion that it would effectively repeal.But removing the measure would step on Missouri voters' rights to sidestep the legislature and enact laws and constitutional amendments by the ballot, abortion-rights campaign lawyer Chuck Hatfield argued.“The court will send a message today,” Hatfield said, “about whether in our little corner of the democracy, the government will honor the will of the people or whether we will have it snatched away.”Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, who opposes abortion, decertified the measure Monday, removing it from the ballot himself following a county circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-constitutional-amendment-4f40c97177cdeaea6aec3fca59c2f99e">judge’s ruling Friday</a>. Ashcroft's move appears symbolic, although lawyers for his office argued it made the appeal moot.The amendment is part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">national push to have voters</a>&nbsp;weigh in on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Missouri banned almost all abortions immediately after.At least nine other states will consider constitutional amendments&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-election-2024-roe-ballot-4403190b898e501b0834053c3417d072">enshrining abortion rights</a>, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota. Most would guarantee a right to abortion until fetal viability and allow it later for the health of the pregnant woman, which is what the Missouri proposal would do.New York also has a ballot measure that proponents say would protect abortion rights, though there’s a dispute about its impact.Voting on the polarizing issue could draw more people to the polls, potentially impacting results for the presidency in swing states, control of Congress and the outcomes for closely contested state offices. Missouri Democrats, for instance, hope to get a boost from abortion-rights supporters during the November election.Legal fights have sprung up across the country over whether to allow voters to decide these questions — and over the exact wording used on the ballots and explanatory material. In August, Arkansas’ highest court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-arkansas-supreme-court-48c208d49d82b467fbcc4b9c2724617a">upheld a decision</a>&nbsp;to keep an abortion rights initiative off the state’s November ballot, agreeing with election officials that the group behind the measure did not properly submit documentation regarding the signature gatherers it hired.Voters in all seven states that have had abortion questions on their ballots since Roe was overturned have sided with abortion-rights supporters.-------------JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday over whether an abortion-rights amendment should go before voters this year.At issue is a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, along with the right for individuals to make other reproductive health care decisions. If enacted, the measure is widely expected to undo the state's 2022 near-total abortion ban.The proposal had been slated for the November ballot. But Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft decertified the measure Monday, removing it from the ballot himself, following a county circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-constitutional-amendment-4f40c97177cdeaea6aec3fca59c2f99e">judge’s ruling Friday</a>&nbsp;that sided with abortion opponents and several Republican lawmakers who sought to have the amendment taken off the ballot.Monday’s move by Ashcroft, who opposes abortion, is largely symbolic. The Supreme Court is expected to have the final say on the measure and faces a 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline to make changes to the November ballot. That gives the court mere hours to issue a ruling after the morning hearing.The amendment is part of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">national push to have voters</a>&nbsp;weigh in on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Missouri banned almost all abortions immediately after.At least nine other states will consider constitutional amendments&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-election-2024-roe-ballot-4403190b898e501b0834053c3417d072">enshrining abortion rights</a>, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota. Most would guarantee a right to abortion until fetal viability and allow it later for the health of the pregnant woman, which is what the Missouri proposal would do.New York also has a ballot measure that proponents say would protect abortion rights, though there’s a dispute about its impact.Voting on the polarizing issue could draw more people to the polls, potentially impacting results for the presidency in swing states, control of Congress and the outcomes for closely contested state offices. Missouri Democrats, for instance, hope to get a boost from abortion-rights supporters during the November election.Legal fights have sprung up across the country over whether to allow voters to decide these questions — and over the exact wording used on the ballots and explanatory material. In August, Arkansas’ highest court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-arkansas-supreme-court-48c208d49d82b467fbcc4b9c2724617a">upheld a decision</a>&nbsp;to keep an abortion-rights ballot initiative off the state’s November ballot, agreeing with election officials that the group behind the measure did not properly submit documentation regarding the signature gatherers it hired.The legal challenge to Missouri's proposed amendment hinges on a state law requiring campaigns to inform voters during the petition signature-gathering process about any laws that proposed amendments would overturn.Lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in a court brief that Missouri's abortion-rights campaign “defrauded potential signers by failing to disclose any of the many, many provisions” of Missouri law it proposes to repeal, including the state's current ban.Lawyers for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the abortion-rights campaign, wrote that the case is about “whether the people’s right to engage in direct democracy will be protected.”“The circuit court’s decision threatens to grind our system of constitutional initiative petition to a halt at the last minute,” the attorneys wrote. “Hundreds of thousands have exercised their power as citizens, and want their fellow Missourians to vote on whether to change the Constitution with regard to abortion rights.”Voters in all seven states that have had abortion questions on their ballots since Roe was overturned have sided with abortion-rights supporters.

Missouri Supreme Court hears arguments on abortion-rights amendment 

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A police officer dragged Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill out of his sports car by his arm and head and then forced him face first onto the ground after Hill put up the window of his sports car during a traffic stop before Sunday's game, body camera video released Monday shows.

The video showed that the altercation between the Miami-Dade County officers and Hill escalated quickly, that the officers cursed at Hill but he did not resist their physical force or strike at them. Six officers' body camera videos have been released.

Police Director Stephanie Davis said the tape would normally not be released while the investigation is ongoing, but she wanted to demonstrate the department's “commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust.”

One video showed the motorcycle officer who had pulled Hill over on the roadway leading into Hard Rock Stadium. He had apparently already struck or tapped on the window of Hill's McClaren sports car.

The officer looked inside and demanded to know why Hill didn't have his seatbelt on. Hill, through the open window, said to the officer, “Don't do my window like that.”

“Why do you have it up?” the officer replied.

“Do what you gotta do” Hill said and put the darkly tinted window back up.

“Keep your window down,” the officer told him, tapping on the glass. The officer paused for about five seconds and looked around. He told Hill again to keep the window down or “I am going to get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car.”

The officer then demanded Hill open the door. Another officers stepped up and said, “Get out of the car or I will break that ... window," using an obscenity.

The door opened and the second officer reached in and grabbed Hill by the arm and the back of the head as the player said, “I am getting out."

The second officer forced Hill face first onto the ground. The officers forced Hill's arms behind his back as Hill yelled into his cellphone, “I am getting arrested Drew.” It was unclear if he was talking to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, or the team's director of security, Drew Brooks. Both soon showed up at the scene.

The officers handcuff Hill and one put a knee in the middle of his back. “If we tell you to do something, do it.”

“Take me to jail, brother, do what you gotta do,” Hill replied.

“We are,” the officer who pulled him out said.

“You crazy,” Hill said to the officer.

The officers then pull him to his feet as Hill said, "Why you beating on my window like you are all crazy for?"

The officers stand Hill up and walk him to the sidewalk. One officer told him to sit on the curb. Hill said to the officer he just had surgery on his knee.

The officer who pulled Hill from the car jumped behind him and put a bar hold around Hill's upper chest or neck. He pulled Hill into a seating position.

“Chill, bro,” Hill told the officers.

At that point, teammate Calais Campbell parked his SUV in front of Hill's car, got out and asked what was going on. The officers ordered Campbell to get back in his vehicle and leave. They then told him they were going to give him a ticket for blocking the road. He, too, was soon in handcuffs. He was never cited.

Hill and Campbell were eventually released and allowed to go into the stadium. Hill received two citations but was never arrested. One officer was placed on administrative leave.

Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, defended the officer's actions, saying Monday that Hill "was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger.

“Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on the scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground."

