NEW YORK (AP) — Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has died. He was 96.

Belafonte died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at his New York home, his wife Pamela by his side, said Ken Sunshine, of public relations firm Sunshine Sachs Morgan &amp; Lylis.

With his glowing, handsome face and silky-husky voice, Belafonte was one of the first Black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer; many still know him for his signature hit "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," and its call of "Day-O! Daaaaay-O." But he forged a greater legacy once he scaled back his performing career in the 1960s and lived out his hero Paul Robeson's decree that artists are "gatekeepers of truth."

He stands as the model and the epitome of the celebrity activist. Few kept up with Belafonte's time and commitment and none his stature as a meeting point among Hollywood, Washington and the civil rights movement.

Belafonte not only participated in protest marches and benefit concerts, but helped organize and raise support for them. He worked closely with his friend and generational peer the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., often intervening on his behalf with both politicians and fellow entertainers and helping him financially. He risked his life and livelihood and set high standards for younger Black celebrities, scolding Jay Z and Beyonce for failing to meet their "social responsibilities," and mentoring Usher, Common, Danny Glover and many others. In Spike Lee's 2018 film "BlacKkKlansman," he was fittingly cast as an elder statesman schooling young activists about the country's past.

Belafonte's friend, civil rights leader Andrew Young, would note that Belafonte was the rare person to grow more radical with age. He was ever engaged and unyielding, willing to take on Southern segregationists, Northern liberals, the billionaire Koch brothers and the country's first Black president, Barack Obama, whom Belafonte would remember asking to cut him "some slack."

Belafonte responded, "What makes you think that's not what I've been doing?"

Belafonte had been a major artist since the 1950s. He won a Tony Award in 1954 for his starring role in John Murray Anderson's "Almanac" and five years later became the first Black performer to win an Emmy for the TV special "Tonight with Harry Belafonte."

In 1954, he co-starred with Dorothy Dandridge in the Otto Preminger-directed musical "Carmen Jones," a popular breakthrough for an all-Black cast. The 1957 movie "Island in the Sun" was banned in several Southern cities, where theater owners were threatened by the Ku Klux Klan because of the film's interracial romance between Belafonte and Joan Fontaine.

His "Calypso," released in 1955, became the first officially certified million-selling album by a solo performer, and started a national infatuation with Caribbean rhythms (Belafonte was nicknamed, reluctantly, the "King of Calypso"). Admirers of Belafonte included a young Bob Dylan, who debuted on record in the early '60s by playing harmonica on Belafonte's "Midnight Special."

"Harry was the best balladeer in the land and everybody knew it," Dylan later wrote. "He was a fantastic artist, sang about lovers and slaves — chain gang workers, saints and sinners and children. ... Harry was that rare type of character that radiates greatness, and you hope that some of it rubs off on you."

Belafonte befriended King in the spring of 1956 after the young civil rights leader called and asked for a meeting. They spoke for hours, and Belafonte would remember feeling King raised him to the "higher plane of social protest." Then at the peak of his singing career, Belafonte was soon producing a benefit concert for the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama that helped make King a national figure. By the early 1960s, he had decided to make civil rights his priority.

"I was having almost daily talks with Martin," Belafonte wrote in his memoir "My Song," published in 2011. "I realized that the movement was more important than anything else."

The Kennedys were among the first politicians to seek his opinions, which he willingly shared. John F. Kennedy, at a time when Blacks were as likely to vote for Republicans as for Democrats, was so anxious for his support that during the 1960 election he visited Belafonte at his Manhattan home. Belafonte schooled Kennedy on the importance of King, and arranged for them to speak.

"I was quite taken by the fact that he (Kennedy) knew so little about the Black community," Belafonte told NBC in 2013. "He knew the headlines of the day, but he wasn't really anywhere nuanced or detailed on the depth of Black anguish or what our struggle's really about."

Belafonte would often criticize the Kennedys for their reluctance to challenge the Southern segregationists who were then a substantial part of the Democratic Party. He argued with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the president's brother, over the government's failure to protect the "Freedom Riders" trying to integrate bus stations. He was among the Black activists at a widely publicized meeting with the attorney general, when playwright Lorraine Hansberry and others stunned Kennedy by questioning whether the country even deserved Black allegiance.

"Bobby turned red at that. I had never seen him so shaken," Belafonte later wrote.

In 1963, Belafonte was deeply involved with the March on Washington. He recruited his close friend Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and other celebrities and persuaded the left-wing Marlon Brando to co-chair the Hollywood delegation with the more conservative Charlton Heston, a pairing designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience. In 1964, he and Poitier personally delivered tens of thousands of dollar to activists in Mississippi after three "Freedom Summer" volunteers were murdered — the two celebrities were chased by car at one point by members of the KKK. The following year, he brought in Tony Bennett, Joan Baez and other singers to perform for the marchers in Selma, Alabama.

When King was assassinated, in 1968, Belafonte helped pick out the suit he was buried in, sat next to his widow, Coretta, at the funeral, and continued to support his family, in part through an insurance policy he had taken out on King in his lifetime.

"Much of my political outlook was already in place when I encountered Dr. King," Belafonte later wrote. "I was well on my way and utterly committed to the civil rights struggle. I came to him with expectations and he affirmed them."

King's death left Belafonte isolated from the civil rights community. He was turned off by the separatist beliefs of Stokely Carmichael and other "Black Power" activists and had little chemistry with King's designated successor, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy. But the entertainer's causes extended well beyond the U.S.

He mentored South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba and helped introduce her to American audiences, the two winning a Grammy in 1964 for the concert record "An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba." He coordinated Nelson Mandela's first visit to the U.S. since being released from prison in 1990. A few years earlier, he initiated the all-star, million-selling "We Are the World" recording, the Grammy-winning charity song for famine relief in Africa.

Belafonte's early life and career paralleled those of Poitier, who died in 2022. Both spent part of their childhoods in the Caribbean and ended up in New York. Both served in the military during World War II, acted in the American Negro Theatre and then broke into film. Poitier shared his belief in civil rights, but still dedicated much of his time to acting, a source of some tension between them. While Poitier had a sustained and historic run in the 1960s as a leading man and box office success, Belafonte grew tired of acting and turned down parts he regarded as "neutered."

"Sidney radiated a truly saintly dignity and calm. Not me," Belafonte wrote in his memoir. "I didn't want to tone down my sexuality, either. Sidney did that in every role he took."

Belafonte was very much a human being. He acknowledged extra-marital affairs, negligence as a parent and a frightening temper, driven by lifelong insecurity. "Woe to the musician who missed his cue, or the agent who fouled up a booking," he confided.

In his memoir, he chastised Poitier for a "radical breach" by backing out on a commitment to star as Mandela in a TV miniseries Belafonte had conceived, then agreeing to play Mandela for a rival production. He became so estranged from King's widow and children that he was not asked to speak at her funeral. In 2013, he sued three of King's children over control of some of the civil rights leader's personal papers. In his memoir, he would allege that the King children were more interested in "selling trinkets and memorabilia" than in serious thought.

He made news years earlier when he compared Colin Powell, the first Black secretary of state, to a slave "permitted to come into the house of the master" for his service in the George W. Bush administration. He was in Washington in January 2009 as Obama was inaugurated, officiating along with Baez and others at a gala called the Inaugural Peace Ball. But Belafonte would later criticize Obama for failing to live up to his promise and lacking "fundamental empathy with the dispossessed, be they white or Black."

Belafonte did occasionally serve in government, as cultural adviser for the Peace Corps during the Kennedy administration and decades later as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. For his film and music career, he received the motion picture academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, a National Medal of Arts, a Grammy for lifetime achievement and numerous other honorary prizes. He found special pleasure in winning a New York Film Critics Award in 1996 for his work as a gangster in Robert Altman's "Kansas City."

"I'm as proud of that film critics' award as I am of all my gold records," he wrote in his memoir.

He was married three times, most recently to photographer Pamela Frank, and had four children. Three of them — Shari, David and Gina — became actors.

Harry Belafonte was born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in 1927, in a community of West Indians in Harlem. His father was a seaman and cook with Dutch and Jamaican ancestry and his mother, part Scottish, worked as a domestic. Both parents were undocumented immigrants and Belafonte recalled living "an underground life, as criminals of a sort, on the run."

The household was violent: Belafonte sustained brutal beatings from his father, and he was sent to live for several years with relatives in Jamaica. Belafonte was a poor reader — he was probably dyslexic, he later realized — and dropped out of high school, soon joining the Navy. While in the service, he read "Color and Democracy'' by the Black scholar W.E.B. Du Bois and was deeply affected, calling it the start of his political education.

After the war, he found a job in New York as an assistant janitor for some apartment buildings. One tenant liked him enough to give him free tickets to a play at the American Negro Theatre, a community repertory for black performers. Belafonte was so impressed that he joined as a volunteer, then as an actor. Poitier was a peer, both of them "skinny, brooding and vulnerable within our hard shells of self-protection," Belafonte later wrote.

Belafonte met Brando, Walter Matthau and other future stars while taking acting classes at the New School for Social Research. Brando was an inspiration as an actor, and he and Belafonte became close, sometimes riding on Brando's motorcycle or double dating or playing congas together at parties. Over the years, Belafonte's political and artistic lives would lead to friendships with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Lester Young to Eleanor Roosevelt and Fidel Castro.

His early stage credits included "Days of Our Youth" and Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Peacock," a play Belafonte remembered less because of his own performance than because of a backstage visitor, Robeson, the actor, singer and activist.

"What I remember more than anything Robeson said, was the love he radiated, and the profound responsibility he felt, as an actor, to use his platform as a bully pulpit," Belafonte wrote in his memoir. His friendship with Robeson and support for left-wing causes eventually brought trouble from the government. FBI agents visited him at home and allegations of Communism nearly cost him an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Leftists suspected, and Belafonte emphatically denied, that he had named names of suspected Communists so he could perform on Sullivan's show.

By the 1950s, Belafonte was also singing, finding gigs at the Blue Note, the Vanguard and other clubs — he was backed for one performance by Charlie Parker and Max Roach — and becoming immersed in folk, blues, jazz and the calypso he had heard while living in Jamaica. Starting in 1954, he released such top 10 albums as "Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites" and "Belafonte," and his popular singles included "Mathilda," "Jamaica Farewell" and "The Banana Boat Song," a reworked Caribbean ballad that was a late addition to his "Calypso" record.

"We found ourselves one or two songs short, so we threw in `Day-O' as filler," Belafonte wrote in his memoir.

He was a superstar, but one criticized, and occasionally sued, for taking traditional material and not sharing the profits. Belafonte expressed regret and also worried about being typecast as a calypso singer, declining for years to sing "Day-O" live after he gave television performances against banana boat backdrops.

Belafonte was the rare young artist to think about the business side of show business. He started one of the first all-Black music publishing companies. He produced plays, movies and TV shows, including Off-Broadway's "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," in 1969. He was the first Black person to produce for TV.

