By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

A vote that was cast in April 2022 was finalized Monday evening at 
the Central Plains Elementary School in Holyrood. The USD 112 Board of 
Education voted 5-2 to close Wilson High School at the close of the 
2022-23 school year. The vote followed a two-hour public forum held at 
Wilson High School on Jan. 4, and came nearly three hours into Monday's 
board meeting. 

Prior to the final vote, Board Member Brad 
Schiermeyer of Wilson explained the body had three options: table the 
vote forever, table the vote while other options are discussed, or 
approve the resolution to close the high school. After a motion to 
temporarily table the vote failed, Schiermeyer and Roger Robinson, also 
of Wilson, were the lone two votes against the closure.

Schiermeyer
 said it was not viable to go with option one, but potentially losing 
students with option three was also not the best option.

"With 
that, I would like a motion to table to take the time to look at the 
numbers, to look at the different options, and make sure that, as a 
board, we're doing what is right for the district and right for our 
students," he said.

With that motion failed, Board President 
Tamara Dody reread the resolution stating that the board of education, 
with a majority vote, had the power to close any school in the district.
 

Prior to the vote, the board heard from six members of the 
public, mostly expressing concern over a perceived lack of information 
and transparency from the board. Michelle Brokes questioned numbers 
provided by Interim Superintendent Bill Lowry, and said approving the 
closure would be like signing the district's death warrant.

"Our 
best bet is to work together, north and south, to come up with a 
solution to this proposed financial problem," she said. "That doesn't 
require closing any of the schools."

Citizen Richard Rugan 
compared USD 112 to the USD 355 Ellinwood School District. Though they 
share similar numbers in students, USD 112 has 15 more teachers because 
of the additional buildings. Board Member Dalton Wirth said salaries 
account for most of the USD 112 budget expenditures.

Following an 
18-minute executive session, the board itself began discussion on the 
resolution. "I know a lot of people feel this has been a last-minute 
thing, but I would like to remind everybody that in 2019, the Bushton 
Attendance Center was closed, and the board of education at that time, 
did give a grim warning that wasn't the end, and there would still be 
tough decisions that have to be made," Dody said.

Other talking 
points included how USD 112, which encompasses a large geographic region
 but features relatively few students, could not afford to run two 
independent junior/high schools. A loss of students from the district 
following the closure could create more problems, and Schiermeyer 
expressed concern about a survey that indicated just four current Wilson
 High students planned to transfer to Central Plains in Claflin next 
year.

"We struggle if we lose a few students, let alone 60, 70," 
he said. "And that's just high school. Does the elementary school 
follow? If you have a high school kid that goes to Sylvan, goes to 
Ellsworth, and you have an elementary student that's going to do the 
same thing when they get to junior high, are they staying so they can 
finish out elementary and then move, or are they moving with their older
 sibling? We don't know that number either. But we do that the threat is
 there, that the possibility is there. I don't feel like we, as a board,
 have looked at the consequences of that. And that is concerning."

Schiermeyer
 also addressed safety issues with more high school students making the 
23-mile drive from Wilson to Claflin every day, and questioned both 
sides using the potential number of students who will transfer as 
leverage in the debate. He and a member of the public also questioned 
why the district would close Wilson over Central Plains, quoting a study
 that showed USD 112 would save $336,000 dollars by closing Wilson 
versus $815,000 by closing Central Plains High School.

Wirth said 
the closure was not ideal, but based on studies provided that showed the
 district has lost money in eight of the last 10 years, keeping both 
high schools open was not an option. 

"I want this district to be 
around forever," he said. "I want my grandkids to come to this district,
 I was in this district. I personally want every child in this district 
to have the best education we can possibly give them, and I mean that 
from the bottom of my heart."

Immediately after the vote, several 
students and members of the public in attendance walked out of the 
meeting.&nbsp;With Monday's vote, Wilson High School will close at the end of
 the 2022-23 school year. The USD 112 district was created in 2011.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673463329552.png" alt="Wilson High School-google image" />
 <figcaption>Wilson High School-google image</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostA vote that was cast in April 2022 was finalized Monday evening at 
the Central Plains Elementary School in Holyrood. The USD 112 Board of 
Education voted 5-2 to close Wilson High School at the close of the 
2022-23 school year. The vote followed a two-hour public forum held at 
Wilson High School on Jan. 4, and came nearly three hours into Monday's 
board meeting. Prior to the final vote, Board Member Brad 
Schiermeyer of Wilson explained the body had three options: table the 
vote forever, table the vote while other options are discussed, or 
approve the resolution to close the high school. After a motion to 
temporarily table the vote failed, Schiermeyer and Roger Robinson, also 
of Wilson, were the lone two votes against the closure.Schiermeyer
 said it was not viable to go with option one, but potentially losing 
students with option three was also not the best option."With 
that, I would like a motion to table to take the time to look at the 
numbers, to look at the different options, and make sure that, as a 
board, we're doing what is right for the district and right for our 
students," he said.With that motion failed, Board President 
Tamara Dody reread the resolution stating that the board of education, 
with a majority vote, had the power to close any school in the district.
 Prior to the vote, the board heard from six members of the 
public, mostly expressing concern over a perceived lack of information 
and transparency from the board. Michelle Brokes questioned numbers 
provided by Interim Superintendent Bill Lowry, and said approving the 
closure would be like signing the district's death warrant."Our 
best bet is to work together, north and south, to come up with a 
solution to this proposed financial problem," she said. "That doesn't 
require closing any of the schools."Citizen Richard Rugan 
compared USD 112 to the USD 355 Ellinwood School District. Though they 
share similar numbers in students, USD 112 has 15 more teachers because 
of the additional buildings. Board Member Dalton Wirth said salaries 
account for most of the USD 112 budget expenditures.Following an 
18-minute executive session, the board itself began discussion on the 
resolution. "I know a lot of people feel this has been a last-minute 
thing, but I would like to remind everybody that in 2019, the Bushton 
Attendance Center was closed, and the board of education at that time, 
did give a grim warning that wasn't the end, and there would still be 
tough decisions that have to be made," Dody said.Other talking 
points included how USD 112, which encompasses a large geographic region
 but features relatively few students, could not afford to run two 
independent junior/high schools. A loss of students from the district 
following the closure could create more problems, and Schiermeyer 
expressed concern about a survey that indicated just four current Wilson
 High students planned to transfer to Central Plains in Claflin next 
year."We struggle if we lose a few students, let alone 60, 70," 
he said. "And that's just high school. Does the elementary school 
follow? If you have a high school kid that goes to Sylvan, goes to 
Ellsworth, and you have an elementary student that's going to do the 
same thing when they get to junior high, are they staying so they can 
finish out elementary and then move, or are they moving with their older
 sibling? We don't know that number either. But we do that the threat is
 there, that the possibility is there. I don't feel like we, as a board,
 have looked at the consequences of that. And that is concerning."Schiermeyer
 also addressed safety issues with more high school students making the 
23-mile drive from Wilson to Claflin every day, and questioned both 
sides using the potential number of students who will transfer as 
leverage in the debate. He and a member of the public also questioned 
why the district would close Wilson over Central Plains, quoting a study
 that showed USD 112 would save $336,000 dollars by closing Wilson 
versus $815,000 by closing Central Plains High School.Wirth said 
the closure was not ideal, but based on studies provided that showed the
 district has lost money in eight of the last 10 years, keeping both 
high schools open was not an option. "I want this district to be 
around forever," he said. "I want my grandkids to come to this district,
 I was in this district. I personally want every child in this district 
to have the best education we can possibly give them, and I mean that 
from the bottom of my heart."Immediately after the vote, several 
students and members of the public in attendance walked out of the 
meeting.&nbsp;With Monday's vote, Wilson High School will close at the end of
 the 2022-23 school year. The USD 112 district was created in 2011.