Hill said he doesn't understand why the situation escalated.

“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way. Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that,” he said.

Julius B. Collins, Hill’s attorney, said the receiver’s legal team is exploring all legal options and called the officers' actions “excessive."

“Mr. Hill understands the inherently dangerous job that law enforcement is tasked with and understands that officer safety is important;” read Collins' statement, “however, at no point in time did Mr. Hill pose a threat to these officers."

Campbell said he tried to de-escalate the situation. He said he got out of his car with his hands up above his head and approached the scene, informing officers that he was a friend of Hill’s. He remained at the scene to “support” Hill. Police later placed him in handcuffs for “disobeying a direct order” by being too close.

“They were trying to yank him down to the ground,” Campbell said Monday on ESPN. “I saw them kick him and pull him down ... I feel like one officer was pushing on his head.”

Campbell said tight end Jonnu Smith and later receiver Odell Beckham Jr. were also there to support Hill, who repeated to them, “Don't leave me.”

Hill, 30, who is Black, said he wondered what would have happened to him if he weren't an NFL star. Some of his teammates who are also Black said they were used to seeing that sort of interaction.

“Excessive force on a Black man, that’s not uncommon," said safety Jevon Holland. "It’s a very common thing in America. So I think that needs to be addressed at a countrywide level.”

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday he was upset by the situation. McDaniel appeared to fight back tears as he reflected on the incident.

“It’s probably more visceral because, yes, I do spend a lot of time prioritizing empathy, and when you know you can’t truly understand, the unknown is what crushes me,” McDaniel said. "I can only forecast, and so my forecast — what if it’s worse?”

In May, golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and taken to jail after being accused of not following police orders during an investigation of a pedestrian fatality outside Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky, during the PGA Championship.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/scottie-scheffler-police-arrest-louisville-cf7f59fc48d223083bb71d272d139050">Criminal charges</a>&nbsp;against the Masters champion were later dropped.

This isn’t the first off-field incident involving Hill.

He was accused of punching his girlfriend in college and got kicked off the team at Oklahoma State, later pleading guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation. In 2019, prosecutors in suburban Kansas City declined to charge Hill after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fiancée and their 3-year-old child.

Last offseason, Hill was under investigation by Miami-Dade police for assault and battery after it was reported that he got into an argument with a South Florida marina worker, which apparently ended with Hill hitting the worker. Hill and the man later resolved their dispute.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — A police officer dragged Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill out of his sports car by his arm and head and then forced him face first onto the ground after Hill put up the window of his sports car during a traffic stop before Sunday's game, body camera video released Monday shows.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Here is the body cam footage from Tyreek Hill’s detainment before the Miami Dolphins game. This level of aggression and demeaning behavior was not necessary. This is an excessive overuse of power. <a href="https://t.co/yrLifkdRle">pic.twitter.com/yrLifkdRle</a>&mdash; Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) <a href="https://twitter.com/RGIII/status/1833301689266217465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The video showed that the altercation between the Miami-Dade County officers and Hill escalated quickly, that the officers cursed at Hill but he did not resist their physical force or strike at them. Six officers' body camera videos have been released.Police Director Stephanie Davis said the tape would normally not be released while the investigation is ongoing, but she wanted to demonstrate the department's “commitment to transparency and maintaining public trust.”One video showed the motorcycle officer who had pulled Hill over on the roadway leading into Hard Rock Stadium. He had apparently already struck or tapped on the window of Hill's McClaren sports car.The officer looked inside and demanded to know why Hill didn't have his seatbelt on. Hill, through the open window, said to the officer, “Don't do my window like that.”“Why do you have it up?” the officer replied.“Do what you gotta do” Hill said and put the darkly tinted window back up.“Keep your window down,” the officer told him, tapping on the glass. The officer paused for about five seconds and looked around. He told Hill again to keep the window down or “I am going to get you out of the car. As a matter of fact, get out of the car.”The officer then demanded Hill open the door. Another officers stepped up and said, “Get out of the car or I will break that ... window," using an obscenity.The door opened and the second officer reached in and grabbed Hill by the arm and the back of the head as the player said, “I am getting out."The second officer forced Hill face first onto the ground. The officers forced Hill's arms behind his back as Hill yelled into his cellphone, “I am getting arrested Drew.” It was unclear if he was talking to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, or the team's director of security, Drew Brooks. Both soon showed up at the scene.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725929820574.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The officers handcuff Hill and one put a knee in the middle of his back. “If we tell you to do something, do it.”“Take me to jail, brother, do what you gotta do,” Hill replied.“We are,” the officer who pulled him out said.“You crazy,” Hill said to the officer.The officers then pull him to his feet as Hill said, "Why you beating on my window like you are all crazy for?"The officers stand Hill up and walk him to the sidewalk. One officer told him to sit on the curb. Hill said to the officer he just had surgery on his knee.The officer who pulled Hill from the car jumped behind him and put a bar hold around Hill's upper chest or neck. He pulled Hill into a seating position.“Chill, bro,” Hill told the officers.At that point, teammate Calais Campbell parked his SUV in front of Hill's car, got out and asked what was going on. The officers ordered Campbell to get back in his vehicle and leave. They then told him they were going to give him a ticket for blocking the road. He, too, was soon in handcuffs. He was never cited.Hill and Campbell were eventually released and allowed to go into the stadium. Hill received two citations but was never arrested. One officer was placed on administrative leave.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725929853616.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, defended the officer's actions, saying Monday that Hill "was briefly detained for officer safety, after driving in a manner in which he was putting himself and others in great risk of danger.“Upon being stopped, Mr. Hill was not immediately cooperative with the officers on the scene who, pursuant to policy and for their immediate safety, placed Mr. Hill in handcuffs. Mr. Hill, still uncooperative, refused to sit on the ground and was therefore redirected to the ground."Hill said he doesn't understand why the situation escalated.“I wasn’t disrespectful because my mom didn’t raise me that way. Didn’t cuss. Didn’t do none of that,” he said.Julius B. Collins, Hill’s attorney, said the receiver’s legal team is exploring all legal options and called the officers' actions “excessive."“Mr. Hill understands the inherently dangerous job that law enforcement is tasked with and understands that officer safety is important;” read Collins' statement, “however, at no point in time did Mr. Hill pose a threat to these officers."Campbell said he tried to de-escalate the situation. He said he got out of his car with his hands up above his head and approached the scene, informing officers that he was a friend of Hill’s. He remained at the scene to “support” Hill. Police later placed him in handcuffs for “disobeying a direct order” by being too close.“They were trying to yank him down to the ground,” Campbell said Monday on ESPN. “I saw them kick him and pull him down ... I feel like one officer was pushing on his head.”Campbell said tight end Jonnu Smith and later receiver Odell Beckham Jr. were also there to support Hill, who repeated to them, “Don't leave me.”Hill, 30, who is Black, said he wondered what would have happened to him if he weren't an NFL star. Some of his teammates who are also Black said they were used to seeing that sort of interaction.“Excessive force on a Black man, that’s not uncommon," said safety Jevon Holland. "It’s a very common thing in America. So I think that needs to be addressed at a countrywide level.”Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Monday he was upset by the situation. McDaniel appeared to fight back tears as he reflected on the incident.“It’s probably more visceral because, yes, I do spend a lot of time prioritizing empathy, and when you know you can’t truly understand, the unknown is what crushes me,” McDaniel said. "I can only forecast, and so my forecast — what if it’s worse?”In May, golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and taken to jail after being accused of not following police orders during an investigation of a pedestrian fatality outside Valhalla Golf Course in Louisville, Kentucky, during the PGA Championship.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/scottie-scheffler-police-arrest-louisville-cf7f59fc48d223083bb71d272d139050">Criminal charges</a>&nbsp;against the Masters champion were later dropped.This isn’t the first off-field incident involving Hill.He was accused of punching his girlfriend in college and got kicked off the team at Oklahoma State, later pleading guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation. In 2019, prosecutors in suburban Kansas City declined to charge Hill after an alleged domestic violence incident involving his fiancée and their 3-year-old child.Last offseason, Hill was under investigation by Miami-Dade police for assault and battery after it was reported that he got into an argument with a South Florida marina worker, which apparently ended with Hill hitting the worker. Hill and the man later resolved their dispute.___

