WASHINGTON (AP) — Responding to an increasing number of threats born of conspiracy theories that agents were going to aggressively target middle income taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday that it was conducting a comprehensive review of safety at its facilities.

The climate, healthcare and tax legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden last week included $80 billion in funding for tax collection efforts. Although Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen specifically directed the agency to not focus its attention on taxpayers with middle class incomes, misinformation spread rapidly online that agents were going to crack down on taxpayers of all earnings levels.

The baseless assertions also said the IRS would distribute firearms to employees authorized to used deadly force, prompting threats to the IRS employees.

Now agency leadership has launched an examination of agency safety.

“We are conducting a comprehensive review of existing safety and security measures,” said Chuck Rettig, IRS commissioner about the agency's 600 office locations nationwide. “This includes conducting risk assessments," he said, by monitoring perimeter security, designations of restricted areas, exterior lighting, security around entrances of facilities and other measures.

“For me this is personal. I’ll continue to make every effort to dispel any lingering misperceptions about our work,” Rettig said in a Tuesday letter to employees. “And I will continue to advocate for your safety in every venue where I have an audience.”

Rettig, whose term at the IRS ends in November, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-technology-personal-taxes-janet-yellen-26165108b1fe1907f216ed0357d8f0bf">tasked with developing</a>&nbsp;a plan on how to spend the new infusion of funds included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Along with anonymous online forums, high-ranking Republican politicians have spread falsehoods about the IRS workforce and how the newly allocated funds would be spent.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/services/files/FE938C2F-152C-47FA-A200-16BFE5573837">sent an August 16 open letter</a>&nbsp;to Americans, calling on them not to take any new IRS positions, reinforcing false information about open roles at the agency and their access to firearms.

“The IRS is making it very clear that you not only need to be ready to audit and investigate your fellow hardworking Americans, your neighbors and friends, you need to be ready and, to use the IRS’s words, willing, to kill them,” he said in the letter.

Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said members have been vocal about their fears and worries about their safety.

“IRS employees are certainly very hard working and honest, they do the business of funding the government. They're saying they don’t deserve to be treated as the enemy of the government," he said.

He added that members who are of retirement age have expressed a greater desire to retire due to the increased attention on their jobs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">More than half</a>&nbsp;of the IRS' enforcement workforce of 80,000 is retirement eligible.

Reardon said several workers have talked about being reminded of the 2010 Austin, Texas suicide attack, where Andrew Joseph Stack III deliberately crashed his single engine plane into the Echelon office building, killing himself and Internal Revenue Service manager Vernon Hunter.

“The rhetoric we're hearing now is dangerous” Reardon said. “It's putting these patriotic Americans at risk.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSWASHINGTON (AP) — Responding to an increasing number of threats born of conspiracy theories that agents were going to aggressively target middle income taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday that it was conducting a comprehensive review of safety at its facilities.The climate, healthcare and tax legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden last week included $80 billion in funding for tax collection efforts. Although Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen specifically directed the agency to not focus its attention on taxpayers with middle class incomes, misinformation spread rapidly online that agents were going to crack down on taxpayers of all earnings levels.The baseless assertions also said the IRS would distribute firearms to employees authorized to used deadly force, prompting threats to the IRS employees.Now agency leadership has launched an examination of agency safety.“We are conducting a comprehensive review of existing safety and security measures,” said Chuck Rettig, IRS commissioner about the agency's 600 office locations nationwide. “This includes conducting risk assessments," he said, by monitoring perimeter security, designations of restricted areas, exterior lighting, security around entrances of facilities and other measures.“For me this is personal. I’ll continue to make every effort to dispel any lingering misperceptions about our work,” Rettig said in a Tuesday letter to employees. “And I will continue to advocate for your safety in every venue where I have an audience.”Rettig, whose term at the IRS ends in November, is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-technology-personal-taxes-janet-yellen-26165108b1fe1907f216ed0357d8f0bf">tasked with developing</a>&nbsp;a plan on how to spend the new infusion of funds included in the Inflation Reduction Act.Along with anonymous online forums, high-ranking Republican politicians have spread falsehoods about the IRS workforce and how the newly allocated funds would be spent.Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/services/files/FE938C2F-152C-47FA-A200-16BFE5573837">sent an August 16 open letter</a>&nbsp;to Americans, calling on them not to take any new IRS positions, reinforcing false information about open roles at the agency and their access to firearms.“The IRS is making it very clear that you not only need to be ready to audit and investigate your fellow hardworking Americans, your neighbors and friends, you need to be ready and, to use the IRS’s words, willing, to kill them,” he said in the letter.Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said members have been vocal about their fears and worries about their safety.“IRS employees are certainly very hard working and honest, they do the business of funding the government. They're saying they don’t deserve to be treated as the enemy of the government," he said.He added that members who are of retirement age have expressed a greater desire to retire due to the increased attention on their jobs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">More than half</a>&nbsp;of the IRS' enforcement workforce of 80,000 is retirement eligible.Reardon said several workers have talked about being reminded of the 2010 Austin, Texas suicide attack, where Andrew Joseph Stack III deliberately crashed his single engine plane into the Echelon office building, killing himself and Internal Revenue Service manager Vernon Hunter.“The rhetoric we're hearing now is dangerous” Reardon said. “It's putting these patriotic Americans at risk.”

IRS initiates safety probe after threats to workers

MIAMI COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities investigating a drowning at a Kansas Lake have identified the victim as&nbsp;as 20-year-old Michael Allen Giesbrecht of Lane, Kansas, according to Sheriff Matthew Kelly.

Just before 2p.m. Sunday, deputies, the Kansas Department of Wildlife wardens and Miami County EMS responded to a medical call on someone unresponsive at the small watercraft ramp next to the Marina at Hillsdale Lake, 26353 Jayhawker Lane, according to Kelly.

Investigators learned that Giesbrecht had docked a jet ski at the small watercraft dock while the owner of the jet ski parked the vehicle and trailer.

 They had just unloaded the jet ski off the trailer into the water, and when the owner returned to the dock, he was unable to locate Giesbrecht.

Another jet ski driver found Giesbrecht nearby a short time later. He face down in shallow water, approximately five feed deep. He had no life preserve on, according to the sheriff's office.

Giesbrecht was taken to shore, where bystanders attempted life-saving measures. Emergency crews transported him Olathe Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

An underlying medical condition may have contributed to his death. No foul play is suspected, according to the sheriff’s office.

MIAMI COUNTY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities investigating a drowning at a Kansas Lake have identified the victim as&nbsp;as 20-year-old Michael Allen Giesbrecht of Lane, Kansas, according to Sheriff Matthew Kelly.Just before 2p.m. Sunday, deputies, the Kansas Department of Wildlife wardens and Miami County EMS responded to a medical call on someone unresponsive at the small watercraft ramp next to the Marina at Hillsdale Lake, 26353 Jayhawker Lane, according to Kelly.Investigators learned that Giesbrecht had docked a jet ski at the small watercraft dock while the owner of the jet ski parked the vehicle and trailer. They had just unloaded the jet ski off the trailer into the water, and when the owner returned to the dock, he was unable to locate Giesbrecht.Another jet ski driver found Giesbrecht nearby a short time later. He face down in shallow water, approximately five feed deep. He had no life preserve on, according to the sheriff's office.Giesbrecht was taken to shore, where bystanders attempted life-saving measures. Emergency crews transported him Olathe Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.An underlying medical condition may have contributed to his death. No foul play is suspected, according to the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff IDs Kansas man with jet ski who drowned

JOHNSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s largest-ever economic development project comes with a big employment challenge: how to find 7,000 construction workers in an already booming building environment when there's also a national shortage of people working in the trades.

At hand is the $20 billion semiconductor manufacturing operation near the state's capital,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-lifestyle-games-video-games-cb3e3a36f48416a25b5d00baa405f91a">announced by Intel earlier this year</a>. When the two factories, known as fabs, open in 2025, the facility will employ 3,000 people with an average salary of around $135,000.

Before that happens, the 1,000-acre site must be leveled and the semiconductor factories built.

“This project reverberated nationwide,” said Michael Engbert, an Ohio-based official with the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

“We don’t field calls every day from members hundreds or thousands of miles away asking about transferring into Columbus, Ohio,” he said. “It’s because they know Intel is coming.”

To win the project, Ohio offered Intel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-ohio-columbus-intel-corp-9b71a9526ef4a94209cd08f24b1dac02">roughly $2 billion in incentives</a>, including a 30-year tax break. Intel has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-business-philanthropy-columbus-155cd895b8fa9c802531a06e7ef50161">outlined $150 million in educational funding</a>&nbsp;aimed at growing the semiconductor industry regionally and nationally.

