DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vandalism report Monday night at the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity,&nbsp;1116 Indiana Street, in Lawrence, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.

 The house had an Israeli Flag and American Flag flying on their flag pole until Sunday night when a member of the house called police to file a report.

The Israeli Flag had been cut down and ripped up and later found about a block away.&nbsp; The American Flag was still attached to the rope and on the ground near the flagpole. 

&nbsp;A detective visited the house and police are working to secure additional evidence. 

Anyone with information is asked to call LKPD 785.832.7509 or Douglas County CrimeStoppers at 785.843.TIPS if you can help. (Tips can be anonymous.)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699356449591.png" alt="Photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vandalism report Monday night at the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity,&nbsp;1116 Indiana Street, in Lawrence, according to a media release from Lawrence Police. The house had an Israeli Flag and American Flag flying on their flag pole until Sunday night when a member of the house called police to file a report.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699356430721.png" alt="Photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>The Israeli Flag had been cut down and ripped up and later found about a block away.&nbsp; The American Flag was still attached to the rope and on the ground near the flagpole. &nbsp;A detective visited the house and police are working to secure additional evidence. Anyone with information is asked to call LKPD 785.832.7509 or Douglas County CrimeStoppers at 785.843.TIPS if you can help. (Tips can be anonymous.)

Israeli flag cut down, ripped up at Kansas fraternity house

Documents show unquestioning support before raid, followed by attempts to sidestep outrage

BY SHERMAN SMITH&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

MARION — Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody enlisted the support of local and state law enforcement officials in the days before&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/11/police-stage-chilling-raid-on-marion-county-newspaper-seizing-computers-records-and-cellphones/">he led raids</a>&nbsp;on the local newspaper office, the publisher’s home and the home of a city councilwoman.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Department of Revenue, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the State Fire Marshal — along with the county attorney and a magistrate judge — were complicit in the Aug. 11 raid or knew it was imminent. But in the days that followed, they largely downplayed their involvement.

Police reports, internal agency emails and other documents obtained by Kansas Reflector provide a clearer picture of the raid than the early one that crystallized as a fast-moving story attracted international attention.

There was the restaurateur who wanted a liquor license. The reporter who looked up the restaurateur’s drunken driving record. The police chief who knew reporters were investigating his past misconduct. The newspaper publisher with his strident editorial voice, and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/19/co-owner-of-kansas-newspaper-who-died-amid-stress-from-police-raid-honored-in-funeral-service/">demise</a>&nbsp;of his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/21/youre-an-hole-police-chief-kansas-newspaper-owner-defiant-in-video-of-home-invasion/">defiant</a>&nbsp;98-year-old mother.

We now know there was also a KBI agent and his supervisor who had advance copies of the search warrants. A sheriff’s detective who wrote the search warrants. Department of Revenue staff who treated the reporter’s actions as criminal. And a fire marshal’s investigator who participated in the raid even though he seemed to realize it was unlawful.

Then there was the county attorney who claimed he didn’t review the search warrant affidavits until after the raid, even though police had sent them to him for preapproval. And the magistrate judge,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article278237263.html">with her own checkered driving record</a>, who signed three of the search warrants but refused a fourth.

Officers from three agencies converged Aug. 11 to seize personal cellphones, computers and other items from Marion County Record publisher Eric Meyer, two of his reporters — including one who wasn’t even a target in the investigation — and Councilwoman Ruth Herbel. Police also rummaged through a reporter’s desk drawer and Meyer’s paperwork to take stock of confidential sources.

There is no indication in any of the records obtained by Kansas Reflector that anybody anywhere suggested the raid would be a bad idea, despite federal protections for journalists and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/20/completely-unjustified-affidavits-point-to-abuse-of-power-in-raid-on-kansas-newspaper/">flimsy pretext of a crime</a>.

Katherine Jacobsen, U.S. and Canada program coordinator for the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cpj.org/">Committee to Protect Journalists</a>, said it is incredibly concerning that so many taxpayer-funded agencies were willing to tacitly or directly sign off on a gross violation of the freedom of the press.

“I think the most charitable interpretation I can come up with is they just didn’t know and were ill informed about freedom of the press and the rights that journalists have in this country,” Jacobsen said. “A more nefarious interpretation is, of course, that they just didn’t care and were in fact kind of happy to see the journalists put in their place.”

Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn was exhausted Aug. 16 after staying up all night to publish the first edition of the newspaper since the raid five days earlier.

Scrutiny of the raid had intensified as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/12/police-defend-raid-on-kansas-newspaper-amid-backlash-over-brazen-violation-of-press-freedom/">the police chief</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/13/kbi-director-on-marion-county-newspaper-raid-media-is-not-above-the-law/">KBI director</a>&nbsp;issued statements about journalists not being above the law — a distraction from the reality that if anyone had broken the law, it was the police.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/16/marion-county-record-publishes-in-defiance-of-police-raid-and-gets-seized-property-back/">The newspaper’s 200-point bold type headline that morning</a>&nbsp;read: “SEIZED … but not silenced.”

Cody, the police chief, had notified County Attorney Joel Ensey of his investigation in an Aug. 8 email, and sent copies of the search warrants to Ensey before taking them to a magistrate. A day after the raid, Ensey told Cody he would need to get a district court judge to sign the warrants so that the evidence seized during the raid could be reviewed by law enforcement outside of Marion.

“I also believe with the scrutiny this will receive, another judge reviewing the warrant would be a good idea, especially with some of the new information learned during the search,” Ensey said.

But as copies of the newspaper were being&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cpj.org/2023/08/defiant-marion-county-record-hits-newsstands-following-police-raid/">delivered around town</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 16, and new subscribers streamed into the newspaper office, Ensey claimed he had reviewed the search warrants in detail on Aug. 14. He said there was insufficient evidence to support the raids and that items seized would be returned.

Zorn, wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, leaned against the doorway to the sheriff’s office evidence locker, where a deputy was retrieving the electronic devices that police had collected and bagged during the raid. The reporter was listening to Sheriff Jeff Soyez assign blame to the police department.

“It’s not my search warrant,” Soyez said. “It was PD’s search warrant.”

He leaned in to say quietly in Zorn’s ear: “You didn’t see me over there.”

“No, I’m glad I didn’t,” she told him, “because as relaxed as it is between you and me, I probably would have said some things.”

In fact, it was one of Soyez’ officers, Detective Aaron Christner, who had advised Cody on Aug. 8 to get a search warrant to preserve emails. Christner then drafted the search warrants and sent them to Cody to modify and sign. During the raid, Christner used software to make a digital copy of files from Zorn’s computer, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/24/altered-evidence-list-indicates-marion-police-kept-illegal-copy-of-evidence-from-kansas-newspaper/">police initially didn’t disclose</a>&nbsp;on their evidence log.

Ensey and the sheriff weren’t the only ones offering a cop-out.

Anyone can access driving records legally through the Department of Revenue’s online database — if they have a name, date of birth, and driver’s license number. Marion resident Pam Maag on Aug. 2 sent Zorn and Herbel a copy of restaurateur Kari Newell’s driving record, which showed Newell had a DUI and had been driving without a license. Zorn used KDOR’s website to verify the record.

According to Marion police officer Zach Hudlin’s written summary of an Aug. 7 phone call, an unnamed employee in KDOR’s IT department told him “there was a loophole or a vulnerability in their system that would allow someone to access another person’s private data.” The IT staffer confirmed that Zorn had looked up Newell’s driving record on Aug. 4.