Belafonte made history in 1968 by filling in for Johnny Carson on the "Tonight" show for a full week. Later that year, a simple, spontaneous gesture led to another milestone. Appearing on a taped TV special starring Petula Clark, Belafonte joined the British singer on the anti-war song "On the Path of Glory." At one point, Clark placed a hand on Belafonte's arm. The show's sponsor, Chrysler, demanded the segment be reshot. Clark and Belafonte resisted, successfully, and for the first time a man and woman of different colors touched on national television.

In the 1970s, he returned to movie acting, co-starring with Poitier in "Buck and the Preacher," a commercial flop, the raucous and popular comedy "Uptown Saturday Night." His other film credits include "Bobby," "White Man's Burden," and cameos in Altman's "The Player" and "Ready to Wear." He also appeared in the Altman-directed TV series "Tanner on Tanner" and was among those interviewed for "When the Levees Broke," Spike Lee's HBO documentary about Hurricane Katrina. In 2011, HBO aired a documentary about Belafonte, "Sing Your Song."

Mindful to the end that he grew up in poverty, Belafonte did not think of himself as an artist who became an activist, but an activist who happened to be an artist.

"When you grow up, son," Belafonte remembered his mother telling him, "never go to bed at night knowing that there was something you could have done during the day to strike a blow against injustice and you didn't do it."

In addition to his wife, Belafonte is survived by his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte and David Belafonte; two stepchildren, Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank; and eight grandchildren.

Associated Press writer Mike Stewart contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682431956148.png" alt="Calypso was the first Long Play record album to sell over one million copies." />
 <figcaption>Calypso was the first Long Play record album to sell over one million copies.</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Harry Belafonte, the civil rights and entertainment giant who began as a groundbreaking actor and singer and became an activist, humanitarian and conscience of the world, has died. He was 96.Belafonte died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at his New York home, his wife Pamela by his side, said Ken Sunshine, of public relations firm Sunshine Sachs Morgan &amp; Lylis.With his glowing, handsome face and silky-husky voice, Belafonte was one of the first Black performers to gain a wide following on film and to sell a million records as a singer; many still know him for his signature hit "Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," and its call of "Day-O! Daaaaay-O." But he forged a greater legacy once he scaled back his performing career in the 1960s and lived out his hero Paul Robeson's decree that artists are "gatekeepers of truth."He stands as the model and the epitome of the celebrity activist. Few kept up with Belafonte's time and commitment and none his stature as a meeting point among Hollywood, Washington and the civil rights movement.Belafonte not only participated in protest marches and benefit concerts, but helped organize and raise support for them. He worked closely with his friend and generational peer the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., often intervening on his behalf with both politicians and fellow entertainers and helping him financially. He risked his life and livelihood and set high standards for younger Black celebrities, scolding Jay Z and Beyonce for failing to meet their "social responsibilities," and mentoring Usher, Common, Danny Glover and many others. In Spike Lee's 2018 film "BlacKkKlansman," he was fittingly cast as an elder statesman schooling young activists about the country's past.Belafonte's friend, civil rights leader Andrew Young, would note that Belafonte was the rare person to grow more radical with age. He was ever engaged and unyielding, willing to take on Southern segregationists, Northern liberals, the billionaire Koch brothers and the country's first Black president, Barack Obama, whom Belafonte would remember asking to cut him "some slack."Belafonte responded, "What makes you think that's not what I've been doing?"Belafonte had been a major artist since the 1950s. He won a Tony Award in 1954 for his starring role in John Murray Anderson's "Almanac" and five years later became the first Black performer to win an Emmy for the TV special "Tonight with Harry Belafonte."In 1954, he co-starred with Dorothy Dandridge in the Otto Preminger-directed musical "Carmen Jones," a popular breakthrough for an all-Black cast. The 1957 movie "Island in the Sun" was banned in several Southern cities, where theater owners were threatened by the Ku Klux Klan because of the film's interracial romance between Belafonte and Joan Fontaine.His "Calypso," released in 1955, became the first officially certified million-selling album by a solo performer, and started a national infatuation with Caribbean rhythms (Belafonte was nicknamed, reluctantly, the "King of Calypso"). Admirers of Belafonte included a young Bob Dylan, who debuted on record in the early '60s by playing harmonica on Belafonte's "Midnight Special.""Harry was the best balladeer in the land and everybody knew it," Dylan later wrote. "He was a fantastic artist, sang about lovers and slaves — chain gang workers, saints and sinners and children. ... Harry was that rare type of character that radiates greatness, and you hope that some of it rubs off on you."Belafonte befriended King in the spring of 1956 after the young civil rights leader called and asked for a meeting. They spoke for hours, and Belafonte would remember feeling King raised him to the "higher plane of social protest." Then at the peak of his singing career, Belafonte was soon producing a benefit concert for the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama that helped make King a national figure. By the early 1960s, he had decided to make civil rights his priority."I was having almost daily talks with Martin," Belafonte wrote in his memoir "My Song," published in 2011. "I realized that the movement was more important than anything else."The Kennedys were among the first politicians to seek his opinions, which he willingly shared. John F. Kennedy, at a time when Blacks were as likely to vote for Republicans as for Democrats, was so anxious for his support that during the 1960 election he visited Belafonte at his Manhattan home. Belafonte schooled Kennedy on the importance of King, and arranged for them to speak."I was quite taken by the fact that he (Kennedy) knew so little about the Black community," Belafonte told NBC in 2013. "He knew the headlines of the day, but he wasn't really anywhere nuanced or detailed on the depth of Black anguish or what our struggle's really about."Belafonte would often criticize the Kennedys for their reluctance to challenge the Southern segregationists who were then a substantial part of the Democratic Party. He argued with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the president's brother, over the government's failure to protect the "Freedom Riders" trying to integrate bus stations. He was among the Black activists at a widely publicized meeting with the attorney general, when playwright Lorraine Hansberry and others stunned Kennedy by questioning whether the country even deserved Black allegiance."Bobby turned red at that. I had never seen him so shaken," Belafonte later wrote.In 1963, Belafonte was deeply involved with the March on Washington. He recruited his close friend Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and other celebrities and persuaded the left-wing Marlon Brando to co-chair the Hollywood delegation with the more conservative Charlton Heston, a pairing designed to appeal to the broadest possible audience. In 1964, he and Poitier personally delivered tens of thousands of dollar to activists in Mississippi after three "Freedom Summer" volunteers were murdered — the two celebrities were chased by car at one point by members of the KKK. The following year, he brought in Tony Bennett, Joan Baez and other singers to perform for the marchers in Selma, Alabama.When King was assassinated, in 1968, Belafonte helped pick out the suit he was buried in, sat next to his widow, Coretta, at the funeral, and continued to support his family, in part through an insurance policy he had taken out on King in his lifetime."Much of my political outlook was already in place when I encountered Dr. King," Belafonte later wrote. "I was well on my way and utterly committed to the civil rights struggle. I came to him with expectations and he affirmed them."King's death left Belafonte isolated from the civil rights community. He was turned off by the separatist beliefs of Stokely Carmichael and other "Black Power" activists and had little chemistry with King's designated successor, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy. But the entertainer's causes extended well beyond the U.S.He mentored South African singer and activist Miriam Makeba and helped introduce her to American audiences, the two winning a Grammy in 1964 for the concert record "An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba." He coordinated Nelson Mandela's first visit to the U.S. since being released from prison in 1990. A few years earlier, he initiated the all-star, million-selling "We Are the World" recording, the Grammy-winning charity song for famine relief in Africa.Belafonte's early life and career paralleled those of Poitier, who died in 2022. Both spent part of their childhoods in the Caribbean and ended up in New York. Both served in the military during World War II, acted in the American Negro Theatre and then broke into film. Poitier shared his belief in civil rights, but still dedicated much of his time to acting, a source of some tension between them. While Poitier had a sustained and historic run in the 1960s as a leading man and box office success, Belafonte grew tired of acting and turned down parts he regarded as "neutered.""Sidney radiated a truly saintly dignity and calm. Not me," Belafonte wrote in his memoir. "I didn't want to tone down my sexuality, either. Sidney did that in every role he took."Belafonte was very much a human being. He acknowledged extra-marital affairs, negligence as a parent and a frightening temper, driven by lifelong insecurity. "Woe to the musician who missed his cue, or the agent who fouled up a booking," he confided.In his memoir, he chastised Poitier for a "radical breach" by backing out on a commitment to star as Mandela in a TV miniseries Belafonte had conceived, then agreeing to play Mandela for a rival production. He became so estranged from King's widow and children that he was not asked to speak at her funeral. In 2013, he sued three of King's children over control of some of the civil rights leader's personal papers. In his memoir, he would allege that the King children were more interested in "selling trinkets and memorabilia" than in serious thought.He made news years earlier when he compared Colin Powell, the first Black secretary of state, to a slave "permitted to come into the house of the master" for his service in the George W. Bush administration. He was in Washington in January 2009 as Obama was inaugurated, officiating along with Baez and others at a gala called the Inaugural Peace Ball. But Belafonte would later criticize Obama for failing to live up to his promise and lacking "fundamental empathy with the dispossessed, be they white or Black."Belafonte did occasionally serve in government, as cultural adviser for the Peace Corps during the Kennedy administration and decades later as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. For his film and music career, he received the motion picture academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, a National Medal of Arts, a Grammy for lifetime achievement and numerous other honorary prizes. He found special pleasure in winning a New York Film Critics Award in 1996 for his work as a gangster in Robert Altman's "Kansas City.""I'm as proud of that film critics' award as I am of all my gold records," he wrote in his memoir.He was married three times, most recently to photographer Pamela Frank, and had four children. Three of them — Shari, David and Gina — became actors.Harry Belafonte was born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. in 1927, in a community of West Indians in Harlem. His father was a seaman and cook with Dutch and Jamaican ancestry and his mother, part Scottish, worked as a domestic. Both parents were undocumented immigrants and Belafonte recalled living "an underground life, as criminals of a sort, on the run."The household was violent: Belafonte sustained brutal beatings from his father, and he was sent to live for several years with relatives in Jamaica. Belafonte was a poor reader — he was probably dyslexic, he later realized — and dropped out of high school, soon joining the Navy. While in the service, he read "Color and Democracy'' by the Black scholar W.E.B. Du Bois and was deeply affected, calling it the start of his political education.After the war, he found a job in New York as an assistant janitor for some apartment buildings. One tenant liked him enough to give him free tickets to a play at the American Negro Theatre, a community repertory for black performers. Belafonte was so impressed that he joined as a volunteer, then as an actor. Poitier was a peer, both of them "skinny, brooding and vulnerable within our hard shells of self-protection," Belafonte later wrote.Belafonte met Brando, Walter Matthau and other future stars while taking acting classes at the New School for Social Research. Brando was an inspiration as an actor, and he and Belafonte became close, sometimes riding on Brando's motorcycle or double dating or playing congas together at parties. Over the years, Belafonte's political and artistic lives would lead to friendships with everyone from Frank Sinatra and Lester Young to Eleanor Roosevelt and Fidel Castro.His early stage credits included "Days of Our Youth" and Sean O'Casey's "Juno and the Peacock," a play Belafonte remembered less because of his own performance than because of a backstage visitor, Robeson, the actor, singer and activist."What I remember more than anything Robeson said, was the love he radiated, and the profound responsibility he felt, as an actor, to use his platform as a bully pulpit," Belafonte wrote in his memoir. His friendship with Robeson and support for left-wing causes eventually brought trouble from the government. FBI agents visited him at home and allegations of Communism nearly cost him an appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Leftists suspected, and Belafonte emphatically denied, that he had named names of suspected Communists so he could perform on Sullivan's show.By the 1950s, Belafonte was also singing, finding gigs at the Blue Note, the Vanguard and other clubs — he was backed for one performance by Charlie Parker and Max Roach — and becoming immersed in folk, blues, jazz and the calypso he had heard while living in Jamaica. Starting in 1954, he released such top 10 albums as "Mark Twain and Other Folk Favorites" and "Belafonte," and his popular singles included "Mathilda," "Jamaica Farewell" and "The Banana Boat Song," a reworked Caribbean ballad that was a late addition to his "Calypso" record."We found ourselves one or two songs short, so we threw in `Day-O' as filler," Belafonte wrote in his memoir.He was a superstar, but one criticized, and occasionally sued, for taking traditional material and not sharing the profits. Belafonte expressed regret and also worried about being typecast as a calypso singer, declining for years to sing "Day-O" live after he gave television performances against banana boat backdrops.Belafonte was the rare young artist to think about the business side of show business. He started one of the first all-Black music publishing companies. He produced plays, movies and TV shows, including Off-Broadway's "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," in 1969. He was the first Black person to produce for TV.Belafonte made history in 1968 by filling in for Johnny Carson on the "Tonight" show for a full week. Later that year, a simple, spontaneous gesture led to another milestone. Appearing on a taped TV special starring Petula Clark, Belafonte joined the British singer on the anti-war song "On the Path of Glory." At one point, Clark placed a hand on Belafonte's arm. The show's sponsor, Chrysler, demanded the segment be reshot. Clark and Belafonte resisted, successfully, and for the first time a man and woman of different colors touched on national television.In the 1970s, he returned to movie acting, co-starring with Poitier in "Buck and the Preacher," a commercial flop, the raucous and popular comedy "Uptown Saturday Night." His other film credits include "Bobby," "White Man's Burden," and cameos in Altman's "The Player" and "Ready to Wear." He also appeared in the Altman-directed TV series "Tanner on Tanner" and was among those interviewed for "When the Levees Broke," Spike Lee's HBO documentary about Hurricane Katrina. In 2011, HBO aired a documentary about Belafonte, "Sing Your Song."Mindful to the end that he grew up in poverty, Belafonte did not think of himself as an artist who became an activist, but an activist who happened to be an artist."When you grow up, son," Belafonte remembered his mother telling him, "never go to bed at night knowing that there was something you could have done during the day to strike a blow against injustice and you didn't do it."In addition to his wife, Belafonte is survived by his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte and David Belafonte; two stepchildren, Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank; and eight grandchildren.____Associated Press writer Mike Stewart contributed to this report.