Central Plains USD 112 votes to close Wilson High School

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;2,339 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Jan. 4 to Jan. 11, for a total of&nbsp; 921,937 cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;The state reported 2,842 the previous week.

On Wednesday, th<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/June-15-Case-Summary-PDF?bidId=">e state reported</a>&nbsp;81 additional COVID-19 deaths since the report on Jan. 4, for a total of 9,834.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

The state continues to support access to free COVID-19 testing, works to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”

The health department updates data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;2,339 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Jan. 4 to Jan. 11, for a total of&nbsp; 921,937 cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;The state reported 2,842 the previous week.On Wednesday, th<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/June-15-Case-Summary-PDF?bidId=">e state reported</a>&nbsp;81 additional COVID-19 deaths since the report on Jan. 4, for a total of 9,834.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673458975725.png" alt="Wednesday January 11, 2023 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday January 11, 2023 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.The state continues to support access to free COVID-19 testing, works to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”The health department updates data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

KDHE reports drop in COVID cases; 81 more deaths

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bills safety Damar Hamlin was released from a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday, more than a week after he went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated during a game at Cincinnati, after his doctors said they completed a series of tests.

A news release from the Bills quoted Dr. Jamie Nadler as saying: “We have completed a series of tests and evaluation and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged.” Nadler said Hamlin will continue his rehabilitation with the Bills.

Hamlin is going home after spending two days undergoing tests at Buffalo General Medical Center. He was transferred to Buffalo after spending last week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where the 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh area experienced what doctors called “a remarkable recovery.”

Hamlin collapsed on the field after being struck in the chest by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins while making what appeared to be a routine tackle during the first quarter of Buffalo’s since-canceled game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.

He spent the first two days in hospital under sedation. He was awakened and able to grip people’s hands at his bedside, and eventually taken off a ventilator and able to address his teammates on Friday.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Bills safety Damar Hamlin was released from a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday, more than a week after he went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated during a game at Cincinnati, after his doctors said they completed a series of tests.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">An amazing Damar Hamlin update. ❤️💙 <a href="https://t.co/GyP2uDQry0">pic.twitter.com/GyP2uDQry0</a>&mdash; Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1613211636990644224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A news release from the Bills quoted Dr. Jamie Nadler as saying: “We have completed a series of tests and evaluation and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged.” Nadler said Hamlin will continue his rehabilitation with the Bills.Hamlin is going home after spending two days undergoing tests at Buffalo General Medical Center. He was transferred to Buffalo after spending last week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where the 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh area experienced what doctors called “a remarkable recovery.”Hamlin collapsed on the field after being struck in the chest by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins while making what appeared to be a routine tackle during the first quarter of Buffalo’s since-canceled game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.He spent the first two days in hospital under sedation. He was awakened and able to grip people’s hands at his bedside, and eventually taken off a ventilator and able to address his teammates on Friday.

Bill's Damar Hamlin released from Buffalo hospital

NEW YORK (AP) — The world’s largest aircraft fleet was grounded for hours by a cascading outage in a government system that delayed or cancelled thousands of flights across the U.S. on Wednesday.

The White House initially said that there was no evidence of a cyberattack behind the outage that ruined travel plans for millions of passengers. President Joe Biden said Wednesday morning that he’s directed the Department of Transportation to investigate.

Whatever the cause, the outage revealed how dependent the world's largest economy is on air travel, and how dependent air travel is on an antiquated computer system called the Notice to Air Missions System, or NOTAM.

Before commencing a flight, pilots are required to consult NOTAMs, which list potential adverse impacts on flights, from runway construction to the potential for icing. The system used to be telephone-based, with pilots calling dedicated flight service stations for the information, but has moved online.

The NOTAM system broke down late Tuesday, leading to more than 1,000 flight cancellations and more than 6,000 delayed flights by 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

The chaos is expected to grow as backups compound. More than 21,000 flights were scheduled to take off in the U.S. today, mostly domestic trips, and about 1,840 international flights expected to fly to the U.S., according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Longtime aviation insiders could not recall an outage of such magnitude caused by a technology breakdown. Some compared it to the nationwide shutdown of airspace after the terror attacks of September 2001.

“Periodically there have been local issues here or there, but this is pretty significant historically,” said Tim Campbell, a former senior vice president of air operations at American Airlines and now a consultant in Minneapolis.

Campbell said there has long been concern about the Federal Aviation Administration’s technology, and not just the NOTAM system.

“So much of their systems are old mainframe systems that are generally reliable but they are out of date,” he said.

John Cox, a former airline pilot and aviation safety expert, said there has been talk in the aviation industry for years about trying to modernize the NOTAM system, but he did not know the age of the servers that the FAA uses.

He couldn’t say whether a cyberattack was possible.

“I’ve been flying 53 years. I’ve never heard the system go down like this,” Cox said. “So something unusual happened.”

According to FAA advisories, the NOTAM system failed at 8:28 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday preventing new or amended notices from being distributed to pilots. The FAA resorted to a telephone hotline to keep departures flying overnight, but as daytime traffic picked up it overwhelmed the telephone backup system.

The FAA ordered all departing flights grounded early Wednesday morning, affecting all passenger and shipping flights.

Some medical flights could get clearance and the outage did not impact any military operations or mobility.

Flights for the U.S. military’s Air Mobility Command, were not affected.

Biden said Wednesday morning that he was briefed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“I just spoke to Buttigieg. They don’t know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him about 10 minutes,” Biden said. “I told him to report directly to me when they find out.

Julia Macpherson was on a United Airlines flight from Sydney to Los Angeles on Wednesday when she learned of possible delays.

“As I was up in the air I got news from my friend who was also traveling overseas that there was a power outage,” said Macpherson, who was returning to Florida from Hobart, Tasmania. Once she lands in Los Angeles, she still has a connection in Denver on her flight to Jacksonville, Florida.

She said there have been no announcements on the flight about the FAA issue.

Macpherson said she had already experienced a delay in her travels because her original flight from Melbourne to San Francisco was canceled and she rebooked a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.

Similar stories came out of Chicago, Washington, Atlanta and other major U.S. airports.

European flights into the U.S. appeared to be largely unaffected.

Irish carrier Aer Lingus said services to the U.S. continue, and Dublin Airport’s website showed that its flights to Newark, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles were running on schedule.

“Aer Lingus plan to operate all transatlantic flights as scheduled today,” the carrier said in a prepared statement. “We will continue to monitor but we do not anticipate any disruption to our services arising from the technical issue in the United States.”

It was the latest headache for travelers in the U.S. who faced flight cancellations over the holidays amid winter storms and a breakdown with staffing technology at Southwest Airlines. They also ran into long lines, lost baggage, and cancellations and delays over the summer as travel demand roared back from the COVID-19 pandemic and ran into staffing cutbacks at airports and airlines in the U.S. and Europe.

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of flight delays and cancellations rippled across the U.S. early Wednesday after computer outage led to a grounding order for all departing aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FAA is working to restore what is known as the Notice to Air Missions System.

