WASHINGTON—Members of the Kansas congressional delegation are responding to the Supreme Court’s leaked draft decision that would overturn the nation’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.

Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.

Roberts also ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”

If the U.S. Supreme Court follows through on overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, it would immediately split the country into states with abortion access and those that outlaw it.

Some states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-state-fight-e53b2b46d9606dc9468b8044a0b42ed0">had already been preparing</a>&nbsp;for the potential that the high court could weaken or overturn Roe, but the bombshell leak of the draft opinion appeared to accelerate that drive Tuesday, setting the country on course for an even more jumbled landscape of abortion rights even before the court actually issues its ruling.

Almost immediately after Politico released the draft Monday night, Republicans who had fostered a decades-long push to end abortion rights cheered the prospect while Democrats vowed to fight the possible overturning of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century.

WASHINGTON—Members of the Kansas congressional delegation are responding to the Supreme Court’s leaked draft decision that would overturn the nation’s landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">As we await the official ruling, I will continue to defend the unborn and give them a voice in the legislative process. The work to protect the unborn must be determined by the democratic process and not unelected judges.&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1521530967395086338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">If this opinion holds true, it will be a monumental step backwards. And when Kansas votes on a constitutional amendment in August, we will be the first state to decide if we agree that the government has control over women’s health care choices. I’ll tell you this: I don’t.&mdash; Sharice Davids (@sharicedavids) <a href="https://twitter.com/sharicedavids/status/1521499299858821125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🧵on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCOTUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SCOTUS</a> leak. This is an egregious attack on the institution of the Supreme Court. For someone to leak this document and the press to be complicit in the leak undermines the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. 1/4&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1521515881477648384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My full statement on the unprecedented leak that revealed the Supreme Court&#39;s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade ⤵️ <a href="https://t.co/APaGT29Y4v">pic.twitter.com/APaGT29Y4v</a>&mdash; Rep. Jake LaTurner (@RepLaTurner) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepLaTurner/status/1521554482571759617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.Roberts also ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”If the U.S. Supreme Court follows through on overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, it would immediately split the country into states with abortion access and those that outlaw it.Some states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-state-fight-e53b2b46d9606dc9468b8044a0b42ed0">had already been preparing</a>&nbsp;for the potential that the high court could weaken or overturn Roe, but the bombshell leak of the draft opinion appeared to accelerate that drive Tuesday, setting the country on course for an even more jumbled landscape of abortion rights even before the court actually issues its ruling.Almost immediately after Politico released the draft Monday night, Republicans who had fostered a decades-long push to end abortion rights cheered the prospect while Democrats vowed to fight the possible overturning of a constitutional right that has been in place for nearly a half-century.

Kan. delegation on Supreme Court abortion opinion leak

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation.

Americans age 2 and older&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0503-covid-19-travel.html" target="_blank">should wear</a>&nbsp;a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends.

For months, the Transportation Security Administration had been enforcing a requirement that passengers and workers wear masks.

The government had repeatedly extended the mandate, and the latest one had been set to expire May 3. But a federal judge in Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-business-travel-tampa-3408cc825582126fbda5fbedd3a49dd3">struck down</a>&nbsp;the rule on April 18. The same day, the TSA said it would no longer enforce the mandate.

The CDC asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision, which the department did. On Tuesday, CDC officials declined to comment on the status of the appeal. DOJ officials did not immediately respond to a request for information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640348737573.png" alt="Photo courtesy Wichita Eisenhower National Airport" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Wichita Eisenhower National Airport</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Tuesday restated their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation.Americans age 2 and older&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0503-covid-19-travel.html" target="_blank">should wear</a>&nbsp;a well-fitting masks while on public transportation, including in airports and train stations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended, citing the current spread of coronavirus and projections of future COVID-19 trends.For months, the Transportation Security Administration had been enforcing a requirement that passengers and workers wear masks.The government had repeatedly extended the mandate, and the latest one had been set to expire May 3. But a federal judge in Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-business-travel-tampa-3408cc825582126fbda5fbedd3a49dd3">struck down</a>&nbsp;the rule on April 18. The same day, the TSA said it would no longer enforce the mandate.The CDC asked the Justice Department to appeal the decision, which the department did. On Tuesday, CDC officials declined to comment on the status of the appeal. DOJ officials did not immediately respond to a request for information.

CDC restates recommendation for masks on planes, trains

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted a “radical” draft Supreme Court opinion that would throw out the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling that has stood for a half century and warned that other rights including same-sex marriage and birth control are at risk if the court follows through.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Across the nation, Americans grappled</a>&nbsp;with what might come next.

The court confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft, which was dated to February, and Chief Justice John&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Roberts said he had ordered an investigation</a>&nbsp;into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.” A court statement emphasized that the draft is not the justices’ final word.

Opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process, and a final ruling has not been expected until the end of the court’s term in late June or early July.

A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, spark new efforts in Democratic-leaning states to protect access to abortion, and potentially reshape the contours of this year’s hotly contested midterm elections.

The draft was published by the news outlet Politico late Monday.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Biden said he hoped the draft wouldn’t be finalized by justices, contending it reflects a “fundamental shift in American jurisprudence” that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-state-fight-e53b2b46d9606dc9468b8044a0b42ed0">threatens “other basic rights” like access to birth control and marriage.</a>

He added: “If this decision holds, it’s really quite a radical decision.” He said the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe.

“If the court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose,” Biden said. “And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.”

Though past efforts have failed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he intended to hold a vote.

“This is as urgent and real as it gets,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Every American is going to see on which side every senator stands.”

Whatever the outcome, the Politico report late Monday represented an extremely rare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-c6a923f6e370672f4a5ccfd3be325786">breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process</a>, and on a case of surpassing importance.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.

The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services. It would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.

“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” it states, referencing the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that affirmed Roe’s finding of a constitutional right to abortion services but allowed states to place some constraints on the practice. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five — all the conservatives except perhaps Chief Justice John Roberts — voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.

Votes and opinions in a case aren’t final until a decision is announced or, in a change wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, posted on the court’s website.

Politico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”

The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-laws-raising-children-e620ca2a871bfd9ce5b6d6c76e092c31">low-income and minority women will disproportionately bear the burden</a>&nbsp;of the new restrictions.

The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on both sides of the issue.

Democrats contended that several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-election-2020-amy-coney-barrett-brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-hearings-084bd8c246cce2418f7cc49a1cd31cd5">conservative justices misled senators</a>&nbsp;about their feelings.x

And Maine Republican Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights but was a pivotal GOP vote for the confirmations of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, said if the draft reflects the final opinion of the court, “it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office.”

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, told reporters on Capitol Hill that “my confidence in the court has been rocked,” and said her proposal with Collins to legislate abortion rights should be reinvigorated.

An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-reproductive-rights-bd86cf1c8ddbfd09c5e221c7a9d41e01">AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;in December found that Democrats increasingly see protecting abortion rights as a high priority for the government.

Other polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.

Still, when asked about abortion policy generally, Americans have nuanced attitudes on the issue, and many don’t think that abortion should be possible after the first trimester or that women should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.

Alito, in the draft, said the court can’t predict how the public might react and shouldn’t try. “We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences such as concern about the public’s reaction to our work,” Alito wrote in the draft opinion, according to Politico.

Police in Washington prepared for the potential of large demonstrations outside the Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol. People on both sides of the issue gathered outside the curt waving signs and chanting on a balmy Monday night following the release of the Politico report, and again on Tuesday.