Harry Belafonte, activist and entertainer, dies at 96

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday vetoed a bill that would have cut taxes in Kansas by nearly $1.4 billion over the next three years, objecting to a proposal included by conservative Republicans to impose a single-rate flat income tax for individuals.

Kelly said abandoning the state's current three-rate individual income tax with higher rates for higher earners would have been fiscally reckless and threatened funding for public schools. She announced her veto at a Topeka-area elementary school and recalled the state's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/07/kansas-brownback-tax-veto-override/">nationally notorious 2012-2013 experiment in slashing income taxes</a>&nbsp;and the huge budget shortfalls that followed under then-Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

Republican leaders plan to attempt overriding Kelly's veto once the full GOP-controlled Legislature reconvenes Wednesday to wrap up its business for the year. Backers of the bill included Americans for Prosperity, the grassroots low-tax, small-government group funded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers. Supporters appeared to have a good chance of getting the two-thirds majorities necessary to override a veto.

“It is a throwback to the Brownback tax experiment, and we all know how that turned out,” Kelly told reporters, hitting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f5741d8d0d8c40979857c9d2d6afae9f">a key theme</a>&nbsp;of her successful 2018 and 2022 campaigns for governor. “Any tax cut we pass needs to be sustainable, fiscally responsible and targeted to the people who need it the most.”

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/summary_sb_169_2023">The measure</a>&nbsp;also would have reduced taxes on retirees' Social Security incomes and accelerate phasing out of the state's sales tax on groceries, so that it would end at the start of 2024 instead of 2025, both measures Kelly supported. It also would have reduced property taxes for most homeowners by $46 a year, a proposal pushed by Democrats.

The income tax changes were a nonstarter for many Democrats, particularly because it set the rate at 5.15% when the state's current top rate is 5.7%.

As an alternative, Kelly proposed a one-time, $450 rebate for each Kansas individual filer, so that the state's revenues would not be reduced each year going forward.

Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-kansas-topeka-state-taxes-9c8e53d13a10b9bdd113db8a64be5d52">have been cold to the idea</a>&nbsp;of a rebate in the past. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, called the rebate proposal “gimmicky” and tells people that the governor sees tax dollars as “her money,” rather than "recognizing the money we collect belongs to the people.”

Kansas' tax collections&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-personal-taxes-legislature-090092b19f2e7de084f5b48cdcb7acaf">generally have run ahead</a>&nbsp;of expectations since lawmakers repealed most of the tax experiment under Brownback in 2017.

And the veto came four days after state officials and university economists issued a new fiscal forecast that boosted the state's official projections for tax collections through June 2024 by roughly 1%. Even with the tax cuts Kelly vetoed factored in, the state is on track to end June 2024 with surplus cash and rainy day funds of more than $4 billion.

Kelly and lawmakers in both parties see the tax cuts as a way of helping people deal with inflation.

"It’s especially careless and out-of-touch for Governor Kelly to veto this broad, sustainable tax policy that provides tax relief to ALL Kansans," House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682367276877.png" alt="Republican leaders plan to attempt overriding Kelly's veto once the full GOP-controlled Legislature reconvenes Wednesday to wrap up its business for the year.-photo courtesy Kansas governor's office" />
 <figcaption>Republican leaders plan to attempt overriding Kelly's veto once the full GOP-controlled Legislature reconvenes Wednesday to wrap up its business for the year.-photo courtesy Kansas governor's office</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Monday vetoed a bill that would have cut taxes in Kansas by nearly $1.4 billion over the next three years, objecting to a proposal included by conservative Republicans to impose a single-rate flat income tax for individuals.Kelly said abandoning the state's current three-rate individual income tax with higher rates for higher earners would have been fiscally reckless and threatened funding for public schools. She announced her veto at a Topeka-area elementary school and recalled the state's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/07/kansas-brownback-tax-veto-override/">nationally notorious 2012-2013 experiment in slashing income taxes</a>&nbsp;and the huge budget shortfalls that followed under then-Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.Republican leaders plan to attempt overriding Kelly's veto once the full GOP-controlled Legislature reconvenes Wednesday to wrap up its business for the year. Backers of the bill included Americans for Prosperity, the grassroots low-tax, small-government group funded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers. Supporters appeared to have a good chance of getting the two-thirds majorities necessary to override a veto.“It is a throwback to the Brownback tax experiment, and we all know how that turned out,” Kelly told reporters, hitting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/f5741d8d0d8c40979857c9d2d6afae9f">a key theme</a>&nbsp;of her successful 2018 and 2022 campaigns for governor. “Any tax cut we pass needs to be sustainable, fiscally responsible and targeted to the people who need it the most.”<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/summary_sb_169_2023">The measure</a>&nbsp;also would have reduced taxes on retirees' Social Security incomes and accelerate phasing out of the state's sales tax on groceries, so that it would end at the start of 2024 instead of 2025, both measures Kelly supported. It also would have reduced property taxes for most homeowners by $46 a year, a proposal pushed by Democrats.The income tax changes were a nonstarter for many Democrats, particularly because it set the rate at 5.15% when the state's current top rate is 5.7%.As an alternative, Kelly proposed a one-time, $450 rebate for each Kansas individual filer, so that the state's revenues would not be reduced each year going forward.Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-kansas-topeka-state-taxes-9c8e53d13a10b9bdd113db8a64be5d52">have been cold to the idea</a>&nbsp;of a rebate in the past. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, called the rebate proposal “gimmicky” and tells people that the governor sees tax dollars as “her money,” rather than "recognizing the money we collect belongs to the people.”Kansas' tax collections&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-personal-taxes-legislature-090092b19f2e7de084f5b48cdcb7acaf">generally have run ahead</a>&nbsp;of expectations since lawmakers repealed most of the tax experiment under Brownback in 2017.And the veto came four days after state officials and university economists issued a new fiscal forecast that boosted the state's official projections for tax collections through June 2024 by roughly 1%. Even with the tax cuts Kelly vetoed factored in, the state is on track to end June 2024 with surplus cash and rainy day funds of more than $4 billion.Kelly and lawmakers in both parties see the tax cuts as a way of helping people deal with inflation."It’s especially careless and out-of-touch for Governor Kelly to veto this broad, sustainable tax policy that provides tax relief to ALL Kansans," House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement.

Battle over taxes in Kan.after governor vetoes $1.4 billion plan

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job” he began when he was sworn in to office and to set aside their concerns about extending the run of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inauguration-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-ronald-reagan-pennsylvania-48d1659d4469999be87fbd87d560a52c">America’s oldest president</a>&nbsp;for another four years.

Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-china-pandemics-52195f4d5338b0b226aad4300436fc15">his first-term legislative achievements</a>&nbsp;and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But he’s still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.

The announcement, in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChjibtX0UzU">a three-minute video</a>, comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-pa-state-wire-joe-biden-ap-top-news-donald-trump-d5c415b99a6945dbbecf60d57bcf68cb">declared for the White House</a>&nbsp;in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-president-legacy-e3f2608fc3b70e2e2f45097a403150e1">the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;— a goal that has remained elusive.

“I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are," Biden said. “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.”

While the question of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that’s not always been the case for Biden, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-poll-2024-white-house-economy-873663f6e3cbca8f2dae2f018c8be9d3">a notable swath of Democratic voters</a>&nbsp;have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age — concerns Biden has called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ede57ce56fdf7958addec2cf9ef5e0de">“totally legitimate”</a>&nbsp;but ones he did not address head-on in the launch video.

Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">last year’s midterm elections</a>, as the president set out to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-texas-gavin-newsom-5db36213df3b4de5ad94ebbb53d01d30">access to abortion</a>.

“Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said in the launch video, which painted the Republican Party as extremists trying to roll back access to abortion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-republican-party-united-states-government-programs-00e9f526a93936c324a40d71df2863ba">cut Social Security</a>, limit voting rights and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-book-bans-91b2d4c086eb082cbecfdda2800ef29a">ban books</a>&nbsp;they disagree with. “Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away.”

“This is not a time to be complacent,” Biden added. “That’s why I’m running for reelection."

As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Biden plans to campaign on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">the bipartisan infrastructure package</a>&nbsp;and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. With Republicans now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-79475a4fc11e4375cd0dded651b9eede">in control of the House</a>, Biden has shifted his focus to implementing those massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements, while sharpening the contrast with the GOP ahead of an expected showdown over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kevin-mccarthy-debt-limit-schumer-98fb9543dd3434d9f8a5ace09cbb1eed">raising the nation's borrowing limit</a>&nbsp;that could have debilitating consequences for the country's economy.

But the president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that he’s pitching voters on giving him another chance to fulfill.

“Let’s finish this job. I know we can,” Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-2023-b9bebd876a42a9510f068a04a3f2a348">State of the Union address</a>&nbsp;in February, listing everything from passing a ban on assault-style weapons and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to codifying a national right to abortion after the Supreme Court's ruling last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.

Buoyed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">the midterm results</a>, Biden plans to continue to cast all Republicans as embracing what he calls&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-business-donald-trump-economy-accd1a895105377a3e4350067c56b64d">“ultra-MAGA” politics</a>&nbsp;— a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again" slogan — regardless of whether his predecessor ends up on the 2024 ballot. He’s spent the last several months road-testing campaign themes, including painting Republicans as fighting for tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy while trying to cut social safety net benefits relied on by everyday Americans and roll back access to abortion services.

Biden, speaking over brief video clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans and flashes of his outspoken Republican foes, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, exhorted supporters that “this is our moment” to “defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights.”

Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support Ukraine’s defenses against Russia’s invasion and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-return-paris-climate-world-leaders-ee8eb8b6744394ad41e33f94843b6586">returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord</a>. But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-politics-ecd159914eb01c1145d703eb95855890">military and economic assistance</a>&nbsp;flowing to Kyiv.

The president faces lingering criticism over his administration's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray to the world, and he finds himself the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies.

As a candidate in 2020, Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world as he promised to return a sense of normalcy to the country amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-president-legacy-e3f2608fc3b70e2e2f45097a403150e1">Trump’s tumultuous presidency</a>&nbsp;and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.

But even back then, Biden was acutely aware of voters’ concerns about his age.

“Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including now-Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.”

Three years later, the president now 80, Biden allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader.

Still, many Democrats would prefer that Biden didn’t run again. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-poll-2024-white-house-economy-873663f6e3cbca8f2dae2f018c8be9d3">recent poll</a>&nbsp;from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And Biden’s verbal — and occasional physical — stumbles have become fodder among the GOP, which has sought to cast him as unfit for office.

Biden, on multiple occasions, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ede57ce56fdf7958addec2cf9ef5e0de">brushed back concerns about his age</a>, saying simply, “Watch me.”

During&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-health-bdce6c15df6186e06710f2d903a3513e">a routine physical</a>&nbsp;in February, his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, declared him “healthy, vigorous” and “fit” to handle his White House responsibilities.

Aides acknowledge that while some in his party might prefer an alternative to Biden, there is anything but consensus within their diverse coalition on who that might be. And they insist that when Biden is compared with whomever the GOP nominates, Democrats and independents will rally around Biden.

For now, the 76-year-old Trump is the favorite to emerge as the Republican nominee, creating the potential of a historic sequel to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-confirmed-0409d7d753461377ff2c5bb91ac4050c">the bitterly fought 2020 campaign</a>. But Trump faces significant hurdles of his own, including the designation of being the first former president to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">face criminal charges</a>. The remaining GOP field is volatile, with DeSantis emerging as an early alternative to Trump. DeSantis' stature is also in question, however, amid questions about his readiness to campaign outside of his increasingly Republican-leaning state.

To prevail again, Biden will need to revive the alliance of young voters and Black voters — particularly women — along with blue-collar Midwesterners, moderates and disaffected Republicans who helped him win in 2020. He'll have to again carry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-virus-outbreak-wisconsin-pennsylvania-27d3205028e5e43fa0031913c40b0b7d">the so-called “blue wall”</a>&nbsp;in the Upper Midwest, while protecting his position in Georgia and Arizona, longtime GOP strongholds that he narrowly won in his last campaign.

Biden’s reelection bid comes as the nation weathers uncertain economic crosscurrents.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-banks-economy-40c98d52a8bc71e21a228ed5c1cbde86">Inflation is ticking down</a>&nbsp;after hitting the highest rate in a generation, driving up the price of goods and services, but unemployment is at a 50-year low, and the economy is showing signs of resilience despite Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.

Presidents typically try to delay their reelection announcements to maintain the advantages of incumbency and skate above the political fray for as long as possible while their rivals trade jabs. But the leg up offered by being in the White House can be rickety — three of the last seven presidents have lost reelection, most recently Trump in 2020.

Biden’s announcement is roughly consistent with the timeline followed by then-President Barack Obama, who waited until April 2011 to declare for a second term. Trump launched his reelection bid on the day he was sworn in in 2017.

Biden is not expected to dramatically alter his day-to-day schedule as a candidate — at least not immediately — with aides believing his strongest political asset is showing the American people that he is governing. And if he follows the Obama playbook, he may not hold any formal campaign rallies until well into 2024. Obama didn't hold a reelection rally until May 2012.

On Tuesday, Biden named White House adviser&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cesar-chavez-legacy-biden-white-house-b582b1e7b43ccd25d61e1fdad9607db1">Julie Chávez Rodríguez</a>&nbsp;to serve as campaign manager and Quentin Fulks, who ran Sen. Raphael Warnock's reelection campaign in Georgia last year, to serve as principal deputy campaign manager. Reps. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Jim Clyburn and Veronica Escobar; Sens. Chris Coons and Tammy Duckworth; entertainment mogul and Democratic mega-donor Jeffrey Katzenberg; and Whitmer will serve as campaign co-chairs.

On the heels of the announcement Tuesday, Biden was set to deliver remarks to union members before hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-south-korea-yoon-state-visit-09aec0df6af76da4e5e0a29d04b85114">a state visit</a>&nbsp;at the White House. He plans to meet with party donors in Washington later this week.

Biden’s formal go-ahead comes after months of public incredulity that the president would seek another term despite plentiful signs that he was intent on doing so.

Ahead of the president’s announcement, first lady Jill Biden expressed disbelief at the persistent questions about her husband’s intent to run.

“How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jill-biden-joe-biden-reelection-1659403d211d40212abbfef3b9847491">she told The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;in late February. “He says he’s not done."