Emails exchanged among Chad Burr, with KDOR’s Office of Special Investigations; Garrett Kaufman, technical services manager at KDOR; Craig Bowser, with the Office of Information Technology Services; Desiree Perry, a cyber intelligence specialist; and Valerie Pitts, IT manager at KDOR, show the agency treated Zorn’s use of the website as a crime. Kaufman said it was good that police were working with the KBI.

KDOR didn’t respond to an email asking why the agency’s perspective changed in the days after the raid.

On Aug. 21, KDOR spokesman Zach Denney&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article278460169.html">told the Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;that “this information is public record and available online.” He&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-accused-raided-kansas-newspaper-lying-get-records-reporter-used-rcna100998">told NBC News</a>&nbsp;“the motor vehicle driver’s checker is public-facing and free-use.”

Cody emailed KBI special agent Todd Leeds on Aug. 8 and asked for assistance. Leeds forwarded the request to his supervisor, special agent in charge Bethanie Popejoy, then opened a case on “Marion Public Corruption.”

Leeds asked police for cellphone numbers, Facebook account names and email addresses for Newell, Meyer, Herbel, Zorn and Maag. The KBI agent also wanted&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/21-MPD-08.09.23-Victim-Statement-1a.pdf">Newell’s witness statement</a>&nbsp;and Herbel’s emails. Marion police sent Leeds “everything we have currently for the case.”

Hudlin sent copies of search warrants to Leeds on Aug. 10.

“Did you guys execute this today?” Leeds asked.

“No,” Hudlin replied. “My understanding is that the county attorney wasn’t in the office today.”

A day after the raid, Cody wrote to Popejoy at the KBI to notify her of the items police had gathered during the raid. He CC’d Ensey on the email.

“I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the KBI’s support,” Cody wrote. “It has been tough being the Chief of Police today.”

Two days after the raid, KBI director Toni Mattivi professed his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/13/kbi-director-on-marion-county-newspaper-raid-media-is-not-above-the-law/">belief in free speech</a>&nbsp;while defending his agency’s involvement in the investigation and taking a jab at news media. Mattivi said his agent did not apply for the search warrants and wasn’t present during the raid.

Attorney General Kris Kobach, who has oversight of the KBI,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/17/kobach-kbi-looking-into-possible-data-breach-in-kansas-newspaper-case/">told reporters on Aug. 16</a>&nbsp;that the KBI “was not notified of the searches prior to their taking place.”

Cody told the KBI that Magistrate Judge Laura Viar “scrutinized the evidence and decided it was not enough for me to get Pam Maag’s electronic devices.”

But Viar&nbsp;approved search warrants for the Marion County Record newsroom, Meyer’s home and Herbel’s home. The alleged crime was identity theft.

On the morning of Aug. 11,&nbsp;Marion police asked Chris Mercer, an investigator with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, to help with the raid.

Mercer agreed. He was briefed and assigned to Meyer’s house, according to the report he filed. He arrived at 10:55 a.m.

There, he secured Meyer’s cellphone and laptop and made Meyer leave a stack of paperwork on a table. Mercer told Meyer and his mother, Joan, the 98-year-old co-owner of the paper, they were free to leave.

From Mercer’s notes: “Eric home walking around with phone he’s upset, ‘we in s***storm,’ he says.”

Joan Meyer alternated between being calm and outraged, Mercer wrote. She called the judge stupid. Demanded police get out of her house. Called them Nazis.

She told Mercer she had previously suffered two strokes. If she has another, she said, that’s “going to be murder.”

“Joan crying and violent verbally, sitting in living room, Nazi comments, angry kicking walker,” Mercer wrote.

At one point, Mercer heard Eric Meyer talking to someone on the landline: “Cody has checkered past, and he will now have access to that information!”

The phone rang after Eric Meyer left to go to the newsroom, which was under siege. The caller was the author of this story. Joan Meyer answered, then handed the phone to a sheriff’s officer, who wasn’t interested in answering questions.

“Joan appears to be getting more confused,” Mercer wrote. She was crying and mumbling about corruption.

At the newsroom, police read reporters Zorn and Deb Gruver their Miranda rights. Gruver, who wasn’t named in any of the search warrant affidavits, told Cody she didn’t have anything to do with Newell’s driving record. Cody ripped her personal cellphone from her hand.

Surveillance video shows Hudlin uncovered a file in Gruver’s desk drawer and encouraged the police chief to take a look,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://marionrecord.com/direct/cody_found_reporter_s_notes_on_kc_misdeeds+5503cody+436f647920666f756e64207265706f727465722773206e6f746573206f6e204b43206d697364656564733c212d2d4d2d343434352d36363630332d343832352d2d3e?">the Marion County Record reported</a>.

“Hmm,” Cody said. “Keeping a personal file on me. I don’t care.”

The first page in the folder revealed a confidential source who had provided information about Cody’s time on the Kansas City, Missouri, police force. A half-dozen of Cody’s former coworkers had told Gruver that Cody faced demotion for sexual harassment before taking the Marion job in April.

When police arrived at Herbel’s house, she was in the bathroom. Her husband, who suffers from dementia, ran in a circle through the house trying to find her. He went to the backyard and screamed her name. She sat him down on the couch to try to calm him.

The councilwoman’s supposed crime involved forwarding Newell’s driving record to the city manager and raising concerns about whether the city council should grant Newell a liquor license. A political adversary, Mayor David Mayfield, had tried and failed to remove Herbel from office before. A felony crime would disqualify her from public service.

Police took her cellphone and computer during the raid, leaving her without a way to call for medical help if her husband needed it. She had to drive 35 miles to a town where she could buy a new phone.

Herbel’s husband ended up staying on the couch for more than three hours. Following the raid, she has taken him to the doctor several times because of his declining health.

“I will never forgive this police force or the sheriff’s office or the county attorney or anybody else for what they did to him,” Herbel said. “I mean, they can kick an old lady — and I’d say I’m an old lady because I’m 80 years old. And I can’t run that fast either. But they don’t do that to my husband. He’s 88, and I just felt that this shortened his lifespan tremendously when they did this, and I’ll have hard feelings against them all.”

By Mercer’s own account, he made sure city police went through the stack of paperwork he required Eric Meyer to leave behind.

Meanwhile, Mercer wrote, Joan Meyer was “yelling not to touch her stuff, calling us a**holes.”

She hoped officers would fall down the stairs and break their necks. She threw her walker.

“The team left and I was the last one out of the front door, while she sat in her recliner continuing to yell at us,” Mercer wrote. “She mentioned something about shoot if we come back, but I disregarded it as a I walked out the door.”

Joan Meyer died the next day. The coroner said the stress of the raid was a contributing factor.

<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/49-MPD-08.11.23-Mercer-Narrative_Redacted.pdf">Mercer’s report</a>&nbsp;is dated Aug. 11, the day of the raid. Attached to it is a three-page article written by media law attorneys Jonathan E. Buchan and Corby Anderson in 2001.

The article — “When the police knock at your door: Newsroom search warrants” — is about the federal Privacy Protection Act, which requires criminal investigators to get a subpoena instead of a search warrant. Congress passed the law to address concerns about police weaponizing search warrants against journalists.

Journalists “feared that the magistrates who issued warrants for these searches, often political allies of law enforcement officials, would be biased in deciding whether there was probable cause to justify issuing a warrant,” the attorneys wrote. “In addition, they feared that such searches would physically disrupt the newsroom and its operations.”