Outside Washington, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said people seeking abortions could head to her state. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement, “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.” But local officials were praising the draft.

“This puts the decision making back into the hands of the states, which is where it should have always been,” said Mississippi state Rep. Becky Currie.

At Supreme Court arguments in December, all six conservative justices signaled that they would uphold the Mississippi law, and five asked questions that suggested that overruling Roe and Casey was a possibility.

Only Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.

Until now, the court has allowed states to regulate but not ban abortion before the point of viability, around 24 weeks.

Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The Texas law banning it after six weeks has been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law.

The Supreme Court justices generally spend May and June finishing their writing in cases that have been argued and then issuing the remaining opinions before going on a summer break. On the court’s calendar, the next day opinions might normally be expected is May 16.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651593955487.png" alt="President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday blasted a “radical” draft Supreme Court opinion that would throw out the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling that has stood for a half century and warned that other rights including same-sex marriage and birth control are at risk if the court follows through.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Across the nation, Americans grappled</a>&nbsp;with what might come next.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden: &quot;If this decision holds, it&#39;s really quite a radical decision...I think the codification of Roe makes a lot of sense.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/LN9NEB1T1k">pic.twitter.com/LN9NEB1T1k</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1521516325851615232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My statement on the reported Supreme Court decision draft. <a href="https://t.co/Kt3bP0kzqU">pic.twitter.com/Kt3bP0kzqU</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1521485987133771782?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The court confirmed the authenticity of the leaked draft, which was dated to February, and Chief Justice John&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/publicinfo/press/pressreleases/pr_05-03-22" target="_blank">Roberts said he had ordered an investigation</a>&nbsp;into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.” A court statement emphasized that the draft is not the justices’ final word.Opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process, and a final ruling has not been expected until the end of the court’s term in late June or early July.A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, spark new efforts in Democratic-leaning states to protect access to abortion, and potentially reshape the contours of this year’s hotly contested midterm elections.The draft was published by the news outlet Politico late Monday.Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Biden said he hoped the draft wouldn’t be finalized by justices, contending it reflects a “fundamental shift in American jurisprudence” that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-wade-supreme-court-state-fight-e53b2b46d9606dc9468b8044a0b42ed0">threatens “other basic rights” like access to birth control and marriage.</a>He added: “If this decision holds, it’s really quite a radical decision.” He said the “basic fairness and the stability of our law demand” that the court not overturn Roe.“If the court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose,” Biden said. “And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is the time to fight for women and our country with everything we have. My statement on the Supreme Court decision draft on Roe v. Wade. <a href="https://t.co/5tvjOUTmZ2">pic.twitter.com/5tvjOUTmZ2</a>&mdash; Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) <a href="https://twitter.com/VP/status/1521532537083813888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Though past efforts have failed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he intended to hold a vote.“This is as urgent and real as it gets,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Tuesday. “Every American is going to see on which side every senator stands.”Whatever the outcome, the Politico report late Monday represented an extremely rare&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stephen-breyer-us-supreme-court-c6a923f6e370672f4a5ccfd3be325786">breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process</a>, and on a case of surpassing importance.“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services. It would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” it states, referencing the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that affirmed Roe’s finding of a constitutional right to abortion services but allowed states to place some constraints on the practice. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five — all the conservatives except perhaps Chief Justice John Roberts — voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.Votes and opinions in a case aren’t final until a decision is announced or, in a change wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, posted on the court’s website.Politico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-laws-raising-children-e620ca2a871bfd9ce5b6d6c76e092c31">low-income and minority women will disproportionately bear the burden</a>&nbsp;of the new restrictions.The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on both sides of the issue.Democrats contended that several&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-election-2020-amy-coney-barrett-brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-hearings-084bd8c246cce2418f7cc49a1cd31cd5">conservative justices misled senators</a>&nbsp;about their feelings.xAnd Maine Republican Susan Collins, who supports abortion rights but was a pivotal GOP vote for the confirmations of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, said if the draft reflects the final opinion of the court, “it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office.”Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, told reporters on Capitol Hill that “my confidence in the court has been rocked,” and said her proposal with Collins to legislate abortion rights should be reinvigorated.An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-reproductive-rights-bd86cf1c8ddbfd09c5e221c7a9d41e01">AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;in December found that Democrats increasingly see protecting abortion rights as a high priority for the government.Other polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.Still, when asked about abortion policy generally, Americans have nuanced attitudes on the issue, and many don’t think that abortion should be possible after the first trimester or that women should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.Alito, in the draft, said the court can’t predict how the public might react and shouldn’t try. “We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences such as concern about the public’s reaction to our work,” Alito wrote in the draft opinion, according to Politico.Police in Washington prepared for the potential of large demonstrations outside the Supreme Court and U.S. Capitol. People on both sides of the issue gathered outside the curt waving signs and chanting on a balmy Monday night following the release of the Politico report, and again on Tuesday.Outside Washington, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said people seeking abortions could head to her state. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement, “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.” But local officials were praising the draft.“This puts the decision making back into the hands of the states, which is where it should have always been,” said Mississippi state Rep. Becky Currie.At Supreme Court arguments in December, all six conservative justices signaled that they would uphold the Mississippi law, and five asked questions that suggested that overruling Roe and Casey was a possibility.Only Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.Until now, the court has allowed states to regulate but not ban abortion before the point of viability, around 24 weeks.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651593821281.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The Texas law banning it after six weeks has been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law.The Supreme Court justices generally spend May and June finishing their writing in cases that have been argued and then issuing the remaining opinions before going on a summer break. On the court’s calendar, the next day opinions might normally be expected is May 16.

🎥Biden blasts 'radical' abortion ruling draft, warns other rights at risk

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an early morning traffic stop.

Just after 12:30a.m. Monday, a deputy sheriff conducted a traffic stop on a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban near NW Topeka Boulevard and NW Independence Avenue for speeding, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian.

 During the investigation, deputies found illegal narcotics and arrested 50-year-old Richard L. Stang of Topeka was arrested and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. He is being held on requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to wear a seat belt, driving without a valid driver’s license, operating a vehicle without proper registration and speeding.

Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651575259185.png" alt="Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections -photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an early morning traffic stop.Just after 12:30a.m. Monday, a deputy sheriff conducted a traffic stop on a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban near NW Topeka Boulevard and NW Independence Avenue for speeding, according to Shawnee County Deputy Abigail Christian. During the investigation, deputies found illegal narcotics and arrested 50-year-old Richard L. Stang of Topeka was arrested and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. He is being held on requested charge of possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to wear a seat belt, driving without a valid driver’s license, operating a vehicle without proper registration and speeding.Stang has previous convictions for robbery, burglary and use of a false name on a drivers license, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kansas felon jailed for alleged DUI, meth possession

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. He ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”

In the high court's first public comment since the draft was published late Tuesday, Roberts said “Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

In a statement, he said, “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed.”

