WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell briefly left his own press conference Wednesday after stopping his remarks midsentence and staring off into space for several seconds.

McConnell approached the podium for his weekly press conference and began speaking about the annual defense bill on the floor, which he said was proceeding with “good bipartisan cooperation.” But he then appeared to lose his train of thought, trailing off with a drawn-out “uh.”

The Kentucky senator then appeared to freeze up and stared vacantly for around 20 seconds before his colleagues in Republican leadership, who were standing behind him and could not see his face, grabbed his elbows and asked if he wanted to go back to his office.

He did not answer, but slowly walked back to his office with an aide and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon who is the No. 3 Republican in the Senate. After sitting down in his office for several minutes, McConnell later returned to the press conference and answered questions from the press.

McConnell, 81, was out of the Senate for almost six weeks earlier this year after falling and hitting his head after a dinner event at a hotel. He was hospitalized for several days, and his office later said he suffered a concussion and fractured a rib. His speech has sounded more halting in recent weeks, prompting questions among some of his colleagues about his health.

When he returned to answer questions, McConnell said he was “fine.” Asked if he is still able to do his job, he said, “Yeah.”

McConnell's office declined to say whether he was seen by a doctor after the episode.

After the press conference, Barrasso told reporters he “wanted to make sure everything was fine” and walked McConnell down the hall to his office.

Barrasso said he has been concerned since McConnell was injured earlier this year, “and I continue to be concerned.”

But asked about his particular concerns, Barrasso said: “I said I was concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized. And I think he's made a remarkable recovery, he's doing a great job leading our conference and was able to answer every question the press asked him today.”

Walking out of his office Wednesday evening, McConnell again told reporters he was fine. He said President Joe Biden had called him.

“The president called to check up on me, and I told him I got sandbagged,” McConnell joked, referencing a quote from Biden in June after he tripped over a sandbag and fell while onstage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation.

First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate party leader in history in January. He was easily reelected to his leadership post that same month, despite a challenge from Florida Sen. Rick Scott.

Still, several Republicans, including No. 2 Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Barrasso, are seen as waiting in the wings to someday replace him.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is also seen as a potential candidate to succeed McConnell, told reporters after the episode, “I support Senator McConnell as long as he wants to serve as leader.”

McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in climbing stairs. In addition to his fall in March, he also tripped and fell four years ago at his home in Kentucky, causing a shoulder fracture that required surgery.

The Republican leader is one of several senators who have been absent due to health issues this year. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, 90, was out of the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a bout of shingles. And Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., 53, took leave for several weeks to get treatment for clinical depression.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell briefly left his own press conference Wednesday after stopping his remarks midsentence and staring off into space for several seconds.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to have a health issue while speaking during a press conference in the U.S. Capitol. About 12 minutes later, the Minority Leader returned to the press conference and, when asked about what happened, said, &quot;I&#39;m fine.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EU7zDzGT0m">pic.twitter.com/EU7zDzGT0m</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1684278322098761728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>McConnell approached the podium for his weekly press conference and began speaking about the annual defense bill on the floor, which he said was proceeding with “good bipartisan cooperation.” But he then appeared to lose his train of thought, trailing off with a drawn-out “uh.”The Kentucky senator then appeared to freeze up and stared vacantly for around 20 seconds before his colleagues in Republican leadership, who were standing behind him and could not see his face, grabbed his elbows and asked if he wanted to go back to his office.He did not answer, but slowly walked back to his office with an aide and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon who is the No. 3 Republican in the Senate. After sitting down in his office for several minutes, McConnell later returned to the press conference and answered questions from the press.McConnell, 81, was out of the Senate for almost six weeks earlier this year after falling and hitting his head after a dinner event at a hotel. He was hospitalized for several days, and his office later said he suffered a concussion and fractured a rib. His speech has sounded more halting in recent weeks, prompting questions among some of his colleagues about his health.When he returned to answer questions, McConnell said he was “fine.” Asked if he is still able to do his job, he said, “Yeah.”McConnell's office declined to say whether he was seen by a doctor after the episode.After the press conference, Barrasso told reporters he “wanted to make sure everything was fine” and walked McConnell down the hall to his office.Barrasso said he has been concerned since McConnell was injured earlier this year, “and I continue to be concerned.”But asked about his particular concerns, Barrasso said: “I said I was concerned when he fell and hit his head a number of months ago and was hospitalized. And I think he's made a remarkable recovery, he's doing a great job leading our conference and was able to answer every question the press asked him today.”Walking out of his office Wednesday evening, McConnell again told reporters he was fine. He said President Joe Biden had called him.“The president called to check up on me, and I told him I got sandbagged,” McConnell joked, referencing a quote from Biden in June after he tripped over a sandbag and fell while onstage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation.First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate party leader in history in January. He was easily reelected to his leadership post that same month, despite a challenge from Florida Sen. Rick Scott.Still, several Republicans, including No. 2 Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota and Barrasso, are seen as waiting in the wings to someday replace him.Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is also seen as a potential candidate to succeed McConnell, told reporters after the episode, “I support Senator McConnell as long as he wants to serve as leader.”McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in climbing stairs. In addition to his fall in March, he also tripped and fell four years ago at his home in Kentucky, causing a shoulder fracture that required surgery.The Republican leader is one of several senators who have been absent due to health issues this year. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, 90, was out of the Senate for more than two months as she recovered from a bout of shingles. And Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., 53, took leave for several weeks to get treatment for clinical depression.

🎥 GOP Senate leader has health scare during presser; says he’s ‘fine’

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an armed robbery in southwest Kansas have two suspects in custody.

On Wednesday, police in Garden City asked the public for help&nbsp; identifying two suspects responsible for the aggravated robbery.&nbsp;

Just after 3:00 a.m. Wednesday, two men entered the Corner Market at 2522 N. Taylor Avenue in Garden City. One of the suspects pointed a handgun at an employee, while the other suspect shattered the Vape Pen display case and stole merchandise and placed them into a backpack.

The suspects fled the scene from the west door entrance. The suspect with the handgun was described as a white male who was wearing a red/black t-shirt, black pants, orange Crocs, and a blue balaclava face mask.

The other suspect who stole the vape pens was wearing a black hoodie, white/black/gray striped shorts, white Crocs, and a gray backpack. He was described as a white or Hispanic male.

Police have reported no additional details and possible charges against the suspects.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690423563994.png" alt="Photos Garden City Police" />
 <figcaption>Photos Garden City Police</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating an armed robbery in southwest Kansas have two suspects in custody.On Wednesday, police in Garden City asked the public for help&nbsp; identifying two suspects responsible for the aggravated robbery.&nbsp;Just after 3:00 a.m. Wednesday, two men entered the Corner Market at 2522 N. Taylor Avenue in Garden City. One of the suspects pointed a handgun at an employee, while the other suspect shattered the Vape Pen display case and stole merchandise and placed them into a backpack.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690455128662.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The suspects fled the scene from the west door entrance. The suspect with the handgun was described as a white male who was wearing a red/black t-shirt, black pants, orange Crocs, and a blue balaclava face mask.The other suspect who stole the vape pens was wearing a black hoodie, white/black/gray striped shorts, white Crocs, and a gray backpack. He was described as a white or Hispanic male.Police have reported no additional details and possible charges against the suspects.

Police capture SW Kansas armed robbery suspects

CLOUD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating vandalism at the city park in Concordia have identified two juvenile suspects, according to a media release from police.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On July 14,&nbsp;police responded to report of damage at the park in the 300 Block of West 11th Street in Concordia that included the swimming pool and pickle ball courts, according to Police Chief Brent Gering.&nbsp;

The damage prevented the community from using the pool and courts over that weekend and resulted in costly repairs to buildings and equipment, lost wages to seasonal employees and lost revenue to the city. Police offered a $200 reward for information that led to an arrest and prosecution.

Officers have sent requested charges against the identified juveniles to the Cloud County Attorney's office.&nbsp; The investigation into the damage continues as&nbsp; officers pursue additional suspects.

Anyone with information on the vandalism, contact Concordia Police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689547541085.png" alt="Anyone with information on the vandalism, contact Concordia Police. Google image" />
 <figcaption>Anyone with information on the vandalism, contact Concordia Police. Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>CLOUD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating vandalism at the city park in Concordia have identified two juvenile suspects, according to a media release from police.&nbsp;&nbsp;On July 14,&nbsp;police responded to report of damage at the park in the 300 Block of West 11th Street in Concordia that included the swimming pool and pickle ball courts, according to Police Chief Brent Gering.&nbsp;The damage prevented the community from using the pool and courts over that weekend and resulted in costly repairs to buildings and equipment, lost wages to seasonal employees and lost revenue to the city. Police offered a $200 reward for information that led to an arrest and prosecution.Officers have sent requested charges against the identified juveniles to the Cloud County Attorney's office.&nbsp; The investigation into the damage continues as&nbsp; officers pursue additional suspects.Anyone with information on the vandalism, contact Concordia Police.