Before commencing a flight, pilots are required to consult NOTAMs, or Notices to Air Missions, which list potential adverse impacts on flights, from runway construction to the potential for icing. The system used to be telephone-based, with pilots calling dedicated flight service stations for the information, but has now moved online.

While the White House initially said that there is no evidence of a cyberattack, President Joe Biden said “we don’t know” and told reporters that he’s directed the Department of Transportation to investigate the cause of the disruption.

The FBI did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

The stop order was lifted just before 9 a.m., but delays and cancellations are expected to snowball. Departure gates at major airports are filled with aircraft that had been ordered grounded for hours. More than 21,000 flights were scheduled to take off in the U.S. today, mostly domestic trips, and about 1,840 international flights expected to fly to the U.S., according to aviation data firm Cirium.

More than 4,300 flights were delayed and more than 800 were cancelled by around 9:30 a.m.

The stop order by the FAA impacted almost all flights of shippers and passenger airlines.

Some medical flights could get clearance and the outage did not impact any military operations or the mobility of U.S. defense forces.

Biden addressed the FAA issue Wednesday before leaving the White House to accompany his wife to a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside of Washington. He said he had just been briefed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who told him they still had not identified what went wrong.

“I just spoke to Buttigieg. They don’t know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him about 10 minutes," Biden said. "I told him to report directly to me when they find out. Air traffic can still land safely, just not take off right now. We don’t know what the cause of it is.”

Buttigieg said in a tweet that he is in touch with the FAA and monitoring the situation.

Delays and cancellations that began on East Coast quickly spread west, with disruptions at almost all major U.S. airports.

The FAA said it was working on restoring its Notice to Air Missions System.

“We are performing final validation checks and reloading the system now,” the FAA said. “Operations across the National Airspace System are affected.”

Breakdowns in the NOTAM system appear to be rare.

“I’ve been flying 53 years. I’ve never heard the system go down like this," Cox said. "So something unusual happened.”

According FAA advisories, the NOTAM system failed at 8:28 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday preventing new or amended notices from being distributed to pilots. The FAA resorted to a telephone hotline in an effort to keep departures flying overnight, but as daytime traffic picked up it overwhelmed the telephone backup system.

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the U.S. military flights were not impacted because the military has its own NOTAMS system separate from the FAA system and the military’s system was not affected by the outage.

This is just the latest headache for travelers in the U.S. who faced flight cancellations over the holidays amid winter storms and a breakdown with staffing technology at Southwest Airlines. They also ran into long lines, lost baggage, and cancellations and delays over the summer as travel demand roared back from the COVID-19 pandemic and ran into staffing cutbacks at airports and airlines in the U.S. and Europe.

The FAA said that it would provide frequent updates as it made progress.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is lifting a ground stop on flights across the U.S. following a computer outage early Wednesday that resulted in thousands of delays quickly cascading through the system at airports nationwide.

Earlier in the morning the FAA ordered all U.S. flights to delay departures until at least 9 a.m. Eastern. Due to heavy congestion, the FAA cleared flights to depart at Newark Liberty and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports. The agency said that normal air traffic operations were resuming gradually across the U.S. following the outage.

More than 3,700 flights were delayed and more than 640 were cancelled early in the day.

The FAA said that it continues to look into the cause of the initial problem.

NEW YORK (AP) — A computer outage at the Federal Aviation Administration brought flights to a standstill across the U.S. early Wednesday, with thousands of delays quickly cascading through the system at airports nationwide.

The FAA ordered all U.S. flights to delay departures until at least 9 a.m. Eastern. Due to heavy congestion, the FAA cleared flights to depart at Newark Liberty and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports and departures were expected to resume at other airports soon.

There were more than 3,700 flights delayed by 8:30 a.m. Eastern, more than all the delayed flights for the entirety of the previous day, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. More than 640 have been cancelled.

Those numbers are likely to grow, and the groundings impact almost all aircraft, including shipping and passenger flights.

More than 21,000 flights were scheduled to take off in the U.S. today, mostly domestic trips, and about 1,840 international flights expected to fly to the U.S., according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Some medical flights can get clearance and the outage is not impacting any military operations or mobility.

Early Wednesday, flights for the U.S. military’s Air Mobility Command had not been impacted, said Air Force Col. Damien Pickart, a spokesman for Air Mobility Command is responsible for all the troop movement and supply flights, such as the C-17s that carry the president’s motorcade vehicles when he travels, but also all the flights that transport troops from one base to another. Air Mobility Command was working with the FAA on the issue.

While the White House initially said that there is no evidence of a cyberattack, President Joe Biden said “we don’t know” and told reporters he’s directed the Department of Transportation to investigate the cause of the disruption.

President Joe Biden addressed the FAA issue Wednesday before leaving the White House to accompany his wife to a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside of Washington. He said he had just been briefed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who told him they still had not identified what went wrong.

Most delays were concentrated along the East Coast, but were beginning to spread west. Inbound international flights into Miami International Airport continued to land, but all departures have been delayed since 6:30 a.m., said airport spokesman Greg Chin.

The agency said that some functions are beginning to come back on line, but that “National Airspace System operations remain limited.”

United Airlines said that it had temporarily delayed all domestic flights and would issue an update once it learned more from the FAA. American Airlines said that it was closely monitoring the situation.

“I don’t ever remember the NOTAM system going down like this. I’ve been flying 53 years,” said John Cox, a former airline pilot and now an aviation-safety consultant.

Air travel across US thrown into chaos after computer outage

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Conservative Kansas legislators are pushing back more aggressively this year on LGBTQ-rights issues than in the past two years, with proposals to ban&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-mental-ce8f5a9ee53768af03c3c65d5331045b">gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for trangender youth and restrict how public schools discuss sexual orientation and gender identity.

Top Republican lawmakers on Tuesday outlined an agenda for the year that includes culture war issues pursued by Republicans in other states, including a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's K-12, club and college sports. Their broader agenda on LGBTQ-rights issues this year in Kansas also comes after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">narrowly won reelection</a>&nbsp;in November despite GOP attacks over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">her vetoes</a>&nbsp;of two bills restricting transgender athletes.

On LGBTQ-rights issues, the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature focused in 2021 and 2022 on trangender athletes. Lawmakers haven't considered a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth or bills to restrict which bathrooms transgender people can use. Proposals on what schools teach on history and sexuality have not gone as far as a Florida law derided by critics as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-dont-say-gay-law-signed-56aee61f075a12663f25990c7b31624d">“Don't Say Gay”</a>&nbsp;policy.

State Rep. Heather Meyer, a bisexual Kansas City-area Democrat with a transgender son, said this year, for GOP lawmakers, “It sounds like that the bigots are the priority, not our children.”

“They want to make it so that it’s like we never existed, so like the LGBTQ community is invisible,” she said.

Top Republican lawmakers pledged to keep pushing for a laws restricting transgender athletes. Eighteen states have such laws, including Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas, according to the nonprofit, pro-LGBTQ-rights Movement Advancement Project think tank.

Supporters of such laws argue that they preserve fairness in competition and college scholarship opportunities for what they call “biological” women.

As Kelly ran for reelection, her campaign said she believes decisions about transgender athletes should be made by schools, doctors, families and local officials. That statement came&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-education-legislature-gay-rights-kansas-e32307ef93c0c64056e34f2d8a51efe2">after she declared in a television ad</a>&nbsp;that, “Of course men should not play girls’ sports. OK, we all agree there."