He added: “I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said, “This is an egregious attack on the institution of the Supreme Court. For someone to leak this document and the press to be complicit in the leak undermines the legitimacy of the Supreme Court,”&nbsp;

“But, we shouldn’t be surprised because that’s what Democrats do all of the time when they don’t like the outcome: They don’t like the outcome of votes in the Senate so they want to get rid of the filibuster; they don’t like the outcome of the balance of power in the Senate so they want to make Puerto Rico and D.C. states; they don’t like the way the elections go so they want to federalize them and deny states’ rights to run their own elections. All the while, the media is complicit – they help them do their bidding.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651591949777.png" alt="Chief Justice John Roberts-photo courtesy U.S. Supreme Court" />
 <figcaption>Chief Justice John Roberts-photo courtesy U.S. Supreme Court</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday confirmed the authenticity of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. He ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”In the high court's first public comment since the draft was published late Tuesday, Roberts said “Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651601641368.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In a statement, he said, “To the extent this betrayal of the confidences of the Court was intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed.”He added: “I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.”U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said, “This is an egregious attack on the institution of the Supreme Court. For someone to leak this document and the press to be complicit in the leak undermines the legitimacy of the Supreme Court,”&nbsp;“But, we shouldn’t be surprised because that’s what Democrats do all of the time when they don’t like the outcome: They don’t like the outcome of votes in the Senate so they want to get rid of the filibuster; they don’t like the outcome of the balance of power in the Senate so they want to make Puerto Rico and D.C. states; they don’t like the way the elections go so they want to federalize them and deny states’ rights to run their own elections. All the while, the media is complicit – they help them do their bidding.”

Chief Justice orders probe into 'egregious' leak of abortion draft

RENO COUNTY — As part of the Haven City Council meeting Monday night, council member Sandra Williams voiced concerns to Haven Police Chief Stephen Schaffer regarding “In God We Trust” decals on Haven’s police vehicles and the quoting of scripture on the Haven Police Department<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HavenPoliceDepartment"> Facebook page.</a>

Williams advised Schaffer that the Council does not feel it is the forum to be talking about God.

Chief Schaffer asked if that was a directive from the Council. Mayor Adam Wright nodded and said, “Yes.” Williams moved to eliminate the quoting of scripture from Haven Police Department’s Facebook page and to remove “In God We Trust” from the police vehicles.

Kylie Rush seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

RENO COUNTY — As part of the Haven City Council meeting Monday night, council member Sandra Williams voiced concerns to Haven Police Chief Stephen Schaffer regarding “In God We Trust” decals on Haven’s police vehicles and the quoting of scripture on the Haven Police Department<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HavenPoliceDepartment"> Facebook page.</a>Williams advised Schaffer that the Council does not feel it is the forum to be talking about God.Chief Schaffer asked if that was a directive from the Council. Mayor Adam Wright nodded and said, “Yes.” Williams moved to eliminate the quoting of scripture from Haven Police Department’s Facebook page and to remove “In God We Trust” from the police vehicles.Kylie Rush seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

Council votes to remove "In God We Trust" from police vehicles

Do you have any advice on how to start a car wash and detailing business? What things should I consider first, and what do I keep in mind over the long run?

I’m excited for you, man! And I love your ambitious spirit. Working for yourself is one of the toughest&nbsp;and&nbsp;most rewarding things anyone can do. It’ll take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to be successful, and you’ll experience some of the highest highs and lowest lows in the process.

But, if you don’t absolutely love cars and everything that goes into keeping them clean and looking great, I’d advise looking into another line of work. In other words, if you’re thinking about this kind of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/career-advice/career-clarity-guide">business</a>&nbsp;just because it’s plausible or a way to make money, chances are you’re not going to be happy or stick with it very long. In that case, it’s really more of a side job than a business.

Is this something you’d want to be doing every day five years from now? Think about possibly having a team to lead and work with, too, at some point. Then, lay out a smart business plan, and write up everything from your marketing strategies to the cost of start-up equipment and supplies, to what your projected revenues are, and the per unit charges for all your services and widgets. Work this up like you had to prepare a report for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/saving/avoiding-the-traps-of-higher-education">college</a>&nbsp;class, and that’s what a business plan looks like.

You’ll always do a better job, and have more fun, when you’re part of something you love. And when it comes to running the business, stay away from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/debt-calculator">debt</a>, pay cash and don’t be afraid to grow slowly. Be patient, be smart and give people a quality, reasonably-priced product and friendly, professional service. If you do all these things, there’s a good chance you’ll be successful.

<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/">Dave Ramsey&nbsp;</a>is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of&nbsp;The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648177011035.png" alt="Dave Ramsey&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Dave Ramsey&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Dear Dave,Do you have any advice on how to start a car wash and detailing business? What things should I consider first, and what do I keep in mind over the long run?AndrewDear Andrew,I’m excited for you, man! And I love your ambitious spirit. Working for yourself is one of the toughest&nbsp;and&nbsp;most rewarding things anyone can do. It’ll take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to be successful, and you’ll experience some of the highest highs and lowest lows in the process.But, if you don’t absolutely love cars and everything that goes into keeping them clean and looking great, I’d advise looking into another line of work. In other words, if you’re thinking about this kind of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/career-advice/career-clarity-guide">business</a>&nbsp;just because it’s plausible or a way to make money, chances are you’re not going to be happy or stick with it very long. In that case, it’s really more of a side job than a business.Is this something you’d want to be doing every day five years from now? Think about possibly having a team to lead and work with, too, at some point. Then, lay out a smart business plan, and write up everything from your marketing strategies to the cost of start-up equipment and supplies, to what your projected revenues are, and the per unit charges for all your services and widgets. Work this up like you had to prepare a report for a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/saving/avoiding-the-traps-of-higher-education">college</a>&nbsp;class, and that’s what a business plan looks like.You’ll always do a better job, and have more fun, when you’re part of something you love. And when it comes to running the business, stay away from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/debt-calculator">debt</a>, pay cash and don’t be afraid to grow slowly. Be patient, be smart and give people a quality, reasonably-priced product and friendly, professional service. If you do all these things, there’s a good chance you’ll be successful.Best of luck, Andrew!<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/">Dave Ramsey&nbsp;</a>is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of&nbsp;The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

Dave Says: Simple keys to small business success

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A school system in suburban Kansas City is eliminating over 100 jobs, including kindergarten aides and library clerks. Oakland, California, is closing seven schools. Other districts around the country are merging classrooms, selling buildings and leaving teaching positions unfilled in order to close budget gaps.

Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Money for schools is driven partly by student headcounts, and emergency provisions in many states allowed schools to maintain funding at pre-pandemic levels. But like the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-aid-public-school-funding-346d3d4b86f904184e357c34c9754800">billions of dollars of federal relief money&nbsp;</a>that have helped schools weather the crisis, those measures were not meant to last forever.

In Olathe, Kansas, where the school system is cutting 140 jobs, Deputy Superintendent John Hutchison said the extra federal money merely put off the inevitable.

Now it is trimming millions of dollars from its budgets because enrollment, having peaked at more than 30,000 students in fall 2019, fell by around 900 in the first full school year of the pandemic. Less than 100 of those students have returned.

“Where did those kids go?” Hutchison asked during a recent public meeting. “Where are they? They didn’t come back this year. That’s what’s laying on that additional reduction in our funding.”

Families opting for homeschooling, private schools and other options sent enrollment down sharply in the first full school year of the pandemic, and generally it has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-race-and-ethnicity-education-e4f3faca4dffec641b11df6dd8259a23">slow to recover</a>.

In Houston, the largest district in Texas, enrollment tumbled by more than 22,000 to around 183,000 in fall 2021 and only about half of those students have returned. The district was shielded from making cuts in the first two years of the pandemic by what are known as “hold harmless” provisions, but those protections are expected to end. Superintendent Millard House has asked departments to cut $60 million from next year’s budget.

Among other states that took steps to protect school budgets, Delaware provided $9.3 million in one-time funding in the fiscal year that ended in summer 2021 to school districts and charter schools to prevent layoffs over enrollment declines, and North Carolina lawmakers decided to allow schools to use pre-pandemic attendance levels.