A spokeswoman for the Office of the State Fire Marshal didn’t respond to questions for this story about why the legal memo is attached to Mercer’s report, or why he agreed to join an unlawful raid.

Max Kautsch, president of the Kansas Coalition for Open Government, said the reference to federal protections attached to Mercer’s report “goes a long way to show that the decision-makers at the state and local levels involved with authorizing and executing the searches knew or should have known the searches were contrary to clearly established law.”

Four days after the raid, Marion Councilman Zach Collett emailed the League of Kansas Municipalities. He was “beginning to wonder if it would be beneficial to our community to have a council member grant an interview request?”

“I would be comfortable doing this, but would most definitely want lots of coaching from someone more versed in crisis communication than myself,” Collett wrote. “I was wondering if the League offers any services like that? I am still unsure of the best route forward, but I am tired of our community being portrayed the way (it) is in a national headline currently.”

Nathan Eberline, executive director of the League of Municipalities, referred Collett to two firms that focus on crisis communications and pointed him to a YouTube webinar on the topic.

“Given the weight of the media focus, I agree that it would be prudent to speak with an expert,” Eberline said.

Eric Meyer said nobody in Marion, including himself, wanted this kind of publicity.

“I mean, we’ve become the laughingstock of the free world, really, in terms of we’ve got these Keystone Cops and the judge who doesn’t know anything and had drunk driving arrests, and prosecutors who can’t take time to read stuff, and city council members who don’t answer questions,” Meyer said.

In the weeks that followed, ethics complaints were filed against Ensey&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/06/kansas-commission-seeks-magistrates-perspective-on-marion-search-warrant-complaint/">and Viar</a>. Gruver left the newspaper and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/30/kansas-reporter-sues-marion-police-chief-alleging-retaliation-in-newsroom-raid/">filed a civil lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Cody in federal court.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/03/marion-police-chief-resigns-after-body-cam-footage-shows-him-rifling-through-records-about-himself/">Cody resigned</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/police-chief-who-launched-raid-on-marion-newspaper-accused-of-directing-witness-to-delete-text-messages">KSHB reported</a>&nbsp;he had instructed Newell to delete text messages between them. Hudlin is now the interim police chief. Herbel is up for re-election Tuesday.

Melissa Underwood, spokeswoman for the KBI, said the agency’s investigation “remains ongoing.”

“We expect to be able to update on the case soon,” Underwood said. “At that time we should be able to answer some additional questions.”

Meyer believes the raid was orchestrated by local figures who wanted to bully him.

“And for what? So we got Kari Newell’s driving record,” Meyer said. “This isn’t a big drug deal. This isn’t embezzlement.”

The newspaper’s website recently was subjected to a malware attack, Meyer said.

“That’s probably a more serious crime than what we were accused of — particularly since when all this was said and done, nobody did anything about it,” Meyer said. “And we told them what we’d done. So what crime existed? No, they just saw this as a convenient excuse.”

Kan. officials downplayed involvement in Marion raid. Here’s what they knew

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas.&nbsp;

Just after 8:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to 900 E Armour iin Kansas City on a reported sound of gun shots, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle.

Upon arrival, officers located a vehicle leaving the scene which was&nbsp; transporting the victim to an area hospital. 

Officers made contact with the adult male victim at the hospital who appeared to be suffering from apparent gun shot wounds.

The man later died from his injuries, according to Carlisle.

Police are working to determine circumstances leading up to the homicide. Police have not made an arrest or released the name of the victim.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699357013524.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas.&nbsp;Just after 8:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to 900 E Armour iin Kansas City on a reported sound of gun shots, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle.Upon arrival, officers located a vehicle leaving the scene which was&nbsp; transporting the victim to an area hospital. Officers made contact with the adult male victim at the hospital who appeared to be suffering from apparent gun shot wounds.The man later died from his injuries, according to Carlisle.Police are working to determine circumstances leading up to the homicide. Police have not made an arrest or released the name of the victim.

Shooting victim dies after rushed to KC-area hospital

WASHINGTON (AP) — The most-watched races in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2023">Tuesday’s off-year general election</a>&nbsp;have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights.

From&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-election-governor-beshear-cameron-d015a2fb145dfab9fd0aaf96b7978167">a reelection bid for governor in Kentucky</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-election-abortion-ballot-measure-issue-marijuana-b8a3e625deec79213ea9326b5ca1476a">a statewide ballot measure in Ohio</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-election-state-legislature-what-to-watch-f5901d85cec6081d6c0409321a908d63">state legislative elections in Virginia</a>, access to abortion has been a frequent topic in campaign debates and advertising, as it has since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in June last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe vs. Wade</a>.

Here's a look at three major races and how abortion has shaped each contest.

Ohio constitutional amendment on abortion

Ohio voters will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to protect access to abortion services.

The measure would establish the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on matters including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment. It would also allow for abortions to be banned once it has been established that the fetus can survive outside of the womb, unless a physician determines that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the patient’s “life or health.”

In August, voters rejected a measure that would have made it more difficult to approve Tuesday’s abortion proposal. That contest was seen as a proxy fight on reproductive rights and received national attention.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear seeks a second term in a heavily Republican state Donald Trump carried twice. The GOP nominee is Daniel Cameron, who succeeded Beshear as state attorney general.

Beshear has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kentucky-louisville-government-and-politics-fe8190f2ec7cb07e4379d4863b177983">called the state’s restrictive abortion law “extremist”</a>&nbsp;for not allowing exceptions in cases of rape and incest. He also vetoed a proposal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-kentucky-legislature-2a8ce08f07db96d843d5304cbea35170">banning abortions after 15 weeks</a>. Cameron says he supports the state law and that as governor he would sign a bill amending it to allow rape and incest exceptions. But at times he has had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kentucky-governor-campaign-ec767bf7802852d48ea150b7118fc90c">difficulty clarifying what exceptions he favors</a>.

Beshear, the son of former two-term Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, was first elected in 2019 when he defeated GOP incumbent Matt Bevin by less than half a percentage point. Cameron is a former aide to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and endorsed by Trump. If elected, he would become the first Black Republican governor since Reconstruction.

Control of both chambers of Virginia’s state legislature is up for grabs, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-virginia-house-elections-3bbba1e6cbc642dfeaf7e9d2fdee888a">Republicans holding a narrow majority in the state House</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-religion-elections-richmond-virginia-b4de9a0fb11500aa1201e87d07a1da4d">Democrats leading the state Senate</a>. Either or both chambers could flip and possibly give Republicans full control of state government. That would clear the way for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to implement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-legislature-virginia-c7c5fb02f82a0173487b4eba807ca618">a ban on abortions after 15 weeks</a>&nbsp;with exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother’s life is endangered. Democratic candidates have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-abortion-state-legislative-races-26951fd38e0017f9d555963a2eb92917">campaigned heavily on the issue</a>.

In addition to the three marquee races in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, the Associated Press will report vote totals and winners in 346 contested races in 12 states. Here are some other notable races to watch:

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-tate-reeves-mississippi-ba485155cb4d3d84795dfb65f1938b63">running for a second term</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-reeves-brandon-presley-elvis-cousin-5130a94afb4b78a6601a128964ce55df">Democrat Brandon Presley</a>, a state utility regulator and cousin of rock ’n’ roll legend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elvis-presley">Elvis Presley</a>. Democrats held the Mississippi governorship for almost all of the 20th century, but Republicans have controlled the office for the last 20 years. With help from a sizable cash infusion from the national party,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-election-reeves-presley-855a22c26529f1a51fec304b44a3334c">Presley outraised Reeves</a>&nbsp;this year and essentially matched him in spending, but the incumbent entered the final stretch of the campaign with more money.