Two of the Legislature's most conservative Republicans, state Sens. Mark Steffen, from south-central Kansas, and Mike Thompson, from the Kansas City area, introduced&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb12_00_0000.pdf">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would make it illegal to perform gender-affirming surgery or provide hormone therapy or puberty-blocking medications to anyone under 21. Doctors would face having their medical licenses suspended or revoked for “professional incompetency.”

Arkansas bans such care for minors; Alabama makes it a felony, and Arizona bans gender-affirming surgery for minors. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-child-abuse-child-welfare-greg-abbott-ken-paxton-65c054b6ccd9040e81ad1a4be11403b9">issued an order last year</a>&nbsp;treating gender-affirming care as child abuse. Proposals have been introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/878a9217fa434f3ecd83738a71e40572">in at least 10 other states.</a>

“It’s a way of trying to protect these children from what could be life-altering and irreversible types of medical and chemical procedures,” Thompson told reporters after his bill was introduced.

It's not clear how much support the measure has, and a hearing has yet to be scheduled. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, expressed a willingness to consider the idea.

But Kelly is certain to be a big obstacle to such a policy. Asked about the proposal, Kelly told reporters Tuesday, “You can just imagine what I think of that.”

State Rep. Brandon Woodard, a gay Kansas City-area Democrat, called the measure “a garbage bill.”

“Gender-affirming care is live-saving and this bill is dangerous, hateful and will lead to death by suicide,” he said.

During a Statehouse news conference for introducing GOP leaders' agenda, Masterson decried what he called a “sexualized, woke agenda" in public schools. Later, he told reporters that he wants to pursue a law that would spell out limits on what schools can teach or discuss about sexuality issues by grade level.

Masterson said he's worried about schools focusing on people's “innate characteristics” and “dividing us up into different groups.”

“We've gotten completely away from, basically, fundamental academics,” he said. “And it's not helping our children.”

But state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a lesbian Kansas City-area Democrat, said the “radical right” is creating the problems.

“These are just kids who are trying to understand themselves,” she said. “They are coming after children who are vulnerable.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Conservative Kansas legislators are pushing back more aggressively this year on LGBTQ-rights issues than in the past two years, with proposals to ban&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-mental-ce8f5a9ee53768af03c3c65d5331045b">gender-affirming care</a>&nbsp;for trangender youth and restrict how public schools discuss sexual orientation and gender identity.Top Republican lawmakers on Tuesday outlined an agenda for the year that includes culture war issues pursued by Republicans in other states, including a ban on transgender athletes in girls' and women's K-12, club and college sports. Their broader agenda on LGBTQ-rights issues this year in Kansas also comes after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">narrowly won reelection</a>&nbsp;in November despite GOP attacks over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">her vetoes</a>&nbsp;of two bills restricting transgender athletes.On LGBTQ-rights issues, the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature focused in 2021 and 2022 on trangender athletes. Lawmakers haven't considered a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth or bills to restrict which bathrooms transgender people can use. Proposals on what schools teach on history and sexuality have not gone as far as a Florida law derided by critics as a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-dont-say-gay-law-signed-56aee61f075a12663f25990c7b31624d">“Don't Say Gay”</a>&nbsp;policy.State Rep. Heather Meyer, a bisexual Kansas City-area Democrat with a transgender son, said this year, for GOP lawmakers, “It sounds like that the bigots are the priority, not our children.”“They want to make it so that it’s like we never existed, so like the LGBTQ community is invisible,” she said.Top Republican lawmakers pledged to keep pushing for a laws restricting transgender athletes. Eighteen states have such laws, including Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas, according to the nonprofit, pro-LGBTQ-rights Movement Advancement Project think tank.Supporters of such laws argue that they preserve fairness in competition and college scholarship opportunities for what they call “biological” women.As Kelly ran for reelection, her campaign said she believes decisions about transgender athletes should be made by schools, doctors, families and local officials. That statement came&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-education-legislature-gay-rights-kansas-e32307ef93c0c64056e34f2d8a51efe2">after she declared in a television ad</a>&nbsp;that, “Of course men should not play girls’ sports. OK, we all agree there."Two of the Legislature's most conservative Republicans, state Sens. Mark Steffen, from south-central Kansas, and Mike Thompson, from the Kansas City area, introduced&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb12_00_0000.pdf">a bill</a>&nbsp;that would make it illegal to perform gender-affirming surgery or provide hormone therapy or puberty-blocking medications to anyone under 21. Doctors would face having their medical licenses suspended or revoked for “professional incompetency.”Arkansas bans such care for minors; Alabama makes it a felony, and Arizona bans gender-affirming surgery for minors. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-child-abuse-child-welfare-greg-abbott-ken-paxton-65c054b6ccd9040e81ad1a4be11403b9">issued an order last year</a>&nbsp;treating gender-affirming care as child abuse. Proposals have been introduced&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/878a9217fa434f3ecd83738a71e40572">in at least 10 other states.</a>“It’s a way of trying to protect these children from what could be life-altering and irreversible types of medical and chemical procedures,” Thompson told reporters after his bill was introduced.It's not clear how much support the measure has, and a hearing has yet to be scheduled. Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, expressed a willingness to consider the idea.But Kelly is certain to be a big obstacle to such a policy. Asked about the proposal, Kelly told reporters Tuesday, “You can just imagine what I think of that.”State Rep. Brandon Woodard, a gay Kansas City-area Democrat, called the measure “a garbage bill.”“Gender-affirming care is live-saving and this bill is dangerous, hateful and will lead to death by suicide,” he said.During a Statehouse news conference for introducing GOP leaders' agenda, Masterson decried what he called a “sexualized, woke agenda" in public schools. Later, he told reporters that he wants to pursue a law that would spell out limits on what schools can teach or discuss about sexuality issues by grade level.Masterson said he's worried about schools focusing on people's “innate characteristics” and “dividing us up into different groups.”“We've gotten completely away from, basically, fundamental academics,” he said. “And it's not helping our children.”But state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a lesbian Kansas City-area Democrat, said the “radical right” is creating the problems.“These are just kids who are trying to understand themselves,” she said. “They are coming after children who are vulnerable.”

Kansas right pushing back more aggressively on LGBTQ rights

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly on Tuesday signed&nbsp;the&nbsp;first executive order of her second term,&nbsp;Executive Order 23-01,&nbsp;to establish&nbsp;the Early Childhood Transition Task Force. The&nbsp;Task Force is charged with reviewing Kansas’ early childhood programs and developing a&nbsp;roadmap for the creation of a new state,&nbsp;cabinet-level agency focused solely on&nbsp;supporting the&nbsp;success&nbsp;of our youngest Kansans.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Yesterday, I laid out a vision for my next four years,&nbsp;to make Kansas the best place in America to raise a family. Today&nbsp;we are taking a significant step forward in pursuit of that goal,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“Giving Kansas kids the strongest start to life is the best possible investment we can make. This task force will&nbsp;determine how to make that investment most effectively.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

The task force will analyze the current early childhood system and how it is financed – focusing on gaps, inefficiencies, and redundancies. It will also conduct a series of stakeholder engagement opportunities and draft a transition plan&nbsp;for the new agency.&nbsp;

The task force will build on the Kelly Administration’s first term efforts&nbsp;around early childhood, which include&nbsp;investing&nbsp;more than $270 million to support&nbsp;child care&nbsp;providers and increasing&nbsp;access to reliable, affordable&nbsp;child care.&nbsp;