Video: Officers dragged former KC Chief out of car after he put window up

ANDREW COUNTY, Missouri —A police lieutenant with the Savannah, Missouri Police Department has been charged in the death of K9 Horus.&nbsp;

The Missouri Attorney General's office has charged officer Daniel Zeigler with animal abuse following an investigation by the Missouri Highway Patrol on the case.&nbsp;

Reports say that Horus died in mid June from heat exposure after being left in a police vehicle overnight.&nbsp; The car has a safety feature which is designed to roll down the windows and sound the horn if temperatures reach 90 degrees, but the Patrols report shows the system had been turned off.&nbsp; The high temperature that day reached 88 degrees.

A misdemeanor can include up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Residents of a small western Missouri town are saddened and angered after a police dog died in a hot car.

The dog named Horus died June 20 following an overnight shift, Police Chief David Vincent said. In a Facebook posting on Wednesday, Vincent said he couldn't discuss the circumstances of the dog's death while the Missouri State Highway Patrol conducts an investigation.

“Horus was a great asset to our department and the community,” Vincent wrote. “I trusted this K9 around my grandchildren and they adored him. I am upset and angry about what happened to Horus as everyone else is.”

Several residents of the town of 5,000 residents that sits about an hour's drive north of Kansas City posted that the person responsible for the dog's death should face criminal charges.

“The officer should be charged,” one man wrote. “Just as any member of the public would be if they had caused the dog’s death. No excuse at all.”

For now, Horus is buried in an unmarked gravesite. In another post, Vincent said an anonymous donor is buying a headstone. Vincent said city staff will maintain the site that will be “a place of honor.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720202220440.png" alt="Horus photo courtesy Savannah Police" />
 <figcaption>Horus photo courtesy Savannah Police</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKE St. Joseph PostANDREW COUNTY, Missouri —A police lieutenant with the Savannah, Missouri Police Department has been charged in the death of K9 Horus.&nbsp;The Missouri Attorney General's office has charged officer Daniel Zeigler with animal abuse following an investigation by the Missouri Highway Patrol on the case.&nbsp;Reports say that Horus died in mid June from heat exposure after being left in a police vehicle overnight.&nbsp; The car has a safety feature which is designed to roll down the windows and sound the horn if temperatures reach 90 degrees, but the Patrols report shows the system had been turned off.&nbsp; The high temperature that day reached 88 degrees.A misdemeanor can include up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.----------KANSAS CITY (AP) — Residents of a small western Missouri town are saddened and angered after a police dog died in a hot car.The dog named Horus died June 20 following an overnight shift, Police Chief David Vincent said. In a Facebook posting on Wednesday, Vincent said he couldn't discuss the circumstances of the dog's death while the Missouri State Highway Patrol conducts an investigation.“Horus was a great asset to our department and the community,” Vincent wrote. “I trusted this K9 around my grandchildren and they adored him. I am upset and angry about what happened to Horus as everyone else is.”Several residents of the town of 5,000 residents that sits about an hour's drive north of Kansas City posted that the person responsible for the dog's death should face criminal charges.“The officer should be charged,” one man wrote. “Just as any member of the public would be if they had caused the dog’s death. No excuse at all.”For now, Horus is buried in an unmarked gravesite. In another post, Vincent said an anonymous donor is buying a headstone. Vincent said city staff will maintain the site that will be “a place of honor.”

Officer charged after police dog died in a hot car

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a woman on drug allegations after a traffic stop.

Just before 1 a.m. Friday, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2015 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck without an operable tag light in the 1100 block of NW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the driver had a revoked driver’s license and illegal narcotics were located.

The passenger, Kimberly D. Fish, 50, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and&nbsp;Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body.&nbsp; The driver was not arrested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725718597721.png" alt="Fish-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Fish-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a woman on drug allegations after a traffic stop.Just before 1 a.m. Friday, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2015 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck without an operable tag light in the 1100 block of NW Topeka Boulevard, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.During the investigation, it was discovered that the driver had a revoked driver’s license and illegal narcotics were located.The passenger, Kimberly D. Fish, 50, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant and&nbsp;Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body.&nbsp; The driver was not arrested.

Kan. driver did not know passenger was in possession of drugs 

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Sunday issued a scathing report on their investigation into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-afghanistan-government-and-politics-86f939c746c7bc56bb9f11f095a95366">U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan</a>, blaming the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-takeover-timeline-df3df916cae4b07d53a302dc9a2811d8">disastrous</a>&nbsp;end of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan-september-11-d2c7426736f9f530e0e62f2295a44d28">America’s longest war</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-michigan-afghanistan-war-46eb2b0861939bf022747920c0ee0234">President Joe Biden’s administration</a>&nbsp;and minimizing the role of former President Donald Trump, who had signed the withdrawal deal with the Taliban.

<a href="https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/HFAC-Republican-Interim-Report-A-22Strategic-Failure22-Assessing-the-Administrations-Afghanistan-Withdrawal.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>the report

The partisan review lays out the final months of military and civilian failures, following Trump’s February 2020 withdrawal deal, that allowed America’s fundamentalist Taliban enemy to sweep through and conquer all of the country even before the last U.S. officials flew out on Aug. 30, 2021. The chaotic exit left behind many American citizens,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-withdrawal-anniversary-afghans-kabul-f6a42bfa49507f9ba7fb977a7ebb2feb">Afghan battlefield allies</a>, women activists and others at risk from the Taliban.

But House Republicans’ report breaks little new ground as the withdrawal has been exhaustively litigated through several independent reviews. Previous investigations and analyses have pointed to a systemic failure spanning the last four presidential administrations and concluded that Biden and Trump share the heaviest blame.

Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, who led the investigation as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the GOP review reveals that the Biden administration “had the information and opportunity to take necessary steps to plan for the inevitable collapse of the Afghan government, so we could safely evacuate U.S. personnel, American citizens, green card holders, and our brave Afghan allies.”

“At each step of the way, however, the administration picked optics over security,” he said in a statement.

McCaul earlier in the day denied that the timing of the report’s release ahead of the presidential election was political, or that Republicans ignored Trump’s mistakes in the U.S. withdrawal.

A White House spokesperson, Sharon Yang, said the Republican report was based on “cherry-picked facts, inaccurate characterizations, and preexisting biases.”

“Because of the bad deal former President Trump cut with the Taliban to get out of Afghanistan by May of 2021, President Biden inherited an untenable position,” either ramp up the U.S. war against a strengthened Taliban, or end it, Yang said in a statement.

House Democrats in a statement said the report by their Republican colleagues ignored facts about Trump’s role.