Police: 2 juveniles face charges for vandalism at city pool, pickle ball courts 

CLAY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after finding an injured bald eagle.

Over the weekend, Lt. Amanda Alexander received a call about an injured bald eagle in Clay County, according to a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife Game Wardens.

 Lt.&nbsp; Alexander located the eagle and transport it to Operation Wildlife for evaluation. 

The eagle was found to have a pelvic injury most likely caused by a vehicle. The eagle was released into the custody of Operation Wildlife.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690405116574.png" alt="Photos KDW&amp;P Game Wardens" />
 <figcaption>Photos KDW&amp;P Game Wardens</figcaption>
 </figure>CLAY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after finding an injured bald eagle.Over the weekend, Lt. Amanda Alexander received a call about an injured bald eagle in Clay County, according to a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife Game Wardens.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690405093524.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> Lt.&nbsp; Alexander located the eagle and transport it to Operation Wildlife for evaluation. The eagle was found to have a pelvic injury most likely caused by a vehicle. The eagle was released into the custody of Operation Wildlife.

Kan. Game Wardens: Vehicle may have struck injured bald eagle

By ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday faced off with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who did not directly call for his impeachment but strongly criticized his oversight of the agency.

“I know that today Secretary Mayorkas is going to try to paint a rosy picture of this disastrous mismanagement of our border. But nothing about the Biden administration’s policy is safe, orderly, or humane,” Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, said. “The numbers don’t lie.”

House Republicans have held multiple hearings about immigration at the Southern border as part of their broader strategy to impeach Mayorkas on the grounds that he has failed to enforce U.S. law. Multiple impeachment resolutions have been introduced and co-sponsored by dozens of Republicans.

House GOP members have also floated the idea of impeaching President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, suggested that House Republicans could be headed toward impeachment hearings for Biden.

On Tuesday, McCarthy again floated the idea that impeachment of Biden could be considered in light of questions Republicans are raising about Biden family finances,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-impeachment-mccarthy-hannity-78e4c7efeb030b29e1576f868257179b">The Associated Press reported.</a>

Democrats spent much of the five-hour-plus Judiciary hearing pushing back against Republicans’ claims about migration at the U.S. Southern border and defending DHS practices.

The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said Republicans used the hearing as a “baseless attempt to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.”

“To be clear, Republicans have not established any legitimate grounds to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, they’ve not uncovered evidence of wrongdoing or malfeasance of any kind,” Nadler said. “They have policy disagreements with this secretary.”

Mayorkas argued that the Biden administration’s policies at the border are working to deter unauthorized immigration, citing the use of parole programs for certain nationals and a new policy established after the end of pandemic-era immigration enforcement tool known as Title 42 that restricts asylum.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-blocks-biden-rule-limits-asylum-migrants-border">A federal judge Tuesday blocked that policy</a>, and the Department of Justice has appealed the decision.

“Under President Biden’s leadership, we have led the largest expansion of lawful, safe and orderly pathways for people to seek humanitarian relief under our laws, at the same time imposing tougher consequences on those who instead resort to the ruthless smuggling organizations that prey on the most vulnerable,” Mayorkas said.

There has been a decline in recent months in unauthorized border crossings, with the most recent data from May showing a 15% decrease compared to May 2022, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-releases-may-2023-monthly-operational-update">U.S. Customs and Border Protection data</a>

Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania said that each day hundreds of people die from overdoses, with a majority of those from illicit fentanyl. Mayorkas said that DHS has focused on seizing fentanyl at ports of entry.

“We have a serious problem,” Dean said. “We don’t have folks on the other side of the aisle serious about solving it.”

The National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates">found</a>&nbsp;that deaths “involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) continued to rise with 70,601 overdose deaths reported in 2021.”

“We are leading an unprecedented effort to interdict the flow of fentanyl into our communities, which has escalated for more than five years,” Mayorkas said.

Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado told Mayorkas that his constituents consider Mayorkas a “traitor” because of the fentanyl crisis.

Republican Rep. Thomas Tiffany of Wisconsin accused Mayorkas of having an “open border policy,” and asked him if that has led to an increase in fentanyl in the U.S.

“We have interdicted more fentanyl at the ports of entry than in the prior administration,” Mayorkas said, adding that there is not an open border policy.

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Jordan grilled Mayorkas on his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/guidelines-civilimmigrationlaw.pdf">directive</a>&nbsp;that focuses on removing undocumented people with a criminal record.

<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/23/us-supreme-court-turns-down-push-by-states-to-challenge-biden-deportation-policy/">The Supreme Court in June overwhelmingly agreed</a>&nbsp;that the Biden administration has the legal authority to prioritize arresting and deporting noncitizens who have recently crossed the border without authorization and noncitizens who pose a threat to public safety.

“So long as you don’t commit a crime, you get to stay here and burden our schools, burden our social services, burden our jails,” Gaetz said.

Mayorkas said because there are anywhere between 11 and 12 million undocumented people in the country, it would not be feasible for the agency to focus its resources on deporting people who have not committed a crime. He added that the agency has deported more than 1.4 million people who did not have legal status.

Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia pushed back and said that “MAGA Republican extremists want to sell us on an apocalyptic fantasy,” and “want us to believe that the border is out of control.”

“But in reality, the greatest threat facing our homeland is white nationalist ideology,” Johnson said.

Republican Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina asked Mayokras if under his tenure the cartels have “become stronger or weaker.”

“Our efforts have weakened those cartels by the investigations and prosecutions that we have conducted with our international partners,” he said.

Democrats argued that there is only so much that DHS can do, because Congress has failed to update immigration laws.

“Our colleagues across the aisle have made clear with their tone and questions today that their primary interest is in scapegoating you and the Biden administration for the consequences of Congress failing for decades to address either the root causes of immigration at our Southern border … and (the) all but complete collapse of the U.S. immigration system,” Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania said.

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said with the issues Mayorkas inherited from the Trump administration and Congress’ inability to pass immigration reform, it’s led to record levels of backlogs in the immigration system.

She asked Mayorkas about the impact of expanding legal pathways such as the parole systems that allow up to 30,000 migrants each month from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua who have U.S.-based financial sponsors and pass a background check.

“Our approach is to expand lawful pathways so that individuals who qualify for relief under the laws of this Congress do not have to place their lives and their life savings in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers,” Mayorkas said.

Several Republicans such as Reps. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Thomas Massie of Kentucky pressed Mayorkas about the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

CISA was formed in 2018. The agency is tasked with improving the government’s cybersecurity against private and foreign hackers, along with overall strengthening of the government’s cyber infrastructure across all agencies.

Johnson charged that CISA suppresses speech online, mainly that of conservative voices. He&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/judge-limits-biden-administration-contact-with-social-media-platforms-in-censorship-case/">cited a case</a>&nbsp;filed by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt,in which a federal judge earlier this month prohibited the Biden administration from communicating with social media platforms about “protected speech.”

Mayorkas said the agency does not “censor free speech,” and that the purpose of the CISA is to identify and track adverse nations that weaponize disinformation, which is when someone purposely spreads false information.

Massie asked Mayorkas if it was illegal to “undermine public trust in government institutions.”

Mayorkas said that DHS does not get involved in speech surrounding ideology, only if that ideology is connected to violence. He said the agency does evaluate certain ideologies.

“What we get engaged in is a connectivity to violence,” he said. “It is our responsibility to prevent violence from occurring.”