The task force will include&nbsp;representatives from state government, the private sector,&nbsp;philanthropic organizations, early childhood service providers, and advocacy organizations. Governor Kelly will also invite members of the Kansas Senate and the Kansas House of Representatives to be members of the task force.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673435553935.png" alt="The task force will build on the Kelly Administration’s first term efforts around early childhood, which include investing more than $270 million to support child care providers and increasing access to reliable, affordable child care. " />
 <figcaption>The task force will build on the Kelly Administration’s first term efforts around early childhood, which include investing more than $270 million to support child care providers and increasing access to reliable, affordable child care. </figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly on Tuesday signed&nbsp;the&nbsp;first executive order of her second term,&nbsp;Executive Order 23-01,&nbsp;to establish&nbsp;the Early Childhood Transition Task Force. The&nbsp;Task Force is charged with reviewing Kansas’ early childhood programs and developing a&nbsp;roadmap for the creation of a new state,&nbsp;cabinet-level agency focused solely on&nbsp;supporting the&nbsp;success&nbsp;of our youngest Kansans.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Yesterday, I laid out a vision for my next four years,&nbsp;to make Kansas the best place in America to raise a family. Today&nbsp;we are taking a significant step forward in pursuit of that goal,”&nbsp;Governor Kelly said.&nbsp;“Giving Kansas kids the strongest start to life is the best possible investment we can make. This task force will&nbsp;determine how to make that investment most effectively.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The task force will analyze the current early childhood system and how it is financed – focusing on gaps, inefficiencies, and redundancies. It will also conduct a series of stakeholder engagement opportunities and draft a transition plan&nbsp;for the new agency.&nbsp;The task force will build on the Kelly Administration’s first term efforts&nbsp;around early childhood, which include&nbsp;investing&nbsp;more than $270 million to support&nbsp;child care&nbsp;providers and increasing&nbsp;access to reliable, affordable&nbsp;child care.&nbsp;The task force will include&nbsp;representatives from state government, the private sector,&nbsp;philanthropic organizations, early childhood service providers, and advocacy organizations. Governor Kelly will also invite members of the Kansas Senate and the Kansas House of Representatives to be members of the task force.&nbsp;

Kansas Gov. creates Early Childhood Transition Task Force

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was surprised when informed that government records were found by his attorneys at his former office space in Washington. He was asked about the issue after the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee requested that the U.S. intelligence community conduct a “damage assessment” of potentially classified documents.

(Click below to watch the President answer questions)

Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, Biden said his attorneys “did what they should have done” when they immediately called the National Archives about the discovery at the offices of the Penn Biden Center. He kept an office there after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his presidential campaign in 2019.

The White House confirmed that the Department of Justice was reviewing “a small number of documents with classified markings" found at the office.

“I was briefed about this discovery and surprised to learn that there are any government records that were taken there to that office,” Biden said in his first comments since news of the Nov. 2, 2022, document discovery emerged Monday. He added that “I don’t know what’s in the documents" and that his lawyers had suggested he not ask.

Earlier Tuesday, Rep. Mike Turner sent the request to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, saying that Biden's retention of the documents put him in “potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act.”

Irrespective of a federal review, the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records could prove to be a political headache for the president, who called former&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/There%20are%20significant%20differences%20between%20the%20Trump%20and%20Biden%20situations,%20including%20the%20gravity%20of%20an%20ongoing%20grand%20jury%20investigation%20into%20the%20Mar-a-Lago%20matter.%20The%20risk%20assessment%20in%20the%20Trump%20case%20by%20intelligence%20officials%20is%20a%20different%20step%20with%20fewer%20formal%20requirements%20than%20a%20damage%20assessment.%20The%20risk%20assessment%20is%20to%20examine%20the%20documents%20seized%20at%20Mar-a-Lago%20for%20classification%20as%20well%20as%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20potential%20risk%20to%20national%20security%20that%20would%20result%20from%20the%20disclosure%20of%20the%20relevant%20documents.%E2%80%9D">President Donald Trump’s decision to keep hundreds</a>&nbsp;of such records at his&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/Irrespective%20of%20the%20Justice%20Department%20review,%20the%20revelation%20that%20Biden%20potentially%20mishandled%20classified%20or%20presidential%20records%20could%20prove%20to%20be%20a%20political%20headache%20for%20the%20president,%20who%20called%20Trump's%20decision%20to%20keep%20hundreds%20of%20such%20records%20at%20his%20private%20club%20in%20Florida%20%E2%80%9Cirresponsible.">private club in Florida “irresponsible.</a>&nbsp;”

“Those entrusted with access to classified information have a duty and an obligation to protect it,” said Turner in a letter to Haines. “This issue demands a full and thorough review.”

On Tuesday, Rep. James Comer, the new GOP chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent the White House Counsel’s office a letter requesting copies of the documents found at the Biden office, communications about the discovery, and a list of those who may have had access to the office where they were found. The White House didn’t immediately respond to the request.

Haines agreed in September to conduct a “risk assessment” rather than a “damage assessment” of the Trump case.

There are significant differences between the Trump and Biden situations, including the gravity of an ongoing grand jury investigation into the Mar-a-Lago matter. The intelligence risk assessment into the Trump documents is to examine the seized records for classification as well as “the potential risk to national security that would result from the disclosure of the relevant documents.”

Sen. Mark Warner, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for a briefing on the documents.

“Our system of classification exists in order to protect our most important national security secrets, and we expect to be briefed on what happened both at Mar-a-Lago and at the Biden office as part of our constitutional oversight obligations," he said. "From what we know so far, the latter is about finding documents with markings, and turning them over, which is certainly different from a months-long effort to retain material actively being sought by the government. But again, that’s why we need to be briefed."

Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said Monday that after Biden's attorneys found the records, they notified the National Archives and Records Administration — which took custody of the documents the next day.

“Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives,” Sauber said.

A person who is familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly said Attorney General Merrick Garland asked U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch to review the matter after the Archives referred the issue to the department. Lausch is one of the few U.S. attorneys to be held over from Trump's administration.

Trump weighed in Monday on his social media site, asking, “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?”

Republicans have just taken control of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-b9fcfd11427a695fe2eb49e36988f1a0">House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;and are promising to launch widespread investigations of Biden's administration.

The revelation also may complicate the Justice Department's consideration of whether to bring charges against Trump, who is trying to win back the White House in 2024 and has repeatedly claimed the department's inquiry into of his own conduct amounted to “corruption."

The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Spokespeople for Garland and Lausch declined to comment.

Comer also sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-10-Letter-NARA-Biden-classified-docs.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to the National Archives requesting records and correspondence relating to discovery of the Biden documents, asserting that “NARA’s inconsistent treatment of recovering classified records held by former President Trump and President Biden raises questions about political bias at the agency.”

His Democratic counterpart, Rep. Jamie Raskin, said Biden's attorneys “appear to have taken immediate and proper action.”

“I have confidence that the attorney general took the appropriate steps to ensure the careful review of the circumstances surrounding the possession and discovery of these documents and make an impartial decision about any further action that may be needed,” he added.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said Monday that the American public deserved to know earlier about the classified documents.

“They knew about this a week before the election, maybe the American people should have known that,” Jordan told reporters. “They certainly knew about the the raid on Mar-a-Lago 91 days before this election, but nice if on November 2, the country would have known that there were classified documents at the Biden Center.”