The more than 18-month investigation by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee zeroed in on the months leading up to the removal of U.S. troops, saying that Biden and his administration undermined high-ranking officials and ignored warnings as the Taliban seized key cities far faster than most U.S. officials had expected or prepared for.

“I called their advance ‘the Red Blob,’'' retired Col. Seth Krummrich said of the Taliban, telling the committee that at the special operations’ central command where he was chief of staff, ”we tracked the Taliban advance daily, looking like a red blob gobbling up terrain.”

“I don’t think we ever thought — you know, nobody ever talked about, ‘Well, what’s going to happen when the Taliban come over the wall?’'' Carol Perez, the State Department’s acting undersecretary for management at the time of the withdrawal, said of what House Republicans said was minimal State Department planning before abandoning the embassy in mid-August 2021 when the Taliban swept into Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.

The withdrawal ended a nearly two-decade occupation by U.S. and allied forces begun to rout out the al-Qaida militants responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The Taliban had allowed al-Qaida’s leader, Osama bin Laden, to shelter in Afghanistan. Committee staffers noted reports since the U.S. withdrawal of the group rebuilding in Afghanistan, such as a U.N. report of up to eight al-Qaida training camps there.

The Taliban overthrew an Afghan government and military that the U.S. had spent nearly 20 years and trillions of dollars building in hopes of keeping the country from again becoming a base for anti-Western extremists.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/evaluations/SIGAR-23-16-IP.pdf" target="_blank">2023 report by the U.S. government watchdog for the U.S. in Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;singles out Trump’s February 2020 deal with the Taliban agreeing to withdraw all American forces and military contractors by the spring of the next year, and both Trump’s and Biden’s determination to keep pulling out U.S. forces despite the Taliban breaking key commitments in the withdrawal deal.

House Republicans’ more than 350-page document is the product of hours of testimony — including with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, U.S. Central Command retired Gen. Frank McKenzie and others who were senior officials at the time — seven public hearings and round-tables as well as more than 20,000 pages of State Department documents reviewed by the committees.

With Biden no longer running for reelection, Trump and his GOP allies have tried to elevate the withdrawal as a campaign issue against Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now Trump’s Democratic opponent in the presidential race.

The report by House Republican cites Harris’ overall responsibility as an adviser to Biden, but doesn’t point to specific counsel or action by Harris that contributed to the many failures.

Republicans point to testimony and records that claim the Biden administration’s reliance on input from military and civilian leaders on the ground in Afghanistan in the months before the withdrawal was “severely limited,” with most of the decision-making taking place by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan without consultation with key stakeholders.

Yang, the White House spokesperson, denied that, saying the administration had sought input from officials in Kabul and others across the U.S. government.

The report says Biden proceeded with the withdrawal even though the Taliban was failing to keep some of its agreements under the deal, including breaking its promise to enter talks with the then-U.S.- backed Afghan government.

Former State Department spokesperson Ned Price testified to the committee that adherence to the Doha Agreement was “immaterial” to Biden’s decision to withdraw, according to the report.

Earlier reviews have said Trump also carried out his early steps of the withdrawal deal, cutting the U.S. troop presence from about 13,000 to an eventual 2,500 despite early Taliban noncompliance with some parts of the deal, and despite the Taliban escalating attacks on Afghan forces.

The House report faults a longtime U.S. diplomat for Afghanistan, former Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, not Trump, for Trump administration actions in its negotiations with the Taliban. The new report says that Trump was following recommendations of American military leaders in making sharp cuts in U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan after the signing.

‘We were still in planning’ when Kabul fell

The report also goes into the vulnerability of U.S. embassy staff in Kabul as the Biden administration planned its exit. Republicans claim there was a “dogmatic insistence” by the Biden administration to maintain a large diplomatic footprint despite concerns about the lack of security afforded to personnel once U.S. forces left.

McKenzie, who was one of the two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation, told lawmakers that the administration’s insistence at keeping the embassy open and fully operational was the “fatal flaw that created what happened in August,” according to the report.

The committee report claims that State Department officials went as far as watering down or “even completely rewriting reports” from heads of diplomatic security and the Department of Defense that had warned of the threats to U.S. personnel as the withdrawal date got closer.