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job” he began when he was sworn in to office and to set aside their concerns about extending the run of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-inauguration-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-ronald-reagan-pennsylvania-48d1659d4469999be87fbd87d560a52c">America’s oldest president</a>&nbsp;for another four years.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ChjibtX0UzU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-china-pandemics-52195f4d5338b0b226aad4300436fc15">his first-term legislative achievements</a>&nbsp;and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But he’s still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.The announcement, in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChjibtX0UzU">a three-minute video</a>, comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-pa-state-wire-joe-biden-ap-top-news-donald-trump-d5c415b99a6945dbbecf60d57bcf68cb">declared for the White House</a>&nbsp;in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-president-legacy-e3f2608fc3b70e2e2f45097a403150e1">the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;— a goal that has remained elusive.“I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are," Biden said. “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.”While the question of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that’s not always been the case for Biden, as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-poll-2024-white-house-economy-873663f6e3cbca8f2dae2f018c8be9d3">a notable swath of Democratic voters</a>&nbsp;have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age — concerns Biden has called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ede57ce56fdf7958addec2cf9ef5e0de">“totally legitimate”</a>&nbsp;but ones he did not address head-on in the launch video.Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">last year’s midterm elections</a>, as the president set out to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-texas-gavin-newsom-5db36213df3b4de5ad94ebbb53d01d30">access to abortion</a>.“Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said in the launch video, which painted the Republican Party as extremists trying to roll back access to abortion,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-us-republican-party-united-states-government-programs-00e9f526a93936c324a40d71df2863ba">cut Social Security</a>, limit voting rights and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-book-bans-91b2d4c086eb082cbecfdda2800ef29a">ban books</a>&nbsp;they disagree with. “Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away.”“This is not a time to be complacent,” Biden added. “That’s why I’m running for reelection."As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Biden plans to campaign on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">the bipartisan infrastructure package</a>&nbsp;and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. With Republicans now&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-house-control-79475a4fc11e4375cd0dded651b9eede">in control of the House</a>, Biden has shifted his focus to implementing those massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements, while sharpening the contrast with the GOP ahead of an expected showdown over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-kevin-mccarthy-debt-limit-schumer-98fb9543dd3434d9f8a5ace09cbb1eed">raising the nation's borrowing limit</a>&nbsp;that could have debilitating consequences for the country's economy.But the president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that he’s pitching voters on giving him another chance to fulfill.“Let’s finish this job. I know we can,” Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-of-the-union-biden-2023-b9bebd876a42a9510f068a04a3f2a348">State of the Union address</a>&nbsp;in February, listing everything from passing a ban on assault-style weapons and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to codifying a national right to abortion after the Supreme Court's ruling last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.Buoyed by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">the midterm results</a>, Biden plans to continue to cast all Republicans as embracing what he calls&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-business-donald-trump-economy-accd1a895105377a3e4350067c56b64d">“ultra-MAGA” politics</a>&nbsp;— a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again" slogan — regardless of whether his predecessor ends up on the 2024 ballot. He’s spent the last several months road-testing campaign themes, including painting Republicans as fighting for tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy while trying to cut social safety net benefits relied on by everyday Americans and roll back access to abortion services.Biden, speaking over brief video clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans and flashes of his outspoken Republican foes, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, exhorted supporters that “this is our moment” to “defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights.”Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support Ukraine’s defenses against Russia’s invasion and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-return-paris-climate-world-leaders-ee8eb8b6744394ad41e33f94843b6586">returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord</a>. But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-politics-ecd159914eb01c1145d703eb95855890">military and economic assistance</a>&nbsp;flowing to Kyiv.The president faces lingering criticism over his administration's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-e10e038baea732dae879c11234507f81">chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan</a>&nbsp;after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray to the world, and he finds himself the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies.As a candidate in 2020, Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world as he promised to return a sense of normalcy to the country amid&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-president-legacy-e3f2608fc3b70e2e2f45097a403150e1">Trump’s tumultuous presidency</a>&nbsp;and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.But even back then, Biden was acutely aware of voters’ concerns about his age.“Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including now-Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.”Three years later, the president now 80, Biden allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader.Still, many Democrats would prefer that Biden didn’t run again. A&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-poll-2024-white-house-economy-873663f6e3cbca8f2dae2f018c8be9d3">recent poll</a>&nbsp;from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And Biden’s verbal — and occasional physical — stumbles have become fodder among the GOP, which has sought to cast him as unfit for office.Biden, on multiple occasions, has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-donald-trump-government-and-politics-ede57ce56fdf7958addec2cf9ef5e0de">brushed back concerns about his age</a>, saying simply, “Watch me.”During&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-health-bdce6c15df6186e06710f2d903a3513e">a routine physical</a>&nbsp;in February, his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, declared him “healthy, vigorous” and “fit” to handle his White House responsibilities.Aides acknowledge that while some in his party might prefer an alternative to Biden, there is anything but consensus within their diverse coalition on who that might be. And they insist that when Biden is compared with whomever the GOP nominates, Democrats and independents will rally around Biden.For now, the 76-year-old Trump is the favorite to emerge as the Republican nominee, creating the potential of a historic sequel to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-confirmed-0409d7d753461377ff2c5bb91ac4050c">the bitterly fought 2020 campaign</a>. But Trump faces significant hurdles of his own, including the designation of being the first former president to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">face criminal charges</a>. The remaining GOP field is volatile, with DeSantis emerging as an early alternative to Trump. DeSantis' stature is also in question, however, amid questions about his readiness to campaign outside of his increasingly Republican-leaning state.To prevail again, Biden will need to revive the alliance of young voters and Black voters — particularly women — along with blue-collar Midwesterners, moderates and disaffected Republicans who helped him win in 2020. He'll have to again carry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-virus-outbreak-wisconsin-pennsylvania-27d3205028e5e43fa0031913c40b0b7d">the so-called “blue wall”</a>&nbsp;in the Upper Midwest, while protecting his position in Georgia and Arizona, longtime GOP strongholds that he narrowly won in his last campaign.Biden’s reelection bid comes as the nation weathers uncertain economic crosscurrents.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-interest-rates-banks-economy-40c98d52a8bc71e21a228ed5c1cbde86">Inflation is ticking down</a>&nbsp;after hitting the highest rate in a generation, driving up the price of goods and services, but unemployment is at a 50-year low, and the economy is showing signs of resilience despite Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.Presidents typically try to delay their reelection announcements to maintain the advantages of incumbency and skate above the political fray for as long as possible while their rivals trade jabs. But the leg up offered by being in the White House can be rickety — three of the last seven presidents have lost reelection, most recently Trump in 2020.Biden’s announcement is roughly consistent with the timeline followed by then-President Barack Obama, who waited until April 2011 to declare for a second term. Trump launched his reelection bid on the day he was sworn in in 2017.Biden is not expected to dramatically alter his day-to-day schedule as a candidate — at least not immediately — with aides believing his strongest political asset is showing the American people that he is governing. And if he follows the Obama playbook, he may not hold any formal campaign rallies until well into 2024. Obama didn't hold a reelection rally until May 2012.On Tuesday, Biden named White House adviser&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cesar-chavez-legacy-biden-white-house-b582b1e7b43ccd25d61e1fdad9607db1">Julie Chávez Rodríguez</a>&nbsp;to serve as campaign manager and Quentin Fulks, who ran Sen. Raphael Warnock's reelection campaign in Georgia last year, to serve as principal deputy campaign manager. Reps. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Jim Clyburn and Veronica Escobar; Sens. Chris Coons and Tammy Duckworth; entertainment mogul and Democratic mega-donor Jeffrey Katzenberg; and Whitmer will serve as campaign co-chairs.On the heels of the announcement Tuesday, Biden was set to deliver remarks to union members before hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-south-korea-yoon-state-visit-09aec0df6af76da4e5e0a29d04b85114">a state visit</a>&nbsp;at the White House. He plans to meet with party donors in Washington later this week.Biden’s formal go-ahead comes after months of public incredulity that the president would seek another term despite plentiful signs that he was intent on doing so.Ahead of the president’s announcement, first lady Jill Biden expressed disbelief at the persistent questions about her husband’s intent to run.“How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jill-biden-joe-biden-reelection-1659403d211d40212abbfef3b9847491">she told The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;in late February. “He says he’s not done."

🎥Biden announces 2024 reelection bid: 'Let’s finish this job'

Meetings set to provide information for canola growers

K-State Research and Extension news service&nbsp;

MANHATTAN – A decision by a Nebraska-based agribusiness to recommission an oilseed crush facility near Goodland has opened an opportunity for farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma, said a Kansas State University agronomist.&nbsp;

Canola breeder Mike Stamm noted that Scoular – which lists more than 100 offices in North America and Asia and sales of more than $9 billion –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scoular.com/news/scoular-invests-in-kansas-oilseed-crush-facility-for-renewable-fuels-market/">announced in mid-March</a>&nbsp;that it would retrofit the facility to crush both soybeans and canola.&nbsp;

The facility is expected to begin operations in fall 2024.&nbsp;

“We wanted to support them by getting growers together to learn more,” Stamm said. “For alternative oilseeds like canola to be successfully grown in Kansas, it is crucial to have a readily available end market within the region, which Scoular will provide.”&nbsp;

Stamm said K-State Research and the Great Plains Canola Association will host several canola informational meetings for new and experienced growers. The meetings are scheduled for May 11 in Enid, Oklahoma, and May 18 in Montezuma, Kansas and Harper, Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;

He said the meetings will include an update from Scoular on their marketing and pricing strategies and the company’s vision for the rapidly changing renewable fuels market. Brief updates on canola research and extension activities will be given, as well as an update from the Great Plains Canola Association.&nbsp;

The meetings are free to attend, but reservations are required because a meal will be provided. Location and contacts for each meeting include:&nbsp;&nbsp;

Thursday, May 11: Hoover Building, 300 E Oxford Ave, Enid, Okla.&nbsp;

RSVP to Ron Sholar,&nbsp;<a></a><a href="mailto:jrsholar@aol.com">jrsholar@aol.com</a>&nbsp; Thursday, May 18: Montezuma Community Building, 508 West Sunnyside Ave., Montezuma, Kansas.&nbsp;

RSVP to the Gray County Extension Office, 620-855-3821, or Kurt Werth,&nbsp;<a></a><a href="mailto:kwerth@ksu.edu">kwerth@ksu.edu</a>&nbsp; Thursday, May 18, 2023 – Fencepost, 700 E. 14th St., Harper, Kansas&nbsp;

<a>RSVP to the Harper County Extension Office, 620-842-5445, or Jenni Carr,&nbsp;</a><a></a><a href="mailto:jlcarr@ksu.edu">jlcarr@ksu.edu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682342241976.png" alt="Photo courtesy Scoular" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Scoular</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Meetings set to provide information for canola growers</h2>K-State Research and Extension news service&nbsp;MANHATTAN – A decision by a Nebraska-based agribusiness to recommission an oilseed crush facility near Goodland has opened an opportunity for farmers in Kansas and Oklahoma, said a Kansas State University agronomist.&nbsp;Canola breeder Mike Stamm noted that Scoular – which lists more than 100 offices in North America and Asia and sales of more than $9 billion –&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scoular.com/news/scoular-invests-in-kansas-oilseed-crush-facility-for-renewable-fuels-market/">announced in mid-March</a>&nbsp;that it would retrofit the facility to crush both soybeans and canola.&nbsp;The facility is expected to begin operations in fall 2024.&nbsp;“We wanted to support them by getting growers together to learn more,” Stamm said. “For alternative oilseeds like canola to be successfully grown in Kansas, it is crucial to have a readily available end market within the region, which Scoular will provide.”&nbsp;Stamm said K-State Research and the Great Plains Canola Association will host several canola informational meetings for new and experienced growers. The meetings are scheduled for May 11 in Enid, Oklahoma, and May 18 in Montezuma, Kansas and Harper, Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;He said the meetings will include an update from Scoular on their marketing and pricing strategies and the company’s vision for the rapidly changing renewable fuels market. Brief updates on canola research and extension activities will be given, as well as an update from the Great Plains Canola Association.&nbsp;The meetings are free to attend, but reservations are required because a meal will be provided. Location and contacts for each meeting include:&nbsp;&nbsp;Thursday, May 11: Hoover Building, 300 E Oxford Ave, Enid, Okla.&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>9:30 a.m., Coffee and networking&nbsp;</li><li>10 a.m., presentation and meeting&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>RSVP to Ron Sholar,&nbsp;<a></a><a href="mailto:jrsholar@aol.com">jrsholar@aol.com</a>&nbsp; Thursday, May 18: Montezuma Community Building, 508 West Sunnyside Ave., Montezuma, Kansas.&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>12 p.m., presentation and meal&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>RSVP to the Gray County Extension Office, 620-855-3821, or Kurt Werth,&nbsp;<a></a><a href="mailto:kwerth@ksu.edu">kwerth@ksu.edu</a>&nbsp; Thursday, May 18, 2023 – Fencepost, 700 E. 14th St., Harper, Kansas&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>6 p.m., presentation and meal&nbsp;</li>
 </ul> <a>RSVP to the Harper County Extension Office, 620-842-5445, or Jenni Carr,&nbsp;</a><a></a><a href="mailto:jlcarr@ksu.edu">jlcarr@ksu.edu</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

Goodland crush facility opens opportunity for Kansas, Oklahoma farmers

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two juveniles on multiple charges after a high-speed chase

On April 22, a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) deputy with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office observed a silver 2006 Chevrolet HHR that was unable to maintain a single lane of travel and speeding 20 miles per hour over the speed limit on NE 46th Street, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop near NE Edgewood Drive and NE Indian Creek Road, however the driver refused to stop and initiated a pursuit.

The driver fled north on NE Ashby Lane from Edgewood, leveled the stop sign at NE 54th Street as it continued eastbound, went south on NE Kendall Wood Drive and then west into a driveway in the 600 block of NE Margo Court. 

The two occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to enter the residence. They eventually complied with the deputy’s commands and were taken into custody.

During the investigation, an open container of alcohol, illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were located.

The driver, Jordan J. Minger, 16, of Topeka, was given a Notice To Appear&nbsp; and faces requested charges of&nbsp; driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, felony flee or attempt to elude, transporting an open container of liquor and duty of driver upon damaging unattended vehicle or other property (hit and run accident).