Jordan is among House Republicans pushing for the creation of a “select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal government” within the Judiciary Committee.

It wasn't immediately clear why the White House didn't disclose the discovery of the documents or the DOJ review sooner. CBS was first to report Monday on the discovery of the potentially classified documents.

The Justice Department for months has been investigating the retention of roughly 300 documents that were marked as classified and were recovered from the Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mar-a-lago">Florida estate.</a>&nbsp;In that instance, prosecutors say, representatives of Trump resisted requests to give back the full stash of classified documents and failed to fully comply with a subpoena that sought their return.

FBI agents in August served a search warrant at the Mar-a-Lago property, removing 33 boxes and containers.

That investigation is being led by special counsel Jack Smith. Prosecutors have interviewed an array of Trump associates and have been using a grand jury to hear evidence.

Democrats made a similar request of the director of national intelligence in August following the search of Mar-a-Lago. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Adam Schiff, who then led the House Oversight and Intelligence committees, asked Haines for an “immediate review and damage assessment,” alleging that Trump “has potentially put our national security at grave risk.”

Intelligence officials are not believed to have briefed Congress on their assessment in the four months since, according to public statements from lawmakers. Haines noted in her letter that any risk assessment would not “unduly interfere” with the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was surprised when informed that government records were found by his attorneys at his former office space in Washington. He was asked about the issue after the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee requested that the U.S. intelligence community conduct a “damage assessment” of potentially classified documents.(Click below to watch the President answer questions)<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F585489566749560%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1777" 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>Speaking to reporters in Mexico City, Biden said his attorneys “did what they should have done” when they immediately called the National Archives about the discovery at the offices of the Penn Biden Center. He kept an office there after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his presidential campaign in 2019.The White House confirmed that the Department of Justice was reviewing “a small number of documents with classified markings" found at the office.“I was briefed about this discovery and surprised to learn that there are any government records that were taken there to that office,” Biden said in his first comments since news of the Nov. 2, 2022, document discovery emerged Monday. He added that “I don’t know what’s in the documents" and that his lawyers had suggested he not ask.Earlier Tuesday, Rep. Mike Turner sent the request to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, saying that Biden's retention of the documents put him in “potential violation of laws protecting national security, including the Espionage Act and Presidential Records Act.”Irrespective of a federal review, the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records could prove to be a political headache for the president, who called former&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/There%20are%20significant%20differences%20between%20the%20Trump%20and%20Biden%20situations,%20including%20the%20gravity%20of%20an%20ongoing%20grand%20jury%20investigation%20into%20the%20Mar-a-Lago%20matter.%20The%20risk%20assessment%20in%20the%20Trump%20case%20by%20intelligence%20officials%20is%20a%20different%20step%20with%20fewer%20formal%20requirements%20than%20a%20damage%20assessment.%20The%20risk%20assessment%20is%20to%20examine%20the%20documents%20seized%20at%20Mar-a-Lago%20for%20classification%20as%20well%20as%20%E2%80%9Cthe%20potential%20risk%20to%20national%20security%20that%20would%20result%20from%20the%20disclosure%20of%20the%20relevant%20documents.%E2%80%9D">President Donald Trump’s decision to keep hundreds</a>&nbsp;of such records at his&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/Irrespective%20of%20the%20Justice%20Department%20review,%20the%20revelation%20that%20Biden%20potentially%20mishandled%20classified%20or%20presidential%20records%20could%20prove%20to%20be%20a%20political%20headache%20for%20the%20president,%20who%20called%20Trump's%20decision%20to%20keep%20hundreds%20of%20such%20records%20at%20his%20private%20club%20in%20Florida%20%E2%80%9Cirresponsible.">private club in Florida “irresponsible.</a>&nbsp;”“Those entrusted with access to classified information have a duty and an obligation to protect it,” said Turner in a letter to Haines. “This issue demands a full and thorough review.”On Tuesday, Rep. James Comer, the new GOP chairman of the House Oversight Committee, sent the White House Counsel’s office a letter requesting copies of the documents found at the Biden office, communications about the discovery, and a list of those who may have had access to the office where they were found. The White House didn’t immediately respond to the request.Haines agreed in September to conduct a “risk assessment” rather than a “damage assessment” of the Trump case.There are significant differences between the Trump and Biden situations, including the gravity of an ongoing grand jury investigation into the Mar-a-Lago matter. The intelligence risk assessment into the Trump documents is to examine the seized records for classification as well as “the potential risk to national security that would result from the disclosure of the relevant documents.”Sen. Mark Warner, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for a briefing on the documents.“Our system of classification exists in order to protect our most important national security secrets, and we expect to be briefed on what happened both at Mar-a-Lago and at the Biden office as part of our constitutional oversight obligations," he said. "From what we know so far, the latter is about finding documents with markings, and turning them over, which is certainly different from a months-long effort to retain material actively being sought by the government. But again, that’s why we need to be briefed."Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said Monday that after Biden's attorneys found the records, they notified the National Archives and Records Administration — which took custody of the documents the next day.“Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives,” Sauber said.A person who is familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly said Attorney General Merrick Garland asked U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch to review the matter after the Archives referred the issue to the department. Lausch is one of the few U.S. attorneys to be held over from Trump's administration.Trump weighed in Monday on his social media site, asking, “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?”Republicans have just taken control of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-b9fcfd11427a695fe2eb49e36988f1a0">House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;and are promising to launch widespread investigations of Biden's administration.The revelation also may complicate the Justice Department's consideration of whether to bring charges against Trump, who is trying to win back the White House in 2024 and has repeatedly claimed the department's inquiry into of his own conduct amounted to “corruption."The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Spokespeople for Garland and Lausch declined to comment.Comer also sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-01-10-Letter-NARA-Biden-classified-docs.pdf">letter</a>&nbsp;to the National Archives requesting records and correspondence relating to discovery of the Biden documents, asserting that “NARA’s inconsistent treatment of recovering classified records held by former President Trump and President Biden raises questions about political bias at the agency.”His Democratic counterpart, Rep. Jamie Raskin, said Biden's attorneys “appear to have taken immediate and proper action.”“I have confidence that the attorney general took the appropriate steps to ensure the careful review of the circumstances surrounding the possession and discovery of these documents and make an impartial decision about any further action that may be needed,” he added.Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said Monday that the American public deserved to know earlier about the classified documents.“They knew about this a week before the election, maybe the American people should have known that,” Jordan told reporters. “They certainly knew about the the raid on Mar-a-Lago 91 days before this election, but nice if on November 2, the country would have known that there were classified documents at the Biden Center.”Jordan is among House Republicans pushing for the creation of a “select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal government” within the Judiciary Committee.It wasn't immediately clear why the White House didn't disclose the discovery of the documents or the DOJ review sooner. CBS was first to report Monday on the discovery of the potentially classified documents.The Justice Department for months has been investigating the retention of roughly 300 documents that were marked as classified and were recovered from the Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mar-a-lago">Florida estate.</a>&nbsp;In that instance, prosecutors say, representatives of Trump resisted requests to give back the full stash of classified documents and failed to fully comply with a subpoena that sought their return.FBI agents in August served a search warrant at the Mar-a-Lago property, removing 33 boxes and containers.That investigation is being led by special counsel Jack Smith. Prosecutors have interviewed an array of Trump associates and have been using a grand jury to hear evidence.Democrats made a similar request of the director of national intelligence in August following the search of Mar-a-Lago. Reps. Carolyn Maloney and Adam Schiff, who then led the House Oversight and Intelligence committees, asked Haines for an “immediate review and damage assessment,” alleging that Trump “has potentially put our national security at grave risk.”Intelligence officials are not believed to have briefed Congress on their assessment in the four months since, according to public statements from lawmakers. Haines noted in her letter that any risk assessment would not “unduly interfere” with the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago.___

🎥Biden's first comments on classified docs at his old office

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Attorneys for a Missouri man scheduled to be executed next month are seeking a new hearing, citing sworn statements they call “clear and convincing evidence” that he didn't kill his girlfriend and her three children.