“We were still in planning” when Kabul fell, Perez, the senior U.S. diplomat, testified to the committee.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725911207774.png" alt="Image from the Afghanistan withdrawal report" />
 <figcaption>Image from the Afghanistan withdrawal report</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Sunday issued a scathing report on their investigation into the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-afghanistan-government-and-politics-86f939c746c7bc56bb9f11f095a95366">U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan</a>, blaming the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-takeover-timeline-df3df916cae4b07d53a302dc9a2811d8">disastrous</a>&nbsp;end of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan-september-11-d2c7426736f9f530e0e62f2295a44d28">America’s longest war</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-michigan-afghanistan-war-46eb2b0861939bf022747920c0ee0234">President Joe Biden’s administration</a>&nbsp;and minimizing the role of former President Donald Trump, who had signed the withdrawal deal with the Taliban.<a href="https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/HFAC-Republican-Interim-Report-A-22Strategic-Failure22-Assessing-the-Administrations-Afghanistan-Withdrawal.pdf">Click here to read&nbsp;</a>the reportThe partisan review lays out the final months of military and civilian failures, following Trump’s February 2020 withdrawal deal, that allowed America’s fundamentalist Taliban enemy to sweep through and conquer all of the country even before the last U.S. officials flew out on Aug. 30, 2021. The chaotic exit left behind many American citizens,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-withdrawal-anniversary-afghans-kabul-f6a42bfa49507f9ba7fb977a7ebb2feb">Afghan battlefield allies</a>, women activists and others at risk from the Taliban.But House Republicans’ report breaks little new ground as the withdrawal has been exhaustively litigated through several independent reviews. Previous investigations and analyses have pointed to a systemic failure spanning the last four presidential administrations and concluded that Biden and Trump share the heaviest blame.Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, who led the investigation as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the GOP review reveals that the Biden administration “had the information and opportunity to take necessary steps to plan for the inevitable collapse of the Afghan government, so we could safely evacuate U.S. personnel, American citizens, green card holders, and our brave Afghan allies.”“At each step of the way, however, the administration picked optics over security,” he said in a statement.McCaul earlier in the day denied that the timing of the report’s release ahead of the presidential election was political, or that Republicans ignored Trump’s mistakes in the U.S. withdrawal.A White House spokesperson, Sharon Yang, said the Republican report was based on “cherry-picked facts, inaccurate characterizations, and preexisting biases.”“Because of the bad deal former President Trump cut with the Taliban to get out of Afghanistan by May of 2021, President Biden inherited an untenable position,” either ramp up the U.S. war against a strengthened Taliban, or end it, Yang said in a statement.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725911178941.png" alt="Image from the Afghanistan withdrawal report" />
 <figcaption>Image from the Afghanistan withdrawal report</figcaption>
 </figure>House Democrats in a statement said the report by their Republican colleagues ignored facts about Trump’s role.The more than 18-month investigation by Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee zeroed in on the months leading up to the removal of U.S. troops, saying that Biden and his administration undermined high-ranking officials and ignored warnings as the Taliban seized key cities far faster than most U.S. officials had expected or prepared for.“I called their advance ‘the Red Blob,’'' retired Col. Seth Krummrich said of the Taliban, telling the committee that at the special operations’ central command where he was chief of staff, ”we tracked the Taliban advance daily, looking like a red blob gobbling up terrain.”“I don’t think we ever thought — you know, nobody ever talked about, ‘Well, what’s going to happen when the Taliban come over the wall?’'' Carol Perez, the State Department’s acting undersecretary for management at the time of the withdrawal, said of what House Republicans said was minimal State Department planning before abandoning the embassy in mid-August 2021 when the Taliban swept into Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital.The withdrawal ended a nearly two-decade occupation by U.S. and allied forces begun to rout out the al-Qaida militants responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The Taliban had allowed al-Qaida’s leader, Osama bin Laden, to shelter in Afghanistan. Committee staffers noted reports since the U.S. withdrawal of the group rebuilding in Afghanistan, such as a U.N. report of up to eight al-Qaida training camps there.The Taliban overthrew an Afghan government and military that the U.S. had spent nearly 20 years and trillions of dollars building in hopes of keeping the country from again becoming a base for anti-Western extremists.A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/evaluations/SIGAR-23-16-IP.pdf" target="_blank">2023 report by the U.S. government watchdog for the U.S. in Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;singles out Trump’s February 2020 deal with the Taliban agreeing to withdraw all American forces and military contractors by the spring of the next year, and both Trump’s and Biden’s determination to keep pulling out U.S. forces despite the Taliban breaking key commitments in the withdrawal deal.House Republicans’ more than 350-page document is the product of hours of testimony — including with former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, U.S. Central Command retired Gen. Frank McKenzie and others who were senior officials at the time — seven public hearings and round-tables as well as more than 20,000 pages of State Department documents reviewed by the committees.With Biden no longer running for reelection, Trump and his GOP allies have tried to elevate the withdrawal as a campaign issue against Vice President Kamala Harris, who is now Trump’s Democratic opponent in the presidential race.The report by House Republican cites Harris’ overall responsibility as an adviser to Biden, but doesn’t point to specific counsel or action by Harris that contributed to the many failures.Some highlights of the report:<h2>Decision to withdraw</h2>Republicans point to testimony and records that claim the Biden administration’s reliance on input from military and civilian leaders on the ground in Afghanistan in the months before the withdrawal was “severely limited,” with most of the decision-making taking place by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan without consultation with key stakeholders.Yang, the White House spokesperson, denied that, saying the administration had sought input from officials in Kabul and others across the U.S. government.The report says Biden proceeded with the withdrawal even though the Taliban was failing to keep some of its agreements under the deal, including breaking its promise to enter talks with the then-U.S.- backed Afghan government.Former State Department spokesperson Ned Price testified to the committee that adherence to the Doha Agreement was “immaterial” to Biden’s decision to withdraw, according to the report.Earlier reviews have said Trump also carried out his early steps of the withdrawal deal, cutting the U.S. troop presence from about 13,000 to an eventual 2,500 despite early Taliban noncompliance with some parts of the deal, and despite the Taliban escalating attacks on Afghan forces.The House report faults a longtime U.S. diplomat for Afghanistan, former Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, not Trump, for Trump administration actions in its negotiations with the Taliban. The new report says that Trump was following recommendations of American military leaders in making sharp cuts in U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan after the signing.<h2>‘We were still in planning’ when Kabul fell</h2>The report also goes into the vulnerability of U.S. embassy staff in Kabul as the Biden administration planned its exit. Republicans claim there was a “dogmatic insistence” by the Biden administration to maintain a large diplomatic footprint despite concerns about the lack of security afforded to personnel once U.S. forces left.McKenzie, who was one of the two U.S. generals who oversaw the evacuation, told lawmakers that the administration’s insistence at keeping the embassy open and fully operational was the “fatal flaw that created what happened in August,” according to the report.The committee report claims that State Department officials went as far as watering down or “even completely rewriting reports” from heads of diplomatic security and the Department of Defense that had warned of the threats to U.S. personnel as the withdrawal date got closer.“We were still in planning” when Kabul fell, Perez, the senior U.S. diplomat, testified to the committee.<h2>___</h2>

Read the new report on the disastrous end to US war in Afghanistan

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-earl-jones">James Earl Jones,</a>&nbsp;who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.

His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.

The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0c663181fccc4be5a06b6f63670fc7d6/james-earl-jones-happy-receive-voice-icon-award">deep into his 80s,</a>&nbsp;won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-earl-jones-james-earl-jones-august-wilson-b4056d456fb32a19657d1b9ff39ee0d6">Broadway theater was renamed</a>&nbsp;in his honor.

He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f5220b7049444bc9ab4e273edf022cba">a Broadway run of “The Gin Game”</a>&nbsp;having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.

“The need to storytell has always been with us,” he told The Associated Press then. “I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn't get him."

Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in “Field of Dreams,” the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit “The Great White Hope,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-entertainment-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-3064de5f4a327209306fda7df7d25f14">writer Alex Haley</a>&nbsp;in “Roots: The Next Generation” and a South African minister in “Cry, the Beloved Country.”

He was also a sought-after voice actor, expressing the villainy of Darth Vader (“No, I am your father,” commonly misremembered as “Luke, I am your father”), as well as the benign dignity of King Mufasa in Disney's animated “The Lion King” and announcing “This is CNN” during station breaks. He won a 1977 Grammy for his performance on the “Great American Documents” audiobook.

“If you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the payment in these streets looks for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones,” Samuel L. Jackson once said.

Some of his other films include “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Greatest” (with Muhammad Ali), “Conan the Barbarian,” “Three Fugitives” and playing an admiral in three Tom Clancy blockbuster adaptations — “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger.” In a rare romantic comedy, “Claudine,” Jones had an onscreen love affair with Diahann Carroll.

Jones made his Broadway debut in 1958’s “Sunrise At Campobello” and would win his two Tony Awards for “The Great White Hope” (1969) and “Fences” (1987). He also was nominated for “On Golden Pond” (2005) and “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” (2012). He was celebrated for his command of Shakespeare and Athol Fugard alike. More recent Broadway appearances include “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Iceman Cometh,” and “You Can’t Take It With You.”

As a rising stage and television actor, he appeared in “As the World Turns” in 1965, one of the first Black actors to have such role on daytime TV. He performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival Theater in “Othello,” “Macbeth” and “King Lear” and in off-Broadway plays.

Jones was born by the light of an oil lamp in a shack in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on Jan. 17, 1931. His father, Robert Earl Jones, had deserted his wife before the baby's arrival to pursue life as a boxer and, later, an actor.

When Jones was 6, his mother took him to her parents' farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents adopted the boy and raised him.

“A world ended for me, the safe world of childhood,” Jones wrote in his autobiography, “Voices and Silences.” “The move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter.”

Too embarrassed to speak, he remained virtually mute for years, communicating with teachers and fellow students with handwritten notes. A sympathetic high school teacher, Donald Crouch, learned that the boy wrote poetry, and demanded that Jones read one of his poems aloud in class. He did so faultlessly.

Teacher and student worked together to restore the boy’s normal speech. “I could not get enough of speaking, debating, orating — acting,” he recalled in his book.

At the University of Michigan, he failed a pre-med exam and switched to drama, also playing four seasons of basketball. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1955.

In New York, he moved in with his father and enrolled with the American Theater Wing program for young actors. Father and son waxed floors to support themselves while looking for acting jobs.

True stardom came suddenly in 1970 with “The Great White Hope.” Howard Sackler’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play depicted the struggles of Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, amid the racism of early 20th-century America. In 1972, Jones repeated his role in the movie version and was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor.

Jones’ two wives were also actors. He married Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1967. After their divorce, he married Cecilia Hart, best known for her role as Stacey Erickson in the CBS police drama “Paris,” in 1982. (She died in 2016.) They had a son, Flynn Earl, born in 1983.