The passenger, Lorenzo V. Wadkins, 16, of Topeka, was found in possession of a loaded firearm and was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on charges of criminal use of weapons, possession of marijuana, possession of tobacco by a minor and possession of drug paraphernalia.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two juveniles on multiple charges after a high-speed chaseOn April 22, a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) deputy with the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office observed a silver 2006 Chevrolet HHR that was unable to maintain a single lane of travel and speeding 20 miles per hour over the speed limit on NE 46th Street, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.The deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop near NE Edgewood Drive and NE Indian Creek Road, however the driver refused to stop and initiated a pursuit.The driver fled north on NE Ashby Lane from Edgewood, leveled the stop sign at NE 54th Street as it continued eastbound, went south on NE Kendall Wood Drive and then west into a driveway in the 600 block of NE Margo Court. The two occupants exited the vehicle and attempted to enter the residence. They eventually complied with the deputy’s commands and were taken into custody.During the investigation, an open container of alcohol, illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were located.The driver, Jordan J. Minger, 16, of Topeka, was given a Notice To Appear&nbsp; and faces requested charges of&nbsp; driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, felony flee or attempt to elude, transporting an open container of liquor and duty of driver upon damaging unattended vehicle or other property (hit and run accident).The passenger, Lorenzo V. Wadkins, 16, of Topeka, was found in possession of a loaded firearm and was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on charges of criminal use of weapons, possession of marijuana, possession of tobacco by a minor and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Two Kan. boys were driving with open container, loaded gun

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has begun facilitating the departure of private U.S. citizens who want to leave&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sudan">Sudan</a>, according to White House national security adviser&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jake-sullivan">Jake Sullivan</a>.

(click below to watch Sullivan's statement)

Sullivan said the U.S. has placed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets over the land evacuation route to help facilitate safe travel by land from Khartoum to the Port of Sudan, but does not have any U.S. troops on the ground.

“We have started to see a more regular pattern of convoys begin to arrive, including convoys that have Americans in them,” Sullivan said. “Once at the port then we are using diplomatic facilities in neighboring countries to help those Americans with their onward travel so that they can get safely out of the country.”

Sullivan’s comments came as foreign governments have airlifted hundreds of their diplomats and other citizens to safety as the country has spiraled into chaos amid fierce fighting between Sudan's two rival generals vying for control of the country.

In dramatic evacuation operations, convoys of foreign diplomats, civilian teachers, students, workers and families from dozens of countries wound past combatants at tense front lines in the capital of Khartoum to reach extraction points. Others drove hundreds of miles to the country’s east coast. A stream of European, Mideast, African and Asian military aircraft flew in all day Sunday and Monday to ferry them out.

U.S. special operations forces carried out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-embassy-personnel-sudan-evacuated-airlift-45bca52da8c65914d48c18d6ad9d065c">a precarious evacuation at the U.S. Embassy in Sudan on Sunday</a>, sweeping in and out of the capital with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported.

Sullivan reiterated that the administration continues to look at “every conceivable option” to help Americans get out of Sudan but is not considering peacekeeping troops.

“It is not standard practice for the United States to send in the U.S. military” into warzones to extract American citizens, Sullivan said “We didn’t do it in Libya. We didn’t do it in Syria. We didn’t do it in Yemen, and no we didn’t do it in Ukraine. Afghanistan was a unique case involving the end of the 20-year war that the United States was centrally involved in.”

An estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the embassy as being in Sudan. The figure is rough because not all Americans register with embassy or say when they depart.

Sullivan said the U.S. “will go to great lengths to support and facilitate" the departure of Americans but also noted that the State Department has been cautioning Americans in Sudan to leave the country for years.

He added, “Americans are free people. We cannot dictate where they travel, tell them they must go or not go to a particular place."

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said that a U.N. convoy reached Port Sudan on Monday with some evacuees. He told reporters that the Defense Department also continues to conduct continuous overhead intelligence and surveillance of the area, including to provide security assessments of land routes.

When asked about other Americans seeking to leave Sudan, Ryder said, “Right now, to our knowledge, we’re not talking about large numbers of Americans looking to come out of Sudan, but again, in the days ahead, we’ll stay closely coordinated with the State Department, they’re in the lead and we will be prepared to support them.”

Ryder said two Navy vessels, the USS Lewis B. Puller combat ship, and the USS Truxtun, a destroyer, are in the region. He said the Truxtun is off the coast of Sudan and the Puller is en route, and both will be available to help transport citizens if needed or provide medical support.

Late Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/americans-sudan-sullivan-evacuate-khartoum-biden-8b0f91ce79f5fac2f6f6419018906934">Blinken announced that he had helped broker a new 72-hour cease-fire</a>&nbsp; in Sudan. The truce would be an extension of the nominal three-day holiday cease-fire.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has begun facilitating the departure of private U.S. citizens who want to leave&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sudan">Sudan</a>, according to White House national security adviser&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jake-sullivan">Jake Sullivan</a>.(click below to watch Sullivan's statement)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F1399726107484677%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=263" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Sullivan said the U.S. has placed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets over the land evacuation route to help facilitate safe travel by land from Khartoum to the Port of Sudan, but does not have any U.S. troops on the ground.“We have started to see a more regular pattern of convoys begin to arrive, including convoys that have Americans in them,” Sullivan said. “Once at the port then we are using diplomatic facilities in neighboring countries to help those Americans with their onward travel so that they can get safely out of the country.”Sullivan’s comments came as foreign governments have airlifted hundreds of their diplomats and other citizens to safety as the country has spiraled into chaos amid fierce fighting between Sudan's two rival generals vying for control of the country.In dramatic evacuation operations, convoys of foreign diplomats, civilian teachers, students, workers and families from dozens of countries wound past combatants at tense front lines in the capital of Khartoum to reach extraction points. Others drove hundreds of miles to the country’s east coast. A stream of European, Mideast, African and Asian military aircraft flew in all day Sunday and Monday to ferry them out.U.S. special operations forces carried out&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-embassy-personnel-sudan-evacuated-airlift-45bca52da8c65914d48c18d6ad9d065c">a precarious evacuation at the U.S. Embassy in Sudan on Sunday</a>, sweeping in and out of the capital with helicopters on the ground for less than an hour. No shots were fired and no major casualties were reported.Sullivan reiterated that the administration continues to look at “every conceivable option” to help Americans get out of Sudan but is not considering peacekeeping troops.“It is not standard practice for the United States to send in the U.S. military” into warzones to extract American citizens, Sullivan said “We didn’t do it in Libya. We didn’t do it in Syria. We didn’t do it in Yemen, and no we didn’t do it in Ukraine. Afghanistan was a unique case involving the end of the 20-year war that the United States was centrally involved in.”An estimated 16,000 private U.S. citizens are registered with the embassy as being in Sudan. The figure is rough because not all Americans register with embassy or say when they depart.Sullivan said the U.S. “will go to great lengths to support and facilitate" the departure of Americans but also noted that the State Department has been cautioning Americans in Sudan to leave the country for years.He added, “Americans are free people. We cannot dictate where they travel, tell them they must go or not go to a particular place."Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said that a U.N. convoy reached Port Sudan on Monday with some evacuees. He told reporters that the Defense Department also continues to conduct continuous overhead intelligence and surveillance of the area, including to provide security assessments of land routes.When asked about other Americans seeking to leave Sudan, Ryder said, “Right now, to our knowledge, we’re not talking about large numbers of Americans looking to come out of Sudan, but again, in the days ahead, we’ll stay closely coordinated with the State Department, they’re in the lead and we will be prepared to support them.”Ryder said two Navy vessels, the USS Lewis B. Puller combat ship, and the USS Truxtun, a destroyer, are in the region. He said the Truxtun is off the coast of Sudan and the Puller is en route, and both will be available to help transport citizens if needed or provide medical support.Late Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/americans-sudan-sullivan-evacuate-khartoum-biden-8b0f91ce79f5fac2f6f6419018906934">Blinken announced that he had helped broker a new 72-hour cease-fire</a>&nbsp; in Sudan. The truce would be an extension of the nominal three-day holiday cease-fire.

🎥Hundreds of Americans trapped amid fighting in Sudan

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A child died in an accident just after 5p.m. Monday in Sedgwick County.

Derby police reported, a driver lost control of a car traveling eastbound on Meadowlark Boulevard. The vehicle traveled into a Quick Trip at 1430 North Nelson Drive and struck a vehicle at the gas pump. The impact caused the pump to explode.

When fire crews arrived they found a car fully involved in flames on top of the gas pumps. A child in the vehicle at the pump died at the scene. EMS transported a woman to an area hospital, according to police.

Police have not identified the victims. Meadowlark was closed between K-15 and Nelson. The accident remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682376168742.png" alt=" The accident remains under investigation-Photo city of Derby" />
 <figcaption> The accident remains under investigation-Photo city of Derby</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A child died in an accident just after 5p.m. Monday in Sedgwick County.Derby police reported, a driver lost control of a car traveling eastbound on Meadowlark Boulevard. The vehicle traveled into a Quick Trip at 1430 North Nelson Drive and struck a vehicle at the gas pump. The impact caused the pump to explode.When fire crews arrived they found a car fully involved in flames on top of the gas pumps. A child in the vehicle at the pump died at the scene. EMS transported a woman to an area hospital, according to police.Police have not identified the victims. Meadowlark was closed between K-15 and Nelson. The accident remains under investigation.

Child dead after car crash into Kansas gas station

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — A man shot to death a 20-year-old student Monday at Rose State College in Oklahoma, according to police, who reported no other injuries after the campus was briefly put on lockdown.

Midwest City Police Chief Sid Porter said the suspect surrendered upon being approached by officers after the shooting near the center of the 13,000-student campus. The two-year college is just outside Oklahoma City.

In a statement, police identified the suspect as Brandon Morrissette, 30, who faces a first-degree murder charge. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney Monday night.

Porter said the victim and Morrissette's wife, who is also a student at Rose State College, were walking out of a building when they were confronted by the gunman. The victim, who police did not immediately identify, was pronounced dead on the scene. Porter did not provide any other details about what might have led to the shooting.

Kevin McCormack, a student from the suburb of Choctaw, said he was meeting a friend on campus when he heard gunfire. He said they looked over and saw a man hitting the ground, next to another man holding a gun and a woman who was trying to calm him down.

“Almost immediately, we said, ‘Go, go, go!’ and took off," McCormack said.

Rose State College canceled classes for the remainder of the day after lifting the lockdown order.

Porter said the first officers arrived to the scene in approximately one minute. He praised students and staff for how they responded during the lockdown and noted that weeks before the shooting, Rose State College had practiced what to do in the event of an active shooter.

“Things got locked down real quick,” Porter said. “I just think they did a fantastic job listening to the school and everybody staying down and not panicking because we didn’t know what was going on.”

MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — A man shot and killed another man Monday at Rose State College in Oklahoma, according to police, who reported no other injuries after the campus was briefly put on lockdown.

Midwest City Police Chief Sid Porter said the men were “acquainted through a domestic situation,” but did not elaborate on exactly what their relationship was or what led to the shooting. He also did not say if either man was a student or staff member at the school.

The two-year college has about 13,000 students and is just outside Oklahoma City. Crime scene tape surrounded the humanities building in the center of campus and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies were on the scene.

Porter said the victim was shot one time and that the suspect was confronted by officers who work on campus.