Construction is expected to accelerate following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-science-technology-united-states-economy-2fa651c540c9869890dfe670bcdcb7ea">Congress' approval last month</a>&nbsp;of a package boosting the semiconductor industry and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with international rivals. It includes more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry as well as a 25% tax credit for those companies that invest in chip plants in the U.S.

For the central Ohio project, all 7,000 workers aren't required right away. They're also only a portion of what will be needed as the Intel project transforms hundreds of largely rural acres about 30 minutes east of Columbus.

Just six months after Intel revealed the Ohio operation, for example, Missouri-based VanTrust Real Estate announced it was building a 500-acre (200-hectare) business park next door to house Intel suppliers. The site's 5 million square feet (464,515 square meters) is equivalent to nearly nine football fields. Other projects for additional suppliers are expected.

California-based Intel will rely on lessons learned in building previous semiconductor sites nationally and globally to ensure enough construction workers, the company said in a statement.

“One of Intel’s top reasons for choosing Ohio is access to the region’s robust workforce,” the company said. “It will not be without its challenges, but we are confident there is enough demand that these jobs will be filled.”

Labor leaders and state officials acknowledge there's not currently a pool of 7,000 extra workers in central Ohio, where other current projects include a 28-story Hilton near downtown Columbus, a $2 billion addition to The Ohio State University's medical center, and a $365 million Amgen biomanufacturing plant not far from the Intel plant.

And that's not counting at least three new Google and Amazon data centers, plans for a new $200 million municipal courthouse south of downtown Columbus and solar array projects that could require nearly 6,000 construction jobs by themselves.

Federal data shows about 45,000 home and commercial construction workers in central Ohio. That number increased by 1,800 from May 2021 to May 2022, meaning a future deficit given current and future demands.

"I don’t know of a single commercial construction company that’s not hiring," said Mary Tebeau, executive director of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio, a construction industry trade association.

Offsetting the imbalance are training programs, a push to encourage more high school students to enter the trades, and pure economics. Including overtime, pay for skilled tradespeople could hit $125,000 annually, said Dorsey Hager, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbus Building Trades Council.

Or as Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, the state's economic development point person, puts it, the Intel project is so big and lucrative it will create opportunities for people who didn't see construction jobs in their future.

“When you’re willing to pay people more to do something, you will find the talent,” he said.

In addition to new and out-of-state workers, some will likely be pulled from the residential construction industry, thinning out an already short supply of homebuilders, said Ed Brady, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Home Builders Institute.

That creates a housing shortage risk that could slow the very type of economic development that Intel is sparking, said Ed Dietz of the National Association of Home Builders.

“How do you attract those business investments if you can’t also provide additional housing available for the growth in the labor force?” he said.

Central Ohio is expected to reach 3 million residents by 2050, a rate that would require 11,000 to 14,000 housing units a year. That was before Intel was announced, said Jennifer Noll, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission's associate director for community development. Meanwhile, the closest the region came to hitting that goal was in 2020 with 11,000 units.

“We know we’ve got some work to do as a region,” Noll said.

Shortage or not, work is underway at and near the Intel site, where parades of trucks rumbled down country roads on a recent August morning as the beeping of multiple construction vehicles sounded in the distance.

It was just another day for pipe layer Taylor Purdy, who made his regular 30-minute drive from Bangs, Ohio, to his construction job helping widen a road running alongside the Intel plant.

Purdy, 28, spends his days in trenches helping position storm and sanitary sewers and waterlines. Overtime is plentiful as deadlines approach. The Intel construction work is in its earliest phases as earthmovers reshape the 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of former farm and residential land being transformed into an industrial site.

Purdy said he likes the job security of being involved on such a big project. He's also noticed that, unlike other jobs he has worked, he does not need to explain to people what he is up to.

“They all know what I’m talking about,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661248734598.jpeg" alt="Taylor Purdy, a pipe layer with Complete General Construction, answers questions about his experience working around the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing plant construction site in Johnstown, Ohio, during an interview near the site Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Purdy spends his days in trenches helping position storm and sanitary sewers and waterlines. Overtime is plentiful as deadlines approach. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)" />
 <figcaption>Taylor Purdy, a pipe layer with Complete General Construction, answers questions about his experience working around the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing plant construction site in Johnstown, Ohio, during an interview near the site Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Purdy spends his days in trenches helping position storm and sanitary sewers and waterlines. Overtime is plentiful as deadlines approach. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)</figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSJOHNSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s largest-ever economic development project comes with a big employment challenge: how to find 7,000 construction workers in an already booming building environment when there's also a national shortage of people working in the trades.At hand is the $20 billion semiconductor manufacturing operation near the state's capital,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-lifestyle-games-video-games-cb3e3a36f48416a25b5d00baa405f91a">announced by Intel earlier this year</a>. When the two factories, known as fabs, open in 2025, the facility will employ 3,000 people with an average salary of around $135,000.Before that happens, the 1,000-acre site must be leveled and the semiconductor factories built.“This project reverberated nationwide,” said Michael Engbert, an Ohio-based official with the Laborers’ International Union of North America.“We don’t field calls every day from members hundreds or thousands of miles away asking about transferring into Columbus, Ohio,” he said. “It’s because they know Intel is coming.”To win the project, Ohio offered Intel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-ohio-columbus-intel-corp-9b71a9526ef4a94209cd08f24b1dac02">roughly $2 billion in incentives</a>, including a 30-year tax break. Intel has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-business-philanthropy-columbus-155cd895b8fa9c802531a06e7ef50161">outlined $150 million in educational funding</a>&nbsp;aimed at growing the semiconductor industry regionally and nationally.Construction is expected to accelerate following&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-science-technology-united-states-economy-2fa651c540c9869890dfe670bcdcb7ea">Congress' approval last month</a>&nbsp;of a package boosting the semiconductor industry and scientific research in a bid to create more high-tech jobs in the United States and help it better compete with international rivals. It includes more than $52 billion in grants and other incentives for the semiconductor industry as well as a 25% tax credit for those companies that invest in chip plants in the U.S.For the central Ohio project, all 7,000 workers aren't required right away. They're also only a portion of what will be needed as the Intel project transforms hundreds of largely rural acres about 30 minutes east of Columbus.Just six months after Intel revealed the Ohio operation, for example, Missouri-based VanTrust Real Estate announced it was building a 500-acre (200-hectare) business park next door to house Intel suppliers. The site's 5 million square feet (464,515 square meters) is equivalent to nearly nine football fields. Other projects for additional suppliers are expected.California-based Intel will rely on lessons learned in building previous semiconductor sites nationally and globally to ensure enough construction workers, the company said in a statement.“One of Intel’s top reasons for choosing Ohio is access to the region’s robust workforce,” the company said. “It will not be without its challenges, but we are confident there is enough demand that these jobs will be filled.”Labor leaders and state officials acknowledge there's not currently a pool of 7,000 extra workers in central Ohio, where other current projects include a 28-story Hilton near downtown Columbus, a $2 billion addition to The Ohio State University's medical center, and a $365 million Amgen biomanufacturing plant not far from the Intel plant.And that's not counting at least three new Google and Amazon data centers, plans for a new $200 million municipal courthouse south of downtown Columbus and solar array projects that could require nearly 6,000 construction jobs by themselves.Federal data shows about 45,000 home and commercial construction workers in central Ohio. That number increased by 1,800 from May 2021 to May 2022, meaning a future deficit given current and future demands."I don’t know of a single commercial construction company that’s not hiring," said Mary Tebeau, executive director of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio, a construction industry trade association.Offsetting the imbalance are training programs, a push to encourage more high school students to enter the trades, and pure economics. Including overtime, pay for skilled tradespeople could hit $125,000 annually, said Dorsey Hager, executive secretary-treasurer of the Columbus Building Trades Council.Or as Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, the state's economic development point person, puts it, the Intel project is so big and lucrative it will create opportunities for people who didn't see construction jobs in their future.“When you’re willing to pay people more to do something, you will find the talent,” he said.In addition to new and out-of-state workers, some will likely be pulled from the residential construction industry, thinning out an already short supply of homebuilders, said Ed Brady, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Home Builders Institute.That creates a housing shortage risk that could slow the very type of economic development that Intel is sparking, said Ed Dietz of the National Association of Home Builders.“How do you attract those business investments if you can’t also provide additional housing available for the growth in the labor force?” he said.Central Ohio is expected to reach 3 million residents by 2050, a rate that would require 11,000 to 14,000 housing units a year. That was before Intel was announced, said Jennifer Noll, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission's associate director for community development. Meanwhile, the closest the region came to hitting that goal was in 2020 with 11,000 units.“We know we’ve got some work to do as a region,” Noll said.Shortage or not, work is underway at and near the Intel site, where parades of trucks rumbled down country roads on a recent August morning as the beeping of multiple construction vehicles sounded in the distance.It was just another day for pipe layer Taylor Purdy, who made his regular 30-minute drive from Bangs, Ohio, to his construction job helping widen a road running alongside the Intel plant.Purdy, 28, spends his days in trenches helping position storm and sanitary sewers and waterlines. Overtime is plentiful as deadlines approach. The Intel construction work is in its earliest phases as earthmovers reshape the 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of former farm and residential land being transformed into an industrial site.Purdy said he likes the job security of being involved on such a big project. He's also noticed that, unlike other jobs he has worked, he does not need to explain to people what he is up to.“They all know what I’m talking about,” he said.