In 2022, the Cort Theatre on Broadway&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-earl-jones-james-b2ede81ef88bedef4d17a8f08570b9dd">was renamed after Jones,</a>&nbsp;with a ceremony that included Norm Lewis singing “Go the Distance,” Brian Stokes Mitchell singing “Make Them Hear You” and words from Mayor Eric Adams, Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

“You can’t think of an artist that has served America more,” director Kenny Leon told the AP. “It’s like it seems like a small act, but it’s a huge action. It’s something we can look up and see that’s tangible.”

Citing his stutter as one of the reasons he wasn’t a political activist, Jones nonetheless hoped his art could change minds.

“I realized early on, from people like Athol Fugard, that you cannot change anybody’s mind, no matter what you do,” he told the AP. “As a preacher, as a scholar, you cannot change their mind. But you can change the way they feel.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725918777492.png" alt="FILE - James Earl Jones arrives at the American Theatre Wing benefit to honor CBS and Leslie Moonves, Chairman of CBS, Monday, April 11, 2005, in New York. Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen has died at age 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning, Sept. 9, 2024, at home. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - James Earl Jones arrives at the American Theatre Wing benefit to honor CBS and Leslie Moonves, Chairman of CBS, Monday, April 11, 2005, in New York. Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen has died at age 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning, Sept. 9, 2024, at home. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-earl-jones">James Earl Jones,</a>&nbsp;who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0c663181fccc4be5a06b6f63670fc7d6/james-earl-jones-happy-receive-voice-icon-award">deep into his 80s,</a>&nbsp;won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-earl-jones-james-earl-jones-august-wilson-b4056d456fb32a19657d1b9ff39ee0d6">Broadway theater was renamed</a>&nbsp;in his honor.He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f5220b7049444bc9ab4e273edf022cba">a Broadway run of “The Gin Game”</a>&nbsp;having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.“The need to storytell has always been with us,” he told The Associated Press then. “I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn't get him."Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in “Field of Dreams,” the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit “The Great White Hope,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-entertainment-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-3064de5f4a327209306fda7df7d25f14">writer Alex Haley</a>&nbsp;in “Roots: The Next Generation” and a South African minister in “Cry, the Beloved Country.”He was also a sought-after voice actor, expressing the villainy of Darth Vader (“No, I am your father,” commonly misremembered as “Luke, I am your father”), as well as the benign dignity of King Mufasa in Disney's animated “The Lion King” and announcing “This is CNN” during station breaks. He won a 1977 Grammy for his performance on the “Great American Documents” audiobook.“If you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the payment in these streets looks for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones,” Samuel L. Jackson once said.Some of his other films include “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Greatest” (with Muhammad Ali), “Conan the Barbarian,” “Three Fugitives” and playing an admiral in three Tom Clancy blockbuster adaptations — “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger.” In a rare romantic comedy, “Claudine,” Jones had an onscreen love affair with Diahann Carroll.Jones made his Broadway debut in 1958’s “Sunrise At Campobello” and would win his two Tony Awards for “The Great White Hope” (1969) and “Fences” (1987). He also was nominated for “On Golden Pond” (2005) and “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” (2012). He was celebrated for his command of Shakespeare and Athol Fugard alike. More recent Broadway appearances include “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Iceman Cometh,” and “You Can’t Take It With You.”As a rising stage and television actor, he appeared in “As the World Turns” in 1965, one of the first Black actors to have such role on daytime TV. He performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival Theater in “Othello,” “Macbeth” and “King Lear” and in off-Broadway plays.Jones was born by the light of an oil lamp in a shack in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on Jan. 17, 1931. His father, Robert Earl Jones, had deserted his wife before the baby's arrival to pursue life as a boxer and, later, an actor.When Jones was 6, his mother took him to her parents' farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents adopted the boy and raised him.“A world ended for me, the safe world of childhood,” Jones wrote in his autobiography, “Voices and Silences.” “The move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter.”Too embarrassed to speak, he remained virtually mute for years, communicating with teachers and fellow students with handwritten notes. A sympathetic high school teacher, Donald Crouch, learned that the boy wrote poetry, and demanded that Jones read one of his poems aloud in class. He did so faultlessly.Teacher and student worked together to restore the boy’s normal speech. “I could not get enough of speaking, debating, orating — acting,” he recalled in his book.At the University of Michigan, he failed a pre-med exam and switched to drama, also playing four seasons of basketball. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1955.In New York, he moved in with his father and enrolled with the American Theater Wing program for young actors. Father and son waxed floors to support themselves while looking for acting jobs.True stardom came suddenly in 1970 with “The Great White Hope.” Howard Sackler’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play depicted the struggles of Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, amid the racism of early 20th-century America. In 1972, Jones repeated his role in the movie version and was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor.Jones’ two wives were also actors. He married Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1967. After their divorce, he married Cecilia Hart, best known for her role as Stacey Erickson in the CBS police drama “Paris,” in 1982. (She died in 2016.) They had a son, Flynn Earl, born in 1983.In 2022, the Cort Theatre on Broadway&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-earl-jones-james-b2ede81ef88bedef4d17a8f08570b9dd">was renamed after Jones,</a>&nbsp;with a ceremony that included Norm Lewis singing “Go the Distance,” Brian Stokes Mitchell singing “Make Them Hear You” and words from Mayor Eric Adams, Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson.“You can’t think of an artist that has served America more,” director Kenny Leon told the AP. “It’s like it seems like a small act, but it’s a huge action. It’s something we can look up and see that’s tangible.”Citing his stutter as one of the reasons he wasn’t a political activist, Jones nonetheless hoped his art could change minds.“I realized early on, from people like Athol Fugard, that you cannot change anybody’s mind, no matter what you do,” he told the AP. “As a preacher, as a scholar, you cannot change their mind. But you can change the way they feel.”

James Earl Jones, acclaimed actor and voice of Darth Vader, dies at 93

HUTCHINSON —Kansas State Highway Patrol troopers are very busy at the Kansas State Fair.&nbsp; On Sunday night, troopers recovered a stolen firearm, according to a social media report from Troop Tod Hileman.

On Friday night troopers responded to a subject brandishing a weapon on the fairgrounds, according to Hileman.

The subject was placed under arrest for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of a firearm while intoxicated.&nbsp;

"KHP Troopers are dedicated to your protection even while you’re having fun at the Kansas State Fair"

 The KHP released no additional details including the name of the suspect in the Friday night arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725903728220.png" alt="Photo KHP" />
 <figcaption>Photo KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON —Kansas State Highway Patrol troopers are very busy at the Kansas State Fair.&nbsp; On Sunday night, troopers recovered a stolen firearm, according to a social media report from Troop Tod Hileman.On Friday night troopers responded to a subject brandishing a weapon on the fairgrounds, according to Hileman.The subject was placed under arrest for being a felon in possession of a firearm and for possession of a firearm while intoxicated.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725735460237.png" alt="The gun recovered on Friday -photo KHP" />
 <figcaption>The gun recovered on Friday -photo KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>"KHP Troopers are dedicated to your protection even while you’re having fun at the Kansas State Fair" The KHP released no additional details including the name of the suspect in the Friday night arrest.

Troopers recover a stolen gun at the Kansas State Fair

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Monday charged into the artificial intelligence craze with a new iPhone lineup that marks the company’s latest attempt to latch onto a technology trend and transform it into a cultural phenomenon.