More districts will be making cuts in coming years, said Alex Spurrier, an associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a think tank. The last of the federal aid must be spent by 2024.

“Once the federal funding dries up, it will put a lot more districts in a lot more difficult position if they’re kind of kicking the can down the road of making the adjustments that they’ll need if they are going to be serving smaller student populations in the years to come,” he said.

Some districts have struggled to explain the need for cuts. Albuquerque Public Schools announced this spring that it anticipates a budget shortfall of about $25 million.

“That might sound crazy,” the district wrote in a blog post, acknowledging the influx of federal aid. But it explained that enrollment declines have accelerated amid the pandemic, with the student population falling to 73,000 from 85,000 in just six years. The district hasn’t released a cost-cutting plan but legislative analysts say it will require layoffs and school closures.

Amid the upheaval, some states have gained students. Florida was among the leaders, according to the data-tracking site Burbio. And some districts’ headcounts benefited from new families, including some who moved to less costly areas as work went virtual.

In California, which announced this month that enrollment had fallen by an additional 110,283 students, Oakland's planned school closures are leading to protests. The ACLU filed a complaint this month alleging that they disproportionately affect Black students and families.

Further complicating the situation is a tight labor market and demands for teacher and staff raises.

In Minneapolis Public Schools, where a nearly three-week long teacher strike ended with a new contract, the district said it needed to make $27.1 million in budget cuts in the upcoming school year to pay for it. Federal relief money helped cover the $53.5 million price tag for the more lucrative contract for teachers and support staff for the current school year. Since the pandemic began, the district also has lost more than 4,000 students, along with the state funding they generate.

School officials in the city of Lawrence — home to the main University of Kansas campus — are creating multi-grade level elementary classrooms, which will allow the district to get by with fewer teachers. It is part of an effort to close a budget shortfall brought on by declining enrollment and to free up money for raises.

“You can’t cut close to $7 million and not change how you do business,” Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis acknowledged at a meeting this month.

In Iowa, the Des Moines district canceled a conference, sold a building and isn’t replacing some retiring teachers as it cuts $9.4 million in spending for the upcoming school year. The cuts were needed partially because the district’s enrollment has fallen by 1,600 students since the pandemic began.

The district, which is the state’s largest with 31,000 students, anticipates that it will need to make even deeper cuts next year.

“I think it’s fair to say, the federal aid helped offset some of the financial challenges,” said Phil Roeder, a spokesman for the district. “It did help to get us through what’s been a historically bad moment in history. But it was a temporary, stopgap, not a long-term solution for school districts.”

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A school system in suburban Kansas City is eliminating over 100 jobs, including kindergarten aides and library clerks. Oakland, California, is closing seven schools. Other districts around the country are merging classrooms, selling buildings and leaving teaching positions unfilled in order to close budget gaps.Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic.Money for schools is driven partly by student headcounts, and emergency provisions in many states allowed schools to maintain funding at pre-pandemic levels. But like the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-aid-public-school-funding-346d3d4b86f904184e357c34c9754800">billions of dollars of federal relief money&nbsp;</a>that have helped schools weather the crisis, those measures were not meant to last forever.In Olathe, Kansas, where the school system is cutting 140 jobs, Deputy Superintendent John Hutchison said the extra federal money merely put off the inevitable.Now it is trimming millions of dollars from its budgets because enrollment, having peaked at more than 30,000 students in fall 2019, fell by around 900 in the first full school year of the pandemic. Less than 100 of those students have returned.“Where did those kids go?” Hutchison asked during a recent public meeting. “Where are they? They didn’t come back this year. That’s what’s laying on that additional reduction in our funding.”Families opting for homeschooling, private schools and other options sent enrollment down sharply in the first full school year of the pandemic, and generally it has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-coronavirus-pandemic-race-and-ethnicity-education-e4f3faca4dffec641b11df6dd8259a23">slow to recover</a>.In Houston, the largest district in Texas, enrollment tumbled by more than 22,000 to around 183,000 in fall 2021 and only about half of those students have returned. The district was shielded from making cuts in the first two years of the pandemic by what are known as “hold harmless” provisions, but those protections are expected to end. Superintendent Millard House has asked departments to cut $60 million from next year’s budget.Among other states that took steps to protect school budgets, Delaware provided $9.3 million in one-time funding in the fiscal year that ended in summer 2021 to school districts and charter schools to prevent layoffs over enrollment declines, and North Carolina lawmakers decided to allow schools to use pre-pandemic attendance levels.More districts will be making cuts in coming years, said Alex Spurrier, an associate partner at Bellwether Education Partners, a think tank. The last of the federal aid must be spent by 2024.“Once the federal funding dries up, it will put a lot more districts in a lot more difficult position if they’re kind of kicking the can down the road of making the adjustments that they’ll need if they are going to be serving smaller student populations in the years to come,” he said.Some districts have struggled to explain the need for cuts. Albuquerque Public Schools announced this spring that it anticipates a budget shortfall of about $25 million.“That might sound crazy,” the district wrote in a blog post, acknowledging the influx of federal aid. But it explained that enrollment declines have accelerated amid the pandemic, with the student population falling to 73,000 from 85,000 in just six years. The district hasn’t released a cost-cutting plan but legislative analysts say it will require layoffs and school closures.Amid the upheaval, some states have gained students. Florida was among the leaders, according to the data-tracking site Burbio. And some districts’ headcounts benefited from new families, including some who moved to less costly areas as work went virtual.In California, which announced this month that enrollment had fallen by an additional 110,283 students, Oakland's planned school closures are leading to protests. The ACLU filed a complaint this month alleging that they disproportionately affect Black students and families.Further complicating the situation is a tight labor market and demands for teacher and staff raises.In Minneapolis Public Schools, where a nearly three-week long teacher strike ended with a new contract, the district said it needed to make $27.1 million in budget cuts in the upcoming school year to pay for it. Federal relief money helped cover the $53.5 million price tag for the more lucrative contract for teachers and support staff for the current school year. Since the pandemic began, the district also has lost more than 4,000 students, along with the state funding they generate.School officials in the city of Lawrence — home to the main University of Kansas campus — are creating multi-grade level elementary classrooms, which will allow the district to get by with fewer teachers. It is part of an effort to close a budget shortfall brought on by declining enrollment and to free up money for raises.“You can’t cut close to $7 million and not change how you do business,” Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis acknowledged at a meeting this month.In Iowa, the Des Moines district canceled a conference, sold a building and isn’t replacing some retiring teachers as it cuts $9.4 million in spending for the upcoming school year. The cuts were needed partially because the district’s enrollment has fallen by 1,600 students since the pandemic began.The district, which is the state’s largest with 31,000 students, anticipates that it will need to make even deeper cuts next year.“I think it’s fair to say, the federal aid helped offset some of the financial challenges,” said Phil Roeder, a spokesman for the district. “It did help to get us through what’s been a historically bad moment in history. But it was a temporary, stopgap, not a long-term solution for school districts.”

Headcounts are down at public schools. Now budgets are too

WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473" target="_blank">Politico report</a>&nbsp;released Monday.

A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states and could have huge ramifications for this year’s elections. But it’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter — opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process.

Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process, and on a case of surpassing importance.

The court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.

The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services and would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the court had no comment and The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the draft Politico posted, which dates from February.

olitico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”

The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.

The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said low-income women will disproportionately bear the burden of the new restrictions.

The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on either side of the hot-button issue.

People on both sides of the issue quickly gathered outside the Supreme Court waving signs and chanting on a balmy spring night, following the release of the Politico report.