An example he gave was the c<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8576388/">onspiracy theory that 5G cell towers</a>&nbsp;were connected to the coronavirus. DHS became involved and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/dhs-to-advise-telecom-firms-on-preventing-5g-cell-tower-attacks-linked-to-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories/2020/05/13/6aa9eaa6-951f-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html">issued warnings to the telecom industry</a>&nbsp;because they believed there could be attacks to cell towers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690419772316.png" alt=" Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies on Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee. (Screenshot from committee webcast)" />
 <figcaption> Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testifies on Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee. (Screenshot from committee webcast)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ARIANA FIGUEROA&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/30/u-s-judge-rules-insurers-dont-have-to-cover-many-free-preventive-health-services/">States Newsroom</a>WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday faced off with Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who did not directly call for his impeachment but strongly criticized his oversight of the agency.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Sen. <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RogerMarshallMD</a> calls out Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas for fueling the worst border crisis in U.S. history, and for their complete refusal to secure the border. <a href="https://t.co/OwTzV4tjWA">pic.twitter.com/OwTzV4tjWA</a>&mdash; GOP (@GOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOP/status/1682435857649737728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I know that today Secretary Mayorkas is going to try to paint a rosy picture of this disastrous mismanagement of our border. But nothing about the Biden administration’s policy is safe, orderly, or humane,” Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, said. “The numbers don’t lie.”House Republicans have held multiple hearings about immigration at the Southern border as part of their broader strategy to impeach Mayorkas on the grounds that he has failed to enforce U.S. law. Multiple impeachment resolutions have been introduced and co-sponsored by dozens of Republicans.House GOP members have also floated the idea of impeaching President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland. During an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, suggested that House Republicans could be headed toward impeachment hearings for Biden.On Tuesday, McCarthy again floated the idea that impeachment of Biden could be considered in light of questions Republicans are raising about Biden family finances,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-impeachment-mccarthy-hannity-78e4c7efeb030b29e1576f868257179b">The Associated Press reported.</a>Democrats spent much of the five-hour-plus Judiciary hearing pushing back against Republicans’ claims about migration at the U.S. Southern border and defending DHS practices.The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said Republicans used the hearing as a “baseless attempt to impeach Secretary Mayorkas.”“To be clear, Republicans have not established any legitimate grounds to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, they’ve not uncovered evidence of wrongdoing or malfeasance of any kind,” Nadler said. “They have policy disagreements with this secretary.”Mayorkas argued that the Biden administration’s policies at the border are working to deter unauthorized immigration, citing the use of parole programs for certain nationals and a new policy established after the end of pandemic-era immigration enforcement tool known as Title 42 that restricts asylum.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-blocks-biden-rule-limits-asylum-migrants-border">A federal judge Tuesday blocked that policy</a>, and the Department of Justice has appealed the decision.“Under President Biden’s leadership, we have led the largest expansion of lawful, safe and orderly pathways for people to seek humanitarian relief under our laws, at the same time imposing tougher consequences on those who instead resort to the ruthless smuggling organizations that prey on the most vulnerable,” Mayorkas said.There has been a decline in recent months in unauthorized border crossings, with the most recent data from May showing a 15% decrease compared to May 2022, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-releases-may-2023-monthly-operational-update">U.S. Customs and Border Protection data</a><h2>Fentanyl crisis</h2>Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania said that each day hundreds of people die from overdoses, with a majority of those from illicit fentanyl. Mayorkas said that DHS has focused on seizing fentanyl at ports of entry.“We have a serious problem,” Dean said. “We don’t have folks on the other side of the aisle serious about solving it.”The National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates">found</a>&nbsp;that deaths “involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily fentanyl) continued to rise with 70,601 overdose deaths reported in 2021.”“We are leading an unprecedented effort to interdict the flow of fentanyl into our communities, which has escalated for more than five years,” Mayorkas said.Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado told Mayorkas that his constituents consider Mayorkas a “traitor” because of the fentanyl crisis.Republican Rep. Thomas Tiffany of Wisconsin accused Mayorkas of having an “open border policy,” and asked him if that has led to an increase in fentanyl in the U.S.“We have interdicted more fentanyl at the ports of entry than in the prior administration,” Mayorkas said, adding that there is not an open border policy.<h2>Outdated immigration system</h2>Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Jordan grilled Mayorkas on his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/guidelines-civilimmigrationlaw.pdf">directive</a>&nbsp;that focuses on removing undocumented people with a criminal record.<a target="_blank" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/06/23/us-supreme-court-turns-down-push-by-states-to-challenge-biden-deportation-policy/">The Supreme Court in June overwhelmingly agreed</a>&nbsp;that the Biden administration has the legal authority to prioritize arresting and deporting noncitizens who have recently crossed the border without authorization and noncitizens who pose a threat to public safety.“So long as you don’t commit a crime, you get to stay here and burden our schools, burden our social services, burden our jails,” Gaetz said.Mayorkas said because there are anywhere between 11 and 12 million undocumented people in the country, it would not be feasible for the agency to focus its resources on deporting people who have not committed a crime. He added that the agency has deported more than 1.4 million people who did not have legal status.Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia pushed back and said that “MAGA Republican extremists want to sell us on an apocalyptic fantasy,” and “want us to believe that the border is out of control.”“But in reality, the greatest threat facing our homeland is white nationalist ideology,” Johnson said.Republican Rep. Dan Bishop of North Carolina asked Mayokras if under his tenure the cartels have “become stronger or weaker.”“Our efforts have weakened those cartels by the investigations and prosecutions that we have conducted with our international partners,” he said.Democrats argued that there is only so much that DHS can do, because Congress has failed to update immigration laws.“Our colleagues across the aisle have made clear with their tone and questions today that their primary interest is in scapegoating you and the Biden administration for the consequences of Congress failing for decades to address either the root causes of immigration at our Southern border … and (the) all but complete collapse of the U.S. immigration system,” Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania said.Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said with the issues Mayorkas inherited from the Trump administration and Congress’ inability to pass immigration reform, it’s led to record levels of backlogs in the immigration system.She asked Mayorkas about the impact of expanding legal pathways such as the parole systems that allow up to 30,000 migrants each month from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua who have U.S.-based financial sponsors and pass a background check.“Our approach is to expand lawful pathways so that individuals who qualify for relief under the laws of this Congress do not have to place their lives and their life savings in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers,” Mayorkas said.<h2>Questions about speech online</h2>Several Republicans such as Reps. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Thomas Massie of Kentucky pressed Mayorkas about the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.CISA was formed in 2018. The agency is tasked with improving the government’s cybersecurity against private and foreign hackers, along with overall strengthening of the government’s cyber infrastructure across all agencies.Johnson charged that CISA suppresses speech online, mainly that of conservative voices. He&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/judge-limits-biden-administration-contact-with-social-media-platforms-in-censorship-case/">cited a case</a>&nbsp;filed by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt,in which a federal judge earlier this month prohibited the Biden administration from communicating with social media platforms about “protected speech.”Mayorkas said the agency does not “censor free speech,” and that the purpose of the CISA is to identify and track adverse nations that weaponize disinformation, which is when someone purposely spreads false information.Massie asked Mayorkas if it was illegal to “undermine public trust in government institutions.”Mayorkas said that DHS does not get involved in speech surrounding ideology, only if that ideology is connected to violence. He said the agency does evaluate certain ideologies.“What we get engaged in is a connectivity to violence,” he said. “It is our responsibility to prevent violence from occurring.”An example he gave was the c<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8576388/">onspiracy theory that 5G cell towers</a>&nbsp;were connected to the coronavirus. DHS became involved and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/dhs-to-advise-telecom-firms-on-preventing-5g-cell-tower-attacks-linked-to-coronavirus-conspiracy-theories/2020/05/13/6aa9eaa6-951f-11ea-82b4-c8db161ff6e5_story.html">issued warnings to the telecom industry</a>&nbsp;because they believed there could be attacks to cell towers.

Biden border policies ripped by U.S. House GOP; impeachment threats ramp up 

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A federal appeals court panel has halted next month's planned execution of a 45-year-old Missouri man convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl, though the state is appealing the ruling.

The three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday voted 2-1 to stop the execution of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-august-06f474f368dfd5ff5c4145164b222a3b">Johnny Johnson</a>, who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing Casey Williamson after trying to sexually assault her in 2002.

The Missouri Attorney General's Office responded by asking that the full 8th Circuit court reconsider the case, which will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before the scheduled execution date.

Attorneys for Johnson have claimed he isn't mentally competent to be executed because his schizophrenia prevents him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. They have also said Johnson has delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-johnny-johnson-052a2b3c6a25f14ef51ce35c59935084">The Missouri Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;in June declined to halt the execution based on the mental health claim. The attorney general's office challenged the credibility of psychiatric evaluations of Johnson and contended that medical records indicate he is able to manage his mental illness through medication.

Johnson lured the girl to an abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with bricks and rocks, then washed off in the Meramec River. Johnson confessed to the crimes.

Casey’s disappearance set off a frantic search involving first responders and volunteers. Her body was found in a pit less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from her home, buried beneath rocks and debris.

The execution would be the fourth in Missouri this year. Five of the 15 U.S. executions this year have been in Texas, Florida has carried out four, Missouri has conducted three, two have happened in Oklahoma and one took place in Alabama.