Reeves was first elected in 2019 with 52% of the vote. Both chambers of the state legislature are also up for election.

Republican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Daniel McCaffery are the nominees to fill a vacant state Supreme Court seat that could play a significant role on voting-related cases during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Democrat Gabe Amo and Republican Gerry Leonard face off in a special election to complete the term of former Democratic U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rhode-island-state-government-david-cicilline-providence-b51e932ebce2ee902c641435fe54d081">resigned in May</a>&nbsp;after seven terms. The district has voted reliably for Democrats. Cicilline was first elected in 2010 and won his last five reelection bids with 60% of the vote or higher. Democrat Patrick Kennedy previously held the seat for 16 years.

In Houston, 17 candidates are vying to replace term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner. Notable hopefuls include U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats.

In Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School last year, the candidates for mayor are former news reporter Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was killed in the shooting, former mayor Cody Smith and elementary school teacher Veronica Martinez.

In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayor Joe Ganim is seeking an eighth term, but on Wednesday, a state judge made the unusual move of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-judge-bridgeport-ganim-mayor-election-1e6d23567703c55430968ffdaa0b6369">ordering a re-do of the September Democratic primary</a>&nbsp;after evidence surfaced of possible ballot stuffing. The date for the new primary has not been set but will take place after Tuesday’s general election. AP will tabulate vote results of the Tuesday election but will not declare a winner until the legal challenges have been resolved.

In Derby, Connecticut, incumbent Mayor Richard Dziekan is running as an independent for a fourth term after losing the Republican primary to alderman Gino DiGiovanni, Jr., who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-january-6-mayor-79b98b74915ece65e8beb22c28444025">charged by federal prosecutors</a>&nbsp;in August with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Criminal justice reform activist Yusef Salaam, who was one of five men convicted and later exonerated in the “Central Park Jogger” rape case, is running unopposed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699281363641.png" alt="Photo courtesy SBA Pro-Life America" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy SBA Pro-Life America</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The most-watched races in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2023">Tuesday’s off-year general election</a>&nbsp;have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights.From&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-election-governor-beshear-cameron-d015a2fb145dfab9fd0aaf96b7978167">a reelection bid for governor in Kentucky</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-election-abortion-ballot-measure-issue-marijuana-b8a3e625deec79213ea9326b5ca1476a">a statewide ballot measure in Ohio</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-election-state-legislature-what-to-watch-f5901d85cec6081d6c0409321a908d63">state legislative elections in Virginia</a>, access to abortion has been a frequent topic in campaign debates and advertising, as it has since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in June last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe vs. Wade</a>.Here's a look at three major races and how abortion has shaped each contest.Ohio constitutional amendment on abortionOhio voters will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to protect access to abortion services.The measure would establish the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on matters including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment. It would also allow for abortions to be banned once it has been established that the fetus can survive outside of the womb, unless a physician determines that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the patient’s “life or health.”In August, voters rejected a measure that would have made it more difficult to approve Tuesday’s abortion proposal. That contest was seen as a proxy fight on reproductive rights and received national attention.Kentucky governorDemocratic Gov. Andy Beshear seeks a second term in a heavily Republican state Donald Trump carried twice. The GOP nominee is Daniel Cameron, who succeeded Beshear as state attorney general.Beshear has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kentucky-louisville-government-and-politics-fe8190f2ec7cb07e4379d4863b177983">called the state’s restrictive abortion law “extremist”</a>&nbsp;for not allowing exceptions in cases of rape and incest. He also vetoed a proposal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-kentucky-legislature-2a8ce08f07db96d843d5304cbea35170">banning abortions after 15 weeks</a>. Cameron says he supports the state law and that as governor he would sign a bill amending it to allow rape and incest exceptions. But at times he has had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kentucky-governor-campaign-ec767bf7802852d48ea150b7118fc90c">difficulty clarifying what exceptions he favors</a>.Beshear, the son of former two-term Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, was first elected in 2019 when he defeated GOP incumbent Matt Bevin by less than half a percentage point. Cameron is a former aide to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and endorsed by Trump. If elected, he would become the first Black Republican governor since Reconstruction.Virginia General AssemblyControl of both chambers of Virginia’s state legislature is up for grabs, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-virginia-house-elections-3bbba1e6cbc642dfeaf7e9d2fdee888a">Republicans holding a narrow majority in the state House</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-religion-elections-richmond-virginia-b4de9a0fb11500aa1201e87d07a1da4d">Democrats leading the state Senate</a>. Either or both chambers could flip and possibly give Republicans full control of state government. That would clear the way for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to implement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-legislature-virginia-c7c5fb02f82a0173487b4eba807ca618">a ban on abortions after 15 weeks</a>&nbsp;with exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother’s life is endangered. Democratic candidates have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-abortion-state-legislative-races-26951fd38e0017f9d555963a2eb92917">campaigned heavily on the issue</a>.___In addition to the three marquee races in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, the Associated Press will report vote totals and winners in 346 contested races in 12 states. Here are some other notable races to watch:Mississippi governorRepublican Gov. Tate Reeves is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-tate-reeves-mississippi-ba485155cb4d3d84795dfb65f1938b63">running for a second term</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-reeves-brandon-presley-elvis-cousin-5130a94afb4b78a6601a128964ce55df">Democrat Brandon Presley</a>, a state utility regulator and cousin of rock ’n’ roll legend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elvis-presley">Elvis Presley</a>. Democrats held the Mississippi governorship for almost all of the 20th century, but Republicans have controlled the office for the last 20 years. With help from a sizable cash infusion from the national party,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-election-reeves-presley-855a22c26529f1a51fec304b44a3334c">Presley outraised Reeves</a>&nbsp;this year and essentially matched him in spending, but the incumbent entered the final stretch of the campaign with more money.Reeves was first elected in 2019 with 52% of the vote. Both chambers of the state legislature are also up for election.Pennsylvania Supreme CourtRepublican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Daniel McCaffery are the nominees to fill a vacant state Supreme Court seat that could play a significant role on voting-related cases during the 2024 presidential campaign.Rhode Island U.S. House District 1Democrat Gabe Amo and Republican Gerry Leonard face off in a special election to complete the term of former Democratic U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rhode-island-state-government-david-cicilline-providence-b51e932ebce2ee902c641435fe54d081">resigned in May</a>&nbsp;after seven terms. The district has voted reliably for Democrats. Cicilline was first elected in 2010 and won his last five reelection bids with 60% of the vote or higher. Democrat Patrick Kennedy previously held the seat for 16 years.MayorsIn Houston, 17 candidates are vying to replace term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner. Notable hopefuls include U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats.In Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School last year, the candidates for mayor are former news reporter Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was killed in the shooting, former mayor Cody Smith and elementary school teacher Veronica Martinez.In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayor Joe Ganim is seeking an eighth term, but on Wednesday, a state judge made the unusual move of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-judge-bridgeport-ganim-mayor-election-1e6d23567703c55430968ffdaa0b6369">ordering a re-do of the September Democratic primary</a>&nbsp;after evidence surfaced of possible ballot stuffing. The date for the new primary has not been set but will take place after Tuesday’s general election. AP will tabulate vote results of the Tuesday election but will not declare a winner until the legal challenges have been resolved.In Derby, Connecticut, incumbent Mayor Richard Dziekan is running as an independent for a fourth term after losing the Republican primary to alderman Gino DiGiovanni, Jr., who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-january-6-mayor-79b98b74915ece65e8beb22c28444025">charged by federal prosecutors</a>&nbsp;in August with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.New York City Council District 9Criminal justice reform activist Yusef Salaam, who was one of five men convicted and later exonerated in the “Central Park Jogger” rape case, is running unopposed.