Reaction was swift from elected officials in Congress and across the country.

In a joint statement from Congress’ top two Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years — not just on women but on all Americans.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, said people seeking abortions could head to New York. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.

Congress could act, too, though a bill that would write Roe’s protections into federal law stalled in the Senate after passing the House last year with only Democratic votes.

Only Chief Justice John Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.

The court’s three liberal justices seemed likely to be in dissent.

It’s impossible to know what efforts are taking place behind the scenes to influence any justice’s vote. If Roberts is inclined to allow Roe to survive, he need only pick off one other conservative vote to deprive the court of a majority to overrule the abortion landmark.

Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The state’s law banning it after six weeks has already been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.

This year, anticipating a decision overturning or gutting Roe, eight conservative states have already moved to restrict abortion rights. Oklahoma, for example, passed several bills in recent weeks, including one that goes into effect this summer making it a felony to perform an abortion. Like many anti-abortion bills passed in GOP-led states this year, it does not have exceptions for rape or incest, only to save the life of the mother.

Eight Democratic-leaning states protected or expanded access to the procedure, including California, which has passed legislation making the procedure less expensive and is considering other bills to make itself an “abortion sanctuary” if Roe is overturned.

The draft looked legitimate to some followers of the court. Veteran Supreme Court lawyer Neal Katyal, who worked as a clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer and therefore has been in a position to see drafts, wrote on Twitter: “There are lots of signals the opinion is legit. The length and depth of analysis, would be very hard to fake. It says it is written by Alito and definitely sounds like him.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473" target="_blank">Politico report</a>&nbsp;released Monday.A decision to overrule Roe would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states and could have huge ramifications for this year’s elections. But it’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter — opinions often change in ways big and small in the drafting process.Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court’s secretive deliberation process, and on a case of surpassing importance.“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the draft opinion states. It was signed by Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush.The document was labeled a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks, a case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.The court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.The draft opinion in effect states there is no constitutional right to abortion services and would allow individual states to more heavily regulate or outright ban the procedure.“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” it states, referencing the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey that affirmed Roe’s finding of a constitutional right to abortion services but allowed states to place some constraints on the practice. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the court had no comment and The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the draft Politico posted, which dates from February.olitico said only that it received “a copy of the draft opinion from a person familiar with the court’s proceedings in the Mississippi case along with other details supporting the authenticity of the document.”The draft opinion strongly suggests that when the justices met in private shortly after arguments in the case on Dec. 1, at least five voted to overrule Roe and Casey, and Alito was assigned the task of writing the court’s majority opinion.Votes and opinions in a case aren’t final until a decision is announced or, in a change wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, posted on the court’s website.The report comes amid a legislative push to restrict abortion in several Republican-led states — Oklahoma being the most recent — even before the court issues its decision. Critics of those measures have said low-income women will disproportionately bear the burden of the new restrictions.The leak jumpstarted the intense political reverberations that the high court’s ultimate decision was expected to have in the midterm election year. Already, politicians on both sides of the aisle were seizing on the report to fundraise and energize their supporters on either side of the hot-button issue.An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-reproductive-rights-bd86cf1c8ddbfd09c5e221c7a9d41e01">AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;in December found that Democrats increasingly see protecting abortion rights as a high priority for the government.Other polling shows relatively few Americans want to see Roe overturned. In 2020, AP VoteCast found that 69% of voters in the presidential election said the Supreme Court should leave the Roe v. Wade decision as is; just 29% said the court should overturn the decision. In general, AP-NORC polling finds a majority of the public favors abortion being legal in most or all cases.Still, when asked about abortion policy generally, Americans have nuanced attitudes on the issue, and many don’t think that abortion should be possible after the first trimester or that women should be able to obtain a legal abortion for any reason.Alito, in the draft, said the court can’t predict how the public might react and shouldn’t try. “We cannot allow our decisions to be affected by any extraneous influences such as concern about the public’s reaction to our work,” Alito wrote in the draft opinion, according to Politico.People on both sides of the issue quickly gathered outside the Supreme Court waving signs and chanting on a balmy spring night, following the release of the Politico report.Reaction was swift from elected officials in Congress and across the country.In a joint statement from Congress’ top two Democrats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years — not just on women but on all Americans.”New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat, said people seeking abortions could head to New York. “For anyone who needs access to care, our state will welcome you with open arms. Abortion will always be safe &amp; accessible in New York,” Hochul said in a tweet.Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a statement, “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.” But local officials were praising the draft.“This puts the decision making back into the hands of the states, which is where it should have always been,” said Mississippi state Rep. Becky Currie.Congress could act, too, though a bill that would write Roe’s protections into federal law stalled in the Senate after passing the House last year with only Democratic votes.At Supreme Court arguments in December, all six conservative justices signaled that they would uphold the Mississippi law, and five asked questions that suggested that overruling Roe and Casey was a possibility.Only Chief Justice John Roberts seemed prepared to take the smaller step of upholding the 15-week ban, though that too would be a significant weakening of abortion rights.Until now, the court has allowed states to regulate but not ban abortion before the point of viability, around 24 weeks.The court’s three liberal justices seemed likely to be in dissent.It’s impossible to know what efforts are taking place behind the scenes to influence any justice’s vote. If Roberts is inclined to allow Roe to survive, he need only pick off one other conservative vote to deprive the court of a majority to overrule the abortion landmark.Twenty-six states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the pro-abortion rights think tank the Guttmacher Institute. Of those, 22 states already have total or near-total bans on the books that are currently blocked by Roe, aside from Texas. The state’s law banning it after six weeks has already been allowed to go into effect by the Supreme Court due to its unusual civil enforcement structure. Four more states are considered likely to quickly pass bans if Roe is overturned.Sixteen states and the District of Columbia, meanwhile, have protected access to abortion in state law.This year, anticipating a decision overturning or gutting Roe, eight conservative states have already moved to restrict abortion rights. Oklahoma, for example, passed several bills in recent weeks, including one that goes into effect this summer making it a felony to perform an abortion. Like many anti-abortion bills passed in GOP-led states this year, it does not have exceptions for rape or incest, only to save the life of the mother.Eight Democratic-leaning states protected or expanded access to the procedure, including California, which has passed legislation making the procedure less expensive and is considering other bills to make itself an “abortion sanctuary” if Roe is overturned.The draft looked legitimate to some followers of the court. Veteran Supreme Court lawyer Neal Katyal, who worked as a clerk to Justice Stephen Breyer and therefore has been in a position to see drafts, wrote on Twitter: “There are lots of signals the opinion is legit. The length and depth of analysis, would be very hard to fake. It says it is written by Alito and definitely sounds like him.”___

Report: Supreme Court set to overturn Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal weekend shooting.

Just after 9:15 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a Disturbance Weapon call in the 3000 block of South Elizabeth in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch.

 Upon arrival, officers located 25-year-old Vincent White unconscious and not breathing in front of a residence. White would be pronounced deceased on the scene.

The investigation revealed White was in a verbal altercation with a relative. The relative would contact a 39-year-old neighbor for assistance. White charged at the relative and neighbor causing the neighbor to point a gun at White and shoot him.

The investigation is ongoing and will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal weekend shooting.Just after 9:15 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a Disturbance Weapon call in the 3000 block of South Elizabeth in Wichita, according to Officer Chad Ditch. Upon arrival, officers located 25-year-old Vincent White unconscious and not breathing in front of a residence. White would be pronounced deceased on the scene.The investigation revealed White was in a verbal altercation with a relative. The relative would contact a 39-year-old neighbor for assistance. White charged at the relative and neighbor causing the neighbor to point a gun at White and shoot him.The investigation is ongoing and will be presented to the District Attorney’s office.