Previous executions in Missouri this year included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-legal-proceedings-missouri-st-louis-capital-punishment-b45a31029fa42d9eb67b5b4e1f6a6ffe">Amber McLaughlin</a>, 49, who killed a woman and dumped the body near the Mississippi River in St. Louis. McLaughlin’s execution in January was believed to be the first of a transgender woman in the U.S.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-state-government-california-homicide-94fe2fefa47faa618d3826c7f32e6f1d">Raheem Taylor</a>, 58, was executed in February for killing his live-in girlfriend and her three children in 2004 in St. Louis County.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-michael-tisius-7f961969aabd38e4e6b3dbe83ae72813">Michael Tisius</a>, 42, was executed in June for killing two central Missouri jailers during a failed attempt to help another man escape from a rural jail in 2000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690408112630.png" alt="Johnson photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Johnson photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A federal appeals court panel has halted next month's planned execution of a 45-year-old Missouri man convicted of killing a 6-year-old girl, though the state is appealing the ruling.The three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday voted 2-1 to stop the execution of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-august-06f474f368dfd5ff5c4145164b222a3b">Johnny Johnson</a>, who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre for killing Casey Williamson after trying to sexually assault her in 2002.The Missouri Attorney General's Office responded by asking that the full 8th Circuit court reconsider the case, which will likely end up before the U.S. Supreme Court before the scheduled execution date.Attorneys for Johnson have claimed he isn't mentally competent to be executed because his schizophrenia prevents him from understanding the link between his crime and the punishment. They have also said Johnson has delusions about the devil using his death to bring about the end of the world.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-johnny-johnson-052a2b3c6a25f14ef51ce35c59935084">The Missouri Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;in June declined to halt the execution based on the mental health claim. The attorney general's office challenged the credibility of psychiatric evaluations of Johnson and contended that medical records indicate he is able to manage his mental illness through medication.Johnson lured the girl to an abandoned glass factory, even carrying her on his shoulders on the walk to the dilapidated site. When he tried to sexually assault her, Casey screamed and tried to break free. He killed her with bricks and rocks, then washed off in the Meramec River. Johnson confessed to the crimes.Casey’s disappearance set off a frantic search involving first responders and volunteers. Her body was found in a pit less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from her home, buried beneath rocks and debris.The execution would be the fourth in Missouri this year. Five of the 15 U.S. executions this year have been in Texas, Florida has carried out four, Missouri has conducted three, two have happened in Oklahoma and one took place in Alabama.Previous executions in Missouri this year included&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-legal-proceedings-missouri-st-louis-capital-punishment-b45a31029fa42d9eb67b5b4e1f6a6ffe">Amber McLaughlin</a>, 49, who killed a woman and dumped the body near the Mississippi River in St. Louis. McLaughlin’s execution in January was believed to be the first of a transgender woman in the U.S.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-state-government-california-homicide-94fe2fefa47faa618d3826c7f32e6f1d">Raheem Taylor</a>, 58, was executed in February for killing his live-in girlfriend and her three children in 2004 in St. Louis County.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-execution-michael-tisius-7f961969aabd38e4e6b3dbe83ae72813">Michael Tisius</a>, 42, was executed in June for killing two central Missouri jailers during a failed attempt to help another man escape from a rural jail in 2000.

Court halts execution of man convicted of killing 6-year-old

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b">unidentified flying objects</a>, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims.

(Click below to watch a replay of the hearing)

Retired Maj. David Grusch's highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a">latest foray into the world of UAPs</a>&nbsp;— or “unidentified aerial phenomena," which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs. While the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens and “little green men,” Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to U.S. adversaries.

Grusch said he was asked in 2019 by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-government-and-politics-f5f24502d97072fd4bef34b6fe36c81d">the head of a government task force on UAPs</a>&nbsp;to identify all highly classified programs relating to the task force's mission. At the time, Grusch was detailed to the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that operates U.S. spy satellites.

“I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access,” he said.

Asked whether the U.S. government had information about extraterrestrial life, Grusch said the U.S. likely has been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s.

The Pentagon has denied Grusch's claims of a coverup. In a statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.” The statement did not address UFOs that are not suspected of being extraterrestrial objects.

Grusch says he became a government whistleblower after his discovery and has faced retaliation for coming forward. He declined to be more specific about the retaliatory tactics, citing an ongoing investigation.

“It was very brutal and very unfortunate, some of the tactics they used to hurt me both professionally and personally,” he said.

Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., chaired the panel's hearing and joked to a packed audience, “Welcome to the most exciting subcommittee in Congress this week.” But members of both parties asked Grusch about his study of UFOs and the consequences he faced.

“I take it that you’re arguing what we need is real transparency and reporting systems so we can get some clarity on what’s going on out there,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

Some lawmakers criticized the Pentagon for not providing more details in a classified briefing or releasing images that could be shown to the public. In previous hearings,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a">Pentagon officials showed</a>&nbsp;a video taken from an F-18 military plane that showed an image of one balloon-like shape.

Pentagon officials in December said they had received “several hundreds” of new reports since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b">launching a renewed effort</a>&nbsp;to investigate reports of UFOs.

At that point, “we have not seen anything, and we’re still very early on, that would lead us to believe that any of the objects that we have seen are of alien origin,” said Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. “Any unauthorized system in our airspace we deem as a threat to safety.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690390765039.png" alt="Retired Maj. David Grusch's highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a">latest foray into the world of UAPs</a>&nbsp;— or “unidentified aerial phenomena," which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs.-image House Oversight Committee" />
 <figcaption>Retired Maj. David Grusch's highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a">latest foray into the world of UAPs</a>&nbsp;— or “unidentified aerial phenomena," which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs.-image House Oversight Committee</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is concealing a longstanding program that retrieves and reverse engineers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b">unidentified flying objects</a>, a former Air Force intelligence officer testified Wednesday to Congress. The Pentagon has denied his claims.(Click below to watch a replay of the hearing)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KQ7Dw-739VY?start=1197" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Retired Maj. David Grusch's highly anticipated testimony before a House Oversight subcommittee was Congress'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a">latest foray into the world of UAPs</a>&nbsp;— or “unidentified aerial phenomena," which is the official term the U.S. government uses instead of UFOs. While the study of mysterious aircraft or objects often evokes talk of aliens and “little green men,” Democrats and Republicans in recent years have pushed for more research as a national security matter due to concerns that sightings observed by pilots may be tied to U.S. adversaries.Grusch said he was asked in 2019 by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-government-and-politics-f5f24502d97072fd4bef34b6fe36c81d">the head of a government task force on UAPs</a>&nbsp;to identify all highly classified programs relating to the task force's mission. At the time, Grusch was detailed to the National Reconnaissance Office, the agency that operates U.S. spy satellites.“I was informed in the course of my official duties of a multi-decade UAP crash retrieval and reverse engineering program to which I was denied access,” he said.Asked whether the U.S. government had information about extraterrestrial life, Grusch said the U.S. likely has been aware of “non-human” activity since the 1930s.The Pentagon has denied Grusch's claims of a coverup. In a statement, Defense Department spokeswoman Sue Gough said investigators have not discovered “any verifiable information to substantiate claims that any programs regarding the possession or reverse-engineering of extraterrestrial materials have existed in the past or exist currently.” The statement did not address UFOs that are not suspected of being extraterrestrial objects.Grusch says he became a government whistleblower after his discovery and has faced retaliation for coming forward. He declined to be more specific about the retaliatory tactics, citing an ongoing investigation.“It was very brutal and very unfortunate, some of the tactics they used to hurt me both professionally and personally,” he said.Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., chaired the panel's hearing and joked to a packed audience, “Welcome to the most exciting subcommittee in Congress this week.” But members of both parties asked Grusch about his study of UFOs and the consequences he faced.“I take it that you’re arguing what we need is real transparency and reporting systems so we can get some clarity on what’s going on out there,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.Some lawmakers criticized the Pentagon for not providing more details in a classified briefing or releasing images that could be shown to the public. In previous hearings,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-politics-government-and-congress-4234f7cd9379fa1cc4ffd3cf8d5b230a">Pentagon officials showed</a>&nbsp;a video taken from an F-18 military plane that showed an image of one balloon-like shape.Pentagon officials in December said they had received “several hundreds” of new reports since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/7227512231fa206da624f813455c2f0b">launching a renewed effort</a>&nbsp;to investigate reports of UFOs.At that point, “we have not seen anything, and we’re still very early on, that would lead us to believe that any of the objects that we have seen are of alien origin,” said Ronald Moultrie, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. “Any unauthorized system in our airspace we deem as a threat to safety.”

🎥Whistleblower tells Congress: US is hiding program that captures UFOs

By SAM BAILEY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — With hands medically restrained to a Wichita hospital bed, a 47-year-old woman was recovering from a traumatic brain injury when a man came into her room and sexually assaulted her, a new lawsuit contends.

Her case is the third civil lawsuit filed against Ascension Via Christi St. Francis hospital after alleged sexual attacks on patients by Miguel Rodela on June 15. On June 21, Rodela was charged with rape and two counts of attempted rape in Sedgwick County District Court, according to a news release by Hutton &amp; Hutton Law Firm, the legal counsel for all three women’s cases. They are identified in court documents by their initials.