Abortion debate dominates the election: Races to watch

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities and USD 497 officials are investigating after a 14-year-old was reported with a gun at school.

On Monday morning, officials locked down Lawrence High School, 1901 Louisiana Street, and the School Resource Officer (SRO)&nbsp; immediately began searching for the student while the school was locked down, according to a media release from police.

An SRO and school security officer located the suspect student re-entering the school as it was locked down, but he was not in possession of a firearm, and denied having brought one to school.

 Due to the numerous students that reported seeing a firearm, officers believed the student had ditched the firearm prior to being contacted, and began working to retrace the student’s steps to locate it while the school remained locked down. 

Officers on scene determined the firearm was likely left in Veteran’s Park, 1840 Louisiana Street, and began checking the area. 

Realizing the item would soon be found, the student then informed officers he had ditched a pellet gun in the park and told them where to find it. 

The pellet gun, which closely resembled a pistol, was recovered in a bush in the park. Once the pellet gun was recovered, the lock down at the school was lifted. 

The student, who did not provide a specific reason for bringing a pellet gun to school, was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center for processing.&nbsp;

Police thanked the students who reported this incident to school staff, as well as our relationship with USD 497 that allows situations like this to be addressed immediately by the Resource Officers in the school.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699355874386.png" alt="Photo of the gun the student brought to school and ditched in a nearby park-photo Lawrence&nbsp; Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo of the gun the student brought to school and ditched in a nearby park-photo Lawrence&nbsp; Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities and USD 497 officials are investigating after a 14-year-old was reported with a gun at school.On Monday morning, officials locked down Lawrence High School, 1901 Louisiana Street, and the School Resource Officer (SRO)&nbsp; immediately began searching for the student while the school was locked down, according to a media release from police.An SRO and school security officer located the suspect student re-entering the school as it was locked down, but he was not in possession of a firearm, and denied having brought one to school. Due to the numerous students that reported seeing a firearm, officers believed the student had ditched the firearm prior to being contacted, and began working to retrace the student’s steps to locate it while the school remained locked down. Officers on scene determined the firearm was likely left in Veteran’s Park, 1840 Louisiana Street, and began checking the area. Realizing the item would soon be found, the student then informed officers he had ditched a pellet gun in the park and told them where to find it. The pellet gun, which closely resembled a pistol, was recovered in a bush in the park. Once the pellet gun was recovered, the lock down at the school was lifted. The student, who did not provide a specific reason for bringing a pellet gun to school, was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center for processing.&nbsp;Police thanked the students who reported this incident to school staff, as well as our relationship with USD 497 that allows situations like this to be addressed immediately by the Resource Officers in the school.

14-year-old brought realistic looking gun to Kansas high school

&nbsp;JERUSALEM (AP)—Israelis observed a minute of silence on Tuesday morning in memory of the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel and the 348 soldiers killed since the assault, on its one-month anniversary.

Israelis are marking the anniversary as a day of mourning over the attack, in which more than 1,400 people were killed and 242 were taken hostage. The one-month anniversary is a milestone in the timeline of Jewish mourning.

Memorial events are scheduled to be held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem later in the day.

Meanwhile, after more than a week of public pressure from the U.S. for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday allowed that his government might be open to only “little pauses” in its assault on Hamas. The Israeli leader sought to play down differences with his country’s most vocal backer on the world stage at a time of rising scrutiny of the sharply rising civilian toll of fighting.

Netanyahu spoke after President Joe Biden made a direct appeal to him nearly a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">month into the war</a>&nbsp;seeking to rally support behind securing even limited relief for civilians in the spiraling conflict. The back-and-forth spotlighted the challenges facing Biden and his administration as they seek to manage what is emerging as one of the defining foreign policy crises of his presidency.

The U.S. thus far remains focused on keeping the fighting from exploding into a wider regional war and pushing for limited steps to alleviate civilian suffering. But it has remained steadfastly behind Israel and Netanyahu’s goal of ending Hamas control over Gaza, even as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-death-toll-numbers-injured-5c9dc40bec95a8408c83f3c2fb759da0" target="_blank">death toll in Gaza reached 10,000,</a>&nbsp;according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/11/06/readout-of-president-bidens-call-with-prime-minister-netanyahu-of-israel-8/">Click here to read </a>a transcript of the phone call

Biden used his first conversation with Netanyahu in eight days to repeat in private his public calls for lulls in the fighting to allow civilians to flee Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas and for humanitarian aid to flow to hundreds of thousands in need.

“We consider ourselves at the beginning of this conversation, not at the end of it,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said when describing Biden’s conversation with Netanyahu, “so you can expect that we’re going to continue to advocate for temporary, localized pauses in the fighting.”

Hours later, Netanyahu, in an interview with ABC News, ruled out any widespread cease-fire, but suggested an openness to “little pauses” — though it was not clear whether some kind of small stoppage had been agreed to or whether the U.S. was satisfied with the scope of the Israeli commitment.

“Well, there’ll be no cease-fire, general cease-fire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said when asked about Biden’s call for humanitarian pauses. “As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there. We’ve had them before, I suppose, we’ll check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages to leave. But I don’t think there’s going to be a general cease-fire.”

Biden’s engagement with Netanyahu followed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s frantic weekend of travel that took him from Israel to Jordan, the occupied West Bank, Cyprus, Iraq and onto Turkey to build support for the Biden administration’s proposal for the humanitarian initiatives.

“All of this is a work in progress,” Blinken said before leaving Turkey. “We don’t obviously agree on everything, but there are common views on some of the imperatives of the moment that we’re working on together.”

CIA Director William Burns also was in the Middle East meeting with intelligence partners and leaders of several countries, a U.S. official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Burns’ typically off-the-record travel plans. The U.S. intends for his discussions to reinforce American commitment to intelligence cooperation, especially on terror and security, the official said.

The flurry of U.S. diplomacy came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-11-6-2023-51286d15dddd77ae0dd7ea76ee52bc71" target="_blank">Israeli troops surrounded Gaza City and cut off the northern part of the besieged Hamas-ruled territory</a>. Troops were preparing to enter the city, where they were likely to face militants fighting street by street using a vast network of tunnels. Casualties will likely rise on both sides.

Asked whether the toll gave the U.S. pause for its staunch support for Israel, Kirby said, “I think we all need to remember who they’re fighting,” and he referenced Hamas’ Oct. 7 incursion into Israel that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and started the war. He insisted no country would tolerate such an attack “without a swift and aggressive response.”

Kirby said the U.S. was having “frank” conversations with Israelis about trying to reduce the civilian death toll, but it was not directly involved in Israel’s targeting decisions nor was it helping develop the country’s operational plans for its invasion of Gaza, home to 2.3 million people.

Blinken said pauses in the war would allow for a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of the more than 200 hostages captured by Hamas while also preventing the conflict from spreading regionally.