Wanted: 7,000 construction workers for Intel chip plants

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a suspect in custody.

Just before 10:30 p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the area of the 400 Block of NE Gordon in Topeka, in reference to a shooting, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks. First responders found a 70-year-old man at the scene suffering from a gunshot wound and he was transported to a hospital by American Medical Response. 

The two individuals involved are known to each other, according to Eubanks.

As a result of the investigation, Benjamin E. Folsom, 34, Topeka, was booked in to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery and Criminal possession of a firearm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661181240026.png" alt="Folsom-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Folsom-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have a suspect in custody.Just before 10:30 p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the area of the 400 Block of NE Gordon in Topeka, in reference to a shooting, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks. First responders found a 70-year-old man at the scene suffering from a gunshot wound and he was transported to a hospital by American Medical Response. The two individuals involved are known to each other, according to Eubanks.As a result of the investigation, Benjamin E. Folsom, 34, Topeka, was booked in to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery and Criminal possession of a firearm.

Kan. man jailed after police find 70-year-old with gunshot wound

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;asked a federal judge Monday to halt the FBI's review of documents recovered from his Florida estate earlier this month until a neutral special master can be appointed to inspect the records.

The request was included in a federal lawsuit, the first filing by Trump's legal team in the two weeks since the search, that takes broad aim at the FBI investigation into the discovery of classified records at Mar-a-Lago and that foreshadows arguments his lawyers are expected to make as the probe proceeds.

It comes as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/us/politics/trump-mar-a-lago-documents.html">The New York Times reported</a>&nbsp;that the government has recovered more than 300 documents marked classified from Mar-a-Lago since Trump left office, including more than 150 retrieved by the National Archives in January — a number that helped trigger the criminal investigation.

The lawsuit casts the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">Aug. 8 search</a>, in which the FBI said it recovered 11 sets of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, as a “shockingly aggressive move." It also attacks the warrant as overly broad, contends that Trump is entitled to a more detailed description of the records seized from the home and argues that the FBI and Justice Department has long treated him “unfairly.”

"Law enforcement is a shield that protects America. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes," the lawyers wrote Monday. “Therefore, we seek judicial assistance in the aftermath of an unprecedented and unnecessary raid” at Mar-a-Lago.

In a separate statement, Trump said “ALL documents have been previously declassified” — though he has not produced evidence to support that claim — and described the records as having been “illegally seized from my home." The Justice Department countered in a terse three-sentence statement pointing out that the search had been authorized by a federal judge after the FBI presented probable cause that a crime had been committed.

The filing requests the appointment of a special master not connected the case who would be tasked with inspecting the records recovered from Mar-a-Lago and setting aside those that are covered by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-classified-information-8dd6297eaebc358ffc15c153dc1b000e">executive privilege</a>&nbsp;— a principle that permits presidents to withhold certain communications from public disclosure.

In some other high-profile cases — including investigations involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-trump-investigations-europe-technology-ef880f0c5b0e4d86089b2b2414a16ebc">Rudy Giuliani</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-cohen-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-kimba-wood-9329e82cb2e545fe8d9c43c8233163c7">Michael Cohen</a>, two of Trump's personal attorneys — that role has been filled by a former judge.

“This matter has captured the attention of the American public. Merely ‘adequate’ safeguards are not acceptable when the matter at hand involves not only the constitutional rights of President Trump, but also the presumption of executive privilege,” the attorneys wrote.

The lawsuit argues that the records, created during Trump's White House tenure, are “presumptively privileged.” But the Supreme Court has never determined whether a former president can assert executive privilege over documents, writing in January that the issue is unprecedented and raises “serious and substantial concerns.”

The high court turned down Trump’s plea to block records held by the National Archives from being turned over to the Jan. 6 committee, saying then that his request would have been denied even if he had been the incumbent president, so there was no need to tackle the thorny issue of a former president’s claims.

The lawsuit paints Trump as “fully cooperative” and compliant with investigators, saying members of his personal and household staff were made available for voluntary interviews and quoting him as telling FBI and Justice Department officials during a June visit to Mar-a-Lago, “Whatever you need, just let us know.”

But the chronology of events makes clear that the search took place only after other options to recover classified documents from the home had been incomplete or unsuccessful. In May, for instance, weeks before the search, the Justice Department issued a subpoena for records bearing classification markings.

The Trump team's lawsuit was assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who was nominated by Trump in 2020 and confirmed by the Senate 56-21 later that year. She is a former assistant U.S. attorney in Florida, handling mainly criminal appeals.

The months-long investigation, which burst into public view with the Mar-a-Lago search, emerged from a referral from the National Archives, which earlier this year retrieved 15 boxes of documents and other items from the estate that should have been turned over to the agency when Trump left the White House. An initial review of that material concluded that Trump had brought presidential records and several other documents that were marked classified to Mar-a-Lago.

FBI and Justice Department officials visited Mar-a-Lago in June and asked to inspect a storage room. Several weeks later, the Justice Department subpoenaed for video footage from surveillance cameras at the estate. After the meeting at Mar-a-Lago, investigators interviewed another witness who told them that there were likely additional classified documents still at the estate, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.

Separately Monday, a federal judge acknowledged that redactions to an FBI affidavit spelling out the basis for the search might be so extensive as to make the document “meaningless” if released to the public. But he said he continued to believe it should not remain sealed in its entirety because of the “intense” public interest in the investigation.

A written order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart largely restates what he said in court last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-west-palm-beach-bf4bd77e66e22d0b089a2a56c4ffc9a7">when he directed the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;to propose redactions about the information in the affidavit that it wants to remain secret. That submission is due Thursday at noon.

Justice Department officials have sought to keep the entire document sealed, saying disclosing any portion of it risks compromising an ongoing criminal investigation, revealing information about witnesses and divulging investigative techniques. They have advised the judge that the necessary redactions to the affidavit would be so numerous that they would strip the document of any substantive information and make it effectively meaningless for the public.