“Rodela admitted post-Miranda to law enforcement that he touched all three patients, P.S.P., B.L.D., and T.R.W., to sexually gratify himself and fulfill his sexual fantasies,” read the latest civil lawsuit.

Michelle McCormick, executive director of Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, said one reason this specific case is so difficult is that the victims were especially vulnerable and the last thing people who are in a hospital want to consider is being taken advantage of in this way.

“Any facility or any organization that is serving vulnerable folks need to understand, at least in my experience, folks who cause harm, folks who abuse, folks who perpetrate, are always looking for vulnerabilities to exploit,” McCormick said.

Rodela entered the Wichita hospital around midnight, following an employee through a door, according to the lawsuits. After entering and assaulting multiple women, he entered the room of T.R.W. and was seen by a certified nursing assistant who asked if he was a family member.

When Rodela said he was, he helped the assistant reposition the patient’s body before he was left alone in the room. When the CNA left the room, they informed a nurse about the man and security was alerted.

The nurse and security officer had different accounts of what the man, later identified as Rodela, was doing when they entered the room. The nurse said Rodela was sitting at the end of the bed with his pants “partially down but did not see his genitalia exposed,” read the lawsuit. The officer recounted Rodela was on top of the patient and lifting her clothes.

The officer engaged Rodela until more security arrived to take him into custody.

Medical professionals of the hospital walked in on Rodela in the rooms of all three victims listed in the lawsuits and after a brief confirmation from Rodela that he was a family member or nurse, he was left alone with the victim.

“The hospital’s failures are different in each case but equally hard to believe,” said Hutton &amp; Hutton attorney Blake Shuart in the news release. “In this case, we have a completely helpless patient whose arms were strapped to the bed and Ascension’s nursing assistant actually walking in on the offender and asking him for help with patient care.”

McCormick said in her experience, people who assault others are good at getting away with their crimes and Rodela may have purposefully chosen a time when the hospital was chaotic. She said while it may be easy to assume someone would have noticed he didn’t belong in the room, people like Rodela are often incredibly charismatic and sophisticated, and combined with the busy hospital, people can be easily fooled.

According to the lawsuit, the patient’s husband was not informed by any hospital staff of the event and only found out from the Wichita Police Department.

“It’s awful,” said Andrew Hutton, founding attorney at Hutton &amp; Hutton Law Firm, in the release. “She was absolutely helpless, and Ascension failed to even inform her or her family what had happened.”

McCormick said her hope is that policies and protocols are in place in facilities like the hospital to handle situations of this kind and facilities should consult local victim advocacy programs. She also said sometimes society mistakenly thinks crimes like what happened in Wichita are a private matter or only a responsibility of the victims.

“If we kind of step back and broaden our understanding that in every domain in our life, we could be considering where will perpetrators take advantage of someone and what do we do to prevent that,” McCormick said, “then we’d really go a long way as understanding this as the public health issue that it really is, and not just an individual’s problem to solve.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686922520098.png" alt="A third woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Ascension Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita&nbsp;after alleged sexual attacks on patients by Miguel Rodela on June 15. " />
 <figcaption>A third woman has filed a civil lawsuit against Ascension Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita&nbsp;after alleged sexual attacks on patients by Miguel Rodela on June 15. </figcaption>
 </figure>By SAM BAILEY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — With hands medically restrained to a Wichita hospital bed, a 47-year-old woman was recovering from a traumatic brain injury when a man came into her room and sexually assaulted her, a new lawsuit contends.Her case is the third civil lawsuit filed against Ascension Via Christi St. Francis hospital after alleged sexual attacks on patients by Miguel Rodela on June 15. On June 21, Rodela was charged with rape and two counts of attempted rape in Sedgwick County District Court, according to a news release by Hutton &amp; Hutton Law Firm, the legal counsel for all three women’s cases. They are identified in court documents by their initials.“Rodela admitted post-Miranda to law enforcement that he touched all three patients, P.S.P., B.L.D., and T.R.W., to sexually gratify himself and fulfill his sexual fantasies,” read the latest civil lawsuit.Michelle McCormick, executive director of Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, said one reason this specific case is so difficult is that the victims were especially vulnerable and the last thing people who are in a hospital want to consider is being taken advantage of in this way.“Any facility or any organization that is serving vulnerable folks need to understand, at least in my experience, folks who cause harm, folks who abuse, folks who perpetrate, are always looking for vulnerabilities to exploit,” McCormick said.Rodela entered the Wichita hospital around midnight, following an employee through a door, according to the lawsuits. After entering and assaulting multiple women, he entered the room of T.R.W. and was seen by a certified nursing assistant who asked if he was a family member.When Rodela said he was, he helped the assistant reposition the patient’s body before he was left alone in the room. When the CNA left the room, they informed a nurse about the man and security was alerted.The nurse and security officer had different accounts of what the man, later identified as Rodela, was doing when they entered the room. The nurse said Rodela was sitting at the end of the bed with his pants “partially down but did not see his genitalia exposed,” read the lawsuit. The officer recounted Rodela was on top of the patient and lifting her clothes.The officer engaged Rodela until more security arrived to take him into custody.Medical professionals of the hospital walked in on Rodela in the rooms of all three victims listed in the lawsuits and after a brief confirmation from Rodela that he was a family member or nurse, he was left alone with the victim.“The hospital’s failures are different in each case but equally hard to believe,” said Hutton &amp; Hutton attorney Blake Shuart in the news release. “In this case, we have a completely helpless patient whose arms were strapped to the bed and Ascension’s nursing assistant actually walking in on the offender and asking him for help with patient care.”McCormick said in her experience, people who assault others are good at getting away with their crimes and Rodela may have purposefully chosen a time when the hospital was chaotic. She said while it may be easy to assume someone would have noticed he didn’t belong in the room, people like Rodela are often incredibly charismatic and sophisticated, and combined with the busy hospital, people can be easily fooled.According to the lawsuit, the patient’s husband was not informed by any hospital staff of the event and only found out from the Wichita Police Department.“It’s awful,” said Andrew Hutton, founding attorney at Hutton &amp; Hutton Law Firm, in the release. “She was absolutely helpless, and Ascension failed to even inform her or her family what had happened.”McCormick said her hope is that policies and protocols are in place in facilities like the hospital to handle situations of this kind and facilities should consult local victim advocacy programs. She also said sometimes society mistakenly thinks crimes like what happened in Wichita are a private matter or only a responsibility of the victims.“If we kind of step back and broaden our understanding that in every domain in our life, we could be considering where will perpetrators take advantage of someone and what do we do to prevent that,” McCormick said, “then we’d really go a long way as understanding this as the public health issue that it really is, and not just an individual’s problem to solve.”

Kansas hospital faces third civil lawsuit in alleged sexual assaults

JOHNSON COUNTY—A Kansas teen died from injuries in an accident that occurred just before 7a.m. Wednesday in Johnson County.

&nbsp;Nine vehicles were southbound in the 11400 Block of Metcalf approaching W.115th Street, according to Police Public Information officer John Lacy.

A dump truck rear-ended a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old from Shawnee, Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;The impact started a chain reaction of accidents involving seven other vehicles that were stopped at a light.

The teen was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased, according to Lacy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;The crash is still under investigation by the Overland Park Police Traffic Unit.&nbsp; Police released no names or additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690403276390.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the fatal crash -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the fatal crash -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—A Kansas teen died from injuries in an accident that occurred just before 7a.m. Wednesday in Johnson County.&nbsp;Nine vehicles were southbound in the 11400 Block of Metcalf approaching W.115th Street, according to Police Public Information officer John Lacy.A dump truck rear-ended a vehicle driven by a 17-year-old from Shawnee, Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;The impact started a chain reaction of accidents involving seven other vehicles that were stopped at a light.The teen was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased, according to Lacy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The crash is still under investigation by the Overland Park Police Traffic Unit.&nbsp; Police released no names or additional details.

Kansas teen dies after 9-vehicle crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate Wednesday for the 11th time in 17 months, a streak of hikes that are intended to curb inflation but that also carry the risk of going too far and triggering a recession.

The move lifted the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate from roughly 5.1% to 5.3% — its highest level since 2001. Coming on top of its previous rate hikes, the Fed’s latest move could lead to further increases in the costs of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms">mortgages,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-federal-reserve-increase-7b1a9fc9d7f95cb6adb67b98483e83c0">auto loans, credit cards</a>&nbsp;and business borrowing.