“We’ve engaged the Israelis on steps that they can take to minimize civilian casualties,” Blinken said before leaving Ankara. “We’re working, as I said, very aggressively on getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”

“We are very focused on the hostages held by Hamas, including the Americans, and we are doing everything possible to bring them home,” he added.

As Blinken’s meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan got underway, dozens of protesters from an Islamist group waved Turkish and Palestinian flags and held up anti-U.S. and anti-Israel placards outside the Foreign Ministry. Police earlier in the day dispersed a group of students marching toward the ministry chanting “murderer Blinken, get out of Turkey!”

Also Monday, about 150 people rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, carrying a large banner that read “No to genocide!”

Blinken did not meet with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/recep-tayyip-erdogan" target="_blank">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan</a>, who has been highly critical of Netanyahu and an outlier among NATO allies in not expressing full support for Israel’s right to defend itself.

Turkish officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said Fidan had urged Blinken to prevent the targeting of civilians in Gaza and their forced displacement, and also press for a “full cease-fire.”

Blinken’s mission, his second to the region since the war began, has found only tepid, if any, support for his efforts to contain the fallout from the conflict. Israel had rejected the idea of pauses, while Arab nations were demanding an immediate cease-fire as the casualty toll soared among Palestinian civilians.

Arab states are resisting American suggestions that they play a larger role in resolving the crisis, expressing outrage at the civilian toll of the Israeli military operations and believing Gaza to be a problem largely of Israel’s own making.

U.S. officials are seeking to convince Israel of the strategic importance of respecting the laws of war by protecting non-combatants and significantly boosting deliveries of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s beleaguered civilian population.

It remained unclear, however, if Netanyahu would agree to temporary, rolling pauses in the massive operation to eradicate Hamas — or whether outrage among Palestinians and their supporters could be assuaged if he did.

Already Jordan and Turkey have recalled their ambassadors to Israel to protest its tactics, and the tide of international opinion appears to be turning from sympathy toward Israel in the aftermath of Oct. 7 to revulsion as images of death and destruction in Gaza spread around the world.

On Saturday in Amman, Jordan’s capital, the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers appeared at a joint news conference with Blinken. The two said Israel’s war had gone beyond self-defense and could no longer be justified as it now amounted to collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

That sentiment was echoed by tens of thousands of demonstrators who marched in the streets of world capitals over the weekend to protest Israel and condemn U.S. support for Israel.

From Turkey, Blinken headed to Asia for a series of events in Japan, South Korea and India where the Gaza conflict will likely share top billing with other international crises — including Russia’s war on Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1696679013332.png" alt="File photo-Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis southern Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)" />
 <figcaption>File photo-Palestinians wave their national flag and celebrate by a destroyed Israeli tank at the Gaza Strip fence east of Khan Younis southern Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The militant Hamas rulers of the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday. (AP Photo/Yousef Masoud)</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JERUSALEM (AP)—Israelis observed a minute of silence on Tuesday morning in memory of the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel and the 348 soldiers killed since the assault, on its one-month anniversary.Israelis are marking the anniversary as a day of mourning over the attack, in which more than 1,400 people were killed and 242 were taken hostage. The one-month anniversary is a milestone in the timeline of Jewish mourning.Memorial events are scheduled to be held in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem later in the day.Meanwhile, after more than a week of public pressure from the U.S. for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday allowed that his government might be open to only “little pauses” in its assault on Hamas. The Israeli leader sought to play down differences with his country’s most vocal backer on the world stage at a time of rising scrutiny of the sharply rising civilian toll of fighting.Netanyahu spoke after President Joe Biden made a direct appeal to him nearly a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war" target="_blank">month into the war</a>&nbsp;seeking to rally support behind securing even limited relief for civilians in the spiraling conflict. The back-and-forth spotlighted the challenges facing Biden and his administration as they seek to manage what is emerging as one of the defining foreign policy crises of his presidency.The U.S. thus far remains focused on keeping the fighting from exploding into a wider regional war and pushing for limited steps to alleviate civilian suffering. But it has remained steadfastly behind Israel and Netanyahu’s goal of ending Hamas control over Gaza, even as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-death-toll-numbers-injured-5c9dc40bec95a8408c83f3c2fb759da0" target="_blank">death toll in Gaza reached 10,000,</a>&nbsp;according to the Hamas-run health ministry.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/11/06/readout-of-president-bidens-call-with-prime-minister-netanyahu-of-israel-8/">Click here to read </a>a transcript of the phone callBiden used his first conversation with Netanyahu in eight days to repeat in private his public calls for lulls in the fighting to allow civilians to flee Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas and for humanitarian aid to flow to hundreds of thousands in need.“We consider ourselves at the beginning of this conversation, not at the end of it,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said when describing Biden’s conversation with Netanyahu, “so you can expect that we’re going to continue to advocate for temporary, localized pauses in the fighting.”Hours later, Netanyahu, in an interview with ABC News, ruled out any widespread cease-fire, but suggested an openness to “little pauses” — though it was not clear whether some kind of small stoppage had been agreed to or whether the U.S. was satisfied with the scope of the Israeli commitment.“Well, there’ll be no cease-fire, general cease-fire, in Gaza without the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu said when asked about Biden’s call for humanitarian pauses. “As far as tactical little pauses, an hour here, an hour there. We’ve had them before, I suppose, we’ll check the circumstances in order to enable goods, humanitarian goods to come in, or our hostages, individual hostages to leave. But I don’t think there’s going to be a general cease-fire.”Biden’s engagement with Netanyahu followed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s frantic weekend of travel that took him from Israel to Jordan, the occupied West Bank, Cyprus, Iraq and onto Turkey to build support for the Biden administration’s proposal for the humanitarian initiatives.“All of this is a work in progress,” Blinken said before leaving Turkey. “We don’t obviously agree on everything, but there are common views on some of the imperatives of the moment that we’re working on together.”CIA Director William Burns also was in the Middle East meeting with intelligence partners and leaders of several countries, a U.S. official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Burns’ typically off-the-record travel plans. The U.S. intends for his discussions to reinforce American commitment to intelligence cooperation, especially on terror and security, the official said.The flurry of U.S. diplomacy came as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-11-6-2023-51286d15dddd77ae0dd7ea76ee52bc71" target="_blank">Israeli troops surrounded Gaza City and cut off the northern part of the besieged Hamas-ruled territory</a>. Troops were preparing to enter the city, where they were likely to face militants fighting street by street using a vast network of tunnels. Casualties will likely rise on both sides.Asked whether the toll gave the U.S. pause for its staunch support for Israel, Kirby said, “I think we all need to remember who they’re fighting,” and he referenced Hamas’ Oct. 7 incursion into Israel that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and started the war. He insisted no country would tolerate such an attack “without a swift and aggressive response.”Kirby said the U.S. was having “frank” conversations with Israelis about trying to reduce the civilian death toll, but it was not directly involved in Israel’s targeting decisions nor was it helping develop the country’s operational plans for its invasion of Gaza, home to 2.3 million people.Blinken said pauses in the war would allow for a surge of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of the more than 200 hostages captured by Hamas while also preventing the conflict from spreading regionally.“We’ve engaged the Israelis on steps that they can take to minimize civilian casualties,” Blinken said before leaving Ankara. “We’re working, as I said, very aggressively on getting more humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”“We are very focused on the hostages held by Hamas, including the Americans, and we are doing everything possible to bring them home,” he added.As Blinken’s meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan got underway, dozens of protesters from an Islamist group waved Turkish and Palestinian flags and held up anti-U.S. and anti-Israel placards outside the Foreign Ministry. Police earlier in the day dispersed a group of students marching toward the ministry chanting “murderer Blinken, get out of Turkey!”Also Monday, about 150 people rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, carrying a large banner that read “No to genocide!”Blinken did not meet with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/recep-tayyip-erdogan" target="_blank">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan</a>, who has been highly critical of Netanyahu and an outlier among NATO allies in not expressing full support for Israel’s right to defend itself.Turkish officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said Fidan had urged Blinken to prevent the targeting of civilians in Gaza and their forced displacement, and also press for a “full cease-fire.”Blinken’s mission, his second to the region since the war began, has found only tepid, if any, support for his efforts to contain the fallout from the conflict. Israel had rejected the idea of pauses, while Arab nations were demanding an immediate cease-fire as the casualty toll soared among Palestinian civilians.Arab states are resisting American suggestions that they play a larger role in resolving the crisis, expressing outrage at the civilian toll of the Israeli military operations and believing Gaza to be a problem largely of Israel’s own making.U.S. officials are seeking to convince Israel of the strategic importance of respecting the laws of war by protecting non-combatants and significantly boosting deliveries of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s beleaguered civilian population.It remained unclear, however, if Netanyahu would agree to temporary, rolling pauses in the massive operation to eradicate Hamas — or whether outrage among Palestinians and their supporters could be assuaged if he did.Already Jordan and Turkey have recalled their ambassadors to Israel to protest its tactics, and the tide of international opinion appears to be turning from sympathy toward Israel in the aftermath of Oct. 7 to revulsion as images of death and destruction in Gaza spread around the world.On Saturday in Amman, Jordan’s capital, the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers appeared at a joint news conference with Blinken. The two said Israel’s war had gone beyond self-defense and could no longer be justified as it now amounted to collective punishment of the Palestinian people.That sentiment was echoed by tens of thousands of demonstrators who marched in the streets of world capitals over the weekend to protest Israel and condemn U.S. support for Israel.From Turkey, Blinken headed to Asia for a series of events in Japan, South Korea and India where the Gaza conflict will likely share top billing with other international crises — including Russia’s war on Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Israelis observe one-month anniversary of Hamas assault 