“They ordered him to drop the gun, which he did, and they took him into custody,” Porter said.

Rose State College canceled classes for the remainder of the day after lifting the lockdown order. A person who answered the phone at the university’s public safety office Monday referred questions to police.

Porter praised students and staff for how they responded during the lockdown and noted that weeks before the shooting, Rose State College had practiced what to do in the event of an active shooter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682417098613.png" alt="Brandon Morrissette-photo Oklahoma Co." />
 <figcaption>Brandon Morrissette-photo Oklahoma Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — A man shot to death a 20-year-old student Monday at Rose State College in Oklahoma, according to police, who reported no other injuries after the campus was briefly put on lockdown.Midwest City Police Chief Sid Porter said the suspect surrendered upon being approached by officers after the shooting near the center of the 13,000-student campus. The two-year college is just outside Oklahoma City.In a statement, police identified the suspect as Brandon Morrissette, 30, who faces a first-degree murder charge. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney Monday night.Porter said the victim and Morrissette's wife, who is also a student at Rose State College, were walking out of a building when they were confronted by the gunman. The victim, who police did not immediately identify, was pronounced dead on the scene. Porter did not provide any other details about what might have led to the shooting.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682365450225.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting photo courtesy KOTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting photo courtesy KOTV</figcaption>
 </figure>Kevin McCormack, a student from the suburb of Choctaw, said he was meeting a friend on campus when he heard gunfire. He said they looked over and saw a man hitting the ground, next to another man holding a gun and a woman who was trying to calm him down.“Almost immediately, we said, ‘Go, go, go!’ and took off," McCormack said.Rose State College canceled classes for the remainder of the day after lifting the lockdown order.Porter said the first officers arrived to the scene in approximately one minute. He praised students and staff for how they responded during the lockdown and noted that weeks before the shooting, Rose State College had practiced what to do in the event of an active shooter.“Things got locked down real quick,” Porter said. “I just think they did a fantastic job listening to the school and everybody staying down and not panicking because we didn’t know what was going on.”----------------MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) — A man shot and killed another man Monday at Rose State College in Oklahoma, according to police, who reported no other injuries after the campus was briefly put on lockdown.Midwest City Police Chief Sid Porter said the men were “acquainted through a domestic situation,” but did not elaborate on exactly what their relationship was or what led to the shooting. He also did not say if either man was a student or staff member at the school.The two-year college has about 13,000 students and is just outside Oklahoma City. Crime scene tape surrounded the humanities building in the center of campus and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies were on the scene.Porter said the victim was shot one time and that the suspect was confronted by officers who work on campus.“They ordered him to drop the gun, which he did, and they took him into custody,” Porter said.Kevin McCormack, a student from the suburb of Choctaw, said he was meeting a friend on campus when he heard gunfire. He said they looked over and saw a man hitting the ground, next to another man holding a gun and a woman who was trying to calm him down.“Almost immediately, we said, ‘Go, go, go!’ and took off," McCormack said.Rose State College canceled classes for the remainder of the day after lifting the lockdown order. A person who answered the phone at the university’s public safety office Monday referred questions to police.Porter praised students and staff for how they responded during the lockdown and noted that weeks before the shooting, Rose State College had practiced what to do in the event of an active shooter.“Things got locked down real quick,” Porter said. “I just think they did a fantastic job listening to the school and everybody staying down and not panicking because we didn’t know what was going on.”

Police ID suspect in deadly Oklahoma college shooting

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri ACLU on Monday sued to block&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-transgender-health-care-andrew-baily-65c388ae85f610a2a885e2dff486bfe8">new state restrictions</a>&nbsp;on both adults and children seeking gender-affirming health care, which are set to kick in Thursday.

ACLU, Lambda Legal and Bryan Cave Leighton LLP attorneys representing transgender Missourians and health care providers asked a St. Louis County judge to stop the first-of-its-kind rule from taking effect.

They argue that Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey has no authority to use a state consumer-protection law to regulate gender-affirming care through emergency rule-making.

The rule is "a baseless and discriminatory attempt to limit the healthcare options for transgender individuals, who already face several barriers accessing necessary and life-saving medical care,” said Dr. Samuel Tochtrop of plaintiff Southampton Community Healthcare, in a statement.

Before gender-affirming medical treatments can be provided by physicians, the regulation requires people to have experienced an “intense pattern” of documented gender dysphoria for three years and to have received at least 15 hourly sessions with a therapist over at least 18 months. Patients also would first have to be screened for autism and “social media addiction,” and any psychiatric symptoms from mental health issues would have to be treated and resolved.

Some individuals will be allowed to maintain their prescriptions while they promptly receive the required assessments.

Bailey marketed the restrictions as a way to protect minors from what he describes as experimental treatments when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minors-gender-affirming-care-attorney-general-missouri-7332d7baee1580d1aec122cc4210792c">announced plans to create the rule in March</a>. He applied limits to adults as well in the final rule.

“We have serious concerns about how children are being treated throughout the state. But we believe everyone is entitled to evidence-based medicine and adequate mental health care,” Bailey spokeswoman Madeline Sieren said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-missouri-4def2189dac9979a00d298efb3baf12a">after the rule was filed April 13</a>.

The rule is an unusual step by Missouri's attorney general, who has limited jurisdiction under state law. The office is responsible for defending state laws, handling felony criminal appeals, and prosecuting financial crimes and consumer fraud.

The lawsuit alleges the rule “is an improper, extra-legislative overreach by an un-elected political appointee” seeking to use the state's consumer-protection law, which plaintiffs describe as “an act purposed on making sure that cars are sold with titles and that hardware stores abide by a warranty on a vacuum.”

If the rule takes effect, doctors who provide gender-affirming health care must first provide a lengthy list of potential negative side effects and information warning against those treatments.

Health care providers will need to ensure “any psychiatric symptoms from existing mental health comorbidities of the patient have been treated and resolved” before providing gender-affirming treatments under the new rule. Physicians also must screen patients for social media addiction, autism and signs of “social contagion with respect to the patient’s gender identity.”

The FDA approved puberty blockers 30 years ago to treat children with precocious puberty — a condition that causes sexual development to begin much earlier than usual. Sex hormones — synthetic forms of estrogen and testosterone — were approved decades ago to treat hormone disorders or as birth control pills.

The FDA has not approved the medications specifically to treat gender-questioning youth. But they have been used for many years for that purpose “off label,” a common and accepted practice for many medical conditions. Doctors who treat transgender patients say those decades of use are proof the treatments are not experimental.

Critics have raise concerns about children changing their minds. Yet the evidence suggests detransitioning is not as common as opponents of transgender medical treatment for youth contend, though few studies exist and they have their weaknesses.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri ACLU on Monday sued to block&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-transgender-health-care-andrew-baily-65c388ae85f610a2a885e2dff486bfe8">new state restrictions</a>&nbsp;on both adults and children seeking gender-affirming health care, which are set to kick in Thursday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The ACLU of Missouri, <a href="https://twitter.com/LambdaLegal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LambdaLegal</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/BCLPlaw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCLPlaw</a> filed a petition seeking a temporary restraining order to block implementation of the MO AG’s unprecedented and extreme restrictions on gender affirming care for trans people of all ages in the state. <a href="https://t.co/BZzZ02zZKb">pic.twitter.com/BZzZ02zZKb</a>&mdash; ACLU of Missouri (@aclu_mo) <a href="https://twitter.com/aclu_mo/status/1650621585227673603?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>ACLU, Lambda Legal and Bryan Cave Leighton LLP attorneys representing transgender Missourians and health care providers asked a St. Louis County judge to stop the first-of-its-kind rule from taking effect.They argue that Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey has no authority to use a state consumer-protection law to regulate gender-affirming care through emergency rule-making.The rule is "a baseless and discriminatory attempt to limit the healthcare options for transgender individuals, who already face several barriers accessing necessary and life-saving medical care,” said Dr. Samuel Tochtrop of plaintiff Southampton Community Healthcare, in a statement.Before gender-affirming medical treatments can be provided by physicians, the regulation requires people to have experienced an “intense pattern” of documented gender dysphoria for three years and to have received at least 15 hourly sessions with a therapist over at least 18 months. Patients also would first have to be screened for autism and “social media addiction,” and any psychiatric symptoms from mental health issues would have to be treated and resolved.Some individuals will be allowed to maintain their prescriptions while they promptly receive the required assessments.Bailey marketed the restrictions as a way to protect minors from what he describes as experimental treatments when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/minors-gender-affirming-care-attorney-general-missouri-7332d7baee1580d1aec122cc4210792c">announced plans to create the rule in March</a>. He applied limits to adults as well in the final rule.“We have serious concerns about how children are being treated throughout the state. But we believe everyone is entitled to evidence-based medicine and adequate mental health care,” Bailey spokeswoman Madeline Sieren said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-missouri-4def2189dac9979a00d298efb3baf12a">after the rule was filed April 13</a>.The rule is an unusual step by Missouri's attorney general, who has limited jurisdiction under state law. The office is responsible for defending state laws, handling felony criminal appeals, and prosecuting financial crimes and consumer fraud.The lawsuit alleges the rule “is an improper, extra-legislative overreach by an un-elected political appointee” seeking to use the state's consumer-protection law, which plaintiffs describe as “an act purposed on making sure that cars are sold with titles and that hardware stores abide by a warranty on a vacuum.”If the rule takes effect, doctors who provide gender-affirming health care must first provide a lengthy list of potential negative side effects and information warning against those treatments.Health care providers will need to ensure “any psychiatric symptoms from existing mental health comorbidities of the patient have been treated and resolved” before providing gender-affirming treatments under the new rule. Physicians also must screen patients for social media addiction, autism and signs of “social contagion with respect to the patient’s gender identity.”The FDA approved puberty blockers 30 years ago to treat children with precocious puberty — a condition that causes sexual development to begin much earlier than usual. Sex hormones — synthetic forms of estrogen and testosterone — were approved decades ago to treat hormone disorders or as birth control pills.The FDA has not approved the medications specifically to treat gender-questioning youth. But they have been used for many years for that purpose “off label,” a common and accepted practice for many medical conditions. Doctors who treat transgender patients say those decades of use are proof the treatments are not experimental.Critics have raise concerns about children changing their minds. Yet the evidence suggests detransitioning is not as common as opponents of transgender medical treatment for youth contend, though few studies exist and they have their weaknesses.

ACLU sues to block Missouri rule on transgender health care

KANSAS CITY— A man was sentenced in federal court Monday for a $215,000 cattle fraud scheme that he attempted to cover up by murdering two Wisconsin brothers, according to United State's Attorney.

Garland Joseph Nelson, 28, Braymer, Mo, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 32 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Nelson to pay $260,925 in restitution to his victims.

On Oct. 4, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Nelson admitted that he defrauded a Shawano County, Wisconsin company, Diemel’s Livestock, LLC, of $215,000 in a cattle contract.