Though inflation has eased to its slowest pace in two years, Wednesday’s hike reflects the concern of Fed officials that the economy is still growing too fast for inflation to fall back to their 2% target. With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-consumer-confidence-inflation-interest-rates-567ac06e3d904967ab76b429ca777b00">consumer confidence</a>&nbsp;reaching its highest level in two years, Americans keep spending —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-airlines-profit-travel-a499c45f793adf7ffb429d245a106055">crowding airplanes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-tourism-summer-travel-pandemic-recovery-ee4416b151618fce3bf6cb5e3ff24d99">traveling overseas</a>&nbsp;and flocking to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-tour-eras-concert-setlist-37bfc86a4550b4aafed499fbabd6a417">concerts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barbie-oppenheimer-barbenheimer-box-office-3ff25c0a3acf7b568866c2ff307d0108">movie theaters</a>. Most crucially, businesses keep hiring, with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-inflation-economy-federal-reserve-e49ffbccbbd841c838ead1601dd8825b">unemployment rate still near half-century lows</a>.

In a statement, the Fed said the economy “has been expanding at a moderate pace,” a slight upgrade from its assessment in June.

Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell revealed that the Fed’s staff economists no longer foresee a recession. In April, the minutes of the central bank’s March meeting had revealed that the staff economists envisioned a “mild” recession later this year.

“Given the resilience of the economy recently,” he said, “they are no longer forecasting a recession.”

A key question swirling around the Fed is whether Wednesday’s increase will be its last or whether it will hike again later this year. Speaking at a news conference after the Fed announced its latest hike, Powell said the central bank has made no decisions about any future rate increases. But he made clear that the fight against inflation isn't over.

“The process of getting inflation down to 2% has a long way to go,” Powell said.

He stressed that the Fed's policymakers will assess a range of incoming economic data in determining what action, if any, to take at their next policy meeting. When the officials last met in June, they signaled that they expected to raise rates twice more. By the time they meet again Sept. 19-20, Powell noted Wednesday, they will have much more data in hand: Two more inflation reports, two reports on hiring and unemployment and updated figures on consumer spending and wages.

Some economists think the Fed might decide to forgo a rate increase in September before weighing a possible hike at its meeting in November.

In recent weeks, several Fed officials have said they worry that the still-brisk pace of job growth will lead workers to demand higher pay to make up for two years of inflationary prices. Sharp wage gains can perpetuate inflation if companies respond by raising prices for their customers.

At the same time, the steady easing of inflation pressures has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-economy-recession-c08901d250144a322f4c423517112e5e">lifted hopes that the Fed can pull off a difficult “soft landing,”</a>&nbsp;in which its rate hikes would continue to cool inflation without sending the economy tumbling into a painful recession.

Economists at Goldman Sachs have downgraded the likelihood of recession to just 20%, from 35% earlier this year. Those at Deutsche Bank, among the first large banks to forecast a recession, have also been encouraged by the economy’s direction, though they still expect a downturn later this year.

Matthew Luzzetti, Deutsche Bank’s chief U.S. economist, has pointed to durable consumer spending as a key driver of growth. Many Americans still have savings stemming from the pandemic, when the government distributed stimulus checks and people saved by spending less on travel, restaurants and entertainment.

Hiring has remained healthy, with employers having added 209,000 jobs in June, with the jobless rate reaching an ultra-low 3.6%. That’s about where it was when the Fed began raising rates in March 2022 — a sign of economic resilience that almost no one had foreseen.

Year-over-year inflation in June&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-interest-rates-economy-federal-reserve-53d93610b5ccaacd097853593f29bc26">was 3%</a>, according to the government, down sharply from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022. One cautionary note is that a “core” inflation measure that is preferred by the Fed, which excludes volatile food and energy costs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-gas-federal-reserve-rates-economy-8aa95d83361fce15571690496e5abd61">was still up 4.6% in May</a>&nbsp;from a year earlier.

“Core is still quite elevated," Powell said at his news conference.

Some Fed officials, including Christopher Waller, an outspoken member of its Board of Governors, and Lorie Logan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, have said they think the cumulative effects of the previous rate hikes have already been baked into the economy. With inflation still above the Fed’s target, they think additional hikes may be needed to further slow price pressures.

Powell echoed that point Wednesday. The Fed's rate hikes, he said, have “not been restrictive enough for long enough” to exert their full effect.

“The process still has a long way to go," he said.

Some analysts caution that the drop in year-over-year inflation from roughly 9% to 3% was the relatively easy part, Getting it down to the Fed’s 2% target will be harder and take longer.

Other experts say they think the recent mild inflation readings can be sustained. Rental cost increases, which have already fallen, should drop further as more apartment buildings are completed.

Though the Fed began tightening credit before central banks in many other developed countries did, most others are now following suit. The European Central Bank is expected to announce its own quarter-point rate hike on Thursday. Though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-europe-food-prices-interest-rates-579394c34425c25e209d69dff44e462c">inflation has declined</a>&nbsp;in the 20 countries that use the euro, it remains higher there than in the United States.

The Bank of Japan is expected to keep its policies unchanged when it meets next week even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-inflation-wages-prices-tourism-fe102635931a2cee79760cbae83d0100">prices there are creeping higher</a>&nbsp;after roughly two decades of declining prices. The Bank of England has been among the most aggressive in Europe, having&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bank-of-england-interest-rates-inflation-a87fa97e33df6e79f7097cc2acd955fa">raised its key rate last month by a half-point</a>&nbsp;to a 15-year high of 5%. Year-over-year inflation in the U.K. reached a painful 8.7% in May.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate Wednesday for the 11th time in 17 months, a streak of hikes that are intended to curb inflation but that also carry the risk of going too far and triggering a recession.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fed Chair Powell: &quot;Since early last year, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FOMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FOMC</a> has significantly tightened the stance of monetary policy. Today, we took another step by raising our policy interest rate a quarter percentage point...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/EvgtI4EBOs">pic.twitter.com/EvgtI4EBOs</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1684275561021992960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The move lifted the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate from roughly 5.1% to 5.3% — its highest level since 2001. Coming on top of its previous rate hikes, the Fed’s latest move could lead to further increases in the costs of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms">mortgages,</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/interest-rates-federal-reserve-increase-7b1a9fc9d7f95cb6adb67b98483e83c0">auto loans, credit cards</a>&nbsp;and business borrowing.Though inflation has eased to its slowest pace in two years, Wednesday’s hike reflects the concern of Fed officials that the economy is still growing too fast for inflation to fall back to their 2% target. With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-consumer-confidence-inflation-interest-rates-567ac06e3d904967ab76b429ca777b00">consumer confidence</a>&nbsp;reaching its highest level in two years, Americans keep spending —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-airlines-profit-travel-a499c45f793adf7ffb429d245a106055">crowding airplanes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/european-tourism-summer-travel-pandemic-recovery-ee4416b151618fce3bf6cb5e3ff24d99">traveling overseas</a>&nbsp;and flocking to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-tour-eras-concert-setlist-37bfc86a4550b4aafed499fbabd6a417">concerts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barbie-oppenheimer-barbenheimer-box-office-3ff25c0a3acf7b568866c2ff307d0108">movie theaters</a>. Most crucially, businesses keep hiring, with the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-inflation-economy-federal-reserve-e49ffbccbbd841c838ead1601dd8825b">unemployment rate still near half-century lows</a>.In a statement, the Fed said the economy “has been expanding at a moderate pace,” a slight upgrade from its assessment in June.Speaking at a news conference, Chair Jerome Powell revealed that the Fed’s staff economists no longer foresee a recession. In April, the minutes of the central bank’s March meeting had revealed that the staff economists envisioned a “mild” recession later this year.“Given the resilience of the economy recently,” he said, “they are no longer forecasting a recession.”A key question swirling around the Fed is whether Wednesday’s increase will be its last or whether it will hike again later this year. Speaking at a news conference after the Fed announced its latest hike, Powell said the central bank has made no decisions about any future rate increases. But he made clear that the fight against inflation isn't over.“The process of getting inflation down to 2% has a long way to go,” Powell said.He stressed that the Fed's policymakers will assess a range of incoming economic data in determining what action, if any, to take at their next policy meeting. When the officials last met in June, they signaled that they expected to raise rates twice more. By the time they meet again Sept. 19-20, Powell noted Wednesday, they will have much more data in hand: Two more inflation reports, two reports on hiring and unemployment and updated figures on consumer spending and wages.Some economists think the Fed might decide to forgo a rate increase in September before weighing a possible hike at its meeting in November.In recent weeks, several Fed officials have said they worry that the still-brisk pace of job growth will lead workers to demand higher pay to make up for two years of inflationary prices. Sharp wage gains can perpetuate inflation if companies respond by raising prices for their customers.At the same time, the steady easing of inflation pressures has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-economy-recession-c08901d250144a322f4c423517112e5e">lifted hopes that the Fed can pull off a difficult “soft landing,”</a>&nbsp;in which its rate hikes would continue to cool inflation without sending the economy tumbling into a painful recession.Economists at Goldman Sachs have downgraded the likelihood of recession to just 20%, from 35% earlier this year. Those at Deutsche Bank, among the first large banks to forecast a recession, have also been encouraged by the economy’s direction, though they still expect a downturn later this year.Matthew Luzzetti, Deutsche Bank’s chief U.S. economist, has pointed to durable consumer spending as a key driver of growth. Many Americans still have savings stemming from the pandemic, when the government distributed stimulus checks and people saved by spending less on travel, restaurants and entertainment.Hiring has remained healthy, with employers having added 209,000 jobs in June, with the jobless rate reaching an ultra-low 3.6%. That’s about where it was when the Fed began raising rates in March 2022 — a sign of economic resilience that almost no one had foreseen.Year-over-year inflation in June&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-interest-rates-economy-federal-reserve-53d93610b5ccaacd097853593f29bc26">was 3%</a>, according to the government, down sharply from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022. One cautionary note is that a “core” inflation measure that is preferred by the Fed, which excludes volatile food and energy costs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-gas-federal-reserve-rates-economy-8aa95d83361fce15571690496e5abd61">was still up 4.6% in May</a>&nbsp;from a year earlier.“Core is still quite elevated," Powell said at his news conference.Some Fed officials, including Christopher Waller, an outspoken member of its Board of Governors, and Lorie Logan, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, have said they think the cumulative effects of the previous rate hikes have already been baked into the economy. With inflation still above the Fed’s target, they think additional hikes may be needed to further slow price pressures.Powell echoed that point Wednesday. The Fed's rate hikes, he said, have “not been restrictive enough for long enough” to exert their full effect.“The process still has a long way to go," he said.Some analysts caution that the drop in year-over-year inflation from roughly 9% to 3% was the relatively easy part, Getting it down to the Fed’s 2% target will be harder and take longer.Other experts say they think the recent mild inflation readings can be sustained. Rental cost increases, which have already fallen, should drop further as more apartment buildings are completed.Though the Fed began tightening credit before central banks in many other developed countries did, most others are now following suit. The European Central Bank is expected to announce its own quarter-point rate hike on Thursday. Though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-europe-food-prices-interest-rates-579394c34425c25e209d69dff44e462c">inflation has declined</a>&nbsp;in the 20 countries that use the euro, it remains higher there than in the United States.The Bank of Japan is expected to keep its policies unchanged when it meets next week even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/japan-economy-inflation-wages-prices-tourism-fe102635931a2cee79760cbae83d0100">prices there are creeping higher</a>&nbsp;after roughly two decades of declining prices. The Bank of England has been among the most aggressive in Europe, having&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bank-of-england-interest-rates-inflation-a87fa97e33df6e79f7097cc2acd955fa">raised its key rate last month by a half-point</a>&nbsp;to a 15-year high of 5%. Year-over-year inflation in the U.K. reached a painful 8.7% in May.