Leonard Taylor, 58, is scheduled to die by injection Feb. 7 for the 2004 killings of Angela Rowe, 28, along with her 10-year-old daughter Alexus Conley, 6-year-old daughter AcQreya Conley, and 5-year-old son Tyrese Conley. All four were found shot inside their home in the St. Louis County town of Jennings in 2004.

But on Friday, Taylor's attorneys asked St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell for a new hearing. A spokesman for Bell said Monday that the request is being reviewed.

A year-old provision in a Missouri law allows a prosecutor to file a motion asking for a hearing before a judge if there is new evidence of a wrongful conviction. Bell is a Democrat first elected in 2018. He created a Conviction and Incident Review Unit responsible for looking at, among other things, potential cases of wrongful convictions.

At issue are new sworn statements from Taylor's daughter, now 31, her sister and her mother. They claim that Taylor was in California at the time of the killings.

Police discovered the bodies on Dec. 3, 2004, after worried relatives requested a welfare check. Taylor, who had an extensive criminal record and was the live-in boyfriend of Angela Rowe, was arrested days later.

It's not known exactly when Rowe and her children were killed. The Missouri Attorney General's office believes it was before Taylor flew to California on Nov. 26, 2004.

But in the new filing, Taylor's attorneys said that while in California, Taylor met for the first time a girl he had fathered 13 years earlier. The statement from Deja Taylor said she and her father called Angela Rowe during his visit. She said she spoke with Rowe and one of the children — proof, Taylor's lawyers contend, that the family was still alive after Taylor left Missouri.

Deja Taylor's mother and sister corroborated her story, the court filing stated.

“All of the evidence in this case, both old and new, presents a compelling case that Leonard Taylor could not have possibly committed these murders because he was out of the state from the early morning hours of November 26, 2004, until he was arrested in Kentucky and returned to Missouri on December 9, 2004,” the court filing states.

A spokeswoman for Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey declined comment.

JENNINGS, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri inmate facing execution next month for allegedly killing his girlfriend and her three children in Jennings in 2004 has produced statements that he was 1800 miles away when the slayings took place.

Leonard Taylor, 45, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Feb. 7 for allegedly killing Angela Rowe, her two young daughters and her young son in November 2004.

<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lawyers-claim-jennings-man-on-death-row-was-1-800-miles-away-at-time-of/article_2916e903-3c5b-531c-afc1-5acdf592337e.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported</a>&nbsp;Monday that Taylor's attorneys, Kent Gipson and Kevin Schriener, have obtained statements from Taylor’s now 31-year-old daughter and her mother claiming that he was in California in November 2004 and couldn’t have committed the murders.

Taylor's attorneys hope to trigger a provision in a state law that allows a prosecutor to request a hearing before a judge if he or she has information that a defendant could be innocent or erroneously convicted. Christopher King, a spokesman for St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, said Monday that prosecutors were reviewing the new information.

Prosecutors have alleged that Taylor killed the family, admitted it in a phone call to his brother and fled to California.

Taylor has claimed Rowe and the children were still alive when he boarded a flight from Lambert Field to Ontario, California, on the morning of Nov. 26, 2004.

Police discovered the bodies of Rowe, 28; her daughters, Alexus Conley, 10, and AcQreya Conley, 6; and her son, Tyrese Conley, 5, on Dec. 3 at a house. All four had been shot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673437071153.png" alt="Taylor-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Taylor-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Attorneys for a Missouri man scheduled to be executed next month are seeking a new hearing, citing sworn statements they call “clear and convincing evidence” that he didn't kill his girlfriend and her three children.Leonard Taylor, 58, is scheduled to die by injection Feb. 7 for the 2004 killings of Angela Rowe, 28, along with her 10-year-old daughter Alexus Conley, 6-year-old daughter AcQreya Conley, and 5-year-old son Tyrese Conley. All four were found shot inside their home in the St. Louis County town of Jennings in 2004.But on Friday, Taylor's attorneys asked St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell for a new hearing. A spokesman for Bell said Monday that the request is being reviewed.A year-old provision in a Missouri law allows a prosecutor to file a motion asking for a hearing before a judge if there is new evidence of a wrongful conviction. Bell is a Democrat first elected in 2018. He created a Conviction and Incident Review Unit responsible for looking at, among other things, potential cases of wrongful convictions.At issue are new sworn statements from Taylor's daughter, now 31, her sister and her mother. They claim that Taylor was in California at the time of the killings.Police discovered the bodies on Dec. 3, 2004, after worried relatives requested a welfare check. Taylor, who had an extensive criminal record and was the live-in boyfriend of Angela Rowe, was arrested days later.It's not known exactly when Rowe and her children were killed. The Missouri Attorney General's office believes it was before Taylor flew to California on Nov. 26, 2004.But in the new filing, Taylor's attorneys said that while in California, Taylor met for the first time a girl he had fathered 13 years earlier. The statement from Deja Taylor said she and her father called Angela Rowe during his visit. She said she spoke with Rowe and one of the children — proof, Taylor's lawyers contend, that the family was still alive after Taylor left Missouri.Deja Taylor's mother and sister corroborated her story, the court filing stated.“All of the evidence in this case, both old and new, presents a compelling case that Leonard Taylor could not have possibly committed these murders because he was out of the state from the early morning hours of November 26, 2004, until he was arrested in Kentucky and returned to Missouri on December 9, 2004,” the court filing states.A spokeswoman for Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey declined comment.-------------JENNINGS, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri inmate facing execution next month for allegedly killing his girlfriend and her three children in Jennings in 2004 has produced statements that he was 1800 miles away when the slayings took place.Leonard Taylor, 45, is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Feb. 7 for allegedly killing Angela Rowe, her two young daughters and her young son in November 2004.<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/lawyers-claim-jennings-man-on-death-row-was-1-800-miles-away-at-time-of/article_2916e903-3c5b-531c-afc1-5acdf592337e.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported</a>&nbsp;Monday that Taylor's attorneys, Kent Gipson and Kevin Schriener, have obtained statements from Taylor’s now 31-year-old daughter and her mother claiming that he was in California in November 2004 and couldn’t have committed the murders.Taylor's attorneys hope to trigger a provision in a state law that allows a prosecutor to request a hearing before a judge if he or she has information that a defendant could be innocent or erroneously convicted. Christopher King, a spokesman for St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, said Monday that prosecutors were reviewing the new information.Prosecutors have alleged that Taylor killed the family, admitted it in a phone call to his brother and fled to California.Taylor has claimed Rowe and the children were still alive when he boarded a flight from Lambert Field to Ontario, California, on the morning of Nov. 26, 2004.Police discovered the bodies of Rowe, 28; her daughters, Alexus Conley, 10, and AcQreya Conley, 6; and her son, Tyrese Conley, 5, on Dec. 3 at a house. All four had been shot.A jury convicted Taylor in 2008.