Reinhart acknowledged that possibility in his Monday order, writing, “I cannot say at this point that partial redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless disclosure, but I may ultimately reach that conclusion after hearing further from the Government.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660337904040.jpeg" alt="The receipt for property that was seized during the execution of a search warrant by the FBI at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., is photographed Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)" />
 <figcaption>The receipt for property that was seized during the execution of a search warrant by the FBI at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., is photographed Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for former President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;asked a federal judge Monday to halt the FBI's review of documents recovered from his Florida estate earlier this month until a neutral special master can be appointed to inspect the records.The request was included in a federal lawsuit, the first filing by Trump's legal team in the two weeks since the search, that takes broad aim at the FBI investigation into the discovery of classified records at Mar-a-Lago and that foreshadows arguments his lawyers are expected to make as the probe proceeds.It comes as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/us/politics/trump-mar-a-lago-documents.html">The New York Times reported</a>&nbsp;that the government has recovered more than 300 documents marked classified from Mar-a-Lago since Trump left office, including more than 150 retrieved by the National Archives in January — a number that helped trigger the criminal investigation.The lawsuit casts the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">Aug. 8 search</a>, in which the FBI said it recovered 11 sets of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, as a “shockingly aggressive move." It also attacks the warrant as overly broad, contends that Trump is entitled to a more detailed description of the records seized from the home and argues that the FBI and Justice Department has long treated him “unfairly.”"Law enforcement is a shield that protects America. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes," the lawyers wrote Monday. “Therefore, we seek judicial assistance in the aftermath of an unprecedented and unnecessary raid” at Mar-a-Lago.In a separate statement, Trump said “ALL documents have been previously declassified” — though he has not produced evidence to support that claim — and described the records as having been “illegally seized from my home." The Justice Department countered in a terse three-sentence statement pointing out that the search had been authorized by a federal judge after the FBI presented probable cause that a crime had been committed.The filing requests the appointment of a special master not connected the case who would be tasked with inspecting the records recovered from Mar-a-Lago and setting aside those that are covered by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-classified-information-8dd6297eaebc358ffc15c153dc1b000e">executive privilege</a>&nbsp;— a principle that permits presidents to withhold certain communications from public disclosure.In some other high-profile cases — including investigations involving&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-joe-biden-trump-investigations-europe-technology-ef880f0c5b0e4d86089b2b2414a16ebc">Rudy Giuliani</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-cohen-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-kimba-wood-9329e82cb2e545fe8d9c43c8233163c7">Michael Cohen</a>, two of Trump's personal attorneys — that role has been filled by a former judge.“This matter has captured the attention of the American public. Merely ‘adequate’ safeguards are not acceptable when the matter at hand involves not only the constitutional rights of President Trump, but also the presumption of executive privilege,” the attorneys wrote.The lawsuit argues that the records, created during Trump's White House tenure, are “presumptively privileged.” But the Supreme Court has never determined whether a former president can assert executive privilege over documents, writing in January that the issue is unprecedented and raises “serious and substantial concerns.”The high court turned down Trump’s plea to block records held by the National Archives from being turned over to the Jan. 6 committee, saying then that his request would have been denied even if he had been the incumbent president, so there was no need to tackle the thorny issue of a former president’s claims.The lawsuit paints Trump as “fully cooperative” and compliant with investigators, saying members of his personal and household staff were made available for voluntary interviews and quoting him as telling FBI and Justice Department officials during a June visit to Mar-a-Lago, “Whatever you need, just let us know.”But the chronology of events makes clear that the search took place only after other options to recover classified documents from the home had been incomplete or unsuccessful. In May, for instance, weeks before the search, the Justice Department issued a subpoena for records bearing classification markings.The Trump team's lawsuit was assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who was nominated by Trump in 2020 and confirmed by the Senate 56-21 later that year. She is a former assistant U.S. attorney in Florida, handling mainly criminal appeals.The months-long investigation, which burst into public view with the Mar-a-Lago search, emerged from a referral from the National Archives, which earlier this year retrieved 15 boxes of documents and other items from the estate that should have been turned over to the agency when Trump left the White House. An initial review of that material concluded that Trump had brought presidential records and several other documents that were marked classified to Mar-a-Lago.FBI and Justice Department officials visited Mar-a-Lago in June and asked to inspect a storage room. Several weeks later, the Justice Department subpoenaed for video footage from surveillance cameras at the estate. After the meeting at Mar-a-Lago, investigators interviewed another witness who told them that there were likely additional classified documents still at the estate, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly about it.Separately Monday, a federal judge acknowledged that redactions to an FBI affidavit spelling out the basis for the search might be so extensive as to make the document “meaningless” if released to the public. But he said he continued to believe it should not remain sealed in its entirety because of the “intense” public interest in the investigation.A written order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart largely restates what he said in court last week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-donald-trump-west-palm-beach-bf4bd77e66e22d0b089a2a56c4ffc9a7">when he directed the Justice Department</a>&nbsp;to propose redactions about the information in the affidavit that it wants to remain secret. That submission is due Thursday at noon.Justice Department officials have sought to keep the entire document sealed, saying disclosing any portion of it risks compromising an ongoing criminal investigation, revealing information about witnesses and divulging investigative techniques. They have advised the judge that the necessary redactions to the affidavit would be so numerous that they would strip the document of any substantive information and make it effectively meaningless for the public.Reinhart acknowledged that possibility in his Monday order, writing, “I cannot say at this point that partial redactions will be so extensive that they will result in a meaningless disclosure, but I may ultimately reach that conclusion after hearing further from the Government.”___

Trump wants special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents

To date, over $5.7B committed to close the 'homework gap'

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission today announced it is committing nearly $42 million in two new funding rounds through the Emergency Connectivity Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country.  Today’s funding commitments support applications from all three application windows, benefiting approximately 100,000 students, including students in Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin.  

“This is the time of year when families stock up on school supplies, and internet access should be on that list.  Yet we still have too many students who lack the ability to connect with school after hours,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel.  “This latest round of funding will help more students get the online access they need for a successful education, and bring us closer to closing the Homework Gap.” 

To date, the Commission has committed over $5.7 billion to schools and libraries across the country as part of the Emergency Connectivity Program, which launched last year.  The program has provided schools and libraries three different “application windows,” for schools and libraries to apply for support.  Today’s announcement includes over $4.4 million from the first and second application windows providing support in the upcoming school year for 5 schools.  For the third application window, the Commission is committing nearly $37 million that will support over 230 schools, 30 libraries, and 5 consortia.  

The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensure

students across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education.  To date, the program has provided support to over 10,000 schools, 900 libraries, and 100 consortia, and providing nearly 12 million connected devices and over 7 million broadband connections.  Of the over $5.7 billion in funding commitments approved to date, approximately $4.1 billion is supporting applications from Window 1; $831 million from Window 2; and $811 million from Window 3.  

More details about which schools and libraries have received funding commitments can be found <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund">HERE</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1569445831519.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>To date, over $5.7B committed to close the 'homework gap'</h2> FCCWASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission today announced it is committing nearly $42 million in two new funding rounds through the Emergency Connectivity Program, which provides digital services for students in communities across the country. Today’s funding commitments support applications from all three application windows, benefiting approximately 100,000 students, including students in Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin. “This is the time of year when families stock up on school supplies, and internet access should be on that list. Yet we still have too many students who lack the ability to connect with school after hours,” said Chairwoman Rosenworcel. “This latest round of funding will help more students get the online access they need for a successful education, and bring us closer to closing the Homework Gap.” To date, the Commission has committed over $5.7 billion to schools and libraries across the country as part of the Emergency Connectivity Program, which launched last year. The program has provided schools and libraries three different “application windows,” for schools and libraries to apply for support. Today’s announcement includes over $4.4 million from the first and second application windows providing support in the upcoming school year for 5 schools. For the third application window, the Commission is committing nearly $37 million that will support over 230 schools, 30 libraries, and 5 consortia. The funding can be used to support off-campus learning, such as nightly homework, to ensurestudents across the country have the necessary support to keep up with their education. To date, the program has provided support to over 10,000 schools, 900 libraries, and 100 consortia, and providing nearly 12 million connected devices and over 7 million broadband connections. Of the over $5.7 billion in funding commitments approved to date, approximately $4.1 billion is supporting applications from Window 1; $831 million from Window 2; and $811 million from Window 3. More details about which schools and libraries have received funding commitments can be found <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-connectivity-fund">HERE</a>.

FCC: Another $42M for emergency broadband connectivity

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Lawrence on Monday released police dash camera and body camera images of the July 31, high-speed chase through the community that led to the arrest of double homicide suspect 51-year-old Rodney Marshall.

Click below to watch Lawrence Police Chief&nbsp;Rich Lockhart explain the&nbsp; video.&nbsp;

Just after 1a.m. on July 31, police received 911 calls about shots fired in the 1100 block of Tennessee in Lawrence, according to Police spokesperson Laura McCabe.&nbsp;

Officers arrived at the home and found a 53-year-old man critically injured with gunshot wounds. Emergency Responders helped transfer him to a Kansas City trauma department where he was pronounced dead.&nbsp;

Not long after, another call came in about shots fired in the 300 block of Northwood Lane.&nbsp; Officers found another victim at that location.&nbsp; The 43-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Investigators worked through the night to identify a suspect, located him, and tried to pull him over in the 900 Block of Lawrence Avenue about 6:00 am.&nbsp;

The suspect later identified as 51-year-old Rodney Ericson Marshall did not comply and a led officers on a pursuit through town, down Haskell and to the Bypass accessing K-10 toward Kansas City.&nbsp;

Marshall fired several times at officers while on K-10 until eventually hitting the stop sticks near Eudora and was taken into custody.&nbsp; A female passenger was also in the car at the time of the arrest and was questioned by investigators.

This investigation involved multiple agencies, several locations, two victims, and the attempted murder of several Law Enforcement Officers, according to McCabe.