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple drug allegations.

On Friday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 400 Block of SE Winfield Avenue related to an ongoing investigation, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell.

While conducting the search warrant, officers located, marijuana, LSD, and drug paraphernalia.

As a result,&nbsp; police transported 20-year-old Trevor Brown and 20-year-old Arien Berkstresser to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.&nbsp; 

Berkstresser is being held on requested charges that include Distribution of marijuana, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of LSD, Unlawful distribution of a controlled substance using a communication facility and&nbsp; three arrest warrants

Brown is being held on requested charges Distribution of marijuana, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana,&nbsp;&nbsp;Possession of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of a stimulant and Unlawful sell of prescription drug.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699223624536.png" alt="Brown-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Brown-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple drug allegations.On Friday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 400 Block of SE Winfield Avenue related to an ongoing investigation, according to Police Lt. Ronnie Connell.While conducting the search warrant, officers located, marijuana, LSD, and drug paraphernalia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699223547516.png" alt="Berkstresser photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Berkstresser photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result,&nbsp; police transported 20-year-old Trevor Brown and 20-year-old Arien Berkstresser to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.&nbsp; Berkstresser is being held on requested charges that include Distribution of marijuana, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of LSD, Unlawful distribution of a controlled substance using a communication facility and&nbsp; three arrest warrantsBrown is being held on requested charges Distribution of marijuana, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute drug paraphernalia, Possession of marijuana,&nbsp;&nbsp;Possession of drug paraphernalia, Distribution of a stimulant and Unlawful sell of prescription drug.

Kansas woman accused of selling LSD

JACKSON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities investigating&nbsp; a suspect on child sex allegations.

On Friday, detectives arrested a suspect identified as&nbsp;Jacob Wendell Nelson, 33, of Holton, on a Jackson County District Court warrant for 3 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, according to&nbsp;Sheriff Tim Morse.

&nbsp;The arrest occurred after the sheriff's office executed a search warrant at 716 Pennsylvania Avenue in Holton on Thursday. 

The matter remains under investigation, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699048991863.png" alt="Nelson photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Nelson photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities investigating&nbsp; a suspect on child sex allegations.On Friday, detectives arrested a suspect identified as&nbsp;Jacob Wendell Nelson, 33, of Holton, on a Jackson County District Court warrant for 3 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, according to&nbsp;Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp;The arrest occurred after the sheriff's office executed a search warrant at 716 Pennsylvania Avenue in Holton on Thursday. The matter remains under investigation, according to Morse.

Search warrant led  to arrest of Kan. man for alleged sex crimes

By JILL COLVIN, MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ and ERIC TUCKER

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump vigorously defended his wealth and business on Monday, tangling from the witness stand with the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial and denouncing as a "political witch hunt" a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth.

Trump's long-awaited testimony about property valuations and financial statements was punctuated by personal jabs at a judge he said was biased against him and at the New York attorney general, whom he derided as a "political hack." He proudly boasted of his real estate business — "I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements" — and disputed claims that he had deceived banks and insurers.

"This is the opposite of fraud," he declared. Referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office brought the lawsuit, he said, "The fraud is her."

The testy exchanges, and frequent rebukes from the judge, underscored Trump's unwillingness to adapt his famously freewheeling rhetorical style to a formal courtroom setting governed by rules of evidence and legal protocol. But while his presence on the stand was a vivid reminder of the legal troubles he faces as he vies to reclaim the White House in 2024, it also functioned as a campaign platform for the former president and leading Republican presidential candidate to raise anew to supporters his claims of political persecution at the hands of government lawyers and judges.

"People are sick and tired of what's happening. I think it is a very sad say for America," Trump told reporters outside the courtroom after roughly three-and-a-half hours on the stand.

Trump's testimony got off to a contentious start Monday, with state Judge Arthur Engoron admonishing him to keep his answers concise and reminding him that "this is not a political rally."

Turning to Trump's attorney at one point, the judge said, "I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can't, I will."

The civil trial is one of numerous legal proceedings Trump is confronting, including federal and state charges accusing him of crimes including illegally hoarding classified documents and scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election. His legal and political strategies have now become completely intertwined as he hopscotches between campaign events and court hearings, a schedule that will only intensify once his criminal trials begin.

Though the fraud case doesn't carry the prospect of prison as the criminal prosecutions do, its allegations of financial impropriety cut to the heart of the brand he spent decades crafting. The suggestion that Trump is worth less than he's claimed has been interpreted by him as a cutting insult.

"I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements," he said, telling a state lawyer, "You go around and try and demean me and try and hurt me, probably for political reasons."

The courtroom at 60 Centre St. has become a familiar destination for Trump. He has spent hours over the past month voluntarily seated at the defense table, observing the proceedings. He took the stand previously, unexpectedly and briefly, after he was accused of violating a partial gag order. He denied violating the rules, but Engoron disagreed and fined him anyway.

His turn as a witness gave him the biggest opportunity yet to respond to allegations against him.

Summoned by lawyers for the state, Trump repeatedly balked at the suggestion that he had ever intended to defraud financial institutions. He said that he'd been misquoted or taken too literally in past public comments about his business dealings and his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, and that disclaimers in his financial statements covered any missteps. And he returned to a familiar position that no one had been victimized.