Kan. man asked to help, shot and killed neighbor's relative

TOPEKA&nbsp;– On Monday, Governor Laura Kelly announced that Kansas’ total tax-only receipts for April were $1.5 billion. Those collections are $178.4 million, or 13.4%, more than the recently revised estimate, according to a media release from her office.

&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA1MDIuNTczMDMzNjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NvbnRlbnQuZ292ZGVsaXZlcnkuY29tL2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzL0tTT0cvMjAyMi8wNS8wMi9maWxlX2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzLzIxNDc2MzcvMTBfQXByaWxfUmV2ZW51ZV9GWTIwMjJfMDUtMDItMjAyMl9GaW5hbC5wZGYifQ.-g5UFvfPATNxwHnk75aiH-TPx6vwFGNPFJJLhFmnHdc/s/1303160919/br/130696456897-l" target="_blank">Click here to view the April t</a>ax spreadsheet

“Last week, we passed ‘Axe the Food Tax’ legislation to eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries, which is a good first step, but we can do more,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“These tax collection receipts reiterate the state’s fiscal health, and clearly shows we can afford to move up the ‘axe the food tax’ implementation date to July 1 of this year. I’m calling on the Kansas Legislature to do so as soon as they come back later this month.”

The July 1 date is still viable as Kansas would be joining 23 other states that use the same definitions for what will be exempt from state sales tax. Many retailers and point-of-sale software vendors are already familiar with and utilizing those definitions. In addition, KDOR will provide educational information to assist retailers in this change.

Individual income tax collections for April were $1.0 billion, which is $178.1 million, or 21.2%, more than the estimate for the month. April corporate income tax collections were $141.5 million, only $0.5 million below the estimated amount for the month.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It is reassuring to see the receipts meeting and exceeding the latest revised estimates for Fiscal Year 2022,”&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.

Retail sales tax collections continued the growth trend for state revenues, as those collections were $245.0 million. That is $8.4 million, or 3.6%, more than April 2021. Compensating use tax receipts were $65.0 million, which was 10.4% less than the estimate for the month, but 9.8% above April 2021 receipts. The combined sales and use taxes associated with personal and corporate expenditures grew by 4.8% over April 2021.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636397666116.png" alt="The July 1 date is still viable as Kansas would be joining 23 other states that use the same definitions for what will be exempt from state sales tax." />
 <figcaption>The July 1 date is still viable as Kansas would be joining 23 other states that use the same definitions for what will be exempt from state sales tax.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– On Monday, Governor Laura Kelly announced that Kansas’ total tax-only receipts for April were $1.5 billion. Those collections are $178.4 million, or 13.4%, more than the recently revised estimate, according to a media release from her office.&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA1MDIuNTczMDMzNjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NvbnRlbnQuZ292ZGVsaXZlcnkuY29tL2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzL0tTT0cvMjAyMi8wNS8wMi9maWxlX2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzLzIxNDc2MzcvMTBfQXByaWxfUmV2ZW51ZV9GWTIwMjJfMDUtMDItMjAyMl9GaW5hbC5wZGYifQ.-g5UFvfPATNxwHnk75aiH-TPx6vwFGNPFJJLhFmnHdc/s/1303160919/br/130696456897-l" target="_blank">Click here to view the April t</a>ax spreadsheet“Last week, we passed ‘Axe the Food Tax’ legislation to eliminate the state’s sales tax on groceries, which is a good first step, but we can do more,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“These tax collection receipts reiterate the state’s fiscal health, and clearly shows we can afford to move up the ‘axe the food tax’ implementation date to July 1 of this year. I’m calling on the Kansas Legislature to do so as soon as they come back later this month.”The July 1 date is still viable as Kansas would be joining 23 other states that use the same definitions for what will be exempt from state sales tax. Many retailers and point-of-sale software vendors are already familiar with and utilizing those definitions. In addition, KDOR will provide educational information to assist retailers in this change.Individual income tax collections for April were $1.0 billion, which is $178.1 million, or 21.2%, more than the estimate for the month. April corporate income tax collections were $141.5 million, only $0.5 million below the estimated amount for the month.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It is reassuring to see the receipts meeting and exceeding the latest revised estimates for Fiscal Year 2022,”&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.Retail sales tax collections continued the growth trend for state revenues, as those collections were $245.0 million. That is $8.4 million, or 3.6%, more than April 2021. Compensating use tax receipts were $65.0 million, which was 10.4% less than the estimate for the month, but 9.8% above April 2021 receipts. The combined sales and use taxes associated with personal and corporate expenditures grew by 4.8% over April 2021.

Kelly: April tax collection show Kan. could move up 'axe food tax'

RENO COUNTY — Police arrested a man staying at a Hutchinson motel Sunday after he allegedly robbed a Papa John's delivery driver.

Just after 11:30p.m. Sunday, a 25-year-old female driver from Papa John's reported to the police that she had tried to deliver pizzas to a location in Hutchison that didn't exist, then was called to go to the parking lot at the Hampton Inn just east of 11th and K-61 to deliver the pizzas.

A man, later identified as 22-year-old Damien Daron Devine, flagged the delivery driver down, displayed a handgun and stole the pizzas and cash from her.

A search warrant was executed for Devine's car and motel room and evidence was found for grounds for an arrest. Police also found a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Police booked Devine into jail on requested charges of aggravated robbery and drug offenses.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651510799824.png" alt="Devine-photo Reno Co." />
 <figcaption>Devine-photo Reno Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY — Police arrested a man staying at a Hutchinson motel Sunday after he allegedly robbed a Papa John's delivery driver.Just after 11:30p.m. Sunday, a 25-year-old female driver from Papa John's reported to the police that she had tried to deliver pizzas to a location in Hutchison that didn't exist, then was called to go to the parking lot at the Hampton Inn just east of 11th and K-61 to deliver the pizzas.A man, later identified as 22-year-old Damien Daron Devine, flagged the delivery driver down, displayed a handgun and stole the pizzas and cash from her.A search warrant was executed for Devine's car and motel room and evidence was found for grounds for an arrest. Police also found a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.Police booked Devine into jail on requested charges of aggravated robbery and drug offenses.

Police: Kan. man robbed pizza delivery driver at gunpoint

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of shooting a relative in the back yard of a home made his first court appearance Friday.

Phoukhong Khamvongsa, 62, Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

Just before 5:30p.m. April 25, deputies were sent to a disturbance call involving a weapon in the 4500 block of south Meadowview in Wichita, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

When deputies arrived, they located a 55-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the backyard of a residence. 

EMS transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries.&nbsp; The suspect identified as 62-year-old Phoukhong Khamvongsa&nbsp; of Wichita, was arrested at the residence <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=142445">and booked </a>into the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on requested charges of Aggravated Battery.

The victim and suspect are family members, according to Blick.

He is scheduled for another court appearance on May 9. He remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650989518111.png" alt="Khamvongsa-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Khamvongsa-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of shooting a relative in the back yard of a home made his first court appearance Friday.Phoukhong Khamvongsa, 62, Wichita, is charged with attempted 1st degree murder, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.Just before 5:30p.m. April 25, deputies were sent to a disturbance call involving a weapon in the 4500 block of south Meadowview in Wichita, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.When deputies arrived, they located a 55-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the backyard of a residence. EMS transported the victim to a local hospital for treatment of critical injuries.&nbsp; The suspect identified as 62-year-old Phoukhong Khamvongsa&nbsp; of Wichita, was arrested at the residence <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=142445">and booked </a>into the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on requested charges of Aggravated Battery.The victim and suspect are family members, according to Blick.He is scheduled for another court appearance on May 9. He remains jailed on a $500,000 bond.