Marshall has previous convictions for aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal deprivation of property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1659312423011.png" alt="-Marshall has previous convictions for aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal deprivation of property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>-Marshall has previous convictions for aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal deprivation of property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities in Lawrence on Monday released police dash camera and body camera images of the July 31, high-speed chase through the community that led to the arrest of double homicide suspect 51-year-old Rodney Marshall.Click below to watch Lawrence Police Chief&nbsp;Rich Lockhart explain the&nbsp; video.&nbsp;<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IFHENkKFEog?start=230" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Just after 1a.m. on July 31, police received 911 calls about shots fired in the 1100 block of Tennessee in Lawrence, according to Police spokesperson Laura McCabe.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661199114171.png" alt="Images Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Images Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers arrived at the home and found a 53-year-old man critically injured with gunshot wounds. Emergency Responders helped transfer him to a Kansas City trauma department where he was pronounced dead.&nbsp;Not long after, another call came in about shots fired in the 300 block of Northwood Lane.&nbsp; Officers found another victim at that location.&nbsp; The 43-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661199538451.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators worked through the night to identify a suspect, located him, and tried to pull him over in the 900 Block of Lawrence Avenue about 6:00 am.&nbsp;The suspect later identified as 51-year-old Rodney Ericson Marshall did not comply and a led officers on a pursuit through town, down Haskell and to the Bypass accessing K-10 toward Kansas City.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661199612066.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Marshall fired several times at officers while on K-10 until eventually hitting the stop sticks near Eudora and was taken into custody.&nbsp; A female passenger was also in the car at the time of the arrest and was questioned by investigators.This investigation involved multiple agencies, several locations, two victims, and the attempted murder of several Law Enforcement Officers, according to McCabe.Marshall has previous convictions for aggravated assault, criminal threat, criminal deprivation of property and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

🎥 Police release video of pursuit, arrest Kan. double-murder suspect

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities were busy with drug arrests in northeast Kansas on Saturday.

Just before 1 a.m. a sheriff's deputy stopped a 2005 Nissan Altima near 150th and U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

Deputies arrested the driver of the vehicle, Tiffany Michelle Thompson, 42, of Topeka, on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, transporting an open container and driving while suspended.

  The passenger, Dwan Maurice Taylor Sr., 41, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges that include felony interference with law enforcement, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.

&nbsp;Just after 3:30a.m.,&nbsp; a sheriff's deputy stopped a 2010 GMC Terrain for a traffic infraction near 150th&nbsp;and U.S. Highway 75, according to Morse.

 The deputy arrested the driver, 31-year-old Arturo Garcia-Silva, of Kansas City, Kansas, on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, interference with law enforcement and driving while suspended.

At 10 p.m., . A deputy conducted a traffic stop on an Infiniti G near 150th&nbsp;and Q. Road for a traffic infraction, according to Morse.&nbsp; Following a search, the passenger, Janet Sue Huhs, 60, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661114406715.png" alt="Thompson-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Thompson-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities were busy with drug arrests in northeast Kansas on Saturday.Just before 1 a.m. a sheriff's deputy stopped a 2005 Nissan Altima near 150th and U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.Deputies arrested the driver of the vehicle, Tiffany Michelle Thompson, 42, of Topeka, on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, transporting an open container and driving while suspended.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661114432765.png" alt="Taylor-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Taylor-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure> The passenger, Dwan Maurice Taylor Sr., 41, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges that include felony interference with law enforcement, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of a hallucinogenic drug and possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp;Just after 3:30a.m.,&nbsp; a sheriff's deputy stopped a 2010 GMC Terrain for a traffic infraction near 150th&nbsp;and U.S. Highway 75, according to Morse.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661114305899.png" alt="Garcia-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Garcia-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure> The deputy arrested the driver, 31-year-old Arturo Garcia-Silva, of Kansas City, Kansas, on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, interference with law enforcement and driving while suspended.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661114521769.png" alt="Huhs-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Huhs-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>At 10 p.m., . A deputy conducted a traffic stop on an Infiniti G near 150th&nbsp;and Q. Road for a traffic infraction, according to Morse.&nbsp; Following a search, the passenger, Janet Sue Huhs, 60, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Sheriff: 4 Kansans jailed for meth in 3 Saturday traffic stops

FINNEY COUNTY—A Kansas man was injured in a small plane crash just before 10:30a.m. Monday in Finney County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;North Wing Design Apache Ultralight&nbsp; piloted by Dallas James Savolt, 46, Garden City, used the side of a residence at 455 East Sondreagger Road as a runway to take off northbound.

The pilot attempted to land in a field south of the residence. The aircraft rotated counter-clockwise and crashed.

Garden City Fire crews found the plane in the field on the&nbsp;north side of the road. Fire units made contact with a bystander who was trying to free the pilot from the aircraft. The bystander reported that he had seen the aircraft from north U.S. Highway 83 and Sondreagger Road. 

Fire personnel removed a wing of the aircraft to gain access to the pilot. They extricated him from the aircraft and loaded him into the ambulance to be transported by Finney County Emergency Medical Services to&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital&nbsp; with facial injuries along with back and arm pain, according to the Garden City Fire Deparatment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661209351883.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—A Kansas man was injured in a small plane crash just before 10:30a.m. Monday in Finney County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;North Wing Design Apache Ultralight&nbsp; piloted by Dallas James Savolt, 46, Garden City, used the side of a residence at 455 East Sondreagger Road as a runway to take off northbound.The pilot attempted to land in a field south of the residence. The aircraft rotated counter-clockwise and crashed.Garden City Fire crews found the plane in the field on the&nbsp;north side of the road. Fire units made contact with a bystander who was trying to free the pilot from the aircraft. The bystander reported that he had seen the aircraft from north U.S. Highway 83 and Sondreagger Road. Fire personnel removed a wing of the aircraft to gain access to the pilot. They extricated him from the aircraft and loaded him into the ambulance to be transported by Finney County Emergency Medical Services to&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital&nbsp; with facial injuries along with back and arm pain, according to the Garden City Fire Deparatment.

Kansas pilot hospitalized after small plane crash

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A woman was injured when she fell off a moving motorcycle Sunday afternoon in south Salina, and the driver was arrested on outstanding warrants.

&nbsp;Just before 5p.m. Sunday, a 2006 Honda motorcycle driven by 36-year-old Jody Meyer, 36, was&nbsp; northbound in the 1900 block of S. Ohio Street in Salina. 

A 33-year-old female passenger identified as his wife fell off the motorcycle just north of the Albert Avenue intersection. The woman received scrapes, but was not transported to the hospital.

Officers working the incident discovered that Meyer had multiple active warrants from Salina Municipal Court. Police arrested Meyer on the warrants and the following requested charges that included no proof of insurance and driving with a suspended driver's license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661174859678.jpeg" alt="Jody Meyer-photo&nbsp;Saline County" />
 <figcaption>Jody Meyer-photo&nbsp;Saline County</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA woman was injured when she fell off a moving motorcycle Sunday afternoon in south Salina, and the driver was arrested on outstanding warrants.&nbsp;Just before 5p.m. Sunday, a 2006 Honda motorcycle driven by 36-year-old Jody Meyer, 36, was&nbsp; northbound in the 1900 block of S. Ohio Street in Salina. A 33-year-old female passenger identified as his wife fell off the motorcycle just north of the Albert Avenue intersection. The woman received scrapes, but was not transported to the hospital.Officers working the incident discovered that Meyer had multiple active warrants from Salina Municipal Court. Police arrested Meyer on the warrants and the following requested charges that included no proof of insurance and driving with a suspended driver's license.

Wanted Kan. man jailed after motorcycle crash that injured his wife

KANSAS CITY—The suspect involved in the abduction of his young daughters after he allegedly committed a homicide on Sunday is in custody, according to Kanas City Police.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Jordan Owsley, 27,&nbsp; turned himself to authorities on Monday morning, according to Captain Leslie Foreman with the KCPD.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified Owsley as a suspect in a fatal shooting of 38-year-old Marvin Williams at the scene of the child abduction. Owsley then took his two daughters from the 1300 block of East 89th Street. That led authorities to issue the Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPAlerts">evening&nbsp;Amber Alert</a>.

Authorities found the 7-year-old and 4-year-old safe at a relative’s house and also located the suspect vehicle, a white Kia Optima.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661131710867.png" alt="Owsley-photo MSHP" />
 <figcaption>Owsley-photo MSHP</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—The suspect involved in the abduction of his young daughters after he allegedly committed a homicide on Sunday is in custody, according to Kanas City Police.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jordan Owsley, 27,&nbsp; turned himself to authorities on Monday morning, according to Captain Leslie Foreman with the KCPD.The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified Owsley as a suspect in a fatal shooting of 38-year-old Marvin Williams at the scene of the child abduction. Owsley then took his two daughters from the 1300 block of East 89th Street. That led authorities to issue the Sunday <a href="https://twitter.com/MSHPAlerts">evening&nbsp;Amber Alert</a>.Authorities found the 7-year-old and 4-year-old safe at a relative’s house and also located the suspect vehicle, a white Kia Optima.Police released no additional details.

Suspect in Kansas City Amber Alert turns himself in

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An anti-drug group on Monday announced support for a lawsuit to take a recreational marijuana legalization proposal off Missouri’s November ballot.