"Not one bank lost money. Not one insurance company lost money. And the insurance company that you said lost is still my insurance company," he said. "They're one of the biggest insurance companies in the world and they don't know what you're talking about."

Tensions between Engoron and Trump, already on display in recent weeks, when the judge fined him a total of $15,000 for incendiary outside-of-court comments, were evident early on Monday when the ex-president was repeatedly scolded about the length and content of his answers.

Engoron, who determined in a ruling earlier that Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame, will decide the non-jury case. He cautioned at one point that he was prepared to draw "negative inferences" against the former president if he failed to rein in his answers.

"I do not want to hear everything this witness has to say. He has a lot to say that has nothing to do with the case or the questions," the judge said.

"Mr. Kise, can you control your client," Engoron told Trump lawyer Christopher Kise, who himself has clashed with the judge. Kise responded Trump was entitled to latitude as a former president and current candidate taking time away from campaigning to testify.

Despite the testy back-and-forth early in the day, Trump was later able to veer into expansive answers without anyone cutting him off, using the opportunity to rail against James, the judge and the proceedings in general.

"I think that she's a political hack, and I think she used this case to try and become governor and she used it successfully to become attorney general. I think it's a disgrace that this case is going on," Trump said.

Of Engoron, Trump said, "He ruled against me and he said I was a fraud before he knew anything about me."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699284958905.png" alt=""This is the opposite of fraud," he declared. Referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office brought the lawsuit, he said, "The fraud is her."-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>"This is the opposite of fraud," he declared. Referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office brought the lawsuit, he said, "The fraud is her."-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By JILL COLVIN, MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ and ERIC TUCKERNEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump vigorously defended his wealth and business on Monday, tangling from the witness stand with the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial and denouncing as a "political witch hunt" a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump after testifying at New York civil fraud trial: &quot;This is a scam. And this is a case that should&#39;ve never been brought, and it&#39;s a case that now should be dismissed.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/a6R1ofDDiK">pic.twitter.com/a6R1ofDDiK</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1721645227302101233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump's long-awaited testimony about property valuations and financial statements was punctuated by personal jabs at a judge he said was biased against him and at the New York attorney general, whom he derided as a "political hack." He proudly boasted of his real estate business — "I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements" — and disputed claims that he had deceived banks and insurers."This is the opposite of fraud," he declared. Referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office brought the lawsuit, he said, "The fraud is her."The testy exchanges, and frequent rebukes from the judge, underscored Trump's unwillingness to adapt his famously freewheeling rhetorical style to a formal courtroom setting governed by rules of evidence and legal protocol. But while his presence on the stand was a vivid reminder of the legal troubles he faces as he vies to reclaim the White House in 2024, it also functioned as a campaign platform for the former president and leading Republican presidential candidate to raise anew to supporters his claims of political persecution at the hands of government lawyers and judges."People are sick and tired of what's happening. I think it is a very sad say for America," Trump told reporters outside the courtroom after roughly three-and-a-half hours on the stand.Trump's testimony got off to a contentious start Monday, with state Judge Arthur Engoron admonishing him to keep his answers concise and reminding him that "this is not a political rally."Turning to Trump's attorney at one point, the judge said, "I beseech you to control him if you can. If you can't, I will."The civil trial is one of numerous legal proceedings Trump is confronting, including federal and state charges accusing him of crimes including illegally hoarding classified documents and scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election. His legal and political strategies have now become completely intertwined as he hopscotches between campaign events and court hearings, a schedule that will only intensify once his criminal trials begin.Though the fraud case doesn't carry the prospect of prison as the criminal prosecutions do, its allegations of financial impropriety cut to the heart of the brand he spent decades crafting. The suggestion that Trump is worth less than he's claimed has been interpreted by him as a cutting insult."I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements," he said, telling a state lawyer, "You go around and try and demean me and try and hurt me, probably for political reasons."The courtroom at 60 Centre St. has become a familiar destination for Trump. He has spent hours over the past month voluntarily seated at the defense table, observing the proceedings. He took the stand previously, unexpectedly and briefly, after he was accused of violating a partial gag order. He denied violating the rules, but Engoron disagreed and fined him anyway.His turn as a witness gave him the biggest opportunity yet to respond to allegations against him.Summoned by lawyers for the state, Trump repeatedly balked at the suggestion that he had ever intended to defraud financial institutions. He said that he'd been misquoted or taken too literally in past public comments about his business dealings and his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, and that disclaimers in his financial statements covered any missteps. And he returned to a familiar position that no one had been victimized."Not one bank lost money. Not one insurance company lost money. And the insurance company that you said lost is still my insurance company," he said. "They're one of the biggest insurance companies in the world and they don't know what you're talking about."Tensions between Engoron and Trump, already on display in recent weeks, when the judge fined him a total of $15,000 for incendiary outside-of-court comments, were evident early on Monday when the ex-president was repeatedly scolded about the length and content of his answers.Engoron, who determined in a ruling earlier that Trump committed fraud for years while building the real estate empire that catapulted him to fame, will decide the non-jury case. He cautioned at one point that he was prepared to draw "negative inferences" against the former president if he failed to rein in his answers."I do not want to hear everything this witness has to say. He has a lot to say that has nothing to do with the case or the questions," the judge said."Mr. Kise, can you control your client," Engoron told Trump lawyer Christopher Kise, who himself has clashed with the judge. Kise responded Trump was entitled to latitude as a former president and current candidate taking time away from campaigning to testify.Despite the testy back-and-forth early in the day, Trump was later able to veer into expansive answers without anyone cutting him off, using the opportunity to rail against James, the judge and the proceedings in general."I think that she's a political hack, and I think she used this case to try and become governor and she used it successfully to become attorney general. I think it's a disgrace that this case is going on," Trump said.Of Engoron, Trump said, "He ruled against me and he said I was a fraud before he knew anything about me."James, who was in the courtroom, stared straight ahead at Trump as he spoke and was seen chuckling when Trump suggested she didn't know anything about one of his properties that's across the street from her office. Afterward, she told reporters, "He rambled. He hurled insults. But we expected that."Monday's testimony centered on the core of the allegations by the state attorney general: that Trump and his company intentionally inflated property values and deceived banks and insurers in the pursuit of business deals and loans.Echoing the stance taken by two of his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric, in their own testimony last week, Trump sought to downplay his direct involvement in preparing and assessing financial statements that the attorney general claims were grossly inflated and fraudulent."All I did was authorize and tell people to give whatever is necessary for the accountants to do the statements," he said. As for the results, "I would look at them, I would see them, and maybe on some occasions, I would have some suggestions."He also played down the significance of the statements, which went to banks and others to secure financing and deals, pointing to a disclaimer that he said amounted to telling recipients to do their own calculating."Banks didn't find them very relevant, and they had a disclaimer clause -- you would call it a worthless statement clause," he said, insisting that after decades in real estate, "I probably know banks as well as anybody … I know what they look at. They look at the deal, they look at the location."He complained that his 2014 financial statements shouldn't be a subject of the lawsuit at all."First of all it's so long ago, it's well beyond the statute of limitations," Trump said before turning on Engoron, saying he allowed state lawyers to pursue claims involving such years-old documents "because he always rules against me."Engoron said: "You can attack me in whichever way you want but please answer the questions."___ Tucker reported from Washington.