Attempted murder: Kan. man charged with shooting family member

FORD COUNTY —The National Weather Service office in Dodge City on Sunday honored three meteorology students who died in an accident Friday night traveling back from storm chasing in Kansas.

'Tonight's 0Z radiosonde launch is dedicated to Nicholas Nair, Gavin Short, and Drake Brooks, the 3 OU meteorology students who tragically were killed in a car accident Friday night. RIP," the National Weather Service in Dodge City wrote on social media.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, died in the crash shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday.

The three were in a vehicle being driven by Nair southbound on Interstate 35 when the vehicle hydroplaned and was struck by a tractor-trailer rig in Tonkawa, about 85 miles north of Oklahoma City.

A statement released by OU said: “The university is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of three students. Each were valued and loved members of our community.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651452887068.png" alt="National Weather Service Dodge City" />
 <figcaption>National Weather Service Dodge City</figcaption>
 </figure>FORD COUNTY —The National Weather Service office in Dodge City on Sunday honored three meteorology students who died in an accident Friday night traveling back from storm chasing in Kansas.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tonight&#39;s 0Z radiosonde launch is dedicated to Nicholas Nair, Gavin Short, and Drake Brooks, the 3 OU meteorology students who tragically were killed in a car accident Friday night. RIP. <a href="https://t.co/1mpPXcm4Pc">pic.twitter.com/1mpPXcm4Pc</a>&mdash; NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/1520899083036098560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On this very sad day in the Norman weather community, our evening weather balloon launch is dedicated to Nic, Drake and Gavin - OU meteorology students who died in a tragic traffic accident last night. <a href="https://t.co/49q2eepp8l">pic.twitter.com/49q2eepp8l</a>&mdash; NWS Norman (@NWSNorman) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSNorman/status/1520547165935964160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>'Tonight's 0Z radiosonde launch is dedicated to Nicholas Nair, Gavin Short, and Drake Brooks, the 3 OU meteorology students who tragically were killed in a car accident Friday night. RIP," the National Weather Service in Dodge City wrote on social media.The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, died in the crash shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday.The three were in a vehicle being driven by Nair southbound on Interstate 35 when the vehicle hydroplaned and was struck by a tractor-trailer rig in Tonkawa, about 85 miles north of Oklahoma City.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/Ast06ncrw4">pic.twitter.com/Ast06ncrw4</a>&mdash; Joseph Harroz, Jr. - OU President (@OU_President) <a href="https://twitter.com/OU_President/status/1520819226495307776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A statement released by OU said: “The university is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of three students. Each were valued and loved members of our community.”

NWS honors students killed returning from storm chasing in Kansas

By NATHAN SIMINGTON Federal Communications Commission

WASHINGTON — Some have recently called on the FCC to stop
Elon Musk from acquiring Twitter. But nothing in the United States Code or our regulations
gives us the right to interfere with this transaction. Our competition review authority does not
and has never extended to internet platforms like Twitter.


But even if this deal were within our purview, it would be inappropriate and contrary to the
public interest to block it. Mr. Musk’s acquisition does not raise any concerns about vertical or
horizontal concentration in the social media market, and there is no reason to think it would
otherwise limit competition or harm consumer welfare.


In fact, antitrust regulators should welcome this purchase. In recent years, consumer choice
and freedom have suffered due to the restrictive, and often politically motivated, content
moderation practices adopted across all major social media platforms. If Mr. Musk follows
through on his stated intention to ease Twitter’s restrictions on speech, he would almost
certainly enhance competition and better serve those Americans, the majority, who value free
speech.


Also unpersuasive are selective concerns about concentration of ownership. Nothing about
Mr. Musk becoming the sole owner of Twitter would be out of step with the ownership
structures of other social media platforms or, for that matter, media companies generally.
Google, YouTube, Facebook, the Washington Post, and the New York Times are each owned
or controlled by one or two people or a single family. Vertical integration is also widespread,
and there are numerous examples of common ownership and control of broadband internet
access service and online services like search engines, streaming platforms, and news websites.
Concerns about Mr. Musk controlling both Twitter and Starlink—a broadband provider
currently serving less than one percent of Americans—cannot be taken seriously.


The FCC cannot, and should not, block this sale. We should instead applaud Mr. Musk for
doing something about a serious problem that government has so far failed to address. I
encourage my colleagues across the government to investigate the market failures and perverse
incentives that caused big tech companies to standardize around censorious and slanted content
policies in the first place. If this acquisition leads to corporate success by bucking the trend
toward curated and managed speech informed by the sensibilities of a narrow and
unrepresentative class of insiders, it will bring greater diversity to the social media experience.
And, as this experiment is clearly lawful, I for one look forward to seeing what comes of it.


Finally, I am particularly troubled by arguments that the federal government must act with
the purpose of stopping Mr. Musk from enshrining free expression on Twitter. The only merit
in such proposals is their candor in proposing something so blatantly illegal. The law in this
country does not recognize a government interest in restricting the open exchange of ideas.
Labeling content as “fake news” or “disinformation” does not change that. It would be not only
unconstitutional, but plainly un-American, for any arm of the government to act against Twitter
or Mr. Musk for such a purpose.


Nathan Simington is commissioner of the FCC.

By NATHAN SIMINGTON Federal Communications CommissionWASHINGTON — Some have recently called on the FCC to stop
Elon Musk from acquiring Twitter. But nothing in the United States Code or our regulations
gives us the right to interfere with this transaction. Our competition review authority does not
and has never extended to internet platforms like Twitter.
But even if this deal were within our purview, it would be inappropriate and contrary to the
public interest to block it. Mr. Musk’s acquisition does not raise any concerns about vertical or
horizontal concentration in the social media market, and there is no reason to think it would
otherwise limit competition or harm consumer welfare.
In fact, antitrust regulators should welcome this purchase. In recent years, consumer choice
and freedom have suffered due to the restrictive, and often politically motivated, content
moderation practices adopted across all major social media platforms. If Mr. Musk follows
through on his stated intention to ease Twitter’s restrictions on speech, he would almost
certainly enhance competition and better serve those Americans, the majority, who value free
speech.
Also unpersuasive are selective concerns about concentration of ownership. Nothing about
Mr. Musk becoming the sole owner of Twitter would be out of step with the ownership
structures of other social media platforms or, for that matter, media companies generally.
Google, YouTube, Facebook, the Washington Post, and the New York Times are each owned
or controlled by one or two people or a single family. Vertical integration is also widespread,
and there are numerous examples of common ownership and control of broadband internet
access service and online services like search engines, streaming platforms, and news websites.
Concerns about Mr. Musk controlling both Twitter and Starlink—a broadband provider
currently serving less than one percent of Americans—cannot be taken seriously.
The FCC cannot, and should not, block this sale. We should instead applaud Mr. Musk for
doing something about a serious problem that government has so far failed to address. I
encourage my colleagues across the government to investigate the market failures and perverse
incentives that caused big tech companies to standardize around censorious and slanted content
policies in the first place. If this acquisition leads to corporate success by bucking the trend
toward curated and managed speech informed by the sensibilities of a narrow and
unrepresentative class of insiders, it will bring greater diversity to the social media experience.
And, as this experiment is clearly lawful, I for one look forward to seeing what comes of it.
Finally, I am particularly troubled by arguments that the federal government must act with
the purpose of stopping Mr. Musk from enshrining free expression on Twitter. The only merit
in such proposals is their candor in proposing something so blatantly illegal. The law in this
country does not recognize a government interest in restricting the open exchange of ideas.
Labeling content as “fake news” or “disinformation” does not change that. It would be not only
unconstitutional, but plainly un-American, for any arm of the government to act against Twitter
or Mr. Musk for such a purpose.
Nathan Simington is commissioner of the FCC.