Jefferson City resident Joy Sweeney filed the lawsuit Friday with support from the national anti-drug group Protect Our Kids.

The suit alleged that marijuana supporters didn’t gather enough valid voter signatures to put the proposal to a vote. The lawsuit also claimed the ballot measure deals with too many policies in violation of the state constitution.

“We are proud to stand alongside Ms. Sweeney in her challenge to the scam that is this marijuana legalization referendum,” Protect Our Kids CEO Luke Niforatos said in a statement. “Not only does the language deceive voters about the harms of legalization, it is in violation of state law and the Missouri Constitution.”

Campaign manager John Payne said the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana “had the grassroots support necessary to collect the valid number of signatures required to reach the ballot” compared to dozens of other failed initiative petitions filed this election cycle.

“This lawsuit lacks merit and in less than three months Missouri will be the 20th state to regulate, tax and legalize cannabis,” Payne said in a statement.

Missouri’s secretary of state, the state's top election official, didn’t immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday.

Missouri's ballot proposal would allow those age 21 and older to buy and grow weed for personal consumption and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-marijuana-recreational-constitutions-missouri-65e4a10bb7d99fdf9fca2ea57e07d0c1">automatically erase records</a>&nbsp;of some past marijuana-related crimes.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An anti-drug group on Monday announced support for a lawsuit to take a recreational marijuana legalization proposal off Missouri’s November ballot.Jefferson City resident Joy Sweeney filed the lawsuit Friday with support from the national anti-drug group Protect Our Kids.The suit alleged that marijuana supporters didn’t gather enough valid voter signatures to put the proposal to a vote. The lawsuit also claimed the ballot measure deals with too many policies in violation of the state constitution.“We are proud to stand alongside Ms. Sweeney in her challenge to the scam that is this marijuana legalization referendum,” Protect Our Kids CEO Luke Niforatos said in a statement. “Not only does the language deceive voters about the harms of legalization, it is in violation of state law and the Missouri Constitution.”Campaign manager John Payne said the campaign to legalize recreational marijuana “had the grassroots support necessary to collect the valid number of signatures required to reach the ballot” compared to dozens of other failed initiative petitions filed this election cycle.“This lawsuit lacks merit and in less than three months Missouri will be the 20th state to regulate, tax and legalize cannabis,” Payne said in a statement.Missouri’s secretary of state, the state's top election official, didn’t immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment Monday.Missouri's ballot proposal would allow those age 21 and older to buy and grow weed for personal consumption and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-marijuana-recreational-constitutions-missouri-65e4a10bb7d99fdf9fca2ea57e07d0c1">automatically erase records</a>&nbsp;of some past marijuana-related crimes.

Lawsuit filed to knock recreational pot off Missouri ballot

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/22/kansas-democrat-mark-holland-not-interested-in-being-footnote-to-history-in-u-s-senate-race/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Democrat Mark Holland 
said he wouldn’t be deterred by political math resulting in Republicans 
winning every Kansas election for U.S. Senate since 1939.

Holland, former mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County 
and Kansas City, said a formula for success against Republican U.S. Sen.
 Jerry Moran was to prevail in 10 counties holding two-thirds of the 
state’s vote and by respecting interests of neglected rural voters.

His U.S. Senate campaign will take him to all 105 counties for 
face-to-face conversations with folks deciding Nov. 8 whether to end the
 longest GOP winning streak in the nation.

“We have a better message on public education. We have a better message on health care. We have a better message on wages. We need to get out and share our message,” Holland said on the Kansas Reflector podcast. “And,&nbsp;we need to spend the time listening to the real concerns of real people.”

Kansans interested in moderate representation in Washington, D.C., 
shouldn’t be bound to the legacy of Democrat George McGill, who was 
elected to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Sen. Charles Curtis in 1930 
and won a full term in 1932. He was the last Democrat from Kansas 
elected to the U.S. Senate.

Holland said reversing that trend required Democrats to resonate with
 voters in the state’s populous 10 counties and draw upon a reservoir of
 support in the others. A cadre of voters statewide, both urban and 
rural, feel abandoned by their representatives in Washington, he said.

“Everyone wants to win the big 10,” Holland said. “But we also have to respect the 95 counties that have a third of our votes. I get frustrated with Democrats nationally&nbsp;who complain about losing rural communities, complain about losing red states,&nbsp;and don’t spend a minute listening to people in these communities.”

Holland, 53,&nbsp; grew up in Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas. His father 
was a Methodist minister and his mother a public school teacher. He 
earned a philosophy degree at Southern Methodist University, a master’s 
degree in divinity at Iliff School of Theology in Denver and a doctorate
 of ministry at St. Paul School of Theology.

He served a congregation in Denver before serving churches in Elwood and Wathena in northeast Kansas.

“I was in two towns whose combined population was smaller than the high school I attended,” he said. “And one of the things I learned about that is we all want the same things. Right? We all want meaningful work. We all want opportunities for our kids. We all want to live in a community we’re proud of. I think Washington, D.C., could learn something that what holds us together is much greater than what pulls us apart.”

He was at Trinity Community Church in Kansas City, Kansas, from 1999 
to 2018. He co-founded Mainstream UMC to advocate for inclusion of 
LGBTQ+ people into the Methodist church in terms of marriage and 
ordination.

He serve six years on the city-county unified government before 
elected mayor and serving in that post from 2013 to 2017. He lost a 
campaign for reelection, but learned the necessity of striving to 
motivate low-propensity voters rather than concentrate on people most 
likely to cast ballots.

In 2021, Holland announced his campaign for the Democratic Party’s 
nomination for U.S. Senate. He prevailed in a six-candidate primary in 
August to earn the opportunity to challenge Moran, who was first elected
 to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and the U.S. House in 1997. In Moran’s two 
Senate campaigns, he won the 2010 general election with 70% of the vote 
and the 2016 race with 62% of the vote.

Holland said Washington was dominated by extremist Republicans who 
left moderates behind on issues of abortion, guns, economic policy and 
other issues.

“Kansas is a pretty moderate. Pretty low key plainspoken group as a whole,” Holland said. “We deserve someone who has the courage to stand up. Right now being a moderate takes courage, because the extremes want to pull you off.”

Holland is a proponent of expanding Medicaid coverage under the 
Affordable Care Act to lower-income Kansans because it would help 
families in urban and rural communities. He also supported federal 
legislation allowing Medicare negotiate to lower medication prices for 
the elderly, but couldn’t understand why federal lawmakers would oppose a
 price cap on the monthly cost of insulin to treat diabetes.

“We’re the only developed country in the world where families are worried about health care,” he said. “People are not able to take care of their families the way they need to because we’re not controlling costs. I will help control costs in D.C.”

Holland said U.S. senators from Kansas ought declare in clear 
language President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe 
Biden. Holland said dozens of lawsuits were filed, but no clear evidence
 of election fraud has been uncovered.

“What we’re seeing right now is this long-play grief cycle that is born because the leaders in the Republican Party have refused to have the courage to look people in the eye and tell them the plain truth,” Holland said. “I’m just as plainspoken preacher, and I’m just going to tell people the truth. We need&nbsp;the courage to tell people the truth, even an unpopular truth or a truth they don’t want to hear.”

Moran has said Biden won the 2020 national election and it would be 
wrong for Congress to not certify the Electoral College vote. He 
denounced the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, but opposed 
formation of an independent inquiry into violence precipitated by a 
rally led by Trump.

Holland said it was wrong for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe 
v. Wade and take away a woman’s constitutional right to abortion, even 
to save her own life or in the aftermath of a rape. It would be 
appropriate for Congress to embed in federal law a right to abortion, he
 said.

The overwhelming defeat in the Aug. 2 primary of a proposed amendment
 to the Kansas Constitution declaring no right to bodily autonomy, 
including abortion, was contained in the state’s Bill of Rights provided
 evidence of where the state’s voters stood on the issue. He noted 
Moran, who endorsed reversal of Roe v. Wade, donated $50,000 to 
organizations supporting passage of the Kansas abortion amendment.