🎥Federal Reserve raises interest rate again in drive to slow inflation

LONDON (AP) — Sinéad O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," the singer's family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause was disclosed. O'Connor had publicly struggled with mental health in recent years.

Recognizable by her shaved head and elfin features, O'Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. She was a star from her 1987 debut album "The Lion and the Cobra" and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U," a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the gray-eyed O'Connor in intense close-up.

"Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.

"She proved that a recording artist could refuse to compromise and still connect with millions of listeners hungry for music of substance," the magazine declared.

She was a lifelong non-conformist — she would say that she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous — but her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music. She feuded with Frank Sinatra over her refusal to allow the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at one of her shows and accused Prince of physically threatening her. In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army, a statement she retracted a year later. Around the same time, she skipped the Grammy ceremony, saying it was too commercialized.

A critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations sexual abuse were widely reported, O'Connor made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and denounced the church as the enemy. The following week, Joe Pesci hosted "Saturday Night Live," held up a repaired photo of the Pope and said that if he had been on the show with O'Connor he "would have gave her such a smack." Days later, she appeared at an all-star tribute for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden and was immediately booed. She was supposed to sing Dylan's "I Believe in You," but switched to an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War," which she had sung on "Saturday Night Live."

Although consoled and encouraged on stage by her friend Kris Kristofferson, she left and broke down, and her performance was kept off the concert CD. (Years later, Kristofferson recorded "Sister Sinead," for which he wrote "And maybe she's crazy and maybe she ain't/But so was Picasso and so were the saints.")

In 1999, O'Connor caused uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church — a position that was not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church. For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church's role in concealing child abuse by clergy. In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, O'Connor condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican's role, which by 2018 was making international headlines.

"People assumed I didn't believe in God. That's not the case at all. I'm Catholic by birth and culture and would be the first at the church door if the Vatican offered sincere reconciliation," she wrote in the Washington Post in 2010.

O'Connor announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada' Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat — although she continued to use Sinéad O'Connor professionally.

"Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement on social media.

O'Connor was born on Dec. 8, 1966. She had a difficult childhood, with a mother whom she alleged was abusive and encouraged her to shoplift. As a teenager she spent time in a church-sponsored institution for girls, where she said she washed priests' clothes for no wages. But a nun gave O'Connor her first guitar, and soon she sang and performed on the streets of Dublin, her influences ranging from Dylan to Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Her performance with a local band caught the eye of a small record label, and, in 1987, O'Connor released "The Lion and the Cobra," which sold hundreds of thousands of copies and featured the hit "Mandinka," driven by a hard rock guitar riff and O'Connor's piercing vocals. O'Connor, 20 years old and pregnant while making "Lion and the Cobra," co-produced the album.

"I suppose I've got to say that music saved me," she said in an interview with the Independent newspaper in 2013. "I didn't have any other abilities, and there was no learning support for girls like me, not in Ireland at that time. It was either jail or music. I got lucky."

O'Connor's other musical credits included the albums "Universal Mother" and "Faith and Courage," a cover of Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" from the AIDS fundraising album "Red Hot + Blue" and backing vocals on Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden." She received eight Grammy nominations overall and in 1991 won for best alternative musical performance.

O'Connor announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but she continued to record new material. Her most recent album was " I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss," released in 2014 and she sang the theme song for Season 7 of "Outlander."

The singer married four times; her union to drug counsellor Barry Herridge, in 2011, lasted just 16 days. She was open about her private life, from her sexuality to her mental illness. She said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and on social media wrote openly about taking her own life. When her teenage son Shane died by suicide in 2022, O'Connor tweeted there was "no point living without him" and was soon hospitalized.

In 2014, she said she was joining the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party and called for its leaders to step aside so that a younger generation of activists could take over. She later withdrew her application.

O'Connor had four children: Jake, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane, with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.

EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. The U.S. national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690397085522.png" alt=""Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991." />
 <figcaption>"Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Sinéad O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56."It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," the singer's family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause was disclosed. O'Connor had publicly struggled with mental health in recent years.Recognizable by her shaved head and elfin features, O'Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. She was a star from her 1987 debut album "The Lion and the Cobra" and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U," a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the gray-eyed O'Connor in intense close-up."Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991."She proved that a recording artist could refuse to compromise and still connect with millions of listeners hungry for music of substance," the magazine declared.She was a lifelong non-conformist — she would say that she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous — but her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music. She feuded with Frank Sinatra over her refusal to allow the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at one of her shows and accused Prince of physically threatening her. In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army, a statement she retracted a year later. Around the same time, she skipped the Grammy ceremony, saying it was too commercialized.A critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations sexual abuse were widely reported, O'Connor made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and denounced the church as the enemy. The following week, Joe Pesci hosted "Saturday Night Live," held up a repaired photo of the Pope and said that if he had been on the show with O'Connor he "would have gave her such a smack." Days later, she appeared at an all-star tribute for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden and was immediately booed. She was supposed to sing Dylan's "I Believe in You," but switched to an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War," which she had sung on "Saturday Night Live."Although consoled and encouraged on stage by her friend Kris Kristofferson, she left and broke down, and her performance was kept off the concert CD. (Years later, Kristofferson recorded "Sister Sinead," for which he wrote "And maybe she's crazy and maybe she ain't/But so was Picasso and so were the saints.")In 1999, O'Connor caused uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church — a position that was not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church. For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church's role in concealing child abuse by clergy. In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, O'Connor condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican's role, which by 2018 was making international headlines."People assumed I didn't believe in God. That's not the case at all. I'm Catholic by birth and culture and would be the first at the church door if the Vatican offered sincere reconciliation," she wrote in the Washington Post in 2010.O'Connor announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada' Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat — although she continued to use Sinéad O'Connor professionally."Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement on social media.O'Connor was born on Dec. 8, 1966. She had a difficult childhood, with a mother whom she alleged was abusive and encouraged her to shoplift. As a teenager she spent time in a church-sponsored institution for girls, where she said she washed priests' clothes for no wages. But a nun gave O'Connor her first guitar, and soon she sang and performed on the streets of Dublin, her influences ranging from Dylan to Siouxsie and the Banshees.Her performance with a local band caught the eye of a small record label, and, in 1987, O'Connor released "The Lion and the Cobra," which sold hundreds of thousands of copies and featured the hit "Mandinka," driven by a hard rock guitar riff and O'Connor's piercing vocals. O'Connor, 20 years old and pregnant while making "Lion and the Cobra," co-produced the album."I suppose I've got to say that music saved me," she said in an interview with the Independent newspaper in 2013. "I didn't have any other abilities, and there was no learning support for girls like me, not in Ireland at that time. It was either jail or music. I got lucky."O'Connor's other musical credits included the albums "Universal Mother" and "Faith and Courage," a cover of Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" from the AIDS fundraising album "Red Hot + Blue" and backing vocals on Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden." She received eight Grammy nominations overall and in 1991 won for best alternative musical performance.O'Connor announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but she continued to record new material. Her most recent album was " I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss," released in 2014 and she sang the theme song for Season 7 of "Outlander."The singer married four times; her union to drug counsellor Barry Herridge, in 2011, lasted just 16 days. She was open about her private life, from her sexuality to her mental illness. She said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and on social media wrote openly about taking her own life. When her teenage son Shane died by suicide in 2022, O'Connor tweeted there was "no point living without him" and was soon hospitalized.In 2014, she said she was joining the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party and called for its leaders to step aside so that a younger generation of activists could take over. She later withdrew her application.O'Connor had four children: Jake, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane, with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.___EDITOR'S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. The U.S. national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