The four different iPhone 16 models will all come equipped with special chips needed to power a suite if AI tools that Apple hopes will make its marquee product even more indispensable and reverse&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-quarterly-earnings-iphone-artificial-intelligence-112e9d950a3f842ce32a4b86d0bdc0e7">a recent sales slump.</a>

Apple’s AI features are designed to turn its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri into a smarter and more versatile sidekick, automate a wide range of tedious tasks and pull off other crowd-pleasing tricks such as creating customized emojis within seconds.

After receiving a standing ovation for Monday's event, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised the AI package will unleash “innovations that will make a true difference in people’s lives.”

But the breakthroughs won't begin as soon as the new iPhones — ranging in price from $800 to $1,200 — hit the stores on September 20.

Most of Apple’s AI functions will roll out as part of a free software update to iOS 18, the operating system that will power the iPhone 16 coming out in December. English will be the featured language at launch but an update enabling other languages will come out next year, according to Apple.

It’s all part of a new approach that Apple previewed at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-artificial-intelligence-siri-iphone-software-conference-4217d67977f95ead880835a71ecce098">a developers conference</a>&nbsp;three months ago to create more anticipation for a next generation of iPhones amid a rare sales slump for the well-known devices.

Since Apple’s June conference, competitors such as Samsung and Google have made greater strides in AI – a technology widely expected to trigger the most dramatic changes in computing since the first iPhone came out 17 years ago.

Just as Apple elevated fledgling smartphones it into a must-have technology in 21st-century society, the Cupertino, California, company is betting it can do something similar with its tardy arrival to artificial intelligence.

In an attempt to set itself apart from the early leaders in AI, the technology being baked into the iPhone 16 is being promoted as “Apple Intelligence.” Despite the unique branding, Apple’s new approach mimics many of the features already available in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/samsung-galaxy-smartphones-ai-apple-google-7e0a8d8d7aea1efc5b54c9301e53b684">Samsung Galaxy S24 released in January</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-pixel-phone-artificial-intelligence-apple-iphone-706f612f4d1b0d6ed06431026e9afcbe">Google Pixel 9 that came out last month.</a>

“Apple could have waited another year for further development, but initial take up of AI- powered devices from the likes of Samsung has been encouraging, and Apple is keen to capitalize on this market,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

As it treads into new territory, Apple is trying to preserve its long-time commitment to privacy by tailoring its AI so that most of its technological tricks can processed on the device itself instead of relying on giant banks of computers located in remote data centers. When a task need to connect to a data center, Apple promises it will be done in a tightly-controlled way that ensures that no personal data is stored remotely.

While corralling the personal information shared through Apple’s AI tools inherently reduces the chances that the data will be exploited or misused against a user’s wishes, it doesn’t guarantee iron-clad security. A device could still be stolen, for instance, or hacked through digital chicanery.

For users seeking to access even more AI tools than being offered by the iPhone, Apple is teaming up with OpenAI to give users the option of farming out more complicated tasks to the popular ChatGPT chatbot.

Although Apple is releasing a free version of its operating system to propel its on-device AI features, the chip needed to run the technology is only available on the iPhone 16 lineup and the high-end iPhone 15 models that came out a year ago.

That means most consumers who are interested in taking advantage of Apple’s approach to AI will have to buy one of the iPhone 16 models – a twist that investors are counting on will fuel a surge in demand heading into the holiday season.

The anticipated sales boom is the main reason Apple’s stock price has climbed by more than 10% since the AI preview in June. But the company's shares dipped slightly in Monday's late afternoon trading after the iPhone showcase, continuing a recent downturn in tech stocks that has been driven in part by concerns about how long it will take before the industry's huge investments in AI will pay off.

Besides its latest iPhones, Apple also introduced a new version of its smartwatch that will include a feature to help detect sleep apnea as well the next generation of its wireless headphones, the AirPods Pro, that will be able to function as a hearing aid with an upcoming software update.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711052797525.png" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple on Monday charged into the artificial intelligence craze with a new iPhone lineup that marks the company’s latest attempt to latch onto a technology trend and transform it into a cultural phenomenon.The four different iPhone 16 models will all come equipped with special chips needed to power a suite if AI tools that Apple hopes will make its marquee product even more indispensable and reverse&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-quarterly-earnings-iphone-artificial-intelligence-112e9d950a3f842ce32a4b86d0bdc0e7">a recent sales slump.</a>Apple’s AI features are designed to turn its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri into a smarter and more versatile sidekick, automate a wide range of tedious tasks and pull off other crowd-pleasing tricks such as creating customized emojis within seconds.After receiving a standing ovation for Monday's event, Apple CEO Tim Cook promised the AI package will unleash “innovations that will make a true difference in people’s lives.”But the breakthroughs won't begin as soon as the new iPhones — ranging in price from $800 to $1,200 — hit the stores on September 20.Most of Apple’s AI functions will roll out as part of a free software update to iOS 18, the operating system that will power the iPhone 16 coming out in December. English will be the featured language at launch but an update enabling other languages will come out next year, according to Apple.It’s all part of a new approach that Apple previewed at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/apple-artificial-intelligence-siri-iphone-software-conference-4217d67977f95ead880835a71ecce098">a developers conference</a>&nbsp;three months ago to create more anticipation for a next generation of iPhones amid a rare sales slump for the well-known devices.Since Apple’s June conference, competitors such as Samsung and Google have made greater strides in AI – a technology widely expected to trigger the most dramatic changes in computing since the first iPhone came out 17 years ago.Just as Apple elevated fledgling smartphones it into a must-have technology in 21st-century society, the Cupertino, California, company is betting it can do something similar with its tardy arrival to artificial intelligence.In an attempt to set itself apart from the early leaders in AI, the technology being baked into the iPhone 16 is being promoted as “Apple Intelligence.” Despite the unique branding, Apple’s new approach mimics many of the features already available in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/samsung-galaxy-smartphones-ai-apple-google-7e0a8d8d7aea1efc5b54c9301e53b684">Samsung Galaxy S24 released in January</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-pixel-phone-artificial-intelligence-apple-iphone-706f612f4d1b0d6ed06431026e9afcbe">Google Pixel 9 that came out last month.</a>“Apple could have waited another year for further development, but initial take up of AI- powered devices from the likes of Samsung has been encouraging, and Apple is keen to capitalize on this market,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.As it treads into new territory, Apple is trying to preserve its long-time commitment to privacy by tailoring its AI so that most of its technological tricks can processed on the device itself instead of relying on giant banks of computers located in remote data centers. When a task need to connect to a data center, Apple promises it will be done in a tightly-controlled way that ensures that no personal data is stored remotely.While corralling the personal information shared through Apple’s AI tools inherently reduces the chances that the data will be exploited or misused against a user’s wishes, it doesn’t guarantee iron-clad security. A device could still be stolen, for instance, or hacked through digital chicanery.For users seeking to access even more AI tools than being offered by the iPhone, Apple is teaming up with OpenAI to give users the option of farming out more complicated tasks to the popular ChatGPT chatbot.Although Apple is releasing a free version of its operating system to propel its on-device AI features, the chip needed to run the technology is only available on the iPhone 16 lineup and the high-end iPhone 15 models that came out a year ago.That means most consumers who are interested in taking advantage of Apple’s approach to AI will have to buy one of the iPhone 16 models – a twist that investors are counting on will fuel a surge in demand heading into the holiday season.The anticipated sales boom is the main reason Apple’s stock price has climbed by more than 10% since the AI preview in June. But the company's shares dipped slightly in Monday's late afternoon trading after the iPhone showcase, continuing a recent downturn in tech stocks that has been driven in part by concerns about how long it will take before the industry's huge investments in AI will pay off.Besides its latest iPhones, Apple also introduced a new version of its smartwatch that will include a feature to help detect sleep apnea as well the next generation of its wireless headphones, the AirPods Pro, that will be able to function as a hearing aid with an upcoming software update.