“The idea that women don’t have the right to make their own decisions about their body is, again, that’s looking backwards to the 1950s,” Holland said. “The majority of people in Kansas came out in force and said, not only did&nbsp;they vote no, they voted hell no.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661181414610.png" alt="Mark Holland, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, participates in a Kansas Reflector podcast interview in Topeka about his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, the Republican Party’s nominee. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Mark Holland, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, participates in a Kansas Reflector podcast interview in Topeka about his campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, the Republican Party’s nominee. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/22/kansas-democrat-mark-holland-not-interested-in-being-footnote-to-history-in-u-s-senate-race/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Democrat Mark Holland 
said he wouldn’t be deterred by political math resulting in Republicans 
winning every Kansas election for U.S. Senate since 1939.Holland, former mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County 
and Kansas City, said a formula for success against Republican U.S. Sen.
 Jerry Moran was to prevail in 10 counties holding two-thirds of the 
state’s vote and by respecting interests of neglected rural voters.His U.S. Senate campaign will take him to all 105 counties for 
face-to-face conversations with folks deciding Nov. 8 whether to end the
 longest GOP winning streak in the nation.“We have a better message on public education. We have a better message on health care. We have a better message on wages. We need to get out and share our message,” Holland said on the Kansas Reflector podcast. “And,&nbsp;we need to spend the time listening to the real concerns of real people.”<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1327319194&color=%232b7fb4&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast" title="Reflector Podcast" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Reflector Podcast</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/kansas-reflector-podcast/democrat-mark-holland-campaigns-for-us-senate-seat" title="Democrat Mark Holland on why he wants to be a U.S. senator" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Democrat Mark Holland on why he wants to be a U.S. senator</a></div></div>Kansans interested in moderate representation in Washington, D.C., 
shouldn’t be bound to the legacy of Democrat George McGill, who was 
elected to fill the unexpired term of U.S. Sen. Charles Curtis in 1930 
and won a full term in 1932. He was the last Democrat from Kansas 
elected to the U.S. Senate.Holland said reversing that trend required Democrats to resonate with
 voters in the state’s populous 10 counties and draw upon a reservoir of
 support in the others. A cadre of voters statewide, both urban and 
rural, feel abandoned by their representatives in Washington, he said.“Everyone wants to win the big 10,” Holland said. “But we also have to respect the 95 counties that have a third of our votes. I get frustrated with Democrats nationally&nbsp;who complain about losing rural communities, complain about losing red states,&nbsp;and don’t spend a minute listening to people in these communities.”<h2>‘Courage to stand up’</h2>Holland, 53,&nbsp; grew up in Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas. His father 
was a Methodist minister and his mother a public school teacher. He 
earned a philosophy degree at Southern Methodist University, a master’s 
degree in divinity at Iliff School of Theology in Denver and a doctorate
 of ministry at St. Paul School of Theology.He served a congregation in Denver before serving churches in Elwood and Wathena in northeast Kansas.“I was in two towns whose combined population was smaller than the high school I attended,” he said. “And one of the things I learned about that is we all want the same things. Right? We all want meaningful work. We all want opportunities for our kids. We all want to live in a community we’re proud of. I think Washington, D.C., could learn something that what holds us together is much greater than what pulls us apart.”He was at Trinity Community Church in Kansas City, Kansas, from 1999 
to 2018. He co-founded Mainstream UMC to advocate for inclusion of 
LGBTQ+ people into the Methodist church in terms of marriage and 
ordination.He serve six years on the city-county unified government before 
elected mayor and serving in that post from 2013 to 2017. He lost a 
campaign for reelection, but learned the necessity of striving to 
motivate low-propensity voters rather than concentrate on people most 
likely to cast ballots.In 2021, Holland announced his campaign for the Democratic Party’s 
nomination for U.S. Senate. He prevailed in a six-candidate primary in 
August to earn the opportunity to challenge Moran, who was first elected
 to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and the U.S. House in 1997. In Moran’s two 
Senate campaigns, he won the 2010 general election with 70% of the vote 
and the 2016 race with 62% of the vote.Holland said Washington was dominated by extremist Republicans who 
left moderates behind on issues of abortion, guns, economic policy and 
other issues.“Kansas is a pretty moderate. Pretty low key plainspoken group as a whole,” Holland said. “We deserve someone who has the courage to stand up. Right now being a moderate takes courage, because the extremes want to pull you off.”<h2>Plainspoken preacher</h2>Holland is a proponent of expanding Medicaid coverage under the 
Affordable Care Act to lower-income Kansans because it would help 
families in urban and rural communities. He also supported federal 
legislation allowing Medicare negotiate to lower medication prices for 
the elderly, but couldn’t understand why federal lawmakers would oppose a
 price cap on the monthly cost of insulin to treat diabetes.“We’re the only developed country in the world where families are worried about health care,” he said. “People are not able to take care of their families the way they need to because we’re not controlling costs. I will help control costs in D.C.”Holland said U.S. senators from Kansas ought declare in clear 
language President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe 
Biden. Holland said dozens of lawsuits were filed, but no clear evidence
 of election fraud has been uncovered.“What we’re seeing right now is this long-play grief cycle that is born because the leaders in the Republican Party have refused to have the courage to look people in the eye and tell them the plain truth,” Holland said. “I’m just as plainspoken preacher, and I’m just going to tell people the truth. We need&nbsp;the courage to tell people the truth, even an unpopular truth or a truth they don’t want to hear.”Moran has said Biden won the 2020 national election and it would be 
wrong for Congress to not certify the Electoral College vote. He 
denounced the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, but opposed 
formation of an independent inquiry into violence precipitated by a 
rally led by Trump.Holland said it was wrong for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe 
v. Wade and take away a woman’s constitutional right to abortion, even 
to save her own life or in the aftermath of a rape. It would be 
appropriate for Congress to embed in federal law a right to abortion, he
 said.The overwhelming defeat in the Aug. 2 primary of a proposed amendment
 to the Kansas Constitution declaring no right to bodily autonomy, 
including abortion, was contained in the state’s Bill of Rights provided
 evidence of where the state’s voters stood on the issue. He noted 
Moran, who endorsed reversal of Roe v. Wade, donated $50,000 to 
organizations supporting passage of the Kansas abortion amendment.“The idea that women don’t have the right to make their own decisions about their body is, again, that’s looking backwards to the 1950s,” Holland said. “The majority of people in Kansas came out in force and said, not only did&nbsp;they vote no, they voted hell no.”

Kan. Democrat not interested in being footnote to history in Senate race

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion opponents and abortion rights advocates together spent more than $22 million on a ballot question this month in Kansas, and famed film director and producer Steven Spielberg contributed to the successful effort to affirm abortion rights.

Finance reports filed by 40 groups and individuals with the state as of this week showed that abortion rights supporters spent $11.3 million on their campaign to defeat a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. Abortion opponents who pushed the measure spent nearly $11.1 million.

In Kansas' vote Aug. 2,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">the abortion rights side prevailed</a>&nbsp;by 18 percentage points or 165,000 votes. It was the first state referendum on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade.</a>

“What it did was give huge fuel to the ”no" campaign because we didn’t any longer have to say to people, ‘This could happen or this might be what the Legislature will do,’ or any other hypothetical," said former two-term Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, also a former U.S. health and human services secretary. “They could watch in real time as Missouri shut down abortion.”

Two Republican activists have forced a hand recount of the Aug. 2 vote in nine counties accounting for 59% of the ballots cast, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-0baf939e0a2d461e919ddac8579a9ec5">it won't change the result.</a>&nbsp;They have questioned the conduct of the election without providing evidence of problems.

Other Kansas abortion opponents argue that their cause was defeated mainly by out-of-state donors and groups with ties to abortion providers. Their proposed amendment would have overturned a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights.

“The no campaign’s most recent campaign finance report is a who’s who of out-of-state, liberal elites and shows the lengths they were willing to go in order to keep Kansas a ‘haven’ for extreme practices," said Danielle Underwood, spokesperson for Kansans for Life, the state's most politically influential anti-abortion group.

Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director of films such as “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Jurassic Park,” contributed $25,000 to the main group opposing the proposed amendment. His wife, actress Kate Capshaw, contributed an additional $25,000.

While notable, Spielberg and Capshaw's donations were far from the largest to the “vote no” campaign. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who ran for president in 2020, contributed $1.25 million, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which finances liberal causes, contributed nearly $1.5 million.

In addition, Planned Parenthood affiliates and other abortion rights groups contributed almost $2.3 million to the main vote no coalition. But more than 30 other groups and individuals reported raising funds for their own efforts to defeat the proposed amendment.

On the anti-abortion side, Roman Catholic dioceses and the Kansas Catholic Conference contributed more than $4.3 million to the main coalition pushing the proposed amendment.

Kansans for Life not only spent $1.6 million on its own pro-amendment efforts but it contributed more than $1.1 million to the main “vote yes” group.

In addition, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life has said it spent $1.4 million on bringing a team of 300 college students from across the U.S. to Kansas to canvass in favor of the proposed amendment.

The activists seeking the recount also must file finance reports, Mark Skoglund, the executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission said this week. But one of them, Mark Gietzen, disputed that in a text to The Associated Press, saying, “we are working on Election Integrity,” not promoting the ballot initiative.