Nelson is also serving two life sentences in a separate state case related to the murders of Nicholas and Justin Diemel, two brothers who were principals in Diemel’s Livestock. Nelson’s federal prison sentence must be served consecutively to his state sentence.

Nelson – an employee of J4s Farm Enterprises, Inc., a business started by his mother – agreed to care for cattle belonging to Diemel’s Livestock. Diemel’s Livestock invested and traded in cattle and other livestock. Nelson agreed to feed and pasture the cattle, then sell the cattle and send Diemel’s Livestock the proceeds (minus the costs of raising the cattle).

The Diemels sent several loads of cattle to Nelson from November 2018 through April 2019. Nelson sold some loads of cattle and paid the Diemels. However, Nelson admitted he killed many of the Diemels’s cattle and then fraudulently billed the Diemels for feed and yardage for the dead cattle.

Nelson admitted that he did not properly care for cattle due to incompetence, neglect, or maltreatment. Hundreds of calves entrusted to Nelson died due to underfeeding, neglect, and/or maltreatment. Nelson fed cattle inadequately and poorly. For example, he dropped feed bales in a pasture for calves but did not remove the plastic covering so that calves ate the plastic and died.

Throughout the spring of 2019, Nicholas Diemel pressed Nelson for payment for his cattle.&nbsp; He sent no more loads of cattle to Nelson while he awaited his payment.

To deprive the Diemels of their cattle or their money and to prevent them from recovering either their cattle or their money, in June 2019 Nelson fraudulently sent the Diemels a bad check for $215,936 while his bank account had a balance of 21 cents. The check had been intentionally torn and damaged so that it could not be submitted for payment.

Nelson told the Diemels they could come to Missouri to get their money. On July 17, 2019, Nicholas Diemel bought two round-trip airline tickets from Milwaukee to Kansas City. On July 20, 2019, Nicholas and Justin Diemel arrived in Kansas City and rented a pickup truck from Budget.

On July 21, 2019, the Diemels drove their rental truck to Nelson’s mother’s farm in Braymer. Nelson’s mother and other family members were in Branson for the weekend, so Nelson was alone on the farm. Nelson murdered both of the Diemels and attempted to dispose of their bodies, but the remains were later found by investigators.

Nelson also was in possession of a Marlin 30-30 rifle and ammunition from July 18 to July 21, 2019. &nbsp;Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Nelson has a 2015 federal felony conviction for an earlier cattle fraud scheme that resulted in losses of more than $262,000 to his victims, as well as two prior state felony convictions for passing bad checks.

According to court documents, Nelson engaged in at least two more cattle fraud schemes. In December 2018, Nelson was entrusted with feeding and caring for 131 calves he co-owned with a Kansas farmer (less than a year after he was released from prison for his 2015 conviction and in direct contravention to the conditions of his supervised release). On May 23, 2019, Nelson dropped off 35 calves at the co-owner’s farm in Kansas, apparently all that survived of the 131. Of the surviving 35 calves, many were emaciated and had ringworm; some could not even walk onto a truck to be transported. Some calves had their ears torn as though identifying ear tags had been removed.

According to court documents, those calves were involved in another cattle fraud scheme engaged by Nelson. Nelson told a Bogard, Mo., farmer that he would furnish all the food and medicine for 131 bottle calves and pay the farmer a dollar per day per calf for the use of his barn and the time he would spend feeding the calves. Nelson bought almost no food or medicine for the calves in the five months he kept them at the Bogard farm. Instead, the farmer paid $14,363 out of his own pocket for food and veterinary care for the calves. Nor did Nelson ever pay anything to the farmer for the use of his barn and time spent feeding and caring for the calves as he had promised. (Nelson’s mother later paid the farmer $2,000.) In late April 2019, Nelson picked up the living bottle calves from the Bogard farm and took them to his mother’s farm. On May 23, 2019, Nelson dumped the 35 remaining calves without warning at the Kansas farm. This was a problem because the Kansas farmer had a closed dairy herd and bringing unvaccinated and potentially diseased calves onto his property put his existing herd at risk.

On Sept. 30, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the first degree in Johnson County, Mo., and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on each count to run consecutively.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682368271807.png" alt="Nelson -photo&nbsp; Caldwell Co." />
 <figcaption>Nelson -photo&nbsp; Caldwell Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— A man was sentenced in federal court Monday for a $215,000 cattle fraud scheme that he attempted to cover up by murdering two Wisconsin brothers, according to United State's Attorney.Garland Joseph Nelson, 28, Braymer, Mo, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 32 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Nelson to pay $260,925 in restitution to his victims.On Oct. 4, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Nelson admitted that he defrauded a Shawano County, Wisconsin company, Diemel’s Livestock, LLC, of $215,000 in a cattle contract.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1565280147807.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Nelson is also serving two life sentences in a separate state case related to the murders of Nicholas and Justin Diemel, two brothers who were principals in Diemel’s Livestock. Nelson’s federal prison sentence must be served consecutively to his state sentence.Nelson – an employee of J4s Farm Enterprises, Inc., a business started by his mother – agreed to care for cattle belonging to Diemel’s Livestock. Diemel’s Livestock invested and traded in cattle and other livestock. Nelson agreed to feed and pasture the cattle, then sell the cattle and send Diemel’s Livestock the proceeds (minus the costs of raising the cattle).The Diemels sent several loads of cattle to Nelson from November 2018 through April 2019. Nelson sold some loads of cattle and paid the Diemels. However, Nelson admitted he killed many of the Diemels’s cattle and then fraudulently billed the Diemels for feed and yardage for the dead cattle.Nelson admitted that he did not properly care for cattle due to incompetence, neglect, or maltreatment. Hundreds of calves entrusted to Nelson died due to underfeeding, neglect, and/or maltreatment. Nelson fed cattle inadequately and poorly. For example, he dropped feed bales in a pasture for calves but did not remove the plastic covering so that calves ate the plastic and died.Throughout the spring of 2019, Nicholas Diemel pressed Nelson for payment for his cattle.&nbsp; He sent no more loads of cattle to Nelson while he awaited his payment.To deprive the Diemels of their cattle or their money and to prevent them from recovering either their cattle or their money, in June 2019 Nelson fraudulently sent the Diemels a bad check for $215,936 while his bank account had a balance of 21 cents. The check had been intentionally torn and damaged so that it could not be submitted for payment.Nelson told the Diemels they could come to Missouri to get their money. On July 17, 2019, Nicholas Diemel bought two round-trip airline tickets from Milwaukee to Kansas City. On July 20, 2019, Nicholas and Justin Diemel arrived in Kansas City and rented a pickup truck from Budget.On July 21, 2019, the Diemels drove their rental truck to Nelson’s mother’s farm in Braymer. Nelson’s mother and other family members were in Branson for the weekend, so Nelson was alone on the farm. Nelson murdered both of the Diemels and attempted to dispose of their bodies, but the remains were later found by investigators.Nelson also was in possession of a Marlin 30-30 rifle and ammunition from July 18 to July 21, 2019. &nbsp;Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Nelson has a 2015 federal felony conviction for an earlier cattle fraud scheme that resulted in losses of more than $262,000 to his victims, as well as two prior state felony convictions for passing bad checks.According to court documents, Nelson engaged in at least two more cattle fraud schemes. In December 2018, Nelson was entrusted with feeding and caring for 131 calves he co-owned with a Kansas farmer (less than a year after he was released from prison for his 2015 conviction and in direct contravention to the conditions of his supervised release). On May 23, 2019, Nelson dropped off 35 calves at the co-owner’s farm in Kansas, apparently all that survived of the 131. Of the surviving 35 calves, many were emaciated and had ringworm; some could not even walk onto a truck to be transported. Some calves had their ears torn as though identifying ear tags had been removed.According to court documents, those calves were involved in another cattle fraud scheme engaged by Nelson. Nelson told a Bogard, Mo., farmer that he would furnish all the food and medicine for 131 bottle calves and pay the farmer a dollar per day per calf for the use of his barn and the time he would spend feeding the calves. Nelson bought almost no food or medicine for the calves in the five months he kept them at the Bogard farm. Instead, the farmer paid $14,363 out of his own pocket for food and veterinary care for the calves. Nor did Nelson ever pay anything to the farmer for the use of his barn and time spent feeding and caring for the calves as he had promised. (Nelson’s mother later paid the farmer $2,000.) In late April 2019, Nelson picked up the living bottle calves from the Bogard farm and took them to his mother’s farm. On May 23, 2019, Nelson dumped the 35 remaining calves without warning at the Kansas farm. This was a problem because the Kansas farmer had a closed dairy herd and bringing unvaccinated and potentially diseased calves onto his property put his existing herd at risk.On Sept. 30, 2022, Nelson pleaded guilty to two counts of murder in the first degree in Johnson County, Mo., and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole on each count to run consecutively.

Man sentenced for cattle fraud scheme that led to murders

CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP) — A former respiratory therapist has pleaded guilty in the deaths of two patients at a Missouri hospital two decades ago.

Jennifer Hall, 42, initially was charged with two counts of first-degree murder but pleaded guilty instead Friday to reduced first-degree involuntary manslaughter counts in the deaths of 75-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arrests-franco-missouri-f12909fae1c25aa5b5f6d2ff70f2aec3">Fern Franco</a>&nbsp;and 37-year-old David Wesley Harper, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/article274609711.html">reported.</a>&nbsp;She also pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652474493585.png" alt="U.S. Marshals arrested Hall in Kansas on May 12, 2022 -photo Johnson Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Marshals arrested Hall in Kansas on May 12, 2022 -photo Johnson Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP) — A former respiratory therapist has pleaded guilty in the deaths of two patients at a Missouri hospital two decades ago.Jennifer Hall, 42, initially was charged with two counts of first-degree murder but pleaded guilty instead Friday to reduced first-degree involuntary manslaughter counts in the deaths of 75-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arrests-franco-missouri-f12909fae1c25aa5b5f6d2ff70f2aec3">Fern Franco</a>&nbsp;and 37-year-old David Wesley Harper, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/article274609711.html">reported.</a>&nbsp;She also pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault.Franco and Harper were among nine patients who died at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe over several months in 2002 in what charging documents describe as “medically suspicious” events.From December 2001, when Hall started working at the hospital, until she was placed on administrative leave the following May, there also were 18 cardiac arrests or “Code Blue” events, up from an average of one a year before then.The case was revived after an analysis of Franco’s tissue samples found morphine and a powerful muscle relaxant used in anesthesia in her system. Neither drug was prescribed or ordered for her by her doctors, investigators said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652204964045.png" alt="Photo Livingston Co. Missouri Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Livingston Co. Missouri Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Some staff at the hospital believed Hall was responsible because of her proximity to the stricken patients, her access to deadly pharmaceuticals, and because she notified staff of every patient’s cardiac emergency, according to court documents.Hall had previously denied any involvement in the deaths.Families of patients who died during Hall’s employment later sued the hospital.