Inmate facing Feb. execution has new alibi in quadruple slaying

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.

Austin’s memo has been widely anticipated ever since legislation signed into law on Dec. 23 gave him 30 days to rescind the mandate. The Defense Department had already stopped all related personnel actions, such as discharging troops who refused the shot.

“The Department will continue to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all service members,” Austin said in the memo. “Vaccination enhances operational readiness and protects the force.”

Austin said that commanders have the authority to maintain unit readiness and a healthy force. He added, however, that other department policies — including mandates for other vaccines — remain in place. That includes, he said, “the ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, including when vaccination is required for travel to, or entry into, a foreign nation.”

The contentious political issue, which has divided America, forced more than 8,400 troops out of the military for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. Thousands of others sought religious and medical exemptions. Austin’s memo ends those exemption requests.

Austin, who instituted the mandate in August 2021 after the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and as the coronavirus pandemic raged, was staunch in his desire to maintain it insisting the vaccine was necessary to protect the health of the force. He and other defense leaders argued that for decades troops, particularly those deployed overseas, had been required to get as many as 17 different vaccines. No other vaccine mandates were affected by the new law.

But Congress agreed to rescind the mandate, with opponents reluctantly saying that perhaps it had already succeeded in getting the bulk of the force vaccinated. Roughly 99% of active-duty troops in the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps had gotten the vaccine, and 98% of the Army. The Guard and Reserve rates are lower, but generally are more than 90%.

Austin’s memo was unapologetic in his continued support for the vaccine, and his belief that the mandate kept the force healthy and able to protect America. The Pentagon’s vaccine efforts, he said, “will leave a lasting legacy in the many lives we saved, the world-class force we have been able to field, and the high level of readiness we have maintained, amidst difficult public health conditions.”

In addition to ending efforts to discharge troops who refuse the vaccine, Austin’s memo says that those who sought exemptions and were denied will have their records updated and any letters of reprimand will be removed.

Those who were discharged for refusing to obey a lawful order to take the vaccine received either an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Austin’s memo says that anyone who was discharged can petition their military service to request a change in the “characterization of their discharge” in their personnel records. It does not, however, say what possible corrections could be awarded.

Austin’s decision leaves some discretion to commanders, allowing them to decide whether they can require vaccines in some circumstances, such as certain deployments overseas.

Military officials vividly recall the overwhelming crisis of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy aircraft carrier that was knocked out of duty and sidelined in Guam for 10 weeks in early 2020 as the emerging virus swept through the ship. More than 1,000 crew members eventually became infected, and one sailor died.

Military leaders worry that if troops begin to refuse the vaccine in large numbers, similar outbreaks could occur. The risk is particularly high on small ships or submarines where service members are jammed into close quarters for weeks or months at a time, or on critical combat missions, such as those involving special operations forces that deploy in small teams.

According to data compiled by the military as of early December, the Marine Corps leads the services with 3,717 Marines discharged. There have been 2,041 discharged from the Navy, 1,841 from the Army and 834 from the Air Force. The Air Force data includes the Space Force.

What’s not clear is if the services, who are facing recruiting challenges, will want — or be able to — allow any of those service members to return to duty, if they still meet all necessary fitness and other requirements.

Lawmakers argued that ending the mandate would help with recruiting. Defense officials have pushed back by saying that while it may help a bit, a department survey during the first nine months of last year found that a large majority said the mandate did not change the likelihood they would consider enlisting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1635861962000.png" alt="“The Department will continue to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all service members,” Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said in the memo.-photo Dept. of Defense" />
 <figcaption>“The Department will continue to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all service members,” Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said in the memo.-photo Dept. of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon formally dropped its COVID-19 vaccination mandate Tuesday, but a new memo signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also gives commanders some discretion in how or whether to deploy troops who are not vaccinated.Austin’s memo has been widely anticipated ever since legislation signed into law on Dec. 23 gave him 30 days to rescind the mandate. The Defense Department had already stopped all related personnel actions, such as discharging troops who refused the shot.“The Department will continue to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all service members,” Austin said in the memo. “Vaccination enhances operational readiness and protects the force.”Austin said that commanders have the authority to maintain unit readiness and a healthy force. He added, however, that other department policies — including mandates for other vaccines — remain in place. That includes, he said, “the ability of commanders to consider, as appropriate, the individual immunization status of personnel in making deployment, assignment, and other operational decisions, including when vaccination is required for travel to, or entry into, a foreign nation.”The contentious political issue, which has divided America, forced more than 8,400 troops out of the military for refusing to obey a lawful order when they declined to get the vaccine. Thousands of others sought religious and medical exemptions. Austin’s memo ends those exemption requests.Austin, who instituted the mandate in August 2021 after the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and as the coronavirus pandemic raged, was staunch in his desire to maintain it insisting the vaccine was necessary to protect the health of the force. He and other defense leaders argued that for decades troops, particularly those deployed overseas, had been required to get as many as 17 different vaccines. No other vaccine mandates were affected by the new law.But Congress agreed to rescind the mandate, with opponents reluctantly saying that perhaps it had already succeeded in getting the bulk of the force vaccinated. Roughly 99% of active-duty troops in the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps had gotten the vaccine, and 98% of the Army. The Guard and Reserve rates are lower, but generally are more than 90%.Austin’s memo was unapologetic in his continued support for the vaccine, and his belief that the mandate kept the force healthy and able to protect America. The Pentagon’s vaccine efforts, he said, “will leave a lasting legacy in the many lives we saved, the world-class force we have been able to field, and the high level of readiness we have maintained, amidst difficult public health conditions.”In addition to ending efforts to discharge troops who refuse the vaccine, Austin’s memo says that those who sought exemptions and were denied will have their records updated and any letters of reprimand will be removed.Those who were discharged for refusing to obey a lawful order to take the vaccine received either an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions. Austin’s memo says that anyone who was discharged can petition their military service to request a change in the “characterization of their discharge” in their personnel records. It does not, however, say what possible corrections could be awarded.Austin’s decision leaves some discretion to commanders, allowing them to decide whether they can require vaccines in some circumstances, such as certain deployments overseas.Military officials vividly recall the overwhelming crisis of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy aircraft carrier that was knocked out of duty and sidelined in Guam for 10 weeks in early 2020 as the emerging virus swept through the ship. More than 1,000 crew members eventually became infected, and one sailor died.Military leaders worry that if troops begin to refuse the vaccine in large numbers, similar outbreaks could occur. The risk is particularly high on small ships or submarines where service members are jammed into close quarters for weeks or months at a time, or on critical combat missions, such as those involving special operations forces that deploy in small teams.According to data compiled by the military as of early December, the Marine Corps leads the services with 3,717 Marines discharged. There have been 2,041 discharged from the Navy, 1,841 from the Army and 834 from the Air Force. The Air Force data includes the Space Force.What’s not clear is if the services, who are facing recruiting challenges, will want — or be able to — allow any of those service members to return to duty, if they still meet all necessary fitness and other requirements.Lawmakers argued that ending the mandate would help with recruiting. Defense officials have pushed back by saying that while it may help a bit, a department survey during the first nine months of last year found that a large majority said the mandate did not change the likelihood they would consider enlisting.