Seven of the nine counties recounting ballots were wrapped up or expected to wrap up by Friday. Only the two most populous counties — Johnson in the Kansas City area and Sedgwick, home to Wichita — expected to continue counting Saturday.

So far, the totals are mostly the same, with no more than four votes changing. Officials said the changes are a mix of human error and how voters marked their mail-in ballots. In one case, a voter put a check mark in the oval that wasn’t picked up by the scanning machine.

By JOHN HANNA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abortion opponents and abortion rights advocates together spent more than $22 million on a ballot question this month in Kansas, and famed film director and producer Steven Spielberg contributed to the successful effort to affirm abortion rights.Finance reports filed by 40 groups and individuals with the state as of this week showed that abortion rights supporters spent $11.3 million on their campaign to defeat a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution to allow the Republican-controlled Legislature to further restrict or ban abortion. Abortion opponents who pushed the measure spent nearly $11.1 million.In Kansas' vote Aug. 2,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">the abortion rights side prevailed</a>&nbsp;by 18 percentage points or 165,000 votes. It was the first state referendum on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade.</a>“What it did was give huge fuel to the ”no" campaign because we didn’t any longer have to say to people, ‘This could happen or this might be what the Legislature will do,’ or any other hypothetical," said former two-term Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, also a former U.S. health and human services secretary. “They could watch in real time as Missouri shut down abortion.”Two Republican activists have forced a hand recount of the Aug. 2 vote in nine counties accounting for 59% of the ballots cast, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-election-recounts-0baf939e0a2d461e919ddac8579a9ec5">it won't change the result.</a>&nbsp;They have questioned the conduct of the election without providing evidence of problems.Other Kansas abortion opponents argue that their cause was defeated mainly by out-of-state donors and groups with ties to abortion providers. Their proposed amendment would have overturned a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision protecting abortion rights.“The no campaign’s most recent campaign finance report is a who’s who of out-of-state, liberal elites and shows the lengths they were willing to go in order to keep Kansas a ‘haven’ for extreme practices," said Danielle Underwood, spokesperson for Kansans for Life, the state's most politically influential anti-abortion group.Spielberg, the Oscar-winning director of films such as “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Jurassic Park,” contributed $25,000 to the main group opposing the proposed amendment. His wife, actress Kate Capshaw, contributed an additional $25,000.While notable, Spielberg and Capshaw's donations were far from the largest to the “vote no” campaign. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who ran for president in 2020, contributed $1.25 million, and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which finances liberal causes, contributed nearly $1.5 million.In addition, Planned Parenthood affiliates and other abortion rights groups contributed almost $2.3 million to the main vote no coalition. But more than 30 other groups and individuals reported raising funds for their own efforts to defeat the proposed amendment.On the anti-abortion side, Roman Catholic dioceses and the Kansas Catholic Conference contributed more than $4.3 million to the main coalition pushing the proposed amendment.Kansans for Life not only spent $1.6 million on its own pro-amendment efforts but it contributed more than $1.1 million to the main “vote yes” group.In addition, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life has said it spent $1.4 million on bringing a team of 300 college students from across the U.S. to Kansas to canvass in favor of the proposed amendment.The activists seeking the recount also must file finance reports, Mark Skoglund, the executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission said this week. But one of them, Mark Gietzen, disputed that in a text to The Associated Press, saying, “we are working on Election Integrity,” not promoting the ballot initiative.Seven of the nine counties recounting ballots were wrapped up or expected to wrap up by Friday. Only the two most populous counties — Johnson in the Kansas City area and Sedgwick, home to Wichita — expected to continue counting Saturday.So far, the totals are mostly the same, with no more than four votes changing. Officials said the changes are a mix of human error and how voters marked their mail-in ballots. In one case, a voter put a check mark in the oval that wasn’t picked up by the scanning machine.

Film director Spielberg among donors in Kan. campaign on abortion

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A former elder in a Kansas City church was convicted Friday of killing his wife four years ago.

Robert Lee Harris was found guilty of first-degree murder in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bc71a57dddf742488a077250b9b32527">death of 38-year-old Tanisha Harris</a>&nbsp;at the couple’s home in Overland Park, Kansas.

The couple was active in Repairers Kansas City, a nondenominational church. where Tanisha Harris was an associate pastor.

Police went to the couple's apartment in Overland Park on Jan. 8, 2018, to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance.

Officers found Robert Harris alone in the apartment and left. They returned when he reported his wife missing. Her body was found later near Raymore, Missouri.

The couple had been married 18 months when Tanisha Harris was killed. Harris will be sentenced Nov. 3.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660992815841.png" alt="Harris-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Harris-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A former elder in a Kansas City church was convicted Friday of killing his wife four years ago.Robert Lee Harris was found guilty of first-degree murder in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bc71a57dddf742488a077250b9b32527">death of 38-year-old Tanisha Harris</a>&nbsp;at the couple’s home in Overland Park, Kansas.The couple was active in Repairers Kansas City, a nondenominational church. where Tanisha Harris was an associate pastor.Police went to the couple's apartment in Overland Park on Jan. 8, 2018, to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance.Officers found Robert Harris alone in the apartment and left. They returned when he reported his wife missing. Her body was found later near Raymore, Missouri.The couple had been married 18 months when Tanisha Harris was killed. Harris will be sentenced Nov. 3.

Former Kansas City church elder convicted in wife's killing

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a>Dr. Anthony Fauci,</a>&nbsp;the nation's top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service.

In July, Fauci said he would retire by the end of President Joe Biden's term in January 2025.

Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He was a leader in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases even before the coronavirus hit.

<a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/statement-anthony-s-fauci-md">Click here to read Dr. Fauci's statement</a>&nbsp;on his future plans.

“I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci said in a statement, calling those roles “the honor of a lifetime.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642525933058.png" alt="In January, Fauci angrily accused Kansas Senator Roger Marshall of making false accusations that are leading to threats against him -- all to raise political cash.&nbsp; Marshall's campaign is&nbsp;<a href="https://store.kansansformarshall.com/storefront/moron-white-t-shirt/details/">selling t-shirts over</a>&nbsp;the heated exchange during the Senate hearing." />
 <figcaption>In January, Fauci angrily accused Kansas Senator Roger Marshall of making false accusations that are leading to threats against him -- all to raise political cash.&nbsp; Marshall's campaign is&nbsp;<a href="https://store.kansansformarshall.com/storefront/moron-white-t-shirt/details/">selling t-shirts over</a>&nbsp;the heated exchange during the Senate hearing.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a>Dr. Anthony Fauci,</a>&nbsp;the nation's top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. In July, Fauci said he would retire by the end of President Joe Biden's term in January 2025.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gB4Q4tCBsh4?start=75" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Fauci, who serves as President Joe Biden's chief medical adviser, has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation. He was a leader in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases even before the coronavirus hit.<a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/statement-anthony-s-fauci-md">Click here to read Dr. Fauci's statement</a>&nbsp;on his future plans.“I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career,” Fauci said in a statement, calling those roles “the honor of a lifetime.”Fauci became the face of the government response to COVID-19 as it hit in early 2020, with frequent appearances on television news and at daily press conferences with White House officials, including then-President Donald Trump. But as the pandemic deepened,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-elections-79033c675f5ab6a3bf83443100392a0b">Fauci fell out of favor with Trump</a>&nbsp;and his officials when his urgings of continued public caution clashed with the former president's desire to return to normalcy and to promote unproven therapies for the virus.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1659618992384.png" alt="Earlier this month, Senator Marshall spoke of&nbsp; Dr. Anthony Fauci’s efforts to push Gain of Function research out of the United States and into China through EcoHealth Alliance.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Earlier this month, Senator Marshall spoke of&nbsp; Dr. Anthony Fauci’s efforts to push Gain of Function research out of the United States and into China through EcoHealth Alliance.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wgM9CrFr8g0" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Fauci found himself marginalized by the Trump administration, increasingly kept out of major decisions about the federal response, but he continued to speak out publicly in media interviews, advocating social distancing and face coverings in public settings before the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines.He was also the subject of political attacks and death threats and was granted a security detail for his protection.When Biden won the White House, he asked Fauci to stay on in his administration in an elevated capacity. The president praised Fauci in a statement, saying, “Whether you’ve met him personally or not, he has touched all Americans’ lives with his work. I extend my deepest thanks for his public service. The United States of America is stronger, more resilient, and healthier because of him.”Fauci said despite retiring from federal service he planned to continue working. “I want to use what I have learned as NIAID Director to continue to advance science and public health and to inspire and mentor the next generation of scientific leaders as they help prepare the world to face future infectious disease threats,” he said.