Sinéad O’Connor, gifted and provocative Irish singer, dies at 56

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-hunter-biden">President Joe Biden’s son Hunter</a>&nbsp;pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge's concerns over the agreement.

Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he was expected to plead guilty after he made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold.

But during the hearing Wednesday, there was a dispute in court over whether the initial agreement gave him protection against any future charges. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised concerns about the language of the deal.

Biden had also been charged with possession of a firearm by a person who is a known drug user, a felony. He had a Colt Cobra .38 Special for 11 days in October 2018. He had agreed to enter into a diversion agreement, which means that he would not technically plead guilty to the crime. As long as he adhered to the terms of his agreement, the case would be wiped from his record. If not, the deal would be withdrawn. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The overlapping agreements created confusion for the judge, who said the lawyers needed to untangle the issues before moving forward.

“It seems to me like you are saying ‘just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honor.' … This seems to me to be form over substance," she said. She gave defense lawyers and prosecutors 30 days to explain why she should accept the deal.

The collapsed proceedings were a surprising development because the plea had been carefully negotiated over weeks and included a lengthy back-and-forth between Justice Department prosecutors and Biden's attorneys.

It was meant to clear the air for Hunter Biden and avert a trial that would have generated weeks or months of distracting headlines. But the politics remain as messy as ever, with Republicans insisting he got a sweetheart deal and the Justice Department pressing ahead on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-criminal-investigations-jack-smith-b8836e28a7ad1c1ae5fadc4645f6a363">investigations into Trump</a>, the GOP’s 2024 presidential primary front-runner.

Trump is already facing a state criminal case in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-york-indictment-stormy-daniels-cohen-e673f673d205a70275d05510793672f2">New York</a>&nbsp;and a federal indictment in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-document-search-judge-c9d93a3a90e5ab35fed7f4eb00e94edb">Florida</a>. But last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-investigation-2020-election-7caa4d45b9dc287af868aa12f87fe254">a target letter</a>&nbsp;was sent to Trump from special counsel Jack Smith that suggests the former president may soon be indicted on new federal charges, this time involving his struggle to cling to power after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden</a>.

Republicans claim a double standard, in which the Democratic president's son got off easy while the president's rival has been unfairly castigated.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-investigation-house-republicans-prosecutor-irs-17f33b5f85443ee2c3315654b47f5a1c">Congressional Republicans are pursuing their own investigations</a>&nbsp;into nearly every facet of Hunter Biden's dealings, including foreign payments.

On Tuesday, a dustup arose after Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee filed court documents urging Noreika to consider testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-justice-department-congress-republicans-32d9f33fb0d05c483d76926504d45bef">IRS whistleblowers</a>&nbsp;who alleged Justice Department interference in the investigation.

Shortly after their motion was filed,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-guilty-tax-gun-case-judge-republican-deaa687655e6c111f37397873ff622cc">a court clerk received a call</a>&nbsp;requesting that “sensitive grand jury, taxpayer and Social Security information” be kept under seal, according to an oral order from the judge. The clerk said the lawyer gave her name and said she worked with an attorney from the Ways and Means Committee but was in fact a lawyer with the defense team.

Noreika demanded the defense team show why she should not consider sanctioning them for “misrepresentations to the court.” Defense attorneys responded that their lawyer had represented herself truthfully from the start and called the matter a misunderstanding.

President Biden, meanwhile, has said very little publicly, except to note,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-hunter-laptop-ba96537a686d04dc3773552cfa13deeb">"I'm very proud of my son."</a>

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/robert-hunter-biden">President Joe Biden’s son Hunter</a>&nbsp;pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge's concerns over the agreement.Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he was expected to plead guilty after he made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold.But during the hearing Wednesday, there was a dispute in court over whether the initial agreement gave him protection against any future charges. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised concerns about the language of the deal.Biden had also been charged with possession of a firearm by a person who is a known drug user, a felony. He had a Colt Cobra .38 Special for 11 days in October 2018. He had agreed to enter into a diversion agreement, which means that he would not technically plead guilty to the crime. As long as he adhered to the terms of his agreement, the case would be wiped from his record. If not, the deal would be withdrawn. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.The overlapping agreements created confusion for the judge, who said the lawyers needed to untangle the issues before moving forward.“It seems to me like you are saying ‘just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honor.' … This seems to me to be form over substance," she said. She gave defense lawyers and prosecutors 30 days to explain why she should accept the deal.The collapsed proceedings were a surprising development because the plea had been carefully negotiated over weeks and included a lengthy back-and-forth between Justice Department prosecutors and Biden's attorneys.It was meant to clear the air for Hunter Biden and avert a trial that would have generated weeks or months of distracting headlines. But the politics remain as messy as ever, with Republicans insisting he got a sweetheart deal and the Justice Department pressing ahead on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-criminal-investigations-jack-smith-b8836e28a7ad1c1ae5fadc4645f6a363">investigations into Trump</a>, the GOP’s 2024 presidential primary front-runner.Trump is already facing a state criminal case in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-york-indictment-stormy-daniels-cohen-e673f673d205a70275d05510793672f2">New York</a>&nbsp;and a federal indictment in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-document-search-judge-c9d93a3a90e5ab35fed7f4eb00e94edb">Florida</a>. But last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-jan-6-investigation-2020-election-7caa4d45b9dc287af868aa12f87fe254">a target letter</a>&nbsp;was sent to Trump from special counsel Jack Smith that suggests the former president may soon be indicted on new federal charges, this time involving his struggle to cling to power after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wins-white-house-ap-fd58df73aa677acb74fce2a69adb71f9">his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden</a>.Republicans claim a double standard, in which the Democratic president's son got off easy while the president's rival has been unfairly castigated.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-investigation-house-republicans-prosecutor-irs-17f33b5f85443ee2c3315654b47f5a1c">Congressional Republicans are pursuing their own investigations</a>&nbsp;into nearly every facet of Hunter Biden's dealings, including foreign payments.On Tuesday, a dustup arose after Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee filed court documents urging Noreika to consider testimony from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-irs-justice-department-congress-republicans-32d9f33fb0d05c483d76926504d45bef">IRS whistleblowers</a>&nbsp;who alleged Justice Department interference in the investigation.Shortly after their motion was filed,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-guilty-tax-gun-case-judge-republican-deaa687655e6c111f37397873ff622cc">a court clerk received a call</a>&nbsp;requesting that “sensitive grand jury, taxpayer and Social Security information” be kept under seal, according to an oral order from the judge. The clerk said the lawyer gave her name and said she worked with an attorney from the Ways and Means Committee but was in fact a lawyer with the defense team.Noreika demanded the defense team show why she should not consider sanctioning them for “misrepresentations to the court.” Defense attorneys responded that their lawyer had represented herself truthfully from the start and called the matter a misunderstanding.President Biden, meanwhile, has said very little publicly, except to note,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-hunter-laptop-ba96537a686d04dc3773552cfa13deeb">"I'm very proud of my son."</a>