Apple embraces the AI craze with newly unleashed iPhone 16 lineup

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

TOPEKA — The Wichita Police Department’s “gang list” that targeted young Black and Latino residents based on where they lived, the clothes they wore and funerals they attended will be overhauled after a federal judge approved a settlement agreement in August in a class-action lawsuit.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Kansas Appleseed sued the City of Wichita in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/04/15/wichita-police-unfairly-target-minorities-with-gang-list-aclu-and-kansas-appleseed-allege-in-lawsuit/">2021</a>&nbsp;alleging constitutional violations on behalf of Progeny, a Wichita-based criminal justice reform organization that focuses on youth empowerment. The suit received class action status in 2023, and the Wichita City Council voted unanimously in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/04/09/wichita-pays-625k-to-settle-lawsuit-over-police-use-of-discriminatory-gang-list/">April</a>&nbsp;to settle the case for $625,000, which went toward litigation costs and the services of a Johnson County judge who will oversee implementation of the policy changes.

“On its inception, our clients were interested in pursuing a change in policy. They were not in it for the money, and so damages claims were never a part of the case,” said Kunyu Ching, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Kansas, in a conversation for the Kansas Reflector podcast.

Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch21/021_063_0013.html" target="_blank">statute</a>&nbsp;deems someone as a criminal gang member if at least three of 10 criteria are met, one of which says someone is a gang member if they adopt a “gang’s style of dress, color, use of hand signs or tattoos.”

The Wichita authorities’ interpretation of the statute resulted in a gang list that contained mostly Black and Latino residents and department policies that put people on the list based on businesses they visited, who they were photographed with and who they were friends with. The advocacy groups said police used unreliable evidence — or no evidence at all — to surveil, harass and discriminate against people they believed were gang members or associates.

The policy changes under the settlement agreement mandate the police department revise its criteria for adding someone’s name to the list, remove all gang associates and inactive gang members or associates from the list, and begin notifying people if they’re added to the list, according to the Aug. 26 written decision from Chief U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren. The new policy allows minors to avoid being added to the list, and it creates an appeals process so people can challenge the appearance of their names on the gang list.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617619872501.png" alt="File photo Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>File photo Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a>&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a> TOPEKA — The Wichita Police Department’s “gang list” that targeted young Black and Latino residents based on where they lived, the clothes they wore and funerals they attended will be overhauled after a federal judge approved a settlement agreement in August in a class-action lawsuit.The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Kansas Appleseed sued the City of Wichita in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/04/15/wichita-police-unfairly-target-minorities-with-gang-list-aclu-and-kansas-appleseed-allege-in-lawsuit/">2021</a>&nbsp;alleging constitutional violations on behalf of Progeny, a Wichita-based criminal justice reform organization that focuses on youth empowerment. The suit received class action status in 2023, and the Wichita City Council voted unanimously in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/04/09/wichita-pays-625k-to-settle-lawsuit-over-police-use-of-discriminatory-gang-list/">April</a>&nbsp;to settle the case for $625,000, which went toward litigation costs and the services of a Johnson County judge who will oversee implementation of the policy changes.“On its inception, our clients were interested in pursuing a change in policy. They were not in it for the money, and so damages claims were never a part of the case,” said Kunyu Ching, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Kansas, in a conversation for the Kansas Reflector podcast.Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch21/021_063_0013.html" target="_blank">statute</a>&nbsp;deems someone as a criminal gang member if at least three of 10 criteria are met, one of which says someone is a gang member if they adopt a “gang’s style of dress, color, use of hand signs or tattoos.”The Wichita authorities’ interpretation of the statute resulted in a gang list that contained mostly Black and Latino residents and department policies that put people on the list based on businesses they visited, who they were photographed with and who they were friends with. The advocacy groups said police used unreliable evidence — or no evidence at all — to surveil, harass and discriminate against people they believed were gang members or associates.The policy changes under the settlement agreement mandate the police department revise its criteria for adding someone’s name to the list, remove all gang associates and inactive gang members or associates from the list, and begin notifying people if they’re added to the list, according to the Aug. 26 written decision from Chief U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren. The new policy allows minors to avoid being added to the list, and it creates an appeals process so people can challenge the appearance of their names on the gang list.The city plans to create a way for the public to check and see if they are on the police department’s gang list, said Megan Lovely, a City of Wichita spokeswoman, in an emailed statement.“This mediated agreement is intended to protect the constitutional rights of the citizens of Wichita and allow law enforcement to conduct effective investigations for public safety,” she said.Marquetta Atkins-Woods, executive director of Progeny, said in a news release the case’s outcome was a “prime example” of youth instigating policy change.“Our youth were part of the plaintiffs in the case, which is heroic and fierce, to take on something like this,” she said. “I think this lawsuit and settlement are proof positive of how community can come together to be a catalyst for change.”The settlement agreement also created the position of an ombudsman to oversee a new appeals process, and the Johnson County judge will ensure the agreement’s terms are implemented over the next three years.Under Wichita’s previous policy, no one was notified if they were on the list, and there was no way to take their name off of it. If convicted of a crime, people who appeared on the list would face higher bond amounts, longer sentences and harsher probation conditions.“So it’s designed for you to fail,” said Teresa Woody, the litigation director at Kansas Appleseed.At the time the lawsuit was filed, Wichita’s was the only municipal police department in Kansas using a gang list. The list started as hard-copy files in a box.“Today it’s a database,” Ching said. “But, essentially, it’s a way for the WPD to keep tabs on individuals that they believe are gang members or gang associates.”Wichita police have used a gang list for roughly 30 years, so generations of residents have been impacted, she said. Regardless of whether criminal activity was occurring, police would scout “funerals, weddings, family celebrations, public venues, public gatherings like concerts” as reasons for adding or keeping people on the list, Ching said.Three of the ACLU of Kansas’ clients in the suit were family members, Ching said. Their active status on the gang list was renewed when they gathered at one of their homes for a wake for an infant family member who had died. Police, referencing the nationwide association of street gangs known as the Bloods, called the wake a “Blood party” at the time, Ching said.Black police officers testified that they avoided contact with certain family members because they feared they themselves could be added to the list, she said.Woody said there’s no doubt in her mind that police and the Sedgwick County district attorney knew the list, and the way it was used, was wrong.“I think it was really a way of policing these communities, or over-policing these communities, with an assumption that the folks who lived in those communities were likely criminals,” Woody said.According to an ACLU of Kansas analysis of 2022 data, more than half of people on Wichita’s gang list were Black, nearly 30% were Latino and around 6% were white. Wichita’s population is 68% white with Black residents making up less than 8% of the population and Latino residents making up about 14%. Mostly white police officers staffed Wichita’s gang investigation unit, Woody said.As of May 2022, roughly 5,500 people were on Wichita’s gang list. Woody said roughly two thirds of the people on the list could be removed under the police department’s revised policy, which went into effect&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wichita.gov/DocumentCenter/View/29592/Policy-527--Gang-Offenders-PDF" target="_blank">Aug. 26</a>.