FCC: Agency won't move to block Musk's acquisition of Twitter

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative on Monday for COVID-19, six days after she tested positive for the virus, and has been cleared to return to the White House on Tuesday.

Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen said Harris, who was prescribed the antiviral treatment Paxlovid last week, was negative on a rapid antigen test. Allen said Harris would continue to wear a “well-fitting mask while around others” in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines until through her tenth day after her positive test.

CDC guidance allows people to leave isolation on the sixth day after they tested positive, as long as they wear a mask around others. The White House exceeds those guidelines, requiring a negative rapid test before people who have been infected are allowed to return to the complex.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1650996759503.png" alt="Vice President Harris, 57, who tested positive for COVID April 26, received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine weeks before taking office and a second dose just days after Inauguration Day in 2021. She received a booster shot in late October and an additional booster on April 1. -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Harris, 57, who tested positive for COVID April 26, received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine weeks before taking office and a second dose just days after Inauguration Day in 2021. She received a booster shot in late October and an additional booster on April 1. -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative on Monday for COVID-19, six days after she tested positive for the virus, and has been cleared to return to the White House on Tuesday.Harris press secretary Kirsten Allen said Harris, who was prescribed the antiviral treatment Paxlovid last week, was negative on a rapid antigen test. Allen said Harris would continue to wear a “well-fitting mask while around others” in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines until through her tenth day after her positive test.CDC guidance allows people to leave isolation on the sixth day after they tested positive, as long as they wear a mask around others. The White House exceeds those guidelines, requiring a negative rapid test before people who have been infected are allowed to return to the complex.

Vice President negative for COVID-19 after taking antiviral pill

GEARY COUNTY —Authorities on Monday suspended their search for a possible drowning victim at Milford Lake, according to the Geary County Sheriff's office.

 Gusty winds have created problems in the Clarks Creek area on the northwest side of the reservoir. There were high waves and high surf and the dive team and boats could not be put in the water. There is a chance of inclement weather throughout the day.

GEARY COUNTY —Geary County Sheriff's authorities reported the search for a possible drowning victim at Milford Lake was called for the day early Sunday evening.&nbsp; Two days searching have been met with no results.

Multiple agencies from across the region joined the Geary Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and the Geary County Sheriff's Office/Junction City Fire Department Dive Team in their search for the missing subject. We would like to thank Kansas Wildlife and Parks Parks Division, Kansas Wildlife and Parks Law Enforcement Division, Milford State Park Wildlife and Parks Division along with Corps of Engineering Park Rangers for their assistance today. Departments planned to use remaining hours of daylight to evaluate their equipment and prep it to resume the search Monday morning after sunrise.

GEARY COUNTY —First responders from the Geary County Sheriff's office searched Saturday evening for a man last seen swimming to shore in Milford Lake. 

Deputies had responded to Eagle Ridge Campground in Milford State Park at 3:29 p.m. regarding a woman who had drifted into shoreline in a homemade water vessel. The search was ended for the evening about 9:15 p.m. and will resume early Sunday morning.

According to the Sheriff Department, the woman said that she and a man were walking the shoreline near Curtis Creek when they located a water vessel made from 55 gallon drums and 2x4 lumber. The couple enter water in the vessel when they were caught by the wind and were being pulled toward the main body of the lake. The man jumped into the water to swim to shore to call for help. He was last seen in the water as the woman drifted away in the vessel.

The Sheriff Department reported that the incident is being investigated as a possible drowning at this time.

Geary County Sheriff's Deputies along with the Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and the Geary County Sheriff's Office / Junction City Fire Department Dive team searched the area.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651408499916.png" alt="Search crews on the lake late Saturday -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Search crews on the lake late Saturday -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —Authorities on Monday suspended their search for a possible drowning victim at Milford Lake, according to the Geary County Sheriff's office. Gusty winds have created problems in the Clarks Creek area on the northwest side of the reservoir. There were high waves and high surf and the dive team and boats could not be put in the water. There is a chance of inclement weather throughout the day.-----------GEARY COUNTY —Geary County Sheriff's authorities reported the search for a possible drowning victim at Milford Lake was called for the day early Sunday evening.&nbsp; Two days searching have been met with no results.Multiple agencies from across the region joined the Geary Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and the Geary County Sheriff's Office/Junction City Fire Department Dive Team in their search for the missing subject. We would like to thank Kansas Wildlife and Parks Parks Division, Kansas Wildlife and Parks Law Enforcement Division, Milford State Park Wildlife and Parks Division along with Corps of Engineering Park Rangers for their assistance today. Departments planned to use remaining hours of daylight to evaluate their equipment and prep it to resume the search Monday morning after sunrise.-------GEARY COUNTY —First responders from the Geary County Sheriff's office searched Saturday evening for a man last seen swimming to shore in Milford Lake. Deputies had responded to Eagle Ridge Campground in Milford State Park at 3:29 p.m. regarding a woman who had drifted into shoreline in a homemade water vessel. The search was ended for the evening about 9:15 p.m. and will resume early Sunday morning.According to the Sheriff Department, the woman said that she and a man were walking the shoreline near Curtis Creek when they located a water vessel made from 55 gallon drums and 2x4 lumber. The couple enter water in the vessel when they were caught by the wind and were being pulled toward the main body of the lake. The man jumped into the water to swim to shore to call for help. He was last seen in the water as the woman drifted away in the vessel.The Sheriff Department reported that the incident is being investigated as a possible drowning at this time.Geary County Sheriff's Deputies along with the Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and the Geary County Sheriff's Office / Junction City Fire Department Dive team searched the area.&nbsp;

Search for drowning victim at Kan. lake temporarily suspended

BUTLER COUNTY —One westbound lane of U.S. 54/400 at Andover reopened Monday morning after being closed by tornado damage, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

One westbound lane remains closed: from Yorktown on west to Meadowlark on east. Westbound traffic is directed to slow down. Eastbound lanes reopened earlier.

The tornado damaged more than more than 1,000 buildings in south-central Kansas, generated winds up to 165 mph and carved a path of destruction nearly 13 miles long. 

BUTLER COUNTY —One westbound lane of U.S. 54/400 at Andover reopened Monday morning after being closed by tornado damage, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.One westbound lane remains closed: from Yorktown on west to Meadowlark on east. Westbound traffic is directed to slow down. Eastbound lanes reopened earlier.The tornado damaged more than more than 1,000 buildings in south-central Kansas, generated winds up to 165 mph and carved a path of destruction nearly 13 miles long.

Portion of U.S. 54 reopens after closed due to tornado

RILEY COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home in rural Riley County.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1651498542464.png" alt="Crews on the scene of Sunday's fire in Riley County-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Crews on the scene of Sunday's fire in Riley County-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home in rural Riley County.Just after 9:30p.m. Sunday, fire crews responded to a fire in a home in the 4600 Block of Freeman Road after a neighbor who saw smoke coming from the residence called 911, according to a media release.No one was home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. First responders found a family pet dead inside the home.